7 ways the WWE can learn from the NFL Draft

So what did everyone think of the draft? Good? Great? Waste of time? For me, it fell somewhere between "decent" and "it could have been so much better." The WWE tried to adapt the NFL Draft style this year and for good reason.

Every year football fans flock to sports bars and draft parties, or go to the host city, to see Roger Goodell read of a list of names. Think about that. Millions of fans glued to a TV screen watching a clock tick down repeatedly in anticipation of hearing their favorite team add a top college player to its roster.

Somehow though, the NFL has turned the Draft into a must-see event. Across the NFL Network, ESPN, ABC, and digital channels the 2019 NFL Draft drew an average of 6.1 million viewers.

The WWE Draft will probably never draw those numbers. However, I think the company can create a heavily watched event during a time of year when the competition is high.

It really seems like the company is going for that "real sports" feel with SmackDown's move to Fox.

The evidence is there with the inclusion of NFL analysts and insiders on broadcasts. Heavyweight Boxing Champ Tyson Fury has a match coming up with Braun Strowman, and Cain Velasquez was brought in to re-do a nearly decade-old UFC bout with Brock Lesnar.

We also saw elements of the NFL model in this year's WWE Draft. The analyst desk of Renee Young, Booker T, and Samoa Joe was a big success in my opinion. Joe is always great on the mic and it was the perfect way to incorporate him while he's injured.

I loved the USA and Fox Executive "War Rooms". Maybe it did come off a little cheesy at times, but seeing Cleatus the Robot involved in the Fox selection process is just the kind of corny I want in my wrestling content.

Stephanie McMahon acted as the Roger Goodell and announced all of the picks. It was here that the Draft fell flat to me. Having Stephanie announce 5 picks, followed by a graphic of each Superstar made it feel rushed. It made the Draft feel secondary to everything else that was going on each night.

While the Draft's real purpose this year was to mercifully bring an end to the Wild Card Rule, a fair amount of marquee names did switch sides. Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Braun Strowman, Randy Orton, Andrade, Aleister Black, and Kevin Owens all have different homes.

This Draft was desperately needed to solidify the rosters. I was one of many who lost track of which shows each wrestler was on during the Wild Card era.

The Draft is a very valuable tool that can be used to revitalize and refresh a stale product, but I think it can be so much more.

I truly believe the WWE Draft could be a special event in 2020 and beyond. It can be something fans really look forward to each year. To do that, the company needs to look to the NFL for more inspiration.

#1 Promote the Draft early using your own analysts

One thing the NFL really does well with the Draft is to promote and market the event. The second the 2019 NFL Draft came to a close Todd McShay starting working on his 2020 mocks for ESPN.

WWE should follow suit (kind of). Once SummerSlam is over, all eyes should turn toward the Draft. Renee Young and Booker T should announce the Draft pools. They should break down who's ineligible due to injury or other circumstances. They could explain the free-agent process so fans know all of the rules ahead of time.

I saw so many people on social media losing their minds because Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins we're being skipped over on Friday. People had no idea the Draft pools even existed. WWE Backstage could help fans get on the same page. Promoting the rules weeks ahead of time on RAW or SmackDown wouldn't hurt either.

As the analyst on Backstage, Booker T should also release a weekly mock draft. Other networks like ESPN could have their people do them as well. Oh, and I mean their wrestling writers. Tim Fiorvanti and Sean Coyle should do them, not Todd McShay and Mel Kiper.

As a matter of fact, can we stop forcing Fox's NFL people to talk about wrestling? I get why they are doing it. Cross-promotion is key for networks. However, if these guys haven't watched since the days of Bruno Sammartino and Hulk Hogan, it might not be the best way to promote the current product.

#2 Make the picks feel more important

Kevin Owens was picked in the third round

WWE missed the boat this year in the way it announced the picks. Doing 5 selections at once is not the way to go. Becky Lynch going number 1 overall is a big deal. It should have felt like a big deal. It did not.

Think back to when Johnny Manziel was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2014. It wasn't glossed over. He came out on stage, gave the now infamous double money sign, got his hat and hugged the commissioner. It was an iconic moment for the NFL Draft which turned into great in-game content. Don't believe me? Go back and look at the tape from every time Manziel was sacked. What did the defensive player do? That's right, flashed the double money sign.

The second Stephanie announced Becky's name her music should have hit. She could have come out on stage, been given a RAW shirt, shook hands with Steph, had photos taken, the whole nine yards. The Man could have cut a promo as the crowd would have eaten that up.

Instead of shoehorning 20 picks into two hours, focus on the top 10, or top 15 for a three hour RAW. The Draft could then continue online after each show goes off the air. That's when the less important picks can be made.

As a sidebar, I would like to see the running ticker that shows the selection order at the bottom of my screen throughout each show. Kudos to WWE for adding it sporadically on Monday night.

Also, give us the running clock. Each brand could have 10 minutes to make their choice. That would leave plenty of time for commercial breaks and matches in between picks.

When a selection is made, give that person their moment to shine.

Also, how about we create some controversy? Kevin Owens was ticked off that he went in Round 3. That should be shown on the show, instead of having him tweet it after the fact. Show him backstage fuming with every pick. Maybe he trashes the green room. Maybe he beats someone up who got selected in front of him. Would babyface Kevin do that? Maybe not, but you get my point.

Imagine if KO was able to come out and cut a promo after falling to Round 3. A ticked off Kevin Owens with a live mic is absolute money.

