There were a number of big-time Superstars available on night one of the 2024 WWE Draft, which kicked off on tonight’s episode of SmackDown, and that included The EST Bianca Belair. Belair has been one of SmackDown’s biggest stars during her run on the blue brand, and as of late has been teaming up with WWE’s newest sensation Jade Cargill. That’s why going into tonight it wasn’t known where Belair would end up landing, as there were arguments for both Raw and SmackDown to draft The EST. Now we know that SmackDown will be Belair’s home for the foreseeable future, and the blue brand picked The EST with the very first pick of the night.
Belair has been in Cargill’s orbit ever since the Royal Rumble, where the two shared a moment in the ring that many fans were anticipating from the day Cargill was signed. Since then the two ended up joining forces with Naomi to take on Damage CTRL at WrestleMania 40, a match they would ultimately win.
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Naomi has since moved into a Title feud with Bayley, but Belair and Cargill have continued to join forces on SmackDown. They are a powerhouse as a team, and could even end up competing for the Women’s Tag Team Championships. If they do, that would be a great way to build into a breakup and then the inevitable feud between them, which fans are also eager to see play out.
Cargill isn’t in the pool of Superstars for SmackDown’s first night but will be available to draft from the pool during night two on Monday Night Raw. That’s where fans will see if the two end up sharing the same brand once again or are split up, though if the latter happens, there will be fans disappointed that the wait for these two superstars to collide will be a while longer.
Whoever ends up in the SmackDown Women’s Division by the end of the draft will have to contend with the WWE Women’s Champion Bayley, who defeated Iyo Sky at WrestleMania 40. With Damage CTRL behind her, Bayley will have new challengers to face, and the Draft will dictate who those challengers end up being. You can find the full rules for tonight’s Draft below.
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.
What have you thought of the WWE Draft so far? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!
