Reboot!

[loopydate]

And, no I don't mean the weird CGI cartoon show from my childhood.

I was reading the Smackdown Six thread in the Q&A Forum and got to thinking about how exciting things were back then. A big part of that (at least for me) was the original draft itself. It was a really good opportunity for new guys to start coming through, and guys like Lesnar, Benoit, and the Guerreros jumped on it.

Now that things are as stagnant as they've been in a LOOOONG time, i think reshuffling the brands would be a good idea. I know a lot of people have been talking about how going back to the Brand-Exclusive booking style would help out a lot of guys, and I agree. Not brand-exclusive PPVs (although maybe one per brand per year wouldn't be too bad), but if you're drafted to RAW, you wrestle on RAW. No popping in on SD, no cameos on ECW. RAW guys are on RAW and so on and so forth.

Aaaaaaanyway, this is a long-winded explanation for something that's pretty self-explanatory.

I want to see how you guys would book a new WWE draft. Who would go where? When would they be drafted ('cause that will go a long way to help determine how you'd book these guys)? What new feuds would you develop? Where do the titles wind up? Do you split the tag teams?

Anyway, here are...

The Rules

1) 60 total draft picks: 24 RAW, 24 SD, 12 ECW (you can determine the order yourself, but for every two R/S picks, one guy has to go to ECW)
2) Obviously not everyone is going to be drafted, so afterwards divvy up the rest however you see fit (TRYING to keep it as even as possible).
3) Explain as much or as little as you like, but try to keep this somewhere in the realm of reality.

I'll post mine in a bit.

[Porcupine]

Raw.

1. Triple H
2. HBK
3. Y2J
4. JBL
5. Jeff Hardy
6. Matt Hardy
7. John Cena
8. Randy Orton
9. Trevor Murdoch
10. Batista
11. Big Show
12. Edge
13. Gregory Helms
14. Hornswoggle
15. Finlay
16. MVP
17. Rey Mysterio
18. Undertaker
19. Natalya
20. Victoria
21. Beth Phoenix
22. Mickie James
23. CM Punk
24. Chavo Guerrero

Announcers : King & JR.

Smackdown.

1. Kane
2. Big Daddy V
3. Bam Neely
4. Kofi Kingston
5. Shelton Benjamin
6. Nunzio
7. Chavo Guerrero
8. Cherry
9. Chuck Palumbo
10. Curt Hawkins
11. Zach Ryder
12. Festus
13. Jesse
14. Mark Henry
15. John Morisson
16. Mike The Miz
17. Lance Cade
18. Vladimir Kozlov
19. Jimmy Wang Yang
20. Matt Striker
21. Tommy Dreamer
22. Michelle
23. Maryse
24. Eve Torres (Opens each show by dancing)

Announcers : Mick & Cole

ECW.

1. Deuce
2. Domino
3. Jamie Noble
4. Boogeyman
5. Stevie Richards
6. Mike The Knox
7. Layla
8. Lena Yada
9. Colin Delaney
10. Ashley (Manages Rhodes and Holly)
11. Cody Rhodes
12. Bob Holly

Announcers : "The Adamle" solo. Tazz becomes a psychopathic referee who puts the tazzmission on ECW regulars.

[Jura]

That's a hot ECW roster you've got right there.

[Porcupine]

That's a hot ECW roster you've got right there.

Deuce & Domino will no longer be a tag team, but will feud with each other after Domino turns face and cuts a promo where he says that he finally "Dropped a deuce" and Deuce becomes an evil millionaire when he wins the lottery and hires Steven Richards to assasinate Domino but Domino gets a bodyguard...a body guard named Mike Knox! (Who reveals that he is actually a trained boxer). His finisher is renamed The Total Knox Out.

[KingofOldSchool]

I'll give this whirl...

