For Your Consideration…Mel Kiper Ain’t Got Nothing on Me

Welcome to For Your Consideration.

Yep, two columns in one week (not that you’d know). As a mini-rant, I HATE the new redesign of PulseWrestling. I find that people don’t see the columns and they disappear a whole lot quicker than they used to, the site is harder to navigate and seems cluttered. I can’t tell a column from a news story, and in the end both the columnists and the readers lose out.

With that said, yet again I will look at each draft pick and how its going to impact the WWE as a whole. But first, a clever title…

For Your Consideration…Mel Kiper Ain’t Got Nothing on Me

RAW Gets:

MVP to RAW

Alright, this was a smart choice by the WWE. MVP has always had the potential to be a breakout superstar, and on RAW (where people tend to have long title reigns because the booking staff forgets about secondary titles) MVP can be the reigning master of the upper midcard. RAW is now a show dominated by Main Event guys, so Porter has a lot less pressure being on this show. On the other hand, MVP probably won’t be moving on up any time soon. Porter will stay in this odd midcard haze that he’s occupied for the majority of his career, short of the odd super push he once got with Benoit.

The WWE’s whole philosophy behind his whole losing streak was that he was going to prove his loyalty and get a shot at the top. With Big Show, Cena, Orton,
Big Show and Batista on RAW, there isn’t a whole lot of room for Porter. All is not lost though because the RAW midcard is now stronger than ever, and MVP is their king. He’s got Matt Hardy, Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, Kofi Kingston, Carlito, Primo, Kendrick, Santino and Festus to work with, which leads to a myriad of combinations. As the top of the second tier, he can be inserted in Legacy matches and get the rub teaming with Cena and Batista, not to mention the fact that he can once again enter a feud with Matt Hardy.

I’ve always been a fan of the Matt Hardy/MVP feud, and having their face-heel dynamic changed could lead to some interesting scenarios. Even better, imagine the promos between Porter and Santino. Those could be comedy gold.

I think MVP going to RAW is a great move for him, because being an upper midcard guy on the A-Show is a hell of a lot better than being an upper midcard guy on the B-Show.

Matt Hardy to RAW

As I just said, Hardy/MVP II is a must. The WWE needed to get Matt and Jeff Hardy off the same show, and moving Jeff to RAW would have further buried Smackdown. Now, you have a solid midcard heel on RAW who can work with pretty much everyone in decent matches. On top of that, you no longer have to worry about Matt Hardy and Edge in awkward team-ups, because I was getting more and more annoyed that the WWE was completely ignoring their bloodfeud.

On the other hand, RAW already has a top heel with a borderline psychotic streak with Randy Orton. Worse, Orton has Rhodes and Dibiase as the second tier heels who can elevate to main events. The big plus for Matt is that after the inevitable Legacy breakup, Matt could be the #3 heel behind Orton and Big Show.

Matt Hardy on RAW has a big potential upside if he doesn’t get lost in the Legacy shuffle. First off, a feud with Porter could show Vince that he is capable of carrying a feud with someone who’s surname isn’t Hardy, so maybe eventually he’ll get a crack at feuding with John Cena. A Cena/Hardy feud could be really entertaining, especially as a distraction from the Hunter/Orton rather-rinse-repeat storyline.

I’ll say that this was another good pick.

Triple H to RAW

Well duh. Hunter deserves a badge of honor for staying on Smackdown for almost an entire year. For a guy with that much pull, I was certain he’d be back on RAW by August, but he stuck it out on Smackdown and did what he needed to do to make Smackdown seem like a comparable show to RAW (as opposed to the B-Show). Hunter’s Smackdown tour opened the door for Punk to win the title and Orton to climb the rungs as the top heel. His Smackdown stint wasn’t entirely him at the top of the card running things, especially in terms of getting Jeff Hardy over as a main event threat.

Now that he’s on RAW, he can finish his feud with Orton and probably move into a feud with either Batista or Shane, whichever guy the WWE is going to turn. On top of that, he can re-enter a feud with Big Show and maybe even let us see Cena/Hunter again. Triple H on RAW alongside Cena, Batista, Show and Orton makes RAW the top-tiered show that Vince always wanted, and I think there’s enough balance that no one will really get lost in the shuffle.

Again, great pick.

