4 superstars who lost their momentum after the WWE Draft 2023
The WWE Universe is preparing for a massive shake-up as the company hosts a two-night draft within the week that will certainly transform the current landscape of the industry.
The WWE Draft will begin on SmackDown this Friday and will conclude on the following edition of RAW. If last year's shake-up was any indication, it could have major long-term implications, both positive and negative, for programming.
JD McDonagh, Sami Zayn, and Grayson Waller were among the biggest benefactors of last year's draft. All three men found major success in the last 12 months, and it may not have been possible if they hadn't landed on their respective brands.
However, other Superstars weren't that fortunate. On that note, let's look at four stars who lost their momentum after the 2023 WWE Draft:
#4. Shinsuke Nakamura could have been booked better on RAW
In the wake of WrestleMania 39, Triple H began pushing Shinsuke Nakamura, hoping to return the charismatic star to his former glory as "The King of Strong Style." Nakamura found new life on RAW, where he had matches with the likes of The Judgment Day, Seth Rollins, and Cody Rhodes.
However, the experiment didn't yield many positive outcomes. The former Intercontinental Champion received plenty of TV time and had prominent feuds with Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes. But Nakamura lost every time it mattered.
Furthermore, WWE also made the questionable decision of turning him heel, when they could have invested in his natural charisma to make him a top babyface. While the character change earned him more TV time, it hindered his relationship with the audience, who couldn't connect with the change.
On RAW, Nakamura was relegated to an enhancement talent. He would likely have fared better on a less stacked roster on SmackDown or NXT.
#3. Bobby Lashley was under-utilized on WWE SmackDown
Bobby Lashley has not done anything major in a long time. The All-Mighty was virtually a non-factor in 2023; He won no championships and didn't even compete for the World Title.
Lashley is at the tail-end of his career, but he has much to offer. The All-Mighty allied with The Street Profits on SmackDown. While the faction has breathed life into the Profits' character, their leader could have been used in more meaningful positions.
The two-time WWE Champion would have been a fitting contender for Roman Reigns during his stint on SmackDown. Yet, he was involved in never-ending TV feuds with the Latino World Order and The Final Testament.
When he was on RAW in 2022, Lashley was booked as a monster and top priority. He was a fighting US Champion and had prominent feuds with Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, and Austin Theory. Unfortunately, his run on SmackDown had few memorable moments.
#2. Austin Theory struggled on SmackDown
Unlike the previous two entries, Austin Theory found championship success during the last year. When he was drafted to SmackDown, he was the US Champion and had come off a massive win over John Cena.
Unfortunately, the win over Cena didn't do him many favors in the long run. Despite holding the title until August 2023, his title reign lost much luster in its final months, primarily due to questionable booking and a lack of quality contenders.
A-Town Down had only one title defense on PLE in Backlash 2023 on SmackDown. It seemed as if WWE didn't know how to utilize Theory effectively as a champion.
To add insult to injury, Theory began losing regularly upon dropping the title to Rey Mysterio. His momentum reached "rock-bottom" when The Rock and Pat McAfee took him down on an episode of SmackDown in October.
Fortunately, he found new life with Grayson Waller as both men won the Tag Titles at WrestleMania XL. However, on the whole, compared to his stint on RAW, where he was treated as a top priority and an upper mid-card mainstay, Theory would have hoped for a better run on SmackDown.
#1. SmackDown is no longer ''The House That AJ Styles Built!''
When WWE relaunched the brand split in July 2016, The Phenomenal One landed on the blue brand, and made SmackDown "The House That AJ Styles Built." Styles was at the forefront of the renaissance during his world championship reigns.
Thus, when he returned to his ''house'' last year, fans thought he would become a significant player again. Unfortunately, much of his stint was filler. The O.C. was embroiled in a feud with Karrion Kross over the summer that ran much longer than most deemed proper and didn't warrant a spot on the PLE.
When WWE inserted him into The Bloodline storyline, LA Knight's stock was rising, and the company chose The Megastar over Styles, taking the latter off television.
Upon returning in December, things looked better for The Phenomenal One, but he ate a massive pinfall loss to Roman Reigns in the Fatal Four Way match at Royal Rumble 2024 and lost to Knight at The Show of Shows.
For a person who could have become a main-eventer on SmackDown, Styles was under-utilized and mishandled in the last year.