5 WWE Stars Who Must Change Brands In 2022 Draft

The 2022 WWE Draft may be taking place sooner than expected.

Though WWE’s annual roster shakeup has recently been taking place in October, Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingNews.co) reports that “wrestlers believe there could be more roster movement on the way as several Raw stars are scheduled for the first Smackdown following Clash at the Castle on September 9, while SmackDown wrestlers are scheduled for Raw episodes internally on September 5 and 12.”

The belief among numerous talents is that WWE’s annual draft will happen after Clash at the Castle as a way to reset the rosters. With this being the first draft to take place with Triple H as the company’s creative head, fans can expect to see some significant changes and numerous big stars swapping shows as a way to freshen up both Raw and SmackDown.

And while the draft will do just that, many WWE superstars could also benefit from relocating to the opposite brand. Let’s take a look at five marquee superstars who should be on the move, no matter when the 2022 WWE Draft occurs.

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Shinsuke Nakamura

Fun fact: Since debuting on WWE’s main roster in April 2017, Shinsuke Nakamura has never been a member of the Raw brand. Indeed, the charismatic superstar has spent his entire career on SmackDown, where he’s won both the United States and Intercontinental titles, picked up a Royal Rumble victory and even challenged for the world title at WrestleMania.

Nakamura has recently received much more TV time during his feud with Gunther, and it’s clear that, even all these years later, the fans are still firmly behind the man formerly known as “The Artist.” With Triple H now running creative and Nakamura winning the NXT Championship and dominating the yellow brand under “The Game,” chances are that he’s much more likely to get a significant push moving forward.

The best place for that? On Raw, which has already made a habit out of booking quality, lengthy matches since Triple H took over, which is something Nakamura is tailor made for. Plus, with with WWE reportedly wanting a top Japanese star and even being interested in recent AEW sensation Konosuke Tahesita, Nakamura—who recently hinted at a career “resurrection”—could fill that role while also benefiting from a run as a workhorse on the red brand.

The Usos

Much like Nakamura, The Usos have been on SmackDown since the brand split returned in 2016. That’s a long run for anyone, and though The Usos have continued to carry both sets of tag team belts—and the tag team division itself—on their backs, it doesn’t look like the brand split is going to officially end under Triple H.

Of course, this is a moot point if the brand extension is scrapped or the tag titles remain merged, but after The Usos have developed into one of the most entertaining acts in all of WWE over the past couple of years, they could really benefit from a move to Monday nights. The Usos have accomplished so much on SmackDown, but a simple change of scenery could refresh their act, which doesn’t have a whole lot of room to grow on the blue brand after being a focal point of the show for so long.

After all, The Usos’ association with Roman Reigns isn’t going to last forever, and if WWE doesn’t want to end The Bloodline with an official split, then drafting The Usos to a different show could be the way to go.

Kevin Owens

WWE is clearly going all in on Kevin Owens, who has long been a favorite of Triple H and was even once handpicked by him in-storyline to become Universal Champion. Just this past week on Raw, Owens reinserted himself into the world title picture and set the stage for a rivalry with Drew McIntyre, who may very well win the Undisputed WWE Championship at Clash at the Castle next month.

Owens signed a new, lucrative contract late last year and is reportedly slated for a massive push up the card, no matter what brand he’s on. But especially with a tailor made feud for McIntyre as well as a potential reunion with Sami Zayn waiting for Owens on SmackDown, it would be logical for WWE to move him over to Friday nights and reestablish him as perhaps the top heel in the entire company.

Owens and Seth Rollins are similar in overall skill sets and credibility as top acts, and as such, they should be on separate brands to serve as their respective brand’s top heel and potential world title challenger.

Alexa Bliss

The booking of Alexa Bliss has been all over the place over the past few years, even though Bliss is widely regarded as one of WWE’s best actors, mic workers and overall performers. The problem? She’s on Raw, where she’s behind, at the very least, Asuka, Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair on the babyface side but also figures to fall below Bayley and perhaps even Io Sky and Dakota Kai on the pecking order in Raw’s women’s divison.

On SmackDown, however, Bliss would have more room for growth and success, even if Sasha Banks and Naomi return soon as expected. It’s likely that Banks and Naomi will be busy in the tag title picture for the foreseeable future whenever they do return, which would make Bliss a crucial component of the SmackDown singles division alongside stars like Liv Morgan, Ronda Rousey and Raquel Rodriguez.

Right now, there is an obvious talent disparity between the Raw and SmackDown women’s divisions, but Bliss would bring instant credibility to WWE’s new A-show.

Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley is another star who has spent an extended time on his current brand, having remained exclusive to Raw since returning to WWE in 2018. Of course, he has had a huge amount of success there, with a victory over Brock Lesnar, two world title runs and a dominant United States title reign currently ongoing, so moving him to SmackDown isn’t a move that is necessary to reinvigorate Lashley.

Rather, it’s a move that would reinvigorate SmackDown’s main event scene. Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre are two of WWE’s most strongly booked stars, and are both on SmackDown, which just added Karrion Kross and figures to book him as a very dominant superstar as well. Throw Lashley into the equation, and SmackDown suddenly has a stacked main event picture of big men who can carry the brand into 2023 and beyond.

Lashley could either continue to dominant the midcard title scene—which is suddenly much improved under Triple H—or step in at any time as a capable and credible threat to the brand’s world champion.