4 WWE Superstars who could be Vince McMahon's secret SmackDown Live acquisition

The 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-Up kicked off on Monday’s episode of Raw, with AJ Styles, The Miz, and The Usos among 17 people who were drafted to the red brand.

Here is the full list of Superstars who swapped SmackDown Live, NXT and 205 Live for WWE’s flagship show: AJ Styles, The Miz, Ricochet, Aleister Black, Erik (Rowe), Ivar (Hanson), Andrade, Zelina Vega, Rey Mysterio, Lars Sullivan, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Naomi, EC3, Lacey Evans, Eric Young, Cedric Alexander.

Looking ahead to Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live, WWE is teasing on its website that Vince McMahon will introduce “the biggest acquisition in SmackDown Live history” during the second night of the Superstar Shake-Up.

The SmackDown preview on WWE.com reads as follows:

“The first night of the Superstar Shake-up was thrilling, to say the least. Although SmackDown LIVE is saying goodbye to Superstars like AJ Styles, The Miz, Rey Mysterio and Naomi, there is still plenty of intrigue as to who will be joining Team Blue.

“The mystery has been heightened by Mr. McMahon, who will be revealing the biggest acquisition in SmackDown LIVE history tonight. Who has the WWE Chairman secured for the blue brand?”

In this article, let’s take a look at the four most likely Superstars who could turn out to be Vince’s secret acquisition.

---

#4 Brock Lesnar

As tempting as it is to include John Cena on this list, the 16-time world champion was part of the original SmackDown Live roster when the show rebranded after the 2016 WWE Draft, so it would be a massive overstatement to suggest that him moving to the blue brand could be “the biggest acquisition in SmackDown Live history”.

Instead, it is much more likely that another performer with huge star power, such as Brock Lesnar, is the person that WWE is referring to. “The Beast” was defeated by Seth Rollins in the opening match of the main show at WrestleMania 35 and, after two reigns with the Universal Championship, he has no business remaining on Raw.

A switch over to SmackDown, where he made a big impression during his first WWE run from 2002-2004, would allow the former UFC star to set his sights on the WWE Championship further down the line, while his sports background could also come in handy when WWE starts to promote SmackDown Live’s move to FOX in October 2019.

#3 Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman has been a member of the Raw roster ever since he split from the Wyatt Family and broke out on his own as a singles competitor after the 2016 WWE Draft.

There is no denying that “The Monster Among Men” has become one of WWE’s most impressive Superstars over the last three years, but the aura that he used to carry in 2017-18 has been significantly damaged following his four Universal Championship defeats against Brock Lesnar.

Kofi Kingston did not appear on Monday’s episode of Raw, which presumably means that the WWE Championship will stay on SmackDown Live and Seth Rollins’ Universal Championship will remain on Raw.

If that is the case, then yet another year of Strowman trying to work his way up the Raw card to challenge for the Universal Championship is not something that the majority of WWE fans want to see.

Perhaps WWE would be wise to promote Strowman as Vince McMahon’s high-profile acquisition and have him challenge for the WWE Championship, as opposed to the Universal Championship, in future.

#2 The Undertaker

For only the third time in his WWE career, The Undertaker did not make an appearance at WrestleMania this year. Instead, he showed up the following night on Raw to confront Elias, seemingly to set up a match between the two at some point in the next few months.

Elias mentioned during his segment on Monday’s episode of Raw that it could be his final night with the brand, so it is not impossible that WWE’s resident guitarist could switch to SmackDown Live and continue to aim digs at The Undertaker during musical performances over on Tuesday nights.

It has been widely reported this week that “The Deadman” has signed a new WWE contract, while the man himself recently posted on social media that he has lost 25 lbs and that reports of his demise “have been greatly exaggerated”.

Even the biggest ‘Taker fan would have to admit that his late 2018 run on Raw to promote his matches against Triple H and D-Generation X were underwhelming, so perhaps a short-term move to SmackDown – a show he was synonymous with in the 2000s – to build a possible match against Elias could be just what the veteran needs at this stage of his career.

#1 Roman Reigns

Just like Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns has been a member of the Raw roster since the 2016 WWE Draft took place almost three years ago. Since then, he has won all three male singles titles on Raw (Universal Championship, Intercontinental Championship, and the United States Championship), while he added to his WrestleMania résumé by main-eventing the show again in 2017 and 2018.

Simply put, what else is left for “The Big Dog” to achieve on Monday nights? Dean Ambrose is leaving WWE, so The Shield reunions will be over soon, and he risks being overshadowed by the likes of Seth Rollins and new recruit AJ Styles if he remains on the red brand for the next year.

With Styles leaving SmackDown Live for Raw, space has opened up for the blue brand to welcome a high-profile babyface to the show.

There is plenty of fan support for Reigns following his battle with leukemia, and now seems like the right time to give him a fresh start with a new group of opponents on SmackDown Live.