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What’s the story?
SmackDown Live had a very special segment this week after the show went off the air. Daniel Bryan and Greg Hamilton revealed Kaitlyn Alexander, AKA The Shadow, as an honorary Superstar, having signed her contract earlier in the day.
In case you didn’t know
Kaitlyn Alexander is a Make-A-Wish Kid and had been previously featured in WWE's Make-A-Wish video package alongside several other kids doing their Superstar entrances in front of a group of people.
WWE has had a lengthy relationship with Make-A-Wish, with several big names granting wishes; most notably John Cena has granted more than 500 wishes.
Most people will remember the incredibly touching stories of two other Make-A-Wish kids. Connor "The Crusher" Michalek stole the hearts of Daniel Bryan and many others both in the ring and out, and was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. WWE also now backs the charity Connor's Cure, founded by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon with merchandise sales sold in return for a donation to the charity.
There was also Drax Shadow, who WWE signed as an honorary Superstar with Triple H and Cody Rhodes featuring in the segment where he signed. Drax, real name Elijah Mainville, passed away earlier this year.
The heart of the matter...
After tonight's WWE SmackDown, General Manager Daniel Bryan came to the ring to join ring announcer Greg Hamilton. They introduced Kaitlyn Alexander as an honorary WWE Superstar. She chose “The Shadow” as her ring name.
Kaitlyn actually had signed her WWE contract earlier in the day.
What’s next?
WWE has always had a great relationship with Make-A-Wish, and it's one that looks incredibly likely to continue. Alongside John Cena, stars like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and Brock Lesnar have been among the plethora of Superstars to grant wishes.
Hopefully, we'll see more wishes granted in 2018, and more of "The Shadow" too.
Author’s take
Usually, we see a match take place after SmackDown goes off the air but this was a welcomed surprise. No one will ever throw a flag on a Make-A-Wish Kid having their wish granted, and this truly goes above and beyond from WWE.
It's truly heartwarming and an effort that makes us see that WWE isn't just a business. We wish Kaitlyn and her family all the best and hope to see more of her in the future.
