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This week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX will mark the reintroduction of the WWE Draft and the termination of the Wildcard Rule. As per the concept, every Superstar on the main roster is eligible to be drafted to either of the brands, RAW or SmackDown. Although WWE has been shuffling the wrestlers on the Red and Blue brands every year as part of the Superstar Shakeup, this year's Draft is set to provide them with a permanent spot in one of the shows.
WWE brought in the Draft in 2002 following the inclusion of WCW. Since then, the promotion hasn't used it as a yearly concept, but whenever they have done, it has been nothing short of a spectacle. The last proper WWE Draft took place in 2016 when SmackDown regained importance as the second brand with Shane McMahon as the Commissioner and Daniel Bryan as the General Manager.
However, the scenario is entirely different this year with RAW on USA Network and SmackDown on FOX are not only fighting for brand supremacy but network supremacy as well. No WWE authority figures will be making the draft picks as that work will be done by the officials representing the Networks. As RAW is a three-hour show compared to the two-hour SmackDown, for every two picks of the Blue brand, RAW will get to choose three Superstars.
Over the years, we have seen how the Draft can change the entire complexion of WWE. From Brock Lesnar taking the WWE World Championship to SmackDown during the first-ever Draft or John Cena shifting from one brand to another during the 2011 edition, anything can be expected when the Draft is on.
Hence all the 71 Superstars involved in this year's WWE Draft are excited regarding the brand they will end up on and they have been pretty vocal to hype up the upcoming event. Here we showcase some of the best Superstars' reactions from Twitter for the WWE Draft 2019.
