Grayson Waller’s Draft spoof highlights champions’ ineligibility

Hours before the WWE Draft goes live on SmackDown, Grayson Waller, one-half of WWE’s Tag Team Champions, is having some fun at the expense of wrestling’s media.

On X, Waller wrote:

“Ahead of tonight’s WWE Draft, Netflix executives are said to be disappointed that champions A-Town Down Under will be ineligible to make the switch to Monday Nights.

Sources say Netflix see the talented and handsome duo as the future of the entertainment industry”

– WON

Waller’s spoof, while humorous, subtly reminds viewers of the draft’s rules: champions from each brand are protected and cannot be drafted. That means Waller, the Tom Brady of WWE, and his championship partner, Austin Theory, will remain with the blue brand. The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions — Asuka and Kairi Sane — are an exception because their titles allow them to float between brands. However, they will be assigned to their drafted roster upon losing their titles.

The rule preventing champions from being drafted is notable, especially as WWE recently transferred Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes to the SmackDown roster after WrestleMania.

WWE.com

The decision to move Rhodes to the blue brand ahead of what may be the final roster shakeup of Raw’s move to Netflix is noteworthy. After Rhodes won the Undisputed crown from Roman Reigns at WWE’s signature event, he came face-to-face with The Rock the following night on Raw. The Rock said that the saga between him and Rhodes is just beginning, indicating they will resume their story once The Rock returns from Hollywood, where he is currently filming a movie.

It stands to reason that WWE would have benefitted by hosting that feud on Netflix, which is investing billions of dollars to broadcast the promotion’s flagship show beginning in 2025. Barring a situation where Rhodes loses the title and returns to Raw, a future showdown between The American Nightmare and The Final Boss may now occur on SmackDown, which is moving to Raw’s current home, the USA Network, this fall.