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The 2020 edition of the WWE Draft is due to start in a few hours on SmackDown tonight. It will conclude on the WWE RAW episode the following Monday.
There are already rumors about some big stars on both the rosters. Could Randy Orton be setting his eyes next on the SmackDown roster after winning the WWE Championship from Drew McIntyre at Hell in a Cell? Maybe Sasha Banks will make her way to the red brand to win back her RAW Women’s title from Asuka.
But, amid all the speculations about the bigger names, there are possibly several Superstars getting overlooked. One can always expect WWE to go with a couple picks or more for the upcoming WWE Draft, which may not seem big at first but could end up changing the current wrestling scene in WWE.
Here are five such underrated Superstars who might become big picks at WWE Draft 2020.
#5 Shorty G
The ring name ‘Shorty G’ does not really do justice to the athleticism and technical skills of Chad Gable. A former Olympian, Gable made his in-ring debut on NXT and had a great run on the black-and-gold brand. He formed the tag team American Alpha with Jason Jordan and went on to win the NXT Tag Team Championship together. The team was drafted to SmackDown in 2016 and held the Championship there as well before losing it to The Usos.
Gable went solo when American Alpha disbanded after Jordan was moved to RAW. He next teamed up with Shelton Benjamin on SmackDown and later with Robert Roode after being drafted to RAW. He came back to the Blue brand in 2019 and defeated King Corbin at a Hell in a Cell match – the same one where he was referred to as Shorty Gable by the announcer upon Corbin’s request to make fun of his height. He later shortened it to his new ring name Shorty G.
Gable has been around for quite some time as a singles star now, but getting little signs of push which do not materialize into something big. Last we saw he had aligned himself with King Corbin by attacking Matt Riddle. But he might very well be a late-round pick for the upcoming Draft. With the right booking, he can turn out to be a valuable mid-card Champion on the Red brand.
#4 Erik (of the Viking Raiders)
Erik, one half of the tag team The Viking Raiders, can easily be one of the underrated picks of the WWE Draft. He and his partner Ivar has been together for a long time now. Erik and Ivar, then known as Rowe and Hanson, teamed up to form War Machine on Ring of Honor back in 2014. They made their way to WWE NXT in 2018 after a stint of 3 years in Japan.
On the main roster, now renamed as The Viking Raiders, the team captured the WWE RAW Tag Team Championship, defeating the team of Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. Holding it for 98 days, they dropped it to Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy in January, 2020.
In the recent eight-man tag team match against The Hurt Business, the Viking Raiders teamed up with Apollo Crews and Ricochet. The match was forced to an abrupt ending as Ivar suffered a legitimate injury while trying to do a suicide dive – a move he had done many times before. He immediately threw up the ‘X’ with his arms signing for medical emergency, which turned out to be a cervical injury. He underwent a successful surgery, but backstage rumors say that it might be even a year before he can return to the WWE ring.
With his partner gone, Erik is underrated at the moment. He himself took some time to undergo a pending surgery of his own. But, he could easily be a big pick of the draft and grow to be one of the standout singles stars over the next year.
#3 Billie Kay
After five glorious years, The IIconics were disbanded in August this year after the duo of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce lost a match to The Riott Squad’s Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan. The stipulation of the match required the losing team to break up, while the winners would get a shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Team title held by Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.
It has been talked about a lot in the last couple of months how Peyton Royce has impressed both officials and Superstars backstage- as well as, and more importantly, Vince McMahon. The Chairman now wants to push Royce and she is likely going to be a Champion next year. But her former partner Billie Kay has star potential as well. The IIconics have parted ways on friendly terms, with the two of them hugging it out after their match on WWE RAW post break-up.
The WWE Draft would be a good way for Billie Kay to go her own separate way, and would be a great addition to the WWE SmackDown roster. Although some might argue that she is not at Royce’s level in the ring, she has got the charisma and great comedic timing to make it big as a singles star.
#2 Aleister Black
Following the WWE Money in the Bank ladder match earlier this year, Aleister Black began a feud with Seth Rollins and Murphy after the Monday Night Messiah “gouged out” Rey Mysterio’s eyes. In the end, though, Rollins and Murphy injured Black’s right eye in the same manner by forcing it through the edge of the steel steps beside the ring.
Black returned to television a month later, appearing on The Kevin Owens Show on WWE RAW, now wearing a black eye bandage. Looking grimmer than ever before, Black turned heel for the first time in his WWE career when he unexpectedly attacked the former Universal champion . He started a feud with Owens, attacking him once again with his Black Mass the following week, right before Owens was stepping into the ring for a match against Randy Orton. Owens went on to defeat Black a couple of times since.
Drafted to WWE SmackDown, Black can do an impressive job of establishing his new intimidating heel persona on the Blue brand.
#1 Ricochet
Ricochet is known for being one of the most athletic Superstars currently signed to WWE. When he first arrived in the company his incredible run in the black-and-gold brand of WWE NXT saw his stock skyrocket for the few fans of NXT who were not acquainted with him. He won the North American Championship in WWE NXT and was one of the top stars on their roster.
However, when he came to the main roster, his success on WWE NXT would not be replicated. Bogged down by booking decisions and seemingly not really allowed to let loose in his usual manner, his main roster run has not been the best for Ricochet. The One and Only is currently almost an afterthought in a feud against The Hurt Business. Given his massive ability, being drafted from WWE RAW to SmackDown might give his career just the boost that it needs to take off in the best way possible.
SmackDown is known as the Land of Opportunities, and if in this WWE Draft Ricochet can make it to the Blue brand, he might get the push that the fans have been wanting for him since his arrival to the main roster.
