Author: John Bass

Backstage Talk On Eric Bischoff’s WWE Departure And Future, SmackDown Creative, Bruce Prichard

As noted earlier at this link, WWE announced that Eric Bischoff is no longer with the company. Bruce Prichard has replaced him as the SmackDown Executive Director.

The firing of Bischoff was not a shock to people close to the situation in WWE, according to F4Wonline.com. The departure came earlier this morning. PWInsider adds that Bischoff was informed of the release after a SmackDown creative meeting at WWE HQ in Stamford, CT.

Regarding Prichard, WWE’s press release on the Executive Director change acknowledged that Prichard was hired to work the WWE creative team earlier this year, but it did not mention how he was also hired to work as Senior Vice President a month later. Bischoff was hired to be the blue brand Executive Director back in June when Paul Heyman was hired as the RAW Executive Director. Bischoff was to work closely with FOX network officials in heading up the blue brand. It was reported at the time that Prichard was the one who would acclimate Bischoff to the new role, and that Prichard was the one who pushed the hardest for WWE to hire Bischoff in the role.

It was reported today by Dave Meltzer that Prichard and SmackDown head writer Ed Koskey will be the main people in charge of the blue brand going forward. Prichard had been working with Bischoff up until today’s departure. John Pollock of POST Wrestling added that even with the the recent creative team splits between RAW and SmackDown, Prichard was one of the few that was still attending both shows.

There’s no word yet on if FOX officials had any influence when it came to WWE firing Bischoff. Meltzer noted on Twitter that FOX originally wanted Heyman to work as the Executive Director of SmackDown. There’s no word yet on why WWE went with Heyman for RAW and Bischoff for SmackDown.

Regarding Bischoff’s future, there’s also no word yet on what Bischoff has planned. PWInsider noted that Bischoff likely does not have the standard 90-day non-compete clause in his contract because he was an executive, not a talent, and he could appear in another promotion if he wanted. We noted before that Bischoff and his family recently moved from their property in Wyoming to live in Connecticut so he could be close to WWE HQ. It’s unknown if they still have property there, or if they plan on staying in Connecticut.

It was noted by Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live that some people in the company saw Bischoff’s release coming. Morale had been down for a while but it reportedly took a bigger hit on October 1 when the changes were being made. According to Alvarez, there’s been a belief among some in WWE, including Vince McMahon, that going to FOX and making other changes would bring this new “boom period” for the company but the feeling among some is that reality has set in, and they see that this “boom period” kickoff isn’t happening.

It was also reported by Alvarez on WOL that a lot of people didn’t like working under Bischoff, and that some of the people who did work under him wanted to quit. Bischoff was allegedly hard to get in touch with and often hard to find backstage. Alvarez said he had heard that Bischoff barely did anything and was often seen in catering. Some people who talked weren’t even sure what Bischoff was doing at times. Bischoff’s critics also alleged that he didn’t really know anyone and wasn’t familiar with the talents, and that he didn’t go out of his way to learn. Bischoff had noted in media interviews after being hired that he was spending some time to get familiar with the product and the roster, admitting that he wasn’t fully caught up with everything. Alvarez said he always heard “zero good things” about Bischoff, at least from his sources, and that there was always a lot of negative talk. Alvarez also noted that his sources recalled how Bischoff would show up for meetings and then “vanish” with people not being able to find him. We don’t know if Bischoff was off handling other company business, but it’s possible. Alvarez also talked about how he would ask who was running the show if Bischoff was nowhere to be found, and they would name Prichard. With that said, it’s believed that there will be no drastic creative changes now that Prichard is taking the role because he’s been handling some of those duties.

Back when Bischoff was first hired, it was believed by some that he was largely being hired as a scapegoat, and they speculated that he would be fired when something went wrong. It was speculated that the SmackDown ratings may have led to Bischoff’s departure but that’s unlikely for a few reasons. SmackDown has only been on FOX for two weeks and it was expected that the second week would be down from the premiere because the premiere was also billed as a nostalgia show for the 20th Anniversary, and there are almost always drops in viewership following those events. As we’ve noted, the FOX premiere drew an average of 3.888 million viewers while Friday’s Draft episode averaged 2.877 million viewers.

