Champion Switches Brands In 2023 WWE Draft

WWE

To follow along with live updates of every WWE Draft pick tonight, click this link.

With SmackDown on Fox having barely kicked off, already there was a major announcement as one Champion switched brands.

To kick off tonight’s SmackDown, there was an appearance by Triple H and the first round of WWE Draft picks were announced including a champion switching brands in the first round.

In the 2023 WWE Draft, Bianca Belair was drafted from WWE Raw to SmackDown.

With Belair being Raw Women’s Champion, that obviously opens up the question of what’ll happen to the title.

Triple H did say that the draft picks only come into effect AFTER Backlash on May 6. At Backlash, Belair defends the title against IYO SKY.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley will be drafted on night two (May 1 episode of Raw).

Elsewhere in the first round, SmackDown took Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa with Paul Heyman, WWE Raw picked up Cody Rhodes with SmackDown’s second pick going for the aforementioned Belair.

After Belair, WWE Raw drafted Becky Lynch.

Belair wasn’t the only champion that switched brands in the draft – you can keep up to the minute with all the developments from tonight’s Night One of the WWE Draft by clicking right here. 

#SmackDown gets the next pick in the #WWEDraft:#WWERaw Women's Champion, The EST @BiancaBelairWWE! 👏🔥 pic.twitter.com/eUv9PC5fUD

— WWE (@WWE) April 29, 2023

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• RAW
• bianca belair
• Smackdown
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