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What will the rosters look like heading this time next week?

WWE Superstar Shakeup 2019: 10 Superstars who need to switch brands

In WWE, one of the most interesting events to occur following WrestleMania are the changes the company makes to the Raw and SmackDown rosters as part of the Superstar Shakeup.

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A week removed from then Show of Shows at MetLife Stadium, WWE is tasked with moving their superstars to different brands so they can have the best storylines possible for the remainder of the year.

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There has been a roster change every year since the brand split was revived in 2016 and the company's choices have lead to everything from The New Day's feud with The Usos, the reunion of The Shield, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair's amazing rivalry and a lot of different moments.

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Most of the company's top stars have remained on Raw or SmackDown since the brand split began, but this could be the year when the company finally makes some epic changes.

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When the first brand split occurred in 2002, WWE made a drastic change to their roster three years later by switching John Cena and Batista to different brands while they were the WWE Champion and World Heavyweight Champion respectively.

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WWE are nearing the three-year mark with the brand split and with SmackDown Live moving to FOX in October, the company has even more of an incentive to make the Blue Brand's roster better.

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Here's a look at 10 superstars and a few tag teams that need to move to Raw or SmackDown in next week's superstar shakeup.

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#10 The Usos - Monday Night Raw

They've helped define the SmackDown Tag Team Division
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Jimmy and Jey Uso quickly became one of SmackDown Live's greatest assets since they were drafted to the blue brand in 2016.

Their tag team wrestling was always a sight to behold, but their heel turn, gimmick change and amazing rivalry with The New Day elevated them to new heights and added even more to their Hall of Fame resume.

In the past three years, they've faced nearly all of SmackDown's tag teams and are in need of some fresh opponents - which they only get on Monday Night Raw.

Not only would they get new teams to wrestle, but they would be able to boost Raw's tag team division, which is in desperate need of an overhaul

#9 The Revival - SmackDown Live

They should've debuted here first
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Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder are one of the best tag teams in WWE, yet have barely been showcased since their debut on Monday Night Raw in 2017.

The Revival had classic matches against American Alpha and DIY in NXT only to have no major program and very few pay-per-view matches on the main roster.

It took The Revival allegedly wanting to leave WWE and interest from All Elite Wrestling for the company to finally give them the titles which ultimately lead to them losing at WrestleMania 35 against Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins.

There's no point in keeping them on Raw if they aren't going to be the focal point of the tag team division, so WWE might as well move them to SmackDown Live.

A better creative team, more opportunities and a bigger focus on wrestling is exactly what The Revival need to rebuild their stock and remind the fans how great they are.

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#8 - Aleister Black & Ricochet - Monday Night Raw

One of the best tag teams to debut on Raw
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The pairing of Aleister Black with Ricochet have been great to watch and there's a lot of reasons to keep the team together.

In the few months they've been working together on the main roster and in NXT, their tag team matches have been amazing and there's an argument to not only keep this team together going forward, but keep them on Monday Night Raw.

Black & Ricochet are excellent singles competitors in addition to being tag team wrestlers, so Raw would only benefit from their presence on the main roster.

Their team would be the ultimate utility players could easily be able to move from the tag team division to the main event if needed and Raw could use help in both departments.

Like most NXT callups, they've appeared on both shows, but Raw needs them a lot more than SmackDown does.

#7 Finn Balor - SmackDown Live

The Irish Young Gun could use a change of scenery
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Finn Balor seemed like he was going to be one of the biggest stars of the new brand split, but was sidelined by an injury as soon as he got his chance.

Since his return in 2017, Balor spent most of his time in the midcard and only received a handful of shots at the Universal Title despite being the first-ever champion.

Aside from his matches with Seth Rollins and his encounter with Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, most of Balor's time on Raw has been underwhelming to say the least.

With three years on the flagship show and very little to show for it, SmackDown seems like a much better fit for Balor.

There are a lot of wrestlers Balor hasn't faced on SmackDown Live including Andrade, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and others. Not to mention the wrestlers he's only had a few encounters with like his fellow Bullet Club alum, AJ Styles.

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#6 Charlotte Flair - Monday Night Raw

The flagship show needs The Queen
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Charlotte Flair has been on SmackDown Live since 2016 and has already faced most of the show's best wrestlers.

There are a few women she could still face on SmackDown Live, but it would probably be better if she moved to Monday Night Raw and separated herself from the Raw and SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch.

