One Year Later: Re-Drafting The WWE Brand Extension (Part 1)
Marilee Gallagher and Steve Cook embark on a journey to re-draft the WWE Brand Extension, one year after the extension returned!

On July 19, 2016, the WWE embarked on the newest chapter of its history, by once again splitting its brands and holding a superstar draft, the first since 2011. The 10th draft overall, this one really was a first of its kind as it represented the first draft since NXT had become a developmental brand and the first since the decision was made to take Smackdown live on a permanent basis.
Smackdown Live! hosted the draft which featured commissioners, Shane and Stephanie McMahon, and general managers, Daniel Bryan and Mick Foley, taking turns selecting the superstars who would build their individual brands.
The draft was representative of the stock superstars had at the time and also took into consideration kayfabe storylines such as Kevin Owens being drafted so low, Cesaro and Sami Zayn lamenting going to Raw, Dean Ambrose taking the world title to Smackdown, etc. But like anything else, if hindsight was 20/20, it’s very likely that the draft we saw one year ago would not be the one that would play out had we drafted on the anniversary of the original.
To illustrate that, I joined with fellow Yes! Wrestling contributor, Steve Cook, to do a complete re-draft of what happened on that very first episode of Smackdown Live! Our guidelines were simple: Re-draft the brand split based on the performance and value of superstars over the past year, while following all of the same rules WWE itself used.
Steve won the coin toss and chose to represent Smackdown, meaning I took over the reigns for Raw. Each round consisted of five picks with Raw getting three to Smackdown’s two. In total, 59 superstars (33 for Raw, 26 for Smackdown) were drafted. We followed the same list of ineligibles that WWE had, while including rules of our own such as that only roster members as of July 19 were eligible and that only tag teams who were together at that time were eligible to be drafted together. Also, since the Cruiserweight Classic had yet to be decided, only Neville and Austin Aries were draft eligible from that division. And, much like the real draft, in order to secure a championship for our brand, the current champ as of the time (July 19) had to be drafted.
To really make this re-draft feel accurate, Steve and I both provided our reasoning for the picks we made and the position we made them. As mentioned, this draft was designed to show the year-in-review these superstars have had and to re-position them accordingly.
So, without further ado, here is the official Yes! Wrestling WWE Re-Draft, one year later, part 1 (rounds one through six).
ROUND ONE: The Champs are Here!

Original Order: Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Charlotte, AJ Styles, Finn Balor
- RAW — Dean Ambrose (Original Spot: 2): Does Dean Ambrose’s 2016–17 justify picking him first overall? No. But the WWE World title that he had at the time of the draft does. Raw is the flagship show and should have the flagship title. So while Ambrose has been more of an upper midcard guy as of late, I want the real world championship and that means Ambrose is my guy.
- Smackdown — AJ Styles (Original Spot: 4): From where I sit, AJ Styles had the best 2016–17 of anybody in WWE. He carried the SD Live brand for the most days as WWE Champion. He had classic matches with John Cena & got something good out of anybody he was in the ring with. He got James Ellsworth a job with the company. I can’t imagine SmackDown without the Phenomenal One, and since he’s my first choice he is indeed the Face That Runs The Place.
- Raw — The Miz w/Maryse (Original Spot: 17): Smackdown really was the house that AJ Styles built but there was one other main draw for the blue brand in 2016–17 and if I’m drafting best available, it’s a no-brainer to take the Miz. Not only does the Miz give Raw the Intercontinental Championship as he had it at the time of the draft, but it also gives them arguably the best heel in the company. You could make an argument that over the past year no one meant as much to his brand as the Miz did and for that reason as well as the way he elevated the IC title, I’d be stupid not to grab him in this spot.
- Smackdown — Roman Reigns (Original Spot: 6): The Big Dog is certainly the most polarizing figure in WWE, and he’s also the most talked about and the most cared about. I value top stars early on here, as since SmackDown isn’t going to have as much talent as Raw will, they will need a heavy helping of talent that people will tune to see. Whether people online like it or not, Roman Reigns is a guy that people tune in to see. Including the people that complain about him.
