The preferential treatment makes some sense as RAW is the flagship show, as well as the longest-running, weekly episodic television show in history, as Michael Cole reminded us each time but SmackDown suffers as a consequence. It's important to note also that Rock would only be on Smackdown for a few months before going off to film a movie. This was most likely done to show that both brands would be treated equally but as years went on, the draft became more of a tool to retain the dominance of RAW. The first-ever pick in the premier draft was The Rock, the biggest star in the company, and he was drafted to SmackDown, by Vince McMahon. RELATED: 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Didn't Get Drafted In 2021 However, there is a very clear bias in favor of RAW and this has persisted since the inception of this concept. RAW and SmackDown were at war and the Draft was a much anticipated night each year. In order to freshen up the shows by swapping the superstars, the WWE Draft was introduced.Įarly on, the rules were sacred and barely anyone showed up on the other show, barring exceptional circumstances. Therefore, the concept of Brand Extension was introduced, with SmackDown and RAW separate from the roster to the storylines. Competition drove business and fan interest and while WCW was dead, McMahon thought SmackDown and RAW would be capable enough of replicating the magic of Monday Night Wars, to an extent. However, the aftermath of the wars saw a decline in viewership and while WWE was able to carry the momentum with the Invasion storyline, WrestleMania 18 was the grand finale to the WWE vs WCW war and the ratings continued to plummet from that point on. The Monday Night Wars had culminated in a decisive victory for Vince McMahon and the WWE, with McMahon buying his competition to put a stamp on the once fiercely competitive rivalry between two of the biggest wrestling promotions.
The previous year was perhaps the most memorable time period in professional wrestling history. The concept of the WWE Draft was first coined way back in 2002.