3 things WWE secretly told us on SmackDown Live this week ( 7 May 2019)

The Wild Card Rule took Monday Night RAW by storm this week. The rule continued this week on SmackDown Live, and some superstars from the red brand showed up on Tuesday night. It is limpid that the company is desperate to improve its ratings.

AJ Styles made a return to SmackDown and Sami Zayn also showed up through the Wild Card Rule. The WWE Champion Kofi Kingston put his WWE Title on the line against Zayn and Styles. The Champion defended the belt successfully by pinning Zayn. Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan became the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions by defeating the Usos, who also leveraged the Wild Card Rule.

WWE already announced a bout between Andrade and Ali for this week but the match ended in no contest after Randy Orton interfered. Lars Sullivan viciously attacked R-Truth and Matt Hardy backstage, while Miz assaulted Shane McMahon, only to have the B-Team turn the tables on him.

It was a great episode of the blue brand with some awe-inspiring matches. Here we discuss three things WWE secretly told us SmackDown Live this week.

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#3 Matt Hardy and R-Truth could face Lars Sullivan at Money in the Bank

Lars Sullivan has been extremely impressive after making his debut on the RAW after WrestleMania. Ever since his arrival, the Freak has destroyed everything in his path. Sullivan appeared on RAW this week where he obliterated No Way Jose, and he assaulted R-Truth and Matt Hardy on SmackDown Live. He has gained a lot of heat for injuring Jeff Hardy and forcing the Hardy Boyz to relinquish the Smackdown Tag Team titles.

Considering Sullivan has been attacking R-Truth and Matt Hardy, the company might be building a storyline for Money in the Bank. The Freak could lock horns with the team R-Truth and Matt Hardy in a Handicap match at XL Center. Judging by recent booking, he could dismantle both men in his debut match on the main roster.

#2 Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan will dominate the SmackDown Live Tag Team division

The SmackDown Live Tag Team division was in serious jeopardy after the Superstar Shake-Up. The Club and The Usos moved to RAW while The Bar split up. Moreover, Jeff Hardy's injury gave another massive blow to the division.

Only three official tag teams were left on SmackDown Live, and Shane McMahon had a tough decision to make this week. Shane surprisingly brought Erick Rowan and Daniel Bryan as a tag team. He wanted to hand over the twin belts to the two men before being interrupted by the Usos. Bryan and Rowan subsequently beat them in convincing fashion to earn the championships.

This looks to be a smart move - Rowan and Bryan have been a duo during the reinvention of Bryan's character, transitioning the latter into the 'New Daniel Bryan' since the heel turn. Going by the manner of their win over The Usos, I would expect them to dominate the Tag Team division of SmackDown for a long time. With no legitimate threat on the blue brand for the newly-crowned champions, it will be interesting to see if the Wild Card Rule will help to make the Tag Team division competitive.

#1 The brand split might not exist in the next few months

The 'Wild Card Rule' has put a question mark on the brand split. The rule began on Monday Night RAW where Vince McMahon announced that three superstars would be eligible to compete in the other brand. However, four superstars from RAW showed up on SmackDown Live this week - Sami Zayn, AJ Styles, the Miz, and the Usos. AJ Styles mentioned during his segment that the rule now allowed four performers to cross over.

WWE recorded poor ratings last week, and that could be the main reason for the introduction of this new rule. Nevertheless, it could be an early sign that the company might decide to finish the brand split, like it had done during the 'SuperShow' era. Vince McMahon's billion dollar company reintroduced the brand split three years ago. Apart from different rosters for two brands, the company intoduced new titles as well.

SmackDown Live will be moving to Fox in October. The top-tier superstars of the company could appear on both brands if WWE merges two brands. Earlier, the blue brand was neglected when the company ended the brand split in 2011, but the scenario could be different this time.