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Last week, SLAM! Wrestling's staff offered its opinions on who will be going where in the WWE Draft tonight. Now, we're proud to present the theories from our readers. Here's a look at what you had to say.
Crofton Steers
Regarding the draft, Matt Mackinder is right - WWE needs a total rehaul. I originally thought this would happen with the tri-branded PPVs. Right now they have enough talent for one exceptional show or two good shows. The current WWE roster diluted over three shows is just not working. TNA Impact, with Christian Cage, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Sting and AJ Styles (amongst others) has the strongest line-up of any wrestling program on the air. Give it two hours and better production values and Vince will need to watch his back.
With so many big stars out injured, it is difficult to make calls. I think WWE will move some of the injured wrestlers but expect there to be a strong focus on active guys to get some new feuds going immediately.
Raw needs a shake-up and a strong opponent for John Cena. I originally thought Batista but that seems more like a Wrestlemania feud. Raw gets Snitsky (from ECW) and Finlay (Smackdown).
ECW will get the big surprise acquisition of Batista and MVP.
Smackdown gets Carlito, CM Punk (who might start feuding together immediately) and Johnny Nitro.
Injured players moving brands should include Mr.Kennedy to Raw. A Cena/Kennedy feud is happening sooner rather than later. I could see Booker moving to Smackdown without his King gimmick.
Triple H, HBK, and the Undertaker are not going anywhere.
Christopher Reynolds
These ideas are solely trying to help ECW become watchable ... and by golly
I think that it can be done!
The following ECW wrestlers move on:
Kelly Kelly - Too sweet looking. Let her shake it on Raw.
Elijah Burke - Raw needs a smart-ass character like him.
Marcus Cor Von - Smackdown seems to be a good step for him.
Matt Striker - Becomes full-time jobber on Raw.
Bobby Lashley - Goes to Smackdown to terrorize Edge.
ECW adds the following new faces:
Eugene - His gimmick is tailor-made for the weird world of ECW.
Booker T - His royal highness is disgusted by ECW and what it stands for.
Jeff Hardy - All he does is high risk spots so he would replace the exiting
RVD.
Cryme Time - The modern-day Gangsters with a comical twist.
Super Crazy - Give him back his mask and let him bring Extreme Lucha Libra back
to ECW.
Val Venis - Go back to the porn star gimmick.
Ashley - She has all the piercings and an edgy look to her.
Shane McMahon - New GM.
The first order of business that Shane McMahon does is goes out and signs the
following free agents: Justin Credible, Tajiri, Masato Tanaka, The Blue Meanie
and Joel Gertner (to be the in-ring announcer).
That's just one man's opinion
Rod Desnomie
To go from Raw will be Khali, likely to ECW to beat up on ... er ... feud with
Lashley. Brawn vs. brawn. It'll put the babyface image on Lashley that much
more, and with Triple H likely to return in the coming months to Raw, that'll
clear the way for Trip's almost immediate and guaranteed feud with Cena for
the belt.
Smackdown will get Carlito. The Flair feud is merely a tie-over until he can
go for the Smackdown belt and solidify himself as one of the WWE's top stars
(watch for his return to Raw in '08).
I have not seen much of ECW, which by the sounds of things makes me look like
a genuis. But from what I have read on SLAM! Wrestling, I'd have to give the
nod to CM Punk moving to Raw. Get him off the sinking ship and into the spotlight
where he should be.
As an added bonus, let's see if the WWE is wise enough to move all bonafide
tag teams to one brand (Smackdown as it needs the help) and really set up some
great matches. That'll eliminate the need to have all these impromptu tag matches
just to generate cheap heat for certain wrestlers, while at the same time generate
interest in tag matches and put some value back into the straps.
Paul Hughes
I think they need to get rid of the brand split. I don't know of any fan who
likes it and I have yet to read anyone outside WWE say anything good about it.
Unfortunately, I can't see it happening this Monday, or anytime soon. Although
with the brands mixing more and more, it is like the lines between them are
getting more blurred all the time. Having said that, onto my "predictions."
It's a tricky situation at the moment for WWE as with the way things are, it's
unlikely that any of the top card guys will be moving. On Raw, you can guarantee
that Cena, Michaels, HHH and Ric Flair will still be working Monday nights for
the next few weeks. On Smackdown, it's money in the bank that Edge will be stay
there after only being moved a few weeks ago. I am pretty sure Undertaker will
be staying on Smackdown as well as Batista.
As for ECW. Well I haven't watched it and the only guy I have heard anything
about is CM Punk, so he may get moved. Bobby Lashley I find boring and I have
so little interest in that I can't even muster up the energy to think if he
will move or not. Once ECW gets the bullet, Vince's blue-eyed boy will get
moved to Raw or Smackdown. Most likely Raw as I think he has been on it more
recently that he has been on ECW. Although I am about as interested in him as
I am in a soggy ham sandwich.
Except for Rey Mysterio, I think that pretty much leaves WWE with only the option
of moving non main eventers. Mysterio has been off the radar for so long now
that I think if he showed up on Raw people will probably not be able to remember
when he was last on Smackdown anyway.
I think that means the likes of Chris Masters, Carlito, Mr. Kennedy, Matt Hardy,
Benoit, Kenny Dykstra, Cryme Tyme, Highlanders, etc. who will make up the main
bulk of the people who move.
Orton could possibly get moved. I read somewhere that he is supposed to have
a feud with HHH when he comes back, but at the same time, Orton seems to split
each year equally, half on Smackdown, half on Raw. So he could be bumped off
Raw. He probably won't mind. I'm sure there must be some new Divas on Smackdown
since he was last there, so he will be able to harass them and keep himself
busy.
Basically, I think WWE will have a hard time making the rosters any different.
The most interesting changes are mostly when it is the big names moving and this
time, I expect all the top guys to stay where they are. Except maybe Mysterio
and Orton, but I'm not sure I even consider them to be "top guys."
Here's hoping they surprise us all with something good.
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