Dolph Ziggler and 4 WWE Stars Who Will Thrive from Added Exposure in Brand Split

Although WWE's upcoming brand split does have its negative aspects, one undoubted positive is that it will create more opportunities for stars to make their presences felt.

With half the roster on Raw and half on SmackDown, rivalries exclusive to each brand can be given more attention—and ultimately more dedicated segments each and every week.

And with the company's elite talent not being on each and every show due to them being split across the two shows, it means more exposure for those lower down the card, too.

Here's a look at a handful of WWE stars who could expect to truly benefit the most from the brand split, ranging from those struggling to get over at all to those who could take the next step and become a major player in the company.

Dolph Ziggler

Credit: WWE.com

For a former world heavyweight champion, Dolph Ziggler has a frightening lack of momentum heading into the brand split.

The last couple of years have been a real struggle for Ziggler, who has gradually fallen further down the pecking order as time has gone on.

An influx of talent from NXT and elsewhere have weakened his position within the company further, to the point where he's now a guy who shows up to lose matches to other stars.

Yet Ziggler still retains a serious abundance of talent, and he has proved himself to be one of the company's most reliable workers time and time again.

That isn't to say he'll get anywhere near the heights of the world-title scene once again, but with more exposure for WWE's midcarders thanks to the brand split, Ziggler could be able to slowly rebuild his career with the company when the shows split.

And maybe even a heel turn could provide another spark for his ailing career.

The Vaudevillains

Although this week's edition of Raw passed without too many notable moments, there was a worrying moment in WWE's tag division.

That came when The Vaudevillains, who did start life on the main roster relatively well, lost to the far-from-illustrious duo of R-Truth and Goldust, which is a worrying sign for their future.

However, a split roster allows the heavy amount of tag teams in WWE to find room to flourish, and with The New Day, The Wyatt Family, Enzo and Cass and The Club the leading groups at the moment, moving to another brand could benefit Simon Gotch and Aiden English.

Is their gimmick absolutely perfect? Probably not if it is to survive on the main roster, but it has enough about it to go over with a few tweaks.

Gotch and English are different, and they are pretty good heels from a tag perspective.

If the titles are defended across both shows after the brand split, The Vaudevillains could slowly build some momentum and become credible challengers in the coming months on a show of their own.

Alberto Del Rio

Credit: WWE.com

It's been slow going for Alberto Del Rio since returning to WWE at the start of this year.

The alliance with Zeb Colter never really got going, and the League of Nations stable was a complete disaster.

However, Del Rio has shown glimpses of his undoubted potential to reach the main event scene once again in recent weeks, with his performances in and around Money in the Bank a firm reminder of what he can do.

Del Rio also seems to have a decent amount of popularity with WWE fans, despite being booked and portraying himself as a heel.

So when the brand split occurs, the arguments supporting the return of a second world title should revolve around a guy like Del Rio.

He's not going to force his way into the WWE Championship scene at the moment, but another world title on SmackDown gives Del Rio something to genuinely aim for.

He's shown in the past that he's a fine world champion, so the added exposure the brand split will provide will give guys like Del Rio a deserved opportunity to thrive. Don't expect him to let people down, either.

Rusev

WWE deserves credit when it comes to the booking of Rusev. Much like Alberto Del Rio, his career looked to have stalled in the League of Nations stable, but the Bulgarian Brute is thriving on his own once again.

Disastrous rivalries with John Cena and Ziggler did little for his momentum, and they did nothing when it came to portraying his strengths.

He is a brutal, brash anti-American who takes no prisoners, and when he's booked like a dominating menace, he's a joy to watch.

The focus has shifted away from Lana, too, unlike his first lengthy run of success. It's now impossible to ignore Rusev in the ring and out of it, as he seems to have sharpened up his mic skills, too.

Unlike most of the other guys on this list, Rusev already has some impressive momentum, given how he's holding the United States Championship.

But with the brand split, that success can get even greater and transform him into arguably the company's biggest heel.

Rusev feels unstoppable at the moment, but when the brand split occurs later this month, it could be the catalyst to take his career to new heights.

And given where he was a year ago, that's a remarkable transformation in itself.

AJ Styles

Credit: WWE.com

If the brand split results in WWE introducing a second world title, then a guy like AJ Styles should head to the front of the queue on merit.

Styles has shown himself to be one of the company's most exciting and entertaining workers since joining at the Royal Rumble, and he is worthy of a shot with a major title.

He has a feud with Cena to navigate first, but with a third match at SummerSlam expected following their upcoming bout at Battleground, why can't WWE make that match for the new world title?

It would be great to see a guy like Styles afforded the opportunity to have a run with a major title in WWE, which would be a fitting accolade for a guy with AJ's experience to have.

WWE should trust that Styles could head to SmackDown and head up the entire roster on that show, either as the top heel or the top babyface.

The brand split will make stars out of guys who have struggled to truly make their presences felt, and it will turn already-popular guys and transform them into faces of the company.

Styles falls much into the latter of those two categories.