10 Mistakes WWE Must Not Repeat In 2017

8. The Babyface Dilemma

Kevin Owens Critics Wwe Universal Champion
WWE.com

This is a problem shared by RAW, SmackDown - even NXT.

It is an indictment of the so-called creative team that all three members of The Shield, as of December 2016, all play effectively the same role. Seth Rollins will call into question Chris Jericho's fashion choices. He shares his amusement at Jericho's scarf with Dean Ambrose, a man who this time last year represented everything he hated. Roman Reigns, too, is a smug, wisecracking guy who talks more like the antagonist of an eighties teen movie than a babyface pro wrestler.

Has a zany, breezy guy ever drawn significant money? John Cena has - but even though he's been away from WWE for a couple of months, the decade of unprecedented overexposure which preceded his departure probably means fans are interested in something different. Every babyface acts and talks in his mould. That none are truly able to separate themselves from the pack is a problem with a solution so watertight that it's practically mathematic.

WWE isn't going to dispense with its over-scripted approach to booking - but can it not hire writers who don't share the same sophomoric sense of humour?

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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!