There are rumors of more releases and shake-up-related releases possibly coming soon, according to WOL, but this has not been confirmed. Stay tuned for more updates on Bischoff’s departure and future, and any other changes that are made.

Bischoff took to Twitter and commented on Bruce taking over the gig.

“Bruce is a great producer, good friend and I am certain he is going to thrive in his position. He’s going to be working with a great team of the most dedicated and hard working people I have had the pleasure of working with and getting to know,” Bischoff wrote in the tweet seen below.

https://twitter.com/EBischoff/status/1184193985952268288

Source: Wrestling Inc.

More Draft Moves Announced On WWE’s The Bump

The WWE Draft continued during the company’s weekly morning show “The Bump” on Wednesday where multiple “free agents” were signed to new brands.

The following wrestlers were drafted to Raw:

  • No Way Jose
  • Mojo Rawley
  • Sarah Logan
  • The IIconics
  • Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins

As for SmackDown, they “signed” the following:

  • Luke Harper
  • Cesaro
  • Sonya Deville
  • Mandy Rose
  • Drake Maverick
  • Dana Brooke

Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross were traded to SmackDown last night — as announced by Triple on FS1’s new WWE Studio Show called “Backstage.” During the announcement, Hunter claimed this move was done by Bruce Prichard after being promoted to Executive Director of SmackDown.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Triple H Reveals WWE Draft Trade On Backstage, Talks Bruce Prichard Replacing Eric Bischoff

Triple H appeared on last night’s WWE Backstage preview show on FS1 to reveal the big “blockbuster trade” that has been teased since Monday’s RAW.

Speaking with hosts Renee Young and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, Triple H revealed that Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross will be moving to SmackDown from RAW.

There had been a lot of talk about Cross and Bliss being drafted to RAW as singles competitors on last Friday’s SmackDown. They are now officially back together as a tag team on the roster.

There’s no word yet on if RAW will receive picks from the trade, but it seems like they should.

Triple H credited the draft trade to Bruce Prichard, the new SmackDown Executive Director.

As noted, WWE announced earlier today that Prichard is replacing Eric Bischoff as the blue brand Executive Director. Bischoff is no longer with WWE. Triple H spoke about Prichard’s new WWE role and said he doesn’t know all the details, but he is excited for it. He praised Prichard for his experience, and said he thinks with Prichard at the helm of SmackDown, he can bring the show into the realm that it needs to be, to be worthy of being on FOX and everything that comes along with it. Triple H called the Executive Director change a great move and said he believes Prichard will do amazing things in the role. He also said the way he understands it, Prichard is already making big moves for the blue brand behind-the-scenes. That’s when he revealed the trade with Cross and Bliss.

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1184265973207048192

The WWE Backstage show will officially premiere on Tuesday, November 5 at 11pm ET on FS1. Tonight’s broadcast is a special preview show.

Below is a current look at the WWE rosters from the 2019 Draft picks, not including Superstars who are currently inactive. Stay tuned for updates on the free agents.

RAW: WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, Andrade and Zelina Vega, EC3, Eric Young, Sin Cara, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka and Kairi Sane, Rusev, Aleister Black, Cedric Alexander, Humberto Carrillo, Erick Rowan, Buddy Murphy, Jinder Mahal, WWE 24/7 Champion R-Truth, Samoa Joe, Akira Tozawa, Shelton Benjamin, Rey Mysterio, Titus O’Neil, Liv Morgan, RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, The OC, Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Ricochet, Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, Natalya, RAW Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders, The Street Profits

SmackDown: WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, The New Day, Apollo Crews, Drew Gulak, Heath Slater, Tamina Snuka, The B Team, Daniel Bryan, Bayley, WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn, Ali, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, Carmella, The Miz, King Baron Corbin, Chad Gable, Elias, Roman Reigns, “The Fiend Bray Wyatt, Sasha Banks, Braun Strowman, Lacey Evans, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Revival, Lucha House Party, Heavy Machinery, Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss

Free Agents: Cesaro, AOP, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, Dana Brooke, Drake Maverick, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, Luke Harper, Mojo Rawley, No Way Jose, Sarah Logan, The IIconics

WWE Confirms Eric Bischoff Is No Longer With The Company

Eric Bischoff is no longer with WWE.

