WWE Stars To Leave SmackDown

WWE

In July, SmackDown officially moved back to being a two hour show after being three hours for the first half of 2026.

Naturally, when the show was reduced by an hour, certain names started getting featured less often, as well as new faces being called up from NXT such as Tatum Paxley, and the arrival of Kyoki.

With SmackDown having such a packed roster, we could soon see a number of stars leave the blue brand to seek a fresh start elsewhere.

Here are some WWE SmackDown stars we could see leave the brand soon.

Carmelo Hayes

After being drafted as the show’s first round draft pick back in 2024, the future seemed immediately bright for Carmelo Hayes when he faced Cody Rhodes in his debut match.

However, after finding some success and popularity on the blue brand, it seems as though Hayes has hit his ceiling on SmackDown.

He most recently appeared on the show in his hometown of Boston, where he was defeated by Baron Corbin in a United States Championship match.

At this point, if it’s a fresh start Hayes needs, he would benefit from a move to Raw.

Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae

Johnny Gargano has barely wrestled on SmackDown in 2026, and Candice LeRae has wrestled even less than he has.

Neither Johnny or Candice have wrestled on SmackDown for months, with them spending most of their time in 10 second backstage skits where Gargano continues to lay down on a crate.

This bit going on for over six months is a complete waste of both their talents, and if this is the best the SmackDown writers have for them, they need to leave the show.

Raw, NXT, AAA, leaving WWE altogether, anything would be better than what they’re currently doing.

Jade Cargill

Jade Cargill is in a different category to the rest of the names on this list, as she has found a lot of success on SmackDown and remains a key part of the show even after the move back to two hours.

However, with her and Charlotte’s rivalry likely coming to an end soon, Jade really has nothing left to do on the blue brand as she has fought everyone there is to fight several times over.

To allow other women to get a spotlight on the blue brand, moving Jade over to Raw would give them the chance to move into her spot, while also allowing Jade to face off against a number of new faces.

Damian Priest

While Raw undoubtedly needs more women’s wrestlers than SmackDown right now, it was still something of a surprise to see a vignette air on Raw advertising the arrival of former NXT Women’s Champion Lola Vice.

Lola is the real-life girlfriend of former WWE Tag Team Champion Damian Priest, and with WWE typically keeping couples together, many expected her to also land on SmackDown.

If Vice is headed to Monday Nights, then it seems a safe assumption that Priest may also be set to move to Raw soon.

Giulia

Giulia’s time on SmackDown has been largely a disappointment compared to what fans of the Beautiful Madness were hoping for when she arrived on the main roster last year.

Capturing the Women’s United States Championship twice, neither reign was given the appropriate attention it should have, with Giulia still never being given a real chance to connect with the main roster crowd.

Now, Giulia is being used in more of an enhancement role, with her losing to Lash Legend in two minutes during their SummerSlam qualifier, and now serving as the first opponent for the debuting Blake Monroe.

If there is any hope for Giulia to turn things around in WWE, it won’t be as part of SmackDown.

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