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[RBH]

The destiny of all WWE Superstars will be determined when SmackDown goes live for the first time ever on Tuesday, July 19th at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central on USA Network. A WWE Draft will be conducted by respective General Managers to select which Superstars will compete exclusively on Monday Night Raw or SmackDown.

In addition, be sure to watch SmackDown Live Pre-Show, available across all digital platforms tomorrow night at 7/6 C, and WWE Draft Center Live, a special second-screen experience airing exclusively on the WWE Network during SmackDown Live.

For the first time in history on back-to-back nights, these two distinctive brands (Monday Night Raw and Tuesday's SmackDown) will compete with each other for television ratings, live events and pay-per-views.

http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/article/live-draft-smackdown-premiere

With tonight's WWE Draft on the premiere of SmackDown Live on USA Network fast approaching, WWE.com answers the biggest questions of the WWE Universe with a breakdown of the official rules, regulations and procedures for one of the biggest nights in WWE history — including a major update that will change the face of NXT as well.

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​

The list of current WWE Superstars eligible for the WWE Draft will be as follows:

Male Superstars

AJ Styles
Alberto Del Rio
Apollo Crews
Baron Corbin
Big Show
Braun Strowman
Bray Wyatt
Brock Lesnar
Cesaro
Chris Jericho
Darren Young (w/ Bob Backlund)
Dean Ambrose – WWE Champion
Demon Kane
Dolph Ziggler
Erick Rowan
Jack Swagger
John Cena
Kalisto
Kevin Owens
Mark Henry
Neville
Randy Orton
Roman Reigns
Rusev (w/ Lana) – United States Champion
Sami Zayn
Seth Rollins
Sheamus
Sin Cara
The Miz (w/ Maryse) – Intercontinental Champion
Titus O’Neil
Zack Ryder


Tag Teams

Breezango (Fandango and Tyler Breeze)
Enzo and Cass (Enzo Amore and Big Cass)
Gallows and Anderson (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson)
Golden Truth (Goldust and R-Truth)
Shining Stars (Epico and Primo)
Social Outcasts (Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel and Heath Slater)
The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor)
The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley)
The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) – Tag Team Champions
The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso)
The Vaudevillains (Aiden English and Simon Gotch)


Female Superstars

Alicia Fox
Becky Lynch
Charlotte – WWE Women’s Champion
Dana Brooke
Eva Marie
Naomi
Natalya
Paige
Sasha Banks
Summer Rae

http://www.wwe.com/article/wwe-draft-rules-2016?sf31145497=1



The new general managers of Raw (Mick Foley) and Smackdown (Daniel Bryan):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPvohdr0Rmk

The Cruiserweight Division will return to the WWE’s main roster as a Monday Night RAW-exclusive division, Commissioner Stephanie McMahon announced during RAW tonight.

“Given the success of the Cruiserweight Classic on the WWE Network, we are going to be launching a Cruiserweight Division and it is going to be the exclusive property of Monday Night RAW,” Stephanie McMahon said during the opening segment.

https://dailyddt.com/2016/07/18/wwe-announces-cruiserweight-division-raw/




Rumored PPV schedule for the rest of the year:

Top 10 WWE Draft Day shockers from the past:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K37mzSN0HM




Every #1 draft pick in the past:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbCovzpQNDM

 

[DMczaf]

Not enough McMahons.

 

[Man God]

Not enough McMahons.

There should be one in every corner of the OP.

 

[serenewarfare]

I predict a happy and optimistic thread where everyone is expecting good things from the draft and brand split.

 

[Toki767]

Whoever wins, NXT loses.

 

[SallyIsNow]

If you're a new fan trying to get back in, don't.

 

[imBask]

I predict a happy and optimistic thread where everyone is expecting good things from the draft and brand split.

Becky Lynch is going to get picked last, after Cole and the popcorn machine

 

[Tagyhag]

Come on Smackdown, don't you fail me. 2 hours every week is all I want.

 

[Heroman]

Come on Smackdown, don't you fail me. 2 hours every week is all I want.

Dont worry they will fail you

If you're a new fan trying to get back in, don't.

Ice cold but true.

 

[SallyIsNow]

Becky Lynch is going to get picked last, after Cole and the popcorn machine

That sounds like a nice seg. Both fighting over who HAS to take garbage Becky.

 

[Hidden One]

First pick is gonna be Rollins.

 

[McDougles]

Who's gonna take Marcellus Black?

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

 

[serenewarfare]

Becky Lynch is going to get picked last, after Cole and the popcorn machine

If you're a new fan trying to get back in, don't.

That sounds like a nice seg. Both fighting over who HAS to take garbage Becky.

We're off to a scorching start.

 

[imBask]

That sounds like a nice seg. Both fighting over who HAS to take garbage Becky.

Battleground
Steph vs Shane loser keeps Becky

 

[Man God]

Becky Lynch is going to get picked last, after Cole and the popcorn machine

Take Cesaro's spot as goat? Not likely.

