The Raw after WrestleMania has become such a big occasion that it's almost spoken about with the same enthusiasm as Mania itself. It's the equivalent of a season premiere for WWE as they turn the page on all storylines that were blown off at the showcase of the immortals, with many fans eagerly waiting to see what new characters and feuds will arise just twenty-four hours after the granddaddy of them all.
This year, however, Raw is set to share the spotlight with their blue brand neighbours over at SmackDown LIVE. It's an exciting prospect for the WWE Universe as not only does it put SmackDown on the same kind of level as Raw, but it also extends the WrestleMania trip itself for fans who travel thousands of miles to see the event in person.
Now we aren't here to guarantee anything one way or the other, but we are going to run down the expectations that a large chunk of SD LIVE fans have for the show. These apparently don't always come to fruition, so it's smart to keep things in perspective when watching it, as opposed to going into it with the mindset of "if this doesn't happen then Mania week is ruined - RUINED I tell you!".
With that being said, here are five expectations for the post-Mania SmackDown.
#5 The Rise of Nakamura
Get ready folks, because he's coming. Shinsuke Nakamura has been in NXT for almost a year now, and in that time he's achieved pretty much everything that a superstar could hope to achieve down in developmental. Now, however, it's time to see what he can do on the main roster as SmackDown Live is in desperate need of a few more main event names.
Nakamura would likely head straight into the upper mid card at the very least, making his mark in a way similar to Finn Balor back in the summer. Obviously, his presence on the blue brand would require some adjustment regarding his booking, but out of the two main shows, we think that SmackDown is more trustworthy when it comes to handling him correctly.
This next point may rub a few people the wrong way.
#4 Quieter crowd
WrestleMania week is an absolute slog for fans who attend the shows live. To start off with they have the Hall of Fame on Friday, followed by NXT Takeover on Saturday, WrestleMania on Sunday, Raw on Monday and finally SmackDown Live on Tuesday. By the time that the blue brand gets their chance to showcase their abilities, the majority of fans will be knackered.
Sure the international contingent will try their best to lift the spirits of the show, but wrestling exhaustion is a real thing and Monday Night Raw will be thanking their lucky stars that they get to perform twenty-four hours earlier than their 'rivals' of sorts. We're hoping that we're wrong about this because both shows deserve the same kind of atmosphere, but the writing is on the wall.
It's time for SD Live to make a statement.
#3 Title change
Whether it's the WWE Championship, the Women's Championship, the IC Title or the Tag Team Titles - expect a belt to be changing hands in two weeks time. SmackDown has been chopping and changing titles ever since the brand split first took place back in the summer, and they're going to need a big talking point coming off of WrestleMania that will kick start the road to SummerSlam.
The likeliest contender when it comes to this particularly unfortunate accolade is the Women's Title, with many people believing that Asuka will debut on SD Live following the title match the previous night. Obviously, this would mean that Alexa retains the championship at the Citrus Bowl which a lot of fans see as unlikely, but she deserves that much considering how far she's come since being promoted from NXT.
They don't want none.
#2 Styles face turn
AJ Styles is one of the prime contenders when it comes to stealing the show at WrestleMania 33, despite many people not being all too excited about the prospect of him facing off against Shane McMahon. It's going to be a slog and while many will see Shane coming out of the bout as a babyface, we believe it's time for AJ to return to his roots and become a white meat babyface once again.
Also read: 10 Superstars most likely to turn face/heel after WrestleMania
It shouldn't be too hard to accomplish either, as one promo or one attack from a heel during the broadcast could change the direction of his character alignment altogether. Styles is already being turned face by the fans anyway so this would just be a formality, and it would also open the door for some interesting feuds down the line - say, against Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship perhaps?
We conclude with a controversial statement.
#1 Better than Raw
SmackDown Live has been battering Monday Night Raw regarding quality for a long time now. Yes, there's been the odd week where they've been off their game, but when you look at the scoreboard, there's a good chance that it sides with the blue brand. That isn't us being biased, either - it's just the truth.
So when it comes to the post-Mania shows, nobody should be surprised that we're expecting them to beat out Raw once again. After all, this is SmackDown's first major post-Mania show for years, and they'll want to make a good first impression. Plus, their event is going to be an hour shorter than the red brand, so it's bound to fly by for the fans in attendance as well as the ones watching at home.
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