AllWrestling Superstar Shakeup Predictions: Women Superstars

Our second WWE Superstar Shakeup article will focus on impact moves for the respective women’s divisions of RAW, SmackDown Live and NXT. 

Given that the past few years in the women’s division have largely been dominated by a few names – Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss and Ronda Rousey – and we currently have Becky Lynch holding two titles, this might be the year WWE thinks about spreading the love around a little bit with some new Superstars as champions. If that is the plan, then the realigning of talent that starts tonight will go a long way in setting up new stories and opportunities for fresh faces in the title picture.  

To be fair, SmackDown Live has certainly provided more opportunities to different women as Lynch (3 reigns 181 days), Carmella (130 days), Naomi (2 reigns, 148 days), Asuka (99 days) and Natalya (86 days) each had stints as champions around Flair (3 reigns, 185 days) and Bliss (2 reigns, 109 days) since the belt was first won by Lynch in September 2016. Meanwhile, RAW has been dominated by Bliss (3 reigns, 396 days), Flair (4 reigns, 242 days) and Rousey (231 days) for a combined 869 days with the belt since its inception in April of 2016, compared to the four others who have held it – Banks (4 reigns, 80 days), Bayley (76 days), Jax (70 days) and Lynch (7) – for a combined 233 days. 

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With that in mind, one strategy that could work in providing more opportunities is putting Bliss and Flair on the same show to feud for a while with no title in the picture. It’s a rivalry we have not had previously since they have always worked on opposite shows. Since Lynch has had more history on SmackDown and RAW is a longer show, it seems more likely that when she does drop a belt it will be the blue one. Therefore, SmackDown would appear the more likely spot for a newcomer to claim a championship in 2019. So, here’s a look at what the Superstar Shakeup might look like for the women’s division: 

Top 5 RAW Trades

1. Charlotte Flair – As stated above, Flair and Bliss have dominated the title scene on their assigned brands when healthy. It seems wise if WWE avoids giving either one of them another championship run this year. One way to work around having two of the biggest stars without gold is to involve them in a high-profile feud against each other. Flair might prove the perfect opponent to help Bliss re-establish herself in the ring after spending most of the early part of the year as a talk show host coming off her concussion-related injuries. Both Bliss and Flair are versatile enough to work either character dynamic, but since Bliss has straddled the babyface-heel line as a host she could allow Flair to continue her run as a baddie. 

2. Naomi – This is a projection based on my thinking that The Usos are likely to head to RAW and WWE will keep Naomi on the same brand with her husband, Jimmy Uso. The two-time SmackDown Women’s Champion has already worked with most of the women on the Blue Brand, so this could be a way to open up new matchups for her as well. In addition, RAW still suffers from a lack of depth in babyface characters in the women’s division. Since WWE spent most of last year lining up heels for Rousey to bulldoze, it left the Red Brand pretty thin in heroes. Lynch will obviously assume the role of top crowd favorite as champion, but there’s still plenty of space for other babyfaces. RAW also lacks a contender in the women’s tag division now if Sasha Banks and Bayley are splitting up, and Naomi would seem like a good fit to pair with Ember Moon if she remains on RAW. 

3. Sky Pirates (Kairi Sane & Io Shirai) – Almost everyone assumed that Shayna Baszler would lose the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver: New York to Sane, Shirai or Bianca Belair, but that didn’t happen. One possible explanation is that WWE plans to call up Sane and Shirai as a babyface tag team to work against the new heel champions, The IIconics. Much of the speculation is that Sane and Shirai are the tag team former SmackDown General Manager Paige teased an association with on SmackDown last week. Most are assuming Paige meant bringing the team to SmackDown, but since Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, The IIconics and some of the other members of the Blue Brand women’s division have worked in tag teams with each other in the past it might be better to introduce the Sky Pirates on RAW. If Banks and Bayley are breaking up and with Nia Jax injured, the only tag team currently on RAW is Riott Squad. Sane and Shirai could also help fill in babyface characters on the RAW roster.

4. Lacey Evans – The Lady of WWE is working overtime on social media to pour gas on the fire of her budding feud with Lynch. Though it’s obvious Evans is getting a push, I’m not sure if the WWE is ready to put a championship belt on her yet. Since SmackDown is my guess for where Lynch will drop a belt, I will put Evans on RAW. Under this scenario, it would also allow Evans to follow up on her intense stare down with Flair from the Royal Rumble in January. She would also have good matchups against Moon, Bliss, Bayley, Banks and Lynch. In addition, I’m not sure Fox’s emphasis on more athletic content over gimmick-reliant themes for SmackDown will work well with Evans packaged as a sassy, Southern belle in dresses and hats. I also think that by putting Evans with a more veteran cast on RAW will allow her to observe and learn from some of the most successful women in the company, allowing her to continue her development. 

5. Nikki Cross – This decision is based on Cross’ reliance on her gimmick as a crazed lunatic with hyper energy in the ring. I don’t think that will fit in with the type of programming Fox wants for SmackDown broadcasts. Cross also did some social media teases of ambushing Bliss in the future, so in this scenario I will put them together on RAW. Cross also transcends the traditional heel-babyface roles so she would serve as a versatile addition who could work with almost anyone else. Since the roster we’re building could use a few physical, technical wrestlers, Cross’ style fits better on RAW than SmackDown. 

