In 2002, after WWE (then WWF) acquired World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), there was no major competition in the wrestling industry for WWE. Many wrestlers from WCW and ECW had joined WWE and the roster was extensive. On March 18th 2002, Linda McMahon, CEO at the time, announced that Raw and SmackDown would become distinct brands, each carrying their own roster.
On screen, Ric Flair owned 50% of the company after Shane and Stephanie McMahon sold their stock to him so they could purchase WCW and ECW to instigate an invasion of WWE. Vince McMahon hated the fact that Ric Flair owned half of his creation and was constantly attempting to regain full ownership. At the same time, Flair was envolved in a feud with The Undertaker and sought to conclude it at Wrestlemania X8, a match that the board would only consent to if Flair returned ownership to Vince McMahon. After Flair agreed, the board promised to review the status of WWE following Wrestlemania X8.
The review determined that Raw and SmackDown should become different entities, with Vince McMahon controlling SmackDown and Ric Flair controlling Raw. On March 25th 2002, the first ever draft was held with McMahon and Flair getting 30 picks each.
There was no draft in 2003, but from 2004 onwards there has been a draft every year with the format changing frequently. Click the links below for further information about individual drafts.
- 2002
- 2004
- 2005
- 2006
- 2007
- 2008
- 2009
- 2010
- 2011
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