8 Problems WWE Solved In The Superstar Shake-Up
4. Opportunities For Outcasts
Reviving ailing careers has become one of SmackDown’s specialities since the draft. The Miz and Baron Corbin have benefited immensely from the show’s smarter booking, and while their pushes were partly enforced by the roster’s lack of depth, their success shouldn’t be downplayed. Now, just like last year, SD has inherited a set of highly talented wrestlers in dire need of a fresh start, and if they handle their pushes correctly, both can become headliners.
Sami Zayn has accomplished precisely nothing since defeating Kevin Owens at Battleground last year. He played a great victim for Braun Strowman, but he has never looked like being pushed on Raw despite his enduring popularity. Now, ‘The Underdog From The Underground’ should finally receive the opportunities that have eluded him on the main roster so far.
Rusev, meanwhile, was once one of the WWE Performance Center’s greatest success stories - but has fallen by the wayside. Once WWE’s most dominant monster heel, he has become a laughing stock through years of mis-booking and disastrous feuds with the likes of John Cena and Enzo Amore.
Moving to SD presents him with a new set of opportunities, and the chance to start working to his potential again.