2020 WWE Draft

Last updated
2020 WWE Draft
2020 WWE Draft poster.jpg
Promotional poster for the 2020 WWE Draft featuring Sasha Banks, Braun Strowman, Keith Lee, Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, and Asuka.
General information
Sport Professional wrestling
Date(s)October 9–12, 2020
Location Amway Center
Overview
League WWE
Teams Raw
SmackDown
NXT (outgoing only)
2021  

The 2020 WWE Draft was the 15th WWE Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between their Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The two-night event began on the October 9 episode of Friday Night SmackDown and concluded on the October 12 episode of Monday Night Raw . Both shows were broadcast from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, with SmackDown airing on FOX and Raw on USA.

Contents

Production

Background

The WWE Draft is an annual process used by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE while a brand extension, or brand split, is in effect. The original brand extension occurred from 2002 to 2011, while the second and current brand split began in 2016. During a brand extension, the company divides its roster into brands where the wrestlers exclusively perform for each brand's respective television show, and the draft is used to refresh the rosters of the brand divisions, typically between the Raw and SmackDown brands.

In 2019, the promotion held two drafts, the first in April and the second in October. The one in April, also known as the Superstar Shake-up, had an untraditional drafting format where drafting decisions were made behind the scenes and drafted wrestlers simply appeared on the brand without a major reveal, while the one in October returned to a traditional format, where draft picks were announced on the shows by a WWE official. The 2020 draft was officially announced during the Clash of Champions pay-per-view on September 27 and was scheduled to occur on the October 9 and October 12 episodes of SmackDown and Raw , respectively. [1]

On August 19 during the NXT TakeOver XXX media call, WWE executive and NXT head Triple H said that the 2020 draft would also involve the NXT brand, [2] but the official announcement that occurred during Clash of Champions stated that this draft would only be between Raw and SmackDown. [1] During the NXT TakeOver 31 media call on September 30, a now unsure Triple H stated that he did not know if NXT would be involved. [3] WWE's advertising just a couple days later affirmed that the draft would only be between Raw and SmackDown without NXT involvement. Like previous drafts, wrestlers, including all champions, were eligible to be drafted to either Raw or SmackDown. Due to the stipulations of the titles, holders of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship and the 24/7 Championship could appear on either show, regardless of the brand they were drafted to, until they lost their respective title. [4]

2020 draft rules

The rules for the 2020 WWE draft were revealed by Fox Sports on October 8, which were the same as the previous draft in October 2019. [5] Over 60 male and female wrestlers, as well as individual tag teams and stables, including current champions, were placed into the 2020 drafting pools. Over 20 wrestlers were announced as being eligible to be drafted on the October 9 episode of SmackDown and more than 30 wrestlers were eligible to be drafted on the October 12 episode of Raw. [6] The rules of the draft were as follows:

Selections

Night 1: SmackDown (October 9)

There were four rounds of draft picks during Night One of the 2020 draft. WWE Chief Brand Officer (CBO) Stephanie McMahon announced the draft picks for each. [8] [9]

Rnd.Pick #Wrestler(s)Pre-draft brandPost-draft brandRoleBrand pick #
11 Drew McIntyre Raw Raw Male wrestler
WWE Champion
1
12 Roman Reigns with Paul Heyman SmackDown SmackDown Male wrestler and manager
Universal Champion
1
13 Asuka Raw Raw Female wrestler
Raw Women's Champion
2
14 Seth Rollins Raw SmackDown Male wrestler2
15 The Hurt Business
(MVP, Bobby Lashley, Cedric Alexander, and Shelton Benjamin)
Raw Raw Male stable
United States Champion (Lashley)
3
26 AJ Styles SmackDown Raw Male wrestler4
27 Sasha Banks SmackDown SmackDown Female wrestler3
28 Naomi SmackDown Raw Female wrestler5
29 Bianca Belair Raw SmackDown Female wrestler4
210 Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler Raw Raw Female tag team
Women's Tag Team Champions [lower-alpha 2]
6
311 Ricochet Raw Raw Male wrestler7
312 Jey Uso SmackDown SmackDown Male wrestler5
313 Mandy Rose Raw Raw Female wrestler8
314 Rey and Dominik Mysterio Raw SmackDown Male tag team6
315 John Morrison and the Miz SmackDown Raw Male tag team9
416 Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods SmackDown Raw Male tag team
SmackDown Tag Team Champions [lower-alpha 3]
10
417 Big E SmackDown SmackDown Male wrestler7
418 Dana Brooke Raw Raw Female wrestler11
419 Otis SmackDown SmackDown Male wrestler
Men's Money in the Bank contract holder
8
420 Angel Garza Raw Raw Male wrestler12
Notes
  1. One stable was split up as a result of the first night: Big E remained on SmackDown while his New Day stablemates, Kofi Kingston and the returning Xavier Woods, were drafted to Raw, temporarily taking the SmackDown Tag Team Championships with them (they would later trade the titles over to The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) moments after the then-Raw Tag Team Champions were drafted to SmackDown during Night Two to resolve any confusions).
  2. One tag team was split up as a result of the draft: Otis remained on SmackDown while his Heavy Machinery tag team partner, Tucker, was drafted to Raw during the supplemental draft on Talking Smack the following day.

