Back in the glory days of the Ruthless Aggression era, SmackDown was firing on all cylinders by giving apt screen time to the younger, more athletic superstars from the vast WWE roster. Legendary names like Kurt Angle, Edge, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero found themselves at the top of the card on the blue brand, alongside some of the biggest rising stars in the business as part of the troupe that would become known as ‘The SmackDown Six’.

This select group of six superstars single-handedly sustained SmackDown’s popularity amongst the WWE fans, making it the place for more innovative and interesting professional wrestling. With WWE now looking to revamp SmackDown on Fox Sports, it’s time to bring back those 2002 vibes and draft our new go-to guys and girls that can make up our new ‘SmackDown Six’.

Make sure you drop your own preferences in the comments below.

 

1. Ricochet

The sensational Rey Mysterio broke onto the mainstream scene as part of the original ‘SmackDown Six’. Mysterio essentially kick-started the Crusierweight movement in the WWE, paving the way for the likes of Ricochet in later years. Since being called up from NXT, Ricochet has made a splash in the big pond, already capturing the United States Championship and finding himself in a big-money feud with AJ Styles. This is all well and good, but it seems like ‘The One and Only’ has hit a brick wall since losing said rivalry.

Ricochet could definitely benefit from a permanent jump to SmackDown Live in the upcoming brand split. There he can indulge in his unorthodox ways and make a name for himself as one of the most exciting light-heavyweights to ever compete in a WWE ring.

Ricochet would easily fit into so many feuds on the blue brand and maybe even find himself considered for a main-event run in the next year or two. Giving him the chance to show off what he can do outside of the limitations of a typical WWE-structured match would do wonders for his career.

 

2. Andrade

The obvious connections to Eddie and Chavo are strong here, but Andrade is more than ready to forge his own star as a singles competitor on SmackDown Live. Andrade has flirted with fame on the main roster, but has never really been allowed to run with the ball since first appearing on SmackDown Live last year. Andrade has more than enough potential to put together some incredible matches, in and out of the championship pictures.

Andrade may not have had much opportunity to get over with the main roster audiences but ‘El Idolo’ lets his wrestling do the talking for him, which should make him an ideal candidate for the new ‘SmackDown Six’. Let him loose on the blue brand and I promise in a year he’ll be one of the most featured heels on the roster.

WWE obviously want to pull the trigger on Andrade at some point, whether that be down to his relationship with Charlotte Flair or not is a matter of debate, so surely it should happen after the looming draft.

 

3. Shinsuke Nakamura

It seems that every time WWE try to reboot ‘The King of Strong Style’, they never seem to pull it off. Despite currently holding onto the Intercontinental Championship, Nakamura has once again become a generic version of himself with Sami Zayn as his nefarious mouthpiece. All signs seem to be pointing towards Nakamura entering a feud with Ali, I couldn’t think of a better start for both superstars as part of the renewed SmackDown Live.

Nakamura has so much untapped talent that at this point might be too far gone, but if there’s any chance of him recovering any of that presence and star power he had when first arriving, it would be as part of SmackDown Live. Should Shinsuke decide to not phone it in for his remaining time in the ring, then he could easily develop into a shining star for SmackDown Live.

Fans want to see Nakamura prosper in WWE, he’s still enough of an attraction to restore some hype in the mid-card title scene, but perhaps not enough to really keep himself relevant in the forever-changing landscape in WWE. I’m keeping my hopes high and my fingers crossed for the resident eccentric. We need a veteran to hold things together on SmackDown, that guy should be Shin.

 

4. Kevin Owens

‘The Prizefighter’ Kevin Owens is set to headline the premiere episode of SmackDown Live in a ladder match against Shane McMahon. If anything, Owens’ plight to become the top babyface of the blue brand has floundered over the past few months, but there’s still plenty of reason to get behind Owens as one of our top guys on the alternative brand.

Kevin Owens has maintained his presence as one of WWE’s best competitors despite losing the majority of his televised feuds. The WWE Universe are ready to hail Owens as their anti-hero, but there always seems to be something that gets in the way at the last second. Hopefully now that this horrific feud with Shane-O-Mac is coming to a close and SmackDown Live is heading towards a revamp, Kevin could find himself heading into the title picture.

Owens’ ability to play the hero and the villain in any given situation is ample reason to make him one of the new ‘SmackDown Six’, giving him the chance to compete as the athletic brawler that we all fell in love with.

 

5. Ember Moon

It’s a shock to me that Ember Moon hasn’t been featured more on either brand since her return from injury. Granted, she recently had a chance at Bayley’s SmackDown Women’s title, but ultimately failed to get herself over as one of the biggest female prospects on the roster. Moon has yet to receive her dues in WWE and it would be a real shame to see her go without any sort of championship run on the main roster.

Ember could easily burn barns on SmackDown Live against the likes of Asuka, Kairi Sane and a returning Ruby Riott. The ‘SmackDown Six’ of old never had a heavily featured female athlete, and with WWE’s renewed focus on the Women’s division already proving to work wonders, I don’t see why we can’t have one of the most reliable and hard-working stars to outshine the Raw locker room on Friday nights.

Ember Moon seriously needs to be considered for the top spot in the Women’s division. Let’s keep that momentum from the SummerSlam feud going and put her straight back into the title hunt after the draft.

 

6. Roman Reigns

Naturally ‘The Big Dog’ has been hand-picked for the top spot on Fox’s SmackDown Live. Roman is one of the biggest draws and top stars in WWE and will undoubtedly find himself in the main event scene as the brand settles into its new home. WWE have played the long game with Reigns since his triumphant return, which is admirable, but now is the time for Roman to return to his former glory.

Reigns has the uncanny ability to tear it up with almost anyone in the wrestling ring. Some find it hard to admit, but Roman would fit in amongst the hardest workers and hardest hitters on SmackDown Live. Seeing Reigns put on instant classics with the aforementioned names and more on the blue brand would be a treat for all fans.

Some might consider Reigns to be a little too high-profile for the ‘SmackDown Six’. After all, these superstars are meant to be hungry enough to want to knock it out of the park week in and week out, but if Kurt Angle can do it, then surely Reigns will too.

So there’s our recommendations for the new ‘SmackDown Six’. By no means should these be the only superstars to benefit from the reduced roster size on Friday nights, mark my words I’m sure there’ll be plenty more fresh faces and new names creeping into this group to the point where we’ll need to remain it the ‘SmackDown Sixteen’.