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It has been a week since the conclusion of the Superstar Shake-up, which was meant to literally "shake up" the complexions of the rosters of Raw and SmackDown Live. We have already begun to see the effects of this in the storylines currently being portrayed on the weekly shows. With 26 days to go for WWE's next pay-per-view, Money In The Bank, new feuds are being lined up so as to break free from the long build-up created that was leading up to WrestleMania 35.
However, there are some decisions from the Superstar Shake-Up, which the WWE is apparently not comfortable with. Thereby, WWE has now decided to overturn these decisions without any explanation and justification. Let us have a look at three of these decisions.
#3 The NXT Tag Team Champions have been renamed...again! Also, they are now heels
During the Superstar Shake-Up, we saw the NXT Tag Team Champions being drafted to Raw to shore up the struggling tag team division of the show. The team of Hanson and Raymond Rowe, who had made their names in the independent circuit as The War Machine, had already been renamed to The War Raiders upon their arrival at NXT. However, when they arrived on Raw last week, they were bafflingly introduced as The Viking Experience, with Raymond Rowe renamed as Erik and Hanson renamed as Ivar.
The move was received negatively by fans and fellow wrestlers alike. The Internet Wrestling Community complained about the massive gap in storytelling between the main roster shows and NXT. This was also solidified by the fact that the NXT Tag Team Champions appeared without their tag team titles.
To placate the damage from the previous week, WWE has once again renamed the tag team to The Viking Raiders, a bit closer in line with their name on NXT. However, inexplicably, they are now being portrayed as heels even though they are babyfaces on NXT. How much of a success would The Viking Raiders be on the main roster remains to be seen. However, the early signs are not very encouraging, especially due to the vast disconnect between the main roster and NXT.
#2 Andrade and Zelina Vega are back on SmackDown Live
During the Superstar Shake-Up, WWE announced that Andrade and his manager, Zelina Vega, were now switching over to Monday Night Raw. This was considered a welcome move by the WWE Universe and it was a general consensus that 'El Idolo' was a perfect fit for the red brand. In his debut match on Raw, he squared off against the Intercontinental Champion, Finn Bálor, and managed to pick up a victory in a non-title bout. It seemed that Andrade was in for a push on Raw.
However, once again, inexplicably, Andrade and Zelina Vega have moved back to SmackDown Live. On April 23rd, 2019 episode of SmackDown Live, he once again had a non-title match against Finn Bálor, and despite interference from Zelina Vega, ended up on the losing side.
Although Andrade has been a part of the main roster since April 2018, the opportunities given to him on SmackDown Live have been few and far between. During much of his run so far, he had not been allowed a fair opportunity to be fully involved in any feud. Despite delivering good matches in the limited opportunities given, he has tended to end up in the losing corner, which has hampered his credibility. The recent double switch would further dampen his credibility and it remains to be seen whether he can truly be the future of WWE.
#3 Aleister Black is now a part of the SmackDown Live roster
'The Dutch Destroyer' Aleister Black has had a rather peculiar arrival to the main roster since February 2019. As someone who had always been portrayed with a darker demeanor who tends to ride solo, he was suddenly pitted in a tag team with Ricochet on both Raw and SmackDown Live. This was later inculcated in the storyline on NXT as well, wherein the team of Ricochet and Aleister Black won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament and went up against The War Raiders at NXT TakeOver: New York for the NXT Tag Team Championship in their farewell match.
During the Superstar Shake-Up, it was announced that both Ricochet and Aleister Black are now full-time members of Monday Night Raw, which led to speculations that WWE may have plans to continue with the team, that had gradually started to win over the fans.
On the April 23rd, 2019 episode of SmackDown Live, WWE announced that Aleister Black was now a member of the SmackDown Live roster. He made an appearance in the show during a backstage vignette where he showed glimpses of the complexities of his character.
This is, nonetheless, a good sign and may give indications that WWE might be giving Aleister Black the same dark characteristics as he had in NXT. However, the character inconsistency is now a common feature on the main roster and it especially tends to hurt the wrestlers coming over from NXT. Going forward, WWE creative team certainly needs to keep this in mind if they wish to build up newer stars.
