Hello, everyone, it’s me TWB, and I’m here for a different kind of predictions article, today I’ll be giving you my five draft picks for both Raw and Smackdown.
(Note Tag Teams count as one pick, and NXT are not included)
So, let’s get started…
Braun Strowman
This one seems the most likeliest draft pick of the lot, Braun Strowman has been appearing recently on Raw Underground, then as we saw on Monday night’s episode, he and Keith Lee fought to a no contest, and seemingly their feud will no doubt continue. Braun desperately needs the move, he’s become pretty stale on Smackdown, his run with the Universal Title was really disappointing and it feels like he’s done everything possible. By having him head to Raw, will lead to fresh rivalries with the aforementioned Lee, and perhaps the current WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.
The Miz and John Morrison
I have been really annoyed with the booking of Miz and Morrison really since they lost their tag team titles, I genuinely can’t remember the last time they won a match. The current feud they’re having with Heavy Machinery, in particular, Otis has felt like it’s gone on for ages, and it’s not benefiting them at all. The tag division on both brands is in desperate need of a revamp, the amount of times we’ve seen the same matches take place has got to a point of me just not really caring. If used correctly Miz and Morrison can be a threat, so I’m sending them to Raw.
Jeff Hardy
To me when you say brand split and Jeff Hardy, you always picture him on Smackdown, whether it’s his recent run he’s had or when he became WWE Champion in 2008 and then that feud with CM Punk in 2009 all of that was done on the Blue Brand, which is why I think a switch to Raw could make his redemption storyline much more intriguing. Even though we saw the two take on each other only a few years ago, it’ll be great to see Jeff Hardy Vs, Randy Orton, again especially if the WWE Championship is on the line.
Sheamus
I couldn’t decide whether it should be Sheamus or King Corbin that should move to Raw, but no doubt it has to be one of them, in terms of a heel character they’re both fairly similar, so you really shouldn’t have them both on the same brand together, also right now neither of them are going to be in the main villain role now that Roman Reigns is back and has turned to the dark side. On paper, though Sheamus going to Raw sounds much more tantalising, considering his history he’s had with Drew McIntyre, there’s potential for those to have a feud whether the WWE Championship is up for grabs or not.
Daniel Bryan
We’ve not seen Daniel Bryan for the last few months, since the birth of his 2nd child with Brie Bella, and much like when I think about Jeff Hardy, Daniel Bryan is Mr Smackdown when it comes to the brand split era of WWE, but really he’s done it all, even being the GM of the brand. But a move to Raw could be a huge addition to that roster, that’s lacking a lot of faces, and honestly, I’d love to see a Bryan Vs Orton feud again they’ve obviously got history against each other and I think it’s time to revisit that.
Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins has been a staple of Raw since the 2016 Draft, in that time he’s been Universal, Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion on numerous occasions. His current rivalry with the Mysterio family looks like it’s coming to an end, and whilst it seems him and Murphy are set to have a match at some point, that could easily be done as a one-off before they both move their separate ways.
There’s a lot Seth could do on Smackdown as well, he could turn face and take on the heel Roman Reigns, there’d be a lot of mileage there considering both men’s history with one another, or if he stays heel he could team with Reigns and the two could dominate the Blue Brand. Whatever he does, I expect Seth to head to Friday night’s, and then that opens up the possibility of if/when Becky Lynch returns she’ll also move to Smackdown.
Mickie James
Smackdown is certainly lacking established female stars on their roster, they’ve lost Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke in the space of around 2 months, adding Mickie James will freshen up that division a bit and give someone else and new for Bayley to feud with. Mickie has only been back for a few months, but it already feels she’s got lost in the shuffle on Raw.
James and Asuka had a good match for the Raw Women’s Championship, but it ended in a bit of controversy, then she lost to Zelina Vega, and she hasn’t been on TV since that defeat. Mickie is a recognisable name to old and new fans, and she can definitely still go in the ring, maybe pair her with someone on the roster and they can work their way towards the tag titles, or there’s certainly a story of her going for the Women’s Championship for one final time.
Andrade and Angel Garza
I’m not entirely sure whether these two are still actually a tag team, Garza has been off injured for the last two episodes of Raw and Andrade wasn’t on Monday’s episode, but assuming they haven’t split yet, sending them to Smackdown is a must. We’ve seen the combination of Garza and Andrade Vs Street Profits for what feels like ages, and as I mentioned earlier when talking about Miz and Morrison, the whole tag division needs a revamp.
I also think both Andrade and Garza have the ability because of their charisma and in-ring work to be a babyface team, so they could instantly feud with Cesaro and Nakamura. But also when they eventually split, either of them facing Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship sounds incredible.
Kevin Owens
It definitely seems that Kevin Owens is heading to Smackdown, he’s right now in a feud with The Fiend, and a permanent move to the Blue Brand is pretty much a formality. In my opinion since Wrestlemania, Kevin Owens has been misused, he’s one of the best WWE have on their roster, and he plays the face or heel role to perfection. Assuming that he becomes a Smackdown superstar, and following what’s going on with him and The Fiend, KO could move onto challenging Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship, or take on Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
Ricochet
Ricochet is one of the best wrestlers in the world, but you wouldn’t know that considering how poorly he’s been booked in the last year or so. He’s a regular on TV alongside Apollo Crews, however, the Ricochet I first supported was the one who was having candidates for match of the year against Adam Cole, Will Ospreay and Johnny Gargano. I remember getting to see him take on Drew Galloway in 2017, and it was probably one of the best matches I’ve ever seen, it was enough for my mum who rarely watches wrestling to give them a standing ovation afterwards.
On Smackdown I think there are more wrestlers that’ll suit Ricochet’s style, the list of names that instantly comes to my mind are Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns, Matt Riddle, Cesaro and Nakamura, all of those matches are really enticing.
That’s it for my predictions for the 2020 WWE Draft, but what are yours? Feel free to comment with the names that you’d like to see switch brands. Follow me @callumowen98 as I’ll be live-tweeting for both night’s of the draft, and don’t forget to check out SLTD Wrestling for more great content.
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