1. Sami Zayn, Champion
WWE's 2017 resolutions have to include crowning Zayn, positioning him in the spotlight and allowing him to be the star he is capable of being.
In short intervals during this year, WWE seemed to recognize the talent it had in Zayn. The company featured him at the Intercontinental Championship chase in the spring. It pitted him against his archenemy Kevin Owens. And it has recently presented him as the never-say-die babyface willing to stand up to the monstrous Braun Strowman.
Zayn thrived each time out.
He showed off his elite in-ring storytelling skills several times over. And he resonated with the crowd like few wrestlers can.
But Zayn was left out of too many pay-per-view cards and underutilized too often. The SummerSlam pre-show is no place for him.
The Underdog from the Underground cannot be an afterthought in 2017. He needs to be a champion and a high-profile figure.
His track record speaks to that.
Zayn killed it against Shinsuke Nakamura at NXT TakeOver: Dallas. He and Owens put one of the year's best matches at Battleground. And his feud with Strowman has been the most compelling thing about Raw for weeks.
It says a lot about Zayn that each of those rivals' best matches in 2016 came against him.
Given a prominent part of the stage, Zayn delivers. Put in the ring with top talent, Zayn creates masterworks.
Independent wrestler El Ligero offered Zayn a ton of praise for his bout against Owens:
Should WWE make Zayn one of its titleholders, it will get the benefit of those facial expressions more often. It will assure itself top-notch performances in the ring and emotion-rich promos.
His impassioned pleas to Raw general manager Mick Foley about getting a crack at Strowman have been stellar.
Yes, Zayn looks more like the trumpet player in a ska band than the typical pro wrestler, but WWE can't get held up on that. His comparatively slim build and everyman aura shouldn't frighten the company away.
Zayn has the tools to be the next Daniel Bryan, the unconventional star who hooks the fans during his rise to the top.
The amount of fans singing "Ole!" when he competes in reference to his days as El Generico speaks to his popularity. His ability to create pathos as a babyface, wobbling and scrapping in the ring, is second to none.
If SmackDown can make a surprise hit out of the previously unknown James Ellsworth, Raw should have no issues making something magical with Zayn at the center.
And the former NXT champ has his goals set high. In an interview with Raute Musik, Zayn said, "My eyes are focused toward the universal title and the world title, being in the ring with guys like Seth [Rollins] and Roman [Reigns] and even Brock, whoever. I'm looking to be as close to the top of the card as possible."
That's where Zayn should be in 2017, charging toward the company's top rungs.
We saw flashes of what Zayn can be with the right opportunity. The coming year must build on that, taking advantage of the underdog's ability and clearing the way for him to be one of the kings of the New Era.
2. Can We Slow Down on the Title Changes?
WWE ended many a title reign early in 2016, yanking the gold from champions before they could make any impact.
Zack Ryder held the Intercontinental Championship for two days in April. Dolph Ziggler's reign was over after just 37 days.
The NXT Tag Team Championship changed hands four times in 2016, the most of any year in the title's history. The NXT Championship outdid that with five title changes this year. The previous high in a year had been two.
Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair traded the Raw Women's Championship back and forth. The rivals boasted reigns of 20, 27, 28 and 30 days.
New champions are exciting. Title wins can be defining moments, but those moments don't mean nearly as much if they happen at this kind of pace.
It's hard to even remember some of 2016's title reigns.
In contrast, WWE tapped into a wealth of drama when The New Day broke Demolition's long-standing record as the longest-reigning tag champs in company history. Many of the trio's highlights came when they approached and surpassed that mark.
Not every title reign has to be historic, but The New Day's tale is a reminder of how powerful it is to watch warriors fight hard to stay atop a mountain.
WWE will be better off allowing champions to cling to their prizes for longer in the coming year. More substantial title reigns make for bigger moments, better stories and more lasting memories.
3. Throwback Video of the Week: Mocho Cota
Mexican wrestler Manuel "Mocho" Cota is no longer with us. Dave Meltzer noted for Figure Four Online last week, "Cota, a top heel in EMLL in the '80s and '90s, passed away yesterday at the age of 62."
In this 1994 tag team match, the wild-haired bruiser showed off some of what made him so fun to watch:
Cota kicked his foes like he was trying to send them through the uprights. He prowled the ring with an unsettling presence. He wielded a foreign object to the crowd's delight.