As noted earlier WWE announced that Bischoff has been replaced by Bruce Prichard as the SmackDown Executive Director.

WWE issued the following statement to the media this afternoon to confirm that Bischoff is no longer employed by the company:

“Bischoff is no longer with the company and has been replaced by Prichard.”

Bischoff was hired back in late June, along with new RAW Executive Director Paul Heyman, to oversee both of WWE’s top brands. Bischoff moved his family from Wyoming to Connecticut to be near WWE HQ in Stamford.

There’s no word yet on what led to Bischoff’s departure.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Eric Bischoff Replaced By Bruce Prichard As Executive Director Of WWE Friday Night SmackDown

WWE announced that Bruce Prichard will replace Eric Bischoff as the Executive Director of WWE Friday Night SmackDown. Prichard will report directly to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon.

Prichard will oversee the creative development of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business.

WWE had named Bischoff as the Executive Director of WWE SmackDown this past June, while also appointing Paul Heyman as the Executive Director of WWE RAW. There had been reports over recent months about Bischoff not being heavily involved with the SmackDown creative process.

WWE released following press release regarding Prichard replacing Bischoff:

WWE® NAMES BRUCE PRICHARD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SMACKDOWN®Stamford, Conn., October 15, 2019 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that it has named Bruce Prichard the Executive Director of Friday Night SmackDown, reporting directly to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon.

Prichard will oversee the creative development of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business, replacing Eric Bischoff.

Prichard brings nearly 40 years of experience in sports entertainment with an extensive background in character development and creative storytelling. Over the course of his career, Prichard has served in a variety of roles including announcer, producer, agent and on-screen personality. Earlier this year, Prichard returned to WWE as a member of the company’s creative team.

Friday Night SmackDown airs at 8 pm ET/PT on FOX.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

XFL Draft Results, Day One – Offensive Line, Defensive Front Seven

Offensive Line

Round Eleven

1) Los Angeles Wildcats – Scott Norton – OT – Toledo
2) Seattle Dragons – Isaiah Battle – OT – Clemson
3) St. Louis BattleHawks – Matt McCants – OT – Alabama-Birmingham
4) Tampa Bay Vipers – Jordan McCray – C – Central Florida
5) Dallas Renegades – Willie Beavers – OT – Western Michigan
6) New York Guardians – Jarron Jones – OT – Notre Dame
7) Houston Roughnecks –  Cornelius Edison – OT – Portland State
8) D.C. Defenders – Kyle Murphy – OT – Stanford

Round Twelve
89) D.C. Defenders – Logan Tuley-Tillman – OT – Michigan
90) Houston Roughnecks – Terry Poole – OT – San Diego State
91) New York Guardians – Cyrus Kouandjio – OT – Alabama
92) Dallas Renegades – Pace Murphy – OT – Northwestern State
93) Tampa Bay Vipers – Martez Ivey – OT – Florida
94) St. Louis BattleHawks – Brian Folkerts – OG – Washburn
95) Seattle Dragons – Venzell Boulware – OG – Tennesse
96) Los Angeles Wildcats – Fred Lauina – OG – Oregon State

Round Thirteen

97) Los Angeles Wildcats – Ryan Pope – OT – San Diego State
98) Seattle Dragons – Dillon Day – OC – Mississippi State
99) St. Louis BattleHawks – Dallas Thomas – OG – Tennessee
100) Tampa Bay Vipers – Isaiah Williams – OG – Akron
101) Dallas Renegades – Maurquice Shakir – OG – Middle Tennessee State
102) New York Guardians – Parker Collins – OC – Appalachian State
103) Houston Roughnecks – Avery Gennesy – OT – Texas A&M
104) D.C. Defenders – De’Ondre Wesley – OT – BYU

