6 WWE Superstars who could be the #1 pick in the 2019 draft
WWE has announced that there will be another draft between Raw and SmackDown after the blue brand moves to FOX on October 4.
The following week, the two-night roster changes will begin on the October 11 episode of SmackDown before continuing on the October 14 episode of Raw.
In July 2016, WWE separated the rosters between Raw and SmackDown for the first time in five years, with Superstars from opposing brands only allowed to meet at Survivor Series, Money In The Bank, the Royal Rumble and in WrestleMania Battle Royals.
Since then, there has been a post-WrestleMania Superstar Shake-Up in each of the last three years. However, the 2019 brand changes were largely meaningless due to the introduction of the ‘Wild Card Rule’, which enabled Superstars to appear on both shows on a weekly basis.
Now, with the 2019 draft on the horizon, let’s take a look at six Superstars who could realistically be the #1 pick in the next round of roster changes.
#6 Kofi Kingston
In April 2019, Kofi Kingston achieved his 11-year dream to become WWE Champion when he defeated Daniel Bryan in the Match of the Night at WrestleMania 35 to claim the company’s most prestigious title.
At the time, many fans thought that the New Day member would only have a brief reign with the title before losing it to a top heel from SmackDown. But, as it has turned out, he has defeated high-profile names including Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe and Randy Orton over the last five months to keep hold of his WWE Championship for longer than people expected.
Looking back at the 2016 draft, the WWE Champion at the time of the brand changes – Dean Ambrose – was the second overall draft pick, largely due to the fact that he held the top male title on both Raw and SmackDown.
Without the WWE Championship, Kingston would not be considered as the #1 draft pick ahead of October 11 and October 14. With the title, however, he might just be in with a chance.
Kofi Kingston’s 2016 draft position: #10 (w/Big E & Xavier Woods)