Friday’s episode of SmackDown (the first night of the WWE Draft) averaged 2.473 million viewers on Fox, up 13.7 percent from the previous week. It’s the best audience total for the show since January 27
SmackDown topped all of network television with a 0.67 rating in the 18-49 demo, up 24.1 percent from last week. The show was fifth on TV in the demo, trailing NBA playoff and NFL Draft coverage on ESPN.
SmackDown also topped network TV with a 0.45 rating in the 18-34 demo.
As compared to the same week in 2022, SmackDown was up 26.6 percent in overall viewers and up 76.3 percent in 18-49. A WWE Draft did not take place last year.
Listed below are the last 11 weeks of overall viewership and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, along with the 10-week averages in both categories. This week’s show was up six percent in overall viewers and up 9.8 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including A WHOLE SEGMENT FILLED WITH GOOD NEWS, a look at the Britt Baker shirt and the WWE draft, and then, something happens and Bryan gets a special delivery. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Wrestling Observer Radio with myself and Dave Meltzer is back.
We talk night one of the WWE Draft include a few notes on who knew what and who is eligible to be drafted on Monday’s Raw.
NJPW had some great matches this weekend, Britt Baker has a new shirt that somehow ended up on Fox News, we recap WWE SmackDown and AEW Rampage, ratings and more.
A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: WWE Draft night one results
10:44: Don Luce passes away
18:11 Gable Steveson dominates in amateur wrestling return
21:40: NJPW show notes from this weekend, Suzu Suzuki heading to Stardom
25:36: Britt Baker’s t-shirt, Luke Rockhold and Bare Knuckle Fighting
Join me for the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Live as I look back on a newsworthy week while looking ahead to another one.
Roman Reigns was drafted to WWE SmackDown Friday and I ask the question of how long he should hold the Universal title with the 1000-day mark approaching. I also discuss the importance of having a modern day generational champion in WWE.
The WWE Draft is currently underway and will conclude on Monday. I give an overview of who has been drafted to each brand thus far and speculate about potential new matchups. Also, will WWE stick to a hard roster split between brands or allow wrestlers to move between them?
AEW is setting up a “Four Pillars” four-way main event for AEW Double or Nothing. I analyze whether this is the right program based on where each wrestler has been slotted on the card.
Plus, I talk about more CM Punk sightings, the new WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and upcoming episodes of Dark Side of the Ring.
Whatcha gonna do when Roman Reigns is coming for your title reign, brother?
It’s time for a Saturday edition of Wrestling Observer Live.
If undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns was losing either or both of his titles anytime soon, why would WWE need to create a new World Championship?
The new title seems like a signal that Reigns is going to be champion even longer than you might expect. Could he even surpass Hulk Hogan’s first WWE title reign? Hear it explained why you shouldn’t be surprised if it happens.
Plus, the WWE Draft included new picks made overnight, Trinity Fatu made her Impact Wrestling debut, there’s a new King of Pro Wrestling, CM Punk and more.
While night one of the WWE Draft may be over, some additional picks have been revealed.
The draft continued with more selections being announced on Saturday’s episode of The SmackDown LowDown. There were 14 people drafted to Raw on Saturday and four drafted to SmackDown.
Here are the selections that were announced:
Raw —
The Viking Raiders & Valhalla
Dexter Lumis
Candice LeRae
Maximum Male Models (Mace, Mansoor & Maxxine Dupri)
Natalya
Apollo Crews
Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green
Zoey Stark
JD McDonagh
SmackDown —
Hit Row (Top Dolla, Ashante “Thee” Adonis & B-Fab)
Lacey Evans
It was also announced on The SmackDown LowDown that Omos (with MVP), Dolph Ziggler, Mustafa Ali, and Von Wagner are now “free agents.” It was said that Omos is a free agent because of smart negotiations by MVP to maximize Omos’ visibility on both brands.
Stark, McDonagh, and Wagner are being called up to the main roster for the first time, while Crews is now back on the main roster following a stint in NXT.
