Analysing Smackdown Live’s picks in the 2018 Superstar Shake-up
Tuesday night saw the culmination of the 2018 ‘Superstar Shake-up’ as Smackdown Live revealed their picks from this year’s draft.
The general consensus last year was that Smackdown were short-changed in the ‘Shake-up’ after losing a number of their top stars to Raw and getting little back in return.
This was amplified by the fact that the blue brand had a poor year in the second half of 2017.
However, it’s safe to say that that wasn’t the case this year and Smackdown look set to provide Raw with some stiff competition for brand supremacy in the coming months.
With that in mind, let’s look at the possible feuds and potential success of Smackdown Live’s acquisitions from this year’s ‘Superstar Shake-up’.
#1 Jeff Hardy
The first pick revealed on this week’s Smackdown Live might have been predictable but is still an important acquisition for the blue brand.
Jeff Hardy has arrived, along with the United States Championship that he won from former Champion, Jinder Mahal, this past Monday on Raw. The ‘Charismatic Enigma’ will always be over with the WWE fans and will be a valuable asset on Tuesday nights in 2018.
It appears as though Hardy’s first feud on Smackdown Live will be with Randy Orton, who is obviously the rightful number one contender for the U.S. Championship.
A Hardy vs. Orton program on Smackdown’s mid-card just goes to show how stacked their roster is following this year’s ‘Shake-up’.