For the next two nights, the WWE will have the annual Superstar Shake-Up. I remember the old WWE drafts and getting so excited to see which superstars would be heading to RAW, SmackDown, or even ECW. In essence, it is the same concept, but these two days are some of the most anticipated moments of the year for fans. Looking back at old Shake-Ups, they average just above 20 superstar exchanges per year, but with SmackDown Live moving to FOX, it will be interesting to see what they do to prepare for the move in October. I’m not going to go through a list of the 20 I think will swap brands, but I will tell of a few superstars that I think are locks. What the WWE does tonight and tomorrow will outline their plans for the next year, so it will be interesting to see who ends up where by the end of the week.

- Champions Will Be on the Move

In my latest Power Rankings article, I made a prediction that I think Finn Bálor will be heading to SmackDown. I think it still could happen, but I think it would be more interesting if the major champs were on the move. It makes sense to me, but maybe not everyone else. There are rumors about there being a new tag team belt design, but wouldn’t it be neat if there was a new Universal Championship design? Possibly a blue belt? If we are thinking realistically though, I think the safer bet will be that Samoa Joe and Bálor swap brands this week.

- The Big Dog Going to the Blue Brand

This is the superstar that I think is the biggest lock to leave and this is strictly business. Putting Roman Reigns on SmackDown with the show moving to FOX on Friday night primetime television makes perfect sense and I think the idea is too simple to ignore. I think Reigns will take it easy for a little while, but it looks like he is primed for the spotlight as soon as he is ready. Moving him to SmackDown is a win-win for the company and for him. I can’t imagine Kofi Kingston holding the title for more than a month or two, so Reigns could be the one to establish a new era of SmackDown television. Reigns as the WWE Champion heading into October is about as realistic as it gets.

- Free Agents Will Find a New Home

This seems pretty obvious, but I’m tired of seeing the NXT superstars that were called up 3 months ago still not belonging to just one brand. The most interesting scenario is with Aleister Black and Ricochet. I’m not sure if they will be moving forward as a team or as singles competitors, but whatever they do, they will finally belong to a new brand. If they move on into singles competition, I expect them to go on separate brands. Sami Zayn just made his return to television on both brands last week and I could see him going to RAW personally, but we will see. I also expect us to see Bray Wyatt for the first time in nearly 8 months either tonight or tomorrow night.

- What Will Happen with The Women?

The phrasing of the header for this section may not be the best, but I’m interested to see what happens in the women’s division coming up. Becky Lynch is the champ-champ and it may seem as if the women’s division will ignore the brand split. We still aren’t sure if the belts will be unified or if Lynch will defend them separately. Also with the Women’s Tag Team belts, champions are free to defend the titles on any brands, so this will be something interesting to watch out for tonight. If the women are still under the brand split, excluding champions, I predict that Bayley or Sasha Banks will be on the move. The two made headlines in the rumors sections in the past few days, but nothing was concretely confirmed about their tantrum after losing the tag team titles. Also, I think Asuka and Carmella will move to RAW.

- New Man, New Brand

I am referring to the former YES man, The New Daniel Bryan. I think he will be on the move to RAW and it makes total sense. Having a feud with he and Seth Rollins would be interesting to say the least. He can literally work with anyone on the roster and put together a great match. I don’t think it will be an immediate title shot for Bryan, but he will never be considered out of the title picture as long as he is performing like he is. I also have to assume if Bryan is on the move, his manager, Rowan, should be as well.

- Veterans Swapping Brands

This is pretty vague, but guys like Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and Drew McIntyre are guys that could find a new home this week. It’s difficult to tell with some of these guys, but most of them are either just getting started or may have another title run or two left in them. These guys will kind of get lost in the shuffle of the major title picture, but a new brand could be just what they need to put themselves back into the top star category. I consider Drew McIntyre a veteran, but he is just getting his feet wet and it looks like he will get a title shot sooner rather than later.

- NXT Call-Ups

This is excluding the superstars that debuted in January and have yet to find a home brand. These will be brand new call-ups and I hope we get a few. Last year, there were 3 call-ups from NXT and I think we may get nearly the same amount this year. One guy that I’m hoping gets called up is Pete Dunne. Dunne is a former NXT UK Champion, and he recently lost his title after holding it for an astonishing 685 days. He is one of my favorite NXT competitors at the moment and it would be interesting to see him competing on the main roster. I’m expecting at least Kairi Sane to be making the jump to the main roster, but Io Shirai could be called up as well. I would assume they would be packaged as tag team title competitors, but if Sane is the only one getting the call-up, it will be interesting. I also think The Undisputed Era will be jumping to the main roster. I personally feel like they have overstayed their welcome in NXT, if that is still considered a development brand. They are a strong team with a lot of potential. They have the vibe of a stable that could potentially take over a brand. I’m interested to see what will happen these next two nights.

Yacs

2019 WWE Superstar Shake-Up Preview