The popularity of the brand split for WWE has created multiple drafts for the wrestlers to work on separate brands. Raw was always given love as the first show from WWE to receive a huge platform for the company’s rise, before Smackdown was even a concept. The various brand splits from 2002 to present day see certain talents with an association to the program.
Raw having three hours for many years as opposed to the two on Smackdown created more opportunities for talents. Fans also viewed Raw as the edgier show in the 2000s on cable, when Smackdown was on network television with more restrictions. Find out which names made the most of that environment. The following wrestlers would be in contention for a potential Mount Rushmore of the Raw brand.
10 Drew McIntyre
The past five years of the WWE brand split have featured most wrestlers switching back and forth between brands. Drew McIntyre is one of the few names to become known mostly for his work on the Raw brand.
WWE elevated McIntyre into a top spot in 2019 as he continued to build on that with a face turn. Drew's WWE Championship reign carried Raw in 2020 and he remains the most popular face on the show despite many ups and downs for the product overall.
9 Sasha Banks
The biggest change for WWE from the 2000s era to the late-2010s chapter of the brand split, was the importance placed on women’s wrestling. Sasha Banks primarily wrestled on Raw for most of that time, until making the move to Smackdown a few years ago.
The creation of the Raw Women’s Championship would see Banks holding it on five different occasions. Sasha had tremendous feuds with Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss on the brand to help the women’s evolution at various points.
8 Rob Van Dam
One of the breakout stars for WWE in the original brand split was Rob Van Dam on Raw. Fans already loved Van Dam, but he started to make strides forward with impressive stints as the Intercontinental Champion.
There were classic matches against Christian, Eddie Guerrero and Jeff Hardy on the brand for RVD. WWE moving him to Smackdown ended up being a negative for his career, as he had tag team runs before suffering an injury. The only negative is that WWE didn’t elevate Van Dam as the World Champion consistently, at his peak on Raw.
7 Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns was the biggest star drafted to Raw in the 2016 brand split when the company split the roster in half. The next few years would see Roman at the top of the card regardless of who was holding the top title.
Reigns did eventually capture the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar to have a strong title run before having to vacate it. The Raw brand was represented strongest by Roman for a few years during his feuds against Brock, Bray Wyatt, Kevin Owens and many others.
6 Seth Rollins
One of the few wrestlers to spend most of their time on Raw since 2016 was Seth Rollins. WWE kept Rollins as a top star on Raw until the 2020 draft moved him to Smackdown for the first time since the changes came into action.
Rollins took pride in being on Raw with his feuds against the likes of Kevin Owens, Triple H, Brock Lesnar and Rey Mysterio. The Universal Championship reigns of Seth gave him more chances of being the face of the brand before his eventual heel turn.
5 Charlotte Flair
The importance of women’s wrestling played a huge role in the 2016 brand split. WWE realized they needed to have more time for more female performers by having two unique rosters. Charlotte Flair emerged as the top breakout star primarily on Raw.
A total of four Raw Women’s Championship reigns made Charlotte the woman to beat on the red brand. Flair had that incredible feud with Sasha Banks that created huge change with historic matches. The return to WWE in 2020 saw Charlotte sticking around on Raw for the foreseeable future with a chance to accomplish more.
4 Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels was exclusively part of the Raw brand for the entirety of the 2000s brand split. The church life of Michaels made Tuesdays unavailable, and the company also felt the legend was a great fit on Raw.
Michaels returning to WWE in 2002 allowed him to add a strong second half to his career. Programs with Triple H, Hulk Hogan, Chris Jericho and many others drew huge money for WWE. Michaels would have the occasional inter-promotional match representing Raw against the likes of Kurt Angle and The Undertaker on Smackdown.
3 Trish Stratus
WWE tried to have two different approaches to women’s wrestling following the 2002 brand split. Smackdown did not have a title for the women for many years and went all in on bikini contests and eye candy matches. Raw had those moments too, but they established a division for the Women’s Championship.
Trish Stratus was the face of the division due to her popularity and desire to improve as a performer. The incredible work against the likes of Lita, Jazz, Victoria and Mickie James made women’s wrestling relevant in WWE. Stratus and Lita had the historic Raw main event that inspired many future female wrestlers.
2 John Cena
Smackdown was the place where John Cena got over for the first time in his career, but he became the iconic face of the company on Raw. WWE viewed the red brand as the bigger show when moving Cena over in the 2005 draft.
Cena dropped the rap gimmick and managed to continue his ascension as the top overall star. Programs with a variety of performers like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Edge, Umaga, CM Punk and Randy Orton made him the top name on the show for years.
1 Triple H
The initial brand split saw Raw without a champion when Brock Lesnar took the WWE Championship to Smackdown. Triple H was named the World Champion when Eric Bischoff brought back the big gold belt from WCW to represent Raw.
The polarizing reaction to Triple H’s “reign of terror” still exists today, but he clearly found success. Triple H spent most of his run on the Raw brand working with the likes of Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Batista and John Cena. Raw was viewed as the show represented by Triple H in the important years of the split.