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The 2008 WWE Draft: Switching Gears
This is the time of year where the WWE shakes things up by moving wrestlers from each brand across to another and this year the WWE broke the habit of a lifetime since the company was split up into three brands… the SmackDown! brand didn’t get annihilated by all of its superstars getting stripped from the brand and SmackDown! losing the ratings on the CW network in the States (they shall be gracing MyNetworkTV in September).
A lot of speculation went around concerning who would end up where and a lot of the talent (with the exception of one or two big headliners) were not informed of their pre-determined new homes until the audience found out. In my personal opinion, playing their cards close to their chests was a good move by WWE since the Internet Wrestling Community, who basically have wrestlers’ dinner arrangements down (not literally, but they may well have; those Internet dudes are shady), aren’t easy to fool, which is an understatement.
But not only did SmackDown! get some big picks, they got some shocking picks. I’ll reiterate…
Shocking.
Raw and ECW didn’t get left out in the cold, but ECW barely made it to the warm unfortunately. Now to get to the whole point of the article! The first pick of the night is (drumroll please)…
Rey Mysterio – Will now be competing on Monday Nights when he returns from injury.
Rey Mysterio – Drafted from SmackDown! To RAW.
This was a surprising move, but a very good move. Rey had been a cornerstone of SmackDown! for years since his debut six years ago, so he’s stepping onto new territory and I’m guessing Rey is ready for the challenge. Bring it on for the 619 Master of Mysterious! As with most of the picks, this opens up a lot of opportunities for new rivalries and reunites Rey with some old foes. This pick was gained for RAW by way of WWE Champion Triple H defeating the massive Mark Henry with the Pedigree.
Jeff Hardy – Drafted from RAW To SmackDown!
After years of wishing, SmackDown! finally scored the up-and-coming Rainbow-Haired Warrior. Jeff has been looking for a little bit of normality since he lost his home in a fire, so let’s hope the blue brand can provide it. As with Rey, Jeff’s switch opens a fun bag of new rivalries and potential new alliances. Expect Jeff to be on the hunt for some top SmackDown! gold. This pick was obtained for SmackDown! after Finlay & Hornswoggle defeated Santino Marella and Carlito (who is headed on the road to splitting from WWE if they don’t change his standing).
‘Mr. Money In The Bank 2008’ CM Punk – Drafted from ECW To RAW.
CM Punk, a former independent wrestling icon and internet focal point, has finally made the jump after grafting for a long time on ECW. As the holder of the Money in the Bank briefcase (which he won back in March), Punk can still jump to another brand at any given time, whenever he selects a brand’s champion to cash in against. But this year, that’s going to be easier said than done, but more on that in a bit. World Tag Team champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes won this pick for RAW by defeating ECW’s Bam Neely and Chavo Guerrero.
A little change was made to the next draft pick match-up, as the Edgeheads Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins were scheduled to face the WWE SmackDown! Tag Team champions John Morrison and The Miz (representing ECW), but a recent development had forced SmackDown! General Manager Vickie Guerrero to replace the Edgeheads with United States Champion Matt Hardy… and SmackDown!’s newest member, Jeff Hardy. After a few twists and turns, the tag team champs used dirty tricks to beat the Hardy Boyz which means…
United States Champion Matt Hardy has just gone Extreme. And the Hardy Boyz reunion didn’t last.
WWE United States Champion Matt Hardy – Drafted from SmackDown! To ECW.
Well, the novelty of the Hardy Boyz reunion wore off in a hurry and they won’t be competing on the same brand after all. But the interesting thing about this year’s draft is that the champions cross over with their championships, so the United States title is effectively an ECW title. Boy, are some people going to be bummed about not getting both Hardy brothers! It’s okay… I’m sure they’re not alone.
The next draft pick match was an Announcers-Only pick. The teams of WWE Women’s champ Mickie James and Melina took on Victoria and Natalya Neidhart. The match was ruled a no-contest, so both RAW and SmackDown! got a draft pick. You’ll love this.
Play-By-Play Commentator Jim Ross – Drafted from RAW to SmackDown!
Oh, jeez, did SmackDown! hit the jackpot or what? I know they’ve got to get SmackDown! looking strong for its run on MyNetworkTV in September, but, as Ron Simmons likes to say, DAMN! So now its Mick Foley, Michael Cole and JR on SmackDown!... oh, wait a minute, I stand corrected.
Play-By-Play Commentator Michael Cole – Drafted from SmackDown! to RAW.
So Mick Foley gets to work with his friend JR and Jerry Lawler is stuck working with someone he announced along with on the early episodes of SmackDown! Kind of a bum deal for RAW in that respect, but hey, Michael Cole has a lot more talent than Mike Adamle, someone who messes up routinely as the Play-By-Play Commentator on ECW. JR seriously looked upset that his legendary announcing team with Lawler has been split, but I guess he’s going to have to get used to the change at least until next year’s draft. And the sad thing is that Michael Cole and Mick Foley felt sorry for JR, who didn’t really want to move.
