For Your Consideration…Backdraft Two

Welcome back.

So I took a week off to digest Wrestlemania and all of its “fallout” compared to what I wrote a few weeks ago. Everyone and their mother have contributed their thoughts on the show, so I didn’t want my comments to get snowballed into that giant amalgam of blab.

With that said, I think anyone who read my “predictions” column two weeks ago could venture a guess as to what I thought of Mania. The kneejerk reactions that people have (ranging from calling it a disaster to calling one of the matches the best ever) is the standard kneejerk reaction that happens every year. The true benchmark of success for Mania is in the weeks of fallout.

Wrestlemania 25 so far seems like an abject failure in terms of finishing storylines. In my column, I don’t think I predicted too many storylines finishing, but in the opinion of my massive ego I think I came up with some more entertaining moments than what the WWE delivered.

First off, there’s the Money in the Bank match. I thought that the WWE should have put the briefcase in the hands of Shelton Benjamin. Instead, they went with Punk. I like Punk, always have. I think that he does have incredible value to the company as a world champion, though I believe that value lies in him being a heel (it was the subject of my first or second column ever). The guy who gets MITB this year HAS to lose when he challenges, or the match becomes too predictable. That was why Shelton worked, because he could win the case, get the rub and lose the belt. Instead, it’s Punk. Punk isn’t going to beat Hunter or Cena, so I guess the company needs to wait for Orton or Edge to get the gold. Then he can challenge and will probably fail. What does this mean? That winning MITB might wind up burying Punk in the end (though both Edge and Orton have built-in feuds with Punk, seeing as Edge lost his belt to Punk and Orton cost Punk his title).

The Divas match was more of a train wreck than even I thought. I predicted McCool would win the thing, but instead they made it a comedy gimmick for Santino. I’m cool with that because it was a kinda funny move and something that harkened back to the Attitude Era, but the obvious 20 minute concert and the lack of entrances and spotlights (especially for the guest stars) was such a glaring mistake that even the worst columnists caught the gaffe (of course I’m not talking about anyone here…I do try to read other sites to see what the lesser folks are writing).

Jericho. Ugh. Look, everyone knew that Piper and Snuka would stink up the joint and they did just that. Having Jericho sell for weak offense was the single reason I wanted Lawler in that slot. Jerry isn’t as good as he was, but he still looks sharp. Making a perennial world title contender sell for Superfly’s weak chops damages Chris’s credibility. Ricky Steamboat, on the other hand, pulled out a great performance (especially compared to his brethren), though I hope his Mania match and RAW performance will be it. Jericho should have gone over and he did, so I can’t be upset there. He even got over on Flair, which is solid. The Mickey Rourke thing was ridiculous, as Rourke (who I might add trained for MONTHS as a wrestler) pulled out awkward boxing skills and made Jericho look confused and a terrible fighter. Then he punked him out with a sad looking punch. How did this get anyone over? It got Rourke a “moment”, but the moment should have been Flair somehow putting Jericho down and Rourke delivering the Ram-Jam or something. Something simple and something wrestling would have worked well. Instead, they further highlighted that boxing and MMA could beat wrestling any day. Hardly the goal of this segment.

Matt and Jeff Hardy had a decent little match, though I don’t like the whole “Jeff can’t beat me” thing as much as I liked the guilt-ridden Jeff really hurting Matt and thus proving his point. I can’t complain too much because it makes sense to put Matt over and let him feed off of the residual heat from the win, but when I think Mania I like to think “conclusion” to feuds, not starting points. Oh well, at least it was a decent (though unmemorable) match with a cool finish.

Rey Mysterio retired JBL in near-record time. Great. Look, JBL deserves a whole lot of praise for making the most with what he had. He came into the WWE as Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw and overcame several ridiculous gimmicks (people forget that the APA started as brainwashed warriors fighting for their dark lord) to become a world champion (even if it was as a poor man’s Dibiase). He was a man who towed the line between credible threat and comedy match, and him leaving Mania in comedy mode was fine with me. JBL got to end his career off of one of the best storylines of his career with the HBK stuff, and he is leaving the company by putting over the guy who retired him once before. If JBL is really gone for good, then I’ll be sad about the loss of a great color man. On the other hand, no more JBL!

