WWE Rumors: Seth Rollins Moving To ‘SmackDown’ During ‘Roster Shakeup’
It’s beginning to look like Seth Rollins may not be on Monday Night Raw for much longer. Vince McMahon shocked the WWE Universe when he announced there would be a huge “roster shake-up” next week between Raw and SmackDown. General Managers Kurt Angle and Daniel Bryan will be trading some talent to keep both rosters fresh for the coming year. The big question is who will be moving to Raw or SmackDown.
Naturally, the WWE Universe has run away with the possibilities of which WWE Superstars will move from Raw to SmackDown or vice versa. Names like Sami Zayn, Dean Ambrose, and even The New Day are being rumored about for potential trades. Most details are scarce about what next week’s “roster shake-up” will be like, but there are some big moves between the brands coming that WWE fans may not be okay with at first.
For instance, it’s being rumored that Seth Rollins could be moving to SmackDown Live next week. After the grandest stage of them all, Seth overcame Stephanie McMahon and Triple H at WrestleMania. SmackDown lost John Cena for the foreseeable future. Although Shinsuke Nakamura made his main roster debut for the brand this week, Rollins will be a huge addition. The problem is SmackDown will have to lose someone too.
It has been reported that WWE officials are looking at moving AJ Styles as the top priority heading into next week’s “roster shake-up.” After the year The Phenomenal One had, WWE officials want him back on Raw as soon as possible. The WWE Universe assumed the next WWE Draft would happen over the summer, but the powers that be didn’t want to wait far after WrestleMania 33 to make some major changes to both rosters.
No one has benefited more from the brand extension than AJ Styles. He’s been the top guy for SmackDown over the past ten months. During this week’s edition of the show, Styles said that he didn’t want to leave, but the “roster shake-up” seems to be designed for him to make a move to Raw. He’s going to be great for the roster, but the WWE Universe is wondering who will come over in the trade with Styles next week on Raw.
Trades are interesting because you need to attach value to the WWE Superstars involved. Unlike baseball or another sport, stats aren’t there to help determine value. On paper, a swap of Seth Rollins for AJ Styles is pretty fair, but a lot of people will argue that Rollins is better than Styles or vice versa. Injuries, experience, and other factors come into play that could complicate the trade even if it helps both brands simultaneously.
AJ Styles has been undergoing to subtle babyface turn for awhile. It started slow, but now it’s becoming a lot more apparent after shaking Shane McMahon’s hand, and his mannerisms are changing. WWE officials will most likely be featuring him as a top babyface on Raw, which is necessary based on how the WWE Universe has reacted to Roman Reigns defeating The Undertaker on the grandest stage of them all this past weekend.
SmackDown would be completely new territory for Seth Rollins. He’d likely replace Styles as the top guy for the brand, but he’s going to have to fight Shinsuke Nakamura over the next few months for that position. At the moment, Bray Wyatt is the top heel, and we haven’t seen Rollins vs. Wyatt feud before. Rollins for Styles is about a fair a trade as WWE can have to benefit both brands and make sure both men have great years.
[Featured Image by WWE]
