Reports popped up back in early August that WWE was looking to shuffle around its rosters again with a new WWE Draft this coming fall. And while the company has not released an official statement on the matter (for now), Triple H confirmed a Draft is on the schedule during his media conference call on Wednesday. “The Game” also confirmed NXT will play a role in this year’s Draft now that the show is on Wednesday nights on the USA Network. The brand was not included in last year’s Draft, as Raw and SmackDown were focused on re-establishing who was on which brand following the chaos caused by Vince McMahon’s infamous Wildcard Rule.
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The subject of a new draft was brought up when Hunter was asked if the mindset surrounding NXT had changed now that the show was no longer relegated to the WWE Network.
“There’s different protocols and procedures, [such as] ‘Hey, we’d like to move this talent, we’d like to do that,’ and you’ll see that coming up in the Draft later in the year,” he said.
During the same interview, he was asked why NXT opted to not move to the new WWE ThunderDome at the Amway Center alongside Raw and SmackDown.
“Right now, with trying to move SmackDown, SummerSlam, Raw for the foreseeable future and all the undertaking that is happening there, I’m very happy to be staying. As spectacular… as that’s going to be, I feel they have enough on their hands right now. Our partnership with Full Sail is, to me, probably one of the most important partnerships we have, and I love it there. Right now we’re there.”
Who would you like to see get moved from either Raw or SmackDown to NXT? Who from NXT should move on to one of the other brands? Let us know in the comments below!
Here’s the lineup for this week’s NXT:
- Adam Cole and Pat McAfee Face-to-Face Confrontation
- Finn Balor vs. Velveteen Dream
- Johnny Gargano vs. Ridge Holland
- Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Breezango vs. El Legado del Fantasma
- Rhea Ripley and Shotzi Blackheart vs. Mercedes Martinez and Aliyah
And here’s the card for Saturday’s NXT TakeOver: XXX event:
- NXT Championship: Keith Lee vs. Karrion Kross
- NXT Women’s Championship: Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai
- NXT North American Championship: Cameron Grimes vs. Damien Priest vs. Bronson Reed vs. Finn Balor/Velveteen Dream vs. Johnny Gargano/Ridge Holland
- Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee