10 Problems WWE Must Solve In The 2023 Draft
Thrashing out where the new World Heavyweight Title goes isn't WWE's only Draft problem.
WWE doesn't have time to sift through endless comments from fans about the brand new World Heavyweight Championship design, because their product moves fast - Friday's episode of SmackDown kicks off the 2023 Draft, and that could well provide another stick for unhappy punters to beat Triple H with.
Or, maybe everybody will be pleasantly surprised. Who knows?
The company does have a fair few problems to sort out though. It is true that the rosters on Raw and SmackDown have grown stale (even though WWE doesn't always stick to ironclad lineups), and some NXT stars are more than ready to hit the big time on the main shows.
There are issues with the way the actual Draft process itself is carried out too. Those who suffered through miserable Drafts in 2020 and 2021 must be dreading more of the same. However, maybe everyone's collective attention will be swept up by exactly where top man Roman Reigns lands.
Is he set for a move to Raw, or will he stay put on Smackers? That decision will help thrash out what's next for the reborn World Heavyweight prize too.
Let's problem solve!
10. The Boredom Of Revealing Picks
First problem? Those rotten pick reveals. They're...terrible, and haven't worked whether it's Stephanie McMahon or the combo or Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville doing them. WWE tried to incorporate USA Network and FOX a few years back (by running "War Room" skits), but that fell flat too.
The whole system just seems so dull.
Figuring out a way to deliver announcements with more gusto on this week's SmackDown and next week's edition of Raw should be paramount. This is supposed to be an exciting twin-pack of episodes to tune in for, so it's a shame that the Draft thrills are packaged in such a humdrum, lazy fashion.
WWE doesn't have strict GMs or brand-specific authority figures to reveal their hands these days, so maybe having the actual wrestlers themselves react to being drafted would work. That's something the company squeezed some mileage out of years ago - it was a huge part of the original Draft in 2002.