Posts Tagged ‘WWE Draft’

WWE Superstars React To Night 2 Draft Picks

The night two of WWE Draft brought in almost as many surprises as the first night. WWE superstars have been reacting to the picks made during this week’s Raw on social media all night.

Bobby Lashley who was the #1 draft pick of the night for the red brand posted a photo with MVP and wrote that the business will continue to bloom.

Seth Rollins reacted to becoming part of the red roster once again by posting some gifs. He also made a tweet reading: “Monday Night Rollins Forever”

Ricochet was interviewed backstage after he was drafted to SmackDown. He claimed that maybe SmackDown is where he needs to be to achieve what he wants, mentioning how the past couple of months for him on Raw have been a slump.

Finn Balor made several tweets after being brought back to Raw. He replied to tweets from people like Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens. The former NXT champion also sent a tweet to his fellow former Bullet Club member AJ Styles.

Sami Zayn, who became the final pick of the night seemed unhappy with his late selection. He first said that his name might not be in the draft list at all before making another tweet about being the last pick.

You can check out all the reactions below:

https://twitter.com/fightbobby/status/1445189951063273472

Posted October 5th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

Bayley, Asuka Among Names To Become Free Agents After WWE Draft

A number of WWE superstars have become free agents after not being picked by any brands during the WWE Draft including the former women’s champion Bayley.

Brock Lesnar announced during night 1 of WWE Draft at last week’s SmackDown that he had become a free agent thanks to his advocate Paul Heyman.

A number of other stars then became free agents after they weren’t mentioned during the main or additional drafts on night 2 of WWE Draft.

The list of people who have become free agents include Brock Lesnar, Asuka, Bayley, Elias, Eva Marie, Gran Metalik, John Cena, Lacey Evans, Lince Dorado, Shane McMahon, Slapjack and Titus O’Neil.

Out of these names, both Metalik and Lince Dorado are said to be unhappy with their bookings as of late. Reports even suggested that Gran Metalik has asked for his release from the company.

Though WWE has announced that the roster changes made during the Draft will not come into effect until the Crown Jewel PPV which will be taking place on October 21.

So it’s likely that at least some of these free agents will be assigned a brand before that. It would be interesting to see which brand talent like Asuka and Bayley end up on.

WWE Draft Night 2 Results: All On Air Draft Picks

Posted October 5th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: , , .

WWE Announces Additional Draft Picks After Raw

The WWE Draft continued after this week’s episode of Raw during Raw Talk. The company announced some additional draft picks during the show.

The show saw picks such as The Miz being drafted to the red brand. His former tag team partner John Morrison was picked by the show as well last week.

The Hurt Business’ Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander also remained on Raw after Bobby Lashley was confirmed to be staying on the same brand earlier in the night during WWE Draft.

WWE Draft Night 2: All Additional Draft Picks

A total of 16 superstars were picked by the brands in the additional picks made during Raw Talk. Here is a list of stars that were drafted during the show:

Raw Picks

  • Dana Brooke
  • Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode
  • Jaxson Ryker
  • Veer
  • Liv Morgan
  • Mia Yim
  • Tamina Snuka
  • Tegan Nox
  • Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander
  • The Miz

SmackDown Picks

  • Jinder Mahal
  • Shanky
  • Natalya
  • Shotzi Blackheart

The company has confirmed that the updated rosters will not come to effect until the 2021 Crown Jewel PPV on October 21.

Many stars have become free agents after not being picked during the WWE Draft and it will be interesting to see what the officials have planned for them.

Gable Steveson Reacts To Being Drafted To Raw

Posted October 5th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

Gable Steveson Reacts To Being Drafted To Raw

The biggest surprise coming out of night two of WWE Draft on Monday’s episode of Raw was the red brand picking up Gable Steveson to join their roster.

WWE showed a video of the Olympic gold medallist with his parents after his pick was announced. The amateur wrestling star also took on his Twitter to react to the news:

https://twitter.com/GableSteveson/status/1445217691678265345

While Gable Steveson had been talking about a potential WWE career since last year, the 21-year-old was officially signed by the promotion only last month.

The Olympic star himself had revealed after his signing that there was a good chance he would skip an NXT run and be sent to main roster directly. Though very few expected it to happen this soon.

It’s unknown what Steveson’s immediate role on Raw will be but reports suggest that he will go full time in May 2022. So it’s possible that he will be more focused on his pro wrestling training and make sporadic appearances till then.

The night two of WWE Draft brought in some other surprises as well such as both SmackDown women’s champion Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins being drafted to Raw from SmackDown and more.

You can check out all the draft picks made during the show here.

Posted October 4th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: , .

WWE Draft Night 2 Results: All On Air Draft Picks

WWE Draft continued on this week’s episode of Raw. The show saw some changes that were expected after last Friday’s SmackDown and a couple of surprises as well.

After the Raw women’s champion Charlotte Flair was drafted to the blue brand, many believed Becky Lynch will be shifted to Raw to balance the star power, and this change was made official with the very first draft pick of the night.

The WWE Draft brought in some unexpected changes for the second night of the event as well, such as the former Universal champion Finn Balor being moved to Raw or Sheamus being picked up by SmackDown.

