The WWE Draft occurred last year in July, but Vince McMahon appeared on the Raw after WrestleMania to state that there will be a “superstar shake-up” in the upcoming week. Here are five superstars who should switch sides.
Based on the way Vince McMahon phrased his announcement on the Raw following WWE WrestleMania, it doesn’t seem like we will have a reprise of the draft next week, and that’s probably for the best. Both brands have separate titles, all of the stories haven’t completely run their course, and we already have a few feuds set.
That said, it is clear that things need to be freshened up, because it’s better to take a proactive approach in making sure storylines remain interesting, as opposed to allowing stories to go stale. Judging by the muddled women’s matches at WrestleMania 33 and the fact that the disparity in quality between the Raw and SmackDown tag teams is immense, a “shake-up” couldn’t come at a better time.
At this point, it seems like the only superstars who are 100% safe on their respective brands are the new women’s champions (since those titles are named by the brand they are on), and the new call-ups like “The Revival” and Emma.
Let’s take a look at five superstars whose futures are less certain, as these five singles stars or tag teams should switch brands.
5. Sami Zayn for Baron Corbin
If his segment with Kurt Angle wasn’t a send-off from the recent Hall of Fame inductee, then I don’t know what else qualifies as a farewell. Angle praised Sami Zayn for representing the “Three I’s” (intelligence, intensity, and integrity) before giving him a match with Jinder Mahal. As always, Zayn played the underdog role perfectly, somehow convincing fans that Mahal had a shot at winning that match. Then again, Mahal was one of the final two in the “Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale”, so you can’t rule anything out anymore.
Zayn doesn’t seem to have a place on Raw, and last night’s main event proved it. Samoa Joe, who was Zayn’s last feud partner, has trained his focus on Seth Rollins, whom he injured in the build-up to WrestleMania. Meanwhile, United States Champion Kevin Owens, whom Zayn has fought far too many times during his WWE career, will likely feud with the returning Finn Balor.
If Zayn isn’t in the title picture, there’s no reason for him to be on the Raw roster. I’d somewhat controversially argue that the red brand actually values Zayn’s contributions as a face, but he’d be involved in much better programs if he joined the SmackDown roster.
WWE has teased Zayn being traded to SmackDown before, and this resulted in an absolutely impeccable promo with Mick Foley in which Zayn memorably quipped that he is worth “a thousand Eva Maries”. Imagine the matches he would have with Dolph Ziggler, who desperately needs a program with someone who can wrestle, or The Miz. Zayn, of course, lost at Survivor Series via shenanigans from Maryse in an Intercontinental Championship match, and both Zayn and The Miz built tension perfectly in that match. I’d like to see that reprised as a real rivalry.
As for Baron Corbin, I get the fact that he’s found his footing on SmackDown to the point where he is legitimately one of the most fearsome monsters on either roster. Corbin wreaks havoc, his “End of Days” finisher is arguably the most lethal in the WWE, and he has actually found a fully-fledged character that fans can care about.
The problem is that he just doesn’t fit on the blue brand. His program with Dean Ambrose is going nowhere, and even though it seems like this rivalry will continue after Corbin won a “Street Fight” against Ambrose (this is the match that should have happened at WrestleMania), I just don’t see the payoff here for either of these two. Corbin deserves to win the Intercontinental Championship, but do we really want to see him in matches against Shinsuke Nakamura and Tye Dillinger? I’m not so sure about that.
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4. Enzo and Cass for The Ascension
It’s been a rough past few months for Enzo and Cass, and no moment stands out more to me than when Sheamus received “Thank You” chants from the crowd for Brogue Kicking Enzo Amore. Because of how cringeworthy their feud with Rusev, Lana, and Jinder Mahal was, Enzo came off as an annoying heel who wanted Lana to cheat on Rusev with him. The duo has more or less recovered from that outside of the ring, because they are always good for a pop.
The problem is that they haven’t recovered inside of the ring. Enzo’s weaknesses as a wrestler were exposed in a match with Cesaro in mid-February. He botched basic moves, his selling was off, and it just isn’t a good look when a wrestler can’t have a semi-decent match with Cesaro.
On the Raw after ‘Mania, Enzo and Cass lost a No. 1 Contender’s match to Cesaro and Sheamus, and it leaves them in an uncertain position on the roster. The Hardy Boyz are the tag team champions on the red brand, The Revival were called up, Cesaro and Sheamus defeated them, and then The New Day and The Club have also been booked stronger.
Enzo and Cass should be traded to SmackDown for a few reasons. Firstly, the blue brand’s tag team division has been in shambles for quite some time, and they are in desperate need of a real face team behind American Alpha. Secondly, Enzo and Cass’s humor is very risque, and SmackDown, as evidenced by many of the segments The Miz has been involved in, is willing to branch into storylines that don’t seem PG-rated.
While Raw’s problem lies in the fact that they have too many good face tag teams, SmackDown Live has too many heel tag teams that are either directionless or bland. The Ascension are, in all honesty, all of the above. Outside of a random tease at around the Elimination Chamber, they have done absolutely nothing and are in desperate need of a change. It’s hard to take them seriously as contenders for a title, but maybe they can find their footing on a three-hour show.
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3. Charlotte Flair for Alexa Bliss
The two top female heels in the company, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, cannot share the spotlight on the same brand. I just can’t see Charlotte continuing as a member of Raw, because there is nothing left for her to do. She’s already put over Sasha Banks and Bayley, and both of those women should be entering a program that culminates in Banks turning back to “The Legit Boss” character with a championship victory over “The Huggable One”.
Charlotte is one of the best in the company at getting a crowd behind the babyface, and that truly is the No. 1 job of a heel. There are several heels in the company who do a great job of drawing heat with their facial expressions and insults, but how many can get the crowd to fervently cheer for her opponent?
