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The WWE Draft has always been very exciting for both fans and Superstars. WWE moves its Superstars around to different brands regularly, allowing them to keep the product fresh. It also gives the company the chance to build some first-time rivalries and call up some talent from WWE NXT.
The WWE Draft started in 2002, but it didn't become an annual event until 2004-2011. After WWE hadn't held one in four years, the WWE Draft returned in 2016 and NXT became a part of the event for the first time. The black and gold brand has been providedRAW and SmackDown with some of the best wrestlers ever since.
The WWE Draft allows the most amount of Superstars to move between brands, and the company made this an annual event to ensure that fans stay interested.
Over the past five years, the WWE Draft has had a major impact on RAW, SmackDown, and NXT as several WWE Superstars have gotten into rivalries for the top titles soon after switching brands. This shows that moving Superstars around is a good idea, and many have seen their fortunes change following the draft.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the 10 WWE Superstars who’ve benefitted from the WWE Draft since 2010.
#10. Heath Slater got a push after the 2016 WWE Draft
Throughout his WWE tenure, Heath Slater remained a part of various tag teams and factions. Slater was a part of The Nexus, 3MB, The Social Outcasts, and Slater-Gator among other teams until 2016.
During the 2016 WWE Draft, Curtis Axel, Adam Rose, and Bo Dallas were drafted while Slater was the only Superstar from their faction, and the only active Superstar in WWE, who wasn't drafted.
After cutting a heartfelt promo, Slater faced other wrestlers for weeks to win a contract, but he was defeated. His “I got kids” gimmick got over with the fans who started chanting “We want Slater” at events he didn't appear on.
Slater eventually signed with WWE SmackDown and formed an unlikely partnership with Rhyno on the blue brand. The two men emerged victorious in the finals of a tag team tournament at Backlash, defeating The Usos to become the inaugural WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
The two men held the title for almost three months, and it became one of Slater’s best runs with WWE.
#9. Kofi Kingston became the Intercontinental Champion after the 2010 WWE Draft
Kofi Kingston has been one of WWE’s most successful tag team wrestlers over the past five years or so thanks to his work with The New Day. He also won the WWE Championship last year which allowed him to write his name in the history books and show the world that he’s a great singles wrestler, as well.
Kingston has been with WWE for 14 years now and he has accomplished a lot of over the years. In 2010, Kofi was drafted to SmackDown where he looked to make an impact early on. He defeated Chris Jericho in his first match on the blue brand and then went on to become the Intercontinental Championship after he won a tournament for the title.
While Kingston was stripped of the title moments later as Drew McIntyre returned to reclaim his title, he defeated McIntyre at Over the Limit to win the title once again.
Kingston lost his title to Dolph Ziggler after a couple of months, but he regained it to become a three-time Intercontinental Champion.
Kingston’s move to SmackDown during the 2010 WWE Draft proved to be very beneficial for the WWE Superstar.
#8. The Street Profits brought the smoke to WWE RAW following the 2019 WWE Draft
The Street Profits started appearing on WWE RAW while they were still the NXT Tag Team Champions. Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford appealed to a younger crowd with their shenanigans, and WWE decided to use the team wisely.
WWE RAW drafted the two men during the 2019 WWE Draft and became a big part of the red brand. Not only did they become useful in the ring, but RAW used them on the commentary desk and backstage, as well.
The Street Profits got a push on RAW and associated with Kevin Owens for some time. In March 2019, Dawkins and Ford defeated Seth Rollins and Murphy to become the RAW Tag Team Champions for the first time.
The duo is currently holding the titles, which they have successfully defended for 220 days. This has allowed them to become the longest-reigning RAW Tag Team Champions since The New Day's record-setting reign.
The Street Profits have benefited a lot from moving from NXT to RAW. One can safely say that they are the most successful Superstars who have moved from NXT to RAW during the 2019 WWE Draft.
#7. Kevin Owens won his first world title after the 2016 WWE Draft
Kevin Owens was drafted to WWE RAW during the 2016 WWE Draft. The former NXT Champion already had some stellar rivalries on the main roster, and he was a major heel in the company.
After making his way to WWE RAW, Owens started climbing the ladder pretty quickly. Owens teamed up with Chris Jericho to defeat the team of Enzo Amore and Big Cass at WWE SummerSlam 2016. The following night, he defeated Neville to qualify for the fatal four-way elimination match for the Universal Championship the following week.
On the Aug. 29, 2016 episode of WWE RAW, KO defeated Roman Reigns, Big Cass, and Seth Rollins to become the second Universal Champion, his first world title with WWE.
During KO's 188-days reign, he had some good rivalries and memorable storylines. His move to RAW and Universal Championship victory made him one of the big guns of WWE following 2016.
Owens is currently a part of RAW where he is part of feuds involving Aleister Black and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt.
#6. Alberto Del Rio became the first Mexican-born WWE Champion following the 2011 WWE Draft
RAW drafted Alberto Del Rio from SmackDown during the 2011 WWE Draft. Del Rio had been a part of SmackDown since 2010, and he competed for Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) prior to that.
Del Rio took on Christian in a ladder match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules following the draft but he lost the match. He got into a rivalry with the Big Show soon after, which continued for several weeks.
