Truth B Told 6.14.07: RAW’s Wingmen
Posted by Bayani Domingo on 06.14.2007
Welcome to 411's 85th straight column dedicated to the Draft. Tune in to see why Smackdown and ECW are the most expensive “Fluffers” money can buy.
We've known it for years and this week's draft should be no surprise. Smackdown is basically RAW's wingman. Which would be fine, only RAW doesn't need a wingman RAW is a fitness instructor with a Mercedes convertible and trust fund. While Smackdown is basically a self made man who pulled himself up by his boot straps just to get noticed. Yet each and every draft, each and every year Smackdown is laying down the foundation and breaking the ice, spittin' his game and gettin' the "talent" all nice and worked up, and just when the real pillow talk starts hittin'...BAM... RAW walks up with a fruity cocktail and a $200 shirt that's SUPPOSED to be wrinkled and Smackdown sulks away into the corner. Watching from a far as his "buddy" leads the hottie away towards the exit ... oh shit... RAW was Smackdown's ride home too. Guess he'll have to hope he can track down a "cougar" to offer up a BJ and a ride back to his lonely apartment now. *sigh*
It looks like ECW is falling into the same category as well but while they aren't pulling down the same kind of high class hos Smackdown is, RAW is more than willing to poach from them as well. You just wait till CM Punk and CorVon starts developing a decent "rack"...they'll be back at RAW's pad in no time with no panties on. Figuratively of course. It seems like Smackdown and ECW are the D-Leagues for RAW and in a way, that may not be too bad. If you think about it RAW is clearly the A-show and packed with superstars. It makes perfect sense why Carlito, Johnny Nitro, Kenny or other young stars haven't found much success there. After all how easy can it be to shine as a diamond in the rough when so many other germs are sparkling around you? In a weird way Smackdown is a sort "Fountain of Youth" for some superstars like Rey Mysterio, King Booker, JBL, and now Edge and Flair. Finding success after a solid veteran career, but never quite reaching the top. Think about how much more impressive a Fit Finlay or William Regal is on a brand that has fewer superstars then they would be as bit players on RAW. It's true, Smackdown is also a "proving ground" for youngsters. Remember that it was on SD that John Cena became a star, Bobby Lashley, and now Mr. Kennedy. I guess when it comes down to it SD is almost a blessing in disguise for young superstars looking for some growing room and veterans looking for a little more elbow room in the Upper card.
The problem with the "Tri-Brand" thing is that you can't have three equal shows because they are on three different days at three different times. Why push all your stars to ECW or Smackdown knowing they will STILL not get better ratings than RAW? In fact, the problem with having an equal amount of stars on each show is the temptation to keep using the same guys over and over and over again. By basically forcing Smackdown to keep becoming the "Future Star" mill it is now that gives those guys an opportunity to really become something with more room and freedom then they would on RAW. In fact I'd MUCH rather be a Smackdown superstar as a young guy since there is less of a ceiling and more of a need to build you up fast. That's the same reaosn why keeping Punk, Burke, and MCV on ECW was a great idea. Let those guys work with a seasoned pro like Benoit to build up your skills and rep, be a big fish in a little pond. If it all works out then your time will come. As much as I hate seeing RAW raping the other brands for talent, it kind of works in a sick twisted world. Now the real problem is when the "e" makes us believe there is a "war among the brands". Its a lot like having Rhodes island declare civil war on the rest of the country.
So long as they keep things somewhat separate in terms of brand competition, I think things will be fine. Look at Survivor Series last year, if they tried to make an ECW 5 man team vs RAW's team vs Smackdown it would be a joke. Think about it, Balls and Striker have to wrestle just to make ends meet. The minute the WWE tries to get us to believe a "brand war" exists, they are blowing smoke out of their asses, but you know, no matter what we wanted to believe might have happened in the draft, we all knew what was GOING to happen. The "e" trained us well. So you know, let's just say Smackdown took it in the ol' chocolate starfish and sit back and wonder which of the Untouchables is going to be the Marty Jannetty and which is going to be the...123 Kid.
