Eight WWE Superstars Who Could Switch Brands Following Night of Champions 2026

With WWE Night of Champions 2026 on the horizon, the landscape across Raw, SmackDown, and NXT is shifting — and a number of roster moves could be in the cards once the dust settles from the premium live event.

The most high-profile name in the conversation is CM Punk. After losing the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42 Night Two, Punk has been off WWE programming for several months. Reports have suggested the Best in the World could be heading to Friday Night SmackDown upon his return, which would position him as one of the brand’s biggest stars going forward.

Also in the mix is Jey Uso, who has ridden a strong run through the King of the Ring tournament — defeating LA Knight, Royce Keys, Finn Balor, and Je’Von Evans — to earn a spot in the finals against Oba Femi at Night of Champions. Should Uso win the crown, a move to SmackDown could set up a major SummerSlam showdown with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in Minneapolis.

IYO SKY is another name to watch. She faces Liv Morgan in the Queen of the Ring Finals at Night of Champions, and a victory there would give her a world title shot at SummerSlam. Whether she pursues Morgan’s WWE Women’s World Championship on Raw or crosses over to SmackDown to challenge her friend Rhea Ripley for the WWE Women’s Championship adds an intriguing wrinkle to the outcome.

On the NXT side, both Tony D’Angelo and Lola Vice appear poised for main roster calls. D’Angelo — the first-ever NXT Grand Slam Champion — defends the NXT Championship against NARAKU at NXT Great American Bash 2026, while Vice puts her NXT Women’s title on the line against Kendal Grey at the same show. Either a title loss or a decisive victory could serve as the springboard for both to make the jump.

Tag team Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer and Axiom) returned to NXT on June 9 to defeat Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno, raising questions about whether a full brand switch — either back to NXT permanently or over to Raw — might give the former two-time NXT Tag Team Champions a better platform than they’ve had on SmackDown since their 2025 call-up.

Tatum Paxley also came into focus after losing the NXT Women’s North American Championship to Zaria on June 9. With a rematch scheduled for The Great American Bash, that event could represent Paxley’s proper farewell to NXT before transitioning to the main roster.

Finally, Solo Sikoa’s situation with The MFTs has grown increasingly complicated following Roman Reigns’ Tribal Combat victory over Jacob Fatu at Clash in Italy — a win that saw Fatu brought into the fold of The Bloodline. With Reigns sending messages to Sikoa about returning to the family, a move to Raw could set the stage for a direct collision between Sikoa and The Bloodline after Night of Champions.

Night of Champions 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal crossroads for several of WWE’s biggest names, with the fallout likely to reshape the rosters heading into SummerSlam season.