Round Fourteen

105) D.C. Defenders – Jon Toth – OC – Kentucky
106) Houston Roughnecks – Demetrius Rhaney – OC – Tennessee State
107) New York Guardians – Anthony Coyle – OG – Fordham
108) Dallas Renegades – Darius James – OT – Auburn
109) Tampa Bay Vipers – Andrew Tiller – OG – Syracuse
110) St. Louis BattleHawks – Kent Perkins – OT – Texas
111) Seattle Dragons – Cyril Richardson – OG – Baylor
112) Los Angeles Wildcats – Jaelin Robinson – OT – Temple

Round Fifteen

113) Los Angeles Wildcats – Damien Mama – OG – USC
114) Seattle Dragons – Quinterrius Eatmon – OT – South Florida
115) St. Louis BattleHawks – Jake Campos – OG – Iowa State
116) Tampa Bay Vipers – Tre Jackson – OG – Florida State
117) Dallas Renegades – Alex Balducci – OC – Oregon
118) New York Guardians – Zac Kerin – OG – Toledo
119) Houston Roughnecks – Marquez Tucker – OG – Southern Utah
120) D.C. Defenders – Rishard Cook – OG – Alabama-Birmingham

Round Sixteen

121) D.C. Defenders – Chris Brown – OG – USC
122) Houston Roughnecks – Gerhard de Beer – OT – Arizona
123) New York Guardians – Brian Fineanganofo – OT – Idaho State
124) Dallas Renegades – Josh Allen – OG – Lousiana Monroe
125) Tampa Bay Vipers – Christian Morris – OT – Ole Miss
126) St. Louis BattleHawks – – Tyler Gauthier – OC – Miami
127) Seattle Dragons – Michael Dunn – OT – Maryland
128) Los Angeles Wildcats – Nico Siragusa – OG – San Diego State

Round Seventeen

129) Los Angeles Wildcats – Ryan Cummings – OG – Wyoming
130) Seattle Dragons – Kirk Barron – OC – Purdue
131) St. Louis BattleHawks – Blake Muir – OG – Baylor
132) Tampa Bay Vipers – Tony Adams – OG – NC State
133) Dallas Renegades – Adam Bisnowaty – OT – Pittsburgh
134) New York Guardians – John Kling – OT – Buffalo
135) Houston Roughnecks – Patrick Lewis – OC – Texas A&M
136) D.C. Defenders – Tob Weathersby – OT – LSU

Round Eighteen

137) D.C. Defenders – James O’Hagan – OC – Buffalo
138) Houston Roughnecks – Ryan Anderson – OC – Wake Forest
139) New York Guardians – Ian Silberman – OG – Boston College
140) Dallas Renegades – Salesi Uhatefi – OG – Utah
141) Tampa Bay Vipers – Daronte Bouldin – OG – Ole Miss
142) St. Louis BattleHawks – James Murray – OC – Holy Cross
143) Seattle Dragons – Jordan Rose – OT – Idaho
144) Los Angeles Wildcats – Lene Maiava – OT – Arizona

Round Nineteen

145) Los Angeles Wildcats – Tyler Roemer – OT – San Diego State
146) Seattle Dragons – Robert Myers – OG – Tennessee State
147) St. Louis BattleHawks – Juwann Bushell-Beatty – OG – Michigan
148) Tampa Bay Vipers – Marquis Lucas – OG – West Virginia
149) Dallas Renegades – John Keenoy – OG – Western Michigan
150) New York Guardians – Nate Theaker – OT – Wayne State
151) Houston Roughnecks – Marcus Applefield – OT – Virginia
152) D.C. Defenders – Chase Farris – OG – Ohio State

