5 Storyline ideas for WWE SmackDown heading into Survivor Series 2022

WWE SmackDown has arrived in a different era where Triple H is back on top and Vince McMahon is retired, but one thing remains a constant: Roman Reigns still dominates all who come before him.

The emerging era has already brought about surprising returns in the form of Karrion Kross and Dexter Lumis. But they'll need more than that if they want to retain the attention and interest of wrestling fans.

WWE will need something fresh and exciting to carry their blue brand into Survivor Series. On that note, let's review 5 potential storylines for SmackDown heading into November's Premium Live Event.

#5. Sami Zayn becomes #1 contender for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship

Sami Zayn is currently the lackey of The Bloodline. He's an Honorary Uce and is more of an associate than an actual member of the group. But that could all change if The Underdog From The Underground somehow manages to become the number one contender for Roman Reigns' dual world titles.

Members of The Bloodline will order Zayn to lie down for Reigns in the championship match. If Sami complies with The Tribal Chief's orders, he'll become an official member of The Bloodline, but if he refuses to follow instructions, he'll be smashed and sent off to The Island of Irrelavancy.

Zayn is incredible on the mic and in the ring, and he'd make an excellent underdog babyface in the blue brand's main event scene. All he needs is one big angle to catapult him to the top of WWE.

#4. Maximum Male Models try to recruit Butch

The rough and tough Butch deeply contrasts with Max Dupri's modeling agency, Maximum Male Models. Thus, the WWE Universe could be treated to an extremely funny moment if they tried recruiting his services.

The former Pete Dunne isn't concerned about looking pretty, he just wants to beat someone up. But what if Dupri was interested in recruiting Butch as one of his models?

However, Butch is likely to flip out and attack Dupri and his male models. In other words, Butch's modeling career will be very short lived. This will then lead to matches with The Brawling Brutes going up against Mace, Mansoor, and the former LA Knight.

The Sheamus-led faction would turn face in a feud with the Maximum Male Models. It'd also be very easy to turn them into babyfaces, considering they're a group akin to soccer hooligans looking for a pint and a fight. Deep down, they're a trio of friends looking to have fun.

#3. Kofi Kingston turns heel

Kofi Kingston is a former WWE Champion, but he has struggled to remain relevant in 2022. Kingston is surely a future Hall of Famer for his work both as a tag team wrestler and as a singles specialist. But what has he done lately?

Two out of the three members of The New Day are out of action. Big E suffered a broken neck in March. Meanwhile, Xavier Woods is still out after an attack from The Viking Raiders. This leaves Kofi all by himself with very little to do.

Kingston has never played a heel role as a singles wrestler in WWE, though he did play a heel during the early part of The New Day's tenure as a tag team. The multi-time champion has played a heroic role so often that it would shock the WWE Universe if he were to turn heel.

The longest-reigning WWE Tag Team Champion could kick off his heel turn by attacking Ricochet, a beloved mid-card wrestler. Kingston can then verbally attack the fans for being fickle and leaving KofiMania high and dry, going onto the next flavor of the month and abandoning him.

#2. Breezango returns to give Maximum Male Models a citation for a fashion violation

Breezango is an underrated comedic tag team of the New Era. WWE's tag team scene lacks depth and could use the services of The Fashion Police, who were released from their contracts in June 2021. Max Dupri's Maximum Male Models think they know what's hot and fashionable, but Fandango and Tyler Breeze may think otherwise.

If and when Breezango returns to SmackDown, they ought to hand the modeling group a ticket for a fashion violation. The models may have committed a serious fashion faux pas. The former NXT Tag Team Champions vs Mace and Mansoor could make for an entertaining tag team program to help fill up the Friday night show.

WWE loves to feature comedic segments on their weekly shows, and Breeze and NWA's Dirty Dango are known to make wrestling fans laugh with their antics. All the company needs to do is re-sign the duo, and the WWE Universe will be treated to Breezango once more.

#1. Roman Reigns or Drew McIntyre battle an invading enemy

Drew McIntyre (L); Nick Aldis (C); Roman Reigns (R)

What if WWE was invaded by the National Wrestling Alliance again? Depending on who's the champion, Drew McIntyre or Roman Reigns will likely be a prime target of the invading force. Nick Aldis is one of NWA's top stars and would be a good candidate to battle The Tribal Chief or the Scottish Warrior, acting as the representative of his stable.

Considering that the NWA is all about tradition, Aldis would only want to win the WWE Championship and not the Universal Title. The WWE Title's lineage dates back to 1963, but the Universal Championship was first introduced in the summer of 2016. One title obviously has more historical significance over the other.

Another stipulation of their title match would be that if Aldis loses, the NWA will have to go back to YouTube and leave WWE alone. Reigns will briefly take on a heroic role more resembling a babyface than a heel for this storyline, but he's already popular with the WWE Universe regardless, with fans making it clear they acknowledge their Tribal Chief.

Being that he's so good at playing the cool heel, The Tribal Chief could seamlessly transition back-and-forth from villain to hero to villain again. But if we're looking for pure babyface vs pure heel, McIntyre vs Aldis is the way to go. Both Reigns and McIntyre will be protected in defeat because of all the back-up Aldis will have from NWA.