WWE took a gamble on July 19th as they held their first draft in over fifteen years, effectively splitting up their roster into SmackDown and Raw exclusives. For the most part, the draft has been a success – new story lines have been introduced, new superstars have stepped up, and a breath of fresh air has lifted the struggling company as it has produced some of it’s best content in years.
However, in a new era where some stars have found success, others have equally found failure.
Not entirely the fault of the superstars themselves, creative has focused on many major story lines, although good, yet also leaving several superstars with much potential off television or else poorly booked. With another draft yet to be announced, here are some trades to ponder in the meantime between Raw and SmackDown (NXT too), that could benefit such superstars.
Trade One
Dolph Ziggler: SD => Raw, Sami Zayn: Raw => SD
Bo Dallas: Raw => NXT, Tye Dillinger: NXT => SD
Right out of the gate, it seems outrageous to consider moving Ziggler anywhere. After all, the man spent the better part of his time since the draft caught up in one of the best feuds in recent memory and has put on some spectacular matches and exhibited phenomenal storytelling. However, the lines have been drawn in SmackDown since the draft, and Ziggler is finding himself stuck in the middle. An aging, yet still incredible wrestler, Dolph is going to find it hard to stay relevant following this enormous feud. He already tried, and failed, to challenge for the World Title against Ambrose in the early days following the draft, and has now tried, and ultimately failed to dethrone the Miz’s never ending IC title party. Leading up to each of these big title opportunities, it has been pointed out countless times how Ziggler has just come up short in his career, always failing to win the big one.
Granted this would be a perfect way to finally allow him to win a big match – having lost two straight title feuds, this statement is only further justified. Ziggler needs a fresh start, a change of scenery. With the reputation of never winning the big one now more relevant than ever, Ziggler can cross over to Raw with one hell of a chip on his shoulder. On a show filled with exceptional heel talent, Ziggler can thrive in one final glorious run.
At this years Battleground PPV, Sami Zayn seemed to have found the momentum he desperately needed when he finally defeated his longtime rival Kevin Owens in an amazing match to cap off a great feud.
Fast forward to present day and Owens is Universal Champion, Zayn meanwhile is being tossed around, from a promising title opportunity at Survivor Series to being yet another victim fed to the unstoppable Braun Strowman, Zayn cannot seem to quite find his rhythm on Raw. SmackDown meanwhile is in need of everything Zayn has to offer; an extremely talented face whom, if booked correctly, could be the next Daniel Bryan.
Many will say Zayn and Owens being on the same show opens the door for another feud down the road, something not many are opposed to after witnessing the two’s incredible chemistry displayed in their unforgettable matches, however by switching Zayn over to SmackDown, both brands could benefit much more in the long run.
Imagine for a second, Owens defeating Zayn, effectively sending him off Raw and over to SmackDown much to the delight of the WWE Universal Champion. From there, allow SmackDown to do what it has done so much better than Raw these past few months – tell a story.
Build Zayn up, give him purpose, motivation. With no big face on SmackDown, Zayn could easily rise to the upper card, putting on incredible matches against Styles, Ambrose and Cena. Winning the WWE World Championship would be enough for any superstar, however then pitting both shows’ major champions and longtime rivals Zayn and Owens against each other would be an incredible match for the WWE Universe.
When many of you read the name Bo Dallas, you probably became about excited to read about him as you are to watch one of his matches, so I’ll try to make this as interesting as Bo Dallas could possibly ever become.
First and foremost Bo Dallas is not a great wrestler, maybe not even a good one. For those of you who enjoy remembering Cody Rhodes every time Dallas poorly executes a Cross Rhodes, or jump out of your seat every time he delivers a springboard bulldog I apologize, and invite you inform me of one decent match he has had since his undefeated streak was broken.
What Dallas does have however is attitude, and as much as I have always always preferred to use one of his matches as an opportunity to stretch my legs and refill the popcorn bowl, I will never miss a chance to watch him on the mic. And no, not the emotionally unstable Dallas who comes out with a sign and proceeds to spout off six lines of poetry worthy of being found in a seventh grade girls diary, but however the old Dallas, the enthusiastic, motivational comedian who could get a reaction out of any superstar he stood across from.
Dallas had a reputation in NXT, although nowhere near the best athlete it’s ever introduced to the main roster, Dallas had held the NXT championship for well over two hundred days. Seeing as he is doing nothing on Raw, be retreating back to NXT back to his old self, brimming with confidence over being a former champion he could put on some entertaining feuds with talent that could use the momentum, No Way Jose perhaps?
And finally Dillinger, who could not find a better home than in SmackDown – especially highlighted in his short feud with Roode is Dillinger’s past failures in the WWE, during his short lived career on ECW as Gavin Spears.
SmackDown is never one to back down from an underdog story, and Dillinger is a prime and deserving candidate of such treatment. SmackDown, as great of a show as it is, needs to fill out its roster with more prime contenders. Sure Ambrose and Styles put on a show every time they enter the ring, and Miz and Ziggler have put on the feud of the year, but who else is there? Dillinger would fall in wonderfully as a mid card contender, especially against someone like Miz and his tyrannical reign as IC champ, and create another fresh, fun rivalry for SmackDown.
Trade Two
Bayley: Raw => SD, Jack Swagger: SD => NXT, The Revival: NXT => Raw
Bayley is one of the best female talents in the WWE, yet is being underutilized worse than almost any superstar on the roster. In a call-up that should’ve had her in incredible title matches against the likes of Banks and Charlotte, she has instead been spending the better part of her early Raw career in squash matches against local talent or Dana Brooke. Survivor Series began to bring more credible momentum her way, however one unfortunate fate still looms large in her future – Sasha Banks and Charlotte are putting on incredible matches every chance they get.
