An idea for the draft...

I think it’s pretty clear that the current WWE draft system could be better. I had an idea to run by you.

Treat it like a professional sport expansion draft. By this I mean:

  • each brand can protect a certain number of superstars (let’s say ten singles wrestlers and two tag teams), and all other superstars are eligible to be drafted

  • each brand then gets a certain number of picks (10? 15? Whatever…)

I think this might:

  • create some interesting options for wrestlers to, for example, brag about being protected, be angry about not being protected, have only one member of a tag team/faction being protected, etc.
  • allow WWE’s talking heads to speculate on protected talent, to discuss snubbed unprotected talent, to make predictions on the draft before it takes place, to evaluate the completed draft, etc. (i.e. create content for the network and third party sites)
  • indicate (to their fans and investors) that WWE is at least trying to do new and creative things
  • bring some renewed fan interest in the draft

Hopefully, that makes sense. What are your thoughts?

I like the idea but it will never happen as long as Vince is in charge. He’s never watched a real professional sports draft and if anyone pitched this to him he would not understand the concept.

The problem with that is depth right now. If we look at the draft that happened remove the top 10 picks on both nights and how interesting are the picks? I think if you wanted to go that way maybe you go with each side can protect 2 singles stars and one tag team. Then each side gets like 4 picks with which they can either
1.) protect someone on their own roster
2.) grab someone from SD
3.) call up someone from their own roster

Have tag teams but not factions come as a package, or open up to like 6 picks per side.

More than that is just too many picks. Does anyone really care where Dana Brooke ends up?

I would also keep titles with their brands. If a superstar gets drafted and has a belt they lose the title. This would allow for storylines to fill vacant championships.

Ten was just a suggestion, I have no idea what the right number would be. I would actually prefer they ban drafting teams and groups to be honest. If you want both members of a team, draft them separately and use two picks. For me, that adds another layer of interest and ensures that the same number of people are drafted.

The purpose of the draft (as with most things in WWE) is to create drama and excitement. Trying to put more rules in place makes that even more difficult in my opinion.

I think the draft should be as wild as possible. Use it to break up tag-teams, move titles, end feuds and begin new ones. Move your biggest stars around. Which is why I especially don’t like the idea of protected picks.

The issue with the draft isn’t the rules. It’s that Raw and Smackdown are the same. There’s no animosity or competition between the two shows. At least when the brands had their own managers it was easier to care which GM “won” the draft. In the original brand split they put in some effort to make it clear that Bischoff and Stephanie hated each other.

Now its portrayed like its just suits in a board room moving names around to trying to maximize twitter mentions on any given night. No fan could get invested in that.

The only thing exciting about the draft is the results. The format of the two night draft is awful and I didn’t watch a second of it. But I do like that now Roman Reigns has some potential new feuds and that McIntyre now has The Fiend and Styles on Raw.

If they used the Survivor Series as a way to decide who gets the first overall pick, or the ones who didn’t get eliminated are exempt from being moved…it would give that pay per view cycle some actual reason to exist. Some stakes will be attached to it.

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Back when NXT was developmental (not whatever it is now) it would have been a cool idea to have an NXT draft where RAW and SD chooses guys from NXT.

Make it a yearly thing and guys could stay in NXT but still be property of RAW or SD, the same way a minor league player is property of a big league team.

NXT guys could brag about being a high draft pick when they eventually get called up or talk about how they were overlooked if they were picked late.

It also gives NXT guys some direction and builds a little anticipation for their arrival on the main roster

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The issue is the format to some extent. There are too many picks and too many are just x wrestler stays put. I’d rather have a few guys protected then the first 2 picks just be the existing champions. Beyond that there are just too many picks. No one cares about the bottom tier talent changing shows, when everyone gets drafted. If there were fewer picks and say Dana Brooke got drafted at least you would wonder why, and maybe get a story out of it. I think having at least your men’s and women’s champions protected makes sense. Then you draft wrestlers but not titles after that. It removes the “everyone selects their own champions first:” which logically makes sense. Then if everyone else is a single pick and each show gets say 6 picks, then maybe you use 2 to steal the other tag champions without the belts but that is big commitment of your picks.

There’s a reason real sports leagues don’t televise the later draft rounds…

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Exactly. Even if they did something where each brand got say 12 picks. You could even specific something along the lines of 4 mens singles, 4 womens singles, 4 tag teams (or whatever).
Having Steph come out and announce that Raw drafted Drew McIntyre and SD drafted Roman means nothing and seems like a waste of time.

I remember back in the early days there was a draft where SD chose Taker, and the camera was focused on him when it happened, that was a cool moment, that is a perfect example of what is missing. Nothing from this years or last years drafts were even close to that. This format only works when you do a brand split for the first time, it failed hard as a “shakeup”.

And it really isn’t a “shakeup” when you’re just carrying over the exact same storylines over to another night of the week (Rollins/Mysterio, is the worst example)

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Agreed, they moved too many performers. I feel like 75% of the top SD guys went to Raw.

Of course the biggest problem is that they don’t have enough stars or a hard brand split.

Honestly the best scenario would be for them to essentially be real sports teams.

So Draft = NXT call ups once per year

Then no cross over except survivor series and things like the rumble match.

Then allow a window for trades so to get someone you trade something to the other team. Make these rare and a big deal.

Lastly have free agency. Have kayfabe contracts and when they come up occasionally have the other team steal a guy.

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My main issue with the draft is the champions being involved… the moment the tag champs are drafted you know the result of the other ones.

It’s incredibly predictable as is but the moment a title is drafted you know the outcome of the other brands title

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That was brutal. I was hoping for a second they would have a unification match, but you knew that wouldnt happen. Its not hard, just stick the mens tag division on one brand, womens tag division on another. There is no reason to have two mens tag divisions, when neither means a thing.