WWE’s last draft took place in early October 2020, but according to Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast , another installment is expected soon after SummerSlam.
Superstars switching shows may not make of a difference in the long term as a quality creative direction will always be the company’s biggest issue.
The draft can make or break a career, with Big E being a prime example of that last year.
For the last year and a half, the Scot has carried the Raw brand on his back.
McIntyre beat every opponent put in front of him and even lost the title for a time only to regain it weeks later.
After all, he hasn’t been a part of the blue brand in over a decade.
The company hasn’t completely bungled him, though.
The days of Nakamura being a viable threat to a top title may be long gone, but much like Cesaro, he deserves another shot.
Regardless of whether he flourishes or fails, a run on the red brand would at least be something different for him.
When Finn Balor initially returned to NXT in October 2019, fans believed it would be a short stay for the former intercontinental champion.
Unless he returns to NXT to put someone else over on his way out, then the next appearance he makes should be on Raw or SmackDown.
As for what brand he’d be best on, it truly doesn’t matter.
In almost six years with WWE, Asuka has virtually done it all.
Her most recent Raw Women’s Championship reign lasted nearly a year, and now having feuded with a majority of the brand’s women’s division, she needs to be drafted elsewhere.
Asuka is no stranger to the blue brand, having held the SmackDown women’s title before and even headlining pay-per-views while on the brand.
After joining the blue brand for the first time in April 2019, she carried gold for almost the entire 18 months that followed.
Even after dropping the belt to Sasha Banks at Hell in a Cell in 2020, she remained a focal point of the brand’s women’s division.
That doesn’t leave Bayley with much to do on Friday nights.
Next to Charlotte Flair, Raw could use another important heel in its women’s division right now and Bayley fills that role perfectly.
Many fans thought Io Shirai was on her way to Raw or SmackDown coming off her loss of the NXT Women’s Championship over WrestleMania weekend in April.
Shirai has been the crown jewel of the NXT women’s division since signing with the promotion in 2018.
With the belt now firmly around the waist of Raquel Gonzalez, there’s no reason for The Genius of the Sky to regain the gold any time soon, if at all.
At a time when Raw could use some elite-level babyfaces, it’s bizarre that WWE hasn’t done more to protect and build up Hardy.
Within weeks of resurfacing on SmackDown, he recaptured the Intercontinental Championship and held it until December when he lost it to Big E.
Zayn shouldn’t regain the intercontinental title any time soon, and with his current character, a run at the top of the card just doesn’t seem likely or plausible.
His smaller stature will be a concern for fans worried that he won’t do well on the bigger stage of WWE, and justifiably so.
Between the two brands, Cole’s chances of being used properly on his own might be better on the blue brand considering how superior it’s been to Raw recently.
On the Raw side, there’s Keith Lee , Damian Priest, Ricochet and others.
Cole is a world-class competitor and deserves an opportunity to shine on the main roster.
It’s been a slow and steady decline for The Queen of Spades ever since.
A move to SmackDown may not solve all of her problems, but it would at least be a step in the right direction.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham “GSM” Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010.