WWE SmackDown Star To Replace Finn Balor On Raw

Published: 2 hours ago by SP3 | Last Updated: 2 hours ago by SP3

Born in Harlem, New York and now living in the Bronx, Sid Pullar III aka SP3 is a lifelong wrestling fan who has been covering the industry for over nine years as a podcaster and writer. His passion for the industry has been documented with over 3,000 videos on YouTube and 8,000 written pieces across multiple outlets, such as WrestleTalk, Sports Illustrated and more.

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WWE

On the June 1 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw, Bryon Saxton announced that Finn Balor had moved to Friday Night SmackDown during an ad break interview with The Judgment Day.

The first ever WWE Universal Champion has been embroiled in a feud with The Judgment Day for the past few months and now can look forward to a fresh start on the blue brand.

With Balor moving to SmackDown, there should be a star moving in his place over to Monday Night Raw.

Here are eight WWE SmackDown stars to potentially replace Finn Balor on Raw.

8. Carmelo Hayes

On the June 1 episode of Monday Night Raw, Oba Femi defeated Solo Sikoa, Carmelo Hayes and Penta to advance to the King of the Ring Semifinals.

This proved to be a strong showing for the former WWE United States Champion on Monday night.

Since getting called up to the WWE main roster, Hayes has been mostly featured on Friday Night SmackDown.

Needing fresh scenery to explore, it might be time for Melo to head to WWE Raw after Finn Balor has made his way to SmackDown.

7. Ricky Saints

On the May 1 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Ricky Saints made his official main roster debut after spending over a year on WWE NXT.

Since arriving in WWE, Saints won the NXT Championship and NXT North American Championship.

Now that he is on the main roster, the former AEW star might need to switch things up by heading to Monday Night Raw.

After reports circulated in 2025 that he was in discussion to join The Vision, Ricky Saints could move from SmackDown to Raw and has what it takes to be a prominent star on Monday nights.

6. Matt Cardona

In January 2026, Matt Cardona re-signed with WWE after a six-year absence from the company.

The former Zack Ryder reinvented himself after over a decade in WWE and became one of the biggest independent stars in wrestling.

Having returned to WWE this year, Cardona has not found a consistent role in the promotion as of yet.

Cardona moving to Monday Night Raw could be what he needs right now to garner the TV time that he needs to become a major star in the company.

5. Ilja Dragunov

Ilja Dragunov has long established himself to be one of the best in-ring performers in all of WWE today.

After making his return from injury in October 2025, “The Mad Dragon” immediately captured the United States Championships and became a consistent highlight on Friday Night SmackDown.

Following the end of his US Title reign, Dragunov has found himself on the outside looking on WWE TV as of late.

Dragunov heading back to Monday Night Raw could see him becoming a contender for the Intercontinental Championship and resuming his role as a prominent in-ring performer once again.

4. Rey Fenix

Since signing with WWE in April 2025, Rey Fenix has showcased what has made him one of the best high flyers in all of wrestling for years.

The former AEW World Tag Team Champion has not been featured in a significant way on Friday Night SmackDown.

However, Fenix recently defeated Laredo Kid to win the AAA World Cruiserweight Championship at the AAA Noche de Los Grandes event.

Fenix moving to WWE Raw could see him reunite with Penta and bring The Lucha Brothers to the red brand’s tag team scene to become future World Tag Team Champions.

3. Solo Sikoa

At WWE Clash In Italy 2026, Roman Reigns defeated Jacob Fatu in a Tribal Combat Match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

After the match, The Usos came down to bring Fatu into The Bloodline now that he has to acknowledge Reigns. Then, Solo Sikoa and The MFTs showed up in the crowd to make their presence felt during the post match.

Wanting to insert themselves into The Bloodline business, The MFTs could make their ways over to Monday Night Raw to feud with Roman Reigns and company.

Sikoa could be on a collision course to go to war with “The OTC” one more time and attempt to win his first World Heavyweight Championship.

2. Royce Keys

At WWE Royal Rumble 2026, Royce Keys made his debut with the company as an entrant in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match.

Then a few months later, Keys became part of the Friday Night SmackDown roster and has since won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Since then, Keys has become a breakout star on the blue brand and established his friendship with Jacob Fatu.

Now that Fatu is part of The Bloodline after acknowledging Roman Reigns, Keys might move to WWE Raw and try to drive a wedge into the family moving forward.

1. Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre has been part of Friday Night SmackDown for well over a year now.

Turning heel in 2023, McIntyre was then part of Monday Night Raw and admitted that his change in attitude came mostly due to his loss to Roman Reigns back at WWE Clash In The Castle 2022.

Still wanting revenge on The Bloodline, “The Scottish Warrior” could make the move back to the red brand and rekindle this rivalry now that the faction is back together.

Reigns and The Bloodline facing off with McIntyre would make for a compelling story to watch unfold moving forward.