#high spots

Cedric Alexander’s newly won WWE Cruiserweight Championship is on the line against veteran Kalisto, who won a gauntlet match on 205 Live to gain this opportunity after the #1 Contender Buddy Murphy failed to make weight. OUTCOME: Alexander retains. He has been involved in the championship picture for months and I don’t see him losing it after finally gaining it. Kalisto would likely need to pull it out of his dead hands.

Another new champion(s) would be the Smackdown Live Tag Team Champions, Harper & Rowan, the Bludgeon Brothers. This rematch, requested by the previous champions, The Usos, could be yet another vicious clash between these teams. OUTCOME: The Bludgeon Brothers stay champions. The Usos may have dominated the Smackdown Live Tag Division for the last two years but the Bludgeon Brothers are on a whole other level of viciousness.

The RAW Tag Team Championship is the one vacant title on the line after Braun Strowman and a 10 year-old had a Wrestlemania moment a few weeks back only to give up the championships on the next RAW. The former champions, The Bar, have been moved to Smackdown Live but have one last opportunity to regain the championship that they have owned for most of the last year. However, they have a pair of Woken Warriors standing in their way. OUTCOME: Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt, The Deleter of Worlds, will not only meet the Bar, but will surpass it. The Woken momentum is only picking up steam, and unfortunately this is as close as Sheamus & Cesaro will get to their former titles.

Seth Rollins has to put his newly won Intercontinental Championship on the line in a dangerous Ladder Match against the former champ, The Miz, Samoa Joe and Finn Balor. This is a main event level quality for this match, and they may very well steal the show. OUTCOME: Seth Rollins will do whatever it takes to hold on to this championship and make it happen tonight despite the stiff competition.

Jinder Mahal was shocked in the Superstar Shakeup when his move to RAW as United States Champion was short-lived after GM Kurt Angle not only demanded he defend his title against Jeff Hardy, but after Hardy won, sent Hardy and the United States Championship to Smackdown Live. OUTCOME: The wily veteran Jeff Hardy will find a way to keep the championship on the blue brand with a victory.

AJ Styles is the best in the company and solidly in his second reign as WWE Champion and nothing seemed like it could get in his way until Wrestlemania 34 happened and Shinsuke Nakamura took a dastardly turn and has begun a mission of low blows determined to unsettle the champion. OUTCOME: Shinsuke Nakamura completes his goal and comes out on top as the new WWE Champion.

The Undertaker stunned the WWE Universe when he returned at Wrestlemania and ran through John Cena. Now with a Casket Match against Rusev, the Deadman will truly be in his element. OUTCOME: Rusev will have no choice but to Rest in Peace on this Rusev Day as the Undertaker is victorious.

It’s been years since Triple H and John Cena, two long time stars of the WWE and surefire future Hall of Famers have faced off in the squared circle, but tonight they will go at it one more time. OUTCOME: John Cena will get the stink off him from his quick ouster in Wrestlemania to put to rest this long rivalry against the King of Kings and beat Triple H.

The Universal Championship has been held in a stranglehold by Brock Lesnar for now over a year since he toppled Hall of Famer Goldberg at Wrestlemania 33. Roman Reigns has struggled for the last year to get that championship and tonight he gets one more opportunity, this time in a Steel Cage. OUTCOME: Roman Reigns finally ends the reign of terror that Brock Lesnar has unleashed on the WWE Universe and will come home to RAW with the Universal Championship on his shoulders.

The 50-Man Greatest Royal Rumble match has never been attempted before by WWE, and there are sure to be surprises from the past or NXT to show up to make sure that the match steals the show. OUTCOME: Daniel Bryan puts a firm foothold back in the WWE since his return and wins the Royal Rumble match.

The complete breakdown for each brand saw RAW gain 8 male Superstars with 1 tag team among them, and 3 female Superstars while SD Live gained 10 male Superstars with 2 tag teams and 3 female Superstars although Tamina was a free agent acquisition having not been active on the roster since the brand split had started the previous summer.

Looking at the main roster coming into this Superstar Shake-up, there are certainly a handful of Superstars that could benefit from a fresh start and new matchups to compete in. Since 9 was the number last year, I’ll go with that and pick 9 Superstars or teams to change brands. Here are my predictions:

From RAW to SD Live -

Bayley

Braun Strowman

Gallows & Anderson

Jeff Hardy

Alicia Fox

Big Cass

Sonya Deville

Seth Rollins (IC Champion)

From SD Live to RAW -

Daniel Bryan

Bobby Roode

Becky Lynch

Jimmy & Jey Uso

Mojo Rawley

Jinder Mahal (US Champion)

Mike Kanellis & Maria

Naomi

I definitely think WWE likes the idea of having a champion change sides during these drafts/shake-ups, so I went with the IC/US happening for the second straight year because I think Seth Rollins on Smackdown would create a lot of refreshing matchups, as well as moving Jinder Mahal to RAW would bring a new bad guy champion to their ranks. But I could just as easily see WWE move with women champions despite the color coordination, Nia Jax on SD Live and Carmella moving to RAW would be interesting.

For the women, instead I went with Bayley, Alicia Fox and Sonya Deville moving to SD Live, you get all three phases of a female Superstar, the crafty vet, the popular star and the young up and comer, and each would be a refreshing addition to the Smackdown Live women’s division. One of the problems of the SD Live women’s division has been a repetition of matches with so many long standing alliances between the superstars. Moving Becky Lynch and Naomi to RAW would give each the opportunity to wrestle other opponents than Natalya or the Riott Squad and have something new to do and not have to come out and side with Charlotte Flair at every turn.

Looking at the RAW tag teams, the match at Wrestlemania definitely suggested that Braun Strowman needs a new place to conquer where the brand championship wasn’t stuck in a Brock Lesnar & Roman Reigns gravitational pull. And Gallows & Anderson had a fairly rough WWE year since losing the RAW Tag Team Championship at Wrestlemania 33. As fun as their sometimes alliance with Finn Balor has been, reuniting them with AJ Styles on Smackdown Live may give them back that top level rub they’ve been missing for awhile. From the SD Live side, I’d like to see how the Usos would do on the RAW brand. They have dominated the Smackdown Live tag division since the brand split, and with the shift of the titles to the Bludgeon Brothers, it’s time for new pastures for the Usos and a break from battling The New Day for awhile.

Lastly on the RAW side, I’m looking at Jeff Hardy and Big Cass as two guys returning from long term injuries and finding their spots on RAW having changed without them around. Moving them to SD Live would give them an opportunity to establish their new identities without their tag team partner by their side. While there are quite a few blue brand superstars that could use a new place to call home, Daniel Bryan just returned to active status and there are still some matchups I’d love to see him in on Smackdown Live but him having not wrestled on RAW for about 3 years I could easily see him being selected. Besides him, I think Bobby Roode, Mojo Rawley and Mike Kanellis would benefit the most from a move to RAW. Rawley and Kanellis have languished or disappeared on SD Live and need help to get back up the ladder. Of course Maria would come along with Mike and Mojo needs to get away from Zack Ryder for the benefit of both of them to be honest. Bobby Roode has pretty much faced everyone on the SD Live midcard, and would be a refreshing opponent on RAW against say Finn Balor, Elias, The Miz, or Dean Ambrose when he returns.