The road to WrestleMania 35 is almost upon us and while that likely means fans will be more critical of the company's decisions, its also a chance for officials to go above and beyond. Whether they ultimately do that is up to them and what they feel is best for business, but what are some of the things they need to do before Mania roles around?
The McMahons recently made their return to television thanks to slumping ratings and promised there would be a lot of changes made in the next few months that would reflect what fans truly want. So far, the McMahons being back on television feels pretty hollow, as the only significant changes that have taken place are roster shuffling, something that happens around this time of year all the time anyway. The WWE has to show in the next few months that they really mean it when they say things are going to change and fans will get a better product moving forward. WrestleMania 35 could mark a time where fans truly know that it's a new era, or if the year to come will be more of the same.
While the company already has the pressure of a new era upon them, they also have one of the hardest fan bases to please in all of entertainment, which is sure to only make things more difficult. With that being said and another WrestleMania season almost upon us, here are 20 things they need to do before The Show of Shows!
20 Replace The Elimination Chamber With The Championship Scramble
The championship scramble, which consists of a six person match with a time limit, was an interesting way to determine a champion in the past and could be useful again now. Of course the championship scramble format hasn't been used in years after The WWE soured on the idea after only one night, but that doesn't mean they can't bring it back.
In all honesty, the tradition of The Elimination Chamber match and The Royal Rumble match is becoming quite a tiring way to determine the championship picture heading into WrestleMania and a championship scramble in lieu of the chamber would be a nice shakeup. Beyond that, it keeps things interesting and more importantly, keeps fans guessing all the way to Mania.
19 Reunite The Wyatt Family
Is it time to reunite The Wyatt Family? While the family's first run can only be described as sub par at best, they have all gone on to accomplish some pretty amazing time during their time apart. So much in fact, that the team of Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman and The Bludgeon Brothers would be an unbeatable team if WWE put them all on Raw.
It could also be a great way to establish a faction to lord over Monday Night Raw once the Authority storyline ends and might play a big part in getting Wyatt or Strowman a shot at The Universal title. In the end, could also be a great way to give them a high profile match heading into WrestleMania 35, which would be fun to see.
Maybe some fans will think of this as just rehashing the past, but after the success of The Shield reunion, and other nostalgic storylines, a reunion like this might be just what WWE needs.
18 Give Carmella A High Profile Role
Let's be honest here.
Carmella has come a long way in her career since winning The Smackdown Live Women's championship right after WrestleMania 34. It would be a huge mistake on WWE's part to treat her like an afterthought during the biggest show of the year. That's why she is another superstar that is absolutely deserving of a high profile match
Beyond that, Nikki Bella has gained a ton of credibility since going toe to toe with Ronda Rousey at The Evolution pay per view, which is only going to make the match that much more fun to see. In the end, it would be smart to have Carmella in a high profile role in WWE's peak season, especially as fans have started taking a liking to her.
17 Have Elias Win The IC Title
Believe it or not, reports have already circulated that WWE's original plan was to have Dean Ambrose cost Seth Rollins The Intercontinental title and Elias was supposed to be the new champion. Of course, the company's plans changed and centred Rollins and Ambrose's feud over The IC title, but what happens when that's over?
If nothing else, it would be really smart on WWE's part to have Ambrose or Rollins cost each other The IC title and have Elias come out the winner. At least that way, WWE can take the belt off of Rollins or Ambrose without really hurting their momentum and Elias, who has been doing amazingly as a face lately, can finally nab his first title.
16 Bring Back Batista
There were reports circulating that Batista was supposed to go one on one with Triple H at WrestleMania 35, but it looks like those plans are now off the table thanks to an injury at Crown Jewel. With that being said, however, and the immense fan support Batista had when he returned, it makes sense that WWE bring him in to face someone.
There are also a plethora of opponents for him to face on either Raw and SmackDown Live, which makes the possibility of a dream match very likely for The Animal. In fact, between opponents like Bruan Strowman, Lars Sullivan and even Drew McIntyre, there are just countless options here.
15 Have Ember Moon Win The Women's Royal Rumble
Ember Moon continues to impress everyone on the Raw roster and that's exactly why she deserves a crowning moment at WrestleMania 35. Beyond that, with Ronda Rousey supposedly set to leave for SmackDown Live due to the Fox Sports deal, Raw is going to need a new face for the Women's division, which would be perfect for Moon.
