The WWE Universe has been wondering when WWE is going to hold their next Raw and SmackDown brand draft, likely holding out hope that it will change the fortunes of some of the WWE Superstars and shift WWE into a positive direction with their television programming. Whether that actually works or not, it sounds like those dates for the draft are confirmed and things are coming sooner than later.

As per a report by Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Podcast, he noted on Thursday, "Just want to finalize some dates for WWE events. Oct 1 - Smackdown Draft Oct 4 - Raw Draft Oct 8 - Smackdown Season Priemere (KOTR & QOTR)" He added that the October 8th date is the KOTR and QOTR Kick off matches, but the Finals will take place on Oct 21st in Saudi Arabia. The draft dates were pushed back as he originally reported late August and early September as the original plans.

One of the things to keep in mind is that this is being called a Draft and not a Superstar Shakeup. While they are essentially the same thing and serve the same purpose, there is a distinction. With a draft, the entire roster is determined for both Raw and Smackdown. Typically, a general manager selects the roster, with one GM representing each brand. These happen far less frequently than a Superstar Shakeup which is an annual post-Wrestlemania event that takes place to freshen up the rosters to create new match-up possibilities.

As is, neither brand really has a GM, so it will be interesting to see if Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce have their own issues and split to run each roster or if someone like Stephanie McMahon is brought back to explain how WWE creative will work around that hurdle.

Not Yet Confirmed By WWE

Also important to note, WWE has not confirmed these dates or the format for the Draft itself. If this is to take place in the next three weeks, one would assume an announcement or promo for the draft will be upcoming on Raw or SmackDown in the near future.