wrestling / Columns
Schmozzes & Screwjobs 06.12.07: The 2007 Draft Lottery Edition
Fuck the intros, I’m running late. Welcome to Schmozzes & Screwjobs.
The 2007 Draft Lottery 06/11/2007
Bearing in mind that this isn’t the usual kind of screwjob, we don’t need to follow the usual structure, so I won’t bother. Instead, I’ll examine each draft pick and analysise wether it was a good move for the Superstar, said Superstars’ former show and his new one. So without further ado, let’s get the ball rolling with SmackDown’s first draftee…
The Great Khali to SmackDown – In less than a year, the 7ft 4 Punjab giant has come full circle. This time last year he was feuding and dominating the Undertaker on Smackdown, then in November he inexplicably showed up on ECW where he did two things; jack and shit. And this past January he came to Raw and feuded briefly with the WWE Champion John Cena and three times failed to capture to WWE gold. However since joining Raw earlier in the year, Khali has shown slight signs of improvement, even having the odd passable match, albeit with some of the best performers in the business. That being said, SmackDown is probably the best home for Khali as it is a taped show, and his frequently sloppy work can be edited to make him and his matches look better. While Khali is no longer as big a threat as he was a year ago, because of his two losses to Cena, he is still a guy who can believably beat anybody on the roster and that makes him a threat to any championship or competitor on the brand. Khali will bring a nice contrast to the pure wrestling that we frequently see on SmackDown with his size and freakishness; a good blend of styles being something that is important to any wrestling show. While it may not seem like it right now, drafting The Great Khali is a big plus for SmackDown. But that does not mean that Raw will be sad to see him go. Khali jobbed to John Cena 3 times in the space of a month leaving Khali with little credibility in terms of being a believable threat to John Cena’s WWE title. There was no-one else on the roster that he could believably feud. Bottom line, Khali’s time on Raw was up, and now SmackDown has the chance to benefit from what he brings to the table.
The Boogeyman to ECW – And this would be our first real stinker of the draft. While Boogeyman may have been valuable at one point in his career, over the last couple of months he has been purely used for either comedy purposes or jobbing duty. But on ECW, there is little opportunity for comedy matches. ECW only has one hour of television a week and doesn’t have the time for a comedy match. And nobody wants to draft a jobber. Hell, ECW already has Stevie Richards. WWE does, of course, have the option of rebuilding The Boogeyman, but to do that he would have to beat a number of guys on ECW, and there is absolutely no-one I would recommend putting him over on ECW as it is still a brand that is trying to build itself around a number of young up and comers in Elijah Burke and CM Punk. The last thing ECW needs is a bad gimmick with a short term future jobbing out the future stars of the business. While I’ll be interested to see what they do with The Boogeyman but I can’t see anything that comes from this being a positive for ECW. SmackDown meanwhile, should not miss the Boogeyman. On that show he had become little more than a jobber and really served no purpose. Good for the Blue Brand, bad for ECW on Sci-Fi.
King Booker and Queen Sharmell to Raw – This is a tremendous coup for WWE’s A Show but at the same time not too much of a blow for SmackDown. Booker had a very successful run with the World title last year before losing the big gold belt to Batista, and then losing several rematches against The Animal. Since then, Booker became little more than a jobber to the stars before he was put on the shelf with his injury. Had Booker remained on SmackDown, he would have remained a guy that could easily transition into the main event scene, but with the best heel in the company now holding the World Heavyweight Championship, Booker’s duties would have been limited. On Raw, Booker will have many new opportunities to keep the King gimmick going without it becoming too stale as he can feud with many fresh faces including John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and others. While Booker may remain a JTTS on Raw, his very popular gimmick now has a new lease on life and can progress a little further. And a fresh face turn would be a welcome change for Booker also and would more than likely reinstall much of his credibility as a performer and allow for him to showcase his in-ring skills. Great pick for Raw, but not too much lost for the Blue Brand.
Chris Benoit to ECW – You remember I mentioned earlier about how ECW was currently being built around young stars such as Burke, Punk and Cor Von. That makes Chris Benoit to ECW a tremendous pick for ECW both kayfabe and non-kayfabe. Non-kayfabe, working with a true master of the sport like Chris Benoit will only help those aforementioned Superstars hone their craft and become even better than they already are. Additionally, Chris Benoit brings a big name to Tuesday nights. No matter what Vince McMahon likes to think, the casual wrestling fan couldn’t give a damn about Bobby Lashley – many normal fans still consider him too green and undeserving of the position he has been given. Just about anyone who was ever into wrestling knows Chris Benoit and knows he is one of the greats. Benoit’s star power will allow him to once again live up to his potential and be in the main event scene of a wrestling show. Sure, it may not be the greatest place to be a World Champion, but however much we wanted it, it was never going to happen again on Raw or SmackDown. We now have some potentially great matches on ECW with the potential CM Punk vs. Chris Benoit feud that we all want to see, and I think matches with Elijah Burke can also be tremendous. SmackDown, however, has lost one of its most valuable assets. Benoit in the mid card was so useful in putting over new faces and at the same time producing great matches week in week out. Just ask our United States Champion MVP. That being said, SmackDown does still have its fair share of veterans that can help the younger stars progress.
Torrie Wilson to SmackDown – I’m still uncertain what I think about this pick. I mean, drafting a woman to a show where there is no Women’s title seems pretty pointless. While SmackDown does have some talented female wrestlers in Hall, McCool and to a lesser extent Kristal and Ashley, there is no need to bring in another Diva who has little in ring quality. Unless WWE has plans to use her in a managerial role then this just seems like a bad move. Of course Raw has just lost another pair of tits, which doesn’t affect them either way as they already have plenty of them to go around. We’ll have to wait and see what SmackDown does with Torrie before I pass official judgment but for now this pick is a sucker.
Chris Masters to SmackDown – This guy may be the sleeper pick of the Draft Lottery if he is used right. Masters has been jobbed out on Raw more times than I care to remember but he has the look that should keep him over as a heel for a long time. He isn’t anywhere near as bad in the ring as some would have you believe and can probably be made to look decent in the ring with the right guys over on SmackDown. To rebuild Masters, SmackDown would need to rebuild the Masterlock which is simple enough – keep Masters winning easy matches with the move, and throw in a few difficult Masterlock Challenges and the move and the man have regained some of their credibility. I truly think that Masters can be United States Champion material by the end of the year. Raw won’t give two shits about this loss as, as I’ve said, he has been jobbed out to just about everybody on the Raw roster and spends most of his time on Heat anyway. Potentially a great pick for SmackDown.
Bobby Lashley to Raw – Well he was pretty much there anyway, but the real winner of this draft pick is ECW and its rising Superstars. See, for those not in the know, Lashley was promptly stripped of his ECW Championship the second he was drafted to Raw. This means that those up and comers that I keep raving on about now have something to fight for, and winning that world championship will do wonders for their career. Wether it be Benoit, Punk, Burke or someone else that takes the title, the ECW title will mean something again to somebody and that’s not a bad thing *DDP-esque cheesy grin* that’s a good thing! Lashley to Raw will only be a good thing if he eventually turns heel. He’ll never be a bigger star than John Cena as a face, and he can’t even continue his feud with McMahon now that the boss is dead. So the only real option for him is to turn heel on Cena and challenge for the WWE Championship, and to be honest I actually wouldn’t mind seeing that – just to see Cena make Black Lesnar tap like a little bitch.
Ric Flair to SmackDown – That experience that SmackDown lost in the form of Chris Benoit is well and truly restored with the Nature Boy being drafted to Raw. The difference Ric Flair doesn’t have the ability to have great matches week in and week out. But Flair can certainly still give the young guys a rub and can also be used as a solid upper-mid carder and possibly transition into the main event at any time. There are also several other options for Naitch – one would be for him to step out of the ring and take more of a managerial role. While I think this is unlikely judging purely on the fact that Flair still loves wrestling, I think it would be intriguing if he decided to manage someone. A guy like Batista could benefit from Flair as a mouth piece, as could a Chris Masters. Alternatively, Flair could hook up with Torrie Wilson in a continuation from the angle on Raw involving Carlito. This match seems quite promising from where I’m standing and will keep both involved over. The other option would be a heel turn, but I think SmackDown is a little heel-heavy, particularly in the mid card so this one is less likely. Still a solid pick for SmackDown as it opens up many opportunities.
Snitsky to Raw – We’ve all heard the rumours and now it appears as if they are true. Snitsky is apparently in line for a run at WWE Champion John Cena.
I wouldn’t mind this so much. I’d look past the fact that Snitsky can’t wrestle, can’t talk and can’t draw, but here’s the thing that bugs me. Nobody gives a shit about him. And why would they? He spent two years on Heat before doing jack shit on ECW and still no-one cares about him. Give me a reason to believe that this guy has any shot at beating John Cena. If Umaga and The Great Khali couldn’t do it, how the hell is this guy going to do it?! He’s not, so why bother? If this goes ahead it’s very poor booking on the E’s part. ECW on the other hand will be jumping for joy as they’ve just off loaded one of the biggest pieces of crap in the history of wrestling, a guy whose finisher is the worst looking big boot in the history of wrestling. Well done ECW, bad luck John Cena and Raw.
Mr Kennedy to Raw – I’m not buying all the talk of Edge vs. Mr Kennedy at WrestleMania 24, especially after hearing the news of the proposed main events for the show. While I think Kennedy still has a huge role in the company, I don’t think the WWE is ready to put the company (or one of its brands) on this guy’s shoulders. Not because he isn’t good enough, because he is. Not because he isn’t charismatic enough, because he is. Not because he doesn’t have the look, because he does. But because in the two years he’s been here, he has spent a fair amount of that time on the injured list and that is something WWE needs to be wary of. They’ve put him on the A show because that’s where he deserves to be. But by putting him there, they’ve also moved him down the pecking order in terms of future world champions are. He can still have top feuds with top guys but they don’t need to risk giving him the belt just yet. Kennedy is young and has a big future, so build him up and protect for another 12-18 months minimum and you will benefit in the long run. SmackDown, on the other hand, has lost its biggest potential star and one of its best workers. That being said, if Kennedy is to remain a heel (as he should) there just isn’t room for Edge and Kennedy on the same show. Bottom line, this is great for Raw and quite frankly a necessary change.
