Category: SmackDown

2021 WWE Draft Night 2 Results, WWE Free Agents Revealed, RAW And SmackDown Rosters

Below are the results from night 2 of the 2021 WWE Draft, that took place Last night on RAW and RAW Talk.

WWE DRAFT PICKS FROM NIGHT 2 ON RAW:

ROUND 1
* RAW picks SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch to come over from SmackDown
* SmackDown picks SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos to stay on SmackDown
* RAW picks Bobby Lashley and MVP to stay on RAW
* SmackDown picks Sasha Banks to stay on SmackDown

ROUND 2
* RAW picks Seth Rollins to come over from SmackDown
* SmackDown picks WWE Intercontinental Champion King Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs to stay on SmackDown
* RAW picks WWE United States Champion Damian Priest to stay on RAW
* SmackDown picks Sheamus to come over from RAW

ROUND 3
* RAW picks AJ Styles and Omos to stay on the show
* SmackDown picks Shayna Baszler to come over from RAW
* RAW picks Kevin Owens to come over from SmackDown
* SmackDown picks Xia Li to come over from WWE NXT

ROUND 4
* RAW picks Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins to come over from SmackDown
* SmackDown picks Erik and Ivar of The Viking Raiders to come over from RAW
* RAW picks Finn Balor to come over from SmackDown
* SmackDown picks Ricochet to come over from RAW

ROUND 5
* RAW picks Karrion Kross to stay on RAW
* SmackDown picks Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza to come over from RAW
* RAW picks Alexa Bliss to stay on RAW
* SmackDown picks Cesaro to stay on SmackDown

ROUND 6
* RAW picks Carmella to come over from SmackDown
* SmackDown picks Ridge Holland to come over from NXT
* RAW picks Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson
* SmackDown picks Sami Zayn to stay on the show

MONDAY NIGHT PICKS FROM RAW TALK:
* RAW picks Dana Brooke to stay on RAW
* RAW picks Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode to come over from SmackDown
* RAW picks Jaxson Ryker to stay on RAW
* RAW picks Veer to stay on RAW
* RAW picks Liv Morgan to come over from SmackDown
* RAW picks Mia Yim (fka Reckoning) to stay on RAW
* RAW picks Tamina Snuka to come over from SmackDown
* RAW picks Tegan Nox to come over from SmackDown
* RAW picks Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander to stay on RAW
* RAW picks The Miz to stay on RAW
* SmackDown picks Jinder Mahal and Shanky to come over from RAW
* SmackDown picks Natalya to stay on SmackDown
* SmackDown picks Shotzi Blackheart to stay on SmackDown

WWE Draft changes will officially go into effect with the October 22 edition of SmackDown, which is the night after WWE Crown Jewel.

Based on only the WWE website rosters, below are the updated lists of RAW and SmackDown rosters, and free agents, coming out of the 2021 WWE Draft. The list of free agents is based off Superstars who were not drafted on Friday or Monday, and excluding a few names like Maryse and Paige for obvious reasons.

There’s still no word on how WWE plans to swap the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Titles.

FREE AGENTS:
* Asuka
* Bayley
* Brock Lesnar
* Elias
* Eva Marie
* Gran Metalik
* John Cena
* Lacey Evans
* Lince Dorado
* Shane McMahon
* Slapjack (Shane Thorne)
* Titus O’Neil
* The Undertaker

RAW:
* AJ Styles
* Akira Tozawa
* Alexa Bliss
* Angelo Dawkins
* Apollo Crews
* Austin Theory
* Becky Lynch (SmackDown Women’s Champion)
* Bianca Belair
* Big E (WWE Champion)
* Bobby Lashley
* Carmella
* Cedric Alexander
* Chad Gable
* Commander Azeez
* Damian Priest (WWE United States Champion)
* Dana Brooke
* Dolph Ziggler
* Dominik Mysterio
* Doudrop
* Drake Maverick
* Edge
* Finn Balor
* Gable Steveson
* Jaxson Ryker
* John Morrison
* Karrion Kross
* Keith “Bearcat” Lee
* Kevin Owens
* Liv Morgan
* Mia Yim
* Montez Ford
* MVP
* Nia Jax
* Nikki A.S.H. (WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion)
* Omos
* Otis
* R-Truth
* Randy Orton (RAW Tag Team Champion)
* Reggie (WWE 24/7 Champion)
* Rey Mysterio
* Rhea Ripley (WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion)
* Riddle (RAW Tag Team Champion)
* Robert Roode
* Seth Rollins
* Shelton Benjamin
* T-BAR
* Tamina Snuka
* Tegan Nox
* The Miz
* Veer
* Zelina Vega

