In the run-up to the WWE Draft, WWE.com accidentally spoiled some of the announcements that were to be made. These spoilers were uploaded to their own draft pool page. The subsequent announcements made last Friday night on SmackDown matched up almost perfectly with what was listed on WWE.com.

So, what the heck happened? According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com, WWE management sent the list of Draft trades to the WWE.com team and instructed them to alphabetize the list. This direction was not followed, perhaps there was a miscommunication, and the list was posted online “as is.”

As a result, WWE’s storyline plans were posted on the company website. Fans on social media had a field day with the blunder.

WWE Draft Scramble

Because of this mistake, WWE reportedly made on-the-fly changes to some of their drafting decisions. Additionally, former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss were chosen as two separate draft picks. This occurred despite the ruling that tag teams would count as a singular choice.

Nikki Cross even acknowledged on Twitter that she’s glad she and Alexa Bliss are staying together, drawing further attention to the lack of logic behind drafting them separately.

occurred despite the ruling that tag teams would count as a singular choice.

Meltzer added that this was apparently done on purpose, leading to SmackDown to essentially lose a pick. 

Not everyone has been thrilled with the WWE Draft. Former Universal Champion Kevin Owens recently shared his feelings on not being chosen until round three, stating “I am angry. I still am.” 

WWE Announces Additional Draft Picks Made By RAW & Smackdown

With the WWE Draft just one day away, the company has officially announced all of the details on it including the rules. 

WWE noted that more than 70 Superstars will be eligible for selection. SmackDown will draft 30 Superstars while RAW will draft 41 Superstars. For every two picks, SmackDown receives, RAW will receive three because RAW is a three-hour show.

Also, tag teams will count as one pick unless FOX or the USA Network wants to pick only one Superstar from that team while talents not drafted will become free agents and will be allowed to sign with any brand that they want. 

Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns With Big Draft Stakes Set For WWE SmackDown

WrestleMania 35 stars Michael Che and Colin Jost of SNL, NFL legend Troy Aikman, MLB legend Alex Rodriguez, actor Christian Slater, and many others are advertised to appear. 

Additional personalities scheduled to appear include:

* Kevin Burkhardt and Frank Thomas — FOX MLB analysts

* Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson and Tony Gonzalez — FOX NFL Sunday

* Ronde Barber, Charles Davis, Chris Spielman and Daryl Johnston — FOX NFL analysts

* Charissa Thompson, Michael Vick and Peter Schrager — FOX NFL Kickoff

* Rob Stone, Brady Quinn, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Urban Meyer — Big Noon Kickoff

* Joel Klatt — FOX College Football analyst

* Dulé Hill of USA’s “Psych” and “Suits”

* James Roday of “Psych”

* Marcus Lemonis of “The Profit”

* Margaret Josephs and Melissa Gorga of “Real Housewives of New Jersey”

* Rodney Harrison and Chris Simms — Football Night in America

* Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Mustoe and Kyle Martino — Premier League Live

‘The Game’ Triple H recently took part in a media call ahead of NXT’s debut on USA Network. One topic of conversation that came up revolved around NXT’s involvement with WWE’s upcoming draft planned for RAW and SmackDown.

Triple H explained how WWE wants to put on the best show possible every week. According to him, he’s interested in NXT putting on the best show “against RAW, against SmackDown, against anybody.”

He added, “I want to compete against ourselves to have the best show that we can. That competition – that’s what leads to the best stuff in the business. From a product standpoint, when you have competition, it makes everything good. So we create our own.”

NXT Draft Involvement

Regarding NXT’s involvement with October’s WWE draft, Triple H doesn’t foresee much NXT involvement.

“I think that right now, the main focus of the draft itself is RAW and SmackDown as October 4th comes along and moves forward. With FOX broadcast taking SmackDown and staying with our partners at USA and NBCU, those become two very competitive landscapes. I’m of the opinion that the NXT brand will continue to grow and I think that down the line, you will see. As much as I will say right now, NXT has grown to where it shouldn’t be referred to as a developmental brand even though we tend to debut newer stars.”

