Examining Smackdown Live’s Haul In The 2018 WWE Superstar Shakeup

Tuesday's edition of the WWE Superstar Shakeup saw plenty of changes, and within storyline made Paige look like a GM prodigy. While I'm pretty sure Vince McMahon thinks he stacked the Monday Night Raw roster, Smackdown has all of the potential in the world to be an all-time great television show over the next year. Many expected Finn Balor or Seth Rollins to be the major acquisitions, but what the brand ended up getting has them set up for success.

Much like I did with Raw, let's take a look at what Smackdown Live was able to pull in for Tuesday nights. 

The Miz & Maryse– Announced on WWE Raw this week, The Miz is a bonafide main eventer on Smackdown Live, and is where he made his resurgence. Once Daniel Bryan was cleared, WWE had to put Miz on the same brand. There was no other option. The low depths that Miz was able to shovel himself out of to become an indispensable commodity is nothing short of amazing, and Maryse helped add a ton to that act. She may very well be responsible for revitalizing his career. I think he's better off without Miztourage, as it was time to move on from that act from both sides. 

Big Cass- I liked Alex's idea on the post-Smackdown podcast of Cass being Miz's muscle, but it seems like he just got out of that role after four years with Enzo Amore. Cass isn't a great worker, a great talker, but he can still be a great character. Having Cass be the guy a foot taller than the workhorses and being a huge dick to them seems the role that would have fit Baron Corbin well, but WWE never opted to go that way with him after Breaking Ground. Big Cass is off to a good start. 

Asuka– WWE got a main event level talent to an already loaded women's division. Right now, Naomi is about 7th on the Smackdown Live depth chart on the female side, which says incredible things about it. With Asuka, Charlotte and Becky Lynch on the babyface side of things, it does make me worry for her, because Asuka has solidified her spot on the roster.

Absolution- I'm really interested in this one. They're rejoining Paige on Smackdown Live, and essentially swapping spots with Riott Squad, who they've drawn comparisons to and subsequently outshone. Both of these women have a lot of potential. From an in-ring perspective, Sonya Deville may already be near the top on the heel side on the brand when you have Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Carmella, Lana (sometimes) and Tamina (perhaps eventually) there. Good on WWE for not breaking up a set of best friends this go around. 

Samoa Joe– What a perfect addition to this roster. Do you want someone to inspire a Shinsuke Nakamura to pull out of his in-ring funk? Here's the guy. A talent proven to have chemistry with both Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles, and a guy who has a track record of great promos and the ability to adapt to almost any style. This was one of the biggest moves possible. Almost anything Samoa Joe is involved in becomes interesting because he makes it so. I would have loved to have seen him lead Authors of Pain, but him on Smackdown is nice.

R-Truth- Okay. Sure. He'll do dark matches an awful lot. Bless him for still getting paid at 46. 

Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows- It's kind of odd they got switched right after the partnership with Finn Balor and all the new merchandise was made. There's a really good, big push as babyfaces at some point if Gallows can keep it together in the ring, because both are far too charismatic and creative to not jump all over. Smackdown is heel-heavy on tag teams, so a partnership with AJ Styles makes sense, or they could turn on him and join Nakamura. Technically they never left Bullet Club, so that would be an interesting approach. 

The Bar– I don't know about their fit here. The Revival probably could have stood to have been moved, but with Anderson and Gallows also switching, it's probably best to keep them apart. I'm not a big fan of The Bar collectively, but individually both can be good. 

Sanity- Nikki Cross should have came up. As a Trio, they seem a natural opponent for New Day, and a fine addition to the tag team scene that includes The Club, The Bar, New Day, Usos, Bludgeon Brothers, Rusev Day and the Colons. I wonder if they're a little too similar to the Bludgeon Brothers to Vince McMahon.

Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega– This could be one of the biggest aspects of the Superstar Shakeup. Andrade "Cien" Almas has exceeded everything that even WWE hoped he would be. He's their Manny Ramirez, and has developed into one of the best characters in and out of the ring in all of pro wrestling. A big part of that is Zelina Vega, not unlike what Maryse did for the Miz. As long as Vince McMahon doesn't decide that he hates managers (again), this should be a fun act to watch. This is a huge two-for-one, because in due time Zelina could be added to the women's division as well. If WWE doesn't do something special with this duo, it's all on them. 

Jeff Hardy- I see Jeff Hardy sliding into the Rob Van Dam veteran role. He'll be the guy that gets a good pop and does neat things and has a lot of history and nostalgia, but might not have a ton of major angles. You have to wonder how he'll do without Matt around on the road with him, especially given his recent DWI. However, both he and Matt seemed like they'd be better off creatively without one another right now. 

Previously added- The IIconics have star written all over them. They're nothing short of outstanding thus far and scream "star." Daniel Bryan wasn't a Shakeup acquisition, but the type of presence he brings is unrivaled. Paige as a GM is also a great fit.