SMACKDOWN:
* AJ “Top Dolla” Francis
* Aliyah
* Angel Garza
* Ashante “Thee” Adonis
* “B-Fab” Briana Brandy
* Cesaro
* Charlotte Flair (RAW Women’s Champion)
* Drew Gulak
* Drew McIntyre
* Erik
* Happy Baron Corbin
* Humberto Carrillo
* Isaiah “Swerve” Scott (WWE NXT North American Champion)
* Ivar
* Jeff Hardy
* Jey Uso (SmackDown Tag Team Champion)
* Jimmy Uso (SmackDown Tag Team Champion)
* Jinder Mahal
* King Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Intercontinental Champion)
* Kofi Kingston
* MACE
* Madcap Moss
* Mansoor
* Mustafa Ali
* Naomi
* Natalya
* Rick Boogs
* Ricochet
* Ridge Holland
* Roman Reigns (WWE Universal Champion)
* Sami Zayn
* Sasha Banks
* Shanky
* Shayna Baszler
* Sheamus
* Shotzi Blackheart
* Toni Storm
* Xavier Woods
* Xia Li

WWE SmackDown Preview 10/1/21, WWE Draft Night 1

Tonight’s post-Extreme Rules edition of WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live from the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland with Night 1 of the WWE Draft.

Multiple sources have reported that WWE NXT will be a part of the WWE Draft, which kicks off tonight during SmackDown from Baltimore, and then wraps with Monday’s RAW from Nashville.

It was noted by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that as of several days before the Draft, besides the top picks that FOX and the USA Network require, plans for the various picks were not set in stone, but that NXT looks to be a big part of the plans.

People in WWE were said to be under the impression that Xia Li, Dakota Kai and Aliyah are the leading candidates among the female NXT Superstars. These names have been rumored for main roster call-ups for months now, and have been working main roster dark matches.

Regarding Li, it was noted that WWE wants a legitimate Chinese star in the market after the success UFC had when Zhang Weili held the Women’s Strawweight World Title, which she lost back in April.

WWE previously indicated that WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley would not be eligible for the Draft, but that’s not necessarily the case. WWE’s official preview for tonight’s SmackDown included the following on the Draft:

“Which Superstars are about to make the jump from Raw to SmackDown? Who is heading from Friday night to Monday night? No titleholder’s place is safe! No tag team guaranteed to stay together! The only thing certain is that nothing will stay the same!”

WWE SmackDown Preview 9/17/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live from the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee with more build to Extreme Rules.

WWE Announces The 2021 Draft

The 2021 WWE Draft has been confirmed for next month.

A promo aired during tonight’s RAW episode that officially announced the beginning of the Draft for the October 1 SmackDown on FOX. The Draft will then wrap with the October 4 RAW on the USA Network.

The October 1 SmackDown was originally scheduled to take place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, but it was moved to the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore due to Hurricane Ida. The October 4 RAW show is scheduled to take place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

There’s no word yet on if the October 4 RAW show will also be the RAW 30th season premiere.

Stay tuned for updates. Below is the WWE Draft promo from tonight’s RAW:

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1437573758940852225
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1437573504199766022

Mick Foley reacts to WWE cutting Zelina Vega’s match from SmackDown on the eve of 9/11

WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley reacted to the news that Zelina Vega’s match was cut from last night’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown.

Vega was in her gear and ready to wrestle in a tag team match but due to time constraints, the match was pulled from the show. Vega was trending last night and this morning after that news got out since she is the daughter of a 9/11 victim.

Foley’s Twitter post reads, “So @TheaTrinidad’s match was cut for time at @TheGarden on the eve of 9/11? That hurts ME – I can only imagine how Thea felt. Stay strong, my friend.”

Foley has been very outspoken about WWE’s creative issues while praising what AEW has been doing with their show. However, WWE’s creative issues mean nothing in comparison in the grand scale of things. Not including Vega on the show on the eve of the 20th anniversary of 9/11 in Madison Square Garden is mindboggling.

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/1436844772795224064

Vega honored her father Michael Angel Trinidad at the 9/11 memorial.

Source: WrestlingNewsCo

Finn Balor’s Demon Alter Ego Returns To WWE And Confronted WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns

Finn Balor revived his Demon King alter ego and confronted WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in Madison Square Garden on SmackDown.

The devilishly demonic alter ego of WWE Superstar Finn Balor made its long-awaited return on this week’s edition of SmackDown when it confronted Univeral Champion Roman Reigns as the show went off the air.

