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The WWE had their “Superstar Shake Up” in April of 2018. Multiple wrestlers switched brands in an attempt to breathe new life into certain characters, as well as promote new rivalries. In some instances (ie- Drew McIntyre, Samoa Joe and Dolph Ziggler) the Superstar Shakeup has been successful.
In this feature I will be reviewing five different superstars that I think could use a change of scenery from the current WWE brand that they are on.
1.) Finn Balor: RAW to SmackDown Live
Finn Balor has been a mainstay on RAW since he was called up front NXT in 2016. His run on RAW has had its highs and lows. From reuniting with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows to a feud with Bray Wyatt that went nowhere.
Finn Balor has been treading water on RAW since his return from the injury that forced him to vacate the WWE Universal Heavyweight Championship the day after he won it against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016.
Finn Balor has shown his ability to carry main event matches on Monday Night RAW for all of 2018. The challenge is with Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman occupying the top three babyface positions on Monday Night RAW there is not much room for Finn Balor to move up on the card on a consistent basis.
Having a change of scenery for Balor would be able to put him in fresh matches against AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura and other top wrestlers on SmackDown. Placing Balor in a position to be a top guy on SmackDown where there are stronger heel wrestlers can be beneficial to Finn Balor. It will allow Finn Balor to showcase himself as a main event player.
Ideal Scenario: Finn Balor vs AJ Styles at Royal Rumble 2019
2.) Apollo Crews: RAW to SmackDown
If any wrestler in 2018 encompasses the general frustration most fans have with WWE it is Apollo Crews.
Apollo has everything in the ring and outside of the ring you need to be a WWE Superstar.
Could he possibly use a mouthpiece to help further his fan appeal? Sure. Titus Worldwide has helped reintroduce fans to Apollo Crews. The difficulty is with Titus O ‘Neil being the mouthpiece for Titus Worldwide, I can’t help feeling that Crews is portrayed as just another guy next to Titus. He is one Superstar that could benefit from a WWE writer being in charge with helping him find his voice and help him connect better with the fans.
One challenge that Crews faces on RAW is the lack of legitimate heels needed to help solidify a fresh fan favorite. That is not the case on SmackDown, Crews could enter into rivalries with established heels like Rusev, The Miz or Shelton Benjamin. Those wrestlers could help in establishing Crews as a “never say die” fan favorite.
Moving to SmackDown Live could open the fans eyes to the endless amount of talent that Apollo Crews has at his disposal.
He has not had a legitimate chance to display this to the WWE fans yet.
Ideal Scenario: Apollo Crews vs The Miz at Survivor Series 2018.
Next Page: 5 WWE Superstars That Could Use A Change Of Scenery (cont.)
