10 WWE Storylines We'd Like To See In 2018
5. The Introduction Of A New Championship
Easily the best months-long tale WWE has told in modern times, John Cena's United States Championship Open Challenge was perfectly calibrated to yield yards of entertainment. Cena finally evolved from gravedigger to gatekeeper, several of his opponents emerged with heightened auras, and the unpredictable thrill of the guessing game - combined with the brilliant delivery of that promise - made for unmissable television in the DVR age. People still rave about it now as the low-key zenith of Cena's career.
The Roman Reigns diminished return hasn't dropped jaws, granted - but why not reorient the Open Challenge as a permanent attraction?
The United States Championship can join Madusa's belt in the trash; while it has elevated the odd career, WWE's version of it has never once felt prestigious. Replacing it with WWE's first-ever Television Championship, fought for on every single episode of SmackDown, would both banish what historically is a prop while, in parallel, imbuing even the most filler episodes with genuine stakes. Such an arc literally writes itself, and chimes with the blue brand's trumpeted 'Land Of Opportunities' philosophy.
And, since this is armchair fantasy booking, the belt wouldn't resemble the Intercontinental Title, only with a royal blue strap.