{"id":44156,"date":"2019-04-15T16:07:13","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T20:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=44156"},"modified":"2021-01-08T17:42:11","modified_gmt":"2021-01-08T22:42:11","slug":"biggest-winners-in-wwe-draft-superstar-shakeup-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2019\/04\/15\/biggest-winners-in-wwe-draft-superstar-shakeup-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Biggest Winners In WWE Draft\/ Superstar Shake-up History"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the brand split was brought back in 2016, the excitement of the WWE Draft<\/strong> returned into fans hearts as both Raw<\/strong> and SmackDown LIVE<\/strong> would have separate rosters for the first time since really 2011.\u00a0 And while some fans may not be fans of the multiple championships and difficulty behind keeping two rosters apart, the opportunity arises for certain stars who may not have the same opportunities if it is just one big roster. And in that, we are going to go all the way back to the first ever WWE Draft Lottery in 2002 and work our way through all the way to last year\u2019s Superstar Shake-Up<\/strong>, taking a look at the beneficiaries of the split and how those beneficiaries took advantage of their new homes ahead of this week\u2019s Shake-Up.<\/p>\n

2002 Draft<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Brock\u00a0Lesnar- To RAW<\/h3>\n

Believe it or not, all the way back in 2002, Brock\u00a0<\/strong>Lesnar<\/strong>\u00a0was on television on a weekly basis when he debuted on March 18th, 2002. It would be the following week when \u201cThe Next Big Thing\u201d would officially be drafted to Raw as a part of the Draft at pick 16.\u00a0 He would go on to win the King of the Ring tournament, defeating the likes of Bubba Ray Dudley<\/strong>, Booker T<\/strong>, Test<\/strong>, and RVD<\/strong> to win the whole thing. The Beast that so many know of now could not have been built without his eventual victory over The Rock<\/strong> at\u00a0SummerSlam<\/strong>\u00a0that same year where he would become the new WWE Undisputed Champion<\/strong> and a true main event player in such a short time. The brand split allowed the company to build new stars, and that is exactly what they did here.<\/p>\n

The SmackDown Six<\/h3>\n

While it didn\u2019t truly take shape until a few months after the Brand Split Draft in 2002, the forever remembered \u201cSmackDown Six\u201d<\/a> may have benefited the best by the split. It allowed the\u00a0group of Eddie Guerrero<\/strong>,\u00a0Kurt Angle<\/strong>, Rey\u00a0Mysterio<\/strong>, Edge<\/strong>,\u00a0Chavo\u00a0Guerrero<\/strong>, and Chris Benoit<\/strong>\u00a0to have a series of matches\u00a0in the second half of 2002 that would really leave a mark. SmackDown became the heavily based in-ring show with these six men, as they would have matches with each other week after week and steal the show, leaving a real mark on the business.\u00a0The brainchild of\u00a0Paul Heyman<\/strong>, who at the time was the lead writer of SmackDown as they were on the verge of being canceled\u00a0when he came into power. He made\u00a0Benoit and Eddie stars following\u00a0this opportunity, trading Chris Jericho<\/strong> for the two in order to make his show a completely different outlet from Raw.\u00a0The six, specifically Benoit and Eddie, saw\u00a0much success in their future after this in 2002, as five of the six here would eventually win world championships in the company, proving that this draft period gave these men a chance to become stars.<\/p>\n

2004 Draft<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shelton Benjamin- To RAW<\/h3>\n

Shelton Benjamin<\/strong> would be the first pick for Raw when the Draft would return in 2004, as it would lead to his real rise as a top\u00a0mid-carder\u00a0on the brand and in the company. His combination of unmatched athleticism and size would lead to automatic success for Benjamin, as he would the Intercontinental Championship<\/strong> at the Taboo Tuesday<\/strong> event in October of 2004, becoming a fan favorite by getting voted into the match and ultimately winning the championship. He would go on to dazzle in the Money in the Bank<\/strong> Ladder Match a few months later which is where the people who hadn\u2019t believed before in Benjamin believed now. The draft allowed a star like Benjamin to become an important part of the respective Raw brand.<\/p>\n

2005 Draft<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

John Cena- To RAW<\/h3>\n

The 2005 Draft may be the most notable draft of all time that isn\u2019t the original in 2002 or the most recent that restarted the brand split in 2016. And that is simply because of the first draft pick, where John Cena<\/strong>, the reigning WWE Champion<\/strong>, would be drafted to Raw and become the official face of the company for over a decade. He would be almost exclusively on Raw for the next 11 years as the centerpiece of the WWE. While he may not have needed to switch brands to benefit, it was clear that this move would alter the company forever. Cena would defend the WWE Championship at the next two WrestleMania\u2019s after this switch to Raw, facing Triple H<\/strong> at 22 and Shawn Michaels<\/strong> at 23. A beneficiary of simply becoming the face of the company and their flagship show.<\/p>\n

