8 Things WWE must do in the Post-WrestleMania season

WrestleMania 31 has come and gone. Against all the odds (and audience apathy) WWE put on one hell of a show on March 29th.Very few people expected Reigns versus Lesnar to be the spectacle that it ended up being. Even fewer though that we’d get to see the nWo and DX collide, fourteen years after the Monday Night Wars officially ended. And who will ever forget Randy Orton’s spectacular RKO on Seth Rollins?There were a lot more highs than lows at ‘Mania, but in the days after the event it’s hard not to think about what WWE does now and where it goes from here. The big stars, like The Rock, Sting, Lesnar, Triple H and The Undertaker, will not wrestle or even feature on WWE TV for some time. In their absence, WWE must do something (or many compelling things) to retain fan interest whilst that interest is high.There has been a tendency for WWE to go straight back to autopilot once WrestleMania and the now-infamous post-WrestleMania Raw are out of the way. A lot of this is due to the departure of the aforementioned stars, but a lot of it has to to do with WWE failing to strike while the iron is hot.WWE doesn’t have to stand back and watch its product regress into the same old tired routine again. Here are ten things they could do to avoid that and prepare for the future.

#1 More NXT Call Ups

NXT is where it’s at these days, as evidenced by the loud NXT chants heard at WrestleMania. There’s a definite buzz around WWE’s developmental league, thanks in large part to the group’s consistently excellent WWE Network specials. WWE’s roster could use a little shot in the arm and NXT is the place to look for fresh talent.

The debuts of Kalisto and Adrian Neville have given fans hope that more NXT call ups could be on the way. Several members of the NXT roster are more than ready for the promotion. Finn Bálor could and should be a huge star when he gets called up. The New Japan veteran apparently signed with the WWE under the condition that he not spend an unnecessary amount of time in developmental. He should be on his way in soon, hopefully with his full-on war paint.

Hideo Itami made a step towards a main roster promotion with his appearance in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Unfortunately for Itami, he was dumped by the totally past-it Big Show. What a wasted opportunity that was. Itami will now probably be sent back to NXT, but he’s ready for the main roster, and has been for years.

Perhaps the next NXT call up will be one of their very talented divas. Most likely to get the nod are Charlotte and Sasha Banks, both of whom have been wowing fans with their displays over the past several months. These ladies put the Bellas to shame and should get the opportunity to display their vast talents on the big stage shortly.

#2 Rebuilding the Intercontinental title

Has Daniel BryansIntercontinental Championship victory at WrestleMania ushered in a new, prosperous era for the belt?

In the weeks leading up to the event, the Championship was used as littlemore thana prop with the participants in the ladder match taking turns in stealing it while also trading jobs on TV. Truth be told, the Intercontinental Championship hasnt meant much for a long time now, as WWE has focused all of its creative efforts on the WWE Title instead.

Daniel Bryans victory at WrestleMania, and subsequent match with Dolph Ziggler on the post-Mania Raw indicate that WWE may finally be starting to take the division seriously. Bryan, a former World Champion and crowd favourite, does much to elevate the title just by holding it.

WWE made a big deal of the win at WrestleMania, including having a backstage segment showing former IC Champions and Hall of Famers congratulating Bryan and putting him over strong.That was all well and good, but it will be all for nothing if WWE dont continue to do the same in the forthcoming weeks and months.

Bryan and the Title need to be protected and rebuilt. Hopefully he doesnt become a glorified jobber like recent Champions and some of the old Intercontinental prestige can be regained.

#3 Make Sheamus a monster

Part of rebuilding the Intercontinental Championship includes having some decent challengers. Dolph and Barrett are decent, but how many times have we see Bryan wrestling them recently? He needs fresh programmes and scenarios to create the required amount of interest needed to make the title meaningful.

Enter Sheamus. The Celtic Warrior returned to WWE on the post-WrestleMania Raw and laid waste to Ziggler and Bryan. Sheamus, who came back with a new look and attitude, has turned heel. This is a good thing, as Sheamus was growing very stale as a babyface before his injury. There was only so much for him to do in the role and a change was due.

Now WWE needs to continue to showcase Sheamus as the monster he is and should be. There are few in WWE who hit harder or are more intimidating that Sheamus is (when heel). Now he has a new look and, hopefully, a new interview style too. A few good, old-fashioned squashes where Sheamus destroys opponents would be welcomed.

Sheamus versus Bryan is a very intriguing programme. We know they can deliver in the ring but, with the roles reversed this time out, there is even more to look forward to.

#4 Promoting Kalisto as the New Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio, the most successful masked wrestler ever, left WWE on February 26 after his contract expired. It ended a thirteen year run with the company, a run that made Mysterio a millionaire (and made the company a lot more).

WWE tried to prepare for Mysterio’s departure in 2012 by hiring Mexican superstar Mistico and rebranding him Sin Cara. It was, of course, a monumental flop due to Cara’s constant botches, injuries and Wellness Policy violations. Could WWE be trying to fill the void left by Mysterio with recent NXT call-up Kalisto?

