WWE Draft to take place July 19 on Smackdown

STAMFORD, Conn., June 20 (UPI) — WWE has announced that its returning Superstar draft will take place live July 19 on Smackdown.

“The destiny of all WWE Superstars will be determined when SmackDown goes live for the first time ever Tuesday, July 19, at 8/7 C on USA Network,” the company said in an official statement.

“A WWE Draft will be conducted by respective General Managers to select which Superstars will compete exclusively on Monday Night Raw or SmackDown,” they continued.

“This is an exciting new era for WWE in which we will yet again reinvent ourselves by creating a second night of compelling live television,” added WWE executive producer Kevin Dunn.

First announced alongside news that Smackdown would be moving from Thursday to Tuesday nights and begin airing live, the draft will reintroduce the company’s once established brand split between Raw and Smackdown in which both shows acted as separate entities with their own unique roster and set of champions.

In an announcement video featuring current Raw co-general managers Stephanie and Shane McMahon discussing Smackdown moving to a live format, the siblings argued over who should take over managing duties on the program, hinting that they will be taking over the separate shows staring in July.

The first brand split and draft was first introduced in 2002 after WWE acquired rival promotions WCW and ECW leading to an influx of talent. The last draft took place in 2011 when the brand split was eliminated shortly afterwards.

There is no word yet on how this may affect the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, now held by Dean Ambrose following Sunday’s Money in the Bank, or other titles which may be split or duplicated in some way across the two brands.