For Your Consideration…Backdraft

Welcome to Week 62.

So, the WWE 2008 Draft is only a week away, and that means being the lazy writer that I am, I am going to use that as my subject this week and probably next week as well. Since there have been several other writers who’ve handled the “mock draft” gimmick, I think I’ll pass for the most part this year.

I’m not a huge fan of the WWE Draft. The draft creeps up on us every year right around the post-Mania swing and kills whatever momentum the company has. There are innumerable possibilities that seem to get squashed by the illogical draft picks, and suddenly we’re back at square zero. The WWE Draft should be held the week after Mania, not this far into the game.

Look at where we’re at right now. The WWE finally decides to let Chris Jericho do something and now the entire show could shift. We could get a new #1 heel just as he’s about to assume that role. We could get MVP shifted to Monday nights and assume that role of cocky heel that’s good on the stick. We’re about to get the new Third Generation faction on RAW that we’ve waited about a year and a half for. ECW is giving us the great Kofi/Shelton/Bourne/Knox feud along with Miz/Morrison “hilarity”. Smackdown’s La Familia is finally giving a lot of nobodies something to do. Now with the Draft, we’re “shaking things up.” So instead of pontificate about who will go where, let’s look at what they did last year and whether or not it worked. Hindsight is 20/20, but those that don’t learn history and bound to repeat it.

For Your Considetation…Backdraft

1) Khali from RAW to Smackdown –

What I said last year: The Great Khali’s going to Smackdown ladies and gentlemen. The heel side of Smackdown is heavy, so the first pick is…a heel? Khali couldn’t stay on RAW after being defeated twice by John Cena, so moving him back to Friday nights could make some sense. First off, Khali cannot work a live match. He’s still sloppy and still wooden and desperately needs to be in a situation where the talented folks at WWE production can fix his abominable matches. With Khali on Smackdown, Batista has someone to feud with…which you know is going to suck. More importantly, since Undertaker never got a chance to get his win back from last year’s unceremonious beatdown, with Khali on the roster it’s a chance for Taker to pin him clean. Lastly, Rey/Khali is perfect for the WWE’s next trip to San Diego.

One Year Later: This was the first draft pick as selected by the random generator machine that the WWE concocted last year. The pick at the time made perfect sense, and one year later it’s hard to complain. First and foremost, it got Khali off of RAW. RAW is the flagship show, and having a giant who can’t work a live match really hampers your top program. Since being moved to Smackdown, Khali was able to work taped matches that could clip his awfulness. In addition to being able to make him look less terrible, his being on Smackdown would up being a huge blessing in disguise for Creative. When Edge went down with an injury, the main event was left vacant. There was no top heel. Cue Khali. Yes, his title reign was abysmal, but it did give Batista something to do for a few months. We got another Punjabi Prison Match, and this time it didn’t suck so much. Allowing Dave to work against someone who has no chance of getting cheered should have made Batista the top babyface in wrestling. It didn’t, but at least Khali’s presence on Smackdown opened the door for it to possibly happen. Khali was also great to have around for the inevitable showdown with the Big Show. The sight of these two standing toe-to-toe was the great visual that Vince always wanted, and his being on Smackdown made that possible. In the end, this pick might have been the single smartest one made by Creative because they not only got another main event heel on Smackdown but also a World Champion.

2) Boogeyman from Smackdown to ECW –

What I Said Last Year: ECW is getting…the Boogeyman? The Boogeyman?! Stop the pain. So ECW was allegedly going to be the home of the young and fresh talent and instead it’s the home of tired, pathetic gimmicks? And to think I was worried that my predictions being too small? They are 0 for 2 as far as I’m concerned. Boogeyman? Seriously? Get ready, RAW is probably going to pick Funaki

One Year Later: Yes, this was a bust pick. This was also a clear sign that the WWE was abandoning ECW. On the other hand, it appeased SciFi, and Boogey really wasn’t given a whole hell of a lot of time. He was used as squash fodder for Mark Henry and fit nicely in comedy bits with Matt Stryker, but his age and injuries prevented him from doing much of anything. This draft pick seemed offensive at the time, but turned out to be rather innocuous. In fact, until I looked at who was drafted, I didn’t even remember that he was on Smackdown before being moved to ECW.

