Damien Barling: The Reset Button

The 48 hours in Brooklyn following SummerSlam had a very "day after Wrestlemania" feel to it. Much like the shows following the biggest extravaganza of the year we got debuts, call ups, and storyline shifts. The 10 total hours of programing from Sunday to Tuesday have to be considered a massive success. Let's recap and take a look at some of the questions out there as we head into the final stretch of the year and what these events may mean for next years Wrestlemania.

Lets start with the guys in the Fatal 4-way main event…
Brock Lesnar - he took the first real beating since he ended the streak of The Undertaker way back at Wrestlemania 30. With that said, he retained the WWE title and is set for No Mercy.

Braun Strowman - Brock Lesnar's opponent at No Mercy. This dude is over! Super over!!! He's getting massive crowd responses and the WWE has done a spectacular job of making him a legit star. No Mercy may be the perfect opportunity to put the WWE title on him. I never thought I'd say that but he has a very "star attraction" element to his character right now. Beating Brock Lesnar would be massive and the crowd would be so happy that it wasn't Roman Reigns.

Roman Reigns - Well, he took the pin at SummerSlam. If rumors are to be believed, its Roman vs Lesnar at Mania next year. It appears he'll, in some way, shape, or form, be preoccupied with John Cena but I'm not sure when WWE would pull the trigger on that match if it wasn't happening at Wrestlemania. Also, are they really going to reform only 2/3 of the Shield? Would The Shield be massive heels or babyface if they formed the trio again? I think theres something there.

Samoa Joe - He showed up on Raw, still in the main event of the show, but without a clear direction. If WWE holds off a bit on Reigns and Cena (and I believe they will), Joe is a natural fit for Cena and fits the "Dream Match" category.

John Cena - Cena easily dismantled Baron Corbin at SummerSlam and the "free agent" made an appearance on Raw the next night with his sights set on Roman Reigns… or perhaps Samoa Joe. Either way, lots of fresh material ahead for John Cena.

Big Cass and Enzo - while it appears only a portion of this was intentional it is noteworthy. Reports are Big Cass tore his ACL and has a long rehab ahead while Enzo showed up on 205 Live for the first time Tuesday night. Enzo is in bad need of a refresh. His act is wearing thin but competing regularly on the cruiserweight show may be exactly what his character needs.

Shelton Benjamin - A tremendously talented wrestler returns to team with another tremendously talented wrestler. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin will form some sort of new version of American Alpha (hopefully thats not their name). This should be great. I hate the Jason Jordan Angle Baby Daddy thing but this will certainly make up for the unnecessary break up of that tag team.

Bobby Roode - A glorious debut on Smackdown Live? Eh. The crowd didn't react to his entrance the way one would hope but his promo at the end seemed to go over pretty well. He's a good looking guy with a great character and tremendous wrestling ability. Other then wrestling for TNA for a number of years I don't know what WWE wouldn't love about him.

Kevin Owens - His issue with Shane McMahon is far from over.

AJ Styles - The US Championship Open Challenge is back and it should be the weekly highlight of Smackdown Live.