The People’s Column: Get Your WWE Draft On

Columns, Features, Top Story

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen. I apologize for being absent last week, but this week I am back and with a vengeance. While i do intend to get into talking about the draft, I have a few thoughts to share before I do. Monday night was a very interesting night for wrestling. With Raw stranded in Europe, WWE put together a show that should be erased from the record books while TNA tore the house down with a great hot-shot title change.

Some are saying that TNA wasted a month of TV and a pay per view payday with giving all that they did away in one night. I don’t believe that for a second. The show was great. I am usually the first to bash TNA. Their Monday shows have been terrible for the most part, including January 4th. This week was so different. Their show was focussed on their world championship, gave the in-ring action enough time and built to a satisfying conclusion. I know that this cannot be the TNA show every week, but hopefully they learned something from the quality show they put on this week and will continue to do that.

One more note, then I will actually get on with my normal column. I am not really a fan of RVD. His in-ring work was always too soft for my liking. He was unrealistic and often seemed to be a little full of himself and his own character in interviews. With that said, he is exactly what TNA needs right now. They need a main event face who is recognizable to the modern audience, but does not seem like a remnant from the late ’90s. He has something to prove in this run with TNA, even if that something is simply that he is better than what WWE used him as for years. If he is the new era in TNA, than I am in support of this new TNA. Hopefully this run will elevate him and the company as a whole.

Now, as the title of this column suggests, I would like to talk about the WWE draft. This is always one of the best nights of the year as far as WWE programming goes. It is the only night of the year that most fans will agree that anything can happen. Making predictions about this evening seems almost silly. All of the superstars on Raw or Smackdown could be moving, so it is difficult to say what will happen. So instead of straight predictions, I will say who I would like to see moved (warning: it is lopsided).

Randy Orton moving to Smackdown
This would be the biggest move of the draft this year. They are already building to it with his rivalry with Swagger. The fans can get behind Orton on Smackdown and he adds some star power to the B show before it moves to SyFy. A program with Swagger could continue through summer and then he would have many options with the dynamite heel roster currently on Smackdown.

CM Punk (with the SES) to Raw
Raw’s biggest acquisition would be the best heel in WWE today. There is a ton of milage left in this character and the SES as a whole. Raw is the place develop Punk into the super heel that he has the potential to be. He could have strong programs with HHH, Cena, and Christian (if he remains on Raw). Punk is a great utility player who could take as many losses as needed but still remain over.

Kofi Kingston to Smackdown
Kofi had a great thing going at the end of last year. He was in a program with a heel who had spent most of the year as world champion and he seemed to be getting the upper hand. He came out of that rivalry with the same amount of star power that he went in with. He seems to be a great mid-card player right now. Kingston gets a nice crowd reaction, but just is not ready for prime time yet. Of course that could all change with a move to Smackdown. The Smackdown brand seems to be a star-making machine. It generated huge pushes for both CM Punk and Jeff Hardy. Smackdown is the place to get over in the WWE and Kingston’s best chance is on the blue brand.

Edge to Raw
Coming off of a huge comeback at the Royal Rumble, Edge’s momentum seems to have fizzled in recent months. He was red hot at the Rumble, but now he just seems bland. I think he moves to Raw and picks up his babyface run in front of a semi-new audience. It’s too early to turn him heel again, but he can be a big money player for years to come as a legitimate babyface. He just needs time to find his nichè.

Christian to Smackdown
I know what most of you are thinking: why separate Edge and Christian? They have a custom made program for the future. I could even see them main eventing Summerslam or an off brand pay per view someday. An episode of either show with an E&C reunion would make for a huge rating. However now is not the time. Christian, must like Kofi Kingston deserves a chance at being a main eventer. That chance is on Smackdown. When he has established himself as a major player, then he can reunite with Edge and tear the house down with a classic five second pose.

R-Truth to Raw
First of all, I must mention that R-Truth has the most terrible theme music in WWE history. He absolutely cannot rap and needs to stop trying. It would have been awesome if MacGruber had been able to just blow up his theme. He is unique in the ring, but is probably only an upper-mid-card guy. The Smackdown upper-mid-card is crowded with guys just waiting to get to the main event scene. The same space on Raw could use a nice crowd pleasing act.

Cody Rhodes to Smackdown
This guy has been lost in the shuffle since Legacy split. He does not have the charisma that Ted Dibiase has. He does have some ability in the ring, but he is not polished. I believe the WWE had the idea that Legacy would launch their next two big stars the way Evolution did, but that did not happen. Rhodes has the potential to be another great mid-card star. Smackdown could be a great home for Rhodes.

MVP to Smackdown
MVP has been nothing but a bomb on Raw. He could use a major character overhaul where he could get back to his heel roots. He is just bland and he feels directionless. He does not need to be teaming with Mark “Kool-aid” Henry and wrestling in pointless matches. The draft could be a major turning point for MVP and his career needs this shake-up.

And now for some absolutely ludicrous picks!

Undertaker to Raw
To be honest I think this one is impossible, but it would be so much fun. Smackdown has been the Undertaker’s show for over five years. He has been the cornerstone that they build on. This would be like pulling the foundation away from that show. However, they need some new matches on Raw and although moving Raw guys to Smackdown to feud with Undertaker has worked, this would shake up all of WWE. Undertaker only has so much time left in the ring, and this is the year to make this move if they ever will.

Daniel Bryan to Raw
This one doesn’t even make sense. I know that he is on NXT and that they aren’t eligible for the draft… or are they. WWE has not said anything about that, so I don’t think they are, but if they happen to be, this should be a no brainer. It would push his program with The Miz to another level and give him exposure on WWE’s biggest stage.

And finally, I think Michael Cole should be drafted to the office job that they have set up for JR. Those are my picks folks! Let me now what you think and how you want the draft the play out! While you’re doing that, I have another question for you. Would you want to read my Raw and Smackdown thoughts if I were to blog them for you guys? Kind of a random thoughts/stream of conscious type of experience? Most of it would be thoughts too small to turn into actual columns, but still super interesting. Let me know what you think! Comment and email galore!

Will is a 23 year old graduate student at UC Irvine. He is going to school for Stage Management and has always been passionate about pro wrestling. He began writing "The People's Column" in 2009. In 2010 he started his own wrestling blog, which is growing at an alarming rate. He is married to a beautiful woman (pictured on his profile) who accompanies him to most wrestling events that he goes to. Will is thankful for everyone who reads and interacts with him on Pulse and on his blog.