The WWE Superstar Shakeup has already altered the roster of Monday Night Raw. The red brand has gained significant stars from SmackDown Live, such as Bobby Roode, Baron Corbin, Jinder Mahal, and the entire Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, and Liv Morgan). With the first day of the Shake-up already in history books, what does the WWE have in store for SmackDown Live in the second and final day of this event?
Which superstars from Monday Night Raw will jump over to the blue brand? That a little hard to predict for the most part. But there are a select handful of Raw stars who absolutely need to switch brands to revitalize their careers.
Here are the 5 WWE Monday Night Raw who must go to SmackDown Live…
5. Sasha Banks
Sasha Banks has almost fallen to the background of the Raw women’s division. Currently, she’s engaged in a feud with Bayley and doesn’t appear to have any current championship aspirations. The division is currently dominated by WWE Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax. Banks falls behind stars such as Alexa Bliss and Asuka in the pecking order for the championship. If Banks makes the jump to SmackDown, she’d likely be utilized as one of the top female competitors on the brand. Plus, she’s hinted at a desire to perform on SmackDown for a while now.
4. Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman is slowly starting to lose his main event appeal on Monday Night Raw. He may have single-handedly won the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 34, alongside a 10-year-old boy. However, the decision to partner up with a little kid at ‘Mania showed a softer side to this monster, despite the fact that Strowman demolished both Sheamus and Cesaro in the match. Strowman is better booked as an unstoppable beast rather than a tough giant with a heart of gold. If Strowman is drafted to SmackDown Live, he could rise back to the main event scene and tear the house with WWE Champion AJ Styles. I predict if Strowman switches brands, he’ll likely be the next number one contender for the WWE Championship.
3. Curt Hawkins
Curt Hawkins is the resident jobber over on Monday Night Raw. His losing streak is simply unprecedented. If he switches brands to SmackDown, his status in the WWE will likely stay the same. However, the blue brand got raided of its lower tier and mid-card talent, therefore Curt Hawkins would be a welcome addition to the SmackDown Live roster. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to give this star another fresh start, even though he’ll most likely continue to rack up losses.
2. Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe would greatly benefit with a fresh start on SmackDown Live. Much like Strowman, Joe’s main event allure has died down quite a bit on Monday Night Raw. If “The Samoan Submission Machine” is brought over to the blue brand, he may quickly find himself as a top contender for the WWE Championship. Joe and AJ Styles has had incredible matches in the past during their time spent in TNA. If Joe moves over to SmackDown, he has a good chance of being one of the brand’s top talent, especially considering their shallow main event scene.
1. Finn Balor
Finn Balor has the absolute most to gain from this year’s WWE Superstar Shake-up. He hasn’t accomplished much on Raw since relinquishing the Universal Championship in August 2016. In the meantime, Balor can’t even win the brand’s secondary championship. He’s quickly falling to the background of a stacked roster and will likely find greater success over on SmackDown where they are in dire need of key talent. If Balor switch brands, he may find himself going from mid-card up-and-comer to one of the top main event competitors on the roster.
