WWE News: Major Update on the Draft, Wrestlers Being Discussed for a Switch
By Bleachersreport
April 19, 2012
photo from wwe.com
As most will know, there has been a great deal of speculation lately regarding whether or not there will be a WWE draft this year.
The draft is, of course, an annual tradition that usually happens right after WrestleMania. It allows the company a chance to freshen up and rejuvenate the stale members of their roster.
A three-hour Raw special is scheduled for next week, but so far no announcement of the draft has been made.
This almost certainly means it's not happening—at least not this month.
In this week's edition of the (subscribers-only) Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer gives an update on the draft. He notes that the company rumor mill indicates it has been put off until the summer, but does mention the names of several wrestlers that the company may have singled out for needing a move.
The 4/23 show was at one point earmarked for the draft. I’ve heard rumblings of the draft being on the three-hour show on 6/11 from Hartford but anything that far out is subject to change.
Meltzer also offers an insight that WWE are now treating the draft—previously one of the biggest events on the WWE calendar—in such a casual, throwaway manner because few wrestlers ever stick to their brands anyway.
There is the feeling that some wrestlers need a change of scenery, with Ziggler’s and Orton’s name being mentioned, but the SmackDown house shows need Orton unless they move Punk to SmackDown and make him the star of the show.
Brand lines have become blurred in the WWE lately. In just one example, the returning Alberto Del Rio has switched from Raw to SmackDown to challenge Sheamus with no explanation. Management may have a good point in deeming the draft less of a priority.
Certainly, in recent times, weary fans have grown used to wrestlers going back and forth between both shows frequently and the separate rosters not meaning very much at all.