Supplemental picks: Talking Smack (October 10)

A supplemental draft took place on Talking Smack with wrestlers who were not drafted on Night 1. [10]

Rnd.Pick #Wrestler(s)Pre-draft brandPost-draft brandRoleBrand pick #
521 Humberto Carrillo Raw Raw Male wrestler13
522 Murphy Raw SmackDown Male wrestler9
523 Drew Gulak SmackDown Raw Male wrestler14
524 Kalisto SmackDown SmackDown Male wrestler10
525 Tucker SmackDown Raw Male wrestler15
Notes
  1. One stable was split up as a result of the supplemental draft: Kalisto remained on SmackDown while his Lucha House Party stablemates, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado, were drafted to Raw.

Night 2: Raw (October 12)

There were six rounds of draft picks during Night Two of the 2020 draft. WWE's CBO Stephanie McMahon again announced the draft picks for each. [11]

Rnd.Pick #Wrestler(s)Pre-draft brandPost-draft brandRoleBrand pick #
11 "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt SmackDown Raw Male wrestler1
12 Bayley SmackDown SmackDown Female wrestler
SmackDown Women's Champion
1
13 Randy Orton Raw Raw Male wrestler2
14The Street Profits
(Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford)
Raw SmackDown Male tag team
Raw Tag Team Champions
2
15 Charlotte Flair Raw Raw Female wrestler3
26 Braun Strowman SmackDown Raw Male wrestler4
27 Daniel Bryan SmackDown SmackDown Male wrestler3
28 Matt Riddle SmackDown Raw Male wrestler5
29 Kevin Owens Raw SmackDown Male wrestler4
210 Jeff Hardy SmackDown Raw Male wrestler6
311 Retribution
(Mustafa Ali, T-Bar, Mace, Slapjack, and Reckoning)
Raw [lower-alpha 4] Raw Mixed gender stable7
312 Lars Sullivan [lower-alpha 5] SmackDown [lower-alpha 6] SmackDown Male wrestler5
313 Keith Lee Raw Raw Male wrestler8
314 King Corbin SmackDown SmackDown Male wrestler6
315 Alexa Bliss SmackDown Raw Female wrestler9
416 Elias SmackDown Raw Male wrestler10
417 Sami Zayn SmackDown SmackDown Male wrestler
Intercontinental Champion
7
418 Lacey Evans SmackDown Raw Female wrestler11
419 Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura SmackDown SmackDown Male tag team8
420 Sheamus SmackDown Raw Male wrestler12
521 Nikki Cross SmackDown Raw Female wrestler13
522 Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode Raw SmackDown Male tag team9
523 R-Truth Raw Raw Male wrestler
24/7 Champion [lower-alpha 7]
14
524 Apollo Crews Raw SmackDown Male wrestler10
525 Dabba-Kato Free agent [lower-alpha 8] Raw Male wrestler15
626 Titus O'Neil Raw Raw Male wrestler16
627 Carmella SmackDown SmackDown Female wrestler11
628 Peyton Royce Raw Raw (was later released, signed with Impact Wrestling)Female wrestler17
629 Aleister Black Raw SmackDown (was later released, signed with All Elite Wrestling)Male wrestler12
630 Akira Tozawa Raw Raw Male wrestler18

Supplemental picks: Raw Talk (October 12)

A supplemental draft took place on Raw Talk with wrestlers who were not drafted on Night 2.

