Fixing the Biggest Mistakes Made Thus Far in the 2020 WWE Draft

The 2020 WWE draft is officially underway. On Friday, Raw and SmackDown selected 20 WWE Superstars on the first night of the annual event, and WWE.com revealed five more picks on the following day. There were some obvious selections, a few surprises and what appeared to be missteps.

Most of the brand-exclusive champions stayed put as Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns and Asuka were the top three picks. However, the returning members of The New Day, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, won the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship, and Raw immediately drafted them afterward, splitting up the popular trio. 

One would have to assume that means the Raw tag team champions, The Street Profits, are moving to the blue brand. This could also mean that WWE plans to debut new tag team title belts soon. They have been rumored for some time, and tag titles are the last of the belts that haven't been redesigned yet. 

If that's not the case, it would be a bizarre decision to put two sets of tag champions on the same brand. It's not the only dilemma the company seemingly caused so far. Let's take a look at five ways to fix the biggest mistakes from night one of the WWE draft.

Book Seth Rollins in Some New Feuds as Soon as Possible

Seth Rollins is a member of the blue brand for the first time in his career, marking the end of the Monday Night Messiah and the birth of the SmackDown Savior. The former universal champion could certainly use a change of scenery.

Although Rollins is still a fantastic heel, he could use some fresh matchup and new storylines. Unfortunately, WWE moved Dominik and Rey Mysterio and Murphy to SmackDown as well. The disciple and his former mentor still have unfinished business, but the feud with the Mysterios is past its shelf life. It's time to put them all in new programs and let them develop in new roles.

There are several compelling possibilities for The Architect on Friday nights. He could reenter the universal title picture and challenge his ex-stablemate and the self-proclaimed Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. The two haven't faced each other as foes since 2016, and this could be the perfect time for them to cross paths again as new characters. 

This could also be a way to reignite Rollins' feud with "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt after their divisive matches last year. It would be interesting to see how their rivalry could play out without a title involved, and Rollins and Wyatt haven't interacted since he deemed himself the Monday Night Messiah. 

SmackDown Needs More Main Event Caliber Protagonists

Speaking of SmackDown, the blue brand has more than enough heels at the moment. There is a real need for more protagonists to challenge Roman Reigns and even Sami Zayn soon. 

Hopefully, WWE plans to move some new babyfaces to Friday Night SmackDown on the second night of the draft. There are plenty of prospects who are currently spinning their wheels on Raw.

An obvious choice would be Keith Lee. Although The Limitless One made an immediate impact on the flagship show after he lost the NXT Championship at TakeOver XXX, he has been in a bit of a holding pattern.

Out of his last nine matches on Raw, five of them have ended via disqualification or no-contest. WWE still seems dedicated to protecting Lee, but he seems directionless without a primary opponent or motivation. This week, he took on Braun Strowman in a first-time matchup but ended with a double count-out. 

It looks like the Monster Among Men could remain on SmackDown as he is scheduled to challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship. Lee could settle the score if he moves to SmackDown. That is unless Strowman makes the jump to Raw. 

Apollo Crews could also use a new home. The former United States champion hasn't exactly been lighting it up since he lost his title to Bobby Lashley, and a move could do him some good.

WWE Must Address Its Tag Divisions

Raw and SmackDown’s tag divisions are a complete mess right now. Strangely, WWE broke up one of its up-and-coming teams, Heavy Machinery, when they could use some established pairings.

Nevertheless, Tucker is heading to Raw, and Mr. Money in the Bank, Otis, is staying put on SmackDown. If any team needed to part ways, it was The Miz and John Morrison, and they bafflingly moved to the red brand together.     

NXT hasn’t been a part of the WWE draft this year, but now would be as good of a time as any to introduce a team like Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan or Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly. The Undisputed Era is highly unlikely, but the main roster desperately needs some new tag teams.

WWE could also use this opportunity to create more teams. A specialist like Shelton Benjamin could easily pursue the titles with one of his stablemates like Cedric Alexander or even MVP. Chad Gable and Drew Gulak would also make perfect sense because they both work a similar style, and Gable has had success as a tag team wrestler on all three brands.

SmackDown's Women's Division Is Thin

Sasha Banks and Bayley's deeply personal feud will continue at Hell in a Cell on October 25. The longtime rivals will compete for the SmackDown Women's Championship then, but the division around them is thin.

That has been abundantly clear lately as Bayley hasn't faced an interesting challenger in some time. She was set to defend her title against Nikki Cross for the third time this year, and when she wasn't available, Asuka stepped up again. 

Yes, Bianca Belair is a perfect acquisition as she and Bayley have been going back and forth on Twitter recently. Nevertheless, Raw's women's division is still twice the size of its Friday night counterpart at the moment. So, SmackDown will likely draft more women Monday. 

NXT's women's division is also overcrowded with the return of Ember Moon and Toni Storm. It would be a good time for someone like Rhea Ripley to leave the black and gold brand. The only woman who has held both the NXT and NXT UK Women's Championship could use a new title to pursue. 

It's Time to Use All 3 Members of the New Day Effectively

In one of the biggest surprises of the first night of the WWE draft, Raw selected Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, splitting up The New Day for the first time in six years. It’s still unclear what this means for the Purveyors of Positivity going forward.

Nevertheless, Big E is in a position to gain success as a singles competitor. Meanwhile, Woods and Kingston are heading back to the division where they set the record as the longest-reigning WWE Tag Team Champions in history.

On the surface, this looks like a mistake as the trio is one of the most popular acts in the company, but this could be a blessing in disguise. The move to Raw puts Kingston in the crosshairs of the leader of Retribution. Mustafa Ali notoriously lost the opportunity of a lifetime when he got injured before Elimination Chamber 2019.

Kingston famously replaced him, and his performance in the gauntlet match on the Feb. 12 episode of SmackDown ignited the spark that started Kofimania. The Light could seek revenge against the man who took his big opportunity and ran with it. 

Speaking of his storybook victory at WrestleMania 35, this is the first Kingston will be on the same brand as the WWE champion since he lost the title to Brock Lesnar last fall. In November, the Beast Incarnate left the blue brand before Kingston received a rematch. Hopefully, this will be his chance to challenge for the world title again.