Round Twenty

153) D.C. Defenders – Casey Tucker – OT – Arizona State
154) Houston Roughnecks – Tayo Fabuluje – OT – TCU
155) New York Guardians – Arie Kouandjio – OG – Alabama
156) Dallas Renegades Justin Evans – OT – South Carolina State
157) Tampa Bay Vipers – William Campbell – OG – Michigan
158) St. Louis BattleHawks – Dejon Allen – OG – Hawaii
159) Seattle Dragons – Craig McCorkle – OT – California (PA)
160) Los Angeles Wildcats – Anthony Morris – OT – Tennessee State

Defensive Front Seven

Round Twenty One

161) Tampa Bay Vipers – Obum Gwacham – DE – Oregon State
162) St. Louis BattleHawks – Casey Sayles DT – Ohio
163) Seattle Dragons – Stansly Maponga – DE – TCU
164) Los Angeles Wildcats – Anthony Johnson – DT – LSU
165) D.C. Defenders – James Vaughters – LB – Stanford
166) Houston Roughnecks – Trenton Thompson – DT – Georgia
167) New York Guardians – Ben Heeney – LB – Kansas
168) Dallas Renegades – Hau’oli Kikaha – DE – Washington

Round Twenty Two

169) Dallas Renegades – Sealver Siliga – DT – Utah
170) New York Guardians – Joey Mbu – DT – Houston
171) Houston Roughnecks – Corey Crawford- DE – Clemson
172) D.C. Defenders – Charles Harris – DE – Buffalo
173) Los Angeles Wildcats – Eric Pinkins – LB – San Diego State
174) Seattle Dragons – Nick Temple – LB – Cincinnati
175) St. Louis BattleHawks – Terence Garvin – LB – West Virginia
176) Tampa Bay Vipers – Deiontrez Mount – DE – Louisville

Round Twenty Three

177) Tampa Bay Vipers – Ricky Walker – DT – Virginia Tech
178) St. Louis BattleHawks – Andrew Ankrah – DE – James Madison
179) Seattle Dragons – Will Sutton – DT – Arizona State
180) Los Angeles Wildcats – Latarius Brady – DT – Memphis
181) D.C. Defenders – Elijah Qualls – DT – Washington
182) Houston Roughnecks – Edmond Robinson – LB – Newberry
183) New York Guardians – Austin Larkin – DE – Purdue
184) Dallas Renegades – Winston Craig – DT – Richmond

Round Twenty Four

185) Dallas Renegades – Ray Ray Davison – LB – California
186) New York Guardians – TJ Barnes – DT – Georgia Tech
187) Houston Roughnecks – Davis Tull – LB – Chattanooga
188) D.C. Defenders – Scooby Wright – LB – Arizona
189) Los Angeles Wildcats – Willie Mays – DE – Tiffin
190) Seattle Dragons – Tenny Palepoi – DE – Utah
191) St. Louis BattleHawks – Jamell Garcia-Williams – DE – Alabama-Birmingham
192) Tampa Bay Vipers – Reggie Northrop – LB – Florida State

Round Twenty Five

193) Tampa Bay Vipers – Josh Banks – DT – Wake Forest
194) St. Louis BattleHawks – Channing Ward – DT – Ole Miss
195) Seattle Dragons – Jacquies Smith – DE – Missouri
196) Los Angeles Wildcats – Tre’ Williams – LB – Auburn
197) D.C. Defenders – Tracy Sprinkle – DT – Ohio State
198) Houston Roughnecks – Olive Sagapolu – DT- Wisconsin
199) New York Guardians – Nick DeLuca – LB – North Dakota State
200) Dallas Renegades- Greer Martini – LB – Notre Dame

Round Twenty Six

201) Dallas Renegades – Gelen Robinson – DT – Purdue
202) New York Guardians – D’Juan Hines – LB – Houston
203) Houston Roughnecks – Beniquez Brown – LB – Mississippi State
204) D.C. Defenders – Jameer Thurman – LB – Indiana State
205) Los Angeles Wildcats – Leon Orr – DT – Florida
206) Seattle Dragons – Steven Johnson – LB – Kansas
207) St. Louis BattleHawks – Khyri Thornton – DT – Southern Miss
208) Tampa Bay Vipers – Emmanuel Beal – LB – Oklahoma

