WWE: John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio and 10 Must-See Feuds Post-Draft
Nearly two weeks ago, the entire landscape changed drastically due to the annual WWE 2011 Draft. Not only did the event provide plenty of shocks and surprises, it also left this viewer very satisfied with its results.
The WWE 2011 Draft saw 30 Superstars and Divas switch shows, thus giving us fresh matches, rivalries, and story-lines. Although my article may be a little delayed, I have pondered recently as to what these changes can bring us after watching last night's tremendous Friday Night SmackDown.
The blue brand has certainly benefited big time this year from the shake-up, reverting back to its wrestling-heavy approach and pushing the overlooked stars to where they belong in the food chain of the WWE.
The current rosters have the potential to emerge into something amazing, as I present 10 must-see feuds that are now possible thanks to the WWE 2011 Draft.
Visit my website at Next Era Wrestling for more of GSM's writings, along with WWE/TNA news, recaps, and more. Follow me on Twitter @GSM2ndComing.
Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena
1 of 10I kick off the show with a rivalry that has been heavily discussed through rumors and certified creative plans for this summer: John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio.
Since arriving in WWE late last summer, Alberto Del Rio has quickly made a name for himself for the tenure he served on SmackDown, with excellent performances against Edge, Christian and Rey Mysterio.
Following his move to RAW as a part of the WWE 2011 Draft, his forced push has been questioned as to whether it will continue with another top heel, The Miz, also competing on the same brand.
Nonetheless, a feud pitting John Cena and Alberto Del Rio has been scheduled for this summer, ultimately leading to a match-up between the two at this year's SummerSlam in Los Angeles.
It also seems as if the bout will also be contested for the WWE Championship with Cena winning the belt this past Sunday at Extreme Rules.
We had a sneak peak of this feud a few months ago on RAW, and I am highly anticipating it. I predict for Del Rio to finally win the brass ring he's been missing the last few months, and having the victory be over an established main event star, John Cena, makes it that much more memorable.
Ezekiel Jackson vs. Mark Henry
2 of 10
On the night of the WWE Draft, Mark Henry finally reverted to his monster heel persona by turning on his teammates in the tag team main event.
I was relieved to see Henry used properly, as his family friendly Kool-Aid character clearly wasn't cutting due to his many losses against the likes of Cody Rhodes, Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler.
That very same evening saw the World's Strongest Man drafted back to his home on Friday Nights. From there, my mind began to race as to what interaction he could possibly have with Corre member Ezekiel Jackson with their similar gimmicks.
Last night's SmackDown saw Jackson finally exiled from the Corre after weeks of falling out with his fellow stable mates. I enjoyed Big Zeke as a face on RAW, and hopefully he earns the same treatment as Batista when he made his way out of Evolution.
Although Jackson may not be everyone's favorite wrestler, I personally believe this massive force of destruction certainly has much potential, especially seeing him defeat a veteran in Big Show last night as well.
A feud with Mark Henry down the road would make for an interesting contest and certainly elevate Jackson as a singles competitor.
Kharma vs. Beth Phoenix
3 of 10
The 2011 WWE Draft also saw Beth Phoenix sent packing back to Monday Night RAW, the same place she laid claim to many of her Women's Championships reigns. Being switched with Natalya, many have speculated the move occurred in order to set up an eventual rivalry between herself and the debuting Kharma.
Extreme Rules was the night that the reign of terror in the Divas division finally began, where the Artist Formerly Known as Awesome Kong made her long-awaited WWE debut, attacking a now retired Michelle McCool.
Over the past few days, Kharma has also laid waste to other heel Divas including Maryse and Alicia Fox, indicating a possible face turn for the former Knockouts Champion.
However, I hope my theory proves to be false as Kharma would make the perfect top heel in the division with McCool now retired and Eve, Phoenix, and Natalya already the top Diva babyfaces.
A slow build-up to this feud would make this one of most highly anticipated Divas matches in a long time.
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
4 of 10
Okay, I'll admit it: this technically isn't a match. However, it is something I look forward to in the near future.
Curt Hawkins was drafted to RAW in the 2011 WWE Draft, a show that shares the same home of former tag team partner Zack Ryder.
For nearly the past year, both men have stuck in the lower mid-card department with countless appearances on WWE Superstars, but rare showings on their respective main shows.
With this move, I hope to see more of Hawkins should he reunite with Ryder and renter the dying tag team division. However, a match could apply here as well should one of these men decide to turn face, which is unlikely given their gimmicks.
Both Hawkins and Ryder have many fans supporting them for a push, and with their amazing talent, it surprises me as to why WWE has yet to capitalize on their popularity.
Let's no hope we see either in unemployment with there being talk of some major cuts in the coming weeks.