It all went down inside New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Friday, September 10. Roman’s cousins and Bloodline stablemates The Usos were defending their WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The Street Profits in the show’s main event when Roman decided to interfere.

To prevent his cousins from losing their titles, Reigns by locking Montez Ford in the Guillotine and initiating a disqualification in the process. The Usos lost the match but kept the championship, much to the chagrin of the New York City crowd. But despite being disappointed with the result of the main event, the crowd would go home happy because “The Demon” Finn Balor emerged and confronted Roman Reigns as SmackDown drew to a close.

As you might recall, The Demon’s return was teased during last week’s SmackDown.

The last time Balor wore his Demon King body paint was for a match with Andrade at Super ShowDown back in July of 2019. Since then, the Irishman has admitted that he believed the character had been overexposed and that he wanted to retire it for a while.

“The ‘Demon’ was designed as something special,” Balor said in a 2020 interview with ViBe & Wrestling. “It was one of those things that should have been saved for breathtaking occasions, but it ended up being advertised in the media and that was one of the main reasons why it didn’t work. The surprise factor was completely gone and the ‘Demon’ became Finn Balor’s savior, which was also to my detriment because I could not develop my own character separate from the ‘Demon’. I think it hurt both of us – Finn Balor and the ‘Demon’.”

Source: TheSportster

WWE Super SmackDown Preview 9/10/21

Tonight’s WWE Super SmackDown on FOX will take place live from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

John Cena is advertised to appear, likely for the dark main event. MSG has Cena and The Street Profits vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos advertised

RAW Superstars are advertised to appear on the MSG and WWE websites – WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, RAW Tag Team Champions Randy Orton and Riddle, The New Day, Drew McIntyre

WWE SmackDown Preview 9/3/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will take place from the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

WWE has just one match advertised for tonight and that’s Finn Balor vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns with the title on the line.

It’s interesting to note that the WWE website has Sasha Banks advertised for tonight’s show. She has been away from the ring since missing the WWE live events the week before SummerSlam. It wast reported at one point that she was not expected back this week, but was hopeful for next week’s Super SmackDown taping from Madison Square Garden.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

SmackDown Commentator Pat McAfee Tests Positive For Covid-19

WWE color commentator Pat McAfee has tested positive for Covid-19 and will likely miss the next two SmackDown episodes.

WWE color commentator Pat McAfee has tested positive for Covid-19 and will presumably be absent from this week’s episode of SmackDown.

McAfee took to social media to let his fans know that he had tested positive for the virus and would be “aht” (out) indefinitely despite being fully vaccinated.

“Fully Vax’d. Very Positive,” McAfee captioned an image of three at-home Covid tests that signified he had indeed tested positive.

“It’s miserable but thankful that my wife and the boys at the office all took tests and they are all negative,” he continued. “This is obviously a sign from the universe, probably telling me that I stink & to stay home for a while.”

Pat also included a photo of a digital thermometer on which his fever was recorded as 104.5 — which is high!

Sadly, McAfee will probably miss the next two episodes on SmackDown at the very least, which is a shame as he’s been a very welcome addition to the WWE broadcast crew.

Pat and his SmackDown broadcast colleague Michael Cole have covered the SmackDown sides of every WWE pay-per-view since McAfee debuted on the blue brand. At the Money In The Bank pay-per-view, the duo shared a historic call when John Cena returned to WWE following the main event after more than a year away. Cole had nothing but good things to say about his colleague while appearing as a guest on a recent edition of The Pat McAfee Show.

“First I do want to say this—and I’ve read a lot about this online as well but it’s absolutely true—you’ve completely revitalized my career,” Cole gushed.

McAfee is a former NFL player who became SmackDown’s new color commentator back in April following a brief but successful stint in NXT where he served as a broadcaster and an in-ring talent. On his SmackDown debut, McAfee was referred to as a “former NXT Superstar” by Michael Cole.

Source: TheSportster

Backstage Note On Becky Lynch Working As A Heel

New SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch reportedly asked WWE officials to work as a heel for this run.

As noted, Lynch made her surprise return at WWE SummerSlam on Saturday and defeated Bianca Belair in just seconds to capture the SmackDown Women’s Title, as the replacement for Sasha Banks, who is not cleared to compete. It was later reported that current plans call for Lynch to be the top heel of the blue brand women’s division.

In an update, word now is that Lynch was the one who requested that she be booked as a heel moving forward, according to F4Wonline.com.

There’s no word on when the Belair vs. Lynch rematch will take place, but it will be interesting to see what sort of heel promo Lynch returns to SmackDown with this Friday.