10 Things That Are Inevitable Before WWE WrestleMania 33
7. The New Era Will Run Out Of Steam... Again
The New Era has ran out of steam before. Though WWE would have you believe that it didn’t kick in until after the 2016 Draft, the McMahons have been bandying term around since Shane was installed as an authority figure shortly after WM 32.
They’ve used the New Era as a marketing tool (and apparent symbol for change) ever since, and things got off to an incredibly promising start. WM 32 was a huge disappointment, but WWE washed much of it away by producing week after week of quality, fast-moving television in its wake. New acts debuted while old ones were rejuvenated, and PPV match quality improved tenfold. For all intents and purposes, it looked like WWE were finally on a good path again.
It wasn’t to last, though. Tedium started creeping back into WWE programming 5-6 weeks later, and by the time the 2016 Brand Split materialised, Raw and SmackDown were back to the same old tired tropes and patterns. Things have improved since then, but history suggests that these changes are only temporary, and WWE will return to their old ways before long. It’s a shame, but with Vince McMahon still at the helm, a sad inevitability.
It’s been great seeing wrestlers like Dolph Ziggler and Finn Balor excel on their respective brands, but it can’t last. The old tropes, motionless storylines, and 50/50 booking that saw WWE’s ratings nosedive in the first place will be back before long, and there’s little anyone can do about it.