John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose and 7 Must-See Post-WWE Draft Feuds
The 2016 WWE draft, which took place back on July 19, sent shock waves throughout the WWE Universe, forever shaking up the landscape of Raw and SmackDown Live. It has been years since the brand split was last in effect in WWE, but it has already proved to be beneficial to everyone on the roster.
From an increased amount of television time for the midcard faces to a surplus of stories, both Raw and SmackDown feel significantly more important than they did a few short weeks ago.
Granted, it's still too soon to say whether bringing back the brand extension was a wise move, but so far, it has been a success. Raw has felt fresher than it has in years, and SmackDown has finally found its groove with the right mixture of seasoned veterans and up-and-coming talent.
Perhaps the biggest positive to the brand split is that it creates a variety of fresh feuds and must-see matchups for both brands. And the longer certain Superstars are kept apart (e.g. AJ Styles and Finn Balor), the more it will mean when they eventually come in contact down the line.
With the historic WWE draft in the books, let's look at seven scintillating feuds that could—and should—come out of the current rosters over the next year.
John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose
1 of 7
John Cena and Dean Ambrose have been no strangers to one another over the years, having done battle on countless occasions in six-man tag team matches during Ambrose's time in The Shield. They have even twice clashed in singles competition, producing great matches and splitting victories.
One year removed from their last one-on-one encounter on the March 30 edition of Raw in 2015, they now both find themselves as members of the SmackDown roster. Ambrose was the first overall pick for the blue brand, while Cena was drafted in the second round by Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon.
As the current reigning WWE world champion, Ambrose is the lead babyface on Tuesday nights, with Cena and Randy Orton trailing not far behind. That said, it might not be long before The Lunatic Fringe goes rogue, especially if he is the one to turn heel in his feud with Dolph Ziggler.
WWE should wait a while before flipping Ambrose from face to heel, but there's no reason why Cena and Ambrose can't feud at some point later this year. With both wrestlers being polar opposites, Cena vs. Ambrose has plenty of potential to be a remarkable rivalry.
Regardless of whether he has gold around his waist, Cena may be the top dog on SmackDown for as long as he's around, though a win against The Face That Runs the Place would cement Ambrose as a main event-caliber competitor if he isn't one already.
Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins
2 of 7
Once it was revealed in the first round of the 2016 WWE draft that Seth Rollins and Finn Balor were both bound for the Raw brand, it was inevitable they would cross paths. Fans have been anticipating that epic encounter since Balor's arrival in NXT two years ago, and now it is nearly a reality.
In his first night as an official member of the Raw roster, Balor reigned supreme in two blockbuster bouts to earn the right to face Rollins at SummerSlam. The winner will be crowned the inaugural WWE universal champion—Raw's equivalent to SmackDown's WWE World Championship.
The two came face-to-face for the first time this past Monday night, and their confrontation did not disappoint. Rollins boasted about his countless accomplishments, though Balor assured him that he will be on the receiving end of a beating come the biggest party of the summer.
It is incredible that WWE booked this rivalry mere weeks into Balor's main-roster run, but it is even more exciting to think that this could merely be the beginning. Depending on what goes down on Aug. 21, Rollins and Balor could be battling for the newly established strap for months to come.
The matches they will have should be nothing short of sensational, and their premier promo together was a treat as well. In other words, there is no reason to believe this feud won't live up to the lofty expectations.
The Miz vs. Apollo Crews
3 of 7
In such a short span of time, Apollo Crews has already made quite a name for himself in WWE. Having arrived in WWE the night after WrestleMania 32, he has stacked up an impressive string of victories, including a pinfall win over former WWE world heavyweight champion Sheamus at Money in the Bank.
Despite having plenty of untapped potential, Crews' biggest issue early on in his main-roster run was his lack of direction as a character. He floundered on Raw for many months and was constantly overshadowed by the more notable names on the show.
That said, the brand split was the greatest thing that could have happened to him, and only two weeks into his SmackDown stint, he is the new No. 1 Contender to the Intercontinental Championship. He will meet The Miz for the gold at SummerSlam in the Barclays Center, the same arena he debuted in at NXT TakeOver almost exactly one year prior.
It appears a Fatal 4-Way match involving the likes of Baron Corbin and Kalisto might be in the cards, but it would be in WWE's best interest to keep it a one-on-one affair between Crews and Miz. That is the rivalry that will take both guys to the next level and elevate the long-overlooked intercontinental title.
Love him or loathe him, Miz has been doing exceptional work as champion since April, but if there is anyone deserving enough to take the title from him, it's Crews. A lengthy feud between the two over the strap in the coming months would do wonders for the midcard scene on the blue brand.
Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn
4 of 7
Their win-loss records may not be reflective of this fact, but Sami Zayn and Chris Jericho have been two of WWE's MVPs thus far in 2016. Regardless of whether they have their hand raised on any given night, they always deliver in their respective roles.
Jericho's character had been stale for several years, but he successfully rejuvenated his career by turning heel at the onset of 2016. His feuds with AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose were entertaining, and he is due one last prominent program before taking time off again.
Meanwhile, Zayn has been one to watch since debuting on WWE's main roster shortly before WrestleMania 32. He spent many months feuding with longtime rival Kevin Owens, and the two contested a strong series of matches in that time, with Zayn emerging victorious at Battleground.
Now Zayn and Jericho both find themselves on Raw, and it should be merely a matter of time before they engage in a feud together. They have had a handful of matches against each other as of late, and each of their outings was excellent.
It remains unknown when Y2J will be departing the company, but doing the honors for The Underdog from the Underground would catapult Zayn to an all-new level of stardom. Lest we forget Zayn calling Jericho out for claiming he won the inaugural Money in the Bank ladder match.
Cesaro vs. Rusev
5 of 7
Few Superstars fell farther in 2015 than Rusev, who started the year by entering WrestleMania 31 on a tank and ended it by becoming just another guy in The League of Nations. The dissolution of the deplorable stable this past spring granted Rusev the opportunity to break out on his own again, and he has been riding a wave of momentum ever since.
At Extreme Rules, Rusev regained what he believed he should have never lost to begin with: the United States Championship. With successful title defenses against Kalisto, Titus O'Neil, Zack Ryder and Mark Henry, The Bulgarian Brute has been on a tear throughout his reign as champion.
As seen this past week on Raw, Rusev appears to be headed toward a rivalry with Roman Reigns, and it is fairly likely he will drop the strap to him at SummerSlam. But if he can somehow emerge from that program with his title intact, Cesaro would be an awesome adversary for him.
Although they have yet to engage in a full-fledged feud, they have made magic in the ring every time they have faced off in the last year. It's surprising this isn't the match WWE is doing at the pending pay-per-view, but perhaps it doesn't feel Rusev-Cesaro is worthy of taking place on such a star-studded card.
Nevertheless, they are bound to clash at some point, regardless of whether the star-spangled prize is up for grabs. Cesaro has been ripping it up on Raw in recent months, and a program with Rusev might be exactly what he needs to solidify himself as a top-tier talent on the flagship show.
Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles
6 of 7
After AJ Styles debuted at the 2016 Royal Rumble, the possibilities were endless in terms of what he could achieve in the eyes of fans. He immediately entered a rivalry with Chris Jericho and later went on to feud with Roman Reigns over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
He fell short of beating Jericho at WrestleMania 32 and was unsuccessful in capturing the prestigious prize from Reigns, but both feuds were entertaining, and he lost nothing in defeat on either occasion.
Over the last three months, Styles has been embroiled in a ruthless rivalry with John Cena, and their long-awaited dream match initially occurred at Money in the Bank. Cena was the first person fans wanted to see Styles mix it up with, but Randy Orton was a close second.
Orton was out with an injury for the first half of 2016, but he is back now and seemingly more motivated than ever before. He and Styles will be involved in different matches at SummerSlam, but it's possible they'll do battle soon, given they're both members of the SmackDown brand.
Needless to say, the matches they would contest with each other would be incredible. Even The Viper admitted to looking forward to the day he can snatch Styles in mid-air with an RKO.
Brock Lesnar vs. Kevin Owens
7 of 7
Brock Lesnar spent the first few years of his second stint with WWE competing against familiar foes such as John Cena, Triple H, Big Show and The Undertaker. But with those bouts now out of the way, he can focus on facing the talent of tomorrow.
We got a glimpse of that last year when Lesnar went to war with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, as well as this year at WrestleMania 32 with Dean Ambrose. While Randy Orton isn't an up-and-comer at this point, their SummerSlam storyline is a fresh feud if nothing else.
Beyond the biggest party of the summer, it's uncertain when The Beast Incarnate will resurface again, but when he does, it should be to do battle with a member of the Raw roster. It might be too soon for him to face Finn Balor, but Kevin Owens would be the perfect opponent.
Fans will argue that Owens is nowhere near the level of Lesnar, and while that is true to an extent, WWE can begin to build up Owens as a potential threat now in time for a marquee match down the road. Besides, the promos Paul Heyman could have with Owens alone would be worth it.
It wouldn't have to be a WrestleMania match, but as long as these two are on the same show, WWE has no excuse to not have them finally go one-on-one.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
.jpg?w=600 "WWE Raw Results & Grades 🔠")
