WWE: 5 Superstars Who Would Benefit From a Brand Switch

Photo Credit: WWE.com

Heath Slater

No one was hurt more by the Superstar Shakeup than Heath Slater. On SmackDown Live Slater was given prominent time every week during his “Hottest Free Agent” run. Fans were even showering RAW superstars with “We Want Slater!” chants during their promos. However, since being traded to RAW, he and the other half of the inaugural SmackDown Live Tag Team Championship, Rhyno, have been relegated back to jobbers.

I’m not suggesting that Slater get a world title run, however he should be pretty active in the midcard.  But right now, RAW is too deep with talent for Slater to be featured there. Not when the likes of Finn Balor and Miz are representing the IC title picture. A trade to SmackDown Live, this time not as part of a tag team, could help reignite his character. If Jinder Mahal can join SmackDown Live and become world champion, Heath Slater can join and find some moderate singles success.

PS: If it makes you feel better, you can substitute Bray Wyatt here.

Randy Orton

Randy Orton has quietly done everything there is to do on SmackDown Live. For that reason alone he needs to go. He has held the SmackDown Live Tag Team Championship as a member of the Wyatt Family, won the WWE World Championship from Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania 33, and defeated Bobby Roode at Fastlane to win the United States Championship. Not only that, he has feuded with many of the marquee names of the brand since the Brand Split.

It’s no secret that Orton is looking to lighten his schedule, and maybe that’s the solution. But Randy Orton on SmackDown Live feels like it has run its course.

AJ Styles

The phrase “big fish in a small pond” comes to mind when discussing AJ Styles on SmackDown Live. What I loved about the concept of the Blue Brand was that it was meant to give lesser known wrestlers a chance to improve their craft and get in front of the audience. In 2016, when the brand split was announced, AJ Styles was the personification of what SmackDown Live was intended to be.

Two years later, it seems like Styles has outgrown the competition. Having put on an incredible match against Finn Balor at SummerSlam and Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, it seems as though no one on the Blue Brand is a credible threat, aside from WrestleMania opponent Shinsuke Nakamura.

Although SmackDown Live is the house that AJ Styles built, it was just a starter home, and now it’s time he’s moved out.