Miz to RAW

I dreaded the WWE breaking up Miz and Morrison. Both guys are insanely entertaining and I think there were buckets of money to be made in them as babyfaces. I’m talking New Age Outlaws big. People tend to forget how HUGE the NAO were, and they weren’t one tenth as good in the ring as these guys are (not to mention the upside they still have). On the other hand, maybe the WWE wants to see if there’s potential in splitting them up and maybe getting two future main eventers with minimal risk (since they can always reunite them).

In case you haven’t paid attention, Miz has gotten exponentially better. He is still the weaker member of the bromance, but maybe on RAW he can show what he’s capable of. If he does well, then Vince has another credible threat for Porter’s US Title. If he sucks then Vince has another high profile jobber that can always get drafted back to team with Morrison (or maybe have him team up with Matt Hardy).

It is kind of sad that yet another team has been broken up, especially when you consider that Carlito and Primo are now on RAW. Who else is a tag team? Jesse and Festus are no more, Ryder and Hawkins are no more and Cryme Time is on Smackdown. Will the WWE throw Miz in a team with Kendrick? THAT could work, but if that was the case, why not keep Miz & Morrison together? I might have an idea…more on that later.

I’m not sold on this yet, but it could work out.

Maryse to RAW

Yay, they got rid of Melina. Yay, they got Maryse. Maryse is insanely hot and a solid heel. You can’t keep her on Smackdown since Michelle McCool is the resident solid heel (and not too bad to look at). Putting the Diva Title on RAW means Maryse and Mickie James can tangle in what is sure to be a great series of matches (at least easy on the eyes).

Maryse also gets to work with Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix, so we’ll get a lot of fresh matches on RAW (maybe even Santina?).

I like this pick, if for no other reason than we’re getting a hot chick on RAW.

Mr. Kennedy Drafted to Raw

I have been about the biggest pro-Kennedy guy on the ‘net, but with the rumors of his retirement, I can’t be anything but jaded. I still believe in my heart of hearts that Mister Kennedy is a true main event level talent, but his constant injuries are near Edge-like in their frequency at bad points. Maybe he’ll rehab and stay healthy and get a shot at the top, but even I’m beginning to have my doubts.

Why was he moved to RAW? I think that he will be the third man in the booth for RAW. Kennedy is the most natural pick to be a color commentator, just like I said about Stryker last year (and look at how good he turned out). I hope, hope, HOPE that Mister Kennedy returns in full capacity and lives up to his prophecy, but if he doesn’t, he’s got a bright future as the future voice of RAW.

At the end of the day, I’ll give this a thumbs up if it gets him in the booth.

Primo Colon – Drafted to Raw

I don’t like Primo. I don’t like his look, I don’t like his mustache and I don’t like his lack of charisma. He can do some great flippy moves in between sloppy set-ups and a complete lack of storytelling, so I am not at all sold on him. He looks like a poor man’s Carlito, and we all know how Carlito turned out.

With that said, he’s the unified tag champ, and now that there are no tag teams, look for him and Carlito to get jobbed out to Priceless and relegated to getting flattened by Big Show.

If this turns him into a jobber and a future endeavored superstar, then I’ll give this a huge thumbs up.

Carlito – Drafted to Raw

With all that said, Carlito still has a chance to be what we thought he was. He, Porter and Kennedy should have been the “future”, and now they’re all on RAW. Carlito and Primo are on RAW to drop the gold to Priceless, so that works. I don’t know where the WWE is going to find another great team, so maybe Carlito is bound to be a midcard guy again. Hey, works for me.

I’ll give this a thumbs up, if only because there are other guys on RAW who will get more TV time so that means less Carlito.

Nikki Bella – Drafted to Raw

Is this one the heel or the face? Do I care? Nope. Bringing her and her sister over to RAW lets them stay with their respective teams. One Bella can be with the Colons, one can be with Miz. Miz and arm candy is great. Colons and arm candy is useless T&A, but I like useless T&A. I miss the mid-90’s where the company just stuck some random girl on the arm of talentless goofs because it gave me a reason to not change the channel when the goofs came out.

Sure, I’ll give it a thumbs up.

Brie Bella – Drafted to Raw

So this is the other one. Whatever. Just try to keep them out of the ring unless they stop blowing spots.

