WWE News: Nine More Superstars Join ‘Raw’ And ‘SmackDown’ Following First Part Of Draft

The first part of this year’s WWE Superstar Draft came and went with a bang on last week’s Friday Night SmackDown, as several big names found out which brand they will be representing. For example, first overall pick Becky Lynch will be remaining on Monday Night Raw as the red brand’s Women’s Champion, while “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt found himself SmackDown-bound after a productive run on Raw. However, the selections apparently continued over the weekend, as close to 10 wrestlers were added to both brands’ rosters, effectively beefing up their respective lower- and mid-card scenes.

In a news release published on Sunday, WWE wrote that a total of nine superstars — including one tag team — were selected by Raw and SmackDown after getting snubbed in the first night of the draft. Apollo Crews, Drew Gulak, Heath Slater, Tamina, and The B-Team (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) were listed among SmackDown’s additional picks, while Raw bolstered its roster by drafting EC3, Eric Young, and Sin Cara.

For the most part, the aforementioned performers have played limited roles on television in recent months. And while it’s unclear whether that will still be the case in the weeks to follow, both Crews and EC3 mentioned one other late-round draft pick from another sport when they took to Twitter to comment on their similarly lowly status. As reported by Ringside News, the two wrestlers referenced New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in their tweets, with EC3 pointing out that he attained NFL stardom when he was “put in the game and allowed to play.”

Take an in-depth look at the first night of the #WWEDraft for #RAW and #Smackdown. #WWENow gives you the scoop with the selections! – Presented by @Xfinity pic.twitter.com/E8hxIxhEIr

— WWE (@WWE) October 14, 2019

Following the announcement of the new draft picks, there are still some free agents among the 30-plus wrestlers who were eligible to be selected on last week’s Friday Night SmackDown. According to WhatCulture, these include established main roster talents Cesaro and Chad Gable, as well as cruiserweight stars Akira Tozawa and Humberto Carrillo. These four competitors will be able to sign with the brand of their choosing after the second part of the Superstar Draft takes place on tonight’s edition of Monday Night Raw.

Several more superstars will be included in the draft pool for the event’s second night, with Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar, Charlotte Flair, Daniel Bryan, and The New Day among the higher-profile wrestlers expected to be picked. However, WhatCulture also observed that both draft pools had some notable omissions, namely Matt Hardy, The Usos, and The Ascension, possibly putting their futures with WWE up in the air.