WWE Raw Stars To Move To SmackDown Following WrestleMania 42

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With WWE WrestleMania 42 all wrapped up, there should be some changes to the rosters for both Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.

On the April 20 WWE Raw After WrestleMania 42, fans saw Rhea Ripley officially make the move to SmackDown as the WWE Women’s Champion, while Jacob Fatu showed up on the red brand to challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Title.

Whether it be established stars or up-and-comers, these brand switches could bolster the blue brand in a major way moving forward.

Here are seven WWE Raw stars to potentially move to SmackDown following WrestleMania 42.

7. AJ Lee

At WrestleMania 42 Night One, Becky Lynch defeated AJ Lee to win the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Following this loss, Lee stated on the post show that she was taking some time off and hopefully would be back soon.

Wanting to give her a whole new crop of talent to work with, Lee could return by heading over to Friday Night SmackDown.

Lee is a legendary name who could add a great deal of star power to the SmackDown women’s division and open the door for some tantalizing dream matchups with the likes of Charlotte Flair, Tiffany Stratton and Rhea Ripley.

6. Lyra Valkyria

Another Raw star who could make a similar move to AJ Lee over to SmackDown is Lyra Valkyria.

Since being called up to the WWE main roster in 2024, Valkyria has primarily appeared on Monday Night Raw.

Over the past year, Valkyria became the inaugural WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion, a former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion and made it to the Queen of the Ring Final.

Being one of the rising stars of the women’s division, Valkyria would be a wonderful addition to the SmackDown brand where she could contend for the WWE Women’s Championship moving forward.

5. The Original El Grande Americano (Chad Gable)

At WWE Royal Rumble 2026, The Original El Grande Americano made his return as an entrant in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match.

Since then, the masked luchador has been embroiled in a feud with the other El Grande Americano that has spanned both WWE and Lucha Libre AAA.

With this rivalry culminating with a Mask vs. Mask Match on the May 30 AAA Noche de Los Grandes event, The Original El Grande could potentially be unmasked to reveal Chad Gable.

Wanting a fresh start back as himself, Gable could then make the move to Friday Night SmackDown where he might be positioned as a top contender for the United States Championship or even the Undisputed WWE Championship.

4. Dragon Lee

Over the past few months, Dragon Lee has found a more consistent role on WWE television.

Since forming a tag team with AJ Styles, Lee has been able to be showcased as an exceptional in-ring performer.

Whether it be his standout match against GUNTHER on WWE Raw or his impressive performance in the Intercontinental Title Ladder Match at WrestleMania 42, Lee has more than earned a more prominent spot on the WWE roster.

Lee moving to SmackDown would be interesting to see if he can garner more of the spotlight and win some singles championship gold.

3. Finn Balor

At WWE WrestleMania 42 Night Two, Finn Balor brought back his “Demon” persona in a win over Dominik Mysterio in a Street Fight.

Balor has found himself back in the main event picture to start off 2026, becoming a contender to CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship on two separate occasions.

However, Roman Reigns now being the champion might push Balor down the totem pole again on Monday Night Raw.

Wanting some new scenery after his losses to Punk and being excommunicated from The Judgment Day, Balor could add a lot to the SmackDown brand as a longtime veteran who would be among the best in-ring performers on Friday nights.

2. GUNTHER

Over the past few months, GUNTHER has cemented his legacy as “The Career Killer” after defeating John Cena in his final match and retiring AJ Styles.

Then at WWE WrestleMania 42 Night One, “The Ring General” defeated Seth Rollins in a grudge match.

While he has his sights set on the World Heavyweight Championship, WWE could give GUNTHER a new mountain to climb by moving him over to Friday Night SmackDown.

GUNTHER becoming a new challenger for Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship would be an intriguing story to tell on SmackDown in the fallout to WrestleMania 42.

1. CM Punk

At the WWE WrestleMania 42 Night Two premium live event, Roman Reigns defeated CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

On the April 20 WWE Raw After WrestleMania 42, Punk discussed trying to rebound from this and always being ready because you never know when a title opportunity will fall out of the sky.

This led to a confrontation with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, who told Punk to just say when.

Punk heading to Friday Night SmackDown would bolster their roster and bring one of the biggest stars in WWE today to Friday nights to improve the main event picture in a major way.

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• wwe
• WrestleMania
• Smackdown
• RAW
• WrestleMania 42

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