WWE fans hoping for a major shake-up following WrestleMania 42 may have to wait, as reports indicate there are currently no plans for a 2026 WWE Draft. Sources speaking to Bodyslam have noted that there is no tentative date on the internal calendar for a traditional draft event this year. While rosters could be reshuffled through individual transfers or call-ups, a full-scale draft is not currently scheduled.
This follows a transformative 2025 where WWE also opted to skip the annual draft despite internal discussions to the contrary. During that time, the company focused on smaller roster adjustments, including specific talent moving between brands and a series of call-ups from NXT, such as Oba Femi, Trick Williams, and Je’Von Evans. The decision to skip the 2025 event came as a surprise to many, as the draft has been a staple of the post-WrestleMania season for years.
The absence of a draft in 2025 was not due to a lack of interest from broadcast partners. Reports from WrestleVotes previously revealed that ESPN was highly interested in hosting the 2025 WWE Draft on its various platforms to coincide with its new media rights deal. However, those discussions ultimately fell through, with insiders noting that the draft format—which traditionally spans Raw and SmackDown—didn’t quite fit the specific “Premium Live Event” setting that ESPN was looking to emphasize.
Without a formal draft to reset the brands, WWE has leaned heavily on “transfer windows” and storyline-driven moves to keep the product fresh. This has seen stars like CM Punk and Gunther remain on Monday Night Raw, while Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre have anchored Friday Night SmackDown through much of the late 2025 and early 2026.
