Looking at Three Potential Trades Between WWE Raw and Smackdown – by Mike Sanchez

Being in the UK and a big football (soccer) fan of Everton Football Club, I and the devout followers of other teams are currently watching a window in anticipation, the transfer window. I’m not sure how trades, drafts or such are done with US sports such as the NBA, NFL and so on, but here, the various governing football bodies have a specific period in the year to buy, sell or trade players between teams – the Transfer Window. Now this window can be good or bad; managers and teams will spend big on top talent in the hope of improving their team’s performance in the coming season, whilst others will have their star player snapped up to leave for bigger and better things, leaving a struggling team without said star player, but a ton of cash at their disposal. It can be hard to recruit if they don’t have that star power anymore.

What we don’t experience as much of are straight trades or swaps. That would seem quite sensible to the outsider, but it rarely happens. Such are the inflated values of players nowadays (Barcelona’s Brazilian star Neymar is subject to a rumoured bid of £199 Million from PSG in France), but would it not be simpler if straight trades could be done more often without forever valuing living, breathing people for vast sums of money? Perhaps the idea of trades isn’t so far-fetched? Perhaps it could be used in other sports? Sports entertainment, for example? Imagine if you will that trades were a viable option for each WWE brand after Summerslam. Who would you swap or trade? Why? Here are some thoughts from me:

Mickie James traded to Smackdown Live – Tye Dillinger traded to Raw

Mickie James’ move to Raw has been so poorly thought out. I fully expected her to be feuding alongside Bayley against Alexa Bliss and a heel Sasha Banks, but sadly she’s been relegated to a bit-part in the background. Though Smackdown may be going through a lull at present, it does have the more vibrant Women’s Division and Mickie’s addition would only help it. Be it a feud with a heel (Charlotte or building up Carmella) or as a champion fending off the younger blood.

Dillinger has been a flop on Smackdown, and that’s not to say his fortunes would automatically change if he swapped brands. What I can see for him is a mid-card tussle that could involve The Miz. With Rollins and Ambrose looking as if they’re being paired off together and a crowded Universal Title picture, Dillinger would fit right in in a feud with Miz.

Finn Balor traded to Smackdown Live – Randy Orton traded to Raw

Finn Balor finds himself in an awkward position, considering how the Universal Title picture looks on Raw. Having come onto the main roster in a blaze of glory and quickly snatching the top belt, his subsequent injury has really hampered him. If we look at the line up for the fatal four way at Summerslam; Reigns, Lesnar, Joe & Strowman, you know Balor wouldn’t fit in that mix. All four are big, heavy, hard-hitting guys which leaves Balor out in the cold. Over on Smackdown, he’d stand a good chance of making the title picture considering it’s only being fought over by Orton and Jinder at present. Perhaps he’d suit the blue brand more at this current time?

As Randy Orton has now lost his third bid to regain the WWE Championship on Smackdown, there’s little argument for him to be on the show and at that level any more. He’s a more believable challenger to Lenar et al than Balor is. Orton has been criticised as stale and boring by some quarters in the WWE fan base, so perhaps a trade to Raw is needed so Smackdown can shake up their main title picture?

The same argument can be made for others in this respect; Kevin Owens would fit in more with the top guys on Raw, while Big Cass isn’t going to make a dent in that spot, so would perhaps be better suited to Smackdown.

Bray Wyatt traded to Smackdown Live – Shinsuke Nakamura traded to Raw

Poor Bray Wyatt. He’s been really lost in the shuffle and seems like an afterthought on Raw. What set Bray apart when he arrived was his stable, his family, the Wyatts. The dysfunctional group is now scattered across both brands with no real impetus behind either man save for Strowman who continues to flourish. For someone who described himself as ‘the eater of worlds’, he hasn’t made much of an impact. Wyatt has a great look and gimmick, but needs direction and someone to go up against. His numerous losses also don’t help, but if Jinder can lose all the time and be champ, maybe it could happen again for Bray?

I don’t know what it is with Nakamura; his rock star appeal, his style and persona just haven’t really clicked with me on Smackdown. Perhaps it’s more down to his recent opponents than the man himself, but he seems to be drifting in my opinion. I made a comment on Twitter describing him as a star player for a team, but played in the wrong position. I don’t know why he hasn’t kicked on; maybe he just needs a change of scenery, a new start somewhere? I’m not saying have him feud with Miz right away, but maybe on Raw he might find a niche in the Intercontinental Title chase that would boost his stature in WWE. However if rumours of a feud with AJ Styles come to fruition, perhaps he might find his spot on the blue brand after all.

Final Thoughts

Like I’ve said, wholesale changes aren’t needed in WWE right now. The product as a whole isn’t rotten or stale. The Raw Universal Title picture is looking good, as is their Tag Division. The same could be said about the Smackdown tag, but perhaps their main title could benefit from a little tweaking. Smackdown has some big players in AJ Styles, Kevin Owens and John Cena who could shake that up. Even a returning Chris Jericho is always good for business. Maybe what’s needed are some subtle changes? Could Sasha Banks benefit from turning heel? How about Dean Ambrose? The list of possibilities is endless, but I think it’s important to remember that WWE’s connection with all fans will always be a roller-coaster of peaks and troughs. When it’s bad, it can be very bad, but when it’s good it can be spectacular.

What do you think? Should those I’ve mentioned be traded to other shows? Are there some stars who would benefit form a tweak here and there? Who would you trade? I’d love to hear your thoughts. As always, thanks for reading.