QUESTION - In your opinion, which BRAND benefited MOST from the 2008 WWE Draft(s)?

[Heyman]

QUESTION - In your opinion, which BRAND benefited MOST from the 2008 WWE Draft(s)?

OK - I still don't know the full results of the supplemental draft (I'll post those a little later), but here is what transpired from the main draft:

Talent Joining Raw (10)
Rey Mysterio
CM Punk
Michael Cole
Batista
Kane
Jamie Noble
Deuce
Chuck Palumbo
Matt Striker
Layla

Talent Joining SmackDown (12)
Jeff Hardy
Jim Ross
Umaga
Mr. Kennedy
Triple H
Trevor Murdoch
Big Daddy V
DH Smith
Brian Kendrick
Maria
Shelton Benjamin
Carlito

Talent Joining ECW (5)
Matt Hardy
Mark Henry
Hornswoggle
Super Crazy
Finlay

However - taking the draft results into consideration (both the MAIN draft and the SUPPLEMENTAL draft),

A) Which BRAND do YOU think benefited the MOST?

B) Which BRAND do you think is the most promising at current?

In my opinion, the answer to both 'A' and 'B' is Smackdown. I know a lot of you think that RAW is the more 'stacked' show, but I beg to differ. Here is why.

1) All/most of the talent that was shipped to RAW, are either still too green.....OR, have been around for far too long (and at this point in their careers, won't really "up their game" significantly). I still contend that CM Punk is not "all that".....and still has a long way to go (in terms of really getting over with the fans). Guys like Kane, Rey Mysterio, and Batista won't get any 'bigger' than they are. All 3 men have peaked in my opinion, and it will be very tough to surpass the level that they're already at (or have been at).

To add to that, I also feel the same way with Randy Orton and Chris Jericho.

Having said that, I do think John Cena's character will sky-rocket once he officially makes a heel turn. I'd also be interested to see how JBL acts as a face (i.e. 'JBL' is pretty easy to chant). JBL is also very shrewd, and probably won't kiss the fans ass' if/when he turns face.

John Cena vs. Dave Batista will be interesting, but this match-up should have been done years ago.....when BOTH men were made to look unbeatable. Since that time however, Dave Batista has dropped off in status and no longer looks superhuman (i.e. regular losses to guys like Undertaker, Edge, Booker T, HBK, combined with the fact that he's regularly eliminated in battle royales well before guys like Triple H, John Cena, Edge, Orton, Undertaker, etc.).

Santino Marella will be a bright spot for RAW in my opinion. Hopefully, he goes on to bigger and better things.


2) Smackdown:

In my opinion, the THREE most promising talents in the WWE right now (and by 'promising', I mean mid-card guys....that have never been main-eventers before......that have a realistic chance of main-eventing within the next year) are Ken Kennedy and Jeff Hardy. Both men are now on the Smackdown brand.

To add to that, MVP is another huge promising talent. The guy probably won't be pushed to the main-event level this year, but it WILL happen at some point.

Despite being a NON-FACTOR for a couple of years now, it's also hard to ignore the amazing talents of Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin has had some tremendous matches with the likes of Jericho, HBK, <s>Chris Benoit</s> and Triple H.

Long story short - Smackdown has THREE (four if you count Umaga) guys that have

a) Never main-evented before
b) Have a realistic chance of becoming main-eventers in the not-so-distant future
c) Are about to hit their 'growth curve' very shortly.

The fact that Smackdown now has Triple H, only adds to the show's advantage. With Management's open bias towards Triple H, you have to think that Smackdown will not only be on par with RAW, but may even surpass RAW as the 'flagship.'

One last point - despite what many people say, I still contend that Jim Ross is far and away the best announcer in the WWE. Yes - the guy is a flaming faggot and also screws up his lines, but NO ONE has a passion for Sports Entertainment like Jim Ross....and it really comes across when he announces.

In my opinion - Smackdown just got a whole lot better with Jim Ross.

3) ECW - ECW is the unofficial 'C' show and in my opinion, is not even worth commenting on. Hopefully, Matt Hardy gets good exposure in terms of being a 'top guy' for a brand. In a year's time or so, perhaps this experience will help him when he (hopefully) becomes a top guy on either RAW or Smackdown.

Another thing to mention - I also think RAW is still very "top heavy", and it will be exceptionally tough to NEW (emerging stars) to make their marks.

FACES
John Cena,
Dave Batista,
Shawn Michaels
Rey Mysterio,

HEELS
Randy Orton, ,
Chris Jericho,
JBL.

