Rollins picked first in WWE Draft; Ambrose retains title

Seth Rollins emerged as the WWE Draft’s first overall pick, going to Raw. Photo by WWE.com

The battle lines have been drawn.

Seth Rollins emerged as the top pick in the WWE Draft, headlining Raw, while current WWE Champion Dean Ambrose went to SmackDown Live Tuesday (Wednesday Manila time) in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The former Shield comrades went first in the return of the brand split as the two battled in the main event for the WWE Title.

After Rollins hit a Superplex, Ambrose hit a Dirty Deeds for the three-count to retain the championship.

The two will face off anew, this time in a triple threat match alongside Roman Reigns at Battleground on Sunday (Monday Manila time).

Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and general manager Mick Foley made the picks for Raw, while commissioner Shane McMahon and general manager Daniel Bryan selected for SmackDown.

For every round, Raw chose three superstars for every two SmackDown selections.

WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte was taken third by Raw, while AJ Styles went fourth to SmackDown.

Finn Balor was finally called up from NXT, going to Raw as the fifth overall pick to close the first round.

Five other selections were made from the developmental ranks, with American Alpha and Nia Jax were picked during the televised draft.

In the second round, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day went to Raw, while SmackDown took former world champions John Cena and Randy Orton.

Overall, 59 selections were made through 11 rounds during the Draft.

Heath Slater was the only active superstar to not be picked by either shows.