6 WWE Superstars who may not be part of the 2020 Draft

By Suhas Jirgi
Modified Oct 02, 2020 19:23 IST
Not in attendance [Pc: Thesun.ie, givemesport.com, Wrestling-news.net]
Not in attendance [Pc: Thesun.ie, givemesport.com, Wrestling-news.net]

WWE confirmed the rumors of a 2020 Draft during September 27th's Clash of Champions pay-per-view. The WWE Draft has always been an event that gets fans to tune in. With new feuds and interesting match-ups on the cards, the WWE Universe will be keen to see where their favorite Superstars end up.

2020's WWE Draft is even more significant, considering Survivor Series is looming just a month away on November 22nd. With RAW, SmackDown and NXT set to battle it out for brand supremacy, there are sure to be some high profile trades.

The first shots have already been fired, with SmackDown's WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns saying the following about RAW:

"We got a bunch of fast-food fans and they complain that they want stories and well thought out stories to develop. When you start doing that for them, they want it all now. My people, I’m cooking a steak. We’re creating an elaborate omelet and we’re in the process of cracking eggs right now. You’re not going to get it quite yet. We’re gonna let the steaks stay on the grill. If you want your cheeseburger, watch RAW. SmackDown, we do filet mignon"

Outside storylines, the Draft also presents WWE with an opportunity to halt the viewership decline they have been experiencing in recent times. Sadly, there are a few decorated superstars that are unlikely to be featured this year. There are several reasons why they could miss out, such as:

  1. Being sidelined due to injury
  2. Being held back for a bigger story down the line
  3. Being too big to be latter Draft picks, but too inactive to be initial ones

Here is a look at six wrestlers who may not be featured on the 2020 WWE Draft, and the reason for their absence:

#6 WWE's Ultimate Opportunist, Edge

[Pc: Givemesport.com]
[Pc: Givemesport.com]

The Rated-R Superstar's return to WWE during January 2020's Royal Rumble was surreal. Nine years after repeated neck injuries forced him to retire, Edge speared his way back to the square ring in emphatic fashion.

The fans were delighted to see the 11-time world champion back in action. Their joy was augmented when they heard that his return was not just a one-off appearance. The Ultimate Opportunist was said to have signed a three-year contract with WWE that included nine matches in total.

Edge was embroiled in a personal feud against The Viper Randy Orton since his return. Unfortunately, he sustained a tricep injury during their main event match at Backlash in June. The injury was stated to be severe and ruled him out of wrestling for the foreseeable future.

Edge has a score to settle with Randy Orton and his return to WWE is inevitable. However, WWE will want that return to surprise the fans when they least expect it and will therefore refrain from featuring Edge's name in the 2020 Draft. They will be hoping the WWE Universe will forget about Edge just enough to make his return that much more memorable.

#5 WWE's 'Rowdy' Ronda Rousey

[Pc: People.com]
[Pc: People.com]

WWE loves to attract mainstream media attention. Signing Ronda Rousey, fittingly nicknamed "the baddest women on the planet," helped them achieve just that.

Ronda Rousey made her first WWE appearance at 2018's Royal Rumble. While she had made fleeting appearances in the past, this time she was more of a competitor than a celebrity guest.

Things just got better for Ronda Rousey, as her MMA background transferred seamlessly into the WWE ring. Her matches were smooth and her offense was realistically terrifying, which imbued a sense of legitimacy most WWE matches lack.

Speaking about her debut match at Wrestlemania 34 where she teamed up with Kurt Angle to face-off against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio had this to say:

"This match was excellent and Rousey at no point looked out of her element. She was crisp in just about everything. The crowd was as hot for this as any 'Mania match in a few years, maybe since Daniel Bryan's 'Mania a few years ago.They went more than [20 minutes] with the crowd on fire most of the way... This was one of the better pro wrestling debuts I've ever seen." h/t

Ronda Rousey has not been seen since she lost her WWE RAW Women's Championship to Becky Lynch during Wrestlemania 35. It has been reported that her contract extends up until 2021 and WWE are saving her for a big return down the line.

WWE may bring back Ronda Rousey sooner rather than later, but the required stage will likely have to be bigger than the 2020 Draft.

