Let’s make one thing very clear: In terms of the actual draft part, I’m pretty confident in saying this was the most boring draft episode in history. Of the 30 people listed in the draft pool for Friday night, 24 of them stayed on the same brand, and that is the most charitable possible interpretation. Two of the six who switched brands were Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, who didn’t even make the TV portion of the draft and have been a non-factor in WWE storylines for nearly a year. Another was Andrade, who has only wrestled on “Raw” since return but was most recently involved in the LWO/Legado del Fantasma storyline heading into WrestleMania, meaning him getting drafted to “SmackDown” doesn’t really move the needle. Then there’s Roman Reigns, whom Paul Heyman declared was withdrawing from draft eligibility at the start of the show. When you get right down to it, Friday’s draft was basically a few “NXT” call-ups and Bron Breakker and Nia Jax switching shows.

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THAT HAVING BEEN SAID, I have to specifically shout out Jax being drafted to “SmackDown,” because it’s a legitimately baller move. Since returning to WWE in 2023, Jax has done her thing with every woman on the red brand’s roster; there was no more ground for her to cover on that show, Now, though? Assuming the majority of the “SmackDown” women’s division stays intact (and why should we believe otherwise when hardly anyone is changing brands) Jax now has the opportunity for matches with the likes of Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, and Bianca Belair. She could mix it up with Naomi or Mia Yim, act as the ultimate first challenge when Charlotte Flair comes back, and rekindle her old rivalry with Bayley from “NXT” — this last seems particularly likely to happen sooner rather than later. I also loved that she announced her presence by showing up to wreck a bunch of people and get a women’s title No. 1 contender’s match thrown out, because she’s Nia Jax and that’s what she does.

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If you had told me a year ago that I’d be enjoying Nia Jax’s second WWE run this much, I would never have believe you. Now, she’s the single most exciting draft pick in 2024. Go figure.

Written by Miles Schneiderman