Draft rules set

[Lee]

The rules for the WWE Draft are as follows:

Raw has the first overall pick
Since SmackDown Live is a two-hour show and Raw is three hours, for every two picks SmackDown Live receives, Raw will receive three picks
Tag teams count as one pick unless a Commissioner/General Manager specifically only wants one member of the team​
Six draft picks will be made off the NXT roster​

http://www.wwe.com/article/wwe-draft-rules-2016?sf31145673=1

 

[Richard Blonoff]

So Balor is pretty much a guarantee to get called up. Guesses as to the other 5? Id wager American Alpha, Aries, Nia Jax, Tye Dillinger, and uhhhhh Mojo Rawley for the lulz.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Balor, Bayley, American Alpha, and Aries would be my predictions from NXT.... Unsure who else the 6th could be though. Maybe Mojo so the Hype Bros can be a main roster jobber tag team.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Carmella will probably be pick number six. Whoever doesn't get Bayley will get her.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

I would put money on Bayley being Sasha's mystery partner so I'm gonna say she gets called up.

no idea who the other 5 are

 

[OYDK]

I just hope Samoa Joe gets the call. It would be logical for either Shane or Steph to lock up the NXT champion. Unless there's some hidden rule against it.

As for the other 5... I think Balor and Bayley are two givens. A tag team, probably AA is likely as well. Maybe Nia as the last one? Asuka?

 

[BaconBits]

Six NXT talents... Balor, Carmella, American Alpha, Mojo and either Joe or Aries. There was a report just other day that Bayley is a few months out from being called up yet.

 

[ShinChan]

I am almost sure Bayley won't be comin' up to main roster at this time.

The six drafts could be Balor, American Alpha, Nia Jax, Carmella/Alexa Bliss, Tye Dillinger and Rhyno.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

So even as they are thinning Raw out for Smackdown to be presentable, they're sticking with three hours.

Not sure that's a great idea, but I'm just a fan that pays attention every few weeks or so.

 

[Blade]

So even as they are thinning Raw out for Smackdown to be presentable, they're sticking with three hours.

Not sure that's a great idea, but I'm just a fan that pays attention every few weeks or so.

To play Devil's advocate, we don't know how many former wrestlers they'll be bringing back for the roster split.

 

[King Patrick Star]

Raw has the first overall pick

I agree with this rule. "With the first pick of the 2016 WWE Draft, Raw selects...WWE Champion, Dean Ambrose!!"

Since SmackDown Live is a two-hour show and Raw is three hours, for every two picks SmackDown Live receives, Raw will receive three picks

Smackdown needs to be 3 hours. I don't care about people who complain that Raw is too long, as long as the WWE is making money off of the extra hour. They can make more money by giving the Blue show an extra hour, so why not??

Tag teams count as one pick unless a Commissioner/General Manager specifically only wants one member of the team​

Tag Teams should never be split up due to the draft. They should count as 2 picks, but should not be broken up. If anything, there should be a separate Tag Team draft.

Six draft picks will be made off the NXT roster​

There should not be a set number of NXT draft picks. Again, they could and maybe should have a separate NXT draft.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

They need to be careful that they don't absolutely strip NXT of all its top talent here, especially when the likes of Crews and Corbin aren't doing much on the main roster as it is.

I think it's pretty certain that Balor and American Alpha come up, maybe Mojo Rawley to team with Ryder, but I don't think Joe or Bayley will be arriving just yet.

 

[therockiswwf]

Smackdown needs to be 3 hours. I don't care about people who complain that Raw is too long, as long as the WWE is making money off of the extra hour. They can make more money by giving the Blue show an extra hour, so why not??

Short term gain, long term losses.

The reason Raw became 3 hours was USA was pestering them for years about it. Raw also gets better ratings meaning it can attract more advertisers than SD (and it is hard for WWE in general to attract advertisers). SD's ratings are not as good. Who says they can attract more advertisers, enough to make a 6th hour of live TV (which is not cheap to produce) profitable? That also means they probably need more bodies on the main roster, so that is another expense. Combine that with Raw needing more bodies. NXT also needs a respectable roster. Plus they still have Main Event and Superstars. HHH said no one really gets how hard that 3rd hour made Raw. Making SD 3 hours would cause a ton of problems.

The roster is being spread pretty thin due to the draft. SD being 3 hours would make it even thinner. Asking for fresh 6 hour content on back to back days would kill any creative team, let alone the current one. It is too much to ask.

Bischoff actually had an interesting theory on why they added the 3rd hour. Bischoff made Nitro 3 hours so he could afford Thunder. He thinks WWE did it to afford the Network (the startup costs for that were enormous). That makes sense to me. Adding a 3rd hour to SD would be pointless.

Yes it makes SD look inferior for only having 2 hours but that is a necessary evil. The burnout from a 3 hour SD would hurt them severely in the long run.

 

[Trill Co$by]

SD's ratings are not as good. Who says they can attract more advertisers, enough to make a 6th hour of live TV (which is not cheap to produce) profitable?

That one guy who just won at UFC 200 being put on Smackdown... just a guess.

 

[King Patrick Star]

My initial idea was to cut Raw back down to 2 hours, but the argument was that the WWE makes too much money off of the 3rd hour, so they would never cut out the 3rd hour. So by that logic, the Brand Extension / exclusive roster split and Smackdown going live on Tuesday nights should attract more viewers, which would raise ratings, and therefore attract more advertisers. The keyword is “should”. Adding a 3rd hour to the Blue show should only mean more money.

