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SmackDown is by far the strongest brand in WWE today. While the company spent years building RAW as the flagship show, they got the best broadcasting deal in pro wrestling history with FOX, who signed a 5-year, $1 billion deal for the right to broadcast SmackDown.
With more money in the show and higher ratings than before, the Blue brand has a more stacked roster, with more effort being put into the storylines on the show.
Even with a strong roster, there are a few superstars who desperately need to return to the Friday night show:
#5. AJ Styles - One of the greatest stars in SmackDown history
AJ Styles has been in WWE for five-and-a-half years now, and if there's one thing that we can be sure about, it's the fact that he has always thrived more on SmackDown than on RAW.
Styles was not even six full months into his WWE run when the 2016 Draft happened, and he was the second pick for SmackDown and fourth overall. For somebody who was in the company for such a short time, getting picked ahead of John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Roman Reigns was a huge deal.
His move to the Blue brand was an instant hit as he resumed his feud with Cena and it culminated with him beating WWE's franchise player in an all-time classic at SummerSlam 2016.
Immediately after, he went back to the WWE Championship picture, with Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) holding the industry's most prestigious prize at the time. At Backlash, the first SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view of the era, AJ Styles won his first WWE Championship.
Between August 2016 to March 2019, Styles established himself as a legend of the SmackDown brand. Essentially becoming the face of the brand in John Cena's absence (and Dean Ambrose's eventual move to RAW), he quietly turned face after WrestleMania 33 in 2017. He won his second WWE title later that year, but in between, he had two small reigns with the United States Championship.
Styles would go on to have a year-long reign with the World title from November 2017, eventually surpassing JBL as the longest-reigning WWE Champion in SmackDown history.
He had a run on RAW between 2019 and 2020, after which he jumped ship to SmackDown for more than half a year. In that time, he won the Intercontinental title as well, after Sami Zayn was stripped of the Championship.
Less than a couple of months after Paul Heyman's move to SmackDown and alliance with Roman Reigns, Styles was once again drafted to RAW. This time, he has won the RAW Tag Team Championship, but it's clear that he isn't being utilized to his full potential.
AJ Styles is and always has been better on SmackDown. He's a grand slam champion and has done enough to warrant a future Hall of Fame induction. In terms of his status on the Blue brand, he's up there with the likes of Eddie Guerrero, Edge, Rey Mysterio, Batista, The Undertaker, etc.
He should come back to SmackDown and spend the rest of his career on just one brand where he will be utilized better.
#4. Asuka - Is a jump to SmackDown needed for The Empress?
This would be the most appropriate move to make for the SmackDown Women's division later this year in the WWE Draft. Asuka has been on RAW for a while now, and after Becky Lynch took a hiatus post-pregnancy announcement, it was The Empress who was chosen to be the face of RAW.
On the main roster, her first Championship success came in the form of the SmackDown Women's Championship - where she dethroned Lynch and also defeated Charlotte Flair in an incredible TLC main event.
After Asuka spent nearly a year as the face of the RAW Women's division, she was dethroned by newcomer Rhea Ripley and she even took a pinfall at WrestleMania Backlash.
Asuka seems to be out of the RAW Women's title picture, and that's probably what's best for her. In the upcoming draft later this year, she is better off moving to SmackDown, with another big name presumably switching brands.
After her dominance of RAW, a move to the Blue brand would help her career and be a boost to the brand's women's division.
#3. Daniel Bryan - A return to SmackDown as a part-timer
One could argue that Daniel Bryan is the least-needed name on this list for a return to SmackDown. But if he returns as a part-timer, nobody is going to complain. Even if he was a full-time superstar, Bryan would still turn anything he touches into gold.
But at this stage of his life and career, it's fair for him to want to transition into a part-time status. He refused to move to RAW between 2018 and 2021, and his run on SmackDown ended with a good match against Roman Reigns, where he had to leave if he lost.
It's not known when Daniel Bryan will return to WWE, or if he will return to SmackDown if he does. As of this writing, his WWE contract expired soon after his last match on the Blue brand, and there have been rumors about NJPW and WWE working out a deal, with the former's interest particularly being the possibility of Bryan wrestling for them.
However, DanielBryan's return to SmackDown at a later stage will be more than welcome.
#2. Edge - Returning to SmackDown in July
Edge is the only superstar on this list whose return to SmackDown is guaranteed. It's happening sooner than most fans realize. WWE returns to live touring in mid-July, starting with SmackDown in Houston, Texas.
Edge has been advertised for a big return on the Friday night show, and two days after that, Money in the Bank 2021 will take place. While it's unclear as to whether he will compete at the pay-per-view, it seems unlikely.
But what it does is sets up his return to SmackDown on time to build to a SummerSlam program. While he would have competed at SummerSlam last year, an injury at Backlash kept him out until the 2021 Royal Rumble, which he went on to win.
In the process, Edge returned to SmackDown to feud with Roman Reigns and then Daniel Bryan and went on to headline WrestleMania for only the second time in his WWE career. His return to the Blue brand is desperately needed for a big marquee name, and we assume that there is a big program in place when he's back.
#1. John Cena - One final run on SmackDown?
John Cena's appearances in WWE have been far and few in between, and he will be expected to return to SmackDown. Since 2015, the number of appearances he has made in the company has decreased every year.
His last program on the Blue brand was in 2020, where he renewed his rivalry with Bray Wyatt. He faced him in the Firefly Fun House "cinematic match", where he "lost". It was a nice match to watch, mostly being a trip down memory lane for Cena.
Since then, John Cena has gone on to more success in Hollywood, and if he returns to SmackDown, he will be expected to feud with Roman Reigns heading into SummerSlam 2021.
Cena has never disappointed in his part-time run, and in the last five to six years, fans have begun to appreciate him for what he truly is - one of the all-time greats. His "passing of the torch" feud with Roman Reigns in 2017 was underwhelming, and re-doing it with the new, heel version of Reigns would be the best way to go.
It wouldn't just be Roman Reigns being passed the torch, it would be him snatching it from John Cena (although he has a long time ago) and taking himself to the next level.
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