3) Booker from Smackdown to RAW –

What I said last year: RAW gets…King Booker. Well, Booker has flourished on Smackdown and was a bona fide main eventer. With a move to RAW, maybe he’ll get a chance to feud with John Cena for the world title. Let’s just hope that Creative doesn’t forget that Booker was a top draw on Smackdown because I doubt it would make sense to move him to RAW just to stick him in a dead-end feud with Santino Marella over the IC title. Again, this is hardly a shocking draft pick and frankly a confusing one. RAW needed an upper level heel and Smackdown has a plethora of them, and while I hope Booker gets a chance to fill a main event slot, I still believe that Mark Henry would have been the logical next choice to get thrown into that John Cena Hogan machine.

One Year Later: Wow. Who knew the impact this move would make. Yes, I am that lame that I made an Impact joke. Booker T was hitting his gimmick heights as the pompous King Booker. While competing as King Booker, he was given an extensive World Title reign and even managed to have slightly watchable matches with Batista. His move to RAW seemed incredibly suspicious, but at the time we all just assumed he would serve as fodder for John Cena. Well we had the fodder part right, just the wrong guy. Booker began to issue challenges to the injured Triple H, so it was a lock that he would be Hunter’s return opponent. Who knew that the big match would be such an incredibly one-sided blow-out? Booker didn’t stick around too long after that, and now he’s in TNA doing…what exactly? Had they kept him on Smackdown, he would have taken the place of the injured Edge and probably would still be in the company as a main eventer. This was a necessary evil move by the WWE, who must have figured back then that they would set Booker up to be the fall guy for Hunter’s return. And now, months later, I’m honestly okay with Booker being gone. Had he stayed on RAW, he would have been holding down guys like Chris Jericho and Jeff Hardy, and we never would have gotten the extended Orton run that helped (attempt to) make him a legit main eventer.

4) Benoit from Smackdown to ECW

What I said last year: ECW gets…Chris Benoit. There’s no way to complain about that one. I always thought that Benoit should stay on Smackdown, but this has some potential to make ECW slightly more legitimate.

One Year later: Oh to think what might have been. Vengeance: Night of Champions last year would have been the crowning of Chris Benoit as the new ECW Champion, which would have kicked off a year of Benoit/Punk matches. ECW would have been in a much stronger place and the brand is just now starting to pull itself out of the hole that this left it in. You couldn’t fault the WWE for making the pick at the time that they did, but in the end who could have known what would happen?

5) Torrie Wilson from RAW to Smackdown

What I said last year: Smackdown gets…herpes…I mean Torrie Wilson. You know, I don’t even think they’re trying anymore. Look, they always do one diva trade, so at least they got it out of the way. It probably would have made more sense to bring over Michelle McCool to RAW since she can wrestle, but Torrie to Smackdown makes…uh…sense? Are they going to stick her with MVP? Nah. Who on Smackdown could use the Torrie Wilson rub? You know, rereading that last sentence leads me to a different answer. I guess they could toss Torrie on the arm of Batista.

One Year Later: So Torrie’s gone. Hmm, not too many of the people drafted stuck around long after they got moved. She was finally getting slightly competent in the ring (for her), only to suffer a back injury and vanish forever. It’s a real shame that’s how she was shuffled out of the company considering she worked her ass off for years for Vince…sometimes even on camera. Now, one year later, Smackdown is setting up a Divas Championship complete with slightly legitimate wrestlers. She would have been a welcome addition, but instead she’ll go down as yet another wasted opportunity.

6) Chris Masters from RAW to Smackdown

What I said last year: Smackdown gets…Chris Masters. Pain. That’s the only way I can describe this. Mind-numbing pain. For the 200th time, Smackdown is a heel-heavy program, so the answer is to get ANOTHER HEEL?! And not only another heel, but Chris Masters?! Just keep burying Smackdown, Vince, just keep pouring it on. I tell you what, if P.S. can make this guy a main eventer, I say give him the damn company

One Year Later: 4th pick in a row featuring someone who’s not in the company anymore. I never understood why they moved Masters to Smackdown, especially considering they were moving Lashley to RAW and it can’t hurt to have a big, powerful jobber. Masters didn’t do much of anything on Smackdown. I think his biggest story was his feud with Chuck Palumbo before he vanished altogether. Wellness policy’s a bitch, Chris. I doubt we’ve seen the last of this guy, but for the time being I’m glad he’s off my television.