Undertaker and Shawn Michaels had a great match. I’ll admit it. I’ve always been hard on the Undertaker, but when he has a great match, he has a great match. He and Shawn are two of the last of “that” era, and they put on a memorable contest. Is it a classic? Sure. Is it the best of all time? Nope. The match has a lot of great near-finishes, but it also had several down moments. Shawn and Taker did a near-perfect match, and they showed the locker-room how to get it done. They got the crowd on their feet and saved the show. On the other hand, it doesn’t change anything in the WWE. It was a stand-alone match that didn’t elevate a talent or start a new storyline or conclude a long-standing feud. It was a chance for Taker to have another high profile win at Mania and Shawn to say he put on another Mania classic. It, to me, isn’t above Steamboat/Savage, Rock/Austin or Austin/Hart because those three matches changed the industry. This match is entertaining as hell and something that men their age should have no right to pull off, but it didn’t change the company forever. Top 5 of all time at Mania? Sure. Best ever? Nope.

Cena going over Edge and The Big Show was a mistake. I still stand by what I said last month, that Edge should have gone over. Now? Cena’s champion again, Vickie’s storyline is unresolved, Big Show is lost and Edge is again doing his crazy shtick. Edge is a “beaten man” again, so we’ll have to wait until he wins again for him to get back to normal. Cena didn’t need the belt, though having him job in his second Mania triple threat in a row probably isn’t a fair reward for a hard-working guy. Long story short, Cena didn’t need the belt here and probably should have gone back to feuding with Orton instead of Edge. The match itself was unmemorable because it was supposed to be. I said two weeks ago that this match was meant to not undercut Triple H/Orton, and it didn’t. It was inoffensive and unmemorable, so it did its part. Don’t knock them for having a “bad” match, because if they upstaged the other title match then people would have been furious. On the other hand, not finishing the love triangle storyline meant that it was useless to even start it. My guess is that they knee-jerked and changed this finish after starting the storyline. Wait until the draft tonight and see how the landscape will change.

Triple H beat Randy Orton. There are millions of things wrong with this match, but it isn’t the abomination people have called it. On a purely mark level, it made sense. Hunter’s wife and brother-in-law and father-in-law demanded vengeance, and they got it. Triple H was redeemed for letting his family land in peril. Not only that but he got to kick Orton in the head. On the other hand, Hunter couldn’t beat Orton without using the sledgehammer, so Orton could save some face. Some face. Not much. He looked weak and ineffective for a lot of the match, and he got jobbed out in the main event. Had he gone over, the Net would have exploded with praise for the company going in an exciting new way. Instead, we got the “same old, same old”. Orton’s winning the belt at Backlash, where either Shane or Batista will turn on Hunter. Why not do it at Mania?

Where was the identifiable moment of this show? Taker/HBK? Last year there were a few great moments. First was Punk winning the briefcase in a shocker and going on to win the title the next night. Second was Taker winning the gold. Last was Flair getting retired by Shawn. This Mania had one classic match and few other memorable moments. Austin’s “retirement”? Seen it several times before. Cena’s entrance? He always has a cool entrance. Punk winning again? Seemed like a repeat. Matt crippling Jeff? It’ll be forgettable like when Christian got over on Jericho. In the end, it was a solid and entertaining show, but firmly in the middle.

With that said, I wrote a column a week and a half ago called the Worst Mania matches. I said at the onset that it was going to be hastily thrown together (meaning I was going a lot on memory and was bound to make small errors) and purely my opinion. I got lambasted by come comment posters. In one respect, it was rightfully earned when I accidentally said that the Harts won the tag belts. That was a colossal mess-up on my part and really unforgivable. One guy called me out for being wrong about the US Express winning the gold, but what I was trying to convey was that having them open Mania by beating Shiek/Volkoff and walking out with the gold would have been the better open to Mania (i.e. RE-booking).