Batista- To SmackDown<\/h3>\n

As the world champion of SmackDown would be switched to Raw, the last pick would be answered with the World Heavyweight Champion<\/strong> in Batista<\/strong> heading over to SmackDown. \u201cThe Animal\u201d would call SmackDown is home for years once switching, trading the championship with the likes of Undertaker<\/strong> and Edge the years following. As he was already uber popular, and his popularity would help bring viewers to SmackDown as the company\u2019s number two guy. He would lose out on ever losing that World Championship as an injury would derail him to vacate, but once he came back, he made sure that title would be his and SmackDown would remain his as well.<\/p>\n

2006 Draft<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ECW<\/h3>\n

The 2006 Draft was a unique case as this was considered the brand extension draft, as there would be just two choices for Paul Heyman\u2019s returning ECW<\/strong> as the third brand of WWE. He would select Money in the Bank holder Rob Van Dam<\/strong> from Monday Night Raw and Kurt Angle from Friday Night SmackDown. Angle would become the wrestling machine, while RVD would become the first co-ECW\/WWE Champion when he would defeat John Cena at the One Night Stand<\/strong> PPV in June of 2006. The new talents of ECW would be the real winners of the new show, as the likes of CM Punk<\/strong> got their very first chance because of that brand.<\/p>\n

2007 Draft\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Great Khali- To SmackDown<\/h3>\n

The draft would take a different look in 2007, as competitors would duke it out to earn draft picks from the three brands. In the first match, SmackDown\u2019s champion Edge would defeat\u00a0Raw\u2019s\u00a0champion, John Cena, to earn the first random draft pick of the night, and with that pick, The Great Khali<\/strong> would head to SmackDown. Doing so, he remained the monster they he had been on Raw and even became the World Heavyweight Champion when Edge would go down with injury and vacate the championship.<\/p>\n

The Miz- To ECW<\/h3>\n

The Miz<\/strong> would be a part of the supplemental draft that would be held on WWE.com, being sent to ECW in the process. However, it is on ECW that he would become friends with John Morrison<\/strong> and they would become the WWE Tag Team Champions<\/strong> in the process. This would be The Miz\u2019s real first shot at becoming a champion in the company.<\/p>\n

Johnny Nitro-\u00a0To ECW<\/h3>\n

Nitro, much like The Miz, would head to ECW in the supplemental draft and even become ECW Champion at Vengeance: Night of Champions. He would then change his name to John Morrison, and eventually, become tag team champions with The Miz in the months later. A change and removal from the team of MNM<\/strong> would lead to a true change in Morrison and show he is a true star, as we see today as he is the reigning IMPACT World Champion<\/strong> as Johnny Impact<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

2008 Draft\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CM Punk- To RAW<\/h3>\n

As the Money in the Bank holder, CM Punk was already promised a world championship match in his future. And when he was finally taken off of ECW to head to Monday Night Raw, it became clear the career of CM Punk was heading in the right direction. Punk would cash in just a week leader, as he would become the World Heavyweight Champion for the first time in his career, and it would show that being the champion of Monday Night Raw would prove to make his career an incredible journey that people still talk about to this day.<\/p>\n

Jeff Hardy- To SmackDown<\/h3>\n

Being placed on SmackDown back in 2008 would finally give Jeff Hardy<\/strong> his opportunity to rise to the top of the WWE, as he would become the centerpiece of the show has the story building to his eventual WWE Championship victory in late 2008 would be the crowning moment of a long road to him winning his first world championship. Hardy would be the hottest babyface in the business at this time, making SmackDown must watch TV and his popularity only continuing to grow. It would be this run on top that would truly top off the career of the \u201cCharismatic Enigma\u201d that so many fans love to this day.<\/p>\n

2009 Draft\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CM Punk- To SmackDown<\/h3>\n

Back to back years saw CM Punk changing his allegiance, this time heading to SmackDown which would lead to his ultimate feud with Jeff Hardy for much of the summer of 2009. Punk would once again successfully cash-in his Money in the Bank contract to become World Heavyweight Champion, which allowed him to become the antagonizing counterpart to the fan favorite, Jeff Hardy. Punk would benefit from this change even more than the change to Raw the year prior, ultimately being in the main event scene of SmackDown for the rest of 2009.<\/p>\n

