10 Mistakes WWE Must Not Repeat In 2017

Please don't let Titus O'Neil anywhere near gold. Or near anybody related to him.

Kevin Owens Critics Wwe Universal Champion
WWE.com

December, TLC aside, is generally an inconsequential month in WWE lore - so what better time to commence the annual inquest?

2016 has been...mixed. Though some seem to have taken it for granted, NXT remains an absorbing hour of television, made all the better for its simple mode of storytelling and serious approach. The TakeOver specials continue to provide more entertainment than their main roster counterparts - ironically, by providing a less is more approach.

The main roster landscape, meanwhile, has been plagued by creative malaise, halfhearted talent promotion, and holding patterns in its booking. Normal service has resumed, essentially. WWE has somehow contrived to both push AJ Styles, once considered antithetical to the WWE norm, and reverted to its head-scratching, counterproductive norm elsewhere.

The WWE Empire is in no real, immediate danger of collapsing...but it wouldn't take much to unravel the thread. The USA Network aren't indebted to WWE. If ratings continue to slump, as they have been, questions will get asked. If WWE doesn't create new, lasting stars, how long can it sustain itself on nostalgia?

The end is nowhere near - but the second act could do with a lot more excitement...

10. Abysmal Title Contenders

Kevin Owens Critics Wwe Universal Champion
WWE.com

John Cena has quietly gained a steady following of online admirers in the last few years.

I'm not one of them. Until he tempers his over- and under-selling, ceases to rely on multiple finisher kick-outs to enhance the drama in his matches, and applies his STF with sufficient force to irritate a small child, he will still suck.

That said, his U.S. Open Challenge was a thing of beauty. The diverse raft of unannounced participants promised RAW segments that were both unpredictable and exciting - and to the man's credit, he delivered in the sort of spades he'd previously reserved for his hobby of burial. Since Rusev wrested the title away from Kalisto, Titus O'Neil, who hasn't improved nor gotten over since his debut, somehow staked a claim to it on the basis that he asked.

The United States Title in 2016 has been devalued more than the Zimbabwean dollar - and the Intercontinental Title was in danger of following it into the depths of obscurity, as a result of Darren Young's nothing series with The Miz. Did nobody watch the Prime Time Players?

The midcard titles have long lost their lustre - but as Cena and The Miz have demonstrated, restoration is easier than retouching a fresco painting of Jesus Christ. It doesn't take a miracle - just a bit of care and attention.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!