Rumor: Post-WrestleMania Roster Shake Up Has Big Names On The Move

TheSportster

By Vince Tinebra

Published Mar 23, 2018

The long-rumored Superstar Shake Up is reportedly scheduled after WrestleMania and we should be seeing some old faces in new places.

WrestleMania season isn’t even over yet, but rumors of a roster shakeup are already starting to seep out. Coming in May, only one month after the big show, Backlash will see the return of dual brand pay-per-views, and a recent report from Bleacher Report states that it may host some type of talent movement between Raw and SmackDown. This comes on the heels of criticism that WWE programming has gotten stale over the past several months due to the constant repetition of matches that results in them becoming boring. As shown in the past, roster shakeups generally result in slight viewership increases.

WrestleMania is usually a time when current feuds are put to rest so that new matchups can be made going forward. These new matchups pretty much determine the landscape for the next several months and help keep things fresh. This is no longer considered to be enough, so the idea is to further mix things up between the wrestlers.

These rumors aren’t surprising, and a roster change would lend an air of excitement to the product as fans will start to speculate just who will be making the move to another show. Since the report, one of the biggest rumors revolve around the tag team divisions, with either the Usos or the New Day making their way over to Raw. Another one has the main event scenes getting new life, especially for Raw, who has been using the same handful of stars for most of the year, leaving several other big names without a shot. Seth Rollins or Finn Balor could be headed to SmackDown while Jinder Mahal is being considered for Raw.

After the WWE mixed up the rosters and split the brands in 2016, ratings surged for a while due to the fresh climates that were created. However, both shows have since begun to stagnate, and the company may see this as a way of bringing all of their brands back up to a higher level.

While this could be a good idea, care must be taken that it, itself, doesn’t become stale. Before the 2016 shakeup, the WWE had been operating as a single entity between two programs for the previous eleven years. If done right, the next shakeup could be used to fix the ailing tag team and women’s divisions, as well as rejuvenate the title pictures. After that though, things should be allowed to grow organically into a product fans can look forward to again.