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DeMarco: WWE Must Not Make These 5 Draft Mistakes!

July 19, 2016 | Posted by Greg De Marco
Vince McMahon WWE Finance Image Credit: WWE

411’s Greg DeMarco provides his take on this week’s WWE Draft, and the top 5 mistakes the WWE must not make!

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The WWE Draft is back, and combined with the rise of NXT it’s a really exciting time to be a fan. But as we learned from the first ever WWE Draft, there is some serious potential for fails. If the WWE takes a moment and avoids the following five items, this draft can be their most successful one yet.

5 – Don’t Split Up Your Best Tag Teams

The WWE has gone split happy with tag teams in prior drafts, and that’s a mistake they must avoid here. I am not saying you can’t split up any—just leave the best ones along!

Here are just three examples of teams the WWE must keep together:

The Dudley Boys – A split occurred during the first WWE Draft, and it didn’t really help either Dudley. Unless Devon is looking to hang ‘em up and go be a full-time trainer (and I doubt he is), they need to stay together.

Enzo and Cass – One of the most promising young teams, Enzo and Cass inject excitement into any crowd they perform in front of. Breaking them up might be great for Big Cass, but there is so much more for them to do as a unit. The time isn’t right to break them up.

American Alpha – Chad Gable and Jason Jordan had an all-too-short run with the NXT Tag Team Championships, making it an almost certainty that they’ll hit the main roster as one of NXT’s six draftees. And while Jason Jordan has WrestleMania 40 main event written all over him, and Chad Gable has “next Daniel Bryan” written all over him, it’s WAY too soon so split them up. So leave it alone, and let them accomplish what’s theirs to accomplish as a tag team first. WrestleMania 40 is still over seven years away.

Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows – Let’s be honest here, the WWE doesn’t see singles value in either guy anyway.

Notice I didn’t mention The Usos…

4 – Don’t Be Afraid To Split The Right Teams

Not all tag teams need to stay together. Unlike the four teams listed above, there are some that can use a shake-up, leading to a few great singles pushes:

Jimmy & Jey Uso – Look, I don’t know which Uso you push, or maybe you push both on separate brands in hopes that they both stick and you can do a WrestleMania showdown. But the Usos act is played out to the point where they need, at minimum, a break. Maybe you give one a run on the main roster and let another have some great matches in NXT—I don’t know. But it’s time to give them a change of scenery that would at least freshen up the team when they reform in a couple of years.

The New Day – Now I am NOT advocating for the end of The New Day entirely, as it’s a great gimmick that sells a ton of merchandise. But the group has lost some steam since turning face. So let’s make some changes and keep everyone relevant. First, you draft Big E away from his partners, letting the big man soar to the new heights that we all know he’s capable of. Second, you add a new third member to the group, possibly a Titus O’Neal or maybe even someone who (GASP!) isn’t black! Then you wait another year, draft Xavier Woods away and end the group for good. Push Big E now, but still keep the group going.

The Wyatt Family – I don’t know if Luke Harper is coming back at this time, but he’s primed for a singles push. A real one, with some gimmick changes that differentiate him from his Wyatt Family brethren. And we all know Harper can carry a singles push. But Erick Rowan, and Braun Strowman NEED Bray Wyatt, and I kinda think Bray Wyatt needs them too. So push Luke Harper, and keep the rest of the Wyatt Family together.

3 – Don’t Put Finn Balor In The Club

2016 will go down as one hell of a memorable year, with the great main roster debuts, seeing AJ Styles in the WWE and so much more. But if you look objectively, you’ll admit that the WWE squandered any Bullet Club momentum they had earlier in the year. AJ Styles turned heel way too soon, and Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows are already less of a threat than they were on day one.

Flip it around and assume for a second that Finn Balor is in fact headed to the main roster. I mean, all signs point to it being true anyway, so go with it. DO NOT PUT HIM IN THE CLUB.

There’s no reason to do it. His Demon character wouldn’t work with cronies, he’ll be way too over as a face, and The Club is fine for what it is. I’m not saying there isn’t money in forming The Balor Club, just don’t do it now. Milk what you have in Finn as a singles guy first, then cash in on The Balor Club and make up for what you’ve lost with the Bullet Club.

2 – Don’t Make It About The McMahons

FACT: The WWE Draft is back and we’re all excited.

FACT: The McMahon Family usually equals ratings.

Neither of these can be argued. But we don’t need to combine them in hopes of a huge ratings boost. Because it will fail.

The draft is plenty exciting on its own—leave it that way. I know you’re going to feud Shane and Stephanie in a way that leads to Triple H vs. Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 33, and I am totally fine with that. But make Tuesday about the draft itself, and the WWE Superstars. I know I can’t convince you to avoid McMahons feuding at all, but hopefully you can at least listen to my plea and hold off for a few weeks.

Or months.

Or years.

Or generations.

1 – Don’t Draft Shinsuke Nakamura

I know. You think this statement is asinine. You think Shinsuke Nakamura is more than ready for the WWE main roster, to the point that he shouldn’t have been NXT to begin with.

Look, I am not here to argue against that point. Nakamura has proven over and over that he can carry the ball in the WWE, and is already the best thing about NXT.

But I know the WWE, and this has nothing to do with Nakamura being ready for the main roster. This has everything to do with the WWE not being ready for Nakamura on the main roster.

If Nakamura gets drafted, they’ll be drafting him for the sake of drafting him. No great plan, no title push, nothing. He’ll be wasted and you’ll all be screaming that he’d have been better off in NXT.

So, for the time being, keep him there. Save his main roster debut for WrestleMania 33, where you can make a big deal out of it and really maximize his star power. He’s obviously having fun in NXT, and he’s being used well there.

In the tweet above Nakamura asks if the WWE is ready for the King Of Strong Style. That answer is easy. No. No they are not. Don’t let your emotions guide you here—they are not ready to book him on the main roster. He’ll be misused and you’ll be upset. Give it some more time…you’ll be glad you did.

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