10 Things WWE Fans Have To Look Forward To In 2018

5. A Reaction To ALL IN

Spiteful Man
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WWE operates from a position of luxury. It doesn't matter that the unprecedented critical acclaim generated by New Japan Pro Wrestling is turning the heads of the disenfranchised. It doesn't matter that the Independent circuit has grown beyond so-called "high school gyms" into an arena WWE would do well to sell out for Monday Night RAW. WWE, financed to a degree both vast and depressing by its lucrative TV deals, is in no danger whatsoever.

Happily, WWE also operates from a position of pure spite.

This mentality manifests as United Kingdom Championship tournaments in which even the winner is left marooned from whence he came, as the merest threat of a streaming service compels the company to raid an entire country for talent which, in the case of Wolfgang, it then uses for a single episode of NXT. The prospect of ALL IN would see WWE turn the heads of its benefactors, but Cody et al. likely aren't going to sign any time soon. They're sort of too busy rewriting two decade-old rules. If they bothered to tune into RAW, to measure the temperature, they'd surely turn it off after five minutes, absolutely p*ssing themselves at how sh*tty it is.

So, with next to no chance of a spiteful raid, we may see a reaction that doesn't see WWE sign and ruin the Elite and instead see WWE pull off a shocking landscape-altering angle - to try, ultimately, even if reluctantly - to stem this rising tide.

Contributor
Contributor

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!