Predicting The Superstar Shakeup

Written by Ben Hercik

One of the more interesting two days for professional wrestling is the week after Wrestlemania. You have the Superstar Shakeup, where superstars change brands and new stories emerge. Now this was a very interesting thing to do, as I tried to keep things pretty even between the shows. I do have some potential spoilers for what could happen before, after, or at Wrestlemania. Let’s get right into it, with one move that has had to happen for a while now.

Sin Cara TO 205 Live

The fact that Sin Cara wasn’t on the 205 Live roster when the show launched was a big surprise to me. You have someone who would be a perfect fit for the show. It would be the best move for him as there is no real place for him on Raw or Smackdown. 205 would be a breath of fresh air for the former Hunico. He has the perfect place to help reinvent the character. You have Lucha House Party who are all about fun, you can make Sin Cara a serious character to help him stick out from the other luchadors on the brand.

Now we get into the majority of the shakeup, between Raw and Smackdown.

First up is Monday Night Raw, which has been very inconsistent as of late. One way to get the show to be more consistent is to spice up the main event scene. And they could easily do that with these picks.

Becky Lynch TO RAW

I think everyone sees this one coming. Becky is going to win the the Raw Women’s Championship at Wrestlemania and I think everyone is going to pick her. That would mean that she would no longer be on Smackdown, as she would be Raw Women’s Champion. And that would be a great thing for her. She has faced all the Smackdown women and needs new opponents. Becky has proven that she can stay hot, now she needs to be on the biggest weekly stage possible.

Charlotte Flair TO RAW

It is very typical for wherever Becky Lynch goes, Charlotte Flair follows. I honestly think that both Becky and Charlotte being on Raw is beneficial to both of their careers, but also for Smackdown women to get new blood to the top of the division (more on that later). Charlotte being on Raw is something I am surprised hasn’t happened yet. This would allow for the Smackdown women’s division to try and step up their game to try and go with the very stacked Raw Women’s division.

AJ Styles TO RAW

Styles has done it all, and there are many things for him to do on Raw. Imagine seeing Styles vs Rollins, Styles vs McIntyre, or even the reignited Styles vs Reigns feud we saw a few years ago. You have plenty of wrestlers that would match up well with Styles too. This is also to help the Raw main event scene. Right now there is only three wrestlers in that discussion, Rollins, Reigns, and Strowman. McIntyre is being groomed for it, but is a bit of a ways off of this right now. Styles can help bridge that gap and be a big name for them to use.

Randy Orton TO RAW

Another big name to the red brand, and this time it’s the Apex Predator. Orton always seems to do better on the red brand compared to him on Smackdown. Orton is a decent wrestler, yes, but he is a lot better sports entertainer. I would love to see Rollins vs Orton on the Raw brand again. Orton also fills that spot for McIntyre in the main event scene, where Styles didn’t. You build up McIntyre to be the monster heel he should be, and he can do that while Orton keeps the seat warm for the heel spot in the main event scene warm for McIntyre. Orton has more years behind him than he has in front of him, and allows for a new name to come into the main event scene.

Shinsuke Nakamura TO RAW

Nakamura is damaged goods right now, and it is a shame that is the case. I think that we could see him thrive on Smackdown, as he needs some motivation. A change of scenery could do that, and his tag team partner going with him could help. The Raw tag division is very shallow right now, and the team of Nakamura and Rusev could thrive there. I think that you could also see Nakamura thrive in the singles scene as he would be a welcome addition to the midcard and even main event scene on the show.

Rusev TO RAW

I think Rusev works better on Smackdown, but with the lack of big names on Raw and how stacked Smackdown is, Raw fits for Rusev right now. I have been loving the team of Rusev and Nakamura and think that they can be really good together. I think that these two could be the start of a stable for wrestlers that feel like they have been underutilized, and want to make a change. Rusev and Nakamura would fit right in to the Raw tag team scene.

