Big changes are coming to the WWE after WrestleMania, from draft picks, to call-ups, to signings, to new feuds, pushes and storylines. WWE is at its peak this time of the year known as WrestleMania Season, and many fans are pumped for the biggest wrestling event of the year, WrestleMania 34. However, the excitement doesn’t end at 'Mania. The Raw afterwards is usually a glance into the company’s future plans. With rumors circulating about these plans after 'Mania, WWE fans have a lot to look forward to.
If these rumors hold true, fans could be treated to some interesting storylines, shocking heel turns, and new rivalries that will keep them tuning in. New faces will be arriving to keep feuds fresh, and major superstars that the fans actually want to cheer for will be handed huge opportunities. However, the future isn't all sunshine and roses because fans have also heard other rumors that aren't so optimistic.
Fans are pretty pumped for any change that shakes up stale characters or storylines, but sometimes change isn’t always so great. There are some pretty disturbing rumors regarding some of WWE’s planned “changes,” and they don’t look good. Changes involving the wrong people turning heel/face, switching brands or splitting up. This article is about these changes that we don’t want to see happen after WrestleMania, but it will also discuss the positive changes as well. Here are the 8 changes we want to see after WrestleMania, and 7 that we don’t.
15 Want: Full-Time Ronda Rousey
“The Baddest Woman on the Planet” is here in WWE! “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey first stepped into a WWE ring at WrestleMania 31 and has since put Triple H down to the mat twice, once through a table. Not to mention, Ronda almost broke Stephanie’s arm as well. After her devastating losses in UFC, Rousey had hinted at a WWE run, and her signing with the company was confirmed through her shocking arrival at the Royal Rumble.
While Rousey may not have the greatest mic skills, fans went wild for her Royal Rumble appearance.
We’ll see how she does in the ring, but fans appear extremely eager for Rousey’s debut match at WrestleMania.
Rousey is likely scheduled to face-off against Triple H and Stephanie and will likely be teaming with either Kurt Angle. While fans may be mixed on a WWE Horsewomen vs. MMA Horsewomen feud, they are pretty united in seeing Ronda Rousey shake up the Women’s Division.
14 Don't Want: Kevin Owens And Sami Zayn Splitting Up
Fans are pretty “meh” on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn being labeled as “Kami,” the “Yep! Movement” hasn’t received the best reception, and Sami’s heel turn to join his arch rival, Kevin Owens, really didn’t make any sense. Still, fans definitely don’t want “Kami” to break up.
WWE has been teasing a split, but fans aren’t happy about it because they don’t want to see another Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn feud.
Is creative going to turn Owens face? Or Zayn back to face? Even though the pairing makes very little sense, “Kami” remaining together is a lot more beneficial to both Zayn and Owens at the moment. Zayn’s entire WWE run has been lackluster, so a heel turn is definitely something that can help turn his career around. Creative can even inject Zayn and Owens into the stale SmackDown Tag Division so fans can relive the Kevin Steen and El Generico days. Either way, fans are reluctant to see the pair split, and want to finally see some direction for the two superstars.
13 Want: The Miz’s Huge Push
Rumors have circulated that after WrestleMania, The Miz is in for a monster push, and most fans agree, that’s AWESOME! And why wouldn’t they? The Miz’s work on SmackDown was amazing, and ever since he’s moved to Raw, he has carried the brand on his shoulders. Just ask him. The fact is The Miz deserves his monster push, and if Brock Lesnar wasn’t on Raw, The Miz would've been Universal Champion by now.
Fans pretty much universally agree with The Miz's rants regarding his work on Raw and the prestige he has brought to the Intercontinental Title. The Miz’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed, and fans find themselves respecting him. They went bonkers when Miz regained his title from Roman Reigns and still receives quite the pop when his music hits. If Miz receives his huge push, fans will support it 100% and probably chant "You deserve it!"
12 Don't Want: Daniel Bryan Turning Heel Or Leaving
While Daniel Bryan, the General Manager, is fairly entertaining, he’s nothing compared to Daniel Bryan, the wrestler. Daniel Bryan was lightning in a bottle, and WWE wisely pulled the trigger on Bryan winning the WWE World Heavyweight Title. Unfortunately, injuries would derail Bryan’s career and force him to retire. However, Bryan is eager to return to wrestling, even if it’s outside WWE.
Daniel Bryan won’t be wrestling again in WWE, but WWE officials don’t want him wrestling elsewhere either.
