2010 WWE Draft

WWE's intra-brand draft 2010 WWE draft The WWE Draft logo used from 2007 to 2011. Professional wrestling April 26–27, 2010 Richmond, Virginia World Wrestling Entertainment RawSmackDown 2009 2011 The 2010 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) draft was the eighth WWE draft, produced by the American professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment.The 2010 WWE Draft approaches http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04052010/articles/2010draftannounced April 18, 2010 World Wrestling Entertainment For the eighth time in WWE history, the WWE Draft promises to realign the stars within the cosmos of the WWE Universe. https://web.archive.org/web/20100417124510/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04052010/articles/2010draftannounced April 17, 2010 live The draft took place over two days: the first day was televised live for three hours on April 26, and the second part, the "supplemental draft", was held on April 27.2010 Supplemental Draft today at Noon ET http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2010draft/exclusives/2010supdraft April 21, 2010 April 22, 2010 World Wrestling Entertainment October 26, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121026112036/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2010draft/exclusives/2010supdraft live The first day was broadcast on WWE's Monday night program Raw on the USA Network in the United States,In addition to the United States, Raw is broadcast in various countries.http://www.wwe.com/schedules/television/ WWE Television World Wrestling Entertainment April 27, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100419142408/http://www.wwe.com/schedules/television/ April 19, 2010 dead Note: Reader must click drop down menu to see the different countries. and the supplemental draft was available on WWE's official website. The televised portion was held at Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia.WWE Presents the 2010 Draft on Monday Night Raw TV https://www.richmondcoliseum.net/event_details.asp?id=138 Richmond Coliseum May 21, 2010 April 2010 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20100330134651/http://www.richmondcoliseum.net/event_details.asp?id=138 March 30, 2010 During the production of the draft, guest hosts were portrayed as authority figure characters on Raw; however, due to the importance of the event, the draft was run by the WWE management backstage, as are all other WWE programs.Mezzera Jon 4/26 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: WWE Draft, Swagger vs. Morrison, Christian vs. Jericho, Sheamus vs. Orton vs. Batista http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/hitsandmisses/article_40952.shtml Pro Wrestling Torch May 24, 2010 April 27, 2010 There was no guest host. https://web.archive.org/web/20100604004819/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/hitsandmisses/article_40952.shtml June 4, 2010 livehttp://corporate.wwe.com/company/events.jsp Live and Televised Entertainment WWE Corporate World Wrestling Entertainment May 18, 2010 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20131122113353/http://corporate.wwe.com/company/events.jsp November 22, 2013 Unlike sports draft lotteries where players are signed to a team, WWE drafts featured the exchanging of employees between WWE's two brands. The 2010 WWE draft marked the fifth time that only the Raw and SmackDown brands were involved; wrestlers along with other WWE personalities from these brands were eligible to be drafted. This was the first draft since 2005 to not feature the ECW brand, due to its disbandment on February 16, 2010. http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_38772.shtml WWE Officially Announces NXT's Debut Date Replacing ECW, Only Two Episodes Remaining Caldwell James February 5, 2010 Pro Wrestling Torch February 5, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100207135141/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_38772.shtml February 7, 2010 live For the televised portion, matches determined which brand received a random draft selection. During the supplemental draft, brand and employee selections were conducted randomly. Based on 2009 regulations, drafted champions took their titles to their new brands, and tag teams were not exempt from being selected. Unlike the previous year's draft where each selection was for only one individual, 2010 featured two instances where at least two employees were drafted in one pick. Overall, 21 employees from the company's roster were drafted in 19 selections, the fewest in a single night draft show (that featured supplemental drafting) since 2004. Eight selections were made on television (four from each brand), while the supplemental draft saw eleven draft picks (five by Raw and six by SmackDown) that featured 13 draftees. Of the 21 selected personalities, seventeen were males (seven drafted on television) and three were females (one drafted on television). All but one draftee was a wrestler: The Great Khali's manager Ranjin Singh, who came to Raw in the supplemental draft along with Khali in one draft pick. SmackDown obtained the first draft pick by winning the first match, which resulted in the acquisition of the only drafted female wrestler on television, Kelly Kelly; John Morrison was Raw's first selection after winning the third match. In the supplemental draft, Unified WWE Tag Team Champions The Hart Dynasty (Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith) were drafted as one selection to Raw, with their valet Natalya Neidhart drafted as a separate pick. In addition to Smith being drafted to Raw, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Montel Vontavious Porter, and Hornswoggle (who were all drafted to SmackDown) were acquired by the brand for which they made their debuts in WWE. 