2009 WWE Draft

WWE's intra-brand draft 2009 WWE draft The WWE Draft logo used from 2007 to 2011. Professional wrestling April 13, 2009 Atlanta, Georgia World Wrestling Entertainment RawSmackDownECW 2008 2010 The 2009 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) draft was the seventh WWE draft, produced by the American professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment. The draft had two parts: the first part was televised live for three hours on April 13; the second part, the "supplemental draft", was held the same day immediately following the televised portion. The first part was broadcast on WWE's program Raw on the USA Network in the United States,In addition to the United States, Raw is held in various countries which have different channels.http://www.wwe.com/schedules/television/ WWE Television World Wrestling Entertainment April 25, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090427090721/http://www.wwe.com/schedules/television/ April 27, 2009 dead Note: Reader must click drop down menu to see the different countries. and the supplemental draft was available on the Internet, at WWE's official website. The televised portion was held in Atlanta, Georgia, at Philips Arena. The 2009 WWE draft marked the third time that the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands were featured in the draft; wrestlers, general managers and commentators were all eligible to be drafted from the company's roster. For the televised half, matches determined which brand received a random draft selection. During the supplemental draft, brand and employee selections were made at random. Due to draft regulations, drafted champions took their titles to their new brands, and tag teams were not exempt from being selected. As a result, the draft impacted championships and split tag teams. Overall, 36 draft selections were made, the most since the original draft in 2002 (which featured 57 selections). Twelve selections were made on television; six were made by Raw, five by SmackDown, and one by ECW. All of the draftees were wrestlers: 28 males (10 drafted on television) and 8 females (2 drafted on television). Raw obtained the first overall pick in the draft by winning the first match, which resulted in the acquisition of United States Champion Montel Vontavious Porter from SmackDown. Women's Champion Melina from Raw was SmackDown's first selection. ECW's sole televised draft pick was Vladimir Kozlov from SmackDown. Additionally, SmackDown's WWE Champion Triple H was drafted by Raw, resulting in SmackDown's loss of its prime championship. At the end of the televised portion, the final draft choices were Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio of Raw by SmackDown, replacing the loss of the United States Champion, and SmackDown's Divas Champion Maryse by Raw, replacing the loss of the Women's Champion. In the supplemental draft, Mr. Kennedy, who was sidelined with a non-scripted shoulder injury, was drafted from SmackDown to Raw as the first (13th overall) supplemental pick. SmackDown obtained Shad Gaspard from Raw as their first (14th overall) supplemental selection. Ezekiel Jackson was ECW's first supplemental pick. Unified WWE Tag Team Champions The Colóns (Carlito and Primo) were drafted from SmackDown to Raw; this left SmackDown without a tag team championship (although the tag team champions can appear on all 3 brands). Brie Bella (from SmackDown to Raw), Charlie Haas (from Raw to SmackDown), and Hurricane Helms (from SmackDown to ECW) were the final supplemental picks. Background In March 2002, the Brand Extension storyline was initiated. WWE's Raw and SmackDown! television programs were made into brands that employees were assigned to work;http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2002/2002_03_27.jsp WWE Entertainment To Make RAW and SmackDown Distinct Television Brands March 27, 2002 World Wrestling Entertainment Corporate February 12, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090222083506/http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2002/2002_03_27.jsp February 22, 2009 dead the ECW brand was later added in 2006.http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2006/2006_05_25_02.jsp WWE Launches ECW As Third Brand May 26, 2006 WWE Corporate World Wrestling Entertainment February 12, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090222051450/http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2006/2006_05_25_02.jsp February 22, 2009 dead With the exception of 2003, WWE has held the draft annually since its inception.http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/06112007/articles/drafthistory Picks of the past Dee Louie June 7, 2007 