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Tuesday night saw the culmination of the 2018 ‘Superstar Shake-up’ as Smackdown Live revealed their picks from this year’s draft.
The general consensus last year was that Smackdown were short-changed in the ‘Shake-up’ after losing a number of their top stars to Raw and getting little back in return.
This was amplified by the fact that the blue brand had a poor year in the second half of 2017.
However, it’s safe to say that that wasn’t the case this year and Smackdown look set to provide Raw with some stiff competition for brand supremacy in the coming months.
With that in mind, let’s look at the possible feuds and potential success of Smackdown Live’s acquisitions from this year’s ‘Superstar Shake-up’.
#1 Jeff Hardy
The first pick revealed on this week’s Smackdown Live might have been predictable but is still an important acquisition for the blue brand.
Jeff Hardy has arrived, along with the United States Championship that he won from former Champion, Jinder Mahal, this past Monday on Raw. The ‘Charismatic Enigma’ will always be over with the WWE fans and will be a valuable asset on Tuesday nights in 2018.
It appears as though Hardy’s first feud on Smackdown Live will be with Randy Orton, who is obviously the rightful number one contender for the U.S. Championship.
A Hardy vs. Orton program on Smackdown’s mid-card just goes to show how stacked their roster is following this year’s ‘Shake-up’.
#2 The Miz
After his switch to Smackdown Live was revealed on Monday Night Raw, The Miz announced, in a pre-recorded video, that he was not at the arena for last night’s show.
Instead, he was at home with his wife Maryse and their new-born child. However, he did declare that he will ‘premiere’ on next Tuesday’s show.
The Miz has been one of WWE’s most consistent performers over the last couple of years and could well find himself in the main event picture of Smackdown Live before too long.
His move to the blue brand also opens the door for a long-awaited feud with Daniel Bryan after their infamous bust-up on Talking Smack. With a match between the two recently announced for WWE’s upcoming European tour in May, we might see this program come to TV sooner rather than later.
#3 Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
Absolution’s Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville were the first female superstars to be revealed as new Smackdown Live roster members.
This move makes sense with the Riott Squad heading in the other direction. Two similar female stables on the same brand would be unnecessary.
With their former mentor, Paige, now operating as Smackdown General Manager, it’ll be interesting to see how their relationship develops. Will they receive preferential treatment from the GM or will they now be forced to fend for themselves?
Either way, Rose & Deville will likely be given time to establish their own unique personas on Smackdown and will benefit from moving out of Paige’s shadow.
#4 Samoa Joe
Arguably the most significant trade for Smackdown Live was the acquisition of Samoa Joe, who debuted against Sin Cara on Tuesday night.
Joe is one of WWE’s strongest performers, but injuries have prevented him from really hitting his stride and performing to his full potential on the main roster thus far.
Samoa Joe will be a major player on Tuesday nights and could easily be the biggest star on the brand in the months ahead.
A main event scene including Joe, Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura may just make Smackdown Live the show to watch in 2018.
#5 Big Cass
Big Cass returned from a lengthy injury lay-off on Tuesday night and was revealed as a new member of Smackdown Live in a backstage segment with Daniel Bryan. But that wasn’t the last we would see of Cass on Tuesday night.
He would also interfere in the main event, lay out Bryan with a big boot and stand tall (7-foot tall to be exact) to end the show.
This suggests that Cass is in line for a major push on Smackdown and will be Daniel Bryan’s first proper feud since his return.
While Cass wouldn’t have been many people’s first choice for a program with Bryan, it does open up the possibility of WWE creating a new star. Although, whether or not Cass can become a main event star in WWE remains to be seen.
#6 SAnitY
A video package aired on Smackdown Live, which signalled the imminent arrival of NXT stable, SAnitY.
However, conspicuous by her absence was Nikki Cross who appears to be remaining in NXT for the foreseeable future. This does seem odd as NXT already have a fairly stacked Women’s division after the Mae Young Classic and Nikki hasn’t been heavily involved in the show in recent months.
Nikki Cross has been an important element of SAnitY since their arrival and could have helped establish them on the main roster as well as adding something to Smackdown’s Women’s division.
Despite this, I do believe that Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain will be fine by themselves and a feud between them and the Bludgeon Brothers seems like a no-brainer at this point.
#7 Asuka
Making her first appearance since her undefeated streak was ended at WrestleMania 34, Asuka returned and was revealed as a new member of the Smackdown roster.
Asuka debuted on Smackdown by saving Becky Lynch and Charlotte from a beat down by Carmella and The IIconics.
It’s hard to see where the former NXT Women’s Champion will go after her streak ended. The obvious choice would see Asuka trying to seek revenge on Charlotte for handing her her first defeat in WWE, but there has been no hint of that since WrestleMania and her future seems up in the air.
Hopefully WWE still have big plans for Asuka, she is arguably the most dynamic female performer they have and they would be foolish not to take advantage of that.
#8 Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are also on their way to Smackdown Live to join their tag team division.
This is a good move for the ‘Good Brothers’ since they have been lost in the shuffle on Raw for a long time now, despite recently aligning with Finn Bálor as part of Bálor Club.
It’s interesting to note that Gallows and Anderson have made the move to Smackdown without Bálor, although WWE never appeared to be fully behind pushing the former Bullet Club members as a stable.
Gallows and Anderson debuted in WWE two years ago and have been criminally underutilised since leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling.
A fresh start on Smackdown Live might be exactly what they need. Feuds against the likes of The New Day and the aforementioned SAnitY could allow The Club to show everyone why there was so much buzz surrounding them when they first arrived in WWE.
#9 The Bar
Former Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus announced that they would also be joining Smackdown Live in another of those terrible ‘words on screen’ promos that WWE seem to be persisting with.
There has been a lot of speculation on the future of Cesaro & Sheamus as a tag team in recent weeks since they lost their Tag Titles to Braun Strowman and 10-year-old Nicholas at WrestleMania 34.
Another shock defeat to Breezango on this Monday’s Raw only intensified this speculation.
The Bar could go their separate ways and compete as singles wrestlers, but Smackdown Live already has a stacked roster in that regard and Cesaro & Sheamus may find more success in the tag team division.
Tag teams like The Usos and the Bludgeon Brothers would be great opponents for The Bar and could help re-establish them as a dominant force after their recent setbacks.
#10 Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas & Zelina Vega
The final NXT call-up of the ‘Superstar Shake-up’, and arguably the most anticipated, was the duo of Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas and Zelina Vega.
Almas has been white hot recently following his classic match with Johnny Gargano at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia. This match was the first WWE match to receive a 5-star review from Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer since John Cena vs. CM Punk at Money In The Bank 2011.
After dropping his NXT Title to Aleister Black at Takeover: New Orleans, it makes sense to call Almas up to the main roster and capitalise on his recent momentum.
It’s also interesting to note that WWE made the point of referencing Zelina Vega coming to the main roster with Almas. Could Vega eventually get involved with Smackdown’s Women’s division?
I expect big things from Almas on Smackdown and wouldn’t be surprised to see him placed in the U.S. Title picture with Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy upon his arrival.
#11 R-Truth
Oh, yeah. R-Truth joined Smackdown Live too...Meh.
