10 Predictions For WWE SmackDown Superstar Shake-Up Tonight
1. AJ Styles Leaves After All
AJ Styles has made more headlines than anyone else throughout the Superstar Shake-up's build. His switch to Raw seemed set in stone after defeating Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 33, but he didn’t show up last night, thus putting the move in doubt. There’s absolutely nothing stopping WWE from conducting the transaction on tonight’s SmackDown, however, and given the evidence, there’s a strong chance that this’ll be the last time fans see AJ on SD for a while.
Having carried the blue brand for long periods since the 2016 draft, Styles will be sorely missed. He’s the consensus best wrestler in the company, and while Raw’s roster isn’t short of enticing trade chips, none are as individually valuable as AJ. He’s the only full-time performer who can be considered legitimately irreplaceable at this point, and while somebody like Seth Rollins would help mitigate the damage, SD would likely slump afterwards.
This trade would leave SmackDown short-handed, particularly at the top of the card, but that’s just the way these things go. WWE gave the blue brand a rough deal in the initial draft, and they won't think twice about doing the same again tonight.