WWE Draft 2016: 10 Most Notable Picks
For now, the WWE Title is exclusive to SmackDown...
Way back in 2002, the then-WWF Brand Extension promised to shake things up like never before. For the first time ever, there was going to be a definite split between Raw and SmackDown. Fast forward to 2016, and WWE have decided to do it again, with the idea being that such a divide will reinvigorate both shows.
On the first SmackDown Live broadcast to air on Tuesday nights, the promotion held the WWE Draft. There, Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley made their picks for Raw, whereas Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan tried to bolster the roster on SmackDown.
Overall, there were six rounds of picks made on television, with a further five rounds taking place on the WWE Network after SmackDown had concluded. Along the way, there were some notable choices, including those that already have an impact on existing storylines and rivalries.
NXT took centre stage for the Draft, even if there were some notable omissions that definitely had people grumbling on social media afterwards.
Let's look at the WWE Draft, picking out the most striking picks - for positive and negative reasons - on both shows...
10. Nia Jax To Raw
Most people probably had Bayley down as a certainty to be called up from NXT before the WWE Draft. One of the best female wrestlers in the entire developmental brand, the lovable babyface completely missed out, she wasn't even featured in the supplemental draft picks featured on the WWE Network after SmackDown went off the air.
Both Alexa Bliss and Carmella were called up from NXT, and they weren't alone. Live on air, Stephanie McMahon announced during the fifth round of picks that Nia Jax would be making her way to Monday Night Raw. You could almost hear the deflation in the live crowd.
That wasn't necessarily a reflection on Jax, fans were just expecting that Bayley would be announced. Therefore, Nia has to be considered one of the more surprising additions to the WWE Draft.
She's worked hard to improve, no doubt, but anyone overlooking her possible involvement in the brand split would have been forgiven before SmackDown. This choice is also notable due to the fact the WWE Women's Title will be on Raw.