SmackDown! to RAW
I'm not too sure how I feel about this. The Miz had one hell of a year since he won the Intercontinental Championship the night after WrestleMania 32 and proved himself to be an ever delivering part of SmackDown! LIVE. His time in SmackDown! LIVE's maiden year will certainly be remembered for a long time, and has been my favourite period in his career.
So what now? Though SmackDown! has received some big names as of late, they may not have quite the same level of heel to take his place. Meanwhile, I feel RAW has gained a strong member to their roster, it's just the question of what they do with him that is up in the air, and a worry.
On SmackDown!, though primarily Miz battled over the Intercontinental Championship in his tenure, it wasn't uncommon to see him gunning for the WWE World Championship, having taken part in the Elimination Chamber and battling for a shot on TV. At the minute, RAW's top belt, the WWE Universal Championship, is in a position where there is a lot of potential competition for it; Reigns, Rollins, Strowman, Balor, Joe (soon hopefully), and with Lesnar currently possessing it and rumoured to be having a death grip on it for a good long time, I feel Miz won't be getting any looks for the title scene any time soon. So, it appears he might be tied to the lower tiers for now.
Also, some of Miz's highlights and key moments in building his momentum has been the utilisation of Talking Smack. It was essential in developing his ongoing feud with Daniel Bryan and his recent rivalry with Cena. RAW Talk is once in a blue moon, and who knows how his magic on the mic will be put to use on the red brand.
It is quite a loss for SmackDown!, and potentially a huge gain for RAW, however, I feel this is in jeopardy. Please, RAW, make me want to hate Miz and let him be the dick he's been the past year; it's great.
Dean Ambrose (+ the Intercontinental Championship)
Dean's back on RAW, and bring's SmackDown!'s secondary title with him (though we'll see that even out soon enough). Again, another of SmackDown!'s major players has gone to RAW, with Dean arguably being a bigger name in SD's past year, starting the post-draft season as WWE World Champion and being in and around gold the entire time up until now. However, I feel Dean's going to fare better than The Miz on RAW.
Having previously faced Lesnar, and having wins over the likes of Rollins and Reigns, he wont look out of place in the main event scene if they push him up there depending on whether he stays around the Intercontinental Championship much longer.
Now, Dean's presence on Monday nights brings six words into mind; Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta. Ambrose completes the trio of Rollins and Reigns being on RAW, with them being apart since last summer, except for that one off segment at Tribute to the Troops. I am deathly worried that we are going to be getting SHIELD reunions out the ass in six-man tags and such. The best course of action is not to let Dean-O get all buddy-buddy with Roman (or Rollins to a lesser extent) again. Have him openly say that he's not there for that, turn him heel if we go extreme with it. Just don't have me watch a Triple Powerbomb week after week with commentary losing their minds about it being like the good ol' days of 2013.
Now, included in this move is the Intercontinental Championship. If we look how the secondary titles have been treated since the draft, on SmackDown! this belt was made into something meaningful again. Ziggler's pursuit of it elevated it, Miz's reign elevated it, and Dean despite not having done much with it, has given it some star power. The United States title can't touch this. Here's hoping the IC title doesn't drop in lustre, it would be a crying shame. There's been a conscious effort since Bryan winning it at WrestleMania 31 to increase it's standing, let's not let it go to waste lads.
Curt Hawkins
Curt Hawkins has moved across. In all honesty, I cannot see him doing much different than he has been on SmackDown!; getting a little bit of mic time before being squashed, and that was all he did on his RAW debut too. Instead of Tye Dillinger, it's now Big Show. Good luck to you, Curt, but I have to say I can't imagine much changing for him. Though saying that, after seeing clips from his Highspots.com show 'Developmentally Speaking', hopefully he can pop up on Talk'n Shop with Gallows.
Apollo Crews
Apollo Crews has been in the flux of doing something, and not doing much at all. He had a mini feud with the Intercontinental Championship, then went off TV for a bit, had a little thing with Ziggler, went away a bit, had a thing Corbin, and nothing for a while. He did start to get something interesting going with Corbin, showing a bit more of a mean streak, but again, not much came of it. Maybe this move to RAW might give him the opportunity to actually get some momentum going and be on TV.
Kalisto
What I imagine to be a new member of the Cruiserweight division, Kalisto is on RAW. Given from what I've seen of him at house shows and in the battle royal at WrestleMania, he seems to be turning into a heel maybe? He's donned dark, black gear and got new music. If so, he could be an interesting addition to the division, though he still is regardless. One of the limitations of the Cruiserweights is that to the wider audience, there isn't many established stars for the fans to latch onto, and less people to help build up other stars.The familiarity of Kendrick helped in the early days of Cruiserweights on RAW to help get Perkins and Swann over a bit. Neville has fucking stormed to prominence and garnering much needed attention to 205 Live and such. Kalisto can do more of the same, as either face or heel.
Heath Slater & Rhyno
The RAW tag division gains another team as the inaugural SmackDown! Tag Team Champions, Heath Slater and Rhyno are part of the shake-up. Well, the SmackDown! tag division's hit some turbulent times in the past few months, not having a lot time allocated on episodes, so this may be beneficial to this pair. Though they may not be necessarily much higher in the ranks on RAW, with like R-Truth and Goldust being the only ones below them, they might get some more usage. Who knows?
