Thank you for joining us here at VAVEL USA, the brand split has begun, next stop Battleground.
SmackDown ends with Ambrose and the crowd celebrating his victory. A slightly underwhelming show in my opinion, a lack of surprises and NXT presence non existent other than announcements with no showings. Three picks remain for the post Network show which seems a wasted chance, plenty of time for the draft to develop but so far it's not blowing people away.
Out come Shane and Bryan to celebrate as the WWE Championship stays on SmackDown.
Wow, out of nowhere Ambrose defends the title!
Ambrose throwing his body on the line to try and retain the title.
Buckle Bomb from Rollins but he misses a Frog Splash.
Here comes the Ambrose fight back with several shots and clotheslines.
A couple of shots by Ambrose allow him to get involved but a high risk maneuver costs him as Rollins hits a knee to the head and a superkick to almost win the title.
Ambrose is struggling to get any offense in here as Rollins locks in a headlock to the champion.
The match is finally underway and Rollins' attack continue straight away.
It's time for our main event as the WWE Championship is on the line, Rollins attacks Ambrose before the bell even rings.
Raw takes Sheamus
SmackDown pick up Alberto Del Rio, plenty to offer any brand good choice.
Raw takes Cesaro, great choice!
SmackDown now chose Natalya.
Raw takes the returning Neville! Great to see him get a big feature.
Coming up are the final 5 televised picks and the WWE Championship match.
Nia Jax is picked by Raw who are dominating the Women's choices.
Dolph Ziggler goes to SmackDown.
Raw follows that up with the Big Show, that is underwhelming.
SmackDown live picks up American Alpha, huge pop, great pick!
Raw takes the rest of The Club, they wont be with Styles but Balor is also on Raw....
We return with Becky Lynch brawling with Natalya as the officials struggle to keep them apart.
Wow, huge reversal as Cesaro goes for the springboard uppercut but gets caught with a Codebreaker and this one is over.
A Codebreaker is reversed into an uppercut party.
Jericho takes Cesaro out from the top rope with a huge hurricinrana , that was amazing/
Great reversals by both men who are back and forth so far but Y2J seems to be taking the upper hand with some slaps.
Next up is Cesaro - Chris Jericho
Kevin Owens is a wildcard pick? He's been one of the best on the roster for over a year now.
Enzo and Cass are moving to Raw, wow. Raw are certainly getting the better of these picks.
SmackDown choose Baron Corbin, great to see him picked early on.
Raw returns and finally Kevin Owens is picked.... on the same brand as Zayn
SmackDown's hand is forced and they pick The Miz who comes with Maryse, that's all the champions decided upon.
Time for more draft picks and, of course, Raw is up first and they choose Rusev who comes with Lana. Another champion on the red brand.
Banks hits the Bank Statement on Brooke but doesn't know the tag has been made and a Natural Selection see's Charlotte get the victory. Another short match, the theme of the show so far.
Huge double knees from outside of the ring to the floor onto Charlotte but Brooke takes advantage of the distraction and then pounds Banks down.
Brooke and Banks start things off as the Boss throws Brooke into her mentor.
Time for women's action now.
Sasha Banks faces both Charlotte and Dana Brooke next, I wonder if someone will come make a save? She needs a partner for Sunday, this seems a great time to announce that.
Chris Jericho is Raw's last pick for this round, another part time guy for Raw along with Lesnar.
Becky Lynch goes to SmackDown, surely her being the blue brands first women means she will be heavily featured?
Sasha Banks goes to Raw! Wow, Raw get Banks and Charlotte, that is huge.
Following that SmackDown take Bray Wyatt, will his family follow?
Raw takes Sami Zayn straight away.
Draft pick time, let's see who get's taken next.
KO throws Zayn into Kane and the Big Red Monster Chokeslams both men.
Here comes Sami Zayn and the brawl begins without the match even starting.
Kane is in the ring ready for action and he is taking on Kevin Owens who isn't happy he hasn't been drafted yet.