Though probably the biggest surprise of the night was Raw picking 2020 Olympic gold medallist Gable Steveson to join the red roster in the final round of the draft.

WWE Draft Night 2

A total of 24 picks were made on air during the WWE Draft on this week’s episode of Raw. You can check out the night 2 draft picks below:

Raw Picks:

  • SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch
  • Bobby Lashley
  • Seth Rollins
  • United States Champion Damian Priest
  • AJ Styles and Omos
  • Kevin Owens
  • Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins
  • Finn Balor
  • Karrion Kross
  • Alexa Bliss
  • Carmella
  • Olympic gold medallist Gable Steveson

SmackDown Picks:

  • SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos
  • Sasha Banks
  • Intercontinental Champion King Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs
  • Sheamus
  • Shayna Baszler
  • Xia Li
  • The Viking Raiders
  • Ricochet
  • Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza
  • Cesaro
  • Ridge Holland
  • Sami Zayn

You can check out the Draft picks from night 1 here and the additional picks announced after SmackDown here.

Big E vs. Drew McIntyre Set For WWE Crown Jewel, Updated Card

Posted October 4th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: , .

Major NXT Name In WWE Draft Conversation?

One big NXT name could be on the table for a main roster callup.

The second night of the WWE draft will take place on tonight’s (Oct. 4) edition of Monday Night Raw. There has been much speculation regarding who could be switching brands. We’ve seen a report from Wrestle Votes that one Monday Night Raw writer was adamant about wanting Finn Balor on the red brand now that Drew McIntyre has moved to SmackDown.

Now, PWInsider is reporting that WALTER is in the United States and there have been rumblings about doing something with him outside of NXT UK. WALTER is coming off another instant classic with Ilja Dragunov at TakeOver 36 back in August. Dragunov ended the 870-day NXT United Kingdom Title reign of WALTER.

Just like the Wrestle Votes report with Balor, this report from PWInsider does NOT confirm that WALTER is on his way to Raw or SmackDown tonight. You’ve heard it before, plans change all the time and some ideas don’t make it to TV. If WALTER does indeed get his name called in the draft tonight, we’ll be sure to let you know.

Do you think it’s time for WALTER to make his way to the main roster?

Posted October 4th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

Big Trade Rumored For Tonight’s WWE Draft

One top babyface on the SmackDown brand could be in for a change of scenery.

Night two of the WWE draft will take place tonight (Oct. 4). We’ve already seen big names such as Drew McIntyre make the jump from Raw to SmackDown. Now that the former WWE Champion is off Monday Nights, the brand is in need of another top face not named Big E.

Enter Finn Balor?

Balor recently competed against Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship. He even busted out the Demon persona for the match. Balor ended up snapping the top rope when he went for Coup de Grace, costing him the match.

Wrestle Votes reports that one writer on Raw has been pushing for Balor to make his way to the red brand.

“WWE has done a better job this go-around of keeping draft results wrapped up. Good job by them. Only speculation I heard over the weekend included a story about how a RAW writer ‘banged the table’ for Finn Balor, to be used in McIntyre’s role now on Monday nights. We shall see.”

Finn Balor
(Photo: WWE)

Of course, this isn’t confirmation that Balor will indeed be drafted tonight. From the looks of it, however, there is a strong supporter of the potential move. We’ll see whether or not the writer’s wish will come true.

For an update on where both rosters stand, check out our recap of WWE Draft trades following Friday’s SmackDown.

Posted October 4th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

WWE Announces Additional Draft Picks After SmackDown

WWE Draft began on this Friday’s SmackDown. The show saw several surprising changes such as the WWE Hall Of Famer Edge moving to Raw or The New Day members Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods moving to the blue brand without Big E.

However, the company only announced a total of 16 draft picks on air during the episode, which left a lot of eligible superstars undrafted.

The promotion later continued the Draft on Talking Smack and announced additional picks for both the brands before next Monday’s episode of Raw.

During the show, Raw picked Nia Jax, John Morrison, WWE 24/7 Champion Reggie, R-Truth, Drake Maverick, T-BAR, Akira Tozawa, Otis, Chad Gable, Apollo Crews, Commander Azeez, Doudrop, and Zelina Vega for the brand.

On the other hand, SmackDown drafted stars such as Aliyah, Drew Gulak, Mace, Mansoor, Mustafa Ali, and Toni Storm to the blue brand’s roster.

WWE Draft will continue on Raw with stars such as Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, and Bobby Lashley being available to be picked by either of the brands.

You can see all the draft picks made during this week’s episode of SmackDown here and check out the reactions of stars such as Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston on the breakup of The New Day here.

Posted October 2nd, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

WWE Superstars React To Night 1 Draft Picks

Night 1 of WWE Draft on SmackDown featured some surprises. WWE stars have been reacting to the picks on social media since the show went off the air.

After becoming the #1 overall draft pick, the Universal champion Roman Reigns tweeted a couple of pictures of himself and wrote “I am the one.”

One of the most surprising changes of the nights was Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods once again being separated from Big E. The New Day members were drafted to SmackDown while the WWE champion remained on Raw.

Kingston seemed excited with this change and he made a tweet about being part of the blue brand now. He also seemed hopeful about E possibly being drafted to SmackDown as well during night 2 of WWE Drafts on Raw.

