The consensus on the Raw After WrestleMania was that it was pretty dull this year. Maybe the return of the WWE Draft can rev up the excitement level a little bit.
Though reports from several outlets suggested there had been little firm discussion about a draft this year, that changed this week on SmackDown. Appearing to discuss the future of WWE, Triple H promised that this year’s version would “truly change the game.”
BREAKING NEWS: @TripleH just announced the #WWEDraft will return in a few weeks with every single Superstar being eligible! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/IUWKQFTQeA
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2023
When is the WWE 2023 draft date?
As revealed on the April 14 episode of SmackDown, the 2023 WWE Draft will start on Friday, April 28 on that week’s episode of SmackDown. It will then continue on Monday, May 1 on Raw.
This is in line with several of the most recent versions of the WWE Draft, which were spread out over one episode each of both shows.
What will the rules be for the 2023 WWE Draft?
On SmackDown, Triple H vowed that this year’s draft would be bigger than ever, because “every single Superstar” would be eligible. That leaves a lot of room for interpretation, particularly when it comes to NXT wrestlers. Previous drafts have been used regularly to elevate a few NXT talents to the main roster.
But it does sound like every regularly appearing WWE wrestler will be available, which hasn’t always been the case. There are almost always exceptions carved out or performers who are essentially safe from switching brands.
Doing away with those outliers would make the WWE Draft more exciting and unpredictable, so hopefully Triple H is being literal. We’ll update this post with more details when they are revealed by WWE.