| 2021 WWE Draft | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuringKing Nakamura,Charlotte Flair,Damian Priest,Becky Lynch,Roman Reigns, andBobby Lashley | |
| General information | |
| Sport | Professional wrestling |
| Date | October 1–4, 2021 |
| Location |
|
| Overview | |
| League | WWE |
| Teams | Raw SmackDown NXT (outgoing only) |
The2021 WWE Draft was the 16thWWE Draft produced by theAmerican professional wrestling promotionWWE between theirRaw andSmackDownbrand divisions. The two-night event began with the October 1 episode ofFriday Night SmackDown (inBaltimore,Maryland). It concluded with the October 4 episode ofMonday Night Raw (inNashville, Tennessee), withSmackDown airing onFox andRaw on theUSA Network. Unlike previous drafts, in which results took effect immediately, the results of the 2021 draft went into effect in the October 22 episode ofSmackDown. This was also the last draft with Vince McMahon as head of WWE creative.
TheWWE Draft is an annual process used by the Americanprofessional wrestling promotionWWE while abrand extension, or brand split, is in effect. The original brand extension occurred from 2002 to 2011, while the second and current brand split began in 2016. During a brand extension, the company divides its roster into brands where the wrestlers exclusively perform for each brand's respective television show, and the draft is used to refresh the rosters of the brand divisions, typically between theRaw andSmackDown brands. The 2021 draft was WWE's 16th draft and was officially announced during the September 13 episode ofRaw. It was scheduled to occur during the October 1 and October 4 episodes ofSmackDown andRaw, respectively, withSmackDown airing onFox andRaw on theUSA Network.[1]
The rules of the 2021 draft were revealed by WWE correspondent Megan Morant onTwitter during the day before the first night of the draft on October 1. Over 60 wrestlers (including tag teams) were eligible to be drafted across the two nights, with half being eligible the first night and the other half eligible the second night; however, no draft pools were revealed for which wrestlers were eligible for each night. Tag teams were counted as one pick unless Fox or USA Network officials (who were promoted as draft decision makers)[a] specifically only wanted one member of the team. Wrestlers fromNXT were also eligible to be drafted to either Raw or SmackDown, while any non-NXT wrestlers who were not drafted became (kayfabe) free agents and could sign with the brand of their choice. Unlike previous drafts, in which results took effect immediately, results of the 2021 draft did not become effective until the October 22 episode ofSmackDown, the night after theCrown Jewelpay-per-view andlivestreaming event.[2][3][4]
There were four rounds of draft picks during night 1 of the 2021 draft. Unlike previous drafts in which Raw received three picks and SmackDown only received two, both brands had two picks each round. WWE officialsAdam Pearce andSonya Deville announced the draft picks.[5]
These picks were announced on October 1 via WWE's social media accounts and on the October 2 episode ofTalking Smack.[6]
| Wrestler(s) (Real name) | Pre-draft brand | Post-draft brand | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akira Tozawa | Raw | Raw | Male wrestler |
| Aliyah | NXT | SmackDown | Female wrestler |
| Alpha Academy (Chad Gable andOtis) | SmackDown | Raw | Male tag team |
| Apollo Crews andCommander Azeez | SmackDown | Raw | Male tag team |
| Doudrop | Raw | Raw | Female wrestler |
| Drake Maverick[d] | NXT | Raw | Male wrestler |
| Drew Gulak | Raw | SmackDown | Male wrestler |
| John Morrison | Raw | Raw | Male wrestler |
| Mace | Raw | SmackDown | Male wrestler |
| Mansoor | Raw | SmackDown | Male wrestler |
| Mustafa Ali | Raw | SmackDown | Male wrestler |
| Nia Jax | Raw | Raw | Female wrestler |
| R-Truth | Raw | Raw | Male wrestler |
| Reggie | Raw | Raw | Male wrestler 24/7 Champion |
| T-Bar | Raw | Raw | Male wrestler |
| Toni Storm | SmackDown | SmackDown | Female wrestler |
| Zelina Vega | SmackDown | Raw | Female wrestler |
There were six rounds of draft picks during night 2 of the 2021 draft. Like the first night, both brands had two picks each round. WWE officials Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville again announced the draft picks.[7]
These picks were announced on the October 4 episode ofRaw Talk.