In overview, Raw wins again. But it’s not all bad news for ECW and SmackDown. Well, actually, for SmackDown, it kind of is. SmackDown lost some of its best guys and in return got very little workrate. Khali, Masters, Flair and Wilson aren’t going to give you too many good matches between them. Still, they do still have many great athletes on their show and these new faces will bring a new dynamic to Friday nights. On the surface, it certainly appears as if SmackDown have been ass raped again, but I think we should give the newcomers a chance before we all start condemning the show to a painful death. Raw on the other hand has gained some big names in Lashley and Kennedy and Booker. Snitsky is a dud but the others all have great potential. ECW has come off of the draft looking a lot better than I ever expected. Not only did they gain Chris Benoit, but they kept all their integral players in Elijah Burke, CM Punk and Marcus Cor Von. Lashley is hardly a loss as he was rarely on the show anyway and I think the positives by far outweigh the negatives. Bottom line: Raw did great, ECW did great, and SmackDown got screwed.
For more analysis on the draft, check me out in Larry’s 4 Rs on Friday as I take over the Raw section of that baby.
False Finishes & Fan Cams
News Flash: ECW is not in crisis. ECW is not a terrible show as the majority of the Internet Wrestling Community would have you believe. ECW on Sci-Fi, as far as one hour wrestling shows go, is damn good. After a whole year since its inception, it finally has a direction. It is finally creating its own stars. But it’s been a hell of a long journey. Again, the majority of the Internet Wrestling Community would tell you that Vince McMahon has taken the legacy of the old ECW, rolled it out on his floor, took a dump on it, spat on it, and done God knows what else on it, and threw it in the garbage, but this is not the case. Vince McMahon is not the reason that us fans had to sit through at least six months of piss poor television. Well, he’s not the only reason. In fact, Mr. McMahon has done a damn good job in making the new ECW a good show. Sure, it’s the not the ECW of old, but if you thought it would be, you’re a fool. This is the journey of the new ECW, and how it went from being one of the worst shows in wrestling history, to one of the most promising.
For the beginning of our tale, we have to go back approximately 30 months, that’s 2 and a half years, to where it all started. Rob Van Dam, who at the time was recovering from a knee injury, went to Mr. McMahon with an idea. His idea was to bring back Extreme Championship Wrestling, for one night only. Get the gang back together, put on a show in the honor of ECW and its rabid fans. It’ll be a night people will remember for the rest of their lives. It’s the right way to toast ECW. Vince McMahon is no idiot. There’s a reason that he became a billionaire. There’s a reason that Vince McMahon’s wrestling company took professional wrestling and made it popular in the ‘80s and then took out all the competition in the ‘90s and has gone unchallenged in the ‘00s. Vince is a businessman, and he knows a good idea when he sees one. He liked Van Dam’s idea. He knew it would make him heaps of money.
Two years ago today, June 12 2005, Extreme Championship Wrestling returned to pay-per-view for the first time since 2001 when the company went bankrupt. Sure, they were technically owned by World Wrestling Entertainment and Vince McMahon, but this night was for everyone that was ever associated with ECW. Every match on the card featured ECW legends; many renewed old rivalries, some just fought to give the fans what they wanted, but it was all for ECW. Give credit to McMahon, he even went out of his way to get ECW alumni to wrestle on the show who weren’t even under WWE contract. The show was a huge success. The wrestling fans loved it and this was reflected in its buyrate, one of the biggest non-Big 4 of the year. ECW fans rejoiced that they had some closure to ECW. But little did they know that it was just the beginning. When McMahon realised the money he could make from the ECW name, he went to work producing more and more ECW products including several DVDs and books.
Fast forward to April of 2006. Rumours are running wild on the internet that ECW may be making a comeback as a WWE brand. ECW One Night Stand 2 is already booked for the Hammerstein Ballroom. Soon enough, the rumours are confirmed. Extreme Championship Wrestling was to take the place of Velocity as a one hour show. ECW was going to be WWE’s third brand. Many ECW alumni were quickly signed to wrestle for the show, and a TV deal was also set up with the Sci-Fi network to air the show on Tuesday nights. The IWC was buzzing about the arrival of the new ECW. But it would have a different feel to it – a WWE feel to it. This was evidenced when Paul Heyman, who was to be the “Messiah” of ECW, declared that ECW was to receive two draft picks – one from Raw and one from SmackDown. From Raw, Heyman chose Rob Van Dam. That’s fair enough, an ECW original. But Heyman’s next pick was a bit of a shocker. He said that this pick would define what he wanted the new ECW to be. From SmackDown, Heyman drafted former six time World Champion Kurt Angle. The Wrestling Machine was just the first time the WWE’s image would be stamped all over the new ECW.
