SmackDown

Best Potential Summer Feuds for John Cena

On the July 4th episode of Smackdown Live John Cena will make his anticipated return. Absent since his memorable moment at Wrestlemania 33, Cena will likely start the build for his summer feud. Big Match John’s feud is likely to be a high profile one which is equally as high in quality. The interesting caveat to Cena’s return however, is his status as a free agent.

What exactly this means is still up in the air. However logic dictates it means Cena will begin to appear on not only Smackdown Live, but also RAW. This sets up a plethora of exciting feuds and matches which are sure to create buzz this summer. Fresh rivalries and dream matches always on the mind when you talk about John Cena. With his return imminent, the buzz within WWE through July to Summerslam will be huge. Undoubtedly superstars would love to take the opportunity to collide with the Face that runs the Place. Whether it be at the Biggest Party of the Summer or beforehand.

With that, this article takes a look at the best possible feuds for the Summer for John Cena from both Smackdown Live and RAW.

Daniel Bryan Claims that Luke Harper’s Capabilities are Being Wasted on SmackDown Live

Daniel Bryan spoke to Fox Sports very recently. There he gave his two cents on the state of Luke Harper on SmackDown Live right now. Bryan admitted that the former Wyatt Family member is indeed being “wasted” on the blue brand.

Here are Bryan’s thoughts on Harper:

“I think that he is somebody that we can utilize better. When he left the Wyatt Family, I thought the fans were really starting to get behind him. And his match with Randy Orton, gosh, I loved his match with Randy Orton.”

The former 3-time World Champion didn’t stop singing Harper’s praise here, as he continued:

“Every time you see him, he’s dynamic. The crowd gets behind him, and then you just kind of lose him on TV, where we don’t really see him much. I think we’re really losing out on that.”

Best Potential Raw & Smackdown Live Summer Feuds for John Cena

On the July 4th episode of Smackdown Live John Cena will make his anticipated return. Absent since his memorable moment at Wrestlemania 33, Cena will likely start the build for his summer feud. Big Match John’s feud is likely to be a high profile one which is equally as high in quality. The interesting caveat to Cena’s return however, is his status as a free agent.

What exactly this means is still up in the air. However logic dictates it means Cena will begin to appear on not only Smackdown Live, but also RAW. This sets up a plethora of exciting feuds and matches which are sure to create buzz this summer. Fresh rivalries and dream matches always on the mind when you talk about John Cena. With his return imminent, the buzz within WWE through July to Summerslam will be huge. Undoubtedly superstars would love to take the opportunity to collide with the Face that runs the Place. Whether it be at the Biggest Party of the Summer or beforehand.

With that, this article takes a look at the best possible feuds for the Summer for John Cena from both Smackdown Live and RAW.

Mauro Ranallo Back with WWE

Mauro Ranallo announced on Instagram that he is back with WWE working under the NXT brand. He wrote the following remarks about his new gig with the company:

THE NXT CHAPTER BEGINS!

WWE and I mutually agreed to end my responsibilities on SmackDown having nothing to do with rumors about disputes. As I remained under contract with WWE, we discussed a variety of options. Despite originally agreeing to part ways, there was always a desire to continue working together. We have come to terms on a new agreement that benefits both WWE and me, and I am thrilled to announce I will now be part of the NXT broadcasting team.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVp4v6IgOoc/

Important Questions That Smackdown Should Answer

This week’s Smackdown got a few gears going shortly after Money in the Bank. Lana and Naomi look to be fighting again. Daniel Bryan returned, and then he stripped Carmella of the Money in the Bank briefcase and scheduled a rematch for next week. Good for the women.

Meanwhile, Jinder continues to reign as the WWE Champion (30 days and counting!), and the Hype Brothers Bros asked for the title shot that they rightfully earned. Daniel Bryan, for some reason, decided not to give them their title opportunity, but forced them to earn it again. This will most likely lead to shenanigans from the Usos to get Zack and Mojo out of the title picture.

Still, this week left us me with more questions than answers. Here are three of those questions that I feel need to be asked.

Is Smackdown Doing Randy v. Jinder III?

If I’m going to be honest, their last two matches have hardly managed to set the world on fire. There are certain duos in the ring who will always have excellent chemistry. Okada – Omega, Styles – Ambrose, Owens – Zayn, Punk – Cena, Orton – Christian, etc. Unfortunately, Orton – Mahal is not one of those pairings.

Mahal wrestles a rather pedestrian style, and Orton is a tricky guy to have chemistry with. A lot of talented wrestlers just don’t really click with Orton. It happens. So why are they continuing the feud between Orton and Mahal?

Let’s even look at it from a kayfabe perspective. Orton lost his rematch. Why should he get another match? He could feasibly earn it again in a match, but they didn’t do that. Randy just said he was gonna RKO a bunch of Indians to get revenge on Jinder.

Then there’s Baron Corbin waiting in the shadows with his Money in the Bank contract. While he is exactly the type of guy to cash in on Jinder, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll have a heel cash in on a heel. What I’m trying to say is that there is going to be a lot of change in the WWE title scene, but we don’t know what’s going to happen.

Where on God’s Green Earth Is Rusev?

This is a question that many people have been asking since last month. Rusev demanded a title match at Money in the Bank, but then he was conveniently forgotten. Of course we all found out that Rusev was only medically cleared like last week, and then we all thought “cool. Maybe he’ll be at Money in the Bank.” Nope. Instead, we got Mike and Maria Kannelis, who, don’t get me wrong, are a cool and welcome addition to the Smackdown roster, but they’re not Rusev. So where on God’s green earth is Rusev?

