What’s the story?
Vince McMahon announced what he referred to as a ‘superstar shake-up’ for the April 10, 2017, edition of Monday Night Raw, and WWE’s official website has followed up with further details on the words of The Chairman. While the word itself has been avoided, the 2017 draft will take place next week with Mr McMahon allowing Kurt Angle and Daniel Bryan to negotiate a number of trades, deals, and other moves in order to freshen up their brands.
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The WWE Draft returned in 2016 as Raw and SmackDown became separate entities once more. The entire roster was divided between blue and red. Nine months have passed since that fateful night in July, however, and the time has come to shake things up once again.
The heart of the matter
It isn’t yet clear how many trades and deals each brand will be allowed to make, but WWE.com is hinting at two major moves that could happen next week. The website speculates as to what would happen if John Cena and Nikki Bella found themselves on different brands in the aftermath of their WrestleMania engagement. The site also mentions Braun Strowman and talks about the havoc that the Monster Among Men could wreak on the SmackDown LIVE roster.
Also read: 5 surprises to expect on the SmackDown LIVE after WrestleMania
The official site will continue to post news as the situation develops, and the fans will surely spend the rest of the week speculating on the fates of their favourite superstars. More information may well be revealed tonight on SmackDown LIVE as WWE continues to reshuffle its pack following WrestleMania 33.
Here’s WWE’s official preview:
Mr. McMahon announces WWE will "shake things up" next week on Raw and SmackDown LIVE ORLANDO, Fla. – "It's time to shake things up around here," Mr. McMahon loudly exclaimed to the raucous Amway Center crowd during the Raw after WrestleMania. The Chairman and CEO of WWE surprised everyone Monday night in Orlando when he came out to the ring and thanked the WWE Universe for making WrestleMania 33 The Ultimate Thrill Ride.
Surprise turned to shock, however, when Mr. McMahon then announced that the WWE roster will undergo a seismic shift on next week's editions of Raw and SmackDown LIVE. Mr. McMahon also announced he has already conferred with lead representatives from Raw and SmackDown LIVE in advance of the shake-up that will take place for both brands. That includes the newly named Raw General Manager, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, as well as SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan, who are already in ongoing discussions with each other regarding next week's anticipated Superstar movement, WWE.com has confirmed.
The WWE Chairman will be granting both sides an opportunity to make trades, deals and other moves that they feel fit, according to WWE.com sources. There are many potential maneuvers that the WWE Universe will surely be buzzing over. Could we see recently engaged SmackDown stars John Cena & Nikki Bella on separate brands as a result of the shake-up? What about a monster like Braun Strowman causing havoc on the SmackDown LIVE roster instead of Raw?
The possibilities are endless. Stick with WWE.com for more on the Superstar Shake-up as news develops, and tune into next week's Raw and SmackDown LIVE to see where things stand within WWE's New Era.
What’s next?
The rest of this week will surely be full of speculation, but until more details are announced it is difficult to see what WWE will do next week. A move for Strowman could happen, but it would be strange considering the Black Sheep confronted WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar last night on Raw. A move for Cena or Nikki would also be somewhat unusual, considering their new engagement and status on the blue brand.
A number of NXT stars have been rumoured to be moving up to the main roster following WrestleMania 33, among them Shinsuke Nakamura, Andrade Almas and Tye Dillinger. Their respective moves were expected to happen tonight on SmackDown LIVE, but will they be put off until the superstar shake-up?
Author’s take
The WWE Draft is always a lot of fun to fantasy book, and the 2017 version will surely be the same. A number of stars will be looking to swap shows in order to kickstart their careers, among them Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, The New Day and maybe even AJ Styles. Next week is going to be fascinating.
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