One Night Stand 2 was different from the original in that many WWE Superstars featured. The opening match, for example, was contested between former ECW Champion Tazz and the man that has publicly bashed ECW on several occasions, Jerry Lawler. The next match was fought between Kurt Angle and Randy Orton who was about as ECW as Eugene, who ironically also put in an appearance that night. The main event that night was a WWE Championship match. Rob Van Dam challenged and beat Raw star John Cena in a move that would jump start the new ECW. But the most obvious sign that this was not ECW of old was a match between two ECW originals in Sabu and Rey Mysterio for the World title. In truth, it was a great match, but it was stopped after a springboard DDT through a table and both men were rendered unable to continue. This would have never happened in the old ECW. This was clearly ECW-lite. This was WWECW. Many WWE stars were brought into the new ECW, including the Big Show, Shannon Moore and others. While in their own way, most of them fitted the ECW style, they were all WWE’s stars.
ECW returned to television a year ago tomorrow, on June 13 2006. It was obvious that WWE didn’t believe the new ECW could succeed on its own as many of Raw’s top stars put in an appearance including Edge, John Cena and the luscious Lita. Ratings were good – ranging from 2.2 – 2.6 for the first several weeks. While there is evidence to show that this was due to the crossovers from Raw, it was clear that ECW had enough to make a profit. However in late July, ECW would come crashing down. WWE and ECW champion Rob Van Dam was stopped and arrested for possession of marijuana at the end of June. Sabu, another top ECW star, was with him. The title was immediately taken off of RVD and put onto… not an ECW original, but The Big Show. And the show gradually went downhill from there. Van Dam and Sabu lost their pushes. Kurt Angle was suspended, and only returned briefly before leaving the WWE altogether and big names were no longer a mainstay on ECW. Ratings dropped, as did the quality of the show.
ECW went into cruise control in winter of 2006. Just about every week, a star from either Raw or SmackDown was brought in to challenge Show for the Championship, while everyone else fought for no reason. There was no direction. Only a small number of guys looked like they even belonged on the show. CM Punk being one of them. But guys like Hardcore Holly and Test, neither ECW originals, were the top players. The show was barely watchable and the ratings were proving that as they sank below 2.0, never to return.
ECW returned to pay-per-view on December 2nd with December 2 Dismember. The name was a rather bad play on the title of an old ECW pay-per-view November to Remember. Vince McMahon had a new plan for pay-per-views which he wanted to try out with ECW. He thought it would be a good idea if he only advertised a select few matches for the shows and left the others as “surprises.” Just two matches were made for December 2 Dismember ahead of show time. These were an Elimination Chamber main event pitting Rob Van Dam, CM Punk, Test, Hardcore Holly, Bobby Lashley and Big Show against each other. The other match was The Hardys vs. MNM. None of the 4 men in that match were even ECW competitors at the time! The other matches, for lack of a better term, were piss poor. The show sucked balls. Lashley became the ECW champion in the main event, while fan favourites CM Punk and Rob Van Dam were first eliminated. It is widely regarded as the worst wrestling pay-per-view of the modern error. The show drew 90,000 buys, by far the worst for a WWE pay-per-view in many, many years. After a difference of opinion with Vince McMahon, Paul Heyman who had been booking the show, was removed from the job and sent home. Many who worked in ECW, including Heyman and Van Dam, were not happy with the product and understandably so.
Things did begin to pick up early in 2007 when Vince McMahon showed up to go off on a tirade about the ECW Originals, and how they sucked, basically. This sparked Elijah Burke to come out and declare himself the future. In the coming weeks, two stables were formed; the ECW Originals consisted of Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, Rob Van Dam and Sabu. Elijah Burke, Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn and Marcus Cor Von made up the New Breed. The battle lines were drawn as these 8 men fought each other week in week out for months, trading victories back and forth and having some great matches in the process. This rivalry dominated the shows and for the first time in a long time it seemed as if ECW had a direction. Soon, these guys learned to work exceptionally well with each other and had some tremendous free TV matches including an 8 man hardcore war the night after WrestleMania 23. Soon CM Punk was inserted into the rivalry and for many weeks it was teased that Punk could join either side. Eventually he joined the New Breed only to turn on them weeks later. Now Punk and Burke are feuding, while the Originals are withering away. New stars are being made and that is the way it should be.
With the ECW title now vacant, the ECW stars have something to fight for. They now have a big name in the form of Chris Benoit. Things are going well for ECW and should only continue to get better. Wether that will show in the ratings is doubtful, as they never really recovered from the crap TV that was Big Show’s title reign. ECW is now a show that is worth watching and more than enjoyable. Guys like Punk and Burke have improved in leaps and bounds over the last few months and are both future champions. The old ECW made some huge stars that would go on to become legends and world champions. Do the names Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho and Rob Van Dam ring a bell? So who knows, maybe WWECW isn’t so dissimilar to the old ECW after all…
Reader Feedback
Yes, we have some this week. Just so you all know, from now on all reader feedback will be broken down point by point, so there’ll be a statement from the email, then my thoughts in italics. It just makes things easier for me and easier to read as well. And remember, these emails and my response to the comments were written before last night’s Draft Lottery. Anyway, for up is Dominick;
I have to get this done fast because my computer’s been having problems. I’ve been trying to catch up on everything. I missed. I should get it fixed by next week.