They clearly had something before he got injured. He had beef with Mahal for some reason. I’m not entirely sure why because to be honest, there was a period of time where I stopped watching Raw completely and only watched Smackdown. But I know they had a squabble.

The story really writes itself. Rusev could’ve helped Jinder retain at Money in the Bank, and then turn on Jinder so he could get the WWE Championship. Or have Rusev return and attack Jinder, because they have unfinished business.

Rusev is one of the best performers on the roster today, so Smackdown should find a way to put him on the show.

How Far Will Smackdown Go with the Kevin Owens Open Challenge?

I like the idea of the Open Challenge. It helps the image of a fighting champion who is looking for competition and looking to prove himself. It also showcases the skills of often overlooked superstars, and makes them look like they want the gold.

This week, Owens defended the US title against Chad Gable in a pretty good match. Gable returned from doing absolutely nothing the last few months, while Jason Jordan got exactly 10 seconds of screen time. While I like the idea of the Open Challenge, there’s still AJ Styles hanging around in the title picture.

Was this Open Challenge a one-time thing? I think it’s a potentially great idea to have Styles keep answering the challenge and Owens repeatedly denying him and defending it against someone else. Of course, that’s just me, and surely there’s some sort of flaw that I don’t see.

So how far will Smackdown take the Open Challenge? When will Styles and Owens face off again?

Stipulation Added to Next Week’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Daniel Bryan announced on tonight’s Talking Smack that James Ellsworth will be banned from ringside from the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match on next week’s episode of SmackDown Live.

As noted, the following is confirmed for next week’s show:

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match – James Ellsworth Banned from ringside
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Lana vs. Naomi
Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin
The Hype Bros vs. The Usos

Mike Bennett and Maria Spotted In St. Louis

As we noted earlier this week, Mike Bennett and Maria would be working with the SmackDown crew over the weekend and could possibly appear at tonight’s Money in the Bank event.

The two were actually spotted at the airport in St. Louis, which is the site of tonight’s Money in the Bank event.

Someone Please Tell Me Where the Smackdown Midcard Is

These last few weeks on Smackdown, there’s been a noticeable lack of superstars on the show. I’m not even referring to American Alpha.

“We used to be your tag team champions!”

You’d think that with the Money in the Bank ladder match coming up, the blue brand would want to use that match to help build up some of their lower players. There’s no reason that Tye Dillinger, Luke Harper, or even Aiden English shouldn’t be in the match. Even if management didn’t want them there, at least have qualifying matches and have those guys lose. As much as I hate to say it, Smackdown’s been recycling matches ever since Backlash. Some variation of the 6 men in the ladder match will fight, they’ll tag against each other, etc. Quite a few people have been missing action, and it’s a shame, because the roster is so talented right now.

The United States Championship Is on Lock Right Now

Did you know that Luke Harper and Tye Dillinger won their matches at Backlash? Crazy, right? What are they up to now? Nothing, that’s what. They could have very easily been put into a program for the United States Championship. You know, the title that’s meant for the midcard guys? Instead, Kevin Owens is in the ladder match, and the title will not be defended at all this Sunday.

After Money in the Bank, I’m sure Shinsuke Nakamura will go on to take the title from Mr. Kevin Owens. I don’t mind that. I’m cool with that. However, it is highly unlikely that Nakamura will spend his time defending the title against Erick Rowan or Aiden English. It’s not happening.

They don’t have to win the title. I get that. Not everyone can be a champion. But give the guys some exposure. Rusev defended the title against Kalisto, Zack Ryder, and Titus O’Neil. John Cena fought the likes of Stardust and Neville for the US title. The point is, these guys who aren’t being used need a purpose.

Create Engaging Feuds For Them

Tye Dillinger had something interesting going on with Aiden English. Dillinger would beat him, and English would cry. English would also sing a lot and Dillinger would interrupt and kick him in the face. That was something.

Erick Rowan was angry at Luke Harper for leaving the family. He had a whole bunch of masks, and it was sort of cool. That was something.

After Backlash, what happened to Luke Harper and Erick Rowan? Absolutely nothing. What happened to Tye Dillinger and Aiden English? Absolutely nothing. Apparently they’re trying to start a program between Luke Harper and Aiden English. But how is someone supposed to know that if it isn’t even televised?

One of the best parts of Smackdown last year was the fact that almost everyone had something to do. Heath Slater got a job. The Usos became thugs. Kalisto wanted to fight Baron Corbin. When Raw was struggling to use more than 5 people per show, Smackdown had something for everyone. Sure, the roster was thinner, but even with the current roster  you should still be able to create engaging stories for everyone. Heck, that’s what Raw is doing right now. Who attacked Enzo? Who will join the Titus Brand? Even Goldust and R-Truth are battling each other via film quotes and vignettes.

Please, Smackdown. Make better use of your roster. It’s too talented to waste.

Speculation on John Cena’s Schedule After He Returns

As previously noted, John Cena will be making his return to weekly WWE programming on the July 4th episode of SmackDown Live and will be billed as a “free agent” moving forward. Dave Meltzer discussed Cena’s return on today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Radio and speculated what his schedule could be like when he returns to the company.

While none of this is confirmed, Meltzer presented a scenario that could see Cena work only RAW and SmackDown televised events on Monday’s and Tuesday. He would not work WWE Live Events later in the week. This scenario would leave Cena plenty of time to fulfill his non-WWE commitments and Cena would still have a strong presence on WWE programming. Cena would of course work both pay-per-view events for the RAW and SmackDown Live brands each month. So basically, he would work Sunday-Tuesday and have Wednesday through Saturday off.