Category: SmackDown

WWE Draft Rules And Pools Announced

WWE has announced the official rules and Superstar pools for the 2020 Draft. The Draft kicks off this Friday during SmackDown on FOX, and then will wrap during Monday’s RAW on the USA Network.

There will be more than 60 Superstars and tag teams that are eligible in the Draft. More than 20 Superstars from both brands will be eligible to be drafted on Friday, and more than 30 will be eligible to be drafted on Monday.

Due to the length of each show, RAW will get 3 picks for every 2 picks that SmackDown selects. Tag teams will count as 1 pick unless FOX or USA, in conjunction with WWE officials, want to pick just one Superstar from the team. Any undrafted Superstars will be declared free agents, and will be able to sign the the brand of their choosing.

The biggest news on the pools is that RETRIBUTION, as a group, will be eligible to be drafted to the blue brand. All 6 members (Mustafa Ali, T-BAR, Slapjack, Mace, Retaliation, Reckoning) will be included in the pick, which kills any speculation on Retaliation (Mercedes Martinez) being nixed from the group.

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns are both eligible to be drafted on Friday night. Several RAW Underground regulars will also be eligible, including Dabba-Kato. Another interesting note from the pool is that Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio will be drafted as a team, while Erik of The Viking Raiders is going by himself due to Ivar being out of action. It was reported this week that Erik is also currently out of action after undergoing a minor operation to remove old surgery hardware from his arm. There are no WWE NXT Superstars listed in the pools.

The following Superstars are eligible to be drafted on Friday: RAW Women’s Champion Asuka, Sasha Banks, Bianca Belair, Dana Brooke, Humberto Carrillo, Elias, Angel Garza, Drew Gulak, Heavy Machinery (Otis & Tucker), The Hurt Business (WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander and MVP), Mickie James, Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado), WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, Murphy, Rey & Dominik Mysterio, Naomi, The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods), WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Ricochet, Seth Rollins, Mandy Rose, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax, Shorty G, AJ Styles, Jey Uso.

The following Superstars are eligible to be drafted on Monday: Andrade, SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley, Aleister Black, Alexa Bliss, Daniel Bryan, Carmella, King Corbin, Apollo Crews, Nikki Cross, Dabba-Kato, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode, Erik (of The Viking Raiders), Lacey Evans, Charlotte Flair, Jeff Hardy, Billie Kay, Lana, Keith Lee, The Miz & John Morrison, Riddick Moss, Natalya, Titus O’Neil, Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, WWE 24/7 Champion R-Truth, RETRIBUTION (Mustafa Ali, T-BAR, MACE, SLAPJACK, RECKONING & RETALIATION), Matt Riddle, The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan), Peyton Royce, Arturo Ruas, Sheamus, SmackDown Tag Team Champions Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro, RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford), Braun Strowman, Tamina, Akira Tozawa, Zelina Vega, Bray Wyatt, WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn.

Stay tuned for updates on the WWE Draft. Below is WWE’s full announcement issued to us today:

WWE Draft rules and Superstar pools set for 2020 edition

The WWE Draft will get underway this Friday, Oct. 9 on SmackDown and conclude Monday, Oct. 12 on Raw. WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon will once again preside over both nights of selections.

As reported by FOX Sports, the rules and Superstar pools have now been finalized for the 2020 WWE Draft.

* Over 60 Male Superstars, Female Superstars and Tag Teams have been placed into the 2020 WWE Draft.
* More than 20 Superstars are eligible to be drafted on Friday night and more than 30 Superstars are eligible to be drafted on Monday night.
* Due to the length of each show, for every two picks that SmackDown selects, Raw will get three picks.
* Tag Teams will count as one pick unless FOX or USA Network, in conjunction with WWE Officials, wants to pick one Superstar from the team.
* Any undrafted Superstars will immediately be declared free agents and able to sign with the brand of their choosing.

WWE Superstars have been split into eligible pools for the Friday and Monday episodes of the WWE Draft. Here is the breakdown of who is available for selection each night:

FRIDAY
Asuka
Sasha Banks
Bianca Belair
Dana Brooke
Humberto Carrillo
Elias
Angel Garza
Drew Gulak
Heavy Machinery (Otis & Tucker)
The Hurt Business (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander and MVP)
Mickie James
Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado)
Drew McIntyre
Murphy
Rey & Dominik Mysterio
Naomi
The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)
Roman Reigns
Ricochet
Seth Rollins
Mandy Rose
Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax
Shorty G
AJ Styles
Jey Uso

