8 New SmackDown Match-Ups Created By WWE's Superstar Shakeup

With SmackDown's side of the 'superstar shakeup' complete, we now have a far more complete picture of WWE's plan moving forward - and it certainly seems to favour the blue brand. Many have already commented on similarities between this week's developments and the 'SmackDown Six' era, which saw the company's secondary brand recognised as the workrate-heavy side of the product.

While the early to mid 2000s saw Angle, the Guerreros, Benoit, Edge and Mysterio tear the house down on a weekly basis, the same could now be realistically predicted of stars such as Styles, Zayn, Owens, and NXT call-up Shinsuke Nakamura.

In theory, SmackDown should have some great matches in its future - but what can we expect on a more immediate basis? Several new feuds were heavily alluded to, and while certain match-ups might have to wait until after Payback to kick off in earnest, we at least have a better idea of the marquee bouts we could see over the next few months.

It's certainly an optimistic time to be a SmackDown fan; let's hope WWE deliver on this early promise and create some memorable match-ups to live long in the memory.

Realistically, we should be seeing an AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens showdown sometime after Payback. The US Champion is currently booked in a rematch with Chris Jericho for the pay per view on April 30th, and KO is widely expected to walk out of California with his title reign intact - thereby securing himself a place on the SmackDown roster.

AJ Styles has already lived up to his side of the bargain, besting Baron Corbin and Sami Zayn in this week's SmackDown main event - an impressive triple threat match to determine the number one contender to the US Championship. Casual and hardcore fans alike should be immensely excited for a potential match between Styles and Owens, given their impressive indie pedigree and explosive (if relatively brief) WWE careers so far.