7) Lashley from ECW to RAW

What I said last year: RAW gets…Lashley?! Well, there’s your big, dumb move of the night. Well, if Lashley drops the ECW belt then I guess Benoit will be there to pick it up. Oh wait, here’s Coach. Time to retract? Ah, here comes the stripping of the title. So all those months ago when I predicted a tournament for the ECW title, I guess I was right all along. Well, Bobby’s been on RAW for the past few months anyway, so what’s the difference with making it official? He’s been Vince’s pet project and now he can be the next big thing on the flagship show.

One Year Later: And that makes 5 in a row. Bobby Lashley lasted one whole pay-per-view on RAW, but at least the WWE got it’s Cena/Lashley match. Bobby’s subsequent injury really derailed his main event push, and with Hunter back in the fold, there wasn’t room for the guy. Vince did everything in his power to get Lashley over, but it was Lashley’s ultimate betrayal that finally got Vince to realize that athletic yet unmotivated guys weren’t the way to go. RAW was sort of screwed when Lashley went down, but they were WAY worse screwed when they lost Cena. Had Bobby stayed healthy, he would have been given the belt and the keys to the kingdom. Instead, he’s off doing MMA or whatever and will probably wind up in TNA as Shaka Lashley or Bad News Bobby.

8) Ric Flair from RAW to Smackdown

What I said last year: Smackdown gets…Ric Flair. Hmm. I guess this’ll benefit Dave. Flair can replace Benoit as resident veteran. Flair/Finlay, Flair/Regal and Flair/Edge? Sure. I’ll take it.

One Year Later: Technically, this is 6 in a row, but he’s still around so it won’t count. Moving Flair to Smackdown didn’t make sense then and it still doesn’t make sense. The WWE alleges that they had the Flair retirement storyline booked all the way at Wrestlemania 23 weekend, so why move him off RAW in the first place? We never got the great Flair/Finlay, Flair/Regal and Flair/Edge matches that we thought we’d get. We didn’t even really get the Flair rub given to Batista. Instead we got an MIA legend who was sitting out a contract dispute for the majority of his time on Friday nights. Then, when he came back, he was pretty much on RAW anyway. Stupid pick that never went anywhere.

9) Snitsky from ECW to RAW

What I said last year: RAW gets Snitsky. Well, there’s Cena’s new monster.

One Year Later: Hey! An active wrestler! Wow. So on ECW, we were being force-fed these lame Snitsky vignettes for weeks. Then, we sat through squash after squash after squash. Finally, once Snitsky was moving up to the main event, he was shuttled to RAW and jobbed out. In the end, I’m fine with no Gene in the main event picture, but did we really have to sit through all of that crap for nothing?

10) Mr. Kennedy from Smackdown to RAW

What I said last year: RAW gets Mr. Kennedy. Well, that one wasn’t too much of a shocker.

One Year Later: When Mister Kennedy was traded from Smackdown to RAW, he was one of the hottest stars in wrestling. Yes, his injury kind of dampened his push, but he was still the MITB winner and about to be THE top heel in wrestling. Had he stayed on Smackdown, he could have taken the vacant slot left open by Edge. Instead, he went to RAW, where Vince felt the need to re-introduce him to the fans as if they’d never seen him before. In between injuries, he was set up to be THE heel once again by being named Vince’s illegitimate son. Unfortunately, the Wellness Policy struck again and he was suspended and (rightfully) shuttled down the card. Now, after an ill-timed face turn, he’s right back to where he was in 2005, jerking the curtain. He was the biggest mistake for the 2007 Draft, hands down.