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 to;http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2002/2002_03_27.jsp WWE Entertainment To Make RAW and SMACKDOWN Distinct Television Brands March 27, 2002 WWE Corporate World Wrestling Entertainment April 6, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100417115226/http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2002/2002_03_27.jsp April 17, 2010 dead the ECW brand additionally involved between 2006 and 2009.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 April 6, 2010 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090222051450/http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2006/2006_05_25_02.jsp February 22, 2009 Since its inception, annual drafts have followed, except for in 2003.http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/06112007/articles/drafthistory Picks of the past Dee Louie June 7, 2007 World Wrestling Entertainment April 6, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100415142029/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/06112007/articles/drafthistory April 15, 2010 live As in previous drafts that followed the Brand Extension, the purpose of the 2010 WWE Draft was to increase television ratings of WWE programming and refresh the rosters 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 27, 2010 '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/20100412053045/http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2005/2005_06_29.jsp April 12, 2010 dead The 2010 WWE Draft was confirmed both by WWE and Richmond Coliseum via their websites between March and April 2010, which featured the draft eligibility of WWE employees from the Raw and SmackDown brands. The event was scheduled to take place over two days, in which the televised draft would air live on the USA Network in the United States from the Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia, on the April 26 episode of Raw. The second portion of the draft, the "supplemental draft," was originally scheduled for April 28; however, it was announced during the live broadcast that it would be held the next day on April 27 with selections being announced via WWE's website.Gerweck Steve WWE Supplemental Draft moved up a day http://www.wrestleview.com/viewnews.php?id=1272335924 Wrestleview.com May 23, 2010 April 26, 2010 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110629213733/http://www.wrestleview.com/viewnews.php?id=1272335924 June 29, 2011 Selections Televised draft During Raw, six matches were held among representatives of the two brands to determine which would receive a draft pick; except for one match that was for three selections, the others were for one. 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 opposing brand's roster for the winning brand. Matches Team Lay-Cool (Layla and Michelle McCool) (SmackDown) defeated Maryse and Eve Torres (Raw) Tag team match for 1 female-only draft pick CM Punk (SmackDown) defeated Evan Bourne (Raw) Singles match for 1 draft pick Santino Marella and Ted DiBiase (Raw) won by last eliminating Rey Mysterio (SmackDown)Other match participants: Raw; Montel Vontavious Porter, Mark Henry, and Yoshi Tatsu. SmackDown; Kane, R-Truth, Drew McIntyre, and Shad Gaspard. 10-man Battle royal for 3 draft picks Chris Jericho (SmackDown) defeated Christian (Raw) Singles match for 1 draft pick Jack Swagger (SmackDown) defeated John MorrisonJohn Morrison was originally a SmackDown member, but represented Raw after being drafted earlier in the evening. (Raw) Singles match for 1 draft pick Hornswoggle (Raw) defeated Dolph Ziggler (SmackDown) Singles match for 1 draft pick Selections Pick No. Brand (to) Employee Role Brand (from) Notes1SmackDownKelly KellyFemale wrestlerRaw2SmackDownBig ShowMale wrestlerRawSplit of ShoMiz3RawJohn MorrisonMale wrestlerSmackDown4RawR-TruthMale wrestlerSmackDown5RawEdgeMale wrestlerSmackDown6SmackDownKofi KingstonMale wrestlerRaw7SmackDownChristianMale wrestlerRaw8RawChris JerichoMale wrestlerSmackDown Supplemental draft thumb|upright|Ranjin Singh (left) and The Great Khali (right) made up the ninth overall pick in the 2010 WWE draft. Pick No. Brand (to) Employee Role Brand (from) Notes09 9RawThe Great Khali and Ranjin Singhunison Both men were drafted in unison.Male wrestler and managerSmackDown10SmackDownChavo GuerreroMale wrestlerRaw11SmackDownCody RhodesMale wrestlerRaw12Raw NatalyaFemale wrestlerSmackDown 13SmackDownChris MastersMale wrestlerRaw14RawEzekiel JacksonMale wrestlerSmackDown15RawGoldustMale wrestlerSmackDown 16SmackDownHornswoggleMale wrestlerRaw17SmackDownRosa MendesFemale wrestlerRaw 18RawThe Hart Dynasty (David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd)unisonMale tag teamSmackDownWorld Tag Team Champions and WWE Tag Team Champions (Unified WWE Tag Team Champions) while drafted.19SmackDownMVPMale wrestlerRaw Response and aftermath Following the televised draft, Josh Mathews, a commentator and interviewer for WWE, interviewed various wrestlers who switched brands. They included Big Show, Christian, Kelly Kelly, Kofi Kingston, John Morrison, and R-Truth, who all stated that they viewed their new brands as an opportunity to engage in combat with new competitors and to achieve new success. The Big Show, Christian, John Morrison, Kelly Kelly, Kofi Kingston, and R-Truth April 27, 2010 WWE Superstars comment on being drafted to new brands in the 2010 WWE Draft http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/raw/2010/april22-28/14283994 FLV World Wrestling Entertainment May 19, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100430031357/http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/raw/2010/april22-28/14283994 April 30, 2010 dead Based on the 2009 regulations, champions that were drafted would carry their titles with them to their new brand.https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04132009/mainarticle/ Rough Draft World Wrestling Entertainment April 13, 2009 May 19, 2010 Aubrey Sitterson November 3, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121103080904/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04132009/mainarticle live As opposed to previous drafts, this was the first to not feature a championship exchange brands since 2007.Although The Hart Dynasty were the reigning Unified WWE