I hope guys like Santino and CM Punk can "emerge" from that, but it will be tough.

On Smackdown

FACES:
-Triple H
-Undertaker
-Big Show

HEELS
-Edge

Undertaker is basically a part-time worker now, and may not even be a part of Smackdown when he returns. Basically - there is a LOT more opportunity for the emerging talents here in my opinion (since it's not so "top heavy" like RAW).

And like I said before - I wouldn't have a problem with RAW being so "top heavy", but the fact that so many of their top talents (and ones that defected to the show) are soooo "saturated", does not bode well in my opinion.

New talents NEED to emerge. On Smackdown, I believe that there is a MUCH greater chance of this happening...and I believe it will.

Look for Jeff Hardy or Ken Kennedy to be main-eventers by next year. Look for MVP and Benjamin to have made significant strides as well. Meanwhile, look for CM Punk and Kofi Kingston to have made little or no progress on RAW.

[Xero]

BRAND

[Stickman]

None, nothing will change.

Maaaaybe Smackdown because of Hunter Hearst Helmsly

[Juan]

Smackdown

[Heyman]

Smackdown

Why do you feel this way? Please put more THOUGHT into your posts please. Your co-operation is appreciated.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Gotta go with Smackdown, mainly cause of Triple H and the possibility for really fresh feuds.</font>

[Shaggy]

I went with Smackdown because now they have some people over there that could end up with the belt in a year or so. Sure Triple H and Edge will duke it out for a while but when that finally slows down and Taker returns and fights Edge....If Triple H is the champ you then have Kennedy and Hardy to step up and possibly finally win their WWE Heavyweight title.

Im really excited about Smackdown now and for the first time in god knows how many years, I am actually looking more forward to watching Smackdown every week than Raw.

ECW got raped.....only good thing about that is we might finally see some new faces making their debut over there.

[Heyman]

None, nothing will change.

Maaaaybe Smackdown because of Hunter Hearst Helmsly

The biggest things I notice about Smackdown, is..

A) They are not so "top heavy" right now. Triple H and Edge are the only legit. main-eventers. Undertaker basically works on a part-time basis (and may even be moved to RAW), while Big Show is one of the best "team players" in the history of sports-entertainment (meaning - that he would definitely "do the job" to the emerging talents if he was asked to).

Smackdown's biggest advantage right now, is that guys like Jeff Hardy, Ken Kennedy, MVP, and Shelton Benjamin can EASILY step up....and definitely ready to in my opinion. Umaga, while not in this same class, can also do the same.

Smackdown is easily the "land of opportunity" right now. RAW may be far more 'top heavy', but this IS NOT necessarily a good thing....particularly when you consider that a lot of these top guys are STALE....and that their "promising talents" (i.e. CM Punk, Santino, and even Carlito) will be VERY hard-pressed to get through that glut.

John Cena vs. Dave Batista will definitely turn some heads (particularly if a guy like Cena makes his heel turn), but I still think that RAW will be hampered by the fact that no NEW stars will emerge.

If RAW is to be a success IMO,

A) John Cena vs. Dave Batista will REALLY have to be built up soundly (to the point where Batista looks unbeatable....like he did a few years ago). This will create more interest to their feud.

B) Cena's character will have to refreshed (i.e. a heel turn...perhaps 4-5 months from now). If Cena's heelish character can deliver, THEN I think RAW will be in good shape.

For now however - I think Smackdown looks more promising.

[Xero]

LOL, fantasy booking a Cena heel turn. Yeah, keep dreaming.

[Heyman]

The one that makes me excited about Smackdown, is the fact that we'll (finally) see some new promising talents emerge....and hopefully, NOT be pissed away.

A few wildcards:

1) Undertaker: It will be interesting to see what the WWE does with Undertaker. Him and Jeff Hardy had an amazing feud back in 2002. Perhaps they can do that again? On RAW however, Taker vs. Cena would be interesting, since both men have been made to look unbeatable. The marks would eat it up.

2) D'Lo Brown: Another HUGE promising talent in my opinion....if he's pushed right. I really REALLY hope the guy comes to Smackdown, and gets his fair shake.

Heck - if D'Lo and Santino BOTH end up on Smackdown, I wouldn't watch RAW until the next draft.

[MCEazy]

I'm going with smackdown for now because of their solid mid card, as Heyman said, guys like harvey, kennedy, MVP and Benjamin can easily transition themselves into main event status once people get bored of trips vs. edge. Doesn't hurt to have go ol J.R commentating ether.