Of course Moon isn't the only superstar deserving of this high profile spot as Ruby Riott, Sasha Banks and even Alexa Bliss are all prime choices, but Moon seems like the only one that the fans will really get behind.
In fact, she already has a lot of fan support since teaming with Rousey on Raw and WWE would be stupid not to capitalize on that. Obviously WWE is building to an eventual Ronda/Charlotte/Becky collision, so why not have Moon win the Rumble and perhaps take a shot at her old NXT rival Asuka at WrestleMania?
14 Send Nia Jax Back Down To NXT
Nia Jax made a lot of enemies when she accidentally hurt Becky Lynch with a stray punch during an episode of Monday Night Raw, but WWE still hasn't done anything about it. Furthermore, they let her keep her number one contender spot for The Women's title and she even had a match with Ronda Rousey for the belt at TLC
Of course she ultimately came up short to Rousey in what was a pretty one sided contest, but that doesn't feel like enough of a punishment for someone that has legitimately hurt multiple superstars over her career. It also doesn't feel fair to the other main roster superstars that are in fear of being injured by Jax.
13 Give Mustafa Ali A Run With The United States Title
Mustafa Ali gained all the momentum in the world when he pinned Daniel Bryan on SmackDown Live and what better way to capitalize on that than to eventually have him win the United States title. Not only is it a perfect showcase of his breathtaking moveset, it is also a way to make the U.s title division great again.
Beyond that, Ali has been doing nothing but impressing people ever since appearing on 205 Live and the company would be foolish not to continue on with it. Whether it leads to anything long term or not is anyone's guess, but striking while the iron is hot, especially during WrestleMania season seems like a great idea!
12 Have The New Day Finally Split
WWE is very good at creating once in a lifetime moments and breaking up The New Day would be a good way to do something like that. Not only does it succeed in completely changing the tag team landscape and the midcard for the foreseeable future, it also finally gives these three a chance to shine on their own again.
Whether The WWE Universe wants to admit it or not, there is only so far The New Day can go as a team and they have just about reached that limit here. If nothing else, WWE has effectively milked everything they can out of the gimmick and its basically just running on fumes at this point. With that in mind, why not end it and do something else with the three?
11 Build The Women's Tag Team Titles
WWE seems to be putting more and more focus on the women's division lately, which is why fans should probably expect to see the tag team titles introduced sooner rather than later. The WWE promised they would be coming in 2019 and sure enough, they've already announced the inaugural champions will be crowned at the Elimination Chamber. However, WWE has to make these titles feel like a big deal, with as many teams as possible vying for them.
At least that way, WWE can have a big vast field of teams from both WWE and NXT, keep the momentum going with each round and once the champs are crowned, make sure the championship gets a high profile match at 'Mania. In the end, it's just one idea in what has to be a plethora of other ideas floating around, but it would be a cool way to introduce the new belts.
10 Bring Back Rob Van Dam
Whether he comes back for a few one off matches or takes part in WrestleMania 35, bringing back Rob Van Dam would be a great way to boost the roster. Not only that, his versatile move set is a crowd favorite, which will make for some interesting matchups on either SmackDown Live and Raw.
In the end, this doesn't mean he should have some high profile spot or even get a title shot, but WWE needs to bring back RVD in some kind of capacity. In all honesty, his frog splashes are breathtaking and his top rope kick into the barricade would be an amazing addition to whatever show they put him on.
9 Make Alexa Bliss The Raw General Manager
Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live are without general managers and while WWE might keep it that way for the time being, there is eventually going to come a time where they need someone in that on screen role again. In fact, with WrestleMania season coming up and a lot of important decisions needing to be made, a GM needs to be established soon
With that being said and a limited number of options available for the spot, WWE should put Alexa Bliss as the new general manager and turn her into a heel authority figure. Not only would that be the best way to create a meaningful power struggle on Raw again, it also is a good use for Bliss until she recovers from her concussion.
8 Don't Overuse John Cena
Although John Cena is one of the greatest WWE superstars of this generation, he is at a point in his career where movies and outside gigs are starting to become more important to WWE. Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with this and Cena deserves the mainstream attention he is getting, but that doesn't mean he deserves an automatic spot at WrestleMania 35.