- RAW — Charlotte (Original Spot: 3): Admittedly, I valued Roman Reigns a little lower but this makes my pick all that much easier. Charlotte is by far the best female wrestler on the main roster and has had an exceptional 2016–17. In fact, even further than that, because from the second she was promoted in July 2015, Charlotte has been the face of women’s wrestling in the WWE. Her matches with Sasha Banks truly revolutionized the division and what it means to be a female wrestler in the year 2017. There was no chance I would miss out on her to lead Raw once again.
Overall Thoughts: When the first draft took place, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were fighting for a championship, AJ Styles was being positioned as a star, Finn Balor was being promoted and Charlotte was being groomed to be the face of the division. As it turns out, this draft order wasn’t that far off with only Rollins and Balor falling out, both because of injuries and inconsistent booking.
It’s clear that Steve and I placed a premium on champions and championships with these first five picks. I made sure to bring the WWE World Championship, Raw Women’s Championship and Intercontinental Championship to Raw, while Steve grabbed two of the most talked about superstars over the past year in Roman Reigns and AJ Styles.
ROUND TWO: Even More Champions

Original Order: Roman Reigns, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, New Day
- RAW — Chris Jericho (Original Spot: 15): Remember how earlier I said you could make an argument that no one meant as much to his brand as the Miz did? Well, here is why you have to make the argument. In what has undoubtedly by both his opinion and others, been one the best runs of his career, Chris Jericho carried a struggling Raw brand for much of the past year. From a plant to a list, from a catchphrase to a running gag of getting names wrong, everything Jericho touched, wrote or said got over in a hilarious way. Jericho may be on tour now but with the impact he had on Raw, at times being the best part of tuning in week after week, it would be hard not to pick him to be the ace of the red brand once again.
- Smackdown — Kevin Owens (Original Spot: 18): I have AJ Styles as the Face That Runs The Place. (Yes, he was a heel when the original draft happened, but people cheered him anyway.) I have Roman Reigns to ride in the tweener role. What I need is a good villain, and Owens is exactly that. He was a key part of the Raw brand for most of the year as Universal Champion, and the bonus here for me is that by keeping him away from Jericho he’ll be taken more seriously and won’t be getting standing ovations for being a comedic heel. With Styles, Reigns & Owens as full-time main event players, I feel pretty good about where the Blue Brand is heading.
- RAW — Sasha Banks (Original Spot: 13): This may not be the best value pick at this spot but since this re-draft just led to robbing the world of JeriKO, I feel it is my obligation to make sure it doesn’t lead to the robbing of Charlotte and Sasha Banks. Injuries may have plagued Banks’ ability to have a longer run with the title, but what her and Charlotte did for women’s wrestling will never be forgotten. They had the first Hell in a Cell match and the first Falls Count Anywhere match. They had an iron man match, they main evented Raw on more than one occasion, and they were the first women and so far only, to main event a WWE PPV. As good as Charlotte is, none of that happens without her sparring partner.
- Smackdown — The New Day (Original Spot: 10): I’m running the risk of having nothing left for a women’s division given the direction Marilee seems to be going, but I’m going New Day here for a couple of reasons. 1. SmackDown’s tag team division has been abysmal since the 2016 Draft and I’d like to address that flaw by taking the Tag Team Champions. 2. It furthers my strategy I followed with the Reigns pick earlier. With fewer picks I need to take people that fans will tune in to see & buy merchandise of. These guys fit that bill. 3. I’m getting three Superstars with one pick here, so if I want to give Big E, Kofi or Xavier Woods a single push I can accomplish that as well.
- RAW — Cesaro (Original Spot: 28): This is about the time when those back to back picks are going to come in handy. While nabbing another horsewoman is a real temptation, as is giving Raw the other midcard title, I want to establish a strong tag team division. That means going with a pair that has become one of the hottest acts in WWE tag team wrestling. And that means rectifying the crucial mistake first made when Cesaro was drafted 28th overall. Cesaro is one of the best pound for pound wrestlers in the WWE and while I was initially against his pairing with Sheamus, it’s grown on me. These two work well together and with the Hardys not draft eligible and the Revival not eligible due to being NXT champions, there’s no better duo to establish new belts around.