Rnd.Pick #Wrestler(s)Pre-draft brandPost-draft brandRoleBrand pick #
731 Lana Raw Raw Female wrestler19
732 Natalya Raw SmackDown Female wrestler13
733 Riddick Moss Raw Raw Male wrestler20
734The Riott Squad
(Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan)
Raw SmackDown Female tag team14
735 Arturo Ruas NXT [lower-alpha 9] Raw [lower-alpha 10] Male wrestler21

Post-draft trades

Trade #Brand (from)Wrestler(s)RoleBrand (to)DateNotes
1 Raw Dabba-Kato Male wrestler SmackDown April 16, 2021During Night 2 of WrestleMania 37 on April 11, 2021, Dabba-Kato to help Apollo Crews win the Intercontinental Championship from Big E. [12] Crews would then introduce Dabba-Kato as Commander Azeez the following Friday on SmackDown, with no mention made of his previous time as Dabba-Kato on Raw, thus transferring to the SmackDown brand. [13]
2 Raw Mandy Rose Female wrestler NXT July 13, 2021Separated from her tag team partner, Dana Brooke. Rose made a surprise return to the NXT brand, observing a match between Sarray and Gigi Dolin.
3 Raw Naomi Female wrestler SmackDown August 27, 2021
4 SmackDown Big E Male wrestler Raw September 13, 2021SmackDown's Big E is the 2021's Mr. Money in the Bank. Cashed in the contract on the September 13, 2021 episode of Raw and defeated Raw's Bobby Lashley to win the WWE Championship after Lashley had successfully defended the title against Randy Orton, thus transferring to the Raw brand.
5 Raw Riddick Moss Male wrestler SmackDown September 24, 2021Moss made a surprise return by aligning with Happy Corbin and attacking Kevin Owens, thus transferring to the SmackDown brand, The following week, Moss was re-introduced as Corbin's associate, Madcap Moss.

Free agents

Within WWE storyline, a "free agent" referred to a contracted wrestler who had not been assigned to one of the company's five brands at the time—Raw, SmackDown, NXT, NXT UK, or 205 Live (the latter two were subdivisions of NXT). Several wrestlers were made free agents due to injury, inactivity, or simply not being drafted despite being an active member of the rosters. Wrestlers who became free agents could (kayfabe) sign with the brand of their choosing. The chart is organized by date.

