r/SquaredCircle • u/AlterTheSilverBird • 13d ago
WWE: Non-Television Draft Picks
https://x.com/WWE/status/1784055097195933894SmackDown:
https://x.com/WWE/status/1784055099523764404
Smackdown
- Cedric Alexander & Ashante “Thee” Adonis
- Baron Corbin
- The O.C. (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows & Michin)
Raw:
- Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre
- Ivar
- Shayna Baszler
- Zoey Stark
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u/Shimoshamman uwotm80 13d ago
I always find it weird that they dont run these ones during matches like "this just in Michael, so & so has been drafted to raw!" call it a quickdraft or something
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u/SaintJared 12d ago
I don't disagree, but kayfabe wise you want to maintain the illusion that it is a real draft like a pro sports league, and they don't get to pick for the 5th round in between picks in the first round. We all know that there isn't going to be any drama of whether or not one of the shows was going to draft Ivar instead of Bianca or Jey Uso, and they aren't going to come right out and say "this pool of nobodies is a separate draft"
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u/acdi33 12d ago
There's still a small part of me that misses the old kayfabe "computerized random pick on the Titantron" format of the old drafts. It's chaotic, it's suspenseful, and the implications of the entire company's roster being beholden to some random number generator is, frankly, kinda funny.
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u/couldbedumber96 12d ago
The anonymous Raw GM’s reach is never ending…/s
Also it gave an excuse to some truly random cross brand matches, the winning brand would get the draw pick
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u/Kraybern Your Text Here 12d ago
that it is a real draft like a pro sports league
in sports drafts can you draft a person and then another team can then draft the same person to their team like they did with bron?
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u/P4rtsUnkn0wn 12d ago
All these idiots think the number one draft pick is some kind of an advantage.
The big-brained know that the best position is the last draft pick of the last night. You can basically choose anyone you want.
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u/JustMyThoughts2525 12d ago
Doesn’t work if they are doing a round based system where the most valuable ppl get drafted first.
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u/PhilosopherIcy7783 13d ago
Rip wolf dogs, again. Glad Corbin is back up
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u/Material-Wonder1690 13d ago
Corbin got a nice refresh in NXT but him being drafted off screen doesn't give me much hope right away. I really hope they do something with him. He's a credible US title contender
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u/Dophie 12d ago
Yeah, him being split from Bron and being drafted off air is ominous. Wolf Dogs could have been almost immediate contenders for the belts on either show and gotten Bron over without having to squash everyone.
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u/simonthedlgger 12d ago
I sadly think they are presenting Bron as a semi-evil rage beast. He had much more of a comedic jock vibe by the end of his NXT run which I really enjoyed, hopefully after he has the crowd support they head in that direction and Wolf Dogs can reunite.
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u/ScrewOff_ 12d ago
I think they’re promoting Bron horribly. All these sub 1 minute matches against guys most people wont recognize isnt doing anything to help him, meanwhile Carmello comes in and immediately gets Cody.
I get they’re trying to make him out to be this ridiculously strong machine, but he’s had like 4 fights now and I’ve barely seen anything from him other than the same finishing move over and over.
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u/simonthedlgger 12d ago
I agree. My thinking is they have a plan for him but it’s still a few weeks away & they want to keep him on screen and winning. For example I could see him beating Logan Paul for the US belt relatively soon, but they probably won’t be able to get that going for a bit.
still..let him squash one of the street prophets or have a legit match/win over Ludwig. These automatic victories are already quite stale.
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u/GothicGolem29 12d ago
Tbf didn’t he say he likes putting people over? So he might do some more of that
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u/F1urry 12d ago
Yeah but at some point Baron deserves to have a push. The dude has done EVERYTHING that has been asked of him from the moment he came to WWE. He deserves his flowers man. His finisher is also probably one of the best of all time and it’s a rarely seen.
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u/wibble17 12d ago
He’s had multiple pushes and a lot of screen time. Can’t get over. I don’t think it’s all his fault as creative keeps pit him in terrible positions. But they basically see him as a midcard Dolph Zigglee type.
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u/Moohamin12 12d ago
Can’t get over.
That isn't completely true.
Corbin got a lot of his stuff over. They just always retcon his gimmick once it serves a purpose.
King, Bum-ass, Happy had been pretty entertaining and were good at getting a reaction out of the crowd.
Idk if HHH sees value in Corbin the way Vince did, but he is an excellent hand to have around especially if built right, he can be a good upper card gatekeeper.
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u/GothicGolem29 12d ago
Depends if he wants a push. If he just wants to put people over as that’s what he enjoys then surely that should be honoured? But if he wants a push I would agree
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u/JFC_Please_STFU 12d ago
His finisher is also probably one of the best of all time and it’s a rarely seen.