NXT Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell and NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn were also called up from NXT on night one of the draft. Hartwell is joining the Raw roster. Fyre & Dawn will be on SmackDown.
The WWE Draft will continue on Monday’s episode of Raw. The new rosters will then officially take effect following WWE’s Backlash pay-per-view on Saturday, May 6.
Listed below are all of the draft picks that have been announced thus far:
Raw —
Cody Rhodes
Becky Lynch
Imperium (Intercontinental Champion Gunther, Ludvig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci)
Matt Riddle
Drew McIntyre
The Miz
Shinsuke Nakamura
NXT Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell
The Viking Raiders & Valhalla
Dexter Lumis
Candice LeRae
Maximum Male Models (Mace, Mansoor & Maxxine Dupri)
Natalya
Apollo Crews
Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green
Zoey Stark
JD McDonagh
SmackDown —
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa (with Paul Heyman)
Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair
The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford)
Edge
Bobby Lashley
The OC (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows & Michin)
Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & IYO SKY)
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn
Hit Row (Top Dolla, Ashante “Thee” Adonis & B-Fab)
The WWE Draft kicked off with 16 wrestlers being drafted to SmackDown and 10 being drafted to Raw last night.
The following wrestlers were selected by SmackDown: Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa (with Paul Heyman), Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford), Edge, Bobby Lashley, The OC (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows & Michin), Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & IYO SKY), and NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn.
Raw’s draft picks were: Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, Imperium (Intercontinental Champion Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci), Matt Riddle, Drew McIntyre, The Miz, Shinsuke Nakamura, and NXT Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell.
The draft will conclude on Monday’s episode of Raw. WWE’s new rosters will then officially take effect after Backlash on Saturday, May 6.
Night one of the WWE Draft saw multiple champions from NXT get called up to the main roster.
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn were drafted to SmackDown on Friday night, while NXT Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell was drafted to Raw. They were the only wrestlers from NXT selected on night one of the draft.
Fyre & Dawn and Hartwell each won their titles at NXT Stand & Deliver earlier this month.
Before heading to SmackDown, Fyre & Dawn will defend their titles against Katana Chance & Kayden Carter on NXT this coming Tuesday (May 2). There was a segment on tonight’s SmackDown where Chance & Carter confronted Fyre & Dawn after it was announced that Fyre & Dawn had been drafted.
Fyre (the former Kay Lee Ray) and Dawn are both from Scotland and formerly wrestled for NXT UK.
Hartwell retained her NXT Women’s Championship by defeating Roxanne Perez and Tiffany Stratton in a triple threat match at NXT Spring Breakin’ this past Tuesday. Hartwell suffered a legitimate ankle injury during the match but was able to return and retain her title.
The full list of picks from night one of the WWE Draft can be found here.
The draft will continue with night two taking place on Monday’s episode of Raw. WWE has stated that “select” wrestlers from NXT are eligible to be drafted.
AJ Styles returned to WWE on Friday’s SmackDown after missing four months with a broken ankle.
Styles returned to the show alongside Michin, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows of The OC, and the unit was drafted to the SmackDown brand on night one of the WWE Draft. Styles had been out of action after suffering a broken ankle at a WWE house show in Hershey, Pennsylvania on December 29, 2022.
The OC shot an angle with The Viking Raiders & Valhalla on SmackDown, setting up a tag team match with Anderson & Gallows vs. Erik & Ivar on next week’s SmackDown.
Styles did get physical in the angle on his first night back, as he hit his springboard Phenomenal Forearm on Ivar.
Debuting with WWE at the Royal Rumble in January 2016, Styles has gone on to accomplish the WWE Grand Slam, holding four different titles in his time with the promotion. He is a two-time WWE Champion, three-time United States Champion, and has held the Intercontinental and Raw Tag Team Championships one time each.