Round Twenty Seven

209) Tampa Bay Vipers – Lucas Wacha – LB – Wyoming
210) St. Louis BattleHawks Gimel President – DE – Illinois
211) Seattle Dragons – Taniela Tupou – DT – Washington
212) Los Angeles Wildcats – Reggie Howard – DT – Toledo
213) D.C. Defenders – Sam Montgomery – DE – LSU
214) Houston Roughnecks – Andrew Jackson – LB – Western Kentucky
215) New York Guardians – Jarrell Owens – DE – Oklahoma State
216) Dallas Renegades – Frank Alexander – DE – Oklahoma

Round Twenty Eight

217) Dallas Renegades – Jonathan Massaquoi – LB – Troy
218) New York Guardians – Cavon Walker – DT – Maryland
219) Houston Roughnecks – DeMarquis Gates – LB – Ole Miss
220) D.C. Defenders – Jonathan Celestin – LB – Minnesota
221) Los Angeles Wildcats – Corey Vereen – DE – Tennessee
222) Seattle Dragons – Danny Ezechukwu – DE – Purdue
223) St. Louis BattleHawks Marcus Hardison – DT – Arizona State
224) Tampa Bay Vipers – Anthony Stubbs – LB – Prairie View A&M

Round Twenty Nine

225) Tampa Bay Vipers- Jason Neill – DE- Texas-San Antonio
226) St. Louis BattleHawks – Nicholas Grigsby – LB – Pittsburgh
227) Seattle Dragons – Pasoni Tasini – DT – Utah
228) Los Angeles Wildcats – Adrian Hubbard – DE – Alabama
229) D.C. Defenders – KeShun Freeman – DE – Georgia Tech
230) Houston Roughnecks – Caushaud Lyons – DT – Tusculum
231) New York Guardians – Garrison Smith – DT – Georgia
232) Dallas Renegades – Tegray Scales- LB – Indiana

Round Thirty

233) Dallas Renegades – Izaah Lunsford – DT – Bowling Green
234) New York Guardians – Rykeem Yates – DE – Nevada
235) Houston Roughnecks – Drew Lewis- LB – Colorado
236) D.C. Defenders – Daryle Banfield – DT- Brown
237) Los Angeles Wildcats – Owen Roberts – DT- San Jose State
238) Seattle Dragons – Praise Martin-Oguike – DE – Temple
239) St. Louis BattleHawks – Corbin Kaufusi – DE – BYU
240) Tampa Bay Vipers – Devin Taylor – DE – South Carolina

 

 

 

WWE Talents To Receive Time Off During Christmas Week

WWE is set to tape the pre-Christmas edition of RAW on Tuesday, December 17 in Sioux City, Iowa. The taped show will air on Monday, December 23, according to @Wrestlevotes.

All WWE talents are scheduled to have some time off between Sunday, December 22 and Thursday, December 26. The SmackDown episode on Friday, December 27 will air live.

There will also be no live WWE NXT episode on Wednesday, December 25 for Christmas. There’s no word yet on what they have planned for NXT that night.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NWA Powerrr Preview 10/15/19

The second episode of NWA’s Power series will air tonight at 6:05pm ET on the NWA YouTube and Facebook pages. The following matches have been announced for tonight’s show:

* The debut of Aron Stevens

* Ken Anderson and Colt Cabana vs. Jordan Kingsley and Sal Rinauro

* Trevor Murdoch vs. Ricky Starks

* Homicide and Eddie Kingston vs. NWA Tag Team Champions The Wildcards

* Ashley Vox vs. NWA Women’s Champion Allysin Kay

* Appearances by NWA National Champion James Storm and others

AEW Dark Preview 10/15/19

The following matches were taped for tonight’s AEW Dark episode on YouTube:

