The 2023 WWE Draft continues tonight on Monday Night Raw as the second half of WWE’s roster and a select number of NXT stars will be available to be selected. With Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Gunther already getting picked, a big question lingering throughout the show will be what happens to the rest of the main roster’s active champions as Rhea Ripley, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Austin Theory are all still on the board. Factions are also at risk of being split up as The Usos (Bloodline) and Ripley (The Judgement Day) are positioned as separate from the rest of their respective groups.
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Triple H confirmed at the start of the show that all picks will go into effect beginning with the March 8 episode of Raw. WWE returns to pay-per-view this Saturday with Backlash in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Bloodline
The first pick of the draft was for The Bloodline, consisting of Paul Heyman, Solo Sikoa, and Roman Reigns. The unit was drafted as a collective by SmackDown, so they will be staying put.
Cody Rhodes
The 2nd pick of the WWE Draft was Monday Night Raw’s, and they chose Reigns’ WrestleMania 39 challenger Cody Rhodes, who will be staying on the red brand.
Bianca Belair
The 3rd pick of the WWE Draft went to SmackDown, and this is where we got our first big shakeup. SmackDown chose The EST Bianca Belair, and that means she will bring her Title with her (most likely) and become the new SmackDown Women’s Champion. That means Rhea Ripley is probably headed to Raw, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Becky Lynch
The 4th and final pick of the first round went to Monday Night Raw, and it would be The Man being chosen to stay on the red brand. So far Raw pretty much stayed the same, but later rounds might shake things up a bit.
Street Profits
The 2nd round started off with SmackDown’s pick, and the blue brand chose fan favorite Tag Team The Street Profits.
Imperium
Monday Night Raw wanted to shake things up with their next pick, and they absolutely did, as they chose the group of Imperium. That includes Gunther, Giovanni Vinci, and Ludwig Kaiser, and that means the Intercontinental Championship will move over to Raw.
Edge
SmackDown was next, and they went for one of their earliest stars for their next pick. SmackDown picked Edge to head to the blue brand, a brand he has quite a history with.
Matt Riddle
The final pick of the 2nd round went to Monday Night Raw, and unlike Edge, it involved a star staying put. Raw chose Matt Riddle, who will continue to call the red brand home.
Bobby Lashley
The first pick of the 3rd round was a big one for SmackDown, and they started things off by choosing the All-Mighty one himself Bobby Lashley, who will move over from Monday Night Raw.
Drew McIntyre
It was Raw’s pick next, and they looked to add some power to their Men’s Division as well, drafting Drew McIntyre to the red brand.
The O.C.
Next up was SmackDown, and they pivoted a bit, choosing a faction. That faction was The O.C., who have been off WWE TV for a bit, but returning with them was AJ Styles, and they looked to make a big impact on the blue brand immediately.
The Miz
The final pick of the 3rd round went to Monday Night Raw, and the red brand is staying in The Miz business, drafting the A-List Superstar and keeping him exclusive to Monday nights.
Damage CTRL
The fourth and final round of night 1 was up, and SmackDown’s first pick packed a punch. SmackDown got three superstars with one pick, drafting Damage CTRL’s Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY to the blue brand.
Shinsuke Nakamura
Raw was up next, and with the 2nd pick of the 4th round the red branded the King of Strong Style Shinsuke Nakamura, who recently made his return to WWE after being off of WWE TV for a bit.
Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn
SmackDown had the 3rd pick of the 4th round, and we finally got an NXT call-up. It wasn’t the one most were expecting though, as SmackDown drafted the current NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn.
Indi Hartwell
The 4th and final pick of the 4th round was also an NXT call-up, and again, it was an unexpected pick. Monday Night Raw drafted the current NXT Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell, potentially reuniting her with her former teammates in The Way Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, and Austin Theory on the red brand.
Viking Raiders
Starting off the Night 1 Supplemental Draft was Monday Night Raw, and it would be the Viking Raiders moving from SmackDown to Raw, including Erik, Ivar, and Valhalla.
Dexter Lumis
A few of Raw’s picks would look to keep superstars on their current roster on the red brand, and that included Dexter Lumis.
Candice LeRae
Raw would then draft Candice LeRae to the red brand, keeping her on the roster. She is also now on the same roster as her fellow The Way teammate Indi Hartwell.
Maximum Male Models
Next for Raw, it was faction time, as Raw drafted Maximum Male Models. The group includes ma.cé, mån.sôör, and Maxxine Dupri), though Dupri has promised Otis will be joining them if she has anything to do about it.
Zoey Stark
Monday Night Raw kept the picks coming, and this time they announced another NXT call-up, which would be the always-lethal Zoey Stark.
JD McDonagh
Monday Night Raw jumped right back over to NXT for their next pick, drafting the villainous NXT star JD McDonagh to the red brand.