World Wrestling Entertainment February 12, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090221043523/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/06112007/articles/drafthistory February 21, 2009 live Via its website on February 11, WWE announced that the 2009 Draft was to take place on April 13 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. All wrestlers, general managers, and commentators were eligible to be drafted.http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/02092009/articles/92755341 2009 WWE Draft announced for Raw April 13 Mike McAvennie World Wrestling Entertainment February 11, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090220181330/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/02092009/articles/92755341 February 20, 2009 livehttp://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2009draft/draftmoments/ WWE Draft Biggest Moments Sitterson Aubrey World Wrestling Entertainment April 19, 2009 WWE Drafts affect all Superstars, Divas, announcers and even General Managers https://web.archive.org/web/20090420145712/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2009draft/draftmoments/ April 20, 2009 live A supplemental draft was announced for April 15.http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04132009/mainarticle/ Rough Draft Sitterson Aubrey April 13, 2009 World Wrestling Entertainment April 19, 2009 November 3, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121103080904/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04132009/mainarticle livehttp://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2009draft/?cid=2009EP-00 2009 WWE Draft World Wrestling Entertainment April 14, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090417031526/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2009draft/?cid=2009EP-00 April 17, 2009 live It was announced on the day of the televised draft that for the third consecutive year, matches would determine which brand received a draft pick, and that 12 wrestlers were to switch brands.http://www.wrestleview.com/news2009/1239613945.php 2009 WWE draft tonight during Raw Martin Adam April 13, 2009 WrestleView.com April 14, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090416224757/http://www.wrestleview.com/news2009/1239613945.php April 16, 2009 live As in previous drafts, the purpose of the 2009 WWE draft was to increase television ratings of WWE programming and to refresh the roster with new storylines for each brand.http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2005/2005_06_29.jsp WWE's Monday Night RAW Scores Huge Ratings Jump June 25, 2005 WWE Corporate World Wrestling Entertainment April 19, 2009 '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 https://web.archive.org/web/20090420233527/http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2005/2005_06_29.jsp April 20, 2009 dead Selections Televised draft During Raw, 10 matches were held among representatives of the three brands to determine which would receive a draft pick; two of the matches were for two selections. Each match featured a wrestler 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, randomlyAlthough WWE claimed the draft was conducted randomly, the results were predetermined since the Draft is a storyline. selected a member from the two opposing brands' rosters for the winning brand. Matches Rey Mysterio (Raw) defeated Evan Bourne (ECW) Singles match for 1 draft pick Kane (Raw) defeated The Brian Kendrick (SmackDown) Singles match for 1 draft pick Maryse, Michelle McCool, and Natalya (SmackDown) defeated Melina, Mickie James, and Kelly Kelly (Raw) Six-woman tag team match for 1 draft pick John Cena (Raw) defeated Jack Swagger (ECW) Singles match for 2 draft picks The Great Khali (SmackDown) defeated Santino Marella (Raw) Singles match for 1 draft pick Kofi Kingston (Raw) defeated The Miz (ECW) Singles match for 1 draft pick Edge (SmackDown) won by last eliminating Big Show (Raw)Other match participants: Raw; Cryme Tyme, MVP, and Mike Knox. SmackDown; Carlito, Chavo Guerrero, Primo, R- Truth, and Edge. ECW; Finlay, Mark Henry, Tyson Kidd, Paul Burchill, and Ricky Ortiz. Tri-branded 15-man Battle royal for 2 draft picks Christian (ECW) defeated Shelton Benjamin (SmackDown) Singles match for 1 draft pick Matt HardyMatt Hardy, originally a member of the SmackDown brand, was drafted to Raw before this match took place. (Raw) defeated CM PunkDrafted CM Punk and Chris Jericho, originally members of the Raw brand, were drafted to SmackDown before this match took place. (SmackDown) Singles match for 1 draft pick Chris JerichoDrafted (SmackDown) defeated Tommy Dreamer (ECW) Singles match for 1 draft pick Selections Pick