Ranking the Best and Worst Picks From the 2023 WWE Draft

While it remains to be seen whether the 2023 WWE draft will "truly change the game" as originally promised by Triple H, there were certainly enough moves to make the two-night event worthwhile.

Of course, the key will be in the follow-up. Failing to honor the rules of the brand split will render it irrelevant. If done right, though, several Superstars will benefit.

The 2023 installment of the annual shakeup officially wrapped up on Monday night and was a mixed bag on the whole. There were plenty of people who needed a change of scenery and wound up where they needed to be, while others either swapped shows unnecessarily or stayed put when they shouldn't have.

The actual execution of the draft was questionable as well with no on-air authority figures in charge of the selections and no clarification on what will happen with the Raw and SmackDown women's champions switching brands much like in 2021.

Perhaps the biggest highlight was the abundance of NXT call-ups, which will breathe new life into both brands.

In the immediate aftermath of the event, these are the best and worst picks made by Raw and SmackDown.

3. Worst: Cody Rhodes to Raw

Cody Rhodes was picked first by Raw—right behind SmackDown's Roman Reigns—on Night 1 of the WWE draft, and rightfully so. He's far and away the biggest babyface in WWE today based on how he's been booked, positioned and received.

For The American Nightmare to be selected anywhere but the opening round wouldn't have been realistic. The issue was not when his name was called but rather where he landed.

For months, Rhodes has been proclaiming that he must "finish the story" by unseating Reigns as undisputed WWE universal champion. He failed to do so at WrestleMania 39, and now that he finds himself on the brand opposite The Tribal Chief, he has no choice but to put his unfinished business with him on the back burner for now.

The hope is this was done so that they can rekindle their rivalry somewhere down the road, either in time for SummerSlam or WrestleMania 40. Rhodes winning either the men's Money in the Bank ladder match or the men's Royal Rumble would give him the loophole he needs to pursue Reigns on SmackDown.

If that isn't in the cards and WWE instead settles for Rhodes challenging for the newly announced World Heavyweight Championship soon, then this was quite the mind-boggling move.

3. Best: Drew McIntyre to Raw

Drew McIntyre finds himself in the exact opposite situation as Rhodes: He needed to be as far away from Reigns and The Bloodline as possible, not closer.

The Scottish Warrior has been at odds with the group on and off for the better part of the past three years. Shockingly, he has not once been able to conquer them, and it became clear after a certain point that it was never going to happen.

McIntyre only spent a year and a half on SmackDown, but returning to Raw was a must. There, he can resume his role as a main event player and be back in the running for a top title: the World Heavyweight Championship.

The draft saw Raw stock up on high-profile babyfaces, so a heel turn for the Scot wouldn't be the worst call. Fresh feuds with stars such as Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Shinsuke Nakamura and Kevin Owens await him.

The two-time WWE champion hasn't been seen since WrestleMania 39 reportedly due to injury, but he'd be an excellent addition to the World Heavyweight Championship tournament leading up to Night of Champions if he's able to make it back in time.

2. Worst: Karrion Kross to SmackDown

Karrion Kross' second stint in WWE can't be considered anything but a disappointment so far.

The Herald of Doomsday has already lasted longer on the main roster than he did in 2021, but he simply hasn't found what works yet.

Kross got off to a solid start in his storyline with Drew McIntyre last summer, but despite beating him at Extreme Rules, he gradually lost momentum once their rivalry ran its course and never really recovered.

WWE has recently attempted to heat him up again by putting him in a program with Shinsuke Nakamura, but the two have since been separated in the draft. They will instead have their first and presumably only match on Friday's SmackDown and then move in different directions.

The biggest problem with Kross staying on SmackDown is that he has no upward trajectory. He has teased challenging for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on several occasions, but that match won't happen as long as fellow heel Roman Reigns has the gold in his grasp.

The same can be said about Austin Theory's United States title. Kross can't enter championship contention until either of them drop their belts, so he isn't left with much else to do in the meantime.

An Edge program is a possibility, but without anything at stake, it will be difficult for fans to care.

2. Best: AJ Styles to SmackDown

For a star of his caliber, it's criminal how underutilized AJ Styles has been for the last few years.

His latest run on Raw, spanning from October 2020 to last week didn't see him accomplish much. He held the Raw Tag Team Championship for a time with Omos, but his singles success was nearly nonexistent.

The 45-year-old is, admittedly, in the twilight of his career and therefore WWE must make the most of him while he remains active and at the top of his game. Bringing him back to SmackDown is a massive step in the right direction.

He missed the last four months due to injury, but the time off may have been the best thing for him. Alongside the rest of The O.C., he resurfaced on Night 1 of the draft and made an immediate statement by sending The Viking Raiders packing to Raw.

The most obvious path to take with Styles eventually is an Undisputed WWE Universal Championship program with Roman Reigns, but there are other heels he can have quality matches with.

SmackDown is where made a name for himself in WWE at the dawn of the second brand split in 2016 and it should now be where he reclaims his status as a top-tier talent.

1. Worst: LA Knight to SmackDown

It was only fitting that SmackDown drafted Karrion Kross and LA Knight in the same round on Night 2 of the draft because they suffer from a similar issue.

Both Superstars are ready to ascend to the next level in WWE but can't do so given the Roman Reigns ceiling on SmackDown. It may be many months until he loses his loses, so until then, they have nothing to fight for.

Knight is an especially frustrating case considering how over he's organically gotten with the audience this year and how WWE has refused to capitalize on it in any meaningful way.

The Megastar has all the tools necessary to be a world champion in the not-too-distant future, and at the age of 40, it's not as if he can afford to toil away in the midcard for years on end. The time to strike with him is now, but SmackDown isn't the proper platform for him due to its limitations.

On Raw, he could have easily moved into the main event mix from the get-go and entered the tournament to crown a new world heavyweight champion. There are plenty of potential programs for him on SmackDown, but Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre all would have been remarkable rivals for him.

Knight may not be completely doomed on Friday nights, but being slotted on SmackDown just isn't ideal for him at this stage.

1. Best: Gunther (Imperium) to Raw

In the absence of Roman Reigns, Raw has been desperately lacking a strong top heel for some time now. But the red brand's new acquisition, Gunther, perfectly fills that void.

The intercontinental champion has been on an absolute tear since arriving on the main roster just over a year ago. He has put together an all-time title run with a plethora of outstanding defenses, drastically raising the profile of the prestigious prize in the process.

The move to Monday nights gives him an all-new batch of opponents to work with: Johnny Gargano, Seth Rollins, Apollo Crews, Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle, among others.

Once he breaks The Honky Tonk Man's record as the longest-reigning intercontinental champion ever later this year, Gunther can then shift his focus toward the World Heavyweight Championship.

It would be booking malpractice for The Ring General not to hold that belt within the next year, setting him up for a colossal clash with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 40.

Gunther has been handled brilliantly on the main roster so far, and there's no reason to think his success won't continue on Raw.

---

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.