10 New Directions For WWE After Day 1
Wrestlers out injured, new WWE tag-teams, surprise Royal Rumble winners and more.
The 'Road To WrestleMania' officially started at Day 1. Wait, that's not right. The 'Road To WrestleMania' unofficially started at Day 1. That's better. WWE will start the 'Mania hype proper during the lead up to late-January's Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
Tradition counts, after all.
Day 1 might've launched a fresh New Year's Day tradition for the company (assuming the show wasn't a one off and they plan on doing this annually). There, Brock Lesnar slotted into the WWE Title picture due to Roman Reigns going down with COVID, and creative dropped a few hints about what's upcoming over the next few months elsewhere on the card.
Saturday night featured major returns, big injury angles, title changes, teased heel turns, possible new tag-teams being formed and a ton of moving and shaking. Big E, for example, is out of the top title picture for now, but his exit could pave the way for another New Day man to move up the pecking order.
Here's what to expect between Rumble-WrestleMania in 2022. Don't be fooled into thinking WWE will abandon what was supposed to be Day 1's main event either...
10. A McIntyre-less SmackDown
SmackDown life started so promisingly for big Drew.
His 'Open Challenge' segments led to several excellent matches, but then WWE saddled him with a feud against Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss. Now, after beating Moss at Day 1 and being ambushed by the heels backstage, McIntyre will take some time out to fix a neck issue.
This is a big loss for Friday nights, to be honest. Used properly, Drew is still one of the biggest stars WWE has, and it's hardly great that the company are about to lose him during the Royal Rumble hype. Fingers crossed this is just a temporary thing, because McIntyre must be involved in the 'Road To WrestleMania' somehow.
It'd be a surprise to see him before the Rumble on 29 January though. Wrestlers don't tend to bounce back rapid when heels wrap a steel chair around their necks and then smash it with a piece of metal rigging. Or, at least, they shouldn't.