10 Things You Might Have Missed On The WWE SmackDown Live! Superstar Shake-Up (April 17)

9. The List

Samoa Joe
WWE

Daniel Bryan nailed his colours to the Cody Rhodes mast on SmackDown Live!, paying tribute to his now-iconic post-WWE baby-step as well as subtly throwing shade at 'Best Bout Machine' and Bullet Club leadership rival Kenny Omega.

Discussing with Renee Young how he felt to be back amongst the rank-and-file on Tuesday nights (more on that later), Bryan noted that over the last three years he'd made a list of talent to work with should he ever win the fight for his dreams, with AJ Styles predictably placed atop it as the best in the world.

The line had to be inspired by Cody's famous departure tweet that memorably covered a gamut of wrestling greatness in a way Bryan presumably would have done later this year had he not returned under Vince McMahon's auspices just before WrestleMania.

It tied nicely into the 'American Nightmare's current rivalry too. It can be well argued that AJ Styles is the best wrestler in the world, but Omega would probably be the first in line for most as an NJPW comparison point. Scripting Bryan to his audience whilst presenting him as a heroic returning WWE Superstar will ultimately get the best out of the 'YES! Man', even if the revived gimmick might take a little while to ease itself in.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett