wrestling / Columns

High Road/Low Road 05.07.10: The WWE Draft

May 7, 2010 | Posted by Sat

Welcome back to the High Road/Low Road!

A brief explanation of the column: Normally, Sat takes the High Road (positive view) on angles, gimmicks, and other wrestling related “stuff” while Chad Nevett takes the Low Road (negative view), but, this week, things are reversed with Chad taking the High Road and Sat taking the Low Road.

Results for Breaking Up Cryme Tyme:

High Road: 18%
Low Road: 50%
Both Roads: 32%

Chad Nevett: I agree with the readers and am leaning Low Road for this. I wasn’t too high on Cryme Tyme and neither man seems primed to go too far alone.

Sat: This is a low road for me too. Seems like they should be pushing JTG instead of Shad.

2010 WWE DRAFT

High Road:

First off, regardless of the results, the annual draft is always exciting with its three-hour episode of RAW, bringing together wrestlers from both brands in matches to determine picks, making it a wrestling-heavy show. This year’s episodes was one of the strongest episodes of RAW in a long while with plenty of good matches and surprising draft picks. You can count on the draft episode to deliver every year.

Low Road:

The only thing I liked about the draft this year was the opening match which saw the Hart Foundation win the Unified Tag Team Titles. Besides that and the Punk/Bourne match, the show was pretty boring. The only reason I sat thru the whole thing was to see who got drafted.

High Road:

The actual picks on the show were surprising and look like they’ll mix things up a bit on both brands. While some expected Edge to move to RAW, not many expected Chris Jericho to move as well. The Big Show and Christian going to Smackdown! were surprises with potential. None of the moves seemed out of place or stupid, which isn’t always the case.

Low Road:

I think while those moves that you mentioned are okay and definitely shook things up. I think one of the big mistakes that the WWE made was moving John Morrison to RAW. I think he could have had a huge impact on SmackDown had he stayed and on RAW he is definitely going to get lost and he will not move beyond the mid card.

High Road:

Some have criticized the draft because of the number of main eventers on RAW, while Smackdown! has few now. However, Smackdown! usually gets the shorter end of the stick when it comes to draft, but still manages to thrive as the wrestling-oriented show. People who are drafted to RAW are often seen as main event players because of their work on Smackdown! This draft established Smackdown! as the brand that’s focused on developing new main eventers while RAW caters to fans with existing ones.

Low Road:

SmackDown has always managed to survive their annual losses at the draft, but I think that this year they might not be able to keep up. SmackDown lost 4 good wrestlers and gained 2 (maybe 3) guys back. While this does not seem like a huge loss, you have to factor in the fact that SmackDown also got the Big Show and Hornswoggle and those two are definitely not going to help SmackDown in the wrestling department.

High Road:

Building on the last point, people have complained endlessly about Christian and Kofi Kingston not being elevated to the main event, but, now, with Smackdown! lacking a strong main event line-up, both men look poised to get their shots. The WWE is smart in moving most of the established main eventers to RAW as that makes room on Smackdown! for midcard talent to advance.

Low Road:

In theory I agree with this point. I think Kofi Kingston and Christian have a huge opportunity to be elevated to the main event. But, the thing that stands out for me is that this was the same thought process when John Morrison was moved to SmackDown last year and he is still stuck in the mid card. I hope Kofi and Christian are elevated, but it is definitely not a guarantee.

High Road:

RAW gets far more viewers than Smackdown! so it only makes sense for it to be stacked. No matter what people like to believe, RAW is the A-show and, with Smackdown! soon moving to Sy Fy, there’s no better time to emphasize that fact. With the plan to apparently build Smackdown! back up come the fall, a short period of imbalance isn’t necessarily a bad thing creatively, and is definitely the smart thing financially.

Low Road:

I’ve got two problems with this point. The first problem is how will the WWE balance out the shows when it is time for SmackDown to go to the SyFy? If they do another draft, then doesn’t that devalue the draft we just had? The second problem I have is that RAW might be overstacked. Chris Jericho was a main eventer on SmackDown and on RAW, he is going to be involved in a tag team? That seems like a waste to me though the Miz and Jericho could be an interesting team.

