WWE Draft Update: More News on When the Next Draft Will Happen
Rumors of WWE potentially bumping up this year's WWE Draft to early September started popping up last week when Fightful Select reported that Raw and SmackDown stars were internally scheduled to cross over on the Sept. 5 and 12 episodes of Raw and the Sept. 9 episode of SmackDown. That would put the Draft days after the Clash at the Castle pay-per-view, which could be the perfect way to reshape both brands to better suit Paul Levesque's booking.
A draft could potentially re-establish the brand split between Raw and SmackDown, as the unification of the WWE & Universal Championship and the two tag team championships has effectively wiped out the previous divide between brands. It could also fix the chaotic final months of WWE's annual schedule, as the usual October Draft completely shakes up both rosters right before Survivor Series where the big focus is on the "battle for brand supremacy."
Unfortunately, fans may want to pump the breaks on the Draft coming sooner than its typical early October slot. Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp wrote on Tuesday that the major talent crossing over for those aforementioned episodes of Raw and SmackDown have now been unbooked. He also cited USA Network sources stating that the internal schedule doesn't have a Draft episode of Raw lined up and that it's more likely to happen after WrestleMania 39 next April.
"WWE had not officially announced the Draft, and hasn't given us a confirmation about any of the dates, and talent hasn't been given a heads up about anything happening in the coming weeks," Sapp wrote.
When do you think the next WWE Draft should happen? Or should the brand split be completely erased? Tell us your thoughts down in the comments and check out the lineup for Clash at the Castle below:
- Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre
- SmackDown Women's Championship: Liv Morgan vs. Shayna Baszler
- Intercontinental Championship: Gunther vs. Sheamus
- Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss & Asuka vs. Bayley, Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky
- Riddle vs. Seth Rollins