Posts Tagged ‘Superstar Shake-Up’

WWE Superstar Shakeup Results (Night 1)

WWE’s Superstar Shakeup kicked off on this week’s WWE RAW. Several Superstars have moved from SmackDown to Raw. The draft continues Tuesday night with SmackDown Live. WWE also typically announces more brand switches online, so it will probably be a few days before the dust settles and all moves are finalized.

This year’s shake-up is the thirteenth ‘draft’ produced by WWE. The rosters are freshened up, creating new possible storylines and feuds. Previously it was known as the WWE Draft. The event evolved into theSuperstar ShakeUp in 2017.

The Miz

The Miz was the first Superstar Shakeup move from SmackDown to Raw. He surprised Shane McMahon at the start of Raw.

Miz has been tossed back-and-forth between Raw and SmackDown Live since his main roster debut in 2006. Shane McMahon, as of now, is still a SmackDown Live staple, so it will be interesting to see how his feud with Miz continues to play out.

Andrade and Zelina Vega

The second draft to the Blue Brand came in the form of a duo. Zelina Vega and Andrade appeared on Raw, taking part in a match against the Intercontinental Champion, Finn Balor. Vega and Andrade haven’t had much title success on SmackDown, but that could all change now that they’re on Team Red.

Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio interrupted Elias as the next new draft to Raw. Mysterio has spent the majority of his time on SmackDown feuding with Andrade and Superstars like Samoa Joe. Mysterio could easily continue his battle with Andrade, but it appears that NXT call-up Lars Sullivan has his eyes on him, first.

The Usos

The Usos appeared on Raw’s Superstar Shake-Up from Tuesday’s brand as a pair, moving to their new home intact as a tag team. They lost their SmackDown Tag Team Titles to The Hardy Boyz on the SmackDown after WrestleMania, but they’re sure to be after Raw‘s belts. Unless Roman Reigns moves to Tuesday nights, the Usos will also be on the same brand as their cousin.

https://twitter.com/tde_wrestling/status/1117962288730968064

EC3

EC3 is officially on the Raw brand now, but it was a rough first night for him. He issued an ‘open challenge’ that was answered by Braun Strowman. The giant absolutely destroyed EC3.

Ricochet

The One and Only Ricochet is officially part of the Raw brand. He competed in the 8-man tag team match that opened this week’s show. Since Aleister Black was not drafted yet, it appears this popular upstart tag team might be going their separate ways already.

Lacey Evans

Lacey Evans defeated veteran Natalya in her first match as a member of the Raw roster. She looked great in her ‘debut’ and appears to be the top challenger for the reigning queen of both WWE’s women’s divisions, Becky Lynch.

Cedric Alexander

A video package aired announcing former WWE Cruiserweight champion Cedric Alexander is now on Raw.

Naomi

Bayley could not get a hold of her tag team partner Sasha Banks, but she a replacement in Naomi, who is now on Raw. The defeated Women’s tag team champions the IIconics, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay, in about two minutes.

https://twitter.com/tde_wrestling/status/1117967623180947456

Eric Young

Sanity leader Eric Young has is now on Raw. His move to Raw was flashed on an on-screen graphic.

https://twitter.com/DSmithScenes/status/1117970985880379394

AJ Styles

Former WWE Champion AJ Styles was the final Superstar to jump to Raw. Throughout the show, WWE advertised Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and a mystery partner against Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley as the main event.

It was teased that Rollins and Reigns’ partner would be a SmackDown acquisition and WWE delivered in a big way.

Posted April 15th, 2019 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

How the Superstar Shakeup Will Be Impacted By SmackDown’s Move To FOX

On Monday night, the WWE will begin the annual superstar shakeup following WrestleMania with performers making the move from Raw to Smackdown Live and vice versa.

This year’s Superstar Shakeup also comes with a little extra scrutiny because this will be the last major move for performers ahead of the upcoming shift as Smackdown Live goes from USA Network to FOX later this year.

Now the new Smackdown Live won’t debut on FOX until October but there are already huge plans in motion for the launch including a new weekly ‘magazine’ style show that will feature interviews, behind the scenes footage and coverage of WWE similar to other major sports that broadcast on FOX.

