10 Problems WWE Solved With The 2019 Superstar Shake-Up
1. The Roman Reigns Conundrum
There was no way WWE could have kept a babyface Roman Reigns on Monday Night Raw without encountering major problems within weeks of the Shake-Up.
Reigns' presence on the red brand may have taken away from Seth Rollins' Universal Title run, as fans would be in a constant state of fear that 'The Big Dog' would rise up and take their favourite wrestler's championship away. Those post-return cheers would have turned to jeers - and fast. They aren't going to turn Roman, and his former partner's popularity could have diminished his own, leaving both in a lose/lose situation.
There are other benefits to Reign's SmackDown switch. Taking him away from Raw's slapdash writing team will benefit him greatly, and SD's sharper creative should help give his character new wrinkles. Shield reunions have been done to death, he had faced everyone there was to face on Raw, and Reigns was about the only name (Brock Lesnar aside) WWE could have thrown into that "biggest acquisition in SmackDown Live history" spot without looking stupid.
This is a great move across the board. Roman is an ideal AJ Styles replacement, and we look forward to seeing how his run plays out.