Tag Team Champions at the time that they were drafted, the championship was available to both brands as opposed to only one.http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04272009/mainarticle/ Judgment is coming Aubrey Sitterson April 27, 2009 World Wrestling Entertainment December 14, 2009 As holders of the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, brothers Carlito & Primo can defend their titles on any WWE brand. November 3, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121103025909/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04272009/mainarticle/ live Similar to 2007, no tag teams were affected by the draft since tag teams and stables were drafted to the same brand either as a single draft pick or consisting of several draft picks to a new brand. The two alliances that switched brands were the stable of The Hart Dynasty (Kidd, Natalya, and Smith), in which Kidd and Smith were in unison and Natalya consisted of a separate draft pick, and The Great Khali and Ranjin Singh, who were also drafted as one selection in the supplemental draft. The draft had little effect on the WWE's television ratings. Despite not having direct involvement in the draft, NXT and WWE Superstars were a part of the weekly television lineup for the company and featured wrestlers from both brands. Generally, the ratings of the four 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 19 episode of Raw was watched by an average of 4.10 million viewers in the first hour and 4.20 in the second hour for an average 3.05 rating,Caldwell James WWE News: WWE Raw ratings are in – lowest rating since Dec. 2008 http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_40786.shtml Pro Wrestling Torch May 20, 2010 April 20, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100524112619/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_40786.shtml May 24, 2010 live WWE NXT on April 20 was watched by 1.21 million viewers for a 0.90 rating,Caldwell James WWE News: NXT ratings are in for last night's show http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_40820.shtml Pro Wrestling Torch April 21, 2010 May 21, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100526182918/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_40820.shtml May 26, 2010 live the April 22 episode of WWE Superstars earned a 0.64 rating,Viewership details were not published and available via a reliable source of information.Gerweck Steve 2010 Nielsen Television Ratings http://www.gerweck.net/ratings.htm Wrestleview.com Gerweck.net May 21, 2010 2010 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090218215033/http://gerweck.net/ratings.htm February 18, 2009 while the April 23 episode of SmackDown was watched by 3.09 million viewers and earned a 1.8 rating.Seidman Robert Syndicated Top 25: Oprah Fueled by "Octomom" But Judge Judy Still Wins + Legend Of The Seeker http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/05/04/syndicated-top-25-oprah-fueled-by-octomom-but-judge-judy-still-wins-legend-of-the-seeker/50521 Nielsen Media Research TVbytheNumbers May 21, 2010 May 4, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100507022207/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/05/04/syndicated-top-25-oprah-fueled-by-octomom-but-judge-judy-still-wins-legend-of-the-seeker/50521 May 7, 2010 dead The draft episode of Raw was watched by 3.90 million viewers in its first hour, 4.99 in its second hour, and 4.98 in its final hour for an average of 3.07 rating. In the normal two-hour time slot for Raw, the show would have received a 3.4 rating.Caldwell James WWE News: Official WWE Raw ratings for three-hour draft show https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_40942.shtml Pro Wrestling Torch May 20, 2010 April 28, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100603162235/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_40942.shtml June 3, 2010 live Later that week, WWE NXT was watched by 1,069,000 viewers for a 0.79 rating,Gerweck Steve Final 4/27 WWE NXT rating http://www.wrestleview.com/viewnews.php?id=1272510635 Wrestleview.com April 28, 2010 May 21, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100502010429/http://www.wrestleview.com/viewnews.php?id=1272510635 May 2, 2010 dead WWE Superstars earned a 0.76 rating with 754,000 viewers,Gerweck Steve Final 4/29 WWE Superstars rating http://www.wrestleview.com/viewnews.php?id=1272670137 Wrestleview.com April 30, 2010 May 21, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100502005944/http://www.wrestleview.com/viewnews.php?id=1272670137 May 2, 2010 dead and SmackDown was watched by 2,718,000 million viewers for a 1.7 rating.Gerweck Steve Final 4/30 WWE Friday Night SmackDown rating http://www.wrestleview.com/viewnews.php?id=1273607047 Wrestleview.com May 11, 2010 May 21, 2010 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20100516020847/http://www.wrestleview.com/viewnews.php?id=1273607047 May 16, 2010 See also History of WWE Footnotes References General https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04262010/mainarticle/ Mix & matches (Televised draft results) Greg Adkins April 26, 2010 World Wrestling Entertainment April 27, 2010 March 4, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304135718/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04262010/mainarticle live http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2010draft/2010supplementaldraftresults 2010 WWE supplemental draft results WWE World Wrestling Entertainment April 27, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100430031402/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2010draft/2010supplementaldraftresults April 30, 2010 live Specific External links Official website of the 2010 WWE draft https://web.archive.org/web/20100409053634/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2010draft/ April 9, 2010 WWE Draft Category:WWE Draft Category:Professional wrestling shows in Richmond, Virginia Category:2010s in Richmond, Virginia Category:April 2010 in the United States Category:2010 in Virginia pl:WWE Draft