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Well, the next installment of the annual WWE Draft is almost upon us, so I thought I’d offer my two cents on some potential swaps. These aren’t so much predictions as they are suggestions. Basically I’m looking for moves that would help both the Superstar and the brand. Now, over the past few years we’ve seen some significant trades. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, last year we saw every single championship change brands by the end of the whole thing (excluding the ECW Championship and Unified tag titles).
To tell you the truth, I think the main event scene shouldn’t be tinkered with all that much. At this point, the only thing that will freshen up the top of the card is if they elevate new people. Guys like John Cena, Triple H, Batista, Edge, Jericho, Undertaker, Randy Orton, and the like have all feuded so often, with virtually any combination of the face/face, heel/face, heel/heel formula that shifting them around wouldn’t do much good. Besides, I really like what’s going on over on Smackdown at the moment, and I would prefer not messing around with that too much.
Anyway, the draft has become an interesting enough show that I think it can carry itself by its name alone. They don’t necessarily need to make massive moves to get people to watch. Besides, I’d like to see them focus more on moving around upper midcard guys who just can’t catch a break on the show they’re on. Hopefully a chance of scenery could be all they need to break the proverbial glass ceiling.
From Raw to Smackdown:
Christian – Ever since Christian returned to WWE and debuted on ECW, everybody went on and on about how this was a political move to punish him for going to TNA all those years ago. I insisted that this was actually good for Christian, as he was the star of the show, a long running “World” champion in the midst of a period in which the other World championships were changing monthly, and he was essentially guaranteed a spot on a PPV card. Well guess what? Now he’s on Raw, and not only is he lost in the shuffle, but he’s not even featured on every single show. He isn’t part of any feuds and he’s not going to be participating at the upcoming Pay-Per-View. Still think this “promotion” was a good thing?
My suggestion would be to move this guy onto Smackdown, where he can start interacting with guys like Chris Jericho, CM Punk, and Edge. I’d love a three way feud between these two. Or hell, why not have him form a loose alliance with Edge as they feud with the Straight Edge Society? Or Chris Jericho and Swagger? This is one guy that DEFINITELY belongs on the blue show.
Kofi Kingston – At least one moderately big name from each show will change, and since I don’t think it’ll be Randy Orton (although I do think that’s a possibility), I Kofi might fit the bill. Let’s be honest, just a few months ago he was getting the strongest push we’ve seen in years. Now he’s basically become fodder for main eventers and semi-main eventers. A move to Smackdown, where competition amongst the full time top faces is a lot lighter, could be good for him. Plus I’d love to see him feud with CM Punk. A face/face match with Rey Mysterio would be pretty great as well.
Cody Rhodes – The Legacy feud is pretty much done with, and both Orton and DiBiase have already moved on. They took Rhodes off television, I presume, because they have no idea what to do with him. So why not move him to Smackdown and pair him up with his brother Goldust?
MVP – MVP’s move to Raw has got to be considered a huge failure. Since being traded to the flagship program, I don’t recall him coming out of a single feud with the upper hand. He may not have been in line for a World title push, but he certainly had some nice momentum for him on Smackdown. Perhaps he can recapture that following a return to the brand he originally debuted on.
Gail Kim – I’m giving up one of the Smackdown Divas, so this is just to event things up. Anyway, she’s clearly behind Eve, Melina, and even Kelly Kelly in the babyface pecking order on Raw, so why not move her to Smackdown where she’s got slightly less competition, especially with Mickie gone.
Chavo Guerrero – Since his comedy routine with Hornswoggle and the Raw Guest Hosts seems to have finished, Chavo has pretty much floundered on the red brand. So why not move him over to Smackdown and reunite him with his aunt Vickie?
From Smackdown to Raw:
Batista – The guy has appeared on Raw more than Smackdown anyway, so why not officially make him a part of that roster? Besides, Smackdown already has a plethora of high profile heels, so his presence there isn’t completely necessary. Plus Raw could use a new top heel.
R-Truth – Why not? While he’s been featured in several feuds and even competed for the championship in the Elimination Chamber, R-Truth just never set the world on fire on Smackdown. Besides, his entrance might work better with the live Raw audience. I’m not a huge fan, but I think a one-on-one feud with Miz for the U.S. title has potential. And actually, way down the line, I wouldn’t mind seeing R-Truth turn heel and have a short feud with Cena, focused on the “I am what you used to be” theme.