[Heyman]

LOL, fantasy booking a Cena heel turn. Yeah, keep dreaming.

If Austin and Vince could join forces at Wrestlemania 17, then surely....anything can happen.

I think it's INCREDIBLY short-sighted on your part to assume that John Cena will never turn heel. Hulk Hogan did it, Austin did it, The Rock did, Goldberg did it, Bret Hart did it, etc.

[Heyman]

http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/wwedraft2008/7505418/

I think that should be the link to the WWE's supplemental draft.

Carlito has been drafted to Smackdown, along with

-DH Smith
-Trevor Murdoch
-Viscera! :D.

Can't remember the others.

If memory serves me correctly, RAW got Matt Striker and Chuck Pulumbo.

Again - Carlito may not be as promising a talent as he once was, but the guy is still a CHARACTER. Ditto for Trevor Murdoch. The guy is (finally) over with the fans, now that he sings.

Striker and Pulumbo are ok, but again -I don't consider them to be as 'over' as guys like Carlitto and Murdoch.

Again - Smackdown REALLY kicked ass in this draft IMO.

[MCEazy]

I wonder why D.H smith went to smackdown, he's supposed to be Dibiase's tag partner :wtf:

[Volare]

IMO...build up Palumbo to IC status. Given the chance, he could deliver...just drop the bike and come out as a bad ass going against...say, Jericho's cockyness. Easy feud right there.

[James Steele]

Other than ECW, I think the WWE should be really good just from the freshness of the angles and storylines.

[St. Jimmy]

Any brand with Triple H is the most promising.

[GD]

Hope Shelton Benjamin gets a push. MVP has been rough lately and Kennedy was better off as a heel.

[Heyman]

Any brand with Triple H is the most promising.

Ditto. The question however, is to what extent? It wouldn't surprise me in the very least, if Smackdown became the new flagship.


p.s. With Big Daddy V, Great Khali, and Big Show all on Smackdown, I'm guessing that Undertaker will make the move to RAW.

I'm calling it - Taker vs. Cena at next year's Mania, with Taker going over (and Cena turning heel afterwards). At some point, a heel Cena then 'retires' the Undertaker (atleast as a semi full-time competitor).

[Xero]

If Austin and Vince could join forces at Wrestlemania 17, then surely....anything can happen.

I think it's INCREDIBLY short-sighted on your part to assume that John Cena will never turn heel. Hulk Hogan did it, Austin did it, The Rock did, Goldberg did it, Bret Hart did it, etc.

Oh, I think it will happen, in fact I feel it HAS to happen, but unless Vince takes a total 180 on the booking (which I do not see any time soon) and/or Cena continues strong merch sales I don't think it will happen in the foreseeable future.

I think it's silly not to take WWE's track record and booking style into account when fantasy booking. And from all accounts (except one) the signs point to no.

Now, if Triple H actually stays on SD for more than three months, maybe, MAYBE they'd do it. If not, all signs point to face Cena until at least post-Mania.

And really, with Cena's movie coming out (assuming he isn't the villain) it would be stupid to turn him until after the DVD hits from a marketing standpoint. So that's likely at least a year.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Unless Cena's movie comes out straight-to-DVD, Xero. And if it doesn't sell, all the better.

SmackDown! definitely cleaned up in this draft. The two biggest moves, in my opinion, are Triple H and Jim Ross coming over. They represent the red sea of RAW, and their presence on SmackDown! completely changes its feel, and promotes it from being the B-show to something more credible.

MVP and Mr. Kennedy will be main eventers in the sense that Chris Jericho is a main eventer. I don't expect to see either holding the championship anytime soon, and I think is reserved for Edge, Triple H and maybe even Big Show. I don't think the brand is going to be nearly as democratic as everyone thinks it will be. SmackDown! also got Big Daddy V, keep in mind, who I'm sure the WWE would rather push over someone with talent.

But what I really like about SmackDown!'s roster is the depth of talent. The show now has Mr. Kennedy, Jeff Hardy, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, Trevor Murdoch, Brian Kendrick, DH Smith and Vladimir Kozlov. Say what you want, but if the US Title ends up back in that mix, you can get a lot of fun out of it.

RAW seems very colorful at the moment, with some interesting possibilities. CM Punk has the Money in the Bank briefcase. As much as everyone doubts he will make it on RAW, that pretty much means Punk will be a World Champion within the three-quarters of a year. Much like Mr. Kennedy would have been if it were for his injury, so let's hope Punk can stay healthy.

