'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
While April is nearing its end, WWE is still hungover from WrestleMania XL. The main story of the event revolved around Cody Rhodes, who finally knocked off Roman Reigns to claim the top spot in the company with the Undisputed WWE Championship around his waist.
The coming week is a crucial one for the Stamford-based promotion as it will set the stage for the rest of the year on WWE programming. It appears that the plans for the Draft are either not set in stone yet or have not been disclosed by the company to its wrestlers.
Per Fightful Select, talents were not told about how the Draft would work up until Wednesday. Apart from the upcoming bookings that were set in their talent relations app, the performers were not aware of which brand they would be going to or any other details regarding the Draft.
WWE did not provide any insight into the method as to whether a few stars would be drafted to specific brands or whether a full re-draft would take place. They found out about the day of the draft itself when it hit social media. Even on Friday morning, several talents did not know which brand they'd be headed to but expected to find out that afternoon.
The American Nightmare is now seemingly exclusive to SmackDown as he is in possession of the blue brand's championship. The same is the case for every champion on the roster, barring the Women's Tag Team Champions.
Roman Reigns and The Bloodline, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, and CM Punk, among other top stars, are all eligible for the draft. Some of them are unfortunately not included owing to either injuries or inactive status.
Some free agents could retain their current WWE status
The past year saw several of the company's top stars appear as free agents. The rules don't apply to them as exclusive to any brand. This list includes John Cena, Logan Paul, Brock Lesnar, Omos, and MVP, among others. However, Paul is now exclusive to SmackDown on account of him being the United States Champion.
As per the latest reports, Brock Lesnar continues with his status as a free agent and could end up on either brand depending on what the creative team has in store for him this year, should there be a return on the cards.
He was last seen at SummerSlam 2023 where he put over Cody Rhodes and in a surprising turn of events shook the latter's hands post-match. Lesnar was also spotted in a rare public appearance, hugging his daughter Mya after her win in women's shot put.
WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H confirmed recently that despite concern over The Beast's status in WWE following alleged involvement in Vince McMahon's scandal, he is not done with the company.
