5 non-wrestlers who have switched brands during the WWE DraftÂ
The 2021 WWE Draft is rapidly approaching.
The annual tradition of WWE "shaking up" its talent roster begins this Friday Night during SmackDown on FOX and then concludes next Monday Night during RAW on USA Network.
Throughout its tenure, the WWE Draft has created some of the most surprising, stunning and memorable moments in WWE history. This includes some of the biggest WWE Superstars switching brands from RAW to SmackDown and vice versa.
Names such as John Cena, Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Seth Rollins and Batista have all switched brands during the WWE Draft.
But it's not just the wrestlers of WWE that are eligible in the draft. Some of the most surprising draft picks in WWE history have come from non-wrestlers switching brands.
Managers, announcers, commentators and General Managers have all been affected by the annual roster shake-up in the past.
Let's take a closer look at five non-wrestlers that switched brands during the WWE Draft.
#5. Byron Saxton (Drafted to SmackDown during 2017 WWE Superstar Shake-Up)
Byron Saxton has been an announcer for various brands and shows throughout his WWE career.
Saxton has called the action for the likes of WWE ECW, NXT, Main Event, SmackDown and Monday Night RAW. Primarily serving as an analyst in the broadcast booth.
He became exclusive to Monday Night RAW in the 2016 WWE Brand Extension, forming an announce team with Michael Cole and Corey Graves. Saxton would be the babyface analyst in contrast to Graves' heel-color-commentary role.
In 2017, as part of the post-WrestleMania 33 Superstar Shake-Up, it was announced that Byron Saxton had switched from Monday Night RAW to SmackDown LIVE. He would replace David Otunga as the analyst on the blue brand's announce team.
Saxton remained in this role until he returned to the Monday Night RAW broadcast booth in January 2020 alongside Tom Phillips and Jerry "The King" Lawler.