10 Biggest Missed Opportunities From WWE Draft 2016

9. No Returning Superstars

Raw Mvp
WWE.com

As soon as news of the Brand Split’s imminent return broke on May 25th, fans started wondering just how the company were gonna fill the extra roster spots. WWE, after all, had been struggling to pad-out their 3-hour Raw broadcasts with a full roster, let alone one cut him half by a Draft. How could they possibly fill all that airtime without increasing the talent pool?

Naturally, this led to a boatload of speculation, and aside from wide-scale NXT call-ups, WWE were reported to have contacted several former employees with a view to joining the Raw or SmackDown roster and helping ease the transition.

This didn’t happen. As soon as WWE published their list of eligible superstars on Sunday evening, it became clear that they had no intention of throwing the likes of Kurt Angle and MVP back into the mix, and that’s a shame. While a number of the speculated names (hi, Carlito) wouldn’t have brought anything more than nostalgia to the roster, a few familiar faces would’ve popped the crowd, shaken things up, and added a new layer of excitement to what turned out to be an unexciting draft.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.