10 Glorious Things That Must Happen In WWE Before 2017
The New Era has been good so far. Here's how to pick it up a notch.
WWE are in a good place at the moment. The 2016 Brand Split hasn’t gone flawlessly, but for the most part, Raw and SmackDown are better-off than they were before the Draft, and each of the company’s post-WrestleMania PPVs have delivered in terms of in-ring action.
The split has allowed wrestlers like Dean Ambrose and Finn Bálor to rise in prominence, and forgotten stars like Dolph Ziggler to recover their former glory. SmackDown has become a cohesive TV show with actual storyline progression after years of listlessness, and for the most part, WWE have rediscovered how to build characters and get fans invested in their angles.
Things are going great down in NXT too. Many predicted the brand would falter following a difficult spell after WrestleMania, but NXT has regained its status as WWE’s most exciting weekly TV show. Finn Bálor’s gone, but the ascension of Shinsuke Nakamura and new faces like Bobby Roode have helped mitigate the damage, and NXT looks strong going forward.
However, it's not perfect. Raw still feels too long, the rosters remain thin, and The Club’s testicle-themed New Day feud proves that WWE Creative hasn’t completely turned it around. There’s still a lot of work to be done and if WWE get too complacent, they’ll be right back at square one.
In honour of Mr. Roode and his new entrance music (which might just be the pinnacle of human creation), here are 10 glorious things that must happen in WWE before 2017.
10. Heath Slater Gets A Contract
Heath Slater has been one of the Brand Split’s unexpected success stories. The One Man Band went unselected on Draft night, and after being left alone in an empty draft room, his future was up in the air. WWE started reporting that Slater was looking to accept independent bookings in the interim, but he’s continued to invade Raw and SmackDown with the hope of earning a contract ever since.
The poor sod’s been through the ringer lately. After countless beatdowns at the hands of Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Jinder Mahal of all people, Slater looked set to finally earn a SmackDown deal this past week. Shane McMahon rescinded the offer when a punchdrunk Slater mistook him for his sister Stephanie, and Heath’s search for gainful employment continues.
Slater is a thoroughly underrated talent who has played his role to perfection, and while he’s never going to compete for the World or Universal Championship, he’s been a weekly highlight. It’s hard not to feel sorry for his constant state of woe, particularly when he brings his family into the equation, although seeing him get thrown around the ring like a ragdoll every week is kinda fun.
The story’s got to come to an end before it runs out of steam, however. Slater’s a tremendous personality, and he deserves a happy ending for once in his career. Where he goes after getting the contract remains to be seen, but it’ll surely make for some glorious television.