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Last night on WWE RAW, the brand's General Manager, Adam Pearce, revealed that he plans to offer a contract to CM Punk to be an exclusive performer on his show.
However, the Second City Saint is set to appear on SmackDown this Friday, so many are expecting the blue brand's GM, Nick Aldis, to try to sway him to his show.
If Pearce can tempt Punk over to the red show, he may have to send a star of his over to SmackDown to soften the blow. Therefore, we are going to take a look at four RAW performers who may get traded to SmackDown in exchange for CM Punk.
#3. A high-flying WWE star wants a rematch
One of SmackDown's biggest stars today is the reigning United States Champion, Logan Paul. The brash WWE star won the historic title at Crown Jewel against Rey Mysterio in November 2023.
A top name on RAW who would be more than happy to take the gold off of him would be his old rival, Ricochet. The two performers faced off in August at SummerSlam, which saw Logan win using underhanded tactics.
Despite his on-screen dislike for Paul, Ricochet was asked on Insight with Chris Van Vliet for his honest thoughts on Logan's in-ring skills:
"I mean, I’ve never had any preconceived notions, I just think, you know, like, we have people come in all the time. So that was nothing new to me. But I’m seeing like, he was actually at the PC training with Shawn [Michaels] and some of the people down there. And then he was like, putting the work in for the match with like, the tag match with The Miz and the other matches with The Miz, and like he’s putting the work in." [H/T ITR Wrestling]
With Paul still looking to antagonize Ricochet after their SummerSlam match, it would make all the sense in the world for the high flyer to come to SmackDown and take on Logan once again.
#2. A fan favorite goes for gold
During the latter stages of 2023, one well-known tag team performer who has shown that he can handle his business in the ring as a singles star has been Chad Gable.
The former RAW, SmackDown, and NXT Tag Team Champion came within inches of taking the Intercontinental Title off of Gunther in recent months.
Speaking on WWE El Brunch, while Gable did not shy away from his achievements as a WWE tag team star, he did state that he is keen to make his name as a singles performer:
"I'm very proud of my record as a tag team champion and being a triple crown tag team champion, but I don't want people to assume that I'm simply a tag team wrestler. They've also gotten to see moments like my run in King of the Ring and matches with guys like AJ Styles. Just throughout my career, you can see that I'm very capable as a singles wrestler. I have big goals as a singles wrestler." [H/T Fightful]
With Chad Gable now seemingly having a taste for WWE singles gold, fans may see him make the switch to the blue brand to go after Logan Paul and the United States Championship
#1. One step closer to finishing the story
The most heartbreaking result for most fans from any match this year would most likely be Roman Reigns defeating Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 39 to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Heading into the contest, many thought this would be Rhodes' time as he would end Reigns' historic run and win the title for his late great-father, Dusty.
Since losing the match, Cody has been on RAW, while Roman has made the odd appearances on SmackDown throughout the year.
During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Cody clarified that his current desire is to attain Reigns' title.
"I know what I want, I know what I’m working to attain. I had other challenges before. People didn’t think I’d survive Stardust, or that a non-WWE show could sell 10,000 tickets. There have been plenty of times when people bet against me. Getting back, this is the biggest obstacle yet. That’s my goal: get back. And that’s what I’m fighting to do." [H/T Sports Illustrated]
While winning the Royal Rumble in 2024 would enable Cody to challenge Roman at 'Mania again, winning that match is certainly not guaranteed. Therefore, by becoming a permanent member of SmackDown, he would have a much easier chance of facing Reigns once again.