So just in case you wanted my take, here is a Mel Kiper Jr.-eque break down of how I thought the draft went:
RAW – Loss: Great Khali, Ric Flair, Chris Masters, Torrie Wilson
RAW – Gain: Bobby Lashley, Mr. Kennedy, King Booker, Queen Sharmell, Snitsky
RAW Needs Prior to Draft: Main Event level heels to feud with John Cena and a Main Event level face to replace HBK.
RAW Needs After Draft: None.
Kayfabe Ramification: RAW cleans up by stealing 2 former champions, a MitB winner and ECW's resident "monster heel". By losing Khali they lose ONE of their own "monster heels", they also lose one of RAW's most perma-Over faces in Flair as well as "Jobber to the stars" Chris Masters and convenient angle booster Torrie Wilson.
Real Life Ramifications: They lose two liabilities in the ring in Masters/Khali, one fairly non-wrestling valet, and a broken down Flair who can't be trusted to put on great matches to his own level anymore. Picking up Snitsky basically cancels out Khali in more ways then one and having Lashley, Kennedy, and Booker on board will not only boost the Main Event and upper mid-card but will also improve the overall quality of matches when compared to who they lost. When HBK and HHH return there will be a glut of wrestlers at the top of the card so that may prove to be a problem and unfortunately it looks like at least one of two of the new imports will be shunted down to the mid-card. Any hope for a Nitro, Kenny, or Carlito to be bumped up the card looks bleak after RAW basically drafted all the replacements they needed.
Intangibles: Remember RAW picked up 2 Upper Mid-carders who are currently injured and have 2 more Main Eventers who are also injured. However, the estimation is that within 1 months time Kennedy and Booker should be able to return full-time and it is rumored that by Summerslam HHH may be able to come back. That only leaves HBK who should be out at least a few more months as the only wrestler left on the shelf of any consequence. The only problem I see here is that their roster is almost TOO stacked and once both H's come back it's going to be back to the mid-card with some deserving main eventers.
Draft Grade: A -
Smackdown – Loss: Mr. Kennedy, King Booker, Queen Sharmell, Chris Benoit, Boogeyman
Smackdown – Gain: Great Khali, Torrie Wilson, Ric Flair, Chris Masters
Smackdown Needs Prior to Draft: Main Event level faces to feud with Edge, mid-card replacements for injured Superstars, at least one more tag team, another cruiserweight.
Smackdown Needs After Draft: Main Event level faces to feud with Edge, at least one more tag team, another cruiserweight, Upper Mid-card heels.
Kayfabe Ramification: Smackdown just drafted a "monster heel" when they already have a heel champion. They also lost a "face" and two "tweeners" in Kennedy and Booker as well as a useless lower card comedy act. While Flair is still a popular wrestler and this move may lead to a potential championship run his in-ring work has deteriorated greatly and outside of the TLC match against Edge earlier this year he has clearly lost several steps. Masters has a new roster to terrorize with his bland submission holds although a change of scenery was definitely needed. Torrie Wilson was added to the roster to tie up her feud with Carlito as well as add to the useless Diva stable that wrestle for no apparent reason considering they don't even have a belt on their show.
Real Life Ramifications: Considering Kennedy, Booker, and Benoit are gone it looks likes SD can no longer really call themselves the "wrestling focused" show anymore. It's clear that SD was raped once again for talent and they are still unable to compete with RAW on legitimate terms. Right now SD is the D-League for RAW and continues to be treated as such.
Intangibles: Although SD got rid of two injured wrestlers, Booker T will be wrestling at Vengeance and Kennedy could be back by the following PPV. They also ended up with the only Diva drafted on her own as well as another part-time wrestler in Flair. SD also loses a potential "money feud" by either delaying or canceling an Edge/Kennedy feud till after the Royal Rumble at the soonest. If Vengeance goes as planned and Batista loses it looks like Edge's only obvious feud left for his title will be against either Matt Hardy or Ric Flair. While I doubt either will go over Edge it creates an interesting possibility for a 1st time champ or 15 time champ. Still they avoid the dreaded (D) by clearing up roster space for an MVP, Hardy, or an OVW call up to make a name for themselves. Almost Addition by subtraction you could say.
