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The 2018 Superstar Shakeup has dramatically changed the landscape of WWE. We can be cautiously optimistic about the wrestling that we are going to have the luxury of watching over the course of the year.
Along with that, the post-Wrestlemania returns and debuts have further bolstered the rosters. Both brands have been completely freshened up, and now the opportunities are endless.
To maximise this potential and buzz that WWE has generated, they must go down the following rivalry paths to ensure that we do not look at this draft as a 'missed opportunity'.
#5 Sanity vs The Bludgeon Brothers
Harper and Rowan are just too dominant on Smackdown right now. The top tag teams in the division have been squashed by the pair and they have no believable rivals for their titles anymore.
The constant domination of WWE's biggest tag team in the past 5 years, The New Day and the domination of tag team stalwarts, The Usos, has given them a rub that they could only imagine.
Sanity (Killian Dain, Eric Young and Alexander Wolfe) has the potential to be a massive deal in WWE, but that will happen only if WWE books them correctly. The former NXT Tag Team Champions were the ones that ended the Authors of Pain dominance on NXT.
Sanity were later defeated by The Undisputed Era, however, their stock is intact just because of how cool the stable is.
Using Eric Young as the leader. and Wolfe and Dain as the henchmen, Sanity can be shown as the only believable challengers to the titles, considering everyone else has been destroyed. Of course, an argument can be made for the Good Brothers, but considering how they were booked on Raw, it's going to take ages to re-book them into contenders for a force as dominant as Harper and Rowan.
The matches will have a terrific dynamic. Harper and Rowan are just larger men, and Killian Dain is the only one that can match them for brute strength and size. Sanity strategising how to play to to their strengths and win the titles would make for interesting television.
Harper and Rowan will just stick to using power moves and brutality, whereas Sanity need to be crafty to overcome this challenge. This is definitely a path that WWE should go down, as the potential of this feud is very encouraging for Smackdown.
#4 Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles
If WWE didn't care about using one of the best NJPW rivalries in recent memory on television and at WrestleMania, using the two cornerstones of TNA won't be a problem either. AJ Styles and Samoa Joe are money together and pitting them against each other would hands down be one of the best things WWE can do at the moment.
Joe is red-hot property right now. He is just back from an injury layoff and is eviscerating the character of Roman Reigns on a daily basis. Even if Joe is made to lose their blowoff match at Backlash, Joe can be rebuilt into being the next big contender for AJ Styles. Even if it isn't for the title, Joe and Styles is a match that would have fans salivating.
Honestly, WWE should throw caution to the wind and just have these two men do whatever they want. Don't give them simple 1 on 1 matches, add stipulations. Imagine Styles and Joe in an Iron Man match; Imagine a brutal No Disqualification match. There are so many possibilities with this rivalry.
Joe is an absolute brute, and Styles is the fighting underdog. They are the perfect face-heel pairing and WWE need to push this rivalry forward. Have Joe demolish Styles and ultimately give him the upper hand over Joe after he is tired of being outsmarted.
The never-say-die babyface is a lost art (after John Cena overdid that shtick) but Styles can bring it back perfectly.
#3 Roman Reigns vs Bobby Lashley
The chance of Bobby Lashley getting his rumoured feud with Brock Lesnar seems unlikely, after the Wrestling Observer Newsletter said that those plans have been cancelled. If WWE were serious about giving Lashley such a big spot, it would be perfect to pair him against Reigns.
Lashley has improved leaps and bounds from his first run in the WWE, and has returned as a more rounded performer. He is the perfect foil for the growing legacy of the Roman Empire. Just give him a mini push right now, where he rebuilds his worth and popularity in front of the WWE Universe. After that, send him on a collision course with Roman Reigns.
Reigns will most probably be the Universal Champion, so he would want to be portrayed as a fighting champion, considering that has been one of his biggest criticisms of Brock Lesnar. Showing hints of fear in him to face the dominating Lashley would be an intriguing character arc that WWE can pursue.
These matches will be pure slugfests, as both aren't necessarily the best mat technicians. Power move after power move will keep their matches high octane and wildly entertaining. The brutality that a Reigns and Lashley contest promises is wildly exciting and this match would be a very entertaining path for WWE to go down.
#2 Ember Moon vs Sasha Banks
I am already getting skeptical of how Ember Moon will perform on the main roster, considering her character work seems a little weak. However, keeping her strong up until the Bayley-Sasha Banks feud is over is imperative for WWE.
She is riding a wave of momentum and can be one of the best characters in WWE, considering the potential she has. WWE need to build her character better over the next few months, beyond a cool finishing move and entrance.
If Moon does stay strong, Sasha Banks would be the perfect rival for her. Sasha is one of the best in-ring workers, and is one of the most compelling characters as a heel. If Sasha does turn heel (most likely she will), she should jump straight to Moon after Bayley.
The matches that these two can have will be technical and please all kinds of fans. They are both amazing workers and can tell a story. If The Eclipse continues to be protected, a match where one of the subplots is that Sasha does everything to stop Moon from hitting her with The Eclipse is interesting in on its own.
Sasha and Moon share the same NXT pedigree, and it is time for these two go at it, as they have been perfectly lined up to face each other and create more history in the 'Women's Evolution'.
#1 Daniel Bryan vs The Miz
The peak of storytelling. The Miz and Daniel Bryan will go down as each other's greatest rivals. A story that started on day 1, as The Miz was made Bryan's mentor in the first ever season of NXT. He abused and beat up his rookie, and Bryan was the first to leave the show. He upstaged The Miz when he was chosen ahead of his former mentor for Team WWE. He later beat The Miz for the U.S. Title.
The meat of this feud should be built upon the scathing promo The Miz cut on Talking Smack about Daniel Bryan. It was real, it was intense, and it was money from day 1. Daniel Bryan sending The Miz to Raw in the first Superstar Shakeup ties perfectly into this story. Now that Bryan can wrestle, he brings back his biggest foe for another showdown. the story writes itself.
The prospect of them facing off is still so exciting. The Miz using the It Kicks on Daniel Bryan and getting drenched with boos is a sight that everyone would appreciate. The Miz working Daniel Bryan down using Bryan's trademark offense is just instant storytelling magic right there.
It will work even better when Bryan starts making the typical babyface comeback and finally conquering the one man that has been a thorn in his side since he started in the WWE.
A story that started 8 years ago will find its fruition finally. If this isn't the best feud that the Superstar Shakeup has given us, I don't know what else can be.