Wrestler(s)Pre-draft brandReason for not being draftedSubsequent statusDateNotes
Retaliation Raw [lower-alpha 11] Was removed from Retribution and the draft pool (Night 2). NXT October 9, 2020 [14] Was quietly moved back to NXT under her previous name of "Mercedes Martinez" and formally made her return to the brand on the December 23, 2020 episode of NXT .
Shorty G SmackDown Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 1). SmackDown October 12, 2020 [15] Shorty G's signing was announced on WWE's social media platforms.
Lucha House Party
(Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado)
SmackDown Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 1). Raw October 12, 2020 [16] Lucha House Party's signing was announced during WWE's Monday Night Raw Watch Along special.
Billie Kay Raw Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2). SmackDown October 13, 2020 [17] Kay's signing was announced on WWE's social media platforms.
Erik Raw Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2). Raw October 13, 2020 [17] Erik's signing was announced on WWE's social media platforms.
Tamina SmackDown Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2). SmackDown October 13, 2020 [17] Tamina's signing was announced on WWE's social media platforms.
Zelina Vega Raw Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2). SmackDown October 13, 2020 [17]
Jimmy Uso SmackDown Was not included in either of the draft pools. SmackDown October 23, 2020Was inactive from performing due to a knee injury. Returned to the SmackDown brand during the October 23, 2020 episode of SmackDown as part of a storyline involving his brother Jey Uso and cousin Roman Reigns. Uso would make few appearances during this period due to his injury, but was cleared and made his formal return on the May 7, 2021 episode of SmackDown.
The Forgotten Sons
(Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake)
SmackDown Was not included in either of the draft pools. SmackDown December 4, 2020The group was taken off television in June 2020 after Jaxson Ryker tweeted his support for U.S. President Donald Trump during the Black Lives Matter movement and the George Floyd protests.
On the December 4, 2020 episode of SmackDown , Blake and Cutler, without Ryker, made their return where they accompanied King Corbin to the ring. They were subsequently renamed "The Knights of the Lone Wolf."
Jaxson Ryker SmackDown Was not included in either of the draft pools. Raw December 7, 2020The Forgotten Sons, the group which Jaxson Ryker was a part of, was taken off television in June 2020 after Ryker tweeted his support for U.S. President Donald Trump during the Black Lives Matter movement and the George Floyd protests.
Ryker returned without his partners and aligned with Elias during the December 7, 2020 tapings of Main Event , which is a sub-show of Raw .
Sonya Deville Free agent Storyline fired Assistant to Adam Pearce January 1, 2021Had been inactive since her loss at SummerSlam in August 2020 in which she was forced to leave WWE (in reality, she was given time off due to a legal battle with a stalker that had broken into her home).
On the January 1, 2021 episode of SmackDown , Deville was seen walking backstage with commentator Corey Graves confirming that she had been re-instated on the SmackDown brand. She then took on an assistant role to WWE official Adam Pearce before becoming an official herself.
Big Show Raw Was not included in either of the draft pools. Raw (was later released, signed with All Elite Wrestling)January 4, 2021Had only made sporadic appearances pre-draft. Returned during the special "Legends Night" episode of Raw on January 4, 2021
Mickie James Raw Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 1). Raw January 4, 2021Returned during the special "Legends Night" episode of Raw on January 4, 2021.
Jinder Mahal Raw Was not included in either of the draft pools. Raw January 22, 2021Was inactive due to a knee injury. He wrestled at the tri-branded Superstar Spectacle event (aired January 26), but his brand status was unknown until he made his formal return during the May 3, 2021 tapings of Main Event , which is a sub-show of Raw .
Andrade Raw Undrafted during their draft pool (Night 2).ReleasedMarch 21, 2021Andrade had wrestled a match on the October 12 episode of Raw (Night 2 of the draft), but went undrafted. On March 21, 2021, Andrade was released from his WWE contract . [18]
Ivar Raw Was not included in either of the draft pools. Raw April 12, 2021Was inactive due to neck injury. Returned on the April 12, 2021 episode of Raw , reuniting with his Viking Raiders tag team partner Erik.
Maryse SmackDown Was not included in either of the draft pools. Raw April 12, 2021Last appeared on the December 13, 2019 episode of SmackDown . Returned on the April 12, 2021 episode of Raw , appearing in a segment with her real-life husband The Miz on his talk-show segment "Miz TV."
Bo Dallas SmackDown Was not included in either of the draft pools.ReleasedApril 15, 2021Last appeared on the November 15, 2019 episode of SmackDown . On April 15, 2021, Dallas was released from his WWE contract.
Mojo Rawley SmackDown Was not included in either of the draft pools.ReleasedApril 15, 2021Last appeared on the June 19, 2020 episode of SmackDown . On April 15, 2021, Rawley was released from his WWE contract.
Becky Lynch Raw Was not included in either of the draft pools.
Was inactive due to maternity leave.
SmackDown August 21, 2021Last appeared on the May 11, 2020 episode of Raw . Made a surprise return at SummerSlam and defeated Bianca Belair in an impromptu match to win the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Aftermath

During Night 1 of the draft, The New Day's Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. Immediately after their win, they were drafted to Raw, splitting Big E from The New Day as Big E remained on SmackDown; this also resulted in Kingston and Woods taking SmackDown's tag titles to Raw. [8] However, on Night 2 of the draft, Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) were drafted to SmackDown. Later that night, WWE official Adam Pearce had the two teams trade titles to keep the branded championships on their respective brands, thus New Day became the Raw Tag Team Champions and Street Profits became the SmackDown Tag Team Champions. [11]

For several months prior to the draft, Seth Rollins and his disciple Murphy had been feuding with the Mysterios (Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio). After Rollins was drafted to SmackDown, he had thought that was the end of their feud; however, the Mysterios, as well as Murphy, were also drafted to SmackDown. [8] The feud continued over the following month, which also saw Rey's daughter Aalyah get involved romantically with Murphy, who turned on Rollins to join with the Mysterios. [19]

In early September, The Miz and John Morrison began a feud with Otis over Otis' Money in the Bank contract. [20] Although drafted to separate brands, [8] the feud continued and Otis was scheduled to defend the contract against The Miz at Hell in a Cell on October 25, where Miz defeated Otis to win the Money in the Bank contract. [21]

For a couple of months prior to the draft, then-SmackDown wrestler Drew Gulak got involved in segments over the 24/7 Championship on pay-per-view as well as episodes of Raw, where he won the title a couple of times. After Gulak was drafted to Raw, he continued pursuing the 24/7 Championship. [22] Shortly after his drafting to Raw, Matt Riddle's ring name was shortened to Riddle. [23] Just the same on SmackDown, Shorty G returned to using his original ring name, Chad Gable. [24] Also, despite being drafted to Raw, Arturo Ruas made no post-draft appearances on Raw and was returned to NXT the following month. [25] Similarly, although Dabba-Kato had been drafted to Raw, he did not make a single appearance on the brand after the draft. His first post-draft appearance came during Night 2 of WrestleMania 37 on April 11, 2021, where he helped Apollo Crews win the Intercontinental Championship. [12] Dabba-Kato was subsequently transferred to the SmackDown brand where Crews introduced him under his new ring name, Commander Azeez. [13]