Lots of quick matches so far, they need something to break up the draft picks but still need to fit them in so it makes sense. It's a shame we are not seeing backstage shots of the stars as they get drafted, opportunity missed.
Wyatt quickly responds with a Sister Abigail and just like that, this one is over.
Woods begins to rally after a series of right hands and a knee to the face sends Bray stumbling.
Huge body slam from Wyatt followed by a running senton as Woods struggles to get any offense.
Woods is in a trance as Wyatt talks to him but he finally snaps out and the Face of Fear takes him out with a flurry of punches and kicks.
New Day are out in Raw gear as they have been drafted.
The Wyatt Family are now heading to the ring as Bray Wyatt takes on Xavier Woods. The angle of Woods being scared of them has been brilliantly done and this should only continue that ahead of Sunday.
Another fairly short match that establishes Ryder and Young as threats to the titles ahead of Battleground.
Rusev is taken out of the ring and Ryder nails him with a dropkick from the outside. Back in the ring and Young locks in the Crossface ChickenWing as Miz taps.
Ryder takes down his Battleground opponent and makes the tag as Young and Miz now get into action with the number one contender getting the upper hand and hitting a Gutcheck.
The champions have dominated early on here as Miz works on Ryder, stopping him from making the hot tag.
Raw seem to have had the better of the picks so far in terms of star power. It's now tag team action.
New Day are moving to Raw!
SmackDown respond by picking Lesnar's next opponent, Randy Orton, a veteran for the show smart move.
Steph now picks Brock Lesnar for Raw, wow! Interesting to see they are mentioning him despite current news regarding another failed drug test.
SmackDown hits back with JOHN CENA. What a huge move, Cena is back on SmackDown.
Back to the draft and Mick Foley tells Stephanie she will respect his opinion... before picking Roma Reigns to a chorus of boos.
It should be noted that SmackDown's matches are continuing during the adverts on the USA Network during the adverts, a very cool move. However, I am watching in England and therefore wont see what takes place during them. Whether this is a permanent feature of SmackDown will remain to be seen, it would make them stand out.
Next up it will be a champion - challengers match as Rusev and The Miz team to face Darren Young and Zack Ryder. On the Draft show on the Network, Charlotte has claimed she wants to headline a PPV. With her being a top 5 pick it shows the company is behind her, could it happen?
Enzo and Cass send the Club flying out of the ring and Cena hits the AA to pick up a very quick victory, seems a strange way to build a 'dominant' heel threat.
We are back from the break and Gallows is continuing to dominate his opponent, working on his neck and using his strength and power. Could this be the last time The Club are together on SmackDown?
Gallows instantly takes out Cena as we head to the first break of the evening.
Enzo and Big Cass now make their way to the ring to even up the numbers game on the outside.
After these early choices, it's time for our first match of the night as John Cena makes his way to the ring to take on Luke Gallows.
Raw make the first NXT choice of the night and it's Finn Balor! A top five pick, Balor moves to RAW and gets a huge pop!
SmackDown follow that up with AJ Styles, great choice from the blue brand and an early pick shows how big Styles has become.
Raw now make their second pick and they are taking Charlotte, huge statement about the Women's division here.
SmackDown will now make their first choice and that is.... Dean Ambrose the WWE Champion, huge move as the main title is currently on the blue brand.
Monday Night Raw get the first pick and it is.... Seth Rollins!
It's time, SmackDown Live begins with all the commissioners and GM's at the podiums and the first picks are set to take place straight away.
We are just minutes away from SmackDown Live and we have another two matches confirmed; Xavier Woods - Bray Wyatt and John Cena - Luke Gallows. So far with the three matches announced there is plenty to look forward to here, of course, we also have six NXT talent set to debut.
Along with our live updates here, you can also follow along on our Twitter- @Vavel_Wrestling where updates will be being posted all night. I'll be back just before SmackDown airs for what is promising to be a fantastic night of wrestling.
