WWE Draft 2011 Preview: 10 Bold Predictions for the Draft on Monday Night Raw

The winds of change are blowing. Is it time to usher in a new era on Monday and Friday Nights?

Hello Creatures of the Night, we’re more than a day away from the 2011 WWE Draft.  Since the close of WrestleMania 27, a majority of the WWE Universe have questioned the possibility of a draft.

Famous for taking weeks to promote the draft, the WWE seemingly exiled the event. Instead of promoting the Draft, the WWE decided to set the main event for WrestleMania 28.

Before last week’s RAW, it seemed as if the WWE decided against the Draft. That is, until Smackdown’s Top Face, Edge, was forced to retire.

Edge broke his neck eight years ago and the injury seemingly returned to haunt him. Instead of being confined to a wheelchair the rest of his life, Edge hung up his boots and retired as World Champion.

Edge’s retirement left Smackdown without a top babyface. The Undertaker and Rey Mysterio are both suffering from injuries. The heel to face ratio is severely overwhelming on Smackdown and prevented any plans for Edge to turn heel.

Vince McMahon reportedly panicked and instead of the Draft occurring in June, pushed the event up to the next episode of Monday Night Raw.

That being said, the B/R Community responded to the news with a plethora of predictions.  In an attempt to stand out, I’ve come up with 10 bold predictions for the Draft on RAW.

You don’t want to miss this.

John Morrison Finally Main Events.... on Smackdown

Before I begin, I want to inform readers that I’m not going to create a weekly article on why Morrison should receive a push. I will not publish an article that says Morrison is in the doghouse when he won a No. 1 contenders match the same night. I refuse to take my hatred for a wrestler to a point where I don’t realize that it’s just for entertainment.

John Morrison is no stranger to the WWE Draft and its lasting effects. Morrison has been drafted three times in the last four years with the first making him the temporary face of ECW. Morrison was drafted to Smackdown in the Supplemental draft in 2009. And finally, the Shaman was drafted to RAW along with R-Truth and Edge in 2010.

Over the past year, John Morrison has gone through a number of character alterations. JoMo grew a beard and began showcasing his parkour training on RAW.

With the help of his parkour, Morrison performed stunts that would make any 10-year-old faint in amazement. Morrison’s stock has risen considerably since his feud with Sheamus and WWE Title match with The Miz.

Morrison seemed on the verge of breaking into the main event card but is seemingly in need of the extra rub to cement his status.

Is there a better place for this to occur than Smackdown?

Like I stated above, Morrison’s time on RAW has been magnificent but with John Cena still reigning as the top face on RAW, he has little chance of becoming a big deal on RAW.

Morrison’s time on Smackdown echoed top talent. Morrison had a number of splendid matches with Y2J, Edge, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, and CM Punk before moving to RAW.

The WWE was seemingly pushing Morrison to become Smackdown’s Next Big Thing. While Creative failed miserably with the move to RAW, they have the chance to correct their mistake with a move to Smackdown.

Branded as the “Wrestling Show” by fans, Smackdown is the perfect place for a guy who excels in the ring.

Morrison’s mic skills remain subpar but were noticeably better when he was on Smackdown.

So Creatures, does Morrison move to Smackdown or remain lost in the shuffle on RAW?

The Corre Splits Through the Draft of Wade Barrett

The Intercontinental Champion made his debut on RAW a few short months ago. After being exiled from Nexus, Wade made his debut on Smackdown.

Sparking a feud with the Big Show, Barrett was later placed in another stable known as the Corre. Barrett reunited with former Nexus cohorts, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater, and also enlisted the help of Ezekiel Jackson.

For a short time, Corre ran rampant over Smackdown but poor booking has derailed their momentum.

A feud with Big Show and Kane destroyed the credibility and momentum the Corre had. The addition of a WrestleMania squash was the proverbial nail in the coffin for the group.

As the weeks passed, numerous cracks in the group’s exterior have surfaced. Justin Gabriel eliminated Barrett in a Battle Royal to determine a No.1 contender.

Barrett blamed the Corre for the beating they received at the hands of The Rock and John Cena. And finally, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel lost the Tag Team titles to Big Show and Kane.

Slater and Gabriel later were involved in a confrontation where Slater shoved the South African to the floor.

Apparently, the WWE is slowly killing off the Corre and Monday’s Draft could spell the end for the Corre.

The Corre vs. New Nexus

This is where this slideshow gets interesting. The Corre vs. New Nexus has been brewing for quite some time now.