As for match selection, I was knocked for leaving some matches out. One guy even had the gall to say that I don’t understand 80’s booking. Again, people missed the point. I was critical of the WWE for starting the first Mania with Tito. I am VERY aware that this is how most house shows and cards would start, and that this is how 80’s booking works. On the other hand, I was making the argument that the WWE should have attempted to book a “big” match to start their first Wrestlemania to break the standard blasé booking. Also, I didn’t pick the Sammartino/Beefcake match because I liked having Bruno make an appearance at Mania. I also didn’t put the Brawl for it All because it wasn’t a wrestling match and it was the same reason I didn’t put the Big Show sumo nonsense. Lastly, I left off Goldberg/Brock because it was an unforgettable moment. It wasn’t the worst match because it got such a great crowd reaction that the match became a thing of legend.

But hey, I always welcome comments, so thanks (except for the people who called me out for saying Chyna and Ivory are unattractive…I mean, really?!).

With all that out of the way, here’s this week’s BONUS column. That’s right, I’ll have a column in my usual Thursday slot, but with the Draft tonight, I’m doing a special draft edition. I did this last year and got a ton of feedback, so with me looking back at Mania at the top of the column and talking about fallout, I’m going to again look back at last year’s draft, see what I said last year, and see how things played out. So, like Breakin’ Two: Electirc Boogaloo, I present…

For Your Consideration…Backdraft Two

So the format is simple. I give you what I said last year and then give my thoughts now. Questions? Thought Not.

RAW GOT:
1. Rey Mysterio from SD – The first draft pick to “change the face of wrestling” was the move of Rey Mysterio from Smackdown to RaW. This move wasn’t the most surprising draft pick because, as everyone has already stated, Mysterio has never been a member of the RAW roster. Rey joined the WWE well into the brand split, so seeing him work Monday Nights should be fun. Justified or not, watching superstars compete on Smackdown gives them a grainy feel because the show’s taped and there’s no element of surprise. While it’s no secret I’m not the biggest Mysterio fan in the world, getting to see Rey compete against Shawn Michaels, John Cena, CM Punk and Chris Jericho has a major upside. The unfortunate reality of the draft is that Rey’s potential programs with Hunter and Jeff Hardy are now out the window. So what exactly does Rey add to the show? Well for one thing, he’s a new main event face. Mysterio could never be turned heel because his mask and his size make him a huge draw for kids. Taking him from Smackdown is a huge gamble because FNS pulls in both a huge Latino audience and a huge youth audience, and the loss of Rey could damage both of those markets. On the other hand, giving USA another marketable guy is yet another way to keep Bonnie Hammer placated. Plus, since RAW is now touring with ECW, Rey can mix it up with Chavo, Miz and Morrison if need be. This is a solid future move (since he’s still injured) since Rey is the kind of main eventer who doesn’t need the belt to be over, which makes any program he’s in a top slot.

NOW: Rey didn’t become a true main event guy for RAW. He stayed firmly in the middle of the card, being used as a special attraction in the main event when he wasn’t feuding with big men like Kane and Mike Knox. He was also injured and banged up through his run on RAW, so he did miss some time. He didn’t really lock up with Michaels, Punk or Cena, and his program from Jericho STILL hasn’t happened. With that said, I have a feeling he’ll be heading back to Smackdown since the WWE doesn’t care about that show now that its on MyNetwork with the exception of the Hispanic audience, which Rey pulls in. Also, how can you have Vickie and Rey on the same show and not do more re-treading of their old storyline? Putting Rey back on Smackdown works for me, because he can enhance Edge’s title run and has proven he can work well with a big guy (and Big Show’s got nothing to do now). I think his move to RAW didn’t change anything in the company, and the WWE didn’t make the most of the move. It was a great “draft” moment, but it didn’t do much for the guy.

