Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Dallas Allsopp, Ben Williams and Greg Coleman will be giving their opinions on WWE's upcoming Draft.

WWE will be holding their latest Draft on the October 11 SmackDown and October 14 Raw, with confirmation that the much maligned wildcard rule will be ended at the same time. This means the Draft will now take on a far greater level of importance than previous Drafts. What will happen during this Draft, and what will the long term impact be?


ALLSOPP: As we have received confirmation the wildcard rule will come to an end, I feel the time is right for Braun Strowman to dominate SmackDown. He is a believable monster, which is something Fox can focus on in their presentation of the show. He could easily become WWE Champion and carry SmackDown into WrestleMania season.

WILLIAMS: I think the women’s division as a whole could really benefit from this Draft by balancing out the rosters more equally. The likes of Becky Lynch would really benefit from some new competition to face on Smackdown as she’s already ran through the main title threats on Raw.

COLEMAN: There are so many people who would benefit from a change of scenery, but I think Drew McIntyre would benefit the most from a move. His Raw run has been underwhelming and disappointing based on his run in NXT and how he debuted. He seems to now be stuck in a holding pattern, and I’m not sure if it’s injury related or creative related. McIntyre moving to SmackDown would be an opportunity for him to reinvent himself and take advantage of some fresh match ups.


WILLIAMS: I could see Raw in particular getting some NXT call ups, as they seem the most likely to have their roster depleted to boost SmackDown on Fox. Whilst there have been some seriously questionable call ups in recent years, hopefully a less top heavy Raw roster could lead to some new stars being built going into WrestleMania season.

COLEMAN: I’m curious as to what NXT’s involvement will be, and if talent from Raw and SmackDown can be drafted to NXT. I believe certain talent are a better fit on the main roster than they are in NXT, and the inverse also applies. Gargano should never leave NXT, but I think Damian Priest, Keith Lee, and Dominik Dijakovic should find their way to Raw and SmackDown eventually. Velveteen Dream and Matt Riddle could work in both, but those two are destined for the main roster.

ALLSOPP: I personally don’t feel there will be any NXT drafts, as they have just moved to the 2 hour format and appear to know what their niche is. It is far more effective for an NXT superstar to make a surprise appearance on the main roster, taking out an established star for instant credibility. Take The Undisputed Era for example, who would benefit from making their debut as a destructive unit in an unannounced beat down on the WWE Universal Champion. This would be far more effective than being brought up in advance via the Draft.


COLEMAN: If done correctly, the Draft should end with each show now having a unique identity from the other one. A big surprise we can see is a bulk of the NXT alumni end up on one show. This could have a long term effect on storylines and match quality.

ALLSOPP: I feel the biggest surprise of the Draft could be switching the WWE Universal Championship to SmackDown, with the WWE Championship switching to Raw. This scenario has happened before in Drafts from the mid 00’s, therefore it is a realistic prospect. This would no doubt freshen up the product, allowing for the WWE Championship to regain its prestige as the most important championship in wrestling.

WILLIAMS: I think the biggest shock possible within the current rosters would be to have Brock Lesnar officially drafted as a SmackDown superstar. Lesnar has exclusively appeared on Raw since his 2012 return, and his status would bring a guaranteed ratings spike to SmackDown on Fox.