WWE 2012 Draft: Who's Going Where?

Bill PivetzJun 7, 2018

It's once again time for the annual WWE draft.

There have been many surprises over the years, such as Cena being drafted twice, Jim Ross going to Smackdown and many others.

This year should be no different.

Now that WrestleMania is over, WWE needs to focus on brand separation because with the Raw Supershow, many Smackdown Superstars were over exposed such as Daniel Bryan and Big Show.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it takes time away from the undercard.

Here are my picks for who should go to Raw and Smackdown.

Current Raw Roster

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Both the Raw and Smackdown rosters are very thin right now. The return of Lesnar and debut of Lord Tensai helped Raw a little bit. I can see WWE calling up some guys from FCW in the next couple of months.

Here is the current Raw roster.

Alberto Del Rio

Alex Riley

Brock Lesnar

Brodus Clay

Chris Jericho

CM Punk

David Otunga

Dolph Ziggler

Epico

Evan Bourne

Jack Swagger

John Cena

JTG

Kane

Kofi Kingston

Lord Tensai

Mason Ryan

Michael McGillicutty

The Miz

Primo

Rey Mysterio

R-Truth

Santino Marella

The Rock

Triple H

Zack Ryder

Divas

Beth Phoenix

Eve

Kelly Kelly

Kharma

I'm not including the Bellas because their contracts expire soon and are most likely not re-signing with the company.

Raw Pick No. 1: Cody Rhodes

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Cody saw huge success on Smackdown. He defeated Ezekiel to win the Intercontinental Title in August.

He improved greatly on the mic, and his character evolved past the "Dashing" gimmick.

Now that he lost the belt to Big Show at WrestleMania 28, Rhodes can move on to bigger and better things.

And Raw is where that happens.

I'm not saying he will win the WWE Title this year, but he can definitely challenge for it late in 2012.

Raw Pick No. 2: Wade Barrett

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For Barrett, this is the case of being a big fish in a little pond.

As young as he is, I feel that he is above Smackdown. Winning the first season of NXT may not seem like much, but with the push that he got, it should be.

He is out for four months, but having him return to Raw against CM Punk would be huge for his career.

The original leader of Nexus versus the leader of New Nexus could be big. I know those two stables are old news, but using that as a basis for their story could be the stepping stone.

Barrett, Lesnar, Tensai, Jericho and Ziggler as Raw's top heels doesn't look bad to me.

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Raw Pick No. 3: Alicia Fox

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I'm not too keen on the Divas division.

However, with the soon-to-be departure of the Bella twins, Raw is in need of a Diva or two.

With her recent face turn and Eve being the standout Diva on Raw, these two could feud and it has the chance to be entertaining if booked correctly.

Raw Pick No. 4: Drew McIntyre

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McIntyre was drafted to Raw in the 2011 supplemental draft, but rarely appeared. He went to Smackdown, but took an eight-match losing streak into the new year.

He was fired by general manager Teddy Long, but reinstated by Raw GM John Laurinaitis and was a member of Team Johnny at WrestleMania.

I feel that if WWE plans to have a stable with Johnny Ace at the helm, McIntyre should be added to the stable. He is young, athletic and has yet to show everyone what he can do.

As much as I hate Santino, these two could build something with the U.S. Title on the line over the summer.

Raw Pick No. 5: Sin Cara

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The WWE Universe hasn't seen Sin Cara since Survivor Series. He suffered a patellar tendon rupture, which will require surgery and sideline him for six months.

This makes his return roughly around the same time as Rey Mysterio. And it would be a little strange to have both masked Superstars on Smackdown.

Rey didn't seem to fit on Raw. He is a main event star, but didn't compete for the WWE Title as often as he did the World Title.

If Sin Cara can fix his in-ring work, then Raw can be the place for him. He won't reach main event status, but in the lower- or mid-card level, Sin Cara will shine.

Raw Roster After the Draft

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This is what Raw looks like after their five picks.

