SmackDown Live might be the Land of Opportunity, but there are plenty of stars who could use a bit of spotlight and television time on the show.
SmackDown Live has stayed true to its mantra as the ‘Land of Opportunity’ for the most part. The Blue Brand has continued to excel week after week. Moreover, they have brought in more air time and exposure to their entire roster. Or most of it to say the least. Heath Slater and Breezango can be cited as the biggest examples of SmackDown‘s success. These acts would probably have had a miserable tenure on Raw.
In fact, Slater and Rhyno haven’t really had much to do since the brand split. Anyway, the Blue Brand has done their best to make use of most of their stars. However, nothing is ever perfect. Especially, in the world of professional wrestling, there is always room for improvement. As such, SmackDown could still do a better job to highlight some of its mid-card stars.
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For the moment, unless you are an already established indie star, you would still struggle to find air time and good storylines regardless of where you are in the WWE. Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles and Kevin Owens are firmly established in the main event scene on Tuesday nights. Throw in Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler and the new Mr. Money in the Bank Baron Corbin and you have a filled to the brim main event scene. But what about the mid-card acts like Aiden English? Moreover, the tag division has always been the Blue Brand’s prime weak point.
The show already packs in quite a punch within its two hours. However, most of it has been allotted to established stars and veterans. But what comes of the mid-card singles acts and tag teams that are not competing for the title? What can be done to bring these talents to the top of the brand? Here we look at three potential popular acts that are waiting in line for their time in the Land of Opportunity.
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3. Erick Rowan
Erick Rowan is built like a tree. He isn’t as agile as Luke Harper in the ring. However, Rowan has the look and the build of a monster heel. The company is usually high on big men. However, Rowan hasn’t had much success in the WWE. The former member of the Wyatt Family has had little success during his tenure.
His Wyatt Family brethren Harper, on the other hand, has had more success and air time on SmackDown. He was also a part of the main event match against the WWE champion Jinder Mahal this week. It could be argued that Harper too hasn’t had that many wins. Regardless, he is regularly featured on TV on most weeks. Rowan, however, has been mostly relegated to pre-taped vignettes and a mini feud with Harper that never really found traction.
WWE’s best bet now would be to pair up the former Wyatt Family members as a tag team. Not only does that ensure both these men get some purpose, but it would also boost SmackDown’s ailing tag division. After all, the tag division isn’t known for its abundance of quality heels other than the Usos. Harper and Rowan could become legitimate contenders for the title and can give the other teams a serious run for their money.
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2. American Alpha
American Alpha hits all the right notes for a successful tag team. They are two energetic young wrestlers. They also have a killer name for a tag team. I have never been a real fan of their entrance theme though. I have often felt like it lacks the charm and the energy that the team possesses. Regardless, they were once the hottest part of SmackDown Live.
From all that sudden stardom, the team has almost fallen into obscurity. So much so that Chad Gable was featured in a singles match against Kevin Owens in a match he never really had a chance. Honestly, nobody would have expected Gable to win the United States title. Regardless, fact of the matter is that American Alpha should be a more prominent part of SmackDown on a weekly basis.
Despite having a really weak tag division, the duo hasn’t been given much opportunity. Their act works so well as a babyface team that turning them heel won’t do them any good either. WWE would be better off moving them to Monday Night Raw instead. Kurt Angle has often expressed interest in working with them. Moreover, considering rumors of a potential program between Angle and Triple H, American Alpha could factor in as Angle’s cavalry.
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1. Tye Dillinger
Tye Dillinger could soon become one of WWE’s biggest misused talents in recent times. The Perfect 10 has a pure babyface gimmick, charisma and good in-ring skills. Most importantly, he commands the most infectious crowd chant of all time ever since the ‘Yes’ chant. ‘Ten’ chants echo around all over the place when Dillinger is inside the ring. His debut following WrestleMania was one of the loudest reactions during a match for any mid-carder.
Dillinger would be an excellent addition to SmackDown Live‘s mid-card scene. Moreover, if Jinder Mahal could be the WWE champion, Dillinger can just as well play a No. 1 contender to say the least. Hopefully, creative would realize the mistake they have been making and give Tye a chance before long. The ‘Ten’ chants are still hot in the WWE. However, that doesn’t mean they could stay the same for long.
Ever since debuting, Tye has had a match with Kurt Hawkins and a few with Aiden English. His time during Money in the Bank was limited to a commercial for soda. Dillinger should be out there kicking ass and making a name for himself. He would make an excellent foil against Kevin Owens. Instead of placing a mid-card title on a main event level talent, it should indeed go to someone like Tye or Harper.
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So it seems like despite being the Land of Opportunity, SmackDown could still do some work to bring stars like Dillinger to the top of the division. What are your thoughts on the same? Who would you want to be showcased in a more prominent role?