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WALKING THE AISLE: A DEEPER LOOK INTO MY DRAFT

In my last “Walking the Aisle” I took a look at what I’d do if I ran WWE creative and had to plan the draft.  The focus, to me, needed to be on creating an environment where young talent could flourish.  In this column, mere hours away from M onday Night Raw, I’m going to dive into my draft philosophy and why things resulted in the way they did.  But, before I go any further, let me refresh your memory on how each roster’s top tier looked.

Raw
Faces:  John Cena, Undertaker, HBK, HHH, and Finlay
Heels:  Ed ge, The Big Show, Batista (turn), M VP (turn), and M ark Henry

Smackdown
Faces:  Jeff Hardy, C M Punk, Rey M ysterio, M r. Kennedy, and Christian
Heels:  Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, M att Hardy (changed since last column), Umaga, and Jack Swagger

ECW
Faces:  Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston, Greg ory Helms, and DJ Gabriel
Heels:  John M orrison, Chavo Guerrero, The Brian Kendrick, and Tyson Kidd

Now, as I sat down with pen in hand ready to formulate a plan, I decided there were four realities heading into the draft that I couldn’t look past.  First, I thought about how HHH took a year off of Raw when he didn’t want to.  The boss’ son-in-law sucked it up and I think he’s going back to the “A-Show”.  Secondly, even though I wanted to move him, John Cena is the company’s poster boy and I don’t think he’s leaving Raw. 

Speaking of Raw, the WWE always has and always will treat the show as their #1 brand.  M yNetworkTV reaped the benefits of great talent for their debut season, but I expect Raw to be given the top names once again.  Finally, I think there are certain talents out there that fans see as close to top shelf, but the office doesn’t feel that way quite yet.

It’s this last point, to me, that was the most important and main theme behind most of all my changes.  I kept saying to myself one thing over and over:  “This draft is going to be about short term sacrifices for long term gains.”  I wondered what I could do with each roster that could truly change the WWE, not this year, but for the next 3-5 years. 

That thought and the above realities, led me to shape Smackdown as a breeding ground for superstars who are close to being headliners and need just 6 months-1 year of consistent seasoning at the top.  Think about it; if C M Punk, Jack Swagger, Jeff Hardy, and some others are drafted to or stay on Raw, do you really think they’d be on the top of the card by year’s end?  I don’t.  I think they’d get a shot here and there, but ultimately when Wrestle M ania XXVI came around, we’d be stuck with the same main events yet again.  M oving them to the same brand, along with some solid veterans/headliners, allows them to get main event TV appearances and pay-per-view shots for months at a time.  It gives them 8-10 months of proving themselves as top guys, before M ania begins taking some shape.

Just looking at some match possibilities is exciting:  Orton vs. Jeff Hardy, Jericho vs. Hardy or Christian, Swagger vs. all the faces, or Orton vs. Kennedy.  How about Legacy running rampant on Friday nights and giving Dibiase and Rhodes the ball?  I could go on, but you get the point.  Smackdown would be full of new main event talent and some of the best in the business (Orton, Jericho , M ysterio).  If Vince M c M ahon isn’t comfortable with Christian as champ just yet, then at least Christian could get a shot at Orton or Jericho to prove himself while not “sacrificing” the top brand.  Even more exhilarating is that even though Kennedy and Umaga are banged up, the mid-card still has its share of excellent talent to “hold the fort down” until those two get back.  M ore chances for more talent.

The same theory goes for ECW, but tenfold.  I think the WWE is on the right path with having mostly young talent on Tuesday nights and that’s why I’d keep Bourne, Kidd, and Gabriel where they are.  Aside from the great matches that they could provide, it’d give them a real chance to work on their character development. 

However, with the idea of elevating talent to the top, I’d add guys who have the potential to be big players on the other two brands within 18 months-2 years.  That’s where M orrison, Kingston , and Kendrick come in.  These three could lead the way and help bring along the even younger talent.  And with not having the small guy stigma put on this brand, you could leave the wily Tommy Dreamer right where he is to follow through on his storyline.

The final roster to dissect is Raw.  In my mind’s eye I see Raw as the biggest challenge when it comes to writing the actual shows.  There are a lot of guys that have histories, have been on the same brand, and would want their deserved TV time.  But, there is definitely some honest to goodness shots at some great story telling if things are done right.  Who wouldn’t want to sink their teeth into another Undertaker vs. HBK story?  How about Ed ge vs. HBK?  Batista vs. HHH?  Some of the matches have been done before, but there’s enough time in between to make them desirable.  And once again, looking at pushing the younger talent, M VP would be thrown into a main event mix that could elevate him to a superstar level within six moths.

The ultimate payoff of all these moves would happen over the next 3-5 years, when the main event talent would be deeper than ever before.  The top tier:  HHH, Cena, Ed ge, Orton, The Big Show, Undertaker, HBK, Batista, and Jericho .  The new established main event talent:  C M Punk, Jeff Hardy, Jack Swagger, Christian, M r. Kennedy, Dibiase/Rhodes, and M VP.  And finally, the guys who are a year away from newly established main event status:  Tyson Kidd, Evan Bourne, John M orrison, and Brian Kendrick.  That’s 21 main event talents within two years.  Even if a couple guys retire, you could still call WWE “ All State ” because they’d be in good hands.

So, there it is, a thorough explanation at why my draft went down the way it did.  When you look at the realities, the opportunities, and the long term, I think it’s a quite logical draft that would allow the WWE the greatest chance to grow.  And we as fans, even if it took a year, would have our chance to enjoy new blood on top for the long haul.  I hope you enjoyed this column, and as always, you can email me at ncattles@gmail.com.  Remember, even with analysis, to suspend your disbelief.