2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up
2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up | |
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WWE Superstar Shake-up logo. | |
General information | |
Sport | Professional wrestling |
Date(s) | April 15–May 8, 2019 |
Overview | |
League | WWE |
Teams | Raw SmackDown 205 Live NXT (outgoing only) |
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The 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up was the thirteenth
Following the Superstar Shake-up, a
Background
The WWE Draft, known as the Superstar Shake-up since 2017, is an annual process used by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE while a brand extension, or brand split, is in effect. The original brand extension occurred from 2002 to 2011, while the second and current brand split began in 2016. During a brand extension, the company divides its roster into brands where the wrestlers exclusively perform for each brand's respective television show, and the draft is used to refresh the rosters of the brand divisions, typically between the Raw and SmackDown brands.
For the
Selections
# | Employee (Real name) |
Role | Brand (from) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
The following wrestlers were drafted to the Raw brand on the April 15 episode of Raw.[8][9] | ||||
1 | The Miz | Male wrestler | SmackDown | |
2 | Ricochet | Male wrestler | NXT | Made his main roster debut on February 18, 2019, and appeared on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT until the Superstar Shake-up. |
3 | Aleister Black
|
Male wrestler | NXT | Made his main roster debut on February 18, 2019, and appeared on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT until the Superstar Shake-up. |
4 | The Viking Experience (Ivar and Erik) |
Male tag team | NXT | Drafted while NXT Tag Team Champions. Formerly known as War Raiders in NXT, the team was renamed to The Viking Experience upon being drafted, while their individual ring names, Hanson and Rowe, were changed to Ivar and Erik, respectively. The team was renamed The Viking Raiders on the April 22 episode of Raw. They relinquished the NXT Tag Team Championship on the May 1 taping of NXT (aired May 15).
|
5 | Cedric Alexander | Male wrestler | 205 Live | |
6 | Andrade | Male wrestler | SmackDown | |
7 | Zelina Vega | Female wrestler | SmackDown | |
8 | Rey Mysterio | Male wrestler | SmackDown | |
9 | Lars Sullivan (Dylan Miley) |
Male wrestler | NXT | Advertised since November 18, 2018, and appeared on Raw and SmackDown a week prior to the Superstar Shake-up. |
10 | The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) |
Male tag team | SmackDown | |
11 | Naomi (Trinity Fatu) |
Female wrestler | SmackDown | |
12 | EC3 | Male wrestler | NXT | Advertised since December 17, 2018, and appeared on Raw and SmackDown for several weeks prior to the Superstar Shake-up. |
13 | Eric Young | Male wrestler | SmackDown | Separated from his team Sanity, which subsequently disbanded. |
14 | Lacey Evans | Female wrestler | NXT | Advertised since December 17, 2018 and appeared on Raw and SmackDown for several weeks prior to the Superstar Shake-up. |
15 | AJ Styles | Male wrestler | SmackDown | |
The following wrestlers were drafted to the Raw brand on the April 22 episode of Raw.[3][5] | ||||
16 | Samoa Joe | Male wrestler | SmackDown | Drafted with the United States Championship. |
17 | Cesaro | Male wrestler | SmackDown | Drafted separately from his tag team partner, Sheamus, who had to take time off due to an injury. |
The following wrestlers were drafted to the Raw brand on the April 29 episode of Raw.[3][5] | ||||
18 | Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
|
Male tag team | SmackDown | |
The following wrestler was confirmed to be drafted to the Raw brand on the May 8 taping of Main Event (aired May 11).[10][7] | ||||
19 | Nikki Cross | Female wrestler | NXT | Advertised since December 17, 2018, and appeared on Raw and SmackDown for several weeks prior to the Superstar Shake-up. |
The following wrestlers were drafted to the SmackDown brand on the April 16 episode of SmackDown.[11] | ||||
1 | Finn Bálor | Male wrestler | Raw | Drafted with the Intercontinental Championship. |
2 | Ember Moon | Female wrestler | Raw | |
3 | Bayley | Female wrestler | Raw | Separated from her tag team partner, Sasha Banks .
