14 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown Superstar Shake-Up
In which Roman Reigns shows up and punches Vince McMahon in the face.
WWE's latest Superstar Shake-Up concluded with last night's SmackDown, as swathes of new faces joined the company's most consistent weekly show as part of their annual roster reshuffle.
First, we pour one out for those no longer with us. AJ Styles, the consensus best wrestler in the company, will be missed more than anyone, though Raw's main event scene suddenly looks a whole lot more exciting. The Usos are WWE's greatest tag team, one of the best in company history, and irreplaceable. SmackDown's MVP for much of his run, The Miz leaves a gaping upper-midcard hole. Andrade early-year rise won't continue on Tuesday nights. It was a shame to see Team Blue missing out on Aleister Black and Ricochet, too.
Despite all this, last night's SmackDown delivered on every lofty promise, with a strong set of Shake-Up selections mitigating any damage dealt by the losses. For those enthused by the roster changes, we got to see Vince McMahon getting punched in the face, a fun Kevin Owens Show episode, a couple of entertaining matches, and a new-look women's tag division emerging. What's not to love?
Time will tell how the refreshed SmackDown roster fares, but things look very promising after last night...