SmackDown! World Heavyweight champion Edge versus his old nemesis John Cena for the next pick. John wins by countout and earns RAW…
‘The Animal’ shall be unleashed on Monday Nights.
‘The Animal’ Batista – Drafted from SmackDown! to RAW.
Another shocker. The franchise of SmackDown! has returned to the brand which made him a star and put the World title belt around his waist. Batista ends up on the same brand as his two former Evolution teammates Triple H and Randy Orton, so look out for some kind of revival. Batista should enjoy his new home… which means a lot more titles coming his way. Edge waved ‘bye bye’ in a mocking way after the match, but their match for the SmackDown! World title at Night of Champions is still a go.
‘The Samoan Bulldozer’ Umaga – Drafted from RAW to SmackDown!
Umaga has moved brands, which had been due for sometime. He debuted on RAW and stayed there for two years, which can be an eternity for some. He will beat up all new opponents on SmackDown!, leading to a rivalry against someone who is due to return. I won’t say who, but watch the lights. Umaga was brought to SmackDown! when representative MVP defeated ECW’s Tommy Dreamer (who I’ve met, he’s really a cool guy. Try and count how many scars go up and down his arms!) Of course, that called for Umaga to rush in and obliterate Tommy Dreamer, along with Colin Delaney, Dreamer’s young prodigy.
ECW Champion Kane – Drafted from ECW to RAW.
JBL beat Kofi Kingston and brought the legendary ‘Big Red Machine’ back to RAW. And the interesting thing is that he has brought the ECW World Heavyweight title with him. After gaining the United States title, ECW has lost its top title… or has it, since Kane is still deadlocked to face the Big Show for the ECW title at Night Of Champions this Sunday?
Before I get on to the last two draft picks, which will be won by one brand, let me just say that this ‘Million Dollar Mania’ garbage is boring me to death. So it’s a darn good thing it’s been suspended for the foreseeable future. Now, onto the tri-branded battle royal, where the winning brand’s team gains two draft picks for their brand. Triple H, CM Punk, John Cena, Batista & Kane represent RAW, Chavo Guerrero, Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, The Miz and John Morrison represent ECW and The Big Show, the Great Khali, MVP, Jeff Hardy and Edge represent SmackDown!, all looking to gain their brand the final picks. One note is that Batista busted his head open the hard way when he collided with Edge en route to both men using the Spear at the same time. Triple H and John Cena eliminated the Big Show, but Edge took advantage of this and eliminated them one after the other, meaning he had just earned SmackDown! two more picks. The first one…
Mr. Kennedy – Brings the noise to SmackDown!, making it clear that the World title is top of the list.
Mr. Kennedy – Drafted from RAW to SmackDown!
This made me scratch my head for a minute because Kennedy only went to RAW last year, but then I remembered that besides getting William Regal fired, he’s not done that much on RAW. I welcome the change and I’m sure Kennedy does too, seeing as he gets the opportunity to exact revenge on Edge for putting him out of action before the 2007 Draft, which gave Edge the chance to cash in Kennedy’s Money In The Bank briefcase and win the SmackDown! World title from the Undertaker.
Another drumroll, as the last pick was the biggest pick for SmackDown!...
WWE Champion Triple H – SmackDown!... its time to play the Game.
WWE Champion Triple H – Drafted from RAW to SmackDown!
Yes, you heard that correct: Triple H, the man who doesn’t like to work on Tuesdays, is heading to SmackDown! (taped on a Tuesday), and he’s taking the WWE championship with him! Triple H was a default draft pick for SmackDown! back in 2002 when he lost the WWE title to Hulk Hogan and in 2004 when John Cena tricked then-General Manager Paul Heyman into using the draft pick John had chosen. It took a big exchange to get Triple H back to RAW because he didn’t want to switch shows then, but I’m not sure if that is the case now. We’ll just have to wait and see… just like we’ll have to wait and see if Triple H comes face-to-face with the man who is due to return soon, like Umaga is. You all know who I’m talking about, but I’d rather not spoil it for the benefit of those who don’t know (hint, hint, I’ve already mentioned him in this article). So, the ‘King of Kings’ goes back on his SmackDown! throne…
All in all, a very good show, and I may have said it before, but it’s nice to see SmackDown! not get destroyed in the Draft (sorry, ECW) and a lot of nice surprises jammed in there for good measure. If you ever wanted to see some big names converge on one show that doesn’t empty your wallets, then this one is for you.
In my opinion, this was the best Draft show ever, in the immortal words of The Simpsons’ Comic Book Guy!
By Jason Purchase
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