Overall Thoughts: The original draft saw a second round which felt like one that might have been indicative of position in the company five years ago but not now with John Cena, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar all going in the top-10. As it would turn out, all three of these superstars held gold in 2016–17, however among Steve and I, the part-time status really seems to have hurt their draft stock.
Our focus was on bringing in another five names that also all held gold in this past year. Chris Jericho had perhaps the best run of his career and elevated Kevin Owens in the process. Sasha Banks became one of the main stars of the women’s revolution, Cesaro found new life in the tag team division and New Day broke records in one of the most entertaining runs in WWE in recent memory.
ROUND THREE: A Mix of Old and New
Original Order: Sami Zayn, Bray Wyatt, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Chris Jericho
- RAW — Sheamus (Original Spot: 30): I probably telegraphed this pick but no matter. I won’t repeat the explanation above but rather elaborate. Without Cesaro, Sheamus is still a good wrestler. Albeit, a bit stiff, but he’s got a great character, is sufficient on the mic as far as foreign language speakers go and alongside Cesaro, has made up one half of what has become a pretty entertaining and certainly hard hitting duo. These two weren’t a tag team at the time of the draft but they are now and my apologies to WWE Creative, but it’s honestly the best use of both of them on the roster at this time.
- Smackdown: John Cena (Original Spot: 7): Yes, Cena’s a part-time player these days, but when he’s around I’ll have him in a main event mix with Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens & AJ Styles. All three of those feuds are money, especially the potential Reigns feud that I believe will get The Big Dog up to an even higher level of what he is now when it finally happens. Assuming in this scenario that Reigns vs. Undertaker probably doesn’t end up happening, Cena vs. Reigns is the feud that makes Reigns The Man with the added bonus of actually being a good WrestleMania match. Maybe I could have waited longer on Cena, but I didn’t want to wait too long and miss out on all these potential matchups.
- RAW — Braun Strowman (Original Spot: 48): Perhaps the biggest breakout star of 2016–17, Braun Strowman had a great year since being repackaged as this unbeatable monster. Away from the Wyatt Family, Strowman emerged as a threat on his own and has had great matches with Roman Reigns, the Big Show and others as of late. If not for an injury, he probably would have gotten the PPV match against Brock Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire too. It worked out though because at that PPV, Strowman had his star-making moment against Roman Reigns. Strowman is the next big thing, both literally and figuratively.
- Smackdown — Alexa Bliss (Original Spot: 47): I’d agree with Marilee on the point that Braun was the biggest male breakout star of 2016–17. That being said, the biggest female breakout star without any question was the Wicked Witch of WWE. Most scoffed at the idea of taking Alexa onto the main roster when there were still people like Bayley on the NXT roster that had been around longer & were better in the ring. We were wrong. Alexa killed it from the moment she arrived on SmackDown Live and in my opinion is either 1 or 1A alongside Charlotte on the list of top female talents in WWE right now.
- RAW — Seth Rollins (Original Spot: 1): Oh how the mighty have fallen. I’ve talked a lot so far about guys being underdrafted but here is one who turned out to be overdrafted. Granted, at the time of the split, there was major storyline reason for Seth Rollins to be picked first overall. He was still in good with the Authority and was about to have a championship match. But the whole point of this re-draft is to analyze what we knew then with what we know now and knowing that, Rollins is a middle of the pack draft pick. While the feud with Triple H was great, Rollins’ face turn hasn’t really been established outside of his animosity with the Authority and because of that, his year has been mostly flat. That being said, Rollins is a star and a name this company can build around for years. They just need to define him a little more. Even still, at this late in the game, he is a guy you just can’t pass up.
Overall Thoughts: During the original draft, this was kind of a housekeeping round, with both brands starting to fill in the holes they had in the women’s and midcard divisions.
For Steve and I, this round held much of the same purpose. However, we used different names to do so. Sheamus was a given considering how he and Cesaro have become one of the most over tag teams in the company, as were both Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman, the top male and female breakout stars of 2016–17. Adding in names like John Cena and Seth Rollins made sense as well, because despite both having up and down years, they are two reliable names to build brands around, especially Cena, who really is the face of the WWE.