He explained how the draft is more about creating a subsequent brand split between RAW and SmackDown, giving the shows two distinct rosters once again. His goal for the future is to establish three distinct brands that will all have a “different feel and flavor to them” all underneath WWE’s umbrella, stating that there is no up or down progression anymore, just lateral movement between brands.

NXT debuts on USA Network this week on September 18th.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

The 2018 Superstar Shake-Up is in the books and some of WWE’s biggest stars are now on a different brand than they were the previous year.

Now having completed a Superstar Shake-Up for the second year in a row, as opposed to a full-out WWE Draft, it should be interesting to see which WWE Superstars prefer the most – a Shake-Up or the Draft?

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful is reporting that, after speaking to several WWE Superstars, he has determined that the majority prefer the Shake-Up. Sapp also reported that the WWE stars who were switching brands were told beforehand, which is something that hasn’t always been done in the past.

There have been some stories in previous cases of wrestlers finding out which brand they’d been drafted to at the same time as the audience. It was also reported that some Superstars were given the day off.

Discussion: Do you prefer the Superstar Shake-Up or the WWE Draft? Which brand got the better of this year’s Shake-Up? And what moves were you not a fan of? 

Following last week’s WWE Draft, there are nearly a dozen Superstars not assigned to either brand for various reasons. According to WWE.com here’s the roster of un-drafted WWE performers:

• Emma (injured)
• Heath Slater (“forgotten in the Draft”)
• Luke Harper (injured)
• Nikki Bella (injured)
• Paul Heyman (not drafted with Brock Lesnar)
• Rosa Mendes (gave birth earlier this year)
• Ryback (contract dispute, likely leaving WWE)
• Tamina Snuka (injured)
• Triple H
• Tyson Kidd (injured)
• The Undertaker

Other performers listed as “Current Superstars” but not drafted include Brie Bella (unofficially retired) and Tyson Kidd (out of action indefinitely due to injury).

Tuesday’s WWE Draft saw Brock Lesnar drafted to RAW in the second round (#8 overall), but original plans called for The Beast to be the first overall pick. The idea was to draft Lesnar at #1 to capitalize on his win over Mark Hunt at UFC 200 and the mainstream publicity that came along with it.

Then news broke that Lesnar had been notified of a potential USADA violation. Earlier this week, USADA announced that Lesnar failed a second drug test, conducted the day of his UFC 200 fight. WWE “no sold” the news, continued to promote his match against Randy Orton at SummerSlam and still included him in the draft.

• Update: Will WWE Suspend Brock Lesnar For Failing 2 Drug Tests?

Lesnar being drafted at #8 instead of #1 did not change any major plans in terms of which Superstars would go to RAW or SmackDown. Had Lesnar gone at #1, WWE Champion Dean Ambrose would have been #2 (SmackDown), followed by Seth Rollins (RAW) and John Cena (SmackDown).

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The 2016 WWE Draft is in the books and we want to know which brand you think got the better roster. Reddit user theonlycarrot put together this badass graphic so you can visualize the talent on both RAW and SmackDown (click to enlarge). So?

[poll id=”2″]

SmackDown Live is off to a great start on Tuesday nights, with the premiere episode featuring the WWE Draft averaging 3.17 million viewers.

Not only was this the best audience for SmackDown since moving to the USA Network, but it topped WWE RAW the previous night, which did 3.13 million viewers.

By comparison, last week’s SmackDown (the final Thursday night episode) drew 2.07 million viewers. We’ll see how much of that audience SmackDown can retain next week, when the new era of SmackDown truly begins.

Source: Showbuzzdaily.com

This week’s episode of Smackdown opened up with Shane, Stephanie, Daniel Bryan and Mick Foley at their respective podiums. Mick Foley was going to announce the first pick of the draft but Stephanie McMahon interrupted him and shouted that the first pick of the draft is Seth Rollins. Daniel Bryan then announced that Smackdown’s first pick is Dean Ambrose. Mick Foley then announced that the second pick for Monday Night Raw was the Women’s Champion Charlotte. Shane McMahon then announced Smackdown’s second pick was AJ Styles. Mick Foley then announced that Raw is drafting NXT superstar Finn Balor.

