The WWE Superstar Shakeup is almost upon us, so which women are going to get a fresh start and a new home following the event?
After the brand split in 2016, SmackDown Live and Raw kept their same separate rosters all the way until WrestleMania 33. After WrestleMania, none other than Mr. McMahon announced that a WWE Superstar Shakeup would take place.
The term seemed very vague, and an explanation was never really offered by WWE as to what this “Shakeup” actually entailed. But, the following week we saw a handful of Superstars from each brand swap places.
Jinder Mahal moved to SmackDown Live where he went from jobber to WWE Champion, and Curt Hawkins moved to Raw where he went from jobber to, well, the ultimate jobber. We also saw Superstars like Bray Wyatt, The Miz, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Rusev find new shows to call home.
As for the Women’s Division, there really wasn’t much change to the rosters besides Charlotte moving to SmackDown Live and Alexa Bliss and Mickie James moving to Raw. I expect things to be a bit different for this year’s Superstar Shakeup, though.
The Women’s Evolution is in full force on the main roster as both brand’s Women’s Divisions are stacked. Raw has the likes of Ronda Rousey, Asuka, Nia Jax, Ember Moon Alexa Bliss, Bayley, Sasha, and Absolution among others while SmackDown Live has Charlotte, The Riott Squad, The IIconics, Becky Lynch, Naomi, Natalya, and newly crowned champ Carmella.
So, with so many featured women on both rosters, there will undoubtedly be a few moves made to freshen things up in the Women’s Division. Especially now that Paige is the General Manager of SmackDown Live, I’m expecting the women to be a major focus throughout this whole Superstar Shakeup.
5. Sonya Deville: Raw –> SmackDown Live
So, the whole idea of Absolution, the team of Paige, Sonya Deville, and Mandy Rose, was that Paige formed the alliance in an effort to get herself back on top of the Women’s Division. Well, those plans came crashing down after Paige’s injury and was no longer able to compete.
Despite that, it still made sense for the group to stick together with Paige as their manager. She could help them strategize and be their mouthpiece while Paige reaps the benefits of their work in the ring.
So, now that Paige is completely gone from the group and is SmackDown‘s new General Manager, I have no idea why Absolution would stay together when the only thing they have in common is an allegiance to Paige.
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville would be much better off as singles competitors moving forward, because as Absolution, they are kind of stuck in a spot where they can’t progress forward with their characters.
The split would allow them to express their personalities more, like Mandy did in the Mixed Match Challenge with Goldust, rather than being mindless servants to Paige. We would be able to see depth in Rose and Sonya Deville’s characters once they can have the spotlight shown on them individually.
There really is only one reason why I have Sonya switching brands rather than Mandy, and her name is Ronda Rousey. Raw already has a women with an MMA styled gimmick, so Deville would be lost in Rousey’s shadow if she were to stay there, but her physical brutality can be showcased on SmackDown Live.
So, let’s keep those separate for now…at least until Shayna Baszler gets called up and Ronda is ready to turn heel.
Credit: WWE.com
4. Becky Lynch: SmackDown Live –> Raw
Becky Lynch has done just about everything there is to do on SmackDown Live. She was the inaugural SmackDown Woman’s Champion and won the gold once after that, too. She has beaten the likes of Natalya, Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, and even Charlotte on the blue brand.
And Becky’s booking hasn’t been selfish, either. She has put over Natalya, Carmella, and the entire Riott Squad time and time again on SmackDown Live. In fact she has done that so much, that she has yet to find herself a storyline in 2018.
SmackDown Live may be the land of opportunity, but all of Becky’s opportunities seem to be in the past. Unless WWE wants to have her job out to the debuting IIconics, there’s really no sense in keeping her on the blue brand.
Becky Lynch is one of the most beloved and popular woman’s wrestlers in the world, and she deserves to be at the top of mountain and not a stepping stone so others can get there instead. On Raw, she would have an opportunity to climb that mountain.
She could have fresh feuds with just about everyone on that roster. From Bayley to Sasha to Asuka to Nia, to Ember Moon to Absolution, the potential for exciting feuds from Becky on Raw is limitless.
Becky is ready to turn Raw‘s Women’s Divison upside down and bring some Straight Fire.
