Top 13: Ranking the Superstar Shakeup of new RAW stars and how they can succeed

The Superstar Shakeup has hit Monday Night RAW in a major way, bringing over several up and comers, as well as already established top superstars.

Only time will tell how these superstars can succeed on RAW, if at all, but I believe that each one of them can in their own way, should WWE be smart about what to do with them. Here we take a look at every superstar who was traded from Smackdown to RAW and what they can accomplish on Monday nights.

#13 The Ascension

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It seemed like The Ascension were going to be huge. They ran through every tag team on NXT, as well as tag teams from other company's and legendary tag teams, and held the NXT Tag Team Championships for just about a year.

After a few weeks of dominance on the main roster, they were trashed by the APA, New Age Outlaws and The Outsiders in a segment, and have never recovered, and that was early 2015.

It is now three years later and it seems highly likely they will never amount to more than what they are now, part-time comedy partners to Breezango.

Well, if this is the role they are to play, we should at least hope WWE does something with their often hilarious comedic ability.

#12 Breezango

Tyler Breeze and Fandango were thrown together as a jobber tag team, simply because WWE had nothing for them as solo stars.

Not only have they managed to shed that status and pick up victories every now and then, but they have also proven to be comedy gold.

Their segments last year of parodying popular TV shows and movies have been hilarious and have gotten over extremely well.

The first they did, 'Fashion Peaks', a parody of Twin Peaks, even went viral and was praised by Twin Peaks lead star Kyle MacLachlan.

Breezango had a very impressive RAW debut as they got a surprise win over former Tag Team Champions The Bar, so it seems WWE could have big tag team plans for them.

If not, they can still be a great asset for comedic purposes.

#11 Zack Ryder

Zack Ryder has never gotten a fair shake in WWE. As a former WWE Intercontinental Champion, United States Champion and Tag Team Champion, it looks like he has had a decent career on paper, but everything has come in short-term for Ryder.

His Hype Bros tag team with Mojo Rawley didn't accomplish anything on Smackdown, which led to the team splitting up, and again, not doing anything of note since.

It isn't completely over for Ryder however, he did prove with his shocking upset Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 32 that he can still win a big match and have a lot of fans behind him in the process, so I don't see why that can't happen again, only this time, with a much longer Championship reign.

#10 Mojo Rawley

Seemed like WWE had big plans for Mojo Rawley at one point. He got a surprise upset win in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33 and had an endorsement from his friend, New England Patriot Rob Gronkowski.

From their, Mojo has accomplished... Nothing. He returned to the tag team division with Ryder, where they mainly acted as jobbers before Rowley turned heel on his tag-team partner.

It seemed like they were getting ready for something with Mojo, but again, nothing much since.

If used correctly, Mojo could be a serious contender for the Intercontinental Championship on RAW. But I think if he were to succeed, he would need a completely new character.

#9 Mike Kanellis

Doing it for Love

Mike Kanellis is potentially the most underused superstar in all of WWE. Joining WWE in 2017 alongside wife Maria, many expected the former TNA and Ring of Honor star to receive a major push, as he debuted immediately on WWE main roster TV, rather than NXT.

Kanellis went right down the card not even a month following his debut and has yet to recover.

Due to being in rehab for a pill addiction, Kanellis has only made sporadic appearances on WWE since last October.

Today, he seems ready to go and has improved his physic incredibly, so once he drops his 'In Love' gimmick, he can be a very believable contender for the WWE Intercontinental Championship on RAW.

#8 Chad Gable

Chad Gable was an interesting move. The former Tag Team Champion has spent the better part of the last year in a tag team with Shelton Benjamin, with little success.

His previously very successful tag team with Jason Jordan came to an end when he went to join his 'dad' Kurt Angle on RAW, leaving Gable on Smackdown.

Now he has been traded to RAW, could we see something happen again with Jordan?

Just maybe. It would certainly be better than Jason's storyline with Angle, but until that may or may not happen, due to Jordan being out of action, I can see Gable as a very capable contender for the Intercontinental Championship.

Lets just hope he gets that RAW TV time, rather than the pre-show, where most are already expecting him to be.

#7 Natalya

Former Women's Champion Natalya has already been seemingly thrown into something big on RAW.

Apparently turning face, or at least a tweener, for the time being, Nattie defeated Mandy Rose in her return to RAW, on route to being aided by Ronda Rousey during an attempted post-match beatdown.

