5 Underutilized SmackDown Superstars who Paul Heyman can push on RAW

Paul Heyman took charge of Monday Night RAW as the Executive Director in July 2019, while Eric Bischoff took charge of SmackDown. Eric Bischoff's stint didn't last all that long, with Bruce Pritchard taking that role.

Vince McMahon made it no secret that Heyman's hiring was done to reduce his workload from a creative standpoint. While he's still in charge of the final decisions, Paul Heyman's influence on RAW has been evident over the months.

Superstars who hadn't gotten too many opportunities before began to get the spotlight and it's been clear that his focus has been around building the younger generation of Superstars.

Apollo Crews' sudden push after WrestleMania 36 was an example of how Heyman utilizes Superstars. While SmackDown has long been called the land of opportunity, the reality is that there are limited spots on the top.

While many Superstars have benefited from going to SmackDown, the same has worked for Superstars moving to RAW. These five Superstars would benefit massively from a move to RAW and a push from Paul Heyman.

#5. Carmella

Carmella has been on SmackDown since day 1

Carmella is one of the few Superstars who was never drafted to RAW since her debut in 2016. Team SmackDown since day one, her only appearances on RAW have been to promote Survivor Series or during the Wild Card rule era of 2019.

While she has had her fair share of accomplishments, one can't help but think that she's capable of a lot more. She's surprisingly not utilized as much as she should be, even if she did challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship in early 2019.

She's a Superstar who could benefit from a move to RAW. Given her talent, Paul Heyman would undoubtedly find a way to utilize her and push her as an important part of the Women's division.

#4. Cesaro

This would make a lot of sense since Cesaro was once a Paul Heyman guy. While it was a temporary run, The Swiss Superman won the inaugural Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34 by toppling over The Big Show last.

The night after, he rejected Zeb Colter in favor of Paul Heyman. While he got a mini-push, it was clear that Paul Heyman's pairing with Cesaro had only one objective - for Heyman to keep promoting Lesnar's victory over The Undertaker at WrestleMania.

Cesaro will always remain one of WWE's most underutilized Superstars. While he's had a lot of accomplishments on the tag team front with Sheamus, it seems as though he's destined to be a midcarder.

However, Paul Heyman's backstage pull can change that. He can vouch for Cesaro and add him to his growing list of Superstars to push. If he's not going to be with Sheamus on SmackDown as a part of The Bar, it's better off for him to be in a different brand. He can do wonders if given the opportunity.

#3. Mustafa Ali

Mustafa Ali is filled with potential. Not only is he an exciting in-ring talent, but he's got a great babyface character that people can relate to. He's maintained a steady level of popularity but has been out for a while with an injury.

While he's certainly expected to stay on the SmackDown brand, one can't help but feel that his career should have progressed a little more now. He hasn't won any Championships in WWE but that could change anytime.

He has a long career ahead of him and will undoubtedly seize the opportunity once it's given to him. Unfortunately for Ali, his injury put him out of a possibly big spot leading to WrestleMania 36 last year. Instead, Kofi Kingston, who was his replacement, ended up benefiting and it resulted in his first-ever WWE Championship win.

Ali falls into the category of the kind of Superstar Heyman would likely utilize. While he's been on SmackDown after graduating from 205 Live, a move to RAW might just be essential for his career.

#2. Shinsuke Nakamura

This one is a bit different from the others because Shinsuke Nakamura doesn't have a particularly long career ahead of him. It's no secret that signing with WWE was his retirement plan - as he was one of the few Superstars to get "main event level money" while being in NXT.

Naturally, that meant that his run in the yellow and gold brand would last only a year before he moved to SmackDown. He hasn't shifted brands since, but his first year on SmackDown was a significant one, as he was a WWE title challenger within months and went on to win the 2018 Royal Rumble.

However, post-WrestleMania 34, things began to slip for him. He feuded with AJ Styles for the WWE title as a heel but was unsuccessful. He held the United States title for a while, but the reign didn't have too much substance to it.

Ultimately, he's a Superstar who has seemingly "checked out" and is happily working through the rest of his contract until he retires. Despite this, we feel that Paul Heyman can bring out his best work in WWE so far.

#1. Chad Gable

Bar none, the most underutilized star in WWE

When you think of how Chad Gable has been on the main roster for close to four years, it's a bit depressing. After American Alpha abruptly split, Jason Jordan got the rub on RAW while Gable wasn't being utilized.

The story of Chad Gable has been exactly that for a few years now - jumping from brand to brand, with his potential never being realized. The positive aspect is that there's still a lot of time for him to succeed in WWE.

If there's any person who can bring the best out of Gable, it's Paul Heyman. Gable fits into the bill of Superstars that Heyman has been pushing. He's been widely considered one of WWE's most underrated stars and renaming him as "Shorty Gable" was a big injustice to his potential.

Gable seems like a Superstar who would benefit greatly from moving to RAW. The solution to redeeming his career would be to start by putting him in an actual storyline. He has all the tools to be a huge star in WWE.

Edited by Zaid Khan