The WWE draft begins tonight it comes at the perfect time as there superstars and storylines that have become stale and in real need of a change of sensory. In some cases, they’ve reached their potential or in need of a push somewhere else.
So instead of doing a mock draft, I’ve gone through all three brand rosters and suggest moves that would be good for them.
Disclaimer – Those not involved are the champions of their respected brands. I wanted to add NXT but it looks like it’s not happening.
Joining Raw
Raw has dropped in quality in the past couple of months and requires some energy, especially for a three-hour show. I believe these talents will do just that injecting the top and mid-card with needed talent and fun.
AJ Styles – SmackDown
The top pick for Raw is the return of AJ Styles, only a couple of months since he left to join SmackDown, and I wasn’t going to include him. However, the inclusion of Paul Heyman as counsel to Tribe Chief Roman Reigns has changed all that.
Wrestling fans know the backstory, and I can’t see him wanting to be anywhere near Heyman. Plus, his storyline with Sami Zayn and Jeff Hardy for the Intercontinental title has run its course on the blue brand.
With the return, he can stay heel and battle Drew McIntrye (if he wins at Hell In A Cell) for the WWE Championship or go on the hunt for the United States title taking on Bobby Lashley & possibly Ali.
Braun Strowman – SmackDown
Ever since losing the Universal title, Braun has been in no-mans-land on SmackDown recently, and since having his Wrestlemania moment beating Goldberg for the strap, it’s time for a change.
Signs were already pointing towards the Monster Among Men moving to the red brand having appeared on Raw Underground and his match with Keith Lee this week.
Carmella – SmackDown
Since the brand split, Carmella as always been on SmackDown and with her just returning to the ring. It’s the perfect time to change brands and be a heel again and begin a journey to battle Asuka for the title.
The switch to heel is in line with a story involving another call-up as she’ll need a manager.
Candice LeRae – NXT
Candice has done everything she could in NXT that’s not winning the title, and with Io Shirai and the other new additions, it looks like it sadly won’t.
So it’s time to move LeRae to Raw (I’ve seen lots of mock drafts moving her and Johnny Gargano on SmackDown) because she’s needed more on Raw right now.
As a heel and continuing the Gargano way towards becoming the woman to beat Asuka.
Johnny Gargano – NXT
If you have Candice, then you get Gargano.
Again, while probably suited to the blue brand, Johnny is needed on Raw, especially within the midcard.
As above, I’d keep the Gargano way storyline going and replace Rollins in the Mysterio feud and show Dominik that doing the right thing is respectable, but what has it lead him to defeat over defeat.
Johnny can sympathise with it but tells Domanic to find the darker side and focus on himself and his family, like what he did and have the US title over his shoulder.
It’d be a great learning pad for the young Mysterio and also can have a blow-off of Gargano vs Rey Mysterio.
Killian Dane – NXT
The big Belfast bastard Dane is doing sod all in NXT apart from being a somewhat comedic tag team with Drake Maverick.
I wouldn’t have him in the midcard or title picture. I’d have Killian join Seth Rollins because he had a decent faction going on with A.O.P (before injury and release). Austin Theory joined (before disappearing and returning to NXT) and long term member Murphy (until they started hitting each other with keno sticks) and needs a rebuild.
So the Monday Night Messiah has a guardian angel in the form of Dane, who protects, helps and win matches for Rollins. Together have a tag title run before both men have singles championships.
Kofi Kingston – SmackDown
This move is in no way breaking up The New Day if anything it’s extending the group across both brands focusing on the singles run of both Big E and Kingston.
Which is why moving Kofi, he has a chance to redeem himself after losing it to Brock Lesnar in seconds and return to the top of the card battling it out for the WWE championship.
Plus, his first feud could be with Ali, who wants payback because if it weren’t for his injury, Kofi would never have had his Wrestlemania moment, and if Randy Orton was to become WWE champ, the story writes itself.
Otis – SmackDown
From not breaking up a group to breaking up a tag team in Heavy Machinery with Otis going solo.
Even though I think Tucker is the better competitor.
The move makes sense storyline wise with Mandy Rose on Raw now and moves away from the crap storyline with The Miz and John Morrison.
Nikki Cross – SmackDown
With both Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch away for the foreseeable future, Raw needs more top female wrestlers to face Asuka, which is why both Candace and Nikki are NEEDED for Raw.
Furthermore, she’s tried with the SmackDown title against Bayley and always lost. The only thing keeping this from happening is the feud with former best friend Alexa Bliss, but nothing has happened yet.
Finally, you can have the Scots slow build a heel turn and join husband Dane and Rollins with the ending of one Raw in the future of Cross winning the title as they all hold gold, Rollins with the WWE and Dane with the US title.
