WWE Draft: LA Knight Remains on SmackDown
LA Knight is staying on the blue brand.
So far on the first night of the WWE Draft, top WWE Superstars like Bianca Belair, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins and The Bloodline (sans Roman Reigns) have all been drafted to their respective brands. Things continued through the fourth and final round of picks for the night with a surprise NXT call up with Kiana James to Raw alongside the Alpha Academy while AJ Styles and LA Knight remain on SmackDown.
Knight is perhaps the most surprising Draft announcement of them all, as it appeared like he would be the one to spearhead the Raw men's division as the top babyface. That place was previously held by Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes who was previously moved to the blue brand. In addition to Knight and Styles, male SmackDown picks from earlier in the night included Orton, The Bloodline (Tama Tonga, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman) as well as Andrade. On the women's side of things, Belair was a first round draft pick for SmackDown and she will be joined by Jax. Though it has yet to happen, given Belair and Jade Cargill are essentially a tag team now, a move to the blue brand would seem most plausible for Cargill.
Knight has been on a tear on SmackDown as he was most recently in a months long feud with Styles. Knight came out of his first WrestleMania match as the winner though Styles got his revenge on SmackDown, beating him for a #1 Contender's spot at Backlash for Rhodes' title.
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.
