Top 5 best No. 1 draft picks in WWE history
WWE usually saves their best wrestler for the No.1 draft pick. Here's a list of the top 5 No.1 draft picks in WWE History.
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The brand split was a concept that was introduced in WWE in 2002. The idea behind the split was to have the two brands, Monday Night RAW and SmackDown compete against each other. It also introduced draft picks, where wrestlers would be chosen for each brand. It usually took place after WrestleMania in April.
The draft system continued to take place till 2011, when the company suddenly decided to have the entire roster perform on both RAW and SmackDown. WWE eventually brought back the brand split again in 2016, and since then, a lot of elite superstars have been the No.1 draft picks for each brand. With the 2023 draft pick right around the corner, here’s the top 5 No.1 draft picks in WWE history.
5. The Rock to SmackDown(2002)
In the very first draft pick of the company, no one knew what to expect. The Rock was the obvious choice to be the No.1 draft pick for SmackDown, which actually made sense considering the name of the brand was coined by The Rock himself. He was also one of the biggest stars in the company at that time.
However, The Rock was busy with Hollywood, as he had just started his acting career. He appeared on the blue brand mostly as a part-timer. However, whenever The Great One made his appearance, it was always a spectacle to watch. He even won the WWE World Championship and took it to SmackDown, only to lose it to Brock Lesnar a few months later.
4. Becky Lynch to RAW(2019)
In recent years, Becky Lynch has risen to the top and cemented herself as one of WWE’s best superstars. In WrestleMania 35, she defeated both Ronda Rousey and Charlotte to win both the Women’s Championships. Following her record-breaking victory, she would be RAW’s No.1 overall pick. She would later be the No.1 pick again in 2021 on night 2 of WWE Draft.
3. John Cena to RAW(2005)
The 2005 draft pick was probably one of the most memorable and for a good reason. John Cena was fresh off his victory over JBL to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21, and fans were questioning where The Cenation Leader would end up at.
And to many people’s surprise, Cena was the No.1 draft pick for RAW. It did make sense for The Cenation Leader to move over to RAW as he had accomplished everything he could on SmackDown. He was cemented as the face of the company and would continue to appear on RAW for almost a decade.
2. Seth Rollins to RAW(2016)
In 2016, WWE brought back the draft pick, and it couldn’t have gotten any better than choosing Seth Rollins to be the No.1 pick for RAW. The brand split was memorable for a lot of reasons, including RAW being managed by Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley, while SmackDown Live would be managed by Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon.
Rollins was at that time, booked to face Dean Ambrose for the WWE Championship. However, he lost the match and came to RAW empty-handed. Seth Rollins later rose as the top babyface of the company when Triple H turned his back on Rollins in the Universal Championship match. He would later go on to be involved in some of the best storylines in the history of RAW, further cementing the red brand as the superior brand.
1. Roman Reigns to SmackDown(2021)
In 2020, fans finally got what they were pleading for, for years. Roman Reigns finally turned heel and ever since his transformation into The Tribal Chief, he has achieved great success. But it wasn’t until 2021 that Reigns became the No.1 draft pick.
Since 2021, Roman Reigns has been dominating SmackDown with his faction called The Bloodline. He has been involved in a lot of great storylines and is currently the Undisputed WWE Champion and the longest-reigning Universal Champion.
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Srinjoy Ghosh Chowdhury
(52 Articles Published)