I really love the dynamic of grizzled wiley veteran 44 year old Jeff Hardy pulling the old veteran tricks against new, inexperienced 39 year old Damien Priest

Well damn didn't see that coming, especially that quick.

Grizzled veteran Jeff Hardy didn’t see the most obvious swerve in WWE history

Welcome Austin Theory

Oh no piped in crowd noises on Raw now too

lol @ fake pop for Dana Brooke

Ok. Why did they have Shayna and Dana make their entrances, then they cut to a draft segment while the two just stand in the ring, then cut back to the match? That makes zero sense.

This seems 'not good' overall....ziggler/roode/drew/big e segment so bad...

Holy poop long term storytelling in 2021 WWE

I think I’m having a stroke

This show is turrible.

I was way more wrong about these picks than I was the other night. Nothing that is a “head scratcher” but just not stuff I would necessarily do. And none of the moves are “exciting.” The thing I think I am most interested in is AJ and Seth on the same show. They’ve probably worked before, but they always seem to be in analogue spots. I wouldn’t mind seeing a program between the two. All the other moves are just guys going places.

Actually, most interesting thing is probably Heyman getting The Usos drafted to SmackDown first. It probably won’t “mean” anything, but it does make them look important in a certain context. And it makes Heyman look effective at his job. Protect the money players.

I guess Goldberg exists outside the lines of being drafted. And Brock too. None of that *surprises* me, and I guess Brock mentioned something about Heyman setting that up for him, but I dunno. It just makes things feel cheaper when your two special attractions just show up wherever too.

No Finn yet? I feel like that might just be oversight, but it feels wonky in a draft to have this guy who was just in a Universal Title match being drafted after Sheamus, Kevin Owens and Xia Li. Called Xia getting called up. They obviously want to sell SmackDown to China, lol. Think that Boa still has a chance of being called up.

SmackDown without any Hispanic male talent now, yeah? And they even drafted Zelina and Seth away (not sure if Seth counts as Hispanic, but his surname is “Lopez”). Wouldn’t surprise me to see Lucha House Party, The Garzas and/or Santos Escobar on SmackDown. Probably Lucha House Party and Santos’ group, because then you can have Elektra Lopez making up for Zelina. I can see The Garzas staying on Raw, because they’re young and I think Angel did alright with younger viewers for a while. I can see Zelina managing them.

I want Cesaro and Zayn on Raw. Just feel they would liven the show up with some in-ring content and Zayn with promo work too.

I feel like Raw needs a “hot thing.” Like, obviously it has for a while. But I think they really could have used a WALTER to bring a stiff style, or brought in a bunch of UK guys, really focused on lucha and cruiserweights and/or bring in a bunch of guys with amateur backgrounds. It feels like things still need to be “set up” on Raw.

I think Raw could use a heel faction of rising stars. Austin Theory, The Garzas and...fuck it, maybe either Sami Zayn or Harry Smith? Maybe both? Then you can have a bunch of multi-man tags with guys like Damian Priest, Rey Mysterio, Dominik, Kevin Owens & Cesaro, which would certainly liven Raw up each week.

Glad that Balor is on the same show as Styles. I feel like that is a feud they haven’t really done that has an appeal to *that* sort of fan.

Actually, make Seth the heel faction leader. Turn Zayn babyface and have him team with Owens.

No Alexa Bliss drafted? Lol, Cesaro not in there again either.

Did they just call Goldberg “the Icon”?

That’s adorable. No.

Well, Garza & Carrillo on Smackers. They’re not a bad fit there actually. That tag division as a whole is a little heel heavy though.

Bobby is so bad on the mic. And it’s so frustrating. He has a mouthpiece! MVP is wonderful! Just let MVP do the talking.

Still find the most interesting move Gulak to SmackDown. It’s like there’s a plan for him. Vince obviously knows he’s good, as he’s allegedly the guy asked to work with the giants and polish them up. It wouldn’t shock me if this goes absolutely nowhere though. But it’s just so left-field there must be at least SOME working idea.

I’d be down for Gulak IC Champ.

