Coming out of the first night of the 2024 WWE Draft, the biggest point of criticism from fans was the paucity of changes. From main event acts to the mid-card, the roster remained mostly stable from a handful of lower key changes.
WWE has used drafts to make major changes in the past, though, including main event talents totally shaking up the landscape both for arriving on a new show and departing from the other. Looking back, there were specific picks that truly changed the game for WWE.
Triple H (2008)
In 2004, WWE teased Triple H switching brands when he was drafted from Raw to SmackDown, but by the time Draft proceedings were over, he was back where he’d started. However, in 2008, they really did pull the trigger on moving one of the stars most synonymous with Raw to the blue brand.
By 2008, The Game was a de facto main eventer wherever he went. The move set up him up for fresh feuds with talents including Edge, The Great Khali and Kozlov. Most importantly of all, it set a course for a series of matches between Triple H, as an established main eventer to work big time matches with Jeff Hardy and ultimately put over The Charismatic Enigma as World Heavyweight Champion by year’s end.
John Cena (2005)
John Cena and Batista established themselves as the top babyfaces of their generations when they each won their first world titles at WrestleMania 21. A few months later, though, WWE moved Cena to Raw and in so doing, firmly established him as the new face of the company.
While Cena had been popular and had risen to the top on SmackDown, it was a new era for him on Raw. On Monday nights, Cena faced his first substantive backlash as some fans rejected him opposite Chris Jericho and all the more so Kurt Angle, before the heat grew overwhelming against him opposite Triple H and then RVD. In weathering this storm—remaining at the top of the card, proving himself as a capable big match performer, and becoming an institution, the former Dr. of Thuganomics shored up his spot in history as one of wrestling’s biggest stars.
Finn Balor (2016)
There’s a very uneven history of what happens when WWE calls up a major star from NXT. Finn Balor arrived via the 2016 Draft at the dawn of a new era of split brands, and in the lead up to crowning the inaugural Universal Champion. The company got behind Balor and made him feel like a very big deal right out of the gate.
While it’s not clear if WWE meant to truly make Balor the face of Monday nights in the long term, it is telling that his first main roster PLE match saw him beat no lesser competition than Seth Rollins and walk out world champion. Unfortunately, fans will never know the full scope of what the company had planned given Balor got injured in that same match and has never really managed to get back that much momentum again.
Batista (2005)
John Cena moving to Raw in the 2005 may have been the biggest move in WWE Draft history. The counterpart to the new top babyface and WWE Champion arriving on Monday nights, though, was Batista becoming the new top babyface of SmackDown as World Heavyweight Champion.
After trouncing Triple H in their headline feud, The Animal was due for a fresh slate of opponents and found them on the blue brand, defending the title against Eddie Guerrero, JBL, The Great Khali, and Edge.
Perhaps most importantly, the move to SmackDown set up Batista to feud with The Undertaker. While The Animal was never known for five-star matches, he had undeniable chemistry with The Dead Man, and the two collaborated for some of the best matches of Batista’s career in particular. Moreover, Batista was right at home as the top star of the brand warfare angle surrounding Survivor Series 2005.
Roman Reigns (2019)
The 2019 WWE Draft moved Roman Reigns to SmackDown. To some fans at the time, this felt like a demotion, though five years later, it feels absolutely silly to think about the move in that light.
Yes, The Big Dog found himself locked in an interminably long feud with Baron Corbin. After that program and a hiatus at the onset of COVID, though, it was time for The Tribal Chief to rise. Reigns redefined his career with a heel turn that immediately paid dividends in the form of a world title reign stretching well over three-and-a-half years. Reigns finally realized his potential as the definitive face of WWE and did so while the blue brand aired on FOX.
It always takes some time to understand the full ramifications of a WWE roster change. When marquee talents are involved, though, it’s worth paying attention. Indeed, some Draft picks went a long way toward redefining WWE, and there will surely be more in the years ahead.