While Monday Night Raw has remained the featured show for the WWE over the years, the $2 billion deal to bring Smackdown Live to FOX will almost certainly change the way the Superstar Shakeup will work this year.

FOX is a bigger platform than USA Network because it’s network television versus cable so no matter what else happens with this Superstar Shakeup, that has to be noted before the first ‘trades’ are announced on RAW on Monday night.

Triple H (Paul Levesque) previously addressed the move for Smackdown Live to FOX and the shift in how that show will be handled going forward.

“There are contractual obligations to provide that level of exposure for us and all that other programming, but [FOX] have already gone above and beyond that and that’s part of the partnership,” he told the Sports Business Journal just after WrestleMania 35.

“Fundamentally as a company, we constantly reimagine ourselves so we are deep in the process now of, when we get to October on Fox, what is the reimagined version of SmackDown going to be?”

Because FOX will be available to more viewers along with the initiative to help launch WWE programming on the network in October, that would seem to indicate that the Superstar Shakeup will bring more of the biggest stars to the blue brand.

One name in particular that would seem obvious for the move would be former Raw women’s champion Ronda Rousey, who was a staple on FOX programming when she was the women’s bantamweight champion in the UFC.

FOX executives know the kind of ratings that Rousey can bring in and even if she’s only a part time employee going forward, there’s little doubt that she would get a lot of attention performing on network television. Obviously there are still a ton of rumors swirling about Rousey’s future with WWE after her most recent match at WrestleMania, but if she’s coming back, it would seem like a safe bet that FOX would like to see her on Smackdown Live.

It’s also possible a couple of other top stars such as Roman Reigns or even Brock Lesnar (assuming he’s returning to WWE) end up on Smackdown Live.

The key for the move to FOX is getting people to tune in week to week but also providing the kind of star power that will get more casual viewers to make Smackdown Live must see TV right at the launch.

While Smackdown Live has produced numerous compelling storylines over the past few years including the rise of Becky Lynch’s stardom as well as the recent promotion behind Kofi Kingston, the blue brand has never completely escaped being the ‘B’ show behind the ‘A’ brand’ at Raw.

That could all change with the upcoming shift for Smackdown Live to FOX because that network didn’t shell out a lot of money to land WWE programming only to get table scraps when it comes to the superstars performing on the show.

It’s also worth mentioning that while FOX will definitely get a lot of attention with this Superstar Shakeup, WWE can’t forget about their longtime television partners at USA Network either, who are still footing a hefty bill to keep Monday Night Raw.

While every year provides a few interesting storylines, the 2019 Superstar Shakeup might be one of the biggest to keep an eye on with the massive shift about to happen to WWE television programming later this year.

Posted April 15th, 2019 in Features, News, WWE. Tagged: , .

WWE Confirms Dates For Next Superstar Shake-Up

WWE has confirmed when it will hold its next Superstar Shake-Up. A commercial aired earlier this week during Monday Night RAW in Canada to promote the upcoming RAW and SmackDown tapings on April 15th and 16th in Montreal. The commercial was promoting “the first international Superstar Shake-up” for the shows. After much speculation on social media, WWE has finally confirmed the news to be true.

They released the following YouTube video:

Last year’s Superstar Shake-Up took place on April 16th and 17th. Some of the more notable names to switch brands included Jeff Hardy, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, Samoa Joe, The Bar, Jinder Mahal, Baron Corbin, and more. It will be interesting to see which names move where this year.

Especially with SmackDown Live heading to FOX in October, and WWE likely having big changes planned for the program. It has been reported that FOX would like to have former UFC women’s bantamweight champion and current RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey on the blue brand.

FOX aims to present SmackDown as more of a sports show than a comedy. The presence of figures like Rousey would certainly help out in that aspect.

What do you think about WWE holding its Superstar Shake-Up in April?

Posted February 8th, 2019 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

More Information On If WWE Stars Prefer A Draft Or Superstar Shake-Up

The 2018 Superstar Shake-Up is in the books and some of WWE’s biggest stars are now on a different brand than they were the previous year.

Now having completed a Superstar Shake-Up for the second year in a row, as opposed to a full-out WWE Draft, it should be interesting to see which WWE Superstars prefer the most – a Shake-Up or the Draft?