Woods on the other hand didn’t seem very enthusiastic. He posted a video and noted how it does not make sense to pick only two out of three members of their faction.

Austin Theory who was drafted to Raw was interviewed backstage afterward. He was very excited over WWE Draft and claimed that the red brand just became all day.

One interesting reaction came from none other than Becky Lynch herself. A fan tweeted at her saying that Bianca Belair was picked before The Man.

Replying to it, the SmackDown women’s champion mentioned how she is not eligible to be picked up until night 2 of the WWE Draft and gave her reason for it.

You can check out all the reactions below:

https://twitter.com/MsCharlotteWWE/status/1444089750244270082

Posted October 2nd, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

WWE Draft Night 1 Results: All On Air Draft Picks

The first night of WWE Drafts on SmackDown saw some surprising picks and gave people a lot to talk about until Monday’s episode of Raw.

Many of the stars stayed on the same brand as expected. SmackDown picked the Universal champion Roman Reigns as their first pick of the night while Raw chose Big E as their #1 pick.

Some big brand switches that were teased in the past couple of days also got confirmed during the WWE Draft. The most notable of them was the former WWE champion Drew McIntyre being picked by the blue brand.

The company had a few surprises in store too. The first of them was SmackDown picking the Raw women’s champion Charlotte Flair in the first round.

Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston being drafted to SmackDown was a big surprise as well. This was especially shocking because the duo had only reunited with Big E on Raw a few weeks before WWE Draft.

WWE Draft Night 1 Result: All Draft Picks Made On Air

A total of 16 picks were made on air during tonight’s episode of SmackDown. Here is a list of all the stars picked by both the brands during tonight’s show:

SmackDown picks:

  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns
  • RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair
  • Drew McIntyre
  • Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods
  • Happy Baron Corbin and Madcat Moss
  • Hit Row (“B-Fab” Briana Brandy, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, “Top Dolla” AJ Francis, NXT North American Champion Isaiah “Swerve” Scott)
  • Naomi
  • Jeff Hardy

Raw picks:

  • WWE Champion Big E
  • Bianca Belair
  • Raw Tag Team Champions Randy Orton and Riddle
  • WWE Hall Of Famer Edge
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley
  • Keith “Bearcat” Lee
  • Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio
  • Austin Theory

WWE Draft will continue on Raw this Monday.

WWE SmackDown Results (10/1): WWE Draft Night 1, Lesnar Confronts Reigns

Posted October 1st, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

WWE SmackDown Results (10/1): WWE Draft Night 1, Lesnar Confronts Reigns

WWE SmackDown aired live from the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore. It was Night 1 of the WWE Draft and several superstars changed brands tonight. Sasha Banks squared off against Bianca Belair and Edge responded to Seth Rollins’ challenge.

SmackDown Results (10/1)

  1. Happy Corbin def. Kevin Owens
  2. New Day & Street Profits def. Roode, Ziggler, Otis, Gable
  3. Sasha Banks def. Bianca Belair

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Brock Lesnar Interrupted Roman Reigns

The 1st round of the WWE Draft kicked of the show. SmackDown selected Universal Champion Roman Reigns and RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. RAW selected WWE Champion Big E and Bianca Belair. Charlotte Flair was interviewed backstage

Universal Champion Roman Reigns made his way to the ring with Paul Heyman. Reigns asked the crowd to acknowledge him and they chanted his name. Heyman told the audience that they were not being loud enough for their Tribal Chief. Paul called the crowd “Baltimorons” and boasted about Reigns defeating The Demon at Extreme Rules.

Heyman brought up Crown Jewel and said that the event will not be held in Suplex City. Paul referred to Reigns as the “suplexorcist” before they were interrupted by Brock Lesnar. The Beast marched to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Reigns and Lesnar had a stare down in the ring as the crowd chanted “Suplex City!”. Reigns and Lesnar traded punches in the middle of the ring. Lesnar connected with a couple German Suplexes and Roman rolled out of the ring. The Usos rushed the ring and Lesnar beat them down. Brock challenged Reigns to get back into the ring but the Universal Champion retreated. Lesnar delivered an F5 to Jimmy and Jey to end the segment.

Happy Corbin def. Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens faced Happy Corbin tonight on SmackDown. Madcap Moss (FKA as Riddick Moss) hit Owens with a chop block as the referee was distracted. When SmackDown returned, Owens was back in control

Seth Rollins Showed Up At Edge’s House

In the 2nd round of the WWE Draft, SmackDown took Drew McIntyre & New Day. RAW selected RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) and Edge. Below are the selections through the first two rounds.

RAW: Big E, Bianca Belair, RK-Bro, Edge

SmackDown: Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair, Drew McIntyre, New Day

Edge made his way to confront Seth Rollins as SmackDown went to a commercial break. Edge noted that he has been drafted to RAW and is excited because that brings about new opponents. Edge challenged Rollins to come to the ring but Seth appeared on the Jumbotron.

Seth laughed and said he was impressed that Edge showed up tonight. Rollins claimed that Edge wasn’t saying the things he wanted him to say and announced that he is not at the show. It was revealed that Rollins was at Edge’s house and he walked right inside.

