WWE Superstar Shake-up: 4 pairs of superstars that must be on different brands

With the Superstar Shake-up beginning in less than a day, WWE likely has its plans ready for who goes where. Ever since Vince McMahon decided to shake things up in December, there has been a lot of moving between brands.

A bunch of talent was called up from NXT, but they have all done next to nothing and did not even get assigned a brand. The next two days should fix that. Also, Aleister Black and Ricochet have been teaming on Raw, SmackDown, and even NXT for almost two months now. So that will also be settled during the Superstar Shake-up.

Every bit of uncertainty should be solved during Raw and SmackDown, with the fans getting a clear picture of the direction WWE is going for the coming months at the very least. With a roster so bulked and talented, WWE really cannot go wrong.

Both brands will need to have a certain amount of star power, while NXT is also in the mix. How involved will they be in the Superstar Shake-up? With so many questions about the futures of various WWE Superstars, there are a couple of pairings that must either be separated or remain away from each other. The reasons may vary, but the intentions meet.

Here are four pairs of WWE acts that must be on different brands following the 2019 Superstar Shake-up.

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#4 Samoa Joe and Finn Balor

These two should rule the mid-card for a while

Samoa Joe is the current United States Champion and Finn Balor is the current Intercontinental Champion, both in perfect roles for themselves. This boosts the credibility of both mid-card titles and would eventually create newer stars on the main roster.

For that very reason, WWE should not book any one of them to drop their titles this week. It is a distinct possibility, as Jinder Mahal lost his US title on the night he brought it over to Raw so that Jeff Hardy could keep it on SmackDown.

Joe is most in danger of losing his title, as a feud between himself and Braun Strowman was teased on this past SmackDown. Joe could suffer the same fate as Mahal if he moves to Raw and immediately loses the US title to Strowman, who then moves to SmackDown.

While that would be a fine way to rebuild the Monster Among Men, it would be in WWE's best interests to keep the US Championship on the big Samoan. He is the only main roster champion to retain his title over the entire WrestleMania week and deserves to hold it on for longer.

That would mean him and Finn Balor remaining on separate brands, whether they stay put or simply switch shows with each other. It is a possible surprise.

#3 Charlotte Flair and Asuka

No more, for a while

Asuka has faced Charlotte Flair three times in singles competition, with the Queen winning twice, and the match getting thrown out once. It has not been kind to the Empress. Her astonishing winning streak in WWE came to a crashing end at the hands of Charlotte and she failed to recover for over half a year, losing multiple times to Carmella over the summer.

Asuka did win the SmackDown Women's Championship at the end of the year but aside from an excellent victory over Becky Lynch at Royal Rumble, her reign was pretty poor.

She would lose the title to, you guessed it, Charlotte. This was done to raise the stakes even higher in the WrestleMania 35 main event between Charlotte, Ronda Rousey, and Becky Lynch.

Now that the Show of Shows is over, rebuilding Asuka is a priority. She should have more meaningful matches against females on her level but without the looming threat of another defeat to Charlotte. One of these women should move to Raw, in an attempt to bring Asuka back to the level she should honestly stay on.

After that, WWE could revisit Charlotte vs Asuka. There is an inbuilt story which would complete Asuka's revival, as she finally defeats the Queen. It is too soon right now though.

#2 The Usos and The Bar

Raw needs some help

The contrast between the tag team divisions on Raw and SmackDown is pretty striking. The red brand has some interesting heel teams in the Revival and Glorious Gable, but Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins do not seem like the babyface champions that one would build a division around.

SmackDown, on the other hand, has a lot of solid-to-great teams. Current champions, the Hardy Boyz, have teams like the Usos, the Bar, and the New Day breathing down their necks. Their undercard is also pretty decent, with SAnitY lurking in the shadows and waiting to pounce.

Ricochet and Aleister Black are free agents and will be assigned a brand over the next couple of days. But whether they do join Raw or not, the red brand is in desperate need for some reinforcements from their blue rivals.

The Usos and the Bar have been at odds for quite some time and one of them would require a change in scenery. Whichever one of them moves to Raw, they would instantly become top contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championship. Based on the manner of their defeat to the Hardys on SmackDown, the Usos seem the likelier team to move over.

WWE did make an attempt to have a renewed focus on its tag team scene. Hopefully, after the shakeup, the tag team scene means much more than it does right now.

#1 Braun Strowman and Lars Sullivan

These two need to be separated

This is the most important one of all. Braun Strowman and Lars Sullivan cannot be on the same brand. Sullivan is basically in a similar position to where Strowman was when he first started as a singles competitor, but a little less green.

The Freak, whose debut was months in the making, made a huge impact on both Raw and SmackDown. He laid out a retiring Kurt Angle, before ruining the Hardy Boyz's tag title celebration.

His booking oozes of the impact Brock Lesnar made when he first started in 2002. WWE has a major chance to right the wrongs they committed with Braun Strowman, with Lars Sullivan.

The Monster Among Men seriously needs some rehab, after a pretty awful year. He won the Money in the Bank briefcase and failed to win the Universal title, despite being the size that he is. The defeat to Brock Lesnar was fatal for him and the battle royal victory at WrestleMania was nothing more than an attempted consolation prize.

While he still possesses the quality of the star he once was, Braun needs some time to reach that level again. That can only be achieved if he is separated from his new evil counterpart. WWE cannot have two huge monsters that they want to get over on the same show.

For both of their sakes, Braun Strowman and Lars Sullivan must be on different shows. That way they both feel unique in their own way and on their own shows, in order to be built up as the two biggest monsters in the company. Their eventual confrontation would then mean a lot more than it would if it happened this year.