Intra-brand draft
The 2023 WWE Draft was the 17th WWE Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between their Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The two-night event began with the April 28 episode of Friday Night SmackDown (in Corpus Christi, Texas) and concluded with the May 1 episode of Monday Night Raw (in Fort Worth, Texas), with SmackDown airing on Fox and Raw on the USA Network. This was the first draft held since 2021 and the first under the creative direction of Triple H, following the resignation of Vince McMahon in July 2022. Draft results went into effect beginning with the May 8 episode of Raw.
Production
Background
The WWE Draft is a process used by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE while a brand extension, or brand split, is in effect. The original brand extension occurred from 2002 to 2011, while the second and current brand split began in 2016. During a brand extension, the company divides its roster into brands where the wrestlers exclusively perform for each brand's respective television show, and the draft is used to refresh the rosters of the brand divisions, typically between the Raw and SmackDown brands. Since 2016, wrestlers from WWE's developmental territory, NXT, have been eligible to be drafted to either Raw or SmackDown.[1]
A draft was not held in 2022 and brand division enforcement became increasingly relaxed, but on the April 7, 2023, episode of SmackDown, WWE executive Triple H announced the 2023 draft and stated that every WWE wrestler from Raw and SmackDown would be eligible for the draft, as well as select wrestlers from NXT.[2] The following week, the dates for WWE's 17th draft were confirmed, with it beginning with the April 28 episode of Friday Night SmackDown and concluding with the May 1 episode of Monday Night Raw, with SmackDown airing on Fox and Raw on the USA Network. This subsequently repositioned the draft back in its traditional post-WrestleMania slot, after the last three drafts were held in October.[3][4] The drafting pools for which wrestlers were eligible to be drafted each night were revealed on April 27.[5] On Night 1 of the draft, Triple H announced that draft results would go into effect beginning with the May 8 episode of Raw, two days after the Backlash pay-per-view and livestreaming event.[6]
Selections
Night 1: SmackDown (April 28)
There were four rounds of draft picks on Night 1 with each brand receiving two picks each round; SmackDown went first due to Night 1 taking place as that night's episode of SmackDown. Draft selections were announced by various WWE Hall of Famers, including Triple H, who announced the first round picks. The second round picks were announced by Rob Van Dam and Michael Hayes, the third round by John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Teddy Long, and the fourth by D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels and "Road Dogg" Jesse James).[6][7]
Night 1 supplemental picks: SmackDown LowDown (April 29)
These wrestlers were included in the Night 1 draft pool, but were not drafted on SmackDown. Their draft selections were revealed on SmackDown's post-show, the SmackDown LowDown, the next day on WWE's social media and streaming platforms.[7][8]
Night 2: Raw (May 1)
There were six rounds of draft picks on Night 2 with each brand receiving two picks each round; Raw went first due to Night 2 taking place as that night's episode of Raw. Draft selections were again announced by various WWE Hall of Famers, including Triple H, who again announced the first round picks; several others from Night 1 returned to announce Night 2's selections. Booker T and his wife Queen Sharmell announced the round two picks, Shawn Michaels returned to announce the round three picks, round four were by Eric Bischoff and the returning Rob Van Dam, round five by Molly Holly and the returning "Road Dogg" Jesse James, and the sixth and final round were announced by the returning John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Teddy Long. WWE official Adam Pearce was supposed to announce the round three picks with Michaels but instead had to help break up a fight between Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes.[7][9]
Night 2 supplemental picks: Raw Talk (May 1)
These wrestlers were included in the Night 2 draft pool, but were not drafted on Raw. Their draft selections were revealed on Raw's post-show, Raw Talk, which aired immediately after Raw on WWE's social media and streaming platforms.[7][10]
Free agents
The following wrestlers were included in the draft pools but ultimately became free agents, either through contractual negotiations or going undrafted. Their status as free agents were announced via the post-shows, SmackDown LowDown and Raw Talk. Free agents may appear on Raw, SmackDown, or NXT.[7]
| Wrestler(s)
|
Pre-draft brand
|
Date
|
Role
|
Notes
|
| Baron Corbin
|
Raw
|
May 1, 2023
|
Male wrestler
|
Went undrafted during Night 2. Declared as a free agent during Night 2's supplemental draft.
|
| Brock Lesnar
|
Free agent[e]
|
May 1, 2023
|
Male wrestler
|
During Night 2 of the draft, Triple H announced that Lesnar, who was initially included in the Night 2 draft pool, renegotiated his free agent status so that he could continue to appear for both brands.