Batista and Rey Mysterio will be refreshed tremendously on RAW. Rey won't swell up too much more, but I think he actually still has some growth as a fresh performer for the brand. Batista never got stale on RAW. SmackDown! drained that man out. Kane moving to RAW seems inexplicable to me, so I am afraid he might be getting a retirement run. The upside to that is that he may not be forgotten, and might be a constant part of RAW in a major way. I'm hoping The Undertaker returns to RAW. It's just where I'd rather see him.

ECW didn't get off as badly as everyone thinks. With the supplemental draft, they got their World Championship back (unfortunately, it seems very likely that Mark Henry goes over at Night of Champions), an attraction for the kids, and a credible veteran in Finlay. Plus, with SmackDown! and ECW splitting soon, you have to believe that they may just get to keep Chavo Guerrero, which is a good thing.

[The CyNick]

I think Smackdown did better this year in terms of getting new talent, but that could be more because it was even, and usually WWE favours RAW.

At the end of the day RAW lost HHH, Umaga, Hardy and Kennedy. Of those only HHH and Hardy were regular top end guys. Smackdown lost Rey, Batista and Kane. Rey and Batista were major players on SD.

Striaght up looking at it like that, SD did better.

However, looking at the two rosters, RAW is still far deeper. They have Cena, Orton Batista, Rey, HBK, Jericho, JBL and Kane. Thats deeper than SD's top guys.

It might be true that SD has more guys who can move up, but thats always been tough in the WWE. Its the top guys who make the PPVs and carry the company. I'm not convinced guys like Kennedy or MVP will break through.

[Fox]

It might be true that SD has more guys who can move up, but thats always been tough in the WWE. Its the top guys who make the PPVs and carry the company. I'm not convinced guys like Kennedy or MVP will break through.

Well what kind of cynic would you be if you were convinced?

Anyways, I think that from a "technical" standpoint, Smackdown did better this year, getting more talent and making a very watchable show. From a personal standpoint, RAW did far, far better, because they finally got rid of Triple H, and brought in CM Punk. I can only hope that Punk is elevated and allowed to work a program with Cena at some point in the year.

[El Fangel]

Gotta go with Smackdown, mainly cause of Triple H and the possibility for really fresh feuds.

[Pardeep 619]

Smackdown is the most promising in terms of building up stars like Jeff Hardy, Mr Kennedy, Umaga, Carlito etc but Raw has benefitted more in terms of ready-to-go main event feuds

[ClockShot]

My original answer was RAW. But after round 2 of the draft, Smackdown may now have what it takes to knock RAW off the mountain. Hardy, Kennedy, and H may have been enough to get people watching. But add in Carlito, Shelton, Murdoch, and Smith, anything could happen now. Umaga and Vis could be your next "big" tag team. And like I said in the draft thread last night, I think Kendrick got lost in the shuffle.

I'll start tuning in now. Gonna be weird with JR.

[Pardeep 619]

I'm interested to see what the ratings of Raw will be like without HHH.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Don't ask me why, but I actually think I'd actually be entertained if Brian Kendrick were given the gimmick of carrying around Triple H's bags. It's just something that I think would make sure Kendrick would not get lost in the shuffle, and it can lead to things.

[Zeeboe]

I don't watch wrestling too often these days, but when I do...it's always Monday Night Raw and ONLY Monday Night Raw. I have always been a Raw fan since day one. During the Raw/Nitro feud, I stayed loyal to Raw. Even during the work feud between Raw and Smackdown, I was always a Raw mark and truly believed it was the better brand.

I haven't watched Smackdown regularly since 2003. (Every now and then, I have to remind myself that it doesn't come on Thursday's anymore.) I thought it became a very B-rated show much like Sunday Night Heat and Saturday Night Velocity. I believed Smackdown only entertained wrestling nerds who had nothing better to do on a Friday night....but with Triple H and JR going there, I might actually watch some of Smackdown from time to time whenever I am in the mood for a wrestling fix. Raw on the otherhand....I don't know. I watched it for a good few weeks recently and gosh, did it suck for the most part. I may try and watch this week just to check out Michael Cole, but I'm sure I'll lose interest quickly. I'm not even sure if I wanna waste the time.

Triple H is the biggest star in wrestling today, and JR is the best commentator. I have no doubt that those two men will help bring in huge ratings for Smackdown.