During Night 2 of the draft, after both Elias and Jeff Hardy had been drafted to Raw, Elias made his first on-screen appearance in five months and attacked Hardy, as Elias believed it was Hardy who caused him to miss the previous five months. [11] Back in May, Hardy was involved in a feud with Sheamus, who tried exploiting Hardy's past issues with alcohol. During one segment, Elias was hit with a car outside of the WWE Performance Center, which Sheamus tried to frame on Hardy. [26] Upon Elias' return during the draft, he believed that Hardy was not framed and did in fact hit him with the car. The two then feuded over the next few weeks. [27]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in less work for wrestlers as WWE was now only doing television and pay-per-view and ceased touring, many talent took to third-party platforms such as Twitch, Cameo, and YouTube to earn supplemental income. In September, WWE issued a statement to their talent that they could no longer use these platforms, and gave the talent 30 days to close down their accounts or face fines, suspension, or termination; it was later clarified that talent could not use their ring names or characters for these other platforms, but they must get permission from WWE in order to use the platforms. [28] [29] Some talent, such as Paige and Zelina Vega, took opposition to this, and expressed their support of a wrestler's union. Vega was then released by WWE on November 13, allegedly because of her opposition to the company's policy on using third-party platforms and her support of unionization. [30] In mid-2021, however, Vega was rehired, making her return as an in-ring competitor on the July 2 episode of SmackDown where she was entered into the women's Money in the Bank ladder match. [31]

Although Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake were signed to SmackDown in December 2020 and aligned with King Corbin as "The Knights of the Lone Wolf," this teaming would not last long as Cutler was released from his WWE contract in February 2021. [32] King Corbin also reverted to his original Baron Corbin ring name in June 2021 after he lost his King of the Ring crown to Shinsuke Nakamura. [33] In August 2021, Corbin declaring himself "filthy rich" and changed his new ring name to Happy Corbin. [34]

The January 4, 2021 special "Legends Night" episode of Raw would also be Big Show's final appearance in WWE, as on February 19, he was moved to the alumni section on WWE.com and he then signed with rival promotion All Elite Wrestling under his real name, Paul Wight, on February 24. Big Show was reportedly unhappy in WWE and they were not able to come to terms on a new agreement following his appearance at Legends Night. [35]

Following WrestleMania 37 in April 2021, many other wrestlers, a couple of which were still listed as "free agents," were released from their WWE contracts. These included Samoa Joe, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Mickie James, Chelsea Green, Tucker, Kalisto, Mojo Rawley, Bo Dallas, and Wesley Blake. [36] [37] On May 19, NXT wrestlers Jessamyn Duke and Vanessa Borne were released, [38] followed by Velveteen Dream the next day. [39] On June 2, further releases were made, which included Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Murphy, Ruby Riott, and NXT's Santana Garrett. [40] Joe, however, was re-signed by the company and made his return on the June 15 episode of NXT, becoming a special enforcer and assistant to NXT General Manager William Regal. [41] Further NXT and 205 Live names were released on June 25, including Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango), Ever-Rise (Chase Parker and Matt Martel), August Grey, The Bollywood Boyz (Samir Singh and Sunil Singh), Arturo Ruas, Curt Stallion, Marina Shafir, and Killian Dain. [42] In June, Braun Strowman was released from his contract, followed by Bray Wyatt in July. However, Strowman returned in September 2022 and was assigned to SmackDown, followed by Wyatt in October, who was also assigned to SmackDown. A mysterious masked figure named Uncle Howdy also started appearing with Wyatt, which has been reported to be Bo Dallas, thus making his return. Chelsea Green made her return at the 2023 Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant in the women's Royal Rumble match.

