Bold Predictions For the 2024 WWE Draft

The WWE Draft kicks off Friday night on Fox as part of SmackDown and will continue Monday on Raw, providing fans with an exciting shakeup of the brands' rosters that will create new stars, rivalries, and feuds to fuel the company's product into the rest of 2024 and next WrestleMania season.

An annual event that typically provides a shocker or two, or a jumping-off point for promising young stars, this year's promises that and more.

Ahead of this year's offering, these are a few bold predictions, as well as a look at the draft pools and rules for each night of the festivities.

Draft Pools

Eligible for Friday's draft are: AJ Styles, Alpha Academy, Andrade, Bianca Belair, Bronn Breaker, Cedric Alexander and Ashante Adonis, Ivar, Jey Uso, LA Knight, Liv Morgan, Nia Jax, Randy Orton, Ricochet, Seth "Freakin" Rollins, Shayna Baszler, Sheamus, The Bloodline, The OC, Zoey Stark

---

Eligible for Monday's draft are: Braun Strowman, DIY, Apollo Crews, "Big" Bronson Reed, Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, CM Punk, Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile, Damage CTRL, Drew McIntyre, The Final Testament, Imperium, The Judgment Day, Kayden Carter and Katana Chance, Legado del Fantasma, Naomi, Natalya, New Catch Republic, New Day, Pretty Deadly, Shinsuke Nakamura, Tegan Nox, The Pride, Tiffany Stratton, The LWO, Jade Cargill

Draft Rules

Rules for this year's draft are as follows:

• On SmackDown, there will be four rounds, 16 picks total
• On Raw, there will be six rounds, 24 picks total
• Champions on each brand are protected
• Women's Tag Team Champions are eligible
• SmackDown will pick first on Friday
• Raw will pick first on Monday
• Rosters lock Monday, May 6

Seth "Freakin" Rollins Is Raw's No. 1 Overall Pick

Louis Grasse/PXimages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

LAS VEGAS, NV - FEBRUARY 08: Seth "Freakin" Rollins during the WWE Wrestlemania XL Kickoff on February 08, 2024, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Louis Grasse/PXimages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The true MVP of WrestleMania 40 was Seth "Freakin" Rollins.

Don't believe that? Ask The Rock, who said as much in a post on his official Instagram account.

With the likelihood that The Bloodline goes No. 1 overall to SmackDown, as the blue brand retains the star power of Roman Reigns, that leaves the red brand to select the workhorse as its top pick.

It reflects a job well done, appreciation for all that he accomplished at the biggest show of the year, and more importantly, with contract negotiations ongoing, represents a commitment to him for the foreseeable future from a creative standpoint.

He has earned that status, both on and off camera, and even a brief appearance Friday will help reiterate to the world why it really is Monday Night Rollins.

Damage CTRL Splits

WWE/Getty Images

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 6: Asuka, Dakota Kai, and Kairi Sane of Damage CTRL enter the ring during Night One of WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field on April 6, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by WWE/Getty Images)

Damage CTRL has been a steady presence in the women's division since August of 2022, when the original incarnation of Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky stepped up to Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair.

Since then, they have added Asuka and Kairi Sane, subtracted Bayley, and had varying degrees of success.

With the draft rules stating that the women's tag champions are the only titleholders eligible to be drafted, it means one of two things: either Damage CTRL moves as a unit or there are plans to split the faction up.

With no apparent long-term creative plans outside of bumping around for Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, and Bayley, this is as good a time as any to make the change.

Sky and Kai head to Raw to provide fresh opposition for Becky Lynch, while Asuka and Sane remain on SmackDown to finish their tag team title program with Cargill and Belair.

Expect Post-Draft Trades, Roster Shuffling

WWE/Getty Images

MONTREAL, CANADA - APRIL 15: Triple H makes an appearance during Monday Night RAW at the Bell Centre on April 15, 2024 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by WWE/Getty Images)

The most interesting addition to this year's draft rules is that "rosters will lock on May 6." That gives WWE officials and the creative team an entire week to look at the moves that were made and devise trades or shuffling of Superstars in any way they see fit to bring balance to the brands.

It is a smart move and, given some of the wonkier excuses made for switching stars from brand to brand over the years, transparent.

It also provides the company an opportunity to listen to the fans. If a move does not work for them or does not hit the way they expected it to, the company can book itself out of a corner within the one week it has provided itself.

Creatively, it is a smart move that the company can implement across its social media if it so pleases, keeping the draft in the discussion for an entire week after the last picks are made.