|
| Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin
|
Raw
|
May 1, 2023
|
Male tag team
|
Went undrafted during Night 2. Declared as free agents during Night 2's supplemental draft.
|
| Dolph Ziggler
|
Raw
|
April 29, 2023
|
Male wrestler
|
Went undrafted during Night 1. Declared as a free agent during Night 1's supplemental draft.
|
| Elias
|
Raw
|
May 1, 2023
|
Male wrestler
|
Went undrafted during Night 2. Declared as a free agent during Night 2's supplemental draft.
|
| Mustafa Ali
|
Raw
|
April 29, 2023
|
Male wrestler
|
Went undrafted during Night 1. Declared as a free agent during Night 1's supplemental draft.
|
| Omos with MVP
|
Raw
|
April 29, 2023
|
Male wrestler and male manager
|
During Night 1's supplemental draft, it was revealed that MVP negotiated their free agent status to maximize Omos' visibility on both brands.
|
| Von Wagner
|
NXT
|
April 29, 2023
|
Male wrestler
|
Though not initially included in the Night 1 draft pool, Wagner was revealed as one of the select NXT wrestlers available to be drafted on SmackDown LowDown. He was declared as a free agent during Night 1's supplemental draft.
|
| Xyon Quinn
|
NXT
|
May 1, 2023
|
Male wrestler
|
Though not initially included in the Night 2 draft pool, Quinn was revealed as one of the select NXT wrestlers available to be drafted on Raw Talk. He was declared as a free agent during Night 2's supplemental draft.
|
Wrestlers not included in either draft pool
The following are wrestlers who were not included in either draft pool, as they had been inactive for extended periods leading up to the draft (largely due to injury).
| Wrestler(s)
|
Pre-draft brand
|
Reason for omission
(if any)
|
Subsequent status
|
Date
|
Role
|
Notes
|
| Logan Paul
|
Free agent
|
Part-time contract
|
Free agent
|
June 19, 2023
|
Male wrestler
|
Paul makes limited appearances per year. He last appeared at WrestleMania 39 Night 1 on April 1, 2023. Returned on the June 19, 2023 episode of Raw, Paul would be competing Money in the Bank match for a men's championship match contract.
|
| Tommaso Ciampa
|
Raw
|
Inactive due to a hip injury
|
Raw
|
June 19, 2023
|
Male wrestler
|
Last appeared on the September 19, 2022, episode of Raw. Returned on the June 19, 2023 episode of Raw in a match against The Miz.
|
| Alexa Bliss
|
Raw
|
Inactive due to skin cancer treatment and maternity leave[11]
|
|
|
Female wrestler
|
Last appeared at the Royal Rumble on January 28, 2023.
|
| Aliyah
|
SmackDown
|
Inactive due to unknown reasons
|
|
|
Female wrestler
|
Last appeared on the September 12, 2022, episode of Raw.
|
| Big E
|
SmackDown
|
Inactive due to a neck injury
|
|
|
Male wrestler
|
Last appeared on the March 11, 2022, episode of SmackDown.
|
| Bray Wyatt and Uncle Howdy
|
SmackDown
|
Wyatt has been inactive due to an illness with Howdy inactive due to Wyatt's absence
|
|
|
Male tag team
|
Last appeared on the February 24, 2023, episode of SmackDown.
|
| Carmella
|
Raw
|
Inactive due to maternity leave[12]
|
|
|
Female wrestler
|
Last appeared on March 31, 2023, for the WrestleMania 39 set reveal.
|
| Eric Young
|
Free agent
|
Inactive
|
|
|
Male wrestler
|
Young re-signed with WWE in November 2022 after being released in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic-related budget cuts, but has not made an on-screen appearance since re-signing.
|
| Gable Steveson
|
Raw
|
Inactive due to training for the 2024 Olympics
|
|
|
Male wrestler
|
Steveson was drafted to Raw in the 2021 draft, but has yet to have his debut match in WWE as he is still training at the WWE Performance Center. In addition to training at the Performance Center, he has made a couple of appearances on WWE TV programs, with his last appearance occurring on the December 9, 2022, episode of SmackDown for Kurt Angle's birthday celebration.
|
| R-Truth
|
Raw
|
Inactive due to a torn quadricep
|
|
|
Male wrestler
|
Last appeared on the November 1, 2022, episode of NXT.
