2020 WWE Draft
| 2020 WWE Draft | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for the 2020 WWE Draft featuring Sasha Banks, Braun Strowman, Keith Lee, Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, and Asuka. | |
| General information | |
| Sport | Professional wrestling |
| Date(s) | October 9–12, 2020 |
| Location | Amway Center |
| Overview | |
| League | WWE |
| Teams | Raw SmackDown NXT (outgoing only) |
The 2020 WWE Draft is the fifteenth WWE Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between their Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. It is scheduled to begin on the October 9 episode of Friday Night SmackDown and conclude on the October 12 episode of Monday Night Raw. Both shows will broadcast from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida with SmackDown airing on FOX and Raw on USA.
Production
Background
The WWE Draft is an annual process used by WWE while a brand extension is in affect to refresh the rosters of their brand divisions, usually between their Raw and SmackDown brands. In 2019, the promotion held two drafts, the first in April and the second in October. The one in April 2019 had an untraditional drafting format, where drafting decisions were announced as having been made behind the scenes and drafted wrestlers simply appeared on the brand without a major reveal, while the one in October 2019 returned to a traditional draft format. The 2020 draft was officially announced during the Clash of Champions pay-per-view on September 27. It will occur on the October 9 and 12 episodes of SmackDown and Raw, respectively.[1]
During a media call for NXT TakeOver XXX on August 19, WWE executive and NXT head Triple H said that the 2020 draft would also involve the NXT brand,[2] but the official announcement that occurred during Clash of Champions stated that this draft would only be between Raw and SmackDown.[1] On September 30, during the NXT TakeOver 31 media call, Triple H stated that he did not know how or if NXT would be integrated into the draft.[3] WWE's advertising just a couple days later still affirmed that the draft was only between Raw and SmackDown without involvement of NXT. Like previous drafts, wrestlers, including all champions, are eligible to be drafted to either Raw or SmackDown.[4]
2020 draft rules
The rules for the 2020 WWE draft were revealed by Fox Sports on October 8, which are the same as the October 2019 draft.[5] Over 60 male and female wrestlers, as well as individual tag teams and stables, including current champions, were placed into the 2020 drafting pools. Over 20 wrestlers were announced as being eligible to be drafted on the October 9 episode of SmackDown and more than 30 wrestlers will be eligible to be drafted on the October 12 episode of Raw.[6]
The rules of the draft are as follows:
- Due to the length of each show, for every two picks SmackDown gets, Raw receives three (as SmackDown is two hours and Raw is three).
- Tag teams and stables will count as one pick unless FOX or USA, in conjunction with WWE, wants to specifically pick one wrestler from the group.[a]
- Any undrafted wrestlers will immediately (in kayfabe) be declared free agents and are able to sign with the brand of their choosing.
Drafting pool
SmackDown (October 9)
There were four rounds of draft picks during Night 1 of the 2019 draft. WWE's Chief Brand Officer (CBO) Stephanie McMahon announced the draft picks for each round.[8]
- Notes
- One stable was split up as a result of the first night: Big E remained on SmackDown while his New Day stablemates Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were drafted as a team to Raw.
- Otis was drafted separately from his Heavy Machinery tag team partner Tucker, who went undrafted on Night 1.
Eligible to be drafted on October 12
| Rnd. | Pick # | Wrestler(s) | Pre-draft brand | Post-draft brand | Role | Brand pick # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrade | Raw | Male wrestler | ||||
| Bayley | SmackDown | Female wrestler SmackDown Women's Champion |
||||
| Aleister Black | Raw | Male wrestler | ||||
| Alexa Bliss | SmackDown | Female wrestler | ||||
| Daniel Bryan | SmackDown | Male wrestler | ||||
| Carmella | SmackDown | Female wrestler | ||||
| King Corbin | SmackDown | Male wrestler | ||||
| Apollo Crews | Raw | Male wrestler | ||||
| Nikki Cross | SmackDown | Female wrestler | ||||
| Dabba-Kato | Free agent[d] | Male wrestler | ||||
| Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode | Raw | Male tag team | ||||
| Elias | SmackDown | Male wrestler | ||||
| Erik | Raw | Male wrestler | ||||
| Lacey Evans | SmackDown | Female wrestler | ||||
| Charlotte Flair | Raw | Female wrestler | ||||
| Jeff Hardy | SmackDown | Male wrestler | ||||
| Billie Kay | Raw | Female wrestler | ||||
| Lana | Raw | Female wrestler | ||||
| Keith Lee | Raw | Male wrestler | ||||
| Riddick Moss | Raw | Male wrestler | ||||
| Natalya | Raw | Female wrestler | ||||
| Titus O'Neil | Raw | Male wrestler | ||||
| Randy Orton | Raw | Male wrestler | ||||
| Kevin Owens | Raw | Male wrestler | ||||
| R-Truth | Raw | Male wrestler 24/7 Champion[e] |
||||
| Retribution (Mustafa Ali, T-Bar, Mace, Slapjack, Reckoning, and Retaliation) |
Raw[f] | Mixed gender stable | ||||
| Matt Riddle | SmackDown | Male wrestler | ||||
| The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan) |
Raw | Female tag team | ||||
| Peyton Royce | Raw | Female wrestler | ||||
| Arturo Ruas | NXT[g] | Male wrestler | ||||
| Sheamus | SmackDown | Male wrestler | ||||
| Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura | SmackDown | Male tag team | ||||
| The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) |
Raw | Male tag team Raw Tag Team Champions |
||||