Chavo Guerrero – Drafted to Raw

Chavo with Vickie means Chavo won’t get buried. He’ll still have TV time, which is great. Chavo is a guy who can have a lifetime WWE job as an authority figure of some sort (like William Regal). He’s a genuinely great guy, and being linked with Vickie means that he’ll always have a role on television. If he was on Smackdown or ECW, he’d just be jobbing for no reason. Sure, he’ll be jobbing on RAW, but at least it’ll be higher profile.

I like this pick.

Hornswoggle – Drafted to Raw

Why? Seriously, why? I hated him to begin with, but at least keeping him with Finlay made sense. Now on RAW he’s got nothing to do. He can’t wrestle, he can’t be anyone’s manager and he can’t cut a promo, so what the hell is he gonna do? I know he’s a draw for kids, but now Creative has to keep coming up with reasons why to put him on our screens. They should have kept him with Finlay. On the other hand, maybe this will allow Finlay to be more serious and a main event threat on ECW. Maybe a Finlay heel turn is on the way?

If it helps Finlay, I’ll like it, but right now I hate it.

Festus – Drafted to Raw

This makes no sense. He and Jesse made sense as a team. They were entertaining and harmless. Now on RAW he’ll be a jobber. And not the Kane style jobber, either. I’m talking Snitsky style. He’ll get fed to Big Show and Orton and just waste space. This is a shame because he is a hell of a worker and has been in developmental for so long and deserves a fair shake. On RAW, there is no reason to give him a fair shake. Maybe this means Jesse will get a bigger shot on Smackdown now that he’s unencumbered, but I doubt it (though being Terry’s kid and under the hand of Michael Hayes it could happen).

I don’t get the point of breaking up another tag team, nor do I get the point of putting a comedy act on the “serious” show.

THE Brian Kendrick – Drafted to Raw

Poor Kendrick. Poor, poor Kendrick. Last year I talked about how I hoped his move to Smackdown would let the WWE turn a middling face into a smarmy heel. To my shock and delight, they actually did it. Then, he smoked pot and lost his push.

Remember folks, he was in the championship chase. Not only that, he actually scored a pin, which meant for a few minutes he was the WWE Champion. Now that he’s on RAW, he’ll be a jobber. He’ll be Jamie Noble but without the job security. You can’t have him be the cocky guy when you’ve got MVP, Orton, Kennedy, Matt Hardy and Miz. My hope is that having him in the same locker-room as Shawn Michaels might set him straight. But in all honesty, I think this officially makes Kendrick a jobber. Boy, I hope I’m wrong.

Hate this pick. Won’t help Kendrick, but will help Creative with another jobber.

Melina to Smackdown

Awesome. Melina is a great worker and can have some fantastic matches with Gail Kim and Michelle McCool. Even better, she can re-unite with John Morrison should they grow tired of her as an ineffective face.

I really have nothing more to say, since she’s such a midlevel superstar who seems to handle whatever she’s given. Me personally? I love her as a heel and am indifferent about her as a face. Hopefully a Smackdown move will freshen her up.

I like it.

CM Punk to Smackdown

CM Punk went as far as he could on RAW. I loved him winning the title, but the company never really gave him the ball. If he stayed on RAW, he would be under Cena, Hunter, Big Show, Michaels, Orton and even Porter. On Smackdown, he’s got a shot at being the top babyface. Who else does he have to contend with? Undertaker has been an attraction rather than an active superstar. That leaves Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio. CM Punk is now the #3 babyface on the roster.

On Smackdown, there are lower stakes, so that means more of an opportunity to take a risk. The WWE put Jeff Hardy in the main event and gave him the strap when he was on Friday nights. CM Punk can now finally have a full feud with Edge, a guy he could have tremendous matches with. Punk can also work with Chris Jericho in a high profile feud outside of the world title.

With this move, Punk can be a world champion and a true main event superstar, while on RAW he would have been just another midcarder. On top of that, Punk/Benjamin, Punk/Morrison and Punk/Edge are going to be awesome matches.

Love this move.

Kane to Smackdown

Well, Big Show is the giant heel monster on RAW. Now with Kane on Smackdown, he’ll be a face. Why? He’s a big monster, but that show has Knox and Umaga. Kane can be a babyface and get more high profile matches. Hell, he can re-team with the Undertaker. On the other hand, having him stay heel means we could get yet another Taker/Kane feud. With Kane’s career continuing to wind down, being on Smackdown means he could get one more crack at the World Title.

