10 Things That Prove January Is The Best Month For Wrestling

2. Fan Optimism

The Rock John Cena
WWE.com

For the most part, wrestling fans can be quite the cynical, dour lot. After all, the monopolistic grip of WWE and the company's bland programming of the past decade or more has been enough to take the pep out of the step of even the most positive of souls.

Still, January so often shines a ray of hope across the pro wrestling business.

On a WWE level, the end of the year is a notoriously painful one to watch. Storylines and feuds are going through the motions, waiting for the holidays to get here, before the switch is flicked and a renewed energy is implemented across WWE programming as the shadow of WrestleMania begins to loom large.

Away from WWE, Wrestle Kingdom always gets the juices flowing amongst fans looking for their fix of New Japan action. Then there's Ring Of Honor making a fresh start following their December Final Battle PPV, not to mention the new arrival of All Elite Wrestling on the scene.

For whatever reason, there just feels a renewed sense of optimism running throughout January, as fans and wrestlers alike get a fresh start and a chance to look at the new year with a new dose of enthusiasm.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.