wrestling / Columns

Hammerlock Breaks Down The WWE Draft

July 22, 2016 | Posted by Mike Hammerlock

Well, the WWE held its big brand separation draft. I’m still not convinced this amounts to anything. Smackdown won’t be a Raw replay anymore, but none of this does anything to fix the company’s incoherent storytelling.

Yet it happened and we might as well try to figure out if any of this means anything. First thing to keep in mind that it wasn’t a real draft. It wasn’t two competing teams selecting the top talents off the board. It was the WWE’s latest marketing plan. In most cases, no one’s going to remember your draft slot in another two months. What the split should accomplish is more talent getting more chances. It pushes the folks in the middle a little closer to the top, at least on their respective brands.

The second thing to keep in mind is that there’s no real difference between the Raw and Smackdown rosters. They didn’t bake that into the cake. Maybe they’ll be more experimental with one or the other, but we didn’t see either side take a lot of unexpected picks. Mostly they picked their way down the card. Neither is the “wrestling brand” or the “superstars brand.” Both have a mix.

Third, these are thin rosters. More talent is going to be needed to enliven the weekly shows and monthly big events. We didn’t see a number of NXT callups that should have been picked if this were a real draft, notably Bayley and Shinsuke Nakamura. I get why they didn’t do that immediately, but it needs to be part of the plan moving forward. All the draft did was lay down the foundation. There’s a ton of building that needs to be done on top of it.

Now let’s get to the picks:

Seth Rollins, Raw – Does #1 mean anything? It feels like a kayfabe pick. Raw is Stephanie’s show and Rollins has been the Authority’s chosen one. If the WWE really thinks he’s #1, then let’s hope he get a face turn in the near future.

Dean Ambrose, Smackdown – Many have speculated that Vince doesn’t view Ambrose as THE guy and this adds fuel to that fire. Smackdown is getting a makeover, but Raw is still the flagship. Dean’s going to have to prove himself without having Rollins or Reigns around to ramp up the tension.

Charlotte, Raw – This is where I’d have liked to see some innovation. It was kind of lazy picking the champ just to get the belt. Both shows are going to have tag and women’s divisions, and probably their own belts for that. So the belt wasn’t that important. Wouldn’t it have set off more shockwaves if a woman other than Charlotte went first?

AJ Styles, Smackdown – They gave some service to Daniel Bryan being the new Smackdown GM with this pick. Oooh, AmDrag likes wrestling and he goes way back with AJ. Smackdown didn’t get outside the box much beyond this. Mostly it was cool for AJ getting a plug in front of some of the company’s biggest names.
Finn Balor, Raw – Hey look, Steph and Mick can get outside the box too. Balor to Raw makes a ton of sense with the announcement that it will have a cruiserweight division. Hard to imagine he’s not going to be the face of that relaunch.

Roman Reigns, Raw – Got to figure he’d have been #1 before the failed drug test. The crowd in Worcester booed the pick lustily. Could this signify a sorely needed change of direction for Reigns? We can hope.

John Cena, Smackdown – The wheel has come full circle, placing him back where he started. How Cena wins title #16 should be a major storyline. Also, there’s got to be money in Ambrose vs. Cena if they dare to allow complication to creep into Cena’s character.

Brock Lesnar, Raw – Failed drug test? Nope, no record of that with the WWE. Kind of a strange pick if you think about it since he only comes in as a special attraction.

Randy Orton, Smackdown – I’m not sure it mattered where Orton went since the company hasn’t known what to do with him the past two years. He’s become an excess superstar. Great that he’ll be clashing with Brock at SummerSlam. If Orton pulls off the perceived upset there, it would go a long way to reasserting his character.

New Day, Raw – How didn’t they go #1? They inject some much-needed personality onto the Raw roster (Charlotte, Reigns and Lesnar do not shine in non-wrestling segments). They’re also a threefer pick. Raw still has three hours to fill every week. New Day will help get it there.

Sami Zayn, Raw – Odd that they punked him out to Kane right before his selection. I don’t get that, but Zayn is the best pure babyface in the company at the moment. Fans of all stripes seem to love him. Here’s hoping he gets a chance to climb into the main event mix.

Bray Wyatt, Smackdown – They missed an opportunity (on the Smackdown broadcast) to delve into his past with Daniel Bryan. He also has fought Ambrose and Cena a ton, so it’s hard to see where he fits into the main event picture moving forward.

Sasha Banks, Raw – About time. Sasha could have been a statement pick. Still a fairly high slot. Fair to say Raw is the A show for the women in the company, though we’ll have to see if Vince ever lets them go after it like they do in NXT.

Becky Lynch, Smackdown – Looks like she’s the female equivalent of Ambrose. She’s caught on with the fans, but the company has been reluctant to give her a full push. Got to figure she’ll get the chance to prove herself as a leading lady on Smackdown.

