While it still hasn't been officially confirmed by WWE, it seems another draft is on the horizon. It was reported earlier this week that WWE's next draft will start on August 30, 2021, and conclude four days later on the September 3 edition of SmackDown. A lot of the matches on Raw and SmackDown have felt a little repetitive for a few months at this point. Hopefully, a draft might fix that.
The trouble is, a regular old draft probably won't, at least not in the long term. Even by the end of August, it will have only been ten months since the last draft. Even a reshuffle isn't going to make any potential new matches and rivalries all that fresh. Yes, NXT likes to be treated as an almost completely separate entity at this point, but it's time for the black and gold brand to reacquaint itself with the main roster starting with the draft.
Make Them Surprising And Permanent
There was a time when NXT was a part of the draft. It wouldn't get picks, but the rules stated a number of NXT Superstars could be chosen by those making the picks. A return to that dynamic would be great this go-around. It's how Finn Balor was introduced to the main roster which felt like an incredibly big call-up at the time.
Speaking of call-ups, draft or not, when a big NXT star arrived unannounced on the main roster it felt like a big deal. Think the first time Shinsuke Nakamura's music hit, Stephanie McMahon introducing the world to three-quarters of the Horsewomen, or even go back as far as The Shield showing up. That feeling has been lost somewhere along the way. Perhaps due to many of them making soft debuts before being called up properly. It gives fans the impression that WWE is unsure of their abilities despite what they have achieved in NXT.
NXT's move to the USA Network in 2019 changed the brand's dynamic, and rightly so. The exact same brand going live to a bigger audience on a show that doubled in length probably wouldn't have worked. It was said at the time that NXT was going to be treated as an equal to Raw and SmackDown, and for a while that was indeed the case. It took part in Survivor Series that year and actually won the night. Its Women's Title was defended at WrestleMania 36. However, once the draft rolled around, it became clear that Vince McMahon doesn't see NXT as an equal at all.
The Tribal Chief Will Never Return To NXT
You're never going to see NXT treated as a genuine partner during a draft. It's never going to have the ability to make its own picks, taking the likes of AJ Styles or Roman Reigns. That's a good thing, though. As entertaining as Seth Rollins back in NXT could be, letting Raw and SmackDown pick its meticulously curated roster apart would damaged the brand beyond repair.
NXT call-ups supplementing the draft, however, that benefits everybody. Raw and SmackDown will return to getting NXT Superstars who seriously shake up their brands while leaving the brand formerly known as developmental with gaps it is able to fill. In fact, those are gaps NXT needs to continue the good work it has been doing for over a decade. If the likes of Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair don't eventually move on, then they don't leave gaps for the next potential stars to fill.
That's not to say NXT shouldn't benefit from the draft in other ways. Even though it shouldn't get its own picks, some sort of off-screen deal should be made between whoever is making picks for Raw and SmackDown and William Regal. The return of Balor has proved going backwards after a call-up can work very well. If Raw is going to take Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole, it's only fair that NXT gets something in return, even if it isn't an entirely fair trade.
Above all else, the main roster is looking real thin right about now. Raw, in particular, must look like more or less the same show each week to casual fans who only tune in every now and again. The last two batches of releases have seen some top stars be shown the door, leaving even fewer options for fresh matchups. Aside from bringing those people back, which isn't going to happen, the only option is to pick from the NXT tree. That's one of the reasons it's there after all. Plus, try not to worry that Vince will ruin your favorite NXT stars. Yes, the careers of Aleister Black and Ricochet give you every reason to be worried. However, for every Black and Ricochet, there's a Reigns, a Rollins, a Charlotte Flair. Let's not forget that they were once NXT call-ups too.