| Wrestler(s) (Real name) | Pre-draft brand | Post-draft brand | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dana Brooke | Raw | Raw | Female wrestler |
| The Dirty Dawgs (Dolph Ziggler andRobert Roode) | SmackDown | Raw | Male tag team |
| The Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander andShelton Benjamin) | Raw | Raw | Male tag team |
| Jaxson Ryker | Raw | Raw | Male wrestler |
| Jinder Mahal andShanky | Raw | SmackDown | Male tag team |
| Liv Morgan | SmackDown | Raw | Female wrestler |
| Mia Yim | Raw | Raw | Female wrestler |
| The Miz | Raw | Raw | Male wrestler |
| Natalya | SmackDown | SmackDown | Female wrestler |
| Shotzi | SmackDown | SmackDown | Female wrestler |
| Tamina | SmackDown | Raw | Female wrestler |
| Tegan Nox | SmackDown | Raw | Female wrestler |
| Veer | Raw | Raw | Male wrestler |
Within WWE storyline, a "free agent" referred to a contracted wrestler who had not been assigned to one of the company's five brands at the time—Raw, SmackDown, NXT,NXT UK, or205 Live (the latter two were subdivisions of NXT). Several wrestlers were made free agents due to injury, inactivity, or simply not being drafted despite being an active member of the rosters. Wrestlers who became free agents could (kayfabe) sign with the brand of their choosing. The chart is organized by date.[citation needed]
| Wrestler(s) (Real name) | Pre-draft brand | Reason for not being drafted (if any) | Subsequent status | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brock Lesnar | Raw[g] | Contractual provision | Free agent | October 1, 2021 | During night 1 of the draft, Lesnar announced that he was a free agent (implying it was due to a deal arranged byPaul Heyman), thus is eligible to appear on any brand.[8] |
| Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik andLince Dorado) | Raw | Were not drafted on either night | Released | November 4, 2021 | Last appeared on the September 13, 2021, episode ofMain Event. On November 4, both Dorado and Metalik were released from their WWE contracts. |
| Eva Marie | Raw | Was not drafted on either night | Released | November 4, 2021 | Last appeared on the September 27, 2021, episode ofRaw. On November 4, Marie was released from her WWE contract. |
| Shane Thorne | SmackDown | Was not drafted on either night | Released | November 18, 2021 | Last wrestled adark match on the September 24, 2021, episode ofSmackDown. On November 18, Thorne was released from his WWE contract. |
| Maryse | Raw | Was not drafted on either night | Raw | November 29, 2021 | Last appeared on the April 12, 2021, episode ofRaw. Returned alongside her husband,The Miz, who was also returning after participating inDancing with the Stars. |
| Ronda Rousey | Free agent | Inactive due to maternity leave | SmackDown | January 29, 2022 | Last appeared atWrestleMania 35 in April 2019. Rousey made a surprise return at theRoyal Rumble in the women'sRoyal Rumble match, winning it from the number 28 entry. |
| Elias | Raw | Was not drafted on either night | Raw | April 4, 2022 | Last appeared in a pre-taped vignette on the August 23, 2021 episode ofRaw. Returned with a new gimmick, that of Elias' younger brother,Ezekiel , but returned as Elias in October 2022. |
| Lacey Evans | Raw | Inactive due to maternity leave | SmackDown | April 8, 2022 | Last appeared on the February 15, 2021, episode ofRaw. Returned in a pre-taped vignette onSmackDown. |
| Asuka | Raw | Inactive due to a hand injury | Raw | April 25, 2022 | Last appeared atMoney in the Bank. Returned and interruptedBecky Lynch, who was also making her return. |
| Titus O'Neil | Raw | Was not drafted on either night | WWE Global Ambassador | July 18, 2022 | Last appeared atWrestleMania 37 on April 10, 2021. Returned on the July 18, 2022, episode ofRaw and announced he was a WWE Global Ambassador. |
| Bayley | SmackDown | Inactive due to torn ACL | Raw | July 30, 2022 | Last appeared on the June 25, 2021, episode ofSmackDown. Returned at the2022 SummerSlam and aligned withDakota Kai andIyo Sky (making their main roster debuts) to from a stable calledDamage Control. They confrontedRaw Women's ChampionBianca Belair after she had successfully retained her title againstBecky Lynch. |
During the draft, Raw draftedSmackDown Women's ChampionBecky Lynch while SmackDown draftedRaw Women's ChampionCharlotte Flair. Neither lost their respective championship before the October 22 episode ofSmackDown, the night that the draft results went into effect. The day of the show, WWE announced that Flair and Lynch would exchange titles to keep the championships on their respective brands while going off script.[9] In turn, Lynch became the Raw Women's Champion while Flair became the SmackDown Women's Champion.[10]
Also during the draft, SmackDown draftedNXT North American ChampionIsaiah "Swerve" Scott as part of his stable,Hit Row. Swerve claimed he would be taking the title to SmackDown, however, on the October 12 episode ofNXT 2.0, Swerve lost the championship toCarmelo Hayes, thus keeping the North American Championship on NXT before the draft results went into effect on October 22.[11]
