All articles tagged with #wwe draft
The Raw After WrestleMania featured surprise debuts and returns, including The Rock teasing a showdown with Cody Rhodes, R-Truth teaming up with his childhood hero, multiple NXT champions in matches, the announcement of Sheamus's return and the next WWE Draft dates, new top contenders in the Intercontinental and world heavyweight title scenes, and more.
The second and final night of the 2023 WWE Draft took place on Monday Night Raw in Fort Worth, Texas, with six more rounds featuring four selections per round. The Mysterio family is still popular with fans, and Dominik Mysterio is getting a lot of heat. Eric Bischoff made an appearance and Rob Van Dam returned.
The WWE Draft continued on Night Two with Raw and SmackDown selecting their rosters. Champions Rhea Ripley, Austin Theory, Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens, Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez were among the picks. Brock Lesnar was announced as a free agent. The draft will take effect after WWE Backlash on May 6.
The WWE Draft continued on Monday Night Raw with Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins, and Trish Stratus among the top picks for Raw, while SmackDown selected Austin Theory, Charlotte Flair, and Karrion Kross. The draft also included tag teams and free agents, with rosters set to take effect after WWE Backlash on May 6th.
The WWE Draft concluded with 24 picks made across the three-hour broadcast, with Raw taking SmackDown women's champion Rhea Ripley and SmackDown taking United States champion Austin Theory with their first pick. Brock Lesnar was ineligible to be drafted as he had renegotiated his contract and could appear on either show. Other major moves included undisputed tag team champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn being drafted to Raw and The Usos joining Bloodline members Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa on SmackDown. Seth Rollins defeated Solo Sikoa via disqualification in the night's main event.
Seth Rollins and Johnny Gargano are expected to remain with WWE Raw and be drafted to the brand on tonight's WWE Draft broadcast, according to Fightful Select. Rollins has been with Raw since the 2021 draft, while Gargano joined the brand in August 2022.
The 2023 WWE Draft has begun on SmackDown, with Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and Paul Heyman staying on SmackDown, while Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, and Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair were drafted to Raw. The draft will continue on Monday's Raw.
With the WWE Draft approaching, it's time to consider which superstars should be on the move. Seth Rollins should be drafted to SmackDown to challenge Roman Reigns, while Kayden Carter and Katana Chance should be drafted to Monday Night Raw to bolster the Women's Tag Team Division. Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, Dexter Lumis, and Indi Hartwell should be drafted to SmackDown to reform The Way and give them a proper ending to their story.
Rumors suggest that Bayley is not leaving WWE and her recent social media activity is part of a storyline; there may be NXT call ups in the upcoming WWE Draft; morale was high at SmackDown without Vince McMahon present, but there is still a sense of uncertainty among wrestlers; WWE is rumored to be in a hiring freeze; Drew McIntyre's current absence is due to a pre-existing health issue.
Triple H announced on Friday Night SmackDown that the WWE Draft will be returning in a few weeks and promised that it will change the game. He also talked about the success of WrestleMania and reassured fans that WWE isn't going anywhere after being sold to Endeavor.