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!width=0% |Trade #
!width=0% |Trade #
!width=10% | Brand (to)
!width=10% | Brand (from)
!width=20% | Wrestler(s)
!width=20% | Wrestler(s)
!width=12% | Role
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|style="background:#ccf;"|[[SmackDown (WWE brand)|SmackDown]]
|style="background:#ffd0bd"|[[Raw (WWE brand)|Raw]]
|[[Alexa Bliss]] and [[Nikki Cross]]
|[[Alexa Bliss]] and [[Nikki Cross]]
|Female tag team
|Female tag team
|style="background:#ffd0bd"|[[Raw (WWE brand)|Raw]]
|style="background:#ccf;"|[[SmackDown (WWE brand)|SmackDown]]
|Traded to SmackDown in exchange for future draft pick considerations.
|Traded to SmackDown in exchange for future draft pick considerations.
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Revision as of 14:35, 16 October 2019

This article is about draft in October 2019. For the draft in April 2019, see 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up.
2019 WWE Draft
The 2019 WWE Draft logo
General information
SportProfessional wrestling
Date(s)October 11 and 14, 2019
Location
Overview
LeagueWWE
TeamsRaw
SmackDown
NXT (outgoing only)
205 Live (outgoing only)

The 2019 WWE Draft was the fourteenth WWE draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between their Raw and SmackDown brands. Returning to its original name ("the WWE Draft") and its traditional format, it was the second draft of 2019, following April's Superstar Shake-up. The draft began on the October 11 episode of Friday Night SmackDown (in Las Vegas, Nevada) and concluded on the October 14 episode of Monday Night Raw (in Denver, Colorado), with SmackDown airing on FOX and Raw on the USA Network. It was the first draft in which the brand's television networks were presented as having an influence over WWE's drafting decisions.

Production

Background

In April 2019, WWE held the Superstar Shake-up, a draft between WWE's brands with a nontraditional format in which drafting decisions were made behind the scenes rather than on-screen.[1][2] Shortly after the Shake-up, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon introduced the Wild Card Rule, in which up to four wrestlers would be allowed to appear on the opposing brand's show by invitation for one night only with unsanctioned appearances penalized.[3][4] Following this, however, the Wild Card Rule's stipulations were not enforced, with numerous wrestlers freely appearing on both shows weekly without any penalties, blurring the lines between the Raw and SmackDown brands. With SmackDown's move to FOX in October and Raw remaining on the USA Network (part of Comcast's NBCUniversal), WWE decided to hold a second draft for 2019 to definitively split the two brands. The draft was announced to occur on the October 11 and 14 episodes of SmackDown and Raw, respectively. Returning to its original name (the "WWE Draft") and a traditional draft format, personalities from FOX and NBCUniversal were scheduled to appear; the first time that television networks were presented as having an influence over WWE's drafting decisions.[5][6] The Wild Card Rule also ended with this draft.[7]

Several celebrities were confirmed to appear during the draft, including fourteen-time Major League Baseball All-Star and FOX analyst Alex Rodriguez, Saturday Night Live's Michael Che and Colin Jost (who performed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35 earlier in 2019), Mr. Robot's Christian Slater, NFL on FOX's Joe Buck, Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman, Mad Money host Jim Cramer, FOX MLB analysts Kevin Burkhardt and Frank Thomas, FOX NFL Sunday's Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson, and Tony Gonzalez, FOX NFL analysts Ronde Barber, Charles Davis, Chris Spielman, and Daryl Johnston, FOX NFL Kickoff's Charissa Thompson, Michael Vick, and Peter Schrager, Big Noon Kickoff's Rob Stone (former WWE 24/7 Champion), Brady Quinn, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, and Urban Meyer, Fox College Football analyst Joel Klatt, Dulé Hill from USA's Psych and Suits, James Roday from Psych, Marcus Lemonis from The Profit, Margaret Josephs and Melissa Gorga from The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Rodney Harrison and Chris Simms from Football Night in America, and Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Mustoe, and Kyle Martino from Premier League Live.[8]

2019 draft rules

The rules of the draft were posted on WWE's website on October 10.[8] The list of eligible wrestlers was posted the same day. Over 70 wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown, NXT, and 205 Live rosters, as well as tag teams, were eligible to be drafted to either Raw or SmackDown, including all champions (although the WWE 24/7 Champion and WWE Women's Tag Team Champions were eligible to be drafted, they still defend their respective titles across the brands).[9]

The rules of the draft were the following:

  • Up to 30 picks were allotted on the October 11 SmackDown, while up to 41 picks were allotted on the October 14 Raw.
  • For every two draft picks for SmackDown, Raw received three picks (due to SmackDown being a two-hour show, while Raw is three hours).
  • Tag teams counted as one pick unless FOX or USA specifically only wanted a single member from the team as their pick.
  • Any undrafted wrestlers became free agents and could sign with the brand of their choosing.

