WWE Draft 2020: 6 Superstars who will benefit most from switching shows
Here are the six Superstars who have the best chances of finding success on their new brand coming out of the 2020 WWE Draft.
Although it may not feel like it, the 2020 WWE Draft did quite a bit to shake up the stagnant rosters of Raw and SmackDown as well as reintroduce some familiar faces fans haven’t seen in some time.
Of course, the Draft means nothing if WWE doesn’t stick to its own Brand Split rules, and that includes the nonsensical Brand-to-Brand Invitational. If everyone can stick to their shows for the foreseeable future, however, both brands are bound to grow and become infinitely more interesting.
That can especially be said for the few Superstars who needed the change in scenery the most by switching shows in the Draft. With the same people writing Raw and SmackDown nowadays, there is reason for fans to doubt that anything will actually be better creatively, but a brand-new atmosphere for someone can be extraordinarily beneficial and cause their career to skyrocket under the right circumstances.
The following six athletes haven’t had a lot of luck lately and could use the fresh coat of paint by moving to a new night. Whether WWE will take this opportunity to push them properly remains to be seen, but there’s no better time for them to get their just due than now with the Draft having just taken place.
Look for these talents to be a better fit where they wound up compared to where they were previously.
The Fiend goes to Raw in the WWE Draft
Any championship Bray Wyatt has ever won, including three world titles, happened while he was on SmackDown. Despite that, fans largely associated him with Raw because that’s where he’s always done his best work character-wise.
In fact, the flagship show was where The Fiend originally arrived in the summer of 2019. Not only is he back on the red brand, but Alexa Bliss will also be joining him. They made an immediate impact on Monday night by laying out Andrade and Zelina Vega in emphatic fashion with stereo Sister Abigails.
Although there’s no obvious feud for them on Raw (aside from potentially Charlotte Flair and Andrade, but that couple has yet to be established on-screen), they’re simply a much better fit for Raw’s vibe compared to SmackDown’s. Raw has traditionally specialized in storytelling and doesn’t focus as much on in-ring action, so they feel right at home on Monday nights.
It also allows Wyatt to reclaim his status as the show’s top heel. It wasn’t going to happen as long as he was on SmackDown due to Roman Reigns currently occupying that spot, whereas it’s entirely possible he replaces Randy Orton in that role before long.
Don’t be surprised to see Drew McIntyre and his WWE Championship in The Fiend’s sights before the close of 2020.
Kevin Owens goes to SmackDown in the WWE Draft
Kevin Owens has switched shows every year since the Brand Extension was brought back in 2016, and for good reason. He always seems to be in need of a reset come Draft day and this year was no exception.
The Prizefighter was positioned prominently as a top babyface on Raw early on in his run but was eventually surpassed by Drew McIntyre and Rey Mysterio. Taking time off for COVID-related concerns and an injury also halted his momentum, leaving him a mediocre feud with Aleister Black up until Monday night.
On SmackDown, he can be a featured face once again and rekindle rivalries with Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn over the Universal and Intercontinental championships, respectively. He can also continue to aid the Mysterio family in their ongoing feud with Seth Rollins and Murphy.
WWE hasn’t properly booked Owens as a main event threat since the end of his reign as Universal champions over three years ago, but he’s far more likely to reach those heights again on SmackDown compared to Raw. He’s too talented to be relegated to midcard purgatory forever and those opportunities are bound to come his way on Friday nights.
The Miz and John Morrison join Raw in this year’s WWE Draft
It’s sad to see what The Miz and John Morrison have been reduced to after having such a strong start in 2020.
Within a month of Morrison’s return to WWE and reunion with Miz, they were the SmackDown Tag Team champions. The Dirt Sheet Duo had a fun run with the twin titles through April, but since dropping the gold to The New Day, they have hardly won any matches and have largely been utilized as enhancement talent.
Their losing streak has lasted so long that it’s almost amazing WWE hasn’t already attempted to split them up. The Draft would have been an ideal time to do it, but although they remain together coming out of the annual shakeup, they’re now members of the Raw roster.
Tag team wrestling hasn’t exactly been a priority for WWE in the last year or so, but that shouldn’t stop them from finding renewed success on Monday nights. They’ve proven in the past that they can beat New Day and thus it’s more a matter of when than if that they’ll become the Raw Tag Team champions.
If a breakup between the two is in the works, they’ll be a valuable asset to Team Red’s midcard scene. Miz and Morrison always make the most of anything they’re involved in and have the potential to as entertaining on Mondays as they were on Fridays.
Bianca Belair was a great pick for SmackDown in the 2020 WWE Draft
It seems strange that WWE would air vignettes promoting Bianca Belair on Raw for several weeks only to transition her over to SmackDown in the Draft. Other than that, big things are surely in store for her on the blue brand.
Belair arrived on Raw with plenty of fanfare in April but quickly disappeared from WWE TV due to the company’s lack of plans for her. She’s popped up every now and again in angles involving The Street Profits, but she’s capable of so much more than what WWE has had her doing up to this point.
Looking at the landscape of the Raw and SmackDown women’s division, it’s easy to argue that Team Red got the better of the Draft in that sense, but SmackDown still has some solid players. Even among the likes of Billie Kay and Zelina Vega, Belair is the brightest prospect of the bunch and could soon be taking the likes of Bayley and Sasha Banks to the limit.
Traditionally, SmackDown has presented people with opportunities they weren’t being afforded on Raw, and that will almost certainly be the case with Belair. If she isn’t wearing gold around her waist in the next six months (if not sooner), something is seriously wrong.
Regardless of who walks out of Hell in a Cell as the SmackDown Women’s champion, expect Belair to be hot on their heels.
Sheamus quietly moves to Raw in the WWE Draft
Following a long layoff due to injury, Sheamus returned to WWE TV on SmackDown at the onset of 2020. However, aside from a few lopsided wins over Shorty G, he didn’t have much success on the blue brand.
The Celtic Warrior was embroiled in rivalries with Jeff Hardy and Big E that spanned several months, and while he picked up the occasional victory and had quality matches with both men, he came out on the losing end more often than not. Therefore, a move to Monday nights was virtually a must.
After all, he won the WWE Championship three times as a member of the red roster early on in his career. That could very well be the case again if he soon sets his sights on current champ Drew McIntyre, with whom he has a rich history.
Of all the years they’ve spent in WWE together, the two have never a formal feud together. With McIntyre in need of fresh challengers to his championship, Sheamus would be a perfect foe for him once he runs through Randy Orton again at Hell in a Cell.
Until then, Sheamus can make his presence felt either in Raw Underground or by targeting smaller Superstars such as Ricochet and Humberto Carrillo. An eventual rivalry with Keith Lee could be equally exciting.
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It’s time for Sheamus to return to his roots as an unstoppable force, and he may finally get that chance on Raw.