WWE Royal Rumble Surprise Returns Assigned To New Brands
Where are the various new and familiar faces headed after their Royal Rumble returns?
Andrade has signed his kayfabe contract for Monday Night Raw and Naomi is scheduled for SmackDown per reporting following both returning to WWE during Saturday's Royal Rumble Premium Live Event.
The former NXT Champion was featured in a backstage spot with Adam Pearce signing on the dotted line, much to the chagrin of the SmackDown general manager who could have promised Aldis and so much more. Slick Nick wasn't to be deterred though, and per Fightful Select, it's because he might know he has an ace up his sleeve for Friday Night.
The outlet noted that
"Naomi...is expected to appear on the Smackdown brand, we're told...Those we spoke to in TNA said that things were pretty clear by the start of the year that Naomi would be wrapping up. We're told WWE had maintained interest in Naomi for over a year, until the unofficial hiring freeze happened. By the time that was lifted, she had obligations to TNA."
Much of her return seems to have been in the works for sometime, an it stands to reason that she would be part of the blue brand in an era where WWE have worked harder to keep real life couples together rather than needlessly forcing them apart. Naomi is married to Jimmy Uso in real life, and the Bloodline's prime patter merchant currently resides on Fridays. The same may have initially been planned for Andrade and his wife Charlotte Flair, but 'The Queen's long rehab from a recent injury presumably made the point moot.
There's no update as of yet on the status and future of Jade Cargill, though she didn't appear on the post-Royal Rumble edition of Raw outside of highlights from the PLE itself.