Monday Night Raw was able to score some of the biggest names from WWE NXT during Night Two of the 2024 Draft.
The Draft continued on the April 29, Raw and followed on from the selections made during the previous week’s episode of SmackDown. During the fourth round of Night Two’s pick, Ilja Dragunov was selected by the Raw brand. Speaking after being drafted, the former NXT Champion spoke about his experience with the gold brand.
“NXT became my home. A lot of these people became a home away from home for me. But now it’s time for my next chapter and I’ve got to make a promise, a promise I already kept here. To every place I come I push the place to the next level… and that’s the same thing I’ll do when I come to Raw.”
EXCLUSIVE: @UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR looks forward to once again sharing a brand with a legendary rival in @Gunther_AUT. pic.twitter.com/yGf1W1HwSs
— WWE (@WWE) April 30, 2024
Dragunov wasn’t the only big name from NXT to be moved. Former Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria was selected by Raw in the fifth round. The Irish Superstar was visibly emotional as news of her selection was made and the remaining NXT roster was very happy for her as seen in the clip below.
LYRA VALKYRIA REACTION WAS SO WHOLESOME ??????
SHE IS #WWERAW BOUND ??????
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) April 30, 2024
Valkyria made a handful of appearances last year on the main roster in the run-up to her NXT Women’s Championship victory over Becky Lynch. Lyra recently failed to recapture the title from Roxanne Perez in a triple-threat at WWE NXT Stand & Deliver that also included Tatum Paxley.
With Dragunov and Valkyria moving to Raw, it’s hard to ignore that this has left NXT without two of its top Superstars. There have been fears that NXT would be depleted in the draft and some NXT talent are wary of being called to the main roster without a plan. As NXT’s head, Shawn Michaels will now have to work around losing some of the brand’s top names which will give another Superstar the opportunity to step up.
More on the 2024 WWE Draft
Here are some recent articles regarding the 2024 WWE Draft as the landscape of WWE continues to change:
