2009 WWE Draft
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The 2009 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Draft was the seventh Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. It was held on April 13, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia from Philips Arena. The Draft took place live on WWE's flagship television program Raw, which aired on the USA Network in the United States, for three hours. The 2009 WWE Draft marked the third time that it would consist of the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands, in which wrestlers, general managers and commentators were eligible to be drafted.[1] A supplemental draft will also be held on April 15.[2]
Background
The Brand Extension storyline was initiated in March 2002, in which WWE's Raw and SmackDown! television programs were made into brands that employees were assigned to work;[3] the ECW brand was later added in 2006.[4] With the exception of 2003, WWE has held the Draft annually since its inception.[5] WWE announced the Draft via its website on February 11, 2009. It was also announced that a supplemental draft would be held on April 15.[2] On the day of the draft, it was announced that for the third consecutive year, matches would determine which brand received a draft pick; 12 superstars were announced to switch brands.[6]
Superstar selections
Matches
During the program, wrestlers representing the Raw, ECW, and SmackDown brands were involved in matches that determined which brand received a draft pick.
| # | Match | Stipulation | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ECW: Evan Bourne vs. Raw: Rey Mysterio | Singles match for 1 draft pick | Raw: Mysterio |
| 2 | SmackDown: The Brian Kendrick vs. Raw: Kane | Singles match for 1 draft pick | Raw: Kane |
| 3 | SmackDown: Maryse, Michelle McCool, and Natalya vs. Raw: Kelly Kelly, Melina, Mickie James (Raw) | 6-Diva tag team match for 1 draft pick | SmackDown: McCool, Natalya, and Maryse |
| 4 | Raw: John Cena vs. ECW: Jack Swagger | Singles match for 2 draft picks | Raw: Cena |
| 5 | SmackDown: The Great Khali vs. Raw: Santino Marella | Singles match for 1 draft pick | SmackDown: The Great Khali |
| 6 | Raw: Kofi Kingston vs. ECW: The Miz | Singles match for 1 draft pick | Raw: Kingston |
| 7 | Raw: 5 wrestlers vs. SmackDown: 5 wrestlers vs. ECW: 5 wrestlers | Tri-branded 15-man Battle royal for 2 draft picks | SmackDown: Edge |
| 8 | ECW: Christian vs. SmackDown: Shelton Benjamin | Singles match for 1 draft pick | ECW: Christian |
| 9 | SmackDown: CM Punk[A1] vs. Raw: Matt Hardy[B1] | Singles match for 1 draft pick | Raw: Hardy |
| 10 | ECW: Tommy Dreamer vs. SmackDown: Chris Jericho[A2] | Singles match for 1 draft pick | SmackDown: Jericho |
Televised draft
| Pick # | Brand (to) | Employee (Real name) |
Role | Brand (from) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raw | Montel Vontavious Porter (Alvin Burke, Jr.) |
Male wrestler | SmackDown |
| 2 | Raw | The Big Show (Paul Wight) |
Male wrestler | SmackDown |
| 3 | SmackDown | Melina (Melina Perez) |
Female wrestler | Raw |
| 4 | Raw | Matt Hardy | Male wrestler | SmackDown |
| 5 | Raw | Triple H (Paul Levesque) |
Male wrestler | SmackDown |
| 6 | SmackDown | CM Punk (Phil Brooks) |
Male wrestler | Raw |
| 7 | Raw | The Miz (Mike Mizanin) |
Male wrestler | ECW |
| 8 | SmackDown | Kane (Glenn Jacobs) |
Male wrestler | Raw |
| 9 | SmackDown | Chris Jericho (Christopher Irvine) |
Male wrestler | Raw |
| 10 | ECW | Vladimir Kozlov (Oleg Prudius) |
Male wrestler | SmackDown |
| 11 | Raw | Maryse (Maryse Ouellet) |
Female wrestler | SmackDown |
| 12 | SmackDown | Rey Mysterio (Oscar Gutierrez) |
Male wrestler | Raw |
Supplemental draft
| Pick # | Brand (to) | Employee (Real name) |
Role | Brand (from) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Raw | Mr. Kennedy (Kenneth Anderson) |
Male wrestler | SmackDown |
| 14 | SmackDown | Shad Gaspard | Male wrestler | Raw |
| 3 | Smackdown | Alicia Fox | Female Wrestler | ECW |
Aftermath
Some of the superstars drafted were a champion on their original brand, and due to the draft regulations, they brought their title over to their new brand. Champion draft selections included the following wrestlers: WWE United States Champion Montel Vontavious Porter, WWE Champion Triple H, and WWE Divas Champion Maryse from SmackDown to Raw, and WWE Women's Champion Melina and WWE Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio from Raw to SmackDown.
See also
Footnotes
- A:A1 A2 - This wrestler, originally a member of the Raw brand, was drafted to SmackDown before this match took place.
- B:B1 - This wrestler, originally a member of the SmackDown brand, was drafted to Raw before this match took place.
References
- General
- Sitterson, Aubrey (2009-04-13). "Rough Draft (Televised Draft Results)". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
- Specific
- ^ McAvennie, Mike. "2009 WWE Draft announced for Raw April 13". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- ^ a b "2009 WWE Draft". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
- ^ "WWE Entertainment To Make RAW and SMACKDOWN Distinct Television Brands". World Wrestling Entertainment Corporate. 2002-03-27. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ^ "WWE Launches ECW As Third Brand". World Wrestling Entertainment Corporate. 2006-05-26. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ^ Dee, Louie (2007-06-07). "Picks of the past". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ^ Martin, Adam (2009-04-13). "2009 WWE Draft tonight during Raw". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 2009-04-14.