John Cena vs Luke Gallows

AJ Styles and Karl Anderson joined Gallows ringside. AJ Styles was already sporting a Smackdown shirt. Enzo and Big Cass came out before the match started to even the odds with Styles and Anderson also outside the ring. It didn’t take long for everybody to wind up in the ring. Enzo and Cass tossed Styles and Anderson outside the ring. John Cena then hit the Attitude Adjustment on Gallows for the victory.

Reaction: Finally, Finn Balor will make his debut on the main roster. Neither Cena or Roman Reigns were selected in the top 5.

Love the pick of @wwebalor by Raw! #WWEDraft

— Howard Finkel (@howardfinkel) July 20, 2016

Mick Foley announced that Roman Reigns was Raw’s next selection. The crowd booed loudly and Stephanie McMahon didn’t seem to a big fan of that selection either. Shane McMahon then announced that John Cena is Smackdown’s next selection. Stephanie McMahon then announced that Brock Lesnar is the next selection for Monday Night Raw. Daniel Bryan then announced that Smackdown’s selection was Randy Orton. The New Day was then drafted to Monday Night Raw.

Rusev & the Miz vs Zack Ryder & Darren Young

This was a short match with Rusev dominating early. However, Zack Ryder and Darren Young battled back. It came down to the Miz and Darren Young in the ring. Darren Young locked in the Crossface Chickenwing and the Miz tapped out. Bob Backlund was ringside and when Young secured the victory, he started jumping around like a madman.

Reaction: Lesnar and Reigns on Monday Night Raw immediately generated steroid jokes on social media. I like the fact that John Cena and Randy Orton are going to Smackdown. Both shows have a mix of young talent and veterans. Smackdown has yet make a selection from the NXT roster.

https://twitter.com/jctorch/status/755560583139696642

Xavier Woods vs Bray Wyatt

All of the members of the Wyatt Family and the New Day were ringside for this match. Xavier Woods had that hypnotized look on his face pretty much the entire match and Bray Wyatt took advantage of it. As soon as Xavier Woods started to build some momentum it was halted with a Sister Abigail from Bray Wyatt. Mauro Ranallo then remarked that Xavier Woods better get his head on straight before the 6 man tag team match this Sunday at Battleground.

Kevin Owens vs Kane

Sami Zayn attacked Kevin Owens while he was walking down to the ring. Kevin Owens then caught Zayn with a kick in the face and instructed Kane to Chokeslam Zayn. Kane decided to Chokeslam both Zayn and Owens.

Stephanie McMahon then announced that Sami Zayn is Raw’s next draft pick. Shane McMahon then selected Bray Wyatt to join Smackdown. Mick Foley announced that Sasha Banks was Raw’s next selection. Daniel Bryan then announced that Becky Lynch was Smackdown’s next selection. Mick Foley then selected Chris Jericho to join Monday Night Raw.

Reaction: Hopefully Smackdown eventually drafts Kevin Owens to separate him from Sami Zayn. I find it interesting that Shane McMahon didn’t draft the entire Wyatt Family, instead just Bray Wyatt.

Kevin Owens will have the best year coming up to prove he was slighted… #WWEDraft

— David Herro (@DavidHerro) July 20, 2016

2 on 1 Match: Charlotte & Dana Brooke vs Sasha Banks

There was no way Sasha Banks was going to win this match as the odds were greatly stacked against her. Sasha got in some offense on Dana Brooke, but wound up being pinned by Charlotte after she hit the Natural Selection.

Mick Foley announced that Raw’s selection was Rusev and Lana. Daniel Bryan then selected Intercontinental Champion the Miz and Maryse. Stephanie McMahon then announced that Kevin Owens will be joining Raw. Shane McMahon then announced that Baron Corbin is heading to Smackdown. Mick Foley then selected Enzo & Cass for Monday Night Raw.