WWE’s new rosters will begin to take shape on tonight’s SmackDown from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The first night of the 2023 WWE Draft goes down tonight. The following wrestlers are eligible to be selected: Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Bobby Lashley, Candice LeRae, Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green, Cody Rhodes, Damage CTRL, Dexter Lumis, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Edge, Hit Row, Imperium, Lacey Evans, Matt Riddle, Maximum Male Models & Maxxine Dupri, Mustafa Ali, Natalya, Omos, Shinsuke Nakamura, Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa (with Paul Heyman), The Miz, The OC (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows & Michin), The Street Profits, and The Viking Raiders (with Valhalla).
Select wrestlers from NXT may also be drafted.
In a WrestleMania main event rematch, Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens defend against The Usos tonight. Owens & Zayn are set to team with Matt Riddle at Backlash to take on The Usos & Solo Sikoa in a six-man tag match.
Ahead of challenging Rhea Ripley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Backlash, Zelina Vega goes one-on-one with Sonya Deville.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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– Michael Cole and Wade Barrett ran down the lineup for night 1 of the WWE Draft.
WWE Draft Round 1
There weren’t too many surprises with the first-round picks. Roman Reigns is staying on SmackDown, while Cody Rhodes remains on Raw. The big surprise was Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair going to SmackDown.
Triple H came to announce the first picks for the WWE Draft. Cole noted that Triple H once got drafted to SmackDown but got traded back to Raw before he got to SmackDown.
Triple H went over the rules, noting that 50% of the roster would be eligible tonight. He added that select NXT stars are also eligible tonight. The draft goes into effect on May 8th after Backlash.
1st Pick: As the first pick, SmackDown selected Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and Paul Heyman as one pick. Triple H pointed out that means the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion will be exclusive to Raw.
2nd Pick: Raw selected Cody Rhodes as their first pick. They played Rhodes music but cut it off before the “Whoa.” Triple H noticed, so he let the fans do it without the music.
3rd Pick: SmackDown selected the Raw Women’s Champion, Bianca Belair.
4th Pick: Raw selected Becky Lynch.
Triple H noted that concludes the first round. They’ll be deliberating the second round backstage. He then introduced The Usos.
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The Usos/Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens Segment
The Usos came out and congratulated Roman Reigns for being the first pick. They promised to win the titles tonight and return them to The Bloodline. They referenced trying to contact Reigns, but he didn’t call or text them back since WrestleMania. Regardless, they’re dedicating tonight’s win to Reigns.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens interrupted. Zayn asked if they thought it was strange Reigns wouldn’t respond to them. He added that Reigns, Sikoa, and Heyman were drafted without The Usos.
The Usos claimed Owens would turn on Zayn when they lose the titles. Owens heard enough. He doesn’t care about any of this and promises to beat The Usos in the main event.
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– They showed the doors of the Raw and SmackDown “brain trust,” as Cole called them. According to Cole, the brain trust is busy making their next picks.
– They showed the NXT roster watching from the NXT Performance Center.
– Bianca Belair sent in a message from Belfast, Ireland. She’s excited to return to SmackDown.
LA Knight defeated Butch (8:00)
Knight defeated Butch in a fun opener. Knight gets a bigger reaction each week.
They recapped LA Knight mocking Butch last week, setting up this match.
Butch was firmly in control early as he worked over Knight’s fingers and hand. Knight recovered, dropping Butch on the apron as they went to a break. The fans broke into a faint “LA Knight” chant.
Butch regained control, hitting a moonsault to the floor. The fans broke into a loud “LA Knight” chant. Butch climbed to the top rope, but Knight cut him off. Butch fought back and knocked him off. Knight recovered quickly, leaped to the top rope, and hit a superplex for a near fall to a huge pop. The fans broke into another loud “LA Knight” chant.
Butch went after the arm, but Knight reached the ropes. Knight rolled out of the ring. Knight quickly recovered and hit blunt force trauma for the win.
