5 Feuds on WWE SmackDown That Must Happen Before End of 2020

Friday's SmackDown will feature the start of the 2020 WWE draft, which will shake up the rosters and present new feud opportunities.

There's no telling what WWE has in store as far as who will be traded between Raw and SmackDown. We will just have to anxiously await each announcement. However, even if there weren't any trades, there are still some pairings that could be interesting to see down the line.

Focusing on the blue brand, here are five feuds that need to happen before the end of the year, assuming these stars are still on the same show.

It's still rather unbelievable that Otis is Mr. Money in the Bank. But it happened. Unless The Miz and John Morrison manage to take the briefcase from him, Otis has a world title shot waiting for him whenever he wants.

Otis barely interacted with Braun Strowman when he was champion and completely bypassed Bray Wyatt. He's also yet to cross paths with Roman Reigns, but when he does, it could be fantastic.

The new Tribal Chief persona Reigns has adopted is the most brutal we have ever seen him. Even when across the ring from his cousin Jey Uso, he was a total jerk and a force to be reckoned with.

With how sympathetic Otis is, there are two ways a feud with Reigns could be great.

When he's getting destroyed, it will make The Big Dog look considerably tougher and add fuel to his mean streak. People would hate him more for destroying a lovable goof like Otis.

Likewise, if Otis were to fight back, he would be such an underdog that it would be riveting to see him punch above his weight. Even if he fails—which he should—he would at least go down swinging.

Bray Wyatt feuded and even teamed with Matt Hardy, but he's never faced Jeff Hardy.

It's unclear what WWE's plans are for The Fiend, as he's taking shots at Paul Heyman in a more babyface manner while still being his creepy self, and soon he could be partnered with a heel Alexa Bliss.

If he's still a villain, and if Hardy leaves the Intercontinental Championship scene following his loss at Clash of Champions, these two could work a decent program together.

Hardy has said he wants to bring his Willow character into WWE for a feud with Wyatt. It could be a disaster or the best form of odd material that we have gotten out of the Firefly Fun House this year.

At the very least, we know Hardy is interested. Why not let him try out his ideas to see whether he's sitting on a gold mine?

Daniel Bryan is one of WWE's go-to talents who could have a great match with pretty much anyone.

Pairing him up with a random Superstar usually results in that wrestler's best match in a long while. Whether they have similar or drastically different styles, Bryan figures out a way to make it work.

Matt Riddle has proved himself to be a fun Superstar to watch, but he's yet to have a standout match on the main roster that fans can point to as a star-making vehicle.

Since he and Bryan are both technically gifted, serious athletes who are passionate about what they do, they could find a wonderful balance between ring psychology and pure wrestling skill that would give Riddle that big boost.

A win over Bryan would mean a lot, but even a hard-fought loss could make Riddle look great. It's all about trusting that Bryan can work well with him. If their track records have anything to say about that, it should be a guaranteed success.

It sounds ridiculous to mention that this feud has to happen considering it is going on. However, the history this storyline proves that doesn't mean a thing.

WWE has been teasing a split between Bayley and Sasha Banks going back to 2017. Even before Bayley was taken out of the 2018 Royal Rumble by Banks, there have always been hints their friendship would end.

What's frustrating is that every single time they have fought with each other—no matter how bad they have brawled backstage or taken verbal shots—WWE always gets cold feet and reverts to them being best buddies.

After nearly three years of waiting for WWE to pull the trigger, only to hold off and stretch this out even longer, there's no guarantee that now will be the time they full-on feud. For all we know, WWE will split them in the draft as a means to stall their rivalry until WrestleMania 37.

It's been way past time for them to feud for years now. Regardless of whether there are live crowds, WWE has to stop delaying the inevitable and just get it over with at Hell in a Cell.

As it stands, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross have had a few awkward moments but are not yet feuding. That is likely guaranteed for them, though, and it would be a shame if WWE pivoted to something else.

Granted, Bayley vs. Banks happening at the same time as having these best friends split up is a bit much, but there are at least some differences. The Golden Role Models will fight over a championship, while Bliss Cross Applesauce will fight over the The Goddess' soul.

Cross is eccentric in her own ways, so when these two fight, the style shouldn't be the same as Bayley and Banks. Maybe Bliss and Cross can even have a cinematic match while the SmackDown Women's Championship is contested in Hell in a Cell.

If all this teasing that Bliss will sever her ties with Cross leads nowhere, what else will WWE do with the possession angle? Bringing in someone else at random post-draft and inserting her as the target for Bliss to fight will feel forced and have less impact.

There already may not be any payoff to having Bliss and Braun Strowman go their separate ways. WWE needs to make sure this doesn't get dropped too.

Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.