When you point a finger at someone, there are three pointing back at you.
I'm talking to you, WWE! It seems that the retirement of Edge has forced the hand of management to run the annual draft tomorrow, a full two months before they had planned on doing so.
It's not unprecedented to do the draft now, but with only one week of publicity and a two hour show, this figures to be a very different kind of draft. The WWE will claim that it had to be done given the loss of star power on Smackdown with Edge's retirement, but if that's the case, they have only themselves to blame for not building superstars up over the past year.
Perception is reality though, and even though Smackdown's ratings have been gradually climbing lately, it could use a boost and I'm sure this draft will bring just that.
There are already rumors floating around as to who is going where, but I'm going to completely ignore them. This article is about who I THINK should move, not who I believe will actually do so. With that in mind, here are some draft suggestions for the WWE:
TO SMACKDOWN
1. Randy Orton - Each show needs the "face of the brand". I love Christian, but I'm not sure he's it just yet. Orton however has become a bonafide star over the past year with crowd reactions only rivaled by John Cena. I'm not suggesting it's Rock/Austin-esque, but ou get that sense that these are the two biggest stars in the game. Edge was close and was able to carry Smackdown, but with him gone, one has to go to there I think. Some might suggest Cena out of misplaced hatred, but I will suggest Orton. Of the two superstars, Orton is the smoother in ring talent (though both are very good so get that "Cena can't wrestle nonsense out of your heads!) and with Smackdown generally being the more wrestling-heavy brand, it's a fit. Plus, I think most would agree that Cena's personality lends itself more to the character-driven Raw so Orton would be a very good fit on Smackdown. He can be THE guy, something he hasn't been on Raw, and I think he will own it.
2. John Morrison - This is another pick based on ring acumen. Morrison is a fun talent to watch between the ropes, but the knock on him by most is his average mic skills. This could be better masked on Smackdown where he can once again get noticed for his wrestling ability. He can very easily hold down that #2 babyface spot on the show along with Rey Mysterio (who's probably on his last legs) and I can imagine some solid feuds with Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, and Alberto Del Rio. All of those matchups would conceivably bring some good wrestling matches with them and despite the movement away from "wrestling" in the product's name, that is what the talent do, isn't it?
3. Michael Cole - This isn't a "bring back J.R." move for me, as I'm not sure the Hall of Famer is up for traveling so many days a year or if his voice is up to the task. This is a move AWAY from the broadcast booth for me, as I think Cole and his mega-heat is better utilized as a manager at this point. He's being pseudo managing Swagger, so why not keep that going for now? Swagger is an elite talent in the ring and a substandard talent on the microphone. Teaming him with Cole would do for him what Vicki Guerrero did for Dolph Ziggler, only Swagger is 6 inches taller and a lot more brutal. He could get that top heel push with Cole as his manager and it would be best to do so on the show where Swagger could follow up Cole's heat with what he does best, wrestle.
TO RAW
1. Christian - With Orton and Morrison vacating Raw, the show needs a second babyface. In a weird way, I could envision Christian winning the title at Extreme Rules and bringing it with him to Raw, while Morrison could pull the upset and bring that title over to Smackdown. That's probably more pipe dream than reality but it would help this scenario a lot! Either way, Christian needs to be utilized well at this point and on Raw, he could feud with Punk and Miz, both of which seem to be dream matches to me. Captain Charisma is quite the worker, but he is better suited to be Raw's #2 face than Morrison due to his superior mic work and character base. If a scenario arose for Cena to be busy out of the title picture again, Christian could be just the guy to step in. I know this could come off as the Mysterio push (after Eddie died), but Christian has deserved to work at the top for years. Now is finally the time to give him his due!
2. Justin Gabriel - This was between the South African and Kofi Kingston, but I chose Gabriel on potential. This is a guy who hasn't gotten a chance to work alone yet and it might be time. The Corre looks to be breaking up and Gabriel is a guy that could be a solid midcard babyface. He's a solid wrestler and would provide a new opponent for Sheamus. I'd like to see what this guy can do on his own and even though a Gabriel/Barrett feud would work better, it might be the right time to get him on his own show. Along with that, I'd ship Daniel Bryan to Smackdown to feud with Barrett. It's built in and could be an awesome series of matches! Plus, how is a guy as good-looking as Gabriel NOT a babyface? Yes, I can say that without compromising my manhood and let's not kid ourselves, you were thinking it too!
3. Kofi Kingston - I decided to go with Kofi as well since I couldn't justify too many other guys. Plus, Kofi has outlived his welcome on Smackdown as he's basically feuded with everyone possible. I think this guy is destined to be a midcarder for life at this point, but that's not the worst thing in the world. He could still have meaningful feuds with the likes of Sheamus, CM Punk, and others. He just can't stay on Smackdown anymore as it's simply been too long. A change of scenery might do him some good, though don't expect to see Kofi holding major gold anytime soon.
Remember, these are not predictions. These are suggestions that I feel would benefit both shows. Do you agree? Disagree? Think I'm absolutely out of my mind? Let me know with comments below. We will discuss the draft results in full after Raw tomorrow night as draft discussion will take the place of the weekly HOT or NOT. I will be bringing you my full thoughts on the moves as well as the return of Tough Enough Thoughts which I will actually get to watch when it airs for once! Until then, enjoy your Passover or Easter!
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