2016 WWE Draft - What do you WANT to see?

[hb2k]

So, to go along with Big Vic's Top 5 Picks thread, for this week's podcast, we're going to be attempting to put together the 2016 WWE Draft and looking at potential future directions, wanted to ask some specific questions to see what you guys wanted to see from it. In particular:

*Who do you bring up from NXT or in from the outside, and how do you see them fitting into the mix early on?

*How would you try to make the shows different?

*What feuds/pairings would you want to come of this?

As always the best contributions will be read on the show and you'll be credited accordingly. So what do you want to see?

EDIT - Our show tackling the 2016 WWE Draft and Beyond, featuring many of your contributions, is now online and available to listen to at the following link: http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/web/5b49v4/SCG_Radio_89_-_Booking_the_2016_WWE_Draft.mp3

[Simple Fan]

Here are the results of the TPWWE Mock Draft we did when the draft was announced.

Raw:
John Cena
Roman Reigns
Jerry the King Lawler
The Miz
Samoa Joe
Bayley
New Day
Fandango
Cesaro
Stephanie McMahon
Primo & Epico
Asuka
Big Cass &Enzo
Charlotte
Apollo Crews
Jack Swagger
Dolph Ziggler
Chris Jericho
Bob Backlund
Alberto Del Rio
Neville
Barron Corbin
Becky Lynch
The Usos
The Undertaker
The Rock
Lucha Dragons
Alexa Bliss
Sara Del Rey
Hideo Itami
No Way Jose
John Laurinatis
Natayla
Alicia Fox
Tamina
Big Show
American Alpha
Titus O'Niel
Emma

Smackdown
Brock Lesnar
AJ Styles
Dean Ambrose
Seth Rollins
Social Outcast
Shane McMahon
Bray Wyatt
Eric Young
Rusev
Shinsuke Nakamura
Wyatt Family
Kevin Owens
Ric Flair
Tye Dillinger
Gallows & Anderson
Tyler Breeze
Summer Rea
Finn Balor
Paige
Golden Truth
HHH
Randy Orton
Ryback
Sasha Banks
Austin Aries
Shamus
The Dudley Boys
Kane
Darren Young
Sami Zayn
Zack Ryder
Eva Marie
The Vaudevillians
The Revival
Jamie Noble

[Big Vic]

Personally I would like to see the following superstars on Raw:

John Cena
Roman Reigns
Del Rio
Sheamus
Big Show
Mark Henry
Baron Corbin
Apollo Crews
Dolph Ziggler

Pretty much any one who I have no interest in watching anymore due to them being stale or uninteresting. This would give me a huge excuse not to watch a 3 hour wrestling show and only watch a 2 hour smackdown.

Speaking of Smackdown I would put everyone who I would like to watch on that show and Randy Orton who could be used to put over rising talent. It would be primarily younger superstars with no more than 3 vets on the roster.

[Ruien]

I want to see whoever the champions are be able to pick the show they want to be on at the end or during the show.

If there will be 2 world titles then the side without one has to make their own. If not, then whenever the champ loses his belt he goes to the show he picked. Same goes for the tag and women's title. IC and US will choose separate brands.

[Maluco]

I have not been watching recently, have missed the last two PPV's and haven't watched any Raw or Smackdown. The reason why is that it is all so paint by numbers. Usually a feud goes back and forward, has three big matches, handful of tags, an even number of wins and losses and then the heel attacks someone else for some basic reason.

That's why I would divide the brands totally, separate touring, separate primary and secondary titles. Two separate feds with two separate rosters. Why? For a few reasons...

For one, it would give more variation to the shows and more options. If I don't like the WWE title scene on Raw, I might enjoy the World title scene on Smackdown. You also have the opportunity to cater to two different kinds of fans and create two unique shows style wise.

Secondly, it creates new stars and since the brand is the star nowadays, I don't think ratings would be affected much by whoever appeared on each show. There is no Rock or Stone Cold who needs to be present at all times for ratings.

