| 2005 WWE draft lottery | |
|---|---|
 John Cena, the first draftee in the 2005 WWE draft. | |
| General information | |
| Sport | Professional wrestling |
| Date(s) | June 6–30, 2005 |
| Overview | |
| League | World Wrestling Entertainment |
| Teams | Raw Heat (mid-card only) SmackDown! Velocity (mid-card only) |
The 2005 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) draft lottery, the third WWE draft, took place over a four-week period from June 6–30.
Every wrestler from Raw, Heat, SmackDown! and Velocity was eligible to be drafted, including announcers, commentators, and general managers.[1] There were ten draft picks and an eleven-person trade conducted between the promotion's two main brands: Raw and SmackDown!, where twenty-two wrestlers were drafted and traded overall.[2] Draft picks were drawn at (kayfabe) random on WWE's two-hour main television programs, each Monday on Raw (on Spike TV) and each Thursday on SmackDown! (on UPN).[1] Post-draft trades were revealed on WWE's official website, wwe.com.[2][3]
On the April 18, 2005, episode of Raw, WWE chairman Mr. McMahon scheduled a draft lottery for the following month in May.[4] However, on the May 16 episode of Raw, McMahon postponed the draft to June.[5] He noted that there were no exceptions from the draft, including the injured and the champions.[5]
| Pick No. | Brand (to) | Wrestler (Real name) |
Role | Brand (from) | Day of selection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raw | John Cena (then-WWE Champion) | Male wrestler | SmackDown! | June 6 (Raw) |
| 2 | SmackDown! | Chris Benoit | Male wrestler | Raw | June 9 (SmackDown!) |
| 3 | Raw | Kurt Angle | Male wrestler | SmackDown! | June 13 (Raw) |
| 4 | SmackDown! | Randy Orton | Male wrestler | Raw | June 16 (SmackDown!) |
| 5 | Raw | Carlito (Carlos Colón, Jr.) |
Male wrestler | SmackDown! | June 20 (Raw) |
| 6 | SmackDown! | Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari (Mark Copani and Shawn Daivari) |
Male wrestlers | Raw | June 23 (SmackDown!) |
| 7 | Raw | Big Show (Paul Wight) |
Male wrestler | SmackDown! | June 27 (Raw) |
| 8 | Raw | Rob Van Dam (Robert Szatkowski) |
Male wrestler | SmackDown! | |
| 9 | SmackDown! | Christian (William Reso) |
Male wrestler | Raw | June 30 (SmackDown!) |
| 10 | SmackDown! | Batista (David Bautista) (then-World Heavyweight Champion) |
Male wrestler | Raw |
| Pick No. | Brand (to) | Wrestler (Real name) |
Role | Brand (from) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raw |
|
Male/female wrestlers | SmackDown! |
| SmackDown! |
|
Male/female wrestlers | Raw |
| Pick No. | Brand (to) | Wrestler (Real name) |
Role | Brand (from) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raw | Torrie Wilson (Torrie Anne Wilson) |
Female wrestler | SmackDown! | Was traded to Raw for the first time in her career after the release of her long time Smackdown brand rivals Dawn Marie and then Raw branded Nidia (Nidia was released before Torrie was traded to Raw.). Also while on SmackDown Torrie and Candice Michelle feuded with Melina and Jillian Hall. |
| 2 | SmackDown! | Christy Hemme (Christy Lee Hemme) |
Female wrestler | Raw | Feuded on-and-off with Melina (with Jillian Hall as Melina's ally and Stacy Kiebler as Hemme's ally) after traded and after Stacy along with her was traded and was later on released after. |
| 3 | Raw | Johnny Nitro (John Randall Hennigan) |
Male wrestler | SmackDown! | Was later on traded to Raw early 2006 after he and Joey Mercury lost the WWE Tag Team Championships as MNM to Londrick at Judgement Day of year 2006. |
| 4 | SmackDown! | Stacy Kiebler (Stacy Ann-Marie Kiebler) |
Female wrestler | Raw | She and Christy Hemme were traded to SmackDown in exchange for Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle. She was later on released after losing to Jillian Hall on an episode of WWE Velocity in a singles match. |
| 5 | Raw | Melina (Melina Nava Perez) |
Female wrestler | SmackDown! | Was traded to Raw early 2006 after losing to longtime SmackDown Diva ally Jillian Hall at WWE Judgement Day of year 2006 and the fall apart of MNM. Also won the WWE Women's Championship against Mickie James after traded to Raw. |
| 6 | SmackDown! | Ashley Massaro (Ashley Marie Massaro) |
Female wrestler | Raw | Was traded to SmackDown early 2006 after losing to Mickie James at WWE Royal Rumble of year 2006 as Trish Stratus was Special Guest Referee, she and Trish Stratus also feuded against Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle and Victoria while on Raw. Also while on SmackDown was a part of and managed tag team stable Londrick and also stepped in the ring with the lights of Kristal Marshall, Michelle McCool, Jillian Hall and 2006 Diva Search winner Layla El. |
| 7 | Raw | Candice Michelle (Candice Michelle Beckman-Ehrlich) |
Female wrestler | SmackDown! | She was traded back to Raw to feud against Trish Stratus & Ashley Massaro alongside her buddies Torrie Wilson and Victoria, Vince's Devils. Also won the WWE Women's Championship against Melina at Vengeance: Night of Champions of year 2007 after traded back to Raw. |
This was the first draft in which champions brought their titles to their new show if they were selected. After John Cena was drafted to Raw, along with the WWE Championship, SmackDown! was left without a world title for the remainder of the month of June.[6] As a result, on the June 23, 2005 episode, General Manager, Theodore Long, announced the creation of new world title, called the SmackDown! Championship.[6][7] The new champion would have been determined in a six-man elimination match between The Undertaker, Muhammad Hassan, Christian, Booker T, John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Chris Benoit, which Layfield won on the June 30, 2005 episode of SmackDown!.[8][9] After Layfield won the match, Long declared that the SmackDown! Championship was not needed because the then-World Heavyweight Champion, Batista, had been drafted to SmackDown!.[8][9]