The WWE Draft took place at the beginning of the month, but the new rosters didn’t go into effect until SmackDown tonight (Oct. 22). That’s a little weird, but it’s also given us plenty of time to think about whether Raw or SmackDown ended up with the better looking roster after the 2021 Draft.
Here’s what those rosters look like...
Raw
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Men:
- Big E
- Randy Orton
- Riddle
- Edge
- Keith “Bearcat” Lee
- Rey Mysterio
- Dominik Mysterio
- Austin Theory
- Bobby Lashley
- Seth Rollins
- Damian Priest
- AJ Styles
- Omos
- Kevin Owens
- Montez Ford
- Angelo Dawkins
- Finn Balor
- Karrion Kross
- Gable Steveson
- Drake Maverick
- Reggie
- Akira Tozawa
- Chad Gable
- Otis
- R-Truth
- John Morrison
- T-BAR
- Apollo Crews
- Commander Azeez
- Dolph Ziggler
- Robert Roode
- Jaxson Ryker
- Veer
- Shelton Benjamin
- Cedric Alexander
- The Miz
Women:
- Bianca Belair
- Rhea Ripley
- Nikki A.S.H.
- Becky Lynch
- Alexa Bliss
- Carmella
- Nia Jax
- Zelina Vega
- Doudrop
- Dana Brooke
- Liv Morgan
- Mia Yim
- Tamina
- Tegan Nox
SmackDown
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Men:
- Roman Reigns
- Drew McIntyre
- Kofi Kingston
- Xavier Woods
- Happy Corbin
- Madcap Moss
- Isaiah Scott
- Top Dolla
- Ashante Adonis
- Jeff Hardy
- Jimmy Uso
- Jey Uso
- Shinsuke Nakamura
- Rick Boogs
- Sheamus
- Erik
- Ivar
- Ricochet
- Humberto Carrillo
- Angel Garza
- Cesaro
- Ridge Holland
- Sami Zayn
- Drew Gulak
- MACE
- Mustafa Ali
- Mansoor
- Jinder Mahal
- Shanky
Women:
- Charlotte Flair
- B-Fab
- Naomi
- Sasha Banks
- Shayna Baszler
- Xia Li
- Aliyah
- Toni Storm
- Shotzi
- Natalya
Obviously, everything hinges on where the biggest free agent in sports entertainment lands. And of course I’m referring to Eva Marie.
Beyond that, SmackDown looks like the winner to me, for two reasons. One, it gets to continue the company’s best story with Roman Reigns & The Bloodline - now with a refreshed supporting cast. Two, it’s always going to have an advantage because it’s easier to produce a good two hour show than it is a good three hour one.
My biggest question is probably, “how much will anything change?” Most of the same people will get screen time, just with some of them doing it on a new night of the week. We’re also headed toward Survivor Series, which makes it more challenging to forge an individual brand’s identity while it feuds with another brand. Following last year’s formula - which skipped the invasion angles in favor of focusing on champions vs. champions clashes - will help, but it’s still time spent on what will probably be a series of one-off matches.
We’ll see how it all plays out. Even with all these variables, it’s the internet, so there has to be a winner. Give us your choice, Cagesiders - and let us know why you think the red or blue brand came out on top in the comments below.