No. Brand (to) Superstar Role Brand (from) Notes01 1RawMVPMale wrestlerSmackDownWWE United States Champion02 2RawBig ShowMale wrestlerSmackDown03 3SmackDownMelinaFemale wrestlerRawWWE Women's Champion04 4RawMatt HardyMale wrestlerSmackDown05 5RawTriple HMale wrestlerSmackDownWWE Champion06 6SmackDownCM PunkMale wrestlerRawMoney in the Bank contract holder07 7RawThe MizMale wrestlerECWSplit of John Morrison and The Miz08 8SmackDownKaneMale wrestlerRaw09 9SmackDownChris JerichoMale wrestlerRaw10ECWVladimir KozlovMale wrestlerSmackDown11RawMaryseFemale wrestlerSmackDownWWE Divas Champion12SmackDownRey MysterioMale wrestlerRawWWE Intercontinental Champion 340 Melina Royal Rumble 2009.jpg Maryse champion cropped.jpg The first ever WWE female championship for WWE female championship female WWE draft pick trades in WWE history then WWE Women's Champion Melina and then WWE Divas Champion Maryse Supplemental draft thumb|right|Mr. Kennedy was the 13th pick in the 2009 WWE draft Pick No. Brand (to) Employee Role Brand (from) Notes13RawMr. KennedyMale wrestlerSmackDown14SmackDownShad GaspardMale wrestlerRawMember of Cryme Tyme15SmackDownAlicia FoxFemale wrestlerECW16RawPrimoMale wrestlerSmackDownMember of The ColónsWorld Tag Team ChampionWWE Tag Team Champion17SmackDownMike KnoxMale wrestlerRaw18ECWEzekiel JacksonMale wrestlerSmackDown19RawNikki BellaFemale wrestlerSmackDownMember of The Bella Twins20SmackDownCandice MichelleFemale wrestlerRawNever appeared on this brand as she was released from her contract21ECWZack RyderMale wrestlerSmackDownSplit of Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder22RawChavo GuerreroMale wrestlerSmackDown23SmackDownRicky OrtizMale wrestlerECW24SmackDownLaylaFemale wrestlerRaw25RawHornswoggleMale wrestlerECWSplit from Finlay26ECWDH SmithMale wrestlerSmackDown27SmackDownJohn MorrisonMale wrestlerECWSplit of John Morrison and The Miz28RawCarlitoMale wrestlerSmackDownMember of The ColónsWorld Tag Team ChampionWWE Tag Team Champion29ECWNatalyaFemale wrestlerSmackDown30RawFestusMale wrestlerSmackDownSplit of Jesse and Festus31SmackDownJTGMale wrestlerRawMember of Cryme Tyme32SmackDownDolph ZigglerMale wrestlerRaw33RawThe Brian KendrickMale wrestlerSmackDown34SmackDownCharlie HaasMale wrestlerRaw35ECWHurricane HelmsMale wrestlerSmackDown36RawBrie BellaFemale wrestlerSmackDownMember of The Bella Twins Aftermath After the televised draft, Joey Styles, the Director of Digital Media Content for WWE's official website, interviewed the draftees on their reactions. The drafted wrestlers generally expressed approval of the draft and described what they hoped their experiences would be with their new brand.http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2009draft/postdraftvideos/ Post Draft Videos World Wrestling Entertainment April 19, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090417031531/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2009draft/postdraftvideos/ April 17, 2009 live Seven of the wrestlers were champions with their original brand,http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2009draft/2009supplementaldraftresults/ Supplemental Draft World Wrestling Entertainment April 30, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090503183759/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2009draft/2009supplementaldraftresults/ May 3, 2009 live and as outlined in the draft regulations, they carried their titles over to their new brand; this affected seven of nine championships. Champion draft selections included: Unified Tag Team Champions The Colóns (Carlito and Primo), United States Champion Montel Vontavious Porter, WWE Champion Triple H, and Divas Champion Maryse from SmackDown to Raw; Women's Champion Melina and Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio from Raw to SmackDown. Since Triple H was drafted to Raw, it left SmackDown without a world championship, as Raw now featured two of the three primary championships in WWE, the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships. Edge would bring the World Heavyweight Championship back to SmackDown two weeks later at Backlash when he defeated John Cena in a Last Man Standing Match. When MVP and Mysterio switched brands, the two secondary championships switched brands for the first time in WWE's history. Similarly, after Maryse and Melina switched brands, WWE's two female championships also switched brands for the first time. Though the Unified Tag Team Champions were both drafted to Raw from SmackDown, the titles were able to be defended on all three brands due to being unified. Numerous tag teams were affected by the Draft overall. During the televised portion of the draft, ECW tag team John Morrison