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The 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-Up is due to take place on the April 15-16 episodes of Raw and SmackDown Live. The annual event presents the roster with a chance to make new allies and enemies over the next year on one of WWE’s two main-roster brands, and it is generally seen as a positive if a Superstar is given the opportunity to move shows.
In 2018, for example, Baron Corbin moved from SmackDown Live to Raw and established himself as one of the top heels in WWE, while Asuka and The Miz both had memorable moments on Tuesday nights after swapping Team Red for Team Blue.
Although the majority of Superstar Shake-Ups/WWE Drafts go smoothly, not everybody is overly excited after WWE’s yearly roster changes take place.
In this article, let’s take a look at five WWE stars who were left legitimately annoyed after past Shake-Ups/Drafts.
#5 Nikki Bella
In the summer of 2016, the WWE roster was split into two separate brands for the first time in over four years, with flagship show Raw and the revamped SmackDown Live recruiting new Superstars and staging their own brand-exclusive pay-per-views.
At the time, Nikki Bella was one of the marquee names in the women’s division, having held the Divas Championship for a record number of days (301), and she was hoping to make her return in time for the much-anticipated WWE Draft after recovering from neck surgery.
However, in scenes that were filmed for Total Divas, she explained that, despite receiving clearance from her surgeon, somebody from WWE emailed her to let her know that she would not be part of the roster changes.
She said (quotes via E!):
"For some reason I thought that they'd wanna clear me quick and make sure I was a big part of the draft, but I'm not on the roster...so is like that the end for me? I feel really sad because I'm not at TV with the other girls, I'm not getting drafted, but I'm going to prove to everyone that Nikki Bella will be back in that ring, because no one can stop me."
As it turned out, Eva Marie received a suspension just one month after the WWE Draft, so Nikki returned at SummerSlam 2016 and quickly became involved in a feud with main-roster newcomer Carmella on SmackDown Live.
#4 Cesaro
One of the biggest talking points following the 2016 WWE Draft came when Cesaro was chosen as Raw’s 17th draft pick (and 28th overall draft pick). At the time, he was involved in some of the best matches in WWE and the expectation was that he would move to SmackDown Live, which was being dubbed “the wrestling show” by authority figures heading into the Draft.
Speaking in a post-Draft interview, Cesaro said he should have been “at least top ten” before mentioning that he would have been better suited to SmackDown Live.
He said (quotes via Cageside Seats):
“Just looking at the rosters and what the GMs talked about yesterday how SmackDown is going to be the wrestling show and all about in-ring product and all about the Superstars and not necessarily about the GMs and that whole drama, I feel like I probably would have been a better fit for SmackDown.”
He went on to criticise WWE’s focus on Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley as authority figures on Raw, adding that people should be discussing the Superstars instead.
“We have Seth Rollins, we have New Day, we have Finn Balor coming up from NXT - those are the people we should be here talking about. But we’re talking about Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley, which is annoying to me.”
It was widely reported after the WWE Draft that Cesaro’s comments, which aired in a live interview on the WWE Network, were not part of a storyline and he was letting his real-life frustration be known through his character.
#3 Jim Ross
One of the most famous roster changes in WWE history took place in 2008 when legendary commentator Jim Ross was moved from Raw to SmackDown without being given any warning. Why? Because WWE’s decision-makers wanted to see his genuine reaction on live television when he found out at the same time as the audience.
Naturally, this upset Ross, a loyal WWE employee for many years, and he explained in a blog post on his website (you can read it in full here) that he considered quitting the company after the incident.
“As many of you know, I was ‘drafted’ to Smackdown Monday night in the ‘random lottery’. Obviously that means I will be leaving Monday Night Raw and my long time partner Jerry Lawler. I am not happy about this surprise development. I also contemplated calling it a career Monday night and not going to Houston to tape SD.”
He added that, after speaking to his wife, he decided to “do the right thing for the fans who care and the talent who care” by reluctantly starting his new role on SmackDown.
#2 Emma
In September 2016, Emma revealed that she had been cleared for six weeks and she was waiting for an opportunity to return to in-ring action on the main roster.
Back then, the Raw and SmackDown Live women’s divisions were gaining numbers after the arrivals of Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Nia Jax & Co. from NXT, but they were still desperately lacking the strength in depth that both rosters possess today.
It seemed strange that the Aussie was not involved in the initial WWE Draft in July 2016, never mind the fact that she had still not returned two months later, so she let her frustration be known on Twitter:
"6 weeks ago I was cleared... Each week I wait, the more frustrated I get. I feel sorry for the person who's going to see it's all about me!"
In the end, after several months of ‘Emmalina’ vignettes, it took another seven months before Emma finally returned to in-ring competition on Raw.
#1 Sheamus
Cesaro gained a ton of momentum after returning from injury after WrestleMania 32 in 2016, while Sheamus was in need of a career resurgence after an underwhelming spell as part of the League of Nations faction.
Before the duo joined forces and became The Bar, "The Celtic Warrior" and "The Swiss Cyborg" were rivals throughout the summer of 2016, which eventually led to them being put together in a tag team by Raw General Manager Mick Foley.
Speaking on Talk Is Jericho, Sheamus revealed that he was genuinely frustrated when he was watching the WWE Draft and waiting to find out which number he would be drafted. In the end, he was drafted at #30, which meant he was the final person to be picked on the broadcast before the rest of the names were revealed on the WWE Network.
“He [Cesaro] came back on fire. I was coming off of that League of Nations thing after being world champ. And then, we did the draft and we were the second last and last pick and I remember sitting there as the draft is going on thinking, ‘Am I even going to be drafted on TV? This is absolute bulls***!'”
