WWE News: Several Big Names Omitted From This Year’s Draft Pool
Ahead of the upcoming WWE brand draft, the company released two pools of wrestlers corresponding to its main roster brands. However, it appears that a number of familiar names are missing from these lists.
On Thursday, Smark Out Moment posted a complete list of superstars who will not be included in the draft, which will take place on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown and next week’s Monday Night Raw. As explained by the publication, there are several reasons why they may have been omitted. Performers who are part of any NXT-affiliated brand or currently training in the Performance Center or on the injured or inactive list were left out, same with a few individuals whose creative direction remains unclear.
In a separate report, Fightful mentioned a few prominent names that won’t be eligible to be drafted. These include former Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, who went on leave in May after announcing her pregnancy, John Cena, Big Show, and Goldberg, who are all wrestling on a part-time basis, and Samoa Joe, who has exclusively been doing commentary since February. The outlet also mentioned injured wrestlers such as Edge, Ivar, and Jimmy Uso, as well as a few names whose absences have been well-documented. The Singh Brothers have not appeared since February due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions, while Sonya Deville has been away since dropping a “loser leaves WWE” match at SummerSlam.
In addition, Fightful listed Mojo Rawley, who was not included in any of the draft pools despite not having any known injury, Bo Dallas, who has been on hiatus since November 2019, and The Forgotten Sons, who were taken off television in June due to apparent backstage heat on the group’s leader, Jaxson Ryker.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, rumors suggested that the real-life husband-and-wife team of Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae might be among the NXT superstars drafted to the main roster in the coming days. Both of them, however, were in Smark Out Moment’s list of performers who aren’t eligible for the upcoming draft.
Despite how NXT reportedly won’t be well-represented on either night of the draft, a few superstars from the black-and-gold brand appear to be headed for a call-up to the main roster. As noted by Fox Sports, Dabba-Kato and Arturo Ruas — who have both made multiple appearances on the “Raw Underground” fight club segment — are among the wrestlers who will be eligible to be drafted during the second part of the event.
