The 2024 WWE Draft proves “boring” format is ruining the event

The WWE Draft is a far cry from its glory days. The company must reverse course and restore the former mystique of the event — or risk watching on as it falls to the wayside.

With the promise of roster shake-ups and never-before-seen feuds opening the new season for WWE, wrestling fans everywhere hotly anticipated the 2024 draft.

But it didn’t take long before it became clear that WWE woefully misfired on the event. The draft, which is typically exciting and unpredictable, was neither of those superlatives this year.

In the lead-up to the three-night WWE Draft, the company made a decision that would prevent the chance of any excitement brewing. All of its current champions were ineligible to switch brands, thus taking them off the draft board entirely.

That, in itself, makes sense on the surface. Sticking with one set of championship belts and locking them into a brand brings continuity to the product and makes it easier for fans to follow.

But this decision also had a significant, unintended side effect: It made the 2024 WWE Draft dreadfully boring. The lack of suspense or any shocking selections has made a once-beloved event become a bore.

It also doesn’t help that most draft picks have been used to keep superstars on their respective brands rather than provide the shake-ups synonymous with a typical WWE Draft.

It’s a case of the WWE fixing something that doesn’t need fixing. Even little aspects of the draft, such as the random name and picture generator, are absent from the event.

Its past format made it feel like a proper draft — even if it wasn’t actually random to those behind the scenes. The sense that anything could happen permeated the building and pulsated through TV screens around the world.

That taste of mystery, although subtle, was an integral part of the majesty of the draft. And its removal is something that fans have panned ever since it disappeared from WWE programming.

Take the famous Triple H reaction from 2004, for example. Although the star likely knew of his brand switch beforehand, it was a genuine shock for the WWE Universe.

Contrast that to this year’s draft; it’s a night and day difference. There have been no surprises close to the level of the Triple H switch and very little tension at all.

While WWE has tried to make it a more traditional event, much like the NFL or NBA Draft, professional wrestling needs more stakes than these other leagues.

Rather than investing in rebuilds that can take several years in other sports, WWE supporters put all their stock in feuds between superstars. If the draft doesn’t provide a bevy of fresh matchups, it’s borderline pointless.

When over half of the picks are spent on superstars already on that respective roster, it zaps the sheer volume of potential dream matches between both brands.

The reaction online has been overwhelmingly negative, or perhaps even worse, indifferent. But to be fair, some fans do believe that the changes have been worthwhile.

I vehemently agree with the first group, though. WWE built up this year’s draft as a true turning point for the organization — a shake-up that would define both Raw and SmackDown for the next 12 months.

But all the fans have received is more of the same. And of the brand switches, none of them have been overly surprising — no matter how much Michael Cole tries to sell them as such.

While the company has been on a hot streak and has produced some of the best onscreen storylines in several years, it misfired greatly with the current draft format.

The only way to fix the event is to take tips from the past. Lean into the fun of it all, the hysteria, the “I didn’t see that coming” moments. Quit trying to streamline it in the same way other sports do. It simply won’t work.