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  • 5 most surprising WWE Draft Picks From Day 1: Big botch with tag team, Lashley gets undeserving spot? (October 11th, 2019)
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5 most surprising WWE Draft Picks From Day 1: Big botch with tag team, Lashley gets undeserving spot? (October 11th, 2019)

Day one of the WWE Draft is officially done and there are quite a few talking points. WWE made quite a few mistakes but we'll get into that in a while. We saw 20 overall Draft Picks, with RAW getting the first one.

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It came by a little controversy since The Fiend interfered in the match between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins to determine which brand would get the first-round draft pick. While some may have been surprised about Becky Lynch being the overall #1 draft pick, it shouldn't be a big one at this point since WWE has constantly proven their commitment to her as the face of the women's division - more so than they have with Seth Rollins as the face of RAW.

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We're glad that she was chosen for that spot because she's well-deserving of it, more than certain superstars. There were a few surprising picks and we explain whether it was good or bad.

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Also read: 7 big mistakes WWE made on SmackDown's Draft: Disappointing end to top rivalry, Reason why RAW could suffer (11th October, 2019)

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#5. Randy Orton to RAW

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Randy Orton
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Randy Orton was the first of the 2nd round Draft Picks and he moved over to RAW after 3 long years away. He was the 6th overall draft pick and it's a move that is best suited to him in this stage of his career. particularly since he has already done what he can do on SmackDown and feuded with almost everyone there is.

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Moreover, SmackDown is going to be stacked with superstars and he'll be occupying an unnecessary spot on the show. Hopefully, he'll get some good rivalries on RAW. It's a bit surprising because he has been one of the true SmackDown superstars who has never moved despite 3 Superstar Shake-Ups happening. It's going to be interesting to see him on RAW and he may have a career redemption.

#4. Drafting Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross separately...to the same brand

They're still together
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When Alexa Bliss was drafted in the 3rd round without Nikki Cross, the assumption was that they were being abruptly separated. That didn't make much sense since their storyline with the Kabuki Warriors has just shifted gears this week.

It made even lesser sense when Nikki Cross was drafted by herself to RAW in the 4th round. One of the basic rules stated about the Draft was that Tag Teams could be sent together unless the Network Executives decide to split them.

That didn't happen. So why exactly were they not drafted as a tag team when they are one? Did they want to give Alexa Bliss an individual spotlight? Or did they just want to tease that they could break up but then not go through with it?

It didn't seem that well thought out and the bigger problem here is that it was a complete waste of one spot. That spot could easily have gone to a superstar like Cesaro who was forgotten about.

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Also read: 5 WWE superstars whose careers could end a lot sooner than we think

#3. The Fiend to SmackDown

The Fiend Bray Wyatt
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The Fiend was officially drafted over to SmackDown following his interference in the opening match-up. He became SmackDown's second pick and the fourth overall pick - quite an impressive spot and a huge boost from three years ago.

He's now back on the brand where he thrived the most and FOX Executives have to be thrilled about the fact that they get one of the biggest stars in the company is a huge boost for them and their ratings.

While some may have anticipated it, it's still a bit surprising that Wyatt got a huge boost in his spot from a few years ago. One has to wonder why WWE decided to shift him to SmackDown and what awaits him on the blue brand.

Hopefully, it's a lot more success and not being in a dead-end storyline like he was with Seth Rollins. The assumption is that Rollins will be staying put on RAW because Roman Reigns is on SmackDown and RAW needs a top babyface. That match effectively concluded the Fiend-Rollins feud.

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#2. Kevin Owens being picked after Lacey Evans

Kevin Owens sits with the fans
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Kevin Owens was a 3rd round pick. He should have been higher in the eyes of many, but what came as a big surprise is the fact that he was picked after Lacey Evans. Alexa Bliss was first in Round 3 followed by Evans and then Owens and that's quite surprising in itself.

Owens is a bigger star. This isn't meant to be disrespectful to Evans as she's still a big prospect for the Women's Division and will be a champion someday. But right now, Kevin Owens has been the hot topic after beating Shane McMahon and sending him away in a move that was over 2 years in the making.

Given that Owens got the win and the push, a second-round draft would have been best suited to him. When you think about it, Randy Orton probably could have been in that 3rd round spot and nobody would have complained.

Sure, Orton is a legend and a multi-time World Champion, but he isn't necessarily the present or the future. Kevin Owens is and that #6 spot would have been perfect for him. Evans being ahead of him in that regard came as a bit of a surprise.

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#1. Bobby Lashley being so high up

Does Bobby Lashley deserve such a high pick?
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When talking about Kevin Owens being too low on the Draft Picks, here is another person whose spot he could have replaced - Bobby Lashley. The Dominator Lashley was the 5th pick of Round 2 and the 10th overall pick.

Lashley has been a long-time favorite of Vince McMahon but did he reserve that spot given where he is in his career right now? He's not exactly competing at a World Championship level, nor is he getting heavily pushed.

As of now, the only reason he's in the spotlight is because of the controversial storyline with Lana. Other than that, he hasn't done too much and the only significant part of his year was from January to April when he was the Intercontinental Champion a couple of times.

To be honest, Lashley feels quite undeserving of getting a second-round pick. Kevin Owens, Alexa Bliss, and The Revival were all superstars who would deserved a spot above his. Why WWE chose to put him that high up, we have no idea.

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Also read: 5 things WWE subtly told us on Draft Day 1: Huge push for #8 pick, WrestleMania 36 storyline potentially begins


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Edited by
Lennard Surrao
 
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