Firstly, I want to say what I think the format of the draft will be like. Most likely, we will see each brand get a certain number of random picks, as was done in the 2004 draft. Smackdown will be robbed of its talent and it doesn't make sense that they would let this happen if they were doing the picking.
Let's get to it...with the realization that predicting the WWE Draft is more of a crapshoot than anything. Everything depends on which direction WWE wants to go in.
To RAW:
Batista - If RAW needs some more star power, then this is certainly a good way to go. Batista will lose his "Do or Die" match against Edge at Vengeance and move permanently to RAW. This would set up for a fantastic feud with John Cena later this summer.
Chris Benoit - It's been reported for a long time now that Benoit has already been told he's moving to RAW, which makes this an easy pick. I would think the ideal feud for him would be with Randy Orton.
William Regal - Never underestimate the strength of HHH's backstage politics. It's well-known that Regal is good friends with HHH and that he has requested a move and a heel push on RAW. He'll get it.
To Smackdown!:
CM Punk - He is one of the best pure wrestlers in the company (if not for Benoit, he might be THE best) and he is also a great entertainer. He will "move up" to Smackdown in order to put him on a bigger stage. Intuition seems to be telling everybody that he'll feud with MVP for the U.S. belt, and I think that's correct.
Matt Hardy - He's already on Smackdown, right? The point of this is to split up the Hardys as a tag team and make them singles wrestlers again. McMahon has always liked them better as singles.
Kevin Thorn - They've been putting him over on ECW the past few weeks with some squash matches, but who are they preparing him to feud with? With seemingly nobody on ECW that comes to mind, I say he moves to Smackdown.
To ECW:
Rey Mysterio - He'll add top-tier talent to the show and replace CM Punk as the reason to watch ECW. Also, he'll be feuding with none other than Mr. McMahon by the end of the summer, so look for him to warm up on some of the ECW heels.
Shelton Benjamin - His singles push gets a restart on ECW and Charlie Haas gets dropped. Benjamin is one of the most talented athletes in the company and needs to be utilized. Quit wasting space with him on RAW!
Super Crazy - His singles push on RAW has all but diminished. We haven't seen him in weeks even though he has reportedly recovered from his injury. ECW is a perfect fit for this guy, and he would be a great wrestler to put over some of the up-and-coming heels.
If the draft were to take place as I see it, Smackdown would clearly be raided of its talent and ECW would become a very watchable show. I have one problem with my predictions: there's nothing shocking about them! No title switches between brands, etc. I think a great move by WWE would be to swap MVP and Santino (and their belts) between RAW and Smackdown. But we'll see.
How do you see the upcoming draft? Post your responses.
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
WWE Draft Preview And Predictions
Posted by Drew Arnold at 12:01 AM
Tags: Batista, Chris Benoit, CM Punk, ECW, Kevin Thorn, Matt Hardy, RAW, rey mysterio, shelton benjamin, SMACKDOWN, super crazy, william regal, WWE, WWE Draft
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8 Comments:
Hey Drew, good article! One thing, though. All McMahon needed to do to split up the hardyz was last week by having them drop the belts. Jeff is already on Raw and Matt on Smackdown!. Granted, they might shift in the draft tonight, but he got his wish by having Cade and Murdoch wins. So, either they'll stay split up, or end up back together tonight, which we know(as you mentioned)that Vince likes them better as singles.
-Jesse
I don't understand why he likes them better as singles wrestlers. I think the Hardys are one of the great tag teams of the last ten years. Unlike the "super teams" like Kane and Undertaker or Rock and Mankind, I think that the Hardys make each other better when together rather than detract from their individual strengths.
i love the hardys tag team, but i can see vince's preference of them being singles wrestlers. they are two different people: jeff was "the enigma" in tna and that accurately describes him, while matt's "never die" gimmick is very characteristic of his wrestling style.
in another development, wrestling sites are reporting that a source within WWE said that ecw will be getting a major upgrade tonight. did i short them in my predictions? might they be getting batista or orton?
I could see them getting Batista before Orton. After Orton's Eurotrip hotel antics, they've been waiting to punish him. Dropping him to the B show could do just that. However, I don't think they would send the son of WWE HOFer Bob Orton Jr. to the one hour C show that is ECW. There's been talk of guys like Batista and Mysterio going to pull the ratings up and springboard back into a title picture. We'll find out in less than two hours!!!!!
Should I be embarrassed that I've spent most of the day dreaming up scenarios in which The Rock is drafted and gives an awesome promo like he did before WrestleMania 23?
yes ben, that should be significantly embarrassing. but at the same time, it would be one of the most surprising things to happen in WWE history. and it would be awesome
I think I would cry if it happened.
I do believe that at least one actually out of action star will be drafted to a brand. I'm not talking about guys like HHH and Kennedy who are just hurt; I am talking about guys like Mick Foley and Stone Cold who haven't wrestled in some time.
I've heard that it will be random and I've heard that matches will determine order. If each side needs a captain, who will draft for ECW?
I was actually kinda hoping Foley would become the ECW figure, but i guess i'll just keep dreaming haha. I think part of the ECW getting a "major upgrade" might be that there is a rumor they ordered tag belts for the show. and i have a strong feeling that the cruiserweight belt might be drafted to ECW. could be fun.....4 minutes!
-Jesse
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