5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (April 14)

1. Superstar Shake-Up Sheds Light On ANOTHER Dubious WWE Mentality

JBL Shocked Face
WWE.com

This week's Superstar Shake-Up was a bit of a disappointment, all told, even if the logic behind the trades can only really reveal itself when the following months unfurl.

The treatment of the Shake-Up was fairly shabby, at least on the RAW front. The kayfabe explanation for it is the staleness of each brand. That was essentially the storyline reason behind it, too. Kurt Angle mentioned something about there being "strong interest" from SmackDown in Sami Zayn, but the notion that both brands negotiated the transfer of talents was only faintly alluded to.

The dumbest trade saw Curt Hawkins and Jinder Mahal swap shows - but not roles - as utterly rudderless enhancement talent. It didn't seem to register with WWE that their fans tend to watch both shows; Hawkins and Mahal are hardly going to seem fresh purely because they are now bathed in a different coloured spotlight. What was the logic behind it?

"We really want rid of this jobber. Fancy him?" "Only if we get another jobber back, the likes of which command a much higher fee than an equally limited, aspiring indy guy."

The most racist trade saw Byron Saxton trade places with David Otunga because they are perceived as completely interchangeable, for one reason or another...

To be fair, both are banal and offer no insight whatsoever into what is happening onscreen. It's more insane that they have jobs on commentary in the first place.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!