Category: WWE

2024 WWE Draft: How the draft works, draft pools for each night

The 2024 WWE Draft will kick off on Friday’s episode of SmackDown. Here’s how the draft works, and which superstars will be eligible.

The 2024 NFL Draft kicked off on Thursday and will continue throughout the weekend, but that’s not the only major draft happening this week.

Just a few weeks after WrestleMania 40, WWE will kick off the 2024 WWE Draft on Friday’s episode of SmackDown (8 p.m. ET, FOX). The Draft will be split across two nights, with the draft concluding on Monday Night Raw a few days from now.

The Bloodline was the No. 1 overall pick one year ago by SmackDown – and the blue brand will have the top pick again on Friday.

How does the WWE Draft work, and which superstars are eligible to be drafted? We’ve got you covered.

How does the 2024 WWE Draft work?

There are a few ground rules for the WWE Draft. Most importantly, the current champions aligned with specific shows will remain on those shows.

That means that Damian Priest, Becky Lynch, Awesome Truth and Sami Zayn will continue to appear on Raw and cannot be drafted.

Cody Rhodes, Bayley, A-Town Down Under and Logan Paul will remain on SmackDown. The Kabuki Warriors, as non-aligned tag champs, will still be available to appear on either show, but will be drafted and will go to the show that drafts them whenever they lose their titles.

SmackDown and Raw will alternate picks. SmackDown will get the first pick on Friday, and each show will receive eight picks in total. On Monday, Raw will get the first pick, and each show will get 12 picks.

WWE stars eligible to be drafted on Friday, April 26

  • AJ Styles
  • Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn
  • Alpha Academy (Chad Gable, Otis, Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri)
  • Andrade
  • Bianca Belair
  • Bron Breakker
  • Cedric Alexander and Ashante “Thee” Adonis
  • Ivar
  • Jey Uso
  • LA Knight
  • Liv Morgan
  • Nia Jax
  • Randy Orton
  • Ricochet
  • Seth Rollins
  • Shayna Baszler
  • Sheamus
  • The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, “MFT” Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman)
  • The O.C. (Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson and Michin)
  • Zoey Stark

WWE stars eligible to be drafted on Monday, April 29

  • #DIY
  • Apollo Crews
  • Braun Strowman
  • Bronson Reed
  • Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell
  • Chelsea Green and Piper Niven
  • CM Punk
  • The Creed Brothers (Julius Creed, Brutus Creed and Ivy Nile)
  • Damage CTRL (IYO SKY, Dakota Kai and Kabuki Warriors)
  • Drew McIntyre
  • Final Testament (Karrion Kross, AOP, Scarlett and Paul Ellering)
  • Giovanni Vinci
  • Imperium (Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser)
  • Jade Cargill
  • Judgment Day (Finn Bálor, Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh)
  • Kayden Carter and Katana Chance
  • Kevin Owens
  • Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Angel, Berto and Elektra Lopez)
  • LWO (Rey Mysterio, Carlito, Dragon Lee, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde and Zelina Vega)
  • Naomi
  • Natalya
  • New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate)
  • New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)
  • Odyssey Jones
  • Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson)
  • Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Tegan Nox
  • The Pride (Bobby Lashley, Street Profits and B-Fab)
  • Tiffany Stratton

Notable wrestlers not in the draft pool (inactive or injured)

  • Alexa Bliss
  • Carmella
  • Charlotte Flair
  • Jimmy Uso
  • Rhea Ripley
  • The Rock

Cody Rhodes def. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40: Best photos

Check out these photos from Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania 40 victory over Roman Reigns, which featured John Cena, The Rock, and more.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Cody Rhodes[/autotag]’ Universal Heavyweight Championship victory over [autotag]Roman Reigns[/autotag] at WrestleMania 40 Night 2, and saw interference from [autotag]John Cena[/autotag], [autotag]The Rock[/autotag], [autotag]The Undertaker[/autotag], [autotag]Seth Rollins[/autotag], [autotag]Jimmy Uso[/autotag], [autotag]Jey Uso[/autotag], and [autotag]Solo Sikoa[/autotag]. (Photos by Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports, Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Logan Paul def. Randy Orton and Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 40: Best photos

Check out these photos from Logan Paul’s WrestleMania 40 victory over Randy Orton and Kevin Owens in Philadelphia.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Logan Paul[/autotag]’s victory over [autotag]Kevin Owens[/autotag] and [autotag]Randy Orton[/autotag] to retain the United States Title at WrestleMania 40, which took place April 7 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Photos by Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports, Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Damian Priest cashes in MITB after Drew McIntyre def. Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40: Best photos

Check out these photos from Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins, which saw Damian Priest cash in his Money In the Bank briefcase.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Damian Priest[/autotag]’s successful Money In The Bank cash-in after [autotag]Drew McIntyre[/autotag] def. [autotag]Seth Rollins[/autotag] for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Photos by Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports, Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

WWE Money in the Bank winners — Every briefcase winner and how they fared when cashing in

Check out the complete history of WWE Money in the Bank winners, including every briefcase winner and how they fared when cashing in.

Originally the brainchild of Chris Jericho, the Money in the Bank Ladder Match has gone from being an entertaining gimmick match to one of the most anticipated subplots of any WWE calendar year. It’s changed and expanded to multiple brands and the women’s division, and become the focus of its own event, joining the likes of WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and SummerSlam as one of the most important that WWE puts on.

