So about RAW & SmackDown Live - 15th & 16th April 2019
So about RAW & SmackDown Live this week, it’s the Superstar Shake-up where anybody can move from one brand to another.
The wrestling was very hit and miss this week overall with the ‘hype’ of the moves. But let’s go through it anyway:
RAW
Stephanie & Shane McMahon kicked off the show. The Miz interrupted their speech by attacking Shane and declared that no matter where Shane went, Miz would be right behind him. Miz would be the first person to be moved from SmackDown Live to RAW.
Aleister Black, Ricochet are now on RAW full time and they are team with Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins whom are up against The Revival against (sigh…) The Viking Experience… Erik & Ivor…
Jesus wept…Terrible name… Formally “War Raiders” who are the current NXT Tag Team Champions has had a re-brand coming up to RAW. They are now on the jobber level of The Ascension after the name change. Sad to see this happen to them. They win their debut match pinning the RAW Tag Team Champion, Zack Ryder.
Andrade & Zelina Vega have moved to RAW and he pins Finn Bálor… The Intercontinental Champion. That was something, hopefully this is the push that Andrade needs to have a title on him before soon enough.
Elias’ performance was interrupted by a SmackDown superstar, Rey Mysterio who was in turn interrupted by Lars Sullivan who we thought at the time was signed to RAW full time.
Bobby Roode & Chad Gable are taking on the newly RAW signed, The Usos. Usos win their debut match What happens with Roode & Gable. We’ll find out later.
It’s the IIconics whom we thought signed with RAW, but according to their wwe.com profiles, they are still on SmackDown, they take on Bayley and RAW’s newest signee, Naomi! It was nice that they kept Naomi with The Usos. Ideal for Mixed Match Challange Season 3 (whenever that happens).
Bayley & Naomi go over defeating the match. No sign of Sasha Banks anywhere here, but we speculate that she might be taking some time off.
EC3 has finally be signed to RAW after lingering this past couple of months, so hopefully, he will be put to full use and become a heel that he is supposed to be….. And he’s been put through the stage by Braun Strowman… Welp, err… hopefully next week is a bit better for him.
Becky Lynch vs Ruby Riott (Becky is still signed to SmackDown but she is in this weird phase of being on both shows as she has both Women’s titles). Becky won the match but was interrupted by Natalya who wanted to challenge Becky for the title. Lacey Evans also came out to interrupt and she declared that she wanted to fight for the title spot. So, it would be Lacey vs Natalya. Also, Lacey Evans is now officially signed to RAW.
Lacey Evans defeated Natalya with the Women’s Right and will now face Becky Lynch for the RAW Women’s Title. When this match is going to happen has not been decided yet, but will probably be at the Money in the Bank PPV.
During the night, it was hyped that Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin & Bobby Lashley would take on the team of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and a new member of the RAW roster who has moved from SmackDown Live. We learn that this new member is no other than The Phenomenal AJ Styles.
Last time Styles was on RAW was when he was ‘borrowed’ to team with Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins against The Bar & The Miz.
And before that was the week before the 2016 WWE Draft where he was in a 12-man tag match teaming with Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, who teamed with The Wyatt Family to defeat John Cena, Enzo Amore, Big Cass and The New Day. The next week, Styles would be drafted to SmackDown Live.
Back into 2019, Styles’ team would defeat The ‘Fake’ Shield with a Phenomenal Forearm to Bobby Lashley for the victory.
SMACKDOWN LIVE
We start the show with The Kevin Owens Shows who interviewed the WWE Champion Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods. No Big E as he is out injured. New Day needed the 3rd member in order to take on the team of Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev in the main event. (Sheamus would not be on TV this week but it has been reported that he has suffered a concussion. )
The first of many big changes to SmackDown’s roster is the Intercontinental Champion Finn Bálor who has a fantastic match against Ali. Bálor would dodge Ali’s 054 and got the victory with the Coup De Grace.
Charlotte vs Carmella was a nothing match, but Lars (who is now really signed to SmackDown) destroyed R-Truth.
Becky 2 Belts came out to talk about the SmackDown women that are going to be defeated before being interrupted by the NEWLY signed Ember Moon & Bayley. Bayley on SmackDown without Sasha? What has happened to the tag team? We won’t know for now. But hopefully, this would be explained in the coming weeks/months.
Paige would come out to announce who the new tag team is going to be, before being interrupted by Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville. Absolution is back together… Or maybe not, as Paige declared that it wasn’t them but it would be Asuka and the newest signee from NXT, Kairi Sane! I popped massively for this as I love Kairi’s matches and is a joy to watch. This would set up an 8-woman tag match!
A nothing match overall here, but the newest signee’s Asuka, Kairi, Ember and Bayley would go over on The IIconics, Mandy & Sonya.
While it was hyped all evening, the match between Kofi, Xavier and Kevin Owens vs Cesaro, Shinsuke & Rusev didn’t amount to much and it would be the face team that wins.
Vince McMahon is here for the main event segment of the show to declare the “Biggest acquisition in SmackDown Live history”. He reveals it to be Elias!
Before Elias could sing a song for his new SmackDown audience, he was interrupted by Roman Reigns! Vince looked shook as Roman made his way to the ring. Roman superman punched Elias and then delivered another Superman Punch to Vince and declared that SmackDown Live was now his yard. Oh, Roman!
And that is it for this week’s RAW & SmackDown. Let’s see next week how well the new roster gets on with their new colleagues and how will this shape matches going into Money in the Bank and beyond.