Random WWE Draft Thoughts 4/26/11
Posted by Dom Mucciacciaro on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Under: Random Thoughts
Last night was WWE's annual draft and it really shook things up. The foundations of both shows have really been rocked. I think I am more satisfied with this year's draft than I have been in more recent years. I wanna get right down to breaking down the picks...
John Cena drafted to Smackdown.: When this was announced, I immediately thought that Orton was going to take over RAW and Cena would soon start a feud with Del Rio on Smackdown. I thought it was a gutsy move and I was all for it.
Rey Mysterio drafted to RAW.: They have drafted Mysterio to RAW in the past but it kind of worked against them. Back then, once Mysterio went to RAW, WWE noticed a significant drop of in Latino viewers for Smackdown. I think they have to consider this again. I know Sin Cara can replace Mysterio, but he doesn't talk and I'm worried the fans may not be able to get behind him like they have gotten behind Mysterio. Other than that, I really don't mind this move. Mysterio can have a fresh feud with Miz that could be pretty good. There is really a lot for Mysterio to do on RAW, while he's pretty much done it all on Smackdown.
Randy Orton drafted to Smackdown.: When this was announced, I was shocked and excited. At that point Cena was still drafted to Smackdown, so I saw this as a major opportunity for guys like Morrison and Bourne to get to the top. I would like to see Orton start off his time on Smackdown feuding with Cody Rhodes. Cody is at a point right now where he really needs to work with a mega star that will help him break through into the main event. After that, Orton can start looking for the title again. Cody and Orton definitely have some history that has never really been dealt with, so it could happen.
Mark Henry drafted to Smackdown.: At first I thought this was a waste of a televised draft pick. Mark Henry hasn't been doing much lately so I figured they shouldn't have made a big deal about him getting drafted. However, he made a big splash in the main event, and it all made sense. Turning Mark Henry heel and moving him to Smackdown turned out to be a great move. Now I can see Christian winning the World title, and feuding with Mark Henry, which is refreshing and new.
Sin Cara drafted to Smackdown.: Well this move made a lot of sense. First, you now have Mysterio on RAW, so someone needed to take his place on Smackdown. Also, there has been a lot of talk about his botches, which can be cleaned up on a pre-taped show. He had kind of been appearing on both shows so they really could have just put him on Smackdown without saying anything, but the draft does make him seem like more of a big deal.
Big Show drafted to RAW.: So far this is the only move I really don't care about. The Tag Team champions appear on both shows anyway, and now we have interbrand champions, which kind of insures they split after they lose the titles. I don't really see what big show it going to do on RAW, except maybe feud with the New Nexus. Only problem with that is it would probably be the same as when he feuded with the Straight Edge Society.
Alberto Del Rio drafted to RAW.: Another really shocking move here. On Smackdown, Del Rio was a big fish in a small pond, but now on RAW, he has to contend with Miz and CM Punk. That doesn't mean I have a problem with this move. I actually like it a lot. That competition with three top heels on one show could create a very interesting dynamic. Personally, I'd like to see Miz, Del Rio, and Punk team up against John Cena. I could see them as a group similar to the Legion of Doom in the Justice League comics. Kind of interesting that they didn't bring Brodus Clay over with him though.
John Cena drafted back to RAW.: This was a really weird move and made the original draft pick worthless. I think it also kind of guaranteed that Christian wins the World title on Sunday. I don't see WWE having two champions on one show, without the Money in the Bank to move a title over to the other show. Also, I think once someone is drafted, their name should be removed from the draft pool.
Supplemental Draft.: I'm going to talk about this draft as a whole because not every pick is important enough to talk about. Daniel Bryan being drafted to Smackdown was interesting. He started getting kind of goofy on RAW and lost his direction, so maybe he can refocus on Smackdown. Jack Swagger being drafted to RAW doesn't really make a difference to me since he's been on both shows recently anyway. He was drafted to RAW before and left after winning the World title. Yoshi Tatsu being drafted to Smackdown should work out well for him. Smackdown seems like it would be a better fit for Yoshi. It's a younger show and more wrestling based. Drew McIntyre being drafted to RAW was a good move. He really needs a fresh start after months of just existing on Smackdown. Also, RAW seems like it has guys that Drew could do better work with. Kofi Kingston being drafted to RAW is another good move. He is another guy who desperately needs a fresh start, and last time he was a RAW superstar he looked to be breaking into the main event. Ted Dibiase to Smackdown was the most necessary move of the whole draft. He needs to start over in the worst way. Being drafted to Smackdown worked wonders for Ted's former stable-mate Cody Rhodes, and it should be helpful for him too. Alex Riley to Smackdown was really shocking. It was needed if they were ever going to get Riley away from the Miz, but I worry if it's too soon to send Riley on his own. Beth Phoenix to RAW makes a lot of sense with Kharma debuting soon. Kharma is big and dominant, and Beth is probably the only one who can come close to matching her power. Kind of funny that they have the same finisher. Sheamus to Smackdown is a decent move. Sheamus needs new people to work with and Smackdown is short on top heels right now, so Sheamus can make another run to the top. The only problem this creates is that we now have the Intercontinental and United States titles on the same show. Are we going to get a new title on RAW? Will either Sheamus or Wade Barrett lose their title on Sunday?
