10 WWE Stars That Benefited From Changing Brands

If one good thing came out of the original brand extension, it was the chance for renewal for wrestlers that spun their wheels hopelessly on other shows. When the rosters would be shaken up virtually every spring from 2004 onward, new feuds would be borne out of the settled dust. Sometimes new characters would be allotted to the inbound talents, and with it came a new lease on life.

Sometimes, it's a midcard wrestler that splits from his long-standing partners or allies to stand on his own, and creative soon after realised the potential wielded by the individual. Other times it's been a main event-caliber wrestler that was treading on the same tired shtick for too long, and a cleaning of rancid circumstances makes him sparkle just that much more.

Whatever the cases have been, the brand extension has worked its magic for such wrestlers. It was virtually a fail-safe method of freshening up the product as a whole, as more than just a few talents would benefit in their new homes. It's one of the better arguments for bringing the concept back, especially when every Raw these days feels the same as the previous one.

All entries are presented chronologically.

As if WWE were attempting to quickly demonstrate the effectiveness of switching brands, Benjamin was separated from partner Charlie Haas, brought to Raw, and immediately given a semi-clean win over Triple H.

Benjamin was quickly treated as a veritable equal to the likes of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Edge as tops of Raw's babyface tier, as the group was booked strongly against Evolution. Benjamin's awing athleticism was welcome among the brilliant storytelling of the year.

By year's end, Benjamin had won Jericho's Intercontinental title, and he would buoy the upper midcard with his mesmerising work. When one thinks of wrestlers that hit the ground running on a new show, Benjamin's 2004-05 banner year immediately comes to mind.