Grading the divisions of SmackDown following 2021 WWE Draft

#2. How does the SmackDown men's division shape up after the 2021 WWE Draft?

SmackDown's men's division: Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns, Jeff Hardy, Madcap Moss/Happy Corbin, Drew Gulak, Mace, Rick Boogs, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sheamus, Mansoor, Mustafa Ali, Shanky, Sami Zayn, Ricochet, Ridge Holland, Jinder Mahal, Swerve, Cesaro

The men's division on SmackDown breaks down around the Intercontinental and the Universal Championships. Shinsuke Nakamura is the current Intercontinental Champion.

Much like his first reign, however, he hasn't been booked as a fighting champion. He's defended it once since winning it on August 13th.

The likes of Happy Corbin, Sheamus, Cesaro, Jinder Mahal, Sami Zayn, and Ricochet comprise the meat of the second tier on SmackDown's. Most of those names will vie for the IC title while also testing out the newer stars.

Adding Hit Row to Friday nights gives SmackDown four stars. Swerve is the most polished of the group and could easily be IC Champ before WrestleMania. He's a good addition to the mid-card tier.

Mustafa Ali and Mansoor could be part of the tag team division or compete as singles stars. Ali has proven that he's a great in-ring talent, but he's primarily used to make others look good.

Hardy, Sheamus, Mahal, Zayn, Cesaro, and Happy Corbin could move up to challenge for the Universal Championship. None, however, are viable threats to dethrone Roman Reigns. Cesaro could have been, but management has never considered him to be a top star.

Ridge Holland, Mace, and Swerve could move up if booked favorably. Other than that, it seems like the card under the main event will feature a lot of veterans (Hardy, Sheamus, Zayn, Corbin).

The veterans will be mixed in with a lot of exciting high-flyers (Ali, Ricochet, Carrillo). WWE, however, usually doesn't book those stars at the top.

There are some exciting performers and beloved stars, but few seem like threats to the Tribal Chief. The undercard is where challengers for Reigns will eventually come from.

Brock Lesnar is a free agent but is being featured on SmackDown. How long he feuds with the Tribal Chief could hurt the progression on Friday nights. Roman has already had a title run of over a year. If Lesnar wins, it will make it seem like 2018 and 2019.