5 massive changes Vince McMahon has made to WWE since WrestleMania 35

Whether you like to admit it or not - a lot changed in WWE in 2019 - perhaps more than most years this past decade. Sure, 2016 was likely the best overall year from a creative standpoint while 2011, 2014, etc. were strong contenders as well, but few years this past decade saw the level of change that 2019 did.

And as we know, most major changes begin during and after WrestleMania season finishes. WrestleMania is essentially the season finale of WWE and it all builds and culminates there (to the most part, anyway).

In 2019, WrestleMania 35's 3 biggest highlights were the crowning of Seth Rollins, the culmination of KofiMania, and most importantly - the women main eventing WrestleMania 35 and Becky Lynch becoming the double champion.

Here are five massive changes that Vince McMahon has made to WWE since WrestleMania 35.

#5. Paul Heyman takes control of RAW

In July of 2019, a shocking announcement was made - Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff would take over as Executive Directors of RAW and SmackDown respectively. While Bischoff's stint didn't last long, Paul Heyman would be the big difference-maker.

Vince McMahon admitted himself that his hiring was made to reduce his workload as he began to prepare for XFL. Heyman's new direction has seen a big change in RAW and it's clear as day that the quality of the show is increasing gradually.

Heyman has taken some big steps on the red brand and although he boasts about his client Brock Lesnar a lot on-screen - he's been well-aware that he can't build the show around the WWE Champion.

Heyman's hiring was the biggest boost that RAW has gotten in years and we couldn't be more excited about it.

#4. The emergence of new stars and lesser reliance on part-timers

It was only a few years ago when fans were complaining that part-timers who were well past their prime were taking up major spots on big cards such as WrestleMania. It was undeniably true and WWE did have a major problem creating new stars due to their overreliance on part-timers.

Their age would always catch up, of course, and the part-timers have slowly but surely begun to take a back seat. Sure, we see Goldberg and The Undertaker essentially have exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia but you won't see fans complaining too much about it because Saudi Arabia shows aren't very important for the flow of WWE storylines.

The only part-timer whose presence remains strong is Brock Lesnar and even he has had a somewhat different period, appearing a little more frequently than usual and being booked as a fighting Champion.

Moreover, 2019 saw him put over Seth Rollins big at SummerSlam and that alone is a big deal as Lesnar hardly ever loses clean.

#3. The revival of Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt took a hiatus from WWE programming in the summer of 2018 and took a long time off before even having a hint of a return. It was post-WrestleMania 35, around 8 months since his hiatus, where he returned with a brand new gimmick - one that fans were skeptical about at first.

Little did they know that this was Bray Wyatt's brainchild - something that he had been obsessing over for months. Braun Strowman himself went on the record to say that he hardly spoke to Wyatt during his hiatus because he had gone "underground" and was laying the foundation for his character work.

And it paid off in a big way. WWE was determined to make Wyatt's second run work and his alter ego of 'The Fiend' remains one of WWE's most interesting and enigmatic characters today. His success saw him become Universal Champion within 6 months of his return and Vince McMahon deciding to commit to Bray Wyatt was a huge change that made a big difference.

#2. Becky Lynch becoming the face of the Women's division

Becky Lynch as the face of WWE's Women's division is exactly what needed to happen. We often criticize the company for not striking while the iron is hot, but they did that and more with Becky Lynch.

2018 saw her emerge from the regular old Irish Lasskicker persona and turn into The Man, which led her to immediate title success. Her momentum carried forward in 2019 and at WrestleMania 35, she pinned Ronda Rousey and officially became the RAW and SmackDown Women's Champion.

While the latter reign didn't last very long, she still holds the RAW Women's title and is expected to be the Champion heading into WrestleMania 36. Becky Lynch has remained the face of the women's division throughout the last year and has maintained her popularity as a babyface despite getting a few detractors for her "superman" booking.

Lynch has proved to be a ratings-mover and there's a reason why WWE has stuck with her through her feuds against Lacey Evans, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Asuka, etc. 2018-2020 will be remembered as revolutionary years for the RAW Women's division, with the first half dominated by Ronda Rousey and the second half by Becky Lynch.

#1. A massive push to NXT

Shayna Baszler ensured that NXT won Survivor Series 2019

2019 saw Vince McMahon give NXT its biggest push yet. It all started with the move to the USA Network and the expansion to a 2-hour show - a format that NXT has utilized perfectly since.

WWE made a big effort in 2019 to fully cement NXT as the "third brand" and they did so successfully, with people abandoning terms such as "call-up", "developmental" and other terms that were previously used to describe NXT.

While the quality has remained great for years and the talent has always shined on the platform, Survivor Series was the perfect example of WWE giving NXT a massive push as the brand would dominate Survivor Series, beating SmackDown and RAW in a score of 4-2-1 respectively.

And in 2020, history was made when the Women's Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair chose to face NXT (Women's) Champion Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 35 - with Triple H admitting that Vince McMahon "shocked" him with the idea.

That's right - Flair vs Ripley is a Vince McMahon idea and from last WrestleMania to this year's, things have changed in a big way.