The WWE draft has always been one of the most exciting episodes of WWE television each year that it has taken place. While it might have lots its impact in recent years --especially now the wildcard rule is in place-- it has created some amazing moments.
With brand new rivalries being created and new superstars being given opportunities to prove themselves, the draft has always been incredibly exciting. However, simply moving a wrestler from one brand to another doesn't guarantee success, which is why there have been plenty of flops throughout time as well. Within this article, we will be ranking the five best picks and the five biggest Raw flops in the history of the draft.
10 Best: Edge (2010)
The 2010 draft was one of the weakest in history, with Kelly Kelly and R-Truth being in the top four draft choices, which left many people confused. However, Edge joining the red brand was a brilliant move.
Edge was seen as a major name after years of carrying the blue brand on his back. Finally being given a role on the flagship show felt like something that he had earned, with the Rated-R Superstar immediately being thrust to the top of the card. While his time on Monday Night Raw wasn't as long-lived as many people thought it would be, he finally got to be the top Raw Superstar.
9 Flop: Matt Hardy (2009)
For years Matt Hardy had struggled to break out as a singles star in the same way that his brother had done, not being able to establish himself as a credible, potential World Champion talent. In 2009, though, it seemed like he was getting closer to that goal.
Even though his heel turn took some time to be accepted, his feud against Jeff Hardy was a good one. The fact that WWE committed and gave Matt the victory made it seem like big things were coming for him. When he was then drafted to Raw, it should have been his big moment. Instead, Hardy didn't get out of the gates, suffering a broken hand and then a serious abdominal injury which derailed his momentum.
8 Best: CM Punk (2008)
CM Punk's draft to the red brand was a huge success, which saw him go from a pop-punk star on ECW to a major name in WWE.
On ECW, Punk was making waves and was quickly growing in popularity, but the major test was always going to be when he made it to Raw. He stepped up and more than proved he could be a major player in the company. Punk would go on to have an incredible run with WWE until he decided to walk away from the company; much of that time was spent with him working on the red brand.
7 Flop: Bobby Lashley (2007)
During 2007, Bobby Lashley's draft to Monday Night Raw should have been a massive deal, as WWE had huge expectations for him to become one of the biggest names in the entire company.
The ECW Champion had been built up as the top star on WWE's version of the extreme brand, but he failed to live up to that hype when he was finally put on the big show. Lashley could have been one of the biggest names in wrestling with his size and ability, yet this draft totally flopped, with Lashley never reaching his full potential as a WWE Superstar.
6 Best: Charlotte Flair (2016)
When WWE made the decision to bring the draft back in 2016, the WWE Universe was very excited to see which superstars would land where and how highly they would rank on the list. Fans were pleasantly surprised to see WWE take the women seriously and Charlotte Flair was the third draft choice of the entire thing, showing just how highly WWE valued the former NXT Women's Champion.
Ever since that point, Flair dominated the Raw division, becoming the top female star in the company (and arguably the greatest female WWE wrestler of all time), dominating almost everyone in her path.
5 Flop: New World Order (2002)
It seems impossible that one of the greatest factions in wrestling history could be a flop in a draft pick, as surely moving three major names at once would cause quite a stir, but things just did not go right for nWo in 2002 at all.
Right out the gate, Kevin Nash got injured and Scott Hall was fired, with X-Pac struggling to make much of an impact. Eventually, Shawn Michaels was drafted in to join the stable in a bid to rescue things. When Nash was injured again, Vince McMahon decided to just end things completely for the group, with nWo simply being forgotten about and this draft pick being one of the worst in WWE history.
4 Best: Randy Orton (2006)
Although his move to the red brand started off on a rocky path as he was suspended for 'unprofessional conduct,' the Viper was quickly able to establish himself as a top star on the red brand.
Even though he was drafted on a technicality after his SmackDown contract had expired, Orton had his greatest years on the red brand. He dominated the show as the top heel, feuding with the likes of Triple H and John Cena. Orton was able to prove that WWE could depend on him as a major name and he went on to create a legacy for himself as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
3 Flop: Finn Balor (2016)
Speaking of the 2016 draft, WWE used this opportunity to bring up several talents from NXT, with the first choice from the black and yellow brand being Finn Balor, who had been the face of NXT ever since he arrived.
Balor was the fifth draft pick in 2016, which instantly made him seem like a star. WWE pushed him heavily right out of the gates, with the Demon becoming the first ever Universal Champion as the company showed its faith in him. Unfortunately, the injury he suffered in that SummerSlam match against Seth Rollins totally derailed his career, and instead of being a game-changing player, Balor has mainly been relegated to a mid-card role in the company.
2 Best: John Cena (2005)
WWE treated the draft of John Cena to Monday Night Raw as a huge deal and that is exactly what it was, with nobody having as big of an impact in the long-term than Cena on the red brand.
Cena not only went on to become a mega-star on Raw, but the face of the entire company for over a decade. Cena had been steadily getting built up throughout that year and this draft cemented the fact that WWE saw him as a big franchise player. Drafts are always best when someone is brought in to be a major star and that's what happened here. Cena didn't let WWE down, going on to have a legendary career as well.
1 Flop: MVP (2009)
In 2009 the wrestling world was taken by surprise when MVP was named the number one draft pick in the 2009 draft, which left many fans to believe that he would be getting a major push as a main event star.
However, that really wasn't the case. In fact, MVP was gone from WWE in 2010 after another run in the mid-card, making this draft a total flop. If he had been picked much later on in the draft, fans would likely not have cared or put too much thought into the whole thing, but once MVP was brought out as the number one choice, everyone expected more.