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Smackdown live has a lot of work to do.
Not only is that evident by the controversial finish to The Best In The World Tournament that saw Shane McMahon win after subbing in for an injured Miz, but also by the gaping hole that now exists after AJ Styles has defeated Daniel Bryan and Samoa Joe in the same week to retain The WWE title.
Beyond those interesting booking decisions, Smackdown Live is also suffering from one of the most underwhelming mid cards they have had in quite some time and its tag team division isn't flourishing either. In fact, between that and the sub par booking of The United States title picture, Smackdown Live doesn't really have a lot going for it right now.
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With that being said and Survivor Series fast approaching, here are seven things WWE must do on the next edition of Smackdown Live. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to tell us what you think WWE should do in the weeks leading up to The Survivor Series pay per view
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#7 Tag team title rematch
The New Day deserves a rematch for The tag team titles after a K.O punch from Big Show cost them the match and what better place to do that then on Smackdown Live? That way, WWE can continue this string of title matches on Raw and Smackdown and The New Day can get some momentum back after losing in such cheap fashion.
Maybe WWE can even ban The Big Show from ringside and then have him cost The New Day the match by disqualification. If nothing else, that would at least open the two teams up to further rematches and also keep teasing fans with how close The New Day is to victory over The Bar.
#6 Have Asuka and Naomi lose against The IIconics
WWE has stepped on the brakes for a long time now with Asuka, but that doesn't mean things needs to stay that way! In fact, rumours have been going around that Asuka will eventually betray Naomi or someone else and turn heel, which could be enough to finally put her back in the title picture.
Keep in mind that this doesn't mean the break up needs to happen right away and WWE should spend some time marinating this before officially pulling the trigger on it. With that being said, the company needs to start things off with Naomi costing them a tag team match and Asuka getting upset over it.
In the end, it starts planting the seeds for their eventual split and also could be used as apart of the build of the women's tag team titles if the company is willing to introduce this sooner rather then later.
Hopefully, that's a yes, but if it didn't happen at the first ever women's pay per view, what are the chances of it happening on a random episode of Smackdown Live?
#5 Set up a feud between Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio
WWE needs to at least have some traditional qualifying matches for the seven on seven Survivor Series match at the upcoming pay per view and Rey Mysterio versus Randy Orton would probably be a great first pairing for the tournament. It could even be the start of an ongoing feud between the two, which would be great for television moving forward.
Think about it! Rey Mysterio is one of the biggest babyfaces that the WWE has right now and Randy Orton is one of their biggest heels. With that in mind and the absolutely destructive streak that Orton has been on with opponents lately, why not set these two back on a collision course?
In the end, it allows Mysterio to serve his role as a babyface perfectly and gives older fans the brutality element that will keep them intrigued. Whoever comes out the winner and goes on to represent team Smackdown Live would ultimately be up to WWE, but it would seem to make a little more sense if Mysterio was somehow able to over Orton and represent team blue.
#4 Fire The Miz
The Miz almost cost Smackdown Live the best in the world tournament at Crown Jewel and while Shane McMahon ended up saving the day, that doesn't mean The Miz lived up to his promises. In fact, if the rumours of Shane McMahon turning heel are correct, it almost makes perfect sense for him to fire The Miz.
Of course, that could turn The Miz into a babyface, but it could work if WWE does it right. Then again, WWE could also keep The Miz as a heel and still feud with Shane McMahon, but it's going to be important how the story is framed. Furthermore, Shane McMahon is going to have to do something pretty low to get the fans on The Miz's side.
Whether that is beating up and firing The Miz in front of his wife and kids or making him beg for his job, WWE needs to follow through on their promise to fire whoever stood in the way of Smackdown Live winning The World Cup. With that being said, this also gives The Miz some time off television, which allows him to hit the refresh button on his career a bit as well.
#3 Showdown between Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch
WWE doesn't have a lot of time to build for the Survivor Series pay per view, which means WWE is going to have to get pretty inventive with how they book this one.
Of course there are a lot of things WWE can do with Becky Lynch versus Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series, but one of the most effective would probably be a face to face.
While it might seem a bit early to do a face to face encounter between the two, especially since it is only the second week in the build-up to the match, it would be a cool surprise for fans and really give them a sample of what these two women will do to each other when they finally meet in the ring.
WWE could also hand Rousey a key loss against Nia Jax the night before to help build towards their eventual match, which will give Lynch a lot of cannon fodder when it comes to a promo on Rousey. In the end, this allows WWE to build up the match in the same way they did with Rousey and Bella, while also allowing Lynch to continue looking like a badass.
#2 Have Shane McMahon fire Paige
WWE is going to have to go the extra mile to turn Shane McMahon into a heel and what better way to do that than to have him fire one of the most popular General Managers in Smackdown Live history! Of course, this wouldn't be a long-term deal and she would eventually be moved back into the role, but this could be a great way to build heat.
It also creates a struggle for power between McMahon and Paige, which could be very interesting to see depending on how WWE decides to let it play out. Either way, there are rumours circulating that McMahon winning at Crown Jewel was to set up a heel turn and this would arguably the fastest way to achieve that goal.
In the end, if it is really WWE's plan to turn McMahon heel then this is the best way to go about it. In fact, not only will it make Shane McMahon into one of the most hated people in WWE right now, second to Dean Ambrose, of course, it is also a great way to build up to a surprise return by Paige in the future.
#1 Eight-man tag team qualifying match for Survivor Series
It might seem like an anti-climatic way to end Smackdown Live, but the fact remains that both brands must start building towards Survivor Series in a way that keeps things interesting.
Unfortunately for Smackdown Live, they have the added pressure of only getting two hours to do so, which leaves them at a distinct disadvantage compared to Monday Night Raw.
With that being said, and there only being two weeks before the big pay per view, why not do an eight-man tag team qualifying match to do determine most of the field for the match. At least this way, WWE doesn't have to waste all night having qualifying matches and allows WWE to further some of their other storylines in the process.
As for the competitors, why not do AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Rusev, Jeff Hardy versus Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Aiden English, and Andrade Ciem Almas? WWE could then have the babyfaces win and qualify for the match, while also setting up a feud between Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura during the match.
In the end, this puts AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Rusev, Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton in the match and the company can pick the remaining two superstars the next week on Smackdown Live. While this does rob Nakamura, Joe, English and Almas out of the big match, it gives WWE a chance to do something else with them.