2. CM Punk from ECW – A year late on this one, guys. I said last year that Punk should have been moved to RAW and given a shot at the top. He could have filled in the slot left open by Lashley, or the slot left open by Hunter or even the slot left open by Cena. He could have feuded with Randy Orton or Umaga or even Jeff Hardy. Instead, he sort of toiled away on ECW, occasionally mixing up with Edge and generally just fighting John Morrison or Chavo Guerrero over the relatively meaningless ECW Title. Now that Punk’s on RAW, he could either get the much-needed elevation to the top of the card or he could be shuffled into the midcard IC mess that Jeff Hardy and Chris Jericho seemed to languish in for years. Punk’s potential, as I’ve said numerous times, would be a solid heel turn. With no Orton, RAW lacks a true main event heel to feud with John Cena. Since Punk’s over but not over enough for Vince’s liking, why not turn him heel? Heel Punk and heel Jericho could provide a solid summer into fall, which means…gasp…new storylines. On the other hand, a heel turn now could do some serious damage to Punk because Orton could be back sooner rather than later, and that means CM gets shuffled back down the deck. Plus, with Creative thinking that he’s nothing more than an Edge knockoff, having him at the main event of RAW would seem too similar for their narrow-minded thinking. Punk’s move to RAW is very dangerous considering the politics involved, but maybe the WWE is moving him because they think he’s ready. In reality? Since ECW’s touring with RAW, it’s a great way to keep him on ECW TV without keeping him on the brand. Again, this allows USA to promote a different looking character, and allows the WWE to use Punk if they ever decide they want to give him a legit push. At the very least, being on RAW means he’s back on Vince’s radar, so look for a main event slot or a release within six months. Punk could either be the next Bobby Lashley…or the next Bobby Lashley.

NOW: Well, I was slightly wrong about Punk moving to RAW. They didn’t shuttle him to the midcard. In fact, they put the freaking World Title on him. I loved that move and thought it was a daring choice, but ever since he dropped the strap he’s been doing little. Yes, he’s Mr. Money in the Bank again, but so what? He spent months either jobbing to main event guys or teaming with Kofi Kingston. Maybe he’ll get another shot at the top with his second MITB win, but I think there’s more money in him losing to Orton. Will he finally get his needed heel turn? I give up at this point advocating for it, so if it happens then it happens. In the end, his move to RAW was a good idea because he won the World Title and got more TV time. Sadly, it sounds like the fans are starting to turn on him, and Punk is now an upper midcard guy, not a main eventer.

3. Michael Cole from SD – Ugh is the word that comes to mind. My frustration from this pick comes from several key areas. First, this is not a move that is for the betterment of the company. Moving Cole to RAW and Jim Ross to Smackdown is only a continued part of the perverse joy that Vince gets from screwing with JR. He has never made it a secret that he hates JR’s style and look. Jim Ross is old, he’s got a southern accent, he calls wrestling moves and he doesn’t have a marketable look. Michael Cole has no problem kowtowing to the demands of the Front Office, and while his announcing skills have started to improve, he isn’t the right guy to call the flagship show. Cole’s style is less-than-exciting, and that’s fine for FNS, but on Monday nights that isn’t going to fly. Not to mention the fact that Ross and Lawler had impeccable timing with each other. Carrying Jerry has become an increasingly difficult task for Ross, something Cole never had to face considering Tazz, JBL and even Foley took to announcing like a duck to water. Expect a lot of growing pains over the next few weeks. This just has bad idea written all over it, and my biggest gripe is still the fact that it adds nothing to RAW and was only done to glorify the massive ego of Vince McMahon.

NOW: Well, Cole has been tolerable at best and irritating at worst, and I think Vince’s displeasure with Michael Cole will finally lead to him getting shuttled back to Smackdown. With the loss of Tazz, who is going to be calling these shows? If they move Stryker to Smackdown and just do Todd and Josh doing ECW, it’s adequate. I’ve heard the rumor about Snuka Jr. training for commentary, so maybe the plug him in there. I would hope that JBL would return, but I doubt it. Cole on RAW was a bad move that didn’t help anyone. Cole blew it when selling Punk’s win (it would have been more dramatic having Jim Ross call that moment) and has been dull ever since. Michael Cole never really meshed with Lawler, while his chemistry with Tazz and JBL was great. Lawler and Ross are a classic duo, why does Vince always tamper with it? Hell, the three-man booth at Mania wasn’t too terrible, maybe we’ll wind up with that (assuming they can get back into a rhythm of not stepping on each other’s toes).

