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As Cody Rhodes attempted to cut a promo on SmackDown to hype up his forthcoming appearance on Saturday Night's Main Event, none other than Chad Gable and the members of WWE's American Made marched down to the ring to talk some trash on the “American Nightmare.”
Now, on paper, this didn't really make too much sense, as while Gable is from Minnesota, where the show was broadcasting from live – didn't you see the Naz Reid sign behind commentary? – he is a member of the RAW roster. Gable, however, noted that that wasn't a problem, as he was there at the request of SmackDown GM Nick Aldia, who wanted to discuss a potential switch during the “transfer portal.”
… wait, what the heck is the transfer portal? Well, Michael Cole explained that a little after “Master” Gable made his match with the “American Nightmare” official, declaring that the rosters will be shifting around in the not-too-distant future ahead of the new year.
“For SmackDown kicking off the new year on January 3rd, we expect major changes on SmackDown as well,” Cole told the crowd. “We understand that the NXT, the RAW, and the SmackDown general managers are all working together to move some of our Superstars around to other shows. More of that as we cruise along here tonight.”
And more or that there was, with Superstars discussing the situation as the night went on, including Carmelo Hayes seemingly hinting at a move to RAW for some “Monday Night Melo.”
Why is WWE doing this? Well, it could be to simply shake things up and add some diversity to their potential matchups. Or, it could be because Netflix wants CM Punk, and Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes on RAW ahead of their big launch at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles come January. Will they get their way? Only time will tell, but if that is the case, WWE is at least trying to justify it within the established storyline, which is nice to see if the streaming platform is going to get its way.
Roman Reigns expects to be on RAW for WWE's Netflix debut
Discussing the prospects of WWE coming to Netflix and what that could mean for the industry as a whole in 2025, Reigns told Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated that he will at least be on the first edition of RAW of the new year, with the rest of his schedule still up in the air.
“I'm not exactly sure. I'm just trying to get to the premiere. I'm on the premiere. I don't think I can share too much more than that at this point,” Reigns explained via Fightful. “We haven't scheduled my exact dates for going into WrestleMania from Rumble forward, but that is definitely a topic that has to be addressed. It's an understandable one for the impact, the amount of money that is part of this deal. I completely understand. These are all great problems to have. Nobody loves being in the tug of war more than me. It usually works out pretty good.”
Is this all part of a plan by Netflix and WWE to turn RAW into a true A show, with SmackDown featuring B players dressed up to look like equals? Only time will tell, but securing Reigns' service on Monday Nights would certainly be a step in that direction.
