WWE Mock Draft 2016: Pick-by-Pick Guide to Raw, SmackDown Brand-Split Rosters

Raw snagged a surplus of championship gold and SmackDown netted a healthy supply of indy darlings in Bleacher Report's 2016 WWE Mock Draft.

In anticipation of the coming Raw and SmackDown brand split and the draft to decide which Superstars will be headed to which show, we hosted our own selection process.

Bleacher Report WWE Featured Columnist Erik Beaston and myself took the helm in a WWE fantasy draft, with Beaston picking for Raw while I put together the SmackDown roster. Both writers focused more on creating the best show possible than predicting what WWE will do.

Raw ended up being the home of the tag teams. It boasts some of the most entertaining members of the roster, from Bray Wyatt to Enzo Amore.

SmackDown ended up with a stacked women's division and the kind of in-ring artists who would help establish the blue brand as the wrestling-centric show.

And after Raw scooped up the majority of the company's titleholders, SmackDown would certainly need to consider adding a second world title.

Tag teams were drafted together. What's the point of having just one Uso on each show?

NXT stars were available, but we had to take into consideration that WWE's third brand needs its share of stars, too. And so Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Samoa Joe and American Alpha all went undrafted, left to man NXT in the absence of transported talent like Finn Balor.

Credit: WWE.com

Undertaker and Brock Lesnar were considered free agents, so both were allowed to roam to either show during their brief appearances throughout the year. Ryback, meanwhile, was left off the draft board. His current contentious contract situation will likely see him head out the door.

Raw drafted first and SmackDown chose second until 20 Superstars were selected. The current world champ had to wait until the third overall pick to find a home. The two men who clashed for that title at last year's SummerSlam nabbed the first two spots: John Cena and Seth Rollins.

Raw Roster

Pick No.	Wrestler	Roster Position	Notes
1.	John Cena	Main Event Babyface	Every brand needs its own franchise star. Say what you will about him, but Cena is still that guy and, more importantly, the foundation on which bigger stars can be built.
2.	Roman Reigns (WWE World Heavyweight Champion)	Main Event Tweener	Like Cena was for so very long, Reigns is a polarizing figure who gets fans buzzing, regardless of their opinions of him. His performances in high-profile matches are invaluable.
3.	Bray Wyatt	Main Event Tweener	One of the most wasted talents on the entire WWE roster, Wyatt would be the heel who has marquee rivalries with Cena, Reigns and other popular babyfaces.
4.	Finn Balor	Main Event Babyface	The MVP of NXT, Balor would bring his inner Demon to the main roster, where he would battle Cena, Reigns, Wyatt and others in the same dynamic, entertaining main events fans have been privy to during TakeOver events on WWE Network.
5.	AJ Styles	Main Event Heel/Leader of The Club	The Phenomenal One would not only bring The Club with him to Monday nights but would serve as the lead villain of the brand, working Cena, Reigns, Balor and even Wyatt in huge main event bouts.
6.	The Club	Lead Tag Team Act	Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows are an immensely dangerous team capable of terrorizing main event stars and tag teams alike. They would thrive as the lead villains in a revamped tag division.
7.	The Miz (Intercontinental Champion)	Midcard Heel	Because one can never have enough quality heels capable of headlining on television and pay-per-view, Miz was anything but a stretch at No. 7. A traditional heel capable of generating hatred on the mic or in the ring, he fits nicely with the rest of the upper-tier talent on the show.
8.	The New Day (Tag Team Champions)	Lead Babyface Team	One of the funniest, most entertaining acts in all of WWE, it would form the foundation of the tag division and wage war with The Club.
9.	Charlotte (Women's Champion)	Lead Heel of Women's Division	A hero is only as good as his or her villain, and no female heel is hotter than Charlotte. She would be the centerpiece of Raw’s women’s division and the champion fans so desperately want to see beaten.
10.	Becky Lynch	Lead Babyface of Women's Division	The most underrated women’s wrestler in WWE, Lynch would have the opportunity to be the lead heroine in the division and primary opposition for Charlotte and the Women’s Championship.
11.	Baron Corbin	Midcard Heel/Future Main Event Heel	The Lone Wolf has the opportunity to be a headline heel or babyface in WWE, an unstoppable force ruling the roost for years to come. For now, he would thrive as an upper-midcard talent feuding with similarly placed babyfaces.
12.	Dolph Ziggler	Upper-Level Midcard Babyface	Wildly underappreciated by WWE in his current position, Ziggler would thrive as a top-shelf babyface who occasionally flirted with the main event scene, not unlike what he was late in 2014.
13.	Alberto Del Rio	Upper-Level Midcard Heel	Currently lost in the shuffle, Del Rio would rebound after a so-so eight months and battle some of the biggest Raw stars in matches just a step below the main event. A main event run with Cena or Reigns at the top of the card cannot be ruled out.
14.	Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady	Only team rivaling New Day in popularity	The only team capable of rivaling New Day’s popularity in the tag division, Enzo and Cass would remain legitimate contenders to the titles and rivals of The Club.
15.	Neville	Midcard Babyface	The Man That Gravity Forgot is a Superstar who has yet to really get a fair shot at starring in WWE. While a main event run is unlikely, a solid series of midcard matches with Corbin, Del Rio and The Miz would establish him as a popular underdog babyface.
16.	Dana Brooke	Heel, Women's Division	As the closest associate of Charlotte, Dana Brooke would remain a lead heel in the women’s division and maybe supplant her second-generation friend via intricately planned betrayal.
17.	Nikki Bella	Wild Card due to injury	An ultimate wild card due to her neck injury, Bella could be one of the leading stars of the women’s division, not only because of her in-ring progressions over the last three years but for her crossover appeal as well. Quality heel or babyface.
18.	The Dudley Boyz	Grizzled vets of tag division	Instantly recognizable, The Dudley Boyz have demonstrated little ego as they have eagerly put over younger, promising teams. Rebuilding them ever so slightly into legitimate contenders to the tag titles would be key.
19.	Carmella	Future Babyface star of women's wrestling	The association with Enzo and Cass was a determining factor, but more importantly, Carmella’s undeniable charisma and popularity in NXT make her a prime candidate to be a breakout star on Monday Night Raw.
20.	The Usos	Second-tier babyfaces/possible heels	Rounding out the tag team-centric Raw roster are The Usos. A bit of character development would do them wonders as Jimmy and Jey look to climb back into tag team contention...and the hearts of the WWE Universe.

