WWE Draft Creative Process Explained by Former WWE Writer

A former WWE writer provided some insight last week into how WWE books the annual WWE draft behind the scenes.

Appearing on the Public Enemies Podcast's Behind Enemy Lines (h/t WrestlingInc's Robert Gunier), former WWE writer Chris Dunn divulged that draft preparations varied from year to year, with some being planned months in advance and others featuring changes up to the day of the draft.

Dunn also explained the thought process of setting up the rosters, noting that the starting point was typically to choose one male Superstar and one female Superstar to lead each brand.

From there, the creative team would determine the most intriguing opponents for each of those four Superstars and fill out the rosters based largely on that.

Dunn noted that WWE's philosophy was, "When those stars are succeeding and participating in engaging stories, the entire roster flourishes."

While WWE held drafts and shake-ups every year from 2016 to 2021, none occurred in 2022, and the reason for the change remains unclear.

It may have had something to do with the creative changes that took place over the summer when Vince McMahon retired and Triple H took the reins as head of creative and chief content officer.

WWE shook up the rosters shortly after WrestleMania from 2017 through 2019, so it is possible the first draft under Triple H's guidance could occur at some point in April.

Some subtle roster changes were made on Monday's episode of Raw, with Rick Boogs and Maximum Male Models appearing despite previously having been part of the SmackDown roster.

WWE could simply continue making those types of moves on a whim without holding an official draft, but the WWE draft episodes of Raw and SmackDown are typically highly anticipated shows among fans, so it may behoove WWE to go back to that format in the future.

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