A new major champ, a dominant general - Grading the RAW roster following 2023 WWE Draft
After two big nights, RAW, SmackDown, and NXT all had their rosters reset in the 2023 WWE Draft. A new major championship was created for the red brand due to Roman Reigns continued stranglehold over the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Because of that title situation, the top stars from the red brand will be able to compete in a tournament for the World Heavyweight Championship. The finals of the tournament will take place at Night of Champions at the end of May.
Many tag teams joined the red brand, including the current Unified Tag Team Champions Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. Will they relinquish the SmackDown Tag titles or move forward as Unified titleholders?
Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair switched brands and will likely trade titles down the road. How did the RAW roster fare following the 2023 WWE Draft? Here are the grades for each division.
#3. The RAW Tag Team Division is stacked
Tag Teams: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (Champions), Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser), The Judgment Day, The New Day, Indus Sher, The Viking Raiders, Braun Strowman and Ricochet, Los Lotharios, Maximum Male Models, Alpha Academy
Not only were current Undisputed Tag Team Champions Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens selected by RAW, but so were several top teams. The New Day are multi-time former titleholders, while Alpha Academy and the Viking Raiders have also won gold.
Strowman and Ricochet have a good vibe as an odd couple duo. The Judgment Day and Imperium could be future champions if they aren't battling each other for brand supremacy.
With so many good teams on the red brand alone, it seems like a separation of the titles could be on the cards. There has to be a reason for adding a lot of depth to both tag divisions.
The grade for the RAW Tag Team division: A-
#2. The Women's Divison on RAW has a new sheriff
Superstars: Rhea Ripley (Champion), Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriquez (Women's Tag Team Champions), Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, Trish Stratus, Indi Hartwell, Natalya, Candice LeRae, Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville, Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler, Dana Brooke, Xia Li, Nikki Cross, Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Emma, Tegan Nox, Piper Niven
The RAW Women's division has 21 performers. That's a lot of women to book without including Maxxine Dupri and Valhalla. Adding Katana Chance and Kayden Carter was a move for the tag team ranks, but if they don't win the belts, where does that leave them?
The new division also boasts seven women who have won singles gold on the main roster. Rodriguez has clearly been pegged as a future champion. Baszler should have won singles gold but hasn't yet. Chelsea Green has nailed her role as a complaining star, while Zoey Stark could also be a future titleholder.
There's a lot of depth, but it seems like this will be Rhea's division for a long time. She can battle Becky Lynch, Rodriguez, Morgan, and others while Hartwell, Stark, and Green are built up. Stark and Green have higher ceilings than Hartwell, who will probably tag with LeRae once she's fully healthy.
The grade for RAW Women's division: B+
#1. The men of RAW will battle over the World Heavyweight title
Superstars: Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollin, Matt Riddle, Gunther (Intercontinental Champion), The Miz, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor, Damien Priest, Dominik Mysterio, Apollo Crews, JD McDonagh, Dexter Lumis, Bronson Reed, Odyssey Jones, Johnny Gargano, Madcap Moss, Akira Tozawa, Jinder Mahal,
Many of the mid-card will be filled with new names and members of the tag teams drafted to Monday nights. Rhodes, McIntyre, Rollins, Nakamura, and Gunther will likely vie for the World Heavyweight title. Free agents Brock Lesnar and Omos may also be a part of the tournament.
One issue that could arise is who dethrones Gunther. He's already faced good guys like Nakamura, Xavier Woods, Riddick Moss, and Drew McIntyre. Having Seth Rollins or Rhodes battle over the Intercontinental title at this point would be a step back for those performers.
Unless it ends up being Owens, Zayn, or Riddle, it'll be hard to pick someone to take the belt from Gunther. McDonagh is a workhorse and could rival his mentor, Finn Balor, at some point. One big question is how far Johnny Gargano goes. He could be another Daniel Bryan but has had a middling booking thus far on the main roster.
The grade for RAW's Men's Division: B-