Botched Spot

So it really annoys me that the WWE “draft” is still played off as random picks made by the titantron. I would much rather have something where the general managers actually drafted the wrestlers themselves, but then RAW doesn’t have a regular general manager, and maybe it wouldn’t be as interesting with just two shows. Actually it felt kind of weird to me watching the draft without the ECW brand being involved, even though it had only been around for three years!

I thought it was an overall good draft show though, with some good matches, no guest hosts, and without any draft picks wasted on announcers. The only thing that really hurt it in my mind was that the brands seem so integrated now with superstars popping up on both shows so frequently, it seemed less impactful. But for more detailed thoughts:

MOVING TO SMACKDOWN:

Christian: I think this is a great move for Christian and as a peep, I was hoping for it. He barely seemed to show up on RAW after ECW ended, but on Smackdown with their lack of main event faces, I think he’ll get much more exposure. The only downside is that I think with all of Smackdown’s heels it will keep Christian from turning heel for a while, which is the best role for him in my opinion.

Kofi Kingston: After getting that really strong push out of nowhere with that Orton feud, Kofi seemed to completely disappear. I think Smackdown will be much kinder to Kofi, where I have little doubt he will find his way into the main event in the next year.

Big Show: This move was really surprising to me. Not because I didn’t expect Big Show to wind up on Smackdown, but because I thought he was already on Smackdown! I’d like this move more if he didn’t give Teddy that big hug backstage last night- I prefer him as a heel- but I don’t have any problem with it. The thing that bothered me more was ShowMiz breaking up after only being around for a couple of months.

Kelly Kelly: After Mickie was released last week my interest in the divas has taken a major dive. I’m sure Kelly’s nice and all, but honestly I’ve never been a fan of her as a character or wrestler or whatever, and frankly this move seems like it would have been more appropriate for the supplemental draft.

HEADED TO RAW:

Chris Jericho: I think Jericho’s amazing whether he’s on RAW, Smackdown, or NXT (particularly NXT), and while his move to Raw doesn’t really spark my imagination or interest as a fan, I don’t hate it either. I can’t really think of any fresh faces for him to feud with, but he didn’t have that many on Smackdown either.

Edge: The most exciting thing to me about Edge’s draft was his spear on Orton at the end of the show. I’ve been patiently waiting for him to turn heel since his return at the Royal Rumble, and if this spear signifies a heel turn I’ll be willing to overlook Raw’s abundance of main eventers.

John Morrison: I think this will be a good move for John as he was kind of spinning his wheels on Smackdown. I’m not sure the dense main event scene at RAW will give him much room to break through, but I’d be up for watching an extended feud with Miz. I do think it’s strange that he won’t be on the same brand as the Straight Edge Society now that his old tag partner Joey Mercury is supposedly joining it.

R-Truth: I want to like R-Truth. I don’t hate him, but he does a lot of stuff I’m not into. Like rapping and flipping. Anyway… I think he’ll get lost in the midcard, but at the end of the day will still put smiles on a lot of fans faces. And what’s more important than that?

SUPPLIMENTALLY SPEAKING…

Cody Rhodes: I’m not sure what Cody was hoping to happen to him by the time Legacy broke up, but I’m fairly positive getting drafted to Smackdown as part of the supplemental draft wasn’t part of it. I guess this son isn’t fortunate enough to join Ted’s upcoming stable, but he’ll probably have a decent chance at breaking out on Smackdown.

Chavo Guerrero: I hate to say it, but with spring cleaning coming around I wasn’t really expecting to see Chavo show up in a WWE ring again. Maybe something will happen with Hornswoggle or Vickie being there, but it’s not the use of Chavo I’d like to see.

Chris Masters: The only time he really shows up on RAW is to flex his pecs at guest hosts… There aren’t any guest hosts on Smackdown, so I’m not sure what he’s going to do. He could have a decent feud with Dolph Ziggler to see who has the most outdated finishing move.

Hornswoggle: Reunited with Finlay? I think so! I’m so unbelievably over Hornswoggle.

Rosa Mendes: I’m really surprised that Zack Ryder wasn’t drafted to Smackdown. As for his girlfriend Rosa… maybe she can be Beth Phoenix’s intern again?

MVP: This move makes a lot of sense. I’m glad MVP’s back on the blue brand and hopefully this time he can avoid losing streaks and work his way back up the card. I’m sure he can do it on Smackdown.

The Great Khali and Ranjin Singh: Uh… I thought Khali was done with WWE? I’ll be surprised if he ever lumbers his way to a ring before the next draft or afterwards.

The Hart Dynasty: It amazes me how much Bret has gotten these guys over. Since they’re the unified tag champs, it doesn’t seem to really matter which show they are officially “on”, and being one of the few tag teams anyway, they probably have equally good chances of making it on either brand.

Ezekiel Jackson: Big Zeke’s out with an injury and maybe by the time he comes back he’ll be able to muster some kinda push as a monster heel like Sheamus …or Mike Knox and Vladimir Kozlov.

Goldust: Goldust is a hell of a worker and was a integral part of the attitude era. But in this day and age I’m really not sure what purpose he serves. I’m guessing his presence on RAW will have less to do with wrestling matches and more to do with guest host interaction, which may be the best way he can be used.

So even though there weren’t a lot of huge shake ups or anything, I think it was a good draft. I wish CM Punk was drafted in order to have some fresh feuds, but other than that I got all of my wishes!