Lance Storm-The Draft

[Mr. Nerfect]

Originally Posted by Kane Knight But seriously, Storm's actually worth reading once in a while. My biggest complaint is how completely unrealistic this all is.

I don't think he was making predictions on what is actually going to happen, KK. Realism is not the point here.

As much as I dislike Triple H, and find him to be really overrated as a performer (it's not that he doesn't deserve to be rated, it's just I don't think he is great enough to qualify for the best ten wrestlers of all-time, or anything), him going to SmackDown! would instantly change the way people thought about SmackDown!. Honestly, if I were Triple H, I'd be thinking about heading over there just to see if my position in the WWE were good enough to turn the image associated with SmackDown! around merely with my presence.

It would certainly be the most interested I'd have been in Triple H for a long while. If Triple H goes, I'd actually have him head over there with the WWE Championship, just to make the draft seem like something momentous and unpredictable. Chris Jericho is getting a pretty big heel push at the moment, it seems, and as he is Intercontinental Champion, you can have that belt become the focus of RAW for a while. Have CM Punk drafted to RAW, and have him cash in his Money in the Bank title shot against Edge, and with assist from Triple H ("this brand isn't big enough for both of us"), CM Punk can take the big gold belt to RAW for a while, while Triple H and Edge feud over the WWE Title.

I'd actually keep MVP on SmackDown! through this draft. I think he's going to RAW, but SmackDown! would hopefully be a fresher place for him to hang around after an ideal draft. I'd like to see a Triple H vs. MVP feud in sort of the same fashion as Triple H would have issues with Carlito at the moment. MVP feels he isn't getting his due, and Triple H lets him know he's not worth that much.

Carlito to SmackDown! is a move that would be good, although I'd probably consider ECW for him right now. It can sort of be punishment for Carlito, but it'd freshen him up considerably. He'd also get to work with some exciting talent there, and with ECW sort of being compared to a developmental territory in some ways, it'd be an ideal place to debut Eddie Colon. Carlito needs to get off RAW, that much is for sure.

Batista going to RAW would freshen him up a lot, and it'd put him on the same brand as Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels, although the WWE seems to be leaving him out of the equation there. Also, that hinted Evolution thing with Randy Orton could be a very cool possibility for RAW. I can imagine some sort of gang wars with Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels and Batista/Orton leading their own packs. Ted DiBiase's rumoured group could appear in there somewhere, perhaps as part of Evolution?

I'm actually against bringing the Cruiserweight Title back. I feel that ECW needs a second championship, but I'd bring back the TV Title before giving the cruiserweights something. I love cruiserweights, don't get me wrong, it's just that with the belt, it feels like its all the little guys should be aiming for. Since the belt was dropped, cruiserweights have actually gotten a better shake. Jamie Noble had that really entertaining program where he went over Chuck Palumbo a lot, Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore got treated somewhat seriously as a tag team, Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne are getting pushes based on how exciting their style is, Chavo Guerrero became ECW Champion, etc. It also doesn't make sense to have some cruiserweights going after the Cruiserweight Title, while others are focusing on other belts. It makes the Cruiserweight Title look subpar if it's not the best title a cruiserweight can hold.

With that said, I think Super Crazy should move to ECW. There may have been a push planned for him on RAW, but it never happened, and Heat is now gone. Super Crazy is one of the guys who needs to be moved. Probably not as a major televised move, or anything, but certainly as part of a supplementary thing. Super Crazy would fit in really well with guys like Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne flipping around, plus he's an ECW Original, which keeps the "spirit" of ECW somewhat alive. Yes, it's a new ECW, but it's called ECW because the WWE wants to invoke something in its audience. Adding Super Crazy to Tommy Dreamer, Stevie Richards and Tazz wouldn't neccessarily be a bad thing.