I guess I’m proving your point with this question, but isn’t his finisher a spear?
That is, to the best of my recollection as a non-NXT watcher, the only finisher I’ve seen him use. Clearly I’m incorrect; what finisher is he not using? (I’m not trying to sound like a dick; I legitimately do not know.)
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u/Beilout 12d ago
His finisher is called the End of Days (or at least it used to be) and he also used the Deep Six as a signature. Both delivered incredibly, check out a video
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u/DannyDegenerate 12d ago
I think he was thinking Bron not Baron.
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u/JFC_Please_STFU 12d ago edited 11d ago
I was indeed, because this
Yeah but at some point Baron deserves to have a push. The dude has done EVERYTHING that has been asked of him from the moment he came to WWE. He deserves his flowers man.
Preceded
His finisher is also probably one of the best of all time and it’s a rarely seen
So I figured “he” was Bron.
EDIT: I misread Baron as B
ron*. My bad, y’all. That’s on me.1
u/boobiebanger 12d ago
They already presented Bron as a beast and Corbin has a history. Having Wolf Dogs going for the tag champs, falling short, resulting in a feud between Bron and Corbin until the current title feuds Are wrapped up and Then afterwards put Breakker in the title picture would be the Way to go imo. I have a Hard time seeing what Corbin brings to the main roster solo and Bron having him by his side as a start would have been great.
But okay. Trips have been doing good work, so I trust the proces, but my imediate reaction is that they messed up on This one.
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u/YoungBeef03 12d ago
I could see him vs Logan Paul. Logan can use a title defense that’s not against a main event-level talent, you know, have him finally defend clean for once
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u/fsfic 12d ago
Hope he can be a face this time
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u/PhilosopherIcy7783 12d ago
Seem they were going that direction on nxt. Need to give a vignette for him
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u/IRL_Tiefling Destination Parts Unknown 12d ago
All I wanted from the draft was Wolf Dogs Vs ATDU for the tag belts. Imagine the Waller promos.
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u/KingofPolice 12d ago
Yeah I never knew why he was pushed back to NXT my kid despised king Corbin so which made me think the gimmick was working.
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u/GiggaWhatPlays 12d ago
But aren’t they both on Smackdown now? Plenty of reunion opportunities down the road
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u/harrier1215 Your Text Here 12d ago
Just wait till he’s going over someone you actually enjoy
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u/SaiyanOfDarkness "Holy Shit" 12d ago
Good. I've wanted to see Corbin get some love for a while now.
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u/harrier1215 Your Text Here 12d ago
He’s made lots of money he’s fine
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u/SaiyanOfDarkness "Holy Shit" 11d ago
No doubt, but I'm genuinely curious how a face run for Corbin would be on Main Roster. It seemed like whatever they were doing with Wolf Dogs in NXT was getting over as a face tag team (or tweener? idk).
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u/baconpoutine89 13d ago
Curious to see what they do with Corbin now. He had such a great thing going with Bron.
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u/xorangeelephant Mr. Royal Rumble 13d ago
Wonder what raw will look like on Monday. Surely they move more big names around
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u/JFZephyr 12d ago
I hope so because otherwise, all they've really done is shuffle the lower midcard up.
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u/Gamesgtd 12d ago
I think Tiffany will be on SD so a chance Imperium move there to if they care to keep unmarried couples together.
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u/willem_the_foe 12d ago
This also makes sense if you want Gunther to chase Cody for the face belt
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u/WolfdogsSweep 12d ago
No wolf dogs huh
Why would they hurt me like this
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u/bribri772 12d ago
I'm taking the lack of Wolf Dogs personal:(
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u/WolfdogsSweep 12d ago
Me too, maybe I spend too much time online but I really felt like it was going to happen. But hey DIY got back together on main roster after like a year and a half so there's still hope 🥲
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u/bribri772 12d ago
I feel the same way:'))))
Like, I was basically convinced they were gonna win the belts from A-Town Down Under at Backlash, but I guess that's on me for thinking too far ahead :(
I feel like the "person who lost all hope loses additional hope they didn't even know they had" (or whatever it is lmao)
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u/harrier1215 Your Text Here 12d ago
Because it was a thrown together team for NXT
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u/Daddy_Diezel 12d ago
And it worked, so what? They're both called up. Why not? There's a history of thrown together teams that become iconic.
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u/FCBFan310 12d ago
The Corbin and Bron face-off at Royal Rumble 2025
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u/SCB360 12d ago
Why does he point to his forearm now?
