WWE May Have Spoiled Some Huge Changes In The 2019 Draft

WWE may be making some blockbuster changes in the 2019 draft, after all.

A number of WWE advertisements have hinted at the future home of many of the company’s biggest stars following the first draft it has hosted since 2016. Let’s start with SmackDown, which appears to be on the verge of a huge coup that will see the blue brand land a handful of the company’s biggest stars. An advertisement for the November 15 SmackDown taping is promoting a “face-to-face” between Kofi Kingston and Brock Lesnar, suggesting that the new WWE Champion is probably going to become a full-fledged member of SmackDown for the first time in 15 years. More advertisements for future SmackDown shows also point at Lesnar moving to the blue brand for the long haul, which seems like a no-brainer, given his WWE title win.

Expected to join Lesnar is Becky Lynch, who is also advertised to appear at that SmackDown taping despite retaining the Raw Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks at Hell in a Cell. Even though “The Man” is still holding a Raw title, there have been plenty of indications she’s SmackDown bound, a move that WWE has telegraphed for a while now as Lynch has been a centerpiece of WWE’s promotion of SmackDown’s move to FOX. Although there is no definitive word as to whether or not this is the case, it stands to reason that Lynch’s likely move to SmackDown would result in Seth Rollins–who, like Lynch, has also been featured heavily in SmackDown advertisements–jumping ship as well because Lynch and Rollins are legitimately engaged and WWE wouldn’t want to deal with the public relations nightmare that would ensure if the company put them on separate brands. As was demonstrated when Andrade was moved back to SmackDown earlier this year to be on the same brand as his real-life girlfriend Charlotte Flair, it’s unlikely that Lynch and Rollins will be on two separate brands going forward.

WWE is expected to load up SmackDown now that it’s airing on FOX, which doesn’t have the built-in pro wrestling fan base that USA Network has had due to its long and storied history with WWE. Given WWE’s disappointing TV ratings in 2019 and the pressure WWE has felt to take drastic measures to put an end to those ratings, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if SmackDown is overloaded with many of WWE’s biggest stars in this week’s draft. In fact, recent advertisements have also hinted that The Miz, Alexa Bliss and Rey Mysterio are SmackDown bound as well, while the Usos have been linked to a move to the blue brand, too. Meanwhile, other major names like Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston, Kevin Owens and Bayley are being promoted as SmackDown stars well beyond the WWE draft, yet another sign that SmackDown will be home to most of WWE’s top talents, especially if FOX gets it wish and lands Ronda Rousey as well.

That makes you wonder: Which major stars will be left for Raw? Today In: Business

With WWE now referring to SmackDown as its “flagship” program, Raw seems to be getting the short end of the stick in virtually every capacity. In addition to major in-ring performers likely moving to Friday nights, SmackDown also now has Corey Graves and Michael Cole calling the action while Raw has a new-look announce team featuring the upstart Vic Joseph and newcomer Dio Maddin, who only recently became an announcer for 205 Live. The decision to move arguably WWE’s two best announcers to SmackDown isn’t a coincidence, and in fact, is just another surefire sign that Raw is likely going to have far less star power going forward because WWE is prioritizing SmackDown so much.

As new names take over the announcing duties on Raw, so too will new superstars in the main event picture. Despite Bray Wyatt failing to become the Universal Champion at Hell in Cell, it appears that he will be a major focal point of Raw for the foreseeable future as he is expected to stay put on Monday nights. The rest of Raw’s main event, world title and upper midcard picture is largely up for grabs, with names like Braun Strowman and Daniel Bryan ranking among the relatively few names who jump out as acts who’ve proven capable of working at the top of the card. However, Strowman has also been linked to a move to SmackDown, which could explain his sudden renewed push during his highly promoted feud with Tyson Fury. One other logical conclusion to make is that Raw could be the go-to place for future NXT call-ups given that Raw and NXT both air on the USA Network, which should pave the way for popular acts like Velveteen Dream to make their presence felt on the red brand. Raw may also serve as a launching pad for other rising stars, with Paul Heyman reportedly intent on bringing in his favorite superstars, including Buddy Murphy and Aleister Black.