Edge ran backstage as Rollins grabbed a snack from the fridge. Rollins enjoyed some juice and a fresh apple as he mocked Edge’s daughters’ artwork displayed in the house. Rollins turned on the TV as Edge called his wife. Edge told Beth Phoenix to go to her brother’s house while he calls some people to deal with Rollins.

Carmella Attacked Liv Morgan

Sonya Deville & Adam Pearce announced the selections for the third round of the WWE Draft. SmackDown selected Happy Corbin, Madcap Moss, and Hit Row from NXT. RAW selected the Women’s Tag Team Champions Nikki A.S.H. & Rhea Ripley, and Keith “Bearcat” Lee.

Here are the selections through the first three rounds:

RAW: Big E, Bianca Belair, RK-Bro, Edge, Nikki A.S.H., Rhea Ripley, Keith “Bearcat” Lee

SmackDown: Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair, Drew McIntyre, New Day, Happy Corbin, Madcap Moss, Hit Row

Carmella was supposed to battle Liv Morgan but the match never started. Carmella attacked Liv and connected with a Facebuster in the ring before the bell rang. She then removed the protective mask she was wearing to reveal that there was nothing wrong with her face.

New Day & Street Profits Picked Up A Win

New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) teamed with Street Profits to face Bobby Roode, Dolph Ziggler, and Alpha Academy (Otis & Chad Gable) in an 8-man tag team match. The action went back and forth for several minutes. Dawkins and Gable tagged in and Angelo connected with a Spinebuster.

Otis broke put the cover but got sent out of the ring by Montez Ford. Montez flipped onto Otis as Roode planted Dawkins with a Spinebuster of his own. Roode went for the cover but Dawkins kicked out at two. Roode went for the Glorious DDT but Angelo blocked it and tagged out. New Day hit a Backbreaker/Double Stomp on Roode for the pinfall victory.

Roman Reigns Warned Paul Heyman

Brock Lesnar popped up during a backstage interview and thanked Paul Heyman for making him a free agent. Lesnar announced that he will be doing whatever he wants. The Bloodline was then shown backstage. Reigns wondered if Heyman was friends with Brock Lesnar and then shouted about The Usos not being drafted to SmackDown tonight. Reigns demanded that Heyman make sure that The Usos get drafted to SmackDown on Monday night. Heyman exited and Reigns told The Usos to leave Heyman for dead if he doesn’t get them drafted to SmackDown.

Sasha Banks def. Bianca Belair

Adam Pearce & Sonya Deville announced the fourth round selections of the WWE Draft.

RAW: Rey & Dominik Mysterio, Austin Theory,

SmackDown: Naomi, Jeff Hardy

Sasha Banks faced Bianca Belair in the main event of this week’s show. It was announced earlier today that Becky Lynch will defend the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks in a Triple Threat match at Crown Jewel in three weeks.

Banks and Belair locked up in the middle of the ring to begin the action. Sasha drove Bianca to the corner but Belair shoved her away. SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch joined commentary for the match.

Belair lifted Banks above her head and dropped her to the canvas. Banks sent Belair into the turnbuckle and followed it up with a knee to the face. Belair bounced off the ropes and leveled Sasha with a Clothesline. Bianca sent Banks to the outside and Becky Lynch posed with the SmackDown Women’s Championship as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Bianca sent Banks to the corner and went for a Splash but Sasha was able to get out of the way. Belair hit a big Vertical Suplex and followed it up with a Standing Moonsault for a near fall. Sasha connected with a Tornado DDT and went for the pin but Belair was able to kick out at the last moment.

Sasha climbed to the top rope and hit a Splash but couldn’t keep Belair down. Belair sent Banks to the apron and lifted her up for the KOD. Sasha escaped and went for a Powerbomb but Bianca flipped away. Bianca and Becky traded some words before Banks charged. Belair slammed Banks into the barricade and rolled Asha back into the ring. Becky Lynch grabbed Bianca’s hair and Sasha capitalized with a roll-up for the pinfall victory. After the match, Charlotte Flair hit Natural Selection on Sasha Banks. Becky Lynch posed with the SmackDown Women’s Championship and Charlotte posed with the RAW Women’s Championship to close the show.

WWE Draft Night 1 Results

The first four rounds of the WWE Draft were completed tonight on SmackDown. The remaining selections will be made this Monday night on RAW. Below are the picks made during tonight’s show.

RAW

  • WWE Champion Big E
  • RAW Tag Team Champions RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle)
  • Women’s Tag Team Champions Rhea Ripley & Nikki A.S.H.
  • Keith “Bearcat” Lee
  • Rey & Dominik Mysterio
  • Austin Theory

SmackDown

  • Universal Champion Roman Reigns
  • RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair
  • Drew McIntyre
  • New Day
  • Happy Corbin & Madcap Moss
  • Hit Row
  • Naomi
  • Jeff Hardy

Posted October 1st, 2021 in Results, News, WWE. Tagged: .

Angelo Dawkins On Potential Street Profits Break Up During Upcoming Draft

There is a possibility that some tag teams will be split up during the upcoming WWE Draft and Angelo Dawkins of the Street Profits is ready if it happens. The former NXT star recently had an interview with Rick Ucchino of Sportskeeda. He was asked about the possibility of their team being drafted to different brands.

