What Happened with the 2019 Superstar Shakeup?

A lot of things happened during the Superstar Shakeup. It involved some NXT call-ups, as well as moving some of the biggest superstars on the roster. If you are a little confused about the moves still, here is what happened during the 2019 superstar shakeup.

New Arrivals

There have been some new arrivals on the roster. One of the most notable is a tag team called the War Raiders, which the WWE have now renamed as “The Viking Experience.” Putting aside the ridiculous nature of the name, War Raiders are a welcome addition to the suffering Raw tag team division.

Another new arrival is Cedric Alexander. Now, he is not coming from NXT, but from the 205 Live brand. As a former Cruiserweight Champion he is one of the most notorious cruiserweights on the roster.

In addition to Cedric Alexander, Australian Buddy Murphy – a former Cruiserweight Champion – has also made his way to the main roster now. Murphy has impressed at many pay-per-views, even when his matches were on the preshow. I look forward to see what Buddy Murphy can do on the main roster.

Kairi Sane is the final new arrival on the main roster. She will now fight alongside Asuka, forming a new women’s tag team. It is expected that Asuka and Kairi Sane will become the new women’s tag team champions this year.

Raw Arrivals

Some major superstars were moved to Raw. One of the biggest is undoubtedly The Miz who had some of the most interesting matches on the SmackDown Live roster with Shane McMahon. The man knows how to tell a story – from his in-ring work to his amazing reality show “Miz and Mrs.” Both my partner and I are hooked on the reality series. Now, we are looking forward to Raw a little bit more, too.

Another big arrival on the Raw brand is none other than Andrade Cien Almas. Yes, I still call him Andrade Cien Almas as the name change provided by the WWE is ludicrous. Still, despite the name change, Andrade Cien Almas is one of the most exciting superstars to watch in the ring. Of course, we cannot forget about Zelina Vega either, who certainly brings some star power and charisma to the ring.

One of the my favourite wrestlers of all time, Rey Mysterio, has also been moved to Raw. There was little left for Mysterio to do on the SmackDown roster, so the move makes sense to me. I look forward to some amazing matches with the likes of Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, and Andrade Cien Almas.

Ricochet and Aleister Black have now been placed on the Raw roster officially. Both have impressed with their NXT energy and incredible feats in the ring. They could certainly pull a lot of people to the Raw brand. Of course, they are not the only ones who will contribute to the SmackDown tag team roster, as The Usos have also been moved to Raw.

Naomi has also been placed on the Raw roster, which is not surprising considering the fact she is married to Jimmy Uso and the WWE tends to keep married couples on the same roster. That being said, Naomi arrived alongside Bayley in a tag team match. Can I just say how much better those two work together compared to Bayley and Sasha Banks? Maybe it is a good idea to put Naomi with Bayley in the future.

Another recent call-up, EC3, is now permanently on Raw as well. He has been in the background for some time and there are rumors that Vince does not like him. It also showed in his first match of the shakeup, which saw him put through a table by none other than Braun Strowman.

There was another surprising arrival on the Raw brand – Eric Young. The surprising thing about the move is that he was placed on the Raw roster without his Sanity colleagues. It also means Sanity is officially dead now. What a waste of brilliant NXT talent.

We also now know where Lacey Evans is going to end up, as she finally did more than just prance up and down the ramp. She is now an official member of the Raw roster and is going for Becky’s Raw Women’s Championship.

In addition to The Miz, AJ Styles is another major singles talent that has been moved from SmackDown to Raw. It was undoubtedly time for that move, considering there was not much left for Styles on the SmackDown roster.

SmackDown Arrivals

Roman Reigns is undoubtedly the biggest name that has been moved to SmackDown. It was not entirely unexpected, as the WWE teased his arrival several days beforehand. It also makes sense, as the WWE needs to increase ratings of SmackDown to meet the requirements of Fox Network.

Reigns’ introduction happened at the expense of Elias, who is now also a member of the SmackDown Live roster. He was even introduced by Vince McMahon, but only moments later Roman clocked Vince. Either way, let us hope Elias actually gets some wrestling matches for a change.

While it is not 100% certain, it would seem like Lars Sullivan is now a member of the SmackDown Live roster. During his recent promos, he has attacked big superstars such as Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, and The Hardy Boyz. In his superstar shakeup appearance, he attacked R-Truth and Carmella.

Bayley has been moved from Raw to SmackDown too, which is not a bad move in my opinion. Now, Bayley can show what she can do as a singles competitor, reminiscent of what she was capable of in NXT. Hopefully, the rumors surrounding her and Sasha and the attitude they had during WrestleMania does not plague her for much longer.

Another female superstar moved to SmackDown is Ember Moon. She has been underutilised on the Raw roster, despite being one of the most interesting women to watch. Let us hope that changes on SmackDown Live.

Finn Balor is now also an official member of the SmackDown Live roster. With Balor’s move, it also means the Intercontinental Championship will be defended on SmackDown.

Surprisingly, Chad Gable is now on SmackDown as well. That also means that the Glorious tag team is officially disbanded. It also indicates that Gable will continue in singles competition. Apollo Crews and Mickie James have also been moved to SmackDown for singles competition.

One of the biggest surprises is Liv Morgan, who has been moved to SmackDown Live without her compatriots. That being said, I have been saying for a while that Liv Morgan has an amazing future in singles competition, so now is her chance to prove it.

Were you happy with the Superstar Shakeup? Or did you have other expectations? Let us know in the comment section below.