Richmond, Virginia was the host city for what turned out to be a successful, historic night for WWE's illegitimate stepchild to Raw, also known as the Smackdown brand. We witnessed the Blue Brands first exclusive pay-per-view event, which included title changes, new titles awarded and brand new titles awarded. We also witnessed some suspect booking, which could subsequently be the birth of a burial for one of the most talented, entertaining performers of the current era.
Considering the limited resources and lack of sufficient build time, WWE officials and creative powers actually put together and executed a quality event, that gave Smackdown a solid foundation to move forward on.
With that in mind, we now look forward to the immediate, as well as long-term future of the brand. Here're some ideas on how to book some of the superstars who were a part of last night's WWE Backlash.
Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin has been a special type of project for WWE officials. Despite having plenty of time in NXT to train and prepare for the main roster, he never seemed to get it all together, for one reason or another. Nevertheless, his look and size were enough to compensate for what he lacked skill wise and he still earned a spot on the main roster. Since arriving, he has surprised everyone. Corbin has made a huge improvement and continues to get enter each week.
With a nice win over Apollo Crews at Backlash, Corbin could potentially be headed towards better booking opportunities, just as long as he keeps things headed in the direction they currently are.
Moving forward, Baron Corbin is a future top heel, so long as he continues to improve and doesn't get content with things as they are. The best way to book Corbin could be to let him move into a more prominent feud, against a bigger name than what he's been facing on Smackdown. Even bankrolling Apollo Crews into a full feud would be a step in the right direction for Corbin, as long as he wins the rivalry in the end. Following that, it may be time to move on to a title feud against whoever is holding the Intercontinental title at that time. The key for Corbin's success is to keep moving up and limit hiccups along the way.
Becky Lynch
No one on the Smackdown roster deserved to win that title more than Becky Lynch. She has evolved into a complete performer and is completely over with the fans. Lynch could carry that title for quite a while.
Coming out of Backlash, there's a variety of options for the Lass Kicker. With Nikki Bella back in action, that provides one top tier possibility for Becky, but not a definite. They could focus more on taking one of the new, NXT draft picks, such as Alexa Bliss. Bliss has turned a lot of heads since coming to the Smackdown roster.
Her performance at Backlash showed the world that she should be taken seriously and moving into a title feud with Becky Lynch could be best for both ladies involved.
The Miz
There is one man under the entire WWE banner who continues to get looked over as the absolute most underrated champion in decades. That man is The Miz. He's main-evented Wrestlemania and held every single title available. Yet he still doesn't get the adequate respect he deserves.
With that said, his win at Backlash was clouded by the assist from Maryse on the finish. However, that's simply what I call a good heel finish. We often forget the old days when Ric Flair would retain titles by using whatever foreign object he had tucked into his trunks. There was a time when these type of finishes were the norm. Regardless, The Miz will always struggle with getting appreciation from the WWE Universe.
As The Miz continues on this current reign, his focus should simply be more of the same. One thing is certain, the rift between him and Daniel Bryan needs to continue. If there's my sort of hope or possibility whatsoever that Bryan could potentially return one day, that match needs to happen, possibly on a larger stage, maybe even Wrestlemania. Until then, The Miz should continue to be the Intercontinental champion, at least until someone worthy comes along.
Bray Wyatt
What a shame...the madness that is and has been happening to Bray Wyatt, it's absolutely ridiculous. There's not a single person on either roster with more creative potential than Bray Wyatt. His repackaging from Husky to Bray was the most magical transformation of any persona in wrestling history. The bottom line, Bray deserves MUCH better.
After taking a loss to Kane, it's unclear what they plan doing with Wyatt. The best course of action at this point would be to continue the feud with Orton and have Bray actually WIN the feud. There's no other option at this point.
Bray cannot afford another loss right now. If he doesn't get over on Orton, I'm afraid the end of Bray Wyatt as we know him, is near and if that happens, considering the level of talent being squandered, someone within WWE creative needs to lose their jobs.
The Usos
One of the smartest decisions made recently was the heel turn for The Usos. After years of bright colors, high energy, and big smiles, Jimmy and Jey have traded all the fanfare for a darker look and menacing demeanor. The Usos had become stagnate and to be honest, they were not very interesting anymore. Their new direction was the best move for the immediate and long-term future.
Now that Backlash is behind them, there are two good directions for The Usos to go.
The obvious direction would take them head-on towards Rhyno and Slater, going after those tag titles. On the other hand, once Gable and Jordan return to TV, they could have a very intriguing feud with American Alpha. Either way, The Usos are finally on the right path and should be a really good heel tag team for the Blue Brand.
Heath Slater & Rhyno
I have to admit, they finally got it right with Slater. For years, actually, ever since his time with The Nexus, Heath Slater has been booked as a complete joke, despite being a very talented superstar. The whole angle with him being left out of the draft and having to jump through hoops in order to earn a contract, it's all been a very entertaining storyline, capped off with a huge tag team championship win at Backlash.
As he and Rhyno move forward, I worry about them being nothing more than transitional champions, primarily because of the unpredictability of Rhyno’s status with the WWE. Rhyno currently has several indie dates on his schedule, along with his full-time status as a tag team champion with WWE. If history is any indicator of what we can expect, Rhyno is only going to be around a few months, at best. If that's the case, it'll result in short title reign for the newly crowned champions.
However, if the WWE and Rhyno can find a way to make this thing work for while Slater and Rhyno could have a fun run as Smackdown tag champs. Either way, they need to be booked as consistently defending champions. The more TV time for Slater, the better for his future. After this reign is over, this could benefit Slater as a singles competitor, as long as he gets a little love from the fans along the way, Heath will be just fine.
AJ Styles
No one in professional wrestling is more deserving of the current success he's obtained. It's been a long road, accompanied by countless miles to get where he is today. I couldn't be happier for AJ. The win at Backlash was huge for him. It signified a lifetime of dedication and determination for someone whom no one believed would ever make it to the WWE.
As AJ Styles moves forward and begins to defend his title, I would be tempted to suggest a face turn in his future. After all, the entire world loves Styles. With Raw having a heel as their marquee champion, plus the United States Champion, as well as the Intercontinental Champions are heels as well, there's a need for a strong babyface champion. The only exception to this idea would be the return of John Cena. If Cena returns before No Mercy, Styles will likely remain a heel, feuding with Cena.
No matter which side of the fence he stands on, AJ Styles is going to be a long-term title holder. My only hope is that AJ doesn't get the underwhelming booking that Seth Rollins suffered through, after his big Wrestlemania win.