At its core, however, is a simple and compelling idea: Whoever outfights and outwits a group of hungry competitors and grabs the namesake briefcase has a guaranteed title shot they can use any time, any place, for one year. It’s the WWE’s equivalent of a golden ticket, and the anticipation for when a briefcase might get cashed in has become drama in its own right.

As Money in the Bank has risen in prominence, its history has grown as well. Let’s take a look at a complete history of WWE Money in the Bank winners, including how the winners fared when they eventually cashed in their contracts.

Last updated on April 7, 2024.

The Rock and Roman Reigns def. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40: Best photos

Check out these photos from The Rock and Roman Reigns’ victory over Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.

Check out these photos from [autotag]The Rock[/autotag] and [autotag]Roman Reigns[/autotag]’ victory over [autotag]Cody Rhodes[/autotag] and [autotag]Seth Rollins[/autotag] at WrestleMania 40 Night 1, which took place April 6 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, setting up the “Bloodline Rules” stipulation for the main event of Night 2. (Photos by Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports, Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

WrestleMania 40 results: Mami still on top as Rhea Ripley outlasts Becky Lynch

It took a tremendous effort, but Rhea Ripley held off Becky Lynch in the opening match of WrestleMania 40.

The autobiography of Becky Lynch is a prominent element in her ring entrance, while Rhea Ripley gets a live performance of her theme as she heads down the very long ramp.

Lynch shows she’s not intimidated by the champ, slapping her in the face and hitting a missile dropkick. They head to the floor, where Becky has Rhea’s left arm targeted. A Northern Lights suplex is on target for Ripley when they return to the ring, and she gets the first two count.

Ripley earns another near fall with a suplex, looking comfortable with the pace. A dropkick from Rhea is on target, but Lynch pulls off an arm drag to yank Ripley down from the top rope.

Lynch uses the ropes for momentum to connect on a DDT, covering for another two count. Ripley ends up strung over the ropes, and Lynch hits a legdrop on her and continues by coming off the top rope to the back of Rhea’s neck, covering for yet another two.

Trying to fly off the top rope again, Lynch finds herself caught by Ripley, and a body slam is followed by a big knee to the face. Mami goes for the pin and hears the ref count to two.

Taken to the ground by the champ, Ripley has to struggle to avoid the Disarm-Her. Rhea figures the best way to escape is to pick Becky off the mat and slam her down, three times in a row to earn a near fall.

A big boot is next, with Rhea looking frustrated now that Becky won’t stay down. They trade blows and headbutts until Ripley misses a charge into the corner, and Lynch continues to torment her while she’s caught in the ropes.

Lynch lands another legdrop to the back of the neck, but Ripley answers with her standing crab submission, dragging Lynch to the middle of the ring and then falling back to keep her body weight engaged. Becky pivots so the champ’s shoulders are down, forcing her to release the hold.

Ripley’s Riptide is countered by a Manhandle Slam, yet Mami kicks out at two. Ripley hits the Riptide this time, looking incredulous when it’s not sufficient to end the match.

Looking for another way to finish things, Ripley goes up top but is quickly crotched by Becky. Lynch’s superplex lets her float over into the Disarm-Her, and Ripley looks to be in trouble. But she’s able to power to her feet, then flip over the top rope to the floor. Becky is still on the champ’s shoulders, but an electric chair drop crushes her.

Ripley hits a frog splash and now it’s Pat McAfee’s turn to be incredulous when it turns out to be a two count.

The battle heads up to the top rope again, but nothing too big occurs. You know what is big? A Riptide into the buckles, then another on the mat, allowing Ripley to finally bring this to a close. Mami retains, though it took everything she had to do it.

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WrestleMania 40 tickets: How much it costs to get in

Looking to score last-minute tickets for WrestleMania 40? Here’s how much it will cost you.

The biggest wrestling event of the year returns to Philadelphia, as Lincoln Financial Field hosts WWE WrestleMania 40.

WrestleMania 40 spans two nights, which high-profile matches spread across Night 1 and Night 2. You can see the full match card for both nights here.

So how much will it cost to get inside the stadium for the Showcase of the Immortals? The get-in price has been falling in recent days.

Night 1 (Saturday) only tickets can currently be found for as low as $125 on SeatGeek. That’ll score you a seat to see Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch and The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins.

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Night 2 (Sunday) will be headlined by Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes, and tickets for Sunday only are slightly more expensive, currently available for as low as $146 on SeatGeek.

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John Cena showed up naked to the Oscars, and we can’t un-Cena it

A naked John Cena was not on our bingo card.

John Cena seemingly presented the award for Best Costume Design at the Oscars while naked. Yes, NAKED.

Jimmy Kimmel and John Cena surprised the entire audience at the Academy Awards with the naked body of Cena. Kimmel was reminiscing about a previous Academy Awards moment when a man streaked across the stage. He then asks the audience, “Can you imagine if a nude man ran across the stage today?” At that point, Cena was supposed to streak across the stage but was “afraid” to do the deed.

Kimmel told him to stop making it weird. That’s when John slowly inched his way out to the podium, with only an envelope covering his nether region, to present the award for Best Costume Design. He fittingly opened his award presentation dialogue with “Costumes are so important.”