JP Yim/Getty Images

SmackDown Roster

Pick No.	Wrestler	Card Position	Notes
1.	Seth Rollins	Main Event Babyface	After an MVP-type year in 2015, Rollins proved he can be the top guy. He can deliver on the mic and in the ring.
2.	Kevin Owens	Main Event Heel	WWE can lean on Owens as a wrestler and a talker. Moving him to SmackDown allows him to move to a marquee spot, a place he has shown he can belong since he arrived.
3.	Shinsuke Nakamura	Main Event Babyface	Nakamura is too charismatic, popular and skilled to remain at NXT. As a top star on SmackDown, he can help define the new era.
4.	Randy Orton	Main Event Tweener	SmackDown needs a strong veteran presence. Orton is sometimes underappreciated due to overexposure but would be invigorated thanks to a number of fresh matchups.
5.	Dean Ambrose	Main Event Babyface	Ambrose's flirtations with a main event spot have been thrilling. Keeping him there is a no-brainer. Bringing him to SmackDown further assures the show's high level of quality matches.
6.	Cesaro	Upper Midcard Babyface	The more wrestling-heavy show would benefit greatly from an in-ring master like Cesaro. He would flourish as a midcard titleholder or challenger chasing down the world title.
7.	Sasha Banks	Top Heel of Women's Division	Banks is the key to SmackDown's strong women's division. She is the top female performer WWE has, and a move to SmackDown assures her plenty of spotlight.
8.	Rusev (United States Champion)	Midcard Heel	Drafting Rusev to SmackDown would allow the United States Championship to be a high-profile title, raising its prestige. He is in the midst of a resurgence. Adding this dominant force will make Tuesday nights more exciting.
9.	Bayley	Top Babyface of Women's Division	This pick assures that Bayley and Banks are on the same brand, allowing them to continue their stellar NXT rivalry. Bringing her up from NXT helps strengthen a high-quality women's division.
10.	Sheamus	Upper Midcard Heel	An often underappreciated bruiser would be a valuable addition to SmackDown. He will have plenty of top workers to compete with, helping establish it as the wrestling-heavy show.
11.	Luke Harper	Upper Midcard Heel	Separating Harper from The Wyatt Family gives him a chance to reach his full potential. He would be a great addition to a roster full of top-notch workers and would help provide SmackDown with plenty of hoss fights.
12.	Chris Jericho	Upper Midcard Heel	Jericho surprisingly falls to the middle of the draft despite his star power. He would add another familiar name to the blue brand to help transition WWE into its new era.
13.	Paige	Babyface, Women's Division	Paige has struggled for airtime with the current brand makeup. Moving to SmackDown will allow her to thrive as a take-no-prisoners antihero. She adds to an impressive women's division.
14.	Sami Zayn	Midcard Babyface	A rising star with plenty of potential joins his rival Owens as a member of SmackDown. He promises to benefit from added opportunities following the brand split. He will surely elevate the quality of matches on Tuesday nights.
15.	Asuka	Heel, Women's Division	Swiping another NXT female, SmackDown assures itself a stellar women's division by adding one of the top women's workers today. She would have to drop the NXT women's title to someone in need of more seasoning and start eyeing the top spot that Bayley, Paige and Banks will be fighting for.
16.	Kalisto	Midcard Babyface	An exciting, high-flying performer who is better off without Sin Cara. He's the ideal babyface underdog to insert into the midcard title picture.
17.	Tyler Breeze	Low Midcard Heel	Breeze has been given minimal opportunity since arriving on the main roster. That will change post-brand split. He can thrive in midcard rivalries with the likes of Kalisto and Zayn, perhaps gaining enough momentum to move up the card.
18.	Apollo Crews	Low Midcard Babyface	With experience, he could easily move up the ranks, but for now he is an exciting addition to the lower half of the roster.
19.	Zack Ryder	Low Midcard Babyface	If you're going to add a low-rung wrestler, it might as well be one who continues to have a strong following regardless of his booking. He's a likable underdog and a hard worker.
20.	Emma	Heel, Women's Division	Emma has killed it as a heel of late. Signing her to SmackDown after her back heals would fortify the women's division.