In November, vignettes began airing to hypeVeer's post-draft appearance on Raw. His ring name was changed to Veer Mahaan.[12] He finally debuted in April 2022, but in October, he was moved to NXT.[13]
On November 4, 2021, WWE released several wrestlers due to budget cuts.Mia Yim, Hit Row's B-Fab,Nia Jax,Karrion Kross, andKeith Lee were among those who were released, without a single appearance post-draft. Among those not drafted who were released includedEva Marie andLucha House Party (Gran Metalik andLince Dorado). Several NXT wrestlers were also released, includingFranky Monet,Oney Lorcan,Ember Moon,Jeet Rama, Katrina Cortez,Trey Baxter, Zayda Ramier, Jessi Kamea,Harry Smith, and Kross' real-life fiancé,Scarlett, who served as Kross' on-screen manager when Kross was still in NXT and she was expected to eventually join Kross on Raw.[14] On November 18, the remainder of Hit Row,John Morrison,Tegan Nox,Shane Thorne,Drake Maverick, andJaxson Ryker were also released.[15] Not long after,Jeff Hardy would be released on December 9 after being sent home from a live event tour and refusing rehab.[16] On December 29,Toni Storm requested and was immediately granted a release from her contract.[17] On February 24, 2022, it was reported thatCesaro and WWE had failed to agree on new contract terms and that he had quietly left WWE when his contract expired, ending his 11-year tenure in the company.[18]
AtWrestleMania 38 in April 2022, SmackDown'sUniversal ChampionRoman Reigns defeated Raw'sWWE ChampionBrock Lesnar to win both championships, thus allowing Reigns to appear on both brands as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion,[19] then in May 2022,SmackDown Tag Team ChampionsThe Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) defeatedRaw Tag Team ChampionsRK-Bro (Randy Orton andRiddle) to win both championships, thus allowing The Usos to appear on both brands as the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions.[20] By proxy, this allowed other members ofThe Bloodline stable (Sami Zayn,Solo Sikoa, who was promoted from NXT to SmackDown in September, and the group's managerPaul Heyman) to appear on both brands. This subsequently increased cross-brand rivalries, with other wrestlers, likeKevin Owens, appearing on both shows, making brand division increasingly unclear.
Also in April 2022,Mustafa Ali was moved back to Raw,[21] then in June,Apollo Crews andCommander Azeez were moved to NXT.[22] Azeez returned to his previous ring name of Dabba-Kato after he turned on Crews atNXT Vengeance Day in February 2023.[23] In March 2022, Pete Dunne was promoted to SmackDown from NXT and repackaged under the nickname Butch. AtMoney in the Bank in July,Liv Morgan won the women'sMoney in the Bank ladder match, and later that same night, she cashed in the contract and won the SmackDown Women's Championship, subsequently transferring her to SmackDown.[24] Later in October,Rey Mysterio was transferred to the SmackDown brand, and in turn, Happy Corbin, who returned to his Baron Corbin name, was moved to Raw.[25] Also in October,Zelina Vega was moved back to SmackDown to be the manager ofLegado Del Fantasma (Santos Escobar,Joaquin Wilde, andCruz Del Toro), who were promoted to SmackDown from NXT.[26] After taking time off in mid-2022, Reggie returned on NXT under a new gimmick and ring name of Scrypts. Shortly after, T-Bar returned to NXT as Dijak. Upon his return from an injury in January 2023,Rick Boogs was transferred to the Raw brand. Doudrop also returned to her previous name Piper Niven, which she used in NXT UK.[27]The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor,Damian Priest,Dominik Mysterio, andRhea Ripley), a stable formed on Raw after WrestleMania 38, began appearing on SmackDown after Ripley won the 2023 women'sRoyal Rumble match and chose to challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship, which she subsequently won atWrestleMania 39.[28]
AfterTriple H took over creative control of WWE in July 2022, several released wrestlers who were part of the 2021 draft were rehired. These included Mia Yim returning on Raw (aligning with the recently reunited O.C. stable in their feud with The Judgment Day), and Hit Row (Ashante Adonis, Top Dolla, and B-Fab), Tegan Nox, and Karrion Kross and his real-life fiancé, Scarlett, returning on SmackDown.[29] Nia Jax made a one-night return at the2023 Royal Rumble, where she was the #30 entrant in the women's Royal Rumble match, being eliminated by all other women in the ring.[30]
A draft was not held in 2022, and with multiple wrestlers appearing on both shows almost weekly, some sources believed that the brand split was coming to an end.[31] Additionally, both of NXT's sub-brands, 205 Live and NXT UK, ceased operations in February and September, respectively, with most of those wrestlers moving over to NXT. However, in April 2023, Triple H announced the2023 draft to bring back a definitive roster division between Raw and SmackDown.[32]