10 Huge WWE Superstar Shake-up Predictions To Save SmackDown Live!
2. Finn Bálor
SmackDown Live! almost always tend to lose out in draft/shake-up situations, not least with Monday Night Raw's immediate future soon to be decided by new television deals set to be agreed over the coming year.
Huge interest from the Fox Network at this point requires the flagship show to remain strong and consistent over the typically quieter summer months, which will almost certainly result in a glut of SmackDown stars finding their way onto the red brand at leat until the new deals are assured.
To this end, Raw will have to provide one high level (but dispensable) star in return, and Finn Bálor seems perfectly placed for a change of scenery following a recent demotion to Intercontinental Title level. His inability to assemble a credible chase for the title he never lost upon his post-WrestleMania return in 2017 undid much of the success borne from the original win. A clumsily-booked year helped him make the 'Mania card, but a significantly meaningful programme hasn't materialised in his first year to justify hanging around any longer waiting for opportunities to again pass him by.
The sheer quality of his one-off battle with AJ Styles at October's Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view was a reminder of what he can do with no story at all. That may be quite the beneficial skill on a show written as poorly as SmackDown Live! as often been.