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When the brand split was first announced in 2002 after the acquisition of WCW and ECW, there was a lot of excitement and curiosity about how this decision will impact the careers of the WWE superstars. In the years that followed, the blue and red brands saw many iconic storylines and unforgettable matches until 2011 when WWE decided to combine both the rosters.
In 2016, the second brand extension happened and since then there have been two Superstar Shake-up’s which saw some of the top wrestlers such as Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens switching brands as WWE wanted to freshen things up in search of new storylines.
The 2019 Superstar Shake-up will take place on April 15 and 16 with the McMahon’s expected to make some significant trades between them. Many wrestlers in the past whose characters had become boring because of stale feuds and pointless storylines had benefitted immensely by switching brands. This list consists of four wrestlers who became very famous after changing brands.
#1 John Cena (Smackdown to RAW, 2005)
Ever since John Cena made his debut in SmackDown and put on a good performance against Kurt Angle, many believed that he will become the face of the company. John Cena’s popularity steadily rose as his “Doctor of Thuganomics” character became a big hit among the fans.
But his career defining moment came on June 6, 2005, when he moved to RAW from Smackdown after ending his feud with JBL. He initially received mixed reactions from the crowd during his feud against Kurt angle as his “babyface” persona did not impress everyone.
There were doubts about his capability as an in-ring performer but his WrestleMania 23 match against Shawn Michaels proved everyone wrong. On the RAW after WrestleMania 23, he and Shawn Michaels wrestled for almost an hour and it remains one of the most unforgettable moments in the history of this company.
His feud with Edge, Randy Orton and CM Punk during his time as the face of the red brand will forever remain etched in the memories of millions of WWE fans.
#2 Jinder Mahal (RAW to Smackdown, 2017)
Jinder Mahal’s path to becoming the WWE champion was not an easy one. He began his career as a sidekick to The Great Khali before forming the tag team 3MB with Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre. He was predominantly used as a jobber and was released by WWE in 2014 as they could not find any meaningful storyline for him.
When he returned to in-ring action in 2016, his dramatically improved physique caught everyone’s eye but he was still fighting randomly and most of his matches did not have any meaning.
After WrestleMania 33, he moved to Smackdown where he was pushed really big as a heel. He teamed up with the Singh Brothers and beat up Randy Orton which resulted in a feud. Finally, at Backlash 2017, he defeated Orton to win the WWE Championship. Though his character has become very stale by now, his ascent to the top of WWE is a story worth remembering.
#3 Edge (Smackdown to RAW, 2004)
Regarded by many as one of the greatest in-ring technicians to have ever graced WWE, Edge started his career in the blue brand where he teamed up with Christian and dominated the Tag team championship battles.
His ascent to superstardom began in 2004 when he went to RAW from SmackDown. The next two years, he was involved in all the main storylines of the company which earned him a significant amount of popularity. His feud with Matt Hardy over Lita’s betrayal remains one of the most controversial WWE storylines of all time.
His first championship win came during 2006 New Year’s Revolution PPV when he cashed in his MITB briefcase to win his first WWE championship. He went on to win the championship six more times and during 2006-2010, he feuded with almost all the major stars on the RAW brand and enjoyed a considerable amount of success.
#4 Daniel Bryan (RAW to Smackdown, 2011)
Daniel Bryan’s initial years in WWE was a disappointment as he was fired by the company for attempting to be too violent during a backstage shoot. After a year, he returned to WWE and was introduced as one of the members of NEXUS.
He enjoyed a brief reign as the United States Champion in the red brand before moving to SmackDown on April 26, 2011. After this move, WWE began to use him more wisely considering his tremendous in-ring potential.
He went on to win the SmackDown MITB ladder match and cashed in his briefcase on Big Show to win the WWE World Heavyweight championship. After dropping the championship to Sheamus, he began a feud with Kane which ended up in the formation of “Team Hell No”. He turned babyface again and started the 'Yes' Movement which is probably the most beloved WWE storyline of this decade. It culminated in him defeating Triple H and Batista to win the WWE championship at Wrestlemania 30.
