10 Ways WWE SmackDown Has Declined In 2017

Nobody has played a bigger role in driving SmackDown forward since the 2016 draft than AJ Styles. He became WWE Champion shortly after the brand split, producing great rivalries and matches with the likes of John Cena and Dean Ambrose, before pointlessly dropping the belt earlier this year. AJ has since been removed from the main event spotlight, and his replacements just aren’t on the same level.

Randy Orton is a fine performer in his own right, but his character gets tedious when playing babyface, and Jinder Mahal’s credibility is in the gutter. Before them was Bray Wyatt, a man who devolved to self-parody a long time ago. None of these men can rival Styles when it comes to playing the show’s top dog, and thus, removing ‘The Phenomenal One’ from the WWE Title picture was a mistake.

Though AJ brings credibility to the United States Title division, his departure from the main event has left it feeling second rate. John Cena aside, Styles is the brand’s most natural star, and should be pushed as such. The WWE Championship feels less important without him in the picture, and with Styles gone, we’re likely doomed to a summer of Orton, Mahal, and Baron Corbin.