Wrestlers Who Need To Switch Brands In The 2024 WWE Draft
In the more than two decades since it was first introduced, the WWE Draft has reshaped the pro wrestling landscape on multiple occasions. The first WWE draft, held in 2002, was precipitated by the then-WWF absorbing talent from both WCW and ECW, resulting in the company splitting its roster into the Raw and SmackDown brands. Subsequent drafts have allowed stars to get a fresh start among different rosters and allowed WWE creative to create new storylines between talent.
Heading into Friday's "WWE SmackDown," the first night of the latest draft, there are several main roster stars who could use a change of scenery, and several "WWE NXT" stars who could use a call-up to the main roster. But which ones need it the most? In considering the current WWE landscape — its shows, brands, storylines and the talent eligible for the 2024 WWE Draft — Wrestling Inc. has put together the following list of wrestlers WWE should assign to a new brand, either Friday night or on Monday's "WWE Raw."
GUNTHER from Raw to SmackDown
After his historic Intercontinental Championship reign came to an end at hands of Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 40, GUNTHER proclaimed (via a promo on "WWE Raw") that a weight had been lifted of his shoulders. In his reign, GUNTHER felt that he carried a massive target on his back. Since the title has shifted over to Zayn, though, GUNTHER believes that target has been alleviated, subsequently putting him in a position to now hunt for opponents, rather than being the one hunted after. With this objective is mind, we believe GUNTHER may be best served by a change in scenery, comprised of new opponents and new opportunities.
In the 2023 WWE Draft, GUNTHER, along with his Imperium stablemates Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci, was officially assigned to the "Raw" brand. There, GUNTHER ascended in momentous fashion, becoming the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history. In this run, GUNTHER defeated a number of notable WWE Superstars, including Jey Uso, The Miz, Drew McIntyre, Chad Gable, and Bronson Reed. With this long string of victories, GUNTHER not only catapulted his own career, but the perception of the Intercontinental Championship as well.
Now that his Intercontinental Championship reign is over, GUNTHER is eager to continue propelling upward. As such, GUNTHER officially declared himself for the 2024 King of the Ring tournament. Beyond that, though, it seems that GUNTHER is destined to elevate to an even higher level, particularly to that of a world championship.
Currently, WWE's main world titles are held by Damian Priest (of "Raw") and Cody Rhodes (of "SmackDown"). Given that the likes of CM Punk and Drew McIntyre are vehemently intent on capturing Priest's WWE World Heavyweight Championship, it is likely that they remain on the "Raw" brand to challenge for the title in the coming months (as well as continuing their feud with one another). Meanwhile, after the 2024 Backlash premium live event, the Undisputed WWE Championship, currently possessed by Cody Rhodes, faces no imminent challenges. This, of course, could partially be resolved by drafting GUNTHER to "SmackDown."
Aside from being a general asset and well-deserved challenger to the Undisputed WWE Championship scene, "The Ring General" also carries forth a bit of history with Rhodes, as the two famously emerged as the final two in the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble match. And ever since that intense face-off, fans have been clamoring to see more from them.
If for nothing else, a move to "SmackDown" provides GUNTHER with fresh prey to hunt — something he seems highly drawn to.
Written by Ella Jay
LA Knight from SmackDown to Raw
I really don't know how to put it any more succinctly than this: LA Knight has lost too much on "WWE SmackDown" and I don't know where he goes from there. A jump to "Raw" would probably give him a new coat of paint and a chance to make Slim Jim a prominent feature of Monday Night Wrestling again.
LA Knight is a talented man and his charisma has carried him very far, but he's hit a wall on "SmackDown." He's lost shots at the United States Championship, Undisputed WWE Championship, and as recently as last week a shot at the world title yet again. He's stuck in the mud and spinning the wheels of that beautiful Slim Jim automobile.
Knight is practically a Randy Savage-like figure already, half of his vocabulary is some variation of "yeah" and he's become synonymous with Slim Jims. Maybe leaning into that on Monday nights could be a nice little refresh from getting beat. Knight can run through the Tozawas and Otises and other enhancement talent that make up a bulk of "Raw"'s three hours, and build back some of that mystique and momentum he had before he became Roman Reigns' favorite punching bag.
Written by Ross Berman
Jey Uso from Raw to SmackDown
Jey Uso has probably accomplished everything he's going to accomplish on his own, unless WWE decides to finally put a singles title on the multi-time tag team champion. He's been "The Main Event," he held the tag titles with someone he wasn't related to, he established himself as a singular talent instead of just "one of the twins," and I think it might be time to get him back on "SmackDown," where he can rekindle some of the heat he had back when he was the black sheep of The Bloodline.
Solo Sikoa is clearly building an army to take over the blue brand, which means whether Jey is on the brand or not, this whole Bloodline thing is just gonna keep on keeping on. So who better to stand against the ersatz Bloodline leader than his own brother?
Jey Uso just has a different presence when facing off with his family. Sure, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it is much more electric than his presence on Raw, where he seems to just glob on to other storylines to tell the babyface that he believes in them and to yeet their troubles away. It's time for the prodigal son to come home and claim what is rightfully his, a place in the neverending Bloodline story.
Written by Ross Berman
Candice LeRae from Raw to SmackDown
"SmackDown" needs more heels outside of Damage CTRL, and who better to boo than "The Poison Pixie"?
