WWE Draft 2010 – The Time Is Now

WWE Draft 2010 – The Time is Now

Tomorrow night the WWE draft takes place and I think that this year is the most important one, of all time. With word that Batista is leaving the company tonight, the retirement of Shawn Michaels last month, Undertakers impending retirement and the fact that HHH and Cena are working through injuries, it’s safe to assume that the WWE roster is seriously depleted. So its no wonder that all of a sudden they put the belt on Sheamus and Jack Swagger to act as a catalyst for their careers (although Im not insulting either man ).But tomorrow night will be a crucial part of building the superstars of tomorrow. This column is just an example of ideas and old school methods of what could be done with people on the roster and how to execute them.

Number 1 – Evan Bourne – Bourne has been miss used repeatedly on RAW which isn’t a surprise as Johnny Ace would rather the Ezekiel Jackson’s of the world take up TV time, however I think if Bourne is moved to Smackdown , he and Drew Macintyre could have a lengthy feud over the summer for the Intercontinental Championship. Bourne is the smallest guy on the roster, however his athletic ability is matched only in the ring by John Morrison and Rey Mysterio. I know Bourne is not a good talker however I believe if they market him in a way that appeals to kids he would get super over. He is always going to be over with internet fans, smarks and “real wrestling” fans due to his stint in ROH and the independents, and he’s a good looking guy so female fans would get behind him. His flashy arsenal of moves and crispness in the ring make him a delight to watch and his selling is in my opinion better than anyone else in the WWE .The only thing missing is a little charisma. Perhaps some kind of gimmick high flying entrance (like Mysterio when he debuted) or a more colourful ring attire (i.e. Tassels, headbands etc) would endear him to the kids of the WWE universe a little more. Either way he belongs on Smackdown as it is the “wrestling show”, and I think that we will be in for a treat if we can get some 20 minute TV matches with Bourne on Smackdown over the next year.

Number 2  The Miz – Hopefully the Miz will stay on RAW as he is golden on the mic and RAW is the “sports entertainment” show. I would love to see the WWE tease the Miz become the first ever triple champion by holding the US, Tag titles and challenge for the WWE title. That alone would make many people buy a PPV as traditionalists would think Lou Thez is rolling in his grave and Miz fans (which are growing at a rapid rate) would be ultra excited. There is no doubt in my mind that the Miz is the best talker in wrestling today (yes better than Jericho, Punk, Cena) because it feels like what he says comes from his heart. He was treated like an outsider who didn’t belong in the business when he started out in WWE because of his reality show background, and was jeered by “You cant wrestle” chants for 2 years by smart marks, who he has made choke on those very words. This is the year of the Miz and its going to be awesome.

Number 3 – John Morrison – Morrison has a lot of Internet fans divided. In ring he is a natural babyface. However his mic skills and look are a natural heel trait. Either way I think Morrison belongs on RAW and needs to have some fresh feuds and has proven he is a main eventer. This past year in the WWE, no one has put on consistently good matches as him (i.e. versus Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, Edge, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, and Evan Bourne). Anyone who is not sold on John Morrison needs to think about why they are a wrestling fan. I can easily see him drafted to RAW as a babyface all summer long, winning Money in the Bank, cashing in and turning heel on Cena around November.

Number 4 – Dolph Ziggler – This guy has overcome every stupid gimmick that Stephanie McMahon has given him and has come on to a lot of peoples radar in the WWE. If Curt Henning was alive today he would be a mirror image of Dolph Ziggler with his charisma, amateur background and a guy who bumps all over the ring. Ziggler can be on either show but he needs someone to work with who is a big name guy (ie Edge, Orton, Cena). He will bump and sell all over the place for those guys and by being in the ring with them, instantly get more heat and get over.

Number 5 – The Heart Dynasty – Although I love Show Miz, I think that the Harts need those tag titles and they need to put some credibility into the tag division. Who ever WWE calls up from developmental over the next year with the exception of Kaval, needs to be in a tag team, to inject life into the division that is the birthplace of stars. Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Edge, Christian, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy and many others all started out in the Tag Team division and if the WWE has a strong Tag Team roster, they will have a stronger and more complete overall roster.

Number 6 – Zack Ryder – I think Ryder has been completely overlooked as one of the top “new guys” in the WWE. He can talk, has charisma, an interesting look and can go in the ring. For some reason I think a kind of Juvenile Sophomore character like Stiffler from American Pie would be tailor made for him on Monday Night Raw and a feud for a mid card title.

Number 7 – Santino Marella – Stone Cold Steve Austin once said if you’re not in the WWE to be the World Champion, you should be in the ring, and I agree. However Santino is more over than half the roster, so I think his talents should be utilized in a different manner. Santino is naturally funny, and can get a reaction out of the crown with the smallest of actions. Therefore I think he should become a manager. Even though WWE doesn’t use managers anymore, its the perfect chance for them to breathe life into Santino and have him align himself with one or several superstars who lack charisma and need to get over(i.e. Chris Master, Zack Ryder, Carlito)

Number 8 – Christian – Hopefully tonight at extreme Rules Christian runs down to the ring and slams the door on Edges Face turning heel. But if the WWE wants to hold off on that feud until WM27, I can understand. Either way, Christian has got to get elevated to main event status this year as a face or heel it doesn’t matter. But the Edge v Christian feud that is a booker’s wet dream, has yet to happen and needs to happen as soon as possible

Number 9 – The Big Show – Part of any “special attraction” wrestler is that they don’t need a title. The Big Show himself is the reason why he is interesting. Therefore when he and Miz lose the titles I would have him and Miz feud with Miz somehow going over. Then have him move on to another feud with another young mid-card guy. The Big Show does not need to be in the main event picture and the last thing we need is to hear Michael Cole say how we’ve never seen a 500 pound FU before even though we’ve seen it over 16 times.

Number 10 – Kaval – If your reading this and don’t know who Kaval/Senshi/Low Ki is, then you don’t know much about wrestling. He is currently in developmental and is fully recovered from his injury. The WWE needs to bring him up to Smackdown straight away and enter him in a feud with Mysterio.

So those are some suggestions on what to do with those wrestlers. I know many of you will wonder why I didn’t mention the main event scene, but think back to 1998. The main eventers were only Undertaker Austin, Kane and Foley for the best part of that year. There are enough guys in the main event to carry the company to Summerslam and hopefully by then we will see some of the younger talent elevated.