Raw:

1. John Cena
2. Triple H
3. Edge
4. Batista
5. JBL
6. The Big Show
7. Matt Hardy
8. Finlay
9. Rey Mysterio
10. The In-Crowd
11. Mickie James
12. Cryme Tyme
13. Natayla Neidhart
14. Beth Phoenix
15. Victoria
16. Mark Henry
17. Melina
18. Jesse and Festus
19. Hardcore Holly
20. Katie Lea
21. Deuce and Domino
22. Jillian Hall
23. The Boogeyman
24. Stevie Richards

Smackdown:

1. The Undertaker
2. Randy Orton
3. Shawn Michaels
4. MVP
5. Chris Jericho
6. C.M. Punk
7. Mr. Kennedy
8. Kane
9. Umaga
10. London and Kendrick
11. Lance Cade
12. The Great Khali
13. Cody Rhodes
14. Ashley Massaro
15. William Regal
16. Big Daddy V
17. Hawkins and Ryder
18. Maria
19. Candice Michelle
20. Snitsky
21. The Highlanders
22. Matt Striker
23. Val Venis
24. Jim Duggan

ECW:

1. Jeff Hardy
2. Carlito
3. Kofi Kingston
4. Shelton Benjamin
5. Santino Marella
6. Mike Knox
7. Chavo Guerrero
8. Paul Burchill
9. Super Crazy
10. Jamie Noble
11. Gregory Helms
12. Trevor Murdoch

I would add young guys like Kenny Dykstra and DH Smith to ECW, along the other Cruiserweights and reinstate the Cruiserweight title for ECW. And I would move Jillian Gracia to Smackdown, Justin Roberts back to ECW, and Tony Chimel to Raw.

Oh and I would call up Shawn Spears and reunite his team with Cody Rhodes, make them cocky heels and feud with Londrick.

[loopydate]

2008 Brand Extension Re-Draft (5/20/08)

[As the night opens, Mr. McMahon introduces the representatives of each brand. Drafting for SmackDown will be General Manager Vickie Guerrero. Drafting for ECW will be Armando Alejandro Estrada. And picking for RAW will be...]

McMAHON: After William Regal was usurped by Mister Kennedy on RAW, I was faced with a dilemma. Do I draft RAW for myself? I dismissed that, because the idea tonight is that all three brands are going to be re-distributed evenly. I wouldn't want my remarkable drafting abilities to make tonight unfair. Because if there's one thing I value... it's fairness.

JR: [Has a stroke.]

McMAHON: So, I went with someone I could trust. Someone who was forced out of power due to circumstances beyond his control and who has one of the most creative minds in this industry...

[Dueling "HEYMAN! HEYMAN!" and "BISCHOFF! BISCHOFF!" chants start up.]

McMAHON: So, without further ado, the NEW General Manager of RAW...

[The crowd boos like mad, because... it's William Regal.]

ROUND ONE
Regal takes Triple H first overall, keeping the WWE Title on RAW.
Vickie's first selection is (surprise surprise) Edge.
Estrada's choice for the new top draw in ECW is... The Undertaker!
Regal's second selection is arguably the top draw in the industry: John Cena
Vickie selects the most consistent in-ring performer, Shawn Michaels

ROUND TWO
Vickie's third selection is the world's largest athlete The Big Show
Estrada drafts his new top star's old rival, the legend killer Randy Orton
Regal's third pick is the future of the industry, Montel Vontavious Porter
Vickie uses her second 2nd round pick on another big man, The Great Khali
Regal sends the first major shockwave by taking SD's US Champion Matt Hardy!

ROUND THREE
Estrada leads off round three by taking his own ECW Champion, Kane
Regal reunites one of the greatest tag teams of all-time by taking Jeff Hardy
Vickie responds in kind by taking the Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho
Regal continues with his youth movement by taking CM Punk
Vickie closes off round three by selecting the animal Batista



ROUND FOUR
Regal leads off the next round by selecting John Bradshaw Layfield
Vickie grabs the up-and-coming Misteeeeeeeeer Kennedy (Kennedy!)
Regal takes another young star, WWE Tag Team Champion John Morrison
Vickie takes another big man, selecting Mark Henry
Estrada brings back an ECW original, the returning Rey Mysterio!

