A week of reflection, lonely nights down at the Legion, and heartfelt soul-searching was neccessitated following last week’s RAW and Smackdown! Live. Was the Superstar Shakeup a success? I know this much is true.
Each brand (NXT included) underwent huge overhauls. Smackdown’s midcard has changed drastically, but welcome additions from both RAW and NXT have reinforced every division on the show. Very rarely am I jealous of fellow author Spencer Love, but I look forward to his writeup for tomorrow’s Smackdown. However, focusing on the present…
A Quick Recap
- Jinder Mahal drafted to RAW - immediately put in US Title Match
- Jeff Hardy def. Jinder Mahal - wins US Championship
- Bayley vs. Sasha Banks ends in double DQ with Riott Squad debut
- AOP def. Slater & Rhyno
- Miz drafted to SmackDown!
- Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt def. The Revival - will face The Bar for RAW Tag Team Titles
- Ember Moon def. Mickie James
- Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre drafted to RAW
- Natalya def. Mandy Rose
- Breezango def. The Bar
- BRAUN, Lashley, Balor, Rollins, and Roode def. The Miz & Miztourage, Owens & Zayn.
This Week’s Preview
Where to begin?
The RAW General Manager Kurt Angle did little in the way of NXT draft picks, bar one; Drew McIntyre. This author believes his drafting to be the undisputed power move of the entire Shakeup. His alliance with Dolph Ziggler may be jarring, but what more do you expect from a wild and crazy night of shaking up superstars? Though his tag team may detract from his vastly improved in-ring performance, the Scotsman will be on his own sooner rather than later; there’s too much individual talent. Not to mention, the guy looks like an absolute madman.
Drew’s return is perhaps overshadowed by the drafting of Baron Corbin. That was a joke. Go to hell, Baron Corbin.
An obvious pick came in the form of Jinder “Jinder” Mahal. Fresh off of a United States title victory at WrestleMania, the “Sher” (which means Lion in both Persian and Hindi, according to a quick Google search) was a prize pick for the Red Brand. Though his drafting was not particularly surprising, his near immediate defeat and loss of his championship to Jeff Hardy was. The Maharaja is due his rematch at the upcoming Greatest Royal Rumble, but his chances of winning are laughably small; then again, I have put money on a Jinder Mahal title match before and lost… you never really know with this bastard.
With bastards in mind, Bobby Roode, Mojo Rawley, Mike Kanellis, The Zack Ryder, and the Chad Gable are all primed and ready to enter the arena known as “Monday Night RAW Singles Competiton”. The real question is, do I care? The answer is very little. Regardless of time, effort, and heart, the reality is you can still be a horrible superstar. If you disagree, you are more than welcome to contact me directly and let me know how strongly you disagree. I will probably not respond.
Speaking of things I really couldn’t care less about, the Women’s division of RAW remains relatively unchanged. Though Asuka may be missed, Natalya will serve as a firm replacement - and the Riott Squad for Absolution is as even a trade as possible. While Sasha Banks and Bayley move ever forward to a singles match, the rest of the divison can hang out and form lifelong friendships. But even as Nia Jax has a stranglehold -
-on the Women’s Championship, it seems some intriguing rivalries could play out. Nevertheless, the women of RAW continue to push boundaries, regardless of WWE choosing to run more shows in Saudi Arabia.
That’s it for this article; but what are your thoughts? Let us know. See you next week, and as always, thanks for reading!
WWE Last 5!
- The Superstar Shakeup: A TradeCenter Analysis
- Smackdown Live Preview: April 17th Superstar Shakeup
- Monday Night Hayden: Predictions for the 16/04/18 RAW
- Over the Top Rope: Episode VI | ‘Mania Recap, Superstar Shakeup and Mailbag!
- Spoiler-Free NXT Preview and Predictions: April 11