Chris Jericho, Raw – Is he going to continue as a full-time wrestler? Because he keeps saying he won’t. Jericho likes to roll in and then take time off to pursue other things. Seems like a great gig, but it comes with an upper midcard ceiling. On a night when you’re trying to build expectation for a supposed new era, his name came up way too early.

Rusev (w/ Lana), Raw – Conclusive evidence the WWE doesn’t give much of a shit about its secondary titles. It took four rounds for them to acknowledge these belts. Good news for Rusev is he’s on a different show than Cena, precluding a second Captain America wipeout feud for the time being.

The Miz (w/ Maryse), Smackdown – He’s been doing really solid work in 2016. Plays his character to perfection and his ring product has been better than ever (though he’s no Bret Hart). He kind of deserves another push. Maybe the brand separation opens that door for him.

Kevin Owens, Raw – If this were a real draft, he’d be a steal. He’s been busting his tail every week during what has been a generally shoddy year for the WWE’s television product. In the near term, he’s not done with Sami Zayn. In the long term, the Raw main event beyond Rollins and Reigns looks pretty wide open.

Baron Corbin, Smackdown – This was where it became apparent Smackdown isn’t going to be all that different from Raw in terms of who is working there. Corbin’s a big boy and not a great worker. Feels like maybe he’s on the Mike Knox in ECW plan, where the company intends to push him far beyond the audience’s level of interest.

Enzo and Cass, Raw – Enzo mic skills alone argue for putting him on the three-hour show. He can jaw his way through an extra segment. Vince seems to love him some Cass, so they should have a prominent role moving forward.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Raw – Separated from AJ, but now on the same brand as Finn Balor, keeping the Bullet Club dream alive. That’s probably pie in the sky, but with New Day and Enzo & Cass already on Raw, this pick gives it the more heavily stacked tag division.

American Alpha, Smackdown – Exciting to see them get the call up to the main roster. They join Ambrose and Becky as talents who will now get the chance to prove they can carry their division. Smackdown is definitely shaping up as the show with the less established talent.

Big Show, Raw – Given who was still on the board, this was a weird pick. Got to wonder how many face/heel turns Show goes through before he faces Shaq at WrestleMania 33.

Dolph Ziggler, Smackdown – He was the last guy to climb all the way to the top of the Smackdown ladder during the first brand split. The single roster was not kind to him as he never got into the WWE title picture. Lots of interesting potential matchups with Ambrose, AJ and Bray on the roster.

Nia Jax, Raw – A true WTF pick. She’s a usable titan in a women’s division that doesn’t have anyone else to do that job, but Bayley’s on the NXT roster. I suppose they want to give Bayley more of a spotlight for her WWE debut, but from a logical storyline standpoint it’s weird she wasn’t one of the six who got the callup from NXT.

Neville, Raw – Good to hear he’s almost ready to return. Another fairly obvious pick to form the vanguard of the new cruiserweight division. Big question will be whether these guys get a chance to break out beyond that.

Natalya, Smackdown – A seasoned hand to help lead the less established female talents on Smackdown. Good slot for Nattie. Her ring legitimacy has given her a career that has extended well beyond many of the Barbie doll wannabes who’ve come and gone over the years.

Cesaro, Raw – I know a lot of people thought he’d go to Smackdown to help establish that as the “pro wrestling” brand, but he’s got the chance to get into the world title mix with Rolllins, Reigns, Zayn and Owens (and Lesnar when he’s around). That’s a pretty tasty mix. Sorting out the faces and the heels is going to be the big challenge.

Alberto Del Rio, Smackdown – Back on the brand he semi-dominated before the big congeal. Not sure if his character can be saved after the disastrous MexAmerica and League of Nations gimmicks they threw him into upon his WWE return. Not a lot of compelling fights that make sense for him on this roster. Lots of guys he’s feuded with (Cena, Orton, Ziggler) and he doesn’t seem like a legit contender for Ambrose.

Sheamus, Raw – Moving into the professional opponent portion of his career. I think he gets unfairly knocked. The guy can churn out *** matches and that’s extremely important when you’re looking to stage a weekly three-hour pro wrestling show.

Golden Truth , Raw – Somebody’s got to win matches and somebody’s got to lose them. These guys are around to give younger guys victories over “name” opposition. That’s an overlooked important thing to have on a wrestling roster.

The Usos, Smackdown – Separated from their cousin Roman Reigns and most of the other top tag teams in the WWE. Possible heel turn coming to set up a feud with American Alpha?

Titus O’Neil, Raw – If it had been an actual draft, this would have a head scratcher. He’s a lower midcard player. In fact, had this been real, wrestling junkies would have been yelling “Shinsuke Nakamura!” at their screens.

Kane, Smackdown – Hopefully they do something fun to recall his Hell No! history with Daniel Bryan. Comedy Kane is watchable. Serious Kane is dreadful.

Paige, Raw – She gets to continue her helter-skelter career on the A show. I’ve lost count of her face/heel turns. Yet the real loser on this pick is Alberto Del Rio’s penis. Kind of obnoxious of the WWE to send each half of a couple onto different brands and travelling circuits.

