WWE SmackDown: 5 things we learned on the show after WrestleMania 35 (April 9, 2019)

With the landscape of WWE changed on Sunday, WWE strived to make huge impacts on both Raw and SmackDown after WrestleMania 35. Raw managed to make an impact but made a few mistakes on the way, and SmackDown was also not too far behind.

We saw a number of superstars from SmackDown show up on Raw on Monday, and the favor was repaid as a few Raw superstars made their presence felt on SmackDown Live last night.

Shane McMahon got a chance to gloat about his victory at WrestleMania as The Miz was not in the house, while Becky Lynch continued to speak her mind out before being attacked by Lacey Evans again.

At the end of the show, we learned at least five things from the episode after WrestleMania which can possibly shape the path for the rest of the year.

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#5 SmackDown Live has just way too much talent

At a time when we are saying goodbye to legends like Kurt Angle and Batista, and waiting for that one final match from men like Triple H and The Undertaker, we often forget the number of future legends in WWE today.

While we usually look at a roster from the matches held in a single night, one match from this week’s SmackDown showed us just exactly how much talent SmackDown Live has as compared to the other brands.

The six-man tag team match saw regulars such as Ali, Shinsuke Nakamura, Rusev, and Andrade compete along with free-agents Ricochet and Aleister Black.

While the match was one of the best of the night, we were reminded of all the other major players on SmackDown at the end of it, as Randy Orton attacked Ali and then Kevin Owens dropped Rusev with a Stunner.

These men are enough to run a wrestling promotion all by themselves, and the sheer strength of the SmackDown roster was on display in just one single segment.

#4 Braun Strowman is getting in the secondary title picture

After winning the Raw Tag Team titles, the Greatest Royal Rumble, and the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, all in just over a year, we see Braun Strowman without any major titles to his name.

As possibly the strongest force in WWE today, it is odd to see a man of his power without any major titles or any feuds which can lead to one.

While he has been fixed on Raw for a long time, he made a surprise appearance on the blue brand to give Samoa Joe some of his hands which was an absolute treat to watch. It’s not often that two monsters which WWE have built completely separately come face to face after all these years.

Strowman’s attack on Joe now signals that he might finally get in the mid-card title picture after all this time and could finally win one down the road.

A title run is necessary for The Monster Among Men if WWE plans to keep him relevant in the years to come, similar to what they did for The Big Show, Kane, Umaga, and the others.

#3 Drew McIntyre works better alone

While The Scottish Psychopath is great at laying out superstars as a solo performer, he does not do too well when paired with others.

This was evident on SmackDown this week as Drew McIntyre teamed up with The Bar to take on The New Day in a rather sloppy match. With the talent and the experience involved in this match, it was clear that either the superstars were tired or did not work too well together.

McIntyre has lost more matches in tag team efforts than he has as a solo competitor, and WWE should focus on building him as a solo star rather than giving him one-off pairings. His work with Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley on Raw was not too good, and his performance on SmackDown this week with The Bar was also lacking.

Even though McIntyre did not play much part on Tuesday, we hope that WWE will focus on raising him as a solo performer just like they’ve done for many other dominating superstars in the past.

#2 Lars is working towards an aim

Lars has attacked three legends in two consecutive nights

While The Freak was lurking for quite some time, he only came out to play on Monday after WrestleMania. Monday Night Raw saw him destroy the now-retired legend, Kurt Angle, and make his point.

Last night on SmackDown, Lars expectedly appeared once again and laid out the legendary team of The Hardy Boyz after their SmackDown Tag Team Championship win.

While both targets could just have been random, it seems as though Lars is actually working towards a purpose here.

For months, it had been rumored that Lars will be taking on John Cena at WrestleMania. However, the plan did not materialize. Now that Lars seems to be attacking legends, the next biggest legend after Kurt Angle’s departure seems like Cena himself (considering Triple H and The Undertaker won’t fight too frequently).

If that’s the case, WWE is working well on building up towards that clash which could unfold at Money in the Bank 2019, or their next pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia.

#1 The Usos are heading out

If WWE had to give us The Usos vs. The Hardy Boyz sooner than later, then they sure should have done that at WrestleMania 35.

While they were 48 hours too late to make a huge impact on the show, they still managed to give us a decent match on SmackDown Live, in which The Hardyz surprisingly picked up the victory and the titles so soon.

With the Superstar Shake-Up just a few days away, it feels as though the reason The Usos gave up the championships is that they are heading out of SmackDown.

Raw is currently hungry for a good tag team on its roster, and there is no better team to rebuild and head their tag team roster than The Usos. The Usos have worked there before and could shake things up again.

Are you ready to watch the brothers tear it up on Monday nights soon?