Draft Grade: C-
ECW – Loss: Bobby Lashley, Snitsky
ECW – Gain: Chris Benoit, Boogeyman
ECW Needs Prior to Draft: Main Event level wrestlers (face or heel), Mid-card wrestlers, young workers or tag team to utilize the one young tag team they have.
ECW Needs After Draft: Main Event level wrestlers (face or heel), Mid-card wrestlers, young workers or tag team to utilize the one young tag team they have.
Kayfabe Ramification: ECW on the surface broken even in terms of "body count", they did however lose the only viable heel they had being booked strongly outside of the mid-card. ECW also loses the champion they've been keeping strong up until this point. Boogeyman is a character tailor made for the Sci-Fi channel and now it looks like we'll be getting that feud we've all been waiting for: Boogeyman vs Vampire. I wonder if Boogeycito is part of the deal?
Real Life Ramifications: The ECW has lost a lot of shine over the past few months and with it being stripped it loses it's last real luster. This does however create a more even playing field because clearly Benoit has become human after losing to MVP and Lashley as of late and gets rid of Blackzilla with the possibility of CM Punk, Burke, or CorVon being the beneficiaries of a wide open title scene. Benoit vs Punk is a much better feud than Lashley vs Punk and could create an eventual series of great matches, but don't be fooled, even if Benoit came over as a legit ECW Original and will probably wear the title at some point, his arrival is really there to help put over the youngsters. ECW now has to decide who they want in the main event because without RVD they have Benoit/Punk/Burke/CorVon as the clear stand outs with Thorne/Striker/Originals as a distant 2nd tier. Expect for ‘reinforcements' to arrive in the form of OVW call-ups. ECW had the most to gain from the draft and ended up almost even. From a "storyline" point of view they lost two key guys, but from a "wrestling" point of view they gained as Benoit is like the Michael Jordan of wrestling, he tends to make everyone else around him that much better. Yes, that makes Kevin Thorne "Bill Wennington".
Intangibles: ECW traded the 2nd most well built and overexposed superstar in the "e" for an upper mid-carder who was unable to hold off a relative rookie for the US title. They also traded the wrestler being built as their "unstoppable monster" for a wrestler whose gimmick is an ACTUAL monster. Basically Benoit/Boogey had been jobbed out on their way over to ECW, while Lashley/Snitsky were being built as "super human". At least Hardcore Holly should be returning soon, too bad he won't get his revenge on Snitsky.
Draft Grade: C+
**LATE ADDITION*** Thanks to a certain "Deacon" for the help I've compiled some objective data to see how each brand did in the draft. I've used the last WWE Fantasy Season stats that was discontinued in May to see how the WWE would have viewed the "Net Gain or Loss" for each brand using their own rating systems.
Superstar Salary
Bobby Lashley $5,000,000
Mr. Kennedy $4,000,000
King Booker $5,000,000
Queen Sharmell $1,000,000
Snitsky $1,500,000
The Great Khali $2,500,000
Chris Masters $3,000,000
Ric Flair $3,500,000
Torrie Wilson $1,500,000
Chris Benoit $4,000,000
Boogeyman $2,500,000
RAW GAINS: $15.5M LOSES: $10.5M NET GAIN: $5M SMACKDOWN GAINS: $10.5M LOSES: $16.5M NET GAIN: - $6M ECW GAINS: $6.5M LOSES: $6.5M NET GAIN: $0
Well there you have it, statistical proof of how RAW came out on top, Smackdown got screwed, and ECW...pretty much broke even.
The Truth
Smackdown got screwed. Seriously. They'll be fine in the end, but who is going to step up to the plate now? If Edge gets a HHH like title reign, Batista gets his fire back, and MVP, Matt Hardy, or Masters is going to have to step up now. This is a good thing for some wrestlers looking for some room to grow, but a bad thing for the viewers until we see that actually solidify. ECW is about the same, but you know, it only needed another Main Eventer and Mid-Carder to be okay. I guess the supplemental draft has to take care of them or they are in for some trouble. Basing a show on 4 wrestlers is rough, but the fact that they left the young guys there to grow is a good move. I don't have to tell you about RAW. The bad thing is that the wrestlers in the upper mid-card and mid-card are in for a serious time crunch with it being so stacked at the top, but the good thing is that wrestling on Mondays got a whole lot more exciting. Sure the wingmen for RAW got a "raw" deal in the draft, but sometimes you need to give a guy a little elbow room to see what kind of moves he can make. Right now, ECW and Smackdown are in 1st Class. I just wonder how Booker and Carlito are going to feel flying ‘coach'.
