5 Past mistakes that should be avoided at the WWE Draft 2021
The WWE Draft 2021 begins in less than 48 hours. The first night of the Draft will take place on Friday Night SmackDown, and will conclude on Monday Night RAW.
NXT won't be included this year either, with the new direction of the brand distancing itself from the old version of it. The WWE Draft has been filled with criticism over the years for moves that shouldn't have been made, or major missed opportunities.
We've seen cases where established tag teams have split up because of the Draft, as was the case with Big E and The New Day in 2020. There have been several mistakes made in it since 2002, and here are some of the big ones that should be avoided this year:
#5. The WWE Draft shouldn't be in favor of one brand
Who are @TheMattCamp & @BodieIsRyan and @MontezFordWWE & @BiancaBelairWWE picking first for #WWERaw and #SmackDown in our #WWETheBump mock draft? 👀 https://t.co/ZSAhXwdE45
The biggest difference between the WWE Drafts post-2019 and before is the establishment of SmackDown as the company's "A-show". Ever since the Blue brand's first episode, it was always presented as a step below Monday Night RAW - the company's flagship brand.
So what was it that changed? The answer is simple - money. Global media broadcasting revenue is WWE's biggest source of revenue. As per the company's corporate website, their revenue in 2020 was $868.2 million.
FOX Sports pays WWE $200 million a year for broadcasting rights of SmackDown. The deal is for five years (starting from 2019) and will add up to $1 billion once it's done.
That staggering annual fee was enough for Vince McMahon's company to prioritize the Friday night show. With higher ratings, bigger stars, and the biggest matches, it's only expected that this year's Draft will favor SmackDown.
However, with reports of WWE being requested to treat both main roster brands "equally", it only makes sense that they should have a balanced Draft that doesn't necessarily favor one brand.
The Head of the Table > The Beast??
@WWERomanReigns @BrockLesnar @HeymanHustle #SmackDown #WWE https://t.co/Vb2kIIEpgx
There's only one problem - this is far easier said than done. If you were to look at it from WWE's perspective, they have to cater to two different broadcasting networks (USA for RAW and FOX for SmackDown), which means that there will be a lot of back-and-forths between the company and the broadcasting giants.
However, this may benefit both brands with more balanced picks. Realistically, it remains to be seen if a balanced WWE Draft is possible.