WWE Superstar Shake-up: 7 shocking decisions the company could make

The Superstar Shake-up has been WWE's method of drafting superstars across both Raw and SmackDown Live ever since 2017, and while many members of the WWE Universe prefer that the company brings back their old system, the draft, this system works perfectly fine as well.

The sight of seeing general managers fight tooth and nail for superstars just gives the entire concept a special feel.

Nevertheless, if there is one thing the Superstar Shake-up has done well over the last few years was the fact that WWE made a whole host of shocking decisions on the day. As champions trading brands, new champions being crowned, and the biggest stars switching their alliance is always a fun prospect to witness.

This year we could see more of the same, as WWE will try to get their audience pumped for the following year.

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#1 Midcard titles change brands

Change things up

The main aspect of the WWE Superstar Shake-up is the possibility of where the title holders of Raw and SmackDown Live could land. The only titles exclusive to Raw and SmackDown Live is the brand's tag team titles, aside from those belts, WWE could switch the brand of any champion in this year's shake-up.

And the most likely group of champions to shift brands would be the mid-card champions, as we saw in the past, WWE could once again place the titles on opposite brands, and with the current title holders we have, it could shockingly happen again.

Finn Balor has been biding his time on Raw for a long time now, and it just seems like he is destined to move away from the red brand to start a new career on SmackDown Live, while Samoa Joe has already started a feud with Raw's Bruan Strowman, which could see him move to Raw. These are switches that could very well happen, so be prepared for it.

#2 Back to basics

Zayn is in search of a crowd that deserves him, could he find one next week?

NXT has been one of WWE's saving grace's for a long time now, as the yellow brand has produced a plethora of outstanding wrestlers that have proven themselves down in the Full Sail Arena, which makes them more than capable enough to hold their own on the main roster. But not every NXT standout's main roster experience has been hunky dory.

It's no secret that WWE has misused more NXT talent than they would like to account for, as we have seen a countless number of Triple H's handpicked megastars fail to even get a narrative on the main roster, and 'the Game' has addressed this in the past.

Triple H said that WWE would like to make NXT the third brand in the future, and with the show rivaling other big WWE shows like Raw and SmackDown Live in terms of quality TV, it seems like this could be true.

Moreover, with the Superstar Shake-Up around the corner, there is always a possibility that WWE could surprise us. Imagine seeing some of Raw and SmackDown's least used stars being drafted to NXT, as certain wrestlers' narratives at the moment actually could make this move possible.

We have seen Sami Zayn criticize the WWE audience for being fickle, and another man who has used that term excessively over the last few months has been Daniel Bryan, do you think we could see these disgruntled stars go back to the place where their careers took shape?

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#3 The cruiserweight division gets a new home

Could SmackDown Live handle the cruiserweights better than Raw?

Fans were shocked when they realized that the company was bringing back the cruiserweight division to WWE programming and that Raw would the home of the cruiserweights, as their three-hour runtime could include these highflying marvels.

Yet, as time had gone on the WWE creative team got more careless with booking the division, which led to its demise. However, recently the company has put more effort into rebuilding the division, as this has seen talents such as Lio Rush and the 205 Live GM get bigger roles on Raw, but the question is for how long?

As long as the cruiserweight division is a subdivision of Raw - it will be sidelined, therefore, the best way to take the division forward from here is to have it move to SmackDown Live.

While just taking the entire division and placing it on the blue brand cannot change anything much, it can give the division a new feel, a new environment to work in, and it can credit SmackDown Live for being the land of opportunity.

WWE is at an advantage here and doesn't have to make drastic changes to the brand as 205 Live already starts after SmackDown Live every week. Therefore, the only thing the company needs to do is to grow and develop the division in an environment where the product can be appreciated and booked correctly.

Furthermore, evident from cruiserweight talents such as Mustafa Ali succeeding beyond anyone's imagination on the blue brand, WWE could integrate the purple brand's best stars on SmackDown Love in an effort to produce more megastars.

#4 The Legitimiser

Where to next for Lesnar?

The main reason why fans do not like Brock Lesnar in any of WWE's main narratives is due to the fact that the former World Champion is never really around to hype up his feuds at the most crucial times. But if the rumors are declared true, then we could be seeing the best of Brock Lesnar in the next few months.

Rumors have stated that WWE is looking to draft Lesnar to SmackDown Live, as WWE's deal with FOX will see them try and make the blue brand a more sports orientated programme, and what better way to do this than having the UFC centric Lesnar on the brand.

Lesnar could thrive in this environment as he doesn't really need to be on the brand full time if he is inclined in one-time feuds. Therefore this could be a shocking moment that sees the blue brand end up being the hottest brand in WWE with stars like Lesnar on the roster.

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#5 The Club reunites

The best thing that could probably happen at the Shake-up

We spoke earlier about the possibilities of WWE bringing the IC Champion over to SmackDown Live and sending the US Champion in the other direction, so, with the possibility of witnessing Finn Balor on the blue brand, could we see him reunite with his former worldwide acclaimed faction?

If WWE does the shocking thing of keeping AJ Styles on SmackDown Live, it would be logical that we see the company create a Bullet Club centric narrative around The Good Brothers, Styles, and Balor. This would also be the best way for WWE to rebuild Balor's broken career, as anyone that works with Styles progresses to the next level.

#6 Ronda gets Rowdy

Why would WWE let her go?

At WrestleMania we saw Becky Lynch pin Ronda Rousey's shoulders to the mat for the three count to become the new Undisputed Women's Champion, well, that is what WWE would like you to think, as the ending to this historic match was a botch.

But this is a mistake that could see the once rumored departing Rousey find a gateway back into WWE TV, as her hunt for the title could be a compelling way to get the heat back on Becky's title reign.

Moreover, SmackDown Live will move to FOX, and WWE wants the most popular stars on the show, and you don't get any bigger in the world of combat sports than Ronda Rousey.

Furthermore, with rumors going around that Rousey could be gone from WWE for a long time, it would be shocking if WWE actually keeps her name active on the roster by drafting her to SmackDown Live, which could set up a huge return for when the blue brand does debut on FOX.

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#7 Vince cancels the Shake-up

A turn of events

Okay so this might sound like a truly far fetched point, but if you consider what is going to be addressed, then things just might start to make sense.

We all know that the Superstar Shake-up comes at the best possible time in WWE, as this concept allows WWE to freshen up their narratives, rosters, and title holders, but what if this year Vince McMahon doesn't want all of that change.

It is well documented that the brand split is not the best thing WWE has going for it, as the rating wars, and both brands fighting to be known as the best in the industry is just a bunch of myths WWE sells us to justify this concept.

While this could be a whole lot better than what it is right now, WWE won't make the effort, as we have already seen signs of the brand warfare coming to a close.

With titles unifying, superstars working on both brands, dual-branded pay-per-views, and the fact that WWE needs their biggest stars on SmackDown Live when the show moves to FOX, the brand split might be coming to an end.

With that said, it would be a shocking scene if Vince McMahon came out on Raw to announce that there will be no Superstar Shake-up as the brand split is over, this might seem far fetched, but in theory, it will make sense.