2011 WWE draft
The WWE Draft logo used from 2007 to 2011.
General information
SportProfessional wrestling
Date(s)April 25, 2011
LocationRaleigh, North Carolina
Overview
LeagueWWE
TeamsRaw
SmackDown

The 2011 WWE draft was the ninth and final overall WWE draft before the WWE brand extension ended on August 29, produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, which took place on April 25. With a core business of professional wrestling, the corporation held a draft to exchange personnel assigned to one of its two brands (Raw and SmackDown) that are (in terms of storyline) independent brands that represent WWE. The draft aired live on the USA Network on Raw in the United States[lower-alpha 1] for two hours in Raleigh, North Carolina, from the RBC Center. As a standard for previous drafts, most on-air personnel were eligible to be drafted.[2] A continuation of the draft took place on WWE's official website at 12:00pm Eastern time on the following afternoon.[3]

Matches determined the recipient of draft picks for the television portion of the draft while the continuation of the draft via the Internet was conducted at random. The draft's 30 selections featured 29 wrestlers being exchanged between WWE's two brands. SmackDown received 16 additional members to its roster while Raw received 13. For the first time in draft history, two of the draft picks consisted of the same wrestler (John Cena) being selected to SmackDown with the first pick and back to Raw with the last televised pick.

Background

The Brand Extension storyline was initiated in March 2002, in which WWE's Raw and SmackDown television programs were made into brands (similar to conferences within a league) to which employees were assigned;[4] the ECW brand was additionally involved between 2006 and 2009.[5] Annual drafts have followed since this occurrence, except for in 2003.[6] As with past drafts, the purpose of the 2011 WWE draft was to increase television ratings of WWE programming and refresh the rosters for each brand.[7] The 2011 event was confirmed by the RBC Center in April 2011,[8] with WWE officially announcing it on the April 18 episode of Raw.[9][10] A USA Network executive had also confirmed the event to occur via a press release on the same day of the WWE announcement.[11]

The 2011 WWE draft would mark the sixth time that only the Raw and SmackDown brands were involved; male and female wrestlers and other WWE personalities from these brands were eligible to be drafted.[12] Unlike sports draft lotteries where players are signed to a team, WWE drafts feature on-air personnel being exchanged between brands. Like all other WWE programs, the draft was run by the WWE management backstage.[1] Championships could be exchanged between brands if the champion was drafted, like with previous drafts;[6] however, the WWE Divas Championship and WWE Tag Team Championship were accessible to both brands and thus had no role in the draft because of their inter-brand availability.[13][14]

Roster selections

Overall, 29 wrestlers were drafted in 30 selections. Eight selections were made on television (four from each brand) with seven draftees; the online draft featured 22 selections (13 by Raw and nine by SmackDown). Of the 29 drafted personalities, only five were females (all drafted after the televised event). All but one of the draftees were in-ring competitors: Alberto Del Rio's personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, came to Raw in the televised draft with Alberto Del Rio in one draft pick. SmackDown obtained the first draft pick by winning the first match, which resulted in the acquisition of John Cena. Raw obtained their first pick after winning the second match and were able to acquire Rey Mysterio. Cena became the second person to have changed brands twice during the same draft event (the first was Triple H in 2004, who was drafted to SmackDown then traded back to Raw),[15] with Raw reacquiring Cena with the eighth draft pick to conclude the televised portion. Kelly Kelly became the first woman to be drafted overall and was drafted to the Smackdown brand. The draft also featured various wrestlers being selected to a new brand for the first time in their WWE careers, such as Sheamus and Daniel Bryan.[16]

Televised draft

During Raw, matches were held among representatives of the two brands to determine which would receive one or two draft picks. Each match featured one or more wrestlers representing their brand; if a wrestler was drafted earlier in the program, they would represent their new brand. After the matches, a computerized system, which appeared on the Raw stage TitanTron, randomly[lower-alpha 2] selected a member from the opposing brand's roster for the winning brand. Unlike the regular Raw production, the lighting in the RBC Center featured red and blue lighting on the audience, like in WWE Superstars, and both programs' logos represented on the TitanTron.[3][17]

