5 Huge Changes WWE Must Make To Topple AEW

WWE has turned a corner under Triple H, but AEW isn’t going away anytime soon.

Over the past several months, the quality of WWE programming has improved immensely, with stars like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch anchoring Raw and SmackDown. The blue brand, in particular, was a high-quality show in the latter half of 2022 and is just a couple weeks removed from hitting a four-month viewership high.

WWE’s flagship programs have been more focused, with strong in-ring work and long-term planning creating a more well-rounded product. The major changes already in progress under Triple H include a revamped 2023 pay-per-view schedule, an improved and star-studded roster, and fewer stars with no creative direction.

But the changes can’t stop there. In 2023, Triple H must keep his foot on the gas pedal to fend off AEW and continue to deliver entertaining weekly shows in the post-Vince McMahon era.

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Truly Open The “Forbidden Door”

WWE’s “Forbidden Door” has kind-of sort-of been opened, with the likes of Mickie James and Shinsuke Nakamura both crossing the line in some fashion over the past year. Nakamura himself even admitted that his upcoming match at Great Muta’s retirement show for Pro Wrestling NOAH “would never have happened” under McMahon.

In the past, Triple H has said that “WWE is open to anything” when it comes to working with other promotions, and there are even rumblings of ex-WWE and current Stardom star Kairi Sane possibly working the 2023 women’s Royal Rumble. In other words, pro wrestling’s “Forbidden Door”—which has been embraced by AEW—is more likely to truly be opened by WWE now that Triple H is in charge.

But opening that door ultimately doesn’t mean much if it’s barely ajar. AEW’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view was a clear success for the company, and in order for WWE to truly create a meaningful open door policy, it needs to welcome in not just New Japan Pro-Wrestling but Impact Wrestling and other top promotions as well. If WWE can utilize well-known top talents from these promotions, that will go a long way toward reengaging diehard fans, who tend to prefer the more niche AEW these days.

Scrap The Women’s Tag Titles Or Make Them Matter

One of WWE’s strong points of 2022 was the revitalization of its two midcard championships, the Intercontinental and United States titles. Main event caliber stars like Bobby Lashley, Sheamus, Gunther and Seth Rollins did a fantastic job of making those titles seem more important than they have at any point in recent memory.

But there is one title in WWE that doesn’t seem to have any sort of importance at all: The Women’s Tag Team Championship. Consider that Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out of WWE—and that Banks is probably gone for good—at least in part because of the poor booking of those titles, and that just goes to show you how much of an afterthough the titles have been and continue to be.

Under Triple H, things haven’t changed much, either. The titles are there, sure, but the same belts that caused “The Boss” to leave the company aren’t any more important than they were when she left. In fact, most women’s tag teams are randomly-thrown-together short-term duos that lack true chemistry and disappear before they get any real momentum.

So, WWE must choose one of these two options in 2023: Either make those titles matter or scrap them altogether, with both choices likely leading to a more focused women’s division.

Move On From Ronda Rousey

WWE reportedly wants Ronda Rousey to be viewed as a special attraction similar to Brock Lesnar, but here’s the thing: While “The Beast” continues to perform at en elite level and remain mega over with fans, the exact opposite is true of Rousey.

This isn’t the same Rousey who crossed over from UFC in 2018 and instantly proved to be a huge star. If anything, Rousey has significantly regressed as an overall performer since joining WWE, somehow getting worse both in the ring and on the microphone while also losing the undeniable aura she had when she was a rookie inside the squared circle.

Despite WWE still keeping Rousey heavily involved in the title scene, Rousey arguably isn’t a big enough star anymore to warrant a major WrestleMania match or consistent main event spot. Rousey’s uneven and often lackluster performances are dragging down SmackDown’s women’s division, with none of the blue brand’s stars being positioned as capable opponents for the former MMA star.

That’s why the booking of Rousey has become so troublesome. If she’s not elevating talents and not delivering strong performances, why is she even there?

Split Up The World Titles Again

Reports indicate that WWE could be splitting up the Universal and WWE Championships in the near future, which means that Roman Reigns’ historic run may be coming to an end.

Exactly how Reigns loses one—or both—of his titles will potentially play a huge role in WWE creating a new main event singles star, like Jey Uso, or solidifying a veteran like Sami Zayn as a perennial world title contender. Perhaps just as importantly, however, splitting up the belts, if that indeed happens, will give both Raw and SmackDown a world champion, which is something that the red brand desperately needs.

Even with the US and Intercontinental titles being elevated since the world titles were unified at WrestleMania 38, it still feels like something is missing on Monday nights. That something missing is a world title for Raw’s top stars—ranging from Rollins to Lashley to Finn Balor to Edge—to fight over, and in 2023, WWE must remedy that problem by reverting to having two world titles, one for each brand, so that the quality of WWE programming won’t diminish whenever the part-time Reigns is gone.

Decide Whether The Brand Split Stays Or Goes

WWE’s brand split isn’t exactly a firm one. It seems to vary each month, if not each week, with some episodes of Raw and SmackDown completely ignoring it and others embracing it.

Now, WWE is at a bit of a crossroads when it comes to the brand extension, however. The Bloodline’s Jimmy and Jey Uso currently hold both the Raw and SmackDown tag titles while Reigns, of course, holds both world championships. That has been great for The Bloodline—but not so much for just about everyone else.

So, WWE’s dilemma is to decide whether the brand split is a real thing or an imaginary one. This wishy-washy “well, maybe it exists but only when we want it to” philosophy simply isn’t cutting it. In fact, it leads to a serious lack of logic in terms of why some stars are consistently crossing over between brands while others aren’t.

That’s an issue that has continued over from the McMahon era, and it’s a Rubik’s Cube that Triple H needs to solve.