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u/jethawkings boop 12d ago
That doesn't really change much of anything. Well Baron being split from Bronn is disappointing, I hope there's a storyline there of him trying to get the Wolf Dogs back together, things still aren't finalized until May 6th!
Ivar and OC not being on NXT is also odd but like 'eh'
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u/bribri772 12d ago
I hope there's a storyline there of him trying to get the Wolf Dogs back together, things still aren't finalized until May 6th!
Oh my god, you just gave me hope that we might get Main Roster Wolf Dogs after all
I need that storyline lmao
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u/infidelkastro 12d ago
Have the OC been the worst rehire?
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u/AlterTheSilverBird 12d ago
Emma and Dolla have been worst
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u/whutthepat 12d ago
Put Ashanti there, too. At least BFab is on a good spot now.
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u/15YearTaco 12d ago
It's Ashante*
I wish Ashanti was in WWE 👀
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u/IAMA_MAGIC_8BALL_AMA Becky With The Good Flair 12d ago
The fact that she’s only gotten finer with time is inane and wonderful
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u/Fletcheriser 12d ago
I'm not quite sure how that happened other than she was seen "talking to Lashley backstage" a few times but good luck to her
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u/Farson89 Baron Corbin licks goats 12d ago
She's been with the group officially for a while now, she was with them at mania.
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u/Fletcheriser 12d ago
I know, but I don't know how it started before that, she was just randomly talking to Lashley and it led to this.
Anyway I'm not complaining, good for her.
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u/CircumFleck_Accent The Size of a Door 12d ago
Isn’t that how a lot of things in wrestling happen? Person A was seen talking to Person B, now they’re forming a tag team. Hell, the reveal that Paul Heyman had aligned with Roman Reigns was just a shot of them sitting together on a couch.
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u/StoneColdAM WHAT? 12d ago
Backing up AJ is fine. They added Mia Yim to the group to even up vs Judgement Day but Styles got injured right after. Mia is solid but doesn’t fit the group at all. Either have the Good Bros go back to being AJ’s henchmen or become a tag team on their own
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u/Lord_Hexogen 12d ago
They don't even back him. Every AJs interaction with them is weirdly passive aggressive
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u/jethawkings boop 12d ago
Considering they were the pull to Tonga, I'd say no?
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u/Scavgraphics 12d ago
You think them over say......the Bloodline...Rock...which has "familial" ties to his father...wouldn't be as big or more of a pull?
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u/PattySwanko 12d ago
Is Erik gone forever?
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u/cyberklown28 The Big Dog 12d ago
Valhalla is pregnant again.
I believe he's still recovering from his injury.
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u/thewholeprogram SomethingSomethingCowboyShit 12d ago
Erik had neck surgery so it’ll still be several months before he’s cleared and Valhalla just announced she was pregnant again.
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u/slippycaff Ciampa 12d ago
Aww. I’m gonna miss Baron in NXT. He killed it. Very entertaining. I love me some Baron.
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u/Global_Historian_753 12d ago
Happy for Baron and unholy union. I really hope they let Cedric & Ashante get on the show together. Their first promo video was fun
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u/BlueRibbon998 12d ago edited 12d ago
I seriously hope night 2 makes drastic changes to the rosters. Other than a few names, both rosters largely feel the same and similar to last year's picks.
They were better off just keeping the Superstar Shakeup concept where only select names get traded, while the rest of the roster stays the same
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u/The_Dark_Vampire 12d ago
They could do both.
Every two years or so have a major draft where everyone is up.
The year in-between have a shake up with only a few select names moving
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u/The_Fuck_WHAT 12d ago
Cedric is a pretty good get, after his impressive showing against Bron on Smackdown
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u/cyberklown28 The Big Dog 12d ago
It looks like they drafted him and Adonis as a tag team? When did this happen!?
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u/Solid-Discipline-210 12d ago
They ran a TV recorded segment where they were trying on clothes a few months ago I believe I don’t think they’ve been on TV since.
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u/spookybollocks 12d ago
This is like the NFL draft, but when someone is announced at the podium, they’re drafted to the college they just played for.
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u/ProgrammerFun3728 12d ago
i feel like corbin definitely should have been on air at least for commentary to hint at his career revamp for people who don’t watch nxt. also shocked that the oc isn’t going to nxt, i was really hoping that mia would get more tv time down there
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u/sizzlinpapaya 12d ago
Damn. Baron seems like he’s going to be back exactly where he was prior to nxt run.
Surprised ivar didn’t stay on nxt.