|
4 | Kairi Sane | Female wrestler | NXT | Separated from her tag team partner, Io Shirai .
|
5 | Lars Sullivan | Male wrestler | Raw | Was originally drafted to Raw, but transferred to SmackDown. |
6 | Buddy Murphy | Male wrestler | 205 Live | |
7 | Elias | Male wrestler | Raw | |
8 | Roman Reigns | Male wrestler | Raw | |
9 | Liv Morgan | Female wrestler | Raw | Announced on WWE.com. Separated from her team, The Riott Squad .
|
10 | Chad Gable | Male wrestler | Raw | Announced on WWE.com. Separated from his tag team partner, Bobby Roode. |
11 | Apollo Crews | Male wrestler | Raw | Announced on WWE.com |
12 | Mickie James | Female wrestler | Raw | Announced on WWE.com |
13 | Heavy Machinery (Otis and Tucker) |
Male tag team | NXT | Announced on WWE.com. Advertised since December 17, 2018, and appeared on Raw and SmackDown for several weeks prior to the Superstar Shake-up. |
The following wrestlers were drafted to the SmackDown brand on the April 23 episode of SmackDown.[4] | ||||
14 | Andrade | Male wrestler | Raw | Originally drafted to Raw, but moved back to SmackDown. |
15 | Zelina Vega | Female wrestler | Raw | Originally drafted to Raw, but moved back to SmackDown. |
16 | Aleister Black
|
Male wrestler | Raw | Originally drafted to Raw, but moved to SmackDown, separating him from his tag team partner, Ricochet. |
17 | Jinder Mahal | Male wrestler | Raw | |
18 | Samir Singh )(Gurv Sihra and Harv Sihra) |
Male tag team | Raw | |
The following wrestlers were drafted to the SmackDown brand prior to the April 30 episode of SmackDown.[4][12] | ||||
19 | The B-Team (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) |
Male tag team | Raw | |
The following wrestlers were drafted to the 205 Live brand on the April 30 episode of 205 Live.[6] | ||||
1 | Samir Singh )
|
Male tag team | SmackDown | Originally drafted to SmackDown, but moved to 205 Live, separating them from their stablemate, Jinder Mahal. |
- Notes
- Seven tag teams/stables were split or broken up as a result of the Superstar Shake-up. Samir Singh) was split up as Mahal moved to SmackDown while The Singh Brothers went to 205 Live.
- The Intercontinental Championship moved to SmackDown, while the United States Championship moved to Raw. Reigning NXT Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders were drafted to Raw, but the championship did not move with them; they subsequently relinquished the title on the May 1 taping of NXT (aired May 15).
- At SmackDown Women's Championships, allowing her to appear on both brands. She was not assigned a home brand during the Superstar Shake-up, but after she lost the SmackDown Women's Championship at Money in the Bank, she became a member of the Raw brand.[13]
Aftermath
On Raw, new draftee
On SmackDown,
The reasons for Andrade and Zelina Vega's move back to SmackDown, and Aleister Black's switch to the brand, were later revealed. In WWE's attempt to keep real-life couples on the same brand, Andrade was moved back to SmackDown because of his relationship with Charlotte Flair, Vega was moved as she is Andrade's on-screen manager, and Black was moved because of his marriage to Vega. It was also reported that FOX, where SmackDown would begin airing in October 2019, wanted more Latin American stars on the show and requested Andrade and Vega to be moved back to the brand.[20]
Wild Card Rule
On the May 6 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon introduced a Wild Card Rule, with specific stipulations:[14][21]
- Up to four wrestlers would be allowed to appear on the opposing brand's show by invitation for one night only.
- Unsanctioned appearances would be penalized with a fine or termination.