High Road:

I liked how the WWE used the draft to tease out an eventual Edge/Christian program. A lot of people want it to happen now, but, with Edge a solid main event talent, to newer fans, a feud between the two would look lopsided. By teasing it on Smackdown! and having Christian in a position to jump to the main event, the WWE is showing some longterm thinking that could pay off big time in the future where Christian is perceived by non-IWC fans to be on the same level as Edge, which will make for a better program.

Low Road:

A feud would be nice to see between the two and it will only work if both guys are main eventers. But, I don’t see it happening. I’m a huge fan of Christian’s, but I just don’t see him ever being elevated to the status of a main eventer. I’m really hoping you are right about this, but I would venture to say that this will not happen.

High Road:

During his time as one half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, Chris Jericho’s appearances on RAW often saved the guest host gimmick from being completely awful. Moving him back to RAW is the right decision, because he is one of the few superstars that can make the guest host gimmick work through his interactions.

Low Road:

I think the guest host gimmick is getting a bad rap. Sure, there are a few hosts that definitely are painful to watch, but for the most part it is a success. I don’t think moving Jericho to RAW was done to make the guest hosts gimmick more appealing.

High Road:

The Supplemental Draft happening online the next day is a good way to keep the emphasis on RAW on the big moves, the ones that affect the main event and upper midcard, while also providing some excitement the next day as people tune in to check on the other moves. It also acts as a window into what the WWE thinks of some of its midcard talent by seeing who is moved and who isn’t.

Low Road:

I definitely think it was a smart move to have the Supplemental draft the day after RAW because you can get people to tune in following the momentum from RAW and you can showcase the new picks on SmackDown the same Friday. The problem that I had was that the supplemental draft was a huge waste of time. Besides, MVP and Cody Rhodes going to SmackDown and the Hart Dynasty going to RAW, none of the other picks really matter at all.

Are you taking the High Road or the Low Road?

High Road

Low Road

Both Roads

OR

Simply write “High Road”, “Low Road”, or “Both Roads” in the comment section.

E-Mails:

These are all of the e-mails that we received this week. We do not respond to the actual e-mail, but the reply to your e-mail will be below.

Chad Nevett: The only e-mail was a vote, so on to the comments!

Sat: Actually, we did receive an email, but it was too late to get it into this week’s column.

Comments:

Below are the comments for last week’s columns and our responses. Every comment will not be included because it makes our lives a lot easier. The comments section was last looked at on May 3 at around noon.

Dr. MagicPants Writes:

The biggest problem with Cryme Tyme splitting up is that just leaves the Dudebusters and maybe Truth & Wisdom as potential challengers for the newly crowned Hart Dynasty after ShowMiz split up. Maybe the Straight Edge Society could challenge too or they could throw together another tag team (Hell it worked perfectly with JeriShow and ShowMiz so who knows) but otherwise WWE has precious few tag teams and breaking up one on of them just doesn’t seem smart.

Chad Nevett: While I love sticking the belts on the Hart Dynasty, the lack of challengers is a problem. It’s hard to be a strong tag team without strong opponents.

Sat: Though it seems like the WWE is going to go with the Miz and Jericho and that could be an entertaining team.

HBK’s Smile Writes:

The safe play would have been to keep them together, let them have their comedy segments and the occasional match. The glass ceiling would be low and obvious but they would have a good deal of job security. Apart, they have more potential for success but also more potential to lose their jobs.

In a nutshell, it depends on their own perspectives. If they’re overly ambitious and have more faith in their skills than most fans do, this is high road. If they’re more interested in job security, it’s low road. Since I can’t get inside their heads, I’ll cop out and say both roads.

Chad Nevett: It definitely would have been ‘safe’ to keep Cryme Tyme together and have them do the same thing week after week. After all, the fans were entertained usually. I guess the WWE sees more potential in both of them separately than together. I’m not convinced that’s the reality, though.

Sat: I think that this breakup is most likely going to lead to JTG on the unemployment line.

Texas Kelly Writes:

Low road all the way. It’s yet another instance of an over tag team being broken up to inevitably both get lost in the shuffle. I doubt it even would’ve happened if not for the injury to Ezekiel Jackson (since Lord knows the E MUST have at least one big black heel guy on the roster at all times).

Chad Nevett: Not every tag team gets lost in the shuffle, but quite a few have in the past few years. Deuce and Domino, London and Kendrick, Cade and Murdoch, Jesse and Festus, Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore, Carlito and Primo… all but Festus as Luke Gallows and the Colon brothers have departed from the company. And, odds are, I’m forgetting a duo or two.

Sat: LOL at the big black heel guy on the roster at one time.

The Gold Standard Writes:

High road for jtg. i somehow could picture him winning the ic title. low road for shad unless he feudr with taker or something i see nothing diff from any other big men

Chad Nevett: I don’t see anything too different from either man, honestly. JTG is a solid worker, but definitely lower midcard.

Sat: If Shad can get in a feud with the Undertaker, then this is a definite high road.

PK Writes:

Low Road – Wow guys, this week’s column felt a little short. Obviously not as controversial as last week’s.

The main issue is that the WWE never gave Cryme Tyme enough of a chance to succeed. Heck, even Men On A Mission had more of a chance as a tag team and we know how the WWE execs feel about minorities in general. Cryme Tyme should have had a chance to at least feud completely with one team. It felt like they only had 2-3 match mini-feuds. Which is a shame because they had a great tag team finisher and they were a fantastic big man – smaller man combo (a la ShoMiz, Owen/Yokozuna, etc…).

The real issue is that the WWE doesn’t want to or understand how to promote a tag team that is not named D-X. ShoMiz was so dominant that splitting them up helps other tag teams. But in general, it just strikes me as funny that tag teams in the WWE are either thrown together affairs or the last thing on anyone’s mind. It’s a travesty given the legacy of the titles.

Chad Nevett: Some topics lend themselves to lengthier discussions than others. I definitely think the WWE needs to reevaluate how they approach tag teams. Putting the belts on the Hart Dynasty is a good first move.

Sat: The one thing I wonder is if the WWE did not have faith in them as a tag team, will they have faith in them as singles wrestlers.

rey Writes

this is why tag team wrestling is dead in the wwe. Ever since hbk and bret, it has been the mindset of the wwe that tag teams are to be used as plot devices.

even before they start. creative already has an idea which of the two will be getting a singles push. as LOD, the dudleys, new age outlaws, and the headbangers proved. not everyone is cut out to be a singles star.

Chad Nevett: Too true. Funny how you say ‘since HBK and Bret’ when some great tag teams like the Dudleys, the Hardyz, and Edge & Christian came after, really putting on strong tag team matches. Like anything, it does go in cycles of good and bad. Remember a couple of years ago when the Miz and Morrison were a tag team? Not as high a point as other times, but it was well done and put both guys over.

Sat: The one big problem is that eventually every tag team as to break up. They can’t just decide to go their separate ways; they have to break up. It is kind of old and it would be nice to see something different.

FRS Writes:

I’ll tentatively take the high road. I agree that Shad always seemed like the real babyface of the group, but he’s bigger so naturally WWE would make him the heel. As you said,thankfully for them they both stayed on Smackdown where they hve a better chance of both succeedimg as singles. You just know at the least WWE will try to push Shad hard as a heel because he’s a big man who can actually move. I get the feeling that one or both of them will wind up future endeavored in the future, so maybe they would have been better off staying a team and maybe turning the team heel to feud with the Hart Dynasty over the tag titles. But for once I hope that the split of a team actually works out for both because both are talented and seem to have a passion for their job.

Chad Nevett: I don’t think they’d make for good matches with the Hart Dynasty since the Harts feuded with Cryme Tyme on the way to the belts. Cryme Tyme were a stepping stone. Unless the WWE wanted to put the belts on Cryme Tyme, they’ve been fodder for tag champs far too many times.

Sat: I see Shad getting pushed on SmackDown and I see JTG becoming the new Slam Master J.

ROH Commish Writes:

High Road.

Simply because creative had nothing for them. They wrestled the Hart Dynasty for MONTHS. Slam Master J and Eve added nothing to the act either. They could have been released already and they still may after this feud concludes.

Fact is, if they weren’t getting the tag titles after that hot RAW hosted by Shaq, then they never are. Prior to Summerslam, they were the hottest they’d been since they were rehired.

