| 2024 WWE Draft | |
|---|---|
 2024 WWE Draft logo | |
| General information | |
| Sport | Professional wrestling |
| Date | April 26–29, 2024 |
| Location | Heritage Bank Center (April 26, 2024) T-Mobile Center (April 29, 2024) |
| Overview | |
| League | WWE |
| Teams | Raw SmackDown NXT (outgoing only) |
← 2023 | |
The2024 WWE Draft was the 18thWWE Draft produced by theAmerican professional wrestling promotionWWE between theirRaw andSmackDownbrand divisions. The two-night event began with the April 26 episode ofFriday Night SmackDown (inCincinnati,Ohio) and concluded with the April 29 episode ofMonday Night Raw (inKansas City, Missouri), withSmackDown airing onFox andRaw on theUSA Network. This was the first draft held with WWE underTKO Group Holdings. Draft results went into effect beginning with the May 6 episode ofRaw.
TheWWE Draft is a 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 what they call brands and wrestlers exclusively perform for each brand's respective television show, albeit with some exceptions. The draft is used to refresh the rosters of the brand divisions, typically between theRaw andSmackDown brands, which are regarded as the main roster. Since 2016, wrestlers from WWE'sdevelopmental brand,NXT, have been eligible to be drafted to either Raw or SmackDown.[1]
During an appearance on WWE wrestlerLogan Paul's podcastImpaulsive on April 5, 2024, WWE Chief Content Officer (CCO)Triple H revealed that the 2024 draft was imminent.[2] Just three days later on April 8, the draft was confirmed for the April 26 and April 29 episodes ofFriday Night SmackDown onFox andMonday Night Raw on theUSA Network, respectively.[3][4] Draft results went into effect beginning with the May 6 episode ofRaw, two days after theBacklash Francepay-per-view andlivestreaming event.[5]
The draft pools were announced on April 24, 2024. It was also announced that the reigning champions—World Heavyweight ChampionDamian Priest,Women's World ChampionBecky Lynch,Intercontinental ChampionSami Zayn, andWorld Tag Team ChampionsAwesome Truth (The Miz andR-Truth) for Raw andUndisputed WWE Universal ChampionCody Rhodes,WWE Women's ChampionBayley,United States ChampionLogan Paul, andWWE Tag Team ChampionsA-Town Down Under (Austin Theory andGrayson Waller) for SmackDown—were ineligible to be drafted and would remain on their respective brands. While theWWE Women's Tag Team Championship would remain eligible to challengers from all three brands, reigning championsThe Kabuki Warriors (Asuka andKairi Sane) were still eligible to be drafted as the brand that picked them was where they would be assigned upon loss of the title.[5]
There were four rounds of draft picks on Night 1 with each brand receiving two picks each round; SmackDown went first due to Night 1 taking place as that night's episode ofSmackDown. Draft selections were announced by variousWWE Hall of Famers, veterans, and wrestlers. In the first round, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes announced SmackDown's picks while Hall of Famer and WWE CCO Triple H announced Raw's. Round two picks were announced by women's wrestling veteranMichelle McCool for SmackDown and Hall of FamerTorrie Wilson for Raw. The third round picks were announced by Hall of Famers TheDudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley andD-Von Dudley), with Bubba announcing SmackDown's and D-Von announcing Raw's. The fourth and final round picks were announced by Hall of FamersTheodore Long for SmackDown andJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield for Raw.[6]
| Round | Brand pick # | Overall pick # | Wrestler(s) | Pre-draft brand | Post-draft brand | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Bianca Belair | SmackDown | SmackDown | Female wrestler |