Finlay – When was the last time this guy even appeared on television? If that’s not enough of a reason for a change of scenery, I don’t know what is. Besides, with Shawn Michaels gone and DX now done with, this seems like the perfect time to reunite him with Hornswoggle.
Shad – When tag teams break up, they’re usually divided so that they can redevelop themselves. Shad’s the bigger of the two – physically speaking – so I imagine he’ll get the more sizable push. What better way than to send him to the flagship show?
Tiffany – There’s usually at least one Diva swap, and, to be honest, I just want Tiffany and Kelly Kelly on the same brand. I love those two!
A final note – I really, REALLY hope they don’t split up the Straight Edge Society. Every year they seem to break up a unit, whether it’s a faction, tag team, or manager/Superstar combination, and it doesn’t seem to benefit either individual all that much. Or it ends up being the end of the road for one of them (examples: Splitting up Hardy/Shannon Moore, The Brian Kendrick/Zeke, Christian/Tomko, Festus/Jesse, just to name a few). Punk would be fine wherever he goes, but Gallows and Serena are starting to get a little recognition now, and would drown without him. I also think they’re better off on Smackdown, where things seem a little freer and less political (unless you don’t dress nice or shake people’s hands or whatever the hell Punk did to get his title reign cut off).
Also, I wouldn’t be surprised to see all three members of the Hart Dynasty move to Raw. They’re being pushed as the next challengers for the tag straps, and WWE is likely more committed to showcasing that feud primarily on Raw. Plus, if they continue to use Bret – even sporadically – I imagine they’ll want to feature him on their “main” show. Or, at the very least, their live one.
And finally, the biggest X-Factor, in my view, is Randy Orton. He’s pretty hot as a face right now, but will he honestly usurp John Cena as the top face on Raw? I highly doubt it. Sure, he sparks a huge reaction at the moment, but right now Cena is their golden child – and rightfully so. He’s a proven draw, and despite the huge backlash against him, people do tune in to watch him, and people do pay for his merchandise. So no, I don’t see him taking over for Cena. I think it’s pretty remarkable that he’s seemingly surpassed Triple H. So a move to Smackdown could be a possibility, and a distinct one since he’s challenging for their top prize at the upcoming Pay-Per-View. But, selfishly, I’m not sure I want this move to happen, mostly because I dig Edge as a face, and I don’t want him shunted down the card because of somebody who is, to me, far less interesting and entertaining. Then again, Edge has been on the Smackdown brand since 2007, so maybe they’re thinking of moving him to Raw (which I hope isn’t the case).
To tell you the truth, I think the main event scene shouldn’t be tinkered with all that much. At this point, the only thing that will freshen up the top of the card is if they elevate new people. Guys like John Cena, Triple H, Batista, Edge, Jericho, Undertaker, Randy Orton, and the like have all feuded so often, with virtually any combination of the face/face, heel/face, heel/heel formula that shifting them around wouldn’t do much good. Besides, I really like what’s going on over on Smackdown at the moment, and I would prefer not messing around with that too much.
Anyway, the draft has become an interesting enough show that I think it can carry itself by its name alone. They don’t necessarily need to make massive moves to get people to watch. Besides, I’d like to see them focus more on moving around upper midcard guys who just can’t catch a break on the show they’re on. Hopefully a chance of scenery could be all they need to break the proverbial glass ceiling.
From Raw to Smackdown:
Christian – Ever since Christian returned to WWE and debuted on ECW, everybody went on and on about how this was a political move to punish him for going to TNA all those years ago. I insisted that this was actually good for Christian, as he was the star of the show, a long running “World” champion in the midst of a period in which the other World championships were changing monthly, and he was essentially guaranteed a spot on a PPV card. Well guess what? Now he’s on Raw, and not only is he lost in the shuffle, but he’s not even featured on every single show. He isn’t part of any feuds and he’s not going to be participating at the upcoming Pay-Per-View. Still think this “promotion” was a good thing?
My suggestion would be to move this guy onto Smackdown, where he can start interacting with guys like Chris Jericho, CM Punk, and Edge. I’d love a three way feud between these two. Or hell, why not have him form a loose alliance with Edge as they feud with the Straight Edge Society? Or Chris Jericho and Swagger? This is one guy that DEFINITELY belongs on the blue show.
Kofi Kingston – At least one moderately big name from each show will change, and since I don’t think it’ll be Randy Orton (although I do think that’s a possibility), I Kofi might fit the bill. Let’s be honest, just a few months ago he was getting the strongest push we’ve seen in years. Now he’s basically become fodder for main eventers and semi-main eventers. A move to Smackdown, where competition amongst the full time top faces is a lot lighter, could be good for him. Plus I’d love to see him feud with CM Punk. A face/face match with Rey Mysterio would be pretty great as well.