********
– In the back, The Usos were sitting on a couch with Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa standing behind them. Heyman noted TheUsoswill be drafted tonight to the island of relevancy or ocean of obscurity. Heyman told The Usos tonight’s the night they come back as tag team champions. Heyman looked at Sikoa and said tonight is the night, implying he would take out The Usos if they failed.
*******
WWE Draft Round 2
Rob Van Dam and Michael Hayes came out to announce the next draft picks. RVD got a big pop, with the fans breaking into an “RVD” chant
The biggest surprises were Edge going to SmackDown, with Imperium, and the Intercontinental Champion Gunther going to Raw.
5th Pick: SmackDown selected The Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins).
6th Pick: The Raw brand selected Imperium (Intercontinental Champion Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovani Vinci).
7th Pick: SmackDown selected Edge.
8th Pick: Raw picked Matt Riddle.
***********
– The Street Profits made their way to the ring. Ford and Dawkins grabbed the mics. They’re happy to be back on SmackDown. It doesn’t matter what night they’re on because they want the smoke.
Triple Threat Tag Team Match: Street Profits defeated Ricochet & Braun Strowman and LWO (Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde) (7:35)
The Street Profits won a fast-paced sprint with an excellent finish and a hot crowd.
Strowman cleared the ring of the Street Profits and LWO. Strowman tossed Ricochet over the top rope, wiping out the other two teams. They played off last week’s spot when Strowman threw Ricochet into nothing.
Back from the break, Del Toro and Dawkins tried working together against Ricochet. Del Toro took out Dawkins with a springboard dropkick. Wilde tagged in and hit a dive, wiping out the Street Profits at ringside.
Strowman tried to break up a pin attempt on Ricochet. He cleared the ring and ran around ringside, running everyone over until Dawkins hit a dive out of nowhere. Ricochet hit a dive of his own. The finish came when Ford made a blind tag and hit the frog splash on Ricochet for the win.
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– A video package recapped the Bad Bunny-Damien Priest feud.
WWE Draft Round 3
JBL and Teddy Long came out to announce the next round of draft picks. The biggest surprises were Bobby Lashley going to SmackDown and Drew McIntyre going to Raw.
9th Pick: SmackDown selected Bobby Lashley.
10th Pick: Raw picked Drew McIntyre.
11th Pick: SmackDown selected The OC (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Michin)
Vega defeated Deville, but they did a terrible job building her up as a challenger to Ripley. Instead of looking strong, Deville dominated, with Vega getting the fluke win. Rhea Ripley jumped Vega after the match, but Vega at least got the better of Ripley.
Deville backed Vega into the corner, but Vega caught Deville in an arm bar. Deville quickly regained control and slowed the pace. Vega made a brief comeback, but Deville cut her off. Vega rolled up Deville out of nowhere for the win.
After the match, Rhea Ripley ran out and attacked Vega and Deville. Green backed out of the ring with the fans breaking into a massive “Mami” chant. Ripley went to give Vega the rip tide, but Vega countered into a DDT to a big pop.
– They showed Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens getting ready for their title defense.
– Santos Escobar and Rey Mysterio congratulated Zelina Vega on her win and on getting the better of Ripley.
*******
The OC/Viking Raiders Segment
The OC made their way to the ring. AJ Styles grabbed the mic, but The Viking Raiders and Valhalla interrupted before he could speak. Styles stepped back, allowing Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and Michin to take out the Raiders and Valhalla. Styles promised they’re just getting started. He then hit the Phenomenal forearm on Ivar.
*******
WWE Draft Round 4
Shawn Michales and Road Dogg came out together to DX’s theme music. The fans broke into a loud “HBK” chant. Cole made a point to mention that Michaels runs NXT.
15th Pick: SmackDown selected NXT Women’s Champions Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn. Michaels noted he wasn’t happy about that pick.
16th Pick: Raw selected NXT Women’s Champion Indie Hartwell. Before making the pick, Road Dogg said Micahels would lose his smile a second time.
