Analysing Raw's acquisitions in the 2018 Superstar Shake-up

Last night’s Monday Night Raw saw the first half of the 2018 edition of the Superstar Shake-up.

With Raw acquiring no fewer than 19 superstars on their roster, this year’s shake-up was a lot bigger than the previous year’s draft.

The landscape of WWE’s flagship show has already changed drastically and it’s not over yet. The second half of the Shake-up will take place tonight with Smackdown Live set to reveal their own acquisitions.

But as for Raw, how will their picks fare in the months ahead?

The 2017 ‘Superstar Shake-up’ saw Alexa Bliss and Miz join the brand and they became two of Raw’s biggest stars of the year. Meanwhile, the likes of Curt Hawkins and Apollo Crews failed to make any kind of impact after switching brands.

A number of Raw’s 2018 picks were revealed on WWE’s social media accounts. These included Zack Ryder, Mojo Rawley, Mike Kanellis, Chad Gable and The Ascension.

This article will focus on the 13 acquisitions that were revealed on the television broadcast and will predict whether they will succeed or fail on WWE’s flagship show.

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#1 Jinder Mahal

The Modern Day Maharaja lost his US title on RAW

Raw General Manager, Kurt Angle, kicked off this week’s show and was quickly interrupted by the brand’s first draft pick of 2018, Jinder Mahal.

Mahal was joined by Sunil Singh and managed to unintentionally talk his way into an impromptu title defence, which he ultimately lost to the new United States Champion, Jeff Hardy.

While this was far from a great start for the Modern Day Maharaja, I do expect him to receive another big push and he will likely become one of the top heels in Raw’s mid-card in 2018.

If this past Monday is anything to go by, Mahal looks set for a feud with fellow Raw newcomer, No Way Jose.

A feud like this could potentially allow Jinder to develop a more well-rounded character, rather than the generic 'foreign heel'.

With a deep talent pool on Raw, Mahal will need to add more to his game if he is to avoid becoming an afterthought on the show.

#2 The Riott Squad

Will these three fare better in RAW?

In what comes as a fairly surprising switch, The Riott Squad arrived on Raw and interrupted the match between Sasha Banks and Bayley, leaving them both laid out in the ring and making an instant impact.

While it was an impactful debut, they had virtually the same debut on Smackdown Live six months ago and it never really went anywhere.

Some felt that the Superstar Shake-up might see The Riott Squad go their separate ways. Ruby Riott has enough about her to compete as a singles competitor, but Sarah Logan and, in particular, Liv Morgan may benefit from another run in NXT after a rather forgettable six months on the main roster thus far.

However, they are still working as a stable and have moved over to Monday Night Raw. Maybe a fresh start on a new brand could allow them to shine and develop their characters, God knows they need to.

Now that they will be working alongside the likes of Ronda Rousey, they will all need to figure out why they are working together and what their purpose as a team is.

This is as much down to the creative team as it is the individuals, thus far the booking of them has been questionable.

Riott, Morgan and Logan will have to make the most of this fresh start to be a success on the red brand.

#3 Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

Owens and Zayn could do well as a tag-team

While it wasn’t a trade as such, since they both remained fired from Smackdown Live following their loss to Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 34, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were unveiled as Raw superstars this past Monday.

Kurt Angle was unaware of these acquisitions but Zayn took great pride in revealing to him that Stephanie McMahon had gone over Angle’s head and personally signed them to Raw deals herself.

Moving Owens and Zayn away from Smackdown makes sense and they will likely have a significant role to play in the brand moving forward, possibly in the tag team division.

There is a lot that could be done with the duo as a team and they have a whole host of potential feuds on Raw, with the likes of Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt and Authors of Pain, amongst others.

However, long-term, this will likely lead to an eventual break-up between the pair and who wouldn't want to see Owens and Zayn tear each other apart again as the culmination of this story?

#4 – Breezango

Will Breezango bring the "Fashion Files' with them to Raw?

Breezango were one of WWE’s most popular tag teams a few months ago, but they have struggled for TV time on Tuesday nights in recent months.

They received a warm welcome from the fans on Monday Night Raw and picked up a shock win over former Tag Team Champions, The Bar.

Breezango’s unlikely victory does suggest that WWE has some plans for the comedic duo. Tyler Breeze and Fandango are both talented performers and will hopefully get a chance to showcase their skills as part of the red brand in 2018.

Matches against The Bar, and maybe The Revival in the future, would allow Breezango to show that they are more than just a comedy fact.

They are both very capable in-ring talents and have a lot to offer Raw if given the opportunity.

#5 Natalya

Can Natalya help Ronda Rousey become a star in WWE for years to come?

Natalya looks set to have an interesting few months in front of her after joining Monday Night Raw.

Not only has she seemingly turned face; she has also aligned with Ronda Rousey. It was revealed in a backstage segment that Natalya and Rousey are good friends, in fact, Natalya had a hand in training the former UFC Champion for her transition into pro-wrestling.

In pairing her with one of their biggest projects, this shows that WWE has a lot of confidence in Natalya and she will likely play a significant role in helping Rousey develop as an in-ring performer.

As well as Rousey, Natalya's years in the ring could help some of the less experienced women on the Raw roster.

The likes of Nia Jax and Ember Moon would benefit from working with the former Women's Champion.

Although she will likely be an unsung hero on the roster, Natalya can help improve the women's division on Raw and could prove to be one of their most valuable acquisitions from the Superstar Shake-up.

#6 Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre

Ziggler and McIntyre formed an unlikely alliance on Raw

In a move that nobody saw coming, Dolph Ziggler made the switch to Raw and formed an unlikely alliance with another new recruit, Drew McIntyre.

McIntyre received a great reaction when he re-debuted on Monday and the former NXT Champion is expected to be a top star on the brand for years to come.

His allegiance with Ziggler does seem a bit odd, but it has created some intrigue as to where this will lead.

Also, it does give fans a reason to care about The Showoff again, which hasn’t been the case for a long, long time.

Will Ziggler be McIntyre's tag team partner or work as more of a mentor to the Scotsman? I guess we'll have to wait to find out.

Either way, McIntyre is back with a point to prove and will be an asset to whichever division he is placed in.

#7 Baron Corbin

Will the 'Lone Wolf' fulfil his potential on Monday Night Raw?

Although he did not appear in the arena, a video package aired on Raw that revealed Baron Corbin has joined the brand as part of the Superstar Shake-up.

Monday Night Raw does feel like a better fit for Corbin, and with Vince McMahon reportedly a big fan of him, he will likely be given a significant push in 2018.

However, having now spent two years on the main roster and failing to make much of an impact, he needs to up his game following this switch if he is ever to fulfil his potential.

Working with some of Raw's more experienced superstars could help Corbin and I wouldn't be surprised to see the 'Lone Wolf' work a U.S. Title program with Jeff Hardy in the near future.

#8 Bobby Roode

Roode will need more than a catchy theme song to succeed on Raw

The last pick revealed on Raw was Bobby Roode, who was the surprise final participant in the 10-man tag team main event.

This could be a good move for Roode since he was already becoming a fairly stale act on Smackdown Live, despite only joining the brand in August.

A fresh start will surely see the ‘The Glorious One’ turn heel before too long, his current gimmick simply doesn’t work as a babyface and has failed to click with the main roster audience.

If this heel turn does happen, Roode could easily be one the brand's top villains in the coming months. His egotistical heel persona and self-indulgent entrance should be a perfect fit for Raw.

Placing him in feuds with no-nonsense badasses like Bobby Lashley or Samoa Joe, who could easily turn face, could see him transition back into his previous heel role that worked so well for Roode in NXT.