So, they’ve planted seeds for a heel turn to hurt his popularity among fans in case he decides to leave. However, fans don’t want to see either. If Bryan turns heel, he’ll probably be more cheered as a heel than face, and if WWE forces him out, we may hear “Daniel Bryan” chants akin to the “CM Punk” chants.
11 Want: A Roster Shake-Up
There are some who are against the Brand Extension, but there is no denying that the fans love the “WWE Draft.” Fans pretty much lose their minds whenever it’s announced and is almost always one of the highest rating shows of the year. Plus, many fans right agree that the current rosters are getting a little stale, and it’s time to shake things up again.
Another roster shakeup seems to be on the horizon, and rumors point to a shakeup happening after WrestleMania.
After about a year since the last “Draft,” fans are more than ever ready to see some new feuds and new faces on WWE programming. Even those who aren’t a fan of the split rosters will definitely be watching during the draft.
10 Don't Want: Jeff Jarrett Wrestling
One of WWE's scheduled Hall of Fame inductees this year is, astonishingly, Jeff Jarrett. Despite all the bad blood between Double J and WWE in the past, both the company and Jeff Jarrett have moved on from their differences setting the stage for a possible appearance on Raw. While many fans were pleased to see J-E-double F J-A-double R-E-double T in the Hall of Fame, fans aren’t exactly clamoring to see him wrestle any future WWE matches.
With many WWE superstars having worked for Jeff Jarrett’s TNA in the past, namely AJ Styles, there was an internal push within the company to induct Jarrett into the WWE Hall of Fame. And while fans agree he is deserving, many of them also believe Jarrett’s best wrestling days are behind him. There aren’t exactly any dream matches fans are hoping to see involving Jarrett in today’s WWE leaving fans mum on any in-ring return for "The Chosen One."
9 Want: Bobby Lashley's Return
With Brock Lesnar most likely leaving after WrestleMania, WWE is going to be in the market for a freak athlete, and Bobby Lashley is the guy to fill that void. Lashley wrestled for WWE in the past, most memorably during the Donald Trump/Vince McMahon feud where he helped The Donald shave Vince’s head. Lashley would then give MMA a try with an impressive 15-2 record while working on and off for TNA/Impact Wrestling.
Lashley’s Impact contract is up, and he has reportedly signed once again with WWE, much to the fans’ enthusiasm.
Sure, Lashley didn’t quite pan out last time in WWE, and yes, his mic skills aren’t the greatest, yet fans recognized his work in UFC and on Impact Wrestling. They know Lashley is legitimately one tough human being and are already fantasy booking in their heads for his return. Can you imagine a spear vs spear match between Lashley and Reigns?
8 Don't Want: Combining The Pay Per Views
Goodness gracious, Great Balls of Fire... is out! While most fans don’t care about the business workings of WWE, the upcoming pay per view schedule has been released for the remainder of 2018, and some fans are concerned. The WWE has reduced the pay per views down to 12 this year, removing Great Balls of Fire in the process. While that in itself isn’t a bad thing, the fact that these pay per views are rumored to combine Raw and SmackDown rosters, is giving fans pause.
Even though Raw and SmackDown feel like the same show, at least the rosters remain separated and unique. Each brand had its own titles and pay per views, but with rumors indicating combined PPVs, that unique feeling between the brands will be lessened even further. What’s more is that fans are concerned about this combination of PPVs being the first step to combining the rosters once again. Fans don’t want to see the rosters combined or the PPVs combined which could potentially be over three hours long if rumors hold true. This is a big scheduling change, and the fans are very leery.
7 Want: Rey Mysterio’s Return
The return of Rey Mysterio at the Royal Rumble was met with a lot more warmth than the last time Rey was a surprise entrant in the Rumble match. Despite rumors of a completely random WrestleMania match with John Cena that no one wants to see, Rey’s return is still a small change to the WWE roster that fans are happy about.
Rey’s return salivates fans at the thought of an AJ Styles/Rey Mysterio match.
Both WWE and Mysterio even teased a potential match between Rey and AJ Styles via Twitter. While fans may sigh at the Cena/Mysterio match being slapped together at the last minute, the future dream matches that WWE fans could be witnessing involving Rey Mysterio has them pretty pumped for SmackDown in 2018.
6 Don't Want: Seth Rollins Heel Turn
Seth “Freakin” Rollins had an un-freakin’-believable showing during the gauntlet match on Raw. He lasted over an hour and pinned both Roman Reigns and John Cena on the same night. Rollins is penciled in for a huge push after WrestleMania, and the push couldn’t have come sooner as far as fans are concerned. However, rumors relating to this push are also a bit troubling.