Still warms my heart that Shelton Benjamin still has a job in WWE. And he’s back with Lashley now, isn’t he? Good for him.

Every time I see Shelton in modern WWE he looks like a monster now, lol.

Not sure if I’d keep Alpha Academy heels or switch them face. Gable selling then making the hot tag to a serious Otis could be lots of fun.

This Draft is so fucking retarded.

Don’t know if I want them to be a full-time heel team or have Otis more as Gable’s heavy. Kind of want to see prick Gable as US Champion.

Alpha Academy is the perfect face tag team

I love that all these jobbers got drafted before Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. I also love that Brock didnt get drafted because they know that we know he's just cashing a paycheck from the Saudi's and then he's gonna go chop wood and roast pigs.

Gable is the perfect struggling babyface. Otis is the perfect hot tag muscle to go ham. Why are they not doing this.

Cesaro still SmackDown. Not sure how I feel about that. At least he could do some good work with Gulak there. Wrong guy babyface and heel now in that one.

Wonder if The Bar does get back together, or if WWE have completely forgotten about that. Don’t really want to see it on SmackDown, but it feels like a natural thing when they’re both there. They probably won’t even acknowledge they were ever four-time tag champs or whatever, lol.

Hey where did Bobby Lashley go in the 1st round?

Chad Gable might end up being the shining spot on Raw. I hope they just give him something to do where Vince notices how fucking good he is.

Oh wait, Gulak wasn’t an important move. Still seems “weird” to move him away from the 24/7 Division to a smaller show on FOX if there is absolutely no on-air plan for him though.

Finn Balor must have went 1st round right?

Someone needs to to deliver a huge surprise, like Johnny Curtis to SD!

Why was Finn Balor good enough to challenge Roman Reigns at a PPV for the title, but not a 1st round pick?

SmackDown’s tag division looks really quite...eh. Are Hit Row babyfaces? They’re pretty green though.

Just occurred to me that Mustafa Ali and Mansoor might win the SmackDown Tag Titles in Saudi Arabia.

Would be totally fine with the WWE hiring back Johnny Curtis & Tyler Breeze to be a babyface team. Just have them hit the ring and beat up The Usos one week. Mega-star Johnny Curtis to the rescue.

If you want them on Raw, have Curtis go after Orton for that comment he made in that promo once. Have Curtis do a Chris Kanyon thing where he keeps hitting Orton with his own version of the RKO.

Don’t do funny. Not yet. Let them be wry in promos later. But they’re back because they’re two extremely talented guys that are taking their destinies into their own hands. They’re not here to dance or dress-up. They’re here because they were money left on the table. “You’re on notice.”

Could be so good. Johnny Curtis looks like a god and can work. Breeze is small, but talented and valuable in that underdog babyface that can also kind of coach guys.

Would love to see WWE hire back guys who can really contribute. I’m a big advocate for things moving forward. But it could be a morale builder and really liven stuff up.

Johnny Curtis
Tyler Breeze
Heath Slater (And you know what? Maybe Rhyno if he wants to come back)

I’m sure there are some very obvious guys I am missing.

Actually, what sort of shape is Chris Hero in these days? If he came back to team with Cesaro on SmackDown, even if just for a little while, it could be a nice weird little thing.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nothing connects with our young audience like a Gilligan's Island reference <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWERaw?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWERaw</a></p>&mdash; WWE Creative Humor (@WWECreative_ish) <a href="https://twitter.com/WWECreative_ish/status/1445214343243706369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

:lol::lol::lol:

Remember when Ken Doane & Mike Mondo came back for a couple of matches in the early days of this split? And The Headbangers were there too. Odd times.

I dont

Are there any more picks? Zayn seems like the “shafted” guy this night. I guess it works for his conspiracy nut gimmick.

Have Zayn & Owens ever been on different shows since being called up? I want to say no.

Imagine tuning in one night and seeing The Spirit Squad versus the Headbangers.

Imagine if Owen Hart could fly

Wow, Gable Steveson straight to Raw (if they remember that). Has he started training yet? Either they feel very good about him, or they’re just going all-in. But I kind of like it.

