Bleeding Blue: The Superstars Who Came Into Their Own on WWE SmackDown

Sometimes it takes the right brand for a WWE Superstar to find their footing in the professional wrestling business. The bright lights of SmackDown can be too much for many men and women to handle, and these five Superstars not only embraced the spotlight, but they parlayed that immense pressure into becoming larger-than-life due to their time on the blue brand!

With SmackDown's return to USA Network only a few weeks away, it's time to go down memory lane. These are the iconic WWE Superstars that made a name for themselves on SmackDown — not Monday Night Raw.

Dave Bautista

Let's be honest: who would have thought that the guy accompanying Reverend D-Von to the ring on May 9, 2002, would not only go on to become one of WWE's greatest champions ever, but one of Hollywood's most talented actors in 2024? 

Thankfully, after a while, Dave Bautista shed the bizarre "chain around the neck" look and quickly developed into "The Animal," one of the most destructive forces in WWE history. Like many other iconic Superstars, Bautista got his start on SmackDown — and as you could imagine, he quickly shed his role as "buddy of D'Von Dudley" and realized his potential in record fashion. Thanks to feuds with The Undertaker and Eddie Guerrero, Bautista became a household name and is still on the minds of the WWE Universe today.

Brock Lesnar

Yes, technically, Brock Lesnar made his debut when he interfered in a seemingly random match on Monday Night Raw over two decades ago. But Raw isn't where Brock Lesnar grew into "The Beast" — he evolved into the most dangerous version of himself on SmackDown!

Which legendary Superstar hasn't Lesnar feuded with during his many years on SmackDown? There are too many to mention, but fans have a soft spot for his feuds with Kurt Angle and The Undertaker.

Of course, his rivalry with Angle led to one of the single greatest matches in SmackDown history: the famous 60-Minute Iron Man Match from 2003:

Lesnar ultimately emerged victorious — but as we all know, the Lesnar of 2003 would be nothing like the insane, uncontrollable, farm equipment-loving monster he would become in the first half of the 2020s! 

AJ Styles

Although AJ Styles gave SmackDown the nickname "The House That AJ Styles Built," even the most cynical WWE fan would agree with this somewhat boisterous and over-the-top statement. Styles toiled in the independent scene for years, wasting his prime wrestling years competing at carnivals, dying wrestling promotions, and bingo halls. It wasn't until his shocking debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble that the WWE Universe got their first taste of what "The Phenomenal One" was capable of — and it only got better from there.

He almost immediately captured the peculiarly named WWE World Heavyweight Championship (a title that no longer exists in WWE but is often compared to the current World Heavyweight Championship in terms of prestige), and before the WWE Universe could even catch their collective breath, Styles cemented himself as one of the top Superstars in all of WWE.

Styles even has an impressive accomplishment on his resume that not many wrestlers can boast having: a clean-as-a-sheet pinfall victory over John Cena in his prime. It's true, check it out:

Twenty years from now, fans will talk about which person was most synonymous with SmackDown — and countless fans will still offer up the name of AJ Styles.

Rey Mysterio

"The Greatest Mask of All Time" made his WWE debut with a bang in 2002 and Rey Mysterio never looked back, making the WWE Univere's jaws drop from day one.

(Admit it; Mysterio hasn't lost a step in over 22 years!)

From the moment he debuted against Chavo Guerrero, Mysterio immediately proved he was the greatest high-flier in WWE history. While some of his contemporaries, like Ricochet, have impressed the WWE Universe more than once, Mysterio has done it from day one, even long before he first competed in a WWE ring.

Arguably, his greatest career accomplishment (other than being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame) was winning SmackDown's World Heavyweight Championship in a Triple Threat match at WrestleMania 22 against Randy Orton and Kurt Angle. That historic night, Mysterio became the smallest world champion in pro wrestling history, but only in stature—for decades, he's had the biggest heart of anybody in the locker room. 

Edge

Few WWE Superstars have had a career like Edge. The Rated R Superstar has done it all: capturing the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship on multiple occasions (as well as holding the tag team titles approximately 500 times with various partners). Longtime fans know that long before SmackDown became the House That AJ Styles Built, Edge was slowly laying down the foundation on Friday nights by having countless fantastic matches! Sure, Edge also had notoriety on Raw, but for many years, the WWE Universe knew that the only place to watch Edge was on SmackDown!

Even his final WWE match occurred on SmackDown in 2023 — a certified banger against Sheamus that tore the house down. It was an appropriate final match for Edge, who had never competed against his longtime friend throughout their time in WWE. It was hard-hitting, exciting, and the perfect cap to Edge's Hall of Fame career:

Wherever Edge is now, we're sure he's looking back on his days as a SmackDown Superstar fondly.