I’d love to see Charlotte working a program with current SmackDown women’s champion Naomi. I’m sure it would be interesting to see Naomi and Bliss continue their feud, but I just don’t think the two match up well enough. Bliss’s style of wrestling is more about in-ring psychology, and her promos do nothing but bury Naomi. Meanwhile, Naomi is far too electric in the ring for Bliss. Charlotte could match Naomi move-for-move in the ring, and she can also help Naomi flesh out a compelling babyface character.
I think it’s telling that it’s so much harder to come up with superstars on SmackDown who need o switch brands, because the blue brand has done a better job of keeping its characters fresh. With the exception of wrestlers lower on the card like Dolph Ziggler, Apollo Crews, and Breezeango, almost everyone has felt important.
Alexa Bliss is one of those people, but I just don’t think her talents are best-suited for SmackDown anymore. She’s already feuded a million times with Becky Lynch, and I’m not sure if I want to see a program between her and Mickie James.
On Raw, Bliss could replace Charlotte as the competitor who helps draw out further tension between Bayley and Sasha Banks, whose friendship is obviously doomed. I have a feeling the WWE wants to draw out a feud between Banks and Bayley, so having one of them battle Bliss in the interim, preferably Bayley in a rivalry for the women’s championship, would make sense.
The heel vs. face balance feels off on both rosters, because Emma’s return as a heel makes the balance sway towards the “heels” on both sides. However, the SmackDown women’s roster feels too stacked for a two-hour show, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Raw acquiring multiple women from the blue brand.
2. AJ Styles for Roman Reigns
The rumors of AJ Styles switching over to Raw have been circling around for months, and they’ve become much more pronounced ever since Monday’s announcement by Vince McMahon of a “shake-up” between brands.
Styles moving to Raw seems like a mere formality at this point, because Daniel Bryan already fired “The Phenomenal One” for attacking Shane McMahon. This allowed Styles to have a WrestleMania match, in which he showed that he can put on a four-star match with literally anyone, but it also opened up the possibility for a trade. Many of us want to see a WWE Championship feud between Randy Orton and Styles, but we might be better off watching a “face” Styles, who is so over that he received cheers from the crowd in the aftermath of his bloody attack of Shane O’Mac, feud with the likes of Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens.
There’s no doubt that Styles would make Raw must-see TV. He’s the hottest superstar in the company, the best in-ring worker in the world, and a living legend. Everything Styles touches turns to gold, and Raw desperately needs that sort of firepower. This is a three-hour show that can go stale easily, and nobody is a bigger draw than Styles. Even when an episode runs dry, fans will still want to tune in just so that they can see what “P1” pulls out of his arsenal.
His promo work is lights-out, and now that he’s turned face and seems poised to be showcased as the biggest star in the company, it makes sense for him to move to Raw. It would be bittersweet to see him leave SmackDown Live, because there is merit to his in-character statement that he built the blue brand. AJ Styles is as responsible as The Miz, Becky Lynch, Shane McMahon, or anybody else for SmackDown’s popularity. Imagine what he could do with new feuds on Raw, even if it means he won’t take the title away from Brock Lesnar (I think he could, but that’s a topic for another time).
Speaking of Brock Lesnar, I think it would be wise for the WWE to separate Roman Reigns from “The Beast Incarnate”. If their plan is to coronate Reigns for another year running by feeding “The Beast” to him at WrestleMania 34, then I don’t want to see that match until then. I don’t even think that match needs to have the title on the line with the whole “Both guys beat the Undertaker at WrestleMania” storyline, but, you know, it probably will.
In either case, I don’t want to see Reigns and Lesnar fight until then. I also don’t want to see Styles and Reigns on the same brand, especially if the WWE surprises us by pulling the trigger on a Reigns heel turn. That would leave the possibility of both facing each other if they are on the same show, and I highly doubt anybody is interested in seeing Styles lose to Roman.
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1. The New Day for American Alpha
Plenty of fans are speculating that now that Kurt Angle is the manager of Raw, he will try to acquire American Alpha and help them in some fashion. With the common thread of amateur wrestling and the fact that Chad Gable is also former Olympian and goofball, it makes sense. The thing is, a trade that sends American Alpha to Raw is reasonable on another level.
There’s no doubt in my mind that when it comes to pure in-ring work, American Alpha are the best in the business by a landslide. I know how good DIY and The Revival are, too, but American Alpha even exceeded that level of tag team wrestling when they were in NXT. It’s clear that they haven’t been given enough time to showcase the character work that they developed in NXT, and switching to Raw could give them a chance to reset all of that. Gable is more than capable of delivering a meaningful program in either the humorous or fiery babyface mold. Put them in some backstage segments with Angle and give them a new tag team to feud with, and they could be on their way.
Contrary to what some worry, The New Day aren’t in danger of going stale any time soon. The trio is far too talented for that, particularly on the mic. They struck the right cord as WrestleMania 33 hosts, and Big E’s off-the-cuff jokes and comedic timing are even better than Rusev’s. These three are magic, and the WWE should continue to ride this merchandise-selling powerhouse.
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What might get lost, however, is just how good all three of these wrestlers are in this squared circle, because they are somehow as good at wrestling as they are at cutting engaging promos. Xavier Woods is one of the most underrated workers in the company, Big E is a powerhouse, and Kofi Kingston is legend.
These three just need new feuds. While matchups with The Revival and The Hardy Boyz are enticing, I’d like to see them on SmackDown Live. I don’t want to see them in the ring with The Club or Cesaro and Sheamus anymore, and I am equally opposed to watching them potentially lose a feud to The Revival.