For some, the WWE draft presents brand-new opportunities for bigger and better things. It provides renewed pushes, championship chances and high-profile main events the likes of which some have yet to experience in their runs with the company.

For others, though, the draft brings an uncertainty that threatens their ongoing pushes, the unsatisfying conclusion of stories and a return to obscurity.

As WWE embarks on its latest roster reshuffle, live on SmackDown from Las Vegas Friday night, these are the 10 Superstars who may most be screwed by the company's latest attempt at freshening things up again.

Elias

The arrival of Elias to SmackDown as part of the Superstar Shake-Up in April gave him the opportunity to star alongside Shane McMahon as a genuine main event attraction on the blue brand.

He fought the likes of The Miz, Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens in high-profile bouts, with his star elevated by working alongside those competitors and sharing the spotlight with Shane-O-Mac.

While Elias was usually on the receiving end of a beatdown courtesy of those Superstars, there was no denying his profile had never been higher in WWE. 

After being absent from television due to injury, though, his momentum has been halted. With the potential that SmackDown loads up on star power as it becomes firmly entrenched on Fox, the likelihood of him continuing to enjoy the push he previously did is extremely low.

A return to the midcard is most likely.

Cedric Alexander

Without the brand extension, a Superstar like Cedric Alexander would never receive the push he enjoyed early this fall.

A former cruiserweight champion and a cornerstone of the 205 Live brand, the Superstar Shake-Up in April allowed him to make the jump to Raw and become a breakout star of sorts.

The creative team, particularly Raw executive director Paul Heyman, saw something in him that made them comfortable enough to push him into the spotlight via a series of hard-fought battles with Cesaro, Drew McIntyre and United States champion AJ Styles.

He won some, lost some but was always better off for having had the platform on which to highlight his abilities against some of the best Superstars in the world. The possibility he moves to SmackDown, where it will be much more difficult to offer those same opportunities on a more compact two-hour broadcast is almost disheartening.

Alexander has been a top-five in-ring performer for the company since April. The potential that he becomes lost in the shuffle, screwed by the inopportune draft timing, is disappointing for both him and the fans that have supported him through his trials and tribulations under the WWE umbrella.

Chad Gable

Chad Gable recently received a renewed push in the form a trip to the King of the Ring finals, where he lost a stellar match to Baron Corbin.

The subsequent television time and showcase on Sunday's Hell in a Cell pay-per-view can be attributed to the string of superb in-ring performances he unleashed over the course of the tournament.

The opportunity to rise from obscurity was the result of the brand extension, which afforded him an opportunity he would not have had in a jam-packed main event scene.

While the brand extension will continue, the uncertainty of where Gable will land, coupled with creative team preferences, could lead to a return to the dark abyss that is the WWE undercard.

That would be a major disappointment given his performances and the in-ring charisma he has flashed over the course of the last two months.

Ali

Ali escaped the purgatory of 205 Live to become a legitimate breakout star on SmackDown, thanks to matches with Daniel Bryan that showcased his abilities between the ropes.

He parlayed those contests into a fairly solid run on the blue brand that also put him in the same ring as Randy Orton and Roman Reigns.

Ali was a consistent presence on SmackDown. The potential for a move to Raw, where he would be at the mercy of a new creative team who may not value him as much as the current writing staff does, opens up the possibility that he will be screwed more than most.

That would be a major disappointment for a star who has made the most of every opportunity given to him, such as a Hell in a Cell pay-per-view match with The Viper.

Remember, it was only in February that Ali was in line for a main event push before injury struck and allowed Kofi Kingston to take his place at Elimination Chamber.

Now, there is no guarantee a steady push of any kind beyond the draft. 

Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler may be the most resilient Superstar in WWE history.

He has survived so many start-and-stop pushes that a lesser performer would have likely been damaged beyond repair from a creative standpoint. However, the former world heavyweight champion manages to survive and thrive against all odds.

Still, that does not make the inconsistency any less frustrating.

