10 Ways To Make WWE SmackDown Important On USA Network

6. Showcase Underused Talent

WWE has one of the largest rosters it has ever had. The strength in depth in terms of talented in-ring workers is perhaps the best it has ever been. The issue comes with WWE's reluctance to elevate this talent to the level of stardom that performers in previous eras have enjoyed. Despite five hours of weekly TV time across Raw and SmackDown, there are dozens of main roster stars who seldom appear on television. There's no reason that SmackDown cannot be a showcase for this underused talent. Performers like Zack Ryder, Damien Sandow and Jack Swagger are capable of putting on terrific matches when given the opportunity to do so. Realistically, WWE is never going to give them that time on Raw, so SmackDown should be allowed to pick up the slack. Many of those underused performers are favourites for certain segments of the WWE audience and could really help the SmackDown viewing figures. This also gives these performers the opportunity to get over with the audience, which could give them the chance to move up the card and gain more time on Raw. In the days of the brand split, the SmackDown and ECW brands helped create stars of the ilk of John Cena and CM Punk. There's no reason that a revitalised SmackDown couldn't create even more stars.