Samoa Joe TO RAW

I think that Joe on Smackdown was a great idea, but both his and Shinsuke’s pushes to the main event scene can be summed up in one word: disappointing. You had two guys that had made their name all over the world, who just couldn’t break through and grab the brass ring. Joe won the United States title, and I think that is a good thing. The past year the title has been treated likes garbage and they need a big name to fix it. Joe has started to do this and has also begun to build up the credibility for the title. I think Raw could use the United States title, and it would allow for Joe to have a lengthy run as champ. They would have to build someone up to beat him for the title. That would really help the championship.

The IIconics TO RAW

I think these two are great. You have the most complete women’s tag team in WWE and they are now the women’s tag team champions to boot. I think that you have two women that can do whatever you ask of them. I think on Raw, you have the perfect place for them. It gets them on the “A” show, and exposure to a bigger audience. I think that they have great chemistry, and they get away from one of their biggest challenges, but more on that in a bit.

Lana TO RAW

The manager goes with her talent, and with Nakamura and Rusev going to Raw, it makes sense for Lana to go too. I think Lana could be good in the ring, she just needs to take some time and work in the ring and she could pass as a wrestler. If she doesn’t do that, then she is stuck as a manager for life.

The Colons TO RAW

Remember these guys? Remember when they were actually used? Yeah me neither. But I think these guys can be great if used correctly. It helps that the Raw tag division sucks right now. Once AOP is back after Akam returns, we can start the rebuild the division. You have two established tag teams do that, and that would be AOP and the Colons. Am I grasping for straws? Yes, but how the hell else do you fix the Raw tag division? You need to start somewhere, and established teams would help that.

The Usos TO RAW

Speaking of fixing the Raw tag division, what better way to fix it then getting maybe the best tag team in the world. The brothers recently just lost the Smackdown tag titles, and they have done it all on that show. When someone ot a team has done everything on one show or one company, then they either leave that company and go to a new one. Or in the case of WWE, they switch shows. There are so many matches I want to see these two have on Raw. We could see Usos vs Revival, Usos vs Heavy Machinery, Usos vs AOP, hell even Usos vs Hawkins & Ryder would be great.

SaNiTy TO RAW

The ball has been dropped severely with this team. How do you fix it? Possibly with a new member like Mojo Rawley may be hinting at, or a change of scenery where they become the center of attention for the division. I think that you have 3 very talented wrestlers in this group, and they could make the division a lot more interesting. This team has a lot of untapped potential and this is what they need. When Akam comes back, AOP will be on top of the division and you add Revival as well as Sanity, then we will be in for a lot of fun in the Raw Tag division.

That is all I have for the Raw brand, now for the more entertaining of the two brands recently, Smackdown. How much better can Smackdown get? Well if these superstars make the move to the blue brand, then Smackdown Live could be very dangerous.

Finn Balor TO Smackdown

I wish that Balor was on Smackdown since he was called up. Smackdown has often been called the place for the pure wrestlers of WWE while Raw is where the entertainers go. Being on the same show as Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, and others, there is no place for Balor to be in the main event scene. But if he goes to a show with the likes of Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens, Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio, Andrade, Ali, hell even Shelton Benjamin. There are so many more, and Balor would fit in perfectly on Smackdown. Plus it would bring the Intercontinental Championship to Smackdown and I can see Fox wanting to have both the WWE and Intercontinental Championships, the two most prestigious championships in WWE history, on the same show.

Apollo Crews - Smackdown

I love Apollo Crews, and this is where he needs to be. Apollo Crews is one of the best wrestlers, and he should be a prominent figure for the show. It is very tempting to copy and paste the list of names that I have listed that I want to see Balor face on Smackdown here for Crews, but I really want to see those matches. Crews has been vastly underused in his time on Raw, and his constant stop start pushes have not helped at all. On Smackdown, you can see many fantastic matches. Crews fits in perfectly for the midcard of the show, and given that I think the Intercontinental Championship is switching shows, Crews can develop into a big star there and be the right person to win the Intercontinental Championship within the next calendar year.