You too, huh? Computers are possibly the most frustrating objects on the planet yet I don’t know where I’d be without mine. Computers are like girlfriends in that respect.
Congratulations on becoming a part of The Payload. When my computer’s fixed I should send you one.
Thank you very much. It was always one of my favourite columns before I started writing at 411 so it’s good to get to write it now. And you should send us some booking thoughts. That goes for all of you!
I still love that Bugs Bunny picture.
You should, you designed it.
Saturday Nights Main Event wasn’t that good. I don’t think they should have had the Strangest match last. I’d like to nominate Finlay’s Boogeyman dance for funniest wrestling moment of the year.
I believe the theory behind the booking was that because of the late timeslot, more people would only watch the first half of the show and so they wanted it to be the important part. Also, SNME was taped after Raw that week and they didn’t want the fans to start falling asleep before the big matches or even worse, leave. And I second that nomination.
DAMN RIGHT Canadian fans should just get over it. It happened 10 years ago. Move on.
Agreed. It’s so boring hearing them chant “you screwed Bret” every time Vince or Shawn Michaels are on screen. I’d love Bret Hart to show up on a Raw in Montreal and cut a promo saying that even he’s sick of hearing about Montreal so shut the fuck up!
Who won the first draft? SmackDown!
Who one the second draft? RAW.
Who’s gonna win the third draft? There are still separate brands? I couldn’t tell with everyone appearing on the other brands. Speaking of which Jim Ross said on RAW that the Hardys could split after the draft but isn’t Matt on SmackDown any way? And also, if someone from one brand who’s tagging gets drafted to another why the hell should they go. If I was say, Shelton Benjamin, and was drafted to SmackDown I’d say screw you. If Matt Hardy can stay on Raw when he’s on SmackDown then I’m staying. Very unbelievable.
Brand crossovers seem to be less frequent these days, with the exceptions of Matt Hardy and Bobby Lashley. I suppose JR was just trying to put over that anything can happen in the draft but that is a mistake on his part. You’ve got a good point about the tag teams but remember, us fans aren’t supposed to be clever enough to realise these things. That’s why most of us spent $40 on Judgment Day.
I didn’t see ONS III but I’m not really disappointed from what I heard.
It was a decent show – nothing spectacular, but good all-round. If you can, pick up the DVD when it comes out, for the ladder match as much as anything.
Bobby Lashley: NO
I hope you’re right.
CM Punk: It’s 50/50
He’s got the ability, so it’s really down to creative if he ever makes it big or not.
Mr. Kennedy: YES
Again, I hope you’re right.
Scott Steiner has been injured so that’s the end of the Steiners vs. Team 3-D feud. GOD DAMN IT!!! I feel like punching someone.
So it would seem. Although the promos were gold, I can’t say I was looking forward to the match anyway because none of those guys are anywhere near as good as they once were and even then, they weren’t all that.
Mr. Tuesday Night DOM
Thank you for the feedback, Dom, it’s much appreciated.
Up next is Samer;
Hey Dan, it’s Samer again.
And first, congratulations for becoming the new Raw recapper. It’s better than Heat eh?
Wow, look at all the congrats I’m getting to day! Thanks again. You would think that Raw was better to recap than Heat, but Heat has the benefit of being taped so you can pause the feed whenever you need to catch up, plus you don’t have to stay up til 4:30 in the morning, but yeah, it’s fun and I hope you all enjoy reading it.
Now onto business…
The Screwjob:
Well Smackdown got screwed, plain and simple!
Fair enough.
The Draft:
And let’s face it, Smackdown is getting screwed again. However this time I don’t think they have much of a choice… But at the same time, it’s confusing: the draft needs to happen, because Raw is lacking some main eventers, however there is nobody who can be traded to smackdown from Raw and actually make an impact… We’ll get to ECW later.
I think just about every show is short of top tier talent. However Booker T, Rey Mysterio, Triple H and Mr Kennedy should be returning sooner rather than later so that shouldn’t last long. If nothing else, the Draft is always good just to shake things up.
So who should be drafted?
Chris Benoit: Well he has been rumoured to be on his way to Raw for a while, and now that he lost the title to MVP, I think it’s about time, and it is likely going to happen. However I’m split about this one. On one hand, I want him to stay on SmackDown because for a long while, SmackDown had been “the wrestling show”, and Benoit is an integral part of it. And the prospect of seeing him feud with Edge for the title is just awesome. However will this happen? No way. That’s why I think moving him to Raw is the best option as long as he’s considered by the management as a main eventer. It is rumoured that on Smackdown, Micheal Hayes doesn’t see Benoit as a main eventer, due to his lack of mic skills (because you know, to be a champ in the WWE you need to be a great talker, just like LASHLEY!!), and with the way he has been booked on SmackDown, it’s obvious that this rumour is true. So having him move to Raw and get another run in the main events is great for Benoit and great for us because it’s guaranteed we’ll be having great matches. A Cena vs. Benoit match is mouth watering to be honest. And really Benoit can have great matches with just about anyone, imagine him and HBK tearing the house down when Michaels returns. Overall, I think it is best for Benoit to be drafted to Raw.
