WWE Draft 2024 rules revealed; Top star out of pool due to injury

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A day from now, the WWE Draft will commence to shake things up on the main roster of the company. If reports are any indications then NXT stars will also be heavily involved in it to bring some fresh talents onto Raw and Smackdown.

A reverse process could also follow where underutilized talents might head back to NXT to receive a boost to their careers. That being said, the rules for the 2024 edition of Draft have been revealed to shed light on the insight of the process.

Image caption: WWE Draft 2024 (image courtesy X)

It appears that the Draft will continue for four rounds on SmackDown, totaling 16 picks, and then six rounds on Raw, selecting 24 picks. The champions from each brand won’t be included in the pool except for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.

SmackDown has received the privilege of making the first pick on Night One of the WWE Draft, while Raw will enjoy the same honor on Night Two. The final changes on the main roster will be applied from May 6th onward. At a glance, the rules are given below:

- On SmackDown, there will be four rounds, totaling 16 picks.
- On Raw, there will be six rounds, totaling 24 picks.

- Champions on each brand are protected.

- Women’s tag team champions are eligible.

- SmackDown will make the first pick on Friday.

- Raw will make the first pick on Monday.

- Rosters will lock on Monday, May 6th.

The big news around the Draft is that the former WWE Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Champion Jimmy Uso is injured and will not be part of the upcoming WWE Draft, according to the reports of Fightful Select.

The 38-year-old WWE Superstar was last seen on the post-WrestleMania 40 edition of SmackDown as he was getting kicked out of The Bloodline by Solo Sikoa and new member Tama Tonga via a vicious attack.

Jimmy’s last match took place on the first night of WrestleMania XL against his brother, Jey who is eligible to be drafted on Night One of the Draft. The schedule of the two-night roster shakeup process is given below:

– Friday, April 26: WWE Draft Night One – SmackDown from Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio

– Monday, April 29: WWE Draft Night Two – Raw from T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri