Tag: WWE Draft

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!”

FOX And USA Reportedly Know “Key People” For WWE Draft, NXT Stars Will Be Included

The WWE Draft is set to start this week in a two-night event starting on SmackDown and concluding on RAW. The SmackDown show will be held at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, MD, and the RAW show will be held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN.

On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that FOX and USA Network are informed of the “key people” that will be switching brands. He noted that NXT stars will be included in the draft in an effort to freshen up the rosters. However, it was also noted that things could change at anytime.

Local ads have advertised Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre for the Universal Championship. The match has not been officially announced and may just be a dark match, but it does hint at McIntyre possibly being drafted to SmackDown.

With Big E being WWE Champion, him being drafted to RAW is expected to be formally announced. Big E defended the WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley last night on RAW.

Various NXT stars have been working dark matches before SmackDown over the past month including Austin Theory, Kacy Catanzaro, Xia Li, Aliyah and Dakota Kai. Davey Boy Smith Jr. had been working dark matches this past summer, but there has been no updates as to where he will land.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

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

Dates For The 2021 WWE Draft Revealed

The 2021 WWE Draft will reportedly be held after SummerSlam. The previous two drafts were held in October

The dates for the upcoming 2021 WWE Draft are reportedly set.

According to a report from Andrew Zarian of Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast, the WWE Draft will be held on the Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 episodes of Monday Night Raw (in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) and Friday Night SmackDown (in Jacksonville, Florida), respectively. These are the final two dates for WWE’s 25-city tour that will commence with the July 16 episode of SmackDown at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Earlier this month, Zarian reported that the draft would be held after SummerSlam, set for Aug. 21 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The last two drafts have been held in October. Previously, the WWE Draft was usually held in April after WrestleMania weekend.

Instead of the draft format, WWE ran a Superstar Shake-Up every year from 2017 to 2019, with a handful of wrestlers switching brands. But instead of simply moving a small number of superstars around, the format changed in 2019 after SmackDown moved to Friday nights on FOX. All of the main roster talents enter the draft and are either selected by Raw or SmackDown. Those who aren’t drafted become “free agents” and can sign with any promotion.

It has been reported that major changes will be coming to WWE after they return to performing in live crowds. On top of the WWE Draft, it sounds like we’ll see Hall of Famer Edge and John Cena return for SummerSlam season.

Post-SummerSlam is the ideal time to run this year’s WWE Draft. As noted above, the draft usually took place following WrestleMania, so why not run it after another marquee pay-per-view like SummerSlam? It will lead to more more excitement and anticipation towards the end of the summer holidays. The draft is exactly what WWE needs to shake up the product, and they have no reason to wait until October this year.

Source: The Sportster

WWE To Hold Its Next Draft Shortly After SummerSlam?

If the latest report is to be believed, WWE is planning to hold its next draft a little more than a week after this year’s SummerSlam.

A new report courtesy of the Mat Men Podcast’s Andrew Zarian has potentially revealed when WWE plans on holding its next draft. According to Zarian, the draft will begin on the August 30, 2021, edition of Raw, and conclude four days later on the September 3 episode of SmackDown. That will be a twist on what WWE has usually done since SmackDown moved to Fox.

The last draft, which took place in October 2020, started on SmackDown and ended on Raw three days later. It’s unclear why WWE has decided to switch things up, if the above report does indeed come to fruition. It should also be noted that these dates fall shortly after SummerSlam. The dust from any big SummerSlam bouts will only have one Raw and one SmackDown to settle before the roster is reshuffled.

It’s also rather telling that WWE is planning to pull the trigger on its next draft less than a year after the last one. Everything going on with the promotion’s roster right now indicates that management doesn’t really know what direction it is headed with most of its Superstars. Braun Strowman was released two weeks after competing for the WWE Title, and Aleister Black was let go after finally getting the restart he deserved.

Those releases have also left what was a pretty packed roster not so long ago looking rather sparse. There are a few reasons why Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley are wrestling yet again at Hell In A Cell, and a lack of fresh opponents for the WWE Champion is one of them. The roster is in serious need of a shake-up, which is likely why this year’s draft has been brought forward.

Source: The Sportster

2020 WWE Draft Results

ROUND 1 (ON SMACKDOWN)
* WWE Champion Drew McIntyre stays on RAW
* RAW Women’s Champion Asuka stays on RAW
* The Hurt Business (MVP, Cedric Alexander, Shelton Benjamin, WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley) stays on RAW
* WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns stays on SmackDown
* Seth Rollins goes from RAW to SmackDown

ROUND 2 (ON SMACKDOWN)
* AJ Styles goes from SmackDown to RAW
* Sasha Banks stays on SmackDown
* Naomi goes from SmackDown to RAW
* Bianca Belair goes from RAW to SmackDown
* WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax stay on RAW

ROUND 3 (ON SMACKDOWN)
* Ricochet stays on RAW
* Jey Uso stays on SmackDown
* Mandy Rose stays on RAW
* Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio go from RAW to SmackDown
* The Miz and John Morrison go from SmackDown to RAW

ROUND 4 (ON SMACKDOWN)
* SmackDown Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods go from SmackDown to RAW
* Big E stays on SmackDown
* Dana Brooke stays on RAW
* Otis stays on SmackDown
* Angel Garza stays on RAW

