The WWE Draft kicks off with tonight’s episode of SmackDown, giving each brand the opportunity to revitalize their rosters with superstars from the opposing brand and call-ups from NXT. The stakes are high for each brand to retain their key superstars while also adding new energy to the mix to offer compelling match-ups. With the changes to how Champions are treated as far as eligibility, at least brands don’t have to worry about keeping ahold of their Championships, but there’s still plenty to keep track of and some big decisions for each show. We’ve come up with 7 key moves that SmackDown should make during the WWE Draft, including retaining their own talent, bringing in new superstars, and calling up superstars from NXT. To get you up to speed, here are the official rules.
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WWE Draft 2024 Rules
- Champions on each brand will be protected and are not eligible to be drafted. As a result, Damian Priest, Becky Lynch, Awesome Truth and Sami Zayn will remain on Raw. Cody Rhodes, Bayley, A-Town Down Under and Logan Paul will remain on SmackDown.
- Even though their status as champions allows them to go to both brands, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka and Kairi Sane are eligible to be drafted. They will be assigned to that brand if they lose the titles.
- Friday’s SmackDown will feature four rounds of draft picks being announced. Each round will consist of the brands making two picks apiece for a total of 16 picks being announced (8 for SmackDown and 8 for Raw).
- Monday’s Raw will feature six rounds of draft picks being announced. Each round will consist of the brands making two picks apiece for a total of 24 picks (12 for Raw and 12 for SmackDown).
- SmackDown will have the first pick on Friday, and Raw will have first pick on Monday.
As with previous years, there are some picks that actually include multiple people. Those include Judgement Day, The Bloodline, Legato Del Fantasma, LWO, Damage CTRL, Alpha Academy, and The Pride, and that’s in addition to a host of Tag Teams. There are also current storylines to consider, especially as some of them relate to current Champions, who remember cannot switch brands. That means some superstars are pretty much a shoo-in for Raw and SmackDown, even if they can technically move to the opposing brand in the draft.
One that sticks out is Liv Morgan, who is eligible for the draft during night 1. While she could be drafted by SmackDown, she likely won’t be, as she is tied to a storyline with Rhea Ripley. While Ripley is out with an injury, she will pick up that feud when she gets back in a few months, and Ripley is a part of the Judgement Day, which also has World Champion Damian Priest on its roster.
That means that Priest isn’t moving, and so Judgement Day is likely not moving either given they are all part of the same pick. Ripley not moving then means that Morgan isn’t likely moving, and there are multiple examples of that sort of storyline tethering throughout the draftable roster.
You can hit the next slide to find our 7 big picks for SmackDown, and you can talk all things wrestling-related with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!
The Bloodline
This is by far the most obvious pick of the WWE draft for a few reasons. Despite the loss at WrestleMania, The Bloodline is still one of the most popular factions within WWE, and recent events have only brought more interest. Fans are invested to see not only what happens when Roman Reigns returns, but also what else happens to the group while he’s away, especially with the reports that Jacob Fatu is joining sooner rather than later.
Then there’s the sheer value of the pick, as drafting The Bloodline gets you Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Paul Heyman. If you’re looking to fill out the roster with some powerhouses right up front, you can’t go wrong with The Bloodline.
Jey Uso
Speaking of The Bloodline, that leads us to my next pick, that being Main Event Jey Uso. Uso split off from The Bloodline during the course of that storyline, and since then has stepped into the solo spotlight. Jey has become a star unto himself, which made his return to The Bloodline storyline during Cody Rhodes’ quest for a Championship all the more compelling.
Now Rhodes is on SmackDown as the Champion and Jimmy finds himself out of the Bloodline, which are both two intriguing threads that Jey can involved in, all while he’s booked as a top babyface star in the division. It’s a win-win for Jey and SmackDown, and hopefully, Jey ends up calling the blue brand home.
Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill
So this is cheating a bit, as both of these stars are up as solo picks in the Draft. That said, I think it’s important that whoever drafts them drafts them both, and since it’s so early in Jade Cargill’s tenure on SmackDown, I’m going to go with the blue brand as the destination. Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and Naomi were a powerhouse trio at WrestleMania 40, and while Naomi has moved on to other storylines involving Bayley, Belair and Cargill have continued to team up.
That is purposeful of course, as the two stars have great chemistry as a team, but there is also the long-game goal of starting a feud between them. Many have wanted to see Cargill and Belair mix it up since the Royal Rumble, which teased such an event, and for that to happen sooner than later, whoever drafts Belair or Cargill also needs to draft the other person so we can have that actually happen. Jade only just recently started with SmackDown, so hopefully they will end up staying on the blue brand for the time being.
Drew McIntyre and CM Punk
This is cheating too, but it’s for the exact same reason as Belair and Cargill. Drew McIntyre has been doing some of his best work in the feud with CM Punk, which is made even more impressive when you consider that Punk’s been hurt for a portion of it and McIntyre has had to carry more of that load.
The feud moved forward in a big way at WrestleMania, with Punk helping to cost McIntyre his newly won Title. Since then though McIntyre has started feuding with Sheamus, but we’ve seen plenty of that before. That’s why moving to SmackDown would give McIntyre some new targets, but the Punk feud is still his ultimate goal, and you would need to also draft Punk so that the feud can continue when Punk is fully recovered.
As for Punk, while he’s made a few SmackDown appearances, most of his appearances have been on Raw. With Seth Rollins out for a while after surgery, Punk’s number 1 target will be McIntyre, and having a new group to take shots at will only make Punk’s promos more interesting when he returns to action.
The Way
There are two teams of superstars on Raw who have been building to something interesting but have still been largely overshadowed, and those are the teams of DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) and Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell. Over the past month, LeRae has won over Hartwell to the heel side of things, and Ciampa showed he is drifting that way as well after DIY’s last loss. This seems to be setting up a reunion of The Way, and you know who is on SmackDown that could complete that group?
That would be Austin Theory, who is currently holding Title gold with Grayson Waller. The two are on a high right now, but there have been teases that they will turn on each other down the road. If that were to happen, Theory would complete The Way reunion, though even if he didn’t reunite with his former friends, just having them on SmackDown would spice up the tag division and provide another faction that could go against anyone.
NXT Call-Up: Jacy Jayne
There are several NXT superstars that are ready for a call-up, and that list certainly includes Jacy Jayne. Jayne has been a powerhouse heel on NXT in many different forms, moving from Toxic Attraction to a solo act to the savior of Chase U and then back to a solo villain. All the while Jayne looks comfortable and in control, and a scheming heel is exactly what a Champion like Bayley needs.
There’s also a built-in story on SmackDown, as Bayley once tried to bring Toxic Attraction back together before Jayne broke up the group permanently on Ding Dong Hello by putting Gigi Dolin through a door. Bayley has always praised both stars, and now Jayne could come into the picture to be a thorn in Bayley’s side, though she could also be a perfect heel for Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Naomi, Zelina Vega, and more.
NXT Call-Up: Dijak
Dijak has been one of the biggest redemption stories in WWE, and it’s time for him to jump back into the main roster for a real run. Dijak had a fantastic run in NXT previously under the name Dominik Dijakovic, and then he was called up and recruited to be one member of a group known as Retribution. His name was changed to T-Bar and the group was pushed heavily for a little while, but soon the group and the story behind would flame out. Unfortunately, damage had been done to everyone in the group as a result, and T-Bar was aimless.
He would then return to NXT and burn the mask and symbolically that story and would be reborn as Dijak. Since then he’s brought out more elements of his character and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he can deliver big moments in the ring. While he’s never captured a Title, he has shed any of the debris from Retribution and is ready to hit the ground running on SmackDown.
