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Since the first splitting of WWE in 2002 between Raw and SmackDown, the projects and Superstar Shakeups have been used to redistribute talent between the two series, to create new stories and to offer new opportunities to underused artists.
This process has taken different forms over the years, but since the brand split for the second time in 2016, the Shakeup Post-WrestleMania Superstar has served as a new starting point for a new WWE year.
For two days, WWE stars will move from Raw to SmackDown (and, in some cases, NXT and other WWE brands) to a new home. The first night, heavy hitters moved to Raw throughout the night – from The Miz at first to AJ Styles to everything, and everything in between.
So, who will spend the night 2? Continue through the night breaking down what each change means to the superstar and the show.
To learn more about Night 1, click on right here
Night 2 (SmackDown)
Finn Balor
Well. Who saw this one come? Finn Balor was the first star to move to SmackDown Live on Tuesday, which means that for the moment, three of the four primary men's singles championships are now under the blue mark. Will it last? Is this a way to give SmackDown more juice in the future?
Balor, who faced Ali in his first match at SmackDown, can finally get away from his long feud with Bobby Lashley and move on to new stories. A renewed confrontation with his rival NXT (and his inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic) – the current US champion Samoa Joe – or another NXT rival to Shinsuke Nakamura might well suit Balor. Whatever the plan, it's a move that Finn needs, and a great start to rebuild SmackDown with some power after the loss of AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio, Andrade and others on Monday.
Night 1 (gross)
The miz
WWE did not take long to get into action, while The Miz switched from SmackDown Live to Raw. It's a logical gesture that should not be surprising. As the Miz himself says, he has moved shows in each single The superstar Shakeup to date, and this gives him a sharp break from Shane McMahon and the story that culminated at WrestleMania 35. Miz got some shots on McMahon for good measure in the moments after he ran to the ring, and to be on Raw not a lot of adjustment.
Regarding who he might face, the options are numerous. While Miz, Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley, the newly reinvented face, seem to be making their way, a freshly returned Sami Zayn might be the most convincing opponent. Something's wrong with Miz, one of WWE's most visible presenters in mainstream media and a reality TV star on the USA network (via "Miz & Mrs."), returning to WWE's flagship program .
The Viking experience
After taking a deep breath to completely address the nonsense of NXT team champions formerly known as War Raiders, Ivar (formerly Hanson) and Erik (formerly Rowe) joining Raw's roster are always very positive. Remember that Raw has a team division is good news, and as they showed in their first game, Ivar and Erik are incredibly versatile men. They won, alongside The Revival, Aleister Black, Ricochet and Team Champions Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder.
If we can get away from the foolishness of the name of the tag team (maybe a trick along the way, please?), Ivar and Erik are in fact pretty tied to the story of the Vikings and are not so problematic. There are many horror stories about NXT calls that go awry, but if given a platform as powerful and powerful as it seems, they can to be the anchors of a team division revitalized in a hurry.
The former heavyweight champion hopes to follow in Ali's footsteps by making waves after leaving 205 Live. He had recently fallen behind the crossweights of cruises like Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese. The moment is therefore conducive to change of scenery. A clash with players like Chad Gable could present the best of what the two guys have to offer, while a bigger opponent like Baron Corbin might be a good starting point.
The judges?
: 100 :: 100 :: 100:#GROSS #SuperstarShakeUp @AndradeCienWWE pic.twitter.com/9h1RA8KVxy
– WWE (@WWE) April 16, 2019
Andrade
After gathering some of the best games of the last year at SmackDown, facing Rey Mysterio and several other opponents, Andrade decided to move to Monday night. A first win against Finn Balor is a bargain in itself and is the perfect way to show his fans all he can do. His mix of Lucha Libre vicious and upright strikes with immense courage in the ring makes him a future contender for the world title. In the meantime, a rivalry between the Intercontinental Championship and Balor is a great starting point. Zelina Vega is also a precious piece of the puzzle as a mouthpiece, thermal magnet and precious distraction at major matches.
Rey Mysterio
WrestleMania 35 was a tough night for Mysterio, who lost to Samoa Joe. For at least an hour on Monday, Mysterio also lost his former rival to SmackDown, Andrade, until he moved to Raw. A change of pace was in order, although his visit to the ring with Lars Sullivan on Monday night was not the warm welcome he could have hoped for. According to his estimates, there are only a few years left in the fight. Whether with some of the smaller stars on Raw's list, such as Cedric Alexander, recently acquired, or bigger men like Baron Corbin, Mysterio always has something to offer. WWE and its fans.
So #GROSS just became the #The one and only show that you must watch! ? https://t.co/IBTNj3n0NT
– The one and only! (@KingRicochet) April 16, 2019
Ricochet & Aleister Black
Ricochet and Aleister Black have officially joined Raw's lineup, although Ricochet's tweet is as clear as possible. When Black and Ricochet were paired for the first time, the two diametrically opposed characters seemed strange, to say the least. Whether it's their combined charisma or their complementary styles in the ring, the couple quickly mingled and did not even seem a little comfortable to compete in the team championships of Raw, SmackDown or NXT in recent years. weeks. In addition to the new "Viking Experience" experience, this could be a sign that Raw's team division is on the rise again.
