Triple H Announces Return Of The WWE Draft
Since 2002, stars of Raw and SmackDown have been split into separate rosters with a draft taking place. Although the rules have been stricter at some times than others, Triple H has announced the WWE Draft is making a return for 2023.
Triple H returned to WWE television on the Raw after WrestleMania 39 to pay tribute to those behind the scenes in the company who made WrestleMania possible and a massive success. The Game’s presence proved reassuring to WWE fans on the same day that it was announced that the company was being taken over as part of a deal with Endeavor.
On SmackDown, however, Triple H noted that it was time to look to the future of the company and with that he announced that the WWE Draft would be returning in a “few weeks” and touted that it would be the biggest ever and every WWE Superstar would be eligible to take part.
BREAKING NEWS: @TripleH just announced the #WWEDraft will return in a few weeks with every single Superstar being eligible! #SmackDownpic.twitter.com/IUWKQFTQeA
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2023
This will be the seventeenth draft in company history with the last one taking place in October 2021. On that occasion, SmackDown’s number one pick was Roman Reigns while Raw used its first pick to draft then-WWE Champion Big E. NXT was involved in that draft with the likes of Hit Row, Austin Theory, Xia Li, and Ridge Holland all joining WWE’s main roster.
It will be interesting to see if there is any mention of Gable Steveson who was drafted to Raw in 2021 but has yet to make his in-ring debut for the company.