 

[The 18th Letter]

why does Raw get more picks

 

[Chamber]

First pick is gonna be Rollins.

He made it.

 

[Toki767]

why does Raw get more picks

3 hour show vs 2 hour show

 

[UberTag]

Becky Lynch is going to get picked last, after Cole and the popcorn machine

Did somebody say popcorn?

 

[bigkrev]

I'll make an off the board pick- Charlotte will be drafted in the Top 10!

I'm excited for this. Means more guys will get meaningful TV time, and brand specific PPVs mean low level feuds can get PPV matches

 

[BananasWithGuns]

It doesn't really matter who goes where, as long as they finally put the belt on Bray.

 

[Syphon Filter]

wtf didnt they change it to no exclusive recently?

 

[BewareTheBatsie]

why does Raw get more picks

Longer show. Runs an hour more than Smackdown.

 

[GavinGT]

why does Raw get more picks

Because Raw gets better ratings.

 

[serenewarfare]

wtf didnt they change it to no exclusive recently?

If by recently you mean five years ago, yes.

 

[Syphon Filter]

If by recently you mean five years ago, yes.

shows you how out of touch I am these days lol. I used to love wrestling but havent keep up much with it.

 

[Chamber]

It doesn't really matter who goes where, as long as they finally put the belt on Bray.

Sorry, Bray wasn't in the Shield. No belt for him.

 

[BewareTheBatsie]

What's the point of having the Network for the exclusives when they won't even say when the damn things are happening.

 

[Bluekaveli]

Nxt drafts Roman

 

[Jimmy King]

If you're a new fan trying to get back in, don't.

NOTE: This does not apply to TNA

 

[SallyIsNow]

NOTE: This does not apply to TNA

Actually yeah. This only applies to WWE. Most everything else is good.

 

[Syder]

Oh, hey it's that thing that killed my interest in WWE for the better part of a decade the first time around.

 

[BFIB]

I will give it two months before a Raw or Smackdown exclusive wrestler appears on the other show.

 

[Professor Beef]

Semi-relevant

 

[BoboBrazil]

Cruiserweight division is a bad idea. Shoe horns guys into a certain weight class that will be hard to get out of.

 

[Tagyhag]

That first panel hurts so bad.

Never in a million years.

 

[mreddie]

I get a bad feeling SD! will be 06 SD! and not the GOAT years of SD! 02-04

 

[serenewarfare]

Cruiserweight division is a bad idea. Shoe horns guys into a certain weight class that will be hard to get out of.

It's not inherently a bad idea. NJPW does a great job with the same concept. It'll just most likely be bad in execution the way WWE will do it

 

[Pop-O-Matic]

It's not inherently a bad idea. NJPW does a great job with the same concept. It'll just most likely be bad in execution the way WWE will do it

 

[Strangelove77]

Pick him! The ugly one!

I've never watched wrestling during these drafts before. I stopped watching before they did them and started watching again once they were done.

Don't know if that's a coincidence or not. Can't say it sounds appealing though.

 

[Toki767]

It's not inherently a bad idea. NJPW does a great job with the same concept. It'll just most likely be bad in execution the way WWE will do it

Junior Heavyweights in NJPW rarely if ever, interact with the Heavyweight wrestlers.

In WWE, Cruiserweights will just be cannon fodder for when they want to make a big guy look strong.

 

[Tagyhag]

I get a bad feeling SD! will be 06 SD! and not the GOAT years of SD! 02-04

More like 02-05.

05 was Eddie's year.

 

[serenewarfare]

Junior Heavyweights in NJPW rarely if ever, interact with the Heavyweight wrestlers.

In WWE, Cruiserweights will just be cannon fodder for when they want to make a big guy look strong.

I know, that's why I said the execution will be what doesn't work. The concept can absolutely work.

 

[Keyser Soze]

One question...

Is the draft going to be a lottery (picking balls out of a hopper) or are the GMs picking actual name? I know the lottery would be rigged anyway, but are people picking who they want or are things supposed to look random?

 

[Angry Grimace]

It's not inherently a bad idea. NJPW does a great job with the same concept. It'll just most likely be bad in execution the way WWE will do it

The problem is that you pretty much need completely new guys to make it work. It would kind of bury Neville or Balor to make them randomly fight a bunch of 165 pound guys.

 

[serenewarfare]

The problem is that you pretty much need completely new guys to make it work. It would kind of bury Neville or Balor to make them randomly fight a bunch of 165 pound guys.

Pretty handy then that they just had to scout 32 cruiserweights.

 

[Heroman]

One question...

Is the draft going to be a lottery (picking balls out of a hopper) or are the GMs picking actual name? I know the lottery would be rigged anyway, but are people picking who they want or are things supposed to look random?

GM picking

 

[Biggest-Geek-Ever]

Dave Meltzer just sent me a PM about the first draft pick.

 

[tj hazuki]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NONOZGGejb8

Better hear this tomorrow night