Where are these Smackdown Live stars?

[rko57]

I, like most people on the site, enjoy Smackdown Live more than RAW each week. I do think the 2 hour show is the big difference, but some guys simply can not find screen time although they probably should be. What do you do with these guys to get them more screen time?

Tye Dillenger
The "Perfect 10" is honestly pretty over with the crowd. He has received a loud ovation ever time he comes out, and wrestles pretty well. So where is this guy? Going into Backlash, it seemed like he was going to get the slow progression from low-card to mid-card. But ever since his win on the kickoff show, I can't recall him on SDL. So what's going on with Tye Dillenger? Maybe a feud with Dolph Ziggler is around the corner as he seems to be that guy to feud with the new guys.

American Alpha
They went into WM33 in a feud with The Usos, although they never got a match at the event. Both members were eliminated from the ATGMBR pretty early on, and they had a rematch with The Usos on the SDL after WM. They haven't been seen since. I know there were weeks on SDL where we never even saw them while they were champions, but their feud with The Usos was starting to get the loud ovations. Now they're just gone. I have no problem with Breezango getting a push now, and I have no problem with The New Day either. But these guys should be focused somewhere, somehow. Maybe a heel turn and have them be really behind the Breezango attacks?

Luke Harper
He went from almost fighting for the WWE Championship at WM33, to being nowhere in site. He mad a small feud with Erick Rowan after WM33, but that's really it. He seemed like he was in position to get a solid mid-card push, but he couldn't even find a spot at the MITB event. This is a card that only had 5 matches announced before the random Breezango match last night. What do you do with Luke Harper? He can't really seem to get away from the Wyatt Family. Maybe a feud with Baron Corbin after his feud with Sami Zayn is done? (Unless it is done now.)

Erick Rowan
Like Luke Harper, he kind of looked like he'd be in for some sort of push when he returned. He debuted some new masks, was walking around with a bag, just being extra creepy. And now he's gone again after returning for a month. Or they could have him and Harper work out their differences, and become a ruthless tag team.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As of right now, I think the answer can be summed up as simply this: they've gotten lost in the shuffle.

I expected it to happen with Tye Dillinger as the guy's just not a priority. Dillinger is really something of a 36 year old nobody when you get right down to it. He spent a couple of years in OVW when it was WWE's developmental territory, was on ECW for a cup of coffee and spent the next years going around the indie scene until landing in NXT in 2013 where he'd spent most of the next 4 years. Personally, I don't see anything special out of the guy and don't really recall seeing him do anything significant the entire time in NXT.

American Alpha was doing just fine until WrestleMania season this year, then they just found themselves lost and I can't say I was surprised about that either. During WrestleMania season, Vince's primary focus is on a few matches that generally feature long established guys. That's not to say he doesn't care about the rest of them, but you can tell that 95% of his attention this year was on Goldberg vs. Lesnar, Taker vs. Reigns and Rollins vs. Triple H. There wasn't even a SD Tag Team Championship match on the card as the Usos, along with AA, were part of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. AA are a ton of fun to watch inside the ring, the surface has barely been scratched on the main roster as to what they can bring to the table and I hope to see things pick back up for them.

Harper and Rowan, in my opinion, should reform as a tag team as the of the best team of big men to come along in a long time. Harper is especially talented and I just think he and Rowan have a lot more to offer as tag team wrestlers than singles wrestlers at this point. I mean, let's face it, neither guy is anywhere close to the WWE or US Championship pictures and I don't see that changing whatsoever in the next 8 to 10 months so put them to where they can be of some use?

But yeah, as of right now, they're all pretty much fodder for Superstars and Main Event.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

Dillinger: what works in NXT doesn't always work on WWE TV. Dillinger was getting a crowd reaction though, so it seems strange that he went from a low card push to ninja vanish. He's on the wrong side of 35 to be getting over. Other over 35 debuts from Nakamura, Styles, Roode, Joe, etc are all former world champions in other promotions.

Dillinger's booking reminds me of a babyface version of Tyler Breeze. Maybe Dillinger should try tag teaming?

American Alpha: aren't one or both injured? Didn't Usos do an injury angle? It's weird they from tag champs to nothing. It says something about the state of SDL's heel teams, outside of Usos, who is there now that the Wyatt Family is no more? Colons? Ascension?