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful is reporting that, after speaking to several WWE Superstars, he has determined that the majority prefer the Shake-Up. Sapp also reported that the WWE stars who were switching brands were told beforehand, which is something that hasn’t always been done in the past.

There have been some stories in previous cases of wrestlers finding out which brand they’d been drafted to at the same time as the audience. It was also reported that some Superstars were given the day off.

Discussion: Do you prefer the Superstar Shake-Up or the WWE Draft? Which brand got the better of this year’s Shake-Up? And what moves were you not a fan of? 

Posted April 20th, 2018 in WWE, News. Tagged: , .

Spoiler: RAW Superstar Backstage For Tonight’s SmackDown

WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up continues tonight on SmackDown Live, which takes place from Providence, Rhode Island at the Dunkin Donuts Center. 16 Superstars joined the RAW brand last night and you can be sure there will be an influx of new faces on SmackDown before the night is up.

With just a few more hours until the Superstar Shake-Up continues, it’s worth nothing that new United States Champion Jeff Hardy is backstage for tonight’s broadcast (via PWInsider). Hardy captured the gold from Jinder Mahal after the Modern Day Maharajah moved to RAW. Mahal is getting his championship rematch at the Greatest Royal Rumble, with SmackDown Live star Randy Orton waiting in the wings. Orton will challenge the US Champion next month at Backlash, whether it be Hardy or Mahal.

Update: RAW Superstar Samoa Joe has been spotted arriving at the Dunkin Donuts Center, a strong indication he’ll be moving over to SmackDown Live later tonight.

https://twitter.com/WiseGuyYT/status/986285878040498183

Cesaro caused some commotion on social media earlier today by tweeting a photo of himself, Sheamus, Finn Balor and Sahsa Banks on a plane to South Africa for WWE’s weekend tour of the country. Fans immediately questioned if this photo was a ‘Spoiler’ for the Superstar Shake-Up (ie. if they’re out of the country, they won’t be appearing on SmackDown tonight), but that’s a shaky theory since several of the performers who got drafted to RAW last night were not on the show.

Joins us here later tonight for our SmackDown Live Coverage to see which RAW Superstars get traded and how the two brands look when the Superstar Shake-Up concludes. 

Posted April 17th, 2018 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

WWE Superstar Shake-Up: List Of Superstars That Switched Brands

Superstars Moving From SmackDown To RAW:

  • Chad Gable
  • Zack Ryder
  • Mojo Rawley
  • Baron Corbin
  • Natalya
  • The Riot Squad (Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan & Liv Morgan)
  • Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango)
  • The Ascension (Konnor & Viktor)
  • Mike Kanellis
  • Dolph Ziggler
  • Jinder Mahal
  • Sami Zayn
  • Kevin Owens
  • Bobby Roode

The following Superstars from NXT have also joined the RAW roster:

  • Ember Moon
  • No Way Jose
  • Drew McIntyre
  • Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar)

Bobby Lashley made his return to WWE last week and is officially on the RAW roster.

Superstars Moving From RAW To SmackDown:

    • The Miz
    • Jeff Hardy (United States Champion)
    • Sonya Deville
    • Mandy Rose
    • Samoa Joe
    • Big Cass
    • Asuka
    • Gallows & Anderson
    • The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro)
    • R-Truth

The following NXT Superstars have joined SmackDown’s roster:

  • The IIconics (Peyton Royce & Billie Kay)
  • SAnitY (Killian Dain, Eric Young & Alexander Wolfe)
  • Andrade “Cien” Almas
  • Zelina Vega

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/986409013008060417

Posted April 16th, 2018 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

WWE Superstar Shake-Up: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn Join RAW, The Miz Goes To SmackDown

The Miz came down to the ring for an episode of Miz TV. The Miz announced that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were the newest additions to RAW. Owens and Zayn danced down to the ring and shared a giant hug with The Miz, Axel and Dallas.

Miz said that the collection of talent in the ring is bigger than the NWO. The Miz noted that they will change the landscape of WWE together and that they call the shots. The Miz stated that they were putting the entire locker room on notice and RAW GM Kurt Angle interrupted.

Angle said that The Miz doesn’t have any control around here. Kurt added that Kevin and Sami had their opportunity to join RAW last week and they both lost. Owens said that there was an email that was sent out a couple of minutes ago and Sami took a printed out version of the email out of his pocket.