Coming Up Short
Look, if you hype up a show as being the most important of the year...why not actually, I don't know...FOCUS on the damn DRAFT itself instead of using it as a set up to a stupid Vince McMahon is dead angle???? First Smackdown is raped, then ECW ends up almost the same as it was before and NOW you decide the whole show just HAS to revolve around who shot JR?? I mean...who blowed'ed up Vince McMahon? Yeah, great job guys. It's like having a wedding and deciding during the vows decide it's time to tell people about the wonders of "Enzyte". Way to go Vinny Mac. Yeah...let's just say my whole patience with this angle has come up short.
6 Degrees of…
Chen Arbel
With 411 turning Japanese, I think my choice is fitting...
whoever you may choose, Bayani, link them to the chain-wielding badboy of New Japan: Togi Makabe.
Interesting choice Chen. Well since Togi knows power tools...I think we can find him a good match.
What time is it? TOOL TIME!! Oh, and time for you to get your butts in gear, one entry ain't gonna cut it this week.
Whatchu talkin' bout readers?
What's going on? Its your RLBLGPOTW pusher. Good job this week on the pics. Oh, and the article was good to. j/k. Another great article. Speaking of free agents, I thought TNA picked up the GEMINI brothers. I was surprised to see them cut since Vince loves big guys and he had two of them and could leave them in a tag team most most midcarders end up doing anyway.
p.s.
If no Latina pic we riot
Thank you, Chris Brooks
TNA have the Bashams, not to be confused with the Gymini. See, the Gymini were two real life brothers who were big bald white dudes. Where as the Bashams were Kayfabe brothers who were medium-ish sized bald white dudes. So where as they ran an angle where no one could tell the Bashams apart, and trust me...I think I speak for all Fili-reans when I say... we can't either, they actually could have ran that with the Gymini more effectively, but instead they put them in about 5 matches on TV and released them. Yeah...cuz' Deuce and Domino didn't want the competition I guess. Anyways as much as Vince loves some big strapping men *wink wink* I guess they decided that since they had two Black guys on the roster they'd run the same gimmick. You know them as Cryme Tyme. Hey, Vince can't tell them apart. Why do you think he keeps wondering why he had to beat Ahmed Johnson for the ECW title? As far as the pic...well...damn, can't have a ‘Riot' on our hands now can we?
What's with putting WWE's "e" in lowercase, but TNA's "T" in uppercase? Are you trying to be desperate and do some type of subliminal message in that WWE isn't entertaining, but TNA is?
Mark W
Wow, I didn't even realize I did that. Far be it from me to cook up some kind of subliminal message that is infiltrating my column as we speak, or...I type, but I promise you that would never happen. For one thing do you realize what a bitch it is to come up with something like that. Yep, it would take more time than you or I, or anyone would be able to invest in something like that. But then again, I've heard of crazier things. Me personally? I'd rather just stick to the kind of topics my readers care about and do right by them in giving them the kind of informative and serious reading they've come to expect from me. So sorry Mark, no conspiracy here.
Now a word from a good friend of TBT's
B--
I just wanted to shoot you a quick e-mail after I realized I had forgotten to send in a pick for 6D0. I've been busy with finishing school and trying to move and find a job and all that good stuff. Anyways during some free time I had I went back and counted and found out I have now won 6D0 10 times so I am stepping away as a regular competitor. I still read the column and love it but I won't be sending in an obligatory entry every week unless one seems like a lot of fun. I have been reading how a couple of guys like Double C and that Pryor guy have been talking about a 6D0 hall of fame. I think it is a hilarious idea and you should whip something up for all of retards who have wasted some time putting up the numbers on the 6D0 scoreboard.
