WWE Raw: 5 important things we learned from the Superstar Shake-up episode (April 15, 2019)

The Superstar Shake-up was expected to hit the flagship brand with a storm, and that is exactly what it did.

As the brand was hungry for some new rivalries and some newer established heels at the top, WWE managed to pump quite a few superstars into the brand to keep it going.

The night opened with the biggest surprise as The Miz was drafted to Raw by Shane McMahon, while the tag team division was bolstered by the expected move of The Usos to the red brand.

Apart from that, we saw many other mid-card superstars take the leap of fate to the red brand during the night, while the main event saw the second biggest surprise as AJ Styles made it to the flagship brand.

At the end of the night, we learned quite a few things which will shape the course of the brand going forward. Check out what they are in the list below, and share your opinions on the first day of the Superstar Shake-up in the comments section!

#5 WWE changes superstars’ names at the most ridiculous times

WWE has a knack for changing superstar and team names as and when they want. While we have seen many superstars part with half their names, as Vince snapped his fingers, it’s odd to see established superstars get a complete name change.

War Raiders have been the most dominant tag team on NXT for some time and are the current NXT Tag Team Champions. The duo found their way to the flagship brand of WWE through their performance but lost their names in the process.

The team was drafted to the Raw brand and debuted on the WWE main roster under a new team name, The Viking Experience, with Rowe being renamed as Erik, and Hanson being renamed as Ivar.

Not only is the new name for the team a bit odd, but a change of names for both the superstars makes little to no sense. All we hope is that sanity will prevail sooner than later and WWE will stop changing names of already established superstars.

#4 Raw is the right place for someone like Andrade

Andrade will hopefully do even better on Raw

Andrade debuted on SmackDown last year after competing in the Royal Rumble 2018 and has had a good run on SmackDown. He has gotten the chance to rub shoulders with some of the best in the business and deliver A-grade performances with the most experienced superstars.

While SmackDown Live has proven to be the land of opportunities for some time now, Andrade seems to be a better fit for Raw instead.

The reason is that Raw is heavily deprived of good mid-card heels who are excellent performers and can match the skills of the mid-card faces like Finn Balor on the flagship brand.

Superstars like Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and even Jinder Mahal have tried, but the performances haven’t been top notch.

Andrade can prove to fill the gap well and also become a good heel Intercontinental Champion.

#3 The Legend Magnet vs. The Legend Repeller

There's something between Lars and Legends

Over the past few weeks, we have seen Elias become nothing but a legend magnet. He has attracted the wrath of legends such as Jeff Jarret, The Undertaker, and the Doctor of Thugonomics.

This week was no different, as Elias confidently stated that the next superstar to show up and interrupt him will not be able to show his face in WWE again. This brought out Rey Mysterio, another legend, who always has his face covered with a mask.

While the legend magnet has not disappointed in bringing out the best performers to interrupt him, the legend repeller hasn’t disappointed in laying them out too.

Last week, Lars Sullivan made his main roster debut and laid out Kurt Angle on Raw followed by The Hardy Boyz on SmackDown.

He returned to Raw this week and attacked another legend in the form of Rey Mysterio, which can be nothing but a signal towards an upcoming feud.

Will a legend, such as John Cena, or even The Rock return to stop the monster?

#2 The newer superstars might get some focus

Not everyone is happy getting shuffled up from one place to another, but at times it can lead to greater things.

We saw many faces from SmackDown and NXT show up on Raw and are now sure that many of them will find a home on the brand. AJ Styles, Naomi, The Usos, Andrade, and The Viking Experience were some of the superstars who did great on their first night out.

What was interesting to see is that they got immediate pushes and spotlight on the red brand, as all of them won the matches they were involved in. AJ Styles managed to get a tag team match with the two biggest names on Raw, while Andrade scored a big victory over the Intercontinental Champion, and Naomi teamed up with Bayley to beat the Women’s Tag Team Champions.

Except for EC3, all Raw recruits had a great night which could only mean that Raw will try building on these superstars in the coming days and hopefully not let them drift away.

#1 The Shield will ride for One Last Time

On Monday night, the main event of the show saw AJ Styles appear on Raw from SmackDown and team up with Roman Reigns and Universal Champion, Seth Rollins, to take on the good ol’ team of Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin, and Bobby Lashley.

While the combination of the heel team has become stale over the past few months, it seems like this wasn’t the last time these three men will be teaming together.

‘The Shield's Final Chapter’ was announced today, which will indeed see Dean Ambrose battle side by side with Reigns and Rollins for one final time, and it will air on the WWE Network on Sunday, April 21.

With that said, WWE might go back to the good ol’ team of McIntyre, Corbin, and Lashley to take the final fall for the trio, just like we expected them to take at Fastlane.

The WWE Universe will not mind seeing Ambrose go out in style in his final fight in the company.

Edited by Anthony Akatugba Jr.