Zayn then put on a pair of glasses and read the email that stated that Owens & Zayn proved that they belong on RAW. The email was from RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and she overruled Angle’s decision.

Kurt said that he was surprised that Stephanie had time to write an email after getting her arm ripped off her body. Angle welcomed Owens and Zayn to RAW and then announced that The Miz was moving to SmackDown. Angle stated that Daniel Bryan really wanted The Miz on SmackDown and Shane & Paige obliged.

The Miz went on a rant about how The Miz & The Miztourage are going to turn SmackDown into the “A show”. Angle informed him that The Miztourage are not going to SmackDown. Angle announced a 5 vs. 5 tag team main event for later tonight. It will be Owens, Zayn, The Miz, Axel & Dallas vs. Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley and a Superstar making their RAW debut.

https://twitter.com/WWEDanielBryan/status/986048420036136961

Posted April 16th, 2018 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

Interesting Name Backstage At RAW Tonight

Tonight WWE is set to kick off its Superstar Shake-Up event, shuffling WWE stars to different brands for the next 48 hours.

It all starts tonight in Hartford for Monday Night RAW. While many are ready so see Superstars swap brands, it’s also expected that some names from NXT could be called up as well.

One of those names just might be former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre. Per a report from the WrestleVotes Twitter account, McIntyre is backstage for tonight’s RAW. The report noted that there’s currently no news on if he’ll be drafted or not:

Also, the majority of SmackDown Live’s roster is also backstage at RAW, with some more surprises as well. Tonight’s RAW should be a very fun one indeed, and it will be interesting to see where WWE decides to send some of its biggest stars.

McIntyre has been out-of-action since his NXT Title loss to Andrade “Cien” Almas at NXT TakeOver: WarGames in November. He suffered a torn bicep during the match and has been rehabbing ever since.

Posted April 16th, 2018 in WWE, News. Tagged: , .

WWE Superstar Shake-Up News, Behind-The-Scenes Of WM 34, Shayna Baszler Gets Title Plates (Photo)

Who Will Be At RAW For The Superstar Shake-Up?

WWE will kick off its Superstar Shake-Up next week, a two-day event starting with Monday Night RAW and ending on SmackDown Live the following night.

PWInsider is reporting that all top stars from SmackDown Live are expected to be at Monday’s RAW in Hartford, Connecticut for night one of the Shake-Up. There will be no SmackDown live event that night in order to allow the brand’s top stars to be on RAW for the show.

Behind-The-Scenes At WrestleMania 34

WWE took to YouTube to post the following behind-the-scenes video from WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans this past weekend. The footage features the likes of The Undertaker, Ronda Rousey, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan, and more. Check it out here:

Shayna Baszler Gets Custom NXT Women’s Title Plates

Over the weekend a new queen was crowned in NXT’s Women’s Division at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, as Shayna Baszler defeated Ember Moon to capture the title. Baszler posted a photo of her custom title plates on her Instagram story. Here’s a screenshot:

Shayna Baszler

Posted April 13th, 2018 in WWE, News. Tagged: , , .

WWE Superstar Shake-Up: Our Picks To Improve Both Brands

Next week’s RAW and SmackDown broadcasts will feature the annual Superstar Shake-Up. It’s a chance for WWE to reshuffle the rosters and create all new match-ups for the coming year. Ahead of the Superatar Shake-Up, we’ve put together a list of ‘trades’ that we think would benefit both the Superstars and the brands they’d be moving to.

To keep the logistics as simple as possible, we’ve avoided listing any champions being traded, although it’s entirely possible we could see such a move next week. We also limited our list to the top acts from each division – and there will likely be many more trades than we’ve listed here.