The WrestleMania season blew the impending feud away and the planned Corre vs. New Nexus match at WrestleMania was canceled. What a better way to reignite the feud then to have one of the groups (as a whole) drafted to the other show?

The only way this could happen is by having one of the groups turn face. New Nexus is the obvious choice because of their leaders’ ability to portray any role he sees fit.

Punk and Barrett are two of the best promo men in the WWE and a feud between the two would spark fireworks.

Maybe this signals for the return of Michael Tarver and Skip Sheffield. Both were exiled from the Original Nexus because of injuries. Will they look for revenge or join their former leader in the war against CM Punk and his faith?

The Miz and Randy Orton Return to Smackdown, Portraying Different Roles

The feud between The Miz and Randy can only be described with one word.

AWFUL           

The WWE Champion defeated Orton on three separate occasions. With each coming cheap, Miz became the typical heel WWE Champion. The cowardly Champion who used Alex Riley or dirty tactics to retain his Championship.

As much as Miz’s character has become dull and boring, The Miz is far more entertaining than a face Randy Orton.

Like it or not, the Viper has become predictable. Orton’s lack of charisma and robotic voice adds to the notion that he portrayed the heel character to perfection.

The WWE obviously attempted make Orton the second coming on Stone Cold Steve Austin but failed in the process. Instead, Orton became the second coming of John Cena. Never losing cleanly, numerous title matches, superhuman abilities became traits of The Viper.

The difference is, John Cena exceeds in each department and has charisma.

Now that it is almost certain that he will forever live in John Cena’s shadows, a change in scenery may just be the cure.

Numerous WWE fans have been anticipating the face turn of The Miz. His popularity has surged since WrestleMania and the role reversal may be the perfect formula.

I can’t speak for everyone but I would rather see Orton punting heads and destroying faces instead of continuing this path. 

Move Zack Ryder to Smackdown and Make Him "Relevant"

The IWC’s newest Golden Boy has created quite the buzz lately. The Superstar has become adored by fans across the World and last week's RAW proved it.

In one of his YouTube videos, Ryder asked fans to bring push Zack Ryder signs to the show in England. Fans followed Ryder’s instruction despite security confiscating most of the signs.

Ryder certainly has the popularity and his mic skills to get him ahead in the WWE. The WWE should transfer Ryder to Smackdown and give him weekly segment.

For example, Ryder could use a talk show like the Highlight Reel, Peep Show, or The Cutting Edge. Ryder shares similarities which each man with his looks but if given the ball, can he excel?

The answer to that question rests in the hands of the WWE and Zack Ryder himself.

Kofi Kingston Returns to RAW.... and Becomes a Main Eventer.. or Turns Heel

The Ghanaian Superstar has certainly dropped a few notches since his draft to Smackdown last year. Kofi made an immediate impact by defeating Chris Jericho and becoming Intercontinental Champion.

Kingston defeated the likes of Christian, Dolph Ziggler, and Drew McIntyre and seemed to be on his way to the top.

Kingston ended the reign of the Chosen One and finally did the one thing all Smackdown fans had begged for: Shut Drew McIntyre up.

That is, until he crossed passed with Ziggler and heat magnet, Vickie Guerrero. After a series of matches that would end in Vickie’s interference, Dolph ultimately defeated Kingston for his Intercontinental title.

Kingston spent the rest of 2010 chasing the IC Title before defeating Dolph in January of this year.

Kingston later lost the IC Title to Barrett and has been on a losing streak since.

Backstage politics are holding Kofi Kingston back. He needs to quickly return to RAW and resume his push stemming from his 2009 feud with Randy Orton.

Kingston has the popularity, mic skills, and in ring ability to make him a major Superstar. The WWE has yet to utilize Kingston to his potential but has the opportunity this Monday.

The always smiling attitude of Kingston has run its course. It’s time to add a little edge to Kingston’s character.

Kingston could remain a face and add a little edge to his character OR turn heel. Kingston’s beatings of Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler proved the Ghanaian has an aggressive side.

Kingston could claim the WWE is holding him back and begin administering beatings to top faces on RAW. John Cena would be a perfect target of Kingston’s animosity.

Perfect formula.

Alex Riley Turns Face, Goes to Smackdown

It’s no secret that Riley won’t be Miz’s lackey forever.  Riley’s future could go two different ways. One, Riley continues on as a jobber to other stars.

He drops to the lower card and eventually becomes an afterthought. In one of the WWE’s Annual post WrestleMania spring cleanings, he is released.