* The Dark Order vs. Cima and SoCal Uncensored vs. Angelico and Jack Evans

* Peter Avalon vs. Sonny Kiss vs. Kip Sabian

* Unsanctioned Lights Out Match: Kenny Omega vs. Joey Janela

XFL Draft Results, Day One – Skilled Positions

The XFL Draft started today, October 15th at 10 a.m. ET and continues tomorrow, October 16th. Players from around the world received an invitation to become a part of the rebooted league. The draft will be phased the following way:

1. Skill Players (QB, RB, WR, TE)
2. Offensive Line (OT, OG, OC)
3. Defensive Front Seven (DL, LB)
4. Defensive Backfield (CB, NB, SS, FS)
5. Open Draft (In addition to P/K/LS, all remaining players after positional drafts will be available)

The D.C. Defenders had the first pick when it comes to the skill-position players. In Phases 1-4, each team will get to choose ten players, resulting in 40 players. Phase five is when teams can choose the remaining members of the roster. To make things interesting, the XFL will be going through a “snake” format; the team selecting first in the first round will pick eighth in the second round, first in the third, and so on. As of today, the XFL will be going through faces one through three.

The XFL has already announced the Tier One Quarterback situation:

https://twitter.com/xfl2020/status/1184078478918017024

Player selections will be announced on XFL.com, @xfl2020 on Twitter, @xfl on Instagram, and through the social media channels of the eight XFL teams.

Skill Positions

Round One

1) D.C. Defenders – Rashard Davis – WR – James Madison
2) Houston Roughnecks – Connor Cook – QB – Michigan State
3) New York Guardians – DeAngelo Yancey – WR – Purdue
4) Dallas Renegades – Jeff Badet – WR – Oklahoma
5) Tampa Bay Vipers – Nick Truesdell – TE – Grand Rapids JC
6) St. Louis BattleHawks – Christine Michael – RB – Texas A&M
7) Seattle Dragons – Trey Williams – RB – Texas A&M
8) Los Angeles Wildcats – Elijah Hood – RB – North Carolina

Round Two

9) Los Angeles Wildcats – Rashad Ross – WR – Arizona State
10) Seattle Dragons – Kenneth Farrow – RB – Houston
11) St. Louis BattleHawks – Brogan Roback – QB – Eastern Michigan
12) Tampa Bay Vipers – Seantavius Jones – WR – Valdosta State
13) Dallas Renegades – TommyLee Lewis – WR- Northern Illinois
14) New York Guardians – Mekale McKay- WR – Cincinnati
15) Houston Roughnecks – Kahlil Lewis – WR – Cincinnati
16) D.C. Defenders – Tre McBride – WR – William & Mary

Round Three
17) D.C. Defenders – Jhurell Pressley – RB – New Mexico
18) Houston Roughnecks – Sammie Coates – WR – Auburn
19) New York Guardians – Tanner Gentry – WR – Wyoming
20) Dallas Renegades – Cameron Artis-Payne – RB – Auburn
21) Tampa Bay Vipers – De’Veon Smith – RB – Michigan
22) St. Louis BattleHawks – De’Mornay Pierson-El – WR – Nebraska
23) Seattle Dragons – Fred Ross – WR – Mississippi State
24) Los Angeles Wildcats – Nelson Spruce – WR – Colorado

Round Four

25) Los Angeles Wildcats – Brandon Barnes – TE Alabama State
26) Seattle Dragons – Jace Amaro – TE – Texas Tech
27) St. Louis BattleHawks – Daian Washington – WR – Missouri
28) Tampa Bay Vipers – Jalen Tolliver – WR – Arkansas-Monticello
29) Dallas Renegades – Stacy Coley – WR – Miami
30) New York Guardians – Tim Cook – RB – Oregon State
31) Houston Roughnecks – Kyle Hicks – RB – Texas Christian
32) D.C. Defenders – DeAndre Thompkins – WR – Penn State