FREE AGENTS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT PICKS FROM TALKING SMACK
* Humberto Carrillo stays on RAW
* Tucker goes from SmackDown to RAW
* Drew Gulak goes from SmackDown to RAW
* Kalisto stays on SmackDown
* Shorty G stays on SmackDown
* Murphy goes from RAW to SmackDown
* Mickie James TBA

ROUND 1 (ON RAW)
* “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt goes from SmackDown to RAW
* Randy Orton stays on RAW
* SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley stays on SmackDown
* RAW Tag Team Champions (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) go to SmackDown from RAW
* Charlotte Flair stays on RAW

ROUND 2 (ON RAW)
* Braun Strowman goes to RAW from SmackDown
* Daniel Bryan stays on SmackDown
* Matt Riddle goes to RAW from SmackDown
* Kevin Owens goes to SmackDown from RAW
* Jeff Hardy goes to RAW from SmackDown

ROUND 3 (ON RAW)
* RETRIBUTION stays on RAW
* Lars Sullivan stays on SmackDown
* Keith Lee stays on RAW
* King Baron Corbin stays on SmackDown
* Alexa Bliss goes from SmackDown to RAW

ROUND 4 (ON RAW)
* Elias goes to RAW from SmackDown
* WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn stays on SmackDown
* Lacey Evans goes to RAW from SmackDown
* Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura stay on SmackDown
* Sheamus goes to RAW from SmackDown

ROUND 5 (ON RAW)
* Nikki Cross goes to RAW from SmackDown
* Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler go to SmackDown from RAW
* WWE 24/7 Champion R-Truth stays on RAW
* Apollo Crews goes to SmackDown from RAW
* Dabba-Kato stays on RAW

ROUND 6 (ON RAW)
* Titus O’Neil stays on RAW
* Carmella stays on SmackDown
* Peyton Royce stays on RAW
* Aleister Black goes to SmackDown from RAW
* Akira Tozawa stays on RAW

ROUND 7 (ON RAW TALK)
* Lana stays on RAW
* Riddick Moss stays on RAW
* Arturo Ruas stays on RAW
* Natalya goes to SmackDown from RAW
* Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan go to SmackDown from RAW

ROUND 8 (ON TWITTER)
* Erik stays on RAW
* Billie Kay goes to SmackDown from RAW
* Tamina Snuka stays on SmackDown
* Zelina Vega goes to SmackDown from RAW
* Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado go to RAW from SmackDown

The remaining free agents from the pools as of this writing are Andrade and Mickie James.

WWE RAW Preview 10/12/20, WWE Draft

Tonight’s WWE RAW from the Amway Center in Orlando will feature the continuation of the 2020 Draft, plus more build for the upcoming Hell In a Cell pay-per-view.

* Kevin Owens to face Aleister Black in a No Disqualification Match

* Seth Rollins bids farewell to Raw

* Battle Royal to decide Asuka’s next challenger

* Mustafa Ali to speak about his RETRIBUTION reveal

See below for the updated draft pool for Monday’s edition of Raw:

Andrade
Bayley
Aleister Black
Alexa Bliss
Daniel Bryan
Carmella
King Corbin
Apollo Crews
Nikki Cross
Dabba-Kato
Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
Elias
Erik (of The Viking Raiders)
Lacey Evans
Charlotte Flair
Jeff Hardy
Billie Kay
Lana
Keith Lee
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
Lars Sullivan
Tamina
Akira Tozawa
Zelina Vega
Bray Wyatt
Sami Zayn

WWE Draft Results From SmackDown and Supplemental On Talking Smack

ROUND 1
* WWE Champion Drew McIntyre stays on RAW
* RAW Women’s Champion Asuka stays on RAW
* The Hurt Business (MVP, Cedric Alexander, Shelton Benjamin, WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley) stays on RAW
* WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns stays on SmackDown
* Seth Rollins goes from RAW to SmackDown

ROUND 2
* AJ Styles goes from SmackDown to RAW
* Sasha Banks stays on SmackDown
* Naomi goes from SmackDown to RAW
* Bianca Belair goes from RAW to SmackDown
* WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax stay on RAW

ROUND 3
* Ricochet stays on RAW
* Jey Uso stays on SmackDown
* Mandy Rose stays on RAW
* Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio go from RAW to SmackDown
* The Miz and John Morrison go from SmackDown to RAW

ROUND 4
* SmackDown Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods go from SmackDown to RAW
* Big E stays on SmackDown
* Dana Brooke stays on RAW
* Otis stays on SmackDown
* Angel Garza stays on RAW

Here are the moves announced Talking Smack:

* Humberto Carrillo stays on RAW
* Murphy goes from RAW to SmackDown
* Drew Gulak goes from SmackDown to RAW
* Kalisto stays on SmackDown
* Tucker goes from SmackDown to RAW

The following Superstars are still free agents:

RAW: Mickie James
SmackDown: Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado), Shorty G

WWE SmackDown Preview 10/9/20: Draft Begins

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX episode will feature Night 1 of the 2020 WWE Draft.

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns are both eligible to be drafted tonight. You can click here for full rules on the Draft, and details on the Superstar pools for tonight.

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.