WWE Draft 2024: Reason Why Night One Saw A Lack Of Significant Brand Switches
Night One of the 2024 WWE Draft didn't feature a ton of Superstars changing brands, but there's a reason behind this booking decision.
The 2024 WWE Draft kicked off on the April 26, edition of WWE SmackDown but the show was not the massive shake-up fans were hoping to see. Out of the total 16 on-air picks, more than half saw Superstars be selected by the brand they'd previously been signed to. The Supplemental Draft picks saw just two of the seven picks be moved to a different brand.
Despite the draft, WWE intends to maintain a level of familiarity with its Raw and SmackDown rosters, Fightful Select reports. WWE wants to retain well-known talent on their existing brands to ensure a smoother viewing experience for audiences. This is why the likes of Randy Orton and Seth Rollins were chosen by SmackDown and Raw respectively.
Part of the reason for these somewhat underwhelming draft picks is that WWE wishes to avoid significant disruptions in current storylines. For example, it would have made no sense for Jey Uso to move to SmackDown given that he is the number one contender for Raw's World Heavyweight Championship. 'Main Event Jey' was a first-round pick for Raw and will challenge Damian Priest at WWE Backlash.
The second night of the WWE Draft will take place on the April 29, Raw and will also feature a Supplemental Draft after the show. Fightful was told that fans should expect more swaps on Raw. It's also noted that fans can expect more talent from WWE NXT to be called up for this second portion of the draft. The new rosters will come into effect on May 6 following the WWE Backlash: France event two days earlier.
