WWE Draft 2021: New Backstage Details, Last-Minute Decisions, Changes & More
New behind-the-scenes notes on how the 2021 WWE Draft came together.
The 2021 WWE Draft concluded last Monday (4 October), as Vince McMahon's promotion moved the last of its pieces around the board in its latest roster reshuffle - though the changes don't officially come into play until the post-Crown Jewel episode of SmackDown (22 October).
Pre-Draft reports suggested that while a handful of key moves had been decided, WWE hadn't settled on a concrete plan for many wrestlers prior to it kicking off on 1 October. Now, a new Fightful Select report states that the notice wrestlers were given ahead of their draft picks varied greatly.
Some performers were informed of what was happening with them the day before the draft began on SmackDown. As far as the Raw picks go, while some were informed beforehand, most wrestlers learned of what was happening with them on Monday itself. Some wrestlers were able to connect the dots and make assumptions after putting their travel plans together, though.
For those wrestlers caught between NXT and the main roster (the Dakota Kais and Xia Lis of the world), some were informed they wouldn't be drafted after it had already started, some were ready for television, while others learned their fates as the draft was going on.
WWE currently has two Raw episodes and one SmackDown to go before 22 October, when the roster changes officially kick in.