2004 WWE Draft Lottery#Post-draft trades
{{short description|WWE's intra-brand draft}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox sports draft
| name = 2004 WWE draft lottery
| image = TripleH WrestlemaniaRevenge2.JPG
| caption = Triple H, who was drafted to SmackDown! and traded back to Raw in the draft lottery.
| sport = Professional wrestling
| date = March 22, 2004
| location = Detroit
| league = World Wrestling Entertainment
| teams = Raw
SmackDown!
| prev =2002
| next =2005
}}
The 2004 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) draft lottery, the second WWE draft, took place at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan on March 22. The draft took place live for two hours on WWE's television program, Raw on Spike TV.{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2004/03/23/392732.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718172232/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2004/03/23/392732.html |archive-date=July 18, 2012 |title=RAW: Draft day an unpredictable night |last=Tylwalk |first=Nick |publisher=SLAM! Wrestling |date=March 23, 2004 |access-date=May 25, 2008}} Post-draft trades were announced on WWE's official website, WWE.com, until midnight on March 22.{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/archive/draftlottery |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517051649/https://www.wwe.com/inside/news/archive/draftlottery |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |title=The 2004 WWE Draft Lottery |publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment |date=April 25, 2004 |access-date=May 25, 2008}} There were twelve draft picks, with nineteen wrestlers overall switching between the promotion's two main brands: Raw and SmackDown!. During the draft lottery, the General manager of Raw, Eric Bischoff, and the General manager of SmackDown!, Paul Heyman, stood on opposite ends of the stage on the Raw set, where they drafted six wrestlers randomly via two machines. At the conclusion of the draft, the two GMs would then be allowed to trade anyone on the roster until Midnight EST, which was later extended until Tuesday night after Heyman resigned. Every WWE star was eligible to be drafted, including injured wrestlers, commentators, champions, and general managers.
The main event was a SmackDown! exclusive match, in which Eddie Guerrero defeated Triple H to retain the WWE Championship by disqualification after Christian attacked Guerrero resulting in a brawl between SmackDown! and Velocity wrestlers against Raw and Heat wrestlers.
Background
The tagline for WrestleMania XX (that year's WrestleMania), was Where it all begins again.{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Wrestlemania20/2004/03/15/382633.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714103708/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Wrestlemania20/2004/03/15/382633.html |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |title=WrestleMania XX bombs |last=Powell |first=John |publisher=SLAM! Wrestling |access-date=May 25, 2008}} To remain with the tagline, on the March 15, 2004 episode of Raw, the chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon, announced that it was time "for a new WWE" and that a draft lottery would take place the following week on Raw.{{cite web|url=http://raw.wwe.com/results/031504/results.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040326000844/http://raw.wwe.com/results/031504/results.html |archive-date=March 26, 2004 |title=Mr. McMahon Drops a Bombshell! |publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment |date=March 15, 2004 |access-date=10 February 2023}} Both Raw and SmackDown! wrestlers would be present for the draft lottery, as McMahon announced that every wrestler was eligible to be drafted, including commentators, ring announcers, referees, injured wrestlers, champions and even general managers.{{cite web|url=http://raw.wwe.com/results/032204/results.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040411032539/http://raw.wwe.com/results/032204/results.html |archive-date=April 11, 2004 |title=A Career Changing Night |publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment |date=March 24, 2004 |access-date=May 25, 2008}}
Selections
=Draft lottery=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 50%" | ||||
| width=2% | Pick No. | width=5% | Brand (to) | width=30% | Wrestler | width=30% | Role | width=5% | Brand (from) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1
|style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! |Male wrestler |style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw | ||||
| 2
|style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw |Male wrestler |style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! | ||||
| 3
|style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! |Male wrestler |style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw | ||||
| 4
|style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw |Female wrestler |style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! | ||||
| 5
|style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! |Triple H1 |Male wrestler |style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw | ||||
| 6
|style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw |Male wrestler |style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! | ||||
| 7
|style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! |Male wrestler |style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw | ||||
| 8
|style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw |Male wrestler |style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! | ||||
| 9
|style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! |style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw | ||||
| 10
|style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw |Edge |Male wrestler |style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! | ||||
| 11
|style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! |Male wrestler |style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw | ||||
| 12
|style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw |style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! |
=Post-draft trades=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 60%" |
| width=0% | Pick No.
!width=15% | Brand (to) !width=35% | Wrestler !width=35% | Role !width=15% | Brand (from) |
|---|
| 1
|style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! | |Male/female wrestlers |style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw |
| 2
|style="background:#ffd0bd"|Raw | |Male wrestlers |style="background:#ccf"|SmackDown! |
- 1 – Triple H was traded back to Raw prior to his redebut on the SmackDown! brand.
- 2 – Heyman resigned prior to his first appearance on the Raw brand.
Aftermath
After Paul Heyman was drafted from the SmackDown! brand to the Raw brand, he (kayfabe) quit the WWE, thus leaving the SmackDown! brand without a general manager. Shortly after the draft, the WWE chairman, Vince McMahon announced that a new general manager had been appointed to the SmackDown! brand, and that he would conduct the supplemental trades with Raw general manager, Eric Bischoff. On the March 25, 2004 episode of SmackDown!, Kurt Angle came down to the ring and announced that he was the new SmackDown! General manager.{{cite web|url=http://smackdown.wwe.com/results/032504/results.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040416114652/http://smackdown.wwe.com/results/032504/results.html |archive-date=April 16, 2004 |title=The More Things Change... |publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment |date=March 25, 2004 |access-date=10 February 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{WWE}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:2004 Wwe Draft Lottery}}
Category:Professional wrestling in Detroit