Ah, the Raw after WrestleMania. The night where all of the international fans that are heading to the showcase of the immortals stick around and initiate some of the funniest chants and moments of the year. As a result of this, WWE tends to put a lot more effort into this edition of Monday Night Raw as opposed to what they produce throughout the rest of the year.
But now, there's a new kid on the block as there will also be a SmackDown Live that takes place just two nights after WrestleMania. It's an exciting prospect to say the least, however, the blue brand will be hoping that the fans haven't worn themselves out the night prior. That probably won't happen, though - especially when you consider how popular the show has been since the brand split.
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As we all know, the one thing that we're anticipating more than anything else is a string of returns or debuts. It happens every year and has almost become part of the WrestleMania tradition at this point. With so many potential options on the table, we've decided to dwindle it down as best as we can tom the ones that we believe are the most realistic.
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So with that being said, here are 10 stars most likely to return/debut on the Raw & SD after WrestleMania.
The Revival (Raw)
The Revival are arguably the greatest team in professional wrestling right now and there aren't too many names that come close to them. Their style is an interesting throwback to old school teams of days gone by, and they always know when and how to reinvent themselves.
So naturally, we want to see them on Monday Night Raw immediately. The tag division on the red brand needs a big injection of life and The Revival could be the men to provide that. They'd likely make an instant impact, coming up against teams they've already beaten in the past such as Enzo & Cass - and who wouldn't want to see those guys get beaten up again?
It's Kinshasa time.
Shinsuke Nakamura (SmackDown)
We're past the point of "Maybe Nakamura should get brought up now" and we've arrived at "Why isn't he on the main roster yet?". Shinsuke Nakamura has quite literally done all that he can down in NXT, and now the only thing left for him to do is make his way onto one of the two main roster brands. For us, personally - we want it to be SmackDown Live.
The blue brand is severely lacking that kind of special star power, and Shinsuke will most certainly provide them with that. He'd give SmackDown something a little bit different and whilst it's a pretty unique show already, you can never have too much quality. Nakamura's booking down in NXT hasn't been splendid, but perhaps a little promotion will help that.
Bring on the Demon King.
Finn Balor (Raw)
If anything, the only possible flaw in this idea is that it could just happen at Fastlane. Finn Balor has been teasing a return to the ring for months now after a shoulder injury ruled him out back in the summer. The Demon King has been sorely missed on Monday Night Raw with many people believing that he'd still be the champion to this day if he wasn't put on the shelf.
Alas, we shouldn't be thinking about the past and should instead focus on the near future. The Raw after Wrestlemania would be smart, especially if he's to challenge the Universal Champion considering he never lost the title in the first place. Come on - try telling us you wouldn't want to see Brock vs Balor.
Did someone say ten?
Tye Dillinger (SmackDown)
If the Royal Rumble wasn't a big enough indicator for you, Tye Dillinger is extremely over with the crowd. Yes, the ten chants can be annoying, but it's pretty much the same premise as the Yes chants themselves. Dillinger is floating around without any real kind of purpose in NXT, and it's about time that somebody backstage woke up and smelt the coffee.
Dillinger has been ready for the main roster for so many years now, and if you don't believe us then perhaps the words of Dusty Rhodes will convince you. You see, the American Dream constantly thought that Tye was too good to be in NXT and insisted that there's nothing more he can do with the guy. So basically, SmackDown - you'll be getting a keeper.
Over to the women now for a character that needs to revert back to her roots.
Emma (Raw)
The Emmalina character was never going to work and if you actually believed it was, then you're a fool. Whilst the heel persona Emma was playing down in NXT wasn't great, it was still better than prancing around like something from the Attitude Era. We get the idea, but Emma wasn't and still isn't the right woman to put in that kind of role.
If you revert her back to being an honest to god bad ass, then Emma could do some serious damage on the main roster. We desperately need some fresh faces on Raw and it appears as if Emma is on that brand anyway, making it all the more reasonable to believe that she'll be popping up at some point over the course of WrestleMania weekend.
Oh, it's true, it's damn true.
Kurt Angle (SmackDown)
A lot of fans are surprised that Kurt Angle hasn't already appeared on WWE television, meanwhile, others believe that it just won't happen. However, we like to view things from an optimist's perspective and as such we're choosing to believe that Kurt Angle will pop up in Orlando, Florida on the Tuesday after Wrestlemania 33. Doesn't that just sound great?
Also read: Wrestlemania 33: Predicting every championship match for the Show of Shows
There are so many potential feuds that Angle could have over on the blue brand, but he doesn't necessarily need to wrestle a full-time schedule. If the WWE are worried about his health, two to three matches leading up to Wrestlemania 34 in New Orleans could be a really smart move. You make Angle feel like a star, and his matches, therefore, feel more important in the process.
Back over to the women now for a former champion that has seen better days.
Paige (Raw)
Paige is indeed one of the most unpredictable figures in all of professional wrestling right now, and even that may be an understatement. From wanting to have a stint in mixed martial arts to having a film made about her family to showing up backstage at Impact tapings. You never know quite what she's going to do next, but we'd like to think we've got a pretty good idea.
The Raw after Wrestlemania is where Paige made her first ever main roster appearance back in New Orleans, and it should also be the place where she makes her triumphant return to the squared circle. A lot of people are still big fans of hers, and she's got too much potential to just have it all thrown away. Take the risk, WWE.
Now to a man that, to be honest, nobody is really too bothered about.
Elias Samson (SmackDown)
Raise your hand if you care about The Drifter. That's what we thought. There aren't a whole lot of people who understand why Samson is rumoured to be coming up to the main roster, but that's the situation we find ourselves in. Perhaps they want to utilise him as a faceless jobber to the stars, but then again would there be so much attention on him if that were the case?
Regardless, this is seeming increasingly likely and SmackDown Live is in need of some more bodies so that seems like the most logical location for him. Who knows, perhaps with a little bit of tweaking he could become an interesting character but that's certainly not what he's been producing week in and week out on NXT. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Get ready for the bruiserweight.
Pete Dunne (Raw)
This guy is the real deal. Pete Dunne is the man who everyone is talking about coming out of the WWE UK Championship Tournament, despite the fact he didn't even win the belt. His style has gained a lot of praise with many believing that he could make a huge impact on the main roster. Well, we here at Sportskeeda tend to agree with that thought process.
As opposed to pushing him into the corner alongside the cruiserweights, Pete Dunne needs to be going after some of the biggest and best guys in the company. His technique will catch a lot of people off guard and given his age, he could have a hell of a lot of time left in this business. With that in mind, let's get this ball rolling as soon as possible.
We conclude with a man who should've already been on SD Live by now.
Shelton Benjamin (SmackDown)
The promos were aired, and the stage was set for Shelton Benjamin to finally return to the WWE - and then he got injured. It was a bitter pill to swallow for fans who had always wanted to see Benjamin return to the company one day, but that doesn't mean we've ruled out the possibility altogether.
If anything the timing is perfect for Benjamin, as the shows after Wrestlemania usually signify the beginning of a new 'season' so to speak for the company. Obviously, it's all dependent on his health, but given the amount of time he's spent on the shelf, it seems likely that he'll be back to full fitness. So let's go ahead and get The Gold Standard back on our TV screens, shall we?
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