7 Superstars Paul Heyman needs to build RAW around after WrestleMania 36

Paul Heyman took control of Monday Night RAW in July of 2019 and the changes over the last 6-7 months have been evident. Vince McMahon admitted himself that hiring Paul Heyman for RAW (and Eric Bischoff for SmackDown, though he didn't last long) was a decision made to reduce his workload on the creative front.

The Executive Director of RAW has made some big moves, with the direction of the show changing and the quality on a week-to-week basis improving to the most part. While it's nearly impossible not to have a dud show when you have 52 episodes a year, RAW has largely been the better of the two shows, with SmackDown's creative quality reducing since the move to FOX.

Either way, WrestleMania 36 is the biggest show of the year, whether there's a crowd or not. It's what WWE builds to for months and it's essentially the end of the WWE season. The RAW after WrestleMania can be considered a season premiere of its own. With RAW expected to take a new direction after WrestleMania, these are seven WWE Superstars who Paul Heyman needs to build the show around going forward:

#7. Ricochet

Ricochet has been on a bit of a downward skid since February. While he earned a WWE Championship match against Brock Lesnar, it would all go crashing down in less than two minutes as The Beast Incarnate squashed him.

He has been on a slight losing streak since and we can only hope that it's all a part of his story arc. Ricochet can take a few losses and if he's focused on post-RAW, he can start making the strides that he needs character-wise.

We believe that once he has the character and promo aspect mastered, he'll be 100% ready for a big main event push. We certainly don't expect him to be a World Champion this year or even next, but 2020 can bring big things for Ricochet.

#6. Andrade

Andrade has had a rough couple of months despite being the United States Champion. He was suspended after the Royal Rumble 2020 for violating the WWE Wellness Policy and the company decided to keep the title on him rather than have him drop it.

He's been on a losing-skid himself since returning, though he has a Tag Team title match alongside Angel Garza against The Street Profits at WrestleMania 36. Why he isn't defending his United States title, we can't be sure, but he will either drop it post-WrestleMania or he'll keep going with it.

Whether he's Champion or not, we believe that he should be one of the central figures that Paul Heyman builds RAW around. It's no secret that WWE has big expectations of Andrade to be the next big Latino superstar and he has the potential to be that and more.

While we certainly don't expect a world title push, a slow and steady push where Andrade is constantly featured and protected will do wonders in building him up for a big year in 2021. This is the year to set the base for that.

#5. Shayna Baszler

Shayna Baszler isn't even two months into her RAW debut and she's already got the top spot in the Women's division at WrestleMania 36. Her dominance in NXT was no coincidence and she's carrying it forward to RAW with instant impact.

She became the only competitor in Elimination Chamber history to win by eliminating every single contestant. She's been built as the biggest threat to Becky Lynch's RAW Women's Championship reign - one that's close to completing a year.

Shayna Baszler represents fresh blood in the women's division and it's much-needed after Becky Lynch was seemingly running out of challengers. It appears as though in her entire reign, her only opponents were Lacey Evans, Charlotte Flair (for one match), Sasha Banks, and Asuka.

While that's a great list of opponents to have, perhaps now is the time for a change and what better stage than WrestleMania 36. We can imagine a situation where WWE waits for a show with a crowd for a title change, but the timing isn't bad. Shayna Baszler must be one of RAW's central stars post-WrestleMania.

#4. AJ Styles

It's hard to have a list like this that doesn't include AJ Styles. There hasn't been a moment in his WWE run in 4 years where he wasn't prominently featured or even pushed to some degree.

Title or no title, AJ Styles is one of WWE's most reliable top Superstars and they know that they can have him be a challenger or a champion and still look good coming out of every match. Simply put, AJ Styles is a generational talent and he's set to face The Undertaker in a 'Boneyard' match at WrestleMania 36.

While we have no clue what that is, we do believe that he's going to lose, but he's not in a stage where it's going to affect him badly. Right after WrestleMania, he'll still be in a prominent role and is perhaps the most trustworthy Superstar to build RAW around.

We can see him being a top challenger for the WWE Championship as well, especially if Drew McIntyre is the Champion. For now, his role as a heel suits him well.

#3. Aleister Black

Will Aleister Black have his breakout moment?

We must admit that we're quite happy with the way Aleister Black has been handled on the main roster so far. While his SmackDown run was insignificant, his move to RAW was the right one to make, as Paul Heyman recognized the talent that Aleister Black is.

He still hasn't been in any prominent feud minus his brief rivalry with Murphy, one where he beat the Australian in an incredible trilogy of matches. What was great about it was also the fact that Murphy looked good coming out of all three losses. It even acted as the reason behind him eventually joining Seth Rollins' heel stable.

Black is a lone wolf type of character and he has been carefully protected, even if not heavily pushed. He's set to face Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 36, a match that we hope he wins. We expect him to and post-WrestleMania, he needs to become one of the Superstars that Monday Night RAW is built around.

He has an aura about him that can make him a huge star.

#2. Becky Lynch

It's safe to say that the Becky Lynch push from 2018-2020 has been a major success. Her victory in the first Women's main event at WrestleMania 35 saw her coronation and kickstarted a nearly year-long reign as RAW Women's Champion.

While she's expected to lose to Shayna Baszler, that doesn't mean that she can't have a spot on the top of the card. Lynch has not only replaced Charlotte Flair as the top female in WWE, but she is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in the company today regardless of gender.

She's also a ratings draw, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and her reign as RAW Women's Champion has been a resounding success. She needs to continue to take that top babyface spot as there's nobody on the women's roster who is ready to take her place just yet.

We believe that Paul Heyman should continue to build the women's division in RAW around her regardless of whether she's a titleholder or not. She's a top star who has many years left in the tank.

#1. Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre got the push of a lifetime in 2020 when he won the first Royal Rumble of the decade. He chose Brock Lesnar as his WrestleMania 36 opponent and unfortunately, the prevailing circumstance that is coronavirus means that McIntyre could have his dream coronation in front of an empty arena.

This makes us believe that Brock Lesnar has a much higher chance of retaining, with WWE possibly wanting to have McIntyre's coronation in front of a live audience. Whether he wins or not, he's proved that he can be one of RAW's most exciting Superstars and he seems to be trusted to take the torch and carry it forward.

McIntyre is the right man in the right place and the right time and he should become the top face of Monday Night RAW. As World Champion, he'll have so many exciting new challengers and we can't wait to see what he can do. Even if he loses at WrestleMania 36, we fully expect Paul Heyman to build RAW around him.

What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.

Edited by Zaid Khan