WWE Supplemental Draft Today - Discussion & Predictions

[Hyde Hill]

SmackDown! has easily the most talented main-event scene in years.

 

Yeah but apart from Haas and Morrison their midcard/uppermidcard got robbed imho. Would have really liked the ECW = dev RAW = Entertainement and Smacdown = Wrestling scheme of things.

 

- Kennedy, Colons, Kendrick, MVP, Matt Hardy, Helms.

+ Morrison, Haas, Punk, Kane

 

In terms of overall talent that is a big loss imho.

 

Main

 

+ Rey, Jericho

- Show, Trips

[crownsy]

Yeah but apart from Haas and Morrison their midcard/uppermidcard got robbed imho. Would have really liked the ECW = dev RAW = Entertainement and Smacdown = Wrestling scheme of things.

 

- Kennedy, Colons, Kendrick, MVP, Matt Hardy, Helms.

+ Morrison, Haas, Punk, Kane

 

In terms of overall talent that is a big loss imho.

 

Main

 

+ Rey, Jericho

- Show, Trips

 

they gained huge in the M/E though. I've never been a big show fan, and im just so tired of HHH. i've seen everything he can offer thanks to his inate M/E push.

 

rather see rey and jericho.

[MattitudeV2]

Here is what is up guys they are trying to Beef up while and make it the #1 show.Smackdown #2 Show and ECW #3 Show.That is why the addition of Big Stars to RAW and little to Smackdown.Also I do expect Cena to lose his title because he can draw without the title why HHH can't.What is nice is Smackdown and ECW gain a lot of youth.

[I Rule Me]

Not an abysmal supplemental draft. All in all they lost just 1 tag team.

 

Jesse and Festus

Miz and Morrison

Ryder and Hawkins

 

how is that 1?

[crownsy]

they gained huge in the M/E though. I've never been a big show fan, and im just so tired of HHH. i've seen everything he can offer thanks to his inate M/E push.

 

rather see rey and jericho.

 

cena cant draw without the title, he's actively getting booed now because people are tired of his gimmick. the WM all star match was hillarious, they saved him as the big face pop for after edge and he got booed the whole way to the ring.

 

Only thing i have any interest in out of cena at this point is to see if he can pull off a heel. He's good on the mic, but he's a terrible wrestler.

[AfRoMaN36]

Jesse and Festus

Miz and Morrison

Ryder and Hawkins

 

how is that 1?

 

I was talking about the supplemental draft. And I forgot Ryder and Hawkins.

[Self]

Personally I'm hoping that every episode of ECW for the next 6 months has the New Hart Foundation just destroying makeshift tag teams of local/job guys.

[UkWrestleFan]

Well the draft certainly had it's ups and downs. At the minute, I'm really liking the look of ECW;

 

Christian

DJ Gabriel

Evan Bourne

Finlay

Hurricane Helms

Tommy Dreamer

 

DH Smith

Ezekiel Jackson

Jack Swagger

Mark Henry

Paul Burchill

Tyson Kidd

Vladimir Kozlov

Zack Ryder

 

Katie Lea Burchill

Natayla

 

There's a stack of talent there. Where will they go, though? I reckon they should turn Gabriel heel and rename him (what's his real name?) then pair him with the Burchills. Turn D.H and Tyson face, pair them with Natalya then you've got an awesome UK vs Hart Foundation feud where we can see Burchill & Gabriel vs D.H & Kidd as well as Katie Lea vs Natayla, and even the odd mixed gender six-person tag-match.

 

I've got big hopes for Ezekiel, hopefully he'll get a decent push and I can see him alligning himself with Mark Henry & Tony Atlas.

 

Kozlov is already sort of established having received a brief main-event push on Smackdown but hopefully ECW can help him work on his skills and he can be pushed again in a year or two.

 

Helms is awesome. I fully expect him to get the Matt Hardy treatment while on ECW. Whether or not he'll get an ECW title run remains to be seen but here's hoping. Swagger is doing a good job thus far but I can see Christian being champ next. Maybe we'll get a Christian vs Helms feud? Now that would be something good.

[sebsplex]

Drafting tBK from Smackdown may have just been the final nail, which sucks. Fed him to Kane, took away his bodyguard, and throw him on the top heavy show with no room for advancement?

 

*nods* The Supplemental Draft always seems to mark the dethknell for a few wrestlers. I fear Kendrick may be going the same way as Paul London. It depends. I just struggle to see him getting any real promo time on RAW when it's so top heavy with main eventers and if he becomes HHH or Batista squash fodder by next week, I suspect he'll be getting his pink slip. I'm not sure I fancy Curt Hawkins future too much either after seeing his partner drafted and being left on a brand where he hasn't done anything meaningful for a while now. I'm not too sure what to make of the Festus and Jesse split. I half-wondered if Jesse might get traded to RAW to play on his second generation background and either join Legacy, or get punked out with the likes of Sim Snuka.

 

On paper, this looks a strong draft hand for RAW, but from a personal perspective, I suspect I'll be spending far more time following Smackdown now that it contains Jericho, Punk, Morrison and the WGTT. It would have made my day to see Christian sent over there as well, but alas Smackdown seems to feel far fresher now, whereas the RAW set-up looks far more rigid and stale.

 

Of course, that all depends on how well the WWE actually stick to the draft. If they just go straight back to wrestlers appearing on any brand, often with no real build or particular reason (which was happening WAY before the Wrestlemania build-up), it won't really matter. e.g. I didn't even realise Natayla was on Smackdown, considering she'd been on ECW every single week since Tyson Kidd debuted.

[Prophet]

To somewhat digress, although keeping somewhat with the point about Kendrick, it seems rumors are floating (with the caveat as once again) that Kane's gonna retire in June. Apparently it was posted on pwinsider or somesuch.

 

I saw it somewhere, and thought "hmm, wonder what google will lead me towards ..." and thus the once again, as apparently this rumor began in 2005 or so. lol

 

If true, though, that the big red monster hangs up his tights, to become Glen Jacobs, congressman (according to the rumors, he's looking to go into politics), it's a substantial blow. I know, since the loss of the mask, and maybe sometime before, the credibility of Kane as a wrecking machine has dwindled. Post mask Kane has been seen as a lost soul, with no direction, with no purpose. He's spent the last few years as a bridge. All are valid points, and as it pertains to him, retiring isn't a bad thing, and I've heard stories that he's well versed in political circles, even so far as writing an open letter to congress last year, I believe.

 

But for the `E, it's a huge loss, for the very same reasons so many have turned sour on Kane. Even after losing the mask, even after being thrust into makeshift nonsensical storylines involving Rey's mask and whatever other hoops they made Katie Vick's ex-boyfriend jump through, he still added a sense of credibility to anyone who could cleanly pin his shoulders. He still had gas in the tank, and could still put on a good show. Jobbing Kendrick and Zeke to him in 12 seconds aside, after all the years, the failed dentistry, the forgotten stint as Diesel 2: The Reckoning, Kane still did more to add credibility to stars above him on the totem pole than most, and did an excellent job of pulling people below him up a rung. I don't know who they have that can fill that spot. Sure Henry and Big Show have the size, but they aren't as adept at meshing with different styles. I think the big red monster leaving (if true) will leave a huge void.

[Tripps04]

I reckon they should turn Gabriel heel and rename him (what's his real name?) then pair him with the Burchills.

 

 

Steve Lewington is what he went by when he was in OVW a couple of years ago.

[Self]

The Kane character certainly has credibility as a fighter. With the exception of top guys I don't recall him being jobbed to many people. Even against those tops guys he's always looked strong, so he can still draw a reaction and be fairly believable as a threat.

 

The trouble with Kane is that besides his stuff with The Undertaker, every feud and storyline he's had has been... well... not very good. The most memorable things I can think of were his tag teams with X-Pac, RVD and Helms, all of which were pretty much the same thing. WWE Creative has always seemed to struggle with the character. He's perhaps too wacky, too supernatural, which would be okay if Undertaker wasn't around. As it is, he's just seen as a minor 'Taker.

 

And he's stale. He's been around since like 1997, and the character hasn't changed much at all. Looking at some of the other characters debuting in the late 90's, Edge has gone from gothic to california surfer to rated r to ultimate opportunist. The Hardyz have gone from jobbers to brood to Xtreme to developing individual personallities. Triple H has gone from blue blood to degenerate to corporate to The Game. There's evolution in those characters. They've changed over time. Kane has just lost his mask. That's about it. The character's stale and boring, and personally I have no idea what they can do to fix it.

 

Getting the mask back sounds like a step back to me. Maybe being on Smackdown with 'Taker they can team up/feud and finish off their story together.

[UkWrestleFan]

I for one am hoping Kane's move to Smackdown means he'll get one final push. I'm not expecting him to win the WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Title or anything like that but it'd be nice to have in one last, big feud.

 

What are the chance of him sticking around until 'Mania 26? Could they not steadily push him and build him back up in the lead up to 'Mania? Then, have one last match with 'Taker? Hell In A Cell? Where it all began?

[Self]

I'm watching Smackdown right now, and you know what bums me out? That Maryse and John Morrison aren't going to be on the same show. They strike me as being perfect for each other.

[Prophet]

I agree with the character of Kane being stale, but it's not without opportunity. Perfect opportunity was the mask scenario with Rey. If they'd handled it differently, made reference to old school institutionalized Kane, how he heard voices in his head, spoke to the mask, gave him a sense of detachment from reality and not in a comedic way, I believe he would've become relevant again. Saddens me that a worker as good as Jacobs has become irrelevant, because people don't see the potential the Kane persona still holds, ya know?

 

I'm watching Smackdown right now, and you know what bums me out? That Maryse and John Morrison aren't going to be on the same show. They strike me as being perfect for each other.

 

But Maryse still has Miz. Thinking that'd actually work better than with Morrison, since JoMo and Maryse would knock themselves out when they thumped heads doing their hair flips.

[CQI13]

That'd be pretty funny in a one off skit.

[alden]

On the kane subject i have always hade a few views on him.

 

He does not need a title to get over. There was a quote by jake roberts that a title should only go to somone who needs it. He felt he never needed it to get over so why have one. Kane gets over on his size, look and power. He might not be a mega star like austin or rock but i think he is on the same level as say a jericho or a hall or nash.