WWE RAW vs SmackDown: Which Brand won the 2020 Draft?
Now that this year's WWE Draft is over, it's time to analyze which brand made best use of the 2020 Draft.
Keep in mind that there are still some free agents who haven't been allotted to RAW or SmackDown, but most of them are currently inactive or injured. Click here to check out the full roundup from this year's WWE Draft event.
As for this article, some important criteria will be considered to establish fair and objective boundaries to determine which brand fared better in the 2020 Draft.
#5 WWE Draft Criteria: Relevant feuds/storylines
Relevancy is an important criterion to ensure that either WWE brand won't enter a period of staleness after the Draft.
Judging by the current roster, the three biggest feuds or storylines on SmackDown are as follows:
- Roman Reigns vs Jey Uso (Universal Championship).
- Bayley vs Sasha Banks (SmackDown Women's Championship).
- Seth Rollins vs The Mysterio Family/Murphy.
Although The Mysterio Family's feud against Rollins was a RAW-specific rivalry, Seth Rollins was drafted to SmackDown. Dominik, Rey Mysterio and Murphy were drafted to SmackDown as well, which indicates that the consequences of this personal feud will be felt across the Blue brand from now onwards.
The three biggest feuds or storylines on RAW are listed as follows:
- Randy Orton vs Drew McIntyre (WWE Championship)
- Alexa Bliss and The Fiend's storyline
- The Hurt Business vs RETRIBUTION
Although both shows feature engaging storylines to some extent, the Red brand lacks in the department of long-term feuds after the Draft. Stars who were involved in long-term feuds like Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Aleister Black, and Murphy were all drafted to SmackDown.
Stars like Asuka have been shifting between different opponents without any long-term goal. There is potential to build stable storylines with RAW's new acquisitions, but WWE fans will have to wait a while for that to happen.
On the other hand, the Universal Title and the SmackDown Women's Title scenarios on SmackDown have been unanimously praised by fans and critics alike, which is rare nowadays. So the Blue Brand did a good job in retaining the stars pertaining to the aforementioned feuds.
Winner for this criteria: SmackDown