Darren Young (w/ Bob Backlund), Raw – My opinion, they should have picked Young earlier, especially given his win on the Smackdown broadcast. Makes it seem like the company isn’t behind his latest gimmick, which would be a shame. Young and Backlund make a great odd couple.

Kallisto, Smackdown – Apparently he will not be one of the feature players in the revived cruiserweight division. Will be interesting to see if that hurts or helps his WWE career. Could be a positive not to be lumped into the little guys division.

Sin Cara, Raw – We already knew the Lucha Dragons were splitting up. Sin Cara probably serves as a gatekeeper for the cruiserweight division.

Naomi, Smackdown – Very interesting pick. She might finally get a belt around her waist, assuming Smackdown establishes its own women’s title. The female ranks are thin enough on the blue roster that Naomi almost has to get her chance. Nice that she’ll get to travel with her husband.

Jack Swagger, Raw – I always try to remind myself that Swagger doesn’t have to suck. He’s a big guy with ring skills. At the very least he should a handful for anyone. It’s a sign of how poor the WWE booking has been that he’s more a figure of derision than of respect. Swagger should be a guy nobody wants to fight.

The Ascension, Smackdown – Yes, they’re still around. They’ll be given another “chance” in the sense that they now have the chance to lose to whole new wave of up and coming tag teams.

The Dudley Boyz, Raw – Bit of a sleeper pick. They don’t have much left in the tank, but it might be enough for one more run at the top. The Dudleyz have cagey veteran know-how on their side.

Zack Ryder, Smackdown – I suppose they could book upset wins for Ryder and Young at Battleground, causing the Intercontinental and U.S. titles to switch brands. Barring that, Ryder should be able to find a partner and make headway in Smackdown’s fairly wide open tag scene.

Summer Rae, Raw – Joins Paige in bringing more shrill to the screen on the WWE’s flagship program.

Apollo Crews, Smackdown – Should be one of the main beneficiaries of the brand split. He almost immediately becomes a leading contender for a secondary title. They still need to figure out a character for him. I’d love to see him rebel against his ring name.

Mark Henry, Raw – I have no idea what they could possibly do with him at this juncture, but there he is. Serves as a reminder that wrestlers don’t retire so much as they slowly fade away.

Alexa Bliss, Smackdown – Glad to see her getting a shot in the WWE, but she’s no Bayley. She’s also no Nakamura or Samoa Joe or Asuka or Hideo Itami or Bobby Roode or Austin Aries or Kota Ibushi.

Braun Strowman, Raw – Separated from Bray Wyatt and free to show off the personal charisma that is sure to catapult him to the main event. A poster child for how big guys are opponent-class wrestlers these days rather than leading talents. The water is not safe for leviathans.

Breezango, Smackdown – They’re so goofy they might work. They have talent and fans seem to react to them. Dango and Tyler definitely have more upside than the Ascension.

Bo Dallas, Raw – I love Bo. He’s actually funny, unlike the WWE’s frequent attempts to mine poop joke for comedy. He also might to spin the delusional side of his character into something interesting. Could he make Braun Strowman bo-lieve?

Eva Marie, Smackdown – To her credit, she understands her assets and displays them prominently.

Shining Stars, Raw – Nothing against Epico, but Primo is in fabulous shape and has all kinds of rings skills. He’d be a great addition to the cruiserweight division. This tag team is going nowhere. I don’t even get the gimmick. Are they from the Puerto Rican office of travel and tourism? Yet Primo could be a serious player in the WWE’s cruiserweight scene. I want him and Sin Cara in a hair vs. mask match.

The Vaudevillains, Smackdown – Strange they lasted this long in the draft as they managed to get over a little bit during their recent WWE debut, unlike the Ascension, which flatlined from the start. Gotch and English are a good kind of different. Hope they get a real chance on Smackdown.
this close to being able to call herself the Thirst Buster.

Erick Rowan, Smackdown – Should remain attached to Bray. Hopefully Luke Harper heals up and rejoins them.

Dana Brooke, Raw – They missed an opportunity to show Charlotte campaigning behind the scenes for 53 picks to have her own personal Alex Riley join her on Raw.

Mojo Rawley, Smackdown – And here’s that tag partner for Zack Ryder. Hype Bros in full effect.

Curtis Axel, Raw – Far better than his shabby treatment lets on. He’s got some ring skills and some personality. He really ought to be a serious contender for a secondary title. He had a decent run as IC champion a few years ago.

Carmella, Smackdown – No reunion with Enzo and Cass for her, which is kind of shitty because she’s dating Cass. I sometimes wonder if the WWE tries to be a bad employer.

Heath Slater, unselected – Slater sitting alone in the room when the lights went out was a funny way to end the night. Not getting picked could be a great gimmick. I happen to think Slater is a genius, so I’m really hoping they finally let him run with something rather than get started in an interesting direction and then bury him.

article topics :

RAW, Smackdown, WWE, WWE Draft, Mike Hammerlock