Cota's passing won't get much attention in a year full of celebrity deaths, but the hard-nosed performer deserves a heartfelt salute and farewell from the wrestling world.
4. Let's Allow the CM Punk Chants to Die
CM Punk isn't coming back.
After his ugly divorce with WWE, he is now trying to make his way as an MMA fighter. He writes comic books. He watches hockey. He looks at peace with his new life.
It doesn't matter, though. Fans, especially those in his hometown of Chicago, still chant his name at WWE events.
On Monday's Raw, more roaring for Punk broke out. Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon was quick to cut it down, though. She mocked Punk's quick defeat in his UFC debut in response.
Credit: WWE.comMaybe Stephanie McMahon can squash the CM Punk chants for good.
Punk's faithful following has to move on. Can you imagine Detroit Lions fans chanting "Calvin Johnson!" at Ford Field during the 2017-2018 season?
Some will argue that these chants are a means to express general displeasure with the product.
If that's the case, the audience should instead be dead silent. That's more powerful. Not attending shows or not watching Raw or SmackDown are more viable acts of protest, too.
Chanting for a wrestler who hasn't wrestled since January 2014 during a match is disrespectful to the men and women currently abusing their bodies in the ring.
5. Much More Tozawa, Please
Akira Tozawa has yet to debut on Raw or 205 Live despite being signed as part of the cruiserweight division. The company has to remedy that poor choice in a big way.
One of the stars of the summer's Cruiserweight Classic tournament, Tozawa is a skilled striker and intense predator.
He has to have a major role in the coming months. The cruiserweight division has largely lacked electricity and characters who stand out in a crowd. Tozawa would be a solution to both issues.
Tozawa battling the new bully on the block, Neville, trading shots with Tony Nese or pushing Rich Swann to his limits are the kinds of avenues WWE would be wise to take with him. He will bolster the cruiserweight scene and create far more buzz around 205 Live.
If WWE doesn't have the former Dragon Gate star high on its list of priorities for 2017, it needs to tear up its plans and start over.
6. Bring on the Weird
TNA's Total Nonstop Deletion special should be required viewing for WWE Creative.
Like much of the stories involving Broken Matt Hardy, this latest visit to the Hardy Compound was a mesmerizing trip into the most bizarre corners of the wrestling medium.
A narcoleptic landscape enthusiast earned a victory. A toddler made his in-ring debut. A slugfest broke out along train tracks. Gregory Helms battled a rowboat.
WWE need not turn itself into a new creature altogether, but it would do well to borrow elements from what TNA has been doing recently. Lucha Underground's experimentation and CHIKARA's tongue-in-cheek approach should inspire, too.
Heading into 2017, WWE should resolve to venture into uncharted territory more regularly and toy with the boundaries of what wrestling is. There is beautiful, peculiar art to be made.
7. How About Some Wins for Harper?
Luke Harper is too good to be a middling midcarder. He's a big man with an impressive motor, an intriguing monster, a wrecking ball with a beard.
WWE must present him as a viable threat to the roster and push him up the ranks.
This past year, he fell far too often. Per CageMatch, Harper had just a .350 winning percentage for the year, his lowest mark since joining the WWE. His PPV record in 2016 was 0-3.
That can't continue in 2017. Harper is 37 with a lot of wear on his tires. There's little time to waste; WWE has to tap into his talent now.
8. More Like These from NXT
2016 proved to be a transitional year for NXT as the developmental brand lost a flood of talent to the main roster. Without the likes of Finn Balor, Bayley and American Alpha, NXT wasn't the must-see product it had been.
But at its high points, the brand delivered ensnaring stories. Check out the following clips of NXT's top contests of the year:
Zayn, Balor and Bayley won't be around to produce work like this in 2017. They will all be busy starring on Raw.
To match these kinds of contests moving forward, NXT will need new stars to emerge and for grapplers like Andrade "Cien" Almas to have career years.
9. Let's Stop Defining Women by Their Men
Before Rusev's matches, Lana stands in the ring and reminds the crowd that she is The Bulgarian Brute's wife. "He's the only man who can have me," she tells the crowd.
Of all things, that's her catchphrase.
Enzo Amore gets to be a certified G and bona fide stud. AJ Styles is the champ who runs the camp. The New Day rocks.
Lana's signature line, meanwhile, is confirmation that she's monogamous with her husband. Not exactly larger than life.
Where has the power-hungry, take-no-prisoners boss lady she used to be gone? Lana's character has been reduced to an object of lust