Picks Raw and SmackDown Need to Make on Night 2 of WWE Draft 2024

The 2024 WWE draft kicked off Friday night on SmackDown and to say the results were underwhelming would be an understatement, with just four total switches and two NXT selections in the 16 picks.

Too many names stayed put and while that was a given in some scenarios, fans demand more from an event that promises to "shake things up" and provide fresh matches and storylines moving forward.

With Night 1 done, which moves must Raw and SmackDown make to ensure the draft ends stronger than it started, providing fans with something to get excited about while WWE looks to sustain the momentum it had on its side coming out of WrestleMania 40?

Find out with this preview of Monday's second night of draft selections.

Night 1 Picks

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CINCINNATI, OHIO - APRIL 26: The Dudley Boyz Announce round three draft picks at Heritage Bank Center on April 26, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by WWE/Getty Images)

Selected on the first night of the WWE draft were:

1. Bianca Belair (SmackDown), Jey Uso (Raw)
2. Carmelo Hayes (SmackDown), Seth Rollins (Raw)
3. Randy Orton (SmackDown), Bron Breakker (Raw)
4. Nia Jax (SmackDown), Liv Morgan (Raw)
5. LA Knight (SmackDown), Ricochet (Raw)
6. The Bloodline (SmackDown), Sheamus (Raw)
7. AJ Styles (SmackDown), Alpha Academy (Raw)
8. Andrade (SmackDown), Kiana James (Raw)

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Selected in the post-SmackDown draft were:

1. Baron Corbin (SmackDown), Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn (Raw)
2. The OC (SmackDown), Ivar (Raw)
3. Cedric Alexander and Ashante "Thee" Adonis (SmackDown), Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark (Raw)

CM Punk and Drew McIntyre Remain on Raw

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 07: Drew McIntyre has a face off with CM Punk after WWE World Championship win during Night Two of WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field on April 7, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by WWE/Getty Images)

Raw is in dire need of star power in the main event scene and although both CM Punk and Drew McIntyre are injured, their rivalry is the best on the show.

It's a feud they have been able to sustain through minimal physicality and plenty of social media, meaning the red brand can benefit without having their match until both are ready.

Punk and McIntyre have an intensely personal rivalry that saw The Scottish Warrior injure The Straight Edge Superstar in the men's Royal Rumble match in January.

The Chicago native retaliated by attacking a braggadocios McIntyre at WrestleMania, setting up Damian Priest's unforgettable Money in the Bank cash-in.

They are legitimate stars, have an established story in front of the fans, and they should stay put and settle their differences when both are cleared and ready for battle.

Damage CTRL to Raw

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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)

Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky and women's tag team champions Asuka and Kairi Sane have been embroiled in a long storyline with Bayley that culminated at WrestleMania with The Role Model defeating Sky to win the WWE Women's Championship.

There's nothing left to settle here, but the two sides are seemingly destined to be linked as long as they are in the same hemisphere.

So, there's no better way to ensure we do not get repetitive matches and story beats than by sending Damage CTRL to Raw and letting them work with fresh faces, proving a link to Bayley is not essential to their long-term sustainability.

Plus, the idea of Sky or Kai vs. Becky Lynch for the Women's World Championship sounds appealing based on the talent involved.

Imperium to SmackDown

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COLUMBUS, OHIO - APRIL 22: Giovanni Vinci, Gunther, and Ludwig Kaiser of Imperium making their way to the ring during Monday Night RAW at Jerome Schottenstein Center on April 22, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by WWE/Getty Images)

Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser return to the brand they started their main roster run on with this proposed pick.

The Ring General recently wrapped up the greatest intercontinental title run in WWE history at WrestleMania with his loss to Sami Zayn, and he is poised for bigger and better entering the rest of the year. Like, say, an Undisputed WWE Championship match against Cody Rhodes at Bash in Berlin on August 31?

A match of that magnitude would elevate Gunther to main event status, something he was well on his way to with his IC title reign, and enhance Kaiser's stature on the show by proxy.

It would give SmackDown another believable top star to choose outside of The Bloodline, and babyface champ Rhodes another villain contender who could beat him.

That's a great recipe for the hottest show in WWE and a champion the company spent an entire year building to that point.

Bobby Lashley, The Street Profits, B-Fab to Raw

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 07: Angelo Dawkins, B-Fab, Bobby Lashley, and Montez Ford enter the ring during Night Two of WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field on April 7, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by WWE/Getty Images)

As noted, Raw needs star power and it appears there is a real glass ceiling on the SmackDown brand that Bobby Lashley and Co. will struggle to break through.

For better or worse, there is a logjam of talent on the blue brand and the idea of them breaking through and becoming legitimate main event mainstays is unlikely.

That is not the case on Monday nights.

Raw allows the group to feud with The Judgment Day and gives Lashley a realistic chance to challenge Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship.

These are opportunities that The All Mighty simply isn't going to receive if he, The Street Profits and B-Fab stick around on Friday nights.