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WWE Draft 2019 Results: Grades for Every Selection by SmackDown and Raw

Erik Beaston

Day 1 of the 2019 WWE Draft is in the books, and the selections made by Raw and SmackDown have certainly left fans divided as to which brand had the better selections.

Raw kicked things off with the historic selection of Becky Lynch as the No. 1 overall pick, but the blue brand answered by making Roman Reigns its first-round pick.

From there, the brand set out to build their rosters, bolstering their star power and building tag team divisions that will result in some red-hot action in the near future.

There were a few head-scratchers, as usual, and picks that landed exactly where they belong.

Find out which selections hit the mark and which left a lot to be determined with these grades for each pick in the draft to this point.

Round 1

The first round of the 2019 WWE Draft kicked off with a surprise of sorts as Becky Lynch became the first woman ever taken with the No. 1 overall pick.

The round continued with SmackDown taking a former WWE champion, Raw snatching up the most dominant trio in the company, the blue brand securing the rights to a fiendish villain and the flagship rounding things out with a Sinister Scot.

     

Pick No. 1: Becky Lynch to Raw

The Raw women's champion further established herself as the top star in sports entertainment one week after sharing the ring with The Rock by becoming the No. 1 overall pick.

The Man is a charismatic performer who has risen to the level of any full-time male competitor in terms of star power. Her in-ring output has equaled her immense popularity, making her a total package the USA Network was all-too-excited to grab at the top spot in this year's draft.

Her ability to sustain that momentum into a foreseeable future will determine whether this was a worthwhile choice or if it should have been spent on a more traditional choice, such as the Superstar who went to SmackDown at No. 2.

Grade: A

     

Pick No. 2: Roman Reigns to SmackDown

The Big Dog remained on SmackDown with the No. 2 pick, looking to fortify the brand's upper card while driving in viewers to see his weekly exploits.

Lynch's greatest competition to the top spot in the industry, Reigns has been to the highest level in WWE, headlining WrestleManias and competing against iconic competitors such as The Undertaker, Triple H and Brock Lesnar with gold at stake.

Of every Superstar in the available talent pool, Reigns is clearly the safest pick and one SmackDown needed to make as it looks to build a network television audience.

Grade: A

     

Pick No. 3: The O.C. to Raw

AJ Styles has been a measuring stick for WWE over the last three years, so it is not at all surprising the flagship would want to retain the services of the current United States champion and his stablemates, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.

Together, The O.C. has made life a living hell for babyfaces Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, The Viking Raiders and Cedric Alexander, all of whom have felt the Original Club's wrath.

With a lack of main event heels at the top of the show, do not be surprised if Styles and Co. rule the roost, compete for championship accolades and create mayhem for any babyface even remotely close to their spot on the proverbial totem pole.

The selection of the group as a whole is a sign of WWE's commitment to pushing them together as Raw easily could have chosen just Styles at this position.

Grade: A

    

Pick No. 4: Bray Wyatt to SmackDown

The first real stunner of the draft came courtesy of SmackDown selecting Bray Wyatt. The man behind The Fiend has been haunting the dreams and reality of Seth Rollins for weeks, seemingly planting the seeds for a rematch with The Architect for the Universal Championship after the unsatisfactory conclusion to their title bout at Hell in a Cell.

By sending Wyatt to SmackDown, it all but erases the likelihood that there will ever be a fitting conclusion to the program. Perhaps separating the two will erase the bad taste in the fans' mouths after the screwy PPV finish that saw Rollins defeat Wyatt by referee's stoppage. Whatever the case may be, expect Rollins' former Shield teammate Roman Reigns to feel the discomfort created by the masked maniac in the near future.

The question is whether Wyatt and creative can maintain the edginess of the character or if the broadcast network setting will force an alteration of it that could prove problematic to its overall popularity with audiences.

Grade: B+

    

Pick No. 5: Drew McIntyre to Raw

In what might be the steal of the draft, Raw nabbed Drew McIntyre with the final pick in the first round.  The Sinister Scot has been out of action nursing an injury of late, but at his peak, he was one of the most engaging and compelling performers on the roster.

A massive man, he has the size and appearance necessary to earn Vince McMahon's attention. His in-ring performance, though, is rarely one reflective of a Superstar of his size.

McIntyre has all of the tools necessary to succeed as a genuine main event talent, he just needs the opportunity. He will get it on a show that has yet to draft or establish a truly dominant face of the heel side of the roster.

Grade: B+

Round 2

The second round of the draft saw the first shuffling of Superstars to new brands, as well as an interesting pick or two that hints at the mindset WWE Creative is approaching this shake-up with.

