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After 2 successive nights of brand switching and surprises, the much-awaited WWE Superstar Shake-Up is now done and dusted. After a long and gruelling WrestleMania season, a plethora of new feuds and championship hunts beckon at both Raw and SmackDown.
On the Raw side of things, we saw superstars such as AJ Styles, The Miz, Rey Mysterio and The Usos switching over to Monday nights, whereas SmackDown saw Roman Reigns and the Intercontinental Champion, Finn Bálor, switching over to Tuesday nights.
Let's look at some of the interesting things we learned about the current landscape of the WWE post Superstar Shake-Up.
#3 WWE desperately wants to rebuild the tag team division of Raw
Raw's tag team division had been in dire straits for a lengthy period of time. The Authors of Pain failed to gather any momentum despite winning the Raw Tag Team Championship. Owing to poor booking decisions for a lengthy period of time, The Revivial suffered the same fate.
The lack of star power led to the tag team division in the red brand being completely pushed to the sidelines. So much so, that the Raw Tag Team Championship match was forced to be shifted to the WrestleMania 35 Pre-show, instead of the main show.
On the contrary, the SmackDown Tag Team division was oozing with established talents, with the likes of The Usos, The Bar, The New Day and The Hardy Boyz. They were able to gain the attention of the fans on a weekly basis, and considering the talents involved in all these teams, putting up quality matches regularly was an easy task.
With the Superstar Shake-Up, WWE has tried to make amends to this imbalance. The Usos were switched over to the red brand. We saw some shockers such as the renaming of the NXT Tag Team Champions, The War Raiders to The Viking Experience, with the Raymond Rowe being renamed as Erik and Hanson being repackaged as Ivar. Nevertheless, Raw's Tag Team division has certainly been bolstered by the presence of these two teams.
On the SmackDown side, too much damage hasn't been done, with The Hardy Boyz, The Bar and The New Day still a part of the blue brand. Along with that, WWE may also give the two remaining members of Sanity, Alexander Wolfe and Kilian Dain, a push towards the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.
#2 The sudden huge void in the Women's division
WrestleMania 35 was one of the most historic nights for the women's division in the WWE. The main event of the mega-show saw Becky Lynch emerging victorious against Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair.
Despite the apparent botched finished of the eventual match and the convoluted storytelling in its build-up, women's division felt like a big deal in the WWE. The presence of an international superstar like Ronda Rousey further bolstered the entire division.
However, post WrestleMania 35, suddenly, there seems to be a huge void in the WWE's women's division. Ronda Rousey has stepped away from WWE for the time being, as she reportedly aims to begin a family.
Sasha Banks and Bayley losing the Women's Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 35 did not go down well with Sasha Banks, as she reportedly had a falling out with WWE Management, and may be looking for a release. Nia Jax's injury may rule her out from action for maybe a year, which also leaves Tamina's future uncertain.
WWE has tried to correct these developments by keeping the Raw and SmackDown's women's champion, Becky Lynch on both the brands. The Superstar Shake-Up saw Natalya and Lacey Evans eyeing the Raw's Women's Championship. Naomi also switched over to Monday nights. Due to the sudden dearth of talent, we may also see Zelina Vega in action at Raw.
On SmackDown, the emergence of Asuka and Kairi Sane will certainly bolster the tag team division. Bayley has been given a fresh lease of life with the switch to Tuesday nights. However, overall, the women's division has an uphill ride ahead.
#1 WWE wants to increase the ratings of SmackDown before its move to Fox network
SmackDown's massive billion-dollar deal with Fox network and eventual switch to Friday nights at Fox is something WWE is eagerly looking forward to. After all, WWE is set to make $205 million per year for 5 years. Considering the amount of money involved, SmackDown is most likely to air on Fox's main channel.
However, in the last 12 months, the ratings of SmackDown Live have been floundering and lagging behind. If such a trend continues even after its move to Fox, the network may be forced to air the show on its subsidiary channel, FS1, which would definitely cause a loss of reputation to the WWE.
In an attempt to increase the ratings, WWE has used the Superstar Shake-Up as an opportunity to attract more and more fans towards to the blue brand. Roman Reigns' move from Raw to SmackDown seems to be in line with this objective. The Big Dog undoubtedly has a huge fan base and his presence in SmackDown will surely improve the ratings. Add to it, the emergence of the Intercontinental Champion, Finn Bálor, at SmackDown, who is known to be an extremely popular superstar.
Therefore, WWE has set the ground for rebuilding the popularity of SmackDown Live as a show. It remains to be seen how successful WWE would be in this attempt.
