WWE Draft 2011 Results: Pick-by-Pick Analysis from Monday Night Raw Draft

Welcome to the live coverage of the 2011 WWE Draft.

Today is a "new start" for the WWE, and many big and mid-card names are expected to switch brands.

However, we can expect the usual share of surprises. John Cena to SmackDown! Okay, maybe not that huge kind of surprise, but something good should happen tonight.

Will Randy Orton take the lead in SmackDown? Will Alberto del Rio and the Miz switch brands as champions, as rumored last week? Will we get a Rey Mysterio vs. Sin Cara potential feud with one of them moving?

What about the anonymous RAW General Manager? Will he be revealed tonight or even sent to SmackDown? What’s Triple H and the Undertaker's fate?

And let’s not forget about the mid-carders. Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan, Evan Bourne, Ted DiBiase and Zach Ryder are some of the wrestlers who could get better by moving to the opposite brand.

We will discover it in the next minutes. Just refresh this slideshow every few minutes to know the results and a quick analysis of the WWE draft.

1. John Cena Goes to SmackDown!

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LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 20: WWE Superstar John Cena throws the ceremonial first pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they play the Chicago Cubs on August 20, 2009 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jacob de Golish/Getty Images)

Yes, John Cena is back in SmackDown. HUGE surprise (and yes, I had to post that it wouldn’t happen just 20 minutes ago).

The WWE wasted no time on a promo or a video package, sending us right to action with a 20-men Battle Royal.

In the final four, Big Show and Kofi Kingston faced Mason Ryan and Evan Bourne. After a few nice acrobatic moves between Kofi and Evan, the latter changed his target to the Big Show, who easily eliminated. Then, the two SmackDown men took care of Ryan.

SmackDown’s victory in the Battle Royal gave them “just” one pick, but a big one. John Cena is back where everything started for him.

Quick Thoughts: Bold move by the WWE. Sending the face of the company to the “B-show” is definitely a very gutsy decision by Vince McMahon, but definitely a good one-

SmackDown desperately needed a big face and this movement gives Cena a lot of new possibilities for new storylines.

At the same time, Randy Orton (or The Miz?) will get a fair chance to prove himself as the No.1 face in the flagship show.

Let’s just hope the WWE doesn’t get cold feet in three weeks (you know, like when Cena was “fired” a few months ago).

2. Rey Mysterio Goes to RAW

A big star went to SmackDown, a big star comes to RAW.

The WWE first scared us with the promo of Kharma (Awesome Kong) and then we get Eve Torres in the ring. And to make things better, Layla looking as hot as ever.

Sadly, the Creative staff decided to have Michael Cole again interrupting the match, which Eve took advantage of to pin Layla and get a draft pick for RAW.

After the match, Michelle McCool tried to attack Layla, but this time the latter reacted and destroyed his former best friend. Best Divas TV in months.

Quick Thoughts: I saw this coming in my article of last week, although I expected to be a “Randy Orton for Rey Mysterio” trade, not “John Cena for the Master of the 619”..

It’s a good move. Mysterio helps RAW keeping star power after Cena’s departure (and also makes less likely to see him back in two weeks) and having him in the red brand plants the seeds for a storyline with Sin Cara.

3. Randy Orton Goes to SmackDown

The move everybody was expecting actually happened: The Viper is now part of SmackDown.

Kofi Kingston beat Sheamus in a short match with two straight Trouble in Paradise kicks to give the blue brand a second pick.

Quick Thoughts: Wow. The three top faces of the company have switched brands in the first three picks. SmackDown get a huge boost by getting both John Cena and Randy Orton.

Last week this seemed like a perfect move for Orton, but with Cena also going to SmackDown maybe it would have been better for The Viper to stay in RAW.

However, this also mean one (probably two) of three things for RAW: 1) The Miz will turn face; 2) John Morrison is about to get a huge push; and 3) Chris Jericho is coming back as a face.

4. Sin Cara Goes to SmackDown

In his first match for his new brand, Randy Orton got two picks for the blue roster.

Dolph Ziggler was close to make use of a distraction by Vicky Guerrero to beat Orton, but as usual The Viper reacted on time to get the victory after a RKO.

After the match, CM Punk interrupted the draft choice to cut a promo about his Last Man Standing match against Orton at Extreme Rules.

After the break, we found out that Mark Henry and Sin Cara got drafted to SmackDown.

Quick Thoughts: I don’t get this one. First, why making Sin Cara debut in RAW just to send him to SmackDown three weeks later?

Also, the potential of a Rey Mysterio-Sin Cara tag-team/feud was too big to waste.

And to make it even more puzzling, this move takes more star power away from RAW.

5. Alberto Del Rio Goes to RAW

Like Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio also debuted in his new brand with a victory and two picks for the red roster.

Mysterio didn’t struggle much (sadly) to beat Wade Barrett after the 619.

This time we didn’t have to wait until after the commercial break: Big Show and Alberto del Rio are now part of RAW.

Quick Thoughts: Ok, things start to get more sense. Alberto del Rio is a great addition to the RAW roster, while Big Show is also helpful.

I’m almost sure now that The Miz will turn face in a few weeks. He and Alberto del Rio are currently the top heels in the WWE, so it wouldn’t make much sense to have both in the same show except if one of them will change sides.

I’m also thinking Alberto del Rio is a very good bet to get the World Heavyweight Championship this Sunday against Christian.

6. John Cena Goes Back to RAW

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CONCORD, NC - MAY 27: Professional wrestler John Cena, speaks to members of the media during a press conference, prior to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 27, 2007 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Cena was there to t

In the main event of the WWE Draft, Team RAW (The Miz, CM Punk and Alberto del Rio) beat Team SmackDown (John Cena, Christian and Mark Henry).

When Teddy Long announced the match, my first though was: “What the hell is doing Mark Henry here? We got five big reactions and one moment of silence during the introductions. At first, Sin Cara or even Kane would have been much better choices for “Team SmackDown”.

In the end, Henry had a very good reason to be there: he betrayed his team and is clear he is getting a push in the blue brand as a heel.

Quick Thoughts: I guess we should have expected this. Sending John Cena to SmackDown surely created a lot of hype in the minutes after the announcement, but in the end it makes sense to keep him in RAW.

Now each brand has a top face, although RAW is again loaded with top heels, while SmackDown will have to settle with Mark Henry and Wade Barrett.

So, What Do You Think?

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 15: Kelly Kelly poses on the turnbuckle during WWE Smackdown at Acer Arena on June 15, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Gaye Gerard/Getty Images)

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