Less Is More with The Bloodline in WWE, AEW's Ultimate Swerve, More Quick Takes

A few months of SmackDown free of The Bloodline would be a welcome change of pace.Credit: WWE.com

Jey Uso "quitting" WWE was quite the cliffhanger to close SmackDown last Friday night, and while the audience anticipates what's next, the company may also be in the process of figuring that out.

In the meantime, WWE can use this opportunity to start showcasing Superstars who have been overshadowed by The Bloodline as of late and develop equally engaging storylines.

AEW has a hot angle of its own at the moment with MJF and Adam Cole forging a friendship ahead of an AEW World Championship clash at All In. With so many different directions the storyline can go in, the ultimate endgame is far from predictable.

In fact, it's entirely possible that Cole will be the one to betray MJF, take the title and form a faction in what would be the biggest swerve of them all.

This week's installment of Quick Takes will examine where AEW could and should go next with Cole, making the most of the time Edge has left in the ring, Shinsuke Nakamura's abrupt move to the main-event scene, and more.

The Bloodline have dominated SmackDown for the better part of the past three years and understandably so. They've produced one of the strongest storylines WWE has ever had and it's managed to maintain momentum with one intriguing chapter after another.

It can be argued that The Bloodline jumped the shark with Jimmy Uso costing Jey Uso the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Roman Reigns at SummerSlam. At this point, it's painfully apparent WWE is biding time until WrestleMania 40 and stretching the storyline out in desperate fashion.

The smartest thing the company can do with all of the drama surrounding the group is to give it a break for the foreseeable future and put that same creative effort into other storylines and Superstars on SmackDown.

The well runs dry on the blue brand beyond The Bloodline, but the roster is filled with tremendous talents eagerly awaiting an opportunity to showcase their skills in important matches and angles.

There, unfortunately, won't be a world title to fight for until Roman Reigns returns at the end of the year, but the United States Championship can be elevated and the women can become more of a focal point.

In the absence of The Bloodline, the finest from Friday nights must rise to the occasion and prove they're just as worthy of the SmackDown spotlight.

Tag team wrestling was largely what AEW was built on, and a handful of the best bouts in the promotion's short history have been tag team matches.

Despite that, AEW's once-robust tag division has dwindled down in recent years with the AEW World Tag Team Championship becoming an afterthought at times. The renewed focus on the titles heading into All In has been long overdue, and FTR's work on Collision has had a lot to do with it.

They defended the belts only once in the first two months of holding them, but upon the launch of Collision, the titles became the lifeblood of the program.

In the last month alone, FTR have had stellar matches with the likes of Bullet Club Gold, Big Bill and Brian Cage, and Adam Cole and MJF. Now, they set their sights on winning the rubber match with The Young Bucks at All In.

FTR are the proper tandem to lead the tag team renaissance in AEW and the Bucks are right there alongside them. Blackpool Combat Club isn't too far behind and other teams are building momentum as well.

AEW's tag team scene quietly returning to its former glory has been one of the promotion's best moves all year.

Up until the Aug. 7 edition of WWE Raw, Shinsuke Nakamura was primarily utilized as a stepping stone for Superstars on the rise. It's been years since he was last booked as a credible main-event player, and despite his immense popularity, he hadn't been able to break into the world title picture in over five years.

Post-SummerSlam, Seth Rollins needed a new opponent to work with and thus Nakamura was chosen as his next challenger. The two teamed up with Cody Rhodes in Raw's main event to defeat The Judgment Day before Nakamura blindsided Rollins from behind to complete his heel turn.

The issue is that Nakamura hasn't won a meaningful match in many months. His string of losses was actually what led him to adopt a more aggressive attitude in the first place.

Nakamura and Rollins is a relatively fresh feud, but it will be virtually impossible to take The King of Strong Style seriously as a threat to the World Heavyweight Championship. Incorporating Cody Rhodes into the equation would make matters more interesting unless he'll be busy with Judgment Day for the time being.

Their Payback match will deliver, and it's always refreshing to have new names competing at the top of the card, but more should have been done ahead of time to prepare Nakamura for the spot he now finds himself in.

Significant rebuilding for Nakamura is needed to convince fans he has even the slightest shot of becoming champ.

Following a month-long absence, Edge resurfaced on Friday's SmackDown to challenge Sheamus to a match on this coming week's episode.

With The Celtic Warrior being the one who helped him return from retirement, the match makes perfect sense, especially with the two never having gone one-on-one before.

It would be even better for the bout to lead to a full-fledged feud between them, as Edge coming back for the occasional match is a waste of what he can offer.

It's clear the end is near for The Rated-R Superstar, who aims to close out his career on his terms this time around. Although it's unknown when his current contract expires, but it could be as soon as 2024, and if so, WWE should be maximizing Edge for as long as they have him.

He wrapped up a year-long rivalry with Finn Bálor at WrestleMania 39 by beating him in a Hell in a Cell match, but he hasn't been up to anything of note since then. There's been no word on what his next rivalry will be, but if The Bloodline is indeed taking time off, now would be as perfect of a period as any for him to have another run.

Feuding with Sheamus might be the best possible use of Edge at the moment as SmackDown reshuffles the deck with its roster, but if it isn't designed to be a long-term storyline, WWE should soon transition him into something that will ensure he stays off the sidelines.

MJF has betrayed every single ally he's had so far in AEW. His partnerships with Cody Rhodes, Wardlow and Chris Jericho didn't last, and his time as the leader of The Pinnacle was short-lived.

There's no reason to believe his current pairing with Adam Cole will be any different, aside from how terribly predictable of a path that would be to take. AEW has had such a great thing going with them that the weakest way to end it would be to have MJF turn his back on Cole.

They're beloved as a team, and it's admirable that they've stayed together this long. They'll challenge for the ROH World Tag Team Championship on the All In pre-show before facing each other later in the night for the AEW World Championship, but the split is surely coming.

The duo capturing the gold would be fun, but Cole turning on MJF during their one-on-one affair would be a fantastic twist and benefit all involved.

It gets Roderick Strong and The Kingdom back in regular roles on television (assuming they'll form a faction), makes MJF an official babyface for the first time, and keeps Cole in a prominent position, potentially as the AEW World champion.

AEW must tread lightly so that the storyline gets the perfect payoff it deserves and doesn't wind up following the same formula that has plagued programs in the past.

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.