SmackDown Live LD, April 17th 2017 - ...In With the New
So far, so-so. RAW drafted its selection of names in and its a middling affair. The biggest names are Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal - who brought the United States Championship with him only to immediately lose it to Jeff Hardy - while the likes of Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler (with a debuting Drew McIntyre in tow), the Riott Squad and Natalya all made their way from Tuesday's to Monday's, thickening up the midcard (The Fashion Police, The Ascension, Mike Kanellis, Mojo Rawley, Zack Ryder and Chad Gable also made the jump). Oh, and Stephanie McMahon made her presence felt by rehiring Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
SmackDown Live now has its turn and with its midcard gutted, its in need of some rejuvenation, not to mention a midcard title. We know for a fact that Miz is coming over (per the special request of a certain Goat Faced Killah). Will the Intercontinental title follow its long term master via Seth Rollins? Or is Jeff Hardy perhaps going to bring the United States Championship back to the blue brand after only a night away? There's always the possiblity some big namers like Finn Balor or Braun Strowman can make the jump, not to mention the desperate need for fresh blood in the tag division and some fresh faces in the women's ranks. Lots of possibilities, lots of room for refreshment. Oh and maybe an NXT call up or two - El Idolo anyone?
Meanwhile, we know for a fact that SmackDown staples WWE Champion AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nacker-mura (nyuk, nyuk), Daniel Bryan, The Usos, Charlotte etc... all remain. With the major event over the last ten days (Nakamrua's turn to the dark sid, the debut of an Iconic Duo costing Charlotte her Women's Championship etc...) will we see some more events cemented for the SmackDown side of the two upcoming major shows - The Greatest Royal Rumble and Backlash? We'll just have to tune in to find out! Any predictions for the next round of the Shake-Up, put 'em down below and enjoy the show!
