Smackdown Rebound: New Era has Hit

Since the announcement of the "new era" in the WWE we have been questioning if the company has really set the stage for a new era. One part that is really shining through thus far with Mustafa Ali and his sudden rise to the top. Ali popped up on Smackdown Live late last year and suddenly hit shocking wins against Daniel Bryan. At this point Ali has yet to compete in a one on one match against the WWE Champion following a pin-fall he has over him from a tag team match last year. 

Right now Ali has stepped into a feud with Samoa Joe as his first attempt in a legitimate main event level feud which will be a good test for Ali. In my opinion I think this is not only the perfect feud for Ali to get his feet wet, but also the perfect feud for Joe to get him some momentum in the right direction. It is also interesting to note that Vince McMahon has taken a really liking to Ali calling him a real underdog and someone who is good at working from underneath. 

Ali isn't the only one that has really hit his stride as a talent in ring as the former NXT World Champion Andrade Cien Almas has really found himself on the main roster. Now it is unclear if it's working with Rey Mysterio or just just allowing him to work like he did in NXT. After making his debut at the Royal Rumble last year it will be interesting to see not only how Almas fits in this year, but if his stock will continue to climb from where it is at this point. Realistically though I think that the company does need someone like Almas to be ready to move up the card just to have luxury to call upon him to feud with a main eventer or become one if needed. 

Overall though the ascensions of both Almas and Ali have put Smackdown in a better position then Raw because we can look at these two guys as the future of the brand. However, Raw really doesn't have such a future even though you look at Elias as a future star I still think that he has something to prove. Elias has hit his stride getting attention with fans, but he still hasn't hit his peak as a performer much like Ali or Almas still has room to grow I see the same for Elias. But I just think that on Smackdown both Ali & Almas will be given the room they need to that which is something I don't think Elias will be able to get on Raw because of the image that Raw has as opposed to the one that Smackdown does.