Vince McMahon sure wasn’t kidding last week when he said that the Superstar Shake-Up was going to totally change the way each brand’s roster looks. It all began tonight on Monday Night Raw as the first evening took place and only the moves heading to Team Red were shown. Once all was said and done, there were double-digit moves as 11 superstars have left SmackDown Live and will now be part of a new show.
Tonight’s show started off the Superstar Shake-Up in a huge hurry as John Cena’s music hit and everyone immediately thought a huge move had already been made. As recapped by the official website of WWE , it was actually The Miz and Maryse impersonating Cena and Nikki Bella, but Team Red had received their first superstars from Team Blue.
Okay, not exactly their first move as earlier in the day, Apollo Crews was sent to Monday nights from SmackDown Live as reported by Cageside Seats .
Shortly after, it was revealed that everyone on the rosters was up for grabs as Dean Ambrose shifted brands and brought the Intercontinental Title with him.
After those two shocking switches opened the show, there were a lot more throughout the night and as announcer Corey Graves said, everyone found out as they happened. Soon after, Curt Hawkins showed up in the ring and he was welcomed to Monday evenings with a Knockout Punch from Big Show.
Not long after that happened, the biggest move of all took place and it was one that no-one really saw coming.
Finn Balor had a one-on-one match with Jinder Mahal which ended in a victory for “The Demon” just one week after his return from injury. After his match was over, Bray Wyatt showed up on the Titan Tron and let everyone on Team Red know that he was indeed “here.”
The #EaterOfWorlds @WWEBrayWyatt doesn’t plan to arrive on #RAW empty-handed, because he’s not done with @RandyOrton … #SuperstarShakeup pic.twitter.com/O83H1BCcq1
— WWE (@WWE) April 11, 2017
Soon after Wyatt’s shocking jump, it was revealed that Kalisto was leaving SmackDown and that opens the door for a possible reunion for the Lucha Dragons. That is, of course, if Sin Cara doesn’t end up heading to SmackDown by the end of the second half of the shake-up on Tuesday night.
Earlier in the day, ComicBook reported that WWE confirmed former tag team champions would be leaving SmackDown and heading to Monday nights. As the night went on, it was revealed that Heath Slater and Rhyno were also moved from one brand to the other.
Former #SDLive #TagTeamChampions @HeathSlaterOMRB and @Rhyno313 are also on their way to Monday Night #RAW ! #SuperstarShakeup pic.twitter.com/S4Gf5l7Q2D
— WWE (@WWE) April 11, 2017
Ending the night, the women’s division of Team Red ended up getting a lot stronger as former women’s champion Alexa Bliss introduced herself to the women of Raw . Right after she made her Monday night debut, Mickie James revealed that she had also been chosen to switch brands.
Here is the final list of Superstar Shake-Up moves for SmackDown Live to Raw :
- Apollo Crews
- The Miz
- Maryse
- Dean Ambrose – Intercontinental Champion
- Curt Hawkins
- Bray Wyatt
- Kalisto
- Heath Slater
- Rhyno
- Alexa Bliss
- Mickie James
You have to admit that is a long list and there are a lot of big-time names on it which has seriously depleted the SmackDown Live roster. General Manager Kurt Angle’s brand just became a lot stronger, but there is still one more night to go and anything is possible as tomorrow night, Team Blue gains from Team Red.
Monday Night Raw is only the start of it all as the moves in the Superstar Shake-Up are set to continue during SmackDown Live on Tuesday. Some may think they’re safe and staying put, but at this point, only those still on Team Blue appear to be set. It was interesting that the highly rumored AJ Styles move didn’t happen, but The Club may still join him on Tuesday evenings when WWE continues trades and deals tomorrow.
[Featured Image by WWE]