|
| Randy Orton
|
Raw
|
Inactive due to a back injury
|
|
|
Male wrestler
|
Last appeared on the May 20, 2022, episode of SmackDown.
|
| Robert Roode
|
Raw
|
Inactive due to neck surgery
|
|
|
Male wrestler
|
Last appeared on the June 6, 2022, episode of Raw.
|
| Shanky
|
SmackDown
|
Inactive due to unknown reasons
|
|
|
Male wrestler
|
Last appeared on the July 22, 2022, episode of SmackDown.
|
Aftermath
Post-draft moves
The day after the draft on May 2, it was revealed that ring announcers Mike Rome and Samantha Irvin, who announced for Raw and SmackDown, respectively, would switch brands beginning May 8.[13] This switch was made because Irvin is engaged to Ricochet, who was drafted to Raw, as WWE tries to keep real-life couples on the same brand.[14]
Despite being drafted to Raw, Dana Brooke appeared on the June 6 episode of NXT to compete in a battle royal to determine the next challenger for the NXT Women's Championship. During her entrance, she was referred to as a Raw roster member, but during the battle royal itself, the commentators referred to her as a free agent. A change in her roster status has not been confirmed and her WWE.com profile still lists her as a member of Raw.[15] Furthermore, although Los Lotharios (Angel and Humberto) were drafted to Raw, they would also appear in NXT on the June 13 episode, stating they would be going after the NXT Tag Team Championship. WWE president Nick Khan would state this cross-over of talent from Raw and SmackDown to NXT was intentional, as he said NXT has the potential to become WWE's third brand again, while still also developing younger wrestlers.[16]
Championships
Prior to the draft on the April 24 episode of Raw, Triple H unveiled a new World Heavyweight Championship for the brand that did not select Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, as he and his titles would become exclusive to the brand that drafted him. As a result of SmackDown drafting Reigns, the World Heavyweight Championship became exclusive to Raw.[6] Despite the title becoming exclusive to Raw, SmackDown wrestlers competed in the tournament to crown the inaugural champion (which was reportedly due to WWE's attempt to retain viewership for the May 12 episode of SmackDown, which went head-to-head with the 2023 NBA playoffs). At Night of Champions, Raw's Seth "Freakin" Rollins defeated SmackDown's AJ Styles to become the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion.[17]
On Night 1 of the draft, reigning NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre were drafted to SmackDown. That same night, they were scheduled to defend the championship against Kayden Carter and Katana Chance on the May 2 episode of NXT, but during Night 2 of the draft, Carter and Chance were drafted to Raw. On NXT, Dawn and Fyre retained the title and they claimed they would defend the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship across all three brands. On that same episode, reigning NXT Women's Champion Indi Hartwell relinquished her title due to being drafted to Raw and also due to a leg injury.[18] On the June 9 episode of SmackDown, the issue of the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship being on SmackDown would be addressed as reigning WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler challenged Dawn and Fyre to a championship unification match, which was accepted and scheduled for the June 23 episode.[19]
As a result of the draft, Raw and SmackDown's secondary championships switched brands, as Intercontinental Champion Gunther was drafted to Raw while United States Champion Austin Theory was drafted to SmackDown, and there were no title changes by the time draft results went into effect on May 8. Despite their namesakes, the women's championships would also switch brands, with Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair drafted to SmackDown and SmackDown Women's Champion Rhea Ripley drafted to Raw.[7] This same incident occurred during the 2021 draft, but the night that draft's results went into effect, the women's champions swapped titles to keep the branded championships on their respective brands.[20] This did not happen between Belair and Ripley when the 2023 draft results went into effect on May 8.[21] The issue of the Raw and SmackDown women's championships being on the opposite brands would be resolved a month after the draft following the Night of Champions event. On the June 9 episode of SmackDown, reigning Raw Women's Champion Asuka was presented with a new championship belt and the title reverted to its original name of WWE Women's Championship,[19] while on the June 12 episode of Raw, reigning SmackDown Women's Champion Rhea Ripley was also presented with a new championship belt and the title was renamed as the Women's World Championship.[22]
Other post-draft changes
Although drafted to Raw as the manager of Maximum Male Models (ma.çé and mån.sôör), Maxxine Dupri would leave the team and join with Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis), who were also drafted to Raw. The two teams had been at odds before the draft where Dupri tried to get Otis to join Maximum Male Models.[23]
