Powell's Blog: WWE Smackdown should be better than ever following the 15-man trade between the three brands

Tuesday June 30 – 3:07 P.M. (CT)

WWE announced the details of the 15-man trade that shuffled the deck for the second time in a few months. Here's a breakdown on the wrestlers the Raw brand acquired. I posted my thoughts on the Raw trades earlier, so check back later for my breakdown of the ECW acquisitions.

Matt Hardy: A good move for Hardy, but I'm not sure why they'd pull anyone with top tier potential off the Raw brand at this point. Smackdown lead writer Michael Hayes has a reputation for being a big supporter of Matt and his brother Jeff, so I assume Matt will be featured more prominently than he was on the Smackdown brand. He could resume his feud with his brother Jeff, but I'd also enjoy a program between Matt and Rey Mysterio.

Finlay: Well, at least they didn't reunite him with Hornswoggle. Finlay was a nice fit on the ECW brand. I could see him getting lose in the shuffle on the Friday night show, which is filled with talented young workers.

David Hart Smith: Smith's stock was said to be down slightly because some WWE officials feel he lacks charisma. I still dig the Hart Dynasty gimmick and I hope they push the trio aggressively on the Smackdown brand. There's not many tag teams they can work with, but such is life in WWE these days.

Tyson Kidd: The unofficial Hart family member will fit in nicely with the good young workers on the Smackdown brand. I'm disappointed we won't be seeing a lengthy program between Kidd and Evan Bourne, but I'd love to see Kidd work with Mysterio at some point. It's a long shot, but the potential is there for a new Canadian faction with Edge, Chris Jericho, and the Hart Dynasty. Of course, the Hart Dynasty could also turn babyface and feud with their fellow Canadians.

Natalya: She's been a solid mouthpiece for the Harts, but it was a shame that she didn't have anyone to work with in ECW. Natalya is one of the better female workers in the company. Here's hoping they push her accordingly and she doesn't become just another Diva they feed to Michelle McCool.

Final Smackdown Trade Thoughts: The best pro wrestling show on television just got better as a result of the big trade. They gave up Gail Kim, Alicia Fox, The Bella Twins, and Shelton Benjamin. The Gold Standard will be missed on the Friday night show because he fit in nicely with the good workers, but Smackdown made out the best of the three brands.

From a storyline standpoint, it makes no sense to have Teddy Long on probation. He was already the general manager of the best brand, and now he made out big by fleecing his former understudy Tiffany. Yeah, I know it's just a storyline and I'm probably putting too much thought into this one, but I like some semblance of logic in pro wrestling.