In her short tenure as SmackDown LIVE General Manager, Paige has already proven her propensity for major, and often shocking decisions. Whether it be pitting Daniel Bryan against AJ Styles in the main event on the blue brand two days after WrestleMania, teaming them up the following week or being brazen enough to bring her former Absolution teammates onto the brand via the Superstar Shake-up, it’s clear that Paige is going to do things her way. So, with that in mind, WWE.com has picked out five other controversial but exciting decisions we’d like to see the trailblazer of the Women’s Evolution make in her new role.
Create Women’s Tag Team Titles
With so many hurdles having already been crossed in the Women’s Evolution, it’s a natural inclination to begin to wonder what is next. In her new position as General Manager, Paige could be the facilitator for an entire new wrinkle in the makeup of the SmackDown Women’s division by introducing Women’s Tag Team Titles. On SmackDown LIVE, there are natural duos such as Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch, The IIconics and Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville. Think about it: Those pairings are not currently together because of any great prize, but simply because of personal relationships. If titles were thrown into the mix, the competitive landscape would immediately intensify due to how much it would mean to the teams involved.
Bring back Talking Smack
WWE Network’s Talking Smack was home to many of SmackDown LIVE’s most personal and hilarious moments. Routinely hosted by Renee Young and Daniel Bryan, the SmackDown LIVE post-show was the battleground for several tense exchanges between The Miz and The “Yes!” Man, impassioned pleas from the likes of John Cena, Baron Corbin and more, as well as Rhyno infamously dressing up like Santa Claus. The WWE Universe was understandably disappointed when Talking Smack was cancelled, but with Paige now at the helm, the time seems right to bring it back. Can you imagine Paige as a host, grilling Team Blue Superstars at their most volatile?
Establish a relationship with NXT that will allow any NXT Superstars to compete on a given week
WWE NXT has taken the WWE Universe by storm over the past several years, and fans of the black-and-yellow brand take immediate notice whenever NXT Superstars appear on either SmackDown LIVE or Raw. But what if NXT talent dropping in on either Team Red or Team Blue became a more frequent practice? It would be fascinating to see Paige pen an agreement between SmackDown LIVE and NXT for the likes of Ricochet, Kairi Sane, Aleister Black and others to appear on the blue brand on any given week. Also, imagine if the agreement could go both ways and, suddenly, SmackDown LIVE Superstars were eligible to compete on WWE NXT. Can you imagine Daniel Bryan vs. Johnny Gargano? Because we can, and it rules.
A championship that is defended every Tuesday night
SmackDown LIVE has established itself as The Land of Opportunity… and, well, we want even more of that good stuff! In the same vein as the United States Title Open Challenge or the Television Titles of yesteryear, Paige implementing a championship that is required to be defended every single week on Tuesday nights would certainly be something that would capture the attention and the imagination of the WWE Universe. With the competition so stacked on the blue brand, a defended-weekly title would undoubtedly bring out the best of everyone involved, as well as creating more opportunity — both for the Superstars themselves, as well as for the WWE Universe to see the best action possible.
Bring back more surprise WWE Alumni to keep the WWE Universe guessing
Who doesn’t love a good return? Whether it be the Royal Rumble, the night after WrestleMania or pretty much any other time ever, whenever a WWE Alumni returns, the WWE Universe takes notice and gets amped about it. Paige now has the power to make more returns of this ilk a possibility on Tuesday nights. The impact of these types of decisions would be two-fold — it would, of course, invigorate the fans of the blue brand, letting them know anything was possible on any given Tuesday. It would also raise the stakes for every Superstar on SmackDown LIVE, with them realizing that a new rival or title threat could be coming around the corner at any moment.