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5 late picks of the 2016 WWE Draft who have flourished on the main roster

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The WWE Draft occurred last July to officially create the second-ever brand split...

We are nearing the 18-month mark since the latest brand split occurred in July of 2016. The WWE Draft was held in Worcester, Massachusetts on July 19th during the live premiere of SmackDown Live on the USA Network.

This marked the second time in the history of the WWE that the roster split between Raw and SmackDown, with the first occurring in 2002. This brand extension would last until August of 2011.

With the growth of NXT as a brand rather than a developmental territory, the depth of the WWE roster reached heights that hadn't been seen since the first brand split shortly after Vince McMahon purchased WCW and brought a lot of their talent over.

The WWE Draft in July of 2016 consisted of six televised rounds of 30 total picks, followed by 29 more supplemental picks that took place on the WWE Network after SmackDown Live went off the air.

This article is going to take a look at five of those supplemental picks that have done well for themselves on the main roster during the past 18 months. They include someone who survived the release of their tag team partner, a monster, a princess, a glowing former champion, and a four-time champion.

Continue on to witness the first diamond in the rough from the WWE Draft of 2016.


#5 Aiden English (SmackDown Live - Round 10 - Pick 53)

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It's Rusev Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Aiden English was one of the last draft picks in 2016 when he and Simon Gotch were taken 53rd overall as The Vaudevillains. This tag team actually made their debut a few months prior on the first SmackDown Live after WrestleMania.

Thought The Vaudevillains were successful in NXT, they never gained any traction on the main roster. Just a few days after WrestleMania 33, Simon Gotch was released, and English would become a singles competitor.

After the release of Gotch, English would thrive. He'd have solid matches with superstars such as Randy Orton, and his singing gimmick (that he had prior to the Vaudevillains in NXT) was starting to get over.

Now as a part of the "Rusev Day" team, English's popularity has never been higher. There is a lot of potential in this pairing, and there is a very good chance that they could have tag team gold in 2018.

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