Notes

  1. Although WWE claims the draft picks are conducted by officials of Fox and NBCUniversal, the results are predetermined by WWE as the draft is a storyline. [7]
  2. The Women's Tag Team Championship is defended across the Raw, SmackDown and NXT brands regardless of the brand that the champions are drafted to.
  3. Kingston and the returning Woods won the titles from Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura just before being drafted.
  4. While T-Bar, Slapjack, Mace, and Reckoning were still listed as members of the NXT roster by WWE.com, it was revealed on the September 21, 2020 episode of Raw that they had received Raw contracts.
  5. Sullivan was initially not included in either draft pool but was added after returning to WWE on the October 9, 2020 episode of SmackDown moments after Jeff Hardy and Matt Riddle defeated John Morrison and the Miz.
  6. Despite going undrafted in the October 2019 Draft and being declared a free agent, Sullivan was listed by WWE.com as a SmackDown wrestler.
  7. The 24/7 Championship is defended across all five WWE brands regardless of the home brand of the champion.
  8. Kato had been appearing on Raw Underground as a free agent since August 2020.
  9. Despite being assigned to the NXT brand, Ruas had been appearing on Raw Underground since August 2020.
  10. Despite being drafted to the Raw brand, Ruas was later moved back to NXT.
  11. While not listed as a member of the Raw roster by WWE.com, it was revealed on the September 21, 2020 episode of Raw that Retaliation received a Raw contract.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Usos</span> Professional wrestling tag team

The Usos were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of twin brothers Joshua and Jonathan Fatu, better known as Jey and Jimmy Uso, signed with the WWE. The team disbanded after Jimmy turned on Jey, who was later traded to the Raw brand whereas Jimmy remained on the SmackDown brand as a former member of villainous stable The Bloodline. They are the three-time Raw Tag Team Champions and five-time SmackDown Tag Team Champions, making their team overall eight-time champions and holding the record for the longest male tag team championship reign in WWE history at 622 days. The Usos are members of the renowned Anoaʻi family of Samoan wrestlers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zelina Vega</span> Puerto Rican professional wrestler (born 1990)

Thea Megan Trinidad Büdgen is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Zelina Vega and is a member of the Latino World Order. She is a former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion, and the first winner of the Queen's Crown tournament (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big E (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler

Ettore Ewen is an American professional wrestler and former powerlifter. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs under the ring name Big E; he appears only in non-wrestling capacities due to a broken neck he suffered in March 2022. In addition to his singles career, he is a decorated tag team wrestler as part of The New Day with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayley (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler (born 1989)

Pamela Rose Martinez is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Bayley, and is the current WWE Women's Champion in her second reign. Bayley's 380-day reign as WWE SmackDown Women's Champion, tied with Rhea Ripley, stands as the longest in the championship's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexa Bliss</span> American professional wrestler (born 1991)

Alexis Cabrera is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs under the ring name Alexa Bliss. She is currently inactive due to maternity leave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baron Corbin</span> American professional wrestler

Thomas Pestock is an American professional wrestler and former professional football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Baron Corbin. He is a former one-time WWE United States Champion and one-time NXT Tag Team Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tucker (American wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler

Levi Rolla Cooper is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Tucker. After signing with WWE in 2013, he was assigned to their developmental brand NXT, under the ring name Tucker Knight. He is best known for his partnership with Otis, as part of Heavy Machinery. They were promoted to WWE's main roster in 2019, and disbanded in 2020 as a result of the WWE Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikki Cross</span> Scottish professional wrestler (born 1989)

Nicola Glencross is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs under the ring name Nikki Cross. She is a one-time WWE Raw Women's Champion, three-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion and an 11-time and final WWE 24/7 Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's World Championship (WWE)</span> Championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE

The Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, along with the WWE Women's Championship on SmackDown. The current champion is Liv Morgan, who is in her second reign. She won the title by defeating Becky Lynch at King and Queen of the Ring on May 25, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otis (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler

Nikola Bogojević is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand and is a member of the Alpha Academy stable under the ring name Otis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE Women's Tag Team Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is the only women's tag team championship in WWE, thus is defended across both main roster brand divisions, Raw and SmackDown, and the developmental brand, NXT. The current champions are Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill from SmackDown, who are in their first reign, both as a team and individually. They defeated The Kabuki Warriors at Backlash France on May 4, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xia Li</span> Chinese-American professional wrestler

Zhao Xia is a Chinese professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Xia Li.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street Profits</span> Professional wrestling tag team

The Street Profits are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford. The team is currently performing in WWE on the SmackDown brand as a part of The Pride stable, which also includes Bobby Lashley and B-Fab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The O.C. (professional wrestling)</span> Professional wrestling stable

The O.C. also known as The Club, is an American professional wrestling stable currently signed to WWE. The group performs on both the SmackDown and NXT brands. The group is composed of leader AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and Michin. Their team name is derived from a previous catchphrase: "the official, the original, the only club that matters" due to the three original members being from the Bullet Club.