Flair spent most of 2018 and 2019 locked in a feud with Lynch on the blue brand, so now would be the perfect time to change things up and head back to the flagship show.

The Raw Women's Division has grown a lot from when Flair was there the first time around, so they'll be a multitude of opponents to chose from including Alexa Bliss, Ember Moon and Mickie James.

A few of her old rivalries are left on Raw including Natalya and the woman she fought at the very beginning of the brand split, Sasha Banks.

#5 Drew McIntyre - SmackDown Live

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The Chosen One Returns

Drew McIntyre's return to the main roster was very successful with him winning the Raw Tag Team Championships, defeating Kurt Angle in convincing fashion and dismantling the members of The Shield.

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McIntyre's body of work on Raw has been impressive, but now would be a good time for him to make the jump to SmackDown Live, the brand where he made his debut nine years ago.

He's currently advertised for a Universal Championship match against Seth Rollins, but they've wrestled six times on TV already and he's faced the other top stars on the show.

SmackDown would offer him a much bigger pool of opponents including the WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston.

Both men were midcard champions who fans wanted to see reach main event status at one point, so watching them battle for the holy grail of WWE would be amazing.

#4 Kevin Owens - Monday Night Raw

The Kevin Owens Show returns to where it all started
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Kevin Owens was poised to have a big return to SmackDown Live and face Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35, but Kofi Kingston would get the spot instead.

The Prizefighter has faced a lot of superstars on both brands, but would probably benefit Monday Night Raw the most.

As a former Universal Champion, Owens could immediately jump into the world title picture and face his old rival, Seth Rollins.

This feud was clouded with interference from Chris Jericho in 2016, but revisiting the feud with Owens as the challenger would make for great TV.

In addition to Rollins, Owens could always revisit his feud with Roman Reigns or Bobby Lashely, the superstar who defeated him before he left to deal with his injuries.

Yet, the biggest and most interesting opportunity would be for Owens to reignite his feud with fellow ROH, PWG and NXT alum Sami Zayn.

#3 Braun Strowman - SmackDown Live

The Monster Among Men needs SmackDown Live
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Braun Strowman was separated from The Wyatt Family at the start of the brand split and slowly worked his way to becoming one of the most popular superstars in WWE.

His feuds with Roman Reigns and his initial encounters with Brock Lesnar had fans clamoring to see him become a world champion, but WWE would continually miss the mark with The Monster Among Men and he never was given a world championship title reign.

In three years, he's faced everyone on Monday Night Raw and desperately needs to move to SmackDown Live.

Strowman facing any of the superstars on Raw again would only do more damage to his character and moving Strowman to Raw means better creative, more opponents and a chance to use the momentum he picked up with his Andre the Giant battle royal victory as a chance to start fresh.

#2 AJ Styles - Monday Night Raw

Make Monday Night Raw Phenomenal
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SmackDown Live is referred to as "The House that AJ Styles built," but the time has come for The Phenomenal One to leave his show for Monday Night Raw.

From his dream matches with Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura to his renewed rivalries against Samoa Joe, Styles has done everything except win the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

He made history last year becoming the eighth longest reigning WWE Champion of all time - two years before becoming the first man to win the TNA World Championship, IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Championship.

Styles has an incredible legacy from his time on SmackDown alone, but there's nothing left for him to do on the blue brand except leave for Raw.

Fans probably wouldn't be interested in another WWE Championship run from Styles, but challenging for the Universal Title would be a good change of pace and would finally give fans a chance to see Rollins vs. Styles in WWE.

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#1 Roman Reigns - SmackDown Live

The Big Dog on the Blue Brand
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Roman Reigns coming to SmackDown Live probably has the smallest chance of happening, but it would be an incredible move.

Just like AJ Styles dominated SmackDown, Reigns has dominated Monday Night Raw since the brand split began. Whether fighting for midcard titles, tag team championships or the big red belt, Reigns has always been prominently featured on the flagship show.

Reigns had some of his best feuds against Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt and some of the other members of the Raw roster, so there's very little for him to do.

On SmackDown Live, Reigns' presence would elevate the show the same way John Cena did when the brand split was revived in 2016.

There are a pantheon of great rivalries and matches for The Big Dog on SmackDown including revisiting his feud with Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe and Randy Orton.

If WWE is serious about making SmackDown a bigger show when they move to FOX, Reigns's presence would be a great help.

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Edited by
Sripad
 
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