Replying to it, Dawkins said that they have not thought about it. Though he claimed both of them would be ready for it if it happens, mentioning how Montez Ford went up against the Universal champion Roman Reigns last week:

“We haven’t really thought about it, but I also know if it were to happen, we’ll both be ready,  I mean, Tez just showed last week that he can handle it. You know what I’m saying? I’m not shying away from it.”

Angelo Dawkins said that both the stars will still support each other. He then explained how people will get to see a different side of him if their tag team is split:

“Not a lot of people know what I can bring to the table. I’m the powerhouse of the team. So like not many people have seen me really move.

I don’t really need to fly because I got the flyer next to me. And I let him handle the high-flying stuff. So, if it ever happens to where we’re on different brands, I think I got a different side that nobody’s ever seen of me before to show.”

The Street Profits originally debuted on NXT back in March 2016. The two started making appearances on Raw in July 2019. Their tag team was moved to SmackDown in the 2020 draft. The duo have won tag team titles in all three of WWE’s brands.

Paul Heyman Believes The Street Profits Are Magic

Posted October 1st, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: , .

WWE Draft Again Shows Brand Loyalty Is Not A Thing

WWE has pushed Survivor Series PPVs as a test of brand loyalty since the brand extension was reintroduced on TV many years ago. Raw and SmackDown talents were sorted through a Draft back in 2016. Since then, wrestlers are asked to put their differences aside once every year. Friends and foes work together against the competing brand for the bragging rights until the next competition.

The WWE Draft, however, proves how futile the narrative of brand supremacy is as most superstars don’t seem to mind ending up on the show they have competed against. The frailty of WWE’s brand warfare storylines is at display again ahead of the upcoming WWE Draft. If anything, stars seem to be excited over the coming changes and they are expressing this feeling through social media.

Former WWE champion Bobby Lashley has been part of Raw roster since his 2018 seems to be excited for a potential move to the blue brand. He wrote on Twitter that he’s been ‘running’ Raw for years, but it might be time to shake things up.

Drew McIntyre, who carried the Raw brand through the pandemic era, feels that he has worked with everyone he could on the red brand. He’s actually looking forward to fresh storylines. Angelo Dawkins isn’t afraid of ending up on a different brand even without his partner. He believes fans will get to see a new side of him if it happens.

The phenomenal one, AJ Styles, who became the face of SmackDown after the 2016 Draft and helped build it as the promotion’s A-show, is not too worried about which brand he would end up on. One-half of the current Raw tag team champion Matt Riddle on the other hand, seems more concerned about a possible split with his RK-Bro partner Randy Orton.

Even someone like Carmella, who has been a loyal soldier of the blue side since the brand extension returned, doesn’t seem that fond of her current home. Despite being is the only one left of the original SmackDown roster from 2016 who hasn’t changed sides, the former champion will not mind a move to the opposite brand during Draft.

See all the reactions yourself and decide how much weight would you put on the brand supremacy storyline when Survivor Series comes around this year:

The WWE Draft this year will begin on the October 1 edition of SmackDown. It will conclude on the October 4 episode of Raw.

Posted October 1st, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

More On Upcoming WWE Draft

WWE Draft is expected to begin later this week with Friday’s episode of SmackDown. It will conclude with next Monday’s episode of Raw.

Dave Meltzer talked about the Draft on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. He reported that both Fox and USA Network have already been informed of the ‘key people’ who will be switching brands.

He also confirmed the previous reports about NXT superstars being included in the Draft. Meltzer said that it’s an effort from the official to freshen up the rosters. Though it was mentioned that the plans can change at any time.

There is no word on which stars are expected to be moved. Local advertisements have been promoting a Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre match for this week’s SmackDown suggesting that McIntyre may show up on the blue brand.

Although since the bout is advertised as a Universal championship match, it’s very likely that it will end up being a dark match. It’s even possible that it may not take place on the night at all.

A number of NXT stars have been working dark matches in recent times. The names include Austin Theory, Kacy Catanzaro, Xia Li, Aliyah, and Dakota Kai.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. also worked some dark matches over the Summer. Now it would be interesting to see if any of these stars get assigned to a brand during Draft.

WWE Status Update On Davey Boy Smith Jr.

Posted September 29th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

WWE Confirms Dates For This Year’s Draft

On Monday night during Raw, WWE confirmed when this year’s Draft will be taking place.

The Draft will be held over two shows in October as it will begin on the Friday, October 1 episode of SmackDown and continue on the Monday, October 4 episode of Raw.

WWE will hold the October 1 episode of SmackDown at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore while the October 4 edition of Raw is being held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

This episode of SmackDown will be the post-Extreme Rules edition of the show. WWE holds its next pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia. Crown Jewel is planned for Thursday, October 21 with Crown Jewel. 

This marks the third straight year that the WWE Draft has taken place and the Draft was also held in October the previous two years. Despite the Draft, WWE did the Superstar Shake-ups in April 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast originally reported that this year’s Draft would take place on August 30th for Monday Night Raw and the second night on the September 3rd edition of Friday Night SmackDown. However, just like various things in WWE, plans changed.

Posted September 13th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

WWE Draft Expected to Begin on October 1st(Report)

The WWE may have this year’s WWE draft next month.

