Roman Reigns might have stayed put on SmackDown, but he’s been joined by plenty of new rivals.
The WWE Draft is one of the most exciting non-Premium Live Event nights on the calendar. Speculation runs for weeks over who will be moving between brands, the new rivalries that it might create, and which NXT stars of the future will step up to become stars of today.
With no Draft in 2022, WWE’s rosters hadn’t undergone a significant shake-up since October 2021.
Triple H opened SmackDown and delivered the first-round picks for both Raw and SmackDown. Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and Paul Heyman who were grouped together were the overall first pick, while Cody Rhodes will remain on Raw. Interestingly, Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair heads to SmackDown.
You can find a full round-by-round breakdown of night one below.
ROUND ONE:
- Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, Paul Heyman – SmackDown
- Cody Rhodes – Raw
- Bianca Belair – SmackDown
- Becky Lynch – Raw
ROUND TWO
- Street Profits – SmackDown
- Imperium – Raw
- Edge – SmackDown
- Matt Riddle – Raw
ROUND THREE
- Bobby Lashley – SmackDown
- Drew McIntyre – Raw
- AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Mia Yim – SmackDown
- The Miz – Raw
ROUND FOUR
- Damage CTRL – SmackDown
- Shinsuke Nakamura – Raw
- Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn – SmackDown
- Indi Hartwell – Raw
Roman Reigns Vs. Cody Rhodes II “On The Table” For WrestleMania 40
Ahead of SmackDown, it was reported that there have already been discussions about Roman Reigns’ spot at WrestleMania 40. Interestingly, it appears that a second big-money clash with Cody Rhodes is not out of the question.
The report noted that “The rematch that’s at the forefront of everybody’s minds, Cody vs Roman, is very much on the table to main event in Philadelphia next year.”