LIVE Smackdown Superstar ShakeUp thoughts - April 17, 2018

9:58 - FINALLY!  That Big Cass/Daniel Bryan feud we've all been asking for!

Anyway, fairly inoffensive trades this year that -- my initial gut feeling says -- worked out better for Smackdown than Raw (then again, I said the same thing last year, and I was dead wrong).  I'm just happy that Smackdown's main event scene wasn't completely decimated.

9:36 - So wait, R-Truth is or is not on Smackdown?  I thought the joke was that he got the night wrong and went to the wrong show?  But I guess this means he is on the show, then?

9:33 - Wow, the Bar is heading to Smackdown!  I did not see that coming.  Exciting move, though!

9:27 - I'd hate to say it, but I don't like the idea of the Good Brothers moving to Smackdown.  They developed a good thing with Finn that seems to be (kinda) working, and now they have that lingering issue of whether or not they should align with AJ (who is doing fine alone).  Revival would've been a better move, especially since Smackdown is heavy on the babyface tag team side anyway.

9:25 - Asuka is an even better move than Sasha Banks.  But now -- seriously -- they need to turn Sasha heel.  And end this "will they or won't they" storyline with Bayley.

9:13 - I'm glad they kept Charlotte -- arguably the biggest star of the Women's division -- on Smackdown as well.  The inclination is always "if you're a big star, you belong on Raw."  It definitely adds legitimacy to the Smackdown brand.  Also, I enjoy her babyface run on the blue show.  And remember what I said about AJ being a constant on Smackdown?  Becky is the same way.

Still guessing we see the Sasha -- or perhaps Bayley -- show up tonight, perhaps in this segment.

8:59 - So there you have it!  Big Cass is on the Smackdown.  With a subtle transition to Carmella.  They were a thing, right?

8:53 - I totally get why WWE needs to explain that PPV's are co-branded -- you need them to know that they're getting the best of both worlds every month now -- but it irks me that they feel the need to act like this is historic.  There are literally four PPV's a year that are co-branded, what makes Backlash any different?  Do all your fancy promotion to get the news out, but they're just coming across as stupid here.

8:44 - Joe is an awesome addition to Smackdown and I would have predicted him, but I kept hearing rumors that he's your top contender against Roman should he ever win the title.  But yeah, this makes total sense.

8:40 - It's always strange to me when real life couples seem so unnatural on screen together.

8:36 - So there you go -- Absolution are heading to Smackdown as predicted.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Revival make a run in during this match, as they desperately need a change of scenery.

8:19 - See, to me this seems like a logic gap.  Why would Smackdown give up their US title without getting the IC title in return?  As in, a pre-determined agreement.  And further, why would Raw give up the United States title AND one of their Superstars when they seemingly had no obligation to do so?

8:18 - Is WWE under the impression that we were emotionally invested in Gable and Benjamin?

8:07 - For what it's worth, I love that AJ Styles has been on Smackdown since the beginning, without being traded.  I have a soft spot for when certain people are immediately identifiable with a certain brand (like Edge and Undertaker with Smackdown, or Shawn Michaels and Triple H with Raw).  It adds a little credibility to the whole brand extension thing.

7:40 - So, who's going to Smackdown?  We know the Miz is.  My other guesses, leading into the show....

The Revival
Seth Rollins
Titus Worldwide
Sasha Banks
Absolution
Big Cass
Goldust
Braun Strowman
R-Truth