He’s a capable guy in the ring, he can occupy any slot on the card and he’s a better giant than Khali. Kane can go on any show and work, so you can’t complain here.

Mild thumbs up on this one.

Chris Jericho to Smackdown

Jericho’s never been on Smackdown, so it makes sense to try it. This also gets Jericho out of the way of the Orton/Hunter feud. Jericho is the #2 heel behind Edge, which means a babyface champion can feud with another future Hall of Fame guy. Edge and Jericho tend to occupy the same niche, but while Edge can feud with Punk, Jericho can do something he’s never done before…feud with the Undertaker.

A Chris Jericho/Undertaker feud could be insanely entertaining and carry the WWE through the majority of the summer. On top of that, he can work with everyone from Jeff Hardy to the awful Ricky Ortiz and have a great match. This move extends Chris’s reign as a main eventer, so how can anyone really hate this move?

No, it won’t be RAW is Jericho, but Friday Night Jericho sounds pretty good to me.

Big thumbs up.

Rey Mysterio to Smackdown

Rey belongs on Smackdown. He brings the audience Smackdown needs to court, and he has plenty of guys to work with. Rey and Edge have always shown they can have capable and entertaining matches. Rey and Jericho is a feud I’ve always said would be great. On top of it, with Knox, Kane and Umaga on the show means MORE little guy versus big guy nonsense.

Mysterio, like Kane, can be on either RAW or Smackdown and fill a void. If the WWE needs, they can re-elevate Rey to the main event. If they don’t, they can have him open every PPV and have a good match. Who doesn’t want to see Mysterio/Benjamin for the Intercontinental title?

This move gives Smackdown a main event guy who can work with pretty much everyone, even if I personally can’t stand him.

Love it.

Shad Gaspard Drafted to Smackdown

He and JTG on RAW were entertaining guys who could have really helped Cena’ cred with tweens. Now? They’re on the dull show without a tag team division to speak of. On the other hand, there’s been nothing for Shad or JTG to do on RAW, so maybe Hayes has some ideas for them. If not then at least it can’t get worse, can it?

Not a great move, but a lateral move at best.

JTG – Drafted to Smackdown

Same as above. If the WWE decides to split them up, JTG seems to be the one they can get more mileage out of. Shad’s been kind of dogging it for a while, so chances are if they see any value in JTG then they’ll let him roam free in the Smackdown midcard. Shad has the size, clearly, but on a show where they have Umaga, Kane and Mike Knox, he’d basically become the “big guy jobber”. Together, Cryme Time can be used to fill several segments against any makeshift team Creative can come up with.

Still not a great move, but better than moving Shad.

Alicia Fox Drafted to Smackdown

Well this makes no sense. Clearly, the WWE has no faith in DJ Gabriel. He and Alicia had the possibility to get over, but now that they’ve been split up, either the WWE wants to repackage Gabriel or shift him into jobber mode. Alicia Fox’s in-ring action’s been limited, but as far as banal T&A she’s functional. She had much more mileage as Gabriel’s beard, so I’m left scratching my head.

Not a good move.

Mike Knox – Drafted to Smackdown

Knox is a great Snitsky-esque big guy that can either be a convincing monster or a convincing monster who loses. Knox can be used to get guys like Jeff Hardy and CM Punk over, since he still seems like an imposing figure to the audience at large. The other possibility is that Knox is going to be used as fodder for the Undertaker, and there’s no shame in jobbing to Taker. At least he’s not being underused like he was in ECW.

For a big guy who isn’t too bad, Knox fills a great spot on the roster. Nice pick-up for Smackdown.

Candice Michelle – Drafted to Smackdown

Well, she can’t wrestle when she’s healthy and she can’t stay healthy, so why not stick her on Smackdown where she can’t hurt anyone. RAW has eye candy galore, so Candice can go roll around with Maria and Alicia and get squashed by McCool. I’ve never bought her as a legitimate wrestler or as a top Diva, so at best she’ll be used to backstage segments and random bikini contests.

Sure, solid move.