Reaction: Kevin Owens was finally drafted and wound up on the same show as Sami Zayn. I thought it was a certainty that Owens and Zayn would wind up on different shows, as usual I was incorrect.

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/755459491685081088

Chris Jericho vs Cesaro

Jericho was mocking Cesaro before the match because he still hadn’t been drafted. This was a back and forth match with Cesaro getting in plenty of offense. Cesaro hit a bunch of uppercuts and also got Jericho in the Cesaro Swing. Cesaro spring-boarded himself off of the second rope and jumped right into a massive Codebreaker from Jericho. This led to Jericho pinning Cesaro for the victory.

Smackdown returned from a commercial break to Becky Lynch attacking Natalya. Last night on Monday Night Raw, Natalya attacked Lynch and tonight she got her revenge.

Stephanie McMahon then announced that they selected Gallows and Anderson. Daniel Bryan then announced that the tag team American Alpha from NXT will be heading to Smackdown. Mick Foley then selected the Big Show for Monday Night Raw. Shane McMahon then selected Dolph Ziggler for Smackdown. Stephanie McMahon then selected Nia Jax from NXT to join Raw’s roster.

Reaction: I cannot believe Cesaro hasn’t been yet. American Alpha heading to Smackdown is awesome. The crowd didn’t seem to excited when it was announced that the Big Show would be joining Monday Night Raw. Gallows and Anderson joining Fill Balor on Raw may finally allow us to see the long rumored “Balor Club”.

How has Cesaro not been picked yet and the Big Show has?? #WWEDraft

— Alen Champ (@ChampChong) July 20, 2016

Stephanie McMahon announced that Neville will be heading to Monday Night Raw. Daniel Bryan then selected Natalya to join the Smackdown roster. Mick Foley then finally selected Cesaro to join the Raw roster. Shane McMahon announced that Alberto Del Rio is heading to Smackdown. Mick Foley then selected Sheamus for Monday Night Raw.

Here are the drafts that were shown on TV! #SmackDownLive pic.twitter.com/AHpRxMesuA

— Best Of The Word (@BOTWNews) July 20, 2016

WWE Championship Match: Dean Ambrose (c) vs Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins attacked Dean Ambrose before the match even started. This match quickly devolved into a brawl with a lot of the action taking place outside of the ring. Seth Rollins hit a gigantic Superplex on Dean Ambrose, but Ambrose popped right back up and hit the Dirty Deeds on Rollins. Ambrose then pinned Rollins and retained his WWE Championship. After the match, Ambrose put on his Smackdown shirt and celebrated in the ring with Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon.

Reaction: As of now, it seems like Monday Night Raw has the more star-studded roster. However, Smackdown has the WWE Champion Dean Ambrose, but that could change if either Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins wins this Sunday at Battleground.

DIRTY DEEDS by @TheDeanAmbrose!!
The #LunaticFringe is STILL your @WWE Champion!! #SmackDownLIVE pic.twitter.com/JW7hblAe5i

— WWE (@WWE) July 20, 2016

What did you think of this week’s episode of Smackdown? Which show’s roster do you think is better? Let us know in the comments below.

Following the 2016 WWE Draft, here are the updated rosters for RAW and SmackDown:

RAW

Commissioner: Stephanie McMahon
General Manager: Mick Foley

#1. Seth Rollins
#3. WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte
#5. Finn Balor
#6. Roman Reigns
#8. Brock Lesnar
#10. Tag Team Champions The New Day
#11. Sami Zayn
#13. Sasha Banks
#15. Chris Jericho
#16. United States Champion Rusev with Lana
#18. Kevin Owens
#20. Enzo Amore and Big Cass
#21. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
#23. Big Show
#25. Nia Jax
#26. Neville
#28. Cesaro
#30. Sheamus
#31. Goldust and R-Truth
#33. Titus O’Neil
#35. Paige
#36. Darren Young with Bob Backlund
#38. Sin Cara
#40. Jack Swagger
#42. The Dudley Boyz
#44. Summer Rae
#46. Mark Henry
#48. Braun Strowman
#50. Bo Dallas
#52. The Shining Stars
#54. Alicia Fox
#56. Dana Brooke
#58. Curtis Axel

