10 Early WWE Predictions For 2017
Looking forward from an eventful 2016...
2016 is slowly winding down, and we’re now deeply entrenched in wrestling’s annual “dead period". The year’s fourth quarter typically sees WWE’s grind to a creative halt, with its major stars stuck in familiar holding patterns until the company’s next big cycle kicks-off with the Royal Rumble.
It has been an eventful year, but tradition dictates that the rest of it will be quiet, and that Raw and SmackDown will slow down as holiday season takes hold through November and December. There’s little chance of anything earth-shattering between now and December 31st, and it’s time to start gearing up for 2017.
2016 has delivered a number of huge talking points, both good and bad. The Brand Split has improved SmackDown’s product, but done little to snap WWE’s ratings skid on a whole, and September saw Raw hit an all-time low in that regard. On the plus side, AJ Styles has hit WWE like a bolt of lightning, the Cruiserweight Classic was a huge success, and wrestlers like The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, and Chris Jericho have completely revitalised their careers.
WWE face a number of battles in 2017, with the ratings struggle at the top of the pile. They’re under increased pressure to prove that the Brand Split was the right move, and justify the New Era’s legitimacy. How will they go about this? Let’s take a look.
Here are 10 early WWE predictions for 2017.
10. The Royal Rumble Flops... Again
AJ Styles’ debut aside, this year’s Royal Rumble was a disappointment. Triple H’s victory was partially accepted through the “anyone but Roman Reigns” mentality, but the ensuing WrestleMania program only enhanced Reigns’ status as an unwanted main event babyface. The result was flat, and the aftermath was turgid.
It goes deeper than that, however, and the Rumble and disappointment have gone hand-in-hand for several years. 2015 saw Reigns showered with jeers as The Rock held his hand in victory, while 2014 was obliterated by the outrage stemming from Daniel Bryan’s misuse. You have to go all the way back to Edge’s victory in 2010 to find a truly great Rumble match, and there’s little reason to believe that things will improve next year.
2017’s has “disaster” written all over it, in fact. After taking place at the 17,200 capacity Amway Center in Orlando this year, next year’s show heads to the 72,000-seater Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. It seems a suicidal decision at a time when Raw’s ratings continue to scrape historical lows, and those empty seats are going to be very, very noticeable.
Then there’s the booking. SmackDown has improved leaps and bounds since the Brand Split, but Raw remains marred by the same problems as before, and the Universal Title scene is a convoluted mess that still revolves around the McMahon family’s machinations. Both of Raw’s post-draft PPVs have ended in disappointment, and with Reigns likely to be among the Rumble’s top contenders, there’s every chance we’ll have a repeat of 2015 on our hands come January.