Talent across the roster that Fightful have spoken to hadn't been given any details about the upcoming draft as of 48 hours ahead of the selections. Last year, one talent was able to learn some of the planned moves, and clued in some of the other wrestlers ahead of time.
Fightful was able to speak to top names on Raw, Smackdown, and NXT and as of the middle of the week prior to the draft, none had any idea where they were supposed to go. One top name said they expected it would be about how it usually is, with them not knowing. We also learned that those stuck in NXT limbo between the main roster weren't told where they'd be drafted to or if they'd even be drafted.
In addition, Fightful was told that names in talent relations didn't even know where things would be headed as of Wednesday. On Thursday, Fightful was told by talent that they also didn't know what the format was supposed to be, as WWE played that close to the vest.
With the WWE Draft completing on the Monday after, Fightful inquired more about who knew what.
Select WWE talent were informed where they'd be drafted on Thursday night ahead of being picked on Friday for the WWE Draft. We're told that a mix of Vince McMahon and talent relations made calls to let some of the Superstars know where they'd land.
There were numerous people stuck in limbo between NXT and WWE who learned various things. Some weren't told until after the draft started that they wouldn't be drafted, some learned as their names were called, and others were prepared for TV.
The majority of names selected Monday had not known of plans by the time the draft started the prior Monday, with some exceptions. There were several talent who had to make travel plans and put two and two together, and once the first round happened, many assumed they'd be moving brands, though oddly, some that didn't switch brands weren't informed of such.
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