[Backstage, Edge expresses concerns that Vickie is selecting a lot of really big challengers for his title. Vickie reminds him that... technically, he's not champion yet.]

ROUND FIVE
Vickie's big-man trend continues when she takes Umaga
Regal grabs more new blood for RAW in the form of Elijah Burke
Vickie makes another title change shows by selecting Women's Champion Mickie James
Estrada grabs Rey's old rival (and former ECW Champ) Chavo Guerrero
Regal closes out the round with his frenemy Finlay

ROUND SIX
Regal takes another blue-chipper in Shelton Benjamin
Vickie decides to shore up her new Women's Division with Beth Phoenix
Estrada pulls in the undefeated Vladimir Kozlov
Regal selects the other half of the WWE Tag champions, The Miz
Vickie takes another top-tier Diva in Victoria

[Backstage Miz and Morrison gloat about their "promotion" to RAW, but tease a bit of tension over Miz being taken two rounds after Morrison.]

ROUND SEVEN
Vickie kicks off the round with her fourth consecutive Diva, Natalya
Estrada grabs the struggling big man, Big Daddy V
Regal grabs some eye candy for RAW with Candice Michelle
Vickie takes another big man, the hygenically-challenged Snitsky
Regal, with a sadistic grin on his face, takes Finlay's son Hornswoggle

ROUND EIGHT
Estrada uses his 8th-round selection on another original, Tommy Dreamer
Regal grabs yet ANOTHER tag team champion, Cody Rhodes
Vickie further strengthens the Women's Division with Melina
Regal keeps the World Tag Team Champions together, taking Hardcore Holly
Vickie decides to not let Regal take ALL the tag teams and selects Festus

[Backstage, there's a confrontation between Miz/Morrison and Rhodes/Holly. Both sets of tag belts exclusively on one show? BAH GAWD KING WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN ON RAW?!?!?!?!?!]

ROUND NINE
Regal takes a fellow European to start the round, Santino Marella
Vickie takes the fun-loving Jamaican babyface Kofi Kingston
Regal, under pressure from JBL, selects Michelle McCool
Vickie takes Santino's ex-girlfriend Maria
Estrada ends the round by splitting up a top tag team by taking Carlito

ROUND TEN
Vickie takes Victoria's boy toy Kenny Dykstra
Regal drafts... Marty Wright?
Upon request from HBK, Vickie takes his protege Lance Cade
Estrada takes another cruiserweight, drafting Jamie Noble
Regal takes another up-and-comer, Chuck Palumbo

[Backstage, Marty Wright thanks Regal for rescuing him from SmackDown and ECW, where he'd been nothing but a comedy character.]

WRIGHT: I'm sick of being overlooked. I'm NOT the Boogeyman! But I'm still comin' ta getcha!

REGAL: You're welcome, but... let's work on the catchphrase, yes?

ROUND ELEVEN
Regal kicks off the round by selecting fellow Brit Paul Burchill
Vickie takes Edge's fears to heart and gets him some protection, Bam Neely
Estrada takes another high-flier, Jimmy Wang Yang
Vickie gets some more eye candy for SD by taking Kelly Kelly
Regal selects our teacher, Matt Striker

[Backstage, thirty WWE superstars await their fate. Only five selections remain, and everyone else will go into the "supplemental draft," where the GMs will work together to round out their rosters.]

ROUND TWELVE
Vickie takes one more talented Diva wrestler in Katie Lea
Regal drafts the man with friends in low places, Trevor Murdoch
Estrada's final selection for ECW is former Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms
Regal's last pick is DH Smith
Vickie's choice as Mister Irrelevant is... Mike Knox

RAW

Candice Michelle
Chuck Palumbo
CM Punk
Cody Rhodes
Curt Hawkins
Deuce
DH Smith
Domino
Elijah Burke
Finlay
Hardcore Holly
Hornswoggle
JBL
Jeff Hardy
Jesse
John Cena
John Morrison
JTG
Marty Wright
Maryse
Matt Hardy
Matt Striker
Michelle McCool
Miz
MVP
Paul Burchill
Robbie McAllister
Rory McAllister
Santino Marella
Shad Gaspard
Shelton Benjamin
Trevor Murdoch
Triple H
Zack Ryder

