Predicting which brand 5 out-of-action WWE Superstars will land on upon returning
If you watched the first official WWE program of 2021, SmackDown, then we got a pretty important return during the episode. Sonya Deville didn't target or attack anyone, she made her triumphant return in a brief backstage segment. Instead, she was seen walking by several SmackDown stars. Deville had a smile on her face and with a segment lasting less than two minutes, one of the brighter young stars in WWE has returned.
Picking which brands for each star isn't necessarily rocket science. Some stars simply have better chances of advancing in a division on different shows. That is precisely the case for Deville on the Blue brand. Had she been put on RAW, she would have likely had to go back to the storyline with Mandy Rose. She'd also struggle to move up with Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Shayna Baszler, and Nia Jax as the top dogs on Monday nights. On SmackDown, however, Sasha Banks and Bayley are the two big names, but neither is unbeatable.
There are some pretty big names slated to return to the WWE in 2021. Several names were left out of the 2020 WWE Draft pools due to injury or hiatus. So where will they end up once they return?
Here are predictions for five particular missing WWE stars and which brand they'll likely join upon their returns.
#5 Andrade could appear on WWE RAW
Andrade has been on both brands in his two years or so on the WWE main roster. He won the United States Championship on RAW but had great matches on both brands when given the chance.
Andrade's 2020 was a bit disappointing. While he was put into a tag team alongside Angel Garza, the team had mediocre success. They challenged for the RAW Tag Team Championship a few times but were unsuccessful in each attempt. And then, as WWE did numerous times in 2020, the duo was broken up and Garza and Andrade went their separate ways.
Andrade was left out of the 2020 WWE Draft pool, but his real-life fiance, Charlotte Flair, was drafted to RAW. Since WWE has tried to keep most couples under its umbrella on the same brand, El Idolo could end up on RAW.
Andrade's ceiling is still very high and they haven't explored a face version of the character on the main roster. The heel version of Andrade is what got him over in the first place, but that was with Zelina Vega by his side. Whatever the case may be, he should be pushed up the card before he loses interest.