Much like Night 1, I largely enjoyed the moves that were made on Night 2 of the 2020 WWE Draft, but the execution left a bit to be desired. Don't get me wrong, I don't at all miss the days of the Superstar Shakeup, which was horribly done and never made any sense with how it was handled, but the Draft could absolutely be better as far as its execution is concerned.
That means bringing back general managers to explain who's making these picks and why. And no, showing Adam Pearce in the back with the draft cards in his hand isn't an actual explanation. Additionally, the lack of logic continued with Raw drafting RETRIBUTION (a group that has done nothing but create chaos since the summer), swapping the tag titles because the belts are brand-specific, and certain stars getting drafted way later than they should have. Otherwise, I was largely satisfied with the results of Night 2 and hope the brands can benefit from the fresh faces and feuds. All in all, it was definitely eventful, though I almost feel like too many people moved, to the point where we're going to be seeing some of the same matches in a few cases. Hopefully these picks pan out and the Superstars who switched shows can get the reset they've needed. Here's my full analysis of each round and who went where, as well as where I think the few Superstars who went undrafted will wind up. Round 1
GSM's Analysis: Wyatt being the first overall pick on Night 1 indicates WWE still views him as a top priority, as they should. His Universal Championship reigns weren't the greatest, but he's still a very valuable character and is in the midst of a resurgence of sorts alongside Alexa Bliss. I wasn't the biggest fan of his move to SmackDown last year as I never thought The Fiend character was a good fit for Friday nights, so I'm happy he's back on Raw. Bayley has been doing the best work of her main roster career as a heel this last year, and as the SmackDown Women's Champion, there was no reason for him to go to Raw, especially as long as her archrival Sasha Banks is still on SmackDown. Randy Orton is perfectly fine on Raw and has also been killing it right where he is, so I'm glad he's staying put. Charlotte Flair will likely be out a little while longer but didn't need to switch shows, either. Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits moving to SmackDown was inevitable after The New Day went to Raw with the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. Also as expected, they later swapped tag titles in a backstage segments, which is why there shouldn't be any brand-specific titles. I'd love to think the changes in the tag team divisions on Raw and SmackDown will make them more important than they have been lately, but seeing is believing. Round 2
GSM's Analysis: Similar to Wyatt, Strowman is just better off on Raw. All of his best moments happened there for the first three years of his career and, having won the Universal and Intercontinental championships in the last year, he did all he could do on SmackDown. He's been a regular on Raw Underground lately, and even if the concept is dead (for now), he makes more sense to be on Monday nights. The same can be said for Daniel Bryan, who has been a SmackDown staple since being named the blue brand's general manager four years ago and later returning to active competition. There's so many feuds he can still have there, including with Universal Champion Roman Reigns, so I'm happy he isn't moving just yet. One of those feuds I was looking forward to seeing Bryan have was with Matt Riddle, and now he's on Raw. I thought WWE might have him switch shows with Keith Lee because they sort of occupy the same spot, but apparently not. Hopefully that isn't because Seth Rollins said he'd never want to work with him, though that may have been a contributing factor. Kevin Owens told me in an exclusive interview for Bleacher Report that he wanted to switch shows as he has every year in the Draft and he got his wish. I personally don't mind where he is as long as he gets booked a bit better than he has been recently. Jeff Hardy was another pick that surprised me if only because he felt like a fine fit for Friday nights. After all, SmackDown was basically his show for a solid year from 2008 to 2009, not to mention that's where he's been since April 2018. Fingers crossed he doesn't get lost in the shuffle on Raw as he has in the past, but at least he has a feud with Elias to keep him busy for now. Round 3
