WWE Draft Round 3 Features Surprise Return

By Matthew Aguilar

It was time for the 3rd round of the WWE Draft during tonight's SmackDown, but the third round also brought a major return along with it. SmackDown kicked off the 3rd round with the all-mighty pick of Bobby Lashley (sorry I couldn't resist), and then Raw brought in its own powerhouse in the form of Drew McIntyre, who will now call Monday Night Raw home once more. SmackDown was back up to bat, and they would choose The O.C., but it got even better. The group was in the building, and that included the return of AJ Styles to WWE TV, who had been out with an injury. The last pick of the round went to Raw, and they would choose to keep The Mix exclusively on the red brand.

Styles hasn't been on WWE TV since late last year after suffering an injury during a WWE Live event. The match had Styles coming down awkwardly on his leg, and it was later revealed that he broke his ankle. The good news was that he didn't need surgery, but it would take a little while to heal.

On Twitter Styles wrote "Just want you guys to know that I'm ok. Broken ankle is what I'm dealing with. No surgery, this just takes some time to recover. This will be the longest I've ever been out of the ring. Thanks for the prayers and get well wishes."

The match had Styles wrestling alongside Karl Anderson and Mia Yim of The OC, and they were taking on The Judgement Day's Finn Balor, Rhea Ripley, and Damian Priest. After Styles came down on his leg Bleacher Report's Erik Beaston posted a photo of Anderson and Yim kneeling on either side of Styles, and that was when the X symbol was put up. Since that point, The O.C. really haven't been on TV either, though now it looks as if WWE decided to wait until Styles could be back in action before bringing them back in a prominent role.

That's good news for Smackdown fans, as it seems that time is now, and the faction will bring some fresh energy to SmackDown's faction-heavy roster. You can automatically see the group as a threat to The Bloodline, and they have the numbers to actually hang with them too. If the LWO or Hit Row stay on SmackDown, they would also be great foils for them, but that remains to be seen since both of those groups haven't been drafted yet.

Regarding the rest of the round, Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley's moves are good news for both, as they need a change of scenery and new opponents to face. The Miz is kind of a staple of Raw at this point, so his staying put isn't a major surprise.

What have you thought of the draft so far? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!

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