WWE SmackDown: 5 WrestleMania-worthy feuds we could see after the 2019 draft

With the 2019 WWE draft now over, fans can expect to see the likes of Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Bayley and Sasha Banks in the top storylines on SmackDown for the foreseeable future.

Right now, WWE’s main focus is on the upcoming Crown Jewel and Survivor Series events, with Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez and Braun Strowman vs. Tyson Fury among the high-profile storylines that will feature on Friday nights over the next two weeks.

Once those matches are finished, there are plenty of WrestleMania-worthy storylines that WWE could book on SmackDown in the next six months, especially with the blue brand possessing a more experienced roster than their RAW counterparts following the draft.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at five major feuds that we could realistically see on SmackDown in the not-too-distant future.

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#5 Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns

The biggest storyline of Eric Bischoff’s time as SmackDown Executive Director began at the end of July 2019 when Roman Reigns narrowly avoided being attacked by metal and scaffold in the backstage area.

It initially looked as though the story was going to lead to Daniel Bryan being revealed as the culprit, setting up a series of matches between two of WWE’s top Superstars.

Although fans were able to witness Reigns vs. Bryan at live events, Erick Rowan turned out to be the man behind the attacks, while Bryan ended up joining forces with “The Big Dog” to defeat Rowan and Luke Harper at Hell in a Cell.

Now, after an 11-month run as one of the top heels in WWE, it looks as though “The Planet’s Champion” has become a babyface again, which likely means we will not see him take on Reigns – another main good guy on SmackDown – in the immediate future.

However, as WWE heads towards WrestleMania 36, it would not be at all surprising if the company’s decision-makers revived this storyline, especially when you take into account that they have not gone one-on-one on television since February 2015 at Fastlane.

#4 Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

It appeared as though Bayley and Sasha Banks would feud for the first time on WWE’s main roster when their multiple disagreements as tag partners led to them visiting Dr. Shelby in the summer of 2018.

For whatever reason, the rivalry came to an abrupt stop and The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection ended up staying together, leading to them winning the newly introduced Women’s Tag Team titles against five other teams in an Elimination Chamber match in February 2019.

Four months after they lost the titles to The IIconics at WrestleMania 35, Banks returned as a singles competitor after SummerSlam and began to feud with Becky Lynch on RAW.

Having failed to win the RAW Women’s Championship at Clash of Champions and Hell in a Cell, “The Boss” has now moved over to SmackDown, where Bayley currently holds the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Like Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan, it is difficult to see WWE booking a one-on-one rivalry between Bayley and Banks any time before 2020, simply because “The Hugger” has only just become a heel for the first time.

That being said, new SmackDown recruit Banks is bound to be interested in the SmackDown Women's Championship, so perhaps it is not too far-fetched to believe that Bayley vs. Banks could still happen at some point before WrestleMania 36.

#3 “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman

Over the last five years, Bray Wyatt has faced every former Wyatt Family member in a one-on-one match on WWE television, except one: Braun Strowman.

“The Eater of Worlds” introduced Strowman to the WWE audience on the episode of RAW after SummerSlam 2015. Originally known as “The Black Sheep of the Wyatt Family”, he destroyed Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns with submission moves and quickly established himself as one of the company’s next top stars.

Since being separated from the Wyatt Family in the 2016 draft, Strowman has only had one altercation with Wyatt, which came in September 2019 when he was attacked by “The Fiend” on an episode of RAW.

Strangely, “The Monster Among Men” has not attempted to get revenge on the man who brought him to WWE. Instead, he has been involved in a blockbuster rivalry with heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury, while Wyatt continues to be involved in weekly segments with Seth Rollins.

Not only is there plenty of unfinished business between these former Wyatt Family allies, but it could also make for great television if WWE allowed Wyatt to tell the story behind his 2015-16 alliance with Strowman.

The best WWE storylines are the ones that have a backstory spanning several years, and that is exactly what fans would get with a long-awaited Strowman vs. Wyatt rivalry.

#2 Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn

Shortly after moving away from the WWE Championship picture in mid-2018, Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Jeff Hardy for the United States Championship and went on to hold the title for a total of five months.

The problem, however, was that he hardly defended the title during that time and, despite being the longest-reigning holder of the title in over three years, he was not involved in any meaningful storylines.

One year on, the Japanese Superstar finds himself in a similar position as Intercontinental Champion. Granted, he is at least receiving more television time on SmackDown since Sami Zayn has been brought in as his mouthpiece, but it seems inevitable that there will be a betrayal between these two men at some point in the next few months, leading to what is sure to be a must-see match.

As of the time of writing, Nakamura is preparing to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Roman Reigns on the October 18 episode of SmackDown.

Regardless of whether or not he keeps hold of the title, there is every chance we could see a WrestleMania-worthy rivalry between Nakamura and Zayn in the future.

And if anybody has doubts if their match really would be worthy of the ‘Mania stage, just look back at Nakamura’s debut victory over Zayn at NXT TakeOver: Dallas in 2016. Later that weekend, fans hijacked the WrestleMania 32 main event with chants of “NXT!” and “Nakamura!”.

#1 Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman has a lot of ready-made storylines waiting for him on SmackDown. Right now, he is busy breaking tables and trading insults ahead of a big-money showcase match with Tyson Fury at Crown Jewel, but there are plenty of WWE Superstars who he could mix it up with on the blue brand between now and WrestleMania 36.

As well as “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, Strowman also has unfinished business with Brock Lesnar, dating all the way back to their first Universal Championship encounter in a Fatal 4-Way match at SummerSlam 2017.

“The Monster Among Men” has now failed to win the Universal Championship from Lesnar on four occasions (SummerSlam 2017, No Mercy 2017, Royal Rumble 2018 and Crown Jewel 2018), and their fifth meeting at the 2019 Royal Rumble never took place, despite Strowman winning a #1 contender match.

When you also consider that the Crown Jewel match in 2018 ended in controversial circumstances, with Baron Corbin blindsiding Strowman to help Lesnar win, the former Wyatt Family member has every right to want another rematch with “The Beast”.

The majority of fans may not want to see these two battle it out once again, but there is no doubt that a WWE Championship encounter between two of WWE’s most physical Superstars is worthy of the WrestleMania stage.

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