Report Reveals Status Update on Next WWE Draft
It's been a bit since WWE has held a draft for Raw and SmackDown, and while there have been some roster changes here and there, they've been storyline related. A new report from Fightful Select provides an update on the status of a new WWE Draft and also addresses a Draft that was supposed to take place last year. According to the report, a WWE Draft was set to happen late last year, but the talent was told that it was being moved to an undetermined time in 2023. Fightful spoke to over a dozen people on the roster, and they unanimously stated they had not been told that a WWE Draft is coming or when it could be.
Numerous WWE talent said that in talking about the Draft with others, they "just assume it would happen after WrestleMania", which is in keeping with several Drafts in the past. As of Friday afternoon though talent had not been told about a Draft. Now would seem the time to have one, as new Champions have been crowned and one specifically is now a Champion of a different show.
That would be Rhea Ripley, who defeated Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 to become the new SmackDown Women's Champion. Ripley has been part of the Raw roster alongside the rest of Judgement Day, but now she'll be repping the blue brand as Champion. That means more time will need to be spent on SmackDown, even if she doesn't stop appearing on Raw, and some of that will likely be addressed during her first appearance as Champ on SmackDown tonight.
Regarding the rosters, in the past FOX and USA Network have wanted to keep their rosters distinct from each other, giving them marquee stars they didn't really have to share that often. Since Triple H took over WWE Creative though, Fightful says they've heard much less of that. In the past both FOX and USA were involved in the Draft process on TV, so if there is a Draft at some point, it will remain to be seen if that will be the case this time around.
Stars like Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Roman Reigns, and Rhea Ripley would likely stay put, but you never really know. If WWE did want to move Rollins into that Reigns Title program, he could very well end up becoming a permanent part of the blue brand. If Ripley is going to be a part of SmackDown more, it might make sense to bring over the rest of Judgement Day, which would give SmackDown another key faction.
SmackDown already has The Bloodline, LWO, Viking Raiders, The New Day, the Brawling Brutes, Imperium, and Hit Row, so having Judgement Day in that mix would instantly give the division a welcome jolt. Judgement Day vs Bloodline writes itself, as does LWO vs Judgement Day, so perhaps we'll get to see that happen.
We'll keep you posted on the possibility of a WWE Draft, but let us know what you want to see happen in the comments, and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!