– McKenzie Mitchell spoke with Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn at the NXT Performance Center. Kayden Carer and Katana Chance demanded a title shot Tuesday night.
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– Kayla Braxton spoke with Shinsuke Nakamura about going to Raw when Karrion Kross jumped him from behind.
– The Usos headed to the ring for their title shot. Again, Paul Heyman implied that Solo Sikoa would attack The Usos if they didn’t win the titles.
– Cole and Barrett discussed the WWE World Heavyweight title being exclusive to Raw since Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is staying on SmackDown. Barrett then announced that BOTH Raw and SmackDown superstars would compete in a tournament at Night of Champions to crown the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Undisputed Tag Team Champions Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens defeated The Usos to retain the titles (17:39)
Zayn and Owens defeated The Usos in a fantastic, hard-hitting, fast-paced main event. The story revolved around The Usos dedicating the match to Roman Reigns. After losing, Cole teased that Reigns wouldn’t want The Usos in the Bloodline.
The Usos jumped Zayn and Owens at the bell. Jey sent Zayn into the ring post and isolated Owens in the ring. As they went to a break, the Usos rocked Owens with a double superkick for a near fall.
The fans broke into a “Let’s go Usos/Let’s Go Sami” chant. Jey and Zayn fought on the top rope until Zayn hit a sunset bomb for a near fall. Zayn then hit a blue thunder bomb for another close near fall. Zayn climbed to the top rope, but Jey cut him off with an enziguri, causing Zayn to crash to ringside.
Back from the break, Owens hit a cannonball on Jimmy. He went up for the frog splash, but Jimmy cut him off. Jimmy and Owens fought on the top rope. Owens got the better of Jimmy, hitting a fisherman’s buster and a Swanton bomb for a close two-count. The fans broke into a “This is awesome” chant.
In the back, Roman Reigns phoned Heyman. Heyman then told Sikoa that tonight is his night.
Back in the ring, Zayn went for a plancha, but Jey caught him with a superkick. Owens hit the stunner on Jimmy for another near fall.
Sikoa slowly made his way to ringside. Suddenly, Matt Riddle ran out and fought Sikoa to the back.
The Usos regained control, hitting Owens with a double superkick for a close two-count. They hit another double superkick on Owens and then a double superkick on Zayn. They hit a third double superkick on Owens for another near fall. Jey hit another superkick for another two-count.
The Usos set up for the 1D when Zayn pulled Jey out of the ring. Owens took advantage, hitting a stunner on Jimmy. Zayn then hit a helluva kick on Jimmy for the win to retain the titles.
Sikoa returned and watched on in shock that The Usos lost. Cole speculated that Reigns might not want the Usos in the Bloodline. The WWE Draft continues this Monday Night on Raw.
*******
Next Week: SmackDown takes place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with Bad Bunny appearing. Shinsuke Nakamura goes one-on-one with Karrion Kross. Plus, OC’s Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows take on The Viking Raiders.
WWE has revealed the wrestlers eligible for each night of the 2023 Draft.
One pool of wrestlers will be eligible to be selected on the Friday, April 28 SmackDown, while a separate pool will be eligible to be chosen on night two on the Monday, May 1 Raw.
Tag teams and stables will be drafted as units, with two notable exceptions:
The Bloodline have been split into two separate groups for the Draft, with Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa listed as one unit, and The Usos as a separate entity.
Rhea Ripley is listed separately from The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, and Finn Balor, who are listed as a unit.
Unspecified “Select NXT Superstars” are listed as eligible for the Draft.
