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For more than three years, SmackDown Live was known as the 'Land of Opportunity'. This moniker came after the beginning of the second brand split, which saw the Blue brand allow various Superstars on the periphery to prosper.
The likes of AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss, and even Heath Slater benefited from the star-making nature of SmackDown in 2016, while Jinder Mahal and Kofi Kingston sky-rocketed to the WWE Championship more recently.
But now, times are changing. Thanks to FOX, the B-show is now the A-show. This has left RAW with the stigma of being the "underdog". This is bizarre to think of, as it has been WWE's flagship program for over a quarter of a century. However, it is how it is.
The Red brand has a huge opportunity to create some megastars on the brand, with a lot of the roster on the cusp. Here are five signs that show why RAW is now the 'Land of Opportunity'.
#5 Becky Lynch needs challengers
Becky Lynch has been the RAW Women's Champion ever since WrestleMania, where she pinned Ronda Rousey in the show-closer. The Man is now one of the biggest megastars in the company and the biggest one on RAW.
She should be tasked with helping to bring other talents to her level. WWE did try to do it by pitting Becky against Lacey Evans, but the feud went on for too long. The women's division on the Red brand is not exactly stacked and beyond Becky and Charlotte Flair, there are quite a number of fresh faces.
The Man defeated Charlotte just last week so hopefully, they aren't booked together for a while now. Superstars like Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan could do with an opportunity like this, with the former generating quite a buzz by teasing a new look while currently on a hiatus of sorts.
The current Women's Tag Team Champions, Asuka and Kairi Sane, would also be exciting opponents for Becky Lynch. Some new names are set to shine in The Man's widening spotlight.
#4 205 Takes Over
One of the most notable points from the WWE Draft involved 205 Live, as a fair number of its roster members moved over to RAW and SmackDown. Add to that the crop of cruiserweights already on the main roster, and we're talking about one hell of a group.
Aside from Ali and Drew Gulak, the Red brand has stocked up on the cruiserweights. Along with bringing in Cedric Alexander during the Superstar Shake-up and Buddy Murphy from SmackDown, Humberto Carrillo and Akira Tozawa were also picked up during the draft.
This makes for an interesting scenario, where all of them will have the chance to shine on the main roster. Alexander has had his moments and Murphy has looked like a star so far, but it looks like Paul Heyman wants to showcase more of them. Carrillo made his RAW debut this week, putting up a valiant effort against Seth Rollins.
It will be very interesting to see just how far will these guys be pushed. We will surely see a lot more from them, considering RAW is three hours long. This could be a redemption of sorts after the cruiserweights were taken off the Red brand in 2018.
#3 SmackDown has the star power
For years, RAW has been known as the star-studded show. Even in the past couple of years, the imbalance in star power was evident. Brock Lesnar was constantly the Universal Champion, with big names like Roman Reigns and Ronda Rousey dominating proceedings.
Now, Lesnar is the champion on SmackDown and other big names have joined him on the Blue brand. Reigns, along with other "sports entertainment" stars like Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt, will grace Friday nights. In pushing the Big Dog to the moon, WWE seemingly held off on creating other male main-eventers.
Seth Rollins is a notable exception, so he could help to put over certain talents when the time is right. Previously established legends like Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio could also contribute in this regard, as they could help shape the future of the Red brand and WWE as a whole.
The likes of Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, and Ricochet among others could really shine in this part-timer-free environment. The match between McIntyre and Ricochet was a great indicator of things to come. And hopefully, WWE does capitalize on the momentum that some of these rising stars could conjure up.
#2 The roster is stacked with former NXT Champions
Along with much fewer established names, RAW has gained a litany of former champions from NXT. They are scattered across divisions, which is always a great thing. Asuka and Kairi Sane have held the NXT Women's title in varying circumstances, while the Red brand's tag team roster is anchored by three former title-winning tandems in the form of the Viking Raiders, Street Profits, and AOP.
But it is the men's division that has the most potential to benefit from the top Superstars in Full Sail history. Ricochet is a former North American Champion, while there are six former NXT Champions on the RAW roster.
One of them is the current world champion, another one has won it before and the rest are hungry for success. Seth Rollins is the Universal Champion and the lead guy on RAW, with a number of names looking to usurp him and take his title.
They involve the main core of the Red brand's upper mid-card scene. Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, Drew McIntyre, Aleister Black, and Andrade are all one good storyline away from becoming bonafide main event Superstars. Now is the time for WWE to take advantage of the impressive laundry list of talent that NXT has groomed.
#1 Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman is a genius. There are no two ways about it. He knows how to run a successful wrestling show. If ECW was not proof enough, Heyman created one of the greatest periods in SmackDown history. From mid-2002 to just before WrestleMania XIX, the Blue brand was at its hottest.
Heyman was instrumental in shaping the careers of many world-class Superstars, including Edge, Kurt Angle and the rest of the 'SmackDown Six'. The talent currently on RAW is reminiscent of what he had back then, with a fair few of them already enjoying the spotlight.
Heyman has always been in touch with the times and is the perfect man to be the Executive Director of RAW. Aside from that one dramatic soap opera storyline, the Advocate's booking is generally consistent and suits the star-making culture that WWE so badly needs right now.
Heyman can do wonders with what he has right now and provided he gets enough creative freedom, Monday nights could become great once again. The aforementioned bunch of former NXT Champions is in good hands with Heyman at the helm. He is the personification of 'Land of Opportunity'.
It is one thing to have a roster filled with potential, but you need a good leader to run things. That is what Paul Heyman brings to the table. He possesses one of the most creative minds in wrestling and as long as he is in charge, Monday Night RAW will be the 'Land of Opportunity'.
