'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Friday Night SmackDown was the first day of the WWE Draft. The second and final day of the draft will take place on the upcoming episode of Monday Night RAW.
The opening segment saw a match between familiar opponents and former tag team partners Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, with the winner earning the first pick for their respective brand.
After Rollins won by disqualification, RAW immediately picked Becky Lynch, who became the Number 1 pick of the draft, as announced by Stephanie McMahon. The second pick of the draft saw SmackDown pick Roman Reigns, making him the first male pick of the draft.
Trending
While there were a number of Superstars to pick from, SmackDown went ahead to secure The Big Dog right away during the initial stage of the draft.
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
In this article, we will look at why Roman Reigns became SmackDown's first pick, and the first male to be picked in the WWE Draft.
#5 The face of the men's roster
After Seth Rollins picked up the victory against Roman Reigns thanks to a disqualification caused by The Fiend's interference, RAW got the first pick in the draft.
While many fans would have assumed that Seth Rollins would be RAW's first pick, it didn't come as a surprise that RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch was the first pick of the Red brand.
Becky Lynch has become the face of the women's roster, and one of the faces of the entire company. The move further cemented the fact that the company now relies a lot on her and her character, which could push the boundaries of the women's roster further.
To balance out the first pick, SmackDown went with Roman Reigns as their first pick. Reigns has been built heavily by Vince McMahon and his troops, and became the face of the company before he was forced to relinquish his Universal Championship.
Keeping that in mind, it can be said that Reigns is still the face of the men's roster, and has been on the posters and front covers since his return along with Becky Lynch. The move further cements his spot as the leader of the SmackDown brand, and also the face of the men's roster in the company.
#4 Many unvisited rivalries
During the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-Up, Vince McMahon made his way out to announce "SmackDown's greatest ever acquisition." While Elias made a fool of himself during the segment, he and Vince McMahon were attacked by Reigns, which gave birth to a few new rivalries for the Superstar on the Blue brand.
During his initial months, Reigns was stuck in feuds with Elias and Shane McMahon, who was also supported by Drew McIntyre. After all, was done and dusted, he went on to get in feuds with Erick Rowan, followed by his tag team partner Luke Harper.
While Reigns has had some feuds on SmackDown, there is still a world of opportunities for him which can come his way in the coming days. 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt has been drafted to SmackDown, and we could see him feud with The Big Dog in the near future.
Apart from that, there are many Superstars such as Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar, and Buddy Murphy who could feud with the Superstar in the days to come, provided that they do not switch brands during the second day of the Draft.
SmackDown on FOX will be looking to build some more young faces on the brand, and Reigns could provide them with some assistance in succeeding with their plans.
#3 To continue making SmackDown his yard
When Roman Reigns broke on to SmackDown during the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up, he made a bold statement and called SmackDown his yard.
This statement has stuck around with fans and has been used in many promotional materials and videos released by the company. This move was to promote SmackDown further and make it bigger, taking in account Roman Reigns' own popularity coupled with the power of the brand.
Keeping that in mind, it wouldn't have made much sense to switch Reigns back to an already loaded RAW roster where there are many more faces on the brand. This wouldn't have allowed Reigns to stick by his statement and make SmackDown his brand.
By sticking to the blue brand, we can potentially see Reigns work up the ladder in the coming months after proving himself during initial feuds. The top of the SmackDown roster is still less populated, and this could allow Reigns to make a big name for himself.
Reigns had a long and fruitful tenure on the red brand, and the move to the blue brand could provide him with more different opportunities. As a face of the men's division, he can provide SmackDown a lot more than many other current Superstars can.
#2 A potential contender for the WWE Championship in the future
Brock Lesnar broke KofiMania in under 10 seconds last week upon his return to the SmackDown brand. Kofi Kingston had a good run with the WWE Championship, but his will and determination to extend his reign was no match for Lesnar's power and aggression.
Lesnar was faced by his biggest nightmare after his match and suffered a beatdown at the hands of Cain Velasquez. Cain now seems to have signed with the company and will be coming for Lesnar at Crown Jewel on October 31.
While the top Championship picture is now occupied, one must now forget that Reigns is one of the few men who have defeated Lesnar during their career. Since WWE wants to continue the dominance of The Beast, it is likely they won't want to increase the list of people who have overcome their biggest draw.
Therefore, Reigns could be the one to dethrone Lesnar, or whoever is the WWE Champion after a few months, as he has made a name and reputation for himself of overcoming the odds.
If Lesnar remains the Champion after Crown Jewel, then it will be best for him to lose the title to Reigns after some time so that the list of Superstars who've defeated him remains short.
#1 A big opportunity for FOX
Wrestling isn't the only thing that FOX has shown interest in, as their portfolio of entertainment related products spans far and wide beyond anyone's imagination.
Roman Reigns has become a big name not only inside the squared circle but also in the world of people who've overcome cancer and support those who suffer through it. Apart from that, he has tried his hand at Hollywood and seems to be becoming an inspiration to the younger crowd.
All this combined could be used extremely well by FOX and they can incorporate Reigns' various achievements in their products in the future. Just like they used The Rock to hype up SmackDown's move to FOX last week, they could use the star power of Roman Reigns to their advantage in their various products.
Having Reigns' on their brand will allow them to hand him a schedule which will allow them to use him for other activities too, and possibly push SmackDown through various channels such as the news, movies, and shows by using Reigns effectively.
FOX has a big task ahead of themselves, but they seem like the best network that can help WWE push SmackDown forward and make it equal to the flagship brand in a short time.
Follow Sportskeeda Wrestling and Sportskeeda MMA on Twitter for all the latest news. Do not miss out!
