This week saw WWE’s Superstar Shakeup for both Monday Night Raw and Smackdown Live. The purpose was to provide both brands with a new look for its shows without having a complete draft, which could happen sometime in the summer. There were some strokes of genius from the WWE creative team that may have given some guys and gals new life in the company. And while the idea was good in theory, there were also missteps in reassigning certain superstars.
As we move into the new programs of the WWE, we look at the winners and losers from both brands after Superstar Shakeup. Of course, this list could be right or wrong depending on how storylines evolve going forward. These opinions are based on what we’re seeing at first glance following the Shakeup. Let’s begin with the biggest loser:
Loser: Bray Wyatt
Why in the world was Bray Wyatt moved from Smackdown Live to Raw? He finally found his place in the WWE on Tuesday nights, where he became the WWE Champion in the Elimination Chamber after pinning both AJ Styles and John Cena. His feud with Randy Orton left a lot to be desired, but many believe that Wyatt should have left WrestleMania with the title. But with Wyatt moved to Raw it’s a forgone conclusion that he will lose in his title rematch against Orton in a couple of weeks at Payback .
With Wyatt moving on to Raw it appears that his first feud after losing his match against Orton will be with Finn Balor, which has the potential to be a great matchup. However, according to Pro Wrestling Unlimited, Wyatt is frustrated with the move as the company is reportedly telling him one thing and going ahead with something else on numerous occasions. With Raw dominated by Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins, Wyatt is in danger of being back in the midcard position on Monday nights. The WWE dropped the ball with Bray Wyatt and it is a shame.
Winner: Kevin Owens And Sami Zayn
As mentioned in regards to Wyatt, the Raw brand is stacked. Owens and Zayn were beginning to get lost in the shuffle on Monday nights, so a move to Smackdown Live was needed for the both of them. Owens brings over the United States Championship and after his match against Chris Jericho, which Owens will likely win, he will begin a program with AJ Styles that will bring the house down anytime they match up.
Zayn will likely face off against Baron Corbin and continue his battles against bigger superstars to get over the underdog gimmick. What makes this move so great is that Smackdown Live focuses more on wrestling than long promos and I think you have to get both men over, especially Owens, as workers as opposed to guys who cut long promos and attempt to be either funny or silly. It’s not something you want to see from them every single week.
Loser: Smackdown Live’s Women’s Division
After losing Alexa Bliss and Mickie James to Raw, the Smackdown Live women’s division took a major hit. They picked up Charlotte Flair, which was one of the biggest moves of the week, but they also picked up Tamina, which means nothing since she is awful. At this point you have Flair, Naomi and Becky Lynch as your stars of the division and that’s it. Natalya is great in the ring, but not considered a top star and Carmella should be nowhere near the main roster.
You lost two major stars and only replaced them with one star and a developmental wrestler. Hopefully another name comes to the show in the coming weeks because the Smackdown Live women’s division will suffer going forward.
Winner: The Miz
The Miz and Maryse moving to Raw felt like a reward after their amazing build towards their match with John Cena and Nikki Bella at WrestleMania. The Miz has something to offer but because he was booked so poorly for years, fans began to ignore him. His Cena impersonation showed his range (more than The Marine movies) and while his in-ring is ok, he could be a guy in a few months that could compete for the Universal Title.
Keeping The Miz away from Dean Ambrose is my only concern. Their matches for the Intercontinental Championship a few months ago were not great and the chemistry between the two is just not good. The Miz needs to start new with some of the names on the Raw roster and begin new feuds and let Ambrose flounder by himself. The Miz should do well on Mondays.
Loser: Superstar Shakeup
What exactly was the Superstar Shakeup? It wasn’t a draft, but there weren’t trades amongst the brands. The whole idea was weird. Why not just have a full roster draft? Why wasn't there trade or war rooms where both show’s staff would sit and to acquire talent, similar to what we see during drafts in sports leagues. The Superstar Shakeup was kind of just thrown together without much discussion or explanation. If done right, you could have built to this for weeks and made it an event. The WWE dropped the ball with this whole experiment.
