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Credit: WWE.com
The WWE draft usually takes place just after WrestleMania but with everything changing for the company this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was moved to Friday’s SmackDown and Monday’s Raw.
Roughly 60 Superstars on both rosters were eligible to be drafted, including champions. Before they even knew if they were on the same show, Bray Wyatt and Kevin Owens fought on this week’s SmackDown.
We also saw a Falls Count Anywhere match between Sheamus and Big E, a Women’s Championship match with Bayley defending against Sasha Banks and a tag match with Matt Riddle and Jeff Hardy taking on The Miz and John Morrison.
WWE put 60 Superstars and tag teams into the draft pool. Anyone who went undrafted was able to sign with the brand of their choice.
Let’s take a look at what happened on night one of the WWE Draft on SmackDown.
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The draft will see every Superstar placed into a pool and selected by each brand, which means many of the picks will be Raw and SmackDown keeping talents they already had before the draft began.
This page will be continually updated with each draft pick after it takes place. Here is who has been drafted to Raw and SmackDown:
- Drew McIntyre stays on Raw.
- Roman Reigns stays on SmackDown.
- Asuka stays on Raw.
- Seth Rollins moves to SmackDown.
- The Hurt Business stays on Raw.
- AJ Styles moves to Raw.
- Sasha Banks stays on SmackDown.
- Naomi moved to raw.
- Bianca Belair moved to SmackDown.
- Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler stay on Raw.
- Ricochet stays on Raw.
- Jey Uso stays on SmackDown.
- Mandy Rose stays on Raw.
- Dominik and Rey Mysterio move to SmackDown.
- The Miz and John Morrison move to Raw.
- Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods move to Raw.
- Big E stays on SmackDown.
- Dana Brooke stays on Raw.
- Otis stays on SmackDown.
- Angel Garza stays on Raw.
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Stephanie McMahon came out onto the stage to open the show. She said she was looking forward to presiding over the draft and immediately revealed McIntyre has been drafted by Raw.
SmackDown selected Reigns, Raw kept Asuka and Rollins became the first person to officially change brands by moving to SmackDown. The final pick of the first round saw Raw keep the entire Hurt Business stable with MVP, Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander.
Big E came out for the first match of the night against Sheamus. They went right after each other and Sheamus took control with a rolling senton to score the first two-count. Big E planted him with an urinagi before spearing him off of the apron to the floor.
The Celtic Warrior tied Big E up in the ropes and teed off on him with a kendo stick. After breaking free, the powerhouse of The New Day managed to wrap Sheamus’ legs in duct tape so he could get in some of his own shots with a kendo stick.
We returned from a break to see them fighting backstage. Sheamus was already showing signs of massive welts on his back as he slammed Big E onto a table. He showed disdain for his opponent but dumping flour and eggs on top of Big E’s head.
Big E broke a couple of brooms over Sheamus’ back before picking up a trash can and hitting him several times. They fought into a garage and Sheamus found a tire iron to use as a weapon. He picked up Big E and delivered White Noise onto the windshield but failed to get the pin.
He put Big E into a trunk and tried to slam it on his arm but the powerhouse avoided disaster. He picked up Sheamus and powerbombed him onto the hood of a car. He climbed up with him and hit the Big Ending through a table for the win.
Grade: A
Analysis
With only one person actually changing brands, the first round of the 2020 draft was a bit lackluster. Rollins is a good pick for SmackDown, though.
When it comes to the Falls Count Anywhere match, Big E and Sheamus held nothing back. Both men left this bout battered and bruised after taking each other to the limit.
This feud might have lasted longer than it needed to but this was a fantastic final chapter, especially if they end up on different brands after the draft.
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After a commercial break, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods surprised Big E backstage. Back in the ring, Jey Uso called out Reigns and demanded to know the special stipulation to their Hell in a Cell match.
Paul Heyman appeared on the big screen to tell Uso that Reigns would only reveal that information when he wanted to and not a second before.
Then, a few moments later, Reigns appeared and said all Uso had to do was acknowledge him as The Tribal Chief. He revealed that their HIAC bout will also be an I Quit match.
The Big Dog reiterated that he loves his cousin and just wants to help him but also said there will be consequences for not bending the knee.
