10 WWE Draft Afterthoughts Who Became Gems

On this day 19 years ago, WWE held their first-ever draft.

Vince McMahon and Ric Flair took it in turns to choose superstars for their respective Smackdown and Raw brands, beginning a near annual tradition in WWE.

Though these sorts of reconfigurations do freshen up the TV product, the Draft process itself really hasn't changed all that much, since WWE first went to the brand extension well.

You know how it goes: marquee names go first, dependable names and to-be-pushed rising stars in the next tier, and the "whoevers" follow from there.

Fans have long taken umbrage with that "whoevers" class, as it's WWE explicitly telling its audience who they don't see as worth spotlighting during the main portion of its Drafts. It can be frustrating to realize the genuine talents that occupy that group, many of them only having their names called during the barely-acknowledged "supplemental" portion of the Draft proceedings.

And yet, once in a while, one of those "left for dead" performers manages to makes good in their immediate future, despite their less-than-desirable draft position.

NFL fans and analysts often bring up Tom Brady's "afterthought" status when the New England Patriots selected him back in 2000, so who have been WWE's comparative Bradys? The following list might surprise you, especially when you realize who WWE wasn't so quick to push at one time.

10. Dolph Ziggler (2009 Supplemental Pick)

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It should come as no surprise to WWE's loyal audience that "The Show Off" has been a roster regular for what feels like an eternity, as evidenced by the fact that that he was an eligible pick in the 2009 Draft.

But at the time, he wasn't "The Show Off" yet - in fact, he was still a largely unproven commodity.

In the spring of 2009, Ziggler was a blue chip talent with obvious athleticism and a pretty good look, but hadn't exactly developed a definitive hook. To put it another way, his "forced introduction" gimmick wasn't exactly rocketing him into the WWE stratosphere.

His move from Raw to SmackDown began opening eyes toward his capabilities, particularly his series of matches with Rey Mysterio over the IC title. Ziggler's exuberant bump-taking at times felt like an homage to Shawn Michaels' comical spite toward Hulk Hogan, but fans *were* taking notice of his slinky-like movements.

In time, Ziggler began displaying personality, especially when he entered into a May-December romance with Vickie Guerrero that was essentially a more business-like take on Shawn and Sherri.

Ziggler had truly arrived as a player on SmackDown, a tenure that began when he was just some arbitrary selection during a mid-afternoon rearranging of forgotten furniture.

9. Brian Kendrick (2008 Supplemental Pick)

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The official end of Kendrick and Paul London's successful tandem came not from a violent betrayal, but an update of a website tracker.

In between the movements of SmackDown's Chuck Palumbo and ECW's Matt Striker each to Raw, veteran Cruiserweight Kendrick was moved from the red brand to the blue one, leaving London behind. There was no more Cruiserweight title to fight for, so it remained to be seen what could possibly await Kendrick on SmackDown, if not outright job duty.

At the time, junior heavyweights didn't have much in the way of upward mobility in WWE, unless you were Rey Mysterio. So colour most people surprised when Kendrick initially received a solid push, as well as an overt character tweak.

He became "The" Brian Kendrick, a trippy, self-absorbed philosopher that quoted Sun Tzu as often as he flailed his arms like a mellow marionette. Flanked by the looming Ezekiel Jackson, Kendrick found himself in the WWE title picture earlier on, and even "reigned" for a lengthy period as "interim" champion during a Scramble match at Unforgiven.

By 2009, however, the push dissipated and he left WWE shortly after, but the fact remains that by being a supplemental pick, it didn't seem like there were any tangible plans for Brian Kendrick. And for a brief spell, there he was, theoretically the champion.

8. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville (2019 Supplemental Picks)

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This one reads especially surprising, seeing as the two were vital parts of a WrestleMania match build in 2020, and were later slated to face off in an extremely personal gimmick match at the 2020 SummerSlam.

Both performers have considerable fanbases as well, so to see Rose and Deville remain on the board at the conclusion of Draft Night Two doesn't make a whole lot of sense. None of Shelton Benjamin, Akira Tozawa, Titus O'Neil, Liv Morgan, or Humberto Carrillo were being used in a major way at that point, and yet, they all went during the primary portion of the draft, whereas Fire and Desire had to wait.

