4 Big mistakes made on Night 2 of the 2024 WWE Draft: Lack of surprises, injured star problem & more

For all the hype that was made ahead of the 2024 WWE Draft, very few moments met the expectations of fans. Triple H, Nick Aldis, Adam Pearce, and Ava all claimed that things would drastically change in and after the Draft.

While some moves happened, most seemed procedural rather than earth-shattering. NXT was probably the brand to experience the most turnover, losing several of its top stars.

Night Two of the 2024 WWE Draft shadowed much of what happened on Night One on SmackDown. Below are four big mistakes that were made on Night Two of the 2024 WWE Draft.

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#4. The unclear WWE Draft rules around injured stars

When the Draft pools were released last week, Braun Strowman, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins were included on various nights. All three stars were picked by RAW. Strowman returned from injury on the latest episode of RAW and got physical.

Rollins underwent surgery after WrestleMania XL, and Punk revealed that despite his selection, he was still not medically cleared. Injured stars like Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley, Sonya Deville, and Raquel Rodriguez were omitted from this year's Draft pools.

It did not make sense as to why some performers were a part of the pools while others were not.

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#3. Drew McIntyre was not drafted until the third round

Drew McIntyre was finally drafted in the third round of Night Two.

While it was likely done for storyline purposes, Drew McIntyre not being picked until the third round of Night Two of the 2024 WWE Draft was a strange call. SmackDown would say they drafted on future potential since both Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill were selected ahead of The Scottish Warrior.

Kevin Owens was picked in the first round ahead of McIntyre. Owens is an important performer but he is not a two-time WWE Champion and a Men's Royal Rumble Match winner as Drew.

The Bloodline falling to the third round made sense since Roman Reigns was not a part of the group. Having The Scottish Warrior drop to the third round was certainly a head-scratcher on Night Two of the 2024 WWE Draft.

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#2. Little movement of big names...again

Gunther moving to SmackDown would have provided fans with a shock move.

Since champions were protected, the main source of surprise moves during the WWE Draft would involve other eligible top stars. Kevin Owens, Jade Cargill, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, and CM Punk switching brands would have been a shocking moment.

When everything played out, the main swaps involved Damage CTRL and Shinsuke Nakamura. The Latino World Order moved to RAW but is not a top faction on the brand. The Judgment Day and Imperium stayed on RAW and were joined by another heel group, The Final Testament.

The Creed Brothers and The New Day were picked by the red brand while Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne also switched brands and moved to RAW. The main movement between RAW and SmackDown involved mid-card stars and tag teams rather than huge names.

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#1. Underdelivering on the promise of 'changing the landscape' of WWE

If the landscapes of all three brands were set to change, then champions would not have been protected. Having Damian Priest move from The Judgment Day by going to SmackDown alone would have provided a landscape-shifting move.

With no titleholders shifting between RAW and SmackDown, the next opportunity to meet that promise would involve former top champions. Jade Cargill predictably stayed on SmackDown with Kevin Owens and Bobby Lashley. The same happened for CM Punk, Gunther, and Drew McIntyre on RAW.

Gunther going to SmackDown would have ensured that fans got to see him feud with Cody Rhodes. Instead, he was left chasing another heel. Moving LA Knight to RAW and Gunther to SmackDown would have been a big talking point.

The foundations of WWE's brands were mainly reinforced with reused building material instead of being rebuilt in the 2024 Draft.