The WWE Draft is taking place this weekend, and many superstars are looking likely to find themselves a new home on a new brand. Ahead of the WWE Draft episodes of SmackDown and Monday Night Raw, we’ve covered everything you need to know.
WWE Draft 2024 Rules
WWE announced the official rules for this year’s instalment of the WWE Draft, and they are as follows:
- Champions on each brand are protected. This means that Damian Priest, Sami Zayn, Becky Lynch and Awesome Truth will remain on Monday Night Raw, while Cody Rhodes, Logan Paul, Bayley and A-Town Down Under will stay on SmackDown.
- The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions ARE eligible to be drafted but can continue to appear across both shows unless they lose their titles.
- April 26th SmackDown will feature four rounds of draft picks, with each brand making eight picks each, with a total of 16.
- April 29th Monday Night Raw will feature six rounds of draft picks, with each brand making 12 picks each, with a total of 24.
- SmackDown will have the first pick on Friday, while Monday Night Raw will have the first pick on Monday.
- The roster changes will come into effect on Monday, May 6th, after WWE Backlash 2024.
Announced Draft Pools
The pools for both nights of the WWE Draft have also been confirmed, including a few names that have taken WWE fans by surprise. Notably, Rhea Ripley & Damian Priest are considered to be separate from Judgment Day.
SmackDown – Friday 26th April:
- AJ Styles
- Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn
- Alpha Academy
- Andrade
- Bianca Belair
- Bron Breakker
- Cedric Alexander & Ashante “Thee” Adonis
- Ivar
- Jey Uso
- LA Knight
- Liv Morgan
- Nia Jax
- Randy Orton
- Ricochet
- Seth Rollins
- Shayna Baszler
- Sheamus
- The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga & Paul Heyman)
- The O.C. (Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson & Michin)
Monday Night Raw – Monday 29th April:
- #DIY
- Apollo Crews
- Braun Strowman
- Bronson Reed
- Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
- Chelsea Green & Piper Niven
- CM Punk
- The Creed Brothers & Ivy Nile
- Damage CTRL (IYO SKY, Dakota Kai & The Kabuki Warriors)
- Drew McIntyre
- Final Testament
- Giovanni Vinci
- Imperium (Gunther & Ludwig Kaiser)
- Jade Cargill
- Judgment Day (Finn Bálor, Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh)
- Kayden Carter & Katana Chance
- Kevin Owens
- Legado Del Fantasma
- L.W.O.
- Naomi
- Natalya
- New Catch Republic
- New Day
- Odyssey Jones
- Pretty Deadly
- Shinsuke Nakamura
- Tegan Nox
- The Pride
- Tiffany Stratton
Although it has been confirmed that WWE NXT will also be involved in the WWE Draft, the NXT roster has not been announced as eligible to be drafted.
It remains to be seen exactly how NXT will be utilised, but it’s almost certain that we will see some call-ups over the next week. Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov are two of the main names being rumoured, with both men likely to find their way to the main roster imminently.
With the WWE Draft set to shake things up drastically, keep an eye on SmackDown and Monday Night Raw to find out who might find a new home, and who stays put.
WWE Draft 2024 kicks off on SmackDown 26th April, 8/7c on Fox.
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