ROUND FOUR: NXT! NXT! NXT!

Original Order: Rusev w/Lana, Kevin Owens, The Miz, Baron Corbin, Enzo and Cass
- RAW — Finn Balor (Original Spot: 5): Speaking of guys who seem to have fallen in this re-draft… Finn Balor was on track to be a huge star. He had Triple H’s full blessing and was skyrocketed to the top of the ladder immediately. I firmly believe that had Balor not unfortunately gotten injured when he did, that he might even still be Universal Champion right now. At the very least, he probably would have held it until Wrestlemania. The injury is definitely the main thing affecting Balor’s stock here, no question. But he’s back healthy now and he’s picked up right where he’s left off. Raw is still Balor’s for the taking and getting him at 16 is just “too sweet.”
- Smackdown — Sami Zayn (Original Spot: 11): Sami’s stock seemingly went down in the last year as well, but I think it might be more of a case of his stock correcting from an initial overvaluation by the market.. For some reason Raw decided they didn’t know what to do with him even though they took him earlier in the draft than people expected, and he was working the “Trade me to SmackDown” gimmick for a good chunk of the year. He’s going to SD here, and I’ve always been a huge fan of his in-ring work and his ability to get over in a positive way with an audience. I also love the idea of Sami & Kevin Owens always being on the same show no matter what. They are destined to fight forever.
- RAW — Becky Lynch (Original Spot: 14): Becky Lynch probably benefited the most from there being two separate women’s divisions as she really got to carve out her niche aside from being just the third wheel among Sasha/Charlotte. And while those two were feuding, Lynch was becoming the most over female babyface on the entire roster, really helping to define and establish Smackdown’s division. I’ve always said Raw had the more talented women but that Smackdown had the better division because of how they used all six women at times. Lynch was a main stable in that, making her worthy of this pick.
- Smackdown — Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (Original Spot: 21): I was hoping Becky would stay on the board a bit longer, but instead I’ll accomplish two important objectives by taking Gallows & Anderson a little higher than their performance in 2016–17 might suggest. 1. They provide strong heel opposition for The New Day. 2. Their alliance with AJ Styles didn’t last long enough for my liking thanks to the original draft, and now they can join AJ for six-man tags against the New Day, Cena, Reigns and other assorted people. The Club makes a good addition to my SD Live cast of characters.
- RAW — Neville (Original Spot: 26): If I’m Raw and I know the cruiserweight division is going to be my exclusive property, then I absolutely want Neville right where he is, right where he belongs. In fact, I’m almost mad at myself for not taking him higher. Neville has done wonders for the cruiserweight division and has probably done the best work of his WWE career over the past year. As the King of the Cruiserweights, Neville has turned into this despised heel and for once, it’s not because of WWE’s typical, “he’s foreign, let’s make him a guy who hates America,” schtick. Yes, that’s how it began, but Neville has transformed into much more than that. The cruiserweight division still needs a significant amount of work, but getting Neville to headline it right off the bat is no doubt the right move.
Overall Thoughts: This was another example of a pretty straightforward round and one that was probably more to set-up kayfabe than anything else. The Miz being picked just for the Intercontinental title led to his feud with Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler, and Kevin Owens’ low pick led to his own rise as the Universal Champion. It’s for these reasons that both Owens and Miz were off the board for this round of the re-draft.
The pattern Steve and I seemed to hit in this round was NXT as three of the five picks were former NXT champions. Finn Balor fell out of the top-five originally because he missed most of the year but the fact that the rocket was strapped to his back on day one definitely shows why he’s valuable as a pick. Zayn had a great year as well despite not winning a title, as did Lynch who became the first ever Smackdown women’s champion. Neville’s jump had to do completely with his “King of the Cruiserweights” run and Gallows and Anderson, with a title win and huge role in AJ Styles’ coronation, also felt right to pick in this round.