    

Pick No. 6: Randy Orton to Raw

The third-generation Superstar has done just about everything there is to do in WWE. He has also accomplished everything he will on the blue brand, competing against opponents young and old while putting Kofi Kingston over as a legitimate and credible champion.

Jumping back to Raw, where he can be a consistent main event presence against Seth Rollins, with the Universal Championship at stake, benefits him more than wandering aimlessly on Friday nights while others receive the main event runs he enjoyed earlier in his career.

Of great interest is a renewed rivalry with Seth Rollins, with whom he had incredible in-ring chemistry when they warred back in 2015. That potential program, coupled with a change of scenery for The Viper, earns him a positive grade.

Grade: A

     

Pick No. 7: Sasha Banks to SmackDown

The Boss lost to Becky Lynch inside Hell in a Cell, effectively closing that chapter of their rivalry. With nothing else to accomplish on a Raw brand she has called home since her call-up in 2015, Banks moves to SmackDown, where she has the potential to be a big fish in a smaller pond without The Man to prevent her from capturing gold and being the face of the division.

Banks' heel turn rejuvenated her and, with a completely different Bayley than the one we have seen to this point in her career, the terrible twosome has the opportunity to run roughshod and make life a living hell for the babyface women on the blue brand's roster.

The key will be having enough quality babyfaces not-named Charlotte Flair to work with her. As it stands now, that is not the case, hurting the overall grade of this selection.

Grade: B

      

Pick No. 8: Ricochet to Raw

With the wealth of talent jumping ship from Raw to SmackDown, particularly on the babyface side of things, Ricochet now has the opportunity to enjoy an unimpeded push to the top of the flagship show.

The One and Only has already experienced the credibility and momentum that comes from feuding with a Superstar with the reputation of AJ Styles. Since that feud wrapped up, he found himself lost in the shuffle.

With a major babyface heading to SmackDown (more on that in a moment), he has the chance to slide into his position and stand alongside Seth Rollins as one of the lead heroes on the longest-running episodic show in cable TV history.

Whether Vince McMahon can resist the urge to halt his roll with start-and-stop booking remains key.

Grade: B+

     

Pick No. 9: Braun Strowman to SmackDown

The biggest issue with Strowman landing with SmackDown is that The Monster Among Men suddenly finds himself on the same brand with the two men who have repeatedly impeded his rise up the card: Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar.

Those two Superstars are synonymous with Strowman's rise to main event stardom back in 2017 but, at the same time, have also proved to be the hurdles he is unable to leap over en route to a heavyweight title reign.

Yes, the big man is seen favorably by management, hence his higher profile matches and moments, including a date with WBC heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury October 31 in Saudi Arabia. Yet The Big Dog and Beast have always stood in his way, hampering what could have been a major opportunity for The Monster Among Men to finally get over the hump and achieve the championship aspirations he has for himself.

As it stands, this feels more like a linear move than an upward one.

Grade: C

     

Pick No. 10: Bobby Lashley to Raw

The All Mighty just recently returned to the red brand, where he immediately found himself embroiled in a torrid love affair storyline with Lana and Rusev. The former intercontinental champion has made life a living hell for Rusev, taunting him from his very own bed with The Bulgarian Brute's wife lying beside him.

It a soap opera-heavy storyline but one that adds a layer to Lashley's heel persona. To this point, he has been little more than a destroyer, a muscle-bound baddie who overpowers opposition but still lacks that one element of his character to connect him with fans. This, hopefully, will change that.

He needed to remain on Raw, though, so he could continue telling that story. He did, he will and he will benefit from it. The question is whether the red brand will or if it descends into corny creative.

Grade: B

Round 3

Pick No. 11: Alexa Bliss to Raw

Bliss has been a tentpole in the Raw women's division since arriving in 2017. She has accomplished everything there is to accomplish, wrestled every major star on the red brand and has accumulated championships along the way.

Her ongoing partnership with Nikki Cross has been bogged down by a lack of evolution, leaving fans to wonder if that expected heel turn on her unsuspecting partner is ever coming or if WWE Creative is content to let the two be a team.

Either way, it feels like more of the same for a performer who could have benefited from starring on a broadcast network like Fox.

Grade: C

    

Pick No. 12: Lacey Evans to SmackDown

The last time we saw Evans, she was on the receiving end of a loss to Natalya in a Last Woman Standing match. She also lost a women's title feud with Becky Lynch. Both of those women remain on the red brand via their drafting Friday night, so it makes sense to move The Sassy Southern Belle to SmackDown in hopes of freshening things up.