Bobby Roode OR Chad Gable TO Smackdown

Slight cheating here, but I think everyone sees this team breaking up as soon as next week on Raw. Both work fantastically on Smackdown, but I only think one of them makes the jump. We can see the arrogant and brash heel in Bobby Roode be a fantastic antagonist to Kofi Kingston for his title, after they build him up to be the star that we all know he is. You would need to build him up and make him someone who makes sense to challenge for the title. Gable is very similar to Kurt Angle, in that coming in as someone who had never been a pro wrestler, it just clicks for him. On Smackdown, Gable would have a perfect spot in the midcard, and we can see him emerge as a singles star. Both fit so well, but if they do break up, then I only see one making the jump to a new show.

Sami Zayn TO Smackdown

Part of the challenge of doing this is trying to find different reasons why these wrestlers belong on a new show. But with these first four, their is just so many similarities between the five guys that they just all have the same qualities for Smackdown. After 10 months out, Sami hasn’t missed a step. He can still go in the ring and he still has it on the mic. I think on Smackdown, he fits a lot better than he does on Raw, as he just felt a bit out of place on that show. He also has a story just waiting there for him with Kevin Owens, and it has a new narrative now. For the whole time in WWE, Owens has been the heel and Zayn has been the face. Now those roles have been reversed, and it is time for that story to be told. Owens is a man of the people, because he is like them, married and working to earn money for his family. Sami just destroyed the fans and said he doesn’t need their approval, it just seems to perfect.

Sasha Banks TO Smackdown

With Raw getting the other two horse women, and the only big name on the Smackdown being Asuka (who has been so damaged) you need some more, and it starts with someone who might be the best technical women’s wrestler of all time, Sasha Banks. Banks is someone who can carry a division. I think that babyface Sasha has had a good run, and is a good character, but its time for a heel Sasha to have run of the roost. Heel Sasha was so good in NXT and would thrive on the main roster, and be the perfect heel for the division to fight against. I think that there is a great story for it, and one person is right to be the one to stop her reign of terror…...

Bayley TO Smackdown

And that is this women. Bayley and Sasha were the perfect the perfect team to be the first Women’s Tag Team Champions, but they are a lot better in a feud. The best example of this is their matches in NXT, which won match of the year. I think that we could see Boss and Hug Connection challenge for the tag titles, say around SummerSlam, and that is where we see Sasha turn. I think this would be the perfect feud for the Smackdown Women’s Championship, after they end Becky’s reign as double champ. It’s not going to last forever folks, and you can get so much heel heat for Banks if she is the one to end it. The imagine the emotion if Bayley is the person to end that reign. It would be the spark that the Smackdown women’s division needs.

Ember Moon TO Smackdown

I will argue to the death that Ember Moon was supposed to challenge Asuka for the Smackdown Women’s Championship at Wrestlemania. It made sense on Twitter, and that she was the one to push Asuka the farthest out of anyone who challenged her in NXT. But I think it makes sense for Ember to join her old friend and biggest challenge on Smackdown. I know I laid out a scenario where Sasha gets the title, but I think that there is another scenario that could play out, and that is Ember winning Money in the Bank and then cashing in to win the title. There are so many scenarios in my head, but I don’t know which one it will end up being. I think the Ember scenario is more likely, but who knows. I think Ember fits like a glove on Smackdown and she can thrive there and become the champion we all know she can be.

Natalya TO Smackdown

I think Smackdown is the perfect home for Natalya and her move to Raw was a wrong one. She has so much to offer a younger locker room and give them the guidance that they need. Natalya is in the same boat as Randy Orton earlier. She has won more championships in the past than she is going to win in the future. But her veteran leadership in a young locker room with the likes of Carmella and Zelina Vega, she would be a lot better there.

The Ascension TO Smackdown

These are two guys that just love what they do. You never hear a complaint from Konnor and Viktor, and they are more than deserving of reaching the peaks they did in NXT. Say if this move happens, then I think that we could see the rebirth of the Ascension. I think that they could become one of the top 4 teams on Smackdown. You have The Hardy Boyz, New Day, and The Bar right now. If they take the time to fix Ascension, they could have another fantastic team on there hands.