Robert Stone – NXT
This wouldn’t have to be a draft pick, Stone just moves his brand to Raw as it has better opportunities and in one night has both Peyton Royce and Carmella as part of The Robert Stone Brand.
He’ll be a comical manager that gets a beating both faces and heel, but this helps Royce and Carmella get to the title picture, and I’m sure they’d have a tag belt run to along the way.
Then have a story of Stone coming out and helping Angel Garza win matches and take a meeting with him boosting his ego to become the male face of The Robert Stone Brand.
Joining SmackDown
Two-hour SmackDown has become the A show in WWE in recent week primarily due to Roman Reigns heel return and storyline with Jey Uso and The Fiend Bray Wyatt and the control of Alexa Bliss.
So off the bat, these four superstars shouldn’t be going anywhere. If anything SmackDown doesn’t need much but boosting the midcard/IC title picture and women’s title needs freshening up.
Andrade (w/ Zelina Vega) – Raw
Despite all the hopes, Andrade hasn’t broken into the main picture for the WWE title. It’s a real shame because he and Drew could’ve had some fantastic matches and it’d be interesting to see him as the face of the company.
Sadly it never happened, and more mental was breaking him away from Zelina Vega, who is terrific on the mic, and shows he always needs a mouthpiece and she’ll wrestle when required.
So with that, I’d like to see what they’d be like as faces (even though Vega has the greatest villain smile ever) and form an incredibly competitive IC picture with champion Sami Zayn, John Morrison, Matt Riddle and a couple of others.
Bianca Belair – Raw
Simply Belair wasn’t given a chance on Raw to be in the picture for the Raw title and is the perfect face to take on Bayley and the ideal heel to face Sasha Banks.
In the Royal Rumble, she proved to be on the same level as Charlotte Flair and would give the roster something different and show the WWE audience that didn’t see her incredible matches in NXT why she is the EST of WWE.
Billie Kay – Raw
Breaking up The IIconics was a seriously crap idea and will hurt both women as they were the only true tag team in the division.
Nevertheless, the break-up means they have to be on different brands, and sadly I can’t see Kay being any more than someone who gets squash. Forming a tag team with someone along the way or like the Dudley Boyz return to Royce.
I genuinely hope I’m wrong, and she showcases some incredible skills.
Chelsea Green – NXT
Speculation over Green moving to the main roster and people thinking she could be part of Retribution, but that clearly never happened.
I’m glad because I’d love to see her get into the title picture building an unbeaten run along the way.
Kevin Owens – Raw
The groundwork is already happening as his move to SmackDown begins with a feud against The Fiend Bray Wyatt.
Joining the team blue will mean getting out the Aleister Black story and into something far more interesting and you can use Daniel Bryan for this telling him not to go through with it because everyone changed after facing him.
Similar to The Miz with Bryan a year or so back.
Then after that feud bring Owens into the IC picture with Andrade etc. Additionally, I would love to see a match between heel Zayn against a face Owens and what would that look like.
Isaiah “Swerve” Scott – NXT
This might be a surprise pick for some people. Still, similar to LeRaw and Gargano, I think it makes sense as Swerve has done everything possible in the cruiserweight division and can’t see him holding the belt following the TakeOver defeat this past weekend.
Scott would be better suited to the blue brand, but his move is based on forming a tag team with another draft pick because I believe they’d be an incredible team and bring much-needed energy to the division.
Rhea Ripley – NXT
I thought Rhea might’ve moved to Raw post-Wrestlemania.
However, she stayed in NXT but has dropped down the pecking order during Io’s reign and with the addition of a returning Ember Moon and Toni Storm, I can’t see an NXT one-on-one title match with Io happening anymore.
Now the Aussie’s inclusion to SmackDown would form a new era of the famous SmackDown Six.
The SmackDown six became the reason it was a must watch show feature some of the best talent on the brand which were Kurt Angle, Edge, Eddie & Chavo Guerrero, Rey Mysterio and Chris Benoit.
This new era would do the same creating incredible wrestling matches and feuds but with the women’s belt in the middle. This would be made of Bayley, Sasha Banks, Naomi, Bianca Belair, Ripley and one of Green, Lacey Evan or Alexa Bliss.
Ricochet – Raw
Out of everyone in the roster, Ricochet would be in the top three of any draft list as he’s a man that needs it the most.
After a decent run on NXT, he went to Raw, and we had high hopes of at least a US/IC run before focusing on the top belt. It just never happened, and worst kept dropping down the card.
This move to the blue brand would be the boost he needs because I’d put him right in a feud with Zayn for the IC title tonight and have them put on some cracking matches.
Let him carry the belt for a bit to battle the likes of Riddle and King Corbin.
Whilst that is happening also be part of a tag team with Scott and go on the attack against Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura. These four would put on some fantastic tag matches and have Ricochet carry both titles and become a multi-tag champ.
The Bear Cave 