MONDAY
Andrade
Bayley
Aleister Black
Alexa Bliss
Daniel Bryan
Carmella
King Corbin
Apollo Crews
Nikki Cross
Dabba-Kato
Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
Erik (of The Viking Raiders)
Lacey Evans
Charlotte Flair
Jeff Hardy
Billie Kay
Lana
Keith Lee
The Miz & John Morrison
Riddick Moss
Natalya
Titus O’Neil
Randy Orton
Kevin Owens
R-Truth
RETRIBUTION (Mustafa Ali, T-BAR, MACE, SLAPJACK, RECKONING & RETALIATION)
Matt Riddle
The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan)
Peyton Royce
Arturo Ruas
Sheamus
Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro
The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
Braun Strowman
Tamina
Akira Tozawa
Zelina Vega
Bray Wyatt
Sami Zayn

Don’t miss this WWE Draft on Friday, Oct. 9 at 8/7 C on FOX and Monday, Oct. 12 at 8/7 C on USA Network to see where your favorite Superstars are headed.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 10/2/20

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live from the Amway Center in Orlando, FL with fallout from last Sunday’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view.

WWE SmackDown On FOX To Be Preempted This Month

The October 23 WWE SmackDown on FOX episode is scheduled to be preempted due to Game 3 of the MLB World Series. It will likely air on FS1.

FOX Sports released their October schedule this afternoon and it shows that SmackDown will be preempted on October 23 due to Game 3. It also indicates that the October 16 SmackDown on FOX episode could be preempted for Game 5 of the MLB National League Championship Series, if necessary.

SmackDown on FOX was also preempted on October 25, 2019 due to Major League Baseball. That episode aired on FS1, which meant it was live for both coasts. There was also a replay of SmackDown at 11pm ET on FS1 that night, following a special edition of WWE Backstage. Backstage is no longer airing, so there’s no word yet on what that means for a potential replay.

The October 23 SmackDown show will be the go-home episode for the Hell In a Cell pay-per-view, which takes place on October 25.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces 2020 Draft Dates For RAW And SmackDown

WWE has confirmed the 2020 Draft for next month.

It was announced during last night’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view that the WWE Draft will kick off on the October 9 SmackDown episode. It will then end on the October 12 RAW episode.

There’s no word yet on potential WWE Draft plans.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1310376497228771329

WWE SmackDown Preview 9/25/20

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will feature the final build for Sunday’s WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view.

WWE Reportedly Making Plans To Leave ThunderDome Soon

The WWE is reportedly planning to move away from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, where it has set up ThunderDome, an interactive fan experience which includes a new set, videoboards, pyrotechnics, lasers, graphics, drone cameras, and rows of virtual fans on nearly 1,000 LED boards.

According to a report on Inside the Ropes, WWE talents have been told that “tentative plans are in place to start travelling again” once WWE’s contract with the Amway Center expires on October 31st.

The report added that talents have been asked to no longer make any travel plans of their own accord. However, superstars who wish to take time off from WWE must inform the company three weeks ahead of time.

Although preparations to migrate from ThunderDome are presently underway, there is also the possibility that WWE extends its contract with Amway Center starting from November. The report also noted that no firm decisions have been made yet regarding potential future destinations where WWE would host its shows in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As reported earlier by @Wrestlevotes, WWE officials have put together a small team to figure out the logistics of running WWE TV shows from outdoor venues once the ThunderDome contract expires at the Amway Center.

A small team was put together to figure out if running WWE TV shows from outdoor venues would be feasible for once the ThunderDome contract expires at the Amway Center.

The idea is that both RAW and SmackDown would run from the same outdoor venue each week. Everything is still up in the air and there’s no word on what that outdoor venue might be, but they are hoping for somewhere in the Southern United States with good weather.

If the contract with Amway Center is not renewed, it looks like WWE’s final dates at the Amway Center will be Hell In a Cell on October 25, Monday Night RAW on October 26, and Friday Night SmackDown on October 30.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 9/18/20

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX episode will be headlined by a Samoan Street Fight as the build for WWE Clash of Champions continues.

WWE SmackDown Preview 9/11/20

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will air from the Amway Center in Orlando with more build for the WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view on September 27.

WWE SmackDown Preview 9/4/20

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX episode will air live from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, featuring fallout from WWE Payback.

WWE SmackDown Preview 8/21/20

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX episode will feature the final build for Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, plus the debut of the new WWE ThunderDome state-of-the-art viewing experience.

Mr. McMahon to kick off SmackDown from WWE ThunderDome

 

Are you ready for some thunder?

WWE Chairman and CEO Mr. McMahon will open tonight’s episode of SmackDown to give the WWE Universe its very first look at WWE ThunderDome, WWE’s new state-of-the-art set complete with video boards, pyrotechnics, lasers, cutting-edge graphics and drone cameras.

Don’t miss Mr. McMahon kick off this groundbreaking new era of WWE programming tonight on Friday Night SmackDown at 8/7 C on FOX!