My Thoughts on the 2008 WWE Draft

As many of you WWE fans know, the 2008 WWE draft concluded yesterday afternoon with the supplemental draft. In this post I am going to review the good and bad of every single draft pick. All right let's get this show on the road.

First off, Monday night on RAW, RAW got the first pick and they received REY MYSTERIO. Rey Mysterio is a winner no matter which brand he ends up on. Since a Cruiserweight division no longer exists, I think that the cruiserweights need to be spread out on all 3 brands so they can showcase their amazing talents to each brand. So since RAW basically doesn't have any cruiserweights, I think Rey Mysterio is a good addition to Monday nights. Rey will give us a break from the "Powerhouse" style wrestling that we see from Randy Orton, John Cena and the recently drafted Batista. So what about the bad that comes with Rey Mysterio? Well... I think Rey Mysterio is a terriffic performer but the only bad I can think of is that he might feel a little pressure considering RAW is live rather than taped like Smackdown is. But it's not like he's never performed on live TV before, we can't forget about the hundreds of pay-per-views he has performed at. The only question in my mind right now is who will Rey Mysterio feud with?

Next up is a Smackdown draft pick where they received JEFF HARDY. I think this is really good for Smackdown especially after losing Rey Mysterio. It's like trading a high flyer for a high flyer so neither brand misses out. I think this is also good for Jeff Hardy because a lot have felt that Jeff hasn't been getting a big enough push on RAW. Most, including myself, feel that Jeff Hardy should be a title contender. With this move to Smackdown, it could possibly open up some chances for Jeff Hardy to get some title oppurtunities. As for the bad, I don't think there is any because it's a win win situation for both Jeff and SmackDown and it's not like he's really going to be missed on RAW.

Next up is RAW with another draft pick where they received CM PUNK from ECW. I think this is good for RAW because of the type of person Punk is. For those of you who don't know, CM Punk is what they call "Straight Edge" which means he lives life without the use of drugs and alcohol. I think CM Punk will make a good representation of the WWE on their flagship program, RAW especially since the media views the WWE as a bunch of guys pumped on steroids. The only problem with this move is that ECW now loses a top competitor.

ECW is now up with their first draft pick and they get MATT HARDY. For those of you hoping to see the Hardy Boys back together, you're out of luck. Nonetheless, after losing CM Punk I think this is great for ECW because Matt Hardy will fill in for CM Punk on ECW. Unfortunately, that means Smackdown loses a great middle card wrestler.

Now here's where things get interesting. Good 'ol JIM ROSS gets drafted to Smackdown while MICHAEL COLE is drafted to RAW. I definately didn't see this one coming. If you watched RAW on Monday you would've seen the expressions on their faces when they heard they were switching brands. JR looked really pissed while Michael Cole just looked shocked. After Monday's show JR posted a blog that can be viewed here. He was so upset at the move he even contemplated quiting the WWE altogether. But it wasn't until Tuesday when he posted another blog that can be viewed here where he made up his mind that he will stick with the WWE. Here's what JR had to say on his blog Tuesday: "I owe it to the business to “man up” and to kick ass on Smackdown. That’s my plan." As for Michael Cole, he seemed very shocked at the move but he didn't seem upset. I think that JR moving to Smackdown isn't a bad move considering they want to have well-known guys (including announcers) when Smackdown moves to MyNetwork TV in October. The bad thing about this is that you never want to have unhappy workers and that's what Vince McMahon caused with JR. I think JR will do just fine on Smackdown as will Michael Cole.

Another big move was BATISTA's move to RAW. As any WWE fan knows, Batista is always a top card type of wrestler. With the loss of Triple H to Smackdown, I think Batista will have no problem picking up where Triple H left off. When I first heard that Batista was drafted to RAW, I immediately thought that there would be a reformation of Evolution with Triple H, Batista, Randy Orton and Ric Flair (possibly as a manager considering he is retired). But that idea was quickly destroyed after Triple H was moved to Smackdown. I think Batista will have some great matches on RAW possibly with John Cena or Randy Orton. Once again, Smackdown loses another top performer but we would later learn that they would gain a top performer, Triple H.

Now this one came with no surprise, UMAGA was drafted to Smackdown. Vince McMahon mentioned at his annual shareholders meeting that we will probably see Umaga move to Smackdown and we did. What was Umaga even doing on RAW? I mean, they were just kinda throwing him in random matches. I hope they can establish some kind of storyline around Umaga on Smackdown. This is a good move unless they don't establish a storyline around him then he'll be back to being a "time-filler".

Another surprise, to me at least, KANE was drafted to RAW. I thought if any title would move with a wrestler, it would either be the WWE Championship or the World Heavyweight Championship, I definately wasn't expecting the ECW Championship to move. I'm sure the ECW Championship will find its way back to ECW somehow but still, how can you take the ECW Championship from ECW? Anyways, I think Kane will fit in on RAW very well especially if Undertaker comes to RAW (which rumour has he will). Could we see the Brothers of Destruction reunite again? Or possibly the Ministry of Darkness? Or will Undertaker and Kane feud? Or will Undertaker even come to RAW? We'll have to see in the coming weeks.

After a 15-man tri-branded battle royal, Smackdown received two draft picks in which they got MR KENNEDY and TRIPLE H. This is a huge loss for RAW while at the same time, a huge gain for Smackdown. I think Mr. Kennedy and Triple H will fit in just fine on Smackdown. I think this is a good move for Smackdown as they are about the switch to MyNetwork TV in October, they want to have some well-known guys on Smackdown. The bad part about this is that RAW is minus Triple H and Mr Kennedy, two huge stars. I think Rey Mysterio, Batista and CM Punk will do an excellent job covering for Triple H and Mr. Kennedy on RAW.

That's all for the televised draft, I will be back this afternoon to share my thoughts on the supplemental draft.

Stay Tuned,
WWEThoughtsGuy