[B]Smackdown

Ashley
Bam Neely
Batista
Beth Phoenix
Big Show
Brian Kendrick
Charlie Haas
Cherry
Chris Jericho
Colin Delaney
Edge
Festus
Great Khali
Jillian Hall
Jim Duggan
Katie Lea
Kelly Kelly
Ken Kennedy
Kenny Dykstra
Kofi Kingston
Lance Cade
Layla
Maria
Mark Henry
Melina
Mickie James
Mike Knox
Natalya
Paul London
Shawn Michaels
Snitsky
Umaga
Val Venis
Victoria

ECW
Big Daddy V
Carlito
Chavo Guerrero
Funaki
Gregory Helms
Jamie Noble
Jimmy Wang Yang
Kane
Little Guido
Randy Orton
Rey Mysterio
Shannon Moore
Stevie Richards
Super Crazy
Tommy Dreamer
Undertaker
Vladimir Kozlov

[CSL]

Not putting much thought into this huh loopydate

[loopydate]

So, long story short:

RAW
<ul>
<li>Triple H, John Cena, and JBL stay at the top of the card.
<li>The MVP/Hardy feud continues on a new show, giving both a chance to expand on the flagship.
<li>Elijah Burke, Shelton Benjamin, CM Punk, and Jeff Hardy make up a core of young stars, the "future" of RAW.
<li>Both Tag Team Championship teams battle to determine undisputed tag champs.
<li>Regal builds a stable of Europeans with Santino, Paul Burchill, DH Smith, and the Highlanders. He offers Finlay a spot (but NOT Hornswoggle). Finlay sides with his son, and we've got a top feud.</ul>

SMACKDOWN!
<ul>
<li>Edge's new top challenger is Shawn Michaels. Edge uses Neely as protection to soften HBM up, but Michaels' trainees Cade, Kendrick, and London come to the rescue.
<li>SmackDown becomes the land of the giants with Show, Khali, Mark Henry, Umaga, and Snitsky.
<li>Batista turns heel and wreaks havoc on the midcard, trying to prove that he's still the top draw on SD. He winds up feuding with Jericho over the IC Title, who begs to differ.
<li>The Women's Division comes to SD, headlined by Mickie, Melina, Victoria, Beth, Natalya, and Katie Lea.
</ul>

ECW
<ul>
<li>Orton and UT resume their feud with Kane on the outside, knowing the winner will be his top challenger for the ECW Title.
<li>Estrada re-introduces the Cruiserweight Title, with a roster headlined by Mysterio, Guerrero, Helms, Noble, and Carlito.
<li>Also returning is the Hardcore Title, giving the ECW Originals something to fight over every week.
</ul>

[loopydate]

Not putting much thought into this huh loopydate

Nope. Thinkin's for losers.

[HeartBreakMan2k]

OOOOOOOOOREEEEEO! OOOOOOOREEEEEO!

COOKIE DREAM TEAM!

[thedamndest]

I am glad you switched the IC and US belts. I was doing that until I realized how long the list was taking. I don't think ECW's roster will ever be big enough to make ECW viable as its own entity, so I think it has to rely on the partnership with SD. I am fine with that because you see the tag belts defended more.

[parkmania]

I’m going to assume that it would take a bit to hype this up, but that it would occur soon.

Special 3-Hour Raw (first 30 Picks)

Mr. McMahon open the show and states that the draft will be set up this way: There will be several “rounds”, each consisting of 5 picks. Raw gets first pick in round one, then SD! gets 2 picks, then Raw again. ECW being the crappy show that it is, will only get 1 pick after Raw and SD have each had 2. The second round will have SD! getting the first and fourth picks, Raw gets the second and third, and ECW gets the fifth again. Matches will occur between “rounds”. Estrada is visibly unhappy, Vince notices and threatens him. Estrada backs down.

