Can John Cena and Asuka help make WWE SmackDown Live great again? Credit: WWE.com

John Cena and Asuka Can Be the SmackDown Saviors on Road to WWE WrestleMania 34

Graham GSM Matthews

WWE SmackDown Live couldn't be in a bigger rut right now, but never fear, John Cena and Asuka will play an important role in rebuilding the brand on the Road to WrestleMania 34.

Although neither of them is technically signed to SmackDown at the moment, they are expected to be appearing on the program in the buildup to WrestleMania. Cena recently returned to the show after nearly six months away to enter the WWE Championship picture in hopes of finding his coveted Road to 'Mania.

Meanwhile, having won the women's Royal Rumble match in January, Asuka can choose Charlotte Flair as the champion she wants to face on The Grandest Stage of Them All. It's possible WWE is holding off until after Fastlane to debut her on the blue brand and kick off that rivalry.

Credit: WWE.com

SmackDown isn't lacking in the star-power department at the moment, but adding Cena and Asuka to the mix should significantly freshen things up. AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura are two top talents for the show to be built around, but they alone aren't enough to get the blue brand to the heights it was once at.

Upon the Brand Extension being reinstated in the summer of 2016, it was clear SmackDown was the superior show thanks to its simple format, engaging feuds and focus on in-ring action. Somewhere along the way, the program lost that identity and has struggled to regain it ever since.

One of the biggest knocks against SmackDown recently is that it has spent far too much time on angles that just aren't compelling in the slightest (i.e. the tension teased between general manager Daniel Bryan and commissioner Shane McMahon), so the goal should be for Cena and Asuka to get the attention back to where it belongs.

In Cena's case, he is a notable name who can entice casual fans to tune into SmackDown and prove to officials the show isn't a lost cause. Per TV By The Numbers, the Feb. 27 edition that featured his return scored the highest rating the show has had since September.

Of course, Cena should by no means be the face of SmackDown, but he can lend a lot to the babyface side of the roster that is sorely lacking beyond Styles and Nakamura. He could also bring The Undertaker along with him if that feud goes on as planned and progresses on Tuesday nights.

The WWE Championship match at Fastlane on March 11, which looked pretty poor on paper a week ago, benefits greatly from Cena's involvement, regardless of the result.

Cena has done some of his best work on SmackDown in recent years with the likes of Styles, Nakamura and The Miz. With as stacked a roster as Raw has these days, The Champ can be of more use on Team Blue and not be lost in the shuffle.

As for Asuka, short of winning the Raw Women's Championship, she has virtually done it all on the red brand by this point and beaten everyone the show has to offer. SmackDown will present her with new opportunities and a fresh batch of opponents to work with including Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Ruby Riott.

The SmackDown women's division has been an afterthought for too long, but Asuka would instantly inject excitement into it and put women's wrestling back at the forefront of the brand.

To Raw's credit, they have relied on multi-woman matches much less than SmackDown has lately, but that could be because they have a deeper pool of talent to choose from. As one of WWE's last remaining "stars," Asuka would be a huge get for SmackDown and lead to many thrilling matchups.

The midcard scene, currently occupied by the likes of Bobby Roode, Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal, needs a shot in the arm as well. That can be addressed and ideally fixed following WrestleMania 34 through a second Superstar Shake-up by bringing over Samoa Joe, Finn Balor and/or Bray Wyatt.

For now, though, look for Cena and Asuka to serve as cornerstones of SmackDown through WrestleMania 34 and beyond, doing their part in making the blue brand great again.

       

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

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