Here we are, ready to begin another chapter in the WWE story. Which brand will draft first? Who will be taken first? Who will be the overall winner? Will this be better than the Brand Shakeup a few months ago?
Let’s get the party started
- Having the network executives involved. Much like the NFL commentators commenting throughout, this is overkill but it also lends credibility to the promotion and its plans going forward.
- Reigns and Rollins. A match between the WWE’s top two golden boys for the first overall pick just seemed right. It was a great preview for what’s been rumored for WrestleMania in April, and they put on a great slow burn match that also went close to twenty minutes.
- The Fiend. Let’s face it, what would a Rollins appearance be without the Fiend jumping in, or crawling up through the mat to get at Rollins. While signaling the end of their feud (Wyatt was drafted to Smackdown and Rollins will probably remain on Raw as the Universal champion. Unless he loses it on Raw or he’s traded), this also gave Raw the first overall pick as the match was ruled a disqualification for Reigns.
- Bray Wyatt going to Smackdown. This was one of the rumored superstars Fox wanted. Lesnar was one, but so was Becky Lynch. One possible belief was McMahon would trade Lynch and Rollins to keep Wyatt on Raw, but the HIAC debacle ended that speculation. Now Rollins will be free of the Fiend going forward.
- Randy Orton going to Raw. This will have implications for Rollins in the near future. If anyone can put Rollins over, it’ll be Orton. Braun Strowman and Sasha Banks going to Smackdown opens up a few possibilities there, as Banks will remain with Bayley and Strowman has a new playground to play in with Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar.
- Alexa Bliss going to Raw, Lacey Evans to Smackdown. This was practically a trade of the women superstars, but Kevin Owens and Natalya going to Raw and the Revival to Smackdown (they’re Smackdown’s tag champions) was another quasi-trade that should bear interesting fruit.
- Nikki Cross and Street Profits join Raw. It’s awesome that Cross and Bliss will remain together, but it’s going to be really fun to see the Street Profits take an actual role on Raw, where they’ll get to renew ties with their fellow former NXT tag champions, the Viking Raiders. This is going to be fun to watch.
- Samoa Joe as commentator. While it’s a shame he’s injured and unable to wrestle currently, he carried his mic skills over and conveyed his thoughts perfectly and succinctly. It’s good to see he has another avenue when his in ring days are over.
- New Bayley. A new more aggressive demeanor, outfit, and hair style signified a major character shift. Her in ring performance was more focused and determined as she dominated Charlotte Flair through most of the match before winning with a small package and reclaiming the Smackdown women’s championship. Flair’s now free to be drafted to Raw. Just saying.
Final thoughts and grade
For the first time in a while, Smackdown was a fun show throughout. From beginning to end, it remained entertaining and even comical as the draft unfolded. Stephanie McMahon being disappointed she wasn’t booed started things off right. The ending with Bayley’s hard heel turn was perfect and the highlight of the night. Her closing the show out with a “Screw all of you!” cemented her heel standing and made the show.
She ain’t a hugger anymore, folks.
On a scale of one to ten, Smackdown Draft Edition get a solid 9.