Alpha might even do well with a heel turn. It could allow them to build character. They're going to have trouble being booked ahead of New Day.

Harper and Rowan: SDL needs another top heel team in addition to Usos. It's insane these two haven't held tag titles together in the four or more years they've been on the main roster.

Rowan doesn't work as a face, they've tried it before an no one cared. As a team, they're a pair of dominant big men that can have excellent matches against New Day, Breezango, and American Alpha. Together they might even get over as faces, Harper just has more charisma than Rowan.

 

[Eyebrows]

Harper and Rowan are so much better as a team. Considering the lack of roster depth I'm surprised they aren't together. They've split up then made up so many times now, but tweak them a little bit and put them back together.

I think taking American Alpha off TV for now is actually pretty smart. Bring them back with more character development. It's better than having them on TV going nowhere.

Someone you haven't mentioned is Aiden English. I actually really like him and hope the crying is going somewhere and isn't just a knock on Ranallo. I don't know..it's different and he pulls it off well.

 

[OYDK]

Dillinger really struck gold with the 10 gimmick. On his own, he probably enters jobberville soon after his debut but I feel like at this point, no matter what he goes through on the main roster, he'll always get a decent reaction because the fans will never tire of chanting 10 at him. That chant alone is probably enough to keep him in the mid-card scene for a long while after his return. American Alpha should have been the face of the tag team scene on Smackdown (and probably the face of the WWE's tag division as a whole), and it seemed like that was the clear route they were heading in before they were taken off TV. I assume either:

A. Somebody didn't like what they were seeing and decided AA needed a reset. Or
B. Management realized they grossly mishandled AA and thought it would be better to bring them back later down the line and start again rather than attempt to fix the damage that was done.

Harper is still a solid mid-upper card option on Smackdown. He got a pretty nice pop when Shane mentioned his name a while back so people clearly haven't forgotten about him. Rowan is... Rowan. He's there and that's basically all that can be said about him. Honestly, it seems odd that such notable names have been left off TV for such an extended period of time, but I also think it could be a blessing in this era of overexposure. Sometimes you have to be gone for a bit to make people miss you.

I'd much rather somebody like Harper or a team like AA be left off TV than spin their wheels and have their momentum destroyed doing shit-all for months on end.

 

[The Perfect Max]

I think the problem goes beyond the handling of stars on SmackDown, when you consider that Finn Bálor has been absent on Raw with no explanation a couple of times this year. I suppose it would be less damaging to be left off of television completely than to be thrust into pointless angles for the sake of something to do, but then WWE should really begin to reevaluate their creative team if that's happening to some of the biggest prospects.

Tye Dillinger was a victim of two things: 1) there was no room for him on the main roster in the first place, and 2) the superstar shakeup crap happened and suddenly, SmackDown gained big and pushed everybody else further down and even off the card, which I presume is what has happened to Tye. It's sad because the gimmick is fun and I like him, but honestly, is SmackDown missing him right now? It goes to show that forward-thinking is clearly not the strong point in WWE. Make a place on the roster for these NXT guys or don't bother. Simple as that really.

I have no idea what to say about American Alpha, other than that they were mishandled almost from the word go. They seemed to be heading in the right direction, but I feel as if it was when they actually WON the Tag Team Championships that their stock began to fall. Maybe it's because their rise to the titles was seemingly so quick and without too much drama. Their run was pretty uneventful too, and I suppose you can't blame fans for losing interest, especially when New Day, Breezango and the Usos are running SmackDown at the moment. I think it's just a waiting game for AA. Let time pass, reintroduce them permanently and try again. They are phenomenal athletes and it's clear that fans at least appreciate that.

Harper and Rowan are both solid mid card guys right now and will be used when needed and when necessary. I feel that Harper deserved more at WrestleMania, and more in general, but again, like above with AA, sometimes stars do make drastic turn-arounds and maybe it is a case of waiting for the right time to get the appropriate push, if that is still the plan.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

Harper has to turn heel and tag up with Rowan again. Both are just floating along under the mid card scene, not being used. They should have came out last night vs Breezdango and started a feud with them. Something at least. Having them doing nothing at all is a waste. Why not them vs Alpha? Number one contender feud that can last a little bit while New Day and The Uso Bros finish their feud.

