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The WWE 2021 Draft could reportedly be drawing closer.
WWE is set to return to touring in July, with live fans returning to WWE programming for the first time on a regular basis since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
With WWE's return to touring on the horizon, it has been reported that WWE is looking to refresh both Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night RAW as we head into the second half of 2021.
It has been reported that the WWE 2021 Draft will take place across the August 30, 2021 edition of Monday Night RAW on USA Network and the September 3, 2021 edition of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX.
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With the 2021 WWE Draft on the horizon, let's take a closer look at five random WWE Draft facts.
#5 The WWE United States Championship briefly became exclusive to ECW during the 2008 WWE Draft
WWE's revival of Extreme Championship Wrestling as a third touring brand alongside Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown is arguably best forgotten.
Every time the brand seemingly made progress in creating new talent or getting new stars over, they would quickly be moved to Monday Night RAW or Friday Night SmackDown during a WWE Draft.
However, occasionally a veteran or legend would be drafted from Monday Night RAW or Friday Night SmackDown to the land of Extreme. One such example of this came with Matt Hardy during the 2008 WWE Draft.
Matt Hardy had recently returned from a lengthy knee injury at WrestleMania 24, attacking long-term rival MVP during the Money in the Bank ladder match. Hardy and MVP's feud continued at Backlash the following month when Hardy defeated MVP to capture the United States Championship for the first time in his career.
This meant that when Matt Hardy was drafted to ECW in the 2008 WWE Draft, the United States Championship briefly became exclusive to the ECW brand.
However, Hardy quickly lost the United States Championship to Shelton Benjamin the following month at The Great American Bash pay-per-view. This meant that the United States Championship followed Benjamin back to the blue brand, becoming exclusive to SmackDown once again.
#4 The ECW Champion has been drafted to Monday Night RAW twice in WWE history
The WWE ECW World Heavyweight Championship has twice been vacated due to the WWE Draft.
During the 2007 WWE Draft, then-ECW World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley was drafted to Monday Night RAW from ECW. Lashley was feuding with WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, Shane McMahon and Umaga on WWE television at the time.
This stemmed from Lashley defeating Umaga whilst representing Donald Trump against Mr. McMahon in the "Battle of the Billonaires" Hair vs Hair match at WrestleMania 23.
After Bobby Lashley defeated Mr. McMahon in a Street Fight at One Night Stand to once again become the ECW World Heavyweight Champion, the champion was seemingly looking to the future as champion once more.
However, once Lashley was drafted to RAW he was forced to vacate the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. Since the title was exclusive to the ECW brand, it was not eligible to switch brands during the draft.
But this rule was ignored the following year when then-ECW World Heavyweight Champion Kane was drafted from ECW to Monday Night RAW during the 2008 WWE Draft.
Kane brought the ECW World Heavyweight Championship to the red brand, only to lose it several weeks later to ECW Superstar Mark Henry in a triple threat match also involving the Big Show at the Night of Champions.
#3 CM Punk is the only WWE Superstar to be drafted to both RAW and SmackDown while holding the Money in the Bank contract
Former WWE Champion CM Punk is the only superstar in WWE history to win consecutive Money in the Bank ladder matches.
Punk won his first Money in the Bank ladder match during the WrestleMania 24 event in 2008. Later that year he was drafted from ECW to Monday Night RAW during the 2008 WWE Draft whilst still holding the Money in the Bank contract.
He followed this up by successfully cashing in the Money in the Bank contract during his first official appearance as a member of the Monday Night RAW roster, defeating Edge to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for the first time.
The following year, CM Punk won his second consecutive Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 25. During the 2009 WWE Draft following WrestleMania, CM Punk was drafted from Monday Night RAW to Friday Night SmackDown.
This meant that CM Punk was the first WWE Superstar to be drafted to both RAW and SmackDown whilst holding the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Punk cashed in the Money in the Bank contract on Jeff Hardy at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view later that year to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for a second time.
#2 John Cena is the only WWE Superstar to be drafted to both RAW and SmackDown in the same night
WWE legend John Cena holds the unique distinction of being the only WWE Superstar in history to be drafted to both Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown during the same night.
The 2011 WWE Draft edition of Monday Night RAW opened with a 20-man over-the-top-rope battle royal with one draft pick on the line. Ten WWE Superstars from Friday Night SmackDown battled it out with ten WWE Superstars from Monday Night RAW.
The closing moments of the match saw The Big Show and Kofi Kingston representing SmackDown, who last eliminated Mason Ryan, representing RAW, to earn one draft pick for the blue brand.
The opening draft pick was none other than former WWE champion John Cena, who moved from Monday Night RAW to Friday Night SmackDown in a stunning turn of events.
After several draft picks for both brands, the final match of the broadcast was a SmackDown vs RAW 6-man tag team match for the final WWE Draft pick. Monday Night RAW's The Miz, Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk defeated SmackDown's John Cena, Christian and Mark Henry.
But, in a shocking twist, RAW's final draft pick turned out to be none other than SmackDown's newly acquired John Cena. This meant for the first time in WWE Draft history, two draft picks consisted of the same WWE Superstar.
#1 Triple H has been drafted to both SmackDown and RAW as WWE Champion
WWE Hall of Famer Triple H holds the unique distinction of being drafted to both Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night RAW whilst being WWE Champion.
The final match of the 2008 WWE Draft saw Friday Night SmackDown's Edge last eliminate Monday Night RAW's John Cena in a Tri-Branded over-the-top-rope battle royale for two draft picks.
The final draft pick saw Monday Night RAW's WWE Champion Triple H be shockingly drafted to Friday Night SmackDown. The Game had largely been a mainstay of the red brand since the initial WWE Brand Extension in 2002. Therefore the move of Triple H to the blue brand was seen as very surprising.
However, just twelve months later, The Game was drafted back to Monday Night RAW during the 2009 Draft, once again as WWE Champion.
Triple H had already begun appearing regularly on Monday Night RAW during his WWE Championship feud with Randy Orton heading into WrestleMania 25. However, the move was made official during the 2009 Draft.
Monday Night RAW's World Heavyweight Champion John Cena defeated ECW Champion Jack Swagger in a Champion vs. Champion match for two Draft picks.
The resulting picks saw RAW gain SmackDown's Matt Hardy and the blue brand's WWE Champion Triple H.
