The 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up was the thirteenth WWE draft – and the last to be branded as the Superstar Shake-up – produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between the Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brands. Instead of a traditional draft, changes between the brands were made behind the scenes, with moving wrestlers simply appearing on a brand's show or announced via WWE's website or social medias. The event began on the April 15 and 16 episodes of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live, respectively, on the USA Network. The April 15 and 16 episodes were initially the only episodes advertised for the Superstar Shake-up, but more draft moves were confirmed throughout the remainder of the month and into early May.
Following the Superstar Shake-up, a Wild Card Rule was introduced, allowing up to four wrestlers to appear on the opposing brand's show for one night only with unsanctioned appearances penalized. This rule, however, was immediately broken, and the stipulations were never enforced, making brand division unclear. The rule was criticized by journalists and current wrestlers alike. With SmackDowns move to FOX on October 4, 2019, another draft was scheduled, as well as the announcement that the Wild Card Rule would end with this subsequent draft.
Background
The WWE Draft, known as the Superstar Shake-up since 2017, is an annual process used by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE while a brand extension, or brand split, is in effect. The original brand extension occurred from 2002 to 2011, while the second and current brand split began in 2016. During a brand extension, the company divides its roster into brands where the wrestlers exclusively perform for each brand's respective television show, and the draft is used to refresh the rosters of the brand divisions, typically between the Raw and SmackDown brands.
For the 2017 and 2018 Superstar Shake-ups, instead of a traditional draft, the commissioners and general managers of WWE's Raw and SmackDown brands made trades and deals behind the scenes between their respective talent, including the promotion and drafting of wrestlers from the NXT brand. However, following TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December 2018, The McMahon Family (Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Triple H) took over the running of Raw and SmackDown with no general managers, leaving them in charge of drafting decisions. On the April 8, 2019, episode of Monday Night Raw, the 2019 Superstar Shake-up was confirmed for the April 15 and 16 episodes of Raw and SmackDown, respectively. For the first time, superstars from the 205 Live brand were eligible to be drafted. Although initially only advertised for the aforementioned episodes, more draft moves were confirmed throughout the remainder of April and into early May.
Selection
Note: Shading indicates pick was nullified
Notes
Seven tag teams/stables were split or broken up as a result of the Superstar Shake-up. Sanity disbanded after Eric Young moved to Raw, The Boss 'n' Hug Connection was split up as Bayley moved to SmackDown while Sasha Banks remained on Raw, Liv Morgan was split from The Riott Squad as she moved to SmackDown while her teammates Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan remained on Raw, the team of Chad Gable and Bobby Roode was split up as Gable moved to SmackDown while Roode remained on Raw, the team of Aleister Black and Ricochet was split up as Black moved to SmackDown while Ricochet remained on Raw, The Bar disbanded as Cesaro was drafted to Raw while Sheamus took time off due to injury, and the stable of Jinder Mahal and The Singh Brothers (Sunil Singh and Samir Singh) was split up as Mahal moved to SmackDown while The Singh Brothers went to 205 Live. The Intercontinental Championship moved to SmackDown, while the United States Championship moved to Raw. Reigning NXT Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders were drafted to Raw, but the championship did not move with them; they subsequently relinquished the title on the May 1 taping of NXT (aired May 15). At WrestleMania 35, SmackDown wrestler Becky Lynch won both the Raw and SmackDown Women's Championships, allowing her to appear on both brands. She was not assigned a home brand during the Superstar Shake-up, but after she lost the SmackDown Women's Championship at Money in the Bank, she became a member of the Raw brand.