GSM's Analysis: First and foremost, we have to address the elephant in the room with Round 3. Why in the hell would either brand want to draft RETRIBUTION after all the havoc they've wreaked since the summer? Yes, it's a group of five people and some of whom have potential, but that was a puzzling pick, especially since it wasn't and won't be explained. I understand Raw likely thought (in storyline) that having Ali on their show was a priority, but he should have said that Raw wanted him, then they'd have to draft the rest of RETRIBUTION, too. That was the most mind-boggling moment from Night 2 for me. Sullivan was added to the Night 2 draft pool following his shocking return on SmackDown, and although most probably expected him to head to Raw, I like that he's staying on SmackDown. Raw has enough "big man" wrestlers between Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman and Keith Lee, so I'm happy Sullivan will have SmackDown all to himself (aside from guys like Big E and King Corbin, of course). Speaking of Lee, I wouldn't have been opposed to him going to SmackDown after already facing Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre a bunch of times, but hopefully him remaining on Raw means WWE still has plans for him to be a big player there. I've always preferred Corbin on SmackDown, so I'm all for him staying put, provided he drops the dumb king gimmick sooner rather than later. It's been over a year already! Move on! There was no way Raw was drafting The Fiend without Bliss, so thankfully, the company chose to kept that pairing together. I've been intrigued by their recent work and hope the act can continue to grow on Monday nights. Round 4
GSM's Analysis: I know they did it to switch up the shows at the time, but Elias getting traded to SmackDown in April made zero sense to me. Raw is a three-hour show, which means there's more time for him to do his concerts. His SmackDown run was super underwhelming, and any time he started building momentum, he got hurt. He's now feuding with Jeff Hardy, so hopefully that will do him some good on Raw. Zayn going as late as he did in the Draft was ridiculous considering he's the Intercontinental Champion. I know he can play into that and act like it's a conspiracy, but seriously, is that how little WWE values the Intercontinental title? Shameful. Evans started on Raw in early 2019, got drafted to SmackDown last October, and is now back on Raw. She's had a handful of title shots on both brands and has lost every single one of them. She has to become a champion eventually on Raw, but I don't know if that's going to happen as long as Asuka is in possession of that Raw Women's Championship. She's improved immensely and I thought they pulled the plug on her babyface run too soon. Nakamura and Cesaro are fresh off losing the SmackDown Tag Team Championship and I don't see them taking the titles off The Street Profits any time soon. Honestly, I know WWE needs tag teams on both brands right now, but they may be better off going their separate ways and adding to the upper-midcard scene on SmackDown. I was thrilled with Sheamus moving to Raw because of how he hasn't done much since returning earlier this year. That eventual feud with Drew McIntyre is going to be great, and the matches he can have with Keith Lee down the road should be stellar, too. Round 5
GSM's Analysis: I realize Cross was probably brought back to Raw so she can finish her storyline with Alexa Bliss, but I really wanted them on different shows so they could finally be separated. Then again, I'd rather have her on the same show as Bliss than Bayley, who she's lost to multiple times over the last year. Maybe she and Asuka can mix it up and rekindle their rivalry from NXT. Ziggler and Roode have switched shows so many times that it's hard to care about them going to SmackDown, but at least this will likely lead to them feuding with The Street Profits over the SmackDown Tag Team Championship which was previously teased on Raw. R-Truth and the 24/7 Championship staying put on Raw was no surprise, though I really wish the 24/7 Championship would be tossed in the trash one of these days because it's just a pointless prop at this point. Crews had a better run on Raw than I was expecting, but it was almost imperative that he went to SmackDown after him against The Hurt Business had been done to death. I can see him challenging Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship before long. As for Dabba-Kato, I don't see him doing much on Raw if Raw Underground is apparently a thing of the past. He's been in developmental for years, but it arguably would have been wise to give him a run on NXT TV first before calling him up. Round 6
