What the Superstar Shakeup means for WWE

The WWE post-Mania craziness is now done.  What happened is something that was talked about across the world of wrestling.  Immediately following the biggest show in sports entertainment, Vince McMahon announced a “Superstar Shakeup”.  That “Shakeup” took place this past week on Raw and Smackdown Live!

It was essentially a trade system.  They revealed who came to Raw on Monday night and who went to Smackdown Live on Tuesday night.  It was widely thought of as a strange way to do a brand “draft”.  However, WWE didn’t want to call it a draft.  Hence why it was made known superstars would be traded.  Though I would define a trade as both sides receiving a relatively equal amount of talent.  So let’s look deeper into the acquisitions for each brand.  I’ll also look at those that made their debuts after Wrestlemania.

(Below is listed in order of impact.)

RAW:

1. Miz & Maryse – Arguably the best heel in the industry… Give him the Intercontinental (IC) Championship and let him do what he does best… Have fantastic rivalries with ANYONE.  He gives meaning to the mid-card, something that isn’t necessarily there anymore.  Roman’s US title run was pointless, Jericho’s was fine, and Owens’ was too short to impact RAW.  Zayn will do the same on SD, but as for Miz they just need to allow him to be hated.
2. Dean Ambrose – Good for what it means. The Shield is reunited on RAW… but they will not get back together.  The odd matches here and there together and helping each other avoid a beat down at times.  The best thing for them to do is to allow Roman to betray his Shield brothers and turn heel by joining Somoa Joe and Triple H.  However, they will probably just turn Ambrose heel, which is also okay.  We all know we would rather see Roman heel though.
3. Bray Wyatt/Randy Orton – I’m not really sure if this feud is the same as the KO/Jericho match where the winner will be on SD Live. If that is the case, then Bray should win because he will do more for SD than Orton will, but if Orton retains then Bray will give Raw some good talent in either mid-card or main event.  He adds texture to a roster that doesn’t have a true character… and who knows maybe he’ll feud with Finn Balor.  The Eater of Worlds vs The Demon King!  Who doesn’t want to see that?
4. Alexa Bliss – She was the best heel Women’s Superstar on SD and, now that Charlotte is gone, she will be the best heel in the Women’s division on RAW. Instantly can feud with anyone.  I think having her feud with a face Mickie James while Sasha turns heel and feuds with Bayley.  As for Nia Jax during all this… I honestly have no idea, I’m not a huge fan.  She’s fine, but just fine.  Anyway, when those feuds are done, Alexa will be amazing in a title feud.
5. Mickie James – As for James, she adds a nostalgia to the brand that The Hardy Boyz have kicked off. She is fantastic in the ring and on the mic.  She can make a rivalry great without the need for the title.  So she will do just that, be great at whatever is asked of her.
6. Kalisto – On the brand where the Cruiserweight Division is. It’s good stuff.  I don’t think he’ll be in the title picture there, but he’ll add a character that people like to the division.  So kudos WWE.
7. Heath Slater & Rhyno – It’s fine. I like Heath Slater & Rhyno and think they will do better for the division than The Shining Stars did.  It was a win-win for the brands.
8. Apollo Crews – So here is the thing about Apollo Crews… he’s incredibly talented in the ring, he’s incredibly athletic, and he’s incredibly boring. He’s basically the human embodiment of the Cruiserweight Division.  BUT… if they turn him heel, it could be a win.  Regardless, just a move I don’t think needed to happen.
9. Curt Hawkins – Finally, Curt Hawkins. Still pointless.  That is all.  No offense to Hawkins, but his character is weak.  He will continue to be a jobber.  They basically swapped Curt and Jinder Mahal for jobbing purposes.