To SmackDown from RAW:

  • Roman Reigns
  • Jeff Hardy
  • Asuka
  • Sasha Banks
  • The Revival
  • The Bar
  • Elias

To RAW from SmackDown:

  • Daniel Bryan
  • Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Charlotte Flair
  • Becky Lynch
  • Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
  • The Usos
  • Baron Corbin

These trades create a slew of new opportunities for the top stars on both shows. We’ll break down the reasoning behind the more significant developments below. Should these trades occur, here is a look at how each brand would look after the Superstar Shake-Up:

SmackDown:

  • AJ Styles (c)
  • Jinder Mahal (c)
  • Carmella (c)
  • Bludgeon Brothers (c)
  • Roman Reigns
  • Randy Orton
  • Jeff Hardy
  • Bobby Roode
  • Elias
  • Asuka
  • Sasha Banks
  • The Revival
  • The Bar
  • The New Day

 

RAW:

  • Brock Lesnar (c)
  • Seth Rollins (c)
  • Nia Jax (c)
  • Ronda Rousey
  • Daniel Bryan
  • Braun Strowman
  • Finn Balor
  • Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Samoa Joe
  • Baron Corbin
  • Charlotte Flair
  • Becky Lynch
  • Sasha Banks
  • Owens & Zayn
  • The Usos

Key Takeaways:

Roman Reigns:

Roman Reigns is the wrestler who is in most need of new surroundings. Reigns could very well capture the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar at the Greatest Royal Rumble, but we’re going under the assumption that Lesnar retains. WrestleMania 34 was the strongest indication yet that WWE has come to terms with the fact that Reigns hasn’t gotten over as they hoped. Reigns defeating Lesnar just weeks later would allow him to win the belt in front of a more forgiving live audience, but it doesn’t address the underlying damaged foundation. On SmackDown, the pressure of being ‘the chosen one’ to slay Brock Lesnar is alleviated and Reigns will have a chance to find himself, tweak his character and get over more organically.

Daniel Bryan:

Daniel Bryan is WWE’s top babyface (sorry, Roman). If he can stay healthy, Bryan could move the needle for Monday Night RAW’s viewership in a time when WWE is in the midst of TV rights fees negotiations. Wherever Bryan wrestles, there will be a long list of prospective dream matches. We got a taste of Bryan vs. Styles this week on SmackDown Live, but on RAW – he’s got feuds waiting for him with the likes of Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe and even monsters like Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar.

Jeff Hardy:

With Bray Wyatt now aligned with Broken Matt, it makes sense to move Jeff Hardy to SmackDown where he can pursue a singles career separate from the Broken Universe. Jeff looked good in his (surprise) return match on RAW and his popularity would allow him to be a featured act on SmackDown.

Charlotte:

After dropping the SmackDown Women’s Championship to Carmella this week, Charlotte moving to RAW seems like an obvious one. Over the past week, there has been a lot of speculation that next year’s WrestleMania will feature a showdown between Charlotte and Ronda Rousey. Done right, this could be the first women’s match in history to headline a WrestleMania. We will see if WWE can resist pulling the trigger on this match before then.

Braun Strowman:

Braun is my MVP in the entire company. With Brock Lesnar rumored to be gearing up for a UFC return, this leaves an opening for Braun to assume that role of unbeatable dominant heel champion. I would have Braun Strowman be the man to dethrone Brock Lesnar in the coming weeks. Put the title on him and let Daniel Bryan chase him until WrestleMania.

As mentioned above, Brock Lesnar retaining the Universal Championship at WrestleMania was a major break in WWE’s longterm planning. Lesnar could be on his way out and they decided against pulling the trigger on Reigns at Mania. It doesn’t make a ton of sense to pull that trigger just weeks later on a smaller stage. Strowman has more than proven himself as a polished performer in and out of the ring. The Reigns experiment flopped – it’s time for something new.

What do you think about our ideas for the Superstar Shake-Up? Comment and let us know who you want to see change brands. 

Posted April 11th, 2018 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

5 Superstars Who Would Most Benefit From Switching Brands

WWE has previously stated that it will not be holding any further “Superstar Shake-ups” or brand trades in 2017.  However, after Survivor Series, the RAW roster was told to be prepared to move brands and change things around.

Alexa Bliss and Charlotte appear to have been most successful after their moves earlier in the year, as they have become Champions of both brands.  While on the other side of the coin, Heath Slater and Rhyno have been the least successful and hardly appear on taped shows anymore.

With this in mind, who could WWE look to move around to make the most out of all opportunities available?  Here is a list of 5 Superstars who could benefit from switching brands.

Breezango

breezango

Ok, I admit, this should actually be 6 Superstars who could benefit from switch brands, but I’m counting Breezango as 1.  Anyway.