Don't ask me why, but I actually think I'd actually be entertained if Brian Kendrick were given the gimmick of carrying around Triple H's bags. It's just something that I think would make sure Kendrick would not get lost in the shuffle, and it can lead to things.

Why would you be entertained by that? :D

[The Optimist]

It keeps Kendrick around and on television.

[Heyman]

However, looking at the two rosters, RAW is still far deeper. They have Cena, Orton Batista, Rey, HBK, Jericho, JBL and Kane. Thats deeper than SD's top guys.

It might be true that SD has more guys who can move up, but thats always been tough in the WWE. Its the top guys who make the PPVs and carry the company. I'm not convinced guys like Kennedy or MVP will break through.

Good points. Here's my view on it however:

Although it's not a 1:1 analogy, I think the comparison of RAW/Smackdown is somewhat similar to WCW/WWF from the late 90's.

Back in late 90's, WCW were very "top heavy" with many "blue chip" wrestlers that had peaked many years ago (and couldn't get any bigger and/or more interesting than they already were). Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, Randy Savage, and ultimately Goldberg, are examples of what I'm talking about.

Meanwhile, the WWF had Bret Hart (before he left obviously), HBK, and Undertaker as their top stars, while they had NEW promising talents such as Steve Austin, Rocky Maivia, Hunter-Hearst-Helmsley, etc., etc. waiting in the wings.

End result? WCW became "stale" with their 'jaded' main-eventers (that had been around for far too long), and still hogged the top spots. Younger talent got buried.

The WWF on the other hand, saw tons of new talent(s) literally explode on to the scene (even if most of these new talents were NOT main-eventers).

In my opinion, that last point is really important. Granted - Only VERY few people reach the top (and for the most part, are mainly responsible for carrying the show), but the undercard still plays a great deal.

Back in the late 90's for instance, Austin vs. Vince was the main focal point, but you still had great "side stories" from the promising up-and-comers such as The Rock, Triple H, Ken Shamrock, etc.


Fast forward to today, and I see a similar parallel (although I once again stress that it's NOT a 1:1 analogy.....as we don't have an Austin waiting in the wings).

RAW is filled with guys that have

a) Had main-event pushes before
b) Have been around for quite some time as main-eventers, and have "blue chip" as result (i.e. can't really get much 'bigger' than they already are).

My biggest concern with RAW is that...

a) A lot of the promising talents such as Santino Marella, will NOT get the TV time (and push) that they deserve.

b) A lot of the top talents on RAW (Cena, Batista, Orton) can't really get any bigger than they are.

The ONLY main-eventer that I can see that has a chance of REALLY refreshing his character (and giving the main-event scene a refreshing new look), is if John Cena turned heel. To me, THAT could be the ONE thing that REALLY saves RAW.

However - given Cena's movie appearances (and massive popularity amongst those aged 11 and under), I do not know if this will happen in the forseeable future.

I am digressing a little, but here's some other points:

With RAW - what do you do with all of these guys that have had main-event pushes? Cena, Batista, Orton, Rey Mysterio, JBL, Kane, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, etc.

Again - there's only so much room at the top. Do you "demote" a lot of these guys to the IC level? If so - how will these wrestlers react to that?

If you demote these guys to the IC level, then how do guys like Santino Marella, CM Punk, and Lance Cade get pushed (two wrestlers that the WWE want to push). Do these wrestlers get paired up and thrown into the tag team division?

Bottom line: With RAW, I think you'll get a lot of "blue chip" wrestlers (wrestlers that have been in the same spot with the same gimmick for MANY years) getting most of the TV time. Guys like Jericho, Kane, HBK, JBL, Mysterio, Orton, Batista, etc. are great, but they've been around forever...and I just don't think you can realistically do anything creative with these guys.

With Smackdown however - even if guys like MVP, Carlito, Kennedy, and Benjamin do NOT become main-eventers, the fact that they have a great chance of "moving up" within the company (and can have the proper allotted TV time as result) will give the fans something NEW in my opinion.

If and when Jeff Hardy wins the title (the WWE are pushing Jeff Hardy fantastically in my opinion), I also think that it will turn a lot of heads.

Anyway - I probably rambled on a bit (and I don't think I made as much sense as I would've like to), but oh well.

I think the fact that RAW is so "top heavy" hurts them more than it helps them (due to their 'top heavy' talent, much like WCW when it started its demise, not being able to get any bigger and/or more interesting than they already are).

RAW may have more depth (at current), but I don't think it will translate into higher ratings.