Seth is rumored to face the soon-to-be Universal Champion, Roman Reigns, at SummerSlam which would have been fine, except creative allegedly wants to turn Rollins heel. Huh? Though Rollins is arguably a better heel, this turn would be a huge mistake. After winning over the fans again with a magnificent performance on Raw, creative wants to turn heel the wrestler fans are behind to feud with the babyface Roman Reigns, who fans are against. That’s WWE logic for you, and the fans aren’t happy about it.
5 Want: “Big Plans” For Seth Rollins
As stated earlier, Seth Rollins is in for a big push after WrestleMania. He currently appears to be going after The Miz’s Intercontinental Title. Whether or not he wins the title remains to be seen, but rumors also have Rollins as a potential Universal Title contender. Either way, the fans are ecstatic for Rollins and are thrilled to see him receive a much deserved push.
The rumored heel turn definitely turns off the fans, but a push for Rollins will be a welcome change.
Despite being a WrestleMania main eventer and holding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship twice before, Rollins has been struggling to stay relevant on Monday Night Raw. No longer just another member of The Shield or in a pointless tag team storyline with Jason Jordan, Seth Rollins may finally return to the main event scene where he belongs.
4 Don't Want: Raiding The NXT Roster
Many fans argued that previous NXT call-ups to the main roster really thinned out the NXT roster. Many also argued that some of the call-ups were brought up too soon before the superstar or Creative were ready for them. With the NXT roster already depleted, many fans are concerned that this upcoming draft will bring even more call-ups to the main roster, thinning out the NXT roster even further.
While there are plenty of NXT Superstars no doubt ready to be brought up, such as Adam Cole, The Authors of Pain, and Drew McIntyre, there are plenty of reasons to keep them on NXT as well. Certainly fans don’t want to see NXT Superstars called up, only for creative to have nothing for them or completely misuse them (see: Bayley). In addition, many Superstars can still benefit from perfecting their characters while remaining down in NXT. Fans may be exciting for the draft, but seeing the quality of their favorite brand NXT deteriorate has them slightly on edge.
3 Want: Daniel Bryan Wrestling Again
Make no mistake about it, the fans want to see Daniel Bryan back doing what he does best. Daniel Bryan has been sidelined from injuries, and despite being cleared by other doctors, apparently the final decision is WWE’s. Bryan’s future of wrestling again in WWE looks hopeless. However, there are two potential possibilities that give fans hope for Bryan to return to action once again.
Either WWE changes their position to allow Bryan a low risk match, or Bryan leaves WWE to wrestle elsewhere.
Obviously, WWE doesn’t want to lose Bryan’s popularity and WWE fans don't want to lose Bryan. However, fans do want to see Bryan wrestle again, and that possibility seems more and more likely as pressure on WWE mounts. WWE has hinted at a Daniel Bryan/Shane McMahon feud for a potential WrestleMania match, and with fans virtually begging for Bryan to wrestle again, 2018 may be their year WWE finally relents and clears him for "One More Match!"
2 Want: Brock Lesnar Out Of The Title Picture
As humongous as the pop was for The Beast Incarnate when he returned to WWE after an eight-year hiatus, this Brock Lesnar return has run its course. Lesnar is due to leave this year, and fans aren’t too upset about it. Lesnar appears for only so many dates and wrestles even less. Despite this, he’s the Universal Champion. As much as fans hate Roman, they’d love to see Lesnar drop the title.
There are literally no dream matches or feuds left for WWE fans to see from Lesnar. Even if Lesnar would unexpectedly re-sign with WWE, there’s still no way he should be holding the title. Fans are ready for someone who can defend the title at every pay per view, wrestles full time, loves the business and can at least appear on every Raw. That definitely isn't Brock Lesnar and never was.
1 Don't Want: AJ Styles To Raw
SmackDown Live is the house that AJ Styles built, according to AJ himself, and fans agree. AJ Styles has be invaluable to SmackDown. He’s had terrific matches against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, John Cena and even Baron Corbin. Sure, Monday Night Raw might be a nice change of scenery for The Phenomenal One to showcase himself, but to many fans, the thought of AJ getting drafted to Raw terrifies them.
AJ Styles is the WWE Champion on SmackDown, but he’s not going to amount to much on the same brand as Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman.
On Raw, Styles will be in the mid-card at best which is a demotion in the eyes of fans from his position on SmackDown. Styles is having success on the blue brand and dishing out great matches. Fans are terrified that a brand move will kill that vibe, and they're right to feel that way.