Think about it; Cena has already had a countless number of WrestleMania moments and doesn't need another one. In fact, WWE would probably be better off leaving not having him appear at the show at all and then give that time to a younger star. In the end, it allows WWE to focus on the future and that's what they ultimately need to do here.
7 Move Finn Balor To SmackDown Live
Finn Balor has been stuck in the midcard on Monday Night Raw for a long time now and while some fans are holding out hope that the company changes their mind on the young star, it doesn't look like that's going to happen. With that being said however, a move to Smackdown Live could offer him and his fans the opportunities they have been hoping for.
Of course it probably won't happen right away and Balor would have to work his way up the card on the blue brand a bit, but with superstars like Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, Jinder Mahal, Dean Ambrose and others getting a shot at the top prize on the blue brand in years past, you would think Balor would have to be up their eventually.
6 Have Ronda Rousey Turn Heel
It's no secret that Ronda Rousey is set for a move to SmackDown live by the end of the year, but that can only happen after she drops the Raw Women's title to someone else on the red brand. This may actually happen at the event itself, but Ronda Rousey can't keep being booked as unstoppable forever. By the time WrestleMania rolls around, Rousey's undefeated streak should be hyped up more and more, with Becky Lynch getting her crowning moment at the show. With Ronda getting more and more boos, perhaps it'd be best for WWE to have Ronda turn heel before WrestleMania and really make it a special moment for Becky, by beating the undefeated RAW Women's Champion.
5 Avoid Putting Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn Back Together
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have been two peas in a pod ever since Zayn became Owen's guardian angel, but that storyline can only work for so long. Unfortunately for Zayn and Owens' that means that WWE probably needs to break the pair up and send them towards different paths when they return from injury.
While putting them back together as a team would instantly give WWE a storyline to work with, its the same storyline WWE has used on the two for over a year now. Of course that dosen't mean the two can't have one final battle on the road to WrestleMania or even a few encounters, but putting them back together as a team needs to be avoided at all cost.
4 Reunite Y2AJ
AJ Styles has had quite the run in The WWE over the last couple of years and while he will likely not enter WrestleMania 35 as WWE champion, he could do something just as cool. In fact, if WWE were somehow able to get to Chris Jericho back to WWE for a one off, they could reunite team of Y2AJ.
Not only would that be a great thing for a tag team division that has been struggling lately to keep its head above water, its also a great chance for WWE to capitalize on nostalgia. Beyond that, Chris Jericho is one of the biggest veteran superstars that WWE could use right now and bringing him back is always good for a cheer from fans.
3 Don't Use The Undertaker
All good things must come to an end and unfortunately for the WWE Universe, that includes The Undertaker's string of appearances at WrestleMania. Of course some will argue that The Deadman is a necessary part of the festivities at this point, but his recent string of matches at Super Showdown and Crown Jewel prove otherwise.
Beyond his matches against Triple H and Shawn Michaels being a bottom of the barrel nostalgia fest, it also exposed that Undertaker can't go like he used to, which his really taking away from his mystique. With that being said and The Deadman accomplishing everything there is to in WWE, its probably best he sits this one out and ultimately retires.
2 Insert Dean Ambrose Into The Universal Title Picture
There's just something about Dean Ambrose's current heel character that screams WrestleMania main event worthy and that's exactly why the company needs to insert him into the Universal title picture somehow. In fact, doing so could have a dramatic effect on The Universal title picture and give Seth Rollins someone to overcome to win The big red belt.
Of course Seth Rollins already has to topple Brock Lesnar to win The Universal title title at WrestleMania 35, but adding Ambrose into the mix adds another wrinkle to the story that could play dividends later. It also creates a situation where Rollins would seemingly act as a surrogate for his buddy Roman Reigns, which is another interesting plot point WWE can play on.
1 Have The Miz Win The Royal Rumble
There were reports circulating that The Miz and Daniel Bryan are supposed to meet at WrestleMania 35 for the WWE title, but with Bryan being a heel, how could WWE execute this? One way of doing this is to have The Miz continue to lose throughout the rest of the winter and then have him win the Royal Rumble match.
Not only does this help build Miz as an underdog babyface, it is also one of the most organic ways the company could go about this. Another thing WWE can do is have Daniel Bryan and Miz team up for awhile, which they have seemingly already started doing and have Bryan eventually betray The Miz to set up their WrestleMania 35 match.