There were no real shockers in the 2010 WWE Draft. Unlike past years, this year’s WWE Draft didn’t see a whole lot of big changes. WWE RAW will get a big boost with Chris Jericho and Edge. WWE SmackDown on the other hand, will get a youth movement neither major WWE brand has ever seen.
If there was one story coming out of the WWE Draft it was that WWE SmackDown will no longer get the same emphasis from the WWE. Usually the WWE Draft sees one or two heavy hitters jump from one show to the other. This year WWE SmackDown lost Chris Jericho and Edge and gained nobody of equivalent value. The commitment that the WWE has made since the move to the SyFy is nothing like it was when the show moved to MyNetworkTV.
Ironically that may also turn out to be one of the most appealing factors of WWE SmackDown. If you were sick of seeing the same WWE superstars over and over again in the main-events, you are in luck. Other than the Undertaker, the SmackDown roster will be the younger and fresher roster of the two. It may take some getting used to, but if you can stick with it, SmackDown may turn out to be the show to watch in the next several months.
[adinserter block=”1″]The big winners of the WWE Draft were the guys drafted to SmackDown. Kofi Kingston and Christian especially should see an immediate boost to their place on the cards. Christian fans will finally get the chance to see him on top, something they have waited for since he returned from TNA Wrestling. Kofi Kingston looked like he was on the rise earlier this year, but has been fairly grounded over the last several weeks. Kingston has a great shot at skyrocketing as a top babyface in his new home.
CM Punk gets a huge boost with the loss of Chris Jericho. Punk will likely slide into the top heel spot on the brand. Fresh opponents with Kofi Kingston and Christian coming over will really give him a chance to shine. The top SmackDown roster looks like CM Punk, the Undertaker, the Big Show, Rey Mysterio, Christian, Jack Swagger, and Kofi Kingston. SmackDown could be quite a dark horse here.
On paper, WWE RAW got the better end of the draft on Monday night. The additions of Chris Jericho and Edge see two main-event WWE superstars added to the roster. John Morrison and R-Truth also come over, theoretically to feud with the Hart Dynasty. The top WWE RAW roster looks like John Cena, Triple H, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Edge, Chris Jericho, and Batista (temporarily). Excuse me if I don’t sound too excited about next week’s WWE RAW.
Edge and Chris Jericho are both the big losers in the draft. Here are two guys that were the top dogs on SmackDown, now coming over to a brand with a glass ceiling. As long as John Cena is around, neither guy has a shot at becoming the top guy on RAW. Triple H will be away for awhile making a movie, but once he returns he will also bump these guys down. Randy Orton like him or not has always received top preference on RAW. Edge and Chris Jericho will go from two guys carrying one brand to a few steps behind the top WWE superstars on their new brand.
[adinserter block=”2″]I could barely understand moving either Chris Jericho or Edge, but moving both just makes no sense. Of the two I see Chris Jericho being the real odd man out here. Jericho has had a tremendous run as champion on SmackDown. Unfortunately, the RAW writing team never seemed to intent on giving Chris Jericho the ball. He had a very minor run as champion during his last RAW tenure, but he came off as more of a fluke as opposed to the real deal he was perceived to be on SmackDown.
Edge will also take a step back, but likely not as much. It appeared that Edge will be turning back heel. The RAW writing team always placed Edge on the top of the cards. He won’t be the top babyface anymore, but I don’t see him dropping the way that Jericho could. I just don’t know where you go with him? It looks like a Randy Orton feud is next in the cards for him, but that doesn’t sound too appealing to me. If RAW is forced another Edge vs. John Cena feud I’d recommend rioting.
Check back for an update on Tuesday after the WWE Supplemental Draft on WWE.com. There is still hope for a big move.
Full 2010 WWE Draft results from RAW…
1. Kelly Kelly was drafted to Smackdown.
2. Big Show was drafted to Smackdown.
3. John Morrison was drafted to Raw.
4. R-Truth was drafted to Raw.
5. Edge was drafted to Raw.
6. Kofi Kingston was drafted to Smackdown.
7. Christian was drafted to Smackdown.
8. Chris Jericho was drafted to Raw.
WWE Supplement Draft Results…
Cody Rhodes to Smackdown
Chavo Guerrero to Smackdown
Great Khali & Ranjin Singh to Raw
Natalya to Raw
Chris Masters to Smackdown
Ezekiel Jackson to Raw
Goldust to Raw
Hornswoggle to Smackdown
Rosa Mendes to Smackdown
David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd to Raw
MVP to Smackdown
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I can't wait for the Edge heel turn. I feel bad for Jericho. He's going to likely go from champ to measuring stick. . . again. *sigh*
I'm pretty surprised Ted jr didn't get shipped.
Well Swagger was competing as a Smackdown guy, shows up on the Smackdown roster, and he was a pick that showed up when Raw were selecting (plus Edge said Swagger should hope he gets drafted to Raw), so yeah, he's a Smackdown guy, even though I too was sure he was still Raw.
I think SWAGGAH~! was officially moved to Smackdown when he won the title. When he came out to do his State of the World Championship speech on RAW, he said that since he won the World Championship, he was offering his services exclusively to Smackdown.
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Ah I stand corrected and have made the change! Sorry guys.
Aren't you forgetting that Jack Swagger is a Smackdown superstar now? You listed him as your Raw main eventers, but I think they are keeping him and that belt on smackdown. Unless the IC title is the only belt they get to feud over on that show… 🙂
Technically he is still a RAW brand guy. He has the belt, but that doesn't necessarily make him a SmackDown guy. We've seen in the past guys jump from show to show if they own a belt on another show (Edge, CM Punk, Triple H). I do believe Swagger will be officially drafted in the supplemental, but technically he is still a RAW guy.
i cant believe they traded christian to smackdown he is a great wrestler for raw
I think the biggest loser out of all of this is The Miz, who could have stood to go to Smackdown and take the next step in his rise to becoming the WWE's next franchise name. That being said, I'm fine with everything that happened last night, mainly for the reasons you stated – Smackdown's roster is going to be fresh, new, exciting and the most important part, talented. I doubt we'll see Taker all that much, but even if we do, he's not the worst big name vet to have around with that roster.
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Great point. He had a good opportunity but he will definitely get lost in the shuffle.