Top 5 SmackDown Live Trades

1. Ember Moon – The War Goddess should be squarely in a championship picture if not the next in line in the women’s division to become a first-time champion. She returned from injury at WrestleMania and would add a much needed babyface to the brand when Lynch eventually makes her permanent home on RAW. We could also revisit some of the great matches Moon and Asuka put on at NXT. Moon would fit well within the Blue Brand roster as she would have great matches with Carmella, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville and Naomi (if she stays). With a goal of creating a brand full of young, athletic, hungry talent looking to make a name for themselves, Moon would make or a perfect addition. 

2. Sasha Banks – The Boss grew up idolizing Blue Brand legends Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio and made statements before the 2016 brand extension draft that SmackDown is where she’d like to wind up. Though she’s a four-time RAW Women’s Champ, Banks hasn’t held a singles title since August 2017 when she dropped the belt to Bliss after holding it for only a week. In the wake of a controversial week in which Banks and Bayley lost the women’s tag belts and allegedly complained about it before Banks went AWOL and then unfollowed WWE social media accounts, The Boss seemingly needs a clean slate and a brand switch would provide it. There would also be built-in heat with The IIconics that could be explored at some point. Although, the biggest gift from Banks going to Tuesdays would be potential epic matches with Asuka. It might be premature to assume The Boss N Hug Connection is breaking up already, but that’s where it seems WWE is heading from the fallout of WrestleMania so far. 

3. Bayley – Should The Boss not wind up on Tuesdays, The Hugger would become a prime candidate to make the move. Bayley’s only main roster singles title lasted from February to April 2017, when she won the RAW Women’s title against Flair in Vegas before quickly dropping it a few months later to Bliss at Payback in her own hometown of San Jose. The Goddess made Bayley look incredibly weak during that feud and in the eyes of many fans in the WWE Universe she’s never recovered the type of revered status she enjoyed at NXT. My only issue with Bayley as a singles competitor is that she is incredibly limited on the mic. She’s had numerous opportunities to cut promos, especially right after The Boss N Hug Connection won the tag titles, and she always looked to Banks to handle the talking. There’s also always a chance that the WWE decides to keep The Boss N Hug Connection together and it would register as a bit of a swerve if that is the tag team Paige was teasing on SmackDown last week. Perhaps the best rivalry for Bayley at the start might come against Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. Their styles would match up well with each other and pit the ultimate babyface against two rising heels.

4. Natalya – Nattie Cat worked a memorable feud with Riott Squad revolving around the passing of her father Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart and frequently worked as a best friend and partner with Rousey in 2018, but didn’t get featured as much as you might think for a former SmackDown Women’s Champion. A return to the Blue Brand would check a few important boxes. First, she could provide a solid presence as a leader for a women’s division that might skew younger and less established than it ever has in prior years. Second, she could find herself at the center of the title picture, working against a group of heels like Carmella, Deville and Rose. Nattie’s tremendous strength would also make for a decent matchup against Asuka and fit the sort of profile of performer Fox would like for SmackDown in the future. 

5. Shayna Baszler – It doesn’t seem like the Queen of Spades has much left to prove at NXT. She’s dominated the women’s division since Moon left to go to the main roster in November 2017. With the exception of a two-month reign by Sane, Baszler has held the NXT Women’s Championship almost exclusively in that time frame. Furthermore, there’s no guarantee that Rousey will return to WWE this year or at all, and Baszler would give Fox a former UFC star that viewers of their previous fight programming know and will likely tune in to see. If Rousey does return at some point, expect her to move to SmackDown as well. WWE may eventually be able to create the Four Horsewomen feud that fans are clamoring to see by moving Lynch, Flair, Banks and Bayley to RAW and having the UFC group all on SmackDown, leading to a confrontation possibly at show like Survivor Series. 

Top 5 NXT Trades

1. Dana Brooke – A return to NXT has already been teased as a possible scenario for Brooke, who just never seems to get more than a few minutes of TV time every few months on RAW. WWE even gave her a storyline injury to help Rousey, who essentially squashed Brooke back-to-back weeks in confrontations between the two leading up to WrestleMania. Should WWE pull the trigger on promoting Baszler, Brooke could slide right in as a top heel. Considering the next NXT women’s champion will likely be a babyface like Candice LeRae, Bianca Belair, Kairi Sane or Io Shirai, Brooke would serve as a top rival for any one of them. 

2. Alicia Fox – Much like Brooke, Fox doesn’t get the respect she deserves. She is a great in-ring performer and puts over other wrestlers all the time without complaint. She hardly ever gets much time on RAW as anything more than a member of Bliss’ entourage or an occasional tag team partner for Bliss or Mickie James. Fox could capably fill in as either a heel or babyface to work with the developmental talent on the NXT brand. 

3. Tamina – With Nia Jax injured, there’s little for her heel partner to do unless she’s paired with someone else. Another option might be putting Tamina in NXT where she can bully some of the smaller babyface characters they have at that level right now. She could also work well against NXT UK stars such as Toni Storm, Piper Niven and Rhea Ripley. 

4. Maria Kanellis – Depending on what WWE does with her husband, Mike, Maria might make for a nice occasional surprise performer at the NXT level as a mentor for some of the women rising through the ranks. Maria could either serve as a manager or in-ring performer. I don’t think this scenario is incredibly likely, but it could provide a wrinkle that fans might not expect. 

5. Cris Cyborg – This is a long-shot dart throw that likely has little to no chance of happening. According to the rumors, Rousey would not return to WWE if they brought in Cyborg. However, there’s no guarantee at this point Rousey returns anyway, despite being under contract. Since Fox will likely welcome any association with the UFC that they can get for SmackDown, WWE might pursue a deal with Cyborg. Even under that scenario, Cyborg might just work with a trainer and go straight to the main roster, but if WWE could sign her and convince her to work a short-term NXT schedule that would obviously be a huge boon.