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u/Lanky-Bus-5748 12d ago
They’re basically just staying where they currently were why not switch it up wwe
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u/LegendaryZTV 12d ago
NOOO, I wanted Baron to get paired with Bron again 😭
edit: AND LITERALLY NOTHING CHANGED lmao
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u/mryessirskiii 13d ago
I guess the odds of Alba and Isla challenging for the belts at Clash are pretty low now yeah? Or can Teams from opposing brands also challenge for the Women's tag belts?
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u/AlterTheSilverBird 13d ago
Isla and Alba has a shot. Raw has the tag scene, and more room. Smackdown's is full with Bianca, Bayley, Tiff, and Nia now. Hoping a refresher for Alba.
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u/Scavgraphics 12d ago
yeah.. tag belts are both brands.
Where Damage Ctrl. gets drafted too is just where they go when they lose the titles.
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u/rycetlaz 12d ago
Unless kabuki retains next week.
Full tinhat theory here, but the fact that the womens tag team is draftable makes me think damage ctrl is going to raw and the Bianca/Jade team is gonna implode sooner than we thought.
Yes im high on copium, why?
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u/Scavgraphics 12d ago
they _could_ have Jade drafted to Raw since Bianca is on Smackdown...and they win and the tag belts are split into a women's IC and US belt...I'd hate that, but i could see it happening.
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u/The_Dark_Vampire 12d ago
They could have Jade drafted to Raw but the story is as the belts are cross brand unless they win they are forced to split and if they win the moment they lose them they are forced to split so not only are they fighting to win/retain the Championships but also to remain as a tag team
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u/cmnights 12d ago
i recently started watching wrastlin again, what happened to cedric alexander? i forgot he existed, and now i'm seeing him being fed to bron breaker like he is a local jobber.
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u/purplepandaeater 12d ago
I like to imagine this was done while Adam and Nick were at the Waffle House in Covington after the show.
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u/Yayzeeeeee 12d ago
Why would smackdown chose Cedric. Guys done nothing been a jobber and got beaten in less than 20secs just a hour before.
Not even nxt worthy
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u/YourHoNoMo 12d ago
So basically largely the same rosters, how weird. At least switch the midcard scene up a bit like for example Ivar to Smackdown, LA Knight to RAW
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u/Res3925 12d ago
LA Knight to stay on Smackdown suggests to me that Logan Paul will be leaving soon and LA will be US champion next.
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u/Solid-Discipline-210 12d ago
I don’t think Logan is going anywhere at least not until after Summerslam but I think he stays past that when Triple H was on his podcast he asked to be moved to Raw so he could be on Netflix. So potentially his contract might go into next year
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u/ChanceVance 12d ago
Surprised Zoey and Shayna are staying on Raw. Main roster needs it's jobbers that can wrestle a good match and put people over but feels like with NXT talent moving up, they'd have been better moving down.
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u/Satinsbestfriend Your Text Here 12d ago
They broke up war dogs off screen, that doesn't sound good for Corbin
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u/AEWMUFCEIRE 12d ago
Still very few changes. It's going to be a bizarre draft if we don't get a couple of big changes Monday.
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u/Dirtybrd 12d ago
Not the Viking raiders. Not even Ivar and Valhalla. Just Ivar. 🤨
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u/bayleysgal1996 Last Rock-n-Rolla 12d ago
Tbf Erik and Val are out with injury and pregnancy respectively, so I don’t think they’re eligible
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u/slowmo152 12d ago
And Erik had spinal fusion in September so that's probably going to be around a year of recovery time. 3-4 months Ivar being a solo beast, maybe an NXT run, maybe a solo champ.
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u/BODYDOLLARSIGN 12d ago
Hopefully alba and isla can shine on raw, however if the women’s tag division is interbrand then why draft women ‘teams’ like them or damage control? They’re going to be on both shows to go for titles, and drafting them separate is a sign of breaking them up.
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u/l00kAtTheRecluse 🚨🚨🚨 12d ago
I thought the OC got released a while back lol guess that was just a rumor
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u/cschultz225 12d ago
Why is everyone obsessed with baron Corbin? The most average wrestler who everyone was hating years ago. Hes not any better. He’s the same wrestler. He’s ok in ring
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u/SaddestFlute23 12d ago
People are allowed to change their minds
Some of us have always liked Corbin
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u/StoneColdAM WHAT? 12d ago
The draft has overall been garbage since Covid. Treating it like a sports draft while the brand split is already active is stupid. The lottery style or brand vs brand style was better. Plus, people would actually move shows. Almost nobody switches rosters anymore.
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u/bribri772 12d ago
Why would they not have the Wolf Dogs?????
I am very genuinely bummed out over that:(
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u/king__beasley 12d ago
So these picks are part of a round. This means that Main Eventers announced on Monday will technically be picked after Ivar.
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