WWE pulled the first trick out of its sleeve for the Superstar Shake-Up by trading Apollo Crews to Raw.
The WWE Superstar Shakeup is set to kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday Night Raw. It will feature Superstars being moved from one show to another, taking place over a two-night span. Raw General Manager Kurt Angle and SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan will work together to make signings and trades over the five hours of programming.
However, it seems we have our first move made hours before Raw. WWE posted an exclusive video of Apollo Crews arriving in Long Island, NY for Monday’s show. He announced he’s moving from SmackDown to Raw, beginning with tonight’s show, and spoke about working under WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle.
It’s surprising to see the first move of the Superstar Shake-Up take place hours before the show. With five hours of programming, it seemed like plenty of time to fit this in. With a transaction already taking place, though, it may mean we’re in store for a flurry of action on Monday and Tuesday night.
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For Crews, the move gets him away from SmackDown, a show he never gained ground on. He was pushed at the beginning of the brand split, competing in a Six-Pack Challenge to determine the No. 1 Contender to the WWE Championship, and faced the Miz for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam. The former NXT star wasn’t successful in either situation.
A fresh start is here for Crews, who can fit into the mid-card scene for Raw. He could join the United States Championship hunt and provide steady depth for the time being, unless WWE moves him up the ladder and continues the “he’s a five-tool prospect” moniker.
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Let’s see who else moves during the Superstar Shake-Up. Based on this early transaction, we may be in store for a wild two nights.