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

**Heyman** · 06-25-2008, 05:22 PM

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, ~~Chris Benoit~~ 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.

View Poll Results: QUESTION - Which BRAND do you think is the most PROMISING now that the Draft is over?
I believe that RAW is the most promising	2	6.45%
I believe that Smackdown is the most promising	28	90.32%
I believe that ECW is the most promising.	1	3.23%
Voters: 31. You must log in or register to vote on this poll.

06-25-2008, 05:22 PM	#1
Heyman Father of Hinduship Posts: 21,083	QUESTION - In your opinion, which BRAND benefited MOST from the 2008 WWE Draft(s)? 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, ~~Chris Benoit~~ 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. Last edited by Heyman; 06-25-2008 at 07:10 PM.