10 Things WWE Must Do This Summer
It's time for Roman Reigns to turn his back on those fans...
The summer of 2016 was huge for WWE. Not only did the promotion herald in the return of the brand extension, but guys like Kevin Owens and AJ Styles firmly established themselves as headliners on Raw and SmackDown respectively.
Pondering the landscape of the company post-WrestleMania this year is fascinating. Huge stars such as Bill Goldberg, The Undertaker, and Triple H will likely retreat back into their part-time shells following that event, thus leaving the full-time crew to carry proceedings through the year's more sunny months.
The biggest question of 2017 after 'Mania is this: just what should WWE do, and how can they ensure that both Raw and SmackDown actually improve as shows?
This should already be a discussion behind the scenes, because WrestleMania will come and go in the blink of an eye. WWE have to avoid that post-supershow lull, and there are many ways they can present a superb product that thrills throughout the summer.
From picking the right faces for each respective show and tweaking the overall presentation, to promoting deserving NXT stars and pulling the trigger on some turns, here's what WWE must do later in 2017...
10. Settle Down On Raw Women's Title Switches
The fact that the Raw Women's Title (formerly the WWE Women's Title) has switched hands seven times since debuting at WrestleMania 32 is shocking; like a throwback to the 'Attitude Era', Charlotte Flair, and Sasha Banks have traded the belt on television and pay-per-view excessively, and now Bayley has joined the championship party.
This game of 'pass the title' needs to stop, or at the very least slow, because it's doing nothing to establish the belt as a crown jewel of women's wrestling. Nobody is claiming that Raw's female strap can't change titleholder on occasion, but Charlotte has held the belt four times and Banks has reigned supreme three times in less than a full year.
It's risky to ping pong the title around with such reckless abandon, and the summer of 2017 must act as a settling period for the women's gold; whomever WWE run with as champ at WrestleMania, that woman needs to hold onto the title for a significant period of time.
Only then will the next title change feel impactful, rather than just another switch for the sake of it.