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WWE Draft Round 4 Features Unexpected NXT Call-Ups
After three rounds full of intriguing moves in the WWE Draft, it was finally time for night one’s fourth and final round, and WWE saved two of the biggest surprises for last. Introducing the picks were Shawn Michaels and Road Dogg, and SmackDown would get things started in the round by bolstering its women’s division in a major way with Damage CTRL. That includes Bailey, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY, but with the second pick, Monday Night Raw would bolster its men’s division with the addition of Shinsuke Nakamura. Then it was time for some NXT call-ups, and the next two picks were quite unexpected.
The third pick of the fourth round was none other than NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, who will head to SmackDown. It was quite the shock since they currently hold Titles and are a relatively recent Tag Team, though WWE wasn’t done with NXT.
WHAT A SHOCKER! ???#WWENXT Women’s Champion @indi_hartwell just found out she was drafted to #WWERaw! #WWEDraft #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/vbtUBXclUs
— WWE (@WWE) April 29, 2023
In an even more unexpected move, Monday Night Raw’s fourth and final pick of the round was the current NXT Women’s Champion herself Indi Hartwell. Hartwell recently became NXT Women’s Champion at Stand & Deliver, and then recently kept her Title after overcoming an injury mid-match at Spring Breakin’. Now she is headed to Raw, and it remains to be seen what the plan will be for her when she gets there.
For the NXT Champions, will they drop their Titles before the new rosters take effect, or will they keep them for a while and just appear on both brands until they are defeated? Having the NXT Championships showcased on Raw and SmackDown is something WWE has been doing more of lately, and having the Titles on Raw and SmackDown for a bit wouldn’t be the worst thing, especially as the stars find their footing on their new brands.
They can also still work NXT until a story is done to move their Titles to someone else, though you can always just have them drop the Titles and hold a tournament of some kind to move things forward. That’s not as interesting, but it would expedite the process and get things moving for the new Champion sooner, so there are positives there.
As for Damage CTRL, they instantly energize the SmackDown Women’s Division, and if handled right they could be the powerhouse faction they were always supposed to be on Raw. Plus, you can have each of them in the mix for singles Titles too, so it’s a win-win across the board, and that’s all without even considering that we will now get Bailey and Michael Cole on the same brand again, which is pure comedy gold.
Shinsuke is a great pickup for Raw too, and there are already a number of matches you can plug him into that will work well. Three names that immediately come to mind are Cody Rhodes, Johnny Gargano, and Austin Theory, though we aren’t sure yet if Theory or Gargano will remain on Raw. Rhodes will though, and who wouldn’t want to see that match, right?
What did you think of round 4 and the NXT call-ups? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