SmackDown

Commissioner: Shane McMahon
General Manager: Daniel Bryan

#2. WWE Champion Dean Ambrose
#4. AJ Styles
#7. John Cena
#9. Randy Orton
#12. Bray Wyatt
#14. Becky Lynch
#17. Intercontinental Champion The Miz with Maryse
#19. Baron Corbin
#22. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan
#24. Dolph Ziggler
#27. Natalya
#29. Alberto Del Rio
#32. The Usos
#34. Kane
#37. Kalisto
#39. Naomi
#41. The Ascension
#43. Zack Ryder
#45. Apollo Crews
#47. Alexa Bliss
#49. Tyler Breeze and Fandango
#51. Eva Marie
#53. The Vaudevillains
#55. Erick Rowan
#57. Mojo Rawley
#59. Carmella

The WWE Draft is just hours away and we’ve got a major spoiler regarding one of the 6 NXT stars joining the main roster.

Fans sitting ringside tonight at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA will find something interesting on their seats – signs that read, “Hugger Section.” Of course, this is a dead giveaway that former NXT Women’s Champion Bayley, the biggest hugger in the company, is getting drafted.

Bayley has been part of NXT since January 2013 and is widely regarded as having huge upside potential on the larger stage of WWE.  Congrats to Bayley!

https://twitter.com/JoeCroninSHOW/status/755523575046664192

The Lucha Dragons will be no more after the WWE Draft.

As seen below, Sin Cara and Kalisto went on Facebook Live to announce their split.

Kalisto added that the two will always be brothers.

What big announcement did #LUCHADragons @KalistoWWE & @SinCaraWWE make about the #WWEDraft? https://t.co/LoDx4l8VyO pic.twitter.com/RGLUi2tTGJ

— WWE (@WWE) July 18, 2016

WWE announced on Monday morning that the new RAW and SmackDown General Managers will be revealed at the start of tonight’s RAW.

WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon returned to television last week and appointed Stephanie McMahon and Shane McMahon as the new Commissioners of RAW and SmackDown, respectively. It was explained that Stephanie and Shane would be in charge of their brands’ business operations while their GM’s would act as surrogates, running the television shows on a week-to-week basis.

Any last minute predictions?

• Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Nakamura & More Hype The WWE Draft

BREAKING: Tonight's #RAW will kick off with the reveal of the RAW & #SmackDown Live GMs! @StephMcMahon @shanemcmahon pic.twitter.com/SZdCW3sbyq

— WWE (@WWE) July 18, 2016

The big week is finally upon us. The face of WWE is set to change once again on Tuesday night when SmackDown goes live on its new night and the WWE Draft returns for the first time since 2011.

On Sunday WWE announced the rules and eligible participants for the Draft. We know that RAW’s 3 hours will afford them 3 picks for every 2 by SmackDown, 6 NXT wrestlers will be called up to the main roster and The Undertaker will not be exclusive to either show (yet Brock Lesnar will).

Tuesday night marks the beginning of yet a new era in WWE – here are some reactions from some of the most sought after picks:

Legit stoked on the upcoming #SmackDownLIVE draft. Not a promotional shill either. Shake the system. See who survives. #number1pick

— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) July 17, 2016

….Did someone leave a window open… Because I can feel a draft #WWEDraft pic.twitter.com/TBXuJ6JHCg

— Finn Bálor (@FinnBalor) July 18, 2016

6 opportunities to escape my empire, 6 chances to try their luck on another stage, or perhaps 1 pick that changes everything #WWEDraft @WWE

— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) July 18, 2016

6 NXT draft picks? Is the WWE ready for The King of Strong Style?

— Shinsuke Nakamura (@ShinsukeN) July 17, 2016

Red, Blue, or Yellow.#WWEDraft pic.twitter.com/a7vsguHjdr

— KENTA aka Lil’K (@KENTAG2S) July 18, 2016

We are in the midst of some major industry change. BUT no matter what happens, we'll always have this 😏 #WWEDraft pic.twitter.com/VoBoxOnaA4

— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) July 18, 2016

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/754847147242221569

With the WWE Draft taking place two days from now on the premiere of SmackDown Live on the USA Network, WWE has revealed its official rules, regulations and procedures.

