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This past week was possibly one of the most important weeks in the WWE calendar, as the post WrestleMania environment WWE has created will define how well their decisions from the show of shows succeed or fail.
And if we are being honest, this week's episodes of Raw and SmackDown Live were not the greatest editions of the show fans have seen in 2019, but they were certainly entertaining, as the Superstar Shake-up gave fans a proper indication of the true narratives that would carry the brands for the next few months.
From AJ Styles and Roman Reigns switching brands to big rumours being passed around like a hot potato, this was quite an eventful week for the WWE, as there are a lot of rumors running wild on the internet that could give the WWE Universe some evidence of what is truly going on in the company right now.
#1 It's all about the experience
The one thing that WWE fans were always wary about over the last few years was the way WWE handle some of the biggest stars that come out of NXT, as these future champions are either called up early with no plan in mind or just straight up ruined by the 'creative' booking they receive every week. But what happened on Raw this week might just take the cake.
We witnessed the team of Hanson and Rowe who were formerly known as the War Machine on the independent scene receive yet another name change, and while NXT's creative team handled the change quite subtly by tweaking 'Machine' to 'Raiders', Raw's head honchos made a rather hilarious choice in the name change.
As the War Raiders are now known as The Viking Experience, and if that was not enough, WWE even changed their names from Hanson and Rowe to Ivar and Erik. You know there has to come a time when WWE ask themselves what does shortening a wrestlers name or changing it complete do for the product? It makes no difference, and if they were changing a name for the better, the rumored name for the duo could have been better.
The Beserkers was the initial choice WWE had in mind but ultimately went for the infamous Viking Experience.
#2 It's vacation time
The one superstar many didn't expect to make headlines after WrestleMania 35 was Sasha Banks, as Banks has not been an integral part of WWE's plans in the women's division for what feels like years now. That is probably the reason why the former Women's Champion decided to allegedly walk away from the company.
Rumors had exploded on the internet on the Raw after WrestleMania that Banks tried to quit, and that one rumor spiraled into a plethora of different stories around Banks that made her apparent grievances with the WWE seem 'legit'.
But now the rumor mill's latest update is that the Banks situation could see the Boss take some time away from the company before making her decision on her future in the WWE.
WWE is not doing too good with keeping their employees happy at the moment, as it seems the bizarre booking of their top talent over the last few years is coming back to haunt them, and if that was not enough, we have another WWE star who wants to walk out the door.
#3 The trend of unhappy employees continues
Luke Harper is the most recent WWE Superstar to ask for his release from WWE, as the former member of the Wyatt Family made it public on Twitter that he asked for his release from the company, and that he was basically grateful for all the training he had received from the WWE.
And judging by the overwhelming response Harper got from his fellow co-workers, it seems like he will be missed backstage, and there is no doubt that the big brute will be remembered by WWE fans as another star that could have been much more bigger in the company if WWE gave him the push he deserved.
It is hard to talk about Harper and not mention his white-hot rise to in the main event back in 2016/2017, as this was that one time WWE should have pulled the trigger on the talented big man. Nevertheless, Harper wants to leave the company, but WWE has not yet granted his release, and according to rumors, Harper will be granted his release by the WWE in the future.
#4 Not done just yet
When the Undertaker appeared on Monday Night Raw last week, many were left confused, as the rumored plans for Undertaker at WrestleMania stated that the former WWE Champion would interrupt Elias' segment, but that didn't happen, as everyone's favorite rapper from 2003 who is none other than good old John Cena, showed up and did the deed.
However, Undertaker did show up on Raw to do the exact same thing the rumors had suggested, so, with reports basically giving us some insight to the thought process behind WWE making this decision, we now know that Undertaker assaulting Elias was done to set up a match between the two at WWE's next show in Saudi Arabia.
Rumors have indicated that Undertaker has signed a new deal with the WWE which will see him perform somewhere down the line, this is most likely at the aforementioned Saudi Arabia show, and Elias seems to be the phenom's next victim, which is not really a bad thing, as this is a high profile match for the Drifter.
#5 Family time
Ronda Rousey was a house on fire in her first year in the WWE, and according to rumors, it seems like that was Ronda's only year inside a wrestling ring, as according to speculation, Rousey has possibly retired from wrestling to start a family.
This comes as somewhat of a shock, as WWE put so much effort into making Ronda the face of the women's division, and after her heel turn, fans had started to accept her as the top star, but now without Rousey in the picture, it seems like the company has to find their next big thing.
And if we're honest here, WWE needs to find a suitable rival for Becky Lynch, as her potential battle with Lacey Evans could derail Lynch's entire women's title run, as it feels like WWE jumped the gun with making Evans a top threat to Becky this soon.
Maybe one day we will see Ronda in a WWE ring again, and it would be awesome to see her face off against her old rival, Lynch, who beat her for the title via poor officiating.
#6 Miz needs the attention
The one move that shocked fans during the 2019 Superstar Shake-up was the Miz moving to Raw after his feud with Shane McMahon over on the blue brand was far from finished, but after Miz basically beat the best out of Shane McMahon on Raw this week, it seems like their feud is over, well, maybe not.
If anyone really paid attention to anything WWE has done over the last few months you will realise that Shane is not confined to the blue brand, as the McMahons run both Raw and SmackDown Live in the new era. So we could see this feud continue, but the question is then why send Miz to Raw if WWE could do the same thing on SmackDown Live?
Rumors have indicated that it is due to WWE being unhappy with the ratings of Miz & Mrs, so by Miz being on Raw, WWE can get an extra day to promote the show, moreover, this could also be due to SmackDown Live moving to Fox while Miz's show is on the USA Network, and by Miz moving to Raw, which is also on the USA Network, it helps WWE even out the odds.
#7 It's never goodbye
Many thought that Dean Ambrose was going to be on his way out of the company when the WWE themselves had announced that the Lunatic Fringe was not renewing his contract all the way back in 2018, but fans had a hunch that this might have been a work.
Well, after Ambrose had said his goodbyes on Raw a few weeks ago, fans thought that was the last time we would see the former World Champion in a WWE ring, but on Raw this week Ambrose appeared once again to say his goodbyes, which was followed by an interesting rumor.
The rumor stated that Ambrose was offered a huge contract by WWE that would see him earn a huge salary, moreover, speculation has surfaced that Dean has about six months off WWE TV to make his decision, which would make for an epic comeback if the man decides to re-sign with the company.
Another company interested in Ambrose is none other than AEW, the Cody Rhodes promotion has reportedly offered Ambrose a six million dollar deal which will see him earn more than Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins for fewer dates. This is an interesting time for Ambrose and wrestling fans, because in a few months, who knows where the former Sheild member will land up?
