10 Superstars Who Helped Revolutionize SmackDown

There are many superstars who have helped the WWE develop into what it is today. Superstars such as The Rock, Stone Cold, Hulk Hogan, and The Undertaker are names that have become synonymous with the name of the company.

Similarly, many superstars have helped develop and revolutionize the brands that exist within the WWE. SmackDown is one such brand which has been bolstered with the help of some top superstars which became icons during their time in the company.

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SmackDown 1000 is just around the corner, and the WWE has already announced that many iconic superstars will be returning to the brand for one-night to celebrate the success of SmackDown. The WWE has also released their own list of the ‘15 greatest Superstars in SmackDown history’ which feature some unforgettable great names.

However, we have compiled a list of the 10 former and current superstars who helped revolutionize the SmackDown brand, and bring it to the level it is today.

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#10 AJ Styles

AJ Styles is currently the WWE Champion and has become the longest reigning WWE Champion in SmackDown’s history. Even though he’s a recent edition to the brand, being there for only about 2 years, AJ Styles has catapulted into becoming the face of the brand and the company altogether.

This has been made possible by the absence of John Cena and other established past superstars. He has also pulled many fans from other wrestling promotions towards the WWE and has become one of the top wrestlers in the industry.

Currently, SmackDown is known as “The House That AJ Styles Built”, and there is no denying that he will help the brand grow even more if he stays with it for the next few years.

#9 Becky Lynch

Becky is currently at the top of the SmackDown Women’s division and seems to be enjoying her time there. No female superstar has clicked with the fans as much as Becky has over the past decade. This has helped her become a major part of the SmackDown roster.

Becky was the first female superstar ever drafted to the blue brand, and in about two years she has become the face of the brand’s women’s division. She has shown up every night with a performance which has left the fans with great memories.

She was the first ever SmackDown Women’s Champion, and currently in her second reign. She’s probably the only female superstar whose name has become synonymous with SmackDown Live.

#8 Rey Mysterio

The King of the Cruiserweights made his debut on the SmackDown brand in 2002 and has made it his home ever since. Even though he had a few runs on Raw, his success and chemistry with superstars on the blue brand was evident and WWE brought him back there again and again.

Mysterio was originally a cruiserweight but took on WWE’s mightiest heavyweights, and even went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22 defying all odds.

The Master of the 619 had unforgettable feuds with the late Eddie Guerrero, CM Punk, Edge, and Chris Jericho which he was on SmackDown which helped him become the face of the brand for some time.

#7 John Bradshaw Layfield

Member of one of the best tag-teams the APA, JBL saw a lot of success on SmackDown during his career. He won the WWE Championship from Eddie Guerrero and held the title for one of the longest reigns in history.

JBL was established as one of the biggest stars during his time in the WWE and had good feuds with Batista, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rey Mysterio, and especially John Cena.

JBL had many interesting gimmicks, and also held the United States Championship while leading his stable The Cabinet. He joined the red brand later on in his career but wasn’t as successful as he was on SmackDown.

#6 Brock Lesnar

One of the most successful superstars in the WWE today, Lesnar made his initial run with the WWE a treat to watch. He won the King of the Ring tournament soon after his arrival and defeated the megastar The Rock for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam.

These moments helped establish him as the beast he is today. He took the Heavyweight Championship to the SmackDown brand in search of new opponents and had some great matches with Kurt Angle, Big Show, The Undertaker, and others.

Lesnar won the WWE Championship on three occasions while wrestling on SmackDown and was advertised as the face of the brand for some time. His power and brutality helped the company build their product and their brand.

#5 Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle saw a majority of his time being spent with the SmackDown brand. He was introduced into the brand in 2002, as was seen as one of the top competitors in the brand.

His top feuds included ones he had with Big Show and Brock Lesnar for the brand’s titles and produced unforgettable matches. He suffered an injury in 2004 but was seen on the franchise in the role as the General Manager of the brand which was highly entertaining.

The WWE drafted him to Raw in 2005 but returned to the blue brand in 2006 to win the World Heavyweight Championship. He is definitely one of the key men who helped establish SmackDown as the second brand of the WWE.

#4 Chris Benoit

The bravest and the most physical superstar on the list. Benoit rose to fame when he won the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 20, and his move to SmackDown proved successful for both the superstar and the company.

He made the brand’s mid-card as relevant as it has ever been and won the United States Championship on a few occasions. Fans used to wait for his matches throughout the show, which showed that he was one of the biggest stars on the brand.

Sadly, you won't find any mention of him or his achievements on SmackDown 1000 or anywhere in the WWE due to his controversial demise.

#3 Eddie Guerrero

The Late Ediie Guerrero was undoubtedly not only one of the most entertaining wrestlers on SmackDown, but also in the entire company. He debuted for the brand in 2002 and was a part of it until his death in late 2005.

He was a part of the “SmackDown Six” along with Chavo Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Edge, and Rey Mysterio, and paid an integral part in making SmackDown equal to the Raw brand.

He, along with his nephew Chavo, were the top superstars in the tag team division and had some of the best moments in the company’s history. He won the United States Championship in 2003 and beat Brock Lesnar for the WWE title in 2004 which established him as the top stars in the company.

Had he still been alive today, there is no doubt that he would have ranked much higher on the list and everywhere else in the WWE division.

#2 Edge

Edge was a part of Raw for most of his career and found a lot of success there. He was the man who led the SmackDown roster for a long time and was literally a face of the brand when John Cena was in Raw.

His main claim to fame on the brand came when he won the Money in the Bank 2007 contract on an episode of Raw and cashed it in on SmackDown for the World Heavyweight Championship. This brought him in the spotlight on the brand that he helped revolutionize later on.

He had some memorable feuds and storylines on SmackDown, especially with Jeff Hardy, The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, and Batista which helped with the show’s ratings. Even today there’s a void left on the show that Edge left with his retirement.

#1 The Undertaker

While many superstars have impacted the image of SmackDown, The Undertaker literally owned the brand when he was a part of it.

He moved to SmackDown in 2002, and remained there for the time he was in active competition. Throughout that time, he was the most dominant and feared wrestler in the SmackDown roster, and also the main face of the blue brand.

On SmackDown he won three World Heavyweight Championships and was a constant pay-per-view headliner for the brand. Not only that, but he also helped establish and put over a number of future WWE Champions, providing great service to the company.

The Phenom is by far the greatest wrestler to have been on SmackDown, and that’s one of the reasons he remains WWE’s longest-tenured superstar to date.