Matches

No.ResultsStipulations
1Big Show and Kofi Kingston (SmackDown) won by last eliminating Mason Ryan (Raw)[lower-alpha 3]20-man battle royal for one draft pick
2Eve (Raw) defeated Layla (SmackDown)Singles match for one draft pick
3Kofi Kingston (SmackDown) defeated Sheamus (Raw)Singles match for one draft pick
4Randy Orton[lower-alpha 4] (SmackDown) defeated Dolph Ziggler (Raw)Singles match for two draft picks
5Rey Mysterio[lower-alpha 5] (Raw) defeated Wade Barrett (SmackDown)Singles match for two draft picks
6The Miz, CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio[lower-alpha 5] (Raw) defeated John Cena,[lower-alpha 6] Christian and Mark Henry[lower-alpha 4] (SmackDown)6-man tag team match for one draft pick

Selections

Pick No. Brand (to) Employee
(Real name)		 Brand (from) Notes
1 SmackDown John Cena Raw
2 Raw Rey Mysterio
(Oscar Gutierrez)		 SmackDown
3 SmackDown Randy Orton Raw
4 SmackDown Mark Henry Raw
5 SmackDown Sin Cara
(Luis Urive)		 Raw
6 Raw Big Show
(Paul Wight, Jr.)		 SmackDown WWE Tag Team Champion
7 Raw Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez[lower-alpha 7]
(Alberto Rodríguez and Jesús Rodríguez)		 SmackDown
8 Raw John Cena SmackDown

Online draft

WWE announced that the draft would continue to take place over WWE.com on Tuesday, April 26, 2011, beginning at 12:00pm Eastern time.

Sheamus was the final overall selection in the 2011 WWE draft.
Pick No. Brand (to) Employee
(Real name)		 Brand (from) Notes
9 SmackDown Daniel Bryan
(Bryan Danielson)		 Raw
10 Raw Jack Swagger
(Jacob Hager)		 SmackDown
11 SmackDown The Great Khali
(Dalip Singh Rana)		 Raw
12 SmackDown Jimmy Uso
(Jonathan Fatu)		 Raw Member of The Usos
13 Raw Kelly Kelly
(Barbara Blank)		 SmackDown Defeated Brie Bella for the WWE Divas Championship after drafted to Raw.
14 Raw JTG
(Jayson Anthony Paul)		 SmackDown
15 SmackDown Alicia Fox
(Victoria Crawford)		 Raw
16 SmackDown William Regal
(Darren Kenneth Matthews)		 Raw
17 SmackDown Yoshi Tatsu
(Naofumi Yamamoto)		 Raw
18 Raw Drew McIntyre
(Andrew Galloway)		 SmackDown
19 SmackDown Natalya
(Natalie Neidhart)		 Raw
20 Raw Curt Hawkins
(Brian Myers)		 SmackDown
21 Raw Chris Masters
(Christopher Mordetzky)		 SmackDown Never appeared on this brand as his contract was released
22 SmackDown Jey Uso
(Joshua Fatu)		 Raw Member of The Usos
23 Raw Kofi Kingston
(Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah)		 SmackDown
24 SmackDown Ted DiBiase
(Theodore DiBiase, Jr.)		 Raw
25 SmackDown Tyson Kidd
(T.J. Wilson)		 Raw
26 SmackDown Tamina
(Sarona Reiher)		 Raw
27 Raw Tyler Reks
(Gabbi Tuft)		 SmackDown
28 SmackDown Alex Riley[lower-alpha 8]
(Kevin Kiley, Jr.)		 Raw Never appeared on this brand as he had not been given a SmackDown contract until he signed on the Raw brand
29 Raw Beth Phoenix
(Elizabeth Carolan)		 SmackDown Defeated Kelly Kelly for the WWE Divas Championship at Hell in a Cell after drafted to Raw.
30 SmackDown Sheamus
(Stephen Farrelly)		 Raw WWE United States Champion
31 SmackDown AJ Lee
(April Mendez)		 FCW (Developmental) Was called up to the blue brand roster from FCW after not winning Season 3 of NXT to pal alongside her buddy the NXT Season 3 winner Kaitlyn as the Chickbusters with Natalya to feud with their on SmackDown brand rivals Alicia Fox, Tamina, and Rosa Mendes.

