2024: The Year That Could Make Or Break WWE

Look in his eyes, what do you see? The bloke who could completely burn down WWE.

It may have been all smiles and hugs during those first few months of sports entertaining in a decade, but that was when the road towards that long-awaited first-ever WrestleMania main event spot seemed somewhat clear.

In the wake of his unfortunate triceps injury at the 2024 Royal Rumble, though, a route to the position he's evidently wanted for his entire career feels decidedly less visible at present.

And if history has taught us anything about the 'Voice of the Voiceless', it's that he isn't one to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself should things begin to frustrate the former WWE Champion. How 'Papa H' and the rest of the booking squad handle the Punker and his ego going forward will be utterly fascinating, and will definitely lead to WWE being on fire - in one of two ways.

Keep him engaged and excited about the future - locking him back into a captivating Drew McIntyre feud that sets the stage for a gripping 'Mania show-closing contest - and more WWE gold could be on the horizon.

P*ss him off by shoving him into a program he feels is beneath him or by making promises they simply cannot keep, then WWE could have their own Brawl Out disaster on their hands.

The deafening cries of "CM PUNK!" that still continue to blast out whenever the 'Scottish Warrior' takes to the mic are surely too loud for WWE to ignore in this "new era", though. And it's that willingness to actually give their audience what they want/demand when they sense a potential riot heading their way that could keep this "WWE is cool again" period from peaking early.

With more eyes being potentially brought to the product than ever before in the wake of that lucrative Netflix deal and "the biggest WrestleMania of all time", it's never been more important for the promotion to adapt and respond to what their consumers are looking for.

And any complacency or taking the p*ss when it comes to the handling of the audience's favourites, or the promising names looking to step up, like they often did in the past may result in those dipping their toes in at a time when WWE genuinely feels hot again quickly recoiling and flicking over to another Zack Snyder offering on the streaming service.

It takes time to build that trust with the paying public, and WWE have just about done that over the last 18-months after years of Vince McMahon-produced tripe. But it would only take a few booking missteps in 2024 to turn a white hot spell into yet another era of frustrating "what could have beens".

For all of the ways WWE could make a right ol' mess of things throughout the rest of this year, though, they do still have a chance to do some good. Some great, in fact...