Imperium is a European villainous professional wrestling tag team consisting of leader Gunther of Austria and Ludwig Kaiser of Germany. They are currently signed to WWE, where they perform on the Raw brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominik Mysterio</span> American professional wrestler (born 1997)

Dominik Óscar Gutiérrez is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio, where he is a member of The Judgment Day stable. He is a former two-time NXT North American Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode</span> Professional wrestling tag team

Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, sometimes referred to as The Dirty Dawgs or The Dirty Dogs, were a professional wrestling tag team performed in WWE, where they are former one-time WWE Raw Tag Team Champions and one-time WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 WWE Draft</span> Intra-brand draft

The 2021 WWE Draft was the 16th WWE Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between their Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The two-night event began with the October 1 episode of Friday Night SmackDown. It concluded with the October 4 episode of Monday Night Raw, with SmackDown airing on Fox and Raw on the USA Network. Unlike previous drafts, in which results took effect immediately, the results of the 2021 draft went into effect in the October 22 episode of SmackDown. This was also the last draft with Vince McMahon as head of WWE creative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The B-Team</span> Professional wrestling tag team

The B-Team was a professional wrestling tag team in WWE, composed of Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. The team are former one-time WWE Raw Tag Team Champions. They also formerly performed as The Social Outcasts and The Miztourage from 2016 to 2018 before assuming their recent tag team name The B-Team.