| 2 | Jey Uso | Raw | Raw | Male wrestler | ||
| 2 | 3 | Carmelo Hayes | NXT | SmackDown | Male wrestler | |
| 4 | Seth "Freakin" Rollins | Raw | Raw | Male wrestler | ||
| 2 | 3 | 5 | Randy Orton | SmackDown | SmackDown | Male wrestler |
| 6 | Bron Breakker | SmackDown | Raw | Male wrestler | ||
| 4 | 7 | Nia Jax | Raw | SmackDown | Female wrestler | |
| 8 | Liv Morgan | Raw | Raw | Female wrestler | ||
| 3 | 5 | 9 | LA Knight | SmackDown | SmackDown | Male wrestler |
| 10 | Ricochet | Raw | Raw | Male wrestler | ||
| 6 | 11 | The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa,Tama Tonga, andPaul Heyman) | SmackDown | SmackDown | Male tag team with manager | |
| 12 | Sheamus | SmackDown | Raw | Male wrestler | ||
| 4 | 7 | 13 | AJ Styles | SmackDown | SmackDown | Male wrestler |
| 14 | Alpha Academy (Chad Gable,Otis,Akira Tozawa, andMaxxine Dupri) | Raw | Raw | Mixed stable | ||
| 8 | 15 | Andrade | Raw | SmackDown | Male wrestler | |
| 16 | Kiana James | NXT | Raw | Female wrestler |
These wrestlers were included in the Night 1 draft pool, but were not drafted onSmackDown. Their draft selections were revealed on WWE's social media platforms afterSmackDown went off air.[7]
| Wrestler(s) | Pre-draft brand | Post-draft brand | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alba FyreandIsla Dawn | SmackDown | Raw | Female tag team |
| Baron Corbin | NXT | SmackDown | Male wrestler |
| Cedric Alexander andAshante "Thee" Adonis | SmackDown | SmackDown[a] | Male tag team |
| Ivar | Raw | Raw | Male wrestler |
| Shayna Baszler | Raw | Raw | Female wrestler |
| The O.C. (Luke Gallows,Karl Anderson, andMichin) | SmackDown | SmackDown | Mixed stable |
| Zoey Stark | Raw | Raw | Female wrestler |
There were six rounds of draft picks on Night 2 with each brand receiving two picks each round; Raw went first due to Night 2 taking place as that night's episode ofRaw. Draft selections were announced by various Hall of Famers, veterans, wrestlers, as well as a celebrity. Both Raw and SmackDown's first round picks were announced byStephanie McMahon.YouTuber and rapperiShowSpeed announced Raw's second round picks while SmackDown's were announced by United States Champion Logan Paul. Round three picks were announced by Hall of Famers John "Bradshaw" Layfield andRon Simmons of theAcolytes Protection Agency, with Bradshaw announcing Raw's picks and Simmons announcing SmackDown's. The fourth round picks were announced by Hall of Famers Teddy Long andAlundra Blayze, with Long announcing Raw's picks and Blayze announcing SmackDown's. Hall of Famers The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) returned to announce the fifth round picks, with Bubba announcing Raw's picks and D-Von announcing SmackDown's. The sixth and final round picks were announced by the respective General Managers of Raw and SmackDown,Adam Pearce andNick Aldis.[9]
These wrestlers were included in the Night 2 draft pool, but were not drafted onRaw. Their draft selections were revealed on WWE's social media platforms afterRaw went off air.[10]
| Wrestler(s) | Pre-draft brand | Post-draft brand | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo Crews | Raw | SmackDown | Male wrestler |
| Diamond Mine (Brutus Creed, Julius Creed, andIvy Nile) | Raw | Raw | Mixed stable |
| Dijak | NXT | Raw | Male wrestler |
| Giovanni Vinci | Raw | SmackDown | Male wrestler |
| Kayden Carter andKatana Chance | Raw | Raw | Female tag team |
| Natalya | Raw | Raw | Female wrestler |
| New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne andTyler Bate) | SmackDown | Raw | Male tag team |
| Odyssey Jones | Raw | Raw | Male wrestler |
| Tegan Nox | Raw | SmackDown | Female wrestler |
The following wrestlers were not listed in either draft pool, mostly due to inactivity as a result of medical reasons.