Damage CTRL have been WWE's most dominant female heel faction in recent memory, but they are only human. They can't be in multiple places at once, and after Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill expressed clear interest in the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships on the April 14 edition of "SmackDown," it seems that Damage CTRL will have their plates full. Even though Charlotte Flair is allegedly "ahead of schedule" on her torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus injury, an imminent return is unlikely, and the only other non-Damage CTRL heel, Elektra Lopez, is currently serving as the valet for Legado del Fantasma. So, challengers for Bayley are disturbingly few and hard to come by in the current "SmackDown" ecosystem. Enter: Candice LeRae.
Hear me out! LeRae's current heel turn has been beautifully done and drawn out over time, but it is currently being washed out in the chaos that is "Raw"'s three-hour program. Between Liv Morgan's revenge tour and Becky Lynch's new title reign, it's no wonder that LeRae's carefully crafted heel turn has been relegated to Monday night obscurity. However, if LeRae were to take her heelish talents to "SmackDown", not only would it be her inaugural run with the blue brand, but she would have an opportunity to fully grow into herself as a heel on the main roster with the support of a veteran like Bayley. Bayley and LeRae have only fought once on "Raw" in October 2022, and while LeRae holds a victory over "The Role Model", it was by reversing The Rose Plant into a roll-up pin — far from definitive. A well-paced feud with a conclusive ending could be an entertaining storyline to hold us over in this odd, liminal space between WrestleMania and SummerSlam.
A certain pixie needs to spread her wings, and "SmackDown" just might be the perfect place for her to do so.
Written by Angeline Phu
Tony D'Angelo to the main roster
Not since Elias has a wrestler been as tailor-made for the main roster as Tony D'Angelo. So popular is the La Cosa Nostra parody that "WWE NXT" nearly became a Muppet Babies version of The Sopranos as his family took centerstage. It is time to bring Tony D'Angelo up to the show and let him and his glorified crew run wild.
NXT is best as a large oven where main roster stars are baked, and D'Angelo is the perfect golden brown, he's ready to come out of the oven and overcooking him is going to lead to a lot people smelling burnt toast when he debuts. The time is now, strike while the iron is hot, whatever simplistic metaphor you want to use, the time is now and the man is ready.
It would also be a boost to NXT to have some room to develop new ideas. D'Angelo's gimmick, faction, and aura have all been finished, there is nothing left to flesh out, to keep him on NXT is to waste the time of the other developmental talents who are currently percolating with ideas. If WWE doesn't call up Tony D'Angelo now, they run the risk of not being able to develop a new Tony D'Angelo in the future.
Written by Ross Berman
Carmelo Hayes from NXT To SmackDown
This one may be a bit of an obvious pick, but Carmelo Hayes needs to be called up during the 2024 roster and "WWE SmackDown" is the perfect brand for him.
Hayes has had a phenomenal run on "NXT" between winning the 2021 Men's Breakout Tournament to being a former two time North American Champion and "NXT" Champion. Now that his storyline with Trick Williams has wrapped up following their Steel Cage match on April 16, there's no better time to move him up to the main roster, especially since it feels like he's accomplished everything he can in "NXT".
"SmackDown" would be the perfect brand for Hayes to be drafted to. Not only has he has already made a handful of appearances on the show meaning that he's at least met some of the roster members backstage which would make for a bit of an easier transition for him, but he would be far more likely to get lost in the shuffle if he were to be drafted to "Raw." "SmackDown" would provide WWE with a better opportunity to spotlight Hayes and opens the door for him to have matches against AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Roman Reigns, and even Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes (granted that list is likely to change with the draft).
Written by Olivia Quinlan
Naomi from SmackDown to Raw
Naomi has a similar problem as Jey Uso on "Raw," in that she doesn't really feel like her own person. She is mainly there to stand next to other wrestlers, backing them up but never actually taking the spotlight, and it's made for a less-than-interesting return to WWE. Naomi returned at The Royal Rumble with all the promise and potential in the world and it feels like, outside of a WrestleMania showcase alongside Jade Cargill, she hasn't really carved out her new niche in the company.
The WWE Draft is a perfect place to refresh a game talent like Naomi. Suddenly, she would no longer be "a talent who returned months ago and accomplished little" and instead would become "one of the top draft prospects" as is often the case with solid professionals like Naomi. That presence, the hot draft pick, can add a lot to Naomi as WWE finds a more consistent place for the talented and athletic superstar.
The "Raw" women's division, especially post-Rhea Ripley injury, needs a star like Naomi, who can buoy the more fledgling talent like Chelsea Green and Zoey Stark. She's risking getting lost in the shuffle on "SmackDown" and "NXT" still feels like a demotion, so "Raw" really has to be the spot for her.
Written by Ross Berman
Tiffany Stratton from SmackDown To Raw
Although she may only have a few years of wrestling experience since she began her career back in 2021, Tiffany Stratton is extremely talented and is no doubt a future star. However, as of late, she feels a little lost on "SmackDown," more or less floating around the main event scene in the women's division since the Women's Elimination Chamber match and has only since squared off with the likes of Naomi and Michin in both televised and dark matches.
Stratton would be the perfect fit over on "Raw." There wwould be plenty more storyline opportunities, whether that be becoming best friends with Chelsea Green or entering the ever growing tag team division or even going after Becky Lynch's Women's World Championship. She has the star power, and the extra hour of television time on "Raw" would be an opportunity to give her more time to build up a proper storyline, showcase her skills inside the ring, and give her more mic time in backstage and in-ring promos.
Written by Olivia Quinlan