4. Batista from SD – Maybe a return to RAW will reignite the passion that was once inside Dave Batista. Being on RAW means that Dave has a chance to enter into the last twp big-money feuds he has, John Cena and Randy Orton. Perhaps a motivated Batista, appearing on a show with his “buddy” Rey and current semi-foil Chris Jericho, will rediscover why the WWE bothered to put him in the main event of Wrestlemania in the first place. At the very least, his presence gives RAW another main eventer to fill that 10 pm slot.

NOW – Well, Dave didn’t do a hell of a lot when he was on RAW, due in part to injury and due in part to having other people occupying the main event. He had his one memorable-ish feud with Cena, but with both guys going down to injury, it was a wash. Now he’s back again in this Orton feud, though I think the WWE will FINALLY turn Batista heel and let him be the #2 bad guy on RAW. If it is in fact Batista’s final year in wrestling, maybe he’ll actually do something. This move from Smackdown to RAW didn’t wind up helping Dave at all, so I call it a wash.

5. Kane from ECW (with the ECW Championship) – No clue why the WWE would take him off ECW considering on RAW he’s a midcard jobber-to-the-stars while on his current brand he’s a world champion. I guess Mr. Jacobs is getting ready to wind down his career and wants to do it on the flagship show, and if the WWE decides to turn him heel, you’ve got a new replacement for Umaga.

NOW – Well, my guess was right. He went from world champion on ECW to midcard JTTS. They turned him heel and let him serve that Umaga role, but aside from a too-long feud with Mysterio, he didn’t really do anything. At least on ECW he would have helped develop Swagger instead of us having to deal with more and more Mark Henry matches. You know what, his addition the RAW roster gave them a reliable villain, so I won’t bury it too much. Kane’s great because he can fill so many voids, making him a true roster MVP.

6. Jamie Noble from SD – On Smackdown Noble went from entertaining midcard leech to JTTS with the potential to be a comic face, while on RAW he’ll be…well…I was going to say Heat fodder but without Heat, Noble’s got little to do. Maybe a feud with Paul London to fill segment 3 every week? I for one won’t object to that. This isn’t a very good move for Jamie, but he’s proven his usefulness to the company and there are worse things than collecting a nice paycheck to bounce around for bigger stars on the highest rated wrestling program on television.

NOW – Noble’s been used in several comedy bits. He’s been shipped to and from ECW. He’s always been a reliable hand and I actually like when he does his “little guy with a huge ego getting flattened” bit. I think if Noble got a few fluke wins over big guys ala Spike Dudley in ECW that he would get over. Being on RAW didn’t do much for him aside from his feud with Regal (which they just dropped), so this move was another odd choice.

7. Deuce from SD – Just as he’s about to enter his big feud with Domino, the kid who would be Snuka is moving to Monday Night RAW. Was he the face or the heel of the break-up in the first place? Creative never really pinned down which guy was which, and by moving brands, both guys could potentially stay heel. I’m fine with him changing scenery considering he was nothing more than a jobber on Smackdown for the past several months. Maybe a gimmick change is in order for Deuce? Man I hope so.

NOW – Well, they changed his gimmick and released his tag partner. Deuce and Domino were a good tag team that should have been kept together. They split them and moved Deuce so that he could become Sim Snuka, join the third generation stable now called Legacy and get over. Instead, they turned him for about a week until they fired the AWFUL Manu and forgot about Deuce altogether. At least when he was on Smackdown for a short time he was a champion. Now? Maybe he’ll be a commentator in the coming year. Why would they bother bringing him over if they didn’t want him in Legacy? Useless.

8. Chuck Palumbo from SD – Again, this move makes little sense and will have an even smaller impact. Chuck Palumbo was doing fine as a midcard guy on Smackdown and I figured if he was moved at all it would be to ECW. Adding Palumbo to RAW means yet another guy who draws nothing but apathy from the crowd, and on a live show you can’t pipe in cheers. On the plus side, he’s another lummox for guys like Batista and Cena to beat up on when they’ve got nothing better to do. I don’t think the WWE expects much from the guy, and he’s more than happy to oblige.