If Michael Hayes doesn’t believe Benoit is main event talent, he’s a fool. In fairness, you can’t really throw Lashley in his face because he doesn’t book ECW, but point taken. A feud with Edge therefore probably unlikely (at least while Edge is World Champion) and he’s battled with just about everybody else on SmackDown in the last two years so moving to Raw would be a fine idea. Speaking of which, look out for some fantasy booking involving Benoit’s potential move to Raw at the end of the column. Benoit vs. Cena and Benoit vs. Michaels are both money feuds that I would love to see. I saw a match from 2003 between Cena and Benoit during the From the Vault segments that air on SmackDown in the UK and the match was about eight minutes long and very good. Imagine what they can do now with Cena’s massive improvement and a good twenty minute match!
Randy Orton: Well I’m not sure about him too. They’re saying Raw lacks main eventers, and having him move to smackdown will cost Raw another one. And while he and Edge have great chemistry together and should resume their feud that never got the chance to continue, I’m not sure if the WWE is ready for a heel vs. heel feud for the world title. I can’t see either of them turning face, especially with the direction they’re going with Orton now. Plus it’s rumoured that he’ll feud with HHH upon the Game’s return, which is good, since it guarantees that HHH will be away from the title scene for a while (We’ve seen what happened the last time they decided to put the title on him straight after his return, don’t worry though, he’ll be getting it by the time WM 24 is around). So, Orton should probably stay on Raw. Hell he can feud with Benoit if the latter gets drafted (just as long as he doesn’t concuss him).
A move to SmackDown might be well the best thing for Randy Orton at this point as he has been jobbed out to John Cena and Shawn Michaels so many times this year that I don’t buy him being a threat those guys for a long time, especially seeing as Cena can beat Umaga and Khali in the same damn match. As far as not being ready for a heel vs. heel feud, you’re probably right, but I think a face run for Edge would be believable at this point. All it takes is the commentary team to play up how Edge has been a fighting champion and has got clean wins over Batista and a sneak attack from Orton later and Edge is a face. Having said that, that could jeopardise Edge’s future feud with Mr Kennedy, although I suppose he could turn again by year’s end.
Batista: I’m REALLY worried that the WWE might move him to Raw. Please, let the guy stay on smackdown, take him away from the title scene for a while and rebuild him, he’s already failed in his last 4 quests at winning the title, and another loss would really hurt his credibility. And to have him move to Raw, isn’t the right move. I know a feud with Cena can be money, but really let him stay on the blue show please. He can feud with Mr.Bearhug Mark Henry or something, I really don’t care.
I’m split on where I want Batista to go. On one hand, as you say he has lost 5 title matches in a row and now he has another one at Vengeance which I don’t see him winning (at least I hope not) so I don’t know what else he can do on SmackDown as there are no other top tier heels for him to feud with the exception of Henry. Hell, I don’t even think WWE intends on those two feuding right now despite past history. On Raw, you have the money making feud with Cena, a feud with Michaels, a renewal of a feud with Triple H and a few more. It’s interesting to note that all of those feuds would really require The Animal to turn heel which he should have done six months ago but c’est la vie.
Mr. Kennedy: His name hasn’t been mentioned on WWE TV ever since his injury, so maybe they’re moving him to Raw to cause a surprise. If that happens, Smackdown is screwed. Though I don’t think it will; he’ll be having a feud with Edge upon his return, so he should stay right where he is.
WWE has a history of sending the stars over to Raw and that’s what Kennedy is. Who knows, you might be right. Of course Kennedy could always return to SmackDown if he wins the Royal Rumble to feud with Edge going into WrestleMania 24.
Rey Mysterio: Well from a technical point of view, he should move to Raw, since he lost a “loser leaves Smackdown match” against Chavo. But again, if he’s getting a main event push, I think he and Edge can have great matches, they had great chemistry as a team in 2002, and I’m sure the result will be the same if they wrestle each other. And if he’s not getting a push, well then he can be used to help the so called cruiserweight division.
I’d love to see Rey Rey on Raw or even ECW because I’m bored of his act on SmackDown. He’s been there for five years straight and needs a change of scenery. There are tons of opportunities for him on Raw – feuds with Cena, Michaels, Triple, Carlito, Ric Flair and others would all be cool. Over on ECW, he would be another legitimate challenger what with him being a former world champion, and that’s something ECW needs at the moment.
Lashley: Oh boy, i was really worried they might move him to Raw, since that’s where he’s spending most of his time, but now he’s the ECW champion, so he shouldn’t be going anywhere. Thank god. I can’t stand him.
