As the dust began to settle on the 2023 WWE Draft, two more names officially switched brands.
On the May 1st edition of Raw, the second night of the draft was kicked off by Triple H. The first announcement saw The Game confirm that Brock Lesnar was no longer eligible for a move, in fact, he would be joining the list of free agents who are able to appear on either brand.
The first pick went to Raw and confirmed that Rhea Ripley would be remaining on the red brand despite being the current SmackDown Women’s Champion. Later in the night, the rest of The Judgment Day, including Ripley’s beloved Dom Dom, would also remain on Raw.
Big names who switched brands included Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, who will take the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships to Raw, while Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair will head to SmackDown.
Following the show, it was confirmed that two non-wrestlers will also be swapping places, with ring announcer Mike Rome will be going to SmackDown while Samantha Irvin is off to Raw.
The move means that Irvin will be on the same brand as her real-life fiance, Ricochet, who was also drafted to Raw alongside his tag partner, Braun Strowman.
Irvin is well-liked by fans, especially for her individual style for the introduction of Imperium members as well as Roman Reigns.
“Chaos” in WWE following 2023 Draft
As well as the two Women’s Titles moving brands and Lesnar being unexpectedly taken off the eligible draft list, it has been reported that many stars had no idea if they would be moved or not until there name was called.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, this points to a level of “chaos” behind the scenes with plans repeatedly changing.
“So it’s very clear that like again, people are being told different things that change all the time. It’s not like complete chaos, but there’s a lot of chaos.”