At the same time, slightly slimmer rosters and a closer relationship between writers and "their" stars could mean more depth to characters and stories as well as feuds that have time to be more creative and interesting. Basically, intriguing TV has more of a chance if personalities have more time and a greater chance to shine through.

Finally, the big 4 PPV would be elevated once again and become special events that could all be promoted heavily and have their own special promotion and feel like Mania.

As for NXT, I would keep it strictly developmental and bring up the experienced hands like Joe, Balor and Aries and get them in the mix while they are still valuable as performers. It is a developmental territory and a live Smackdown could use their talents much more.

Don't need to go crazy with groups and partners. You can keep it much the same. A mix of tag teams on each show (bring back Haas/Benjamin, Morrison/Miz etc...) and have the Wyatt's as the stable on Smackdown and the Club on Raw.

[Simple Fan]

*Who do you bring up from NXT or in from the outside, and how do you see them fitting into the mix early on?

Can see Finn Balor, Bayley, and American Alpha all getting drafted for sure. Guys like Nakamura, Aries, And Joe I'm not really sure of so I'll leave them out.

Ideally I'd like to see Finn join The Club and they change their name to Bulletproof. Would want them on Smackdown and Finn being a contender in the IC/US title picture early on. Bayley will be in the Womens title picture on Raw where all the Women who wrestle are since they have an extra hour. I'd put American Alpha on Smackdown.



*How would you try to make the shows different?

The two shows need to be totally different. I've thought about Smackdown becoming WCW branded but I'm not real sure about it. WCW Smackdown doesn't sound bad and I could see Shane being mad about not having both shows so he going to do what he wanted to 15 years ago and bring back WCW. Would be like two sepreate companies operating as one. Would put the US title on the show and redesign it like it was in WCW to match the classic look of the IC title on WWE Raw.

*What feuds/pairings would you want to come of this?
Raw feuds I'd have would be Reigns vs Cena as the passing of the torch. Without Rollins or Ambrose on the same show I feel like Reigns might get over a bit better. For the IC title I'd use it to build up Barron Corbin. Have him start out trying to get a title shot but always getting passed up by a veteran like Sheamus, and Ziggler. When he finally gets a shit and wins he has a dominant reign which leads to a match with Reigns at Mania ala Hogan/Warrior.

On Smackdown I really want to see AJ/Orton so that would be the match for the title. I'd have AJ go over and be the first champion to build his ego. Want to eventually see Bulletproof vs The Wyatt family where Bray tries to control the Demon. Then Luke Harper returns to even up the numberes only to turn on the Wyatts to join Bulletproof( Vastardkia gets credit for that idea). Essentially want to build up Bulletproof to be this dominant Faction kind of like the NWO, they could even be backed by an angry Vince for Shane bringing back WCW so he hires Bulletproof ( The Club) to kill WCW like the NWO did. This time though WCW prevails put and end to Bulletproof.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

I want a new SmackDown six. Also Corey Graves as Smack down Color. Might try to get some tickets to the event. It's in Worcester. The first ever Raw Is War was there and I was there for it. Not sure how it will come across being there live though. Could be boring.

[Mr. Nerfect]

A SmackDown Six of Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho, Cesaro & Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura & Finn Balor would be excellent. Just throwing it out there.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I think SmackDown could use some aesthetic changes. Mauro and Corey Graves handling commentary seems to be a popular decision. That's a start, but I think the general vibe of the show could use a bit of a repackage. Maybe a move away from the blue, which is a psychologically calming color, or so I've been told. A different presentation could go a long way, but is second to creative independence, which I doubt they will get.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I eventually want to see Samoa Joe called up as a John Cena opponent. Cena can sell their personal history and put Joe over as the guy who taught him all about hustle, loyalty and respect. Wait, can Cena sell? I think it would be a huge moment if Joe actually makes Cena tap in their first encounter -- putting him over as the Samoan Submission Machine and giving John Cena a loss to truly respond to. Cena could take some time off to do some movie cameos or host a shitty and gritty reality show, before returning and making one last real run at being the top guy to prove he still has what it takes to be The Face That Runs the Place.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Rumors have John Cena going to SmackDown, but I can't help but think he might be better off on RAW with Dean Ambrose heading up the SmackDown side of things. But specific assignments aside, I want John Cena and Randy Orton to be on different shows. Those two are like matter and anti-matter together, except that when they touch, instead of exploding, they create space-tsunamis of boredom, and the result is that it doesn't matter.

