As noted, tonight’s WWE SmackDown will feature the beginning of the 2024 draft, an annual event where the rosters for the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand get shaken up and fans are treated to storylines that were previously not possible. Fightful Select has since released a new report revealing a ton of backstage notes ahead of the program. Highlights are below.
-Talent spoken to by Fightful had not been informed about the draft process or which brand they would be moving to.
-WWE did not provide insight into whether specific stars would be drafted or if a full re-draft would occur.
-Talent discovered their draft day when social media announcements were made.
As of Friday morning, some talent remained unaware of their brand placement but expected to find out later that day.
-Title designs and branding changes were made to give WWE more flexibility.
Women’s and tag team titles no longer have brand-specific names or color schemes to avoid awkward title trades.
-Champions remain locked into their brands regardless.
-Women’s tag team champions have a “home brand,” but are eligible to be drafted, as the titles float.
-NXT names were intentionally hidden from the draft pools for surprise.
-A “draft party” for fans is scheduled at the WWE Performance Center.
-There’s concern within NXT that the brand may be depleted in the draft, as in previous years. There’s also a the fact that NXT talent are uncertain about their status and fear being called up without a plan. This has been a criticism in NXT call-ups over the years.
-There are reservations about some main roster talent seeing a move to NXT as a demotion, but some believe it could benefit them.
-BetOnline AG predicts Bloodline and Randy Orton as the first two picks in the draft.
