Thoughts From The Top Rope 04.15.09: Dissecting the Draft

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 04.15.2009

WWE's Draft is in the books, and while it may seem that Raw got the better acquisition of talent once again, the potential for new feuds and rivalries seems to tell a different story.


The annual WWE Draft is in the books, and one would now imagine that the Brand Extension would come back into effect as Superstars settle into their new homes and the WrestleMania period comes to an end. The only matter left to clear up is that of the World Heavyweight Championship, and one would have to assume that either Edge brings the title back to SmackDown by defeating John Cena at Backlash, or a certain Mr. Money in the Bank will soon becoming a two-time world champion.

So it's essentially the beginning of a new year in the WWE Universe, and that means a slew of new possibilities and new rivalries are on the horizon. Indeed, the Draft has thrown a host of potential fresh feuds into the mix for the upcoming year. So let's take a look at just a few fresh rivalries we may have to look forward to in the coming year thanks to the WWE Draft 2009, and maybe that'll allow us to see who actually got the better of this year's Draft.

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ECW picked up just one draftee Monday night in Vladimir Kozlov, so for the second year in a row they seemingly lose out big time. That said, they only had one Superstar drafted away in The Miz. Furthermore, it doesn't take a whole host of new faces to freshen ECW up as their roster is already very small, and so small changes can make a big difference to the show.


Vladimir Kozlov vs. Christian
It was to the surprise of pretty much everyone that Christian remained on ECW following Monday's Draft, but alas Captain Charisma remains the number one face on ECW and with the arrival of Vladimir Kozlov has surely found himself a new rival. Granted, Kozlov's in-ring ability is somewhat lacklustre, but before either man looks to challenge for the ECW Championship, it's almost inevitable that their paths will cross, and I think it'd make for an intriguing pairing. Kozlov does what he does pretty well and is unique on ECW, and there are few people Christian doesn't have in-ring chemistry with. Christian can also play an underdog role extremely well and thus I can foresee these two having some fun matches sooner rather than later.


Vladimir Kozlov vs. Finlay
And on the other side of the coin, you have Finlay. While I can't see these two putting on anything close to resembling a mat classic with one another, you have to image that they'd be able to have some pretty fun brawls. You may recall Finlay's feud with Mike Knox last year, and if you're like me you'll look back on it fondly as they had some fun matches, and I can see a similar rivalry developing between Finlay and Kozlov, inevitably culminating in a Belfast Brawl where'll both can bring the goods.


John Morrison vs. Christian
While losing The Miz to Raw may seem like a bad thing, it's not actually a great loss for ECW, as it frees up John Morrison as a singles competitor, and regardless, Miz and Morrison spent more time on SmackDown than ECW anyway. Morrison is a tremendous talent and could well ascend to the heights he achieved during his first singles run on ECW after first being drafted there in 2007. Morrison, as a former champ, becomes an immediate contender for the ECW Championship but could also have a fantastic with rivalry with Christian in the near future. Both men are great athletes, great workers and highly charismatic. This feud could be the highlight of ECW in the near future, both in the ring and on the microphone.

Post-ECW Ed's Note: Indeed, Morrison's match with Evan Bourne on ECW last night proved what potential there is in letting Morrison fly solo on ECW. What a match!

Post-Supplemental Draft Ed's Note: And now it's SmackDown that benefits from the potential of a Morrison singles run. Morrison vs. Hardy/Taker/Mysterio/Punk/Jericho/Edge anyone?


So the general consensus is that Raw ran away with the Draft yet again, pillaging SmackDown of all its top talent. But losing the likes of Jericho, Punk, Kane and Rey somewhat diminishes its mid-card. Furthermore, the main event scene is still the same, with John Cena, Randy Orton, Triple H and Batista immovable at the top of the card. The glass ceiling that those four create could very well prevent any of the newcomers from having any impact on Raw, and certainly limits the opportunities for fresh feuds at the top of the card. But with that said, there are a couple of potentially fun rivalries that could result in the arrival of new faces on Raw.


Matt Hardy vs. Shawn Michaels
This shift to Raw is truly do or die for Matt Hardy. A couple of big wins over his brother Jeff should see him be taken a lot more seriously and maybe this heel run is what was needed to push Hardy to the next level. That said, it's the follow up that counts; Hardy could just as easily become a jobber-to-the-stars on a show that is loaded with stars. Or, Matt could pick up some big wins and become something close to a main event calibre Superstar. Shawn Michaels is the perfect guy for Hardy to feud with in order for hardy to look like a big deal and a credible performer. You have to imagine Michaels would put Matt over. But perhaps more intriguingly, these two could have some absolutely fantastic matches if given the chance; Hardy has been so consistent in the ring for the past three years and Shawn Michaels is Shawn Michaels – there could be some classics here.