Not much to add here other than I hope you’re right. I can’t stand Lashley either and I don’t want him to be on either of my favourite shows, SmackDown or Raw. He’s useless – get rid of the son of a bitch.
So amongst the main eventers, I think these are the only wrestlers that have a chance to be drafted because let’s face it HHH, HBK and Cena aren’t going anywhere, and Edge has only been on SmackDown for a month, so he’s staying there, and the Undertaker will be kept there to gain the show some star power.
You’re right here, although I think Taker on Raw would be absolutely awesome. Either The Game or Michaels on SmackDown would be good but I can’t see it happening. Cena’s like Val Venis’ career – going nowhere.
CM Punk:
He should definitely be drafted. Let’s face it, ECW is a sinking ship, and the only reason it exists is for Lashley to have a world title. Sabu is gone, RVD is gone, and Sandman won’t last long. Punk can’t feud with Burke forever, and he’s practically in a feud with Cor Von as well. He won’t be challenging Lashley anytime soon, plus they’re both babyfaces, and the match would suck. So where should he go? Well he would fit in Raw as well as Smackdown so I’m confused. They could turn him heel (for real this time, not a 1 week heel turn), and have him feud with Cena which would be awesome (straightedge is better than you!). Or he could go to Smackdown and challenge MVP for the US title, and then eventually he’ll move up to the main event level and feud with the likes of Edge and Kennedy. I’m leaning towards SmackDown, because with HHH and then HBK back or Raw, I’m not sure how long he will last in the main event scene, plus he already had heat backstage in the past. Smackdown needs him more. Though I would pay anything to see him and Benoit wrestle. So either way I’m fine with it as long as he doesn’t stay on ECW.
You’ve hit the nail on the head here – although I’d mark the fuck out for any kind of Cena/Punk feud, I think SmackDown is the best place for him at the moment. More opportunities to get over, and right now Raw is also very face-heavy so another upper midcard face is the last thing Raw needs right now.
So what happens to ECW? I personally don’t care, and I think Vince should realize that 3 brands are too much, and ECW isn’t going anywhere. So he should just use it to help younger wrestlers improve and keep a title around Lashley’s waist, or put an end to it altogether.
That’s more or less what’s going on right now anyway. The New Breed are seasoning nicely and it a year or so both Burke and Cor Von will be ready to at least get a run near the top of the WWE roster. The Major Brothers look to be a competent tag team and should have a bright future. Same with Kevin Thorn, although I can actually see him being moved over to Raw or SmackDown in the Draft. The veterans in ECW such as Hardcore Holly, Balls, Sandman and RVD (he’s not gone yet) will only help the newer talent improve. Lashley is holding the title to keep him over and make him look good, but I think in Vince’s eyes, Lashley is a big fish in a small pond and may be moved once he loses the title eventually. I enjoy watching ECW most weeks so I have no problem with it staying the way it is for now at least.
Which brings me to the tag title scene:
Raw has Cade and Murdoch, who are the champs, TWGTT, Crime Tyme (they have a job!), and possibly the Hardys. I say possibly because Vince hasn’t made up his mind yet, and on paper Matt is a SmackDown wrestler. Smackdown has London and Kendrick, D & D, and Regal and Taylor. What the WWE should do is unify the tag titles, and allow the tag teams to compete on both shows, because the tag division on each show is pretty weak, but unify the titles and you’ll have one solid tag team division. The Hardys vs. Londrick can be a money feud, TWGTT can be added to them and they’ll bring back the glory days of the TLC. Add Regal & Taylor, Cade and Murdoch, Deuce and Domino, and possibly Dykstra and Nitro, and it all looks good.
I’m happy with the current tag team divisions. The Hardys (and I hope they stay together) are doing wonders on Raw – who else could make Cade and Murdoch believable tag champions? Plus, it seems as if Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin are getting more of a look in now, especially after that tag team ladder match at Three Night Stand. Nitro and Dykstra looked to be a promising unit and have already worked out some awesome double team moves and have their look in sync with each other. Cryme Tyme are still popular so they can be used any time, and plus there’s the Highlanders to use as jobbers. On SmackDown, you have the ever-awesome Paul London and Brian Kendrick, Deuce and Domino who are improving by the week, and William Regal and Dave Taylor who are a very good duo in themselves. I hope that either the Major Brothers or both Burke and Cor Von get sent to SmackDown to make a fourth dup – either would be awesome.
I won’t bother with the intercontinental title because it’s really going nowhere, with Marella and Masters wrestling each other every week, it’s been the same for the past year. I definitely won’t bother with the cruiserweight division, since Vince doesn’t care. However what interests me is the US title: We finally have an interesting Champion, who has improved a lot, but what’s next for him? Is there a babyface midcarder on any show that could be drafted to smackdown and have an interesting feud with MVP? CM Punk is the only one who comes to mind and I think he deserves more. But they really shouldn’t drop the ball with MVP.
