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What's the story?
As reported by Slice Wrestling, WWE is planning to make big changes to SmackDown Live starting with the Superstar Shakeup.
In case you didn't know...
It's hard to imagine but WWE SmackDown has been on the air for 20 years since debuting back in 1999. How times have changed since then. For years, WWE SmackDown was considered the 'B' show when compared to the likes of WWE RAW.
But some in the WWE Universe have argued that WWE SmackDown was easily the better show at times. When Paul Heyman was in charge of creative for SmackDown during the Rutless Agression era, it can be said that he understood the product better than anybody. Remember the SmackDown Six?
Trending
In recent years, WWE fans have openly said that WWE SmackDown Live has had the better WWE storylines and the better matches. With the Brock Lesnar experiment being a failure and WWE RAW not having a full time WWE Universal Champion, SmackDown with only a 2-hour format has been the better show for many.
The Kofi Kingston storyline and the rise of Becky Lynch have contributed greatly to SmackDown's popularity in the last few months. Having a full time WWE Champion in Daniel Bryan also helped a great deal. They have put in solid matches and the condensed format has certainly provided a better critical reception for the blue brand.
The heart of the matter
As reported, WWE is planning to make WWE SmackDown Live a much bigger show. SmackDown is all set to move to FOX later this year and this could be a very huge reason as to why WWE is looking to stockpile the blue brand with all the best WWE Superstars.
Does this mean that WWE will be adding the likes of Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Ronda Rousey to SmackDown? It's quite unclear at this point.
What's next?
The Superstar Shake-up is due for next week and only time will tell how the rosters of both the shows will look like then. However, what's confirmed is the fact that SmackDown Live will be moving to FOX Sports in October this year.
