Since taking over as creative lead after Vince McMahon’s exit, Triple H has made numerous on-screen changes to WWE. The most recent example would be the return of War Games, a match made famous in WCW, which McMahon reportedly never wanted on his main roster product.
However, Triple H has seemingly stuck to several of McMahon’s old ideas, such as the WWE Draft, which is apparently scheduled to return in 2023.
At the time of the first draft in 2002, Triple H was the Undisputed Champion, meaning he was forced to appear on both shows. Now that he is Chief Content Officer of WWE twenty years later, it is his call where and when the next draft takes place.
Triple H To Bring Back WWE Draft In 2023
Speaking on his show Wrestling Observer Radio, journalist Dave Meltzer reported that Triple H is considering bringing back the WWE Draft after Wrestlemania 39. The two-night event is scheduled for the 1st and 2nd of April, 2023.
“There’s been some talk of waiting until after WrestleMania to do it. There was talk at one point for October, but I guess they didn’t do it. There was a date that was talked about at one point, but they just didn’t pull the trigger on it.”
The WWE Draft began in 2002 following Vince McMahon‘s purchase of WCW and the subsequent Invasion storyline. With the WCW acquisition, WWE’s roster nearly doubled, leading to McMahon’s decision to furnish Raw and Smackdown with unique, distinct rosters.
Since 2002, there have been sixteen individual WWE drafts, but not all have been strictly adhered to. Towards the end of the 2000s, superstars often crossed over from brand to brand without warning or explanation, which shrouded the draft concept.
The draft was dropped in 2011 and later brought back in 2016. By 2019, however, the same problems started to occur, namely thanks to the introduction of the “Wildcard Rule.” This rule allowed three Raw superstars to appear on Smackdown, and vice versa, dissolving the draft’s effectiveness and turning every show into a free-for-all.
With Triple H’s new vision for WWE, it will be fascinating to witness what happens in 2023’s WWE draft, should Meltzer’s report be accurate.
H/T Bleacher Report