5 Things to look forward to in 2016
Apart from a strong push for Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, there are a plethora of other reasons to look forward to 2016 as a WWE fanHaving finally managed to book Roman Reigns in a manner that has turned the tide of fan opinion in his favour and capitalised on Dean Ambrose’s popularity by bestowing the Intercontinental Title on him, the WWE has ensured that the duo will enter 2016 with a burgeoning outlook for the year ahead.However, after suffering an injury crisis of sorts, the company would be hopeful for an elongated run without any additions to the list as they enter into a new year that they would anticipate, is more consistent in yielding good ratings as well, than compared to a topsy-turvy 2015.One of the cornerstones of the WWE has always been that regardless of the direness of the situation, the show must always go on.So, while it may be harder to sustain heightened viewership due to the absence of a number of regular faces – all from in or around the main event scene – 2016 still represents a clean slate for the WWE to put forth refreshing storylines and riveting feuds to keep the audiences hooked on.Keeping that in mind, here are 5 things for the WWE Universe to look forward to in 2016.
#5 Layeth the Smackdown!
While it is of common acceptance that Smackdown’s relevance in the scheme of things has stooped from the days of The Rock as its marquee Superstar or Paul Heyman as its general manager, the WWE may have finally seen fit to buck the trend in 2016.
Having signed Smackdown to the USA Network from January 7th, which already telecasts its flagship show Monday Night Raw, the WWE could well be signalling their intent to promote both brands on a more even footing going forward.
The fact that the company has also brought former New Japan Pro Wrestling commentator Mauro Ranallo on board, presumably to assume play-by-play responsibilities, likely points towards a complete re-packaging of the Smackdown brand and its programming alike.
With fans, long clamouring for the second longest running weekly episodic to be more than a footnote to Monday Night Raw, this move to the USA Network could ideally denote the initial markings of that change.