#3 Trades

Remember when Eli Manning had that Hall of Fame career with the San Diego Chargers? No, of course not. He didn't want to go to San Diego. So even though the Chargers took him first overall, he was traded to the New York Giants.

Now imagine someone like Baron Corbin gets drafted to RAW, but he wants to stay on SmackDown. I'd have him storm the war room and start attacking executives and demanding that he be traded back to Friday nights.

Baron Corbin giving a USA executive an End of Days through the Draft room table would be highly entertaining and would generate some great storylines moving forward.

This would also be a great spot to use your analysts. Have Renee Young break in with reports that the networks are working on a trade. Get Booker on social media stirring up the rumor mill.

We got a taste of this at the analyst desk when Booker said there were some rumors of a blockbuster trade happening soon.

We'll see if that comes to fruition.

#4 Bring in legends to help make the Draft feel more special

When in doubt, trot them out. Any other time the WWE has no problem bringing the legends back to help sell an event. Why not have Stone Cold or the Undertaker come out and announce a Draft pick? Taker could even announce the pick. That pick could start a storyline and then boom! The seeds have been planted for the next Crown Jewel match.

This is also something the NFL does. Typically in Round two a team legend will come on stage and announce the selection. This would also help break it up so it's not Steph coming out every time to do it.

Something else that I think would be cool, would be to have a Superstar introduce one of the Connor's Cure kids to come out and announce a selection. That could be a really awesome moment for that youngster.

Other ways to get legends involved? They could join Renee and Booker at the analyst desk. On his Sirius XM show, the WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray suggested having wrestling vets in the war rooms to help the executives make their selections.

I for one, love the idea of having the APA set up a poker table in the middle of the room and fill the place with cigar smoke while they nonchalantly offer their recommendations.

I will admit that the Mad Money guy did do pretty well with his spot on Raw.

#5 Add a third night for NXT

Good things come in threes. The NFL Draft runs three days. WWE has three brands. Let's get NXT involved.

One of the best things about past Drafts, in my opinion, was the NXT call-ups and the excitement of new talent coming to the main roster. We didn't see much of that this time around.

The Street Profits were really the only call ups, but they've been appearing on RAW for weeks now.

NXT's position in the company is still unclear now that the show has moved to the USA network. Is it still considered the 'minor leagues'? Or is it now just the third brand?

I say treat it as a special commodity. It's not the minor leagues anymore, but it would also be hard for USA executives to draft for both NXT and Raw.

I propose opening NXT stars up for being drafted to RAW and SmackDown, but cap it at five to keep the brand from being cleaned out.

Then once the dust settles from the first two nights. Fox and USA could set up a protection pool. They would each choose the 5-10 Superstars they want to keep at all costs. Triple-H could then draft 5 Superstars from all those that went unprotected to replace the stars NXT lost.

I think that would have been a great way to get Finn Balor back at Full Sail University.

#6 Realistic Drafting

My feelings on this have gone back and forth several times over the last few days.

I was baffled at the idea of Cesaro going undrafted. Not only did he not get taken on SmackDown, but he was snubbed in the after-show round — the round where Eric Young and EC3 were selected.

Now I realize chances are that he'll end up on NXT or NXT UK (another way adding NXT to the draft would be beneficial), but there is no rational explanation as to why USA and Fox would pass on the former US Champion.

Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura and his mouthpiece Sami Zayn lasted until round 3? Why? How is the Intercontinental title not valuable enough to be taken earlier?

Samoa Joe (even with his injury), Rey Mysterio, King Corbin, and The Miz all dropped way too far as well.

Then again good players slide all the time in the NFL Draft. Bad picks, or at least head-scratching ones, are made by teams every year.

So, in reality, USA and Fox making the perfect pick every time is not remotely realistic. There should be snubs, there should be reaches, there should be shocking selections.

However, if a guy like Cesaro falls completely off the board I would like an explanation.

Maybe the WWE should have post-Draft press conferences like NFL teams do? I actually really like that idea. At the very least Paul Heyman, Eric Bischoff, and Triple H could hold conference calls so that questions could be asked.

#7 Adopt the NFL model and make it better

So let's recap. Promote and analyze the Draft using wrestling experts. Add a running clock and info ticker on the bottom of the screen. Give wrestlers a chance to soak in the moment and showcase their emotions about where they were selected. Bring in the legends to help sell it. Trade Superstars during the show and add NXT to the party.

Once the WWE has made these changes it's time to do what the NFL cannot. Immediate action.

Fans have to wait for months to see their team's new players in action. Or years, depending on luck and how well your team drafts.

In WWE, you could have the top two picks for each brand square off against one another in the main event. If a rival brand tries to steal a championship, the titleholder should have to defend it against another draftee before they can take the belt with them to the other show.

A Draft pick could be attacked on stage by a rival who believes they should have gone before them. The possibilities are endless.

The point is to have the action in the ring and around the arena be fueled by the draft.

RAW did a much better job of accomplishing that than SmackDown did this week. Friday night we saw what seems like the 900th Corbin/Gable match and a random 6 man tag match.

The backstage brawl between The OC and The Street Profits on RAW is exactly how it should be done.

Most of the night, if not the whole night, should be focused on the Draft and the subsequent action used to push new stories forward.

That said, Bayley's heel turn and the Viking Raiders' title win were awesome.

Oh yeah, one final thought. Don't accidentally leak the order of the Draft selections next year. Just saying.

What do you think? Would you like to see the WWE go full NFL with its Draft?

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