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WWE Draft to return July 19th
It’s back! A few weeks ago, it was announced that the WWE Draft would be returning for the first time since 2011.
Now there is an official date for it. Monday night it was announced that the draft will be taking place Tuesday, July 19th, at 8/7 central time on USA, when WWE Smackdown goes live for the first time EVER.
There had been many rumors surrounding the possibility of the draft returning and now that we have confirmation and a definitive date, speculation can begin on who will end up where?
The belts…
Looking at how things are currently after the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Dean Ambrose is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, The New Day is still the WWE Tag Team Champions, Charlotte is the Women’s Champion, Rusev is the United States Champion and The Miz is the Intercontinental Champion.
After hearing rumblings of what could happen with a draft, that begs the question, where will the different champions end up? Not only that, but it’s been heard by former wrestler and WWE broadcaster himself, Booker T, that there will be two different World Heavyweight Champions and two different sets of Tag Team Title belts.
I’d really like to see what happens with the tag team division that at times throughout the past year has really been hurting due to injury.
The Champ is…where?
As far as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Dean Ambrose goes, will he go to Raw or Smackdown or will he float back and forth to both brands? Same goes for the second World Heavyweight Champion whomever that may end up being. Lots of questions still remain about the two different shows leading up to the draft on July 19th.
Draft means more Stars!
The WWE will need to also bring in some more talent when the brand split draft occurs. But who are some of the candidates that could be considered to either be brought in or possibly return to the company? Well, let’s look at a few names of people that are most likely to return while some that have floated around but probably won’t be returning.
- The Hardy Boys (Jeff and Matt) – Currently they are both in TNA Wrestling, but if the money was right and with TNA having issues, I could definitely see them signing a deal and returning to WWE. (Possibly, but not likely)
- Bobby Lashley – His first stint in WWE wasn’t very successful and like the Hardy Boys, he is signed with TNA and is currently the TNA Champion right now. That said, I don’t think WWE would bring him back at the time of the draft, but don’t count him out for the future. (Not likely, but maybe)
- Kurt Angle – The Olympic Gold Medalist retired a few months ago from TNA and has been wrestling shows here and there for other companies as a free agent. He would be the perfect candidate to return for the draft and have one final run with WWE before calling it quits for good. Only thing that would stop him from signing with the company is the fact that he doesn’t want to work a full schedule and the company wants full time workers. (Likely, if the two sides can agree on a schedule that works for both)
- Drew Galloway – Galloway, the former TNA champion just recently lost his championship to Lashley at Slammiversary. With that in mind, he could possibly return to WWE for a second stint after his first attempt in the brand failed as Vince McMahon’s “Chosen One” Drew McIntyre. (Possibly)
- Ethan Carter III (EC3) – Ethan Carter III used to be part of the WWE a long time ago, but didn’t get very far. Now that he’s done wonders in TNA, he would be a huge addition to the roster if he were to jump shit and he could work with the younger talent while also focusing on a World Heavyweight Championship run of his own. (Not likely, but don’t rule it out)
- Goldberg – He’s no stranger to WWE. In fact, in his first run with the company which was exactly a year long spanning from March 2003 to March 2004, he debuted against The Rock, captured championship gold against Triple H and had a feud with Brock Lesnar including a match at Wrestlemania. If he were to come back, he’d want a lot of money and one more Wrestlemania match. Question is if he will get the kind of money that he would want. (Likely, if the money is right. BOOK IT.)
These are just a few names of former wrestlers that have grazed the surface of WWE wrestling who are elsewhere right now that WWE could look at bringing back for the new brand split.
It will definitely be interesting to see come Tuesday, July 19th, who gets drafted where. If you want to find out the results of the 2016 WWE Draft, tune in to the first ever Live edition of Smackdown, on the USA Network at 8/7pm central time. Like what you read? Leave a comment below.
Ryan Cole is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Facebook or twitter