Ridge Holland next IC Champ.

I can see Sami and Ridge together in some way.

I cant wait until WWE turns Gable Stevenson into the son of The Godfather.

None of the supplementary draft moves shock me in the slightest. Maybe that Slapjack, Reckoning and Titus even got drafted.

Their intentions with Gable Steveson is interesting. Do they even remember they drafted him come May? I wonder if they have any indicators as to whether or not he’ll be able to handle this spot, because drafting him before he’s had his first match should be pretty “big.”

You’d THINK they’d know he’s going to get it, right?

Probably assuming he will just naturally be great like Kurt Angle due to his background. He will obviously be a bit green in the ring at first, but I think he will pick it up quickly. My concern is whether or not he will be able to cut a promo. They got lucky with Angle being so charismatic and good on the stick.

Im surprised they left one of Jinders henchman on Raw for no reason lol

Drew/Roman the only main-eventers on SD

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The SmackDown roster following the Draft <a href="https://t.co/kOhU0HGKDQ">pic.twitter.com/kOhU0HGKDQ</a></p>&mdash; WrestlingINC.com (@WrestlingInc) <a href="https://twitter.com/WrestlingInc/status/1445245677269704704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Don't hinder the Jinder, Slik :o

I think you’re right. Apparently he is a huge fan, and Brock is a mentor. I ASSUME that means that there’s inside into his mind and what he gets and doesn’t. Amateurs often pick up the physicality side of things, but I think there are some people that are more “geared” towards the other side. I ASSUME the WWE are way more in on him than they even were Kurt Angle because they know or have heard something that assures them.

But the promo stuff and just natural charisma are things you can’t teach. But this push seems so...certain. I dunno. I’m fascinated by it all.

I know this is WWE, but I THINK the reason Veer has been drafted separately is because they see something in him. Apparently he’s not horrid? I can see them giving him a bit of a singles push. And if they really value their Indian TV deals or whatever, it might make business sense to put an Indian act on each show.

Looks like Jinder might be a heel with a heavy on Smackers. Veer might even get a face turn or something.

I totally misread the Wikipedia page and got ahead of myself, lol. I thought the free agents were signed to the brands that were allocated, so I assumed a lot of the talent was staying put that is changing.

None really surprising. I guess Shotzi and Tegan are getting their own runs. Glad Ziggler & Roode are on Raw. I want those more technical guys there.

Still got no clue why Drew Gulak is on SmackDown. That’s interesting.

I actually don’t think SmackDown not having that many main eventers is not a bad thing. Clears things up (hypothetically). Gives other guys more emphasis. Jeff Hardy is now a star on a less loaded roster. Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo might get pushed etc. Could be a load of shit, but it looks like they’re trying for fresh on Smackers.

Oh, and I have a feeling Ridge Holland is going to get a huge push. I have a feeling if they’re calling him up so soon after NXT 2.0 starts, Vince is seeing stars. Either that or they’re about to cut bait with the guy and it’s sink or swim. But he’s right next to Gable Steveson in the draft. It might not seem important, but I think they want him to be something. It would not surprise me if he’s pushed as a guy that, all things going well, could even be on a shortlist to win the Rumble. I’m not predicting that he will, but I’m not feeling Drew right now. I think it will be interesting to see how they use Holland. I could see him being a babyface who tears through guys. Or maybe a heel IC Champion.

Could actually still see the US and IC belts changing brands. Nakamura and Priest could both lose and the other guys come over to the other show as the new champions. Not calling it, but that could be “cute” in a way.

I had the thought that they might turn either Kofi or Xavier on the other. There are people who don’t want to see the New Day split. But it might just be the most exciting use for each guy. If they did it on Raw, you’ve kind of got this awkward two face/one heel New Day dilemma around the WWE Title. But if you wanted to do it on SmackDown, you can have a real deep personal feud around Kofi being an egotistical prick or whatever.

