How the WWE should bring the draft back

[CM Steel]

Going on for three years now the brand split in the WWE is no more. WWE superstars can show up on both RAW & Smackdown which works out good for us WWE fans. So currently there is no more WWE draft after Wrestlemania. But what if the WWE changed the concept of the draft by drafting rookies from NXT? Like they can draft the top propects from NXT that's ready to be called up to the main WWE roster after Wrestlemania. Top propect names like...

-Sami Callihan
-Leo Kruger
-Jacob Novak
-Paige
-Bo Dallas
-Adam Neville

Just to name a few. The NXT roster looks like the cream of the crop that the WWE has to offer. So why not bring back the annual draft in that context? Does anybody remember the OVW class of 2002? One by one the class of rookies debuted after Wrestlemania 18 to make a big splash in the WWE. Rookies like...

-Brock Lesnar
-Randy Orton
-Dave Batista
-John Cena
-Shelton Benjamin

4 out of 5 of those names are former & current WWE world champions. So why not bring up the top rookies from NXT to debut in the WWE sooner than later?

 

[kadroan]

Right now, the WWE is crowded. I personally like how they're doing now, easing in people when they have long term plans for them. You got former world champs like The Miz and Dolph who barely get TV times for themselves.

Last thing you want is NXT wrestlers just coming in to be squashed by the Orton's, Ambrose's, or any heel looking to be hot going in the latest pay per view

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As of right now, the main roster is already pretty crowded. In all my opinion, WWE is holding onto talent who should've been let go years ago. Personally, I see no reason to hold onto guys like JTG, Curt Hawkins, Camacho, Jinder Mahal, David Otunga, Yoshi Tatsu, Ezekiel Jackson or Justin Gabriel. None of them have been on WWE TV in a long time and they're not exactly relevant.

As far as having a WWE Draft to bring up "rookies" from NXT, it doesn't come off as all that big of a deal. If the WWE Network is a success resulting in NXT's presence and general prestige continuing to grow, then MAYBE something like this could be feasible in a few years. In the meantime, if WWE wants to go the route of doing some sort of attraction to bring up someone from NXT like having a tournament every now and again. Maybe something like a Bound For Glory Series type of tourney, only with a point system that's kept much simpler. Matches can take place on NXT, Raw, SD! and Main Event with the selected talent getting some good hype on WWE television while their focus is kept strictly on the tournament rather than feuding with stars on the main roster; this keeps the crossover between the two rosters down to a minimum.

 

[Eddie Menuek]

I think the problem with this is that it puts a lot of pressure on the NXT guys to swim rather than sink on their arrival to the main roster; it looks like the way that they're trying to go about it is to play down the idea that a superstar is either WWE or NXT, and that they can be both at the same time. It means that if something doesn't work out (Xavier Woods) they can be taken off of television, work NXT for a while longer and maybe get a second shot at it down the line. Telling the viewers that "X is no longer an NXT guy, he's now a WWE guy" puts a lot of pressure on them to succeed first time around. Especially with a crowded roster and such competition for a spot on television, that pressure might not necessarily be a good thing.

 

[GameOver]

Going on for three years now the brand split in the WWE is no more. WWE superstars can show up on both RAW & Smackdown which works out good for us WWE fans. So currently there is no more WWE draft after Wrestlemania. But what if the WWE changed the concept of the draft by drafting rookies from NXT? Like they can draft the top propects from NXT that's ready to be called up to the main WWE roster after Wrestlemania. Top propect names like...

-Sami Callihan
-Leo Kruger
-Jacob Novak
-Paige
-Bo Dallas
-Adam Neville

Just to name a few. The NXT roster looks like the cream of the crop that the WWE has to offer. So why not bring back the annual draft in that context? Does anybody remember the OVW class of 2002? One by one the class of rookies debuted after Wrestlemania 18 to make a big splash in the WWE. Rookies like...

-Brock Lesnar
-Randy Orton
-Dave Batista
-John Cena
-Shelton Benjamin

4 out of 5 of those names are former & current WWE world champions. So why not bring up the top rookies from NXT to debut in the WWE sooner than later?

Drafting to what? and who's drafting? the McMahon Helmsley's run everything, Vickie and Brad are rarely on TV and are just cannon fodder anyway they have no control over anything. The NXT guys/gals get called up when there's a spot and they are deemed ready, no need to make it a special thing atm

 

[Ubermensch]

The draft won't work anymore because Smackdown has fallen into obscurity.

Any wrestler that would be willing to be exclusive to a show that comes on after a movie about Metal Tornado Sharks just signed a death wish for their career.

 

[TheVolFan52]

For any type of draft, they'll need to move smack down on a different network and a different night other than friday and actually do things that continue or create storylines instead of just rehashing everything from Raw.

 

[ccotreau1]

I don't think the draft would work now a days because of the roster size and everything, like everyone above said. If anything, I would rather see them use the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal to include some of the guys from NXT, guys like Rusev, Bo Dallas, guys that have seen some time on Raw and been in the Rumble or have them do something like the Shield or Nexus did in the last handful of years.