ROUND FIVE: Filling Out the Midcard
Original Order: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, American Alpha, Big Show, Dolph Ziggler, Nia Jax
- RAW — Dolph Ziggler (Original Spot: 24): I’ve always been someone who is high on Dolph Ziggler’s ring work and in 2016–17, he put in another solid and consistent year. Ziggler was another pretty huge beneficiary of the brand split as he got the opportunity to be in the main event for a bit before transitioning into a feud of the year with the Miz over the Intercontinental Championship and Ziggler’s career. He did some of his best work in that feud from the impassioned promos to the matches themselves. Ziggler then transitioned back to being a heel and has done pretty well for himself in that regard as well.
- Smackdown — Rusev w/Lana (Original Spot: 16): I probably need to get a singles title onto this show at some point, so no time like the present to bring the United States Championship into the fold. Rusev is a guy that WWE could get so much more out of. He’s a big dude that’s believable as a menace to pretty much anybody standing in his way. If you want to work the foreigner angle there’s always that. Personally, I like the big lug because he’s a fellow Nashville Predators fan, and I feel there might be some mileage in him as a face one of these days. Maybe we’ll find out. Lana provides plenty of value as well, as she’s a good talker and even has potential as a wrestler.
- RAW — Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) (Original Spot: 49): This is probably a reach but as a fan of good old-fashioned and purely entertaining tag team wrestling, I can’t miss on the opportunity to grab the Fashion Police. The duo, which began by wearing white suits and handing out tickets, has turned into the second most over tag team on Smackdown currently and were the top before New Day returned. Most of this credit goes to Tyler Breeze who has not been afraid to put on a dress or a janitor’s suit or a romphim to create hilarious gags. The two are practically a scene out of Zoolander whenever the Fashion Files is on and their comical nature alongside the new, take no prisoners attitude of Sheamus and Cesaro, would be a great pairing.
- Smackdown — Naomi (Original Spot: 39): Naomi got off to a really slow start after the draft, as she was the only woman on the SD roster doing absolutely nothing for a little while there. Once SD remembered she was there, she took advantage of the opportunity and became one of the more popular performers on the show. I remember being impressed by her in-ring ability when she was in developmental and now she’s been getting chances to show it. Alexa vs. Naomi worked in real life so I suspect it’ll do just fine here as well.
- RAW — #DIY (Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano) (Original Spot: N/A): At the time of the original draft, Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa were just getting started as a tag team, but looking ahead a year later at everything the pair accomplished in such a short time is pretty incredible. #DIY gave us the Glorious Bombs for starters, and participated in what will probably be WWE’s Match of the Year, against the Revival and then did it again against the Revival and the Authors of Pain and then did it again against just the Authors of Pain. That last one ended in a pretty devastating heel turn but nevertheless, getting these two as a team would be great and getting them as eventual singles would be great. Both Gargano and Ciampa have the ability to be stars so this is kind of a 2-for-1 with this pick.
Overall Thoughts: Originally, this round was really a potpourri. There didn’t really seem to be much taken into consideration with the exception of giving Big Show a respectable draft position and getting two more NXT talents in Nia Jax and American Alpha on their respective brands.
For Steve and I, this round was about rounding out divisions which for both brands were already establishing nicely. Steve made sure to get Smackdown Women’s Champion, Naomi, as well as the United States championship by taking Rusev. Meanwhile, I focused mainly on the tag team division by adding the incredibly over Breezango and taking a flyer on the ex-team that was among the best in-ring duo over the past year.
ROUND SIX: Picking up the Pieces

Original Order: Neville, Natalya, Cesaro, Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus
- RAW — Randy Orton (Original Spot: 9): I say this as a fan of Randy Orton, but the guy has gotten stale. His last title reign was so completely boring and pointless it probably would have been the worst for the WWE if not for the other world title being held by a guy who hasn’t been on TV for much of his reign. But anyway, Orton’s 2016–17 wasn’t completely terrible compared to past years. It just lacked something that I can’t quite put my finger on. To be fair, the guy did pretty much let Brock Lesnar beat the tar out of him and he has been helping to make new stars. I already have my main veteran in Chris Jericho but adding Orton to the mix can’t hurt. Not to mention, I feel like we were on to something with him and Dean Ambrose before he got injured and I’d like to see where that might have gone.