Smackdown Live:

1. Charlotte – The best heel in the Women’s Division in WWE. It’s a win.  Charlotte brings greatness with her.  Let her win the title and hold it forever.  Well at least until Asuka comes up.  But she adds a necessary pop that was missing from the division on SD.  So good job.
2. Kevin Owens/Chris Jericho – KO is going to beat Jericho. No ifs, ands, or buts… When KO is officially on SD Live, it will be amazing.  Kevin Owens will feud with AJ right now, then maybe Shinsuke, then he can feud with Zayn again (I know we’ve seen this a thousand times… but they’re just so good together).
3. Sami Zayn – The second-most undervalued superstar in the WWE. And now he won’t be.  Instantly able to have a number of fantastic feuds.  Instantly able to enter the mid-card title picture and hopefully have a lengthy run with the US Title.  He is one of the best wrestlers in the world.  All WWE needs to do is finally use him properly.
4. The New Day – One of the best stables in the WWE. An amazing move for a division that was seriously lacking.  New Day Rocks.  All I have to say.
5. The Shining Stars – Now this is the one that a lot of people may disagree with me on. Shining Stars made their appearance on Tuesday night and look vicious doing it.  Almost like how the Usos turned heel.  And the Usos are great.  So I think the Usos and The Shining Stars are going to be the best heel teams on SD Live… and that’s a very good thing.
6. Rusev & Lana – Poor RuRu… Rusev is great, and Lana is well… we’ve all seen her. They are very solid for the mid-card.  Hopefully the brand change can allow them to grow a bit more and have some meaningful rivalries.
7. Tamina Snuka – So, Tamina is solid… another heel that is needed on a thin Women’s Division, but she’ll provide some decent muscle at times. But I would have rather seen someone else.  I don’t know who?  But maybe Nia Jax.
8. Sin Cara – No need. Sin Cara is a cruiserweight.  The cruiserweights are on RAW… why would they do this?  Pretty much pointless, unless they can find him a good tag partner.
9. Jinder Mahal – *Read Curt Hawkins above. It is pretty much the same, but I like Hawkins better.  So yeah, pointless.

Debuts:

1. The Revival (RAW) – Give them the titles. Right now.  They are great.  They are hated and loved at the same time.  It will rejuvenate the Tag Division.  Dawson and Wilder are one of the best tags I’ve seen in a VERY long time.  It’s so many ups, it’s ridiculous.  They are my favourite acquisition after Mania.
2. Shinsuke Nakamura (SD Live) – Amazing. Finally on the main roster.  Shinsuke looks to be entering a feud with Ziggler which I’m really excited for because Ziggler deserves to be in these kinds of storylines, but also because it is two of the best wrestlers in the world.  Shinsuke will be a slow growth to the World Title picture, but hopefully we can see all the matches we want to see (vs. Zayn II, vs. Owens, vs. Styles, etc.) and it will definitely live up to the hype.
3. Tye Dillinger (SD Live) – The moment on the Tuesday after Mania when he made his debut was so well-deserved. It gives me chills every time I see his reaction to the crowd because you see the excitement in Dillinger’s face.  I think Tye will be a very nice addition to SD.  He can be a very nice mid-card guy.  Maybe a feud with Ziggler or a heel Shelton Benjamin whenever he comes back.  Just very happy to see him on the main roster.  Now WWE just can’t bury him.
4. Elias Samson (RAW) – This is the one that I don’t fully get. I honestly just think Samson will be there to just be there.  Unfortunately, he will probably get lost in the lower-mid card.

Who was missing?

1. Enzo & Cass – They needed to go to Smackdown. The tag division is getting too crowded on Raw and SD needs legitimate help in theirs.  I don’t know if it’s because DIY is going to come up to the Blue team soon, but what a missed opportunity for WWE.
2. Nia Jax – Again, just like the tag division… RAW’s women’s division is getting crowded and cannot benefit everyone. Someone will suffer, it probably won’t be Jax but she may ruin opportunities for some good storylines.  Needless to say she could have helped the thin of heels division that is Women’s division on SD Live.
3. Aiden English – This one may seem a little strange, but after the release of his Vaudevillian partner, Simon Gotch, it would have been the best move for English. He is a capable mid-card star, but needs a change of pace.  SD Live will carry the memory of The Vaudevillians over him, so they should have flipped him to team red.  It was definitely a missed opportunity to save a very capable wrestler before it was too late.

Takeaways

The Shakeup was interesting, to say the least, but it could make each brand better significantly… if booked properly.  Despite losing Miz, I think Smackdown Live came out on top for the most part.  Their roster may still be much weaker than RAW’s but the superstars they got will benefit their roster more than those that left SD.  Main part there, “BENEFIT THEIR ROSTER”.  Of course, this is assuming Creative books the acquisitions properly.  Like in any sport, when it comes to trades only time will really tell who got the better deal.

-BL