Ricky Ortiz – Drafted to Smackdown

I hate Ricky Ortiz. I always have. I think he’s bland, annoying and not all that talented to boot. His rally towel thing was a rib and it never caught on, and his “original” look isn’t all that original. Chances are he’ll become a jobber to a guy like Umaga unless they turn him heel and let his smarmy personality go to its full potential.

Does this move mean that the WWE has faith in him or that they have given up? For the answer to that question alone you’ve gotta love the move.

Layla – Drafted to Smackdown

See, this makes ZERO sense. She was perfect as Regal’s bitchy valet. On Smackdown she’ll be another generic heel wrestler. How is this the proper use for someone who’s been useless for so long and finally found SOMETHING to do?

Stupid move.

John Morrison – Drafted to Smackdown

Morrison will be World Champion within a year. He will be the #3 heel behind Edge and Jericho, and will learn a ton being under these guys. Morrison has tons of people to work with, and suddenly Friday Night Smackdown is the home of the young, hungry up-and-comers alongside capable and entertaining veterans.

I think that there is value in a Morrison face turn somewhere down the line, as his antics are entertaining enough to get the fans behind him. Look at his awesome match this week with Evan Bourne; Morrison worked clean and popped the crowd. Without the politics of RAW and the indifference of ECW, John Morrison is going to blossom (though I’ll miss his Tuesday Night Delight moniker).

Great move.

Dolph Ziggler – Drafted to Smackdown

He’ll introduce himself to a whole new group of superstars. Dolph is another young, hungry superstar with a whole lot of people to work with. He can learn from everyone from Taker to Punk, so here’s hoping he doesn’t get hit with another Wellness violation and we’ll see why Creative was high on him to begin with.

I’ll give this one a thumbs up.

Charlie Haas – Drafted to Smackdown

Haas and Benjamin are on the same show. Hmm…

I doubt that the WWE wants to put these two back together, but the possibility is intriguing. Haas has shown he’s a great hand and makes a capable jobber and an entertaining comedy act. Sure, Vince thinks his wrestling is like watching paint dry, but on a show like Smackdown, he’s got a myriad of opponents that he can make look like a million bucks.

Lateral move but inoffensive.

Vladamir Kozlov to ECW

I don’t believe he’s the disaster others have called him, and being on ECW takes all the pressure off of him. Stryker sells his offense to the point where you believe every strike is deadly, which can only help elevate the Russian. Kozlov has Dreamer and Finlay to work with, and having two vets who know how to work with stiffs is a plus. Vladamir will probably be Christian’s first ECW Title contender after Christian beats Swagger (who I’m shocked wasn’t shuttled to RAW).

Fine move.

Ezekiel Jackson – Drafted to ECW

In a perfect world Big Zeke would still be with Kendrick who would be a world title contender. Now? He’s a strong black guy on a show with a strong black guy in Mark Henry. Maybe ECW plans on turning him face and having him lock horns with Kozlov and Henry. It won’t be pretty, but it should seem like “big time” matches.

I’d prefer him on Smackdown, but ECW’s a nice place to let him grow.

Zach Ryder – Drafted to ECW

I can’t tell the difference between Hawkins and Ryder, so maybe this’ll help. ECW’s a great show for young talent to prove themselves, so maybe Creative has some faith in Ryder. He isn’t really being used on Smackdown anyway, so he’ll either break out alone or be this year’s Deuce and Domino.

Mild positive, if only because one of the ex-Edgeheads will have to get an individual identity.

DH Smith – Drafted to ECW

So Smith’s been drafted from RAW to Smackdown to ECW without wrestling more than a handful of times. Now we’ve got him, we’ve got Stampede Kid and we’ve got Natalya. This means we’re getting not only the long promised Third Generation stable on RAW but also the Hart Foundation v. 2.0. Nice. Hopefully Smith will actually compete on television and live up to the LONG hype.

Great move if it works.

Natalya – Drafted to ECW

She’s already pretty much been on ECW, though the Smackdown women’s division is losing both her and Victoria. On the plus side, the Hart Foundation should be awesome.

Good move.

Hurricane Helms – Drafted to ECW

Shane came back with all this build-up and then did nothing. Maybe moving to Tuesday night will get him some exposure. Helms working with Bourne should up his game nicely.

Can’t be worse than what he’s got now.

There you have it, all the draft picks evaluated. I need a drink.

This has been for your consideration.

Agree? Disagree? Awheeler316@yahoo.com