10 Ways SmackDown Live! Can Recover Before 2018
4. All Shook Up
It may seem rushed to have yet another 'shake-up' so soon after April's switches whilst still only a year into the split itself, but WWE can afford themselves a chance to create some brand new storylines out of thin air should they elect to shift some lost souls.
Astonishingly, Rusev has floundered even more on the blue brand than he had on Monday Night Raw. Proving more than just about any other performer how ludicrous the 'land of opportunity' tag really was, his first comeback storyline was aborted before it even went ahead, and his actual return has morphed into the type of cruel and cynical deconstruction a character normally recieves right before they're released.
In a last-ditch effort to salvage his WWE career last year, Jack Swagger made the jump, but was gone mere months later after further defeats. Rusev going back to Raw would hopefully only mirror the first part of the 'All American American's journey. With 'The Bulgarian Brute' off the books, a space could open up for Finn Bálor to escape the other way.
The former NXT Champion has been lost in the Raw wilderness since his post-WrestleMania return, and could provide SmackDown Live! with some desperately needed star power. Bálor easily defeated Jinder Mahal right before 'The Maharaja' switched shows and became an overnight WWE Champion. Perhaps the same destiny awaits 'The Demon'.