Well I hope Smackdown won’t get screwed, and lose too many valuable wrestlers, it would be awesome if the WWE can bring back Y2J and have him on Raw, that way they can keep someone on Smackdown, plus who wouldn’t mark out for the Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla? Let’s just wait and see. I’m personally excited, because the draft might remind us that there is actually a brand extension and will hopefully save us from seeing Lashley on Raw each and every week.
Chris Jericho back on Raw. Sounds damn good to me. I’m almost 100% certain it won’t happen though. I always love the Draft and here’s to hoping it’ll be a good one!
To finish here are some random thoughts:
ONS was hit and miss. The ladder match could have been much better; I though they didn’t have a very good chemistry, but the WWE shouldn’t have booked this match in the first place. They could have let them feud and actually have the ladder match as a blow off! It’s interesting to see where they’re going with the Hardyz and Cade and Murdoch, which was actually one of the highlights of the WWE in recent months.
They could have feuded – but that would have derailed the angle with Cade and Murdoch, and I suppose WWE just wanted a kind of special attraction match that could steal the show. That’s what it did, but as you say it wasn’t as good as it could have been – the chemistry wasn’t there and nothing really clicked.
The stretcher match was ok, but I don’t dig this whole concussion thing. I’m not offended or anything, but it’s just lame and hurts the match a lot and really gets on my nerves. You have wrestlers taking chair shots and falling from ladders and pop up like nothing happened, but one kick from Orton will put an end to your career? Though it’s a good idea to keep Orton strong and build him.
I love the angle, to be honest. Shawn Michaels’ injury was put down partially to his history with concussions, thus he’s more prone to head injuries. Add to that Van Dam spends the entire match working the head, and I don’t have a problem believing it. Orton’s kicks are essentially punts straight to the temple, whereas a chair shot is usually to the forehead which wouldn’t do as much damage. It might be a little farfetched but HBK and RVD have both sold it well to make it more believable. Yes, the matches can be not as good because the pace is plodding, but if it’s building to a strategy I’m OK with it.
Ok Khali should be released now. Cena has pinned him twice, in 2 nights, he got decent matches out of him, now he’s useless. What’s next for him? I guess he’ll get back to squash jobbers and eat up some valuable TV time.
There are two things Khali can be used for that would be good for business; jack and shit. The times when fans buy into a wrestler because he’s seven foot are long gone. Undertaker was really big, but he had a damn good gimmick and could move around the ring. Kane was big, but he had an equally good gimmick and can pull out good matches, especially when he debuted. Khali’s just big and crap. No-one cares about him. I’ve heard rumours that he’s no his way out, but if I know Vince, he won’t let go of any guy that’s 7″4.
I was happy Umaga wasn’t pinned in the triple threat on Raw, because unlike Khali, they should keep him strong and they can use him in the future.
I totally agree. Instead of feeding Orton to Triple H when he returns, how about an Umaga/Trips feud? I think that would be awesome and in some kind of hardcore environment, could be awesome.
Who did Nitro piss off? Why on earth is he jobbing week after week? He lost his heat after a great feud with Jeff hardy… Oh well, the WWE has a knack of doing this, I just don’t understand it. The funny thing is that it’s rumoured that Melina has backstage heat and he’s just punished because of her. He jobs every week while she’s the women’s champion.
Let me try and explain this; Melina has big tits and a nice great ass. Nitro doesn’t. Hence, anything Melina does wrong is blamed on Johnny. I don’t mind him tagging with Dykstra for a while because a bit more seasoning wouldn’t hurt before he is pushed big time.
Release Kane. Seriously the last time this guy was interesting was 6 years ago, and he’s just feuding and jobbing to monster after monster. Umaga, Khali, Henry…Who cares? He’s slow, he gained weight, and he isn’t as good in the ring as he once was. There was a time where he could easily be carried to good matches. Those days are gone. He still gets crowd reaction but aside from that, he does nothing. He can’t be used in the tag division cuz he’ll squash anybody. He’s already feuded with MVP and had bad matches with him, so he can’t get a shot at the US title. Just get rid of the guy or move him to ECW where I don’t have to see him.
How I long for the days when Kane was a legit monster himself. But the reason he is kept around is because of the crowd reaction – he is constantly over and thus beating him is always a big deal to the casual fan.
No more title shots for Batista please.. The cage match was good but seriously enough of Batista.
Ha ha. Sorry Samer, but he’s got it at Vengeance. Who knows, he might actually win this one. Or maybe not.
No more Vince on television, let him disappear for a while after the draft please.
Yes. Give us a GM and go Vince, please!
–WHY THE FUCK IS BENOIT A LUMBERJACK!?!?!?
Good question.
Thanks for your time man, if it was too long, don’t say I didn’t warn you…
Cheers.
No problem – I always enjoy hearing your thoughts so keep ‘em coming. And that goes for all you other readers too! And that’s it.
Taking It Home
And that wraps up another week here at S&S. Next week I’ll have a Screwjob from the infamous Invasion angle and also ask why it is hated so much. That, and probably some other stuff.
