The WWE Draft will be taking place tonight and sources are telling me that there are still a lot of details being decided. There are also some concerns regarding what to do with top superstars from both brands.
Triple H is very "hands on" this year – more than normal – one source told me. However, all decisions are being passed through Vince and he will ultimately sign off on everything.
At this point, plans for the draft are still being decided and changed leading into tonight’s show. Additionally, the top stars are the only ones being told where they will be going. Mid-card and lower level talent do not know at this point and will probably not find out until right before the show. This isn’t surprising as Vince likes the WWE Draft to have a true "shock effect" as evident by the time Jim Ross got drafted to Smackdown without knowing ahead of time.
There are a few major questions going into the draft tonight:
1. The Undertaker – due to him being a "seasonal" and part-time superstar, WWE hasn’t decided what to do with him yet.
2. Rey Mysterio, Jr. – his contract will be expiring this year so that is playing a major factor in what WWE wants to do with him in the draft. Sources are telling me that chances of Rey re-signing with the company are 50/50 right now.
3. CM Punk – like Mysterio, Punk’s contract is coming up this year and at this point, it hasn’t been confirmed that he’ll remain with the company once it expires. That’s definitely something WWE has to consider with this year’s draft and whether or not they want to invest a lot of energy into him making a move to Smackdown.
I was also told that there’s an underlying feeling that Smackdown will end up getting "raided" in this year’s draft. With Edge being forced into early retirement, many felt like the draft was going to be a way for WWE to position top talent on Smackdown and fill the void Edge’s departure left on the show. However, that may not be the case as some believe Raw may come out of tonight’s draft with considerable more star power.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