Peace...
Mark Satrang
Sorry to hear you're going on hiatus Mark, but trust me, the 6DO HoF is in the works. However, I am going to unveil something amazing this week...
*ahem* In honor of the upcoming PWG's Battle of Los Angeles 2007, I have decided to hold my own 6 Degree's...Tournament of Champions coming up in....probably August. That way I'll wrap it up close to the end of BoLA. So the rules are...in progress. However, I will hold an automatic birth for anyone who has at least 3 6DO wins. So that is probably 3 or 4 spots already sewn up. I'm going with a field of ...I guess it depends on how many participants but 16 or 24 sounds good. The only thing is, you have to have at LEAST one winning entry to be eligible. So that means you guys have 6 or so weeks to get a winning entry in to qualify. Sure, I might only end up with a 6 man field, but screw it....who doesn't love a tournament right? If you are interested in participating just e-mail me with the week you won and a link to the column you won it in...cuz' I'm too lazy to check myself. Yeah...so what? You wanna fight about it??
6 Degrees Results
Unlike Lita this week, only one person entered. So that means the winner is....
#1.
Good day, sir. This week's 6DO:
1. Between 2000 and 2001, Triple H had a huge feud with, and was also tag team champions with, one Stone Cold Steve Austin.
2. Stone Cold Steve Austin played Detective Jake Cage on six episodes of "Nash Bridges", a TV show starring Cheech Marin.
3. Cheech Marin starred in the 1996 movie "From Dusk Till Dawn", which was written by, and also starred, Quentin Tarantino.
4. Quentin Tarantino wrote and produced "Kill Bill Vol. 1" and 'Kill Bill Vol. 2", both which starred David Carradine as Bill.
5. David Carradine starred in the 1993-1997 TV series "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues", which was narrated by Richard Anderson.
6. Richard Anderson played the part of Oscar Goldman in the 1974-1978 TV series "The Six Million Dollar Man", which starred Lee Majors.
Double C (Corey Cotton)
Cheap win this week CC, but I guess that makes you the HHH to Satrang's Flair. Whoooooo!! Either way, your turn again, if I were you, I'd make it a doozy. Gotta keep that win count low for the upcoming Tourney. Oh yeah...I Love This Game!! (c)
Left Overs…
They sure are playing up this "McMahon is dead" angle up, who says Kayfabe is dead? Now all they need is figure a way to exploit Linda and her kids for a pointless storyline and....oh wait...that's only for dead WRESTLERS. My bad.
Ahhh, nothing like a main event DQ caused by one wrestler not leaving the ring after the tag and 5 count in a "Tribute Show". For a second I thought they were honoring Dusty Rhode's death.
Last week's PWG Main Event was changed due to Bryan Danielson not being able to wrestle a full on 1 on 1 match up because of 3 staples in his head. Which...really isn't that bad, I mean Steve-O seems to be able to function just fine with 3 staples in his scrotum, then again he can't really signal for a "quick finish" with that kind of injury. Not for at least 2 months.
So this has really been bothering me lately. But since when do Emo guys get laid? Sure I'll give Jimmy Jacobs all the credit in the world, but usually the only place an Emo guy is trying to get into a girl's pants are at Forever 21. "Yeah...do you have anything lower rise than this?"
What the hell was with CM Punk's expression when the Boogeyman got drafted to ECW?? The guy looked happy, or intrigued or something, I mean, wouldn't the "real" CM Punk be mortified that this jack hole is on the same show as him now? Then again, at least Sandman found a drinking buddy now...cuz' he can still down the tequila and Boogey will be happy with the worm.
So who IS replacing Scott Steiner against Team 3D? Don't say Brother Runt cuz' that's just ridiculous. I have a feeling all things will be revealed on Impact! This week. Yeah, I'm thinking Kenny Kaos too, but a man can still wish for Judy Bagwell can't he?
I read this from Hayhurst yesterday, "WWE is looking into having sponsorship more active for house shows, internet and phone outlets and individual superstars." Wow, I could just imagine that. John Cena with a Lens Crafter patch on his shorts, "You can't see me....but you can in only an hour at Lens Crafter". I bet I know who Smackdown is going to be sponsored by now that they have Mark Henry AND Great Khali on the roster. "Smackdown is brought to you by Depends...because no one knows how to handle big piles of shit, better then Depends".
