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Last year the Superstar Shake-up was an uneventful affair that saw wrestlers randomly appear on a new show with little to no explanation. Monday Night Raw was the clear benefactor the first time around, but this year it seems that SmackDown got the better deal.
Either way, there are a handful of fresh new match-ups that can now be booked, even some dream matches fans have been clamoring for years to see. For the purpose of this list, each wrestler is limited to just one entry (mainly so that the likes of AJ Styles and the medically cleared Daniel Bryan don't take up the whole list).
#5 Baron Corbin vs. Braun Strowman
Some people may look at this match-up and write it off as a stereotypical big man vs big man, monster vs monster match, but it can be so much more. Corbin and Strowman have established themselves as THE big men of WWE's new era. Strowman has man-handled Brock Lesnar and Corbin has won the United States Championship during his time on the blue brand.
Both men can go in the ring, shockingly quick and agile for men his size, Corbin can slide in and out of the ring as easily as Randy Orton, meanwhile Strowman billed at 385 lbs can perform a dropkick. Both men have shown a complete lack of empathy and an appetite for destruction, and while we all remember the multitude of Attitude Era-esque stunts Strowman has pulled on Raw let's not forget that on SmackDown Corbin once crushed Dean Ambrose with a forklift.
The Lone Wolf and the Monster Among Men have had just one encounter to this point, when Corbin eliminated Strowman from the 2017 Royal Rumble match. While some may not see Corbin as credible enough, consider this; Corbin's finishing move the End of Days has yet to be kicked out of. This raises the question, does Corbin manage to hit the End of Days on Strowman? And if so, does Strowman kick out?
#4 The Shield vs. 3MB
I was tempted to put Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre, but the two factions as a whole is far more intriguing. It is baffling to look at the first two men pictured above and think, "these guys were comedy jobbers?" In an earlier article, I covered why WWE should get the band back together and a feud with the Shield is a big reason why.
With all six men now on Raw the match is possible, and while Slater looks more like the dad that never gave up on his boyhood dream of being a rockstar, McIntyre and Mahal look like they quit the band hit puberty and morphed into Superstars.
Sure Slater is the obvious odd man out in this scenario as he doesn't look like a threat to Ambrose, Rollins, or Reigns, but McIntyre and Mahal look like they could take those three men on by themselves. Sure Mahal looks great while his in-ring skills are questionable, McIntyre, on the other hand, could do the bulk of the work and wear the opposition down for Mahal and Slater to realistically stand and fight.
#3 Andrade 'Cien' Almas vs. Jeff Hardy
There were a few superstars I would like to pair Almas and Styles up with, but adhering to the one entry per wrestler rule I have pitted El Idolo and the Charismatic Enigma against each other. Jeff Hardy beat Jinder Mahal for the US title on his final night on Raw before absconding to SmackDown to keep the championship on the blue brand. Meanwhile, Almas was being called up from NXT, bring his business associate Zelina Vega with him.
Hardy will face Mahal at the Greatest Royal Rumble event, and then it seems that Randy Orton will be waiting for him at Backlash. If Hardy beats both men, Almas could be his next challenger for the United States Championship.
Hardy is pulling 40 but can still move like he did when he was 20, and as for Almas, his matches with Johnny Gargano were the stuff of a legend. Almas has a five-star match under his belt coming to SmackDown, and his style would mesh well with the high-risk high reward style of Jeff Hardy.
#2 Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles
This is a match that the WWE Universe never thought they'd see in Vince McMahon's company. What a world we live in now, the 5'8" Styles and the heavyset Samoa Joe have made megastars of themselves in the WWE. This match has happened before in Impact Wrestling back when it was Total Nonstop Action, but nobody thought that two of Dixie Carter's biggest stars would find themselves on the same show in WWE.
Samoa Joe burst onto the scene in NXT becoming a two-time champion before being called up to the main roster. By that time Styles was firmly positioned in WWE's main event scene. Styles would become a two-time WWE Champion on SmackDown Live after the brand split, dubbing the blue brand as "The House that AJ Styles Built".
Now that the Samoan Submission Machine is on AJ's show, and is looking to take over SmackDown. Joe and Styles have been two of the best wrestlers in the world for years, and a WWE feud between the two would be a dream come true for casual fans and diehards.
#1 Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
On February 6, 2016, multiple head injuries forced Daniel Bryan into retirement. Many fans were hoping for him to one day return to the ring for a slew of dream matches that were left on the table. The Miz was not one of those dream opponents, until August 23.
On the now infamous Talking Smack segment, Miz went on a verbal tirade when Bryan said that The Miz fought like a coward. Miz tore into Bryan stating that he was the coward for retiring early. The heated exchange saw Bryan storm off set, leaving The Miz to redirect his rant to his undervalued Intercontinental Championship.
The rivalry is as strong today as it was in 2016, as then-GM Bryan would put The Miz in matches he didn't want to partake in and made him defend his title constantly. The Miz would cheat to retain his title, and continued to mock Bryan by stealing some of his signature moves.
Everyone wanted Bryan to be cleared so that he could get redemption on The Miz, and with The Miz being traded back to SmackDown where the now medically cleared Bryan is eagerly waiting, that day is today.