Drafting pool

The drafting pool was divided between the broadcasts of both shows, with up to 30 picks allotted on SmackDown and 41 on Raw. Any remaining picks from the respective draft pools were announced on WWE's website. Undrafted wrestlers (those not selected on the shows or announced via WWE.com) immediately became free agents and could sign with the brand of their choosing.[9]

SmackDown (October 11)

There were four rounds of draft picks during Night 1 of the 2019 draft. WWE's Chief Brand Officer (CBO) Stephanie McMahon announced the draft picks for each round.[10][11] Representing Raw, Universal Champion Seth Rollins' disqualification win over SmackDown's representative, Roman Reigns, earned Raw the first draft pick of the night.[12][10]

Rnd. Pick # Wrestler(s) Pre-draft brand Role Post-draft brand Brand pick #
1 1 Becky Lynch Raw Female wrestler
Raw Women's Champion 		Raw 1
1 2 Roman Reigns SmackDown Male wrestler SmackDown 1
1 3 The O.C.
(AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson) 		Raw Male stable
United States Champion (Styles) 		Raw 2
1 4 "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt Raw Male wrestler SmackDown 2
1 5 Drew McIntyre Raw Male wrestler Raw 3
2 6 Randy Orton SmackDown Male wrestler Raw 4
2 7 Sasha Banks Raw Female wrestler SmackDown 3
2 8 Ricochet Raw Male wrestler Raw 5
2 9 Braun Strowman Raw Male wrestler SmackDown 4
2 10 Bobby Lashley Raw Male wrestler Raw 6
3 11 Alexa Bliss Raw Female wrestler Raw 7
3 12 Lacey Evans Raw Female wrestler SmackDown 5
3 13 Kevin Owens SmackDown Male wrestler Raw 8
3 14 The Revival
(Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) 		Raw Male tag team
SmackDown Tag Team Champions 		SmackDown 6
3 15 Natalya Raw Female wrestler Raw 9
4 16 The Viking Raiders
(Erik and Ivar) 		Raw Male tag team Raw 10
4 17 Lucha House Party
(Kalisto, Gran Metalik, and Lince Dorado) 		Raw Male stable SmackDown 7
4 18 Nikki Cross Raw Female wrestler Raw 11
4 19 Heavy Machinery
(Otis and Tucker) 		SmackDown Male tag team SmackDown 8
4 20 The Street Profits
(Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) 		NXT Male tag team Raw 12

Supplementary picks

Eight additional picks were announced on WWE's website on October 13. Except for Apollo Crews, who was slated to be a part of the Night 2 pool, all wrestlers selected had initially gone undrafted during Night 1.[13]

Wrestler(s) Pre-draft brand Role Post-draft brand
Apollo Crews SmackDown Male wrestler SmackDown
The B-Team
(Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) 		SmackDown Male tag team SmackDown
Drew Gulak 205 Live Male wrestler SmackDown
EC3 Raw Male wrestler Raw
Eric Young Raw Male wrestler Raw
Heath Slater Raw Male wrestler SmackDown
Sin Cara SmackDown Male wrestler Raw
Tamina Raw Female wrestler SmackDown

Raw (October 14)

There were six rounds of draft picks during Night 2 of the 2019 draft. WWE's CBO Stephanie McMahon again announced the draft picks for each round.[14][11] Number one Raw draft pick and Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch defeated SmackDown representative Charlotte Flair, who replaced SmackDown draftee Sasha Banks (who was not medically cleared to compete), to earn Raw the first draft pick of the night.[15][14]