Besides the obvious, Riley excels. Just like his mentor, Riley proves the critics wrong and becomes a big threat in the WWE. Riley moves to Smackdown but turns on Miz beforehand.

Alex Riley becomes a top guy on Smackdown, growing in the mid card for a short time before his mic skills take him to the top.

Riley fits the mold of a WWE Champion and becomes a big deal over time. It’s also fun to notice that Riley is better than his mentor in each department.

We saw cracks in the surface a few months ago as Riley lost an important match to John Morrison.

Just maybe Riley is tired of being the fall guy? Maybe Alex is sick of taking multiple beatings for the Miz?

The opportunity is knocking. Will the WWE capitalize?

Daniel Bryan and Evan Bourne Move to Smackdown. Become a Tag Team

Two of the most talented wrestlers on the RAW brand should form a tag team. Evan Bourne and Daniel Bryan both received their time in the spotlight in 2010.

Bourne was recommended for a push by John Cena himself. Bourne defeated the likes of Sheamus and Chris Jericho in matches and seemed to be on the receiving end of a big push.

Bourne participated in the RAW Money in the Bank ladder match but went downhill afterwards. Bourne returned to his jobber status and was later put on the shelf stemming from a shoulder injury.

Daniel Bryan spent the earlier part of 2010 on WWE NXT. The American Dragon was eliminated first but still appeared on RAW and NXT afterwards.

He was released after the first Nexus attack. Bryan choked Justin Roberts with a tie and was released because of it.

Bryan returned to the WWE at Summerslam and dominated his former Nexus cohorts before sparking a feud with The Miz. After numerous attacks on the other, Bryan defeated Miz for the U.S. Title.

Bryan won matches against Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, John Morrison and Ted Dibiase before his title a few weeks ago.

Bryan had been lost in the mix for almost three months with no clear direction. Now that Bryan has hit jobber status, is it time for a move to Smackdown?

Kane and Big Show are the tag team Champions but the contrast in styles with Bourne and Bryan can end the title reign abruptly.

The high flying and explosive antics of Bourne, along with the technical flurry of Bryan would excite audience all across the World.

Smackdown is the “wrestling” show. Bourne and Bryan can improve in other fields along the way but for now, let’s move these guys to Smackdown.

More than likely through the Supplemental Draft.

R-Truth Drafted to Smackdown, Cody Rhodes to Raw. Both Become Major Heels

Since Rey Mysterio broke his nose months ago, Cody Rhodes has taken himself to another level. The once cocky, brash, and arrogant superstar is now a dark, deranged, aggressive threat to any star he faces.

Rhodes has changed his persona and promo ability. Instead of gloating about his looks, Rhodes informs us of his pain and desire to destroy Rey Mysterio.

Add the mask; Rhodes has become a serious mid carder who could be knocking at the main event’s door in no time. Almost simultaneously, R-Truth has also unleashed a dark side.

After shocking the world by becoming a No.1 contender to the WWE Championship, Truth was goaded into putting his spot on the line.

John Morrison outsmarted Truth and defeated him for his spot in the triple threat match at Extreme Rules. Visibly frustrated, Truth attacked Morrison after the match and literally destroyed his former tag team partner.

The beating went an unbelievably long period of time and ended with Truth blowing cigarette smoke on the prone body of JoMo.

Truth will undoubtedly unleash the new side of himself on tomorrows RAW. With the outstanding chance of Morrison returning to Smackdown, Truth will likely follow the Superstar to Smackdown. It seems as if Truth followed the formula of Rhodes himself.

Both have the potential to become major heels in the WWE. We’ll find out which brand these deviant Superstars will occupy.

Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena

The rumors of this upcoming match have run rampant through the IWC. Word is the WWE plans on switching the World Titles again.

This would mean Alberto Del Rio defeats Christian at Extreme Rules and takes the World Title with him. In the process, The Miz moves over to Smackdown. Is it possible? Yes. Will it happen? Maybe.

Months ago, Vince McMahon was said to have labeled Miz the future of RAW. How would Vince follow this statement if Miz is moved to Smackdown?

One benefit from this would be Alberto Del Rio bringing more Hispanics to the A Show. Another statement that clashes with this is that John Cena ensured us that he would face The Rock for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 28.

The World Heavyweight Championship is an honor but isn’t held in the same regard as the WWE Title.

Are the rumors of Del Rio vs. Cena for Summerslam just rumors? Or will the Mexican Aristocrat become bigger than we expected?