Apollo Crews
Raw still had an eye on NXT for their next pick, but it was about bringing someone back as opposed to a call-up. Raw drafted Apollo Crews, bringing him back to the red brand after a stint in NXT.
Natalya
Raw then went to solidify its Women’s Division with one of the best in Natalya, who will be moving over from SmackDown.
Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville
To round out their picks, Monday Night Raw wanted to keep two stars on the roster, drafting the stellar Tag Team of Sonya Seville and Chelsea Green.
Hit Row
SmackDown only used two draft picks in the supplemental draft, but they did get four stars. Three of them came with this pick, as they drafted Hit Row’s Top Dolla, Ashante ‘Thee’ Adonis, and B-Fab, keeping them on SmackDown.
Lacey Evans
The final draft pick of the supplemental draft was for SmackDown as well, and it would be for Lacey Evans, keeping her on the blue brand.
Free Agents
Then there are the Free Agents, which include Von Wagner, Omos (with MVP), Mustafa Ali, and Dolph Ziggler. Free agents will be able to show up on both brands until they sign with one, and they can sign with either one. More free agents will likely join this list on Raw, and we’ll keep you posted.
Triple H confirmed that Brock Lesnar will remain a free agent after negotiating his status prior to Night 2.
Rhea Ripley
“The Eradicator” is staying on Raw, but still has the SmackDown Women’s Championship. This likely sets up a title swap between her and Bianca Belair in the near future.
Austin Theory
Theory is heading to the Blue Brand, which means SmackDown now has the United States Championship back on its roster.
Seth Rollins
Rollins staying on Raw likely sets him up to be the first World Heavyweight Champion. He cut a promo shortly after the round and promised to win the title at Night of Champions.
Charlotte Flair
Flair is currently on hiatus from WWE TV, but “The Queen” is staying on Friday nights.
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions are on Raw. But what this means for the SmackDown’s tag team scene is unknown.
The Usos
Despite lingering tensions within the group, The Bloodline will not be separated via The Draft.
Finn Balor, Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio
The rest of The Judgement Day is sticking with Rhea Ripley on the Red Brand.
The L.W.O.
All five members of The L.W.O. are staying on SmackDown. A win from Zelina Vega over Rhea Ripley at Backlash on Saturday could also prevent a title swap between Ripley & Belair.
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions are heading to Raw, though it’s still possible they’ll be defending the titles on both shows going forward.
Asuka
“The Empress of Tomorrow” is heading back to SmackDown, strengthening the Blue Brand’s Women’s Division.
The New Day
While there was no mention of Big E as he continues to heal from his broken neck, The New Day is heading to Raw.
The Brawling Brutes
The good news is Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch are sticking together on SmackDown. The bad news is Sheamus’ pursuit of the Intercontinental Championship will now be delayed for quite some time.
Trish Stratus
The WWE Hall of Famer will continue her feud with Becky Lynch as both women are remaining on Raw.
Karrion Kross & Scarlett
Kross and Scarlett will remain on The Blue Brand as the two look to still find their footing on Friday nights.
Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler
The two MMA stars are heading to Raw and will likely target Morgan and Rodriguez’s women’s tag titles.
LA Knight (Yeah!)
As his popularity continues to rise (Yeah!), Knight is sticking with the Blue Brand.
Braun Strowman & Ricochet
The unlikely duo arrive on Raw as a tag team, which means they’ll likely challenge Zayn & Owens in the future.
Shotzi
The tank-riding rocker will remain on SmackDown as a singles star.
Bronson Reed
“The Tsunami” is looking to stay on Raw, adding further intrigue to that triple threat United States Championship match this Saturday.
Pretty Deadly
Night 2’s first NXT call-ups finally came in Round 5, sending the former NXT and NXT UK tag champs to the Blue Brand.
Alpha Academy
Both Chad Gable and Otis are staying on Raw, which means Otis’ gradual move to the Maximum Male Models will continue.
Rick Boogs
The duo of Boogs and Elias is no more as the “Meat Mountain” is moving on to SmackDown.
Katana Chance & Kayden Carter
One night before their scheduled NXT women’s tag title match with Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre (who also moved to the main roster), Chance and Carter have finally been called up to the main roster.
Cameron Grimes
With the final pick of the draft, the NXT veteran finally gets his main roster call-up.
Night 2 Supplemental Picks
- Johnny Gargano – Raw
- Nikki Cross – Raw
- Dana Brooke – Raw
- Tamina – SmackDown
- Baron Corbin – free agent
- Shelton Benjamin – free agent
- Cedric Alexander – free agent
- Xyon Quinn – free agent
- Elias – free agent
- Humberto Carrillo & Angel Garza – Raw
- Akira Tozawa – Raw
- Piper Niven – Raw
- Xia Li – Raw
- Tegan Nox – Raw
- Emma – Raw
- Riddick Moss – Raw
- Indus Sher -Raw
- Odyssey Jones – Raw
- Grayson Waller – SmackDown
