WWE Smackdown: Which New Talent Has the Most Upside Right Now?

It's time to shake things up again!

No, the WWE Draft is not happening. It is the annual post-WrestleMania season where the company tried out new ideas. Different talents are introduced, and they are given a chance to succeed.

This year is no different.

On Raw, we already saw Brock Lesnar and Lord Tensai make big waves for the Red Brand. Those two will have an interesting year ahead, especially if John Cena is involved.

On the SmackDown side, the newer talent are a lot less experienced and a lot less known. With all of them having tons of potential, a lot of this world is "what have you done for me lately?"

While some wrestlers can improve over time, I am anxious to see what they can do right now! Let's run down the list of a few men looking to make an impact for the Blue Brand. 

Titus O'Neil

I saw some of his work on NXT. He was fun with Hornswoggle (love that guy), and his matches were decent. Sadly, his personality has not always been great.

He played a fun-loving face on NXT (when I still watched it), so him playing a heel on SmackDown may work. I will give him a chance, but in the tag team scene, there isn't much excitement right now.

The true star of the division is my "it" girl Rosa Mendes, so Titus has a lot of work to do.

Darren Young

Yes, he looks like John Cena. Can we get the jokes out the way now? Let's not turn this into an "Albert" or "Sexual Chocolate" thing for the rest of this man's career.

He was an original member of the Nexus back in 2010. His season of NXT was pretty good. The best season of all time was Season 3 (divas only), but the first group was a close second place.

Anyways, he looked good there. His time in Nexus was hard to determine because he never got a chance to shine on his own. Once he changed his hair a few times, Darren was sent off television.

One last warning is his suspension for 30 days from WWE last October. He failed a Wellness test, so I hope he has no other issues going forward. The man has potential. 

Damien Sandow

I have not seen any of his work in FCW. All I know is hem may have played the Easter Bunny for WWE back in 2003. Also, he was part of short-lived tag team on SmackDown a few years ago.

The man has clearly been with the company for quite a few years, so they must like something about him. He has stayed around this long, so perhaps this is his big break?

Sadly, he has yet to make a live appearance in an arena. Thus, I can't comment on his work other than the weekly promos. They are good, but I need to see more before deciding.

Antonio

My "it" girl Aksana may have found a new man. She introduced the world to Antonio, and he looked to be on the heel side for SmackDown. That is fine.

I have seen very little of his work before WWE, but all accounts say this man is ready for the big time. He spent very little time in FCW, so Vince McMahon clearly knows what they have.

Again, the man has a lot of potential right now. WWE is always looking for the next huge star in this business, and a lot of fans speak well of this man. I am excited over seeing him in the ring. 

Ryback

This is my top pick right now. He was also an original member of Nexus back in 2010, and he stood out a little bit more than Darren. He certainly looked like the "enforcer" of the group.

Being a man of huge size, he is destroying local talent right now. I have no issues with that for awhile. He needs to pick up wins, and the WWE Universe needs to know he is a serious player.

As for his near future, I do not see much right away. Ryback seems like a long-term project, not someone ready to main event a show this year. We shall see, but I like what I have seen thus far.

Also, this "feed me more" line is excellent! 

What do you folks think? Does Smackdown have a nice couple of new talents? If so, which ones are ready to make an impact right now?

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