The WWE will be holding their WWE Draft on Oct. 11 and Oct.14.
This has been a staple of WWE programming on and off since 2002 where Superstars have switched television brands and perform on those brands for the foreseeable future. This has been done with the intent of developing new storylines and introducing new rivalries.
WWE had their last Draft in 2016 before moving on to a Superstar Shake-Up format in the following years; the most recent being in April of 2019. The last Shake-Up struggled to find success after WWE added the Wild Card Rule, which allowed competitors to appear on different television shows with no respect to the brand they were drafted to. The principle of a Draft is that wrestlers would be exclusive to the show they are drafted to. This has not held up sufficiently.
With SmackDown moving to FOX in a few weeks, it is important for WWE to make this latest Draft important. Here are four different ways to make this draft exciting for fans.
Draft Day Trades
Fans of any major sports teams look forward to their team’s draft. The NFL Draft is a perfect example. It is a four-day event filled with pomp and circumstance. One of the more exciting parts, is the idea of a draft day trade. Do the Oakland Raiders trade up or down in the NFL Draft? That is a question that drives content filled with “what ifs.” When the actual transaction happens, each party involved in the transaction is linked by the result.
The WWE should implement trades in this year’s draft. It adds a layer of excitement to football drafts and could create the same excitement in a wrestling context. Imagine if SmackDown traded with NXT UK to land someone like Toni Storm, for example. In return, SmackDown may send two Superstars and a future draft pick to NXT UK. Fans are drawn to the transaction. Each pick or draft day trade symbolizes “the one move that puts us over the top.”
The buzz generated by a brand like RAW potentially loading up on future draft picks for the 2020 draft would add a new layer of realism to the product. This keeps the draft exciting year round, because if the idea of a wrestler on NXT could be the future third round pick in next years draft.
WWE specializes in moves to get the fans engaged via social media. The idea of having a potential draft day trade would accomplish that.
WWE Mock Drafts
Whether it is WWE.com exclusive videos or WWE Network specials, WWE is a content factory. One thing that drives other sports leagues draft is the idea of a mock draft. These mock drafts attract fans due to the possibility to “what if this guy lands with my team” or “how could that draft expect have my team picking this guy”.
WWE can drive engagement by having multiple on air personalities come out with their version of a mock draft. WWE would have a 30 minute show on the WWE Network where former wrestlers and non-wrestling personalities (i.e. Cathy Kelley) get together and decide who their top draft picks would be. Like something you’d see on ESPN’s First Take.
The feedback would entice fans to have questions like “Why does Cathy Kelley have Becky Lynch going to Smackdown?” This drives viewership leading up to the draft because fans would want to know which personality had their mock draft right.
A mock draft is a hypothetical idea of what could happen. Wrestling fans love the concept of the hypothetical, which is why so many fans spend hours wondering “what if this twist in the story happens.” This would also be an opportunity for WWE to introduce a draft expert and have it be their version of Mel Kiper Jr, an NFL Draft expert.
Sports fans flock to Mel Kiper Jr’s mock drafts because he is widely known as a NFL Draft Expert. By WWE introducing a draft expert character, it makes the WWE Draft much more credible.
A Draft Day Show
Fans watch sports draft shows for hours. Each draft pick is scrutinized. “What will this player bring to a certain team?” Fans would be engaged with a show on the WWE Network with Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, and Renee Young discussing the impact of RAW drafting Big E.
The discussion around, for example, “Did NXT drop the ball in drafting No Way Jose in the early rounds of the draft?” could also add new layers to characters. With that sort of negative draft reaction on the show, it could motivate No Way Jose to be more successful on NXT and rack up some wins.
The Wild Card Rule did more damage than good for WWE. The concept of the draft is not as strong as it should be after seeing RAW draftees hop between shows without any brand exclusivity post-Shake-Up. But having a show that legitimizes the idea of where wrestlers are going and how it influences the show is the right formula.
The reaction of Corey Graves, when RAW drafts a wrestler along the lines of Cesaro should be “RAW just got a future WrestleMania main even talent.” This will make the draft mean more to the fans.
Fans flock to draft shows to believe that they are getting in on the ground floor of a certain prospect.
Post Draft WWE Analysis
The concept of post draft grades is a hypothetical that sports fans can’t get enough of. When players get drafted in the sixth round of a draft, fans rarely know much about the player themselves, but the idea of a draft day grade provides that answer.
WWE can give each brand a draft day grade based on the wrestlers that were drafted. This lends instant credibility to a brand whose draft lands the “A” grade. That grade can be based on the idea of SmackDown receiving four wrestlers in a trade with NXT UK, landing the “steal of the draft” in Asuka, or gaining valuable assets for the 2020 draft.
All three of those options are potential for new storylines. Now a late round pick to NXT means more, because their success or failure can be tied back to the grade they were given in the WWE Draft.
This also allows the same commentators that shared their mock drafts to debate the merits of others draft grades. Does Tom Phillips think that Michael Cole gave NXT too high of a grade? That is fresh content that for this upcoming WWE Draft.
What if Rey Mysterio slips in the draft due to his age or injuries? This develops new aspects to his character and helps to further storylines.
If it is portrayed as a real draft, fans will hang on every word of the WWE draft content. There are more ways to legitimize the draft than just the event itself. Post draft analysis will set up short and long-term storylines for WWE to build off.