The Heel Turn AEW Got Wrong, Booking WWE's Next SmackDown Return, More Quick Takes

Another eventful week for WWE and AEW saw new stars make their mark and exciting directions teased for weeks' worth of programming.

Saturday's edition of AEW Collision was particularly newsworthy thanks to another instant classic from FTR and Bullet Club Gold over the AEW World Tag Team Championship, the crowning of men's and women's Owen Hart Cup winners and Ricky Starks seemingly signaling a heel turn being on the horizon.

It was a questionable call with Starks opposite of the polarizing CM Punk, who has had a love-hate relationship with the audience since returning to television.

WWE, meanwhile, could be bringing back a familiar face in the not-too-distant future if reports are to be believed, and how they'll factor into the current landscape of SmackDown should be of utmost importance.

This installment of Quick Takes will tackle how WWE can book said Superstar, another tease for a Hurt Business reunion, pros and cons of AEW moving to a monthly pay-per-view model, and more.

CM Punk Would Benefit More from a Heel Turn Than Ricky Starks

All signs seemed to point to CM Punk going full-blown heel before long when he originally resurfaced on the premiere edition of Collision last month. Although it has yet to happen, the shades-of-grey tweener role he's been portraying instead has been equally compelling.

The issue is that AEW's resistance to turning Punk–or at least at this current point–could be coming at the expense of 2023 men's Owen Hart Cup winner Ricky Starks, who has organically gotten over as a fan favorite this past year.

From Chris Jericho to Powerhouse Hobbs, he's racked up multiple impressive wins and is ready for the next step. Starks being exclusive to Collision going forward could be a major positive for him and ensure he'll secure more television time, but he'll also have Jay White and Samoa Joe to deal with at the top of the totem pole for heels.

The Starks turn isn't official, so him cheating to beat Punk on Collision can realistically lead to Punk snapping on him out of frustration that the crowd still sides with him. That doesn't appear to be their desired direction, but it should be.

The key is in the follow-up with Starks and keeping him at that elite level by pairing him with perennial main event players, regardless of his character alignment.

Judgment Day Must Be Next in Line for WWE Tag Team Championship Opportunity

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens continue to roll as white-hot Undisputed WWE Tag Team champions and be the best part of almost any show they're involved in.

With Pretty Deadly now in their rearview, they look ahead to fresh challengers to their titles. Both brands boast a ton of teams at the moment, but The Judgment Day is the only appropriate answer.

The unstoppable unit defeated Owens, Zayn and Seth Rollins in six-man tag team action last week on Raw. Finn Balor and Damian Priest went on to beat Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams a night later on NXT.

Balor and Priest (temporarily) putting their differences aside and chasing the tag titles is an excellent use of them and a worthy attraction for the SummerSlam card. It would be an improvement over either one of them (unsuccessfully) challenging Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship again.

Judgment Day has crossed paths with Owens and Zayn on a fair amount of occasions since the 2023 WWE Draft and poses the biggest threat to the twin titles. It can feature more Judgment Day dissension and serve as another step toward Priest finally breaking away on his own.

A Reformed Hurt Business Immediately Gives Bobby Lashley and Street Profits Purpose

The Hurt Business may not be returning in its original incarnation, but any new version led by Bobby Lashley is virtually guaranteed to succeed.

The All Mighty returned to SmackDown this past Friday following a two-month absence, teasing a potential alliance with The Street Profits by inviting them into his limo outside of the arena. There was zero indication that they'll be forming a faction, but it would make sense with all of the Hurt Business teases there were earlier this year.

For whatever reason, WWE never went through it and Lashley suffered as a result. He's been directionless for the better part of the past year and whatever he could be doing with the Profits gives him instant purpose.

The same can be said about the Profits, who have been treading water on SmackDown since the 2023 Draft. This group can give them a chance to do something different, show off a more serious side to their characters, and possibly turn heel for the first time.

The blue brand is loaded with talent at the moment and Lashley being back in the fold makes matters infinitely more interesting.

Pros and Cons of AEW Possibly Adopting Monthly Pay-Per-View Schedule

One of the most appealing parts of AEW for many years has been its simple four-show pay-per-view schedule since the company's inception in 2019. It eventually expanded to five with Forbidden Door last year, but the core four have remained the same.

Per Fightful Select, AEW has been approached by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery about expanding their pay-per-view lineup to feature shows monthly instead of quarterly. As of this time, no decisions have officially been made, but there are pros and cons to both.

Less is more with AEW and having fewer shows annually makes each of them feel more special. It also makes the pay-per-view price tag worth it for fans, whereas there's no guarantee the monthly shows would be as worthwhile or consequential.

On the bright side, it could fix AEW's issue of waiting until the last second to announce complete cards for these events and give each match a proper build. Ideally, it would also help with the spacing of the storylines, but not often is that the case with WWE.

Speaking of WWE, their strong stretch of premium live events in 2023 has not gone unnoticed, so the formula can certainly be a success. It could impact how Tony Khan books programming from week to week, and delegating some of those duties to others would be the smartest course of action.

Editor's note: Bleacher Report is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Where Does the Returning Carlito Fit into the Current Landscape of SmackDown?

WWE could be about to get cool, again.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that former WWE Superstar Carlito was due back in a full-time role starting on SmackDown in Madison Square Garden. Plans ultimately changed and it was for the better as it would have been disappointing for such a memorable moment to be overshadowed by that night's lengthy Bloodline angle.

Carlito's best bet would be to be reintroduced as a member of the Latino World Order, picking up where he left off at Backlash earlier this year. The group has enough members as it is, so perhaps Carlito feuds with Mysterio and convinces Santos Escobar to join him on the heel side.

Even with an outstanding physique, Carlito will very likely never be main-event material, but he would be perfectly slotted toward the top of the card and there isn't a shortage of opponents for him to work with on SmackDown.

Challenging Austin Theory for the United States Championship could also work seeing as how he won that title the night of his in-ring debut in 2004. The show could use more credible heels and that's where Carlito comes in.

He has much to offer at this stage of his career and should maintain a regular presence weekly on the shows to guarantee this rumored return is a special one.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.