5 things we wanted to hear from Vince McMahon but didn’t get

Leading up to the December 18 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE made a big deal out of the fact that Vince McMahon was going to appear on the show and make a major announcement. It was no secret that Raw, in particular, had been both a ratings and critical disaster for several months, even by the standards the fall traditionally being a down period for WWE. As such, fans were ready to believe that McMahon might really make history with a new announcement.

But what would he have to say? There were the possibilities of some big time, but unpopular choices. For example, he might have announced that the current brand split was coming to an end, or might have installed The Great Khali as the new general manager.

Instead, we got a promo that didn’t offer much news at all. To be fair, McMahon did seem to acknowledge WWE’s creative struggles, which is more than he might have traditionally offered disgruntled fans. However, he didn’t make any popular seismic shifts that really might have electrified the WWE Universe. This article looks at five possibilities we were hoping for that McMahon didn’t deliver on.

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#5. Paul Heyman placed in control

Paul Heyman is an authority figure everyone could get behind.

Paul Heyman has been WWE’s best talker for some time, and he has the gravitas of not only a long and successful career as a manager, but was the driving creative force behind ECW in its heyday. He’s a guy hardcore fans respect and the masses love to hate. Moreover, his combination of skill on the mic and credibility mean he readily could have succeeded in an authority figure role over Raw.

While almost any option would be an upgrade from Baron Corbin, who lacked both star power and oratory skills, Heyman would have been a good enough choice to conceivably push the needle and draw ratings back in ahead of WrestleMania season. Instead, we got no clear sense of who would be in charge, but the implication that McMahon family members may have an increased presence on Raw. With the possible exception of Vince himself, this news wasn’t exactly fresh or appealing.

#4. Brock Lesnar stripped of the Universal Championship

Brock Lesnar should have had the title taken off him.

Brock Lesnar is a unique athlete and the most credible fighter WWE has ever had for his UFC and amateur wrestling credentials, paired with his readily apparent size, strength, and agility. He works well as a special, part time attraction, and I’d even go so far as to call his original WWE Championship reign as a part time talent a success.

However, Lesnar has now reigned with the Universal Championship for more than half of its existence, and Raw has noticeably struggled without the regular presence of a world champion. The part time champ concept can work to an extent, and WWE has succeeded in establishing Lesnar as the ultimate “final boss” who can make any face who defeats him. His failure to appear on weekly TV, though and his presumptive ability to defeat the overwhelming majority of challengers have hurt the title and Raw, though, and it really would have been best to get the title off him as soon as possible. A kayfabe explanation about contract disputes or not meeting the thirty day title defense rule could have sufficed for storyline logic. Moreover, the electricity of crowning a new champion probably would have drawn Raw more viewers in the weeks to come.

#3. A major trade

Finn Balor is just one top star who could benefit from a change of scenery.

The most recent Superstar Shake Up following WrestleMania 34 saw a pretty bit disparity show up between Raw and SmackDown. Raw had the bigger names and bigger bodies, featuring Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Bobby Lashley, while SmackDown was more of the hardcore fan’s brand highlighted by AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, and Shinsuke Nakamura.

On the surface, one could argue it was a good thing for the brands to have more distinctive identities. However, in practice, Raw has emerged as the far weaker show. Despite highlights like Seth Rollins’s matches with Dolph Ziggler, the show seems to always push the wrong angles and players, and the volume of face and heel turns this fall demonstrates a desperate effort to right the ship.

Moving Styles to the freshen up the main event scene of Raw, and perhaps The Usos to energize the tag division are among the big moves that would have made sense. Meanwhile, Finn Balor could definitely use the change of scenery that SmackDown would offer, and The Revival would have been a welcome addition to work New Day and The Bar on the blue brand. Sasha Banks could have benefited from separating from Bayley and not living in Ronda Rousey’s shadow anymore, too, while Becky Lynch or Charlotte Flair would have made complete sense going to Monday nights to further their issues with Rousey.

#2. The call-up of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa

Few pairings could light a brand on fire faster than Gargano and Ciampa.

WrestleMania weekend highlighted the disparity between NXT and the main roster in terms of building long term storylines and giving fans what they want. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa headlined that weekend’s TakeOver show—and the two TakeOvers to follow—with truly great matches. Ciampa has emerged on the short list of the best heels working anywhere in wrestling today, while Gargano played one of the very best faces and has more recently made a startlingly good shift to a heel persona.

It is probably best to let these two run their course in NXT. However, if they were to get the call up, get a spotlight, and get free rein to work a similar style and telling as compelling of a story as they did in developmental, they could truly reinvigorate the Raw brand all on their own. That’s besides the prospects of them mixing it up with other top-shelf workers like Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre.

#1. The signing of Kenny Omega

Kenny Omega would be about the biggest signing WWE could score today.

Kenny Omega is pretty widely regarded as the best worker—especially to have been born in North America—not working with WWE. Omega has furthermore been open in interviews about turning down offers from the largest wrestling company in the world.

With rumors of All Elite Wrestling getting started in 2019, Omega is toward the top of the list of guys expected to be a part of the new venture. However, if WWE were to finally lure him in via a combination of a huge salary and a guaranteed main event spot, he’s a special enough talent to electrify Raw, at least in the short term. Between his talent and the sheer shock of him showing up in a WWE ring at this point, Omega would be a more than welcome addition. While the call-ups from NXT and the returns of guys like Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are good news, even just a vignette for Omega’s arrival could have changed the game completely for WWE.