I'm also really big on Umaga moving to ECW, rather than the rumoured SmackDown! move. It freshens the Samoan Bulldozer up, and he would seem the bigger fish in a smaller pond. I can very easily see Umaga as ECW Champion. In fact, I think Umaga vs. Rey Mysterio would make a great ECW Title match for WrestleMania XXV next year. So yeah, that would mean moving Rey Mysterio to ECW, as well, which I think would be good, as Rey has been on SmackDown! since 2002. Two more moves for ECW: Mark Henry and Jeff Hardy. Henry seems to be a stop-gap challenger for the ECW Title at The Great American Bash, and after that he can disappear again; and Jeff Hardy going to ECW would provide them with a rising star that might attract them some attention from WWE fans that don't tune in to Sci-Fi, and it would also be a way of pushing Jeff Hardy and capitalising on his momentum, without seemingly rewarding him for failing the wellness testing.

I'd love to see Val Venis moved to SmackDown! where he might actually get to appear in a role as a decent mid-carder. Val Venis as US Champion? I would buy it. Especially as it would be a Spanish-speaking Canadian with the belt. With the WWE trying to attract Hispanic audiences for SmackDown!, Val as a Spanish-speaking porn star could be quite entertaining. Especially if they have him in bed with Melina or Roucka. Val fucks Roucka, Mike Kruel gets called up as the protective, angry boyfriend, and you have a nice little feud for the US Title right there. It'd also be great to get Val and D'Lo Brown on the same show in 2008, and a lot of people think SmackDown! is getting Down with the Brown.

Mentioning Melina made me think: If the WWE wants to attract Hispanic viewers, Melina would make a great centerpiece for the new WWE Diva Division. I would hate to see her leave the same brand as Mickie James, as they have fantastic chemistry together, and Melina's feud with Beth Phoenix is really good at the moment, but I think it would still be a good move. RAW doesn't seem big enough for both Mickie James and Melina as top faces in the Women's Division, anyway. I was hoping for John Morrison to go to RAW and have some bump-ins with her, but I guess that can still happen on PPV. Speaking of which, Melina and Beth Phoenix attacking each other on PPV but not being able to wrestle because they are on seperate brands would be a brilliant way to build for some kind of "Women's Royal Rumble"/"Divas' Money in the Bank" win for one of the ladies to jump over and finally get their hands on the other woman at WrestleMania XXV. Also, I can see Melina being the next Diva to do Playboy (I can see her being talked into it for a lot of money), and it would mark the first time in ages a credible woman actually got the Playboy push heading into a WrestleMania.

Still on the SmackDown!/Hispanic audience thing: I've got Carlito, Super Crazy and Rey Mysterio all on ECW, which seems contrary to that. Simple solution: Push Chavo Guerrero on SmackDown!. I really like Chavo, so him getting a big push would not be a problem with me. The guy is a great talent, and if you ask me, is getting better on the mic and actually looks like a star when he needs to. At WrestleMania 22, when Rey won the World Heavyweight Title and Chavo appeared on stage -- Chavo just stole the scene, in my opinion. How do you push Chavo? I'd have him make a scene at Edge and Vickie's wedding, with him going off at Edge for thinking he's a real man, and going off at Vickie for abusing her power as General Manager. Instant face turn for Chavo. You could maybe keep Bam Neely at Chavo's side as a babyface student of Chavo's, if you want, or you can have him stay with Edge or maybe stay on ECW and do his own thing.

Chavo Guerrero would make a great, sympathetic face if you ask me. I know Chavo prefers to play the heel role, but I think he's going to get more over as a guy achieving despite being smaller than most of his opponents more so than being presented as a dangerous oppressive threat. When Chavo gets to the top, then the WWE can present him as a ring general that has the advantage based on his abilities. Also, I'd love to see Triple H and Chavo Guerrero as top faces on the same brand, really. For some reason, I think they would have great chemistry.

Other moves: As I mentioned, John Morrison should go to RAW, where he would be extremely entertaining, I think. I'd also move Elijah Burke there to debut his new "Black Pope" gimmick.

[Kane Knight]

Originally Posted by Noid I don't think he was making predictions on what is actually going to happen, KK.

Nobody claimed he was. Funny that.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Originally Posted by Kane Knight Nobody claimed he was. Funny that.

You're a dickhead. I don't even need to get the exact quote. "My only problem with this is that it's not realistic." Oh wait, are you doing some sort of straw-man thing where you're now going to say "I didn't say that I couldn't accept he wasn't being unrealistic, because I'm a douche; I just said I had a problem with it, because I'm a douche."