The 2024 WWE Draft has been confirmed for late April and new details about what to expect have been provided.
As seen on the Raw after WrestleMania 40, SmackDown and NXT General Managers Nick Aldis and Ava were both in attendance at the show alongside Raw GM Adam Pearce. With the dates of the draft being confirmed as the April 26th SmackDown and April 29th Raw, it was speculated that Ava’s appearance may have foreshadowed NXT being involved in the upcoming draft. According to a new report, the developmental brand will be featured very prominently.
As reported by Corey Brennan of Fightful Select, the use of main roster stars on the April 9th show was more than coincidental as there are plans to have main roster stars join NXT to present it as a third brand once more and not a developmental show. Furthermore, while Shawn Michaels is not entirely sure who from NXT will be drafted to the main roster, NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov and former champion Carmelo Hayes are said to be “a lock” for a call-up to the main roster.
Other names that are in discussion include the Tony D’Angelo Family and Baron Corbin, who currently has an unclear path for his NXT future as former partner Bron Breakker recently left the brand to be on SmackDown full-time.
Further information has been provided in the same report by Sean Ross Sapp, who added that the timing of the draft is also not coincidental as night 1 takes place the same week as the 2024 NFL Draft. It is also stated that input from upcoming media partners is welcome but one source in WWE believes that Netflix, who will air Raw starting in January 2025, will be more concerned about the 2025 Draft than this year as the new deal does not start for another 8 months.
New Location For WWE PLE Potentially Revealed
With the company being hotter than it has been for a long time and the global reach being wider than ever before with multiple events being held internationally, upcoming shows are very much in demand with host cities willing to bid big as a result. According to a new report, the location for the 2026 Royal Rumble may have been revealed.
In other news, 10 top WWE stars will be taking part in a future episode of Family Feud.
WWE has since announced the rules and pools for the upcoming draft.