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Vince McMahon

6 WWE Superstars who shouldn't change brands in the trade

WWE often finds different names for brand switches. While the WWE Draft is the traditional and best way of going about it, Vince McMahon introduced the term 'Superstar Shake-Up' a few years ago in what was essentially an informal draft.

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The actual WWE Draft returned in October 2019 after over 3 years and it officially ended the "Wild Card rule". Post-WrestleMania is usually the time we see the most brand changes and in 2020, WWE renamed the Draft/Superstar Shake-Up to "Brand trade" instead.

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Apollo Crews' trade to RAW has been one of the recent success stories, with the normally-underutilized Superstar having instant success and his first Championship in just over a month. On the other side, the big story has been AJ Styles returning to what many consider his "true home" - SmackDown.

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There's no arguing that the trades of Apollo Crews and AJ Styles have been the biggest stories, but there are a few Superstars who shouldn't change brands at any cost:

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#6. Shayna Baszler

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Shayna Baszler's career on RAW hasn't skyrocketed as instantly as many people had expected. The assumption was that after having the most dominant performance in Elimination Chamber history, she was poised to dethrone Becky Lynch and become the RAW Women's Champion.

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However, she ended up losing and she failed to win the Money in the Bank briefcase, which she was a favorite in as well. Things take time in WWE and we fully expect Baszler to reach a top heel status even if the rumors suggest that Vince McMahon isn't convinced by her yet.

She's a Superstar who needs to stay on RAW and establish herself as the top female in the Women's division. Nia Jax would be a go-to as well but she isn't ready for that spot.

#5. Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan in Vince McMahon's office
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Daniel Bryan is a Superstar who can be on SmackDown for the rest of his career and there'll be no objections whatsoever. He revealed after his return from retirement that he refused to change brands and went from being the General Manager of SmackDown to a top Superstar once again.

He's in an interesting position right now, not being in the main event scene or any significant feud. Despite this, he's been fun to watch as always, with his recent alliance with Drew Gulak helping both Superstars.

Gulak was out of WWE for a short while after his contract expired, but rumors and the fact that he's returned to the SmackDown roster page on WWE.com indicates that he's back and his alliance with Bryan will continue.

He's bound to take up a more important role and given Roman Reigns' indefinite absence from WWE, Bryan should stay on the blue brand. SmackDown needs a top babyface and we wouldn't be surprised to see a Universal Championship reign in Bryan's future over the next year.

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#4. Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy on WWE Backstage
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Jeff Hardy is only beginning to get his groove back on Friday Night SmackDown. Although he had a one-off in March, WWE decided to build his return for something more meaningful post-WrestleMania.

That, of course, referred to his rivalry with the returning Sheamus. The two finally faced off in the first round of the Intercontinental Championship tournament, where Hardy beat The Celtic Warrior to advance to the next round.

Jeff Hardy is certainly in a position where he could be on either brand, but right now, SmackDown seems to be the best place for him. The brand needs a few solid top babyfaces and Jeff hardy fits the bill.

In all likeliness, he's going to stick to being an upper midcarder and as long as he's constantly featured, then it's better than nothing. A move to RAW would seem a bit abrupt and wouldn't make too much sense unless someone from the red brand were to suddenly suffer an injury.

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As of now, it's best for Hardy to stay put where he is. He'll benefit in the long run by sticking to Friday Nights.

#3. Sonya Deville

Sonya Deville is having her time to shine
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Sonya Deville might finally be getting her time to shine. When she was in NXT and even in her early days on RAW and SmackDown, she was dubbed as a future Women's Champion. She has the look, the ability and all the potential to be a Champion one day, but the rate of her progress was questionable.

The Otis-Mandy Rose-Dolph Ziggler storyline turned out to be a great one in many ways, as it finally got Deville out of Mandy Rose's shadow and she's beginning to get a steady push and show us what she's capable of.

While Otis is still the biggest beneficiary of that storyline, it's high time that Deville gets the recognition she deserves. Since she's still a heel, there doesn't seem to be a place on RAW. She's most likely going to be overshadowed by Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. With Asuka as the RAW Women's Champion, Devile will have stiff competition to reach the top and will lose momentum quickly.

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On SmackDown, however, there's an opportunity for her character to grow and progress. We have no doubt that there's going to be a day where she becomes a popular babyface as well.

#2. Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens on RAW, May 18th, 2020
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Kevin Owens is a Superstar who many thought would find more success on SmackDown. However, 4 years and multiple brand changes have proven one thing - Kevin Owens is much better off on Monday Night RAW.

Every memorable run that he's had has been on RAW and minus a feud with Shane McMahon, his career didn't progress the way he would have hoped on SmackDown. He had a great long feud with Seth Rollins heading into WrestleMania 36 and it was his best as a babyface yet.

He won as he should have at WrestleMania 36 and is now back in the mix on RAW, seemingly in a feud with Zelina Vega. It's going to be interesting to see where it goes, but the objective of his run on RAW in 2020 should be to set him up as a WWE Championship challenger once again.

It's been well over two years since his only World Championship reign in WWE and it'll be a matter of time before he's overdue for one again.

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#1. Aleister Black

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Aleister Black has been a Superstar who has been handled very well since his move to RAW. A clear Paul Heyman favorite, the Dutchman is being built as one of WWE's future top stars. He's been protected well and has featured in many good matches since his jump to the red brand.

He was previously in SmackDown since his wife Zelina Vega was there too, but his run on the blue brand turned out to be a bit of a disappointment as he was hardly ever utilized. There was a spot for him, but WWE didn't feel the need to include him.

Paul Heyman has direct control of creative on RAW and has ensured that Aleister Black continues to be built as a possible World Champion. We don't doubt that Black can reach that level and to do so, he needs to remain on Monday Nights.

We don't see a move happening for Black in the trade and as of now, it makes little to no sense for him to be shifted to SmackDown for the sake of it.

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Edited by
Akhilesh Tirumala
 
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