Despite the graphic department spoiler, the Usos joining Monday Night Raw is another boost for Raw's team division. Some might be happy that we would not get more combinations of The Bar / New Day / The Usos in the near future, but the Usos have proven time and time again that whenever they are put in the honor, they thrive. Their performance at WrestleMania 35 once again proved to be one of the best teams in the world. They may be the perfect team to get the Ryder and Hawkins team team titles and become real bad guys again – a role in which they have prospered.
The perspective of The Usos vs. The Viking Experience, as well as that of a team match against Aleister Black and Ricochet, are exciting and fresh – exactly what the doctor ordered for the WWE team fight .
Naomi
Naomi, a two-time women's champion, has been involved in SmackDown since the 2016 Brand Separation Project and has told stories to most of the women in this class. While Raw's team division has been completely redone in the Superstar Shakeup, this could be a decisive step in the transformation of Raw's female division. With Charlotte Flair's big global story, Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey eclipsing the rest of the Raw and SmackDown women's teams over the past few months, it will be critical to find the right balance between the two shows. Naomi could make huge battles against Ruby Riott and Ember Moon, or even do more harm and finally face Sasha Banks or Bayley – the latter with whom she easily sent The IIconics in his first game on Raw.
EC3
Monday night was a little mixed bag for EC3. After spending months floating in the background with just a few matches, EC3 is officially a member of Raw's lineup, but his reception has been presented to him in the form of a brutal assault from Braun Strowman. It's going to take a while to get rid of the stench of playing a background character for so long, or to throw in the LED panels and across the stage as did EC3 on Monday night, but it can be a valued contributor Monday night s' he is handled. right.
The good thing to do here would be to pair EC3 with fellow WWE, Drake Maverick, and allow him to rebuild EC3 from scratch. The only thing that works in favor of EC3 is that it can not fall much further than where it is.
Eric Young
From time to time, WWE will split a team team just to prove that "anything can happen" with a Superstar Shakeup – everyone remembers when Bubba Ray and D-Von were sent to different shows? But separating Eric Young and essentially sabotaging security by simply letting him down at the end of the chart is a thought-provoking action. Since leaving NXT, SAnitY has been paralyzed by nauseating camera shots during their debut and has never had the slightest hesitation in doing something of their own at WWE TV. Tearing Nikki Cross out of the group was like tearing them away from the chaotic heart and not showing off for months on how they stood on the totem pole.
Young, Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe all have an individual talent, but on their own, it seems like they have little direction to take. Young should have something to contribute, but without radical change of character or opportunity, it's hard to see much behind the scenes.
Lacey Evans
Lacey Evans was snatched from NXT and came into direct conflict with new Raw and SmackDown women champion Becky Lynch. After weeks of scrambling down the ramp in the middle of other games and times at Raw and SmackDown, Evans attacked Lynch twice, and finally made his roster debut Monday against Natalya. There is no doubt about Evans' character and the road traveled in this regard, but she is still striving to refine her repertoire in the ring to achieve a similar level. His stepping stone, the moon that put Natalya apart, was visually impressive, but it also seemed like a hard landing in terms of actual performance.
It's clear that Evans has big fans in the WWE, but she'll have a lot to prove against Lynch in the high-pressure as she fights very early for the Raw Women's Championship in her main formation.
Since her debut at WWE in 2016, Styles has become accustomed to challenging expectations and making the most of every opportunity. Almost all of this success has been achieved as a member of the SmackDown list, this show being often described as the "House built by AJ Styles". He has twice become WWE champion on this show, with rivalries that define his career against John Cena, Dean Ambrose and Shinsuke Nakamura and epic matches against Brock Lesnar, Finn Balor, Daniel Bryan and many others. Styles became the oldest WWE champion in SmackDown history.
But all good things have to end and the opportunities of Monday Night Raw for Styles seem endless. A rivalry between the World Championship and Seth Rollins would be a great way to extend in the summer, or even when WrestleMania next year will be available. If Finn Balor stays on Raw, they could get back into tension or align with the common story of a certain "club". If Roman Reigns stays on Raw, Styles and he could revisit their rivalry after clashing at the Royal Rumble 2016. Styles and Drew McIntyre could absolutely rip it up and bring the two men up in the blink of an eye.
More importantly, Styles is one of the most visible pieces of WWE at the moment. He was on the cover of WWE 2K19 and had built a whole marketing campaign around Styles, playing a lucky winner for $ 1 million. Although Styles is much better known for his skills on the ring than for his early microphone time, he has found his niche and connects with the WWE audience around the world. Just watch the crowd at a WWE event to see how many pairs of AJ Styles gloves and how many AJ Styles t-shirts are in the crowd to see how valuable a member of the Styles list has become.
It is one of the pillars of this version of the Shakeup Superstar and there is no reason to believe that it will not thrive in a new environment. Tuesday night will require a huge move in the opposite direction to get closer to the impact of Styles' decision on Monday.
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