NOW – Chuck became the capable lummox for a little while, jobbing to Cena and Mysterio and whoever else they needed to get over. Then they released him. At least on Smackdown he had a storyline. Now? Unemployed. I think he’d agree that his move to RAW was a mistake.

9. Matt Striker from ECW – Striker on RAW gives the WWE another Monday night talk show segment thanks to his Classroom gimmick. Why was Striker moved to Raw, you ask? My guess is that the WWE is going to transition him into the number three guy at the announce table, giving RAW the 3-man booth Vince has wanted since 96. If this move gives the entertaining and underused Striker more face time then I’ll take it. Also, Striker, Rey, London and Noble are now all on RAW…hmm…the possibilities.

NOW- Didn’t last long and he’s now a commentator like I always said he would be. He’s been the best color guy in a decade (even better than JBL) and is the only reason not to fast forward through a lot of ECW matches. This move is a real wash because he never really set foot on RAW.

10. Layla El from ECW – With ECW no longer touring with Smackdown, having Layla on a show with no Diva wrestling makes it hard to utilize her talents. By putting her on RAW, she can step easily into Melina’s current role seeing as she’s going to be out for a few weeks. Even if that doesn’t work out, Layla’s another great heel for Mickie to work with based on what Layla was cranking out with McCool.

NOW – She had like two matches and then got turned heel to join up with Regal. Regal with a valet should have gotten over more than it did. She was great at standing next to him when he was IC champion, so I’ll say this was a positive move.

11. Kofi Kingston from ECW – This is the big, greedy talent grab that RAW always does, and Kingston can take Hardy’s slot as the resident high flyer and crowd pleaser. He’s talented, fun to watch and he’s black, three things Vince knows he needs to start pushing. Plus (say it with me now), by touring with ECW Kofi can still work Tuesday nights.

NOW – So Kofi got punished for smoking a lot of weed, but after Mania, it seems like the WWE remembered that he is talented in the ring. He tagged with Punk for a bit and became cannon fodder for a lot of big guys. On ECW he would have been a world champion, while on RAW he’s been wrestling Mike Knox. Had he been put over Big Show on Smackdown last week, he would have shot to the moon. The kid is over with fans, does cool flippy moves and got seen by a lot more fans. They even (almost) put him in an Elimination Chamber, so I guess all hope is not lost. Yeah, I’ll say this was an okay move.

SD Gets
1. Jeff Hardy from RAW – Jeff’s a big name who was so close to breaking the glass ceiling once and for all…until he got busted. Now, he’s been shuffled into a glut of main event guys on RAW and was finally clawing his way back to the top when he was moved to Smackdown. Jeff/Edge, Jeff/MVP and even Jeff/Carlito should be interesting, and if Hunter decides to do so, he could allow Hardy to reenter the rarified air of legit main eventer. Hardy being back in the hands of Michael Hayes is a major positive for him and for a show that needs some start power.

NOW – Jeff Hardy on Smackdown became a main event superstar. He won the WWE Title, learned how to cut decent promos, had good matches and carried storylines. His feud with Edge was good and his feud with Matt’s been really good. He and Hunter had several great matches. His move to Smackdown was BRILLIANT, and did everything it was supposed to do, namely make him a legit main event guy.

2. Jim Ross from RAW – I made my thoughts pretty clear on this one with what I said about Cole. On the other hand, Ross and Foley should be damn entertaining and should have been the RAW announcers if Vince truly wanted to do a switch. On the other hand, being the Smackdown announcer means you have to come in to fix the show and JR ain’t flying from Oklahoma to Stanford every week. If Vince wants Jim to retire, this could be the way to do it. On the other hand, JR is the perfect guy to introduce the new MyNetwork fans to Smackdown…assuming anyone buys into Vince’s garbage logic of new network meaning new viewers. Either way, expect a lot of exposition being spewed to tell us who everyone is, and Jim Ross is more than capable of handling that.