We don't know where this angle with Ronda will go, personally I think a match between the two, but until then The Queen Of Harts should be a strong presence on RAW as long as she is aligned and/or feuding with Rousey.

#6 Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin has seemingly been in some creative frustration ever since losing his Money in The Bank opportunity last summer.

While he has had some success since, including being WWE United States Champion and challenging for the WWE Championship at Fastlane, he has also been coming up short in every big match scenario.

It is not all doom and gloom for the Lone Wolf, however, as recent reports have suggested that Vince McMahon still think rather highly of Corbin and still see's him as a future major player.

For now I can see the Lone Wolf hanging in the Intercontinental Championship ranks for a while before moving up to feuds with former World Champions before a potential Universal Championship shot.

#5 The Riott Squad

Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan, The Riott Squad, have had a pretty fair run so far since their main roster debut on Smackdown last November.

The trio had been presented as a legitimate threat to Champion Charlotte Flair and have had impressive victories over Becky Lynch, Naomi, Natalya and more.

Riott even entered her best WWE performance to date in a thrilling match with Charlotte as Fastlane.

A move to RAW was a little surprising but may work out for the best. The RAW Women's division is far more stacked than Smackdown, so the match possibilities are endless.

Personally, I can see the trio feuding with Women's Champion Nia Jax pretty early on, as she is a dominant competitor, a feud between her and these three all at the one time would benefit all for coming across like legit superstars on RAW.

#4 Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre

Former World Champion Dolph Ziggler entered this past Monday RAW telling us how no matter where he is, he still steals the show everywhere he goes.

He was promptly interrupted by Titus Worldwide, with an offer from Titus O'Neal to join his company.

Ziggler responded by saying he didn't return to RAW alone, following which he was joined in the ring by former NXT Champion and TNA World Champion Drew McIntyre.

McIntyre hadn't been seen on WWE programming since he lost the NXT Championship to Andrade "Cien" Almas at NXT: War Games last November, during which he sustained a bicep injury.

The move of McIntyre from NXT to RAW, and seemingly as a heel, is a surprising one for sure, but by no means a bad one.

WWE has the opportunity to do something big with these two, not particularly as a tag team in pursuit of the Tag titles, but in the same way as Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have been used lately.

I could easily see these two feud with other top RAW stars at the one time, all the while remaining a team, maybe even forming a faction with other stars of have been underappreciated over the years.

#3 Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal gave us the biggest shock in years back in 2017 when he went from TV jobber to WWE Champion in literally a matter of weeks.

He went onto have a six-month WWE Championship reign, and in my opinion, has come off as a legit superstar.

The Modern Day Maharaja had actually been a member of the RAW roster last year and went over to Smackdown as a trade in the Superstar Shakeup, and it changed his life for the better.

He has now returned to RAW and has the potential to be just as big of a star. Things haven't gotten off to the best start as he quickly lost his newly won WWE United States Championship to Jeff Hardy in his first match back.

But Mahal can only go higher from here. I can't see him becoming Universal Champion in the coming months, but I wouldn't rule it out for towards the end of the year.

#2 Bobby Roode

Former TNA World Champion and NXT Champion Bobby Roode made his main roster debut on WWE Smackdown just after Summerslam and has had a pretty decent run thus far, feuding with top stars such as Mahal and Randy Orton, as well as becoming WWE United States Champion.

The 'Glorious' one has all the potential in the world to become a huge star in WWE, both as a face, but particularly as a heel.

Roode made his RAW debut as the final TV RAW Shakeup trade, in the main event of the show as a mystery teammate in a 10-man tag team match, and was very well received by the live audience.

I can see an impending heel turn for Bobby, between now and then to include challenging for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, before moving on to top-tier feuds.

#1 Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

Yep!

Owens and Zayn are officially on RAW, and they are a very welcomed addition. A tremendous loss for Smackdown, as the duo have spent the past six months as apart of the shows top feud, with Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan.

They have managed to keep fans highly entertained with their antics, as well as being believable as major players with big victories over the like of AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton, among more.

The RAW roster is full of top stars that they can feud with as a team.

As mentioned earlier, like Ziggler and McIntyre, I don't think they should be used to challenge for the WWE Tag Team Championships, but instead feuding with one or two other major stars at the same time.

I would also like to potentially see an angle, perhaps an alliance with Ziggler and McIntyre, about being held back by WWE and the RAW General Manager Angle and other authority figures.

Edited by Alan John