Projecting Top 10 Picks of the WWE Raw and SmackDown 2019 Draft

The landscape of WWE will change once again when the company presents a two-night draft extravaganza aimed at establishing rosters for Raw and SmackDown as one surges to the forefront on Fox and the other takes a backseat for the first time in 26 years.

The order in which a Superstar is drafted is reflective of his or her status with the company and any potential high-profile storylines on the horizon.

In preparation for the upcoming draft, take a look at these Superstars who will make up the first 10 picks and find out why they should fall in that given spot.

1. Brock Lesnar to SmackDown

The Beast Incarnate will challenge Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship on the October 4 episode of SmackDown and will likely win, providing the blue brand with an enormous star as it embarks on its move to Fox.

As the most recognizable star on the roster, and arguably its most valuable, it makes sense both brands would covet him.

With the draft kicking off on October 11 on SmackDown, expect the blue brand to select Brock Lesnar with the No. 1 overall pick, ensuring the WWE Championship stars on the show and the new "A" show features WWE's biggest box office attraction.

2. Seth Rollins to Raw

Raw is expected to take a significant hit from a star power perspective as WWE officials look to load SmackDown up in time for its move to Fox. With that said, expect the flagship to retain the services of Seth Rollins.

The current universal champion may not have the title by the time the October 11 episode of SmackDown Live rolls around but The Architect remains a prominent star around whom WWE officials appear comfortable building the main event scene.

Rollins lacks the star power of a Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar but he is one of the better, more consistent workers in the industry and has done an admirable job at the top of the Raw brand for the majority of 2019. Look for that run to continue as he stays put at the top of the longest-running episodic show in cable television history.

3. Roman Reigns to SmackDown

Roman Reigns is the franchise player of WWE and its biggest full-time star. When the company held the Superstar Shake-Up last April, he jumped from Raw to SmackDown specifically to bolster the blue brand in preparation for its move to broadcast television.

There is no way the company changes its mind and sends Reigns to Raw, especially given how prominent The Big Dog has been in all of the marketing and advertising supporting the move to SmackDown.

Reigns is the face of that brand, and WWE as a whole and his presence will make Fox officials much more comfortable. It will also make the brand more must-see than if Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman or AJ Styles jumped ship to Friday nights and replaced him in that role.

Reigns is the Superstar who will be tasked with carrying the brand. He is the centerpiece, the marquee attraction who will be around each and every Friday night, squaring off against the lead heels in high-profile main events.

SmackDown goes where he goes and for that reason, this is the most obvious draft selection of them all.

4. AJ Styles to Raw

With Rollins as its lead babyface, Raw will need a heel to program against him. Enter AJ Styles, who has remain a main event star for the red brand despite his status as United States champion and feuds with midcard stars like Ricochet and Cedric Alexander.

Styles is a huge star, a performer WWE once put in charge of leading SmackDown for well over a year. The Phenomenal One is adaptable, able to move seamlessly from heel to babyface, making him a valuable asset to whichever brand he would appear.

Given the groundwork that has been laid to this point, with the formation of The O.C. and the freshness of Styles' run on Raw, it feels far too early to send him back to SmackDown. With the Raw brand to take a big hit in terms of star power, it needs someone like Styles, who will benefit from being a big fish in a small pond rather than getting lost in the shuffle on what is likely to be a star-studded blue brand.

5. Becky Lynch to SmackDown

Becky Lynch, like Roman Reigns, has been all over the SmackDown-to-Fox advertising push, suggesting The Man will drop the Raw Women's Championship to Sasha Banks at Hell in a Cell and make the jump to the blue brand on October 11.

The most prominent female performer in the industry, Lynch has risen to the top of the business thanks to a no-nonsense character and a connection with fans that was not born in a writer's room. The Irish-born Lass Kicker, like Reigns, is the type of building block that SmackDown needs to boost its visibility, draw viewers and convince long-time fans that the blue brand is no longer the proverbial "B" show.

In an era defined by the Women's Revolution, Lynch is the biggest star the female portion of the roster has churned out. Now, it is time for her to bask in the spotlight and become one of the centerpieces of WWE's move to broadcast television.

Even if that means she has to drop a title she has held since WrestleMania in April to do so.

6. Braun Strowman to Raw

Braun Strowman is an interesting case. 

He is routinely presented as a main event star, having challenged for the universal title on several occasions, but he has also been devalued by his inability to wrest the gold away from Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins. He has become somewhat of a secondary player; the proverbial bridesmaid instead of the bride.

He is always in the main event scene but never the guy.

It would make sense for WWE to want to repair his image by rebuilding him into the dominant force he once was. Unfortunately, he does not appear to fit in the SmackDown mix.

The Monster Among Men will continue to thrive on Raw, a familiar face to an audience who will see plenty of them take off for the blue brand. Whether he has hit his glass ceiling remains to be seen. If anything, the change in culture around the Raw brand may benefit Strowman and finally present him the opportunity to become the champion many expected him to be upon his initial push in 2017.

7. Rey Mysterio to SmackDown

There is a reason WWE officials are heating Rey Mysterio up just in time for the move to Fox. Perhaps it is to maximize his star power on the red brand but it feels like the masked luchador, and one of the most recognizable wrestlers on the planet, is heading to Fox to help bolster the babyface side of that brand's roster.

Mysterio has been on a roll of late, thanks to renewed motivation in the form of his son Dominic. It is only a matter of time before the second-generation competitor sees in-ring action for the first time and that is an easy story to tell. 

The proud father standing side-by-side with his son upon his entry into an industry he once dominated appeals to the masses and gives viewers something they can invest in. Add to that the fact it does not have to be a headline storyline, and that Mysterio can work with and teach younger stars until we get there, and you have all the reason to take The Master of the 619 and send him back to a brand he was once synonymous with.

8. Kevin Owens to Raw

Kevin Owens has become almost Big Show-esque in the number of times he has been shuffled between Raw and SmackDown, but that is a testament to the trust management has in him to be a star for either show at any given time.

The Prizefighter has been engaged in a lengthy rivalry with Shane McMahon for months now and will conclude that program on the October 4 episode of SmackDown on Fox. While it will conceivably put an end to McMahon's on-screen character for the time being, it should also wrap up Owens' run with the blue brand.

Having accomplished everything he is going to on that show for now, Owens will thrive on Raw, where he will not have to fight Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar to remain a marquee star. 

9. The New Day to SmackDown

Current WWE champion Kofi Kingston may not hold that title much longer but him, Big E and Xavier Woods have made SmackDown their playground for the last two years, experiencing some of their greatest moments and triumphs there.

While it would seemingly make sense to send them to Raw to freshen things up, if for no other reason, Kingston has been a fairly prominent part of the marketing and advertising push for SmackDown on Fox. As a result, it does not appear as though the popular underdog is headed anywhere come October 11.

Given how much of a package deal New Day is at this point, for good reason, it is unlikely Woods and Big E go elsewhere without their leader.

10. Shayna Baszler to Raw

The first surprise of this year's draft will come in the form of NXT women's champion Shayna Baszler, who will join the Raw brand in hopes of replacing the departed Becky Lynch.

The Queen of Spades has dominated NXT for the last year, defeating and putting to sleep any and all competitors who have stepped to her. The biggest badass the division has to offer this side of Ronda Rousey, she will fit right in on a show that houses Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss and former foe Nikki Cross.

Fresh matches, new dynamics and the potential return of Rousey and her interaction with her bestie make this an obvious choice.

Look for her to drop the NXT women's title to Candice LeRae on the October 2 episode of NXT to necessitate the move.