After being taken to SmackDown in an untelevised round that included Mojo Rawley, No Way Jose, and Curt Hawkins, Rose incurred Deville's silent jealousy after becoming infatuated with Otis, and suddenly, a handful of mid-card talents were involved in an angle that captivated viewers.

By the spring, it was revealed that Deville tried to sabotage the budding romance, leading to her and Rose becoming sworn enemies. Come SummerSlam, the two were set for a Hair vs. Hair match, before a horrifying real life situation led to some amendments being made.

Consider where the build led, and remind yourself that less than a year earlier, both women seemed to get the, "Put them there, I guess" treatment.

7. Zack Ryder (2009 Supplemental Pick)

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Ryder's WWE career was a strange one, but even to that point, it was strange.

After beginning under the name Brett Major (to kayfabe brother Curt Hawkins' Brian Major), Ryder became co-lackey to World champion Edge, did a run-in in the main event of WrestleMania 24, and had a forgettable Tag Team title run alongside Hawkins on SmackDown later that year.

By the time the 2009 Draft rolled around, Ryder had run the gamut of use on WWE programming, and was now quite invisible. He and Hawkins were a year removed from assisting Edge, and one assumes that in kayfabe, Edge had already forgotten their names.

The team was split when Ryder quietly moved to ECW that spring, and with the crossover came a new presentation. Now borrowing a little something from the New York/New Jersey party scene, an overly-tanned, headband-wearing Ryder fist-pumped his way into increased relevance, and had a great showing in an ECW title bout with Christian.

The real transformation came when Ryder debuted the YouTube series Z! True Long Island Story some time after, but the move to ECW is what got the gears turning. Ryder had been a tag team guy for his entire WWE run to that point, and once he struck out on his own, he found himself gravitating toward the Ryder we'd all come to know.

6. Cody Rhodes (2010 Supplemental Pick)

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As the Kendrick and Ryder examples have shown, the Draft can be something like divorce court, where a long-lasting union splits, and at least one member makes the most of their new lease on life.

Rhodes was one divorcee that benefited from this kind of change, but at first, that didn't seem obvious.

A decade or so ago, Rhodes was the third wheel of Legacy, behind clear leader Randy Orton, and a good-sized heavyweight that WWE had high hopes for: Ted Dibiase. After the trio officially exploded at WrestleMania 26, the skinnier Rhodes went to SmackDown with something of a subtle whimper.

While Dibiase struggled on Raw as a pale version of his famed father, Rhodes began anew as a preening, manscaping narcissist that was as far removed from "The American Dream" as one planet is from another. The role seemed to have a limited ceiling, but when Cody was scripted to suffer a debilitating facial injury at the hands (er, legs) of Rey Mysterio, his sinister side crept out.

Suddenly, Rhodes demonstrated sharpened promo skills, and earned further regard as a more well-rounded performer. The ascent to where Cody is today took root with this singles push. As for Dibiase, well, his legacy lives on through that hilarious anecdote Cody shared at Starrcast. So there's that.

5. The Usos (2016 Post-Show Draft)

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While the WWE roster of 2016 had undeniable depth, it's hard to fathom through 2020 eyes that Jimmy and Jey Uso went off the board as late as they did.

But it's been a few years, so perhaps we'd just forgotten how the twin sons of Rikishi had been used up until that point.

No doubt, the Usos have long been an exceptional duo, reliable anchors for whatever tag team scene they end up in. But they were also smiling babyfaces that lacked discernible characteristics. In fact, leading up to the Draft, Jimmy and Jey were functionally protectors to the polarizing Roman Reigns, and sometimes got booed for holding off interfering heels in Roman's matches.

The two needed a fresh coat of paint, and they found it over on SmackDown - after being collectively taken as the 32nd pick overall in 2016. By the time SmackDown signed off for the night, Nia Jax, American Alpha, Enzo and Cass, Natalya, and Alberto Del Rio had been selected, while the brothers were relegated to getting their name called on the WWE Network portion of the coverage.

But very quickly, Jimmy and Jey reinvented themselves as grimier villains that spit verbal fire, ironically endearing themselves more to fans than they did as babyfaces. And all because they let their personalities shine.

4. John Morrison (2007 Supplemental Pick)

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We should probably amend this entry's title. At the time Morrison went from Raw to ECW in 2007, he was still Johnny Nitro, and he was more than lost in the crowd.

