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The first episode of SmackDown Live since WrestleMania 35 showed the WWE Universe a glimpse of things to come after the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up, with three Raw Superstars – Drew McIntyre, Braun Strowman and Sami Zayn – appearing on the blue brand’s show.
Strowman made his mark when he interrupted Samoa Joe’s attack on R-Truth and began to brawl with the United States champion. The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner attempted to hit a running powerslam but Joe escaped and walked up the ramp with his title.
Meanwhile, Zayn made a brief appearance later on in the show when he stood on the stage area and looked set to cut a promo, just like he did following his defeat to Finn Balor on Raw. However, he decided to let the audience sing along to his entrance theme before simply saying: “Yeah, you’re not worth it.”
The show then ended with another Superstar from Raw, McIntyre, teaming up with Sheamus and Cesaro in a losing effort against The New Day, although the Scot missed the last few minutes of the match due to an apparent injury.
So, why did McIntyre, Strowman and Zayn show up on SmackDown Live and what does the future hold for the Raw trio? Let’s take a look at four of the biggest questions after their appearances on Tuesday’s episode.
#4 Should the Superstar Shake-Up even happen?
Let’s face it, the 2018 Superstar Shake-Up was a bit of a disaster. Hardly any of WWE’s elite Superstars moved brands, while the breakout star of the roster changes turned out to be Baron Corbin, who established himself as a top heel on Raw during his run as an authority figure.
Since the Shake-Up took place last April, we have seen over a dozen Superstars show up on both Raw and SmackDown Live, including Brie Bella, John Cena, Kevin Owens, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, The IIconics, The Big Show… and the list goes on and on.
One of the best things about the build-up to the WrestleMania 35 main event was the surprise factor of not knowing when and where Lynch and Flair would show up next. The brand split was non-existent in their storyline and it made for a refreshing change compared to the formulaic stories we see week-by-week on Raw and SmackDown Live.
WWE has already announced the Superstar Shake-Up for next week, but it would not be a surprise if the brand split ceased to exist in a year or two.
#3 Will Braun Strowman win the United States title?
One of the biggest storyline developments on SmackDown Live came when Samoa Joe interrupted Carmella and R-Truth before locking in a Coquina Clutch on the latter. Once Joe threw the former United States champion through the ropes, Braun Strowman’s music hit and a hard-hitting brawl quickly broke out.
“The Monster Among Men” failed to land his trademark running powerslam, which suggests that the rivalry between the two men is not over and WWE may revisit the storyline again during next week’s Superstar Shake-Up episodes of Raw and SmackDown Live.
Joe’s United States Championship has been a hot-potato title over the last two years – it has changed hands 17 times since WrestleMania 33 – so it would come as no surprise if his reign were to end in the not-too-distant future.
It is also worth remembering that although Strowman has several accomplishments in WWE, notably the 2018 Money In The Bank and Greatest Royal Rumble, he is yet to win a singles title.
If this week’s battle with Joe results in a feud between the two, perhaps we’ll see another new name “get these hands” on the US title soon.
#2 Will WWE change part of Sami Zayn’s character?
After 10 months out of action due to double shoulder surgery, Sami Zayn made his return to WWE on the post-WrestleMania 35 episode of Raw. He was defeated by new Intercontinental champion Finn Balor in the best match of the night, while he stuck around post-match to talk to the fans in Brooklyn.
It looked as though the former NXT champion had returned as a babyface when he began to discuss how much the crowd had missed him, prompting cheers from those in attendance, but then he turned against them by claiming he had not missed any of them, nor had he missed the “toxic WWE environment”.
Despite his actions on Raw, Zayn received a positive reaction again on this week’s SmackDown Live, while fans even chanted along to the tune of his catchy theme song.
Maybe, just like after WrestleMania 34 when Shinsuke Nakamura turned heel, WWE might look to change Zayn’s theme song at some point in the next few weeks. If not, expect plenty more entrance singing despite his heel status!
#1 Is Drew McIntyre injured?
Sheamus and Cesaro interrupted the ‘Winner Take All’ main event between Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston on Monday’s episode of Raw. The following night, they introduced Drew McIntyre – their “new friend” from Raw – as their tag partner to face The New Day on SmackDown Live.
Despite his defeat to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 35, McIntyre is seen by many as a possible Universal Championship challenger for Seth Rollins in the coming weeks. Not only because the Scot is yet to receive an opportunity at Raw’s top title, but also because he pinned Rollins on Raw shortly before WrestleMania.
However, sadly for the former Intercontinental champion, it looks as though he might have suffered an injury during the six-man tag on Tuesday after being slammed against the announce desk shortly before the ad break by Xavier Woods.
No statements have been made by WWE or McIntyre, but the Scot was seen walking to the back by himself in the latter stages of the match while SmackDown Live went to an ad break. The Bar then completed the match, which they lost, without him.
