That's right, WWE is going back to Raw and Smackdown will have exclusive rosters, titles, and PPVs. Within the wonderful kayfabe (scripted) world of pro wrestling, Vince McMahon's two children will run the respective brands and compete with each other, hopefully making wrestling fans like me very happy. This upcoming Tuesday, on the premier of Smackdown Live (finally being shown live on the night it happens, instead of recorded for Thursday or Friday broadcasts), we will have the return of the WWE Draft. New storylines, new talent, new feuds: Everything is possible now! Because I am obsessed with all sorts of drafts, I decided to recruit my wrestling smart mark (or smark, which just means a fan obsessed with wrestling, the backstage stuff, etc) padawan Colin to conduct a draft. I will be representing Smackdown, and Colin will be in charge of Monday Night Raw. Just a quick note- we kept almost all of the talent at NXT off limits. There are a few people taken, but they are about to be called up to the main roster anyway. He let me have the #1 pick, and we've got 30 rounds to go through. Due to the depths of the draft, I will not analyze all the picks. Plus, if you don't like WWE, you don't care. So, let's get to it!
Round 1
Smackdown- Seth Rollins
Raw- John Cena
No surprises here. I take possibly the best wrestler and best overall talent on the roster. Rollins will be the face of Smackdown for years to come. Colin takes the overall face of the company for over a decade, John Cena. He gets to stay on the flagship show, appeal to the kids and the public at large, and continue to be Mr. WWE.
Round 2
Smackdown- AJ Styles
Raw- Brock Lesnar
I am thrilled, because AJ Styles and Seth Rollins are the two best wrestlers in the world. Visions of them headlining Wrestlemania are running through my head. Raw again goes with the biggest name, the crossover star Brock Lesnar. His appeal is undeniable, since his headlining fight for UFC 200 drew the biggest PPV buyrate the company has ever had. Even if he only appears 5 times a year, he is worth the pick.
Round 3
Smackdown- Bray Wyatt
Raw- Kevin Owens
Entirely possible that my current 2 favorite wrestlers went this round. I chose Bray Wyatt because he needs to be away from the Raw writers. With so much potential, Bray could be the new Undertaker. He just needs to be let loose, which is what I will let him do. Colin takes KO, who is on par with Rollins and Styles in terms of work rate. He is beloved by smarks everywhere, and could be the top heel on Raw forever.
Round 4
Smackdown- Cesaro
Raw- Dean Ambrose
I get another indy darling and an amazing worker. Raw gets the current WWE Champion, so Smackdown will have a tournament for our new title.
Round 5
Smackdown- Roman Reigns
Raw- Charlotte
I get Vince's favorite guy coming off of a wellness suspension. He will no longer play the good guy character Vince wants him to be. He isn't the next John Cena. He isn't the next Rock. But he can be the best villain in the world. Raw gets the WWE Women's Champion. Charlotte is fantastic, so no issues with that pick there.
Round 6
Smackdown- Finn Balor
Raw- Sasha Banks
Both are super popular, with more potential than anyone in the company. Both are future champions.
Round 7
Smackdown- Sami Zayn
Raw- The Miz
The kings of the midcard have started. Everything that Zayn can do in the ring, Miz does on the mic.
Round 8
Smackdown- The New Day
Raw- Enzo & Cass
Excellent tag teams, extremely over with the crowd, extremely entertaining. Plus, I get all 3 members of the New Day. Points for Smackdown!
Round 9
Smackdown- Becky Lynch
Raw- Randy Orton
I have started my Women's division with the Irish Lasskicker. I think her ring work is extremely underrated, so she will be given a chance to shine on Smackdown. Raw gets the 2nd most consistent WWE talent behind John Cena. Randy Orton is a no-doubt Hall of Famer, can fit anywhere on the card, and can be face or heel.
Round 10
Smackdown- Bayley
Raw- Dolph Ziggler
My Women's division foundation continues with the former NXT champion. We now each have 2 of the "4 Horsewomen" who made women's wrestling relevant again. In Ziggler, Raw gets a top wrestler who can put over anyone, and may finally get another shot at the WWE title with half of the roster out of the way.
Round 11
Smackdown- Rusev (with Lana)
Raw- Paige
Another female wrestler gone in Paige to Raw, and Rusev, who has a ton of potential, comes to Smackdown.
Round 12
Smackdown- Natalya
Raw- Alberto Del Rio
I think I get THE BEST female wrestler on the roster in Nattie. Raw gets a solid top-to-midcard guy in ADR, who gets to stay on the same show as his real life girlfriend Paige.
