WWE Raw 5 Takeaways: The Shakeup Has Begun

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2. Bobby Roode’s Switch To Raw Is A Risky Move

For the most part, all of the superstar moves from SmackDown to Raw last night made sense for both brands.  But the final move of the night appears to be a positive move at first glance, but when broken down, it doesn’t seem nearly as clear-cut.

GM Kurt Angle announced that last night’s main event would be a 10-man tag team match featuring The Miz, The Miztourage, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn against Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley, and a mystery opponent who would be making his red brand debut.  That mystery opponent would end up being Bobby Roode.

Roode and his team went on to get the win in the match and most everyone appears to be happy about Roode coming over to Monday nights, but there is trepidation involved that many aren’t focusing on.  The Glorious One is a former United States Champion, but he never quite got going on SmackDown and certainly never matched his NXT work.

And despite him winning gold, he never even sniffed the WWE Championship picture while on the blue brand.  It’s hard enough to feel like a key member of the Raw roster as it is given how much talent must be shown in a three-hour show, so struggling to stand out on SmackDown at times won’t help Roode out in his switch over to Raw.

Maybe the WWE will surprise us with Roode, but it seems like The Glorious One is destined to be a lifelong mid-carder on Monday nights that will struggle with an even bigger lack of direction unless something is done to help him out.