Fans of WWE are used to yearly trades between the two brands, but we didn’t get one this year. It is a missed opportunity to freshen up each brand and create new matchups, storylines, and rivalries. Here are three singles trades that I think could benefit both brands.
Bobby Lashley (Raw) for Sami Zayn (Smackdown)
We all know that Sami Zayn is the best thing on WWE television today. He is great in the ring, on the mic, and his personality is infectious no matter if he is a face or a heel.
Bobby Lashley has improved so much in the ring and on the mic since he has been back in WWE. A wrestler who matches turned into bathroom breaks for me, became someone that I look forward to seeing every week.
I think Sami has slightly more value than Bobby in this trade but Sami needs to move to Mondays to reunite with Kevin Owens for a tag team. Sometime in the first part of 2023, the Bloodline will turn on Sami and after whatever storyline they have is over, Sami should have a guaranteed space on television.
I can see Lashley challenging for the WWE or Intercontinental Championships as a heel.
Chad Gable (Raw) for Ricochet (Smackdown)
I think that this would be a great move for both men. Smackdown would get another great technical wrestler with a lot of charisma. I could see him challenging for the Intercontinental title after he gets established on Smackdown.
As for Ricochet, I think to the surprise of everyone, he is probably the wrestler on Smackdown that has been in the most matches since HHH took over creative duties about six months ago.
Since then, Ricochet has wrestled just about everyone on the Smackdown roster multiple times. I think that he could go to Raw and become a cornerstone for the United States title picture for a long time.
As for Gable, I think that it is time to turn him back babyface. He gets a response from the crowd now and I think that they might be ready to get behind him.
Seth Rollins (Raw) for Drew McIntyre (Smackdown) and Braun Strowman (Smackdown)
This is the big trade! I don’t think that Rollins for McIntyre was a fair trade, straight up, so I added Braun. Braun is over as a babyface and sort of have a storyline going right now, but I don’t see it being big enough to keep him from going to Raw.
As far Drew goes, I think that there is a ceiling on Smackdown that he just cannot break through. Many fans think that he was given a bad deal for losing to Roman in the UK.
I think that he should go back to Raw to regain the spark that he had while he was there last time. I can see Drew being a cornerstone for a new WWE title scene along with Cody Rhodes, Finn Balor, and AJ Styles.
For Seth, I think that there is so much talent on Smackdown, that he could do whatever he wants. He is the number one babyface in the company so I think that he is going to get a World Championship sooner rather than later.
I think that Seth could also form a new babyface group on Smackdown too. Bring up two or three guys from NXT or find some lesser seen wrestlers on Smackdown.
CHECK IT OUT: Get The Overtimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
