WWE Draft: Reigns vs. Rollins, draft rules, celebrity guests revealed
Ahead of this year’s WWE Draft, there have been announcements about celebrity guests, official rules, and a match to determine the number one pick.
We’re just over 24 hours away from the 2019 WWE Draft, and we’ve finally got some more important information about the draft itself and what to expect from SmackDown tomorrow. FOX and NBC are going all-in with a plethora of celebrity guests, who are expected to announce draft picks on SmackDown tomorrow, and then on Raw this Monday.
One of the biggest things WWE revealed is a huge match with major WWE Draft implications. In the opening match of SmackDown on FOX, WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins will return to action for the first time since WWE Hell in a Cell.
Rollins will represent Raw when he takes on Roman Reigns, who will be representing SmackDown. The winner of that match will earn their brand the first overall pick in the WWE Draft.
Some are speculating this means Seth Rollins will stick tight to Raw, whereas Roman Reigns will stay on SmackDown. While this seems likely, it’s far from confirmed, and the WWE Draft has a notorious reputation for being very unpredictable.
Easily the most interesting thing revealed, to me, is the official WWE Draft rules:
"Over 70 Superstars, as well as tag teams, are eligible for selection in this year’s WWE DraftSmackDown will draft 30 Superstars, and Raw will select another 41 SuperstarsSince SmackDown is a two-hour show and Raw is a three-hour show, for every two picks SmackDown makes, Raw will receive threeTag teams will count as one pick unless FOX or USA Network specifically wants to pick only one Superstar from the teamAny undrafted Superstars will immediately be declared free agents and able to sign with the brand of their choosing"
WWE combining tag teams into a single selection will be very interesting, especially considering a group like The New Day and whether all three will be a single selection. Considering the value of a tag team like Xavier Woods and Big E, as well as a WWE Championship-caliber talent like Kofi Kingston, it seems a no-brainer to snag that trio as quickly as possible.
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As for the draft itself, there will be dozens of celebrities on hand. The current expectation is that draft selections will be made by behind the scenes figures, or the networks themselves, which was implied by commentary on Raw.
We’ve seen undrafted superstars create storylines out of their not being picked, perhaps most successfully being Heath Slater. However, undrafted superstars also leave an out to return to NXT.
If someone goes undrafted and is declared a free agent, they could logically decide their talents would be better utilized in NXT instead of Raw or smackDown, having already been shown neither network or show values them enough to expend a draft pick. This could be a huge opportunity for talents like EC3 who have struggled to find their role on the main roster.
After picks have been decided on, they’ll likely be announced by the show’s guests. The following names are already confirmed for the WWE Draft:
"14-time MLB All-Star and FOX analyst Alex RodriguezMichael Che and Colin Jost of “Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update”Christian Slater of “Mr. Robot”Joe Buck and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman of NFL on FOXJim Cramer, host of “Mad Money”Kevin Burkhardt and Frank Thomas — FOX MLB analystsTerry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson and Tony Gonzalez — FOX NFL SundayRonde Barber, Charles Davis, Chris Spielman and Daryl Johnston — FOX NFL analystsCharissa Thompson, Michael Vick and Peter Schrager — FOX NFL KickoffRob Stone, Brady Quinn, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Urban Meyer — Big Noon KickoffJoel Klatt — FOX College Football analystDulé Hill of USA’s “Psych” and “Suits”James Roday of “Psych”Marcus Lemonis of “The Profit”Margaret Josephs and Melissa Gorga of “Real Housewives of New Jersey”Rodney Harrison and Chris Simms — Football Night in AmericaRebecca Lowe, Robbie Mustoe and Kyle Martino — Premier League Live"
It’s absolutely clear that FOX and NBC Universal are pulling out every big name they have on hand for the WWE Draft, which could make it one of the most entertaining and memorable ones we’ve ever seen.
Tune in to Friday Night SmackDown on FOX at 8 ET to see the WWE Draft begin, and we’ll see the conclusion of it at Monday Night Raw on USA at 8 ET.