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A total of 25 roster changes were confirmed in the 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-Up, with Raw recruiting 14 new Superstars and/or tag teams and SmackDown Live bringing in 11 new names.
The most notable additions to the red brand were Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre, while Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe, SAnitY, Asuka, Big Cass and Andrade “Cien” Almas were among the high-profile signings made by Team Blue.
With several dream matches staring both shows right in the face, let’s take a look at five huge encounters that are destined to happen in the next few months.
#5 Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens
It’s pretty clear from the results of the Superstar Shake-Up that SmackDown Live got the much better deal of the two brands, which is why this is the only Raw match in this whole article.
Braun Strowman faced almost everybody there was to face on Raw during his first two years with the brand, from Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar to The Miz and The Bar, and he has been in desperate need of fresh opponents over the last few weeks.
New Raw additions Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler and Jinder Mahal are all possible rivals for “The Monster Among Men”, but the biggest match he could have is with Kevin Owens, who is back on Monday nights with Sami Zayn at the request of Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon.
#4 Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. AJ Styles
Just when SmackDown Live looked to have finished their Shake-Up dealings with the acquisition of R-Truth from Raw, a video package played before this week’s main event with Zelina Vega introducing Andrade “Cien” Almas to the WWE Universe.
The former NXT champion has proven himself to be one of the best in-ring performers in all of WWE over the last year and it’ll be interesting to see if he begins life on the main roster in the mid-card or if he’ll immediately be positioned in main events.
Either way, expect to see “El Idolo” involved in title rivalries over the next few months, with United States champion Jeff Hardy and WWE champion AJ Styles both dream opponents for the Mexican.
#3 Asuka vs. Becky Lynch
The SmackDown Live women’s roster is more impressive than ever right now, with Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose and Asuka all joining the brand within the last week.
Of the never-before-seen women's matches that the roster changes produced, the standout encounter would be between Becky Lynch, who hasn’t had a meaningful singles storyline in over a year, and 2018 Royal Rumble winner Asuka.
Both women showed in NXT that they are just as entertaining as heels, so as great as a one-on-one match between the two babyfaces would undoubtedly be, don’t rule out a possible heel turn when they inevitably meet.
#2 The Bludgeon Brothers vs. SAnitY
It’s unclear exactly when SAnitY will arrive on SmackDown Live, as viewers were only treated to a short video package on this week’s episode, but one thing’s for sure: they will come face-to-face with The Bludgeon Brothers before the summer is out.
Harper and Rowan have dismantled every tag team in their path since they reunited as a duo in November 2017 and, barring a miracle, they will retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The Usos at the Greatest Royal Rumble event on 27 April.
Once the rivalry with Jimmy and Jey is over, then the monstrous SAnitY faction, consisting of Killian Dain, Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe and Nikki Cross, will surely set their sights on taking the titles from the former Wyatt Family members.
#1 Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
Well, what else was going to top this list?! Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz is a match nearly two years in the making, dating all the way back to the early episodes of Talking Smack when a heated argument between the two led to Bryan legitimately walking off the set during a live broadcast.
Since then, “The A-Lister” has continued to tease the former World Heavyweight champion about his inability to compete as an in-ring performer – something he can no longer do after D-Bry was cleared to return shortly before WrestleMania 34.
It looks like Bryan’s first televised feud will be with Big Cass. However, matches against The Miz are already scheduled for the upcoming European tour, so it surely won’t be long before the rivalry becomes one of the biggest stories on SmackDown Live.
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