There was a moment when Breezango could have been something more than a comedy duo.  However, their efforts have resulted in a spat of tag team title loses, and some backstage parody videos.  Breezango are very entertaining and could look to explore YouTube, but as WWE superstars they need a fresh start to rekindle a genuine title opportunity or some entertaining in-ring action.

The perfect way of doing this, while continuing the Fashion Police gimmick, is to switch brands and explore the world of RAW.  The other bonus with this pick comes in the form of RAW’s lack of tag team partnerships compared to SmackDown Live – no one would need to move over to replace them if Breezango left because Rusev & Aiden English have just been added to the tag team title scene, alongside the return of Rowan & Harper (The Bludgeon Brothers).

Jeff Hardy

jeff hardy

When it comes to Matt and Jeff Hardy, the WWE Universe knows that Jeff is more valuable and has greater longevity than Matt.  It’s great that Matt Hardy has finally been able to reveal his Broken gimmick to WWE, but the greatest potential comes in the form of Jeff Hardy and his road to gaining the WWE Championship again.

Jeff is currently injured and is unlikely to return before WrestleMania 34, therefore WWE has a great opportunity to move Jeff across to the SmackDown Live brand without anyone knowing, enabling them to make a surprise or shock return for him.

The other route for Jeff is to have him retrun as Brother Nero, but to make the Broken gimmick last, Matt surely needs to adventure on a quest to seek out his lost brother.

Bayley

bayley

If WWE created a Women’s Tag Team Division, Bayley would be perfect with Sasha Banks; however this isn’t the case and she has become lost while Alexa Bliss dominates.

What’s the reason to move Bayley rather than anyone else?  It’s too soon, and currently unbalanced to have Nia Jax and Tamina in the same brand, while others like Alicia Fox wouldn’t have an impact by moving brands.  There is an argument for moving Sasha Banks instead but I think Bayley would be a better fit overall.  If this was to be a swap rather than a move, Becky Lynch or Naomi seem to work best as replacements for Bayley on RAW.

The main question/problem to think about is: Who will defeat Asuka?  Once The Empress of Tomorrow becomes RAW Champion, her reign and undefeated run will surely come to an end, but when and who?  The issue RAW faces is the competition between Alexa, Paige and Asuka; all three women are worthy title holders and look to present themselves as invincible.  This is yet another reason why Bayley would benefit from moving from the over-crowded RAW roster.

Big Cass

big cass wwe

Photo Credit: WWE.com

Much like Jeff Hardy, a move for Big Cass to SmackDown Live could be made without anyone noticing while he recovers from a torn ACL.

There are two main arguments for switching Big Cass over to SmackDown Live:  Firstly, it would distance himself from Enzo Amore who features on RAW as part of 205 Live.  Secondly Big Cass would be closer to his partner – Carmella.  This would benefit WWE, Big Cass and Carmella, as well as the rest of the WWE Universe.  Win, win, win?

While there is a lot of negativity around tearing an ACL, the words “career ending” can be thrown about, Big Cass appears to be recovering well and, with the help of WWE, could make his return after injury into a huge dominant challenge for the US title.  If Baron Corbin is still champion, that’s one match that I can genuinely see working for both parties.

Randy Orton

randy orton

Randy Orton (Photo credit: @WWE Instagram)

It’s not that Randy Orton would significantly benefit from being moved to RAW, but WWE as a whole could benefit if they were to move The Viper and change the chemistry among the RAW superstars.

Randy has reached a point where he has feuded or come face-to-face with most superstars on SmackDown Live; he is currently being used as the SmackDown Live muscle, dealing with KO and Sami Zayn.  He could easily continue in this fashion on Team Blue and that would be fine.

But there is more potential for him if he were to move over to RAW, especially if Brock Lesnar loses the Universal Title to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34.

In the meantime, Randy Orton vs Samoa Joe/Braun Strowman/Seth Rollins/Roman Reigns/Finn Balor – these all contain potential feuds that could easily run for numerous weeks while maintaining good ratings.  That’s why it would benefit WWE more than Randy Orton.

Orton already knows that he’s one of the greatest WWE superstars, he doesn’t need to prove that, he’s the perfect guy to bring over to RAW to freshen up the whole locker room, without even doing very much.

