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The Miz

This might be the biggest move, on paper, for SmackDown in the Superstar Shake-up. The brand now has a superstar who has a clean slate as he returns to SmackDown. Without the Miztourage backing him up, who does the Miz turn to for help? It will be interesting to see how, or if, he gets a new crew to back him up. The biggest reason this was a great is the feud with Daniel Bryan. The first shot was fired when Kurt Angle said the Bryan requested a trade for the Miz. With both wrestlers on the same brand, this is must-see TV.

Impact Level- 10

Samoa Joe

The biggest move of the shake-up could be Samoa Joe going to SmackDown. Joe fits the SmackDown vibe of great wrestlers in the ring and a guy who knows how to cut a promo. Every feud Joe has had in WWE has been enhanced by his handling of the mic and his moves in the ring. This move to me is the wild card because Joe has a match with Roman Reigns at Backlash.  A win here would put him right in the middle of the WWE Championship picture, which the RAW brand could not give because of the re-signing of Brock Lesnar.

Impact Level- 9

The Bar

Surprise moves in a shakeup, like The Bar to SmackDown, create a lot of buzz. Sheamus and Cesaro have now turned the SmackDown tag team division upside down. This shake-up of the tag team division is what SmackDown needed to close the gap between the brands. The SmackDown tag team division now has two big burly tag teams that would make a huge tag team match in The Bar vs. The Bludgeon Brothers.

Impact Level- 9

Jeff Hardy

The United States Championship belt returned to SmackDown with this shake-up move. Jeff Hardy now has completed his championship grand slam, entering a division that needed spicing up. It will be interesting who will be contenders for the title outside of Rusev and Randy Orton. This could be a chance for SmackDown to push a new, fresh talent like what thy did with Bobby Roode for a short stint.

Impact Level- 6

Absolution

Sometimes the shake-up brings old teams together like this one did. This is a reunion of sorts for Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose as they now are back with Paige, who is the general manager of SmackDown. Does this mean they will get a push from their former leader? Paige has acted like a mentor since her injury, and its fair to think she will continue that. Every GM needs to have some muscle, and these two will be just that. All the veterans that Paige has issues with on SmackDown now will have to answer to these two.

Impact Level- 8

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Jinder Mahal

The former Untied States Champion showed up on Raw and lost his belt to Jeff Hardy in his debut. Without a title to carry, what feuds does RAW have in store for Jinder?  I find it hard to think he will be put in the middle of the Universal Title mix, so maybe the Intercontinental Championship? This shake-up is a mystery to me, especially after he lost the U.S. title. Will he be a title contender, or will he return to the mid card ranks?

Impact Level- TBD

Bobby Roode

Somewhat of a surprise to the shake-up for me because they were building him on SmackDown. They must see him as a person they can use on RAW to contend for the Intercontinental Title. He came in on his first RAW with a bang as the final member of the five man tag team. The surprise to have Roode has all sorts of possibilities and its exciting to see what they have in store for the former NXT champion. Whatever they choose it should be GLORIOUS for Roode.

Impact Level- 9

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

I had to really think on whether to combine these two or to separate them due to me wanting Owens to be solo. I hope they separate them and give Owens the push as a solo wrestler. He was a great Universal Champion when Finn Balor had to relinquish his belt and can be it again. We may see him as a contender for the Intercontinental Title, but in time he should be in the Universal title plans.  As for Sami Zayn, he is better with Owens than without, so we will see what they decide to do.

Impact Level Together: 6

Impact Level Separate: Owens-10, Zayn-5

Riott Squad

The shake-up also brought the Riott Squad to RAW where they can reek havoc once again.  Possibly changing places with Absolution to also trade stories with them.  Both debuting the same way on their respective brands they are probably going to use the recycled story Absolution had before Paige had to retire.  Should be interesting to see how the womans division starts up after the shake-up.

Impact Level- 7

Dolph Ziggler

The shake-up gives wrestlers a chance at a fresh start, which in this case Dolph Ziggler. The show-off has a chance to turn his career back on track after starting with a feud with Titus Worldwide. With Drew McIntyre as his new muscle to back him up, it creates a pairing that can be relevant. Dolph couldn’t seem to handle things on his own, so adding muscle behind him could help.

Impact Level- 5

Conclusion

SmackDown clearly won the Superstar Shake-up. The men’s divisions were decent moves to help get wrestlers a change of scenery that they needed.  The Bar switching brands, in my opinion, makes the SmackDown tag team division elite and would be great to see what storylines they come up with.  The women’s division was a clear landslide win for SmackDown to help spice up a women’s division that is ruled by Charlotte. These moves by SmackDown should close the gap between the two brands.