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This week's episode of SmackDown saw the start of this year's WWE Draft, with quite a few notable moves taking place. Stephanie McMahon presided over the proceedings, as she announced every pick. While every Superstar is in the draft pool, most of them have stayed on their original brands.
Friday night's talent pool saw both men's world champions, Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns, remain on RAW and SmackDown respectively. Other big stars who stayed put on their original brands, following SmackDown, include Asuka, Sasha Banks, and The Hurt Business.
Out of the 20 picks that were made on the show, seven of them switched brands. For some Superstars, the 2020 WWE Draft poses the opportunity for new beginnings, while others will continue old rivalries on their new homes.
This list will focus on every star who moved from RAW to SmackDown, and vice-versa, along with their prospects on their new brand. Here is every roster move that happened during Night One of the 2020 WWE Draft, ranked from worst to best.
#7 The Miz and John Morrison (Moved to RAW during the 2020 WWE Draft)
WWE Draft position: No. 15
Following a rough few months on SmackDown, The Miz and John Morrison are moving to RAW as a unit. The two of them have had feuds with the likes of Braun Strowman and Otis, with the latter one still ongoing. They have been trying to take the Money in the Bank briefcase from the star of Heavy Machinery.
However, it looks like Miz and Morrison will end up getting embarrassed by Otis. Moving to Monday nights during the WWE Draft could provide the former Tag Team Champions a fresh start and the chance to redeem themselves. However, there are far bigger and fresher acts on RAW that command more attention.
The Miz and John Morrison are below The Hurt Business and RETRIBUTION in the pecking order for heel teams. Their best chance of becoming stars on RAW is if they split, possibly with one of them holding the Money in the Bank briefcase.
While that sounds promising for Miz and Morrison, they will probably remain as fodder for more prominent Superstars. They are pretty reliable in that role. But with that being said, The Miz and John Morrison are capable of so much more in WWE.
#6 Seth Rollins (Moved to SmackDown during the 2020 WWE Draft)
WWE Draft position: No. 4
The first pick of the 2020 WWE Draft to switch brands, it may be a surprise to see Seth Rollins so low on this list. While his move from RAW to SmackDown seems pretty exciting, the timing of it is not the best. It may be a while before Rollins' move to the Blue brand truly pays off.
For starters, Rey and Dominik Mysterio also moved to SmackDown during the WWE Draft. This will continue the never-ending feud between the father-son duo and Rollins. One would imagine that even Murphy will be on the move when he eventually gets drafted.
The angle has already gotten pretty tiring, especially with the recent involvement of Rey Mysterio's daughter, Aalyah. The eventual blowoff match between Rollins and Murphy will likely be great, but the circumstances surrounding it aren't the best. And by the time it will end, the former Universal Champion might be taking some time off.
Seth Rollins is likely to go away for a while as his fiancee, Becky Lynch is months into her pregnancy and is due to give birth in December. That means the Friday Night Messiah will only begin a fresh storyline on SmackDown in 2021. As a main eventer, he will likely still come good. But that might not be the case for the rest of the year.
#5 Naomi (Moved to RAW during the 2020 WWE Draft)
WWE Draft position: No. 8
We haven't seen her in weeks, but Naomi was picked pretty high in the 2020 WWE Draft. After spending the better part of over four years on SmackDown, she is now on RAW. There is a spot near the top of the card in the offering, owing to a few absences, for Naomi to take.
She would be a natural choice to challenge Asuka for the RAW Women's Championship, after The Empress of Tomorrow soundly defeated Zelina Vega. The former SmackDown Women's Champion has been the subject of some vocal online support during the summer, so this is a big opportunity for Naomi to show how good she can be in the ring.
The popular Superstar could thrive on Monday nights in a variety of roles, with the women's tag team division shaping up as well. Naomi could also become a member of The Hurt Business after MVP teased it happening on Twitter.
Either way, it seemed like Naomi was at a crossroads on SmackDown. A move to RAW could help spark a rebirth of sorts for her. However, she may have a ceiling when it comes to the Women's Championship because of possible returns to the title scene for big stars like Charlotte Flair and Shayna Baszler.
