Bayley after winning the SmackDown women's title from Charlotte. Credit: WWE.com

Is Raw or SmackDown Winning After 1st Night of 2019 WWE Draft Picks?

The Doctor Chris Mueller

The first night of the WWE draft has come and gone with several Superstars changing brands, some staying where they were and a call-up from NXT.

The rules of the draft were a bit wonky. Raw received three picks for every two SmackDown got, so by the end of the night, the red brand had four more picks.

Throughout the night, WWE would cut to Fox Sports personalities to have them talk about the draft, and it was clear many of them have not watched the product in years, if ever.

We also saw fake war rooms set up for actors playing USA and Fox executives who acted happy or upset depending on who was drafted. 

At the end of the night, several Superstars from the draft pool went unselected, so we should find out which brands those Superstars choose to be on shortly.

For now, let's take a look at who was drafted on the first night and see which brand came away with the better lineup. 

Raw Picks

Here is a look at who was drafted to Raw on the first night in the order they were selected.

  1. Becky Lynch
  2. The O.C.
  3. Drew McIntyre
  4. Randy Orton
  5. Ricochet
  6. Bobby Lashley
  7. Alexa Bliss 
  8. Kevin Owens
  9. Natalya
  10. The Viking Raiders
  11. Nikki Cross
  12. The Street Profits

SmackDown Picks

Here is a list of Superstars who were drafted to SmackDown in the order they were selected.

  1. Roman Reigns
  2. Bray Wyatt
  3. Sasha Banks
  4. Braun Strowman
  5. Lacey Evans
  6. The Revival
  7. Lucha House Party
  8. Heavy Machinery

Raw Roster Analysis

The Raw roster scored big in the first round with Lynch, The O.C. and McIntyre. This gave them two of the biggest stars in the company a solid tag team and a future world champion.

Orton is a big get as one of the most decorated WWE champions in history. Ricochet and Lashley will both be valuable assets, too.

Kevin Owens is another former WWE champion who is moving to Mondays, where he will never have to see Shane McMahon again...hopefully.

It was surprising to see Natalya drafted as early as she was, but it was even more surprising to see USA waste a draft pick by choosing Bliss and Cross separately when they could have been drafted as a tag team. The Viking Raiders and Street Profits will add a lot to the tag team division. 

Overall, Raw came away with a solid foundation for its tag team and women's divisions. There is a lot of main event talent in there, too, but Raw needs to get some good midcard talents on Monday.

SmackDown Roster Analysis

With four fewer picks than Raw on the first night of the draft, SmackDown had to make each selection matter.

Reigns and Wyatt were great choices in the first round. The Big Dog will remain on SmackDown as one of its anchors, while Wyatt moves over from Raw to continue tormenting whoever he wants.

Banks and Strowman gave SmackDown one of the most popular women in the company and a man who is getting a lot of attention due to his feud with Tyson Fury.

Evans being picked in Round 3 was something of a surprise given her recent track record, but The Revival coming to SD was a no-brainer since they already have the SmackDown tag titles.

Lucha House Party and Heavy Machinery will give Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder some interesting matches since they were picked in the final round.

SmackDown had a good night, but having fewer picks definitely gave Raw an advantage. 

Who Won the Night?

As good as some of SmackDown's picks were throughout the night, Raw came away with the better roster, in the end, thanks to those extra picks. 

The blue brand will likely make up for it on the second night of the draft during Raw, but for now, Raw is still clearly the A-show judging from these lineups.

AJ Styles, Lynch, Orton, Owens, Bliss and Natalya are all former champions in their respective divisions. The only former WWE and women's champions on SmackDown are Reigns, Wyatt and Banks.

The only area where SmackDown wins is the tag team division. The blue brand picked up Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, The Revival, Lucha House Party and Heavy Machinery while Raw only took The Viking Raiders and Street Profits. 

The only way SmackDown is going to come out ahead is if a lot of free agents come to the Fox show instead of the red brand. Otherwise, Raw will end up being the A-show forever.


Which brand do you think won the first night of the draft?

   

Read 0 Comments

Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation

Install the App
×
Bleacher Report
(120K+)