WWE Draft 2011 Results: Grading Each Pick of the WWE Draft on RAW

An action-packed 2011 WWE Draft had a lightning-round feel to it as the annual spectacular only had two hours to make a handful of selections designed to balance RAW and SmackDown. 

John Cena, who hadn't been drafted in over half a decade, was drafted twice tonight as WWE bookended its annual WWE Draft with each brand selecting John Cena. 

While Internet complaints of John Cena's Superman booking, and logical holes of a superstar being drafted twice, will be commonplace, WWE did its job in creating two impressive rosters moving forward. 

Overall, I'll give WWE a solid "B" for their efforts in the WWE Draft, although there is still some grading to be done as it pertains to each individual draft pick. 

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John Cena to SmackDown: A-

John Cena being drafted to SmackDown was the huge splash that the blue brand needed.  The draft pick, made at the beginning of the show, set the tone for a SmackDown show that was the clear winner of the night even with John Cena going back to RAW. 

Rey Mysterio to RAW: C

I had previously written that Rey Mysterio Jr. was one of the WWE Superstars who I hoped wasn't drafted to RAW. 

Mysterio has been a fixture on SmackDown for the better part of a decade, and being involved in the short matches that are a fixture of the RAW platform take away from his contributions as a performer. 

Mysterio Jr. was drafted to RAW in 2009, and the move was deemed a failure as Mysterio returned to SmackDown following an underwhelming feud with Kane.

Hopefully, WWE is able to place Mysterio in meaningful feuds, but the former World Champion will not have many opportunities given the lack of heel depth currently on RAW. 

Randy Orton to SmackDown: A

This was expected but still came as a bit of a shock after John Cena was drafted to SmackDown to start the show. 

With Cena back on RAW, Orton and Cena on separate brands makes sense as both RAW and SmackDown will have a top babyface in their prime.

With Alberto Del Rio out of the picture on the SmackDown side of things, a feud with Cody Rhodes seems like a possibility, which would be terrible news for Rhodes given Orton's track record of burying young talent. 

Sin Cara to SmackDown: B

I'm giving this a "B" only in that it keeps Rey Mysterio Jr. and Sin Cara off of the same show.  This will also help as Sin Cara's inevitable and insufferable botches will be edited out on the pre-taped SmackDown. 

Hopefully, Sin Cara will have less of a problem adapting to the WWE style on the more wrestling-heavy SmackDown show. 

Mark Henry to SmackDown: C+

This pick goes from a "C" to a "C+" as Mark Henry turned heel in the main event, but Henry is too far past his prime and old to carry any type of program of substance on any show. 

There is absolutely no money in a feud between Henry and any top-flight babyface, so I'm hoping Henry just used John Cena to get more heat for his heel turn before he works with mid-card babyfaces and helps them to get over. 

Big Show to RAW: D

Big Show will be a glorified bridesmaid on RAW and will likely be elevated into a more prominent position on the card as a babyface with Randy Orton gone. 

I believe Big Show can still roam from brand to brand, however, as he is a tag team champion and Kane is still with the SmackDown brand.

Alberto Del Rio to RAW: B+

Del Rio was progressing nicely on SmackDown, and this draft pick may need further evaluation. 

It is unknown whether Del Rio will be elevated on RAW, as World Champion, or subsequently fall down the totem poll after getting lost in the shuffle. 

Suddenly, Del Rio's chances to be World Champion look slimmer as a win will result in two world champions on one show. 

John Cena Back to RAW: B-

I didn't mind Cena being drafted back to RAW, as SmackDown had already feasted on the RAW roster for the majority of night, with RAW serving as a near-replica of SmackDown before Cena was ultimately drafted back to the flagship. 

Cena on RAW is definitely good news for Christian fans, as the WWE Champion will remain on RAW (assuming Morrison or Miz are not part of the supplemental draft), meaning SmackDown will be in need of a world champion. 

With Alberto Del Rio being drafted to RAW, it looks more and more like Christian will go over in their World Championship match so that there is no confusion as to who the world champion will be on SmackDown. 

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