With this fact, WWE will be hesitant to pull the trigger on their feud, or even insert Bayley into the picture. In a women’s division focused entirely on them, Bayley is forced to make a name for herself against the lower tier competitors, such as Brooke or Fox. SmackDown on the other hand has a very scattered, yet utilized women’s division. Do they have anyone who matches the talent of either Banks or Charlotte? Absolutely not, however since the draft, SmackDown has done a great job of giving its women’s division a chance to grow as a whole rather than focusing on two individual superstars. Bayley would have much more meaningful matches and feuds on SmackDown after being able to step out from beneath the shadows of the two titans in the Raw women’s division.
Seeing the name Jack Swagger in a wrestling article probably gives you that same excited, anticipating feeling that you got when seeing Bo Dallas, so like Dallas I’ll keep this short and simple. Jack Swagger, although a glorified jobber, is a former World Champion. A man who has made a name for himself in the WWE and unfortunately now has found himself on a deep decline. Taking the same proposed route as Dallas wouldn’t be smart – two men with the same intentions for moving to NXT would be a waste of time. Swagger however should become a mentor, and an enforcer to a heel superstar.
Swagger, although with no momentum at the moment, still has credibility from his past successes nonetheless, and by promising to shape an up and coming superstar into a future champion Swagger will benefit much more than from being yet another jobber on a jobber-filled lower tier SmackDown roster.
The New Day are approaching the record for the longest tag team championship. Or maybe they’ve beat it by the time you’re reading this article, I have no idea. Nonetheless that makes winning the titles from them that much more impressive. We’re not talking breaking The Undertaker’s streak here, yet the momentum it can give a tag team from accomplishing this seemingly impossible feat is enormous. Raw does not have as boastful of a tag team division as SmackDown, however like SmackDown the better part of it’s tag teams are mere sacrificial lambs to it’s top teams. As it stands, The Club and the team of Cesaro and Sheamus are the two biggest contenders.
Do either of these teams deserve to beat the New Day? No. In fact no one currently on the roster deserves to beat the New Day, as the New Day has decimated every team over and over for over a year now. To randomly have one of these teams pull out a victory and win the titles is the worst possible ending to this historic reign. Having an accomplished up-and-coming tag team debut and win them?
Now there’s something that could work, and what better team than The Revival?
Coming off in my opinion the match of the year against DIY, The Revival has done it all in NXT, and unlike the Ascension, who were also red hot leading up to their call-up, The Revival are actually capable of putting on a wrestling match as opposed to being two monsters hell bent on destruction.
With the Authors of Pain (A stupid name for a stupid tag team), rising up to be the next big heel team in NXT, there is no better time for the Revival to make their debut, and no better way than taking down the New Day.
Trade Three
Neville: Raw => SD, Chris Jericho: Raw => SD
The Ascension: SD => NXT, Andrade Almas: NXT => SD
This one here is quite the doozy so bear with me. First, Neville has become the official Waldo of Raw. An incredible athlete, it’s confusing he’s not on television week after week putting on exciting matches, especially with the introduction of the Cruiserweight Division, Neville should be a pretty big deal. Yet nothing, Neville has barely if at all been on TV, he’s not injured, not suspended, so what’s the hold up? A guy with the potential Neville has should not be kept waiting, I mentioned before SmackDown needs more mid card talents to keep it’s storylines and IC title feuds fresh and exciting and Neville would make a great addition.
Next we have Jericho, and probably the biggest head scratcher of them all. Here’s the thing, Jericho is on a roster predominantly full of main event talents, from Owens to Rollins to Reigns, Jericho will never be considered a contender to any of them. Sooner or later this friendship with Owens will end, and from that point Jericho, like Ziggler, will be lost in relevance. One of the most entertaining men on the mic, and still a great talent in the ring he has what it takes to put up fantastic feuds, however against the likes of a much younger roster of prospects, there will never be a time he will even come close to holding the Universal, and probably not even the IC title, and instead be reduced to the talented heel that puts over the younger guys. Does he deserve this treatment? No.
Jericho has far too much to offer, Going to SmackDown, where the lack of main event talent is alarming, Jericho will be a very big deal. He already has history with its two biggest superstars in Ambrose and Styles, and can quickly rise through the ranks in becoming the blue brand’s biggest heel.
The Ascension have never enjoyed success in the WWE, a brief glimmer of hope emerged in their involvement in the feud between Neville and Stardust (we miss you Cody!), yet nothing has ever become of them
The Ascension are instead stuck on a roster full of talented teams. Like Dallas, The Ascension enjoyed a successful run in NXT, and were still over when they were called up. Now, with a new menacing team in The Authors of Pain, the original monsters of NXT can return to remind everyone who they should really be fearing. Will they be successful? Maybe not, but being a forgettable team on SmackDown isn’t the role they deserve. Allowing them to return to their roots and wreck havoc can once again bring life into a dying tag team with much to offer.
Almas has never really clicked with the NXT audience, which is shocking considering they will put just about anyone over. His character still has a lot of developing to do, however he is one of the best talents on NXT.
With guys like Nakamura and Joe locked in feuds, Almas is the perfect call up to show just what NXT has to offer. Having another heel to rival the Miz is welcome on a mid card full of faces. Sending a superstar like Almas to Raw would simply have him become lost, just like Neville. With the rise of Cruiserweights, mixed with the ongoing feuds Almas wouldn’t have the proper opportunity to make a name for himself.
On SmackDown, however, Almas would thrive against opponent’s like Ambrose, Crews or Styles in exciting in ring action. A fresh start on a new show is just what Almas needs to make an impact.
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