WWE SmackDown's Top 6 Draft Picks from 2019: Where are they now?

WWE recently confirmed that the Draft will return in two weeks on Friday, Oct. 9 on FOX. It will continue Monday, October 12 on USA Network.

While it's always fun to speculate about potential top picks from this year's WWE Draft, this particular article will be taking a look at what happened to the Superstars who were drafted as the top picks from the 2019 edition of the WWE draft, as well as their current status in WWE.

Just like this year, the 2019 Draft was split across two nights. Keep in mind that the Blue brand had one less pick than the Red brand in every round since SmackDown is an hour shorter than RAW each week.

Let's take a look at what SmackDown's Top Six Draft Picks from 2019 are doing right now, in 2020.

#6: Daniel Bryan (Retained by WWE SmackDown)

Number #3 SmackDown pick on Night 2; RAW - October 14, 2019.
Number #7 overall draft pick for that night.
Drafted in Round 2.

After the 2019 Draft, what viewers remember the most from "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan's well-executed rivalry is how the latter star adopted a 'cleaner' look and considerably changed his character moving forward in WWE.

Bryan was also involved in the Intercontinental Championship feud against Sami Zayn around WrestleMania season, and more recently, Bryan has adopted the role of a mentor to Drew Gulak.

Daniel's latest match was during a WWE SmackDown episode back in June, where he took part in a splendid clash against AJ Styles in the final round of the Intercontinental Title tournament. Bryan, unfortunately, lost that bout, but he certainly lived up to the hype after being drafted as one of SmackDown's top picks last year.

Bryan hasn't played a significant role on SmackDown since then, but in September, it was reported that he joined WWE's creative team. Bryan will possibly return to competition once the pandemic slows down and the risk to his health has reduced.

#5: Sasha Banks (Drafted from WWE RAW to SmackDown)

Number #3 SmackDown pick on Night 1; SmackDown - October 11, 2019.
Number #7 overall draft pick for that night.
Drafted in Round 2.

After being drafted to WWE SmackDown in 2019, The Legit Boss is mostly renowned for her long-term arc with the current SmackDown Women's Champion, Bayley.

Both women have been intertwined with each other since their early days as part of the Four Horsewomen. More recently, The Golden Role Models singlehandedly carried WWE SmackDown for an extensive period after WrestleMania 36.

The pandemic era has resulted in several Championship matches and victories for both women, especially Sasha Banks, who along with her former best friend, became Double Champions during this period.

Sasha eventually lost both of her Championships, and Bayley turned on her during an episode of WWE SmackDown in September 2020.

Sasha Banks vs Bayley is the premier feud for the SmackDown Women's Championship right now. WWE fans have waited far too long for this moment since both women were responsible for facing each other in one of the greatest WWE NXT matches of all time.

Aside from her WWE duties, Sasha Banks became a newsworthy figure in recent memory by confirming her role in Season 2 of Disney+'s hit show, "The Mandalorian".

#4: The New Day {Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods} (Retained by WWE SmackDown)

Kofi Kingston (left), Big E (center), and Xavier Woods (right)

Number #2 SmackDown pick on Night 2; RAW - October 14, 2019.
Number #4 overall draft pick for that night.
Drafted in Round 1.

Just before the 2019 draft, Kofi Kingston lost the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar during SmackDown's 20th Anniversary on October 4.

Later in the same month, Xavier Woods was rendered inactive due to a legitimate Achilles injury he suffered at a live event. Woods remains sidelined as a professional wrestler to this day.

However, The New Day still managed to stay relevant in the SmackDown Tag Team Titles scenario after the 2019 draft. Kofi and Big E wrestled as a solid tag team until The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules this year, where Kofi suffered a back injury.

But this also opened up an opportunity for Big E to embark on a well-deserved solo run in WWE. Fans have wanted to see him challenge the top Champion on either brand for years now, and Big E remains one of several candidates on SmackDown who could challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship sooner than later.