Posted December 10th, 2017 in News. Tagged: .

Details On Another WWE Superstar Shake-Up After SummerSlam

WWE is discussing holding another Superstar Shake-Up after next month’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, according to the Wrestling Observer and a company source we spoke to earlier this week.

The most recent shake-up took place after WrestleMania 33, with RAW acquiring Bray Wyatt, The Miz & Maryse, Dean Ambrose, Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Heath Slater & Rhyno, Kalisto, Apollo Crews, Curt Hawkins and David Otunga. SmackDown picked up Kevin Owens, Charlotte Flair, New Day, Rusev & Lana, Sami Zayn, Jinder Mahal, The Shining Stars, Tamina Snuka and Byron Saxton.

In addition to RAW and SmackDown shuffling talent some time early this fall, the Observer notes that there has also been talk of sending one or more Superstars from the main roster to NXT. While we don’t have specific name at this time, the talent WWE would send to NXT would be wrestlers who previously had success there and aren’t doing much on the main roster.

If these plans do go through, it seems WWE is going with a bi-annual Shake-Up opposed to an annual draft as we saw with the previous ‘brand extension’ roster split.

Posted July 27th, 2017 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

Who Has Benefited Most From The Superstar Shake-Up? (Editorial)

WWE’s Superstar Shake-up was a few weeks ago and a bunch of talent switched brands. The change has certainly benefited some Superstars as they have been able to hit the reset button and were given new opportunities. For other Superstars, the brand switch has either done nothing for them or made matters even worse. Below is the list of every Superstar that switched brands after WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up and what they have done on their new show so far.

From SmackDown to RAW:

Bray Wyatt: Bray Wyatt was having a hell of a run on SmackDown until everything fell off the rails. He captured the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, only to lose it rather quickly to Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 33. It took years for WWE to put a title on Bray Wyatt. They pulled the plug on his title run really quick and he is now feuding with Finn Balor on RAW. The change of brands may help Wyatt in the long run, but right now it is hard to take Wyatt seriously after the match at Wrestlemania 33 and the terrible House of Horrors match at WWE Payback.

The Miz & Maryse: The Miz had an excellent run on SmackDown. He was the Intercontinental Champion and had a terrific feud with Dolph Ziggler. There is no reason that he shouldn’t be able to continue that success on RAW as he is currently the #1 contender for the IC Title. The only down side of Miz joining RAW is that he will no longer be a guest on Talking Smack. His insane rants towards Renee Young and Daniel Bryan will be missed.

Dean Ambrose: Ambrose is currently the Intercontinental Champion, but absolutely needed a fresh start. Even though he is continuing his feud with The Miz from SmackDown, Ambrose was already more entertaining on this past week’s RAW than he was for the last month on SmackDown. Time will tell if Ambrose will grow stale again, but for now he has benefited from the Superstar Shake-Up.

Alexa Bliss: Alexa Bliss was terrific on SmackDown and has carried that over to RAW. She is the best female talent on RAW when it comes to promos. She also has great in-ring ability and always gets a reaction from the crowd. Alexa Bliss has already become RAW Women’s Champion and is the first female Superstar to hold both the Smackdown and RAW Women’s Championships.

Apollo Crews: Shockingly, Apollo Crews has actually benefited from the Superstar Shake-Up. It is hard to believe that becoming a part of the “Titus Brand” is an upgrade, but it actually is. Crews was doing absolutely nothing on SmackDown. At the very least, Crews is becoming a weekly part of RAW. Crews struggles with promos, so the idea of having Titus O’Neil manage him actually helps him.

Kalisto: Kalisto went from getting beatdown by Dolph Ziggler on SmackDown to getting destroyed by Braun Strowman on RAW. To be fair, Kalisto actually did defeat Strowman in a Dumpster Match, he also happened to get stuffed in the dumpster and shoved of the entrance ramp after the match.

