Unlike the NBA and NFL Drafts, the rules for the WWE Draft tend to change from time to time. There have been instances where it was random selections throughout the night, while other drafts allowed each brand to pick their top choices.
RELATED: WWE Draft Lottery: 5 Times It Was Worth It (& 5 Times It Was Pointless)
In some drafts, there have been matches between Superstars from both brands to determine who gets to select the next wrestler. And while the end result has worked out for the best on numerous occasions, many of the picks turned out to be awful decisions by their respective brand. Without further ado, let's look at the very worst draft picks for Raw and SmackDown!
10 Raw: Bubba Ray Dudley (2002)
With the first-ever edition of the WWE Draft in 2002, the brand split of Raw and SmackDown was officially established. Raw was off to a great start by nabbing The Undertaker, nWo, Kane, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, and Big Show.
RELATED: 5 WWE Tag Team Title Matches You Forgot Happened (& 5 We'll Never Forget)
But they made a major mistake with the 12th overall pick and 7th for Raw by selecting Bubba Ray Dudley to be on the red brand and thus splitting up the team of The Dudley Boyz. Given that bigger stars such as Chris Jericho were still on board, Bubba Ray was a bad pick for Raw as he was unproven as a solo talent.
9 SmackDown: The Great Khali (2007)
By 2007, WWE was still adamant about turning The Great Khali into a star. Following an underwhelming stint on Raw, he was selected with the first overall pick by SmackDown in the 2007 WWE Draft. Upon joining the brand, Khali was quickly inserted into the title picture and managed to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Despite his accomplishments, it was evident for all to see that fans weren't buying into the hype as ratings had dropped down. WWE dropped the ball by insisting on making Khali a dominant force, leaving SmackDown shorthanded when it came to star power. As soon as his title reign ended, Khali fell down the ranks as quickly as he rose.
8 Raw: Rhyno (2004)
With the highly-anticipated 2004 WWE Draft coming around, the company opted for random selections through a machine. With the 6th overall pick and the third for Raw, the red brand welcomed Rhyno as the newest addition. Raw General manager, Eric Bischoff, as well as the commentators, were greatly hyping up the pick as an impressive signing.
RELATED: Where Are They Now?: The 10 Most Successful ECW Originals
Rhyno was even given an opportunity to challenge for the WWE World Heavy Championship on his first night on Raw. It seems like the WWE was hoping to give him a major push, but it didn't last too long as Rhyno ended up returning to the tag team division.
7 SmackDown: Kelly Kelly (2010)
During the 2010 WWE Draft, Kelly Kelly made history by becoming the first female wrestler to be chosen as the first overall pick. SmackDown earned the top pick following Team Lay-Cool's victory over Maryse and Eve Torres, but it's safe to say that the brand made a regrettable choice.
Not only was Kelly not worthy of such a feat, but she was unable to prove herself on SmackDown despite repeated efforts by the company. Given that Raw had many female wrestlers who were better all-around performers than Kelly, SmackDown would have greatly benefitted from a different rival for the dominant Team Lay-Cool.
6 Raw: Jinder Mahal & Sunil Singh (2018)
Jinder Mahal was fresh off a high caliber push upon his arrival on Raw. As the reigning WWE United States Champion, Mahal was selected as the first overall pick alongside Sunil Singh. Later that same night, Mahal lost his championship against Jeff Hardy, as he embarked on a journey of failed attempts to get back to the top.
For the next few months, Mahal and Singh were still earning a notable amount of air time until the company finally decided to pull the plug on their push. Considering that fans never bought into Mahal as a top star, he couldn't make a smooth transition to the mid-card either.
5 SmackDown: Billy & Chuck (2002)
Considering that Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo were the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions, it made sense to have the title holders selected early in the draft. But it was still a terrible choice for SmackDown as they had far better options for their fifth pick.
RELATED: The 10 Worst Tag Teams Champions Of The 2000s
Booker T, Edge, Big Show, Brock Lesnar, and Chris Jericho were all still on board - all of whom would have had a greater presence on SmackDown. A few months after joining the brand, the team split up with both Superstars embarking on forgettable solo runs. It was a major blunder by SmackDown at the time, which needed more star presence.
4 Raw: Snitsky (2007)
For the 2007 WWE Draft, the company had a set of matches to determine which brand would select a Superstar. In the main event, Randy Orton won a 15-man Battle royal to earn Raw two draft picks. One of them was Mr. Kennedy, who had been a prominent figure on SmackDown. As for the second pick, Raw opted to select Snitsky, who had been receiving a big push on the ECW brand.
For some reason, WWE wanted fans to take Snitsky more seriously by any means necessary. Despite having an undefeated streak on ECW and Raw spanning one year, Snitsky still ended up being a bust. There were far more attractive names on SmackDown and ECW, but it appears like Vince McMahon hadn't given up on Snitsky just yet.
3 SmackDown: Muhammad Hassan And Khosrow Daivari (2005)
Managed by Khosrow Daivari, Muhammad Hassan was arguably the best heel on Raw in 2005. He had several memorable encounters with top stars on the brand, while managing to show his talent on the mic. But his move to SmackDown didn't materialize through no fault of his own, as he was forced to drop the controversial gimmick due to complaints from the UPN network.
Shortly afterward, Hassan was released from the WWE with his SmackDown run clocking in at just one month. What was supposed to be a major pick for SmackDown ended up being a complete waste that would have been better off used on another Superstar.
2 Raw: MVP (2009)
Coming off an impressive stint on SmackDown, fans believed that MVP was headed to the top upon his move to Raw in 2009. With Rey Mysterio defeating Evan Bourne to earn Raw the first overall pick of the draft, MVP was selected to join the red brand. As the WWE United States Champion, he brought the title to Raw for the very first time in the history of the brand extension.
RELATED: 10 Ruthless Aggression Era Wrestlers WWE Dropped The Ball With
After dropping the title to Kofi Kingston, MVP would unsuccessfully challenge him for the championship on various occasions. He also attempted to capture the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside his new partner Mark Henry, but they came up short. In a span of few months, MVP had gone from one of the rising stars in the WWE to a mid-carder who was losing overness with the fans.
1 SmackDown: Rene Dupree (2004)
Prior to being drafted to SmackDown, Rene Dupree had already made history by becoming the youngest champion in history after capturing the WWE World Tag Team Championship as a member of La Resistance. And while the draft featured random lottery selections, he was certainly not worthy of being the first pick of the 2004 WWE Draft.
The SmackDown General manager, Paul Heyman, attempted his best to hype the pick as a major get for the brand. But Dupree never came close to reaching his potential as he was quickly lost in the shuffle. With Dupree being taken with the first overall pick, it's no wonder that some fans believe that SmackDown was weakened by this draft.
NEXT: 10 NXT Superstars Who Should Go To Raw Or SmackDown In 2020
