WWE News: Fox Officially Gets Rid Of Short-Lived Rule For Both ‘Raw’ And ‘SmackDown’
On Friday evening, WWE is going to begin the 2019 Superstar Draft with some big changes coming this year. The first round is going to begin on Friday Night SmackDown with the concluding round taking place next week on Monday Night Raw. Not only will there be a lot of movement and some big changes for both the blue and red brands, but Fox wants all fans to know that one thing is going to be eliminated completely.
Last week, SmackDown moved to Friday nights and left the USA Network to begin its run on Fox. It is already obvious that the new network wants this to be a somewhat different show with a more professional feel and for things to be changed up quite a bit.
One of the biggest ways to shake things up is for WWE to hold a Superstar Draft, and that is exactly what they’re doing. Along with that, though, this draft is going to be a way to draw clear lines between the two major brands in the promotion and keep all superstars on the show where they belong.
That hasn’t exactly been the case for the majority of this year — over the course of the last five months, the “Wild Card Rule” has made it impossible. That being said, the official Twitter account for WWE on Fox let everyone know on Friday that the unpopular rule is about to be no more.
Tomorrow we say goodbye. #WWEDraft pic.twitter.com/UidqwvZJC4
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) October 11, 2019
It’s official — the “Wild Card Rule” is going to cease to exist as of the beginning of the 2019 WWE Superstar Draft. There have long been rumors that the promotion wanted to get a clear separation between the brands and have superstars stay among the rosters they were assigned to.
Back in May, Vince McMahon introduced the “Wild Card Rule,” which many fans felt was really convoluted and overly confusing at times. The details of it were also never really upheld, and after about two weeks in existence, it was essentially pure chaos, with superstars appearing on both shows as they pleased.
It was reportedly put in place at the request of the USA Network to keep things fresh and exciting. Four superstars were allowed to jump to the other brand’s show each week, and they could do as they wished. On an episode of Raw, Vince said that if more than four superstars took advantage of the rule, those who did after the limit was reached could be disciplined or even fired.
That never once happened.
Over time, superstars just kept jumping brands left and right without concern for anything, making the rule a bit of an afterthought. The “Wild Card Rule” was still used as a way for announcers to explain things to WWE fans, but it didn’t really matter. Now, it won’t be an issue any longer as Fox has made sure that everyone knows it is a thing of the past.
