Grading SmackDown's divisions before and after the Superstar Shake Up
While Monday night started things out with a bang, Tuesday continued the trend when Roman Reigns made the jump for Mondays to Tuesday nights. The Superstar Shake Up has still taken place over the last week or so, but just on a smaller scale.
In the guise of maintaining relationships, Andrade and Zelina Vega and Aleister Black were all moved from Raw to the blue brand last week so that real-life couples Andrade and Charlotte Flair and Vega and Black could be kept together.
The B-Team also was quietly shipped to SmackDown and just in time for a division that has been riddled with injuries. And the one division that was already strong in the women's division was extremely improved into possibly the best division top to bottom in WWE. Here are the grades for SmackDown life before and after the shake up.
Tag Team Division
Lost - the Usos
Other Notes - Sanity disbanded, Big E, Sheamus hurt
Grade Before - B+
Grade After - C+
In order to help Raw's tag teams improve, WWE shifted the Usos from SmackDown to Raw. But in order to improve one division, another division was hurt by not only the loss of one team but the 'on-hold' statuses of several other top teams on Tuesday nights.
The Bar was essentially disbanded once Sheamus had to take time off after WrestleMania due to a concussion. And since Cesaro was left by himself, he was moved to Raw. Also suffering an injury was Big E. With Kofi Kingston now the WWE Champion, the tag division still could boast Xavier Woods and Big E.
But now with the big man hurt, the division was essentially stripped of its three top teams by movement or injury. And that's not even considering what to do with the current champions, the Hardyz. Jeff Hardy is reportedly hurt and the titles might have to be taken off of them.
That leaves teams that haven't been pushed much (Good Brothers, Colons) and a team that could have potential in Rusev and Nakamura. SmackDown did add both the B-Team and Heavy Machinery, but neither team is the same caliber of the Usos, the Bar or the New Day. This division, once a huge strength of the blue brand, is now a weakness.