| Wrestler(s) | Pre-draft brand | Reason for omission (if any) | Subsequent status | Date | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Rock | SmackDown | Inactive, due to outside commitments. Rock would return at RAW’s Netflix premiere in non-wrestling capacity. | Free agent | May 6, 2024 | Part time male wrestler, Director of Operations | Last appeared on the RAW afterWWE WrestleMania XL. Only making sporadic appearances following the draft. |
| Brock Lesnar | Free agent | Inactive, reportedly due to being referenced in the allegations againstVince McMahon[11] and was directly named in an amended claim in January 2025. | Free agent | May 6, 2024 | Male wrestler | Last appeared on August 5, 2023, atSummerSlam. Remained listed as a free agent following the draft. Returned atSummerSlam on August 3, 2025. |
| Omos andMVP | Free agents | Unknown | Free agents | May 6, 2024 | Male wrestler and manager | Last appeared on the April 5, 2024, episode ofSmackDown. Remained listed as free agents following the draft. MVP left WWE shortly after the draft and was signed by rival promotionAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) in September 2024. Omos subsequently began performing in the Japanese promotionPro Wrestling Noah in December 2024 but left in January 2025 to return to WWE. |
| Rhea Ripley | Raw | Inactive due to shoulder injury[12] | Raw | May 6, 2024 | Female wrestler | Last appeared on the April 15, 2024, episode ofRaw. Remained listed on the Raw roster following the draft. Returned on the July 8, 2024, episode. |
| Sonya Deville | Raw | Inactive due to ACL injury[13] | Raw | May 20, 2024 | Female wrestler | Last appeared on the July 28, 2023, episode ofSmackDown. Returned on the May 20, 2024, episode ofRaw; however, her WWE contract expired in February 2025 and was not renewed. Now appears in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as Daria Rae. |
| Dexter Lumis | Raw | Unknown | Raw | June 17, 2024 | Male wrestler | Last appeared on the June 1, 2023, episode ofMain Event (taped on May 29). Returned on the June 17, 2024, episode ofRaw. |
| Nikki Cross | Raw | Unknown | Raw | June 17, 2024 | Female wrestler | Last appeared on the February 12, 2024, episode ofRaw. Returned on the June 17, 2024, episode. |
| Bo Dallas/Uncle Howdy | SmackDown[c] | Was originally inactive due toBray Wyatt's absence, but took extended time off following Wyatt's death in August 2023. | Raw | June 17, 2024 | Male wrestler | Last appeared on the March 3, 2023, episode ofSmackDown. Returned on the June 17, 2024, episode ofRaw, now portraying both Howdy and his original persona of Bo Dallas. |
| Roman Reigns | SmackDown | Originally included as part ofThe Bloodline in the Night 1 draft pool, but his special counselPaul Heyman withdrew Reigns from eligibility prior to draft selections being made due to the turmoil within The Bloodline.[14] | SmackDown | August 3, 2024 | Male wrestler | Last appeared in the Night 2 main event ofWrestleMania XL on April 7, 2024. Returned atSummerSlam on August 3, 2024. |
| Jimmy Uso | SmackDown | Inactive due to undisclosed injury[15] | SmackDown | October 5, 2024 | Male wrestler | Last appeared on the April 12, 2024, episode ofSmackDown. Returned atBad Blood on October 5, 2024. |
| Raquel Rodriguez | Raw | Inactive due tomast cell activation syndrome[16] | Raw | October 5, 2024 | Female wrestler | Last appeared on the February 26, 2024, episode ofRaw. Returned atBad Blood on October 5, 2024. |
| Erik | Raw | Inactive due to neck injury[17] | Raw | October 7, 2024 | Male wrestler | Last appeared on the September 14, 2023, episode ofMain Event (taped on September 11). Returned withIvar as the renamedWar Raiders on the October 14, 2024, episode ofRaw (taped on October 7). |
| Shotzi | SmackDown | Inactive due toACL injury[18] | NXT | December 10, 2024 | Female wrestler | Last appeared on the February 20, 2024, episode ofNXT (taped on February 13). Returned on the December 10 episode; however, she was released from WWE in May 2025. |
| Charlotte Flair | SmackDown | Inactive due to knee injury[19] | SmackDown | February 1, 2025 | Female wrestler | Last appeared on the December 8, 2023, episode ofSmackDown. On the January 17, 2025, episode, Flair appeared in a vignette announcing that she would be returning to in-ring competition, and subsequently returned at theRoyal Rumble on February 1. |
| Alexa Bliss | Raw[d] | Inactive due to maternity leave[20] | SmackDown | February 1, 2025 | Female wrestler | Last appeared at theRoyal Rumble on January 28, 2023. Returned at theRoyal Rumble on February 1, 2025, and was subsequently assigned to SmackDown on February 7. |
| Carmella | Raw[e] | Inactive due to maternity leave[21] | Released | February 21, 2025 | Female wrestler | Last appeared on March 31, 2023, for theWrestleMania 39 set reveal. Her WWE contract expired in February 2025 and was not renewed. |
| Valhalla | Raw | Inactive due to maternity leave[22] | Released | June 2, 2025 | Female wrestler | Last appeared on the March 4, 2024, episode ofRaw. Her WWE contract expired in June 2025 and was not renewed. |
| Tamina | SmackDown | Unknown | Female wrestler | Last appeared on the March 2, 2023, episode ofMain Event (taped on February 27). Removed from active roster in July 2024. |
Main roster wrestlers would continue to appear in NXT with WWE president Nick Khan stating this cross-over of talent from Raw and SmackDown to NXT was intentional, as he said there was potential for NXT to become WWE's third brand again while still developing younger wrestlers. Meanwhile, WWE began a wider talent exchange withTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Several TNA wrestlers would subsequently make appearances on NXT's weekly television series and livestreaming events and vice versa.
