After this year’s Superstar Shakeup, SmackDown has quite the roster. The Miz is definitely a steal, as is R-Truth. Meanwhile. you have the likes of Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles holding down the main event. It’s exciting to see.
Some superstars, though, seem to be reaching for the top. They look like they’re about to carve their names into the walls of greatness. Which SmackDown superstars seem like they’re headed for big things?
big cass
Call me crazy, but this Big Cass guy’s got potential. If you told me this six months ago, I’d have laughed. Things were not going well for Cass at the start of his singles run. He had a terrible match against Big Show at Summerslam, and then he accidentally lost a feud against Enzo Amore because he got injured.
It’s hard to believe the man on Smackdown is the same man from Raw. As he demonstrated on Miz TV, his mic skills improved greatly. He has more presence now. He feels more menacing.
A match against Daniel Bryan should help him with his in-ring capabilities. He wasn’t lighting the world on fire before, but maybe he’s gotten better. But I feel that as long as he’s decent in the ring, he could be headed for big things.
Shelton benjamin
Shelton Benjamin looks to be a promising addition and a strong member of the Smackdown midcard. Esteemed veterans such as him, Jeff Hardy, and Randy Orton, can put on entertaining matches with some of the younger guys.
While Benjamin was doing great with Chad Gable, they were often relegated to the sidelines of a very competitive tag team division. With Benjamin out on his own, he can become a strong addition to the US title scene. Heck, maybe even the WWE Championship picture. AJ Styles v. Shelton Benjamin sounds like it could be a fun rivalry.
By putting on entertaining matches two weeks in a row, Benjamin’s shown that he still has it. He can still hang with the roster. It should be interesting to see what direction they take with him.
samoa joe
Samoa Joe is arguably the biggest steal of the Superstar Shakeup. He is a bona fide badass. He is so utterly convincing with his promos and so utterly dangerous in the ring. Few people can match up to Samoa Joe.
When Joe forces himself into the Smackdown main event, he can tear down the house against the likes of AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan. There’s also the never-before rivalry between Joe and Randy Orton. There are so many things for him to do on Smackdown.
Whether he’s duking it out against the veterans for the United States Championship or putting on classics in pursuit of the WWE Championship, Joe is going to cement his spot on Smackdown. The Samoan Submission Machine is going to wreak havoc wherever he steps. He will leave a path of destruction in his wake.
Believe that.
Shinsuke nakamura
For a while, Shinsuke Nakamura was floundering on SmackDown. After uneventful feuds against Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin, Nakamura would fail to capture the WWE Championship from Jinder Mahal. The next few months saw him doing a whole lot of nothing. He was in a forgettable Survivor Series match, and then he tagged with Randy Orton against Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
The stars seemed to align when he won the Royal Rumble and challenged AJ Styles at Wrestlemania for the WWE Championship. He lost again, so he punched Styles in the dick and turned heel.
Now Nakamura is reborn. He’s slick and slimy. He punches AJ Styles in the dick multiple times. The heel turn seems to have breathed new energy into him, and now he’s riding a wave of momentum before his match against AJ Styles. Win or lose, Nakamura is going to carve a spot for himself on the upper reaches of the card.
