WWE returned to its multi-brand days on Tuesday with the WWE Draft splitting the roster into Raw and SmackDown. While this will be a breath of fresh air for the product that has struggled as of late, the company needs to add more superstars to its arsenal in order to attract viewers.
As per the draft, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns would be the top dogs on Raw whereas Dean Ambrose would surely play second fiddle to the John Cena and Randy Orton on SmackDown once he drops the title.
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Apart from Finn Balor, the NXT Draft picks failed to excite the fans with the glaring example being the absence of Bayley.
So who are the 10 most sought after wrestlers that the WWE can sign to either Raw or SmackDown to give the brand extension the buzz it deserves?
10. The Motor City Machine Guns
One of the best tag teams to come out of TNA, the Motor City Machine Guns had turned heads ever since their debut as a team in 2007. Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley had been singles wrestlers during their early days in TNA and their pairing turned out to be gold.
Sabin, who was already a multi-time TNA X-Division Champion,would team with Sheley till 2012 and they would have five-star matches with the likes of the Dudleys, Beer Money and the Young Bucks during that period.
But in typical TNA style, despite having classic matches, five years of teaming together did nothing to elevate Sabin and Shelley and they have only one TNA tag team title run to their credit.
Shelley would leave the promotion whereas Sabin would return to singles competition, winning the TNA World Heavyweight title and becoming a record-setting 8-time TNA X-Division Champion.
Both Sabin and Shelley are in ROH now and have re-formed the Machine Guns there.
9. Candice LeRae
Known for her appearances with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Combat Zone Wrestling, Candice Le Rae shot to fame by taking part in intergender matches.
Candice formed a tag team called the World’s Cutest Tag team with Joey Ryan and they won the PWG tag team championships beating the Young Bucks. She has frequently wrestled men and was even involved in a match against WWE star Kevin Owens.
Candice and Ryan made several successful title defences – even one against the notable tag team of Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels.
Candice might become the next Beth Phoenix or Chyna of the WWE – if given the chance – considering her experience in wrestling male superstars.
8. The Wolves
Another tag team that made their mark in TNA and also ROH, Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards aka the Wolves made the former company a must-see as far as tag team division was concerned from 2014.
TNA, at that time, had the Hardys,the Dudleys, the Bromans, Beer Money and Generation Me among their ranks and the tag team matches were way superior to those offered by any other company.
Edwards and Richards had a high profile set of matches against the Hardys and the Dudleys during that time and they never looked out of place.
Richards is currently injured and Edwards is wrestling in the X-Division where he is a former two-time X-Division Champion.
7. Jay Lethal
The current and longest reigning ROH World Champion, Jay Lethal first caught the eye of a large audience with his high flying move set as part of TNA Wrestling. Lethal is a six-time TNA X-Division Champion and also a former TNA Tag team Champion with Consequences Creed, the current Xavier Woods.
TNA never utilised Lethal’s talents to the maximum and after constantly getting pushed down and being stuck with ridiculous gimmicks like the Randy Savage impersonating ‘Black Machismo’, Lethal left the company to seek greener pastures.
Lethal would be a welcome addition to Raw’s Cruiserweight division with his offensive repertoire.
Lethal also used to train former WWE Diva AJ Lee and they were in a relationship for a while.
6. Pentagon, Jr.
The best Mexican luchador in pro-wrestling right now, Pentagon Jr. is the current Lucha Underground Champion and the AAA Latin American Champion.
In keeping with the traditions of Lucha Libre, Pentagon Jr’s real identity is not a matter of public record even though it is known that his father and his brothers are also professional wrestlers.
Pentagon Jr has also made appearances in PWG and also in Akebono’s Japanese promotion Odo. Will he become the first Latino monster heel in the WWE??
5. John Morrison & Melina
John Morrison’s moves in the ring produced the same excitement that Rob Van Dam’s educated feet generated when the latter came over to the WWE in the early part of the century. Despite being a fan favourite, Morrison was never pushed into the main event picture and left the WWE three years back.
Morrison is a former 3-time Intercontinental champion in addition to being a former ECW Heavyweight Champion. Alongside Joey Mercury and the Miz, he is also a 5-time tag team champion.
Melina was one of the most athletic Divas to grace the WWE in the past decade and her split-legged entrance is still the best in women wrestling history. A former multi-time Divas Champion, her return alongside Morrison could take the audience on a nostalgia trip back to the old MNM days.
4. Carlito
Carlito still holds the distinction of having the best debut on both Raw and SmackDown – He won the United States Championship on his first night on SmackDown, beating John Cena and went on to win the Intercontinental title on his first night on Raw.
Carlito’s mic skills were exemplary and he could hold the audience in the palm of his hand. The first ever Unified Tagteam champion alongside his brother Primo, Carlito is currently wrestling for his father Carly Colon’s WWC where he is the current WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion.
This seems to be the right time for Carlito to have another crack at the WWE.
3. Zack Sabre Jr.
Twice voted as the best technical wrestler in the world by Wrestling Observer, Zack Sabre Jr is the current PWG World Champion.
Having had numerous notable matches with the likes of Sami Zayn and Finn Balor, Sabre might be best known for a match he had with Daniel Bryan as part of Triple X wrestling that many pundits considered the match of the year.
Sabre is currently a participant in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic where he beat Tyson Dux and Drew Gulak to reach the quarter-finals where he will next face Scottish- Israeli wrestler Naom Dar.
With Raw planning to open a Cruiserweight division, Sabre might be a shoe-in for a spot.
2. Kenny Omega
The current leader of the Bullet Club, Kenny Omega was the man who kayfabe kicked AJ Styles out of the faction. Omega made his mark in the wrestling world as part of New Japan Pro Wrestling after stints in the WWE developmental Deep South Wrestling.
Omega is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and was also the NEVER Openweight 6 Man tag team champion alongside the Young Bucks.
Omega currently lives in Tokyo where he splits his time between ROH and New Japan.
Will we see Omega locking horns with two former leaders of the Bullet Club in AJ Styles and Finn Balor in the WWE??
1. The Young Bucks
Would the WWE brand extension be complete without having the best tag team in professional wrestling today on the roster???
If you haven’t heard of them yet, The Young Bucks – Matt and Nick are the real deal. The current IWGP Junior Heavyweight and PWG tag team champions, the Bucks have mesmerised the audience for quite some time now.
Part of the Bullet Club stable, the Bucks have a rich history with current WWE stars AJ Styles, Finn Balor, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. They also turned heads during their time in TNA as Generation Me.
Voted the Wrestling Observer Best tag team in 2014 and 2015, the Bucks would be a welcome addition to the current WWE tag team division which is struggling to find relevant challengers for the New Day’s tag team titles. They also have the distinction of having two different finishing moves voted the ‘Best wrestling manoeuvre of the year’ by Wrestling Observer magazine on separate occasions.
And by the way, have you seen their finishing move – The Wrestling Observer certified ‘Best manoeuvre of 2014 – ‘The Meltzer Driver’?? It is a Springboard somersault spike kneeling reverse piledriver!!! Sick!!!