The moves I didn't mention could be pretty good but probably won't make too much of a difference. Anyway, watch out for my next blog previewing this Sunday's Extreme Rules. Until next time...
John Cena drafted to Smackdown.: When this was announced, I immediately thought that Orton was going to take over RAW and Cena would soon start a feud with Del Rio on Smackdown. I thought it was a gutsy move and I was all for it.
Rey Mysterio drafted to RAW.: They have drafted Mysterio to RAW in the past but it kind of worked against them. Back then, once Mysterio went to RAW, WWE noticed a significant drop of in Latino viewers for Smackdown. I think they have to consider this again. I know Sin Cara can replace Mysterio, but he doesn't talk and I'm worried the fans may not be able to get behind him like they have gotten behind Mysterio. Other than that, I really don't mind this move. Mysterio can have a fresh feud with Miz that could be pretty good. There is really a lot for Mysterio to do on RAW, while he's pretty much done it all on Smackdown.
Randy Orton drafted to Smackdown.: When this was announced, I was shocked and excited. At that point Cena was still drafted to Smackdown, so I saw this as a major opportunity for guys like Morrison and Bourne to get to the top. I would like to see Orton start off his time on Smackdown feuding with Cody Rhodes. Cody is at a point right now where he really needs to work with a mega star that will help him break through into the main event. After that, Orton can start looking for the title again. Cody and Orton definitely have some history that has never really been dealt with, so it could happen.
Mark Henry drafted to Smackdown.: At first I thought this was a waste of a televised draft pick. Mark Henry hasn't been doing much lately so I figured they shouldn't have made a big deal about him getting drafted. However, he made a big splash in the main event, and it all made sense. Turning Mark Henry heel and moving him to Smackdown turned out to be a great move. Now I can see Christian winning the World title, and feuding with Mark Henry, which is refreshing and new.
Sin Cara drafted to Smackdown.: Well this move made a lot of sense. First, you now have Mysterio on RAW, so someone needed to take his place on Smackdown. Also, there has been a lot of talk about his botches, which can be cleaned up on a pre-taped show. He had kind of been appearing on both shows so they really could have just put him on Smackdown without saying anything, but the draft does make him seem like more of a big deal.
Big Show drafted to RAW.: So far this is the only move I really don't care about. The Tag Team champions appear on both shows anyway, and now we have interbrand champions, which kind of insures they split after they lose the titles. I don't really see what big show it going to do on RAW, except maybe feud with the New Nexus. Only problem with that is it would probably be the same as when he feuded with the Straight Edge Society.
Alberto Del Rio drafted to RAW.: Another really shocking move here. On Smackdown, Del Rio was a big fish in a small pond, but now on RAW, he has to contend with Miz and CM Punk. That doesn't mean I have a problem with this move. I actually like it a lot. That competition with three top heels on one show could create a very interesting dynamic. Personally, I'd like to see Miz, Del Rio, and Punk team up against John Cena. I could see them as a group similar to the Legion of Doom in the Justice League comics. Kind of interesting that they didn't bring Brodus Clay over with him though.
John Cena drafted back to RAW.: This was a really weird move and made the original draft pick worthless. I think it also kind of guaranteed that Christian wins the World title on Sunday. I don't see WWE having two champions on one show, without the Money in the Bank to move a title over to the other show. Also, I think once someone is drafted, their name should be removed from the draft pool.
Supplemental Draft.: I'm going to talk about this draft as a whole because not every pick is important enough to talk about. Daniel Bryan being drafted to Smackdown was interesting. He started getting kind of goofy on RAW and lost his direction, so maybe he can refocus on Smackdown. Jack Swagger being drafted to RAW doesn't really make a difference to me since he's been on both shows recently anyway. He was drafted to RAW before and left after winning the World title. Yoshi Tatsu being drafted to Smackdown should work out well for him. Smackdown seems like it would be a better fit for Yoshi. It's a younger show and more wrestling based. Drew McIntyre being drafted to RAW was a good move. He really needs a fresh start after months of just existing on Smackdown. Also, RAW seems like it has guys that Drew could do better work with. Kofi Kingston being drafted to RAW is another good move. He is another guy who desperately needs a fresh start, and last time he was a RAW superstar he looked to be breaking into the main event. Ted Dibiase to Smackdown was the most necessary move of the whole draft. He needs to start over in the worst way. Being drafted to Smackdown worked wonders for Ted's former stable-mate Cody Rhodes, and it should be helpful for him too. Alex Riley to Smackdown was really shocking. It was needed if they were ever going to get Riley away from the Miz, but I worry if it's too soon to send Riley on his own. Beth Phoenix to RAW makes a lot of sense with Kharma debuting soon. Kharma is big and dominant, and Beth is probably the only one who can come close to matching her power. Kind of funny that they have the same finisher. Sheamus to Smackdown is a decent move. Sheamus needs new people to work with and Smackdown is short on top heels right now, so Sheamus can make another run to the top. The only problem this creates is that we now have the Intercontinental and United States titles on the same show. Are we going to get a new title on RAW? Will either Sheamus or Wade Barrett lose their title on Sunday?
The moves I didn't mention could be pretty good but probably won't make too much of a difference. Anyway, watch out for my next blog previewing this Sunday's Extreme Rules. Until next time...
In : Random Thoughts