Steph returned to the stage to reveal The New Day would be facing Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura for the SmackDown tag titles before revealing the next draft picks. Styles moved to Raw, Banks stayed on SmackDown, Naomi moved to Raw, SmackDown selected Belair and Raw kept Jax and Baszler.
Grade: B+
Analysis
This feud went from feeling cobbled together when it first began to being one of the premier programs in WWE right now. This segment was another great chapter in this ongoing story.
Reigns is fully embracing his new attitude and turning into one of the best characters on WWE television. Uso is a great underdog who has credibility and the familial connection to put The Tribal Chief over as a dominant champion.
This feud is taking its time so both guys can benefit in the end. They will likely steal the show at Hell in a Cell.
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Matt Riddle and John Morrison started for their teams. The Barefoot Bro took JoMo down with a suplex before he tagged in Jeff Hardy for a couple of double team moves.
We returned from a break to see The Miz and Morrison taking Hardy down with a flurry of tag team moves for a quick two-count. Riddle got the hot tag and went wild on both of his opponents with s series of suplexes and strikes.
He grabbed The Miz and hit Bro Derek for the pin and the win. As he and Hardy celebrated, Lars Sullivan made his return and took out both men with ease. Morrison tried and failed to save his partner from suffering the same fate.
Grade: C-
Analysis
This was unexpectedly short and did not allow either team to shine due to a commercial break taking up more time than the match itself. A few nice moves does not make a complete match.
The return of Sullivan is going to be controversial for obvious reasons. It will be interesting to see how the WWE Universe reacts to his presence.
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McMahon was back out to reveal Ricochet will stay on Raw, Uso will stay on SmackDown, Rose will remain on Raw, the Mysterios will move to SmackDown and The Miz and Morrison will head to Raw.
Banks came down to the ring for her title bout with Bayley and looked like her usual confident self. The Role Model looked just as confident as she came out with her trademark steel chair in hand.
The Boss rushed Bayley in the corner and beat her down with kicks and punches until the champ rolled out of the ring and tried to leave. Banks prevented a countout by bringing her back in. She almost had The Bank Statement locked in but Bayley countered.
They traded near falls until the champ laid out the challenger with a clothesline. After a few moments, Bayley used her chair to get herself disqualified. Banks got the upper hand and used the chair against her former BFF.
Bayley narrowly avoided having her neck crushed in the chair. She held her title close as The Boss stared her down from the ring.
Grade: C
Analysis
This contest started out hot and seemed like it would continue the legacy of great matches from these two Superstars, but a surprising DQ cut it short.
It’s obvious WWE wants to save this for a bigger stage like Hell in a Cell but if that is the case, it should have just booked that match and given this slot to two other women who could use some exposure.
The one upside is WWE didn’t have them wrestle for 30 minutes just to pull the rug out from under us. It only lasted a few minutes before the ref called for the bell, so the letdown was easier to take.
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Cesaro backed Woods to the corner but the returning Superstar fired back with a few right hands and a headscissor takedown. The Swiss Cyborg leveled him with a clothesline before Wood sprang to his feet to hit a flurry of strikes.
He superkicked Nakamura off of the apron before tagging in Kingston. Nakamura barely managed to save his partner from a pin as the show cut to a commercial.
We returned to see Cesaro dominating Kingston. The former WWE champion countered with a kick so both men could tag in their partners. Woods was on fire as he fought off both tag champs.
He spiked Nakamura with a DDT for a close two-count. Kingston and Cesaro tagged in and The Swiss Superman hit a huge uppercut for a near-fall. Woods saved Kingston from being hit with the Kinshasa by holding Nakamura’s leg.
Kington hit Trouble in Paradise and Woods followed up with a huge flying elbow drop to get the win and reclaim the SmackDown tag titles.
Stephanie came out as they celebrated and revealed Woods and Kingston have been drafted to Raw while Big E will remain on SmackDown. The celebration came to a screeching halt. Brooke will stay on Raw, SmackDown will keep Otis and Raw picked Angel Garza.
Grade: A
Analysis
Just to be up front, part of the reason this match received such a high grade has to do with the level of excitement associated with seeing Woods and Kington return and win the titles on the same night.
But isn’t that why pro wrestling is different from other forms of entertainment and sports? The spectacle and excitement determine how enjoyable any given match is to the viewer.
The action in the ring was just as good as you would expect from the four men involved. This was fun from start to finish.