When the superstar shake-up was announced by Vince McMahon last week, many were assuming that we’d see a couple of changes to freshen up the roster following WrestleMania 33.
However, based on what happened on Monday Night RAW this week, it looks more like a glorified draft as 13 stars arrived on RAW, with more expected to go the opposite direction and head to SmackDown LIVE.
SUPERSTAR SHAKE-UP
It came as quite a surprise to see so many big names move, ranging from The Miz and Maryse, to Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt – somebody who wasn’t even mentioned in all of the rumours that were circulating beforehand.
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You can see why the names moved up, as they all impressed a lot on the blue brand with Alexa Bliss having two great runs with the SmackDown Women’s Championship, while The Miz proved just how valuable of an asset he is to the company with his incredible heel antics.
Now, Cageside Seats have reported on why some of the big names – or the ones that impressed on SmackDown consistently – had been called-up to RAW.
Apparently, the philosophy behind the whole superstar shake-up and the draft is that WWE officials view SmackDown as an incubator for talent that WWE can eventually promote to the A show, meaning Monday Night RAW.
GLORIFIED DEVELOPMENT BRAND?
It’s thought that once they’ve reached a certain level of success on SmackDown, they can afford to move them to the three-hour show.
Although, the likes of Apollo Crews have done very little to impress on SmackDown and if that’s their philosophy then, as of this writing, why isn’t AJ Styles on RAW?
It now looks like that SmackDown will now be the show that grooms the NXT stars as well as those not quite ready for the bright lights of RAW, and eventually, when officials feel they’re ready, they’ll move them up – but it really doesn’t sound like a great idea.
SmackDown has been much better than RAW over plenty of weeks since the brand extension, and by doing this, they could be taking something big away from the show which makes them compete on a level playing field.
It’s not like they’ve lost everyone, as they will be gaining some big names in return, but it’s a shame that this is the mindset they have when many thought this could the perfect time for fans to start taking the show more seriously, and put in a great effort to compete with RAW every week.
Turns out SmackDown can be considered as just another developmental brand for WWE.
What do you make of WWE’s mentality towards SmackDown LIVE? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.
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