![]() ![]() Only Undisputed Champion Triple H and Women's Champion Jazz were ineligible to be drafted, as the holders of those titles defended them on both brands the other champions, however, could be drafted. In 2002, the then- World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) introduced the brand extension, splitting its roster into two "brands", Raw and SmackDown, represented by the shows of the same name where their talent would exclusively perform. A draft was not held in 2022, but returned in 2023. With SmackDown 's move to Friday nights on FOX beginning October 4, 2019, a second draft for the year was scheduled to occur, reverting to its original name (the "WWE Draft") and returning to a traditional draft format. From 2017 until May 2019, the draft was rebranded as the "Superstar Shake-up" instead of a traditional draft, wrestlers were traded or moved between the brands with decisions made behind the scenes. ![]() With SmackDown moving to Tuesdays and to a live broadcast starting July 19, 2016, WWE reintroduced the brand split with a draft held that same episode. In 2011, WWE ended the original brand split. It was initially called the WWF Draft Lottery but after the company's renaming from WWF to WWE two months after that original draft, it was later rebranded to the WWE Draft Lottery (2004–2005), the WWE Brand Extension Draft (2006), and lastly simply to the WWE Draft (2007–2011). The draft was first used in 2002 when the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) introduced the brand split. Two of WWE's former brands, ECW (2006–2009) and 205 Live (2019), have also taken part in the draft during the promotion's various brand split periods. Wrestlers from the promotion's developmental brand NXT (2016–present) are also eligible to be drafted to Raw and SmackDown. The WWE Draft, alternatively called the WWE Superstar Shake-up from 2017 to 2019, is a process used by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE to refresh its rosters between the Raw and SmackDown brands (2002–2011 2016–present) when a brand extension is in effect. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |