10 WWE Storylines We'd Like To See In 2019

8. Family Fight

Becky Lynch Stephanie McMahon
WWE.com

God knows what SmackDown has planned for the WWE Championship picture at the Show of Shows.

The process of elimination yields nothing worthy of WrestleMania across SmackDown's full-time roster - a consequence of WWE's modern part-timer focus and utter inability to promote babyfaces effectively. A quick scan through SmackDown's roster page feels more like a puzzle to solve than a dream match to savour.

Jeff Hardy is over, but not over enough - and a swansong title win should A) happen in this context and B) result in the sort of last hurrah run his body seems incapable of at this point. An uninspiring third match between Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles isn't something WWE does at 'Mania, nor should they. Mustafa Ali, maddeningly, is a great one-off Rumble opponent, but not a Royal Rumble winner. Rusev is organically popular, but not stratospherically so. There is no time to push any other midcard babyface act, nor does there exist a big-time heel fans are desperate to get behind as a babyface.

Enter John Cena.

Cena being Cena would doubtlessly dent the integrity of Bryan's 'New' schtick by letting us all know that Birdie's cloth diapers are a work, or something - but a testy feud between in-laws is unbroken ground fertile and real enough to resonate on a human level.

Chemistry, motive, big fight feel: this is a WrestleMania-worthy main event and cautionary tale ahead of a WrestleMania 36 show WWE need to actually plan in advance.

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!