Update On Plans For The Next WWE Draft

The time for the usual WWE Draft has already come and gone. In the last three years, the company has implemented its roster shakeup in October, with the 2021 iteration officially taking effect after the Crown Jewel pay-per-view. Superstars from "Raw" and "SmackDown" would await their fate, as WWE officials assigned each talent to the red or blue brand, effectively altering the makeup of each roster. In addition, the draft served as an opportunity for newer faces to debut or return to the main roster, with some spots allotted for "NXT" talent to be called up.

Though the 2022 WWE Draft was seemingly scheduled to follow the Clash At The Castle premium live event in September, it did not. According to Dave Meltzer of "Wrestling Observer Radio," there was an internal aim for this year's draft to take place in either September or October, with "a date that was even talked about at one point." However, "they just didn't pull the trigger on it."

Fightful Select previously reported that the initial plans of a September roster swap were later derailed until after WrestleMania 39. In the latest update, Meltzer confirmed some WWE discussions took place about holding off their next official draft until the early April 2023 event.

While an entire "Superstar Shakeup" hasn't taken place since last year, WWE has seen a handful of lineup changes for "Raw" and "SmackDown" over the previous few months. Last month, Rey Mysterio was traded to the blue brand, as Baron Corbin moved to "Raw" with WWE Hall of Famer JBL by his side. Though most talent have remained on their designated brands, some wrestlers occasionally float between shows, including Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, his corresponding Bloodline faction, and WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Damage CTRL.