| Braun Strowman | SmackDown | Male wrestler | ||||
| Tamina | SmackDown | Female wrestler | ||||
| Akira Tozawa | Raw | Male wrestler | ||||
| Zelina Vega | Raw | Female wrestler | ||||
| "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt | SmackDown | Male wrestler | ||||
| Sami Zayn | SmackDown | Male wrestler Intercontinental Champion |
Free agents
| Wrestler(s) | Pre-draft brand | Reason for not being drafted | Subsequent status | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lars Sullivan | SmackDown | Was not included in either of the draft pools. | Inactive since June 2019 due to a knee injury. Went undrafted in the October 2019 draft. Returned on SmackDown during Night 1 of the 2020 WWE Draft attacking Matt Riddle, Jeff Hardy, The Miz, and John Morrison after a tag team match between them. Stephanie McMahon confirmed that Lars Sullivan will be part of the Monday Night RAW draft picks on October 12th. |
||
| Becky Lynch | Raw | Was not included in either of the draft pools. | Has been on maternity leave since May 2020. | ||
| Big Show | Raw | Was not included in either of the draft pools. | Makes sporadic appearances. | ||
| Bo Dallas | SmackDown | Was not included in either of the draft pools. | Last appeared on the November 15, 2019 episode of SmackDown. | ||
| Drew Gulak | SmackDown | Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 1). | |||
| The Forgotten Sons (Jaxson Ryker, Steve Cutler, and Wesley Blake) |
SmackDown | Was not included in either of the draft pools. | The group was taken off television in June 2020 following Ryker's controversial tweets about the Black Lives Matter movement and the George Floyd protests. | ||
| Humberto Carrillo | Raw | Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 1). | |||
| Ivar | Raw | Was not included in either of the draft pools. | Inactive since September 2020 due to a neck injury. | ||
| Jimmy Uso | SmackDown | Was not included in either of the draft pools. | Inactive since May 2020 due to a knee injury. | ||
| Jinder Mahal | Raw | Was not included in either of the draft pools. | Inactive since May 2020 due to a knee injury. | ||
| Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik, and Lince Dorado) |
SmackDown | Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 1). | |||
| Maryse | SmackDown | Was not included in either of the draft pools. | Last appeared on the December 13, 2019 episode of SmackDown. | ||
| Mickie James | Raw | Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 1). | |||
| Mojo Rawley | SmackDown | Was not included in either of the draft pools. | Last appeared on the June 19, 2020 episode of SmackDown. | ||
| Murphy | Raw | Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 1). | |||
| Shorty G | SmackDown | Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 1). | |||
| Tucker | SmackDown | Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 1). |
Notes
- ^ Although WWE claims the draft picks are conducted by officials of the FOX and USA networks, the results are predetermined by WWE as the draft is a storyline.[7]
- ^ The Women's Tag Team Championship is defended across the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brands regardless of the brand that the champions are drafted to.
- ^ Kingston and Woods won the titles just before being drafted.
- ^ Kato has been appearing on Raw Underground as a free agent since August 2020.
- ^ The 24/7 Championship is defended across all five WWE brands regardless of the home brand of the champion.
- ^ While T-Bar, Slapjack, Mace, Reckoning, and Retaliation are still listed as members of the NXT roster by WWE.com, it was revealed on the September 21 episode of Raw that they had received Raw contracts.
- ^ Despite being assigned to the NXT brand, Ruas has been appearing on Raw Underground since August 2020.
References
- ^ a b Powell, Jason (September 27, 2020). "WWE Clash of Champions results: Powell's review of Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton in an Ambulance Match for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso for the WWE Universal Championship, Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn in a Triple Threat ladder match for the Intercontinental Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (August 19, 2020). "Triple H Confirms WWE Draft For Later In 2020". Fightful. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ @SeanRossSapp (September 30, 2020). "HHH says he doesn't even know how the NXT brand will be integrated into the Draft" (Tweet). Retrieved September 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Staff, WWE.com (October 3, 2020). "WWE Draft to take place on Oct. 9 & 12 on SmackDown and Raw". WWE. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ Satin, Ryan (October 8, 2020). "EXCLUSIVE: 2020 WWE DRAFT POOL AND RULES". Fox Sports. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ Staff, WWE.com (October 8, 2020). "WWE Draft rules and Superstar pools set for 2020 edition". WWE. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ "WWE's Monday Night RAW Scores Huge Ratings Jump". WWE Corporate. World Wrestling Entertainment. 2005-06-25. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
'RAW is building ratings momentum,' said Kurt Schneider, Executive Vice President, Marketing. Our fans are now connecting in a big way with some of our newer Superstars, and we continue to feature classic storylines, unpredictable plot twists, such as through our WWE Draft Lottery
- ^ Powell, Jason. "10/9 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the 2020 WWE Draft night one, Bayley vs. Sasha Banks for the Smackdown Women's Championship, The Fiend vs. Kevin Owens, Big E vs. Sheamus in a Falls Count Anywhere match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 9, 2020.