WWE shakes things up

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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The 2018 WWE Superstar Shakeup is in the books. I'm not going to analyze each move (which you can see here), but I will comment on a few things that stand out to me. Many online say it looks like SmackDown Live got the upper hand in the changes. I tend to agree with that, but believe the moves could jumpstart the careers of several Superstars on their respective shows.

Courtesy: WWE

I like that most tag teams and other factions are staying together. However, the split of Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable disappoints me. The duo was one of my favorites on the SmackDown Live roster. This, of course, could lead to a reuniting with Jason Jordan who is out with an injury. Let's face it, the tag team scene needs help, even with the Shakeup

I know Maria Kanellis just had a baby. I have no idea what the future holds for her. I do hope she returns to Raw with her husband Mike. Without her, the concept of Mike Kanellis doesn't make a whole lot of sense. 

Courtesy: WWE

Miz moving to SmackDown Live will be good as he and Daniel Bryan have natural chemistry. I would still like to see Miz with some sort of backup. The Miztourage is staying on Raw, which concerns me about the futures of Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas. I hope Maryse is able to rejoin her man on the blue brand down the road too.

NXT call-ups are great. Several new talents from that roster will be appearing on both Raw and SmackDown Live. But the reality is, sometimes these new faces and names get lost in the shuffle. Let's face it, what works in NXT doesn't always translate well on the main roster (see Bo Dallas). Or other talents will end up becoming future endeavored soon.

Charlotte stays on SmackDown Live

The biggest surprise to me was Charlotte Flair not going to Raw. I assumed with losing the SmackDown Live women's championship she'd move on. I'm curious to see how Carmella's title run is booked from here. 

Overall though I'm excited about the changes and fresh feuds. I'm also looking forward to the Greatest Royal Rumble later this month and upcoming BlackLash show which goes back to the dual-branded format.

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Did the Superstar Shakeup happen too soon?

Orton & Wyatt
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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The question of the day: Did the Superstar Shakeup happen too soon? Short answer: Yes. But since I get paid by the word, I'll go into long form here. (Editor's note: I don't get paid by the word.) 

Owens & Jericho
Courtesy: WWE

I have enjoyed the stories coming out of the Shakeup and my only criticism is it seems to have happened too soon after WrestleMania. Loose ends weren't tied up before Bray Wyatt went to Raw and Kevin Owens went to SmackDown Live. Because of this, there are now two championships that are no longer on Raw being defended on a Raw event. It's not a huge deal, but when it comes to the brand split and pay per views, I prefer only the big four shows to have inter-brand matches.

I have more thoughts on the upcoming Payback event, but since it's only Tuesday and I hope they're going to add another match or two, I'm going to wait until later in the week to weigh in on those thoughts. Overall though I'm pleased with the way stories are currently developing. I would have waited until after Payback to do the Shakeup. 

Now we have a monster

Braun Strowman flips an ambulance
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Braun Strowman has been an intimidating force on Monday Night Raw for nearly a year now. The one-time member of the Wyatt Family had grown stagnant in that role. Then with the Brand split in 2016, he found new life on his own. After ripping through the competition though it seemed as Strowman again became just another big guy on the roster.

I assumed like many fans he would win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. When he didn't I was stunned. Then I thought maybe he'd get involved in the Universal Championship match or the Roman Reigns-Undertaker encounter. Again he was silent.

Beat down
Courtesy: WWE

But this week on Superstar Shakeup, an even more aggressive and dangerous side of Strowman was unleashed. He beat Reigns up like I haven't seen before. Even the initial attack was pretty brutal, but then the shove off the ramp while Reigns was on the stretcher and then overturning the ambulance by hand are feats I don't recall anyone ever doing before.

Courtesy: WWE

It'll be interesting to see where WWE goes with this. If you watched you no doubt heard the cheers as Strowman brutalized Reigns. Is it that fans like Strowman or just dislike Reigns that much? Never-the-less, I enjoyed the segment and feel like Strowman has a new found level of credibility as an upper tier Superstar. Hopefully, this plays out and neither man gets traded to SmackDown Live.

Superstar Shakeup thoughts

Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Everyone has an opinion on the upcoming Superstar Shakeup. Some are calling it a draft, others say it's a trade. Either way, you can bet there will be a lot of unpredictability associated with the shakeup. Instead of saying what I think will happen, I'm going to share what I want to see happen. These are two totally different things, but it's easier to share what I want.

The Revival
Courtesy: WWE

At least one tag team will split up. I'm not a huge fan of this happening like it did the year they split the Dudley Boys and the Hardys. Well established tag teams should stay together. Now that The Revival has been called up and The Hardys have returned we're getting a little diversity in the division. But with Simon Gotch being released, the Vaudevillains are no longer around (personally I enjoyed this team a lot in NXT). 

I thought New Day would be the most likely to be split, but now I'm thinking it could be Big Cass and Enzo. They've played around with doing both guys as singles stars, but I think Enzo would make a great mouthpiece for someone. I still enjoy the New Day and their merchandise. It appears to be selling well, so I'm hoping WWE keeps them intact and maybe tweaks them a little. That could be something as easy as switching brands.

The women (yes I know it's an old pic)
Courtesy: WWE

Beating a dead horse, but the women all need to be under one brand. There's simply not enough ladies on either roster to keep things fresh enough without resorting to the same matches or combination of matches. However, I know all the women on Raw or SmackDown Live will never happen. Sasha Banks needs to turn whether she stays on Raw or moves. She's not believable as a face. I wouldn't mind seeing Mickie James have a go at some of the Raw women and perhaps even a short title run with Charlotte Flair eventually winning the belt again by the end of the year.

I like AJ Styles on SmackDown Live. He's really owned the show and moving him to Raw as some have speculated may result in him getting lost in the shuffle. I'd much rather see AJ regain the championship from Randy Orton in the next couple of months and finish out 2017 as a strong champion.

JR returns
Courtesy: WWE

Other champs need to stay put. As far as announcers go, I'd love for JR to return to weekly TV, but I'm not going to hold my breath for that opportunity. Corey Graves has actually started growing on me. As for the future of the SmackDown Live team, only time will tell.

I know I didn't go far out on a limb, but that's about all that's on my mind at the moment. Honestly, I wouldn't hate it if as one blog I read today by Greg DeMarco suggested that nothing changes at all. With the new call ups and recent departures, WWE has the talent and I believe the creative mind to freshen things up without a Superstar Shakeup. But we shall see soon enough. In closing, if they really do want to shake things up, how about starting the show with a match instead of a 20-minute talking segment?