1. HHH (Raw)
2. Edge (SD!)
3. Orton (SD!)
4. Cena (Raw)
5. Big Show (ECW)
6. JBL (SD!)
7. HBK (Raw)
8. Mr. Kennedy (Raw)
9. MVP (SD!)
10. Punk (ECW)
11. Undertaker (Raw)
12. Batista (SD!)
13. Lance Cade (SD!)
14. Y2J (Raw)
15. Umaga (ECW)
16. Matt Hardy (SD!)
17. Jeff Hardy (Raw)
18. Cody Rhodes (Raw)
19. Kane (SD!)

Before Estrada makes his 4th pick, he finally breaks down and tells Vince off. Vince knew it would come to this and fires him as GM of ECW, and introduces the new GM, Tommy Dreamer. Tommy has pity on the jobless Estrada and drafts him.

20. Estrada (ECW)

Bob Holly is seen backstage sincerely congratulating Cody on being selected before him. Cody takes it the wrong way and turns on Bobcore. The Raw GM gets word of this and drafts Hardcore so that the feud can continue.

21. Holly (Raw)
22. Festus (SD!)
23. Jesse (SD!)
24. Burke (Raw)
25. Kofi (ECW)
26. Kozlov (SD!)
27. JTG (Raw)
28. Shad (Raw)
29. Chuck Palumbo (SD!)
30. Charlie Haas (ECW)


ECW

Show opens with Vince once again in the ring. He noticed that none of the Divas were drafted last night, and he does like his ladies. Therefore, he is modifying the next 9 picks, and ordering all GMs to draft divas for the rest of the show. Dreamer goes to Haas and explains that he drafted Charlie because, regardless of Vince’s speech on Raw, Tommy plans to make ECW a brand to be reckoned with again. Dreamer knows that Charlie’s been overlooked before - this is his chance to show everyone what they missed out on.

31. Mickie James (Raw)
32. Candice (SD!)
33. Kelly Kelly (ECW)
34. Ashley (SD!)
35. Katie Lea (ECW)
36. Beth Phoenix (Raw)
37. Layla (ECW)
38. Natalya (Raw)
39. Maria (SD!)


Smackdown!

A previously-unseen Regal returns to demand that the King be returned to his proper placing on Raw. He continues to work the GM (whoever it turns out to be)


40. Finlay (w/ Horny) (Raw)
41. Morrison (SD!)
42. Miz (SD!)
43. Snitsky (Raw)
44. Kenny (ECW)
45. Greg Helms (SD!)
46. Deuce (Raw)
47. Domino (Raw)
48. Rey Mysterio (SD!)

At some point, Hawkins (or Ryder - they’re interchangeable) goes to Dreamer and said he’s heard about Tommy’s vision for the ECW, and he wants to be part of it.

49. Hawkins (or Ryder - whoever went to Tommy) (ECW)
50. DH Smith (Raw)
51. Rory (SD!)
52. Robbie (SD!)
53. Val Venis (Raw)
54. Stevie Richards (ECW)

Since this is ECW’s last pick, Stevie could view it as a sympathy pick, and turn heel.

55. Chavo (SD!)
56. Carlito (Raw)
57. Santino (Raw)
58. Noble (SD!)
59. Murdoch (SD!)

The Raw GM finally relents to Regal’s softening.

60. William Regal (Raw)

The rest of the rosters are filled out so that the women who can wrestle are on Raw, the Cruiserweight title is revived on SD!, and Burchill makes it onto ECW to finally carry through on the incest angle since ECW is on later at night.

[parkmania]

Wow, so I managed to kill yet another thread, huh?

[Porcupine]

Wow, so I managed to kill yet another thread, huh?

Parkmania is running wild BROTHER.

[The Optimist]

The only things I've taken from this thread is that Carlito would be a great addition to the Cruiserweight division and Jamie Noble bores me.