With that said, I want Sheamus on the opposite show to Orton. Take the Cena/Orton thing and copy and paste it to Orton and Sheamus. With that being said, Cena vs. Sheamus has been done far less often -- possibly due to that shitty period of time Sheamus spent as a top face. Or maybe it has and my mind has just blocked it from memory? Either way, like having another baby, I'm sure Cena and Sheamus on the same show will be fine, because I'll at least forget how painful it is.

So with Cena and Sheamus on one show and Orton on another, I'd like to see Cesaro placed on the same show as Cena and Sheamus, since he has such good chemistry with both men and could get a more serious program with Cena and just constantly beat Sheamus on television.

Much like Orton, Rusev and Bray Wyatt never need to go near Cena again, which means they can be on the same roster as Randy Orton. You'd probably send The Wyatt Family over there too. They can work with The New Day, but leaving it at three members, Luke Harper can be on the Cena show to get a real chance on his own. Having The New Day opposite Cena makes sense from a merchandise-moving perspective too. With Rusev being on the Orton show, that sends the US Title over there. So I guess that means that The Miz needs to be on the same show as Cena, Cesaro, Sheamus and, eventually, Samoa Joe to balance out the mid-card titles and where the hot blondes that stand in the corner of their men and used to have personalities go. I want one of Joe's first opponents in the WWE to be Big Show, so that Joe can squash someone that looks impressive, and I think you could creatively sell it to the WWE by saying "Show vs. Joe" over and over again really fast and doing a bit of a jig. So that means Big Show is on this Cena, Sheamus, Cesaro brand. Maybe Cesaro can try and swing Big Show at some point? I'm sure he'd have done it by now if it was as possible as the Khali swing though. But Show being on the Cena show means that Kane should be on the other show, just because Show and Kane are two other guys that you can just get as far away from each other as possible.

Oh, and I guess you have Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns on the show that Cena isn't on. And I guess AJ Styles goes to that Cena show. The Club might be moved away from him though, and receive Finn Balor as a leader after SummerSlam (or heading into it). That would put Balor on the Orton/Shield show, give them another potential faction to feud with The New Day and The Wyatt Family, and spreads out your Irish guys with Sheamus on the other show. Becky and Finn's relationship can be played up, so put Becky on the Ambrose show and have her rivalry with Natalya continue. Balance this influx of women to the Ambrose show with Sasha going to the Cena one.

Cena expressed interest in working with Enzo & Cass and The Vaudevillains in a recent interview he did, so to keep Cena happy, why not put them on the same show as Cena. Nikki Bella is also a logical choice to be on that one, regardless of if she can wrestle again or not. Her big comeback story is probably a match against Charlotte, who I imagine will be left on RAW with Alberto Del Rio, while Paige gets drafted to SmackDown because Vince likes fucking with people. So we finally have our specific show qualifiers set:

* John Cena
* AJ Styles
* Sheamus
* Big Show
* Alberto Del Rio
* Cesaro
* Samoa Joe
* Luke Harper
* The Miz
* Maryse
* Charlotte
* Sasha Banks
* Nikki Bella
* Enzo Amore & Big Cass
* The Vaudevillains
* The Usos (to get them on a different show to Reigns)
* And we now know this show to be RAW