NOW – Jim Ross and Tazz merged will and he did his job with the same passion that he did on RAW. On the other hand, he was on the lesser show and I miss him on Monday Nights.

3. Umaga from RAW – It’s been a longtime coming and chances are when Chavo turns face on Edge at their wedding that Umaga will take his spot in the Familia. Either way, he’s immensely talented and could be a world champion on Friday night (hell, they put the gold on Khali). Look for him to be used to elevate Kennedy and Hardy and probably work some more main events with Hunter to keep Trips away from Edge for a bit.

NOW – He didn’t do anything on Smackdown. He was out for most of this past year, and even though he returned, he seemed to just pop up and vanish. This move made no sense whatsoever if they didn’t plan on using the talented Samoan, so I’ll call it a failure.

4. Ken Kennedy from RAW – Well he’s supposed to be a face now and he’s supposed to be a big deal and yet we barely see him on RAW. By moving him to Smackdown, the man who would be Austin has a chance to work with Edge and maybe ignite a poor man’s Rock/Austin with MVP. Hey, at least it can’t get any worse for Mister Kennedy…Kennedy.

NOW – He was used to promote his film and motivate MVP. Then, he vanished. My guess? If he retires, he’ll be the new Smackdown commentator alongside Cole or Jim Ross. This move didn’t help or hurt him since he was never on television to begin with.

5. HHH from RAW (with the WWE Championship) – This was the “big” shakeup move and one that people will believe once they actually see it. I think Hunter will be back on RAW by August, but I’m a cynic. I’m also a realist. Hunter can’t stay away from the top show. On the other hand, what would help justify his legacy more than turning Smackdown from the B-Show into another A-Show? Hunter/Edge should make a ton of money for the WWE, but I just don’t buy him getting into the Vicki storyline…unless he drugs her, marries her and then has her turn on Edge for real. Nah, they would never do that. Ever. Please let me be right.

NOW – I couldn’t believe he stayed on Smackdown. Not only that, he didn’t dominate the WWE Title scene his whole time. He let Jeff Hardy get over, folks. His feud with Orton was the first time he had a sustained tenure on RAW, so kudos to Hunter for staying on Friday nights. It worked, it was great, it made Smackdown seem credible, so now it’s time to bring him back to RAW. (P.S. How great is it that they had him and Taker on the same show and only had their interactions be minimal?)

6. Trevor Murdoch from RAW – With Cade ascending to the top of the charts on RAW, Trevor would have been left in the dust. Now that he’s on Smackdown with a southern gimmick, a unique look and Hayes back with the book, chances are the immensely talented and criminally underused Murdoch will get his chance to shine in the midcard.

NOW – I liked Trevor Murdoch and was pissed that they released him. He should have gotten a good push, but instead they cut him. Bah. At least the awful Lance Cade’s gone.

7. Big Daddy V from ECW – When they moved him to ECW and Henry to Smackdown everyone knew why. Let’s keep Henry away from PS for the time being, but that means we need a big, talentless black guy to fill that void. Cue V. He’ll get flattened by Big Show and jobbed out by Hunter, but at least the former King of the Ring will still have a job…even will doing the job.

NOW – I was sad to see Viscera get fired. I like older guys having jobs in the WWE in some capacity, whether it’s Val Venis, Hardcore Holly or Goldust. They didn’t really use Viscera on Smackdown so this move wasn’t smart. By Viscera, we’ll miss your giant man-boobs (though, to be honest, we won’t)

8. DH Smith from RAW – Will this be the smark swerve with the WWE actually having him show up on RAW as Dibiase’s tag partner? Probably not. This effectively kills the Third Generation stable they were setting up on RAW, but all is not necessarily lost. Smith’s got Natalia to serve as his valet and PS would love to be the guy to “make” DH. Let’s hope he becomes more than a filler talent.

NOW – Well Dibiase’s partner wound up being Cody Rhodes and we got Legacy. Where the hell is Smith? He was on twice, got busted by Wellness and vanished. Let the kid work, people!