Mat Men Podcast Co-host Andrew Zarian reports the WWE Draft will start on the October 1st episode of Friday Night Smackdown. He also notes it will continue on the October 4th episode of Monday Night Raw.

WWE Expected Plans in October

In June, Zarian heard that the WWE Draft would happen on the August 30th episode of Raw. However, it didn’t occur, and WWE hasn’t spoken publicly as to why it didn’t. However, he has since reported that WWE expected to have the draft on October 1st and 4th.

Zarian also shared new dates for the King and Queen of the Ring tournament. He states that both tournaments will start on the October 8th episode of Smackdown, which he noted to be the season premiere. The King and Queen of the Ring will culminate at a live event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 21st.

NXT Call Ups During the WWE Draft

It’s unclear if WWE will select talent in NXT to the main roster during the draft. NXT will be going through a revamp starting on September 14th. NXT Talent like Johnny Gargano and Dakota Kai has been in the developmental program for more than two years. In changing NXT, WWE could decide to move established NXT talent to the main roster.

The WWE hasn’t officially confirmed that it will happen on October 1st. However, the WWE has held their draft event for the last two years in October on Smackdown. With one month away, WWE fans will know soon enough if WWE changes the Raw and Smackdown roster.

Posted September 9th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

Update On When This Year’s WWE Draft Will Take Place

Fans will have to wait a little bit longer than expected to see what changes WWE has in place for Raw and SmackDown in the way of a Draft. 

Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast originally reported that this year’s Draft would take place on August 30th for Monday Night Raw and the second night on the September 3rd edition of Friday Night SmackDown.

However, Zarian reported today that the show has been pushed back by a month as the new possible dates for it are October 1st & 4th or October 4th & 8th.

The plan is still for there to be two nights so that way both Raw on the USA Network and SmackDown on FOX get a bump in the ratings. 

WWE has yet to announce the news but will do so when those dates get closer. NXT Champion Karrion Kross, Toni Storm, Blackheart, Scarlett, Odyssey Jones and former NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed have been brought to recent TV events for WWE officials to check out. 

Posted July 12th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

WWE Draft: 6 Moves That Need To Happen

With the report that the WWE Draft is coming this summer, many fans breathed a collective sigh of relief. Both WWE RAW and SmackDown need some fresh faces; the red brand, in particular, has felt stale for months. Thankfully, the draft is an easy way to shake things up heading into the fall.

With that in mind, here’s a look at a few moves that could benefit WWE by placing some of its top-stars in new places.

Street Profits to RAW

WWE RAW often feels like a chore these days. The show doesn’t tend to feel fun anymore; repetitive matches and head-scratching booking continue to derail WWE’s flagship show. The red brand needs some electricity, and though moving the Street Profits to the program wouldn’t fix the aforementioned problems, they could at least add some levity.

Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins can effortlessly add some buzz to any segment on any given day; in hindsight, though their initial role as the hypemen for RAW wasn’t ideal, at least the duo made various matches and developments feel actually important. That’d be a big step up from the current state of the show. Plus, Ford and Dawkins could boost RAW’s tag team division; on paper, they could put on some dynamic matches with AJ Styles & Omos and R-K-Bro.

Asuka to SmackDown

Like some other names on this list, Asuka needs a change of scenery. Though she held the WWE RAW Women’s Championship for a year across two reigns, her run with the title was fairly lackluster. That’s not a knock on Asuka; she rarely got the chance to face credible opponents who had been built up as legitimate threats to her titles.

Since Rhea Ripley’s call-up and Charlotte Flair’s returned, Asuka has gotten lost in the shuffle. It’s unclear exactly how she would fit in SmackDown, but given the blue brand’s need for another big-name star in the women’s division, she should be better off on the blue brand.

Kevin Owens to RAW

If Kevin Owens stays on WWE SmackDown, he could get trapped in a potentially dull time loop. The former Universal Champion has already engaged in lengthy feuds with SmackDown’s top heels, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. Plus, he’s currently locked into a program with Apollo Crews and a continuation of his never-ending feud with Sami Zayn. Beyond these opponents, the options on SmackDown seem fairly slim.

By switching brands, Owens would gain access to several fresh adversaries. Clashes with AJ Styles, Bobby Lashley, Randy Orton, Riddle and Sheamus, among others, could reinvigorate Owens’ career and add more star power to the red brand.

Shayna Baszler to SmackDown

Shayna Baszler needs to leave WWE RAW, plain and simple. For months, her booking on the red brand has been questionable, if not downright disappointing. From getting pinned by Reginald to suffering bizarre leg cramps mid-match, these creative decisions have essentially neutered the former NXT Women’s Champion who had initially been built up as a dominant player on WWE RAW.

It’s not too late to salvage Baszler’s run on the main roster. But she desperately needs a fresh coat of paint because it would give her the chance to start over. Moving to WWE SmackDown would give Baszler the chance to face stars like Bianca Belair, Bayley and, at some point, Sasha Banks. These match-ups could easily remind fans that Baszler is still a force to be reckoned with.

