Smackdown LIVE Superstar Shake Up: Highlights

Hello everyone and welcome back to Talk Wrestling World, I hope you are all well and good and have had a great week so far! Okay,  so the main focus this point has of course been the WWE Superstar Shakeup. With RAW and Smackdown LIVE switching talent and welcoming brand new stars it is an exciting time in the WWE and the world of professional wrestling. In yesterdays blog post we took a look at this weeks episode of Monday night RAW and discussed the moves and decisions made there and of course today its time to jump over to Smackdown LIVE and discuss the moves and decisions that have been made for the blue brand. We heard of new NXT stars joining the roster along with top new names coming over to the land of opportunity as well as a return! We are going to be diving into the highlights of the show and I will be giving my honest thoughts on everything that happened in terms of the superstar shakeup! I will also be uploading more content focusing on the superstar shake up next week so keep an eye out for that! For now, any recent blog posts will be linked below and you can get involved and tell me what you thought of the show and the superstar shake up this week by leaving a comment below or by dropping me a tweet over at @TezangiVictoria.

Exciting Prospects for US Championship

The first Superstar Shake up reveal of the night last night saw newly crowned United States Champion, Jeff Hardy make his way to Smackdown LIVE challenging Shelton Benjamin in a match that sure did please us naughties kids! Seeing Randy Orton, Shelton Benjamin, and Jeff Hardy all sharing camera time on the blue brand was a very special moment and had me feeling like a kid all over again! What the main take away from this, however, was the insight we got as to what to expect in terms of the United States Championship picture. Hardy makes a fantastic champion and can bring so much to the title. Putting the likes of Randy Orton and Shelton Benjamin in the mix and you have a championship picture fans of all ages can get behind. These are three big-time names who are all capable of delivering fantastic matches and storyline's which of course means elevating the title. Hardy is a brilliant new addition to the blue brand and while I'm confident he will find himself holding the WWE Championship at some point in the next year he currently has a lot to bring to the table as the United States Champion and I cannot wait to see what the next couple of months await one of the WWE's most beloved stars. 

Brand New NXT Arrivals 

Last nights show didn't air any live debuts/ NXT Call-ups but it was revealed that SAnity and Andrade Cien Almas will be joining the blue brand and announced as the latest signees. Of course, I wasn't surprised at all to see these guys called up to the main roster. They were names we all expected to join Smackdown LIVE following Wrestlemania however, the problem I do have and a problem many of you guys have picked up on is the revelation that Nikki Cross will not be coming over to the main roster along with the rest of SAnity. This is a really bad move. SAnity work because of how different and exciting they are and Cross is such a key part of the faction and what makes SAnity so original. There has been a lot of backlash on Twitter over the decision and hopefully, the WWE make some changes and Cross is called up along with Eric Young, Alexander Wold, and Killian Dane and together these guys can really shake up Smackdown LIVE. Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega will also make fantastic new additions to Smackdown and I'm super excited to see him compete alongside the likes of AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, and Daniel Bryan and many more!

The Mellabration

One of my personal favourite segments of the night came once again from the women's division. After cashing her Money in the Bank briefcase last week in defeating Charlotte Flair to become the brand new Smackdown LIVE Women's Champion Carmella took the time to celebrate the biggest victory of her career and the segment was actually really good. Mella knows exactly how to own her character. She gives the crowd attitude, she's annoying but she plays every part of her character perfectly and as a result, she comes across very entertaining. Now, she may not be working those five-star matches but she is fun to watch and seeing her grow is very exciting. Her mic work was strong last night which didn't come as a surprise. We've seen Carmella own it in her promos before and this was yet another prime example of that. She may not be champion for long but right now she is the women we all have our eyes on.

Asuka and Absolution Arrive on Smackdown LIVE

Personally, I was left rather disappointed with the changes made in the women's division. Smackdown LIVE only welcomed the women from Monday Night RAW to their roster and to be honest I was expecting different names and possibly at least one more superstar. Sasha Banks and Bayley were favourites for the move but instead, it was Asuka and Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville who were announced as the newest members of Smackdown LIVE. Absolution on the blue brand is a brilliant move. The pair is far less likely to get lost in the division while on Smackdown and there are plenty of opportunities for them. It's also key to point out that the WWE is currently really working on building teams and duos in the women's division, none of which were separated during the superstar shake up and so this could be an indication that tag team titles are coming for the female talent! Asuka was also one of the moves last night that made the most sense. 

Welcome to the Land of Opportunity 

While I was surprised to see the likes of Braun Strowman and Finn Balor remain on Monday night RAW I was delighted to see top names including Jeff Hardy, the Miz, and Samoa Joe arrive on the blue brand. They are exactly the type of stars the roster really needed and have added a great deal to the main roster slot and some exciting feuds and storylines are definitely waiting around the corner.

We then, of course, have Big Cass and honestly, I'm really excited about this guy and his future. It's been a tough year for Cass from heading off into a singles career and suffering an injury that took him out for eight months, however, the direction the WWE seems to be going in is really exciting. He has a brilliant look and a lot of potential and the WWE pushing him as this big, destructive monster of Smackdown LIVE is a great move and I really it works out and fans jump on board with the idea! We also have Anderson and Gallows and the Bar now officially apart of the Smackdown LIVE roster. Two brilliant moves!

At first, I wasn't too sure if the WWE had missed out on plenty of opportunities and failed the blue brand once again, however, this is a roster consisting of the likes of Daniel Bryan, Asuka, Jeff Hardy, Charlotte, Shelton Benjamin, Randy Orton, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, and AJ Styles and so could we be about to see Smackdown LIVE jump right back at the top and become the A show once again. As always, any recent blog posts will be linked below and you can get involved and tell me what you thought of the show and the superstar shake up this week by leaving a comment below or by dropping me a tweet over at @TezangiVictoria.

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