Bray Wyatt
Yep, after dropping the WWE World Championship at 'Mania, he's moved across to RAW - but he does have a rematch at Payback. He made his appearance on RAW confronting Finn Balor, so it seems these two are gonna go at it, and Balor's probably gonna win. This alone demonstrates on just a bit of an issue with Wyatt overall, and not just a move to RAW.
Wyatt is probably gonna the be upper card guy that is gonna be putting others over if we go by his track record. We may get to see him looking for the Universal Championship in some capacity, but it is a crying shame that he is most probably not getting a proper run with the top title. SmackDown! put a lot of time into building up Wyatt, and I don't feel like RAW will invest as much into him. In a matter of months, Bray became both a tag team champion, won the Survivor Series match for Team Blue, and became world champion.
Nevertheless, him coming across will give him another chance to be on his own (unless Braun gets brought back into the fold, but I doubt it), a fresh new start for him, and only time will tell how this next year goes for him. I can see big feuds in his future, but am wary that things may not pan out like he deserves. Good luck to you, Bray.
Alexa Bliss
RAW's Women's division has just got five feet taller as Alexa Bliss is the newest addition to the show. Whilst Alexa has been an ever-present member of SmackDown!, being in each match for the brand's women's title since it's inception, I feel that this move is only beneficial. There wasn't much else she could do on SmackDown!, having held the belt twice and been in programmes with Becky and Naomi - the show's two biggest faces in the division, so coming to RAW allows her to move on to new things.
At the same time, I'm sure Alexa is going to be a big part of RAW's revamped women's division. You just had to look at the red show's 'Mania match to sum up their past year - the focus on Sasha, Charlotte and Bayley with Nia thrown in just because. Now, Alexa can come in and can be the perfect heel for Bayley. Bayley's character is the quintessential nice girl, whilst Bliss can be the bratty bitch she's great at portraying. Just anyone that isn't Charlotte of Nia as a heel please, it'll work wonders.
Mickie James
Alexa's not the only woman joining, as Mickie James makes her return to Monday Night RAW. Mickie brings some freshness to the faces on RAW, what with the only ones being Bayley, Sasha (though I feel she's going heel soon) and Dana as of late. Plus, I feel Mickie in her current run, Mickie is gonna be a much better face than she was a heel on SmackDown!. From the theme to the fact she has the nostalgia factor, she can make for some nice storylines and who knows? There might be another title run in her future, and I for one would like that very much.
RAW to SmackDown!
What I consider to be the best gain in all of the Superstar Shake-Up, Kevin Owens has jumped across to SmackDown! LIVE and brings the United States Championship with him, filling the void of the Intercontinental Championship. The sky is the limit for Owens, I have no doubt that he is going to kill it here. Gone of the days of being fed to Reigns over and over, and now hopefully we get to see him spread his wings.
I felt that his Universal Title reign was a far cry from what it should have been. Luckily, with JeriKO being put to an end, a seeming separation from the Triple H super-group plus no longer playing second fiddle to part timers and Reigns, Owens can be granted a top flight run free of annoyance. Now I know I've brought up Reigns a bit now, but fuck me its true. On RAW, its clear that Reigns is the top guy there regardless of championship holdings; nothing is allowed to get past him without something awry. On SmackDown!, they've been open to having new (and multiple) people on top. Dean started off as the top guy, then Styles had his run with the belt and still is the face of SmackDown!, Bray had a little go at it and now we have Orton up there too. Kevin will be able to be a main event player without being hampered by anyone, and though I hope that a WWE World Championship run is in the next year, there's no telling where this US Title reign goes. He's gonna be the next biggest heel for sure. I can't wait to see what he gets done on SmackDown! and Talking Smack, too!
Looking at the United States Championship, this has the potential to rise through the ranks like the Intercontinental Title did. The fact that upon arrival the first episode had a main event deciding the number one contender is a good sign. I mean, starting us off on SmackDown! with Owens/Styles, that on paper sounds amazing and personally I cannot wait for the execution. Once we get going with this feud, I bet the next one is bound to follow up with something cool too. This move has me excited in every way.
Sami Zayn
My favourite wrestler is now on my favourite brand! What a time to be alive! Yes, it would have been even better had he been there from the start, but oh my this is a sweet feeling. I am hoping for great things for Sami. He main evented the first episode he was on in a great match, and he has a whole host of people who he can have some great matches with. The US title looks to be in sights for the time being, possibly leading to a continuation of the Owens/Zayn feud which I will not be opposed to at all - I can see it happening with at SummerSlam personally. However, I would say he's a bit of a dark horse pick to find himself with the World Championship on his shoulder. Being on SmackDown!, I feel this is the best opportunity he has had to get there.
Zayn also has an amazing promo when he gets the chance to delve into his heart and feed off raw emotion, so can you imagine what we might see on Talking Smack? Plus, I loved his segments with Angle on RAW the past couple weeks, and I'm hoping for similar interaction with Shane and D-Bry. Overall, super stoked about this. Fucking love Sami, fucking love SmackDown!
