5 RAW Superstars who will get a push in the coming year

Now that the Raw and SmackDown Live rosters have started to take shape following the Superstar Shake-Up, it’s become clear which men and women will feature in WWE’s initial plans for this summer.

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Seth Rollins, for example, is in the best in-ring form of his life right now and he’s guaranteed to feature on our screens every Monday night for the foreseeable future, but who else will join him in the red brand spotlight?

In this article, let’s take a look at five Raw Superstars who look set to receive a push in the coming year.

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#5 The Authors of Pain

The Authors of Pain ditched manager Paul Ellering when they moved to Raw

This might seem like an odd suggestion considering that Akam and Rezar have been used sparingly during their first six weeks on the main roster, but when you look at the other tag teams on Raw right now, WWE has little choice but to push the Authors of Pain eventually.

Titus Worldwide, The Revival, The Ascension, Breezango and Heath Slater & Rhyno have all had their reputations harmed recently due to a series of losses, leaving Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler, The B-Team and AOP as the only realistic contenders to win the Raw Tag Team titles from Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt in the next few months.

Even if the former NXT Tag Team champions don’t enter the title picture in that time, they are still bound to rack up multiple dominant victories, much like The Bludgeon Brothers did on SmackDown Live in the build to WrestleMania 34, before moving into championship contention.

#4 Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin is a former United States champion

Baron Corbin received an almighty push during the summer of 2017, winning the SmackDown Live Money In The Bank ladder match to earn an opportunity at the WWE Championship at a time of his choosing.

However, since surprisingly losing his cash-in match against Jinder Mahal last August, “The Lone Wolf” has been on a steady decline from a storyline perspective and he no longer looks like a WWE Superstar worthy of holding the major championship on Raw or SmackDown Live.

But, as we saw last year with Jinder and as we’re seeing now in the tag division with The B-Team, it only takes a couple of statement victories for somebody to be elevated back to a prominent position on television.

That could well prove to be the case with Corbin, who continues to be featured in storylines every week (even if they’re not as high-profile as they once were) and will surely be in line for a push before too long.

#3 Chad Gable

Chad Gable won the Tag Team titles with Jason Jordan on SmackDown Live

It always felt like a bit of a waste when Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin were paired together on SmackDown Live, especially after Gable’s impressive singles matches in summer 2017, and he now looks set for a renewed push on his own as part of the Raw roster.

The 2012 Olympian has featured regularly on recent Monday nights, trading wins with Jinder Mahal before losing to Dolph Ziggler, and there’s a ready-made storyline in place for when his former American Alpha tag partner, Jason Jordan, returns from injury.

Whatever direction WWE decides to take with Gable, the early signs are promising since his move to Raw and there’s every chance that he will be involved in multiple show-stealing matches over the next year.

#2 Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre is back on the main roster after seven months in NXT

Drew McIntyre failed to live up to his “Chosen One” nickname during his first run with WWE. Now, four years after his release, he looks better than ever and there’s still time for him to fulfill the potential that he showed early on in his career.

The former NXT champion’s alliance with Dolph Ziggler has proven very popular on Raw, with the unlikely duo picking up victories over Titus Worldwide, Heath Slater & Rhyno and Braun Strowman & Finn Balor over the last month.

It remains to be seen if Drew will continue to team with Dolph or if the plan is for him to break out on his own. Either way, expect the Scot to receive an extended amount of television time between now and next year’s WrestleMania.

#1 Sasha Banks

Sasha Banks is a four-time Raw Women's champion

Sasha Banks hasn’t been involved in a televised one-on-one match for the Raw Women’s Championship since she lost the title for the fourth time in August 2017 against Alexa Bliss.

Since then, she has been involved in several multi-women matches on Raw and at pay-per-view events, while the story of her on-again-off-again friendship with Bayley began in January 2018 but still hasn’t been resolved.

“The Boss” won’t enter the title picture just yet – Ronda Rousey is set to face current champion Nia Jax at Money In The Bank – but it’ll surely only be a matter of time before she gets involved a meaningful storyline, whether it’s with Bayley or for the title, by the end of 2018.