WWE Draft: The Bloodline Drafted to SmackDown, but Without Roman Reigns

SmackDown had the first pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, and coming into the draft, many assumed The Bloodline would take up that pick. Then Roman Reings preempted the show and revealed that he was voluntarily sitting out of the draft, so he would not be a part of The Bloodline pick.  The Bloodline pick would now include Solo Sikoa, Paul Heyman, and the newest addition to the faction Tama Tonga, and they would get a shock when they fell from the first round all the way to the third pick of the third round. They will now call SmackDown home, but as for Reigns, that remains to be seen.

Heyman made it clear that Reigns won't be back on TV for a bit. When he does return, the Bloodline saga will still be going strong thanks to the actions of Sikoa. Sikoa has seemingly taken over the group in Reigns' absence and brought in Tonga as the group's latest member. He's also probably going to bring in Jacob Fatu as well, who has reportedly been signed for a bit already.

With that pick SmackDown has locked in its biggest faction, and will look to shore up with opponents that they can face. It will be interesting to see who they can poach from Monday Night Raw throughout the rest of the draft, as there are plenty of options to choose from. Regardless of who else is added to the roster, there is a built-in opponent already setting up shop there in Cody Rhodes, who defeated Reigns to become the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

In a previous interview with First Take, Heyman addressed how Reigns made the Universal Championship the top prize in the company. "Roman Reigns becomes the universal heavyweight champion and everybody forgets about the WWE title and this becomes the title in WWE," Heyman said. "This becomes the premier attraction. This becomes the Super Bowl ring. This becomes what Tom Brady is after. And we don't have to give half to Gisele (Bundchen)'s attorneys. This is what the title becomes in WWE. Roman Reigns looks over and he says, wow, I want them both. I'm the Tribal Chief. I want the history and I want the future. What does he do? He merges the two championships."

We'll have to wait and see how else SmackDown adds to the mix, but as of right now they have already brought in a powerhouse faction, even if it was quite lower in the draft than many expected. Coupled with Rhodes, Bayley, and Logan Paul as their Champions at the moment, the blue brand is off to a strong start, and you can find the official rules for the 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!