And now, the supplemental draft all-stars:

11) London and Kendrick from Smackdown to RAW – This was meant as a punishment for their talking to the Internet, doing high-risk spots when told not to and for smirking as Vince walked down the hallway before being blown up. On Smackdown, they were tag champs and a weekly highlight. On RAW, they’ve been relegated to Heat, jobbed out on RAW, and broke up like 8 times only for it to be ignored and them reunited.

12) Kenny Dykstra from RAW to Smackdown – Kenny was the “talented” one of the Spirit Squad (though to be fair, Johnny Jeter was much better but too short for the time), and he was shifted to Smackdown for reasons no one quite understood. He was used as a Jobber to the Stars so that he could learn to be a better hand and he was given Victoria so that he could get more heat. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury and is either still healing or he’s just not being used at all. At least on Smackdown there’s always an opportunity for him to be used, so let’s hope they leave him where he is.

13) Viscera from RAW to ECW – Viscera was rebranded Big Daddy V and given a legit run at the main event. He even made it to an Elimination Chamber. This was one of the success stories of the Draft because it took a low-card joke face and made him a main event threat. Sure, no one really wants to see Viscera, but as a One Man Gang retread, he was an effective wrecking ball for ECW.

14) Sandman from ECW to RAW – Could have been fun to watch him on RAW or have him used on Heat, but he was pretty much gone and forgotten within a few months.

15) Hardcore Holly from ECW to Smackdown – Holly was main eventing ECW against Rob Van Dam, then got injured and I don’t think ever set foot on the Smackdown stage. He wound up on RAW serving as Cody Rhodes’s mentor and is currently a tag champ. Holly’s gotten 2 runs at the main event, which isn’t too bad for a guy who started his career as a race car driving jobber, so letting him feud with the Third Generation should be a nice opportunity for him to teach them how to work.

16) The Miz from Smackdown to ECW – On Smackdown, the Miz was a joke who seemed destined to be released any day. On ECW, he was a World Title contender who is now part of the hottest act in the WWE and a legit threat as a tag champion. This move worked out brilliantly for the former Real World star, and his annoying charisma has ensured that he’ll be a future color commentator.

17) Daivari from Smackdown to RAW – Separating him from Khali was the beginning of the end for this guy. He didn’t have much to do otherwise other than compete in the Cruiserweight division…so he was moved to RAW where there is no Cruiserweight division. He didn’t last very long and is now part of Team America World Police in TNA during their World-X Cup nonsense.

18) The Majors Brothers from ECW to Smackdown – Wow. Who knew these guys would go from vanilla tag team with no hope of making it to vanilla tag team main eventing Smackdown against Batista and responsible for retiring the Undertaker. These guys got a HUGE boost by being sent to Smackdown, and as long as the Draft works out, their La Familia stable should have a few more months of juice.

19) William Regal from Smackdown to RAW – Regal didn’t do much when he was first moved, but once he became GM, he reminded us why he was the Man. Too bad he got busted for the Wellness Policy, but at least on RAW I didn’t have to watch him job to Chuck Palumbo .

20) Victoria from RAW to Smackdown – This move is only finally starting to make sense with the creation of the Divas title. Victoria was entertaining as hell as a foil for Michelle McCool and a valet for Kenny Dykstra. Now with Natalia, there’s nothing but an upside for this move.

21) Jillian Hall from Smackdown to RAW – Jillian still sings, she still shrieks, but on Smackdown she was JBL’s manager. Now on RAW, she’s just another background one-note-joke character who isn’t given a chance to wrestle.

22) Eugene from RAW to Smackdown – He was dressed like a superhero and then he was gone. Oh well.

23) Johnny Nitro from RAW to ECW – Now THIS guy caught a major break. He got a career revitalization like no other, going from Heat jobber to ECW champion in a matter of days. If for nothing else, the ascension of Johnny Nitro to John Morrison made the 2007 Draft worthwhile.

So there you have it. Oddly enough, the supplemental draft was the draft that made all the difference in the WWE by giving us a future World Champion, a GM and a new stable. Maybe if the WWE restrains itself from making a “splashy” pick, we’ll get a few more surprises. Though knowing the WWE, I doubt they can restrain themselves.

This has been for your consideration.