10 Things We Learned From The Post-WrestleMania Smackdown Live!

5. Superstar Shake-up

Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE

With no Daniel Bryan on the show this week, it fell to Shane McMahon to discuss his father's huge revelation of the massive 'superstar shake-up' (it's not a draft...) that will impact both brands next week.

General Manager Bryan is set to return on Monday's Raw, which will result in two of the greatest wrestlers of all time wearing suits and pretending to trade performer contracts rather than the fists and suplexes they could have been throwing years earlier.

Still, the post-Mania buzz has certainly been captured by the announcement.

Whether they've labelled it a draft, a lottery or a shake-up, the potential movement of superstars has always generated curious interest from audiences and proves the worth of the Brand Extension.

The stakes are arguably higher than ever before, with the 'land of opportunity' narrative on the blue brand becoming the accepted norm despite in-house insistences that Raw is still very much the 'A' show.

The live setting of the show has adjusted the perception slightly, but with one less hour and a touch less sizzle on the steak, Smackdown can still consider itself a younger sibling of the Monday monolith.

Unlike previous years, here's hoping it doesn't suffer rampant depletion as a reward for its success.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett