Tossing Salt - Worldwide News
April 24, 2011
Doug Maynard
The 2011 WWE Draft - Part 4
Hey all. It's Doug back one more time with a look at the ramifications of the upcoming 2011 WWE Draft this coming Monday night on RAW. Who will stay where they are and thrive and prosper? Who will be moved to the other brand, thus disrupting their lives, travel schedules and everything they know and love in hope of a better place in the company and in the hearts of the fans? And when will Jacob quit scaring small children with his overblown stage antics and scary faces and finally come out of the closet.
Oops! Ignore that last part. I had a momentary flash over to the American Idol recap blog I do every Wednesday night at www.tsfiction.blogspot.com. My bad.
So we're looking at the Supestars of Friday Night Smackdown. So far, I've evaluated half the Smackdown roster. I'll repost all the names, from both RAW and Smackdown, that I feel are being switched, at the end of the column. Now it's time to get busy and take on the other half of the roster that eats, sleeps and bleeds Smackdown blue, at least until Monday night. Let's get this party started.
Kaitlyn
I sort of remember this girl from NXT and her interaction with Vickie Guerrero, but I can't picture her in my mind. That's probably not a good thing. Live TV would expose her weaknesses and mistakes far too much, so they'll keep her on Smackdown where goofs can be fixed in editing (except for Michael Cole). She's safe.
Kane
He's part of the tag champions with Big Show now. He should remain exactly where he is for the time being. He's safe.
Kelly Kelly
Not sure about Kelly. She's hot, but she's not that great in the ring. Of course, she's a Diva so that's not really important these days. All that matters is she's hot. She's going to RAW.
Kofi Kingston
It wasn't all that long ago that Kofi was on RAW and he seemed to get lost in the shuffle towards the end. I'm not sure exactly where he would fit in best right now. He's a semi-big name with the company so I think he'll probably get moved just to show that no one is safe. Drafted.
Layla
Hot chicks make great live TV, but her potential feud with Michelle McCool has legs on it and a ways to go. For now, she's safe on Smackdown.
Matt Striker
I like Matt, but his value is as an announcer and not really as a wrestler anymore. That means he can pretty much travel between the brands as he chooses anyhow. That's not going to change. He's safe.
Michelle McCool
Michelle McTaker stays where she wants to stay (or should I say where her hubby wants her to stay). Smackdown is their home and I can't see them moving out anytime soon. Safe.
Rey Mysterio
For some reason, Rey never really seems to shine very well when he's on RAW. He's a Smackdown Superstar from Day 1 and that's where he belongs. He's safe.
Ricardo Rodriguez
For Ricardo, being with Alberto Del Rio is his destiny. He's staying put exactly where he is. Safe.
Rosa Mendez
She's hot and like I said earlier, hot chicks and live TV go well together. Since Layla is staying on Smackdown, Rosa gets to go to RAW. Drafted.
Teddy Long
A show can not have two "General Managers" and since the "Anonymous Raw General Manager" isn't up to be drafted (how can you draft someone when you don't know who they are?), I don't think that Teddy has to worry about changing offices or jobs anytime soon. He's staying right there in the Captain's seat on Smackdown. Now holla holla holla!
Todd Grisham
Another announcer and they're pretty much interchangable, going from show to show as it is, so he's safe and staying exactly where he is. Safe.
Tony Chimel
Ring announcers don't get switched or drafted. Tony stays put. Safe!
Trent Barreta
Another good young talent that doesn't get used very often except in a jobber capacity. I think he should be more worried about when the mass firings start rather than whether or not he's going to RAW or Smackdown on Monday. For now though, he stays put on Smackdown. Don't know why, except for he's probably too far under the radar for anyone to bother changing right now. Safe.
Tyler Reks
Another low level guy, but he's slightly higher, in my opinion, that Barreta is. He'll get moved and then vanish into RAW limbo, never to be seen again. Drafted.
Undertaker
Undertaker is Smackdown and Smackdown is Undertaker. That's not going to change. Safe!
Wade Barrett
Wade is a major break-out star just waiting to happen. While he seems to have moved into a comfortable role on Smackdown, I think that he (and the Intercontinental Championship) would be best served on RAW at this point. I've got Randy Orton moving to Smackdown, so that leaves a big void with CM Punk. Barrett and Punk have some unfinished business to settle and now would be a great time to get into that. Barrett just strikes me as a RAW guy. Drafted.
Zack Ryder
Zack is technically already a part of the RAW roster, but I was looking over the RAW part of this series of columns and somehow, I had forgotten to list him. Since I don't want Zack to come down and "Woo Woo Woo" on me, I decided to just make sure to list him here with my apologies. He's staying put exactly where he is anyhow. "Woo Woo Woo" is RAW!
And there you go. I'm finished with the Smackdown roster. Let's recap, shall we? From the current grouping of WWE Superstars on Friday Night Smackdown, it's my feeling that the following will be heading to RAW after Monday night: JTG, Jack Swagger, Hornswoggle, Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, Chris Masters, Chavo Guerrero, Booker T, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Tyler Reks, Rosa Mendez, Kofi Kingston, and Kelly Kelly.
Remaining safely snuggled in their Smackdown beds are: Alberto Del Rio, Brodus Clay, Big Show, Christian, Curt Hawkins, Ezekeil Jackson, Heath Slater, Jack Corpela, Josh Matthews, Justin Gabriel, Undertaker, Trent Barreta, Tony Chimel, Todd Grisham, Teddy Long, Ricardo Rodriguez, Rey Mysterio, Michelle McCool, Matt Striker, Laylas, Kane and Katilyn.
And on the RAW roster, the changes to the roster will be the following RAW Superstars staying put on Monday nights: Alex Riley, CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, The Bella Twins, Eve, Goldust, Husky Harris, Justin Roberts, John Cena, Maryse, Melina, Mason Ryan, William Regal, Vladimir Kozlov, Vickie Guerrero, Triple H, The Miz, Great Khali, Ted DiBiase, Scott Stanford, Santino, Ranjin Singh, R-Truth, Zack Ryder, Natayla, Michael Tarver, and Michael McGillicutty.
While these RAW talents will be changing their red shirts to blue and become part of the Smackdown family: Mark Henry, John Morrison, The Uso Brothers, Jerry Lawler, Evan Bourne, Gail Kim, David Otunga, David Hart Smith, Alicia Fox, Daniel Bryan, Tyson Kidd, Tamina, Skip Shefield, Sin Cara, Sheamus, Randy Orton and Primo Colon.
So there you go. That's what I suspect will happen on Monday night with the draft and then on the following nights in the Supplemental Draft. Lots of changes for both shows which might make things better. It might make them worse. But rest assured, it will shake things up and make it different for both shows.
And on that, I'm out of here, my friends. I hope you've enjoyed all four parts of my little column series about the 2011 WWE Draft. Thoughts, comments and opinions are welcome and can be sent to Doug28352@yahoo.com.
I'll see you on the go-around. I'm Doug and this has been "Tossing Salt - Worldwide News". Happy Easter.
Ubuntu!
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