#4 Lars Sullivan, WWE's problem child

Lars Sullivan has managed to fit a career's worth of controversy into his six-month stint on WWE's main roster.

Trained by the almighty Bobby Lashley, Sullivan was hyped up to be the next monster heel of the company. He was built up strongly in NXT, where he even overcame Keith Lee. Creepy video vignettes on the main roster ahead of his debut portrayed him as a beast looking hungry to demolish his opponents.

It started to go downhill for Lars Sullivan on January 14th, 2019, when he was set to make his RAW debut. An anxiety attack made him walk out of the arena, which did not sit well with WWE management.

After recovering, he finally made his debut on April 9th's episode of RAW where he attacked Kurt Angle. Within two months, he was again written out of WWE with a legitimate knee injury. Sullivan has not been seen since.

Some of his online statements in the past resurfaced, which were perceived as homophobic and offensive. This made his return even rockier.

Recent Instagram stories from Sullivan's account indicate that his knee has recovered and he is ready for an in ring-return. The company has not mentioned him on WWE television in recent times and it is unlikely that he would make an appearance during the WWE Draft.

#3 Former WWE RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch

[Pc: WWE.com}
[Pc: WWE.com}

Becky Lynch is another name that is probably going to be omitted from the 2020 WWE Draft. The Man was last seen on WWE TV on May 11th's episode of RAW when she relinquished her WWE RAW Women's Championship to Asuka due to pregnancy.

Becky Lynch had risen to the top of the entire WWE roster, let alone the women's division. Her victory over Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey at Wrestlemania 35 propelled her stock to the moon and she hasn't looked back since.

Her position at the top of the company was further displayed during 2019's WWE Draft. Lynch became the second woman in history, after Kelly Kelly in 2010, to be the #1 pick in a Draft. She held the RAW Women's title for a staggering 398 days and ended it of her own volition.

Despite her time off, Lynch's reputation would not have diminished upon her return. WWE will be eagerly awaiting their top draw to come back to the company.

Becky Lynch will not be featured on the program anytime soon. This will cause WWE to focus more on building the talent currently available to them during the upcoming Draft.

#2 WWE's iconic tag team, The New Day

[Pc: Whatculture.com]
[Pc: Whatculture.com]

Big E will most certainly be featured in the WWE Draft, but the same cannot be said about his New Day brethren. WWE has expressed their desire to push Big E as a singles competitor. That has meant he had to split amicably with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.

Woods suffered a legitimate Achilles injury towards the end of 2019 and has not been featured on WWE TV since. His return date is still uncertain.

Kingston and Big E lost the WWE SmackDown Tag Team titles to Cesaro and Nakamura at July's Extreme Rules pay-per-view. On the following week's episode of SmackDown Kingston said that he too will be taking some time off due to an injury.

Though this was purely for storyline purposes, Kingston was written off WWE programming so that Big E can pursue a singles career.

WWE is attempting to push Big E as a singles star. Making him one of the initial picks on either brand will go a long way in building his credibility as a singles performer. While his New Day brethren may return for a reunion down the line, it is likely that Big E will be the focus of the Draft, not the New Day.

#1 WWE's Queen, Charlotte Flair

[Pc: Indulgeexpress.com]
[Pc: Indulgeexpress.com]

Charlotte Flair's inclusion in this list implies that three of WWE's biggest women competitors will most likely be missing from this year's Draft.

The nine-time World Champion has succeeded in stepping out of the giant shadow cast by her father, The Nature Boy, Ric Flair. Unfortunately, she is currently sidelined due to elective surgery. She has been absent from WWE programming since June, when Nia Jax ambushed her to write her off RAW with an injury.

Charlotte Flair has been always been a big name in WWE Drafts in the past. She was the third overall pick in WWE's 2016 Draft, behind Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, and was once again the third pick in night-two of the 2019 WWE Draft.

The absence of The Queen and her rival Becky Lynch has enabled other women Superstars to rise to the occasion. The spotlight will thus be on wrestlers such as Asuka, Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss during this year's Draft.

With the active women's wrestlers given preference, Charlotte Flair may have to bide her time and recover before making a comeback. Not featuring her name in the Draft will even assist in keeping her much-anticipated return shrouded in mystery.

Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.

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