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The month of April is arguably the best time of the year for any WWE fan given the fanfare surrounding WrestleMania and the night after it. An integral part of it is the Superstar Shake-Up, which has attracted a lot of attention over the past few years with the prospect of NXT superstars being transitioned to the main roster and dream matches becoming a reality with the likes of AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan and Finn Balor vs Brock Lesnar being orchestrated by the WWE Creative.
This year's Superstar Shake-Up has been no different with several big names exchanging spots between Raw and Smackdown Live while several deserving NXT and 205 Live competitors have also made the jump to the mainstream business. With these changes generally having a huge impact on how WWE plans to go ahead with their bookings, here are five superstars are sure to have a great year ahead post the Superstar Shake-Up.
#5 AJ Styles
Ever since his record breaking run as WWE Champion came to an abrupt end in late 2018, AJ Styles has been relegated to the mid-card and a subsequent transfer to Monday Night Raw post WrestleMania 35. With Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns not on the roster anymore, Raw does not have many main-event talents available to challenge Seth Rollins for his newly acquired WWE Universal Championship and who better to do so than the Phenomenal AJ Styles?
With the former US and WWE Champion ticking all the requirements for a bonafide main-eventer, he could be the face of the red brand for the foreseeable future with Styles even having a go at the Rollins in the upcoming PPV, Money in the Bank, setting up a dream match much to the delight of the WWE Universe. With a genuine lack of crowd puller in the Raw roster's main-event scene, AJ Styles could be the ideal answer.
#4 Kevin Owens
As is the case with Raw, Smackdown too has a dearth in heels with Daniel Bryan not on screen since his WrestleMania defeat to Kofi Kingston. While one man's loss is another man's gain, Kevin Owens has taken up the mantle of the heel in the main event scenario with the burly wrestler set to face the WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston for the Championship at Money in the Bank.
One of the best on the mic, Kevin Owens has long being touted for a push on Smackdown with only a couple of feuds with AJ Styles and Shane McMahon actually doing his stocks some good during the last year or so. While Smackdown is slowly making strides after losing out on one of it's stalwarts AJ Styles and the likes of Rey Mysterio and the Miz, Kevin Owens is sure to have a major impact on proceedings in the coming year.
#3 Lacey Evans
Gone are the days when ex-Marine, Lacey Evans used to walk back and forth on the entrance ramp with the WWE Creative seemingly on the verge of giving her a major push on the Raw roster. Ronda Rousey's temporary hiatus and Becky Lynch's dilemma of having to lead the women's roster on both brands has left a very few genuine contenders for the championships which has opened the way for superstars such as Lacey Evans to rise up.
While Evans' ability in the ring was always up in the air, her debut against Natalya was well received with her picturesque moonsault raking in applause from all corners. Slated to face Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship at the Money in the Bank PPV, Lacey Evans is destined to be a Women's Champion and with fans backing her push as well, she could well be a bonafide star on the women's roster.
#2 The Miz
Whilst the majority of the WWE Universe are fully behind 'Kofi-Mania', one other superstar who is due a World Championship opportunity is The Miz. The loudmouth has had an eventful year right from winning the Smackdown Tag Team Championships to being drafted for the third consecutive time in the Superstar Shake-Up a few weeks back.
Blessed with immense in-ring ability and mic skills, Miz has found himself in the upper mid-card over the last few years with several reigns as the Intercontinental Champion inspite of being a former World Champion. With highly talented superstars in Kofi Kingston and Finn Balor being pushed this year, one can expect Miz to be in the running for a title reign on the Raw roster by the end of the year with a lack of proven talent in the Raw roster.
The likes of Drew McIntyre and Samoa Joe are great inside the ring but do not have much to show for their efforts which could be the Miz' strong point.
#1 Roman Reigns
The WWE Universe is still coming to terms with the medical condition of Roman Reigns, who was found to be diagnosed with leukemia. Ever since his return to the main roster, he hasn't quite taken off or been pushed by WWE management as they seek smooth transition in his case.
After main-eventing multiple WrestleManias, Reigns was relegated to a non-title match against an equally impressive, Drew McIntyre but wasn't able to showcase the dominance that he was generally associated with prior to his departure in late-2018. This could all change in a jiffy with Roman Reigns being drafted to Smackdown and possibly take over from AJ Styles as the face of the blue brand.
While Kofi Kingston holds the WWE Championship as of now, it shouldn't be long before Roman Reigns comes after him and add more value to 'The Biggest Acquisition in SmackDown History' claims made prior to his debut on Tuesday nights.