Heath Slater, Rhyno & Curt Hawkins: Heath Slater and Rhyno were the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions. After losing the titles, they faded away into obscurity. Since joining RAW, they have essentially done nothing besides backstage segments. Tune in on Monday nights to see if Rhyno is eating cheese and crackers. Curt Hawkins was getting his ass kicked on SmackDown and the exact same thing is happening on RAW. I guess that is an improvement for Hawkins given that more people watch RAW.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGDC-DtppTY

From RAW to SmackDown:

Kevin Owens: Kevin Owens was the Universal Champion for a long time on RAW. However, it wasn’t the best version of Kevin Owens. He relied on Chris Jericho to win matches and consistently looked weak. Once Owens dropped the Universal Championship to Goldberg, he actually became more entertaining. Things really picked up when he turned on Jericho at the Festival of Friendship. Since joining SmackDown, Owens has been declaring himself the “Face of America”. He is back to being ruthless in the ring, while also showing off his impressive promo skills. I think the Superstar Shake-Up has benefited Kevin Owens. The United States Championship may be less important than the Universal Championship, but Owens is much more entertaining in his current role.

The Colons: Formerly The Shining Stars, The Colons have absolutely benefited from the Superstar Shake-Up. Even though SmackDown barely features their tag team division, The Shining Stars was just an awful gimmick and anything would be an upgrade from that.

Sami Zayn: Everyone was hoping for Sami Zayn to join SmackDown while he was on RAW. He was seemingly always coming up short on RAW and SmackDown felt like the perfect show for him. Zayn is gifted in the ring and people believed that he would shine on SmackDown. Unfortunately, that has not been the case at all so far. Zayn’s move to SmackDown has made no difference at all in how he is booked. He is back to losing matches and wrestling people much bigger than him. The Superstar Shake-Up has done nothing for Zayn so far as he seems to be stuck in the same role.

Charlotte Flair: Charlotte Flair is probably the best female wrestler on WWE’s roster. Her athleticism is insane and she can put on a terrific match with anyone. However, Charlotte’s character got old on RAW. Her promos eventually sounded robotic and the WWE Universe was starting to get tired of it. Since joining SmackDown, Charlotte has gone from a heel to a fan favorite. The crowd erupted when she made her way to the ring after being attacked backstage on this past week’s episode of SmackDown.

Jinder Mahal: Without a doubt, Jinder Mahal has been the Superstar that has benefited the most from the Superstar Shake-Up. It didn’t look like that would be the case after his SmackDown debut where he lost to Mojo Rawley. Mahal also took a beer to the face courtesy of Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski. Mahal went on to win a Six-Pack Challenge to become the #1 contender for Randy Orton’s WWE Championship. He even stole Orton’s title and beat him down at WWE Payback. Mahal had an unsuccessful run with WWE and was released from the company. He made his WWE return last year and it looked like it was going to be more of the same. That clearly is not the case and he now has the chance to make a major name for himself heading into his WWE Championship match at WWE Backlash.

New Day, Rusev & Lana: New Day have yet to make their SmackDown debut due to Kofi Kingston being injured. New Day has been boring to me for a long time, hopefully the change of brands brings something fresh to their act. Rusev also hasn’t been on SmackDown yet as he is out with an injury. However, he has demanded a title shot at Money in the Bank. Time will tell if he gets his wish. Finally, Lana hasn’t made her SmackDown debut yet but she will be introducing a new gimmick as seen in the video below.

Discussion: Now that we are a few weeks into it, what are your thoughts on the Superstar Shake-Up so far? Which Superstar do you think has benefited from it the most?

Posted May 4th, 2017 in Features, News, WWE. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

WWE Superstar Shake-Up Results

The 2017 Superstar Shake-Up is in the books. There were some significant moves, but many of the rumored trades like AJ Styles going to RAW did not pan out. Here’s a complete list of the talent that switched brands:

Joining WWE RAW:

  • Bray Wyatt
  • The Miz & Maryse
  • Dean Ambrose
  • Alexa Bliss
  • Mickie James
  • Heath Slater & Rhyno
  • Kalisto
  • Apollo Crews
  • Curt Hawkins
  • David Otunga

Joining WWE SmackDown:

  • Kevin Owens
  • Charlotte Flair
  • New Day
  • Rusev & Lana
  • Sami Zayn
  • Jinder Mahal
  • The Shining Stars
  • Tamina Snuka
  • Byron Saxton

Discussion: Which brand made out better in the Superstar Shake-Up? Secondly, do you think RAW and SmackDown are better off after the talent swaps?

Posted April 11th, 2017 in WWE, News. Tagged: .