The two-night event known as the 2023 WWE Draft has come to an end, and during that epic show…some surprises occurred in the form of some legendary figures who were there to announce the picks throughout the evening. Here are my top five picks of these well-known superstars that we all know and appreciate.
Eric Bischoff & Rob Van Dam
The pairing of Eric Bischoff and Rob Van Dam actually worked, as the two came out to announce a round of picks during the Draft. Both men are not really on WWE television anymore, and it was a treat to see them having a blast out there calling out the names of the talents that were being drafted. Rob Van Dam and Eric Bischoff even did their signature poses at the event. Also, not only did we get Rob Van Dam on night two of the Draft on Raw, but we also got him on night one on Smackdown as well.
Rob and Eric announcing some of the draft picks
Booker T & Queen Sharmell
Now, this one was an absolute treat. It’s always nice to see Queen Sharmell on television. The woman just oozes grace. She was joined by her husband, Booker T, who surprisingly didn’t come out as King Booker. Queen Sharmell gave all of us the poses that she did during the Ruthless Aggression Era that put her on the map when she was side-by-side with Booker T at the time. They were having fun out there, as the couple announced their round of draft picks for the evening.
Booker T and Queen Sharmell standing next to the World Heavyweight Championship
John “Bradshaw” Layfield & Teddy Long
The two people that helped make Smackdown what it is today. JBL who put Smackdown on his back as its champion, and Teddy Long who carried the show as its GM were out there to introduce the crowd to the next round of draft picks during night one of the Draft. And we even got not one…but two of them to pull out their signature dance move.
JBL and Teddy Long back on WWE programming
Molly Holly & “Road Dogg” Jesse James
Even though these two work backstage, it is always enjoyable when they decide to step back on camera. Two important characters during the Attitude Era, Molly and James stood at the podium to make the announcements of their round of draft picks during the event.
James and Molly at the podium during the 2023 WWE Draft
Shawn Michaels
The man with the plan, Shawn Michaels, was so confident that he went solo during the second night of the Draft on Monday Night Raw. Michaels, who is the lead guy on the NXT brand, was at the event two of the two nights. The Heartbreak Kid seemed to be enjoying himself out there even though he had to watch some of his talent being called up to the main roster throughout the show.
Shawn Michaels going at it alone during the Draft, after Adam Pearce had to leave
There you have it, my top five surprise moments from the 2023 WWE Draft in the form of some very familiar faces.
