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Top 5 WWE Draft Sleeper Picks For Raw

October 21, 2019 | Posted by Justin Watry

With the 2019 WWE Draft officially in the book, I think it is time to take a look at what each brand received. If you are looking for a list breaking down the likes of Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, and others, you are in the wrong place. This is to give a spotlight on the selections that may be a tad bit overlooked. First up is the red brand…

Top 5 2019 WWE Draft Sleeper Picks For Raw

Honorable Mention: Samoa Joe – As I discussed on the 411 Foresight Wrestling Podcast, it feels like now or never for Samoa Joe. The man is officially over 40 years old. He has had a couple of main events spots but nothing that stuck. It truly does feel like now or never for him. Barring any more injuries, his future is in his hands.

Honorable Mention: Liv Morgan – As Steve Madsen talked about on the 411 Foresight Wrestling Podcast last week, it is not a coincidence that Liv Morgan was Mrs. Irrelevant with the final pick of the 2019 WWE Draft. That can only add motivation and intrigue to what her next move is. The REAL Liv Morgan on Raw could be good.

Honorable Mention: Buddy Murphy – His stuff with Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan may have been planned as filler, but he came through in the clutch. When given the ball, Buddy has delivered. I just don’t know if those opportunities will happen. Time will tell.

Honorable Mention: Andrade – Is he just there to keep Charlotte Flair happy? Is he just there so Aleister Black and Zelina Vega are kept together? I don’t know, and I don’t care. He is super talented and deserves a shot. Dude is a star in the making. We saw it in NXT.

Honorable Mention: Kabuki Warriors – I could sit here and list everybody, but that would take forever. I think the world of Asuka and Kairi Sane. Even if they may be better off separate, I love them being the traveling WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions (go to NXT please!)…but returning to Raw once that run ends. Keep the momentum going! Don’t turn this into another mist opportunity for Asuka.

5. EC3 – Let’s just get this out of the way. EC3 needs to be doing more. In a world where WWE produces 276 hours of content per week, it is a darn shame we rarely see him on television. He is a former multi-time 24/7 Champion and does hold a victory over Dean Ambrose. However, that is all a far cry from his usual antics of chasing around a bunch of goons backstage. I am not saying you give this guy the main event spot next month. I am not even saying he should walk in and beat AJ Styles for the United States Title. All I am saying is make this a new beginning. Never forget Mojo Rawley beat Jinder Mahal clean as a whistle on Smackdown Live…and two months later, Mahal was WWE Champion defeating Randy Orton a million times in a row and headlining pay-per-view events. All it takes is effort. All it takes is one guy to speak up and say “Hey, what about EC3?” Boom. A couple of two minutes wins on Monday Night Raw, a good showing on PPV, and we are off to the races. If not on Raw where he was tossed on in the followup WWE Draft round thingy, invent a magical ‘trade’ to the blue brand for future considerations. If it can work for Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, it can work here too. Long story short, there is zero reason for EC3 to be featured on Main Event Catering each week. Aunt D can not be happy with this all.

4. The Street Profits – Okay, in my original 2019 WWE Draft column, I wrote that The Street Profits had grown stale on Monday Night Raw in recent weeks. Their entire backstage shenanigans yapping segment had become tired and ultimately pointless. I know the company was binding time until their NXT was finished, but they could have done a better job planting the seeds for a future feud. Instead it was silly jokes and punchlines about current feuds (that sometimes didn’t land). Since we have officially tied up the NXT lose end, The Street Profits need to be showcased 100x over every single week. They are entertaining in and out of the ring and can easily become stars. Even as a tag team. Edge and Christian became stars in the Attitude Era. The Hardyz obviously became big stars as a tandem. The Dudleyz are in the WWE Hall of Fame. Even in 2019, you do not need to be a single’s wrestler in order to be at the top of the card. The Street Profits have all the potential in the world. If Paul Heyman is truly backing them behind the scenes, the future has to be bright. Raise that cup.

3. Aleister Black – Another supposed Heyman Guy behind the scenes. I dig the entire Aleister Black act. His demeanor, his entrance theme, his in-ring style, his look, his promos, his finisher, etc. All of it comes together in one amazing presentation. He may only be there because of Heyman (and Zelina Vega), but that does not mean it’s a bad thing. Same with EC3 – I don’t think Black should walk in and enter the main event picture. Do not rush anything. There is no reason to. Despite all the whining and crying going on these days, I actually think RAW has been an improved product for the second half of 2019. There have been clear changes, mostly positive. One of them has been these quick, one sided bouts to showcase new talents. In all honesty, I could see Aleister doing that for the next two months. Seriously, nothing but dominant victory. Then around December or January, he cuts a short promo inside the ring after another quick win vowing to enter the Royal Rumble and everybody will ‘fade to black.’ His music hits, and he stares into the camera, as the fans go nuts. Whether he wins that, makes it to the final three entrants or whatever, it wouldn’t matter. He is in a good spot heading into the Road to WrestleMania 36 in 2020.

2. Kevin Owens – Oh, look! Yet another so called Heyman Guy. First, I will (again) point out my scoop from two years ago on Twitter:

As I exclusively noted last year, KO was originally pegged for SD Live in WWE Draft. He vetoed it. Got moved this year. Might head back…

— Justin Watry (@JustinWatry) November 20, 2017

Kevin Owens has always felt like a Raw Guy to me. I know he debuted on the show to attack John Cena, but I am talking about everything after that. His persona just shines on the live cable TV program that has that much of an edge to it. He had a Universal Championship run on the red brand and has far more success there than he ever did on the blue brand. I actually found the Shane McMahon feud to be okay (not great mind you). Counting the Heck on a Deck match years ago, he has three big victories over him. When push came to shove, it was KO going over The Best In The World. Right or wrong. Moving to Raw, he gets away from that whole mess and can start fresh. My gut tells me he instantly shows up. In a perfect world though, give him a month or two to re-charge his batteries. Face or heel, when he finally does show up, it has to be meaningful and lead to big things. Simply being the mystery partner for The Street Profits on RAW is not going to cut it folks. KO needs to make Raw HIS show again.

1. Drew McIntyre – The Stud. Can I drop a patented “No explanation needed” here? Forget what I said about Aleister Black and EC3. Drew McIntyre has to show up after Crown Jewel and immediately challenge Seth Rollins for the Universal Title. If we have to do the wacky Survivor Series Raw vs. Smackdown crap, then wait until month. Bottom line: Drew has to be a main event player as soon as possible. His dues are more than paid at this point, so why keep stalling? Even discounting his recent injury, a lot of 2019 was a blur for his career. After looking like a beast crushing Dean Ambrose and facing the almighty Roman Reigns at the grandest stage of them all, he did a whole lot of nothing hanging out with Shane McMahon and losing. For shame, for shame. I don’t call him The Stud for nothing ladies and gentlemen. Vince McMahon called his shot on worldwide television ten years ago that Drew McIntyre would be a future World Champion. It is time to make that fantasy a reality.