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Credit: WWE.com
Friday’s episode of SmackDown kicked off the WWE 2021 Draft, with the first four rounds of picks determining which Superstars will go to the Blue Mark and who will appear on Monday Night Raw for the foreseeable future.
While both are under the same corporate umbrella, two competing networks want the best and biggest list imaginable, which means Fox and USA Network have vested interests in who ends where.
It’s unclear what influence they have on draft picks, but if we put on our suspension glasses of disbelief and treat this as a legitimate draft, let’s take a look at how that first night went and which of the two brands is doing better. form.
The draft is far from over, but as for Night 1, does Raw or SmackDown win the 2021 WWE Draft?
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- Roman rules SmackDown.
- Large E on Raw.
- Charlotte Flair at SmackDown.
- Bianca Belair on Raw.
- Drew McIntyre to SmackDown.
- RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) on Raw.
- The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) at SmackDown.
- Edge to rough.
- Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss at SmackDown.
- Nikki ASH and Rhea Ripley on Raw.
- Hit Row (Ashante “Thee” Adonis, B-Fab, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Top Dolla) at SmackDown.
- Keith “Bearcat” Lee on Raw.
- Naomi at SmackDown.
- Dominik and Rey Mysterio on Raw.
- Jeff Hardy at SmackDown.
- Austin’s Theory on Raw.
- Brock Lesnar has clarified that he will remain a free agent.
Credit: WWE.com
At the end of SmackDown, the following choices were announced in this order:
Round 1
2nd round
Round 3
Round 4
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The rosters themselves weren’t the only thing to change, as this year the draft picks themselves operated under different rules.Credit: WWE.com
In the modern take on the brand’s division, Raw had two distinct advantages over the past few years.
Not only did the show get to pick first, but it would also get three picks per turn over SmackDown’s two. This extra choice often made a big difference, especially in the early laps.
This time, SmackDown got the top pick. We’re not supposed to think about the logistics of this script, but WWE didn’t bother to find an excuse as to why SmackDown kicked off the draft this year. Obviously, the reason was that it made sense for Roman Reigns – the champion of choice with a gadget that revolves around him as the best dog in WWE – to be the top pick overall.
No explanation was given as to why Raw also doesn’t have an additional overall choice per turn. It made sense for Raw to have the extra people as it’s been three to two hours in SmackDown, but we’re also supposed to ignore that, it seems.
This gave SmackDown a huge boost, not only to be able to catch The Tribal Chief, but also to not have to scramble to catch up with the numbers game. At this point, the two brands are on an equal footing.
Well, they should be. However, the pickaxes themselves changed the landscape.
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Credit: WWE.com
In previous versions, the Intercontinental and US Championships have swapped their marks. Even the World Heavyweight or Universal and WWE Championships were able to go from Raw to SmackDown without any issues.
The same cannot be said of a belt with the Raw or SmackDown branding. This led to a case last year where the tag team champions Raw and SmackDown were on opposite marks and simply traded belts in an equal exchange.
At the moment, there is no straightforward solution for SmackDown to pick Charlotte Flair and bring the Women’s Championship back from Raw to Friday night.
You’d think if that happened, Raw’s next straight-up pick would be Becky Lynch to balance things out. Instead, Raw went for Bianca Belair, who could well lose the Triple Threat match of the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Crown Jewel.
WWE normally publishes draft pools in advance but has chosen to remain silent on this matter. This year. All fans have been told that half of the roster is eligible (despite only 16 picks).
We can assume that The Man wasn’t eligible to be picked this time around, but that still puts Raw at a disadvantage. What if SmackDown picks Lynch as the top pick next time around and leaves Raw without a female title?
This is unlikely to happen, as something will happen in the coming weeks to balance that out, but that’s only because WWE will have to script this for it to happen. If this was a legitimate project, everyone would laugh at the USA Network and Raw reps for such an obvious oversight.
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Credit: WWE.com
It’s one thing to hope that you can pick another champion to make up for the loss of yours. It’s another to blunder that you don’t play smart and maximize your potential at every opportunity.
WWE allows tag teams, factions, and stables to be drafted as units. Randy Orton and Riddle both stayed on Raw as RK-Bro. Super Brutality’s Nikki ASH and Rhea Ripley were also drafted on Raw to keep the women’s tag team champions together.
Why, then, did Raw make the bewildering mistake of writing Big E without Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods ?!
The New Day moved together in previous releases. They are still an official faction, although they were split in last year’s draft. There’s no Kayfabe excuse as to why Raw wouldn’t want Kingston and Woods, who are Decorated Superstars in their own right.
Raw’s mistake was SmackDown’s win, as the Blue Mark stole Kingston and Woods, winning arguably two-thirds of the biggest tag team in WWE history.
Then SmackDown proved they understood this drafting strategy by picking the Hit Row quartet, winning Ashante “Thee” Adonis, B-Fab, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Top Dolla in one fell swoop!
Meanwhile, Raw’s closest choice to that idea was to have both Dominik and Rey Mysterio, a team that has fractured lately and likely won’t be together any longer.
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Credit: WWE.com
SmackDown has chosen two renowned superstars, Drew McIntyre and Jeff Hardy, both of whom are beloved former world champions.
Better yet, the two can be big challengers for Reigns, keeping the blue brand’s flagship scene cool.
In turn, the big bang for the main event scene on Raw was Edge. However, as great as the Superstar Rated-R is, it’s not a smart move when playing the numbers game.
Not only does SmackDown leave the first night with two new suitors instead of one, but McIntyre and Hardy also appear regularly. Edge, unfortunately, does not. He is a part-time player who has played a total of eight games this year. Hardy wrestled 32 and McIntyre wrestled 57.
What happens when Edge suffers another injury setback and is away for several months? Who will be in the title race and the draw odds?
SmackDown, meanwhile, can easily get Hardy vs Reigns for TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs if it comes back in December, then McIntyre vs. Reigns for the Royal Rumble in January – and maybe even extend that feud to Elimination Chamber or Fastlane in February.
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Credit: WWE.com
Both teams have selected some fantastic Superstars. It doesn’t go without saying that Austin Theory and Keith Lee on Raw are major players to watch or that Belair could snatch the SmackDown Women’s Championship and bring it to Raw with her to make up for Flair’s return on Friday night.
Considering the way things have gone, SmackDown seems to be in better shape.
Smart choices like Hit Row and two-thirds of The New Day, robbing the Raw Women’s Champion, taking Hardy and McIntyre off the table, and making sure you don’t lose a women’s division veteran like Naomi will work well in the long run. . Raw will have to scramble to regain some ground.
Thankfully, with the second half of the draft set for Monday night, there is still an opportunity for things to balance out and both brands to move away from that rejuvenation.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the Smark Out Moment wrestling website and the host of the podcast show. Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere to find out more.
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