Round 13
Smackdown- Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows
Raw- Chris Jericho
AJ Styles' running mates, Anderson and Gallows aka The Club join the Phenomenal One on Smackdown. Chris Jericho, when he is around, is still an amazing talent who can work with anyone on the roster.
Round 14
Smackdown- Baron Corbin
Raw- American Alpha
Baron Corbin is the prototypical WWE superstar in size and stature. He has shown some promise in his short time on the main roster. American Alpha, while still on NXT, will be on the main roster very soon. The combined athletic ability and pedigree of Chad Gable and Jason Jordan cannot be overstated.
Round 15
Smackdown- Neville
Raw- Mauro Ranallo
The first big surprise of the draft! Announcer Mauro Ranallo drafted to be the voice of Monday Night Raw. His UFC/non-WWE background has been a welcome departure from Michael Cole's overselling, and he has been one of the best announcers on WWE TV since his arrival. In Neville, I get a high flyer with big match ability. While he is on the smaller size, his move set could make him a huge star.
Round 16
Smackdown- Emma
Raw- Nikki Bella
Round 17
Smackdown- Apollo Crews
Raw- Luke Harper
Round 18
Smackdown- Breezango (tag team of Tyler Breeze & Fandango)
Raw- The Dudley Boyz
Round 19
Smackdown- Corey Graves
Raw- The Undertaker
The legend that is the Undertaker may only wrestle once a year, but his impact will always be felt. As for my pick, I could not let the best color analyst in WWE join the best play by play guy, so I took for NXT superstar turned announcer Cory Graves. Undertaker, Graves. Get it?
Round 20
Smackdown- Braun Stroman
Raw- Mark Henry
Round 21
Smackdown- The Lucha Dragons
Raw- Sheamus
Round 22
Smackdown- Zack Ryder
Raw- The Big Show
Round 23
Smackdown- Dana Brooke
Raw- Naomi
Round 24
Smackdown- The Social Outcasts
Raw- Jack Swagger
Round 25
Smackdown- Renee Young
Raw- Darren Young
A history-making round, perhaps? I choose Renee to be the 1st ever female play-by-play announcer in WWE history. She has done it before on NXT, and has shown her skill hosting the PPV preshows. Raw gets Darren Young, most famous currently for publicly coming out of the closet last year. His brave decision and talent could allow him to be a trailblazer for equality in the industry.
Round 26
Smackdown- Summer Rae
Raw- Erick Rowan
Round 27
Smackdown- The Vaudvillans
Raw- Titus O'Neil
Round 28
Smackdown- Eva Marie
Raw- Golden Truth (tag team of Goldust and R-Truth)
Round 29
Smackdown- Daniel Bryan (GM)
Raw- Paul Heyman (GM)
Vince McMahon decided that each of his children would have to pick a GM to run their brand on a day-to-day basis. I chose former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, who is rumored to actually be the Smackdown GM that will be announced on Monday. Colin chose Paul Heyman, an ingenious way to keep the founder of ECW and possibly the best talker in the company around when his client Brock Lesnar is not.
Round 30
Smackdown- The Usos
Raw- Kane
Supplemental Announcer Free Agent picks (each show needs announce team of 2, plus backstage interviewer)-
Smackdown- JoJo for backstage
Raw- Byron Saxton for color commentary, Cathy Kelly for backstage
Rosters:
Smackdown Raw
Seth Rollins John Cena
AJ Styles Brock Lesnar
Bray Wyatt Kevin Owens
Cesaro Dean Ambrose
Roman Reigns Charlotte
Finn Balor Sasha Banks
Sami Zayn The Miz
The New Day Enzo & Cass
Becky Lynch Randy Orton
Bayley Dolph Ziggler
Rusev (with Lana) Paige
Natalya Alberto Del Rio
Anderson & Gallows Chris Jericho
Baron Corbin American Alpha
Neville Mauro Ranallo
Emma Nikki Bella
Apollo Crews Luke Harper
Breezango Dudley Boyz
Corey Graves The Undertaker
Braun Stroman Mark Henry
Lucha Dragons Sheamus
Zack Ryder Big Show
Dana Brooke Naomi
Social Outcasts Jack Swagger
Renee Young Darren Young
Summer Rae Erick Rowan
Vaudvillans Titus O'Neil
Eva Marie Golden Truth
Daniel Bryan (GM) Paul Heyman (GM)
The Usos Kane
JoJo Byron Saxton/Cathy Kelly
So there you have it! Almost every wrestler on the current WWE main roster was taken. I think that these shows would both thrive with their new talent. I'd like to thank Colin for participating in this little endeavor, and thank you for taking the time to read it.
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