Complete Shake-Up Run-Down:

RAW
  • Jinder Mahal (feat. Sunil Singh)
  • The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan)
  • Zack Ryder
  • Mojo Rawley
  • Breezango/The Fashion Files (Tyler Breeze & Fandango)
  • Natalya
  • Dolph Ziggler
  • Baron Corbin
  • Mike Kanellis
  • The Ascension (Konnor & Viktor)
  • Bobby Roode
  • Chad Gable
  • Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn [Free Agents]
  • Drew McIntyre [Via NXT]


SmackDown Live
  • The Miz
  • Jeff Hardy
  • Absolution (Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose)
  • Samoa Joe
  • Big Cass
  • Asuka
  • Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
  • The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro)
  • R-Truth
  • SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain) [Via NXT]
  • Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega [Via NXT]


So coming into this, RAW was far too top-heavy, especially with Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns monopolizing the top title. SmackDown had too many bland personalities packed into a dull midcard. Both shows have remedied that problem with SmackDown gaining multi-faceted stars who are flexible in their position - Joe, Miz, Hardy, Sheamus and Cesaro can all work in the midcard or higher up - while RAW has thickened its midcard with guys like Corbin, Roode, Mahal etc... allowing guys like Rollins and Balor to move further back up the card. Oh and both McIntyre and Almas on opposite shows could make for some intriguing viewing.

Tag team wise, SAnitY could be a lot of fun opposite any of the major players in the division - Bludgeon Bros. Usos, New Day, Gallows & Anderson or The Bar on SmackDown - and RAW seems to have refreshed itself with the arrival of the Authors of Pain last week and the new tandem of Woken Matt & Bray Wyatt, not to mention the Fashion Police, could we see the Fashion Files return as a bit on the longer RAW? Maybe even Sami & Kevin can enter competition their? Or the Miztourage on their own? And there's that new Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre duo too so plenty of options.

With regards to the women's division, there was enough change to produce new match-ups etc... across both shows with strong cores of Asuka, Becky, the IIconics, Carmella and Charlotte on SmackDown and Nia, Ember, Alexa, Sasha, Bayley on RAW (not to mention Rousey too). I'm sure it'll be cycled through and redundant again by SummerSlam, but for now there is some freshness.

Who won? SmackDown, for sure. They've got seasoned, developed competitors all over their card and a nucleus of Styles, Nakamura, Bryan, Joe, Miz, Jeff Hardy etc... which is frankly frightening with the amount of talent available (not to mention Mr. Match of the Night, Andrade "Cien" Almas). Their women's and tag scenes are developing nicely and the direction of the show is at once obvious but also surprising. RAW is packed with people and should be a better balanced programme, but as long as the main event is dominated by the same stale stories as before, it'll remain a slog.