After yesterday's Raw we also now officially know the GM's for each show. Daniel Bryan will be running things for the blue brand, whilst Mick Foley takes charge of Raw. Two great choices that certainly proved to be popular and we will see what role they play in tonight's draft.
Just under an hour to go and the build is brewing for tonight's SmackDown Live! We will not only see the draft but a WWE Championship match! It was announced earlier after yesterday's draw that Dean Ambrose will defend the belt against Seth Rollins in a re-match from last night.
So be sure to tune in here at VAVEL for updates throughout the entire show regarding who has been drafted, what returns take place and any surprise appearances amongst more on what is set to be a very special and important show. It could be one of the biggest and best two hours of wrestling television this year, you do not want to miss this and we have you covered on everything as it happens, LIVE.
Obviously, the focal point of the entire show is the returning brand split and SmackDown will be playing host to the draft for that split. The rules have been released and the superstars available decided, the only question remains now is who will fall on which show and what will the top picks be? There are so many implications, teams could be split, championships moved, rivals separated, it is something that the WWE Universe is excited about and I don't believe the WWE will let us down here with so much on the line.
Speaking of situations that are less than ideal for the WWE at such an important time, the Roman Reigns suspension couldn't have come at a worse time then when it has. Reigns will not be present on SmackDown as he is still banned until the day prior to Battleground, but he will be involved in the draft, he will get picked by either Raw or SmackDown, but the question is when? Will Reigns still be a top pick, where he lands may show how the company feels about him at this moment in time and how they handle it will be very interesting.
When Brock Lesnar won his match in convincing fashion at UFC 200 everyone believed it would be in WWE's best interest, now after a potential drugs scandal, it is quickly coming back to haunt everyone involved. Most had expected Lesnar to appear on SmackDown, and he is still available as the charges have not been given yet and it is not confirmed he did break any rules in UFC, but the situation is a messy one and could be something that the WWE chooses to simply avoid until SummerSlam. Either way, it is going to be very interesting to see where Lesnar lands in the draft, or if he is going to float between both shows, keeping the company's options for him open.
One of the big talking points regarding the brand split has been whether or not the company has a big enough roster to cope with the demand of two shows being unique, even with the inclusion of some NXT talent. Because of that, the speculation has been constant surrounding potential returns to the company as the WWE has been reportedly contacting old stars to come back. Will we see any returns from the past, it would sure help making this show be one to be remembered.
Even though no matches have been announced at the time of writing, there is sure to be some quality matches taking place on such a historic episode. With the show set to be very promo heavy due to its nature, breaking that up with some strong matches is exactly what needs to happen, and with it being the final time the company has a full roster on a TV show it makes perfect sense.
NXT has been one of the strongest elements of the overall WWE product for over a year now in most hardcore fans minds, and talent such as Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, and Big E have managed to make huge impacts on the main roster and 'takeover.' However, the draft will provide the biggest takeover yet from the developmental system as six picks are eligible in the draft meaning we will see several debuts that are sure to shock the WWE Universe.
One of the main stories heading into not just SmackDown, but the brand split, in general, is the battle between the siblings. Stephanie and Shane McMahon have been pitted against each other by their father, Vince McMahon, to determine who should take control of the company down the line. With Shane the commissioner of SmackDown, he will be hoping to make a good impression on the blue brand and the decisions they both make will be their first chances to impress the Chairman.
Well, it's finally here! After months of talk, speculation, and rumors the draft has arrived and with that comes the first SmackDown Live on its new night, Tuesday. There is a lot of change taking place here but it is exactly what the WWE needs right now and even if it all ends up going wrong down the line, the start is always fun and this episode should be one of the strongest of the year.
Welcome everyone to VAVEL USA's coverage for the first ever SmackDown Live, which, of course, features the return of the brand split with the draft. My name is Matthew Wilkinson and I will be providing minute-by-minute updates throughout the show of all the action, every draft pick and any surprises the WWE decides to throw at us, as well as an in-depth preview, so sit back, relax and enjoy.