5 WWE Superstars who have hit their stride on Smackdown Live!
Touted as the land of opportunity by Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon, SmackDown Live has surely lived up to that claim since the return of WWE's Brand Split in July. In the battle of the brands between Raw and SmackDown, there is little doubt that Tuesday nights have provided the easier and more enjoyable show to watch week-to-week.
At first, it appeared SmackDown would be at a distinct disadvantage having a smaller roster than Raw with the feeling they would be more limited with who they could use and what they could do. Despite that, almost everyone has been used effectively on the blue brand for the past few months.
Not only have most wrestlers maintained their momentum from before the Brand Split, there have been several stars on SmackDown who have only served to benefit from calling the blue brand their home. These five notable names, in particular, have hit their stride since arriving on Tuesday nights.
#5 Heath Slater
It truly is amazing to think that Heath Slater has been around in WWE for as long as he has been: ten years, with six of those being on the main roster. That's a lengthy tenure for someone who has largely been utilised as an enhancement talent his entire career.
Slater appeared to have a good thing going when he formed The Social Outcasts at the dawn of the year, but it was apparent that wouldn't get beyond a certain level. And then he was the only Superstar who wasn't selected by either Raw or SmackDown Live in the 2016 WWE Draft, which ended up being the best thing for him.
Slater spent months trying to land himself a contract with the blue brand, ultimately leading to him and Rhyno winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at Backlash. The makeshift duo is now one of the most over acts on the roster. He has kids, you know!