The Miz to WWE Raw and More Brand Trades That Will Boost Raw and SmackDown

Not even two months removed from the WWE draft, The Miz is threatening to rearrange the Raw and SmackDown rosters. And in this case, a touch of early chaos would be a blessing for the WWE product.

The intercontinental champ's departure from the blue brand to WWE's flagship show is just the kind of shakeup the company should consider. A trade for The Miz would escalate tension between the brands, create new opportunities and provide The Hollywood A-Lister with plenty of ammo for his future tirades.

Kalisto, Cesaro and Paige would benefit from a change of brands, too.

The talk of The Miz potentially moving is a result of his ongoing storyline friction with SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan. The IC champ first got people talking when he dug into Bryan during a recent edition of Talking Smack. 

The Miz has since demanded that Bryan renegotiate his deal. He believes Bryan has it in for him and that he hasn't provided him the spotlight he deserves. WWE has played up the conflict, updating fans on the tense contract talks.

In a rant on Facebook, The Miz said of the situation, "You don't like me? Trade me. Trade me to Raw."

Even if this doesn't lead to The Miz switching brands, it generates thoughts of what could be, especially with the various possibilities at WWE's disposal should it look to shake up its top shows.

Trades could provide a wrestler with a storyline to build on, as with The Miz. Otherwise, Raw could strengthen its cruiserweight division, or SmackDown could bolster its Women's Championship scene. 

The Miz (SmackDown) for Rusev (Raw)

This is as even a trade as one can get.

The Miz is playing his role as a braggart heel well. Rusev, meanwhile, has been an excellent predatory villain for Raw. The Miz is a bit more established, but Rusev has more long-term potential at just 30 years old.

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In addition, SmackDown would bring in the United States Championship to offset the loss of the Intercontinental Championship.

Moving The Miz would create buzz around him as WWE continues to play up his contract issues, his unhappiness and his tension with Bryan. On Raw, he could find himself banging heads with management, starting a new dramatic situation for the champ.

Rusev, meanwhile, fits well into the Raw landscape, but traveling to SmackDown would be a welcome shakeup. A number of old rivals would be waiting for him there: Zack Ryder, John Cena, Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler. 

Sami Zayn (Raw) for Kalisto (SmackDown)

When Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon announced that Raw would host an exclusive cruiserweight division, it seemed like the ideal stage was set for Kalisto. But The King of Flight went to SmackDown instead.

The move left many confused. Kalisto would thrive against his fellow cruiserweights. Keeping him separate from that world is baffling.

Three Man Booth wondered if Kalisto may look for the blue brand to send him where he belongs:

SmackDown could then replace one exciting athlete with another. Zayn has the potential to be a WWE World Championship contender and a high-level babyface. Bryan would be thrilled to have the underdog aboard.

Plus, the trade would separate Zayn from archenemy Kevin Owens. WWE has relied so much on that rivalry that Zayn hasn't been able to tell any other stories.

Keeping the rivals apart would force the company to build an identity for Zayn outside of his hate for Owens. Being able to go up against AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt or a disgruntled Ziggler wouldn't hurt, either.

Paige (Raw) for The Vaudevillains (SmackDown)

The SmackDown women's division is short on experience.

Alexa Bliss, the No. 1 contender to the women's title, is a rookie. She and Carmella joined SmackDown from NXT before they were polished products. Eva Marie is still a raw prospect who needs a lot of help to progress.

Nabbing Paige from Raw would help all of those women. She would make a great rival for any of them.

And with Paige's recent suspension and WWE releasing her boyfriend, Alberto Del Rio, there is a lot of real-life frustration to vent on the air. A move to SmackDown could play a big part in her story, as she can claim that there was a conspiracy against her or rail against Raw's authority figures.

To offset losing Paige, Raw would deepen its tag team division. 

WWE has given The Vaudevillains little chance to gain their footing early on. They are already lost in the shuffle on SmackDown, with everyone from The Hype Bros to American Alpha getting far more attention.

A trade to Raw would give Aiden English and Simon Gotch the spark they have been lacking.

Instead of being a pair of forgotten bottom feeders, The Vaudevillains could reignite their unfinished rivalry with The New Day or clash with Enzo Amore and Big Cass. As a bonus, the latter feud would allow WWE to stop pushing The Shining Stars so much.

Cesaro (Raw) for Apollo Crews (SmackDown) 

A less crowded top tier would allow Cesaro to thrive.

ESPN.com's Matt Wilansky suggested a Cesaro-Kane deal in August. In making the case for The King of Swing, Wilansky wrote, "A weaker SmackDown roster gives him more opportunity to shine."

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Wilansky is right. On Raw, Cesaro has to compete with Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor and Brock Lesnar for a space on the top tier. Should a trade bring him to SmackDown, he would have to compete with Cena and Randy Orton—but with two major caveats.

Cena looks to be in the process of moving into a part-time role. And thus far, Orton has existed outside the WWE World Championship picture.

Cesaro would also be more at home on the wrestling-heavy brand.

He knows that. After the draft, the Swiss strongman said in a backstage interview, "I feel like I probably would have been a better fit for SmackDown." 

As for Crews, SmackDown has often left him out.

He is currently without a rival and just came off getting a last-minute bout on the Backlash pre-show. Moving to a three-hour show would open the door for him to get added opportunities.

The recent NXT call-up would be a great addition to the tag team division, should he join forces with someone like Neville. The two high-flyers could better their connections with fans by way of thrilling in-ring action each week and moving up the tag team ranks.

Here's hoping the Miz-to-Raw talk is only the beginning of a number of roster-altering moves. Powerful tweaks and jump-starts await.