The WWE Draft is complete, and a new report details the backstage mood about what transpired.
Triple H first announced the return of the WWE Draft on the April 7th episode of SmackDown, promising that it would be the biggest draft in company history. He upped the stakes on the April 24th episode of Raw when he announced that following the Draft, Roman Reigns and his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship would remain exclusive to one brand, while a new World Heavyweight Champion would be crowned on the brand that Roman isn’t on.
The Draft began on the April 28th episode of SmackDown, and unsurprisingly, Reigns was the first to be drafted. He was assigned to SmackDown alongside fellow Bloodline members Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa. The Usos were drafted separately from the rest of The Bloodline, but when they were picked on the May 1st episode of Raw, they were also assigned to the blue brand.
Meanwhile, Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair has been drafted to SmackDown, and SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley has been drafted to Raw, leading many to assume the women are set to swap titles the way Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch did back in 2021 in a controversial segment. Belair will be joined by her husband Montez Ford as The Street Profits were also drafted to SmackDown, and Rhea Ripley will stay with The Judgment Day as they’ve been drafted to Raw.
Many stars from NXT were also drafted, including NXT Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell, NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn. Grayson Waller, Cameron Grimes, Zoey Stark, and Von Wagner are also among the names being called up to the main roster.
The new rosters are set to take effect following WWE Backlash on May 6th.
Many Backstage Are “Very Happy” Following WWE Draft
As the dust settled on the Draft, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported that there was a lot of chaos backstage as many talent didn’t know where they’d end up before the decision was announced on-air.
However, a new report from WRKD Wrestling indicates that the backstage mood is overall a positive one, and many talent are pleased with the new rosters.
“Dave Meltzer via WOR described WWE backstage after the draft as “chaotic”. However, we’ve instead heard many backstage are very happy with the way the rosters shook out, with most wrestlers looking forward to the plans for the World Heavyweight championship and SummerSlam.”
Check out the complete WWE Draft results from night one and night two.