Ezekiel Jackson- To ECW<\/h3>\n

Some may forget about \u201cBig Zeke\u201d, but Ezekiel Jackson<\/strong> debuted in the WWE as the bodyguard of The Brian Kendrick in the middle of 2008. However, when the 2008 Draft came around, Zeke was separated from Kendrick, allowing him to finally pursue his own career in ECW. Jackson became an unbeatable powerhouse on the brand, even becoming the final ECW Champion<\/strong> of all time by defeating Christian<\/strong>. While Zeke\u2019s career in the WWE wasn\u2019t a long one, this move for him was big as he was able to win a world championship in the process.<\/p>\n

2010 Draft\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cody Rhodes- To SmackDown<\/h3>\n

As the brand split became less and less enforced, some stars still flourished because of a change in brand. Following the split of Legacy, Cody Rhodes<\/strong> was drafted to Friday Night SmackDown and would finally kick off his singles career. He would introduce the incredibly entertaining persona of \u201cDashing\u201d Cody Rhodes, that came with him steering in a mirror and look at his own face, while becoming the fan\u2019s least favorite star on Friday Nights. The \u201cDashing\u201d and \u201cUndashing\u201d personas of Rhodes would give him the confidence to be the top star that he is today, and moving to SmackDown allowed that to happen all the way back in 2010.<\/p>\n

2011 Draft\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alberto Del Rio- To RAW<\/h3>\n

Alberto Del Rio<\/strong>\u2019s eventual switch to Monday Night Raw in the final draft of the original brand split would finally allow him to grow to greatness. Never a favorite of the WWE Universe, Del Rio was able to become a cog in the Cena-Punk rivalry in late 2011 when he would cash in his Money in the Bank contract to become the WWE Champion. Del Rio also holds the pleasure of being the one to lose the championship to CM Punk for his eventual 434-day\u00a0reign as champion. Del Rio was always marked for greatness before the switch, but it allowed him to become a world champion after failing to do so on SmackDown.<\/p>\n

Daniel Bryan- To SmackDown<\/h3>\n

Without the move to SmackDown, the \u201cYES Movement\u201d would have never come to fruition. Daniel Bryan<\/strong> was moved to SmackDown which would allow him to become a main part of the show while Raw had all the heaviest hitters. He would win the Money in the Bank that same year, allowing him to eventually become the World Heavyweight Champion. The run would lead to his unforgettable championship loss at WrestleMania 28<\/strong> and his eventual rise to stardom in the months after. Without a move to SmackDown, he wouldn\u2019t have made it to this moment being held back on Raw.<\/p>\n

2016 Draft\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

AJ Styles- To SmackDownLIVE<\/h3>\n

As the brand split returned to the WWE in 2016, it became clear that many stars would become new stars for the company because of it. And while Finn Balor<\/strong> was able to win the Universal Championship<\/strong> immediately, an injury hurts his cause here. However, for SmackDown LIVE, they got \u201cThe Phenomenal One\u201d AJ Styles<\/strong>. And ever since then, Styles has been at the top of SmackDown LIVE as the leader of the clubhouse. From winning the WWE Championship for the first time at Backlash<\/strong>, to his year long run as champion in 2018, the brand split became the perfect opening for Styles to be a megastar in the company. Remember, SmackDown LIVE is the house that AJ Styles built after all.<\/p>\n

Alexa Bliss- To RAW<\/h3>\n

On a special after the draft on the WWE Network, the rest of the stars following the 30 draft picks on Raw would be dealt out. And SmackDown LIVE would draft Alexa Bliss<\/strong> from NXT<\/strong>. This would allow Bliss to become a player immediately as SmackDown has a lesser women\u2019s division than Raw, but still very capable. Bliss would become the second SmackDown Women\u2019s Champion just months later by beating Becky Lynch<\/strong>, truly kicking off her WWE career at a rapid pace. She is now a five-time women\u2019s champion to prove that this draft did wonders for her career.<\/p>\n

2017 Superstar Shake-Up\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Winners
Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jinder\u00a0Mahal- To SmackDownLIVE<\/h3>\n