John Morrison To SmackDown

Maybe more than anything else, WWE needs change. Breaking up The Miz and John Morrison could be an easy way to shake things up. While USA Network might want to keep “The A-Lister” on WWE RAW for promotional purposes, Morrison could easily slide over to SmackDown and get an overdue singles run.

When he returned to WWE, many fans wanted to see what today’s version of Morrison could offer as an individual star, but he didn’t get the chance to prove himself. Shortly after he came back to the company, he quickly reunited with The Miz. Even after the former WWE Champion got eaten by zombies, Morrison still couldn’t escape this team. But the draft is an easy way to send Morrison on his own way, and he could easily thrive on the blue brand, either as a heel or as a face.

Mandy Rose to SmackDown

The latest round of releases depleted the women’s division, particularly on the WWE SmackDown side of the equation. The blue brand is down to seven active female competitors, and two of them split time with WWE RAW because they hold the tag titles. There’s not a perfect way to fix this issue, as the depth across both brands is lacking. But SmackDown needs help, and Mandy Rose could be the answer.

Rose’s return to SmackDown could open the door for another chapter in her romance with Otis, which never got the ending it deserved. The draft could also pair Rose and her partner, Dana Brooke together in order to prevent another loss in the tag team division.

Posted June 7th, 2021 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

Update On Plans For Andrade & Mickie James Following WWE Draft

Several talents were left undrafted after the 2020 Draft concluded with this week’s episode of Raw and after WWE announced some more draft picks during the night, there are two talents which have been left without a brand.

Pwinsider recently provided some updates on the future of both these stars in Mickie James and Andrade. According to their report, the plan as of this past Monday night was for both Andrade and Mickie James to join the Raw roster:

“As of last night, the plan is for the Andrade and Mickie James, the two talents left undrafted following the 2020 Draft to land on the Monday Night Raw roster.”

There has also been some buzz of Andrade moving back to the NXT brand.

Meanwhile, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer believes that Vince McMahon never “got it” with Andrade. When Paul Heyman was removed as the Executive Director of WWE Raw earlier this year, Andrade lost a key ally.

The 2020 edition of WWE Draft saw a number of big stars changing brands including names like Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, and the Fiend being moved to different rosters. You can check out the updated rosters of Raw and SmackDown after both nights of Draft at this link.

Posted October 14th, 2020 in WWE. Tagged: , , .

WWE Draft 2020: Final Raw & SmackDown Rosters

The WWE Draft 2020 began with last week’s episode of SmackDown and it concluded with this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

Both the nights saw some pretty big changes to the WWE rosters including the likes of Seth Rollins & Rey Mysterio moving to SmackDown and Braun Strowman & The Fiend moving to Raw.

There were several names which were left undrafted as well and people like Andrade have become free agents and they are free to sign with the brand of their choosing.

Overall, the Drafts have created interesting opportunities for new feuds and we will have to see how WWE utilises the refreshed rosters. Below you can check out the updated rosters for Raw and SmackDown after the night two of Draft:

WWE Draft Results

Superstars drafted to Raw:

  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre
  • Raw Women’s Champion Asuka
  • Raw Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods
  • The Hurt Business Including the US Champion Bobbly Lashley
  • 24/7 Champion R Truth
  • AJ Styles
  • Naomi
  • Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler
  • Ricochet
  • Mandy Rose
  • The Miz & John Morrison
  • Dana Brooke
  • Angel Garza
  • Humberto Carrillo
  • Tucker
  • Drew Gulak
  • Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado
  • “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
  • Randy Orton
  • Charlotte Flair
  • Braun Strowman
  • Matt Riddle
  • Jeff Hardy
  • Retribution
  • Keith Lee
  • Alexa Bliss
  • Elias
  • Lacey Evans
  • Sheamus
  • Nikki Cross
  • Dabba-Kato
  • Titus O’Neil
  • Peyton Royce
  • Akira Tozawa
  • Lana
  • Riddick Moss
  • Arturo Ruas

Superstars drafted to SmackDown

  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns
  • SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley
  • SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits
  • Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn
  • Seth Rollins
  • Sasha Banks
  • Bianca Belair
  • Jey Uso
  • Dominick & Rey Mysterio
  • Big E
  • Otis
  • Murphy
  • Kalisto
  • Shorty G
  • Daniel Bryan
  • Kevin Owens
  • Lars Sullivan
  • King Corbin
  • Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro
  • Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
  • Apollo Crews
  • Carmella
  • Aleister Black
  • Natalya
  • Riott Squad

You can check out the list of free agents after the night two of drafts which includes several former champions from NXT and more here.

Posted October 13th, 2020 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

Updated: Former NXT Champion Among Names To Become Free Agents After Draft

Update: WWE revealed some additional draft picks over the night. They announced that Erik of the Viking Raiders has been picked up by Raw while Billie Kay, Zelina Vega, and Tamina Snuka have all been drafted to SmackDown.

The WWE drafts continued on night two of the event during this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw and supplement draft picks were made on the Raw Talk following the show as well.

However, even after this, a number of high profile names have been left undrafted and per the rules, they have now become free agents and they are free to sign with the brand of their choosing..

The names which have become free agents after not being drafted include Andrade, Billie Kay, Erik, Tamina Snuka, Zelina Vega, Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado, Mickie James.