GSM's Analysis: Yes, for those unaware, O'Neil is still employed by WWE. He's an amazing ambassador for them, but anything in the ring has never been his strong suit, so I have no idea why the company continues to put him in matches on Main Event or even in Raw Underground. He's a waste of a roster spot at this point as well as a waste of a draft pick. As great of a person as O'Neil is, Carmella, Royce and Black getting picked after him is an insult to their talent. Carmella is one of the few people who has stayed on SmackDown since the 2016 WWE Draft, but that's probably because her boyfriend Corey Graves is on the blue brand as a commentator and WWE doesn't want to separate them, which is totally understandable. She's coming back to TV after a few months away with a new gimmick, but I can't say I'm overly excited for her repackaging. Royce, on the other hand, has a ton of potential, and although I would have preferred her on SmackDown, she should come into her own on Raw and will hopefully emerge as a championship challenger down the road. Black getting picked as late as he did was a joke given how far he can go in WWE if he was pushed properly. He went undefeated for close to a year, but it's been all downhill for him since getting "injured" by Seth Rollins over the summer. The heel turn could be interesting, but he hasn't had an opportunity to fully flesh out the character yet. I'm fine with him returning to SmackDown as long as he isn't directionless there like he was a year ago. As for Tozawa, the only reason I'm annoyed he's still on Raw is because that means we're bound to get more skits with him and R-Truth over the 24/7 Championship. Ugh. Round 7
GSM's Analysis: These selections took place on Raw Talk. As seen on Monday night, Lana is the new number one contender to the Raw Women's Championship next week on Raw, so it actually made perfect sense for her to get picked by Raw as soon as the show was over. She won't win, obviously, but it was logical for Raw to want someone who could possibly take the title. Natalya going to SmackDown solidifies their split, and seeing as how Natalya hasn't been on the blue brand in two-and-a-half years, that move is fine by me. Moss has been a regular on both Main Event and Raw Underground this year, as well as a former 24/7 Champion, so him staying on Raw was predicable. I personally don't think he has a high ceiling for success, but maybe he'll surprise us all. The Riott Squad are heading back to SmackDown, and assuming they are out of contention for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship for the time being, it'd be cool to see them face Bayley individually. Arturo Ruas, like Dabba Kato, has been all over Raw Underground lately, but he wasn't ready for a Raw call-up and should have stayed in NXT for further development. Additional Draft Picks
GSM's Analysis: It was announced by WWE before and during Raw that Shorty G was staying on SmackDown (so much for going to NXT, I suppose) and Dorado and Metalik were going to Raw without Kalisto. As I noted in my Night 1 analysis, I'm perfectly fine with The Lucha House Party being broken up and Kalisto doing his own thing on SmackDown. Maybe they'll finally win their first set of tag titles on Raw, maybe they won't, but don't expect their booking to change considering where they've been slotted on the card for the past two years. Erik of The Viking Raiders is staying on Raw, which hardly matters as long as he's out recovering from surgery and his partner Ivar is injured, too. I'd like to see them on SmackDown at some point, but possibly next year. Speaking of SmackDown, it was announced that Tamina, Billie Kay and Zelina Vega were all drafted to the blue brand. Tamina is a non-factor and has been for a long time now, but Kay and Vega on Friday nights is at least somewhat notable. The move could give Vega a chance to grow on her own, though I still think it's a dumb idea to break her away from Andrade. Kay likely doesn't have as bright of a future in singles competition as her former partner Peyton Royce does, but SmackDown is going to need some female stars to step up and maybe she'll blow everyone away by making great strides in the ring.
Undrafted
GSM's Analysis: Despite what James tweeted earlier in the day on Monday about potentially being drafted that night, she wasn't, and she still finds herself without a proper home. As I mentioned in my Night 1 Draft recap, I think SmackDown makes the most sense for her. Raw is where Andrade soon-to-be wife Charlotte Flair wound up in the draft, so moving him to SmackDown (while ideal) wouldn't be logical. I'm still stunned that he went from being a first-round draft pick last year to not being picked by either brand this year. I mean, how unrealistic is it that Arturo Ruas and Riddick Moss would get picked before him? Even if he is injured as has been rumored and he'll be away for a while, Flair is also inactive at the moment and got picked in the first round, so that's no excuse. PWInsider has reported that he could soon be returning to NXT, and as awesome as that'd be, it's more likely he stays put on Raw.
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