References

  1. 1 2 Powell, Jason (September 27, 2020). "WWE Clash of Champions results: Powell's review of Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton in an Ambulance Match for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso for the WWE Universal Championship, Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn in a Triple Threat ladder match for the Intercontinental Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  2. Lambert, Jeremy (August 19, 2020). "Triple H Confirms WWE Draft For Later In 2020". Fightful. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  3. @SeanRossSapp (September 30, 2020). "HHH says he doesn't even know how the NXT brand will be integrated into the Draft" (Tweet). Retrieved September 30, 2020 via Twitter.
  4. WWE.com Staff (October 3, 2020). "WWE Draft to take place on Oct. 9 & 12 on SmackDown and Raw". WWE . Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  5. Satin, Ryan (October 8, 2020). "EXCLUSIVE: 2020 WWE DRAFT POOL AND RULES". Fox Sports . Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  6. WWE.com Staff (October 8, 2020). "WWE Draft rules and Superstar pools set for 2020 edition". WWE . Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  7. "WWE's Monday Night RAW Scores Huge Ratings Jump". WWE Corporate. World Wrestling Entertainment. 2005-06-25. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-27. 'RAW is building ratings momentum,' said Kurt Schneider, Executive Vice President, Marketing. Our fans are now connecting in a big way with some of our newer Superstars, and we continue to feature classic storylines, unpredictable plot twists, such as through our WWE Draft Lottery
  8. 1 2 3 4 Powell, Jason (9 October 2020). "10/9 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the 2020 WWE Draft night one, Bayley vs. Sasha Banks for the Smackdown Women's Championship, The Fiend vs. Kevin Owens, Big E vs. Sheamus in a Falls Count Anywhere match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  9. WWE.com Staff (October 9, 2020). "See all the results from the 2020 Draft". WWE . Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  10. WWE.com Staff (October 10, 2020). "Five Superstars drafted on a special edition of WWE Talking Smack". WWE . Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 Powell, Jason (12 October 2020). "10/12 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the 2020 WWE Draft night two, Dual-Brand Battle Royal for a shot at the Raw Women's Championship, Kevin Owens vs. Aleister Black in a No DQ match, Seth Rollins says farewell to Raw, Mustafa Ali's first promo as Retribution's leader". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Powell, Jason (April 11, 2021). "WrestleMania 37 results: Powell's live review of night two with Roman Reigns vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan in a Triple Threat for the WWE Universal Championship, Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley for the Raw Women's Championship, Big E vs. Apollo Crews in a Nigerian Drum Fight for the IC Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  13. 1 2 Powell, Jason (April 16, 2021). "4/16 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the WrestleMania 37 fallout show with champions Roman Reigns and Bianca Belair, Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler vs. The Street Profits for the Smackdown Tag Titles, Rey Mysterio vs. Otis". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  14. Johnson, Mike (October 9, 2020). "WWE STAR REMOVED FROM RAW ROSTER". PWInsider. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  15. "@sarahschreib has BREAKING NEWS regarding Shorty G's status in the 2020 #WWEDraft. @WWEGable #WWERaw". October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  16. "BREAKING: As just announced on #WWEWatchAlong, @WWEGranMetalik & @LuchadorLD have been drafted to #WWERaw! #WWEDraft". October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "EXCLUSIVE: #WWERaw & #SmackDown have just signed some Free Agents!🔵 @BillieKayWWE 🔴 @Erik_WWE 🔵 @TaminaSnuka 🔵 @Zelina_VegaWWE Presented by @Skittles". October 13, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  18. WWE.com Staff (March 21, 2021). "Andrade released". WWE . Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  19. Barnett, Jake (November 20, 2020). "11/20 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of the Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre contract signing for WWE Survivor Series, Seth Rollins vs. Murphy, Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso, the final push for Survivor Series". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  20. Powell, Jason (September 4, 2020). "9/4 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman addressing the fans, Matt Riddle vs. Sheamus vs. King Corbin vs. Jey Uso for a shot at the WWE Championship at Clash of Champions, Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks and Bayley for the WWE Women's Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  21. Powell, Jason (October 25, 2020). "WWE Hell in a Cell results: Powell's review of Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton in a Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso in an I Quit Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Universal Championship, Bayley vs. Sasha Banks in a Hell in a Cell match for the Smackdown Women's Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  22. Powell, Jason (November 9, 2020). "11/09 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods vs. Randy Orton, The Miz, and John Morrison, Raw Women's Champion Asuka vs. Nia Jax in a non-title match, Jeff Hardy vs. Elias vs. Matt Riddle in a second chance qualifier for Team Raw at Survivor Series, Ricochet vs. Mustafa Ali". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  23. Lambert, Jeremy (October 29, 2020). "Matt Riddle Loses His First Name, Says He Prefers Just 'Riddle'". Fightful. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  24. Barnett, Jake (October 23, 2020). "10/23 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of the final push for Hell in a Cell, Roman Reigns reveals the consequences for his match with Jey Uso, Otis goes to court". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  25. Moore, John (November 18, 2020). "11/18 NXT TV results: Moore's review of Io Shirai vs. Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women's Title, Leon Ruff vs. Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Title, Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes in a blindfold match, NXT Champion Finn Balor returns". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  26. Barnett, Jake (May 29, 2020). "5/29 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of Daniel Bryan vs. Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles vs. Elias in Intercontinental Title tournament semifinal matches, Sonya Deville vs. Lacey Evans, New Day on A Moment of Bliss". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  27. Powell, Jason (November 2, 2020). "11/02 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Jeff Hardy vs. Elias in a Guitar on a Pole Match, Raw Tag Champs Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin in a non-title match, Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax vs. Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke for the WWE Women's Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  28. Thomas, Jeremy (September 7, 2020). "WWE Clarifies Third Party Platform Usage Rules With Talent Before Raw". 411mania. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  29. Lee, Joseph (September 11, 2020). "More Details On WWE's New Policy Against Third Party Platforms". 411mania. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  30. Selbe, Nick (November 13, 2020). "WWE Releases Zelina Vega". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  31. Powell, Jason (July 2, 2021). "7/2 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Edge addressing Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn in a Last Man Standing match to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  32. WWE.com Staff (February 4, 2021). "Steve Cutler released". WWE . Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  33. Powell, Jason (June 25, 2021). "6/25 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns' victory celebration, Apollo Crews vs. Big E in a Money in the Bank qualifier, Bianca Belair and Cesaro vs. Bayley and Seth Rollins in a mixed tag match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  34. Powell, Jason (August 27, 2021). "8/27 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Becky Lynch returns as the new Smackdown Women's Champion, Roman Reigns holds a championship celebration, King Nakamura and Rick Boogs vs. Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  35. Johnson, Mike (February 24, 2021). "WHAT HAPPENED WITH BIG SHOW & WWE". PWInsider . Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  36. "Samoa Joe, Billie Kay, Mickie James and other Superstars released". WWE . April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  37. Barrasso, Justin (April 16, 2021). "Inside WWE's Recent Releases and Plans Moving Forward". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  38. Johnson, Mike (May 19, 2021). "NXT RELEASES TWO FEMALE STARS". PWInsider. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  39. Johnson, Mike (May 20, 2021). "WWE RELEASES VELVETEEN DREAM". PWInsider. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  40. "Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, and other Superstars released". WWE. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  41. Currier, Joseph (June 15, 2021). "SAMOA JOE RETURNS TO WWE NXT AS ENFORCER AUTHORITY FIGURE". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  42. Pritchard, Bill (June 25, 2021). "Updated List Of WWE Releases On June 25". Wrestle Zone. Retrieved June 25, 2021.