One simple move in the 2023 WWE Draft could set up the WrestleMania 40 main event
The 2023 WWE Draft is around the corner, and the creative team will be looking to build some rivalries for the future. However, the company could end up teasing the WrestleMania 40 main event in advance during one of the nights of the draft.
Many superstars could switch brands during the upcoming draft. It would be the perfect way to give stars some new rivalries and give them a fresh start on a different brand.
Since there is only one men’s world champion in WWE, he will likely take both titles to whichever brand he is drafted. However, the same may not be true for the women's division.
The SmackDown Women’s Champion, Rhea Ripley, is also part of RAW’s villainous faction, The Judgment Day. She has been pulling off double duty by appearing on RAW and SmackDown for several weeks.
Your #SmackDown Women’s Champion, @RheaRipley_WWE! https://t.co/hoNO8SUEHQ
Meanwhile, RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair has held the title for over a year, and it looks like no one on the red brand can defeat her for the title.
Fans can see The EST getting moved to SmackDown, while The Eradicator could be drafted to RAW to remain with The Judgment Day. It could lead to a segment similar to one that fans have seen in the past.
In the 2021 WWE Draft, Charlotte Flair was drafted to SmackDown, while Becky Lynch was drafted to RAW. The two were to exchange titles as they didn't hold the belts of the brand they were drafted into. However, the segment didn’t go as planned. The real-life heat between the two didn’t help, as things looked extremely ugly on television.
Belair and Ripley could have a similar segment on RAW or SmackDown, where they are made to exchange the titles. However, both sides should bad mouth each other and talk each other down while claiming to be the superior champion.
The segment could ignite a rivalry between the two stars, teasing a fight between them at WrestleMania 40. WWE could then keep them separated in the ring but have them go at each other during promos and on social media.
Women have started main eventing Premium Live Events and WrestleMania, and it would be great to see the two top women on the WWE roster go head-to-head at next year’s big show.
The EST and The Eradicator are the most dominant women on their rosters. They could keep their tiles until the next WrestleMania, where the company could give them a title unification match.
Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair’s WWE Draft segment did not go as planned
As mentioned earlier, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair had a title trade-off during the 2021 WWE Draft. They were drafted to each other’s brands and took the respective titles with them.
However, things did not go smoothly during the title trade-off. The Man snatched the RAW Women’s Championship from The Queen before tossing hers to Flair, who did not catch it.
Appearing on an episode of Broken Skull Sessions with Stone Cold Steve Austin after the showdown, Becky Lynch blamed Charlotte Flair for messing up the segment.
"Oh god, yeah. It should've been easy. It was supposed to be a straightforward thing where we were to exchange titles, I grab it out of her hand unknowingly, I'm 'Becky 2 Belts' for a second, then I toss her the title and she tells Sonya to pick it up and challenges me for a fight and I back out of it and go. Everybody was supposed to get their moment there, you know," the WWE Superstar said.
Congratulations in advance to the room full of network execs that get to draft Big Time Becks. Your wallets are about to get fuller. #wwedraft
Social media was on fire following the segment as fans saw that things didn’t go well. WWE should book a much better segment if it plans to have a showdown between Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair.
Do you think a big match for WrestleMania 40 should be set up in the upcoming 2023 WWE Draft? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.