Draft thoughts, part 1

With one of the most conversation worthy weeks behind us, I want to take a look at the so-called draft that WWE put out. I’m not even going to mention how I think that having computer generated picks is a mockery and insult to legitimate drafts(Well, I just did), but I will give my opinions and thoughts on the picks that the computer “randomly” generated.

Tri-Brand Draft, part 1-RAW

Out of all the brands, RAW got the best deal coming out of the draft, and that’s no surprise. Let’s take a look at how this worked out for WWE’s flagship show:

RAW Loses (in order):

The Great Khali, Torrie Wilson, Chris Masters, Ric Flair, Kenny Dykstra, Viscera, Victoria, Eugene, Johnny Nitro

Basically, what we have here is RAW losing a limited monster, eye candy (and I use that loosely), a muscle head, an old man, a talented up and comer, the world’s largest lover, one of the best women wrestlers, a mentally challenged character, and a cocky rising star.
Sounds like a mixed bag, huh?

Well, in my opinion losing Khali, Masters, Wilson, Flair, Viscera and Eugene really helps RAW. You lose a monster in Khali, but that opens the door for Umaga to return to form as a smashmouth killing machine. The pre-taping of Smackdown also ensures that Khali won’t pull an Iron Sheik (random f-bombs) as he has done in the past. Masters switching brands only helps him, as he has a fresh group of Cruiserweights to lock into his full-nelson “Master-lock,” and the promise of fresh feuds with guys like Matt Hardy, and possibly Hardcore Holly. Master’s loss, however, make one less heel on RAW for the recently crowned Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella.
Flair leaving is great for RAW, definitively killing the Carlito-Flair feud and any possibility of a re-occurance with either Carlito or Foley. It does hurt the brand, though, as that’s one less wrestler who could make almost anyone look good. Val Venis is probably stoked to have his RAW jobber duty back. The losses of Viscera and Eugene aren’t that pivotal. I will say, however, that I thought Viscera and Val Venis were one of the most under-utilized tag teams in recent years, as I believe they could’ve had quite the impact. Like Torrie Wilson, the switch of Eugene will have basically no effect at all. Eugene has been used in recent months as a dark match crowd warmer, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

RAW gains (in order):

King Booker & Queen Sharmell, Bobby Lashley, Snitsky, Ken Kennedy, Paul London & Brian Kendrick, The Sandman, Daivari, William Regal, Jillian Hall

There are two picks here which make no sense to me, and that’s the Sandman and Daivari. Why anyone would move these two from their previous brands is a loss to me. The Sandman is only with the WWE because of the re-birth of ECW. Though I’m sure he’s loving the larger paychecks, I’m not so sure taking him off the brand serves any real purpose. The Sandman’s best work these days, and honestly ever, is done in “Extreme Rules” matches in which weapons are illegal. Barring the DDT and the Heineken-Rana, he has a very limited moveset without a Singapore Cane. Not to mention his status as an “ECW Original” maintained what little credibility the new ECW had with old-school fans. Daivari, while being a good wrestler, is limited in possibilities on RAW. He’s much better suited on ECW with some smaller roster members, like Little Guido or Matt Striker, or on Smackdown with the Cruiserweights. But it’s likely he was forced to RAW to prevent any question of why he wasn’t translating for the Great Khali. Even though a Khali attack on Daivari could have led to a great face turn and a possible Cruiserweight title reign.
When it comes to the other choices, there is nothing but benefit for RAW. King Booker, when he returns, is a solid heel who could hold his own with Cena both in and out of the ring. Booker’s reactions to Cena’s stale sexual preference jokes might actually freshen up the Champ’s bad jokes. Bobby Lashley has somewhat proven his ability to win over a crowd. The question is whether or not he can do it against a lesser presence than “Evil” McMahon. His arrival on RAW allows him the chance to feud with other young up and comers like Randy Orton, or even the recent acquisitions like Ken Kennedy and William Regal. Kennedy will be a breath of fresh air for the show, as we haven’t seen a true rising star on the show since Cena switched brands and his character fell flat on it’s face. Hopefully, Kennedy will follow a different path. Regal, on the other hand is a versatile wrestler capable of seamless movement throughout the card. I could see him feuding for the IC title, or teaming up with King Booker or even helping Armando Estrada with Umaga.
London and Kendrick are possibly the best of the draw for RAW, as their devil may care style will mesh perfectly with Matt and Jeff Hardy, if WWE continues to ignore that Matt’s actually on Smackdown. Even so, L&K are well suited to work with the RAW tag scene, and the possibility of a feud with the World’s Greatest Tag Team could take both teams to new levels.
This leaves us with Snitsky and Jillian Hall. Snitsky has very little promise, in my opinion, but I could see him feuding with John Cena after a few months of build. Like so many before, I could also see Snitsky feuding for the Intercontinental Title. Honestly, if Santino were to overcome the challenge of Snitsky or Regal it could do wonders for his in-ring credibility. Fans might begin to take him seriously. Jillian Hall, in my opinion, is a waste of airtime, but we may see her latching onto Carlito or another mid-level heel to try and spice up the character. I predict she gets more airtime than she’s worth. Much like Miss Brooks in TNA.

Overall, RAW gets a fair cut from the “computer-generated” draft. They lose some young guns, and a couple of big men. While Snitsky will basically replace Khali, RAW does get some versatility in Regal and Booker and some depth in the middle with London & Kendrick, Lashley & Regal. Not to mention they get the fastest rising star in wrestling today with Ken Kennedy. If the booking is as exciting as the roster, RAW will be quite the show. But that’s a big if.

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