Reason for Lack of Significant Draft Moves on 4/26 WWE SmackDown

The 2024 WWE Draft kicked off during this week’s episode of SmackDown. The event began with a lot of anticipation, as the draft picks were announced alongside the previously released rules. However, fans noticed that the first night did not feature many significant draft moves, which raised questions about the strategy behind this approach.

Carmelo Hayes was drafted to SmackDown on the opening night of the 2024 WWE Draft, marking significant shift in the roster. Apart from him, no other major development was made during the show as most Superstars remained in the same brand once the show concluded.

According to Fightful Select, the reason why the initial phase of the 2024 WWE Draft on SmackDown featured fewer major moves and minimal brand swaps are tied to the company’s intent to maintain a level of familiarity. It was reported that WWE wanted to retain well-known talent on their existing brands to ensure a smoother transition for viewers and avoid significant disruptions in current storylines.

However, this initial approach does not indicate a lack of significant changes overall. The report suggests that more dramatic shifts are expected on Monday, including an increase in the number of NXT talent drafted to Raw and SmackDown. This gradual process allows WWE to maintain stability while slowly introducing new storylines and dynamics into their shows. The Monday segment of the WWE Draft is likely to see more brand switches and a more noticeable reshuffling of talent.

”We asked about the Friday process of barely having anyone switch brands, and we’re told that the notion put forth on TV of retaining familiar talent was important. However, there are expected to be more swaps on Monday. We were also told to expect more NXT talent picked up that day.”

With this move, WWE will be providing additional excitement and potential for fresh matchups and rivalries. This staggered approach allows WWE to build momentum and keep fans engaged across the entirety of the draft process for next week, so we’ll have to see which stars end up changing brands or getting called up from NXT.

Are you looking forward to more changes that will be seen on the Monday edition of the WWE Draft? Let us know in the comments section below!