I think they would turn Xavier, but I think it might actually be better long-term and short to turn Kofi. He wouldn’t be a main eventer, per se, but I think he would get more life, and Woods can begin to prove something as a singles face. It seems more interesting to me to put Babyface Woods against Roman for a short-term deal than Babyface Kofi. Plus, if Woods turns heel, he should win the feud. That leaves Kofi lower than Roman and Woods is a heel. But if Kofi turns, he can get more interesting and Woods can move up (hypothetically).

The makeshift team of Shotzi and Tegan Nox debuted on the July 9th episode of Smackdown, beating the makeshift team of Women’s Tag champs Natalya and Tamina in a non-title match. They did the same thing the next week on July 16th SmackDown. Then they disappeared a month and beat them yet again on the August 20th SmackDown. Three wins against the champions and no title match given to them.

They haven’t wrestled on TV since, never got a title match and now both Shotzi/Nox and Natalya/Tamina have been broken up by the draft, leaving just the current champions Rhea and Nikki which is, you guessed it, a makeshift team.

Such a pointless “division”.

Women’s tag has always been pointless. It was a bad idea from the start. It does allow a couple of women not being used in major singles programs a chance to get a spot and float over. It’s a placeholding thing that tosses a few people a ring.

Coulda told you about Gable Stevenson months ago. WWE Fan Council shit gets sent out where they ask about upcoming ideas / trends and one of them HEAVILY focused on Olympic athletes and had a short list of names. Lots of them are sent out after PPV's to "rate" them, but they seem to send 1-2 per quarter that have to do with generating new content.



Next time I get one of these, I'll have to screencap some shit and post it here to see what actually comes to fruition.

so now brock is the free agent will he come out with a heath slater free agent shirt.

Reports saying they planned to split the Street Profits with Montez going to Raw and Dawkins staying on SmackDown. Montez has “star potential” so that could have been interesting.

Instead they split every women’s tag team.

That would be cool. :y:

For the record, I knew that they were obviously behind Steveson. Sent a personal training van to his college and have already announced a TV debut date. It’s just surreal. I can’t remember them ever being so transparent about a guy. I hope he’s more Brock Lesnar/Kurt Angle than Tom Magee.

Eh, I’m fine with splitting the Street Profits, honestly. But I wouldn’t have them on separate shows.

I had this idea for early next year where Cameron Grimes would get called up and start fucking with people with his money. He would pay the Street Profits to try and take out Rey Mysterio & Son for the Tag Titles. Montez would want nothing to do with it. Angelo starts acting heelish behind Ford’s back. They end up hurting the knee of Dominik. Ford is disgusted. Angelo ends up turning on Ford in a tag match against Dolph & Roode. The Dirty Raw Dawgz are with Cameron Grimes.

Ford and Dawkins would feud through the Rumble. The whole program would be to put Ford over. He wins at the Rumble and at No Way Out (or Elimination Chamber or whatever the fuck). Ford feels betrayed by his partner and friend, of course. Dawkins hopefully shows something as a guy who has worked too hard to play it nice and safe. He remembers what “Street Profits” was about. He’s more a “reluctant” heel than most. He’s “bad” because of external factors. Which Ford finds morally weak.

At Mania, Ford has moved on to Baron Corbin, now working for Grimes too. Grimes is working Mysterio one-on-one. Ford beats Corbin. Not a classic match or anything, but my thinking was that Corbin just seems like a higher priority WWE star than most. Plus, if Ford shows something there, he can show it against more dynamic performers up the card.

After the match, Ziggler, Roode and Corbin beat the piss out of Ford. Angelo Dawkins hits the ring and helps Ford clear it out. The Street Profits aren’t back together, but Dawkins has cleared his conscience. Ford gets a big rub and begins a singles push, which would have seen him as a front-runner to win the 2023 Rumble.

The funny thing is, that was before Baron Corbin actually started doing the rich gimmick himself.

Now, on Raw, if they want to split them up, I’d just have Angelo Dawkins join The Hurt Business. I think he fits the mould of the group way more than Cedric Alexander, for example. He’s got that amateur background that Lashley and Shelton both have. Sets up Ford to do some stuff against Lashley.