10 Major Problems Facing WWE In 2017
2. Lack Of Star Power
The problems created by Cena’s retirement bleed conveniently into WWE’s next big issue: Raw & SmackDown’s complete lack of star power.
Cena, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, and The Undertaker are WWE’s biggest stars at the time of writing. Each operates on a part-time schedule, but Taker restricts himself to just a handful of appearances every year, and Goldberg isn’t expected to last much longer than WrestleMania.
WWE’s biggest assets are all ageing part-timers who can’t appear on television every week, and who’s next in line? Guys like Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, and Seth Rollins, who, as popular as they are, can’t match the veterans in terms of drawing power. Each is a great wrestler in their own right, but not one of them feel as important as the likes of Cena and Goldberg, even though they’ll be the guys trusted with leading the company over the next few years.
Perhaps this issue won’t become a real problem for another couple of years, but if two or more of WWE’s major attractions decide to call it a day in 2017, there’ll be huge ramifications. Cena and Lesnar are the last two major draws that WWE have created, which means it’s been over a decade since they created their last transcendent superstar. Do Owens and Rollins have that potential? Possibly, but they’ll never reach that level in the current environment.