John Cena vs. MVP
MVP was a big pick for Raw, as he is one of those guys who many feel can become a big star in the near future. The guy is loaded with charisma and ability and most importantly of all, he finally seems to be out of whatever hellish doghouse he was in. Unfortunately he has to worry about "doing a Kennedy" and losing all momentum now that he has been turned face. So I'm hoping that sooner rather than later, creative will see that MVP's potential lies with him as a heel, and that would lead to Cena/MVP feud. Both guys are young stars and both have a ton of charisma. A feud between the two could really serve to elevate MVP to the next level and could provide a lot of great moments on the mic and in the ring.


While many seem to think that SmackDown got "raped" again, I look at things a little differently. In acquiring Chris Jericho and CM Punk, they've got two guys who could work in the mid-card or push up to the main event at any moment. Rey Mysterio and Kane further bolster that mid-card and will strengthen the show. Losing Big Show isn't much of a loss, and MVP had pretty much done all that he could on SmackDown given the guys in the main event. Certainly SmackDown's acquisitions look to result in the more interesting and potentially kick-ass rivalries.


Chris Jericho vs. The Undertaker
I think this is a feud that no one would not want to see, and it's bewildering to think that, although the two have been in the company together for a decade, they've never feuded or even, to my knowledge, had a televised one-on-one match. Chris Jericho is one of the very best performers in the business and as a heel has just elevated himself to meteoric levels. Undertaker is one of the biggest names in the company, ridiculously over as a face and arguably is still in his prime in terms of what he can do in the ring. This is undoubtedly fresh, would be insanely epic and could provide some of the biggest and greatest matches of the year. If there were a world title involved, even better.


Undertaker vs. CM Punk
This may seem something of a stretch but at the same time it's a feud that I would love to see happen under the premise that CM Punk gets a heel run and looks to try and prove himself before cashing in his briefcase, to prove that he's not a fluke as many thought last year. A rivalry with The Undertaker could put Punk over the top and cement him as one of the top talents on the SmackDown roster, and there'd undoubtedly be some interesting matches between the two. Undertaker doesn't have many opponents like Punk and I think that the two would match up well. This one may not be on WWE creative's radar at the moment but it's certainly a rivalry with a lot of potential.


Umaga vs. Rey Mysterio
I like the idea of this rivalry for a couple of reasons; for one, they have history. Umaga took Rey out a couple of years ago right before WrestleMania and in terms of kayfabe, that caused Rey to miss WrestleMania that year. Secondly, I imagine they have some pretty great chemistry. In the few moments they were in the ring together during a big Survivor Series match in 2007, they tore shit up and delivered. Rey plays the underdog so well and Umaga is one of the very best big men in the business, I'd say second only to The Undertaker. These two both keep the crowd caring and that's important as a feud between the two could help bring some much needed prestige back to the Intercontinental Championship.


Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk
This one pretty much writes itself; recovering drug addict who frequently gets himself suspended vs. the straight edge elitist, freshly turned heel CM Punk. At least, one has to hope that Punk will get a heel turn in the near future. I'd love to see Punk on a "crusade" to rid the wrestling world of Jeff Hardy, much in the same way Matt Hardy has been, only Punk has the mic skills to take it to a whole new level, I feel. The pair of them could have some pretty crazy matches together as well, and maybe even feud over the Money in the Bank briefcase. This would be another feud that could help solidify Punk as one of the brand's top names as Hardy is certainly a guy who will have no trouble putting over Punk.

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Raw may have got the bigger names, but I for one am certainly a lot more excited about the future of SmackDown than I am the future of Raw, if for no other reason that it's still the same guys in the Raw main event and those are the ones who get the most TV time. SmackDown, on the other hand, will give its new talent TV time and more importantly in-ring time, because that's what they do best. Most of all, I hope that his new home will give CM Punk the opportunity to rise up the ranks and fix what went wrong during his first world title run last year.

Raw is always going to be the A show, but I think that the results of this year's Draft will ensure that both SmackDown and ECW will get along just fine for the time being.