At the same time, Big E is involved in a heated feud with Sheamus right now.

#3: "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (Drafted from WWE RAW to SmackDown)

Number #2 SmackDown pick on Night 1; SmackDown - October 11, 2019.
Number #4 overall draft pick for that night.
Drafted in Round 1.

After the 2019 edition of the WWE Draft, Bray Wyatt got involved in feuds with Superstars like Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Goldberg, John Cena, and Braun Strowman.

Wyatt's new persona has ensured that his storylines rarely falter in terms of storytelling, with the match against Goldberg being an exception.

'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt vs John Cena was deemed one of the most creative WWE encounters of all time. That was followed by a lengthy feud with Braun Strowman, which split the WWE Universe to its core.

The Fiend managed to overcome Braun Strowman at WWE SummerSlam, but his Universal Title reign was cut short thanks to the return of Roman Reigns.

Currently, The Fiend is involved in a highly engaging program with Alexa Bliss. Bliss and Fiend's storyline may inadvertently lead to what should be a blockbuster match between Bray Wyatt's evil alter-ego and Roman Reigns.

Just because of his wild imagination, Bray Wyatt is a valuable asset to any wrestling promotion in the world, which is why he has been a beneficial pick for WWE SmackDown from last year's draft.

#2: Brock Lesnar (Drafted from WWE RAW to SmackDown)

Brock Lesnar (left) and Paul Heyman (right)

Number #1 SmackDown pick on Night 2; RAW - October 14, 2019.
Number #2 overall draft pick for that night.
Drafted in Round 1.

After defeating Kofi Kingston for the WWE Title, Brock Lesnar was involved in a feud with Cain Velasquez, where The Beast Incarnate defeated his old UFC rival under five minutes at WWE Crown Jewel.

As for his tenure in SmackDown, Lesnar quit the Blue brand in November 2019 to go after Rey Mysterio on WWE RAW. Lesnar and Mysterio had an entertaining feud which also marked one of Dominik Mysterio's latest appearances before his involvement in The Mysterio Family's feud against Seth Rollins.

As for Brock Lesnar, his next big challenger arrived in the form of Drew McIntyre during the 2020 Royal Rumble Match.

At WrestleMania 36, Brock Lesnar's fifth WWE Title reign came to an end, thanks to Drew McIntyre. It was reported in August that Brock Lesnar was no longer under a WWE contract anymore.

The Beast Incarnate could entertain offers from various MMA or pro wrestling promotions, but it's likely that he is sitting out the COVID wave and will return to RAW or SmackDown when it becomes reasonable for live fans to attend WWE shows in full capacity.

#1: Roman Reigns (Retained by WWE SmackDown)

Roman Reigns (left) and Paul Heyman (right)

Number #1 SmackDown pick on Night 1; SmackDown - October 11, 2019.
Number #2 overall draft pick for that night.
Drafted in Round 1.

Despite being retained by WWE SmackDown as the Blue brand's top pick during Night 1 of the 2019 Draft, Roman Reigns was stuck in an overextended feud with King Corbin till February 2020.

For Reigns, one notable accomplishment in the latter half of 2019 included successfully leading Team SmackDown to win against NXT and RAW in a traditional tag team elimination match at Survivor Series.

The Big Dog was slated to win the Universal Championship against Goldberg at WrestleMania 36, but the pandemic forced Roman Reigns to take an extended leave from WWE programming.

It was only during this year's SummerSlam event where Reigns returned as The Tribal Chief and unleashed a new attitude in WWE. He surprisingly aligned himself with Paul Heyman and won the Universal Title at WWE Payback.

More recently, Roman Reigns turned on his own cousin, Jey Uso, in an intense feud that led to a one-on-one match between them at Clash of Champions. Reigns brutalized his cousin to establish his dominance as The Tribal Chief of the Anoa'i family.

Character-wise, Reigns has excelled in WWE since his return, and it is very likely that his Universal Championship reign will extend beyond 2020 at this point.