9. Brian Kendrick from RAW – Please let this be his opportunity to become a legit superstar. Please let this be his opportunity to become a legit superstar. Please let this be his opportunity to become a legit superstar. He’s incredibly talented in the ring, can play the weasely heel or the heroic underdog and has the ability to work well with anyone from Umaga to Shelton to Hunter. This could be awesome…but it probably will mean he’ll be jobbing to Kosloff within a month.

NOW – Well, I was pleasantly surprised…for a while. Much like Punk, the WWE took a chance on Kendrick. Oddly enough, Kendrick got his Loose Cannon v. 2.0 over. Then he got busted for smoking like Kofi and is now a jobber again. THE Brian Kendrick showed what he could do, so why not let him shine again? This move was a great idea, too bad they couldn’t see through the fog at the potential for money.

10. Maria Kannelis from RAW – Oh Maria, how I’ll miss you. Go frolic on Friday nights, where you’ll be doomed to being Tivod and fast forwarded through as I watch FNS hung over Saturday mornings.

NOW – Meh. She’s still hot, she gets to wrestle, and it’s Maria. I like Maria, so I will say nothing wrong about her.

11. Shelton Benjamin from ECW – Moving from Smackdown to RAW was supposed to be his big break. Moving from RAW to ECW was supposed to be his big break. Maybe moving from RAW to Smackdown will be his big break. Again. At the very least he’ll be in the now white hot upper midcard area with Kennedy, MVP, Hardy and…

NOW – He should have been ECW Champion. Now, the Gold Standard has been excellent on Smackdown, but he should have been ECW Champion. With that said, his matches with Undertaker were great and his feud with MVP worked. He’s still a midcard guy, but his promo time has been upped so I’m happy.

12. Carlito from RAW – On Smackdown he was the biggest up and coming heel. On RAW he was feuding with the Highlanders on Heat. Maybe this move will once and for all let the fans realize he’s got something there. And that the something is more than just a bad attitude.

NOW – He got a tag partner and won the tag gold. Then became a unified world tag champ. On top of it, he got to be on real television, not just Heat. He didn’t suck in his feud with Miz & Morrison, so I’ll give him that. This was a smart move. Huzzah.

ECW Gets
1. Matt Hardy from SD (with the United States Championship) – Matt should fit in well on ECW since Jeff’s taken his main event slot on Smackdown. With no one else to carry the main event face position, Matt Hardy is a shoe-in to be the next ECW Champion, which is a plus. The minus? He’ll have to do it against Mark Henry and Mike Knox. Maybe Hardy/Morrison will be the spark that helps push Matt up to the main event, especially when you consider the fact that he’s been insanely over despite not doing a whole hell of a lot.

NOW – Matt won the title, showed the WWE that he can carry a feud and then entered the biggest storyline of his career. Matt Hardy is now a legit and credible main eventer because of this feud, so I’ll give this move a big thumbs up.

2. Hornswoggle from SD – Don’t care, don’t like it, don’t wanna talk about it.

NOW – He and Finlay were entertaining, it was kept to a minimum, so I guess it made sense.

3. Super Crazy from RAW – Well it looks like Super Crazy wasn’t forgotten about by Creative after all. Let the guy bounce around the ring on real TV as opposed to an Internet stream and I’ll be happy.

NOW – I miss Super Crazy…sigh…

4. Finlay from SD – I think we all know why this happened, and that’s because Dave is finally going to get his reward. He is finally going to be able to get to be a world champion. Yeah, it’s an ECW title, but just like Chavo before him, Finlay will be able to say that his years of hard work and determination have made him “the man”. Hey, when he’s inducted into the Hall of Fame, it sounds a lot better being called “former world champion” than “former United States champion”, right?

NOW – I can’t believe they didn’t put the gold on Finlay, but his addition to ECW made it credible. Finlay can work well with anyone, he’s had good matches with everyone from Henry to Swagger, so I’ll give it a thumbs up. Raise a pint to Finlay…
…and raise a pint to me, I’m done for today.

This has been for your consideration.
Agree? Disagree? Awheeler316@yahoo.com