Cody Rhodes – The Legacy feud is pretty much done with, and both Orton and DiBiase have already moved on. They took Rhodes off television, I presume, because they have no idea what to do with him. So why not move him to Smackdown and pair him up with his brother Goldust?
MVP – MVP’s move to Raw has got to be considered a huge failure. Since being traded to the flagship program, I don’t recall him coming out of a single feud with the upper hand. He may not have been in line for a World title push, but he certainly had some nice momentum for him on Smackdown. Perhaps he can recapture that following a return to the brand he originally debuted on.
Gail Kim – I’m giving up one of the Smackdown Divas, so this is just to event things up. Anyway, she’s clearly behind Eve, Melina, and even Kelly Kelly in the babyface pecking order on Raw, so why not move her to Smackdown where she’s got slightly less competition, especially with Mickie gone.
Chavo Guerrero – Since his comedy routine with Hornswoggle and the Raw Guest Hosts seems to have finished, Chavo has pretty much floundered on the red brand. So why not move him over to Smackdown and reunite him with his aunt Vickie?
From Smackdown to Raw:
Batista – The guy has appeared on Raw more than Smackdown anyway, so why not officially make him a part of that roster? Besides, Smackdown already has a plethora of high profile heels, so his presence there isn’t completely necessary. Plus Raw could use a new top heel.
R-Truth – Why not? While he’s been featured in several feuds and even competed for the championship in the Elimination Chamber, R-Truth just never set the world on fire on Smackdown. Besides, his entrance might work better with the live Raw audience. I’m not a huge fan, but I think a one-on-one feud with Miz for the U.S. title has potential. And actually, way down the line, I wouldn’t mind seeing R-Truth turn heel and have a short feud with Cena, focused on the “I am what you used to be” theme.
Finlay – When was the last time this guy even appeared on television? If that’s not enough of a reason for a change of scenery, I don’t know what is. Besides, with Shawn Michaels gone and DX now done with, this seems like the perfect time to reunite him with Hornswoggle.
Shad – When tag teams break up, they’re usually divided so that they can redevelop themselves. Shad’s the bigger of the two – physically speaking – so I imagine he’ll get the more sizable push. What better way than to send him to the flagship show?
Tiffany – There’s usually at least one Diva swap, and, to be honest, I just want Tiffany and Kelly Kelly on the same brand. I love those two!
A final note – I really, REALLY hope they don’t split up the Straight Edge Society. Every year they seem to break up a unit, whether it’s a faction, tag team, or manager/Superstar combination, and it doesn’t seem to benefit either individual all that much. Or it ends up being the end of the road for one of them (examples: Splitting up Hardy/Shannon Moore, The Brian Kendrick/Zeke, Christian/Tomko, Festus/Jesse, just to name a few). Punk would be fine wherever he goes, but Gallows and Serena are starting to get a little recognition now, and would drown without him. I also think they’re better off on Smackdown, where things seem a little freer and less political (unless you don’t dress nice or shake people’s hands or whatever the hell Punk did to get his title reign cut off).
Also, I wouldn’t be surprised to see all three members of the Hart Dynasty move to Raw. They’re being pushed as the next challengers for the tag straps, and WWE is likely more committed to showcasing that feud primarily on Raw. Plus, if they continue to use Bret – even sporadically – I imagine they’ll want to feature him on their “main” show. Or, at the very least, their live one.
And finally, the biggest X-Factor, in my view, is Randy Orton. He’s pretty hot as a face right now, but will he honestly usurp John Cena as the top face on Raw? I highly doubt it. Sure, he sparks a huge reaction at the moment, but right now Cena is their golden child – and rightfully so. He’s a proven draw, and despite the huge backlash against him, people do tune in to watch him, and people do pay for his merchandise. So no, I don’t see him taking over for Cena. I think it’s pretty remarkable that he’s seemingly surpassed Triple H. So a move to Smackdown could be a possibility, and a distinct one since he’s challenging for their top prize at the upcoming Pay-Per-View. But, selfishly, I’m not sure I want this move to happen, mostly because I dig Edge as a face, and I don’t want him shunted down the card because of somebody who is, to me, far less interesting and entertaining. Then again, Edge has been on the Smackdown brand since 2007, so maybe they’re thinking of moving him to Raw (which I hope isn’t the case).
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