The Shining Stars
Primo and Epico, collectively known as The Shining Stars, have come to SmackDown! They ended up floundering on RAW a bit, mainly having to dick around with The Golden Truth and being put 2-on-1 against Big Show. The pair took American Alpha the fuck out on their debut, so maybe we might get to see a meaner, more serious side of these two. If these guys get similar treatment as to what The Usos got, they could be a great addition to the roster. The tag division might be getting a heel heavy thinking about it - is there anyone other than AA who are faces anymore? - but, with the right booking, this move could do wonders for the two nonetheless.
Jinder Mahal
Jinder Mahal has come to SmackDown! with the sole reason, for what I believe to be, is to continue having tiffs with Mojo and Gronk. Like Hawkins, I can't really see much changing with those two being pretty much an even trade off. But, hey, I'm open to him doing something bigger. Until then, I don't expect much.
Tamina
Tamina has crawled out of the pit of obscurity to be a part of SmackDown! LIVE. 'Kay.
SmackDown! has a bit of a heel heavy women's division too at the minute, now with just Becky and Naomi fighting the good fight, so I guess this is just one more to the mix. I suppose they couldn't really have her on RAW as they already have a powerhouse (Nia Jax), so here she is on Team Blue. Again, not expecting much, but who knows what The Land of Opportunity has planned for Tamina.
Charlotte
Jesus H. ThankFuck, Charlotte is off of RAW and here on SmackDown! LIVE. She's away from Bayley and Sasha (hopefully for a good long time) and can bolster this division on the blue brand. Starting off the draft, Becky was really the only proper star for that division (Nikki hardly did fucking anything in my eyes) and then everyone was needing to be built up - Naomi had a new gimmick, Nattie got given a new mean streak, Alexa and Carmella just called up. Now, we have an established, championship worthy competitor in the midst.
I think Charlotte really came into her own once she was left to herself, with no Ric or Dana alongside her in the last half year or so. She can put on some great matches and goes all out when called upon. I've felt the women on SmackDown! have consistently been on the cusp of stealing the show at Pay-Per-Views, but there's always been something in the execution that's stopped them doing so. Charlotte may be the key.
WWE seems to be all in in making Charlotte the fucking best ever, I can see having her becoming the first woman to hold the RAW and SmackDown! championships to add to her list of achievements.
Sin Cara
Sin Cara has jumped ship from RAW. Again, I can't really see much changing for this luchador either. He might get some more time on TV seeing as how the roster is a bit smaller on SmackDown!, so I can imagine him getting in there with Corbin or Ziggler here and there. But other than that, I wouldn't hold your breath.
Rusev & Lana
I honestly could not find a better picture.
Let's take it one at a time. I believe Rusev could be the biggest thing to go under the radar at the minute. Rusev will hopefully get some better utilisation on SmackDown!, perhaps like what happened with Corbin. He was a monster heel that was on TV a fair bit but lacked a bit in having something worthwhile for him to do. On RAW, Rusev hit some turbulence. He was paired with Jinder for a bit, he had that face mask, that Reigns feud really didn't do much at all for him. He felt less imposing than he did in his initial US Title run, back when he was fucking people up and when Lana was still uber-Soviet. Welp, Papa Ru-Ru has a fresh new trim, and hopefully a fresh run on SmackDown! Get that man against Styles and watch something beautiful happen. Or, I can totally see a Nakamura/Rusev feud being much better than anyone can think.
In regards to Lana, they presented her moving across with her own sorta burlesque vignette, totally detached from Rusev. With that in mind, I should think we might start to see her as a regular in-ring competitor. She didn't do too bad in that pre-show tag at WrestleMania 32, and I would imagine she's been being prepped for wrestling since. In that case, keeping Ru-Ru and Lana apart a bit might be beneficial for them both. Lana could be a face with Rusev remaining heel, and Rusev's opponents will hopefully have something more to go on in promos no longer relying on insulting her (looking at you, Roman). A Superstar Shake-Up indeed.
The New Day
SmackDown! LIVE better not dare be sour as The New Day have come to the blue brand! In all honesty, they have been feeling a bit directionless on RAW, I mean, having them as WrestleMania hosts just goes to show that they didn't have much else to do. So now, they can come and spruce up SmackDown! Hell, these guys don't even necessarily have to focus on the tag division. They've had programmes with individuals before and it's been good, so maybe they go that way with it.
Whatever it is, they are billed to be 'coming soon'. Kofi has had ankle surgery and I doubt they'd start them up just Woods and E, but maybe they do. They could easily keep going with blow-up doll Kofi for a while, lord knows what perverse things Big E might do with it. Plus, UpUpDownDown will get to have the SmackDown! crew on as a regular - more Usos, more AJ and Breeze could be back as a regular.
Well, there you have it folks, my overview, thoughts and speculation on the Superstar Shake-Up. What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Find me unbelievably revolting? Let me know what you think! Until next time, hope you all have your lives filled with joy on the daily, and smiles on the double. Seeya!
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