WWE sabotaged the Draft even before it started on SmackDown, feels Dutch Mantell (Exclusive)

Wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell claims WWE failed with the Draft this week on SmackDown.

The WWE Draft kicked off this week on the blue brand with the top stars up for grabs. However, WWE put in a unique twist this year when they announced that the champions were ineligible for the draft and would be tied to their respective brands.

On this week's episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Mantell claimed that the whole point of the draft was lost when it was announced that champions would not be drafted. He mentioned that the entire concept of the Draft was confusing for him. He also pointed out that there were no surprise picks that would get the fans talking.

"Hey, when they took all the champions out of the draft and protected them, there it went. They bombed it before it ever went on the air. All the champions, they can't be drafted back and forth. It's a strange concept, always has been to me. There weren't really any good surprises." [26:58 onwards]

This week's Draft Night on SmackDown has seen some major movements with stars switching brands.

The Draft will continue on RAW where six more rounds will be underway after which the rosters will be fixed.

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