WWE Draft 2016: Forecasting Breakout Stars After Raw, SmackDown Brand Split

The WWE brand extension breeds breakout stars, as the lack of credible main event talent at the top of either Raw or SmackDown demands that Creative takes the initiative and elevates wrestlers to more prominent roles on the roster.

History tells us as much.

One look back at the inaugural split reveals several wrestlers who achieved main event notoriety and etched their names in the record books because of the opportunities they seized during that stretch of time.

Edge, Rey Mysterio, John Cena, Batista, Jeff Hardy, Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero all broke through the proverbial glass ceiling and captured heavyweight gold they may otherwise never have attained.

A new crop of wrestlers who are all seeking to quench their thirst for success is poised to follow in those legends' footsteps beginning July 19. Which Superstars will make the leap to the top of the wrestling world and wear championship gold before they know it?

Let's take a look.

Kevin Owens

Credit: WWE.com

The Prizefighter is one signature victory and strong run of television away from entrenching himself in the main event scene.

Owens is a talented in-ring performer whose arrogance and sarcasm have helped him stand out among the cookie-cutter characters who surround him. His biggest hurdle, however, is inconsistent booking. Too often, WWE has built him up, only to sacrifice him in television and pay-per-view matches against stars who are perceived to be bigger than him, most frequently Dean Ambrose.

With less of a logjam of stars ahead of him, Owens could well explode into main events and capture a heavyweight championship before year's end.

Neville

Credit: WWE.com

Fresh off a broken ankle suffered during a match with Chris Jericho this past spring, The Man That Gravity Forgot returned to the squared circle at the July 12 SmackDown tapings, wrestling an untelevised match.

That is a significant step in his journey back to television. Long one of the most talented and dynamic in-ring performers on the roster, he was stuck wallowing away in the midcard, where he engaged Stardust in a never-ending feud.

For the British-born competitor, the WWE draft represents a fresh lease on his career in sports entertainment's grandest promotion. No longer must he take a back seat to Ambrose, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro and other prominent babyfaces. Spots will open up, allowing him to showcase the in-ring acumen and high-flying arsenal that carried him to the NXT Championship and the top spot on the developmental brand.

Becky Lynch 

No female Superstar will benefit more from the roster split than Becky Lynch, who has been the odd woman out of the Women's Championship hunt since her stellar performance back at WrestleMania 32. For whatever reason, WWE Creative has seen fit to place her in secondary feuds with Emma and Natalya rather than allow the company's purest babyface to excel when the stakes are at their highest.

Barring a scenario in which she ends up on the same roster as Sasha Banks, Lynch should rise to the top of women's wrestling on either Raw or SmackDown, basking in the spotlight that has been reserved for others since her days in NXT.

Throwing suplexes and forcing her peers to tap to her dangerous Disarmer, she will achieve the greatness her skills dictate but her push has not allowed to this point.

The Vaudevillains 

Credit: WWE.com

Right now, it appears as if Simon Gotch and Aiden English are destined to go the way of The Ascension, a set of former NXT tag team champions whose main roster run was lined with anything but gold.

Expect that to change come July 19 when the roster is split and both Raw and SmackDown are jockeying for tag teams to help shore up their brand.

The team is talented, as witnessed in both its developmental and main roster exploits. Upon arriving on WWE television, English and Gotch displayed an ability to talk, something they did little of during their time in Full Sail University.

They are capable of succeeding on the big stage of Raw or SmackDown; they just need a legitimate opportunity rather than serve as the flavor of the month for Enzo Amore, Big Cass and The New Day to beat up on.

Baron Corbin 

The Lone Wolf is a star in waiting and an athletic big man whose aura is that of a future champion. His presence is reminiscent of The Undertaker's in that they both walk into the arena with the belief that they are the baddest and most dangerous men in the world. As a result, the audience perceives them that way.

That invaluable tool makes up for a great deal of the subpar booking that Corbin has been on the receiving end since his Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal victory back at WrestleMania.

With a clearer path to greatness in front of him and evidence of WWE's support of the big man in the video packages recently airing on Raw, expect to see Corbin launch his push toward championship gold with the arrival of the July 19 episode of SmackDown and the WWE draft.