WWE is having one of it's most important years ever. The new television deals for Raw and Smackdown Live are going to change those shows in big ways. It is also going to have an effect on the wrestlers competing on each brand because the focus will be different. Raw is seemingly going to retain it's 'variety' style where anything can happen. Smackdown Live is going to become a more sports-oriented showcase to conform to Fox's weekend sporting lineup. While this shift is going on, the members of the roster are anticipating the impending Superstar shakeup. This is where anyone from any brand can be relocated and hopefully given a fresh start and new opportunities. Ideally, it's a big step up in their careers. That's why wrestling fans look at it with such scrutiny and anticipation. Our favorite's futures can hinge on these decisions and our overall enjoyment with it. There are also those wrestlers who have become stuck or mired where they are and badly need to change their game.
That's why we're looking at these 10 examples of superstars who need to get gone from where they are and find new horizons. For some it's an outright promotion, for others, it's a lateral move to get away from what's not working where they are. This isn't just a Raw-To-Smackdown sequence either. WWE encompasses NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live and so we're including that wealth of talent in the mix.
10 10. Chad Gable - Raw To 205 Live
Some may say it's sacrilege to take him away from Raw. On the other hand, Gable could be one of the ingredients to make 205 Live finally break out while he does too. Chad Gable is so severely underrated where he is on Raw. He has been locked into a level that means he is about as far from winning individual gold as anyone can be. Moving him to 205 Live so he can be the 'amateur wrestler' among the high-flyers affords him the chance to shine.
Gable is by no means a stranger to the style, having a beautiful moonsault in his arsenal. What this will also allow is for him to become a Suplex Machine (sorry Tazz). Anyone who gets near him should leave that area upside down and at velocity. Plus he'd be able to preview himself as the central figure on a brand. This would let him show whether he's got the chops to literally carry a division. It might only be for a year or so, but the move could be what makes WWE realize his potential.
9 9. The Singh Brothers - Raw To 205 Live
This doesn't actually stop them appearing with Jinder on Raw, but these two need to be among the Cruiserweights when/if a tag team title comes into play. The former Bollywood Boys have plenty of in-ring talent that is going completely ignored as they stand around Jinder's matches. Sunil and Samir Singh are talented guys and clearly willing to put their bodies on the line.
They deserve at least a little better since Randy Orton almost murdered them over and over a couple of years back. The ranks of 205 Live are either too big to accommodate a single championship or not big enough for a single and tag title. We're pursuing the latter because cruiserweight tag matches would be showstoppers. This pair of brothers could be a mainstay in that division.
8 8. Mauro Ranallo - NXT To Raw
Mauro Ranallo is simply too good at his job to be forever kept at NXT level. Sure, we know what happened the last time he was calling main roster stuff on Smackdown Live, but that can be addressed. Whatever WWE needs to do to make him comfortable calling their biggest storylines needs to be sorted out. Mauro is the announcer to immediately improve every segment he calls.
His genuine enthusiasm is infectious and his knowledge is enlightening. How WWE has someone this good on their books but not front and center is baffling. Michael Cole is well past the point of needing replacement. Tom Phillips is going very nicely on Smackdown Live so leave him there. Get Mauro onto Raw so the main show viewing audience can enjoy his work.
7 7. Pete Dunne - NXT UK To Smackdown Live
Pete Dunne can't just keep holding the United Kingdom Championship forever and not make his way to the main rosters, can he? He may still be young at 25 but he's a fully realized character with skills to match. He should be providing Smackdown with a brutal, ruthless antagonist with no remorse. The longer he stays out of the main mix he's being squandered.
There's bound to be some hesitation because of his size and age but he's clearly got the tools on board already. Dunne is channeling some of the best of both William Regal and Daniel Bryan. Bringing him to Smackdown puts him in with the type of roster he can go to town on.