Chad Nevett: Definitely. There was a short time period last year where Cryme Tyme getting the belts would have made sense, but, now, it wouldn’t have. I guess it’s better to give them a chance to succeed as singles than to outright release them.

Sat: I’d forgotten about that run Cryme Tyme had at SummerSlam.

Guest#7451 Writes

My initial reaction was Low Road, but I’ll go High Road based on upside.

Positives:
– Split was overdue. They were a comedy team (thug parody) that wasn’t funny.
– Adds dimension to their individual characters (or at least, Shad’s).
– Opportunities for advancement. They’re both on Smackdown, which now has room for new singles stars.
– They can always reunite as a (hopefully heel) tag team.

Negatives:
– Lost another team. These guys have proven to be on par with the Harts, who are champs at the moment.
– In all likelihood, JTG will languish in the midcard. Shad will probably end up as someone’s enforcer. Perhaps David Otunga’s.

Chad Nevett: I would enjoy Shad as David Otunga’s enforcer, actually. Though, with JTG retaining the Cryme Tyme gimmick, is the split up all High Roads regarding the thug parody/comedy stuff?

Sat: The other major thing that hurts JTG is his promos are pretty week.

Sly Reference Writes:

LOW ROAD.

Saying that they did everything they could do as a tag team says a lot more about the tag team situation in WWE than about Cryme Time. As a team, they had a character. A sterotypical, slightly offensive character, but at least it was distinctive. What do they have as single wrestlers? Has the audience been given anything to tell them apart, other than their sizes and that one now acts like a heel?

WWE needs to get it through their heads: face and heel are not characters. If that’s all we know about a wrestler, then we won’t care. Even writers for cartoons and kid shows know you have to give them more than that.

Even worse than that, you know that as a tag team they would get a program with the champs just because there aren’t enough tag teams and the bookers need to throw someone in there. Broken up, they won’t even get a shot at the US title because they are too far down the card.

Seriously, didn’t the E learn anything from breaking up Carlito and Primo? Or even the Hardy Boys? Or any of the countless other attempts to recreate the Rockers’ break-up? If they don’t put any effort into the characters when they were a tag team, the audience isn’t going to care when they feud or when they go solo. Cryme Time was always a mid-card team, and mostly a comedy team. Is this WWE’s attempt to get us to take them seriously? Cheap, weak and ineffective. The people in charge of the E really need to relearn how to build characters and angles and not just rely on the stupid face/heel alignment. It doesn’t work.

Chad Nevett: I agree with everything here, especially the line “face and heel are not characters.” Too true. Great comment.

Sat: I think you make a good point. If people don’t care for you as a tag team, they nobody is going to care when they go solo.

Todd Ree Writes:

Low Road

As others have said, Cryme Tyme was on borrowed time. They had so many chances and never made it as a tag team. They have even less chances as singles guys. Terrible idea considering there are hardly any tag teams left, and the chances that even one of these two makes it in singles are slim to none.

Epic fail.

Chad Nevett: I tend to agree: if the team isn’t over, why would the members be over? The best splits have come when the team still had some heat and the audience wasn’t expecting a split. The only thing surprising about Cryme Tyme breaking up is that we all assumed they’d be together forever by this point.

Sat: The other thing that hurt this breakup is they broke up after one thing. It would have been nice to have some teases along the way.

Guest#2983 Writes:

Eh, middle road. I think Cryme Tyme had a few more years left in them before they could’ve been split up. The problem here is the booking; they’ve given them very little time, build to Shad’s turn, or even explanation of Shad’s beytrayal (which always helps sell me on a heel turn).

JTG always struck me as the more charismatic of the two but he seems like he’ll work as a plucky underdog type of face. Shad is the bigger and so logically should be the heel here.

Chad Nevett: It was quite abrupt, which can work. It didn’t here. A slow break would have increased interest and gotten the fans invested in the characters.

Sat: Basically the same thing I wrote above can be applied here.

The Great Capt. Smooth Writes:

Both roads. It’s really too early to tell. What I like is that both can have a role. Vince likes the big guys and JTG does a bunch of different moves that could help get over. My main problem with the break up is that they should have won the tag titles before any trouble. They were always over, had been around for quite awhile, and a post-title break up would have meant more. If they ever do get back together, they could pick up right where they left off.

