10 Bad Habits WWE Must Kick In 2017

2017 is almost upon us, and while many will be glad to leave 2016 behind, this is typically a time for retrospection and re-evaluation. The New Year provides an ideal starting point for a fresh start, and from eating healthier and getting in shape to consuming less alcohol and getting more sleep, most of us will commit to some kind of New Year's resolution on January 1st.

WWE have had a decidedly mixed year. Goldberg's return, AJ Styles' arrival, and SmackDown's post-Brand Split revival have been huge successes, but Raw continues struggling beneath the weight of its bloated three-hour format, and ratings are lower than ever. The company are still making healthy profits, but business isn't exactly booming these days, particularly compared to WWE's peak years.

For every reason to be cheerful about WWE heading into 2017, there's one to be cautious. They've had a strong year in many regards, but a troubling one in others, and if next year is anywhere near as eventful as 2016 was, we have another wild 12 months ahead of us.

It's hard to imagine WWE making any changes in 2017 that are as impactful as the Brand Split was this year, but there's plenty of room for improvement ahead of the New Year. WWE are just as prone to developing bad habits as any of their viewers, and these New Year's resolutions would put them in good footing ahead of the coming challenges.

Here are 10 bad habits WWE must kick in 2017.

For as long as WWE deem themselves an “entertainment” organisation above all else, comedy will be a huge part of their product. When it works, it’s absolutely tremendous. Damien Mizdow provided some of the most entertaining moments of Damien Sandow’s career, for example, and Daniel Bryan’s popularity explosion started with Team Hell No’s goofy anger management segments.

When it’s bad, however, it’s REALLY bad. WWE’s writers just aren’t all that funny, and the company’s lame attempts at making the audience laugh have produced some of the most cringeworthy moments in wrestling history. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows’ direction this year serves as a perfect example of this: the “doctors” angle appealed to Vince McMahon and Vince McMahon alone, and the less said about The Old Day, the better.

More often than not, WWE’s comedic escapades are crude, crass, and embarrassing to anyone with a sense of taste. Guys like Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho can leave a crowd in hysterics through wit and charm alone, but when WWE force their hackneyed scripts onto uncomfortable performers, it just doesn’t work. 2016 has been a particularly bad year for comedy in WWE, and the company would be best leaving it to the professionals next year.