Vince McMahon walked out at the end of the April 16 episode of Smackdown to announce his big acquisition for the Tuesday night show. While we were guessing it would be former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski–because they’re moving to Fox in October, and that would be a big get, since he’s appeared on WWE programming previously–McMahon announced that Elias would be moving from Raw to Smackdown. However, that wasn’t all. At the end of the show, Roman Reigns came out and beat up both Elias and McMahon and announced he’d now be on Smackdown Live.
Additionally, six other WWE superstars would join Smackdown over the course of the evening. Finn Balor, Bayley, Ember Moon, Kairi Sane, Lars Sullivan, and Buddy Murphy made their Tuesday night debuts as well. After the show Liv Morgan, Chad Gable, Apollo Crews, and Mickie James were revealed to head to Smackdown from Raw as well. Smackdown’s tag division has been weakened after the Superstar Shakeup, but its women’s division is stronger than ever.
Original story below:
WWE is in the midst of its annual Superstar Shakeup, where wrestlers from the Raw and Smackdown rosters are moved around. Monday’s episode of Raw saw 17 people come from Smackdown, 205 Live, and NXT to the red brand. However, things will be heating up on the April 16 episode of Smackdown for part two of the Superstar Shakeup.
The chairman of the board Vince McMahon will be appearing on the Tuesday night show to “reveal the biggest acquisition in Smackdown Live History,” according to a press release. While many WWE fans think this could mean Roman Reigns will jump over to the blue brand or maybe even Brock Lesnar (we hope not) could WWE be reaching for someone even bigger?
Considering that Smackdown Live will be making the network jump to Fox this October, WWE could try and pull someone from the realm of sports to come to the Tuesday night show. Yes, Brock Lesnar was in the UFC, but considering how long he’s been with WWE as a part-time competitor, that’s not really exciting news.
That’s why we’re thinking WWE is getting someone from the NFL: Rob Gronkowski. The former New England Patriots’ tight end is a familiar face with WWE fans. He’s appeared at NXT tapings and at a Wrestlemania to cheer on his friend Mojo Rawley. Gronkowski announced his retirement from the NFL back in March, and whether you love him or hate him, he’s a good fit for the company, and a huge name in sports.
However, we’ll have to wait and see tonight to hear what McMahon has to say and who is coming over to Smackdown when the show airs tonight on USA at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT.