According to WWE.com, the rules for the WWE Draft are as follows:

• RAW has the first overall pick
• Since SmackDown Live is a two-hour show and RAW is three hours, for every two picks SmackDown Live receives, RAW will receive three picks
• Tag Teams count as one pick unless a Commissioner/General Manager specifically only wants one member of the team
• Six draft picks will be made off the NXT roster

The list of current WWE Superstars eligible for the WWE Draft are as follows:

Male Superstars

• AJ Styles
• Alberto Del Rio
• Apollo Crews
• Baron Corbin
• Big Show
• Braun Strowman
• Bray Wyatt
• Brock Lesnar
• Cesaro
• Chris Jericho
• Darren Young (w/ Bob Backlund)
• Dean Ambrose – WWE Champion
• Demon Kane
• Dolph Ziggler
• Erick Rowan
• Jack Swagger
• John Cena
• Kalisto
• Kevin Owens
• Mark Henry
• Neville
• Randy Orton
• Roman Reigns
• Rusev (w/ Lana) – United States Champion
• Sami Zayn
• Seth Rollins
• Sheamus
• Sin Cara
• The Miz (w/ Maryse) – Intercontinental Champion
• Titus O’Neil
• Zack Ryder

Tag Teams

• Breezango (Fandango and Tyler Breeze)
• Enzo and Cass (Enzo Amore and Big Cass)
• Gallows and Anderson (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson)
• Golden Truth (Goldust and R-Truth)
• Shining Stars (Epico and Primo)
• Social Outcasts (Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel and Heath Slater)
• The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor)
• The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley)
• The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) – Tag Team Champions
• The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso)
• The Vaudevillains (Aiden English and Simon Gotch)

Female Superstars

• Alicia Fox
• Becky Lynch
• Charlotte – WWE Women’s Champion
• Dana Brooke
• Eva Marie
• Naomi
• Natalya
• Paige
• Sasha Banks
• Summer Rae

The two biggest names not on the list are The Undertaker and Triple H. It’s also worth noting that while Brock Lesnar is eligible to drafted, Paul Heyman wasn’t included like other talent attached to a Superstar.

Other omissions from the list of eligible Superstars include injured wrestlers Emma, Luke Harper, Nikki Bella, Tamina and Tyson Kidd. Ryback and Rosa Mendes are also not listed.

• 6 things you should know about Alberto Del Rio dating Paige

WWE Network will air a SmackDown pre-show on Tuesday night at 7pm EST. There will also be a post-show at 10pm after SmackDown goes off the air. No word yet on if this will be a weekly thing.

While the WWE Draft is airing live on SmackDown via the USA Network on Tuesday night, the WWE Network will be airing a “Draft Center” second screen experience.

Join us on Tuesday night at 8pm for live Draft and SmackDown coverage.

– WWE will tape Main Event and SmackDown tonight from the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami with Dean Ambrose and The Miz on MizTV. Others scheduled include Rusev, Sheamus, Cesaro and Chris Jericho. Join us here later tonight for our weekly live spoilers.

– WWE continues to advertise specific Superstars for brand-exclusive shows taking place after the WWE Draft, which may or may not give an indication about which talent will be going to RAW and SmackDown. After the brand split takes place, the SmackDown brand will be running live events during Sunday night RAW PPV’s and on Monday nights during RAW. The SmackDown brand has a live event scheduled for Sunday, September 25th from State College, PA. This is the same night as the RAW-exclusive Clash of Champions PPV from Indianapolis, IN.

