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WWE Draft 2023: Possible timeline revealed for the next roster shakeup

Dave Meltzer noted that WWE Draft is still scheduled to happen and as per WWE's current planning, it should happen right after WrestleMania next year.

Stephanie McMahon conducting WWE Draft (image courtesy WWE)

Bengaluru, November 29: Despite the regular cross-brand appearances between Raw and Smackdown Superstars, the brand distinction still exists in WWE. Down the road, a WWE Draft is still expected to happen to keep the segregation alive.

The initial belief was that WWE Draft 2022 edition (which usually takes place in October) would be shifted a little earlier this year, likely in September after Clash at the Castle premium live event. But nothing such happened after the UK event.

This past weekend, the Survivor Series premium live event was hosted and the Raw vs. Smackdown-themed war was also diminished, leading the WWE Universe to believe that the brand distinction has become less relevant.

In an update, while speaking during Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that WWE Draft is still scheduled to happen and as per WWE's current planning, it should happen right after WrestleMania next year.

"There's been some talk of waiting until after WrestleMania to do it. There was talk at one point for October, but I guess they didn't do it. There was a date that was talked about at one point, but they just didn't pull the trigger on it."

Ringside News provided a follow-up to the situation by stating that WWE "Draft is an internal discussion, and it has not been decided yet." With no "landing spot" confirmed, WWE Officials are apparently still discussing a "solid date" to conduct it.

When the Draft was originally planned for this summer, WWE management underwent a significant shakeup as Vince McMahon stepped away for the first time since he took over things from his father in 1982.

Paul "Triple H" Levesque was put in charge of the top creative post and he wanted to 'stabilize the ship,' first before making any immediate change. This is the apparent reason that the Draft's 2022 edition never came into a reality.

WrestleMania generally culminates in the ongoing storylines in the WWE and the plan of 'reshuffling the deck' after the Show of Shows could be a fruitful one. In that case, we can expect WWE Draft to be back on TV in mid-April of 2023.

The most recent Draft took place in October 2021 just around the Crown Jewel premium live event in Saudi Arabia. It marked the 16th installment of the roster shakeup process since the concept was first seen in 2002.

The most significant Draft picks from the 2021 WWE Draft were moving then-Raw Women's Champion Charlotte Flair in exchange for then-Smackdown Women's Champion Becky Lynch. The two top titles also had to be subsequently swapped between these two superstars.

Story first published: Tuesday, November 29, 2022, 13:52 [IST]
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