Everybody Who Changed Brands In The WWE 2024 Draft

WrestleMania technically marks the end of the WWE season each year. Pro wrestling’s equivalent of the Super Bowl. However, since the WWE train keeps on rolling the very next day, it doesn’t really feel like one season has ended and a new one has begun. It’s not until the WWE Draft, another concept lifted from the NFL, that when things really start to feel fresh. Superstars switch brands which leads to rivalries forcibly being brought to a close and new ones beginning.

The Rules

The WWE Draft is split across two nights, starting on SmackDown and then concluding three days later on Raw. The roster is split into two pools, the first eligible to be drafted on night one, and then the second not eligible until night two. That ensures the draft remains interesting across both nights as if it was open season from the start of night one, logic dictates the best Superstars would be picked on SmackDown and Raw wouldn’t be as interesting.

SmackDown picks first on Friday, and Raw picks first on Monday. Each round is made up of four picks – two for each brand – and there are four rounds on SmackDown and six rounds on Raw due to the additional hour of TV to fill on Monday nights. Champions cannot be picked, they must remain on the brands to which their titles belong, except for the Women’s Tag Team Champions who can be drafted to either brand. NXT Superstars are also eligible to be selected. All picks made will not be official until May 6, so after Backlash.

There are also additional rounds of picks that take place after the shows that air exclusively on social media.

Now all of the logistics are out of the way, let’s get down to the picks and who’s gone where, starting with the Superstars who moved to different brands on night one.

Night One

Who Changed Brands?

There was reportedly a fear in NXT that WWE’s third brand would be gutted by this draft, and if night two ends up being anything like night one, NXT will have been right to worry. Of the eight Superstars to move to different brands on the first night of the draft, half of them were picked from NXT. A little unfair as NXT can’t make draft picks of its own to replenish its depleted roster.

On the bright side for NXT, Bron Breakker, who was selected by Raw in round two, had pretty much left the brand already. Although Carmelo Hayes’ departure was somewhat expected – he will now compete on SmackDown moving forward – his absence will be harder to deal with as the former NXT Champion has been competing in big matches on NXT up until very recently. Baron Corbin is back on the main roster, leaving NXT with his tag team partner Breakker, and Kiana James, the most surprising NXT pick, will be on Raw from now on.

As for the four brand changes that didn’t involve NXT Superstars, Raw took three wrestlers from SmackDown, and SmackDown took two wrestlers from Raw, so effectively a double trade between them as Raw only got an extra Superstar because it chose to steal a tag team. Sheamus, Alba Fyre, and Isla Dawn are headed to Raw from May 6, while Nia Jax and Andrade will be SmackDown Superstars.

Who Stayed Put?

Not everyone switches brands during the draft, of course. If a GM is happy with their brand, then the majority of the Superstars on it will remain the same. Of the 23 picks made during night one of the draft, 15 kept Superstars exactly where they’ve been competing for the past year. Raw used an early pick to keep hold of Seth Rollins even though he’s on the sidelines, and Jey Uso will continue to wrestle on Raw while The Bloodline is staying on SmackDown, minus Roman Reigns who may not be part of the draft at all.

AJ Styles and The OC are both on SmackDown which potentially spells bad news for LA Knight who was also picked to remain on the blue brand on night one, and Raw’s women’s division was kept strong as Adam Pearce used picks to retain Liv Morgan, Shayna Baszler, and Zoey Stark. Lots of competition for the newly crowned Becky Lynch who will also remain on Raw since she has the show’s Women’s Championship.

Night Two

Come back here after the second night of the draft for a rundown of everyone who has been forced to switch brands as well as Superstars who will continue competing on the brands they’ve known best for the past 12 months. While I’m eager to see more NXT call-ups, let’s hope the brand isn’t cleared out so much that the quality of its shows suffer because of it.