The2008 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) draft, the sixthWWE draft, took place at theAT&T Center inSan Antonio, Texas, on June 23.^[1] The draft took placelive for three hours onRaw.^[2] EveryWWE wrestler,announcer,commentator, andgeneral manager were eligible to be drafted.^[3] Similar to the2007 WWE draft, wrestlers from each brand competed in matches to win a random draft pick for their brand. Draft picks werekayfabe selected at random via a computer that was shown on theRawtitantron.^[4] Like the previous year, a supplemental draft took place on June 25, where draft selections were randomly conducted.^[5] The Draft featured theRaw brand randomly draftingECW ChampionKane from theECW brand. It also featured the ECW brand draftingWWE United States ChampionMatt Hardy from theSmackDown brand. The final selection in the draft was conducted by the SmackDown brand, and they draftedWWE ChampionTriple H from the Raw brand. Per pre-draft stipulations, all the three champions brought their respective titles to the brand to which they were drafted. The 2008 Draft was the last to take place in theRuthless Aggression Era, as the era ended after theSummerSlam PPV.

Thedraft was announced by WWE ChairmanVince McMahon on the May 26, 2008, episode ofRaw.^[6] During the announcement, he stated that every WWE performer from all three brands, Raw, ECW, and SmackDown, were eligible to be drafted.^[7] On the June 16 episode ofRaw, McMahon announced that hisMcMahon's Million Dollar Mania contest would take place on the same night as the WWE draft. During the contest, McMahon gave away one milliondollars to WWE fans. McMahon telephoned fans, who had registered for the contest, at their homes and asked them for a password, which was revealed at the opening of theRaw broadcast. If their answer was correct, he awarded the fan a portion of one million dollars.^[8]

On June 24, WWE announced on its website that a supplemental draft would take place on June 25 at noonET.^[5] The supplemental draft, like the previous year, was conducted randomly, with each brand receiving random draft selections.^[9] Wrestlers affected by the televised draft were exempt from the supplemental draft.^[10] Becauseprofessional wrestling is scripted, outcomes are usually predetermined. Unlike years past, during this draft, many employees in WWE were not told whether they were scripted to change brands.^[11]

Aside from theMillion Dollar Mania contest, the draft was announced to help increase thetelevision ratings ofRaw, which had been declining sinceWrestleMania XXIV.^[12] Though the draft helps increase ratings, it is also used as a way to refresh the rosters and create new storylines.^[13]

There were 28 selections conducted in the draft overall. 11 selections were conducted on television, while 17 selections occurred during the supplemental draft. The Raw brand earned five televised selections through their representatives winning five different matches, while they received six supplemental selections. In total, the Raw brand drafted 11 representatives: five on television and six through the supplemental draft. The SmackDown brand earned five television selections through their representatives winning five different matches, while they received seven supplemental selections. In total, the SmackDown brand drafted 12 representatives: five on television and seven through the supplemental draft. The ECW brand earned one televised selection through their representative winning one match, while they received four supplemental selections. In total, the ECW brand drafted five representatives: one on television and four through the supplemental draft. The 28 included two commentators, two Divas, and 24 malewrestlers (two inactive wrestlers and 22 active wrestlers).

During the program, representatives from the Raw, ECW and SmackDown brands were involved in matches that determined which brand received a draft pick. Overall, there were 9 matches, in which Raw won four, ECW won one, SmackDown won three and one resulted in no winner.

Jim Ross, one of the draftees, was unaware he was to switch brands during the draft. After the draft, Ross was on the verge of quitting his job as a commentator for WWE, as he was angry at the fact he was leaving theRaw brand, where he had commentated for over ten years. Ross stated on his official blog that he was about to quit WWE, but he decided to continue to work for the company and make the best of working onSmackDown.^[14] After the Draft, theECW brand was left without a world championship, after theECW Champion Kane was drafted toRaw. As a result of pre-draft stipulations, champions took their championships to their new brand and made them property of that brand.SmackDown, however, lost their secondary championship, after United States Champion Matt Hardy was drafted to theECW brand, in the process making the title ECW property, but gained another top-tier championship when WWE Champion Triple H was drafted to theSmackDown brand, in the process making the titleSmackDown exclusive for the first time since 2005. The result of Triple H being drafted was the loss of the Raw brand's world championship.^[15] After the draft, the ECW Championship moved back to ECW when Mark Henry defeated Kane andBig Show in aTriple Threat match atNight of Champions, leaving Raw without any top-tier championships.^[16] On the June 30, 2008 episode ofRaw, the Raw brand regained a world championship, afterMoney in the Bank contract holder, CM Punk, cashed in his contract and defeated theWorld Heavyweight Champion,Edge.^[17] Lastly, the United States Championship returned to SmackDown after Shelton Benjamin defeated Matt Hardy atThe Great American Bash pay-per-view on July 20.^[18] Trevor Murdoch and Big Daddy V were both later released from WWE prior to their first appearances on SmackDown after being drafted.^[19][20] Chuck Palumbo was also later released from the WWE prior to his first appearance onRaw after being drafted. Umaga died in 2009 from an accidental drug overdose, while Big Daddy V died in 2014 of heart failure.

The draft helped increased the television ratings ofRaw, which was one of the main purposes of the draft. The television rating for the three hours was 3.40TVR, as it earned 2.78 TVR for the first hour, 3.46 TVR for the second hour, and 3.95 TVR for the final hour. In its regular time slot, the show would have garnered a 3.7 rating.^[21] Both ratings were higher than the week's previous rating of a 3.3 TVR.^[22]

• List of WWE personnel

General

• Sitterson, Aubrey (2008-06-23)."A Draft Disaster (Televised draft and match results)".WWE.Archived from the original on 2011-04-28. Retrieved2008-07-23.
• Vermillion, James (2008-06-25)."Supplemental Changes (Supplemental draft results)".WWE.Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved2008-07-23.

Specific

• 2008 WWE draft official websiteArchived 2008-06-20 at theWayback Machine

• 2008 in professional wrestling
• WWE Draft
• ECW (WWE brand)
• Professional wrestling shows in San Antonio
• 21st century in San Antonio
• 2008 in Texas
• June 2008 in the United States

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