The diminutive high-flyer made his full roster debut on Raw, picking up the win in an eight man tag team match. Kalisto, who looked very impressive and was over with the crowd, was the star of the match. He has a chance to be a huge star, if promoted correctly.

#5 Showcase Neville

It seems like Adrian Neville has been in WWE NXT forever. The Newcastle native reported to the developmental league in the summer of 2012. Now, almost three years later, Neville has finally arrived on WWE TV on the March 30th Raw.

The Man That Gravity Forgot made a great first (or second, if you include the NXT tag team showcase from September) impression. The Man That Gravity Forgot unloaded with a huge springboard moonsault, rapid-fire kicks and, finally, the astonishing Red Arrow, making quick work of Curtis Axel.

The majority of the WWE Universe has no idea just how much Neville can do in the ring. He truly is one of the greatest high-flyers of all-time. Now, WWE needs to make sure that they educate fans on Neville and showcase him to the best of his abilities. If given ten or fifteen minutes and the right opponent (Cesaro, for instance) on Raw, Smackdown or PPV, Neville could steal the show and become a firm fan favourite, especially with the kids.

The sky is the limit for Neville. Here’s hoping that WWE don’t cut off his wings.

#6 Build up some viable contenders for Rollins

Seth Rollins versus Brock Lesnar is going to happen down the line, most likely at SummerSlam. Lesnar was written off of WWE TV for the next little while when Stephanie McMahon suspended him on the March 30th Raw, following The Next Big Tihngs rampage.

In the meantime, WWE need challengers for Rollins for the next few pay-per-views. Randy Orton is a natural challenger, having cleanly pinned Rollins at Mania. Orton entered a fantastic performance at WrestleMania and is still fresh since coming back from his layoff.

But Orton/Rollins is a rematch to a match that went on second at WrestleMania. If it were to headline Extreme Rules, it might feel like a little bit of a let-down (despite the fact it would almost certainly be a great match). Roman Reigns is also a natural challenger, given his history with Rollins and Seths costing him of the WWE Championship in the main event of Mania.

But do WWE want to throw Reigns to the wolves so soon after he was so viciously booed at Levis Stadium and on the post-WrestleMania Raw? Perhaps a triple threat or other multi-man feud/match could create interest. WWE needs to give Rollins a strong first programme as Champion and then, if he is still Champion after it, they need to keep him occupied until the inevitable match with Lesnar.

#7 Operation: Save Roman Reigns

What to do with Roman Reigns? It wasn’t a fairytale ending for Reigns at WrestleMania 31. First, he was booed out of the building by the 76,000 in attendance. Then he was manhandled by Brock Lesnar, who allowed him next to no offence. Then, to top it all off, he was pinned by former stablemate Seth Rollins, who left as WWE Champion.

Personally, for Reigns, it must have been a great night. After all, he did get to headline WrestleMania, something every WWE superstar dreams of, even if it wasn’t under the preferred circumstances. But his character took an absolute hammering. He had told everyone in the run up to believe that he could beat Lesnar. He didn’t.

Then, on the post-WrestleMania Raw, he was booed out of the building again. Fans even cheered The Big Show, who just about everyone would agree is due a retirement. Reigns did stand tall at the end of the show, staring down a fleeing Seth Rollins, signalling a forthcoming title match between the two.

But is that really what Reigns needs right now? He’s dead in the water as a babyface, and the more WWE push him in that direction, the more he risks becoming the next John Cena, minus the record-breaking merchandise sales. Is a heel turn the answer? Or a total repackaging? Maybe Reigns needs a manager or a valet or something, anything, to quell the unwanted booing.

But the most logical answer is to turn him heel. Reigns could be a top heel, if he modifies his act and improves his mannerisms. WWE could do worse. How long are we going to have to sit and watch Kane and The Big Show act as the second and third biggest heels in the company? WWE needs a shakeup in that department.

#8 Keep Lesnar relevant while hes off TV

WWE has somethingreally special in Brock Lesnar. The Beast proved that hes worth everything that WWE are paying him and then some during WrestleMania weekend. Lesnar may only wrestle a few times per year, but every time that he does step into the ring you know that its worth going out of your way to see.

Unfortunately, Lesnar really is the embodiment of a big game player. We will probably only see Lesnar wrestle at SummerSlam and possibly Survivor Series this year. Hes already worked the Rumble and Mania this year, and his contract only stipulates that he has towrestle a handful of matches per year.

Lesnar was suspended indefinitely by Stephanie McMahon on the memorable March 30th Raw. Lesnar will now go away for a few months before returning and wreaking havoc once more. While Lesnar is absent, WWE must not let fans forget about him or his awesome displays over the past year.

WWE have a lot invested in Lesnar and want return on that investment. There will be a great deal of interest in Lesnars rematch for the WWE Championship. WWE couldgenerate more interest by continuing to promote Lesnar via Paul Heymans promos, video packages, Network specials and so on.

Lesnar has been the best thing about WWE over the last few weeks, if not months. It would be nice (and smart) to keep him on television in some form or fashion.