Chad Nevett: Being a tag team that long with no belts does show how little the fans/the WWE really cared about Cryme Tyme.

Sat: Though the fact that they did not win any titles could be used as a reason as to why Shad wants to go on his own.

Guest#1607 Writes:

Both Roads

If the E management deal with Shad properly he can have a somewhat successful career. His mic skills are solid and he is ok in the ring, but he needs a few more big moves. They should let Shad go alone for a little bit, finish his feud with JTG and move on to better things. If he isn’t doing so well on his own, then what you can do is add him to the SES. Working with CM Punk will help him a lot.

I don’t know what will happen with JTG, he is decent in the ring but nothing special. He isn’t a singles competitor really, he is very much a tag team guy. They can try him as a singles competitor, maybe put him in a feud with Ziggler and see how he does but other wise get him in a tag team with a another low mid-carder.

Chad Nevett: Both men are pretty average. I think Shad has the most room for improvement given the amount of in-ring work JTG has done with the team (definitely the lion’s share).

Sat: I don’t think JTG is going to get a feud with Ziggler. Ziggler is now locked into a long term feud with Hornswoggle.

Guest#6527 Writes:

Low road. I don’t think that anyone holds out much hope for either guy as a singles wrestler and having established teams will help put fresher teams over. No one thought that the Bushwhackers or The Bolsheviks had a hope of winning the tag-titles, but they were established teams none the less and a victory over those guys meant more than a victory over let’s say Al Perez and the Mike Sharpe (better singles wrestlers, but not an established team). After Monday night the tag titles actually looked important again and it was genuinely exciting seeing the Hart Dynasty with the belts, but once Raw was over you have to think who the hell are they going to face? Sadly, the excitement soon wore off. Cryme Tyme may be past their sell by date, but to bulk up the division they would be a valuable team to have around. JTG comes across as a poor man’s R-Truth and I really haven’t seen anything from Shad G to suggest that he’s more worthy of a push than half of the NXT rookies, he is no longer a fresh face and does not appear to have progressed much at all, either in the ring or on the mic. Some guys wrestlers are stars, some are workhorses, both components of cryme Tyme in my opinion fall into the latter category; they were lucky to have found their niche in that team and the WWE should be grateful that they have a team who the crowd actually react to and could help put fresher talent over; they could still be a good draw on the house show circuit as well, as singles wrestlers I doubt that they could draw flys.

Chad Nevett: Some good points. Established midcard tag teams are important much like established midcard singles wrestlers. They’re known and have credibility despite never rising to the top and do help put over younger talents.

Sat: I think Cryme Tyme was lucky to be a team. I don’t see either guy having a lot of success, but I definitely see the WWE trying to make an attempt to make Shad a star.

Sir Peppermint Patrick Writes:

Both Roads: It’s not splitting up the team that’s the problem, because they didn’t do shit as a team but what the fuck are they gonna do?

They are not putting I.C. or U.S. titles on either guy, and they can’t put either guy back in a tag team to compete for the tag titles, and I think it goes without saying that the World/WWE belts are out of the question. Maybe if there were a lightweight division and championship I can see JTG competing with the likes of Evan Bourn, Chavo, Daniel Bryan, and maybe in the future any lightweight free agents (Christopher Daniels, Petey Williams etc.) that sign in the future, other than him getting squashed every Friday I don’t see anything else, and Shad has black Heidenrich/Nathan Jones written all over him and like both men he could expect an Undertaker ass kicking to fuck his career up, maybe if there were a King of the Ring to build him up, or an third brand for him to dominate then he could have had a chance.

So while splitting them up has no negative affect and could have been a good thing, it will fail because the “E” writers and management don’t have the tools, nor creativity to build characters and advance storylines.

Chad Nevett: It has no negative effect, but it will fail…? Isn’t that a negative effect?

Sat: If Shad is in the class of Heidenrich and Nathan Jones, then this is a definite low road.

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Your reasons for taking the High Road, Low Road, or Both Roads and suggestions for future High Road/Low Road are welcome at [email protected] or in the comment section. Your reply will be included in next week’s column.

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