9 things WWE should do before Smackdown's 25 years anniversary

Between RAW 1000 in 2013 and RAW 25th earlier this year anniversary, WWE has changed a lot - something for the better and something for the worse. They lost one of their top stars CM Punk. Talents like Cody Rhodes stepped out of the company and went on to harvest success from the Indie scene. The WWE universe predominantly rejected Their top babyface Roman Reigns. However, during this period, we saw the spectacular rise of Daniel Bryan, the end of The Undertaker's streak and split of the Shield.

Even though Smackdown 1000 was not as good as RAW 1000, it still delivered. Batista teasing a match down the line between him and Triple H was brilliant. The Cutting Edge segment turned to a good brawl between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, and the Return of Rey Mysterio will set the storylines in a new direction.

However, there are certain things WWE need to do before Smackdown hits its next colossal landmark - 25 years of Television. In early 2024, if all things go well, Smackdown will celebrate its 25th anniversary. Since WWE's ratings are dropping week after week and the overall quality of the product is going down the drain, here are a few things that WWE must do before the 25th anniversary of the blue brand.

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#9. Establish NXT as the third brand

NXT has been the uncrowned A brand for a while.

Regarding storylines and in-ring actions, NXT has been on the top gear for almost five years now. The "development brand" is so good that it almost always overshadows the main roster in virtually every aspect. Nearly every Takeover PPV has been better than it's subsequent main roster PPV.

It is time for the yellow brand to emerge from the shadows of both RAW and Smackdown Live to establish itself as the third brand.

#8. More women-centric storylines

Asuka vs. Charlotte was one of the best matches of Wrestlemania 34.

WWE has done an excellent job in eradicating the diva era and starting women empowerment in WWE. Women wrestling is no longer a piss break between marquee matches. Both the women's title matches heading into Evolution PPV look solid on the cards.

However, there are times where women wresting does not feel important at all. Before the feud between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, the smackdown live women's champion felt a bit irrelevant. In RAW, Sasha Banks and Bayley were thrown into a stupid storyline. Asuka is booked like a comedy piece ever since she lost her Wrestlemania match against Charlotte.

This treatment has to change. Even if WWE does not plan to give much airtime to the women, at least make the airtime they have right. WWE women roster is better than ever. With outstanding performers like Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Asuka and good mouthpieces like Alexa Bliss on the roster, WWE should give more priority to women wrestling and storylines.

#7. Stop relying on part-timers.

Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 30.

From Wrestlemania 28 in 2012, WWE has started emphasizing on part-timers and put all the spotlight on them. Most of the full-timers work 300 days a year, but in the end, does not even get to feature on the Wrestlemania cards.

Every single Wrestlemania main event from Wrestlemania 28 involved at least one guy who was not a full-time worker. In 2012 and 2013, The Rock took on John Cena. In 2014, Batista was in the triple threat also involving Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. In 2015 and 2018, Brock Lesnar took on Roman Reigns. In 2016, it was Triple H's turn, and in 2017, Undertaker's fake retirement match took the spotlight.

Part-timers should only be used sporadically as unique attractions. Giving the highest honor one can earn to a part-timer will only send the wrong message to guys who work hard the entire year.

#6. Cut down PPVs

WWE should tone down gimmick PPVs, especially Hell in a Cell.

Currently, WWE schedules PPVs in every single month. This would not give the creative enough time to keep the audience intrigued throughout the year. Hence, WWE prioritizes the top 4 PPVs and fills almost all others with filler matches. With WWE now conducting various overseas PPVs like the Crown Jewel, The greatest Royal Rumble, and the Super Showdown, the workload on the creative is higher than ever.

Thus it is essential that WWE cuts down PPVs. This would give the creatives ample time to develop a good storyline for every PPVs.

#5. Merge 205 with NXT

Ever since Triple H took control over 205 live, it has started doing well. However, casual fans and most of the hardcore ones are not giving it any chance. The cruiserweights are often seen performing in front of little to no crowd. Even their youtube videos do not garner many views.

The truth is that people are missing out on great action and wrestling. The NO DQ match between Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali earlier this year was outstanding. The cruiserweight championship between the champion Cedric Alexander and the hometown hero Buddy Murphy was the match of the night at the Super Showdown.

Thus a move towards the yellow brand will give new eyes to the talents of 205 live. Talents like Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali, Drew Gulak, and Buddy Murphy certainly deserve better. WWE squandered Neville. They should not do the same with the current crop of talents in the company.

#4. Turn Roman Reigns Heel

Roman Reigns is one of the most polarizing figures in WWE.

Seth Rollins has already betrayed the Shield once. WWE is currently teasing Dean Ambrose to return the favor. So when the time comes to break the Shield again, a Roman Reigns heel turn can surprise everyone in the world and would allow Reigns to reinvent himself. The big dog is currently in a situation where he needs his Shield brothers to get cheered. He has been stale ever since he started his singles career. So a turn to the dark side would help him.

Turning heel has helped various superstars to get over with the crowd. The Rock, during his initial days, was greeted with "DIE ROCKY, DIE" chants by the WWE universe. However, a heel turn helped him to get over with the fans, and the rest is history. Even Bobby Lashley started doing well ever since he got his new mouthpiece Lio Rush and turned heel.

In the longer run, the eventual face turn would give Reigns a proper babyface reaction.

#3. Cut RAW back to two hours

RAW went 3 hours after RAW 1000.

After RAW 1000 on 2013, WWE and USA network decided to extend RAW by an hour in the subsequent episodes.

Even though the later episodes of RAW have been interesting, there is no denying that more than 60% of airtime of RAW is filled with filler segments. Most of the booking is there for the sake of being there. The "feud" or whatever between Jinder Mahal, Alicia Fox, Finn Balor, and Bayley is doing no favor for any of the parties involved.

#2. Create more main event stars

Drew McIntyre has been on a song as of late.

In the last four years, WWE has failed to create major main eventers. They have put all the eggs on Roman Reigns and ignored almost everyone else.

Thus, today there are not many credible superstars at the top of the food chain. This should change. WWE should create more main event stars. The attitude era was outstanding because it was bestowed with a plethora of main event stars like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, The Undertaker, and Mankind.

Currently, WWE can boast of having the best talents in their roster. However, mismanagement of these talents is the single biggest mistake WWE has done in the past few years. Developing the likes of Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Elias, Dean Ambrose, Andrade Cien Almas and Kevin Owens to major players will only help the E in the long run.

#1. Give the entire creative control to Triple H

Vincent Kennedy McMahon was the pioneer in professional wrestling history. He has a massive role in making this business very popular. Most of the independent wrestling promotions in and outside of the United States of America would not have existed if Vince McMahon had not revolutionalized this business.

With that being said, it is important to realize that most of the decisions he takes are deteriorating the quality of the product. The quality of RAW has been low for the past few months.

Triple H, on the other hand, is doing an outstanding job with NXT. In both storytelling and in-ring actions, NXT is far superior to both RAW and SmackDown Live. As mentioned earlier, the takeover PPVs are performing way better than the main roster PPVs.

Hence it is appropriate that within a couple of years, with the arrival of XFL, Triple H should take over creative control from Vince McMahon.