Cody Rhodes To Raw And The 5 Best Moves

The WWE Draft 2023 is complete, with Raw nabbing Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch while SmackDown can build around Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Bobby Lashley.

WWE’s first draft since October 2021 has provided both Raw and SmackDown with the refreshed rosters it badly needed. Stale stars like Bayley and Shinsuke Nakamura have new homes and should be able to get back on track. Meanwhile, the new-look roster could result in an uptick in TV viewership and overall fan interest.

Of course, WWE made some head-scratching moves in the draft as expected. But overall, the company did a quality job of spreading the wealth across both main roster shows. But which moves made the most sense? Let’s take a look.

MORE FROM FORBESWWE Vs. AEW: Kenny Omega, MJF And Drew McIntyre Highlight Potential Free Agent FrenzyBy Blake Oestriecher

Gunther And Imperium To Raw

The similarities between Roman Reigns and Gunther, two dominant heel champions, necessitated a move for the latter.

Both stars are the heel leader of a villainous faction and in the midst of a lengthy title reign, so having them both on SmackDown felt quite monotonous. Now, Gunther and Imperium are on Raw, far away from Reigns, and given all of the other roster changes, he’s poised to be the top heel on Monday nights even as Intercontinental Champion.

Gunther has been one of WWE’s best booked stars under Triple H, and he’s now in an even better position to be a full-fledged limain eventer.

Raw’s Refreshed World Title Scene

With Reigns dominating the world title scene for nearly three years, the creation of a second championship comes at the ideal time. Raw now has a very strong main event core that is completely separate from Reigns and The Bloodline.

While it isn’t clear who will be feuding over the new World Heavyweight Championship, there are numerous options. Among the most likely are Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre and Finn Balor, with Nakamura, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn as potential options as well. This should make for a very entertaining main event picture heading into the summer.

That’s badly needed because, as any longtime WWE fan knows, the summer tends to be a down period for WWE. But the likes of Rollins, who’s ridiculously popular right now, and McIntyre in the world title picture could change that.

The Women’s Division Gets Balanced Out

WWE finally has a more evenly balanced main roster women’s division, with Bianca Belair, Asuka and Bayley among the high-profile names who—along with Charlotte Flair—can now boost up the once-mundane SmackDown side.

With Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley on Raw along with Trish Stratus, Ronda Rousey and Raquel Rodriguez, it feels like WWE’s creative team made a conscious decision to try to revamp both shows. A number of NXT stars, including Indi Hartwell and Zoey Stark, also got the call-up, providing both shows with some much needed depth as well.

Raw can now build around the core of Lynch, Ripley and Rodriguez while SmackDown can focus on Bayley, Belair, Flair and Asuka. That’s a good start, though it must coincide with quality booking and pushes for those NXT call-ups.

Cody Rhodes Stays Separate From Roman Reigns

Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes reportedly may headline WrestleMania 40. Of course, that would be a rematch of the WrestleMania 39 main event and would also give Rhodes the chance to “finish the story.”

So, why keep Rhodes and Reigns on different brands? Well, the two stars have already gone their separate ways, which means there is no need whatsoever to keep them on the show. It would be completely illogical for Rhodes to be on SmackDown with Reigns as its champion without the two crossing paths.

Letting Rhodes stay on Raw was the right call. He can either take down Reigns next year or find a new path to a world championship.

Bobby Lashley To SmackDown

Bobby Lashley has been on Raw since 2018 and has had plenty of success there, becoming a two-time WWE Champion. It feels, though, that Lashley had hit reached his climax on Monday nights.

A move to SmackDown, on the other hand, gives Lashley a nice change of scenery and the potential for new feuds with stars like Reigns or Solo Sikoa. Lashley is one of WWE’s most believable stars and a multi-dimensional one who can work either heel or babyface. He can generate interest in non-title or title feuds, and he can slide down to the midcard to give it some credibility, too.

In other words, Lashley is a big get for SmackDown, and given the huge reaction to the change, he’s primed to be better off on the blue brand.