- Smackdown — American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan) (Original Spot: 22): Chad Gable & Jason Jordan haven’t had the best or most interesting first year on the main roster and I think most would classify their 2016–17 as disappointing. I feel like they would be in a better spot to make some noise in this scenario, however. Working in a division with guys like the Club & New Day where they wouldn’t have to be the workhorses or the top-drawing act in the match could only help them develop and would increase interest from people that didn’t see these guys on NXT and don’t know what the fuss was about. I think we’ve yet to see these guys hit their stride, and a day will come where they won’t be available in the twenties of a draft. (NOTE: At the time of the re-draft, American Alpha was still a tag team).
- RAW — Baron Corbin (Original Spot: 19): After winning the which now seems to be completely useless, Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Trophy, I expected Baron Corbin to have a break-out year. And while I don’t think that quite happened, Corbin definitely has shown glimpses of a star-making turn. He’s certainly had opportunities, being in the ring with the likes of AJ Styles, John Cena, Randy Orton, the list goes on. I’m genuinely invested in what he has the potential to be. I considered him to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Talking Smack, alongside Alexa Bliss, and while I think as a talker he’s not quite there, he’s definitely someone to watch out for. Plus, his End of Days and Deep Six really are beautiful pieces of wrestling signature/finishing moves.
- Smackdown — Nia Jax (Original Spot: 25): Nia still needs some work in the ring, no doubt about it. But there’s definitely a presence there that’s unique to her and she should be able to display that more in the years ahead. I love that she & Alexa Bliss are BFFs in real life, and I would definitely be looking to display that on television with Bliss as the perennial SmackDown Women’s Champion and Jax as her heater. It’s the perfect role for Nia right now, and there would be money to be made when the time was right for them to turn against each other.
- RAW — Austin Aries (Original Spot: N/A): Austin Aries’ run on the main roster began as a commentator for the cruiserweight matches on Raw and 205 Live before he joined the division himself. At the time, I don’t know if WWE realized just how hot Neville would be because I really do feel the intent was for Aries to bring credibility and name recognition to the division. In many ways he has still done that and his matches with Neville especially have been fantastic. Minus his size, everything about Aries screams the kind of superstar Vince loves. But that size is going to keep him in the cruiserweight division, just like Neville, even though both really could be and are worth so much more. (NOTE: This draft took place prior to Aries’ release from the company).
Overall Thoughts: When the WWE conducted this draft last July, the names that went in this round were in completely different places compared to where they are now. Alberto Del Rio has become persona non grata and did not even get drafted in the re-draft, Cesaro and Sheamus went from a midcard singles feud to a current reign as tag team champions, and Neville went from nothing to becoming the most dominant cruiserweight champion the company currently has.
For Steve and I, turns out a lot can change in a month as for me, I lost Austin Aries as a pick due to his release, and Steve lost American Alpha as a tag team. Hindsight being 20/20, if we did this re-draft last night, it’s likely these picks would have changed. In part because the selection of Aries led to us hitting out maximum of six NXT picks, meaning Shinsuke Nakamura was also unfortunately left off the re-draft roster. Randy Orton also had to go here because despite his massive fall from №9 in the original draft, he is a veteran who still has some life to give. Even if his recent feud may not be indicative of that.
First Look at the Rosters
Smackdown:
Men’s Division: AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, John Cena, Sami Zayn, Rusev w/Lana
Women’s Division: Alexa Bliss, Naomi, Nia Jax
Tag Team Division: The New Day, Gallows and Anderson, American Alpha
Raw:
Men’s Division: Dean Ambrose, The Miz w/Maryse, Chris Jericho, Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Neville, Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton, Baron Corbin, Austin Aries
Women’s Division: Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch
Tag Team Division: Cesaro and Sheamus, Breezango, #DIY
That concludes the first six rounds of the draft aka the TV rounds. Rounds seven to the conclusion took place exclusively online and for our purposes here, will be available in full next week. Make sure to check back then and in the meantime, share your thoughts on our re-draft so far!