Alberto Del Rio

Alex Riley

Brock Lesnar

Brodus Clay

Chris Jericho

CM Punk

Cody Rhodes

David Otunga

Dolph Ziggler

Drew McIntyre

Epico

Evan Bourne

Jack Swagger

John Cena

JTG

Kane

Kofi Kingston

Lord Tensai

Mason Ryan

Michael McGillicutty

The Miz

Primo

Rey Mysterio

R-Truth

Santino Marella

Sin Cara

The Rock

Triple H

Wade Barrett

Zack Ryder

Divas

Alicia Fox

Beth Phoenix

Eve

Kelly Kelly

Kharma

Now, who are the odd men out heading to Smackdown?

Current Smackdown Roster

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Smackdown is in need of some fresh stars and new rivalries.

Now that the five Smackdown Superstars gone, here is what the roster looks like.

Big Show

Camacho

Christian

Damien Sandow

Daniel Bryan

Ezekiel Jackson

The Great Khali

Heath Slater

Hornswoggle

Hunico

Jey Uso

Jimmy Uso

Jinder Mahal

Johnny Curtis

Justin Gabriel

Mark Henry

Randy Orton

Ryback

Sheamus

Ted DiBiase

Trent Barreta

Tyson Kidd

Undertaker

Yoshi Tatsu

Divas

Aksana

Kaitlyn

Layla

Natalya

Rosa Mendes

Tamina Snuka

Smackdown No. 1 Pick: Rey Mysterio

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Rey was drafted to Raw in last year's draft.

He won the WWE Championship while the CM Punk storyline was going on, but he wasn't able to recapture the title.

Rey had much better success on Smackdown, winning the World Heavyweight Title a couple of times. He has been injured since late August and won't be back in the ring until May at the earliest.

Having Rey return on Smackdown will give the blue brand some life and someone the fans can cheer for, as Smackdown is lacking in star power.

Smackdown No. 2 Pick: Zack Ryder

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2012 has not been a good year for Ryder.

He was destroyed by Kane on multiple occasions. He lost his girlfriend, Eve. He lost at WrestleMania as a part of Team Teddy.

Many thought that after WrestleMania, Ryder would get back in the mid-card, trying to regain his US Title. But what happened was another beatdown from Kane.

Ryder needs to leave Raw and escape Kane. I feel he also needs to break away from the comedic (I use that term loosely) style of Santino.

He can give Smackdown some life and challenge for the Intercontinental Title over the summer.

Smackdown No. 3 Pick: The Miz

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Miz has fallen far after his WrestleMania 27 main event.

He formed a team with R-Truth but couldn't capture the tag titles.

At WrestleMania 28, Miz picked up the winning pin for Team Johnny, ending his 20-match losing streak. He then won again the next night on Raw.

This little win streak could be the boost Miz needs heading into the Draft. He can be the No. 2 or 3 heel on Smackdown in the main event picture.

Raw is too crowded for Miz at this point with Lesnar, Tensai and Jericho as the top heels.

Smackdown No. 4 Pick: Jack Swagger

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Swagger is somewhat in the same boat as Miz.

He was a former World Heavyweight Champion on Smackdown. He played a character sort of similar to what Kurt Angle played as a cocky, collegiate athlete.

Then, he was drafted to Raw. He won the U.S. Title, but lost it after holding it for two months.

Heading back to Smackdown and separating himself from Dolph Ziggler could do wonders for both him and Ziggler.

They both have potential to be the top champs by the end of the year.

Smackdown No. 5 Pick: Alex Riley

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If they are doing five picks per show, the final pick would be Alex Riley. He was drafted to Smackdown in last year's supplemental draft, but he kept appearing on Raw.

This kid had promise when he was paired with The Miz. They were very similar, but Miz turned on him and Riley became a face.

But being a face doesn't work for Riley. He fits the role of the young, cocky kid that can get on anyone's nerves.

I think WWE dropped the ball when they broke Miz and Riley up. But, as a member of Raw, he didn't break into the mid-card despite challenging for the U.S. Title.

Smackdown can reinvent Riley and taking down Big Show for the I.C. Title can do just that.

Smackdown Roster After the Draft

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The additions of Rey, Miz and Swagger give Smackdown some more star power and a boost in their World Title picture. Riley and Ryder are two more challengers to Big Show or whoever is holding the Intercontinental Title.

Alex Riley

Big Show

Camacho

Christian

Damien Sandow

Daniel Bryan

Ezekiel Jackson

The Great Khali

Heath Slater

Hornswoggle

Hunico

Jack Swagger