Credit: WWE.com
3. Bayley: Raw –> SmackDown Live
Bayley is involved in a heated feud with her supposed best friend on Raw right now. Bayley and Sasha Banks have been teasing the break up of their friendship for months now, and it is only a matter of time until one turns heel.
Sasha betrayed Bayley in the Elimination Chamber and in the Women’s Royal Rumble, while Bayley allowed Sasha to get beaten down by Absolution and eliminated her from the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.
Both have shown signs of turning heel, but if I had to guess which is turn full heel in this feud, I’d have to say Sasha Banks. Judging by her past work, Sasha is far more comfortable and effective in that role, and that dynamic between heel Sasha and face Bayley is sure to make magic in the ring.
The only problem is that this feud may only last for one match, and it could just be on an episode of Raw. The two “best friends” are scheduled to face each other on Monday despite building up a feud worthy of a PPV spot.
This could be because one of them is heading to SmackDown Live, so they need to abruptly end the feud before the Superstar Shakeup. Sasha could turn heel in this match (or during the aftermath), and Bayley gets a fresh start as a face on SmackDown Live.
With Carmella, The Riott Squad, The IIconics, and Natalya all in control on SmackDown Live, the blue brand is in desparate need of some new faces, and Bayley fits the role perfectly. Let’s hope her run with smackDown Live is successful and free of any Kendo-Stick-On-A-Pole matches!
Credit: WWE.com
2. Charlotte: SmackDown Live –> Raw
Charlotte is undoubtedly one of the best Superstars in WWE’s history. Yes, I intentionally did not put “Women’s Superstars” in that description because there is no need for that asterisk. She’s THAT good.
So, she can help out any brand she’s on tremendously as she proved last year when she switched from Raw to SmackDown Live. She was able to claim the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Natalya, put a spotlight on their Women’s Division, and put an end to Asuka’s streak at WrestleMania.
Now, there are a few arguments for and against Charlotte jumping ship to Raw. A couple points against the move are that she is still owed a rematch for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, she already switched brands last year, and it would be impossible to fill the hole if Charlotte left.
To counter those points I’d say that Charlotte is already on such a high pedastal that she doesn’t need that rematch. She was the one who ended Asuka’s streak, so how could we believe that Carmella could defeat The Queen in a rematch? It’s better to let Charlotte go her own way and let Carmella enjoy her run as champ.
Also, I’m expecting a couple people that switched brands last year to switch again this year, as it keeps us guessing and keeps the product fresh and exciting, and I’m sure if Charlotte left, there’d be someone to try to fill her shoes that’d move to SmackDown…
But, it really all comes down to getting Charlotte and Ronda Rousey on the same show. That is the money match for WrestleMania 35, and it could potentially main event the whole show. So, let’s get Charlotte over to Raw to start building towards that mega fight because we know Ronda isn’t switching to the blue side.
Credit: WWE.com
1. Asuka: Raw –> SmackDown Live
Before Asuka’s undefeated streak came to a shocking halt at WrestleMania 34, she was experiencing quite an impressive run on Raw. In a short amount of time, Asuka ran through Emma, Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Sasha, Bayley, Dana Brooke, Alicia Fox, and even new Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax.
Simply put: No one was ready for Asuka. Well, Charlotte was ready for Asuka and defeated her at WrestleMania. So, it is time to look past that chapter of her career, and move on with a fresh start on a new brand.
After all, Asuka defeated just about every single woman on the Raw roster. There really isn’t much else for her to do there, and if Charlotte switches brands, this will be a good way to keep the two separated until their inevitable rematch and Asuka’s redemption.
Raw, being WWE’s “A-show” was a good way to get as many eyes as possible on Asuka. Now that she is well known in the wrestling world, she can comfortably transition to SmackDown Live where she can lead their Women’s Division.
The blue brand is a better fit for Asuka now not just because of the fresh feuds and opportunities it would present, but because she will be able to showcase her talent much better. There’s no doubt that Asuka’s wrestling ability an charisma are through the roof, but her mic skills (and English) are a bit shaky and can be hidden in SmackDown‘s fast paced two hour long show.
There are a lot of enticing feuds for Asuka on SmackDown Live. From Ruby Riott to Peyton Royce to Natalya to Carmella, there are plenty of opponents for her to face, but there really is only one question for the blue brand:
Will SmackDown Live be ready for Asuka?