Ziggler is a Raw tag team champion alongside Robert Roode, yet an announced title defense against The Viking Raiders for the October 14 episode of the flagship has many thinking his alliance with The Glorious One may be nearing its end—as may his run on the red brand.

If that is the case, The Showoff again finds himself in uncertainty. Does he shift brands yet again, where he will likely be the punching bag for someone like Roman Reigns or even the tackling dummy for the debuting Cain Velasquez? Might he continue to flirt with the main event, only to be reminded he is the proverbial bridesmaid, never the bride?

Whatever the case, Ziggler has traditionally been one of those Superstars screwed by WWE's creative inconsistencies and roster shuffles.

Kofi Kingston

Kofi Kingston's unlikely rise to the WWE Championship was made possible by the brand extension, which has previously allowed John Cena, Batista, John Bradshaw Layfield and Eddie Guerrero to ascend to the top of the industry.

The lack of stars at the top of the roster makes it possible for WWE Creative to take a chance on a long-time ring veteran and push them to levels they have never previously enjoyed.

Kingston benefited from a push this past year, but with the likelihood WWE turns to the more established main event performers like Roman Reigns to headline its network television broadcast, don't be surprised to see him slink back into the midcard.

Such a descent was essentially confirmed on the Fox debut with Kingston's 10-second loss of the WWE title to Brock Lesnar.

Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens should still be the hottest Superstar on the roster, thanks to his rebellious opposition of the oppressive Shane McMahon, which resulted in one of the loudest pops on the entire SummerSlam broadcast.

However, questionable creative and a drawn-out storyline diminished his push, slowed his momentum and left his character a shell of the hellraiser he had become.

If the SmackDown team—more committed to the performer than Raw had been during KO's last stint—cannot maintain that momentum, any potential jump to the red brand is not promising for The Prizefighter.

Owens' push since his run as universal champion in 2017 has been inconsistent, to say the least. A return to the red brand could continue that trend as a new creative team may not see him as the second coming of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin like the SmackDown writing staff did.

Owens deserves to build on the foundation he laid earlier this year, but the WWE draft may rob him of it.

Natalya

Since jumping to Raw in April 2018, Natalya has been portrayed as the best friend of Ronda Rousey, battled women's champion Becky Lynch in a fairly significant pay-per-view match and defeated Lacey Evans in a solid Last Woman Standing match.

She has momentum on her side and looks like as much a genuine top contender for the brand's women's title as anyone else.

So, what better timing than to have her shuffled off to SmackDown, where she will be forced to start over again under the creative rule of Eric Bischoff?

Natalya is a company woman, willing to do whatever is asked of her, no matter how detrimental it may be to her professional success. She would likely make the jump to SmackDown without issue, but it would be a major blow to everything she has built over the last 18 months.

The Queen of Harts is a talented in-ring performer who has been on the main roster for a decade. Whereas others like Chad Gable, Ali and Cedric Alexander are young performers with time and opportunity to re-establish themselves if necessary, there are only so many more chances she will have to build her legacy in Vince McMahon-owned rings.

To see her momentum stifled by a jump to SmackDown, or to see her star eclipsed by the arrival of new faces to the Raw division, would be very disappointing for her.

Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio has been part of one of the more compelling storylines of late, centering on his last great run and his desire to introduce son Dominick to the WWE Universe, hoping they will allow him to one day continue the family's legacy with the company.

The future Hall of Famer used that desire to fuel him to a renaissance of sorts, until Brock Lesnar pummeled both father and son in a vicious beatdown that left Dominick in need of a hospital stint. Rey responded by bringing Cain Velasquez to the debut of SmackDown in his bid for revenge on the The Beast Incarnate.

The story is easily the best and highest-profile thing Mysterio has been involved in since returning to the company in 2018.

Unfortunately, the uncertainty surrounding his spot on Raw or SmackDown and around the creative team's devotion to him and his storyline leaves him without the guarantee that anything previously established will have a suitable and compelling conclusion.

And that makes Mysterio one of the more prominent stars likely to be screwed by the WWE draft.