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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Nick Schwartz

WWE Draft history: Every No. 1 overall pick, year by year

The WWE Draft will return on Friday night, and it’s anyone’s guess as to who the top overall selection will be when SmackDown makes the first overall pick.

The WWE Draft has used several different formats throughout the years. The Draft was first introduced as a part of the brand and roster split idea in 2002, when SmackDown selected The Rock to be the face of its show.

Since then, we’ve seen names pulled out of bingo cages, massive draft-day trades, and plenty of world champions making surprise switches to brands.

Here’s a look back at the top picks from every WWE Draft to this point.

2002: The first WWE Draft

No. 1: SmackDown drafts The Rock

No. 2: Raw drafts The Undertaker

2004: The one with a bingo cage

Arguably the wildest format WWE ever used. There were only 12 picks in total, and picks were made by the respective show GMs at the time (Eric Bischoff for Raw, Paul Heyman for SmackDown) pulling names out of a bingo cage. The GMs were then allowed to trade anyone on their roster the rest of the night.

In the end, Triple H was drafted by SmackDown, but later traded to Raw for a draft package that included Booker T and The Dudley Boyz.

No. 1: SmackDown drafts Rene Dupree

No. 2: Raw drafts Shelton Benjamin

2006: Brand Extension Draft for ECW

No. 1: ECW drafts Rob Van Dam from Raw

No. 2: ECW drafts Kurt Angle from SmackDown

2007: Tri-branded Raw, SmackDown, ECW draft

No. 1: SmackDown drafts The Great Khali

No. 2: ECW drafts The Boogeyman

No. 3: Raw drafts King Booker and Queen Sharmell

2008: Rey Mysterio goes No. 1 

No. 1: Raw drafts Rey Mysterio

No. 2: SmackDown drafts Jeff Hardy

2009: Raw gets the top two picks 

No. 1: Raw drafts MVP

No. 2: Raw drafts Big Show

2010: SmackDown gets the top two picks 

No. 1: SmackDown drafts Kelly Kelly

No. 2: SmackDown drafts Big Show

2011: Daniel Bryan goes first overall 

No. 1: SmackDown drafts Daniel Bryan

No. 2: Raw drafts Jack Swagger

2016: Seth Rollins is the No. 1 pick

No. 1: Raw drafts Seth Rollins

No. 2: SmackDown drafts Dean Ambrose

2017: The first “Superstar Shake-Up”

This wasn’t a “draft,” and instead an opportunity for WWE to shift rosters. Throughout the two nights on Raw and SmackDown, wrestlers previously on the opposite brand made appearances on their new show.

Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose switched from SmackDown to Raw, and United States Champion Kevin Owens switched from Raw to SmackDown.

2018: The second “Superstar Shake-Up”

Raw received: United States Champion Jinder Mahal, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre, among others

SmackDown received: Jeff Hardy (who won the U.S. title from Jinder Mahal on Night 1 of the shake-up), Samoa Joe and Asuka, among others

2019: The final “Superstar Shake-Up”

Raw received: the Miz, Rey Mysterio, AJ Styles, The Usos and Samoa Joe, among others

SmackDown received: Finn Balor, Bayley, Kairi Sane and Roman Reigns, among others

2019: The Draft returns

Just a few months after the Superstar Shake-Up, a proper WWE Draft was held in October of 2019

No. 1: Raw drafts Becky Lynch

No. 2: SmackDown drafts Roman Reigns

2020: Raw retains WWE Champion Drew McIntyre 

No. 1: Raw drafts Drew McIntyre

No. 2: SmackDown drafts Roman Reigns

2021: SmackDown retains Universal Champion Roman Reigns

No. 1: SmackDown drafts Roman Reigns

No. 2: Raw drafts Big E

2023: SmackDown keeps The Bloodline

No. 1: SmackDown drafts The Bloodline

No. 2: Raw drafts Cody Rhodes

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