#4 Bianca Belair (Moved to SmackDown during the 2020 WWE Draft)
WWE Draft position: No. 9
Similar to Naomi, Bianca Belair wasn't up to much prior to the WWE Draft. She has hardly been featured on WWE TV since her main roster debut at WrestleMania 36, with her sporadic appearances coming alongside her husband, Montez Ford, and The Street Profits.
Belair could truly stand out on SmackDown, with her excellent athletic ability and irresistible strength. WWE's vignettes of her have been good, building her as a mountain of a performer. It is time for them to prove how serious they are in pushing the EST of WWE.
The signs look good, thanks to Belair's outstanding performance in this year's Royal Rumble match, as she eliminated seven women and lasted over 30 minutes. She may not instantly get into the title picture, but there are quite a few names she could beat before climbing up the card.
Bayley and Sasha Banks will probably dominate the women's main event picture on the Blue brand, but Bianca Belair could be next in line to step up to their level. Michael Cole said it best, she might be the sleeper pick of the entire WWE Draft.
#3 Rey and Dominik Mysterio (Moved to SmackDown during the 2020 WWE Draft)
WWE Draft position: No. 14
As mentioned earlier, the never-ending feud between Seth Rollins and the Mysterio family is set to continue on SmackDown. That is the one downfall to Rey and Dominik Mysterio moving to the Blue brand during the 2020 WWE Draft.
But once their issue with Rollins is done and dusted, things are looking up for WWE's newest young star. Dominik Mysterio has a wide range of opponents he could face. Heels like Sheamus and Sami Zayn come to mind, both of whom would be able to help Dominik elevate his in-ring game.
Rey Mysterio also being drafted to SmackDown is a huge boost for the Friday night show, the place where he became a major star in WWE. He lends quite a lot of star power to FOX, thanks to his timeless in-ring skills.
Looking beyond the rest of their angle with Rollins, the future looks bright for Rey and Dominik Mysterio on SmackDown. It will surely be interesting to see the latter mix it up with more and more Superstars in WWE.
#2 AJ Styles (Moved to RAW during the 2020 WWE Draft)
WWE Draft position: No. 6
A slightly predictable move, given the events of the past month, AJ Styles has returned to RAW after spending over four productive months on SmackDown. The Phenomenal One was tipped to move to RAW after Paul Heyman emerged on the Blue brand as Roman Reigns' manager. His clean defeat to Jey Uso last week was also as good an indication as any that he would move during the 2020 WWE Draft.
Styles could freshen up the top of the card on RAW, as he can have a great match with anybody on the roster. A WWE Championship program against Drew McIntyre sounds particularly exciting. The two could put on a fantastic match, one that is representative of McIntyre's ongoing title reign.
The former Intercontinental Champion is immediately one of the top stars on RAW, after essentially replacing Seth Rollins as the number two heel on the show. Styles could probably turn babyface and help elevate the likes of Bobby Lashley and Mustafa Ali to main event status.
Whatever WWE decides to do with AJ Styles following his move back to RAW, it is sure to be phenomenal. Hopefully, Joseph Parks continues to accompany him on a semi-regular basis.
#1 Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods (Moved to RAW during the 2020 WWE Draft)
WWE Draft position: No. 16
The final pick on Night One of the 2020 WWE Draft to move across brands was also the most notable one, as The New Day was broken up. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship from Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura, before Stephanie McMahon announced that they would be moving to RAW.
Meanwhile, Big E remains on SmackDown. This allows him to properly go on his singles run, with a likely change in presentation on the way. WWE could also have a very specific plan for Woods and Kingston on the Red brand.
Having the SmackDown Tag Team Champions moving to RAW was certainly a notable move, possibly one with a purpose. With both tag team titles on RAW, as long as The Street Profits remain intact, WWE could end up unifying them sooner rather than later. It would be a much-needed move.
There are other things the drafted duo could do on RAW, with feuds against The Hurt Business and RETRIBUTION being real possibilities. Mustafa Ali in particular might have an ax to grind with Kofi Kingston, as his real-life injury opened the door for The New Day member to go after the WWE Championship on the road to WrestleMania in 2019.
This roster move is the best one of the 2020 WWE Draft so far, provided the company has some plans in store for Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods. That is likely to be the case, as breaking up one of the greatest teams in WWE history is no small matter and has to come with a purpose.