Response and aftermath

Various WWE wrestlers posted updates on their Twitter accounts (as mentioned during the televised portion of the Draft) regarding their reactions to draft selections. Most of these regarded Raw losing top-tier talent to SmackDown, such as Cena and Orton switching brands.[3][18][19] Mark Henry stated that with his recent weight loss, he was more determined to seek a championship reign on SmackDown.[20] Rey Mysterio also was hopeful about his new home and explained that he would represent Raw just as proud as he has for the majority of his WWE career with SmackDown.[21] The first and final pick in the televised event, John Cena, stated how he wanted to make history for 2011 and that it only begun by being the first person to ever be drafted officially first and last.[22] Finally, Big Show was stunned by his selection but looked forward to the transition from broadcast delay to live television.[23]

As a result of Sheamus holding the United States Championship, the title would be designated back to SmackDown (though the title would quickly go back to Raw due to Kofi Kingston's victory at Extreme Rules five nights later).[24] Big Show being one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions allowed him to appear on both shows (as did his partner Kane), despite their brand designations.[23] During the time that the Draft was produced, WWE was promoting their annual Extreme Rules pay-per-view event. At the time of production, the matches scheduled were between members of their respective rosters before the draft. These matches (including championships bouts) were scheduled to still take place while being official members to their new brands.[25] As a result of the extra promotion, the April 25 episode of Raw increased viewership from the previous week in terms of adults from 1.6 and 1.7 to 2.0 and 1.9 for the first and second hours, respectively.[26]

On the August 29 episode of Raw, it was announced that performers from Raw and SmackDown were no longer exclusive to their respective brand.[27] Subsequentely, championships previously exclusive to one show or the other were available for wrestlers from any show to compete for; this would mark the end of the brand extension, as all programming and live events featured the full WWE roster.[28] In a 2013 interview with Advertising Age, Stephanie McMahon explained that WWE's decision to end the brand extension was due to wanting their content to flow across television and online platforms.[29] However, the brand split was reintroduced in July 2016, when SmackDown began broadcasting live on Tuesdays.[30]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ In addition to the United States, Raw is broadcast in various countries.[1]
  2. ↑ Although WWE claimed the Draft was conducted randomly, the results were predetermined since the Draft is a storyline.[7]
  3. ↑ Other match participants: Raw; Evan Bourne, Daniel Bryan, Ted DiBiase, Mark Henry, The Great Khali, Vladimir Kozlov, Santino Marella, Sheamus, and Yoshi Tatsu. SmackDown; Brodus Clay, Kane, Chris Masters, Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, and The Corre (Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, and Heath Slater).
  4. 1 2 This wrestler was originally a Raw member but represented SmackDown after being drafted earlier in the evening.
  5. 1 2 This wrestler was originally a SmackDown member but represented Raw after being drafted earlier in the evening.
  6. ↑ John Cena began in the draft as a Raw member and was drafted with the first pick to SmackDown (resulting his representation of the brand in one of the matches during the televised portion); however, he was ultimately drafted back to Raw with the final pick.
  7. ↑ This person was drafted alongside the drafted wrestler
  8. ↑ The draft pick was nullified due to Riley being under a personal service contract to The Miz, and not an official WWE contract. Riley officially signed with Raw on May 30, 2011.