Of course, the lineup is subject to change and we will once again give the disclaimer that it’s unlikely that WWE would spoil the draft results in this way, but the following Superstars are advertised for that Sunday night SmackDown live event:

• The New Day
• The Miz
• Women’s Champion Charlotte
• Kevin Owens
• Sasha Banks
• Paige
• Big Show
• Cesaro
• Sami Zayn
• The Wyatt Family

– Below is a new commercial for the WWE Cruiserweight Classic, beginning 7/13 on the WWE Network:

Here are a few news items related to the upcoming WWE Draft, scheduled for the first live Tuesday night SmackDown on July 19th:

– It’s worth noting that John Cena is only being advertised for RAW shows taking place after the Draft. Top stars advertised for SmackDown shows after 7/19 include WWE Champion Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and AJ Styles. These lineups are always subject to change and it’s unlikely WWE would spoil any big Draft storylines in this manner, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross wrote the following about the upcoming brand split in his latest blog:

“As a fan I would love to see the two brands, RAW and Smackdown, be creatively positioned as two separate companies who are competing for the market share on the USA Network with their back to back days of live TV. There is more than one way to produce good, weekly TV wrestling.

Still of the mindset that with a little luck and timely execution that the WWE Brand Extension can be one of the most prolific things that WWE has strategically done from a business perspective in a good while. I can see the brand extension significantly helping the WWE Network as well and that’s the heartbeat for the big dog in the yard these days.”

– There’s talk of Bayley, Nia Jax and Carmella being drafted to the main roster next month, according to PWInsider. It’s expected that upwards of 10 NXT performers will be getting called up. 

It was announced on this week’s episode of NXT that the highly anticipated Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura dream match will take place on the July 13th episode of NXT.

• Balor, Nakamura, Joe & Aries Wrestling At Sunday’s WWE Live Event

It was expected that NXT would hold off on this match until Takeover: Brooklyn, especially after Triple H strongly hinted this on Twitter. It’s also worth noting that the July 13th episode of NXT takes place just days before the WWE Draft. Jus sayin’.

WWE will tape the next 3 weeks of NXT television on Friday from Full Sail, which will include the July 13th episode and Balor vs. Nakamura.

THREE WEEKS AWAY!!
It's @WWEBalor vs. @ShinsukeN on @WWENXT!! @RealKingRegal pic.twitter.com/rXUYflYwUN

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) June 23, 2016

Obviously the big story of the day is Roman Reigns being suspended for 30 days for violating WWE’s talent wellness policy.

In a breaking news audio update, Dave Meltzer revealed on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE was aware of Reigns failing a drug test prior to Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. It explains why WWE took the title off him, but booking him in the main event of the next PPV is a curious decision to say the least.

Reigns’ suspension will be over in the days leading up to Battleground on 7/24, but he will not be appearing TV prior to the show. It remains to be seen how WWE will handle the situation on air. The company could have had Seth Rollins defeat Reigns on RAW last night, challenge Ambrose in a singles match at Battleground then hold off on the triple threat until SummerSlam. It’s somewhat odd that WWE didn’t go this route, but perhaps in time we’ll find out why things unfolded the way they did.

The other big issue is the upcoming WWE Draft, scheduled for July 19th. After being pushed as “the guy” for the past several months, Reigns would have almost certainly been the top pick by either the RAW or SmackDown. With the way he’s been pushed, it’s not far fetched to assume Reigns would have been the first overall pick of the draft, ahead of John Cena. Again, we’ll just have to see how this one plays out.

It’s also worth noting that WWE will have to also change the main event the upcoming live event from Madison Square Garden on 7/16, which was scheduled to be Reigns vs. Seth Rollins.

• The Complete List Of WWE Drug Suspensions

WWE.com announced on Monday morning that the WWE Draft is set for SmackDown’s live premiere on Tuesday, July 19th. The Draft will be conducted by newly appointed General Managers to determine which Superstars will compete exclusively on Monday Night Raw or SmackDown.

