With the WWE Superstar Shakeup happening last week, this is normally the time for us to reflect on what’s happened in the past, as well as what the “fresh faces” will bring to the table.
Let’s face it, on both the men’s and women’s rosters, Smackdown has certainly been exceeding expectations, and well… been better than Raw. From the diversity of the matches, to the storylines, Raw have been given the short straw in both these regards, and the results of the Superstar Shakeup haven’t helped them, especially looking at the women’s division.
Raw has always been the go-to WWE brand that many fans remember and reminisce on, though for the majority of WWE’s tenure as the go-to professional wrestling company, there hasn’t been a brand split. Some will argue that brand splits are ridiculous, some feel like it helps to gain exposure to those who otherwise wouldn’t have had any opportunity.
With the huge roster that WWE has, I agree that a brand split is essential for us to get a chance to see all of the superstars that we know and love. The idea that WWE have introduced the shakeup as well, means that they can create new storyline opportunities, and perhaps introduce new superstars into the mix. However, last weeks shakeup really highlighted that this doesn’t always leave all of us fans impressed. For myself, the results of the shakeup for the women left me with a sour taste.
The results of the shakeup meant that Smackdown received Bayley, Ember Moon, Kairi Sane and Mickie James, while Raw received Zelina Vega, Lacey Evans, and Naomi. Looking at these changes, and the up to date roster lists below, it is clear that Smackdown certainly got the upper hand;
Let’s also note that Billie Kay and Peyton Royce will be able to defend their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship on both Raw and Smackdown. Moreover, Becky Lynch will be able to defend her WWE Raw Women’s Championship on the Red brand too.
Regarding Raw having less of a pool of women superstars on the roster, there is always hope of a silver lining, as surely less people equals more exposure? This can potentially mean some pushes for the single’s competitors that may have been held back before. We can look at potentials like Sarah Logan, Alicia Fox (yeah right…), and Lacey Evans. The latter already seems to be getting the golden ticket, with last week seeing her defeat Natalya for an opportunity at the WWE Raw Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch. If Zelina Vega was to stay on the Raw brand as was originally planned, there could have been perfect opportunities for her character as well.
However, when there is good, there is also terrible. This is clear when you look at the current injuries that seems to be plaguing the Raw Women’s Division right now. Ronda Rousey broke her hand at Wrestlemania 35, and Nia Jax is currently out of action with two torn ACL’s. Having 1/6th of your division out due to injury isn’t a great look.
Looking at the recent push of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Division, up until last week, it has been nothing short of twist and turns. I would argue now that this area is of big concern, particularly on the Raw side. On further inspection, there are 3 tag teams that seem to have been dismantled in the matter of weeks, through injury or through storyline:
- Nia Jax and Tamina – were originally being shown as a dominant force, and certain potential WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Unfortunately for Tamina, Nia Jax is current out – potentially long term, for 2 torn ACL’s.
- Sasha Banks & Bayley – Bayley was transferred to the Smackdown brand last week. Bayley has made the remark herself that this will be a “new start” for the former Raw Women’s Champion. Both will almost certainly be pursuing single’s championship opportunities now that their short tenure of being Tag Team Champions has run its course.
- The Riott Squad – Uncertainty is certainly looming for Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan as Morgan was transferred to Smackdown during last weeks shakeup. Perhaps Riott and Logan will continue as a two-woman tag team? However, there certainly isn’t much competition, unless they want to merge two random singles competitors every week or two for something to do.
A lot of the speculation as to why Raw seem to be getting a lower deal than the Blue brand is due to the Smackdown / Fox deal. Ever since news broke out of this, the push for Smackdown to become a more appealing brand seems to have been working.
This superstar shakeup seems to be reflecting on this notion, making sure that there are plenty of both men and women on the roster, and also making sure there is as much diversity as possible to appeal to the masses. The recent posters released after the Superstar Shakeup have only highlighted this point, and whilst this might be related to the idea of gender diversity, it certainly highlights where the public relations might be focusing its efforts on.
So, what are the writers in WWE HQ doing with the women on Raw? Are Raw going to go backwards on the women’s evolution on the red side? Perhaps not, but seeing as it has been proclaimed as the A brand for years, it’s hard for fans not to be concerned as to what is next. Smackdown have been slowly creeping up on the rating/viewing “war” with Raw over the past year, and whilst we can always just assume that the men’s divisions will be okay – because they always are – there is a worry about what the brand will do with the women. With not a lot of active wrestlers, as well as a dead crowd being a regular occurrence for some of them, time can only tell to see what Raw will do to keep them fresh.
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