5 WWE stars who need to be on the same brand with Damian Priest following the 2024 Draft

Like Cody Rhodes on SmackDown, Damian Priest is preparing for his first title defense when he puts his World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Jey Uso at the Backlash Premium Live Event on May 4th.

At the same time, he would not be affected individually by the upcoming WWE Draft as he is protected from being drafted and will be waiting to see who will move from SmackDown and NXT to RAW to challenge him for the World Heavyweight Championship or joining The Judgment Day.

With that in mind, we take a look at five WWE stars that need to be on the same brand with Damian Priest at the end of the 2024 Draft, which starts this Friday on SmackDown and will end next Monday on RAW.

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#5. Ilja Dragunov

The former NXT Champion is expected to be part of the main roster after losing his title to Trick Williams on the April 23 episode of WWE NXT. Dragunov has already appeared on RAW before, so staying with the red brand would help him take it to the next level after a successful run as NXT Champion.

With that in mind, joining The Judgment Day could be a great move for him, where he could replace either JD McDonagh or Dominik Mysterio, who have seemingly not been on the same page with Damian Priest lately. Seeing The Mad Dragon fit in a faction would be interesting by itself and the WWE Universe would be eager to see how it might work out.

#4. Carmelo Hayes

The same goes for Carmelo Hayes, who could move to The Judgment Day and take his first steps on WWE RAW. Hayes has worked on SmackDown previously, so it wouldn't be the first time on the main roster for the star.

In this scenario, he and Dragunov could replace both McDonagh and Mysterio and even create a tag team and challenge the reigning champions The Miz and R-Truth (Awesome Truth).

#3. Finn Balor

The co-leader of The Judgment Day has no direction at the moment when it comes to a singles run, and it is unclear what he will do next.

Still, having a heel turn and turning on Damian Priest would make sense for Finn Balor should he stay on RAW, as he will have the chance to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship. If this doesn't happen, though, it could be better to move to SmackDown instead where he can challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

#2. Drew McIntyre

After what happened at WrestleMania 40, Drew McIntyre should be one of Damian Priest's next challengers. McIntyre was the champion for all of five minutes and spare before Priest cashed in his MITB briefcase.

The WWE Universe should see these two collide soon, as The Scottish Warrior will look to get his title back. Still, a title match between the two should take place later in the summer, as McIntyre is now seemingly focused on his feud with CM Punk.

#1. Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins lost the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 40 and will certainly look to get it back when he returns from the injuries he is currently dealing with. He reportedly underwent knee surgery and will be out for the forseeable future.

The Visionary should be one of the first challengers when he makes his return and it would be interesting for him and Priest to start a feud, as they are the only two WWE Superstars that have cashed in their MITB briefcases at WrestleMania.