Analysis of Unimpressive WWE Draft

Tonight's WWE Draft left many scratching their heads. Some good things came, but a lot of bad resulted from the first live SmackDown of the new draft era. Before I begin the burial, let's talk about the great things that went down tonight.

Finn Balor. Drafting Balor in the first round was the best move WWE made all night. He was immediately presented as a star and a valuable one at that. Gallows and Anderson were also drafted to the Raw brand, leaving the door open to reunite the former Bullet Club members.

American Alpha's call-up was also positive. They've proven to have a special kind of charisma and excellent wrestling talent. They're a much needed breath of fresh air for the tag team division.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens' feud looks like it isn't going to end anytime soon, and that's a great thing for fans of WWE. The two have had so many classic moments and matches from the independents to World Wrestling Entertainment. The fact that WWE made a conscious effort to keep them together is progress.

It was fantastic to see WWE value their Champion, Dean Ambrose by making him the first overall pick to the SmackDown brand. Many fans were gritting their teeth in worry that he'd lose the title by the end of the show, but luckily, he retained in a clean win over Seth Rollins (Raw's number one pick).

The overall positive thing about this draft is at the very least there is more room to push high, mid-card wrestlers more than they would within one combined roster. Guys like Kevin Owens and Cesaro now have a bigger window open to succeed at a higher level.

Now brace yourself. It's time for the negatives.

The logic of the WWE Draft has left me in a state of utter confusion. After the first round, I was lost. Think about it like this: If the draft is supposed to appear to be a shoot, then why would a team like The Ascension be selected before The Dudley Boyz? Also, if there's a limit of six NXT call-ups that can be drafted, why wouldn't you pick the champions? If that wasn't allowed, we should've been told this. Champions aside, how could a competent general manager justify drafting Nia Jax early and not selecting Shinsuke Nakamura or Bayley, or Asuka at all? It's mind boggling.

The Women's Division was the biggest victim of the draft. We now have seven women on Raw and six SmackDown. Keep in mind, there's only one belt. I'm not sure what they're thinking here. They've drastically limited their possible matchup total with this move. Not only that, but outside of Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax and Carmella do not appear to be ready for the main roster. I have nothing against any of the NXT call-ups, but I can't imagine how prepared Jax and Carmella are for the spots they're about to fill. I'm hoping and rooting for these women, but the whole division was not done any favors.

I need to be explained why the Cruiserweight Division has been placed on the Raw brand. If SmackDown is supposed to be the new, hip show, wouldn't they get the revived division? That question aside, why is Kalisto on SmackDown if the cruisers are on Raw? I'm not very excited in general that the division is back. I love that style of wrestling, but WWE has proven that the cruiserweight tag more often hinders a performer than helps one. But that's an entirely separate article.

To sum up all the negatives, it's clear which brand was favored coming out of this draft. Raw's roster was going to be larger. That was expected. But as you run down the names that have moved to SmackDown, it's clear that it's still in many ways the "B" show. The top names of the women's division are on Raw. They have the cruisers. They have Rollins, Reigns, and Lesnar. Without Styles, Ambrose, and Cena, SmackDown would be in horrific shape.

It's hard to make an argument that the WWE Draft helped make both shows equal. No old names returned, either. Maybe they're saving them as "signings" to continue the storyline. We'll have to wait and see. But if the goal was to present this draft as a shoot, it was a complete failure. There were far too many illogical moments for that to be the case. As it stands right now, the draft was not a success. Obviously, we're going to have to wait a few weeks to truly understand the impact of this draft, both positive and negative. Regardless, this was an interesting first chapter to a "fresh start" for the Raw and SmackDown brands.

Full WWE Draft Results

Brady Sauvageau
The Heater