WWE Draft 2011: John Cena, R-Truth, and 10 WWE Superstars Who Should Stay Put

With the WWE Draft steadily approaching, pro wrestling headlines have been dominated with speculation as to who will go where. 

Lost in all the movable part hysteria is equally as important speculation of who would be better off remaining with their current brand.

Changes from RAW to SmackDown, and vice versa, have proven to both help and hurt the momentum of WWE Superstars.  Some SmackDown mainstays find it difficult to stand out on the flagship RAW show dominated by seasoned veterans and top stars, while RAW Superstars tend to disappear once drafted to the lower profile SmackDown shows. 

At the end of the day, some WWE Superstars just need to stay put to maintain their momentum, and there are select cases where WWE could afford to adhere by the time honored principle of "if it ain't broke don't fix it."

Follow Big Nasty on Twitter @ThisIsNasty.

1. Cody Rhodes (SmackDown)

On SmackDown, Cody Rhodes is getting the time for character development, as his gimmick gets ever so dark, that he would never get on RAW. 

Despite his small frame, Rhodes has all the makings of a breakout star in 2011 as he has charisma that many younger talents are lacking, and is a natural on the mic. 

Rhodes would surely not be featured on every episode of RAW, given the perennial star power of the ratings-driven flagship show, and being out of sight and out of mind would handicap an otherwise promising push. 

2. Dolph Ziggler (RAW)

Dolph Ziggler is underwhelming on the mic and his previously generic heel character needs Vickie Guerrero to get over.  WWE's answer to this dilemma?  Make him even more generic with a standard haircut and a more serious attitude. 

Ugh.

In any event, Cody Rhodes light the new and improved Dolph Ziggler needs to remain on RAW for this drastic change in attitude to have any type of lasting impact. 

Vickie Guerrero will do her job of getting heat, as always, and if WWE continues to get behind the young star, an intriguing feud with John Cena possibly awaits. 

It's also worth mentioning that Ziggler was previously fired from SmackDown, prompting his recent move to RAW.  Being drafted back to SmackDown after being fired would take away even more credibility for the already hollow firing angle. 

3. John Cena (RAW)

This one's a no-brainer.  John Cena has long since been the cornerstone of WWE and I'm of the opinion that he shouldn't be drafted to SmackDown until well after his prime. 

The subsequent ratings increase in SmackDown wouldn't justify the void left in RAW should Cena leave.  Sure SmackDown has a big hole in the babyface department, but taking Cena away from RAW would leave an even larger hole in RAW that would be more damaging to WWE given RAW's" A-Show" status. 

4. R-Truth (RAW)

While many overly sensitive, glorified task forces, that remain oh so hungry to be offended, may not have approved of R-Truth smoking in the midst of a heel turn, I felt it was (eventually) one of the best executed heel turns in quite some time. 

R-Truth would be hurt if he was drafted to SmackDown as his heel turn would come off as a bigger deal on RAW. 

Truth's heel turn was already accelerated on RAW, so it would benefit him to remain on RAW to progress and re-emphasize the heel turn as opposed to moving to SmackDown to re-introduce himself as a heel. 

Truth may have something with this new heel gimmick, and the only thing that would hurt it more than WWE catering to sensitive task forces and prohibiting him from smoking, is a move to the blue brand. 

5. The Miz (RAW)

The Miz is one notch below John Cena as WWE's poster boy, if not right up there with him.  Miz has done an excellent job as RAW's top heel, and although his segments tend to lose viewers, people just need to get used to Miz as a successful WWE Champion on RAW before he establishes himself as more of a draw. 

The Miz's WWE Championship reign should be a lengthy one, as few top stars in the company, if any, need the WWE Championship to get them over as a bona fide star. 

If Miz were to go to SmackDown as WWE Champion, the SmackDown World Champion (likely Alberto Del Rio) would almost surely go to RAW and Del Rio has already put in significant time in acclimating himself as a SmackDown mainstay. 

6. Alex Riley (RAW)

A split of Miz and Alex Riley via the draft would be premature, as it would probably be more lucrative to turn one of these two potential future top stars babyface after teasing a split over the course of weeks. 

To simply split up this high-profile pair would basically undo months of booking Miz and Riley as WWE's new era bromance as a subsequent feud would be delayed due to temporary brand exclusivity. 

7. Rey Mysterio Jr. (SmackDown)

Mysterio has been a pillar of SmackDown for years, and an ill-advised switch to RAW resulted in a lackluster feud with Kane. 

Hopefully WWE has learned its lesson about taking Mysterio away from SmackDown, especially with Sin Cara already on RAW. 

WWE needs to keep Sin Cara and Mysterio separate until their inevitable showdown at a WrestleMania or even a panic-driven free episode of RAW should the ratings dip below a 3.0.

8. CM Punk (RAW)

CM Punk has been right at home as the maniacal leader of the New Nexus, and his departure from RAW would leave the promising stars left in the stable—and David Otunga—in no man's land.  

CM Punk has carved out a nice niche as an upper midcarder on RAW who is rarely in world title contention, but that same act on SmackDown would hurt Punk. 

The possibility of Randy Orton being drafted to SmackDown creates an opening for Punk to ascend to world title contention should a babyface like John Cena eventually capture the WWE Championship.  Such a feud could prove to be very lucrative if done correctly.

9. Michael Cole (SmackDown)

As much of a fan as I've been of Michael Cole's progression as a TV character, that still doesn't change the fact that he's an awful announcer who has been holding both show's hostage.  If WWE wants to create brand exclusivity, then each brand has to have a different look, feel, and sound.

Both brands will suffer exponentially if viewers have to withstand Cole's constant interruptions and unproductive contributions on commentary that take away from the product and its talent.

Cole could still be on both shows, however.  In true heel fashion, perhaps he could figure out a loophole to where he's Jack Swagger's manager on RAW (should Swagger be drafted), but an announcer on Friday nights. 

10. Christian (SmackDown)

With Edge out of the picture, Christian is currently the default choice to scoop his heat as the top babyface on SmackDown.  Christan wants no part of RAW, as he would quickly get lost in the shuffle after a furious surge in the World Championship picture. 

A handful of consecutive victories over Alberto Del Rio, and a recent victory in a No. 1 contender's match have greatly helped Christian as he is in the midst of his biggest push since he returned to WWE.  

While Christian will likely come up short at Extreme Rules in his World championship match against Alberto Del Rio, he'll figure to hang around as a top contender for the World Championship which is far more than anybody could say about him should he be drafted to RAW. 

Follow Big Nasty on Twitter @ThisIsNasty.