 

[haydo 434]

This could be an interesting way to bring smackdown back to being a great show. The show should be broadcast live as a result, making crowd reactions actually heard, the brand itself could gain top stars such as a cena, batista, brock lesnar (full time). Guys like ziggler and sandow could really benefit from a draft as it would be a platform to distinguish themselves as real threats to the brand! Make it happen I say.

 

[chicagokmc]

First they need to get the TV network situation resolved. I don't want to assume that's a foregone conclusion. Where they are on tv could have a huge impact on what happens with Smackdown. I wouldn't move Smackdown. The reason its on Friday is because Friday is a weaker TV day across the board. You move SD to Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, it might be ok in the summer but it would die a quick death during the Fall when the new TV season starts. And I just don't see a world where we have show specific rosters again. You can sort of do that for the mid-carders, but not for the stars. People want to see their favorite stars. Daniel Bryan fans want to see him on as much WWE programming as possible.

Radical Thought - This one is kind of out there. Given that much of Smackdown, as mentioned, is recap and not that interesting, I would switch the places of Smackdown and NXT. NXT would be the Friday night show and SD would be on WWE Network. Right now there isn't much differentiation between Raw and SD. There's usually only one thing of importance that happens on SD each week and its recapped days later on the next Raw. By putting NXT on cable tv as the second show, you allow fans to focus on something different. Now instead of watching rehash, we can look at the up and comers and see fresh facers. Put SD on WWE network. Maybe you can then change how that show is filmed and possibly do it live. This also gives a potential way to monitor network performance between ppvs.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

It's just better to air vignettes and debut new characters on Raw and Smackdown. I think it's better if they did a a KotR-style tournament once a year where an NXT guy goes to the main roster. Others guys can make their transition in the traditional way, but one guy every year will get the huge rub of winning the tourny.

 

[A11oftheLights]

Here is how you actually bring the draft back, bring back the brand split. Only the Champion appears on both the way it use to be. PPVs are show based so that way only the a single superstar can appear at every PPV is to win the Championship. Would also create great initial storyline when you have the initial draft to set up the split.

For example, Daniel Bryan was taken as the number one pick and now everyone wants to prove that they should have been. Or The Shield now find themselves on separate shows. Randy Orton(if he isn't champion) isn't happy being drafted to Smackdown because he should be on the "premiere show". Maybe theres a shock exclusion from the draft as a GM chooses to promote a Sami Zayn or Bo Dallas

 

[GameOver]

There's only 1 champion,1 roster and there isn't 2 seperate GM's anymore, so it'd be pointless to be specific to 1 show it'd be in reality cutting your pay packet and chances of success in half. no way in hell do i want the brand split again, that was stupid

all they did creatively was copy each other, same as 95% of TV soaps and shows do they just copy each other but with different actors.

 

[kumarjtk]

single champion and single roster sucks. Bring back brand split and whc title.
After wm split the wwe and whc title make two rosters and put smackdown live and bring draft

 

[TheICChampion]

Since it's all but talked about in WWE that Smackdown is the 'B' Show, have it where the NXT guys only debut on Smackdown and if they get over enough there, then send them to work Raw. If not, just send them back to NXT or developmental. If they do another brand-split, have Raw just be main-eventers and established superstars, and Smackdown can be for, like I said, lower-card guys and NXT-to-WWE debuts. Once in a blue moon, have the WWE champion come over to Smackdown and face a lower-card/NXT superstar and have a match to test the progress of that certain superstar. As far as the titles go, the champions are the only ones who can go from show to show, defend their titles, etc. Personally, I think at least one title should be on the line every month, not counting the PPVs. But that's what I would like to see, anyway.

 

[MMK]

When the brand split was in place, most fans complained about it and demanded they go back to one roster with one champion. Now they've finally done that and some fans are demanding they go back to the brand split. This proves that fans don't know what the hell they want.

Makes me think of the Itchy and Scratchy focus group scene on The Simpsons..

Roger Myers Jr: You kids don't know what you want. That's why you're still kids, 'cause you're stupid. Just tell me what's wrong with the freakin' show!
Ralph Wiggum: [starts crying] Mommy!

 

[BestWrestlingOpinions]

Or you can just take a guy from NXT and debut him on the main roster, a la Rusev. I think that the draft is a good excuse too, but if you wanna debut someone from NXT, it is just easy. After all, if the draft becomes a yearly thing, then you might not have any stars to debut at that time, so it might flop.

Thing is, we already have tons of Superstars at the moment. Sure,having talent there is not a bad thing, but you see, they can't manage more than 2 storylines at the same time, so what's the point? They will always highlight their main feud, give all the attention to that, and the rest of the card is being given 10 minute segments just to fill the shows.

 

[Dagger Dias]

But what if the WWE changed the concept of the draft by drafting rookies from NXT? Like they can draft the top propects from NXT that's ready to be called up to the main WWE roster after Wrestlemania.

That's rather pointless. The draft is gone and never coming back unless they get to the point where they need two separate rosters again. Everyone shows up on both brands now so there is no way to make the draft relevant in today's WWE on the main roster. As for using it for NXT? Why? To call them up to the main roster after Wrestlemania? They can do that without any type of draft. It is a dumb idea if you ask me. Call up the rookies when they are needed and ready, then come up with an angle to place them in. No need to make that any more complicated by adding an unneeded draft concept to it. Keep the draft in the past where it belongs.