| Performer(s) | Pre-change brand | Post-change brand | Date | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Rome | SmackDown | NXT | May 8, 2024[23] | Male ring announcer |
| Alicia Taylor | NXT | SmackDown | Female ring announcer | |
| Joe Gacy | NXT | Raw | June 17, 2024[24] | Male wrestler |
| Cedric Alexander | SmackDown | NXT | July 9, 2024[8] | Male wrestler |
| Ashante "Thee" Adonis | SmackDown | NXT | Male wrestler | |
| Lillian Garcia | Free agent | Raw | October 21, 2024 | Female ring announcer |
During the December 6 episode ofSmackDown, in preparation forRaw's move toNetflix on January 6, 2025, WWE announced a transfer window, wherein the general managers of Raw, SmackDown, and NXT could negotiate the transfer of wrestlers between brands.[25] The transfer window closed during the2025 Royal Rumble weekend, although some transfers were announced over the following week.[26] Further transfers have occurred throughout 2026 which as of January has not had a draft which included 8 NXT call-ups to the main roster.
| Performer(s) | Pre-transfer brand | Post-transfer brand | Date | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braun Strowman | Raw | SmackDown | December 13, 2024[27] | Male wrestler |
| Logan Paul | SmackDown | Raw | December 18, 2024[28] | Male wrestler |
| Alicia Taylor | SmackDown | Raw | January 2, 2025[29] | Ring announcers |
| Lillian Garcia | Raw | SmackDown | ||
| Michael Cole | SmackDown | Raw | January 6, 2025 | Play-by-play commentator |
| Corey Graves | SmackDown | NXT | January 7, 2025 | Color commentator |
| Joe Tessitore | Raw | SmackDown | January 10, 2025 | Play-by-play commentator |
| Wade Barrett | Color Commentator | |||
| The Wyatt Sicks (Uncle Howdy,Erick Rowan,Dexter Lumis,Joe Gacy, andNikki Cross) | Raw | SmackDown | January 13, 2025 | Mixed stable |
| Bayley | SmackDown | Raw | January 20, 2025 | Female wrestler |
| The Miz | Raw | SmackDown | January 24, 2025 | Male wrestler |
| Damian Priest | Raw | SmackDown | Male wrestler | |
| A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory andGrayson Waller) | SmackDown | Raw | Male tag team | |
| Zelina Vega | Raw | SmackDown | January 27, 2025 | Female wrestler |
| R-Truth | Raw | SmackDown | January 31, 2025 | Male wrestler |
| AJ Styles | SmackDown | Raw | February 3, 2025 | Male wrestler |
| Drew McIntyre | Raw | SmackDown | February 7, 2025 | Male wrestler |
| Katana Chance andKayden Carter | Raw | SmackDown | February 7, 2025 | Female tag team |
| Alba Fyre | Raw | SmackDown | March 7, 2025 | Female wrestler |
| Fraxiom (Axiom andNathan Frazer) | NXT | SmackDown | April 25, 2025 | Male tag team |
| Giulia | NXT | SmackDown | May 16, 2025 | Female wrestler |
| Roxanne Perez | NXT | Raw | May 19, 2025 | Female wrestler |
| Stephanie Vaquer | NXT | Raw | May 30, 2025 | Female wrestler |
| Naomi | SmackDown | Raw | July 13, 2025 | Female wrestler |
| LA Knight | SmackDown | Raw | July 14, 2025 | Male wrestler |
| Kiana James | Raw | SmackDown | July 25, 2025 | Female wrestler |
| Sami Zayn | Raw | SmackDown | August 15, 2025 | Male wrestler |
| Ilja Dragunov | Raw | SmackDown | October 17, 2025 | Male wrestler |
| Lash Legend | NXT | SmackDown | November 7, 2025 | Female wrestler |
| Jimmy Uso | SmackDown | Raw | December 8, 2025 | Male wrestler |
| Trick Williams | NXT | SmackDown | January 2, 2026 | Male wrestler |
| Je'Von Evans | NXT | Raw | January 5, 2026 | Male wrestler |
| Jordynne Grace | NXT | SmackDown | January 9, 2026 | Female wrestler |