References

General
  • "WWE draft news (complete 2011 WWE draft results)". Sky Sports. 2011-04-27. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
Specific
  1. 1 2 "Live and Televised Entertainment". WWE Corporate. WWE. Archived from the original on 2013-11-22. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  2. ↑ "The WWE Draft's biggest moment's". WWE. 2011-04-18. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
  3. 1 2 3 Bishop, Matt (2011-04-26). "Live coverage: 2011 WWE Draft". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
  4. ↑ "WWE Entertainment To Make Raw and SmackDown Distinct Television Brands". WWE Corporate. WWE. 2002-03-27. Archived from the original on 17 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  5. ↑ "ECW back on TV". Canadian Online Explorer. 2006. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
  6. 1 2 Dee, Louie (2007-06-07). "Picks of the past". WWE. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  7. 1 2 "WWE's Monday Night RawScores Huge Ratings Jump". WWE Corporate. WWE. 2005-06-25. Archived from the original on 2010-04-12. Retrieved 2010-04-27. 'RAW is building ratings momentum,' said Kurt Schneider, Executive Vice President, Marketing. Our fans are now connecting in a big way with some of our newer Superstars, and we continue to feature classic storylines, unpredictable plot twists, such as through our WWE draft lottery.
  8. ↑ "WWE presents WWE Monday Night Raw". RBC Center. Archived from the original on 2011-01-04. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  9. ↑ "Capital Punishment for Punk". Sky Sports. 2011-04-19. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  10. ↑ "The 2011 WWE Draft takes over Monday Night Raw". USA Network. TV by the Numbers. 2011-04-18. Archived from the original on 2011-04-21. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
  11. ↑ Caldwell, James (2011-04-18). "WWE News: Big News – WWE Draft scheduled for next Monday on Raw according to USA Network executive". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  12. ↑ "The 2010 WWE Draft approaches". WWE. 2010-04-05. Retrieved 2011-04-25. Since its infancy in 2002, the WWE draft has become synonymous with both shock and unpredictability, sending champions and their titles to different planes of competition, while dividing tag team partnerships and more. In this one night, every superstar, diva and WWE personality is subject to a randomized shift in brand. No one is safe, none are excluded.
  13. ↑ "WWE Women's Championship". WWE. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  14. ↑ "World Tag Team Championship history". WWE. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  15. ↑ "The more things change". Wrestleview.com. 2004-05-24. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
  16. ↑ "Complete 2011 WWE Drafts". WWE. 2011-04-26. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
  17. ↑ Caldwell, James (2011-04-25). "Caldwell's WWE Raw Results: 4/25: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live Raw – 2011 WWE Draft, Extreme Rules PPV hype". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  18. ↑ Neidhart, Natalya (2011-04-25). "Natalya Neidhart official Twitter account Tweet regarding WWE Draft". Twitter. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  19. ↑ Torres, Eve (2011-04-25). "Eve Torres official Twitter account Tweet regarding WWE Draft". Twitter. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  20. ↑ Mark Henry (2011-04-25). Mark Henry reacts to being drafted to SmackDown. Raleigh, North Carolina: WWE. Archived from the original on 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
  21. ↑ Rey Mysterio (2011-04-25). Rey Mysterio reacts to being drafted to Raw. Raleigh, North Carolina: WWE. Archived from the original on 2011-04-27. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
  22. ↑ John Cena (2011-04-25). John Cena reacts to being drafted back to Raw. Raleigh, North Carolina: WWE. Archived from the original on 2011-04-28. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
  23. 1 2 Big Show (2011-04-25). Big Show reacts to being drafted to Raw. Raleigh, North Carolina: WWE. Event occurs at All. Archived from the original on 2011-04-28. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
  24. ↑ Carter, Jr., Wayne (2011-04-27). "Chair shots: Analyzing the post-WWE Draft Raw roster". Carroll County Times. Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
  25. ↑ "Randy Orton vs. CM Punk (Last Man Standing Match)". WWE. 2011-04-25. Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-27. With Orton and Punk separated by The Viper's move to SmackDown in the 2011 WWE Draft, this could be their last chance to brutalize one another for quite some time.
  26. ↑ "Monday cable ratings: 'Pawn Stars' Leads Night; Plus NBA, 'WWE RAW,' 'Sanctuary' 'Bethenny,' 'American Chopper' & More". TV by the Numbers. 2011-04-26. Archived from the original on 2011-04-21. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
  27. ↑ Nemer, Paul (August 30, 2011). "Raw Results – 8/29/11". Wrestleview. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  28. ↑ Tom Herrera (January 11, 2014). "The 10 most important moments in Raw history". WWE.com. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  29. ↑ "WWE NEWS: Stephanie McMahon says why brand split is gone". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  30. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (2016-05-25). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
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