I really have no concern about the roster being too thin, only because they can always fill up the rosters whenever necessary as proven in the past. They can always bring back Legends that can still go, and the Legends that can’t go can be managers. They can always pillage the Independent scene. They can buy TNA and really make an Impact. They can give the Wrestlers in ROH a real Ring Of Honor. The can raise Lucha Underground above ground and onto the Main Stage. All of the Wrestlers in all 3 of the “Major” Minor Leagues can go to NXT, and watch the cream rise to the top. The WWE can monopolize the industry again and again, whenever it wants.

If Eric Bischoff’s theory is correct, and still stands today, then adding a 3rd hour to Smackdown is just a smart business decision. If the WWE added a 3rd hour to Raw to be able to afford the Network, then adding a 3rd hour to Smackdown would just put money in the bank.

With Raw being 3 hours and getting 3 picks vs. Smackdown being 2 hours and getting 2 picks absolutely makes Smackdown look inferior and it is definitely an unnecessary evil. If anyone is feeling burned out, then get out and insert a new, fresh cog in the wheel.

Anytime one of us (people on forums) start talking about WWE and their money, it always bothers me that one of us is actually concerned with what they do and don’t do with their money. We are the fans. We are the paying customer. The WWE isn’t going anywhere, no matter how many “mistakes” they make in the future. They are way past the point of any kind of major issues that could shut the company down.

My point is, stop making Smackdown appear to be the B-Show. Put all of the former WWE / World Champions and all of the former Women’s / Divas Champions live on Tuesday nights. That will surely raise the ratings. Also, by not having to worry about Monday Night Football in the fall would help Smackdown a lot. Then put all of the up and coming Stars on Raw, since anyone who watches WWE will watch Raw no matter what anyway. Smackdown needs help, so help Smackdown.

 

[therockiswwf]

My initial idea was to cut Raw back down to 2 hours, but the argument was that the WWE makes too much money off of the 3rd hour, so they would never cut out the 3rd hour. So by that logic, the Brand Extension / exclusive roster split and Smackdown going live on Tuesday nights should attract more viewers, which would raise ratings, and therefore attract more advertisers. The keyword is “should”. Adding a 3rd hour to the Blue show should only mean more money.

I really have no concern about the roster being too thin, only because they can always fill up the rosters whenever necessary as proven in the past. They can always bring back Legends that can still go, and the Legends that can’t go can be managers. They can always pillage the Independent scene. They can buy TNA and really make an Impact. They can give the Wrestlers in ROH a real Ring Of Honor. The can raise Lucha Underground above ground and onto the Main Stage. All of the Wrestlers in all 3 of the “Major” Minor Leagues can go to NXT, and watch the cream rise to the top. The WWE can monopolize the industry again and again, whenever it wants.

If Eric Bischoff’s theory is correct, and still stands today, then adding a 3rd hour to Smackdown is just a smart business decision. If the WWE added a 3rd hour to Raw to be able to afford the Network, then adding a 3rd hour to Smackdown would just put money in the bank.

With Raw being 3 hours and getting 3 picks vs. Smackdown being 2 hours and getting 2 picks absolutely makes Smackdown look inferior and it is definitely an unnecessary evil. If anyone is feeling burned out, then get out and insert a new, fresh cog in the wheel.

Anytime one of us (people on forums) start talking about WWE and their money, it always bothers me that one of us is actually concerned with what they do and don’t do with their money. We are the fans. We are the paying customer. The WWE isn’t going anywhere, no matter how many “mistakes” they make in the future. They are way past the point of any kind of major issues that could shut the company down.

My point is, stop making Smackdown appear to be the B-Show. Put all of the former WWE / World Champions and all of the former Women’s / Divas Champions live on Tuesday nights. That will surely raise the ratings. Also, by not having to worry about Monday Night Football in the fall would help Smackdown a lot. Then put all of the up and coming Stars on Raw, since anyone who watches WWE will watch Raw no matter what anyway. Smackdown needs help, so help Smackdown.

Bischoff only added a 3rd hour to Nitro. Nitro drew in the ratings while Thunder was okay (hovered around 2). Raw could add a third hour because it is a proven ratings draw while SD has not been in a long time. NBC would have to pay WWE more and remove whatever is on before SD to make room for it. Sometimes running a rerun of old shows is more profitable than producing a new show (like reruns of Cops was more profitable than TNA for Spike).

Bischoff also opposed adding Thunder. He felt it would over-saturate the product and did not want his stars on twice a week (which he did not do and Thunder suffered majorly for it). But he had to add a 3rd hour in order to pay for Thunder. If it worked so well, why did he not add a 3rd hour to Thunder? Because it would not work.

SD needs to be better in the ratings to even discuss adding a 3rd hour plus Vince and whoever would have to agree to work one more extra hour. I don't think WWE has the star power to produce two 3 hour shows (which isn't a shot at WWE, more that would take a ton of star power). It would take awhile for the indy guys to rise from NXT. I just do not see the current roster or one in the foreseeable future being able to produce two quality 3 hour shows.

I get you think it should make WWE more money (and considering they are a business, that should be their goal). However, I think long term harm would come from this. I think burnout would happen fairly quickly and product quality would drop. Just because something will make money does not mean it will continue to be a positive.

When I say burnout, I mean burnout from too much product. I am interested with what WWE does with their money because I am a business major.