Top 20 Draft Picks For WWE's Brand Split 2016

Stephanie McMahon, despite her history with Roman Reigns, will admit that Shane McMahon made a great choice with his first selection. Reigns is a champion, a franchise player, and a worldwide sensation - but she's got somebody who's all that and more: John Cena! The United States Champion will be Stephanie's first official pick, ending his decade-plus tenure as the face of Raw.

Cena was actually a Smackdown-exclusive talent for several years. He first came up to the main roster as part of the blue brand in 2002, just months after the initial split. It was on Smackdown that he rose to superstardom, capturing the U.S. Title three times and eventually defeating JBL to become WWE Champion. In 2005, he was moved over to Raw when the company decided to focus on him as the number one star, and he hasn't looked back since (apart from being drafted back to Smackdown for a couple of hours in 2011).

Cena's anchoring of Smackdown shows that he may not be the top man in WWE anymore, but he's still worthy of being the centerpiece of a brand. It also establishes the U.S. Title as property of Smackdown, and that brand's highest exclusive honor.