WWE: The Draft (Rules, Rosters, etc.)

[topropepodcast]

I think Foley's a red herring.

He'll get fired in a couple of weeks when he stands up to Steph, and then will be replaced by someone more heelish, all the while he's been able to shoot WWE event footage for his reality show.

[Blehschmidt]

Oh God. Is Sasha's partner, Noelle Foley?

[GOTNW]

Okay did they really think that Mick Foley would get even at least half the reaction that Daniel Bryan did during these announcements because Foley is almost a non factor in this segment in terms of fan reactions

 

The Cruiserweight division on RAW kind of worries me. It isn't like RAW is now going to be the wrestling show. Do we really need to see guys like Kota Ibushi and Cedrick Alexander in 4 minute match filled with awful commentary from JBL and Cole

4 minute junior matched will be a million time better than bloated 20 minute ones in PWG.

[The Chief]

The Cruiserweight division on RAW kind of worries me. It isn't like RAW is now going to be the wrestling show. Do we really need to see guys like Kota Ibushi and Cedrick Alexander in 4 minute match filled with awful commentary from JBL and Cole

 

Ever since Raw went to three hours they have had multiple 10+ minute matches in a single show. The 4 minute Raw match hasn't really been a thing in years. Its the exception now, not the rule.

[SomethingSavage]

I used to be such a huge Foley fan, but I can't keep track of the guy's allegiances anymore. I'm guessing he didn't publicly bash & boycott RAW this week then?

 

As far as his on-screen presence goes, I'll withhold judgment for now. Call me crazy, but I'm willing to wait & see. The guy hasn't done anything significant in a long time, for sure. But his highs are too awesome to outright ignore.

 

I enjoyed the shit out of his Commissioner stint back around 2000, so yeah. If we got even a fraction of that sort of interaction with some of the personalities at play today, then I'm all for another run with Mick.

 

To be honest though, I'm expecting D-Bryan to outshine him even in that department. It was the backstage skits & comedy routine that got Bryan so incredibly over back in 2012 and '13 in the first place. As good as he's always been inside the ring, the guy's got a knack for the entertainment stuff as well. And you could sort of tell that they found renewed faith in him once they "discovered" that for themselves back around that time period. So I'm hoping they exploit that and explore all their options - by having Bryan in segments and exchanges with the other talent.

It's a balancing act, for sure. Because you don't want to lead the audience to believe it'll lead to a payoff that isn't coming. But there's a way to do it that allows them to elevate talent via interactions with Foley, Bryan, and even Shane - without it necessarily leading to a match or anything. And they've done it before, even if it's been awhile.

 

Maybe I have high hopes here, but fuck it. Sue me.

[Loss]

 

The Cruiserweight division on RAW kind of worries me. It isn't like RAW is now going to be the wrestling show. Do we really need to see guys like Kota Ibushi and Cedrick Alexander in 4 minute match filled with awful commentary from JBL and Cole

 

Ever since Raw went to three hours they have had multiple 10+ minute matches in a single show. The 4 minute Raw match hasn't really been a thing in years. Its the exception now, not the rule.

 

 

Cruiserweights actually got over initially doing four minute matches with bad commentary.

[Coffey]

I've not had cable TV or internet for a couple of months at home now but I plan on watching a stream on the phone tonight just to see what happens with some of the draft stuff. So I guess they got my attention, at least somewhat. I haven't paid much attention to WWE since around Wrestlemania time.

[C.S.]

WWE Network will be airing this live during Smackdown:

 

WWE Draft Center Live - new

7/19/16

 

Get inside the WWE Draft like never before with this revolutionary telecast, exclusively on WWE Network!

TV-PG

 

http://network.wwe.com/video/v31382911

 

Does that mean we can just watch that and not SD, or is it more of a "second screen experience"?

[Woof]

Because I'm bored...

I have no desire to try and predict how the draft will go pick-by-pick, since I expect plenty of curveballs as is WWE's want. However after scrolling through the roster enough times I figured I'd at least try and separate the eligibiles into tiers. I'm basing these on how the characters are currently being booked combined with any realistic future potential to be anything of note for the company.

TIER A - Main Eventers

AJ Styles, Brock Lesnar, Dean Ambrose, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins

 

If these guys don't go in the top 6, I'll be shocked. Clearly the names the company sees at its top stars.

 

TIER B - Upper Card

 

Alberto Del Rio, Becky Lynch, Big Cass, Big E, Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, Charlotte, Chris Jericho, Enzo Amore, Karl Anderson, Kevin Owens, Kofi Kingston, Luke Gallows, The Miz, Randy Orton, Rusev, Sami Zayn, Sasha Banks, Sheamus, Xavier Woods

 

All of these folks are still in a position where they could be used as main event players even if only for a brief spurt. You have vets like Jericho and Orton who have been there before and could be bumped up again if needed to fill a brief hole, or young people who haven't been burned out yet. I don't see much left for Del Rio or Sheamus, but I wouldn't rule out WWE giving either guy another run at the top if they felt they had the right situation. I also don't really view Amore, Anderson, Kingston, Gallows, or Woods as "main event" guys, but given where they are right now they are clearly a class above the other mid-card fodder.

 

TIER C - Mid Card w/ potential

 

Aiden English, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Braun Strowman, Bubba Dudley, Dana Brooke, Darren Young, Dolph Ziggler, Eva Marie, Kalisto, Neville, Paige, Simon Gotch, Titus O'Neil, Tyler Breeze, Zack Ryder

 

Everybody here is still young enough and new enough that even though they haven't shown much as of yet, could still break out, although they're pretty far away at this point. I included a few (Paige, Ryder, Ziggler) who have had shots near the top because I get the sense WWE may still try and get something out of them before all is said and done. I doubt most of the people will ever scratch the true main event, but a couple of them (Crews for instance) might slip in if their circumstances somehow change. Jury is still out.

 

TIER D - Mid Card washouts

 

Alicia Fox, Big Show, Demon Kane, D-Von Dudley, Epico, Erick Rowan, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Mark Henry, Natalya, Primo, Summer Rae

 

Whatever value these folks had is probably gone at this point, though that won't stop them from dusting somebody like Big Show off for one last run at some point. In terms of draft value though they have pretty much no upside. They're like long relievers in baseball - they can give you a few good innings, but if you're using them the game is probably already out of hand.

 

TIER E - Under card fodder

 

Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Fandango, Goldust, Heath Slater, Jack Swagger, Konnor, Naomi, R-Truth, Sin Cara, Viktor

 

Lucky to still have a job and have pretty much zero prospect of being anything other than jobbers. It pains me to put Bo Dallas here as he was never really given much of a chance, but the way they're using him now pretty much seals his fate.

 

I more or less expect the draft to go in these basic tiers, with the obvious surprises of whatever NXT guys they pick being sprinkiled in along with the inevitable drafting of somebody like Big Show way above is his actual value. Anyway, that killed a good half-hour, now what?

[Alucard]

 

The Cruiserweight division on RAW kind of worries me. It isn't like RAW is now going to be the wrestling show. Do we really need to see guys like Kota Ibushi and Cedrick Alexander in 4 minute match filled with awful commentary from JBL and Cole

 

Ever since Raw went to three hours they have had multiple 10+ minute matches in a single show. The 4 minute Raw match hasn't really been a thing in years. Its the exception now, not the rule.

 

It's usually a balance of both with a few longer matches and a few 3-4 minutes or less. For example last night had the opening tag go a little over 10, the 12 man almost 20 and Ambrose/Rollins over 20 while Darren/Alberto, the women's tag, Corbin/Cara, and Rusev/Sheamus vs Ryder/Ziggler were all under 4 minutes.

 

On a side note, I still think Summer Rae is awesome and hope she gets used more with the draft and doesn't end up in that mid card washouts category

[sek69]

Is it me or does it seem like Mick Foley was a last minute fill in for someone else they couldn't close the deal on? It makes no sense for Steph to pick him since she's made it clear in promos she doesn't care what the fans think and that people who pander to them are stupid. From that to making "Mr. Hometown Cheap Pop" her GM is baffling unless its either factoring in as a plotline to Foley's network show or just her doing an insider rib picking the guy the internet says her husband hates (and don't pretend they aren't that petty to do something like that either).

[Strummer]

I think Foley will start as impartial and then gradually go full babyface and then Steph will tear his head off. Noelle will likely get involved

[C.S.]

Any possibility of a twist, such as Bryan being drafted to Raw and Mick to Smackdown?

 

Bryan being on "the Cruiserweight show" would make a ton more sense IMO.

 

Then again, they're probably depending on his star-power to prop up SD.

[TheBigBoot]

So I just spent my spare time in the nine days since Euro 2016 ended catching up on the last 5 weeks of RAW SmackDown, TNA and boxing that was on TV and their respective PPVs. Ignore why anyone would want to do that but watching WWE' s TV there are a few things they seem to be hinting at with the Draft.

 

Looking at the roster C.S. posted I realised how few of the current roster I actually care about but I'm cautiously optimistic. In general I thought the smaller rosters worked well tn the past, SmackDown and WWECW always seemed to make things work no matter how little star power they had on paper, although I expect tonight to be way closer to the 2002 (Original) and 2008 Drafts than 2004, 2007 and 2010 in that respect. I was a supporter of the original Brand Extension back in the day, even well into it's run when SmackDown had been depleted of most of it's stars, so I'm in favour although I hope the angle that closed last week's Raw was a shoot as far as the bit about having different presentation/production values goes. I managed to avoid all spoilers on social media (the hard bit), haven't kept up with any wrestling news this year (haven't even read forums since WM 32) so this is all speculation.

 

People being separated:

 

 

 

 

Are there any notable omissions on the list? I noticed the WWE.com Fantasy draft had Ryback

 

Calling it now, Xavier Woods gets split from New Day and turns heel a la Miz in 2009.

 

And for sheer WTFery, we get repackaged Usos on separate shows.

 

I could also see this and i'd be interested because there's one Uso who I think could be a good singles worker but I can't remember which one it is.

That's the best thing I've read in ages.

 

Totally agree about the Usos getting separated. Only half sure about them getting repackaged.

 

I've thought the Usos would be split if they did a Draft since before it was announced (back when they were hyping Shane/Taker for control of RAW). Just seems such a WWE thing to do.

 

I'm guessing one Uso gets totally repackaged and the other keeps a version of their current gimmick. One gets a push, the other stays about the same level they are at. Pure luck which one ends up benefiting from this.

 

That said, seeing the teams listed as single picks makes me wonder how they get there storyline-wise. Makes me think the plan was to split them and then someone changed their mind.

 

They've had both work decent length singles matches against top stars on SmackDown recently with Jimmy vs Styles and Jey vs Rollins so maybe that was a bit of a test for both. They even subtly teased a split in a Jey Uso/Seth Rollins promo where Seth joked about them always having family around and Jey emphasising he was alone that night.

 

On the other side of subtlety there are a few things they've been pretty vocal about seemingly every show.

 

The way they've built it, it seems a certainty Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are heading to different shows but I wonder if that's to swerve us and they end up on the same brand. Personally, I'd separate them. keep them apart until the Royal Royal. Then have them enter 1 and 2. Then keep them apart for another year for the 2018 Rumble.

 

When they finally end up on the same Brand again in you have a storyline that feel a fresh but has been simmering in background for years.

 

New Day I'll get into in a second. I'd rather they were kept together (for now) but at least if they do split them they could make it mean something. It's rare they have a three man act working the Freebird Rules gimmick and it's never happened before at the time of a Draft so I can see possibility there.

 

There have been no hints of it on TV but this is the best chance they'll get to split The Dudleys without having to have them feud. Obviously a Bully Ray style solo run would give them a fresh heel they can use near the top of one brand. I could see Bubba getting a fun singles run and the return of Reverend D-Von as a little nod to the original 2002 Draft. Like the Usos I'm less sure now I see the team's being treated as a single "item".

 

Not a "team" but they spent weeks hinting at Maryse/Miz being drafted to different shows. So I was expecting an angle where that happens but leads to a trade after weeks of complaining from both. Now that are listed together I'm guessing it isn't happening.

 

I actually like the current dynamic of the Wyatts with the white sheep and black sheep as henchmen so I'd rather they left them alone and repackaged/pushed Rowan on the other brand.

 

Interesting that the Lucha Dragons pulled a Deuce and Domino and split before [/] the Draft.

 

Titles:

I totally called the finish last night's WWE Title Match, expect most people did. Predictable double-pin is still better than just awarding one brand's champ with the Big Gold Belt, I guess.

 

They've made such a big deal about how both women are people you can build a brand around that you have to imagine Charlotte and Sasha going to different shows. If that happens they could keep them apart until WrestleMania 33 or 34 then do a big Raw vs SmackDown match.

 

I have no idea whatether that leads to two sets of Women's Titles or one defended across both shows.

 

Miz and Rusev have to take their titles to different brands, surely.

Finally, with the Tag straps I could see one of the New Day being drafted to different brand takes tag title with them (where they would either be allowed to choose or randomly given a new partner) setting up valid Tag Titles on both Brands since the other two would keep the originals on the other Brand.

 

Draft Numbers:

Interested to see what number Cena is drafted. I don't actually think it will be first.

 

They have a good chance to create some simple storylines just based off the Draft gimmick itself.

 

The other thing I've noticed is Booker T. and JBL mention is how someone would feel about getting drafted lower than they think they deserve to be so I expect someone to turn heel based on the number they were picked.

 

If they are going to turn Reigns any time soon then that would be as good a way as anything: guy gets suspended, drops down order in Draft picks but thinks he should have been #1 Draft.

 

The six NXT picks is interesting. Haven't watched the show since it left Sky Sports so I don't know his current character (or what his current work is like) but surely Samoa Joe has to be one of them so they can do that "Champ is Here" feud with Cena everyone wanted a decade ago. It would be an interesting twist on Cena's current gimmick (the last few years) of "the guy who has workrate matches against Indie darlings" to have him do it against someone he broke in with.

 

Something I learned watching yesterday's RAW Pre-Showband is the Wild Card pic for someone who isn't regularly on the roster.

 

After Stephanie' s line about there only being "one Game" last week I'm guessing Shane uses his Wild Card to pick Triple H to stick it to his sister and set up a match at SummerSlam (or Survivor Series if they can wait that long). I think Steph should pick The Rock.

 

Overall this is the most interested I've been in a big WWE angle since... probably since the last Brand Split fizzled out.

[Grimmas]

I hope most of the guys I care about end up on SD, while the ones I don't end up on Raw. Is that too selfish?

[Grimmas]

and.. 5 picks in and my wishes are coming true.

[sek69]

Considering the whole point of this is to make Smackdown more appealing to USA, I suspect Grimmas is going to be very happy.

[Strummer]

I know she gets heat and I appreciate that but Stephanie is just unbearable as a TV character now. There is chewing up scenery but then there is this

[Grimmas]

Considering the whole point of this is to make Smackdown more appealing to USA, I suspect Grimmas is going to be very happy.

Appealing to USA and appealing to me sound like different things. Keep Randy Orton away please.

[C.S.]

Shocked that Cena hasn't been drafted yet...

[Woof]

Shocked they put Balor that high. Balor before Cena sends a message that they plan on using him in a high profile position.

[Superstar Sleeze]

At the show in Worcester, just got to our seats because the parking garage was a fucking maze.

[Grimmas]

So far SD is picking the people I want to see and Raw is picking who I don't want to see. I can live without New Day. Orton is the only real mistake so far.

 

It's going well so far though. SD needs Cesaro, Sasha, Zayn and Bayley soon though.

[Woof]

Cena, Orton, Styles... Smackdown is old at the top.

[hammerva]

How funny is that they draft Reigns and then Brock for RAW. Not even separating the 2 last guys popped for drugs