WWE Executive Producer Kevin Dunn told WWE.com, “This is an exciting new era for WWE in which we will yet again reinvent ourselves by creating a second night of compelling live television.”

• Report: WWE Reaching Out To Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy  & More For The Draft

For what it’s worth, the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts is advertising John Cena vs. AJ Styles for the Draft edition of SmackDown. WWE will have “all hands on deck” for the Draft, so this doesn’t necessarily mean that Cena and Styles will be drafted to SmackDown. That said, this does corroborate the reports we’ve seen about RAW featuring the Shield feud and Cena/Styles headlining SmackDown.

This just in: @JohnCena vs @AJStylesOrg on July 19 in Worcester! Don't miss the first LIVE #WWESmackdown! #WWE pic.twitter.com/zMWyBSp8Mb

— DCU Center (@DCUCenter) June 16, 2016

Starting in September, WWE is planning to run two separate monthly pay-per-views for RAW and SmackDown, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler was at a Superman convention in Metropolis, IL over the weekend and was reportedly telling fans that only WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and Royal Rumble will feature wrestlers from both brands.

WWE ran split-brand pay-per-views from 2003-2007, but these shows were mostly alternating months. The concept was ultimately scrapped due to lack of interest in the SmackDown shows. It’s no secret that WWE already has a major problem with overexposure. Live attendance is down, television ratings are way down and it’s hard to justify there being a demand for this.

SmackDown going live on Tuesday nights is widely seen as a net positive that will elevate the show’s profile. There are also a lot of potential drawbacks. Another 3-hour monthly PPV has the potential to drive away even the most ardent fans.

Meltzer thinks split-brand PPVs virtually guarantees that WWE will create a second world title for SmackDown, which inherently dilutes the value of the other titles.

SmackDown moves to Tuesday nights and goes live every week starting on July 19th.

– WWE’s cable partners, including Sky Italia, have been contacted by WWE and told to reserve more time for pay-per-views, indicating that future shows will be running beyond 11pm.

– During this week’s NXT media conference call, Triple H noted that he wasn’t sure how the upcoming WWE draft would affect the NXT roster. However, Dave Meltzer noted in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that NXT will be raided “big time” and there’s expected to be a mass migration of talent headed to the main roster.

WWE has been aggressively scouting talent from around the world to replenish the NXT roster after the draft. As noted earlier this week, Tommy End is said to be NXT bound, pending the usual round of medical testing. With WWE bringing in a ton of new faces for the Global Cruiserweight Series, you can bet many of the standout competitors getting WWE exposure for the first time will be signed.

Comment and tell us which NXT stars you think will join the main roster this summer.

Many fans have been emailing in asking when the 2012 WWE Draft will take place.

Monday’s 3-hour RAW Supershow was originally scheduled to host the Draft, but WWE would have made an announcement by now if that was the case. The next 3-hour RAW after that takes place on June 11th from Hartford, Connecticut, but there have been no indications that the draft will be held then.

There has also been talk of doing away with the Draft concept entirely. With WWE re-branding RAW as a a “Supershow” each week featuring SmackDown talent, the brand separation has never meant less.

That said, WWE feels that several superstars (Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler and The Miz) are desperately in need of a “change of scenery” – so we could see various trades take place to shake up the rosters.

COMMENT BELOW and tell us who YOU think should switch brands.

– As we reported over the weekend, the April 23rd RAW Supershow from Detroit, Michigan will be a 3-hour show. There are tentative plans for this show to feature the 2012 WWE Draft.

– Arda Ocai has a new article up at TheScore.com looking at the chances that it could snow in New Jersey next year on April 7th, when WrestleMania 29 takes place from the open-dome Metlife Stadium. Looking back at the weather on April 7th over the past 10 years, the average temperature has been 47.7 °F (9 °C). The high has been 58.71 °F (15 °C) and the low has been 37.79 °F (3 °C).

– There is speculation backstage that The Undertaker will show up on RAW tonight either bald or with a very altered appearance.