5 WWE Draft picks that were instantly reversed

This year's WWE Draft is set to take place next week and the fans are rightfully excited. When done right, the Draft is one of the most entertaining things WWE could do every year. Some WWE draft picks over the years have paid off massively, whether it was during a full-blown draft at the start of a brand split or the annual lottery that has gifted us so many surprises over the years.

There have also been times where WWE failed to think certain draft moves through. The company went out of its way to rectify a couple of them through trades, either due to creative issues or a miscommunication with talent. Once a Superstar moves from RAW to SmackDown, or vice versa, during the WWE Draft, it should ideally be a permanent destination.

However, over the years, several WWE stars have moved across brands only to return to their original brand within weeks, days, or in one case, hours. At a time where WWE needs more coherence than ever in their creative decision-making, these types of moments should be avoided.

Here are five WWE Draft picks that were instantly reversed.

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#5 Triple H to SmackDown (WWE Draft 2004)

This could have been very interesting.

During the first few years of the Ruthless Aggression Era, nobody was more synonymous with Monday Night RAW than Triple H. He was the top Superstar on the Red brand, spending most of his time as the World Heavyweight Champion. That is why it came as a massive shock when the Game was drafted to SmackDown in the WWE Draft in 2004.

His reaction said it all, spitting out the water he was drinking in the locker room. Triple H even faced Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Championship that very night, with the match ending in a No Contest. However, he would not remain on the Blue brand for long.

In fact, Triple H did not even appear on SmackDown before being traded back to Monday nights. Vince McMahon made the decision to send the Game back to RAW after realizing the lack of established stars on the show. In a post-WWE Draft trade, Triple H was replaced on SmackDown with Booker T and the Dudley Boyz.

It certainly would have been interesting to see the biggest star in WWE at the time wrestle on SmackDown. He may have even become the WWE Champion instead of JBL that year.

#4 John Cena to SmackDown (WWE Draft 2011)

An unnecessary swerve.

Another false dawn for SmackDown during the WWE Draft came in 2011, as John Cena appeared to return to the Blue brand after six years on RAW. However, the 16-time World Champion ended up being both, the first and the last pick of the televised portion of the WWE Draft.

Cena was drafted back to RAW at the end of the night, effectively killing any hopes of SmackDown sizing up to WWE's flagship show. This was supposedly done to swerve the fans, but not every swerve is a good one. This ended up being the last WWE Draft for five years.

SmackDown was still pretty solid in 2011, with the legendary rivalry between Randy Orton and Christian leading the way. Stars like Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, and Daniel Bryan got the opportunity to shine on the undercard as well. However, the brand split ended during the summer, and the Blue brand eventually became 'RAW Lite'.

John Cena's teased return to SmackDown would have been a major boost for the show at a time where they desperately needed star power. WWE would have been better off without even booking Cena to move shows at all in 2011, instead of baiting fans into believing he would actually leave RAW at the peak of his powers.

#3 Alex Riley to SmackDown (WWE Draft 2011)

He returned to The Miz's corner within a week of being drafted.

John Cena was not the only Superstar to move to SmackDown and back to RAW almost immediately during the WWE Draft in 2011. Alex Riley was moved to the Blue brand during the supplemental draft, seemingly ending his role alongside The Miz.

However, unlike Cena, Riley actually showed up on SmackDown. He was RKO'ed by fellow draftee, Randy Orton. The following week, the former NXT 'rookie' was back in The Miz's corner.

Riley was solid in the role, forming an entertaining heel dynamic with the former WWE Champion. This role even landed him an appearance in the main event of WrestleMania 27. However, it seemed like WWE wanted to book a feud between Riley and The Miz. The two faced off in a 'Teacher vs. Student' contest at Capitol Punishment in June, with a babyface Riley winning.

Unfortunately for A-Ry, his singles career did not pan out as expected. He was relegated to the bottom of the card pretty quickly after separating from The Miz. Perhaps, a move to SmackDown during the WWE Draft would have given Alex Riley a better chance of succeeding in WWE.

#2 Andrade to RAW (WWE Superstar Shake-up - April 2019)

Last year's Superstar Shake-up was a mess.

After the 2016 WWE Draft that kicked off the second brand split, the name was shelved for a few years. Vince McMahon introduced the Superstar Shake-up on the night after WrestleMania 33, with stars appearing on their new shows one week after the Show of Shows. It was effective, but a bit unspectacular.

That being said, the 2019 edition of the Superstar Shake-up was a mess. Many moves happened after the stipulated week, including a few Superstars moving to SmackDown after initially being drafted to RAW. Andrade was the primary one to move, going from SmackDown to RAW to SmackDown in just over a week.

This was reportedly under FOX's requests, which is strange since Andrade moved back to the Red brand during the WWE Draft later that year. Another possible factor may have been Charlotte Flair, Andrade's current fiancée, who was the top woman on SmackDown.

Nevertheless, the former United States Champion was abruptly moved back to SmackDown alongside his manager, Zelina Vega. This prompted WWE to shift Aleister Black, who is married to Vega, as well. Everybody in question, including Charlotte, were drafted to RAW during the WWE Draft in October.

#1 Brock Lesnar to SmackDown (WWE Draft - October 2019)

Brock Lesnar quit SmackDown shortly after the 2020 WWE Draft.

The first episode of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX was headlined by Brock Lesnar's nine-second WWE Championship victory over Kofi Kingston. While underwhelming and with next to no substance, this was the part-time Beast's first TV match since his 2012 return. Lesnar joined the Blue brand in the WWE Draft one week later, as a result.

However, the world title scene was all over the place at the time. Lesnar was set to face Cain Velasquez at Crown Jewel, with RAW's Rey Mysterio being his primary rival. Meanwhile, Seth Rollins was being vocally rejected as the Universal Champion on RAW.

He was feuding with 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt, despite the two of them being separated by the WWE Draft. The Fiend won the Universal title at Crown Jewel, meaning SmackDown had both the world champions. This was rectified one night later, as Lesnar proceeded to quit the show and join RAW so he could get his hands on Rey Mysterio.

It was a creative way to switch the WWE and Universal Championships around, but it was surprising considering the star power Brock Lesnar brought to FOX. His time as a SmackDown Superstar following the 2019 WWE Draft lasted less than a month.