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What WWE missed out on in the Draft this year.....totally revamping the company.
First of all.....the WWE really does not need to continue the brand extensions in their current form (in my opinion).
RAW is the #1 WWE show....bar none. Is SmackDown really the second? Can anyone (even WWE) explain why ECW and SmackDown are two separate brands? Performers from both shows appear on both shows and hold each other's titles....Kane won the ECW title as a SmackDown superstar, then got moved permanently to ECW....but John Morrison and Miz won the WWE tag titles while on the ECW roster and stayed? Both shows are taped the same night in the same arena....ECW is shown the same night it is taped (on tape delay) and SmackDown is aired 3 days later.....but SD! is clearly booked to be the #2 show....which is odd because the results for the show are available online on a variety of websites for 3 full days before the show airs.....so why watch?
What could have been done with the draft this year would make the company much more believable (and realistic).
RAW should be where the big, current hot superstars are showcased. SmackDown could be where the younger, hungrier (upper mid) guys get to shine, while facing some seasoned vets and then move up to the big league (RAW). ECW should be the place where new fresh faces are brought in and allowed to make a name and character for themselves (the farm team of WWE TV, per se).
If I had the chance to re-organize WWE, the draft would have been the day to do just that. Let SmackDown continue to tour with ECW and tape shows the way they do, but split the rosters on TV. I'd talk to MyNetwork and either get try to have them broadcast SmackDown live on Tuesday nights or they could take ECW on Fridays and let SciFi broadcast SmackDown for two hours live on Tuesdays....thus allowing two nights back-to-back of live wrestling action from WWE (hey, American Idol does 2-3 nights back to back of live programming and they're the number 1 show on TV when they're on).
So now RAW is the #1 show on live on Mondays, SmackDown would be the #2 show and live on Tuesdays and ECW is the farm show and is on tape for Fridays. I believe more people would want to watch the Friday show if it was a showcase of new fresh faces trying to make a name for themselves that was on tape....the best talent on the #1 and #2 shows should be shown live.
I like mixing the talent up on RAW and SmackDown to freshen up feuds...HHH moving to SmackDown is actually a very wise choice, as he has been on RAW the whole time and this gives his character a chance to change. Same goes for the JR and Michael Cole change. I don't understand moving guys like Jamie Noble, Deuce and Matt Striker to RAW though....first of all, breaking up a team like Deuce and Domino before they actually get the chance to officially break up and have a payoff match against each other makes no sense....and why leave Paul London on RAW when you move Brian Kendrick to SmackDown? Are these guys just being told they're changing brands because the brands need new jobbers? Why move Kane to RAW with the ECW belt? And I thought DH Smith was supposed to be Ted DiBiase Jr.'s mystery partner on RAW, but he got moved to SmackDown? I guess that idea has changed now since it leaked out.
OK, so how would I have done the draft? Simple. First, the title situations...I never understood why the WWE title was on RAW with the World Tag titles and the World title was on SmackDown with the WWE Tag titles...that makes no sense. The World, US & World Tag titles were all originally WCW belts, right? So let them all stay on the #2 show and have the WWE, Intercontinental and WWE tag titles on the #1 show. ECW (the farm league show) would keep the ECW title and the reincarnated Cruiserweight belt. The women's belt should be on SmackDown, in my opinion.
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Draft to RAW:
(the ones they got right)
Batista
CM Punk
Rey Mysterio
Michael Cole
Chuck Palumbo
(the ones I would do)
John Morrison & Miz (WWE Tag Titles come to RAW)
Mark Henry
Finlay
Hornswoggle
Hawkins & Ryder
Kelly Kelly
Mike Knox
Jesse & Festus
Gregory Helms
MVP
======================
Draft to SmackDown!:
(the ones they got right)
HHH (I would've had him surprise drop the title to Jericho)
Jim Ross
Jeff Hardy
Trevor Murdoch
Big Daddy V
Carlito
Umaga
(the ones I would do)
Elijah Burke
Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly (World Tag Titles come to SD!)
Beth Phoenix
Mickie James (Women's Title comes to SD!)
Paul Burchill
Katie Lea Burchill
Melina
Layla
Kofi Kingston
Val Venis
Candice Michelle
William Regal
The Highlanders
Boogeyman
Charlie Haas
======================
Draft to ECW:
(the one they got right)
Super Crazy
(the ones I would do)
Santino Marella
Brian Kendrick
Paul London
Jamie Noble
Ron Killings
Deuce
Domino
Cherry
Jimmy Wang Yang
Kenny Dykstra
Vladimir Kozlov
Shannon Moore
Shelton Benjamin
======================
This would allow for some fresh feuds between top stars, some old faces dwould be allowed to tweak their personas and have the opportunity to face some new faces, and new stars would be allowed to shine.
The main event picture would look like this:
RAW:
Faces: HBK, Batista, CM Punk, Mysterio, Kennedy, Cena
Heels: Mark Henry, MVP, Jericho, JBL, Randy Orton
SD!:
Faces: HHH, Hardyz, Taker, Big Show
Heels: Edge, Umaga, Big Daddy V, Great Khali, Regal
ECW:
Faces: Dreamer, Kane, Ron Killings, Shelton Benjamin (Face Turn)
Heels: Chavo, Bam Neely, Santino Marella, Vladimir Kozlov, Striker
The mid card picture would look like this:
RAW:
Faces: Finlay, Hornswoggle, Hacksaw,
Heels: Palumbo, Knox, Helms, Cade, Snitsky
SD!:
Faces: Kofi, Boogeyman, Haas, Venis
Heels: Elijah, Burchill, Carlito
ECW:
Faces: Kendrick, London, Haas, Moore, Yang, Super Crazy, Richards
Heels: Noble, Deuce, Domino, Dykstra, Nunzio
The tag team picture would look like this:
RAW:
Faces: Cryme Tyme, Jesse & Festus
Heels: Morrison & Miz, Hawkins & Ryder, Ted Dibiase Jr. & ???
SD!:
Faces: Holly & Rhodes, Hardyz
Heel: Highlanders
Now, for me personally, that gives me plenty of new fresh feuds and faces, plus differentiation of brands to make me want to watch all 3 shows weekly. The top names are spread out enough to give TV time to some that have not had it recently and the opportunity is there for the tag team scene to heat back up, too.
What do you think?
Todd G. Oblak
toddoblak@yahoo.com