Best of the Undrafted

With just 20 slots each, Raw and SmackDown missed out on a number of veterans and lower-rung stars.

• Alicia Fox
• Big Show
• Braun Strowman
• Darren Young
• Erick Rowan
• Goldust
• Jack Swagger
• Kane
• Mark Henry
• Naomi
• Sin Cara
• The Social Outcasts
• Titus O'Neil

Whether WWE holds the draft on its own streaming network or as part of Raw, such Superstars will probably go undrafted during the live portion. Fans have little interest in where little-used talents like Swagger are headed.

They will likely get added to their respective brands after the cameras go off.

Both shows will need wrestlers on this level to fill its rosters. In order to elevate stars, WWE needs bottom feeders, so don't expect Henry, Swagger and Company not to find a home.

Analysis

In this version of the draft, Raw and SmackDown ended up with distinct identities. Monday nights will focus on tag teams, feature some of the funnier acts on the roster and rely on both the polarizing Reigns and Cena as top stars. SmackDown emerged as the worker's show, with men like Owens, Zayn, Cesaro and Nakamura on board.

That's the kind of approach WWE must take as well, giving fans reasons to tune in both Mondays and Tuesdays and have each show offer different things, be it more comedy or more slugfests.

One of the more challenging aspects of the fantasy draft was trying to keep alliances together. Raw managed to do that by having Styles and The Club as well as Brooke and Charlotte all remain on the same show. That makes a ton of sense for the real version of the WWE draft.

Styles and The Club have a symbotic relationship, each making the other more relevant. And although the McMahons teased the possibility of splitting up teams during the brand extension, that can't happen.

Pulling Harper away from the The Wyatt Family is one thing, but breaking up The New Day would just be foolish.

WWE is also going to have to spread out its top established names. Wrestlers like Cena, Orton and Jericho are needed to pull in the casual fans who haven't yet become attached to guys like Owens.

But after splitting the roster in half via fantasy draft, it's far clearer how much more opportunity awaits WWE's future cornerstones.

One show won't have to compete with Cena. There will be less championships to showcase on each night. And emerging grapplers like Owens and Wyatt will automatically move up the food chain, adding fresh faces to the marquee.

That will be the key to WWE fulfilling its promise of ushering in its New Era.

Ryan Dilbert is the WWE Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. You can talk wrestling and writing with him on Twitter @ryandilbert.

Erik Beaston is a Bleacher Report WWE Featured Columnist. Follow him on Twitter @ErikBeaston.