Following the implementation of the Wild Card Rule, the stipulations were routinely ignored with numerous stars freely appearing on both shows for multiple weeks with storylines crossing over both brands, blurring the lines between Raw and SmackDown. The rule was heavily criticized by journalists and current wrestlers alike. Writing for
Subsequent draft
With SmackDown's move to FOX in October and Raw remaining on the USA Network, WWE decided to hold a second draft for the year to definitively split the brands. Returning to its original name (the "WWE Draft") and a traditional draft format, this second draft of 2019 occurred on the October 11 and 14 episodes of SmackDown (renamed to Friday Night SmackDown) and Raw, respectively. Personalities from FOX and NBCUniversal (USA's parent company) appeared and had influence over the picks (the first time television networks had an influence over WWE's drafting decisions).[25][26] The Wild Card Rule also ended with this subsequent draft.[23]
References
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- ^ Keller, Wade (April 8, 2019). "4/8 WWE Raw Results: Keller's report on Day After WrestleMania edition of Raw with Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Kofi Kingston". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Keller, Wade (April 22, 2019). "4/22 WWE Raw Results: Keller's report on Superstar Shake-up fallout, the Road to Money in the Bank including no. 1 contender to Seth determined". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Keller, Wade (April 23, 2019). "4/23 WWE Smackdown Results: Keller's report on Roman Reigns-Vince McMahon fallout, Shinsuke vs. Kofi, Charlotte-Becky face off". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Keller, Wade (April 29, 2019). "4/29 WWE Raw Results: Keller's report on Alexa Bliss announcing Money in the Bank competitors, Rollins-Styles hype, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ a b Vishwakoti, Anish (May 1, 2019). "4/30 WWE 205 Live Results: Anish V's review of WWE Cruiserweight Champion Tony Nese vs. Drew Gulak in a non-title match, Lucha House Party vs. The Singh Brothers". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Myers, Mike (May 11, 2019). "5/8 WWE Main Event TV Report: Strong episode featuring EC3 vs. Cedric Alexander, Nikki Cross vs. Peyton Royce". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Keller, Wade (April 15, 2019). "4/15 WWE Raw Results: Keller's report on Superstar Shake-up including more fallout from WrestleMania 35". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- ^ "Full list of Superstars who moved to Raw in the 2019 Superstar Shake-up". WWE. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ^ Babos, John (May 13, 2019). "WWE Superstar Shake-Up Week 5 Fallout & Spoilers: Did NXT Alumni Nikki Cross Land On Raw Or Smackdown Live Or NXT UK?". Inside Pulse. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Keller, Wade (April 16, 2019). "4/16 WWE Smackdown Results: Keller's report and analysis of the second night of the Superstar Shake-up". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
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- ^ a b Keller, Wade (May 6, 2019). "5/6 WWE Raw Results: Keller's report on Will Roman Reigns show up, Money in the Bank hype including Rollins-Styles, Rey wants U.S. Title, More Grooming Perhaps". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ WWE (June 1, 2019). Is Tyler Breeze cut out for the "new" NXT? WWE Exclusive, June 1, 2019. YouTube. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
- ^ Keller, Wade (April 30, 2019). "4/30 WWE Smackdown Report: Keller's report on the latest Money in the Bank developments, Roman Reigns settles in, Becky vs. Bayley". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ Keller, Wade (May 14, 2019). "5/14 WWE Smackdown Results: Keller's report on Kofi Kingston on The Kevin Owens Show, Money in the Bank fatal four-way match, Reigns returns to discuss Elias match". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ "Dolph Ziggler". WWE. Archived from the original on June 14, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
- ComicBook.com. Archivedfrom the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (May 7, 2019). "WWE Posts Explanation Of How The "Wild Card Rule" Works". Fightful. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Martinez, Phillip (May 7, 2019). "WWE explains the new "Wild Card Rule" and it's still confusing". Newsweek. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ ComicBook.com. Archivedfrom the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ a b Murray, Andrew (June 21, 2019). "Kevin Owens Criticises WWE's Wild Card Rule". WhatCulture. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ Defelice, Robert (September 15, 2019). "WWE Draft Made Official For October 11 & 14, Announced During NFL on Fox". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- CBSSports. Archivedfrom the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.