WWE Superstar Shakeup: 5 Superstars Who Should Not Switch Brands

With fans speculating about who will be moving during the superstar shake-up, let’s take a look at five superstars who should stay where they are

This coming week on both Raw and SmackDown, the WWE will host their second annual superstar shake-up. The first event, which took place at the same time last year, was a divisive event, with the SmackDown roster being pillaged for its talent and left with all the scraps.

The brand has arguably not recovered from this, with SmackDown undergoing what can only be described as a creative dry spell during the latter half of 2017.

There is a lot of discussion at the moment as to which superstars should relocate this week, and while this can be fun, we should also assess the potential damage the WWE could do by moving certain superstars.

The decision to move certain superstars can be detrimental to both the performer and the brand, with certain wrestlers just feel more suited both creatively and in the ring, to a specific brand. AJ Styles, for example, has begun to encapsulate the style of wrestling fans expect to see on a Smackdown show, while Brock Lesnar, the current Universal Champion, feels more at home on Monday nights.

For the sake of this list, champions have been left off. Moving the mid-cards champions may not be the worst idea, but it’s difficult to imagine the company swapping AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar. It’s something I’ve not even really considered an option.

So, which superstars should definitely not change brands this week? Let’s take a look at five superstars, and the effects it may have on them if they were to move.

Photo by WWE’s Twitter

Shinsuke Nakamura

This isn’t a popular opinion, but Shinsuke Nakamura’s run on the main roster has really not been very good. His first few matches in the company were underwhelming, and then he was defeated by Jinder Mahal twice in a row, killing any sort of momentum he had managed to gather.

His match with AJ Styles, while not bad, failed to live up to its hype and the former NJPW star has still not delivered anything close to his NJPW matches. So why should he stay where he is? Nakamura’s heel turn could be exactly what he needs to become the star we all know he can be in the WWE, and while Raw may give him some fresh faces, Smackdown has two of the company’s best babyface performers, in the shape of AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan, for Shinsuke to be feuding with.

Shinsuke can excel as a heel and having him be an antagonist to two of the company’s most over babyfaces will only help him do that. There is no-one on Raw who is as popular right now as Bryan or AJ, and with the Raw scene being dominated by big men, it seems unlikely that Shinsuke Nakamura would get anywhere near the main event at the moment.

Let Shinsuke develop as a star on SmackDown, and then, and only then, should he be moving on to Monday nights.

Source: WWE.Com

Sasha Banks

At the start of the year, there would have been a fair argument to be made about Sasha Banks moving to SmackDown.

After an excellent 2016, Sasha appeared to stall in 2017, as she slipped out of title contention and failed to capture the magic she had shared with Charlotte in the ring with anyone else.

As the old saying goes though, ‘form is temporary, class is forever’. Sasha has found her feet again in the early stages of 2018, and after an excellent Royal Rumble performance – and an excellent match against Asuka on Raw – Sasha has been involved in a program with former best friend Bayley, a program which looks set to push her back into title contention on Raw.

With Sasha riding a wave of momentum on Raw, a switch to SmackDown would not prove to be the right move at the moment. With a face Nia Jax as Raw’s champion, and Ember Moon just being called up from NXT, there are plenty of potential feuds for The Boss to sink her teeth into, and it seems only a matter of time before she tastes gold again in the WWE. SmackDown’s women’s division is dominated by heels at the moment, so perhaps sending Bayley over to Tuesday nights would make much more sense.

Source: WWE.Com

Roman Reigns

Boooo, Roman, boooo. Needless to say, Reigns is not the most popular star on the WWE roster, but whether you like him or not, he is going to be one of the top guys in the company for some time to come.

Personally, I’m a fan of Reigns, and think Raw is a much better home for him than SmackDown. Raw feels very much like the land of the giants, as opposed to SmackDown, which houses some of the finest technical performers on the planet.

While there may be an argument to be made that moving Reigns will give him plenty of fresh opponents, he has earned himself a run with the Universal title and the thought of him defending that against the likes of Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins, and Braun Strowman remains an attractive prospect.

Moving Reigns to SmackDown, where he would likely have to square off with the likes of Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles is only going to sour fans towards him more. Reigns is exactly where he should be at the moment, plus, keeping him on the same roster as the rest of The Shield is a smart move, as a triple threat rematch between those guys is guaranteed to be a draw whenever the company decide to pull the trigger on it.

Braun Strowman (Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter)

Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman’s match at WrestleMania was, for want of a better word, a farce. The Monster Among Men deserved a lot better at WrestleMania, so did The Bar, and so did the fans, well, except for Nicholas, he got a pretty sweet deal out of it.

Worries that the whole debacle would turn Braun into a comedy character dispersed pretty quickly when he vacated the titles the following night on Raw though, and the company should turn their focus back into making him a main event player once again.

Like Roman, Raw’s roster feels like a much more natural fit than SmackDown’s. Braun would be facing guys much smaller than him all the time, and would likely end up being exposed in the ring. Braun Strowman Vs Daniel Bryan may sound like a fun prospect on paper, but Braun playing the Goliath role would get very tiresome, very quickly and turn him into a one trick pony.

Once Roman takes the belt off Brock, presuming he does, then there will be room for movement for the rest of the roster, and Braun should be first in line for a feud with The Big Dog. Fans are behind Braun on Raw, putting against the likes of Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles could ruin that.

Photo by WWE’s Twitter

Rusev

Things aren’t looking good for Ru-Ru right now, but as bad as this sounds, they would likely be a lot worse on Raw.

Rusev is, without doubt, one of the most beloved performers in the WWE right now, and everyone seems to have realised that apart from the management. The Bulgarian Brute is greeted with ‘Rusev Day’ chants wherever he goes, and it feels as though the company has to do something with him sooner than later. Though, recent developments could suggest he may be on his way out of the company. 

While he is not in the best position at the moment on SmackDown, a move to Raw would almost definitely seem him relegated to jobber status. Rusev would be fed to the likes of Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns straight away, and would quickly become a whipping boy for the big dogs on Raw. At least on SmackDown, he has some sort of footing in the US and tag divisions, and right now, sadly, that feels like as good as it is going to get for him.

Next: Shinsuke Nakamura: The Return of the King…of Strong Style

Rusev’s last run on Raw was instantly forgettable, and his given his habit for addressing issues within the company on social media, he is likely to get a much more high profile roasting on Raw if he does anything against the company’s wishes online.