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WWE has announced that the 2018 Superstar Shake-Up will take place across two nights on next week’s episodes of Raw and SmackDown Live.
The rules of the Shake-Up look set to remain the same as last year, when Bray Wyatt was split up from the rest of the Wyatt Family, and we could see more teams separated this year.
In this article, let's take a look at the five tag teams who are in the most danger of being broken up in next week’s Shake-Up.
#5 SAnitY
SAnitY have been one of the most destructive factions in NXT since their October 2016 debut and a main-roster call-up for the four-person group, consisting of Killian Dain, Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe and Nikki Cross, is long overdue.
WWE has already called up four established acts from NXT this week, with Ember Moon, No Way Jose and the Authors of Pain heading to Raw and The IIconics going to SmackDown Live, and more promotions are expected in the Superstar Shake-Up.
If WWE looks at SAnitY for potential call-ups, it’s not out of the question that Dain is given a run as a singles competitor. The Northern Irishman was given a main-roster opportunity at WrestleMania 33, where he appeared in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and he has mostly featured in singles matches so far in 2018.
#4 Titus Worldwide
Titus Worldwide defeated The Bar in three non-title matches on Raw in early 2018 and it looked like they had a genuine chance of winning the Raw Tag Team titles before Sheamus and Cesaro defeated them convincingly at Elimination Chamber.
Titus O’Neil and Apollo’s days as a legitimate threat to the tag division now appear to be over, especially following their latest losses to The Revival and Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt, so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the duo parted ways in the Superstar Shake-Up.
Besides, the whole concept of Titus Worldwide was initially so Titus could manage other Superstars, not team up with them, so his first storyline after the Shake-Up could see him trying to recruit new people to his brand.
#3 The Miz & The Miztourage
Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel are more relevant than ever right now in their role as The Miz’s sidekicks in The Miztourage, but is their villainous alliance with the eight-time Intercontinental champion coming to an end?
Some babyface characteristics have been creeping into The Miz’s heel persona in recent weeks, most notably when he spoke about the birth of his daughter and when he took on Finn Balor and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 34 without Dallas and Axel at ringside.
With a new reality series, Miz & Mrs, on the way later in 2018, it would be wise for WWE to turn him into a good guy in the not-too-distant future. If that happens, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if he were to split from his Miztourage in the Shake-Up.
#2 Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin
In the short-term, the tag partnership between Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin made sense for both guys. Gable needed a quick-fix storyline following Jason Jordan’s surprise move to Raw, while being in a tag team was the only way Benjamin would be guaranteed increased television time on his return last year.
Long-term, however, WWE would be making a big mistake if they didn’t give Gable a singles run. The former NXT Tag Team champion was very impressive in one-on-one matches against AJ Styles and Rusev on SmackDown Live last year and his in-ring performances have gotten better and better in recent months.
If WWE does decide to split up the duo, there’s even the possibility that Gable, who weighs 202lbs, could join 205 Live and become a member of the cruiserweight division.
#1 The New Day
The New Day have mostly been involved in the SmackDown Tag Team title picture since they arrived on the blue brand in 2017. However, with The Bludgeon Brothers and The Usos now battling it out for the titles, Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are without an obvious storyline for the first time in close to a year.
Does that mean they’re heading back to Raw? Will they take a break from television for a short while? Will one of them chase a singles title with the others at ringside? Or could the impossible happen and will we see them separate in the Superstar Shake-Up?
All three guys have been a regular presence on our screens since debuting as a trio in 2014, so a hiatus with one member (possibly Big E) going solo for the next year wouldn’t be the worst idea, but it’d certainly be a bold move by WWE!
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