6 6. Finn Balor - Raw To Smackdown Live
Except for that blip on the timeline where he took a shot at Brock Lesnar, Finn Balor has been in a static position since losing the Universal Title. WWE seems unwilling to do anything with him of consequence, even hesitating with his Intercontinental Championship run. Between all the failed feuds with Bray Wyatt and Baron Corbin, Finn needs a reset. Smackdown is the place to do it. There's probably a dozen dream matches he could have over there. Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles again, Andrade, Rey Mysterio, Mustafa Ali, it goes on and on. Finn also seems much more likely to get back into the World Championship picture over there. With Raw still seeming stuck under Brock Lesnar's thumb, let 'The Demon King' seek a new crown.
5 5. Bobby Roode - Raw To Smackdown Live
With Chad Gable's proposed trip to 205 Live, let Bobby Roode return to Smackdown as a 'Glorious' jerk. Considering how well known he is for being a dastardly heel, WWE seems oddly persistent with his current alignment. While the tag team matches are solidly good, it's not his forte.
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Bobby Roode is a narcissistic heel. Naturally self-aggrandizing, pompous and disrespectful. His theme music and robe are elements of that which WWE seem to want us to ignore. They've been fighting it since he showed up on the main rosters and it's about time they pulled the trigger. Bobby isn't getting any younger, and if he stays heel heading into his 42nd birthday, he's spinning his wheels.
4 4. Buddy Murphy - 205 Live To Raw
Like Mustafa Ali has emerged on Smackdown, let's have the 'Unstoppable' Cruiserweight Champion show his wares on Monday nights. Buddy Murphy has found his voice as the main man of 205 Live. Every time he steps up in a big match he delivers the goods. On Raw, he'd be right at home. Another move that produces a wealth of potential dream matches.
If he showed up on the Raw after Wrestlemania and we got the Cruiserweight Champion versus the new Universal Champion, Seth Rollins, guaranteed entertainment. There's very little he can't do in the ring. Even if he settled around the Intercontinental Championship level, he'd excel. A true dark horse impact player for whichever brand he ends up on.
3 3. Bobby Lashley - Raw To Smackdown
Bobby Lashley should be Batista in the 2000's levels of dominant but on Raw, he's being weirdly positioned. With Raw being the land of the giants for WWE, Smackdown would be a far better place for him to stand out. We saw it in his Impact Wrestling stint that when he's the big man of the competition he can carry an entire brand.
Smackdown, with its imminent Fox Sports turn, needs legitimate badass monsters to be obstacles for the athletic marvels around them. Bobby is the right mix to cover what they need. He obviously looks every bit the beast and can back it up between the ropes. He also needs to get away from Baron Corbin and Braun Strowman for a while, because they undermine his size and power attributes.
2 2. Shayna Baszler - NXT To Raw
For all the mainstream hype and legitimacy Ronda has brought to WWE's women's division it's her compatriot Shayna who could end up 'bigger'. Shayna is such a natural heel that she's taken to it all too easily. Like a female Baron Corbin, she is instantly dislikable. Except, she tops him by being able to have world-class matches with most anybody put in front of her. Bringing her to Raw either to replace Rousey or usurp her is a compelling situation.
She's done more than everything she can do in NXT. Now is the time to bring her up to dominate the Raw scene. She'd have amazing chemistry with Becky Lynch you can already tell. Her matchups with Charlotte and Sasha Banks could legitimately challenge for best in any given year. She is the true 'Anti-Diva' that gives everyone around her an antagonist to do their best work against in and out of the ring.
1 1. The Undisputed Era - NXT To Raw
The Undisputed Era is perhaps the best-assembled faction of wrestlers in North America today. Between the ropes there's little these four can't do. We're talking Match Of The Year machines. Adam Cole carries the group with 90's HBK defiance on the mic, but there are no slouches among this quartet. Their introduction to Raw would immediately inject every men's division with a new level of action. E
xcept for Adam Cole getting a run as NXT Champion (which may now happen due to Ciampa's injury), this group has already done plenty in NXT. The next step is conquering the main roster and it would be criminal to split them up in any form. The list of dream matches exponentially rises with their arrival. Roddy Strong Vs Roman Reigns. O'Reilly & Fish Vs The Revival. Seth Rollins Vs Adam Cole. Try not to drool over those, Baybay!