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WWE: Grading Each Brand After The Superstar Shakeup

By Trace Johnson

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Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

With the WWE superstar shakeup officially in the books for 2018, each of the two biggest brands in the company improved in one way or another.

The WWE needed to change things up on Raw and SmackDown and after back-to-back nights of superstars switching from one brand to the other plus new additions or returns, the landscape of the WWE has been altered.

But which brand reigned supreme following the shakeup?  The case can be made for both the red and blue brand, but with that being said, let’s take a look at each brand’s overall grade following the superstar shakeup.

New Raw Superstars

  • Jinder Mahal

The Modern Day Maharaja had a career resurgence on SmackDown over the past year by capturing the WWE Championship and the United States Championship.  However, he still feels like a work in progress despite his noticeable improvement.

It’s hard to write him off completely, but it just doesn’t seem likely he’ll ever reach the main event picture on Raw.  He’ll likely have to settle for a permanent mid-card role on Monday nights.

  • The Riott Squad

The trio of Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan made a decent enough impact on SmackDown, but never truly got going and often came up short against their main rivals in Charlotte Flair, Naomi, and Becky Lynch.

But a switch to Raw could see The Riott Squad finally reach its fullest potential as a trio if the WWE handles it appropriately.  Only time will tell, but this could be a good move.

  • Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

SmackDown’s biggest heel duo of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn ran roughshod on the blue brand for months, but finally will get a much-needed change of scenery to Raw where they both have had prominent enough roles in the past.

Seeing what shenanigans these two can get into on Monday nights, whether they’re together long-term or not, should be very interesting given how talented each superstar is.

  • Bobby Roode

The Glorious One didn’t have the longest stint on SmackDown, but after winning the United States Championship once, he is headed to Raw where he hopes to continue to make his name on the main roster after an up-and-down career on the blue brand.

Roode didn’t always click on SmackDown, so trying to stand out on a more crowded roster on Monday nights could be challenging.  It will certainly be challenging for him to reach the world title picture on Raw any time soon.

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