10 MAJOR Improvements WWE Have Already Made In 2018

5. Shaking Up SmackDown

stephanie mcmahon ref
WWE.com

Both Raw and SmackDown feel fresher after the Superstar Shake-Up, but there's no question as to which brand "won" WWE's latest mini-draft.

Team Blue killed it. Surely, they lost Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens' entertaining heel act and a hot prospect in Chad Gable, but their gains were immense. In Asuka, they acquired the most impressive woman in the company, and in The Bar, Raw's most important tag team. Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe are past their athletic peak, but remain among WWE's most engaging wrestlers. The Miz, meanwhile, has been one of the company's biggest MVP's for years, a standard-bearer wherever he goes, and will soon become one of the show's biggest assets.

Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Sanity should prove to be excellent NXT call-ups, too. On top of this, the brand lost duds like Jinder Mahal, and Tuesday night viewers won't have to see Baron Corbin and his sad little stomach for the foreseeable future either.

Good writing is critical, as the new-look line-up will accomplish little without the right booking, and Road Dogg's team don't necessarily deserve our confidence. Still, it'll be exciting to see what this talented group can do.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.