Latest Details & Rumors On The Superstar Shake-up
The situation is fluid and is changing by the hour.
Vince McMahon made news when he announced on the post-WrestleMania Raw that next week's episodes of Raw and SmackDown would feature a "superstar shakeup". Details are sparse; if reports are to be believed, Vince has changed his mind multiple times per day on the specifics of the migrations.
Sources such as The Wrestling Observer, Ryan Satin, and Cageside Seats have been reporting on rumors that are constantly evolving. Keep in mind this is all hearsay; none of these moves are guaranteed and can change at any time. Everyone's future is essentially at the mercy of Vince McMahon, and if reports are to be believed his thought process is all over the place, having a hard time committing to any one move. That unpredictability is part of what makes this "superstar shakeup" so intriguing.
One proposed headline switch was AJ Styles heading to Raw - possibly in exchange for Seth Rollins - potentially to join up with his cohorts Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson with the the intent of reforming The Club. Now there're second thoughts regarding moving Styles, and it's entirely possible that Gallows and Anderson will be the ones to jump from red to blue, joining their good brother on Tuesdays.
SmackDown's latest call-up Shinsuke Nakamura was the first former NXT champion to bypass Raw and be assigned to SD, and one of the driving factors behind that decision was to provide the roster with much-needed star power during John Cena's upcoming hiatus.
The New Day and their truckload of merchandise money are also heavily rumored to be SmackDown bound, with no strong favorites to take their place, despite American Alpha's name making the rounds. If both New Day and Gallows and Anderson move this will be huge for SD's floundering tag team scene.
On the women's side, the initial plan was allegedly to see Charlotte and Alexa Bliss swap shows, but now there're thoughts that Flair will stay put in favor of Sasha Banks being the Raw star traded for Bliss. Alexa could benefit from working with the more seasoned, skilled ladies on the flagship show and SmackDown's female roster definitely needs an injection of star power. This trade, be it Charlotte or Sasha for Bliss, would benefit both shows.
As for new NXT additions, Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Elias 'The Drifter' Samson are both still scheduled to make their main roster debuts imminently, although neither man's destination is set in stone.
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Who do you want to see switch rosters next week? Sound off in the comments below!