 

[thebarber]

plenty lost in the shuffle. Harper and Rowan either get repackaged, shave the beard and cut the hair and wear proper attire with a gimmick, or they will forever be known as Wyatts cast offs.

 

[MWRedskins]

Tye Dillenger

American Alpha

Luke Harper

Erick Rowan

Well they are on the show, but it's only a 2 hour show and honestly, it's hard to get them all on which is one reason i kinda wish that Tye Dillenger was on RAW and same with the other 4. Erick Rowan is what he is (a tag team wrestler), Luke Harper needs a gimmick change in the WORST way. if he's not a Wyatt Family member anymore, let him develop a new character. Luke Harper has SO much talent and i would LOVE to see him feud with The Miz. i hope there's a story where he's moved to RAW (along with American Alpha) for Anderson and Gallows. As for American Alpha, they are on a show where New Day, The Usos, Breezango (for some odd reason) are being pushed and on a 2 hour show, it's hard to get all the tag teams over. i'd move American Alpha to RAW to be the replacements for the loss of Enzo and Cass because there's only so many times that The Revival can beat Rhyno and Heath Slater that it gets boring (seriously, name me any team for The Revival to face now that Enzo and Cass are broken up). As for Tye Dillenger i'll be shocked if he's moved to RAW and honestly, i dont see Harper moved (but i think he and Alpha both should be moved to RAW)...but what i'd do for Tye is have him beat Rowan a few times, then eventually move him into a feud with Mike Kanallis and eventually when the US title is taken off Owens...move him into the US title picture with Mike and others while Owens is put into the main event scene (where he belongs).

my guess is that Dillenger will be used eventually, Harper...i dont know. Rowan will appear on and off and as for American Alpha, i think WWE would be wise to switch them with Anderson and Gallows. it would do 2 things....1) get Breezango and The Hype Bros a better heel tag team to feud with (the Colons are ok, but they arent Anderson and Gallows) and 2) it adds another face team to RAW (which as of right now has just 2 face teams).

 

[Psykohurricane55]

the problem is that Smackdown as too many mid card talent on the roster at the moment and since smackdown is only a 2 hours shows, they will focus more on the upper tier talents for the show and the women's and that leave a lot of the others guys with really nothing to do so less tv time.

Let's take tye dillenger as an exemple since he's the newest guy on the roster. Here somebody, that while his gimmick is over, is pretty much consider a comedy guy or a borderline job guy in their eyes. The fact the even when he was super over in NXT, he lost most of his matches is kind of a indicator of what the WWE thinks of him, so when he made is debut, he got put in a feud with Aiden English. That's not a good sign when you're debut feud is against a guy that they pretty much didn't know what to do with after they release his partner and clearly gave up on the guy. In their eyes Tye is at that level and doesn't need to be the focus of smackdown every week. In fact, by watching what they did with him on smackdown this week, i clearly see him as a comedy guy now.

As for the others, American Alpha i think is more of the fact that they're tag title reigns pretty much flopped and in their eyes i think they need to have tag team that actually get a crowd reaction. So since they pretty much failed as the top team of smackdown, they gave their spot to another team and now with the new day on smackdown, they're just middle of the pack tag team that they can call upon if they need it.

Luke Harper and Erik rowan are pretty much in the same boat right now, with Bray being on Raw, their just nothing for them to do, they already did the feud between the 2 last month so now their kinda lost because of the lack of time and guys to work with.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Tye Dillinger - He's just not that good. What's the appeal? Okay look. Okay in the ring. Fine gimmick, but he screams jobber.

American Alpha - WWE can only focus on two tag teams at once.

Luke Harper/Erick Rowan - They're just Bray Wyatt's followers. However Wyatt is now on Raw, so they have nothing for them. Sad because Harper is really good.

 

[ShinChan]

Except Eric Rowan, others have something unique that could make the product a better one. But the creative doesn't seem to have anything worthy for them. So they're kind of a backup if something screws the original plans.

The focus is more on the upper midcard and the main event scene. Also, since recently the women division so I don't know if they'll be used much. Maybe American Alpha. But doubtful about others.