Del Rio went on to win the RAW Money in the Bank ladder match for a future WWE Championship opportunity, which made his move to RAW beneficial for him. That’s not all, as he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract at SummerSlam 2011 to defeat CM Punk after his match against John Cena to become the first Mexican-born WWE Champion in WWE history.
Del Rio’s move to RAW allowed him to win his first major title in the company and helped him develop into a major heel. He held the title for a little over a month before he lost it to John Cena. However, he won the title back from Cena a couple of weeks later .
#5. ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt took the Universal Champion to SmackDown following the 2019 WWE Draft
WWE shelved Bray Wyatt for an extended period of time in July 2018 and he returned to the WWE Network in April 2019. In July of the same year, The Fiend attacked Finn Balor on an episode of WWE RAW, leading to a match at SummerSlam 2019.
At the event, The Fiend defeated Balor to pick up his first victory as his new character. Balor moved to WWE NXT soon after while Wyatt progressed to the WWE Universal Championship picture.
He hounded Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship and moved to SmackDown during the 2019 WWE Draft. However, he defeated RAW’s Rollins at WWE Crown Jewel in a Falls Count Anywhere Match to become the Universal Champion and took the title with him to the blue brand.
Wyatt has been a major part of SmackDown ever since. Even though he lost the title soon after, he regained it at SummerSlam only to lose it to Roman Reigns.
Wyatt has had two runs with the Universal Championship following his move at the 2019 WWE Draft and he is still one of the biggest Superstars in WWE.
#4. Becky Lynch moved to SmackDown during the 2016 WWE Draft
Just like many other Superstars on this list, the 2016 WWE Draft proved to be beneficial for Becky Lynch. Lynch had already been performing on the main roster for some time after a good run in WWE NXT and she was looking to rise up the ranks.
The Irish Lass Kicker was the first woman drafted to SmackDown during the 2016 WWE Draft. She went on to defeat Natalya in her first match as part of the blue brand.
Although she was unsuccessful at SummerSlam, she struck gold during the following pay-per-view event. At Backlash, Lynch defeated five other women in a Six-Pack Elimination Match to become the first-ever WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion.
This marked the first title victory for The Irish Lass in the company who managed to write her name in history books for the first time.
The 2016 WWE Draft proved to be instrumental in helping Lynch become a major player in WWE as she led the SmackDown women's roster. She is now one of the most influential people in the wrestling industry today.
#3. Finn Balor aimed for the stars following the 2016 WWE Draft
Finn Balor’s arrival on WWE NXT was a huge deal back in 2014. After the Superstar conquered the brand and became the longest-reigning WWE NXT Champion on the black and gold brand.
After dropping the title in 2016, Balor joined WWE RAW during the 2016 WWE Draft. The move proved to be lucky for Balor as he competed in his first match against Rusev, Cesaro, and Kevin Owens to earn his right to compete for the WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam.
He ended up winning the match and then went on to defeat Roman Reigns to make it to the Universal Championship match at SummerSlam 2016. Even though Balor sustained a terrible injury during the match, he went on to become the inaugural Universal Champion.
Balor was forced to relinquish his title due to injury a night later, but his move in the WWE Draft granted him the opportunity to write his name in the history books as the first-ever WWE Universal Champion.
Balor is now back on WWE NXT where he is currently enjoying his second reign as NXT Champion.
#2. AJ Styles benefitted from the 2016 WWE Draft
It seems like the 2016 WWE Draft was beneficial for several Superstars. AJ Styles was one of the company’s biggest signings of the decade when he joined WWE in 2016. He soon formed The Club with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
During the 2016 WWE Draft, Styles moved to WWE SmackDown while Gallows and Anderson were drafted to WWE RAW. This allowed Styles to embark on a major solo run in the company.
Later, Styles defeated John Cena at SummerSlam2016 and challenged Dean Ambrose for his WWE Championship at Backlash. At the event, The Phenomenal One defeated Ambrose to win his first major title with WWE.
His reign as the WWE Champion lasted for 140 days before he lost the title to Cena. Styles is still one of the most influential and successful men in the company and he has been the most successful while performing on the SmackDown.
He is currently on the blue brand where he was a part of a feud for the Intercontinental Championship with Jeff Hardy and Sami Zayn.
#1. Drew McIntyre got the WWE Universe behind him following the 2018 WWE Draft
Drew McIntyre is currently at the top of WWE, but that wasn't always the case for the current WWE Champion. McIntyre is currently enjoying his second run with WWE as his first tenure wasn’t as successful as many expected it to be.
However, The Scottish Psychopath made his way back into WWE and became a major player on NXT. His refined physique and character helped him get noticed, and he became the NXT Champion soon after.
During the 2018 WWE Draft, McIntyre moved to RAW. Alongside Dolph Ziggler, McIntyre went on a great heel run where his popularity grew.
After helping Ziggler win the Intercontinental Championship and retain it on a few occasions, he and McIntyre won the RAW Tag Team Championship.
While their reign didn't last long, his character got a lot more attention which helped him rise to the World Championship picture a year later. At WrestleMania 36, McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar to become the WWE Champion.
