10 Things That Prove January Is The Best Month For Wrestling

For long-time wrestling fans, the end of the year is notorious for being the worst time on the wrestling calendar.

As WWE has spent the best part of the last 30 years dominating the industry, Vince McMahon's behemoth has an awful habit of simply going through the motions and churning out generic dross as the year closes out. That then trickles across the whole wrestling business, giving fans the perspective that December is a bad time for the wrestling industry, period.

Thankfully, the festive season is followed by January - and January just so happens to be the greatest month to be a wrestling fan.

For a whole variety of reasons, the turn of the year just has a feel-good factor about it, whether that's based on annual traditions, memorable moments, or just being able to get the taste of an awful December out of your mouth. Even though the majority of wrestling promotions highlight other months of the year as when their biggest and best action takes place, it's January which holds a special place in the hearts of many.

Here, then, are 10 reasons why the first month of the year is the absolute best time for the wrestling business.

Whether it's the Royal Rumble PPV or the ensuing episodes of WWE programming, Vince McMahon's company begins its annual Road to WrestleMania during each and every January.

Of course, 'Mania is the company's biggest show of the year, subsequently featuring the biggest matches and the biggest payoffs. As such, WWE actually *shock horror* tries with its storylines! Crazy concept, right?

One would hope that WWE creative is trying year-round to deliver quality, engaging content on a weekly basis, but the sad truth of the matter is that WWE programming is more often than not a painful watch. On the Road to WrestleMania, however, that usually changes.

Instead of drab, overplayed action, WWE tends to serve up an engaging, exciting product during the first few months of the year as the Showcase of the Immortals looms large. And that entertaining, interesting content usually begins to kick into gear during January - such as the tease of The Shield breaking up in January 2014, fully incorporating Sting into WWE programming in January 2015, and sowing the seeds for Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar or Goldberg vs. The Undertaker in 2017 as just a few examples from recent memory of improvements in creative come January.

Regardless of how bad WWE can be at times, the Road to WrestleMania at least offers some hope that WWE programming isn't always horrendous and doesn't always have to be monotonous and bland.