Evans has a strong grasp of her character, can talk and is a compelling performer. She just needs to shore up her in-ring performance. If Charlotte Flair stays put, she will have the opportunity to do that by working with the likes of The Queen, Bayley and Sasha Banks in high-profile bouts.

This is one of the better, more potentially rewarding picks of the entire draft to this point.

Grade: A

     

Pick No. 13: Kevin Owens to Raw

Kevin Owens has been shuffled back and forth between brands so much that his latest jump from SmackDown to Raw is essentially meaningless.

WWE Creative has failed KO so many times that it is also difficult to get excited about any creative prospects that await him on the red brand. Will he be one of the top stars on that show? Sure, but will the writing team be able to sustain the momentum he builds through his own sheer desire to entertain?

History does not suggest as much.

Owens deserves better.

Grade: C

      

Pick No. 15: Natalya to Raw

The Queen of Harts' best work in years has come on Raw. Whether she has been the best friend of Ronda Rousey or the friend-turned-enemy of Becky Lynch, the third-generation performer has thrived as a member of the red brand.

She is also one of the most consistently great in-ring performers on either roster, a performer for whom the mat game remains an art. She continues to make her legendary family proud, turning in cerebral performances that elevate her opponent and add to her reputation as one of the best workers in the company.

There is not a ton of fresh matches to be had over on Monday nights, and that adversely affects the grade. Still, this feels like the best fit for Natalya.

Grade: B

Round 4

The final picks on the first night of the draft solidified the brand's tag team divisions.

    

Pick No. 16: Nikki Cross to Raw

Joining partner Alexa Bliss on Monday nights is Nikki Cross, who has enjoyed the best run of her WWE career alongside The Goddess. The only problem with that is the lack of evolution of the storyline in which Bliss was very obviously manipulating Cross for her own gain just a few months ago.

Instead of building on that and making Cross a sympathetic character who will ultimately benefit from the breakup, WWE Creative got lazy and opted to keep them together as a cohesive tag team.

Look for more of the same as the writing team opts for comfort rather than putting in the effort to tell an engaging story involving one of the more intriguing characters on the roster.

Grade: C+

       

Pick No. 17: Lucha House Party

One of the Superstars available in the pool of talent for Friday's show was Cesaro, yet WWE Creative thought it would be better to assign the jobberific Lucha House Party to SmackDown as part of the official draft proceedings instead, leaving The Swiss Cyborg an undrafted free agent.

Kalisto, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado may be able to benefit from a new setting and a potential tag team rivalry with The Revival, but their lack of credibility to this point makes this selection difficult to suspend disbelief for.

Either that, or it makes the Fox executives who made the pick look completely disconnected from the product because there is no way that trio should have been deemed more valuable than Cesaro.

Grade: D

     

Pick No. 18: The Viking Raiders

Erik and Ivar are about to challenge for the Raw Tag Team Championships and have been on a roll of late, thanks to a rivalry with The O.C.

Sometimes, it is best not to mess with momentum, particularly when a team is poised to achieve greatness after a few months trapped in obscurity.

Keeping The Viking Raiders on Raw and letting them rise to prominence as the face of the tag team division was the right call and one that could benefit Monday nights significantly sooner than later.

Grade: A

     

Pick No. 19: Heavy Machinery to SmackDown

Otis and Tucker are an immensely talented B-level tag team that has far exceeded expectations set for them during their time in NXT. Funny, hardworking and engaging, they are a big-man throwback to Too Cool.

There are some who will argue Heavy Machinery has accomplished everything it will on SmackDown, but with The Revival seeking fresh new contenders to their titles, the potential for upward momentum still exists.

A solid, if unspectacular selection for the blue brand.

Grade: C+

       

Pick No. 20: The Street Profits to Raw

Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins have been on a roll the likes of which few tag teams can claim this year.

The former NXT tag team champions have delivered some of the best performances of the last few months while working alongside The Undisputed Era, Forgotten Sons and Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch.

They have also been afforded the opportunity to showcase their natural charisma on Monday nights during backstage vignettes on Raw.

Their drafting to the red brand, officially, sets them on a path to achieve greatness on the main roster. With heel champions like Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, they can easily enter the tag title hunt and become that fan-favorite team to dethrone the heels.

If not, they have history with The Viking Raiders and can tear the house down with Erik and Ivar.

Of every one of Raw's picks Monday, this is the one with the greatest long-term value.

Grade: A

   

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