The pools as announced on WWE.com:
Wrestlers eligible to be drafted on WWE Draft night one, Friday, April 28 on SmackDown —
Becky Lynch
Bianca Belair
Bobby Lashley
Candice LeRae
Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville
Cody Rhodes
Damage CTRL (Bayley, IYO SKY & Dakota Kai)
Dexter Lumis
Dolph Ziggler
Drew McIntyre
Edge
Hit Row (Top Dolla & Ashante “Thee” Adonis w/ B-Fab)
Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci)
Lacey Evans
Matt Riddle
Maximum Male Models (Mace, Mansoor & Maxxine Dupri)
Mustafa Ali
Natalya
Omos (w/ MVP)
Shinsuke Nakamura
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa)
The Miz
The OC (AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson & Michin)
The Street Profits
The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar w/ Valhalla)
Select NXT Superstars
Wrestlers eligible to be drafted on WWE Draft night two, Monday, May 1 on Raw–
Akira Tozawa
Alpha Academy (Otis & Chad Gable)
Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo
Asuka
Austin Theory
Baron Corbin
Braun Strowman & Ricochet
Brock Lesnar
Bronson Reed
Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin
Charlotte Flair
Dana Brooke
Elias
Emma
Johnny Gargano
Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio)
Karrion Kross (w/ Scarlett)
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
LA Knight
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
Nikki Cross
Piper Niven
Rhea Ripley
Rick Boogs
Riddick Moss
Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler
Seth Rollins
Shotzi
Tamina
Tegan Nox
The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland & Butch)
The LWO (Rey Mysterio, Santos Escobar, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde & Zelina Vega)
Join me for a Sunday edition of Wrestling Observer Live as I bring you the latest news from the world of professional wrestling.
The biggest news of the week is the rumored return of CM Punk to AEW. I share what I have heard about Punk’s return and the rumored new Saturday show that would feature him if/when he does.
I also explore what this could mean for the Young Bucks & Kenny Omega and whether they will be able to work with Punk in the future.
In a few weeks, the WWE draft is set to take place. I discuss whether a hard brand split is necessary or whether it should be more of a rotating roster as it has been for the last few months.
I also provide a review of WWE SmackDown, John Morrison’s boxing debut, and the return of the Hardy Compound match.
Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed the WWE Draft on Wrestling Observer Radio.
Meltzer did not seem enthused when it was announced by Triple H on Friday that the draft would begin in a few weeks.
“Isn’t that the silliest thing in the world when The Usos and Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn are on every show every week?” Meltzer asked.
“Everybody just goes show to show,” Alvarez added. “But [Triple H] says now we have a draft where he says everybody is eligible.”
Alvarez assumed that we may see some people from NXT being called up, but asked what the point was considering the brand split had largely been forgotten since Triple H came to power last year, with most wrestlers appearing on both Raw and SmackDown whenever possible. Alvarez argued that was for the better.
“There’s no indication that life is for the better with the draft,” Alvarez said. If anything, there’s evidence that life is better without a draft. “
Meltzer added that while the draft shows usually did ratings, those ratings have been down in recent weeks as people have learned that it ultimately doesn’t matter what show a person’s on.
Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed the WWE Draft on Wrestling Observer Radio.
Meltzer did not seem enthused when it was announced by Triple H on Friday that the draft would begin in a few weeks.
“Isn’t that the silliest thing in the world when The Usos and Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn are on every show every week?” Meltzer asked.
“Everybody just goes show to show,” Alvarez added. “But [Triple H] says now we have a draft where he says everybody is eligible.”
Alvarez assumed that we may see some people from NXT being called up, but asked what the point was considering the brand split had largely been forgotten since Triple H came to power last year, with most wrestlers appearing on both Raw and SmackDown whenever possible. Alvarez argued that was for the better.
“There’s no indication that life is for the better with the draft,” Alvarez said. If anything, there’s evidence that life is better without a draft. “
Meltzer added that while the draft shows usually did ratings, those ratings have been down in recent weeks as people have learned that it ultimately doesn’t matter what show a person’s on.
Welcome to another Friday night edition of Speak Now Pro Wrestling.
On tonight’s show, the focus is Friday’s WrestleMania fallout edition of WWE SmackDown that saw the announcement of the WWE Draft returning, a main event of Sami Zayn vs. Jey Uso, and plenty more.
