3 biggest things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown Live (April 16, 2019)

The WWE Superstar Shake-up officially ended with SmackDown Live going off the air. Around a dozen superstars switched their respective brands.

Two nights ago, The Miz and Shane McMahon made their presence felt on Monday Night Raw, while The Usos also became part of the flagship show after dominating SmackDown Live since the brand split. Naomi and Rey Mysterio were other notable names to leave SmackDown Live.

However, the biggest name to arrive on the Raw roster was AJ Styles, and he is sure to make the flagship show phenomenal.

The shake-up continued on SmackDown Live with Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, and Elias jumping ship.

So without further delay, let's take a look at 3 biggest things WWE secretly told us on SmackDown Live.

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#3 Roman Reigns was Vince McMahon's pick, not Elias

Roman Reigns!

This week's episode of SmackDown Live ended with a bang as the Big Dog, Roman Reigns, interrupted Vince McMahon as he was announcing Elias as his biggest acquisition in SmackDown history.

Reigns took down Elias and Mr. McMahon in quick fashion and made it clear that SmackDown Live is his yard now.

While it looked like Elias was Vince McMahon's groundbreaking announcement as the biggest superstar drafted to the roster, it was, in fact, Roman Reigns who actually made an impact.

Back in 2015, Reigns was handpicked by Mr. McMahon to be the face of the company but wasn't really comfortable as a pro-wrestler the same way his Shield brothers were.

He was solid as a part of The Shield, yet mismanagement on the part of the WWE resulted in his flaws being heavily exposed following the stable’s split in May 2014.

Now, Reigns at this point in his career has an advantage, as he is fresh from his return of battling cancer, and being on SmackDown Live will give him enough time to regain appreciation from the fans and improve in terms of his character.

#2 Vince McMahon will be a regular corporate figure on SmackDown Live

Vince McMahon!

Vince McMahon, the founder of WWE, made his return to Live TV last night. The character hasn't been on television for the past couple of weeks, and last appeared on SmackDown to have a confrontation with The New Day heading into WrestleMania 35.

Last night on SmackDown, Mr. McMahon introduced Elias as his biggest draft pick, but the live crowd in Montreal were having none of it.

Elias tried to calm the crowd with a live performance but was unceremoniously interrupted by Roman Reigns. Reigns made his presence felt as he knocked the boss out with a superman punch.

This only indicates that the chairman of the company will be a regular corporate figure heading forward, and it's amazing that at the age of 73, Mr. McMahon is still willing to take bumps to put his employees over.

In the last several years, Vince has been grooming his successors, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. Though doubtful this will be his last hoorah, moments like these won't be around for much longer. Mr. McMahon was a vital character for the resurgence of WWE, and a character we'll all miss the moment he's gone.

#1 Kevin Owens could be Kofi Kingston's first title defense

Kevin Owens!

The hometown hero, Kevin Owens, opened SmackDown Live last night and invited Kofi Kingston down to the ring for the Kevin Owens Show. The segment was used to change the tag team match between New Day against Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura into a six-man match as Kevin Owens requested to take the place of Big E, as Rusev and Nakamura added Cesaro to their team.

The face trio won the six-man tag match as Kevin Owens used the stunner to give his team a victory. Many fans expected Owens to turn on his teammates after the match, but that didn't happen.

There is a lot of history between Kevin Owens and Kofi Kingston this year, as Owens replaced Kingston at the 2019 Fastlane PPV, taking his number one contender spot for the WWE Title, and I wouldn't be surprised if Owens turns out to be the first challenger for Kingston's WWE Championship.