Rnd. Pick # Wrestler(s) Pre-draft brand Role Post-draft brand Brand pick #
1 1 Seth Rollins Raw Male wrestler
Universal Champion 		Raw 1
1 2 Brock Lesnar with Paul Heyman Raw Male wrestler and manager
WWE Champion (Lesnar) 		SmackDown 1
1 3 Charlotte Flair SmackDown Female wrestler Raw 2
1 4 The New Day
(Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) 		SmackDown Male stable SmackDown 2
1 5 Andrade with Zelina Vega SmackDown Male wrestler and female manager Raw 3
2 6 The Kabuki Warriors
(Asuka and Kairi Sane) 		SmackDown Female tag team
Women's Tag Team Champions 		Raw 4
2 7 Daniel Bryan SmackDown Male wrestler SmackDown 3
2 8 Rusev SmackDown Male wrestler Raw 5
2 9 Bayley SmackDown Female wrestler
SmackDown Women's Champion 		SmackDown 4
2 10 Aleister Black SmackDown Male wrestler Raw 6
3 11 Cedric Alexander Raw Male wrestler Raw 7
3 12 Shinsuke Nakamura with Sami Zayn SmackDown (Nakamura) Male wrestler and manager
Intercontinental Champion (Nakamura) 		SmackDown 5
Raw (Zayn)
3 13 Humberto Carrillo1 205 Live Male wrestler Raw 8
3 14 Ali SmackDown Male wrestler SmackDown 6
3 15 Erick Rowan SmackDown Male wrestler Raw 9
4 16 Buddy Murphy SmackDown Male wrestler Raw 10
4 17 Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode SmackDown (Ziggler) Male tag team2 SmackDown 7
Raw (Roode)
4 18 Jinder Mahal SmackDown Male wrestler Raw 11
4 19 Carmella SmackDown Female wrestler SmackDown 8
4 20 R-Truth SmackDown Male wrestler
24/7 Champion 		Raw 12
5 21 Samoa Joe Raw Male wrestler Raw 13
5 22 The Miz Raw Male wrestler SmackDown 9
5 23 Akira Tozawa1 205 Live Male wrestler Raw 14
5 24 King Corbin Raw Male wrestler SmackDown 10
5 25 Shelton Benjamin SmackDown Male wrestler Raw 15
6 26 Rey Mysterio Raw Male wrestler Raw 16
6 27 Shorty Gable[16]1 SmackDown Male wrestler SmackDown 11
6 28 Titus O'Neil Raw Male wrestler Raw 17
6 29 Elias SmackDown Male wrestler SmackDown 12
6 30 Liv Morgan SmackDown Female wrestler Raw 18
  • 1 – Carrillo, Tozawa, and Gable originally went undrafted on Night 1, but were drafted during Night 2.
  • 2 – Ziggler and Roode were Raw Tag Team Champions going into the event, but they lost the titles to Raw draftees The Viking Raiders prior to being drafted to SmackDown.

Post-draft trade

Following Night 2 on the premiere episode of Backstage on October 15, WWE's Chief Operating Officer (COO) Triple H announced a trade between Raw and SmackDown. Former Women's Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross were traded from Raw to SmackDown in exchange for future draft pick considerations.[17][18]

Trade # Brand (from) Wrestler(s) Role Brand (to) Notes
1 Raw Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross Female tag team SmackDown Traded to SmackDown in exchange for future draft pick considerations.

Free agents

Several wrestlers were made free agents due to injury, inactivity, or not being drafted during their draft pool. The chart is organized by date.