WWE would move forward in the brand split by creating the Superstar Shake-Up, which would be the night where stars would be traded and surprise you by just their music hitting. And for\u00a0Jinder<\/strong>\u00a0Mahal<\/strong>, he may be the biggest beneficiary on the entire list. Mahal went to SmackDown LIVE where he would in short time become the number one contender for the WWE Championship, and eventually would shock the world, winning that exact championship by defeating Randy Orton<\/strong>. \u201cThe Modern Day Maharaja\u201d would rule over SmackDown LIVE for much of 2017 as its champion, proving that the Shake-Up could do exactly that, changing history completely.<\/p>\n

2018 Superstar Shake-Up\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Winners
Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Drew McIntyre- To RAW<\/h3>\n

Just last year, Drew McIntyre<\/strong>\u00a0redebuted\u00a0on the main roster as the friend of\u00a0Dolph\u00a0Ziggler<\/strong>. Doing so, the \u201cScottish Psychopath\u201d laid his trail of bodies on his way of becoming one of the most dominant forces not just on Raw, but the entire company. From his rivalry with Seth Rollins<\/strong>, to his destruction of The Shield<\/strong> as a whole, McIntyre proved that he was a lot different this time around than his first run in the company. He would even become the Raw Tag Team Champion along with\u00a0Ziggler\u00a0in this time, but without a singles title run, he still inserted himself as the true dominant force of the WWE.<\/p>\n

Samoa Joe- To SmackDownLIVE<\/h3>\n

Samoa Joe<\/strong> would become a member of the SmackDown roster after leaving an impact on Raw in 2017. Joe would become one of the major players on the SmackDown LIVE roster. He would enter the WWE Championship picture just in time for\u00a0SummerSlam, entering an incredible feud with the champion AJ Styles. He would capture his first main roster championship as well as he would win the United States Championship<\/strong> on SmackDown LIVE at the beginning of this year. The warpath of Joe is just beginning however, as tonight may give him a new home once again.<\/p>\n

These are the biggest success stories of every draft in the history of the WWE. And tomorrow\u2019s Shake-Up is sure to give us some more names for us to say sometime this year. Who will make the move tonight? We will certainly see.<\/p>\n

Make sure to check back for the Raw Rundown as every single move for the Raw brand will be discussed!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the brand split was brought back in 2016, the excitement of the WWE Draft returned into fans hearts as both Raw and SmackDown LIVE would have separate rosters for the first time since really 2011.\u00a0 And while some fans may not be fans of the multiple championships and difficulty behind keeping two rosters apart, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2921,"featured_media":44186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7205,3],"tags":[145,247,168,150,1432,163,1613,57,1510,2686,841,107,600,140,98,56,167,686,251,5001,774,328,5000,111,2433,329,124,730,165,100,1668,245,1884,648,116,4998,256,7206,58,51,886,1734,4995,214,76,395,1838,148,908,714,4997,1141,4999,55,550,725,297,75,439,220,2145,4816,1939,4994,392,4996],"class_list":["post-44156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-history","category-wwe-universe","tag-aj-styles","tag-alberto-del-rio","tag-alexa-bliss","tag-backlash","tag-batista","tag-becky-lynch","tag-booker-t","tag-brock-lesnar","tag-bubba-ray-dudley","tag-chavo-guerrero","tag-chris-benoit","tag-chris-jericho","tag-christian","tag-cm-punk","tag-cody-rhodes","tag-daniel-bryan","tag-dolph-ziggler","tag-drew-mcintyre","tag-ecw","tag-ecw-champion","tag-eddie-guerrero","tag-edge","tag-ezekiel-jackson","tag-finn-balor","tag-impact-world-champion","tag-intercontinental-championship","tag-jeff-hardy","tag-jinder-mahal","tag-john-cena","tag-john-morrison","tag-johnny-impact","tag-kurt-angle","tag-mnm","tag-money-in-the-bank","tag-nxt","tag-one-night-stand","tag-paul-heyman","tag-pro-wrestling-history","tag-randy-orton","tag-raw","tag-rey-mysterio","tag-rob-van-dam","tag-rvd","tag-samoa-joe","tag-seth-rollins","tag-shawn-michaels","tag-shelton-benjamin","tag-smackdown-live","tag-summerslam","tag-superstar-shake-up","tag-taboo-tuesday","tag-test","tag-the-great-khali","tag-the-miz","tag-the-rock","tag-the-shield","tag-the-undertaker","tag-triple-h","tag-united-states-championship","tag-universal-championship","tag-world-heavyweight-champion","tag-wrestlemania-28","tag-wwe-champion","tag-wwe-draft","tag-wwe-tag-team-championship","tag-wwe-undisputed-champion"],"modified_by":"Jamie Greer","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2921"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}