5 reasons why WWE didn't have a second Superstar Shake-up in 2017

Hands up, who was looking forward to a second Superstar Shake-up in 2017? It’s something many WWE fans wanted, but something they didn’t get.

There was a feeling after the post-WrestleMania shake-up that, despite recruiting big names like Kevin Owens and Charlotte Flair, SmackDown Live was short of drawing power compared to Raw.

It was a fair point, taking into account that the red brand had a more star-studded roster even before the arrival of ‘free agent’ John Cena, and it led to reports that WWE was considering another round of changes after SummerSlam.

Of course, that didn’t happen, so we’ve taken a look at five reasons why they decided against another summer shuffle of Superstars.

#1 Changes had already been made

Just because there wasn’t an official Shake-up, it doesn’t mean the rosters didn’t get shaken up.

Where was Jason Jordan after the last Shake-up? SmackDown. Where is he now? Raw. The same can be said for John Cena — although, technically, he’s a ‘free agent’.

Mike and Maria Kanellis are other examples of superstars who weren’t on SmackDown after the shake-up, but they are now. Shelton Benjamin, too.

As for NXT call-ups, Bobby Roode is now a SmackDown Superstar, while the WWE Universe is eagerly awaiting the debut of Raw recruit Asuka at TLC.

So, when you look at it like that, there was a Shake-up of sorts; it was just sporadic!

#2 They only just had a Shake-up!

Deam — Dean Ambrose, The Miz & Maryse were drafted to Raw

It was surprising to hear rumours as early as July, just three months on from the last Superstar Shake-up, that another one was possibly on the way after SummerSlam.

If a Superstar moves to Raw in April, it should feel like a big deal because, excluding Survivor Series and Royal Rumble, he/she will not be able to feud with a member of the other roster for another year.

If Shake-ups happened every four months — the general timeframe of a main-event storyline — then there would be no need to have separate rosters at all.

Besides, a brand changes should feel special and like an event that takes place once a year to bring in big TV ratings and shape the future of WWE for the next 12 months.

#3 Rosters hadn’t been fully utilised

Tye Dillinger has had more TV time recently

If Titus Worldwide had been drafted to SmackDown after SummerSlam, they’d probably be getting a mid-card push and we may not have seen Tye Dillinger, underused in recent months, in a storyline.

If Becky Lynch had been drafted to Raw after SummerSlam, she’d probably be in the title picture with Alexa Bliss or Sasha Banks, and current number one contender Mickie James may not have had any TV time because of that.

Those are just two examples to show that the Raw and SmackDown rosters haven’t exactly been exhausted since the first Shake-up.

Like Dillinger and James, there are plenty of other Superstars still waiting for a meaningful storyline that they might not have been given had another Shake-up happened.

#4 The first Shake-up was underwhelming

Alexa Bliss switched to Raw in April 2017

Sorry, WWE, but it was. The production of the Shake-up left a lot to be desired.

While the previous year’s brand split had live reactions from Superstars and its own show on the WWE Network, the post-WrestleMania shake-up had people showing up unannounced on a new brand with little-to-no interaction with the general managers.

Dean Ambrose and The Miz turned up on Raw to continue a feud that started on SmackDown, so it felt a little pointless, and Charlotte Flair’s move to the blue brand was blatantly obvious after Alexa Bliss moved to the red side the night before.

Alexa has since revealed in media interviews that the Superstars knew as much as the fans about the shake-up until, on the day of Raw, they were finally told if they were switching brands or not.

#5 Key storylines hadn’t finished

Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar were still feuding

In April 2017, it made sense to freshen up the rosters. Undertaker, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg and John Cena all disappeared from TV following WrestleMania 33, therefore new stories needed to be told.

However, main-event storylines were still going on when the second shake-up of the year was reportedly due to take place.

Shinsuke Nakamura was due to have a rematch against Jinder Mahal; Braun Strowman had unfinished business with Lesnar; Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins and The Bar were only just getting started, and John Cena and Roman Reigns were building to their first-ever meeting at No Mercy.

Who knows, perhaps we could still see some roster movement in 2017, but the rumoured timing of the shake-up-that-never-was just wasn’t right.

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