Rey Mysterio is featured on the poster for Great American Bash, which is awesome. Yeah, I know he is billed as from San Diego, but wasn't he billed as being from Mexico in WCW? For some reason, he was able to beat every big man in WCW too, except for one...The Wall. Guess he should had Cheech as his valet.
Random Asian Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week
Okay, seriously now...where the F*CK are these beaches? The ones I go to only have old European guys in speedos
PWG's BoLA '07 is filling out nicely. So far since last Thursday Chris Bosh, Davey Richards, and....JIMMY RAVE have been added to the card. I'm not going to throw TP at Jimmy though because it's an RoH thing that was his gimmick with the Embassy. Something more appropriate now? Probably a hat with Prince Nana on it...cuz' then it would be true that he loses 80% of his heat through his head.
Wrestling against the Great Khali is like a dead conjoined twin that hasn't been detached yet. He has to be carried all the time and he stinks up the joint no matter what you do.
Random "So no one Riots" Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week
Damn, half Italian and Mexican...Dr. Atkins was a f*ckin' liar when he bad mouthed carbs.
Pimpin' In High Places
Every week I gain a bigger appreciation for my fellow writers here at 411. The 411 Staff room has really settled into a nice comfy, casual little place to relax and chop it up with some of your fellow columnists. Sure some of us do "news", some due weekly columns, some recap, and even others review DVDs, the most important thing is...we're a team. The second most important thing is...don't let the DVD reviewers borrow money from you...it's been 2 months and I STILL haven't gotten that fiver back yet...damn his "non-scheduled" ass.:
Ask 411 is filled to brim with the facts and tidbits you crave. If not, how the hell has it gone through like 17 writers already??
Jules has the Ladder Matches this week, which falls into place as a very popular DVD just hit stores... yep, Primeval.
El hijo de Adam spotlights juniors in puro. Which is weird, cuz' I don't remember anyone ever being a Jr. in Japan. Then again if Giant Baba ever had a kid...would he have just been...Baba?
Evo Scheme pays tribute to Vince this week. Meaning it'll end with a DQ finish.
J-Link loves the internet. So do I. Free music, *spoilers*, and porn. Man, it's a wonder I ever bother to shower and leave the house anymore. Well, 1 out of 2 ain't bad.
CoH ponders whether Jimmy went "all the way" or not. My guess...probably not, I mean, he wasn't crying afterwards and begging Lacey to hold him was he? What? Doesn't everyone do that? No? Shit.
YNMV has the finals of the Csonka Invitational Dance off...cast your votes now...don't you dare write in Candice either. I don't know what she's trying to do in the ring but Micheal J Fox called and said he wants his "moves" back.
Buy or Sell with Bernstein and Gregory. Which sounds like a law office.
Sammy pits the Pitbulls vs the Briscoes. I saw that match last month in PWG it was awesome....oh wait...same match, wrong incarnation. Kinda like the Vince McMahon angle.
D-Dubya takes this ‘Golden' opportunity to break with form this week to cover the draft. Yep, this Boy has all the Fall Out from the festivities.
The 1st Ever 411 Fantasy Draft features...ME. Oh and Meehan and Adamson was in that too I believe. Watch as I single handedly take ECW to the top of the food chain with my brilliant drafting. I'm telling ya, if ECW really had a roster like mine Bauer wouldn't have to get drunk every Tuesday night just to recap it. Although, he just might anyways.
Oh man, another week and the LA "SEXpo" will be upon us. That is for us living in Los Angeles, I'm sure the rest of you could not give a rat's ass. Still, if there is one thing I love more than wrasslin'...it's porn conventions. And Vault soda. Seriously, that stuff is like crack. Anyways, looks like Samoa Joe may finally climb that mountain this Sunday, I strongly urge you to watch the TNA PPV this weekend...it might even be enough for me to make a trip down to "Nationals". If ya see me there...don't complain when I cut in line...m'kay?