Out of these 8, the most interesting names to have not been picked up during the TV drafts have to be of Andrade and the former IIconics member Billie Kay.

There were reports of Paul Heyman being high on both Aleister Black and Andrade before he was removed from the position of Executive Director of Raw and this change made people curious about the future of both the stars.

While WWE looks to have plans for Aleister Black who has recently turned heel, the fact that the former NXT and US Champion Andrade was not even drafted is making fans worried.

Similarly, it was said that Vince McMahon was a fan of Peyton Royce and after the break up of IIconics and latest drafts, the future does not look very bright for Billie Kay and we will have to see if the company has any plans for her.

Posted October 13th, 2020 in WWE, News. Tagged: , .

Possible Spoilers For Night Two Of Drafts On Raw

Night one of the WWE Draft saw a number of big stars including the likes of Seth Rollins and the New Day switching brands and latest reports suggest that we can see some more major changes at Monday’s Raw.

Dave Meltzer talked about the draft on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio and revealed that the plans call for the Raw tag team champions Street Profits to be drafted to SmackDown.

Since the company has already drafted the SmackDown tag team champions Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston to Raw, this would lead to the two teams replacing their titles with each other.

Another star who was originally slated to change brands was the former Universal Champion Braun Strowman and while not confirmed, this could be announced during the night two of the WWE draft.

Since the Raw women’s champion Asuka is staying on her home brand, it’s expected that the SmackDown women’s champion Bayley will be staying on the Blue Brand as well but it’s something that is not confirmed.

The night two of the WWE draft will be taking place on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. You can check out the current standing WWE rosters of Raw and SmackDown at this link.

Posted October 12th, 2020 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

SmackDown Star To Make Appearance On Raw, Cross Brand Battle Royal Announced

WWE has announced a number of interesting matches and segments for this week’s special draft edition of Monday Night Raw including a cross-brand battle royal and more.

The first night of the WWE draft on SmackDown this past week saw Seth Rollins being drafted to SmackDown for the first time since the return of brand extension in 2016.

After this, the company has announced that the former Universal Champion will be making one final appearance for the Red Brand to say goodbye this Monday.

WWE has also announced a dual-branded Battle Royal which will see the female wrestlers from Raw and SmackDown competing for an opportunity to challenge Asuka for her Raw Women’s Championship.

The other segments and matches which have been announced for the episode include a no disqualifications match between Kevin Owens and Aleister Black after Black ambushed Owens last week and a segment featuring Mustafa Ali speaking to the WWE Universe after he was revealed as the leader of Retribution.

All this will be in addition to the night two of WWE drafts which will determine the future of many big stars and former world champions such as Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan and ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt.

Posted October 11th, 2020 in WWE, News. Tagged: , .

WWE Draft 2020: Official Rules & Eligible Superstars

The 2020 WWE Draft begins tomorrow night on Smackdown. WWE has sent in a press release detailing the official rules and eligible Superstars for this year’s draft.

Here is what has been revealed about the draft:

  • Stephanie McMahon will preside over the draft and announce the picks for both RAW and Smackdown.
  • Much like last year as well, RAW will get 3 picks for every 2 picks that Smackdown gets since it is a 1-hour longer show.
  • Tag-teams count as one pick unless a brand specifically says they only wish to draft one member of the team.
  • Anyone left undrafted will immediately become free agents. This happened to Heath Slater, which was hard for him since he has so many kids.

Different superstars will be eligible to be drafted on different nights of the draft. Superstars eligible to be drafted on Friday night will not be eligible on Monday and vice versa.

List of Superstars eligible to be drafted on Night 1 of Draft:

  • Asuka
  • Sasha Banks
  • Bianca Belair
  • Dana Brooke
  • Humberto Carrillo
  • Elias
  • Angel Garza
  • Drew Gulak
  • Heavy Machinery (Otis & Tucker)
  • The Hurt Business (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

List of Superstars eligible to be drafted on Night 2 of Draft:

  • 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

Posted October 8th, 2020 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

WWE Draft Announced For October 9th & 12th

The rosters of Raw and SmackDown will be shaken up once again. WWE has announced a 2-night Draft is taking place next month.

The 2020 WWE Draft will kick off on October 9th on Friday Night SmackDown and resume on the October 12th episode of Monday Night RAW.

Fightful was the first to report of a forthcoming WWE Draft. The news was later confirmed by the Wrestling Observer. There was a plan to do it in early August because WWE officials felt a change was needed because of declining ratings, but there was a problem that would’ve impacted bigger plans as it would mess up plans for SummerSlam.

WWE then planned to do it in late August after SummerSlam. Once again, that got nixed once WWE planned to do a second pay-per-view a week, which was Payback. 

2019 WWE Draft

Last year’s Draft also took place in October last year. For those who are curious, here were the results of the first two rounds of the Draft last year: 

Round 1

  • RAW: Becky Lynch
  • SmackDown: Roman Reigns
  • RAW: The O.C.
  • SmackDown: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
  • RAW: Drew McIntyre

Round 2

  • RAW: Randy Orton
  • SmackDown: Sasha Banks
  • RAW: Ricochet
  • SmackDown: Braun Strowman
  • RAW: Bobby Lashley

Posted September 27th, 2020 in WWE, News. Tagged: .

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