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This year's WWE Draft will roll out across two nights, starting with the upcoming edition of WWE SmackDown on FOX. It will culminate on the October 12th edition of RAW.
The Brand Invitational Rule has diluted the WWE Universe's excitement for this year's Draft to a certain extent. So Vince McMahon and co. must ensure some surprises for their fanbase in the upcoming edition of the Draft.
An exciting aspect of the WWE Draft is the inclusion of certain names that most people don't expect to be a part of the draft pool. This year's Draft should follow the same mantra to create a buzz over the next few days.
With that in mind, here are 10 surprising names that could be included in the 2020 WWE Draft pool.
#10 WWE RAW's Mercedes Martinez
As reported by WrestlingInc, Mercedes Martinez may no longer be involved with the RETRIBUTION faction on WWE RAW. Mustafa Ali, the leader of Retribution, posted five images that displayed the reasons why each member joined the anti-establishment faction. As seen below, Martinez wasn't featured in this collage.
Also, T-Bar only follows four people on Twitter, all of them being RETRIBUTION members. He doesn't follow Martinez, who hasn't changed her name on Twitter unlike other core members of the stable apart from Mustafa Ali.
Martinez was shifted from NXT to RAW because of her role in RETRIBUTION, and if she isn't going to be a part of the faction from this point onwards, Martinez might be included in the 2020 Draft Pool so that she can find a permanent brand for herself at the moment.
#9 WWE Free Agent Dabba-Kato
Dabba-Kato lost to Braun Strowman in his last appearance on RAW Underground. It seemed like Kato would receive a temporary push as a result of his feud with Braun Strowman. While the push may still be on the cards for him, Dabba-Kato could be included in the 2020 Draft Pool to further his career outside of appearing as a free agent on RAW Underground.
Dabba-Kato may crash Braun Strowman and Keith Lee's latest feud if he gets drafted to RAW as well.
#8 & #7 WWE SmackDown's Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston
Xavier Woods suffered an Achilles injury at a WWE live event in October last year. Woods is the co-host of Talking Smack right now, and he seems to be getting better and closing in on a return.
On WWE's The Bump, Woods represented SmackDown in their second annual mock draft. Woods interestingly chose himself and Kofi Kingston as the Blue brand's first picks over top champions like Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns.
Kofi Kingston suffered a kayfabe injury and the former WWE Champion took six weeks off to quarantine and spend time with his family. So he could very well be included in this year's Draft pool.
Wrestlevotes claimed that there was interesting idea surrounding The New Day that was turned down in the past. It stated that Kofi would be moving to RAW and Big E would stay on SmackDown. Both could still be a part of The New Day on different brands, with Xavier Woods appearing as a manager for both of them on RAW and SmackDown.
That idea could still be applied thanks to the 2020 Draft. Otherwise, Kofi and Woods could be drafted together as a tag team if the latter is healthy enough to wrestle in WWE.
#6 WWE NXT's Chelsea Green
Chelsea Green is a strong candidate who could appear as a surprising name in the 2020 WWE Draft Pool. In WWE NXT, she stopped being associated with the Robert Stone Brand back in May.
In late September, WWE filed a trademark for two Superstars, with one of the names being Chelsea Green. She recently tested positive for COVID-19, but Green has already recovered and she could very well represent NXT by being a part of this year's Draft Pool.
It's been a while since Chelsea Green was featured on WWE TV, and RAW or SmackDown's Women's Division could certainly benefit from Green's presence, who has been wrestling since 2014.
#5 WWE RAW's Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is a part of RAW's commentary team, but he could return to in-ring action in WWE soon. Joe's in-ring comeback is one of the most anticipated returns right now.
In August, MVP revealed that Samoa Joe will return to in-ring action, in an interview with Newsweek. The 2020 Draft could be a perfect way for the Samoan Submission Machine to claim back his spot as one of WWE's most dangerous heel Superstars.
#4 & #3 WWE NXT's Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano
According to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, some NXT stars might be called up to RAW and SmackDown, with Johnny Gargano and his wife Candice LeRae expected to switch brands in WWE.
Johnny Gargano faced Damian Priest for the North American Championship at WWE NXT Takeover 31, while Candice LeRae had an opportunity to win the NXT Women's Title from Io Shirai at the same event.
Both of them came up short at WWE NXT's latest pay-per-view. Their losses may not be a coincidence when Sports Illustrated's aforementioned report is taken under context. The NXT couple could be included in the 2020 Draft Pool, and they may end up on the same brand together.
Recently, WWE also posted a tweet where RAW, SmackDown, and NXT were mentioned for the upcoming draft. That tweet was deleted shortly after. So it's more likely now that NXT could take part as a legitimate third brand in this year's WWE Draft.
There are several opportunities for Gargano and LeRae on the main roster, even when it comes to left-field storylines like a mixed tag team match against The Fiend and Alexa Bliss on WWE SmackDown.
#2 WWE Free Agent Sonya Deville
Sonya Deville was last seen in a match against Mandy Rose in a "Loser Leaves WWE" match at SummerSlam. Deville lost to her on-screen rival and real-life best friend, and hasn't been seen on TV since.
There is no telling when she will return to WWE as she may want to take some time off after going through a scary kidnapping incident.
If Deville is ready to go, she may end up being included in the 2020 WWE Draft Pool. Sonya Deville could end up on RAW to renew her rivalry with Mandy Rose. She could be drafted to SmackDown to recapture her peak momentum on the Blue brand.
#1 WWE RAW's Charlotte Flair
The Queen of WWE hasn't been featured on RAW since June. In real-life, Charlotte Flair underwent a successful elective surgery back in July.
She recently provided an update through a post on her Instagram story, where Charlotte said she was ready to find her groove again after taking eight weeks off from the gym.
Charlotte Flair may have hinted at a WWE return, and she would certainly be one of the top picks in the 2020 Draft if her name gets included in the Draft Pool.
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