becoming a more authentic “mainstream” Christian denomination would effectively neuter all the things they’ve held up for decades as hard proof they alone have “The Truth”… …the WTS’s entire raison d’etre, from their perspective. Either way, the incentive to be a JW becomes further eroded.
Indeed it will be very, very tricky to say the least. But all signs point to a transformation being in effect.
In the big picture, Christianity is divided between Catholic and everybody else (protestants). It's interesting that in mainstream protestantism there are still vast misunderstandings about Catholic doctrine in addition to all the official protestant doctrines. JW would truly not have a difficult time finding a seat on that protestant table. Keeping the prominent use of God's name and its insistence on earthly paradise along with its continuing opposition to the Catholic church could be enough to differentiate itself from others.
Birthdays, blood transfusions and even use of the cross are all incoming changes (as none of these are biblically prohibited).