and The Miz was split up. The Miz was drafted to Raw and Morrison to SmackDown (during the supplemental draft). The Bella Twins (Brie and Nikki), Cryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard and JTG), and The Colóns were split up during the supplemental draft, although the duos went to the same brands afterward. SmackDown tag teams Jesse and Festus and Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder were also split up, with Festus drafted to Raw and Ryder to ECW. The draft had little effect on the television ratings for WWE's programming. Generally, the ratings of the three shows during the week of the draft were consistent with the ratings of each from the previous week. The ratings for WWE programming the week before the draft were the following: the April 6 episode of Raw was watched by 5.7 million viewers in its first hour and by 6.1 million viewers in its second hour for an average 3.9 rating,http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2008840912_apcablenielsens.html List of top 15 cable shows in Nielsen ratings April 10, 2009 Seattle Times February 12, 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110628183320/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2008840912_apcablenielsens.html June 28, 2011 the April 7 episode of ECW on Sci Fi earned a 1.3 television rating, and Friday Night SmackDown earned a 2.0 television rating.Viewership details are not available for ECW on Sci Fi and Friday Night SmackDown because they are not top-rated programs; as a result, Nielsen Media Research does not publish that information.http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/top10s/television.html Top TV Ratings Nielsen Company February 12, 2011 Source: The Nielsen Company. Viewing estimates on this page include Live viewing and DVR playback on the Same Day, defined as 3am-3am. Ratings are the percentage of TV homes in the U.S. tuned into television. Please note: Syndication data requires an additional week of processing. December 8, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121208172652/http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/top10s/television.html livehttp://www.gerweck.net/ratings.htm 2009 Nielsen Television Ratings Nielson Ratings Gerweck.net April 21, 2009 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090218215033/http://gerweck.net/ratings.htm February 18, 2009 The draft episode of Raw was watched by 4.7 million viewers in its first hour, 5.7 in its second hour, and 6.1 in the final hour for an average 3.7 television rating.https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/nielsens-charts.htm Nielsens ratings for April 13–19 April 22, 2009 USA Today April 23, 2009 September 27, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120927060328/http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/nielsens-charts.htm live Later that week, ECW on Sci Fi earned a 1.2 television rating, while Friday Night SmackDown earned a 2.0. As stated by WWE commentator Jim Ross, the draft would not come into effect until after Backlash, when the final inter-brand matches took place.http://www.jrsbarbq.com/blog/post-uk-smackdown-random-thoughts-backlash-predictions-bbq-life-wwecom Post U.K. Smackdown Random Thoughts, Backlash Predictions, BBQ is Life.... Ross Jim April 24, 2009 J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q January 3, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110102092829/http://www.jrsbarbq.com/blog/post-uk-smackdown-random-thoughts-backlash-predictions-bbq-life-wwecom January 2, 2011 live See also History of WWE Footnotes References General http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04132009/mainarticle/ Rough Draft (Televised draft results) Aubrey Sitterson 2009-04-13 World Wrestling Entertainment 2009-04-14 2012-11-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20121103080904/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04132009/mainarticle live http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2009draft/2009supplementaldraftresults/?cid=2009EP-00 WWE Supplemental Draft World Wrestling Entertainment 2009-04-15 2009-04-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20090418160508/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2009draft/2009supplementaldraftresults/?cid=2009EP-00 18 April 2009 live Specific External links Official website of the 2009 WWE Draft https://web.archive.org/web/20090413173836/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2009draft/ 2009-04-13 Wwe Draft, 2009 Category:WWE Draft Category:ECW (WWE brand) Category:Professional wrestling shows in Atlanta Category:2009 in Atlanta Category:April 2009 in the United States pl:WWE Draft#WWE Draft 2009