The 2024 WWE Draft is finally behind us and, honestly, fans have mixed reaction to the two-night event. The draft began on SmackDown last Friday. The champions on all three brands were protected except for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
While RAW and SmackDown retained majority of the pre-draft roster, they did trade some names in addition to plucking several superstars from NXT. So, without further ado, let’s recap five best moves from the 2024 WWE Draft.
2024 WWE Draft gets the NFL treatment
WWE has been rigorously experimenting with the product ever since Triple H became the Chief Content Officer. From bold new camera shots to compelling storylines, the product continues to show improvements week in and out.
The 2024 WWE Draft was no different. Of course, there were several downsides but we are talking about the positives here. Triple H and his team clearly used the NFL draft as an inspiration for the WWE Draft.
Speaking of NFL, Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes appeared on the WWE Draft edition of RAW this past Monday. Mahomes handed over Logan Paul his Super Bowl rings so he could knock Jey Uso out.
But…
Braun Strowman returns
The Monster Among Men made his presence known during the 2024 WWE Draft. Strowman had been sidelined with an injury for months. The former WWE Universal Champion popped up in time to make the save for Jey from Logan Paul, Finn Balor and JD McDonagh.
Strowman took out Balor before chasing Paul out of the ring. He then got into a heated exchange with Mahomes. Strowman’s return continued the trend of surprise comebacks under the Triple H regime.
CM Punk & Drew McIntyre
Social media thinks IShowSpeed did a great job announcing the 2024 WWE Draft picks. The internet sensation announced RAW had selected CM Punk. The announcement, however, didn’t sit well with Drew McIntyre.
The Scottish Warrior was livid Punk got drafted before him. He voiced his frustration only for the Voice of the Voiceless to interrupt his segment. Punk showed up in the crowd and called McIntyre a b*tch. McIntyre tried to get his hands on him but Punk tricked him again by appearing in the ring.
Great stuff from both men!
NXT gets the spotlight
The 2024 WWE Draft had quite a few surprises in store for NXT superstars. SmackDown went first and selected Carmelo Hayes as the third overall pick in the WWE Draft. The former NXT Champion capped off the night with a great match against mega babyface Cody Rhodes.
Former NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov, Kiana James, Blair Davenport, and Dijak got their main roster call-up as well. I wrote about Dragunov and Ilja’s highly-anticipated move to RAW in the lead-up to the 2024 WWE Draft, which you can read here.
Bianca Belair makes history at the 2024 WWE Draft
Bianca Belair made history at the 2024 WWE Draft. She is the first Black woman to become the number one overall pick in a WWE Draft event. Belair’s was picked by SmackDown in a move announced by Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.
Belair’s arch nemesis Becky Lynch had been the first overall draft choice for SmackDown in the 2019 WWE Draft. For those unware, Belair and Jade Cargill will challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship at Backlash France this Saturday.
Also read: WWE Draft 2024 Night Two Results (4/29)
