WWE Raw preview, April 10, 2017: The Superstar Shake-up begins

Tonight marks the beginning of the two-night Superstar Shake-up, in which the landscapes
of both Raw and SmackDown LIVE will change dramatically. Who will remain on Team Red, and which
new Superstars will be added to the Raw roster?

How will the Superstar Shake-up impact Team Red?

As Mr. McMahon said this past Monday night, “it’s time to shake things up around here,”
and on Raw, emanating from the new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island, N.Y.,
a Superstar Shake-up will begin that will allow representatives from both Raw and SmackDown
LIVE to make trades, deals and other moves to bolster their respective rosters. WWE Hall of
Famer and newly instated Raw General Manager Kurt Angle has already been in discussion with
Team Blue General Manager Daniel Bryan regarding potential Superstar movement. We’ll find
out how the “shake-up” affects Team Red tonight, with more changes coming to light on Tuesday
night during SmackDown LIVE.
Apollo Crews has already been confirmed as the first Team Blue Superstar to move to Raw, but
the night is young. Will champions change their brand allegiance? Might Raw newcomers The
Revival bring their no-nonsense offense to SmackDown LIVE? Will the returning Emma soon
pursue Naomi’s SmackDown Women’s Championship? Could AJ Styles make Raw even more
“Phenomenal”? Witness all the chaos unfold Monday night, when The Chairman’s Superstar
Shake-up kicks off.

Finn Bálor is back!

Seth Rollins needed a tag team partner to battle United States Champion Kevin Owens
& Samoa Joe Monday night, and Raw General Manager Kurt Angle delivered big time by teaming
The Architect with the returning Finn Bálor. Bálor had been unseen in a WWE ring since he
was forced to relinquish the Universal Championship the night after SummerSlam, due to an
injury sustained at the hands of Rollins. There have been more awkward tag team pairings in
WWE, but not many.
Fortunately, Rollins and Bálor put their differences aside to defeat The Prizefighter and the
dominant Destroyer, and the duo even shared a brief victory pose when The Kingslayer raised
the returning Superstar’s hand following the match. Now that Bálor has returned to the red
brand, what does his future hold? We’ll find out tonight.

Who will challenge The Beast Incarnate?

Having finally conquered Goldberg to claim the Universal Championship, Brock Lesnar is
now in search of a new challenger. One potential contender named by Paul Heyman this past
Monday night was Roman Reigns, the only Superstar besides The Beast Incarnate to vanquish
The Undertaker at WrestleMania.
Heyman deemed the Raw after WrestleMania the appropriate battleground for a title bout between
Reigns and Lesnar. Instead of The Big Dog, though, it was Braun Strowman who emerged to stare
Lesnar straight into the eye, making it clear that once he has settled his own unfinished
business with Reigns, The Monster Among Men is coming for The Anomaly’s prize.
Reigns has yet to comment on Heyman’s challenge, so it’s unclear as to when — or if — we’ll
see the only two Superstars to defeat The Deadman at The Show of Shows lock horns for the
Universal Championship. If not Reigns, who will be next to face The Beast?

Cesaro & Sheamus lock onto The Hardys’ titles

One night after The Hardy Boyz made a shocking WrestleMania return and defeated three of
Raw’s top tandems in a Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match to become the Raw Tag Team Champions, Cesaro
& Sheamus scored a victory over Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson to become the No. 1 contenders
to Matt & Jeff Hardy’s titles.
The Hardy Boyz clearly haven’t lost a step since they dominated Raw’s Tag Team division a
decade ago. However, Cesaro & Sheamus are one of WWE’s most hard-hitting duos, having ended
The New Day’s record-shattering 483-day reign as Raw Tag Team Champions and remaining in close
contention for the titles ever since. Will The Swiss Superman and The Celtic Warrior spoil
The Hardys’ homecoming?

Will Chris Jericho get payback against Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe?

Kevin Owens might have defeated Chris Jericho to become the United States Champion at WrestleMania, but he wasn’t about to wait until WWE Payback to get his hands on his former
friend. Live on Raw, just as The Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla was about to put Owens’ fingertip
on “The List of Jericho” (long story), The Prizefighter — with the aid of Samoa Joe — ambushed
his one-time tag team partner and powerbombed him through a table.
Jericho has been brutalized by Owens in the past, but now that The Prizefighter has broken both
his heart and his title reign, retribution is coming. WWE Payback couldn’t have a more
appropriate name.