Shinsuke Nakamura (SmackDown Live)
“The King of Strong Style” left NJPW a star, arrived in NXT as a star and now it’s time for him to be that same star on the Blue Brand. He’s spent plenty of time already in WWE’s developmental brand and enjoyed a good run as the NXT Champion. His NXT TakeOver: Orlando rematch for the championship against Bobby Roode will be his swan song and then it’ll be the right time for him to make that main roster transition. Nakamura can thrive on any WWE brand, but we think he has more interesting dream matches in the works for SmackDown Live. He had a MOTY candidate against AJ Styles during last year’s Wrestle Kingdom, so we’re itching to see them pull off something just as great in the WWE. Then there’s John Cena, of course. He presents one of the more intriguing dynamics when it comes to interacting with Nakamura. Epic bouts against Ziggler, Orton, Wyatt, Ambrose etc. all sound like great opportunities for Nakamura. SmackDown Live’s needs another shining singles star beacon. And that’s most definitely Shinsuke Nakamura.
The Revival – Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder (SmackDown Live)
The Revival went from no one caring about them to being on everyone’s short list of the greatest modern tag teams. They’re not knock-off’s of The Brain Busters like a lot of old school fans have deemed them. They’ve incorporated the best traits of wrestling duos from the past and given them a present day spin. We always look forward to whatever team they’re set to do war with. The Revival have enjoyed success due to their amazing matches against American Alpha and #DIY. We see them creating magic in the ring once again at NXT TakeOver: Orlando when they take on The Authors of Pain and #DIY. They won’t be winning, if you ask us though. That loss will be devastating to them, without a doubt. But all that sadness will quickly slip away when they get the call up to SD Live. Dawson and Wilder need to “revive” the Blue Brand’s tag team division by putting on the same amazing bouts they’re known to have. The Revival vs. American Alpha? We definitely want to see that again. Plus they can start up a new rivalry with The Usos and create some fresh synergy. Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder could be just what SD Live’s faulty tag team division needs.
Tye Dillinger (SmackDown Live)
10! 10! 10! 10! One of NXT’s most over personalities has been a part of WWE’s developmental system for a long time now. It’s crazy to think that Tye Dillinger was already on WWE TV several years back on their revival of the ECW brand. After getting released and getting the call to come back to WWE, he’s retooled his gimmick in NXT and transformed into the “Perfect 10.” Even after taking a couple of devastating losses, the crowd still chants his chosen number and treats him like a Superstar when his music hits. We think his final feud in NXT will be the one he’s currently embroiled in with SAnitY. It looks like he’ll come out on the winning end of that feud. Once he’s done dealing with Eric Young and his maniacal stable, we envision Tye taking his “Perfect 10” magic over to SmackDown Live. SD Live’s lower to upper midcard is ripe with the type of talent that can put on something worthwhile against Tye – Ziggler, Crews, Corbin, Ambrose, Harper and so many more. His fan following is strong, so we’re hoping all that audience adoration propels him into the upper stratosphere of the Blue Brand.
