WWE: 5 Trades That Should Happen in ‘Superstar Shake-Up’
Credit: WWE.com
3. Charlotte Flair for Alexa Bliss
The two top female heels in the company, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, cannot share the spotlight on the same brand. I just can’t see Charlotte continuing as a member of Raw, because there is nothing left for her to do. She’s already put over Sasha Banks and Bayley, and both of those women should be entering a program that culminates in Banks turning back to “The Legit Boss” character with a championship victory over “The Huggable One”.
Charlotte is one of the best in the company at getting a crowd behind the babyface, and that truly is the No. 1 job of a heel. There are several heels in the company who do a great job of drawing heat with their facial expressions and insults, but how many can get the crowd to fervently cheer for her opponent?
I’d love to see Charlotte working a program with current SmackDown women’s champion Naomi. I’m sure it would be interesting to see Naomi and Bliss continue their feud, but I just don’t think the two match up well enough. Bliss’s style of wrestling is more about in-ring psychology, and her promos do nothing but bury Naomi. Meanwhile, Naomi is far too electric in the ring for Bliss. Charlotte could match Naomi move-for-move in the ring, and she can also help Naomi flesh out a compelling babyface character.
I think it’s telling that it’s so much harder to come up with superstars on SmackDown who need o switch brands, because the blue brand has done a better job of keeping its characters fresh. With the exception of wrestlers lower on the card like Dolph Ziggler, Apollo Crews, and Breezeango, almost everyone has felt important.
Alexa Bliss is one of those people, but I just don’t think her talents are best-suited for SmackDown anymore. She’s already feuded a million times with Becky Lynch, and I’m not sure if I want to see a program between her and Mickie James.
On Raw, Bliss could replace Charlotte as the competitor who helps draw out further tension between Bayley and Sasha Banks, whose friendship is obviously doomed. I have a feeling the WWE wants to draw out a feud between Banks and Bayley, so having one of them battle Bliss in the interim, preferably Bayley in a rivalry for the women’s championship, would make sense.
The heel vs. face balance feels off on both rosters, because Emma’s return as a heel makes the balance sway towards the “heels” on both sides. However, the SmackDown women’s roster feels too stacked for a two-hour show, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Raw acquiring multiple women from the blue brand.