Wrestler(s) Pre-draft brand Reason for not being drafted Subsequent status Date Notes
Lio Rush Raw Was not in either of the draft pools. NXT October 15, 2019 Rush had been performing on NXT since mid-September 2019 and won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship two days prior to the draft. After the conclusion of the draft, his WWE.com profile was updated to NXT.
Aiden English SmackDown Was not in either of the draft pools. 205 Live October 15, 2019 English had been doing commentary for 205 Live since January 2019 with no appearances on SmackDown since. After the conclusion of the draft, his WWE.com profile was updated to 205 Live.
The IIconics
(Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) 		SmackDown Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2). Raw October 15, 2019 After the conclusion of the draft, their respective WWE.com profiles were updated to Raw.
The Ascension
(Konnor and Viktor) 		Raw Was not in either of the draft pools.
Alicia Fox Raw Was not in either of the draft pools.
AOP
(Akam and Rezar) 		Raw Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2).
Cesaro Raw Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 1).
The Colóns
(Epico Colón and Primo Colón) 		SmackDown Was not in either of the draft pools.
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder Raw Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2).
Dana Brooke Raw Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2).
Drake Maverick 205 Live Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2). 205 Live General Manager
Ember Moon SmackDown Was not in either of the draft pools.
Inactive due to ankle injury.
Fire & Desire
(Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville) 		SmackDown Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2).
Jeff Hardy SmackDown Was not in either of the draft pools.
Inactive due to leg injury.
Lana SmackDown Was not in either of the draft pools.
Lars Sullivan SmackDown Was not in either of the draft pools.
Inactive due to knee injury.
Luke Harper SmackDown Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2).
Maria Kanellis Raw Was not in either of the draft pools.
Maryse SmackDown Was not in either of the draft pools.
Inactive due to maternity leave. 		Was manager of The Miz prior to inactivity.
Matt Hardy SmackDown Was not in either of the draft pools.
Mickie James SmackDown Was not in either of the draft pools.
Inactive from performing due to a leg injury. 		Has been doing commentary for Main Event during her recovery.
Mojo Rawley Raw Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2).
Naomi Raw Was not in either of the draft pools.
Nia Jax Raw Was not in either of the draft pools.
Inactive due to knee injury.
No Way José Raw Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2).
Paige SmackDown Was not in either of the draft pools.
Inactive due to neck surgery. 		Was manager of The Kabuki Warriors prior to inactivity.
Ruby Riott Raw Was not in either of the draft pools.
Inactive due to shoulder injury.
Sarah Logan Raw Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2).
Sheamus SmackDown Was not in either of the draft pools.
Inactive due to concussion.
The Usos
(Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) 		Raw Was not in either of the draft pools.

References

  1. ^ Powell, Jason (April 15, 2019). "4/15 Powell's WWE Raw TV Review: The 2019 WWE Superstar Shakeup Night One". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  2. ^ Barnett, Jake (April 16, 2019). "4/16 WWE Smackdown Live Results: Barnett's review of the 2019 WWE Superstar Shakeup Night Two with Vince McMahon introducing the brand's biggest acquisition, Paige introduces her new tag team". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  3. ^ Powell, Jason (May 6, 2019). "5/6 WWE Raw Results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns returning to Raw, the build to Money in the Bank continues". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  4. ^ Benigno, Anthony (May 6, 2019). "Mr. McMahon's new "Wild Card Rule" explained". WWE.com. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  5. ^ WWE.com Staff (September 15, 2019). "WWE Draft set for SmackDown on Oct. 11 and Raw on Oct. 14". WWE. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  6. ^ Crosby, Jack (September 15, 2019). "New WWE Draft set for two nights in October 2019 over SmackDown, Raw shows". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  7. ^ Casey, Connor (September 17, 2019). "WWE Confirms the Wild Card Rule Will Be Gone After the WWE Draft". ComicBook.com. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Star-studded celebrity lineup, including Alex Rodriguez, Michael Che and Colin Jost, to take part in WWE Draft". WWE.com. October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  9. ^ a b WWE.com Staff (October 10, 2019). "Preliminary WWE Draft Pools announced". WWE.com. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Powell, Jason (October 11, 2019). "10/11 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of night one of the WWE Draft, Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns to determine which brand picks first, Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley for the Smackdown Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  11. ^ a b WWE.com Staff (October 11, 2019). "See all the results from the 2019 WWE Draft". WWE.com. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  12. ^ Zak, Brad (October 10, 2019). "Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns to face off on SmackDown for number one pick". WWE.com. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  13. ^ WWE.com Staff (October 13, 2019). "Crews among additional picks as Raw and SmackDown continue to build their rosters". WWE.com. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  14. ^ a b Powell, Jason. "10/14 WWE Raw Results: Powell's review of the WWE Draft night two, Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair to determine which brand gets the first pick, Braun Strowman and Tyson Fury contract signing, Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler vs. The Viking Raiders for the Raw Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  15. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (October 11, 2019). "Sasha Banks Faces Becky Lynch On 10/14 WWE Raw To Determine #1 Pick On The Night". Fightful. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  16. ^ Staff, WWE.com (October 15, 2019). "SHORTY GABLE". Fightful. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  17. ^ Staff, WWE.com (October 15, 2019). "Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross traded to Friday Night SmackDown". WWE. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  18. ^ WWE on Fox (October 15, 2019). "Triple H announces Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are traded to SmackDown". Twitter. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
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