* Dean Ambrose
* Seth Rollins
* Roman Reigns
* Randy Orton
* Kane
* The New Day
* Bray Wyatt
* Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman
* Finn Balor
* Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
* Rusev
* Lana
* Paige
* Becky Lynch
* Natalya
* The Lucha Dragons (to give them some Hispanic guys)
* The Shining Stars (to constantly put the Lucha Dragons over)
* We can determine this show to be SmackDown

Sorting through this has been enjoyable, but has now left me with the urge to get drunk, so I'll stop there.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm listening to the podcast now. So good. I'm sure there'll be another thread so I'll just quote myself in there, but I wanted to share my thoughts before I forgot them:

* I'm not sure I can buy a quick Kevin Owens face turn and title win like that. I'm probably just being cynical though. One possibility that didn't get discussed for the World Title match at Mania 33 is AJ Styles defending against Brock Lesnar. Styles has already beaten John Cena. If he is kept strong, he can go over Ambrose for the belt and then keep it until Mania. Even if Brock loses to Mark Hunt, you can still try your best to save him by "earning his shot" by subjecting himself to the Rumble. He needs to take on all-comers to prove he still has it. Brock can win and Styles can try and psyche him out over the loss, since he's such a good dick heel. Brock can tear through the Club en route to challenging for the title. You sort of get stuck with Brock winning the belt, but you could do some sort of bullshit angle where The Club takes him out with an assault on RAW; kick things up a notch. Or you could pull some sort of shenanigans where Brock loses to give the full-time guy a rub. You might be thinking about finishing Brock by that point, just weighing up the costs of him versus what he brings in. You could move the title onto Joe very shortly after Brock wins it too.

* I'm glad that Tyler Breeze and Fandango found their way onto the same show as Enzo & Cass, because I think that could be an entertaining tag feud. It wouldn't set the world on fire or anything, but those guys could all riff off each other very easily. I'd give Breeze & Fandango matching attire and theme music too. Call them "20/20" because they're two tens or something. Tye Dillinger is on RAW, so you don't need to worry about gimmick infringement. I'm sure you can put them into a backstage comedy segment between matches at WrestleMania or something. I hate that shit, but it gets them air time and a chance to do something other than a Battle Royal.

* If you're setting up Cesaro vs. Jericho at WrestleMania, I'd like to see Jericho face Cesaro beforehand and lose in an IC Title feud with him. Jericho then cost Cesaro his rematch against Balor (because I don't want Balor to only be champion because of Jericho) and Cesaro vs. Jericho has got that personal reason for happening.

* Not what I want to see, but I've got a fairly strong feeling that Triple H vs. Shinsuke Nakamura will be happening at WrestleMania. Triple H's ego will want him to be in something as meaningful as possible -- Nakamura's WrestleMania match is going to have a lot of attention. In my dream card, I have Nakamura taking the US Title from Kevin Owens, but him taking the US Title from Rusev uses Rusev better than I could have.

* Heel Ziggler needs to happen. How about a turn on Zack Ryder, since they're apparently buddies now? This is not going to be popular, but if you give Mojo Rawley a part-time call-up so he can still work NXT and get better, Rawley being a heel lackey to Ziggler could give him some fast-track learning and adds another body to RAW.

* WrestleMania looks to be a real problem for booking a card that isn't filled with part-timers or independent guys. Getting everyone in there is tough.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Brock's UFC fight throws a big spanner into the works. Actually, the brand split itself did that a little. I originally had him winning the World Title at SummerSlam from Reigns and then going Mania the champion against a challenging John Cena, going for title #16. I know it isn't "fresh," but I think it could be a close to the Brock vs. Cena story, and it is the biggest match the WWE could put forward until they cannibalize it with Brock's potential Hunt loss.

Going down I'd have had Ambrose always win Money in the Bank, but he's forced to defend his briefcase against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in a Triple Threat at Mania. That's now happening at Battleground for the actual title.

Shinsuke Nakamura would have made a big WrestleMania debut by kicking Kevin Owens in the head and taking the US Title. On the IC Title side, Cesaro and Sami Zayn could have had a stellar match, with the story being a continuation of their NXT rivalry, where Sami never did get that big defining victory over Cesaro.

Styles and Balor were on my original card, but given the success of Styles, I wonder if he needs something...higher? I'd also be fine with Balor being part of the Club, teaming with Styles, Gallows & Anderson against The Wyatt Family in some sort of eight-man.

I'm too big a fan of Becky Lynch to leave her off a Mania card. To me, the biggest women's match the WWE can do is Bayley challenging Sasha Banks for the Women's Title, but given they are in Orlando, I could see a Fatal Fourhorsewomen match (as long as they don't call it that) getting that crowd excited. They can see just how far all four have come.

American Alpha challenging for the Tag Team Titles is only logical. I had them going against Gallows & Anderson, then later changed it to Owens & Jericho when I tried to make my card more "WWE friendly."

Ultimately, I ended up with:

* Brock vs. Cena for the WWE Title
* Shield Triple Threat
* Triple H vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
* The Club vs. The Wyatts
* Orton vs. Joe
* Horsewomen Fatal 4-Way
* Jericho & Owens vs. American Alpha
* IC Title Ladder Match featuring Cesaro, Zayn and others
* Andre Battle Royal

There are some big, big differences, but I found myself agreeing with you guys on a surprisingly lot philosophically.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Oh, and I absolutely love the idea of turning The Usos and officially aligning them with Roman Reigns. You can tell the WWE want them to be that babyface team that moves all ze merch, but the hoke factor and the association with Reigns has damaged them as a face act. Oh, and generally being less entertaining overall than the other face duos. And I love them being a warm-up act for American Alpha before they take the Tag Titles.

On The Dudleys: You can always have them drafted together and have Bubba turn on D-Von later down the track. A Bubba vs. Sami feud might be a good story to heat up Sami in time for his Finn Balor match at WrestleMania.

[Savio]

Noid give me one sentence in my thread , but gives seven consecutive essays in this one

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Maybe you should have a world famous podcast instead of a sock drawer.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Noid give me one sentence in my thread , but gives seven consecutive essays in this one

I love you, Savio. Some things are just easier to answer than others, haha.

[hb2k]

I want to thank everybody for the contributions, we got to read many of them on the show, which is now available at the following link:

http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/web/5b49v4/SCG_Radio_89_-_Booking_the_2016_WWE_Draft.mp3

Join us as we attempt to book the 2016 WWE Draft! At your request, we're talking all about current events, looking at who should go to which show and why, the title situation, NXT call-ups, feuds and stories out of the gate, possible directions for WrestleMania 33 and much more. In addition, we get your thoughts on what you want to see out of this brand split, as we explore ways to make the shows different. A really interesting show breaking down what lies ahead in the world of WWE. Do we manage to pull it off? You be the judge! Check it out and let us know!

[Swiss Ultimate]

I want to see a heel attack the GM of Smackdown because they don't want to be on the B roster...but then have it turn out that they get picked because the GM wants to make their lives hell because of it. Cue long-term push and face-turn.

[Nicky Fives]

A SmackDown Six of Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho, Cesaro & Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura & Finn Balor would be excellent. Just throwing it out there.

Replace Jericho with Samoa Joe and you have yourself something.....

[Nicky Fives]

I want talent to be able to request a trade to the other show and for it to be treated like in other professional sports....For example, in a few months (insert Face Superstar here) is tired of losing on Smackdown, he is better than what he has been showing and he wants a change of scenery. Smackdown GM says that he appreciates the honesty and he will try and work something out with the Raw GM. Sometime over the next few days, Twitter & WWE.com report a trade, allowing creative to "freshen up" whichever Raw talent they feel may need it and use an "NXT Draft Pick" to call up someone ready for the big time in developmental.

[Big Vic]

Can we send dolph to NXT?

[Bad News Gertner]

1. Put the belt on Ryback
2. Stroll up to the pay window

[Evil Vito]

Give all of the title belts to RYBACK, the greatest wrestler in the world. And award him 10 million dollars.