Melina had long outshined him as a singles star, while Nitro was stuck in secondary tag team bouts with partner Kenny Dykstra. It wasn't that long before that MNM was tearing it up against The Hardy Boyz, while Nitro and Jeff Hardy duelled in high-impact matches for the Intercontinental belt. But here, hardly a tremor registered when Nitro migrated over to ECW.

And yet a week later, largely because of the Benoit family tragedy, Nitro was a last-minute fill-in for a match to crown a new ECW champion, winning said title.

The fact that midcarder Johnny Nitro was champion felt a little off, but his forthcoming makeover remedied the situation nicely. In short order, Nitro became the morose and quirky John Morrison, salvaging his young career with a character that suited him far better than the "smirking mute with washboard abs" role did.

Morrison rode the character to greater heights, amassing a considerable fan base through his increased visibility, and he still uses the handle today. While unfortunate circumstances did play a part, the brand switch was still vital, and it's nonetheless amazing how fast Morrison's career turned the corner.

3. The Miz (2007 Supplemental Pick)

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And we can't talk about Morrison's reversal of fortune without discussing that of his co-occupant on the A-list.

In the minutes before Johnny Nitro's life changed forever with the move to ECW, SmackDown undercarder Mike Mizanin was inbound to the same tertiary brand. At the time, the idea that Miz could one day be an impact player in WWE (let alone a WrestleMania headliner) was utterly laughable, and this just seemed like the shuffling of a boring toy to a different storage container.

How little did we realize.

Miz began his new life by having the Extreme Expose trio cozy up to him. This chick magnetization led to an inflated sense of self-worth, as well as a winning streak over Balls Mahoney and other midcard babyfaces.

Soon, he crossed paths with Morrison and the two became allies, in spite of their very different demeanours. And yet, Miz's high-volume toxicity somehow complemented Morrison's downbeat musings, and the two played well off of each other, in *and* out of the ring.

Without this connection, it's hard to imagine either man having the career that they did. You could especially argue that The Miz doesn't have this 14-year golden run in WWE without ending up on ECW, in what felt at the time to be a throwaway move.

2. Braun Strowman (2016 Post-Show Draft)

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In nine months time, he'd be overturning an ambulance with Roman Reigns inside. But in July 2016, Strowman wasn't anywhere near the main event - nor (fans and critics felt) should he be.

An inexperienced monster who was as mean as he was green, Strowman seemed to be little more than another gargantuan that Vince swooned over, only to prove his overall deficiency before long. In that 2016 draft, Strowman was separated from The Wyatt Family, and went a mere 48th overall, behind afterthoughts Jack Swagger, Summer Rae, and Zack Ryder, and aging stars Mark Henry and The Dudley Boyz.

Starting with a slew of classic squash match wins on Raw, Strowman began steadily improving. Eventually, he wasn't booed on sight anymore, and after a feud with Sami Zayn, Strowman developed a clear understanding of how to best portray the monster he was meant to be.

More cheers came when he mangled the oft-booed Reigns, but overall, his feats of inhuman power resonated with a crowd that was dying for *someone* to emerge from the pack. When you're throwing office chairs at someone's face, you're certainly going to stand out.

Getting Strowman away from The Wyatt Family felt in some ways like a last ditch effort to find something productive for Braun to do. All it did was lead him to a role that very, very few others could play well.

1. Daniel Bryan (2011 Supplemental Pick)

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At the onset of 2011, Bryan reigned as United States champion over on Raw, but it's not like he was the cultural tour de force he'd eventually be.

Instead, Bryan was far more understated and underutilized, a humble grappler next door that still entered to the more straightforward version of the famed Wagner overture.

Basically, it was as if WWE forgot they even had a United States title, which we can't rule out, before realizing the title existed, so they had him drop it to Sheamus. This was the year the pair's match was shunted down to the WrestleMania pre-show, remember.

Few would've guessed just how the next year of Bryan's career would play out, especially when he crossed over to SmackDown in the secondary part of the 2011 Draft.

It took some time before Bryan achieved his next major feat, that being his procurement of the Money in the Bank briefcase. From there, it was a dizzying array of highs and lows: the cash-in, the heel turn, the 18-second loss, anger management, the face turn, the unfathomable popularity, and then, WrestleMania 30.

Three years earlier, Bryan seemed like just another vessel tucked deep in the fleet, especially with his meek movement in that year's Draft. But, just like the others in this video, that movement was quite a harbinger for bigger things to come.