Round Five

33) D.C. Defenders – Khari Lee – TE – Bowie State
34) Houston Roughnecks – Deontez Alexander – WR – Franklin College
35) New York Guardians – Demarcus Ayers – WR – Houston
36) Dallas Renegades – Sean Price – TE – South Florida
37) Tampa Bay Vipers – Quinton Flowers – RB – South Florida
38) St. Louis BattleHawks – Wes Saxton – TE – South Alabama
39) Seattle Dragons – Keenan Reynolds – WR – Navy
40) Los Angeles Wildcats – Larry Rose – RB – New Mexico State

Round Six
41) Los Angeles Wildcats – KD Cannon – WR – Baylor
42) Seattle Dragons – Evan Rodriguez – TE Temple
43) St. Louis BattleHawks – Marcus Lucas – WR – Missouri
44) Tampa Bay Vipers – Cole Wick – TE – Incarnate Word
45) Dallas Renegades – Kelvin McNight – WR – Samford
46) New York Guardians – EJ Bibbs – TE Iowa State
47) Houston Roughnecks – Cam Phillips – WR – Virginia Tech
48) D.C. Defenders – Orson Charles – TE – Georgia

Round Seven

49) D.C. Defenders – Donnel Pumphrey – RB – San Diego State
50) Houston Roughnecks – Jalen Saunders – WR – Oklahoma
51) New York Guardians – Keith Tobrigdge – TE – Louisville
52) Dallas Renegades – Philip Nelson – QB – East Carolina
53) Tampa Bay Vipers – Rannell Hall – WR – Central Florida
54) St. Louis BattleHawks – Matt Jones – RB – Florida
55) Seattle Dragons – Kasen Williams – WR – Washington
56) Los Angeles Wildcats – Martez Carter – RB – Grambling State

Round Eight

57) Los Angeles Wildcats – Keyarris Garrett – WR – Tulsa
58) Seattle Dragons – John Santiago – WR – North Dakota
59) St. Louis BattleHawks – Ishmael Hyman – WR – James Madison
60) Tampa Bay Vipers – Reece Horn – WR – Indianapolis
61) Dallas Renegades – Lance Dunbar – RB – North Texas
62) New York Guardians – Justin Stockton – RB – Texas Tech
63) Houston Roughnecks – Devin Gray – WR – Cincinnati
64) D.C. Defenders – Max McCaffrey – WR – Duke

Round Nine

65) D.C. Defenders – Tyree Jackson – QB – Buffalo
66) Houston Roughnecks – Andre Williams – RB – Boston College
67) New York Guardians – Darius Victor – RB – Towson
68) Dallas Renegades – Donald Parham – TE – Stetson
69) Tampa Bay Vipers – Taylor Cornelius – QB Oklahoma State
70) St. Louis BattleHawks – Alonso Russell – WR – Toledo
71) Seattle Dragons – Cam Clear – TE – Texas A&M
72) Los Angeles Wildcats – Scott Orndoff – TE – Pittsburgh

Round Ten

73) Los Angeles Wildcats – Donteea Dye – WR – Heidelberg
74) Seattle Dragons – Malachi Jones – WR – Appalachian State
75) St. Louis BattleHawks – Jordan Lasley – WR – UCLA
76) Tampa Bay Vipers – Alonzo Moore – WR – Nebraska
77) Dallas Renegades – Dimitri Flowers – RB Oklahoma
78) New York Guardians – Marquise Williams – QB – North Carolina
79) Houston Roughnecks – Nick Holley – RB – Kent State
80) D.C. Defenders – Adrien Robinson – TE – Cincinnati

https://twitter.com/xfl2020/status/1184145995753504771

Offensive Line – begins at 1 pm ET.

Round One

1) Los Angeles Wildcats
2) Seattle Dragons
3) St. Louis BattleHawks
4) Tampa Bay Vipers
5) Dallas Renegades
6) New York Guardians
7) Houston Roughnecks
8) D.C. Defenders

Round Two
9) D.C. Defenders
10) Houston Roughnecks –
11) New York Guardians –
12) Dallas Renegades –
13) Tampa Bay Vipers –
14) St. Louis BattleHawks –
15) Seattle Dragons –
16) Los Angeles Wildcats