Kevin Owens, or Big O, did an amazing job filling in for Big E as an honorary member of The New Day. It made perfect sense to pick him, at least for this week, since WWE was in Canada, but he might be able to do it permanently at least until Big E returns. Big E tore his meniscus and is expected to be out for at least six weeks.
Finn Balor should have no problem fitting in on SmackDown Live since they focus so much more on in-ring work. He is obviously one of the best in the world in the ring.
Samoa Joe was not able to appear on Raw or SmackDown this week due to a combination of illness and travel issues, but there is about a 95% chance that he moves to Raw upon his return with the Intercontinental Champion switching brands.
It’s not good for business if WWE features two Midcard champions on one show and none on the other, which is WWE’s flagship show, so expect him to move to Raw with Braun Strowman probably being his first target. Check out the Bleacher Report’s – WWE: 99 Midcard Superstars Who Helped Make the Legends what they are Today.
Andrade can’t get screwed out of a title match with Finn Balor, just because Balor switched brands so he may have to work on both brands for at least a short time.
I don’t think anyone is certain about the future of Lars Sullivan, although I feel he and his big red diaper should be featured on SmackDown. Maybe he will be featured on both brands for a short time too. He is sure to dominate wherever he goes because Vince McMahon undoubtedly loves big men.
A barrage of new women debuted last night, which should add a lot of depth to the women’s division. It appears to be growing at a good pace. The most notable acquisitions were Bayley, Kairi Sane, and Ember Moon. Becky Lynch and The IIconics will presumably be featured on both brands since they have championships which are advertised to be featured regularly on both shows
Buddy Murphy will be the third man from the cruiserweight division and 205 Live to be brought up to the main roster. He will do some good things and probably win at least the United States Championship sooner rather than later. Even when he was an NXT Tag Team Champion with Wesley Blake, I always had a feeling he may become the bigger star of the two primarily because he has a more distinctive look.
I mean no disrespect to Elias, but Roman Reigns is clearly the biggest acquisition in SmackDown history who Vince McMahon was referring to. Roman Reigns should help to boost SmackDown ratings when they moved to FOX this October. This could freshen up his character and gave him the freedom to add some new wrinkles to his persona. However, it looks like the possibility of a Samoan Shield with The Usos is dead for the time being. I never expected WWE to do it now, but I was hopeful. Vince should explore this before they retire considering they are about the same age and they seem to be a close family.
Side Note: Let’s pray Daniel Bryan is not only in good health since we have not seen him on WWE TV since WrestleMania but that he develops an epic rivalry with Roman Reigns.
Some “Amazing” Things
- That Kofi Kingston can somehow be taken seriously as WWE Champion while maintaining his full commitment to the New Day.
- That pancakes, Bootyo’s, and twerking are accepted and beloved in WWE. I never thought I’d live to see it. I am made fun of constantly by my brother for loving the New Day, and the worst part is – he is three years younger than me.
The Shield should also be mentioned because the WWE network is premiering a special about The Shield’s final chapter this Sunday. It’s scary, yet inspirational, to conceive that Roman Reigns faces an ever-present possibility of his illness returning and will have to receive oral chemotherapy for the rest of his life, as was talked about in part two of the WWE Chronicle about Reigns and his illness.