Wade Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan
5 of 10Since his exile from the Nexus, Wade Barrett's momentum has declined dramatically. Aside from winning the Intercontinental Championship in March, Barrett has been booked to show that he has very little promise in being a future World Heavyweight Championship.
Also sharing the same fate is fellow NXT Season One Rookie Daniel Bryan, who found himself on the blue brand as well following the 2011 WWE Draft. He also has been booked to look weak since losing his United States Championship to Sheamus two months ago.
However, after watching Bryan's performance on this past Friday Night SmackDown, I believe there is still some hope left for the American Dragon.
As I have stated before in previous articles, a feud between Barrett and Bryan would be nothing short of epic, given their history and tremendous wrestling ability.
Throw in Barrett's Intercontinental Championship and you have yourself a rivalry that will not only give prestige back to the IC Title, but put over Barrett and Bryan as credible performers once again in the process.
Undertaker vs. Sheamus
6 of 10
Sheamus has had a breakout career thus far in WWE, already winning the 2010 King of the Ring tournament, United States Championship, and WWE Championship twice in the past two years. However, it has been a roller coaster of a career.
It seems as if the Celtic Warrior can't just secure a place at the top of the WWE, with random pushes every now and then. At this time last year, I predicted Sheamus to be the one challenging the Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania 27.
Sadly enough, this did not come to fruition, as Sheamus wasn't even on the card quite frankly due to it being bumped prior to the show.
His aggression in his victory against Daniel Bryan last night on SmackDown gives me some hope that he will still be able to redeem himself sooner rather later for this feud to happen.
I believe Taker would be able to put over Sheamus in a big way if the 2010 King of the Ring winner were able to pull out a surprise victory against the Deadman in their first-ever contest.
The odds look grim that this inevitable match will go down at a future WrestleMania, but I do look forward to it occurring somewhere down the line with Sheamus now on Friday Nights.
The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio
7 of 10The Miz has shown over the past few months that he has what it takes to hang in the ring with WWE's top stars, including stacking wins over Jerry Lawler, Randy Orton and even John Cena.
His impressive reign as WWE Champion proved to many nay-sayers that The Miz could very well be the future of the WWE.
In December 2010, The Miz and Rey Mysterio competed in two matches, in one where Miz found himself successful.
These two have excellent chemistry, and could provide us with an entertaining feud if given the right booking with Rey now apart of the RAW brand.
Triple H vs. Drew McIntyre
8 of 10Although Triple H's tactics can be questioned due to being in a high position in the company, his ability of putting stars over shouldn't. If it's any the Game does best, it is establishing stars, with Batista, John Cena, and Sheamus as perfect examples.
Not only that, but Triple H also knows how to provide us with excellent matches with his likable chemistry with his opponents.
For those of you who may not know, Triple H played a major hand in the training of Drew McIntyre, which leads me to believe that the two could spark a feud that can certainly make McIntyre credible again.
Following his loss of the Intercontinental Championship, McIntyre has found himself in random matches all around the card in the last year, but with strong showings in defeat.
He has potential to one day become World Champion, and his change of scenery on RAW could help that.
I've been lead to believe that Triple H will no longer be a major player with his new role in the office, with very minimal air time as he has stated in the past.
If he does manage to return before WrestleMania 28, I hope he will be able to help elevate talent such as McIntyre instead of burying it (see Ted DiBiase).
Kofi Kingston vs. CM Punk
9 of 10
One feud I had highly anticipated following last year's WWE Draft was the collision of former tag team partners Kofi Kingston and CM Punk. However, following Punk's unexpected trade to RAW in early October, my hopes for this rivalry had gone up in smoke.
Fast forward six months later, Kingston now finds himself once again apart of the Monday Night roster via the Supplemental Draft on WWE.com. I am very high on this move, as Kingston certainly needs a change of pace with his dying momentum on SmackDown.
Last Sunday at Extreme Rules, Kingston's had a change of luck when he defeated Sheamus in a Tables Match to win his second United States Championship.
With Kingston now back on track, I am looking forward to him bringing back the same prestige the title had when he held it in the summer of 2009.
Most recently, CM Punk has been the target of some major losses, including three in a row to the new World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton.
The leader of the New Nexus has no big story-lines set in the stone for the future, as it has been heavily discussed that he will be leaving the company sooner rather than later.
With neither man busy at the moment, why not throw the former World Tag Team Champions into a lengthy feud over the U.S. title? It help both men get back the credibility they have lost over the last few months.
Randy Orton vs. Christian
10 of 10This past Friday night on SmackDown, we witnessed one the best main event matches to take place on SmackDown in a good while.
Although nearly half the audience knew Orton was going home with the World Heavyweight Championship around his waist due to spoilers, it took nothing away from the excitement of the match with its intensity.
I've been pushing for these two to cross paths since Christian returned to the WWE two years ago, with their amazing chemistry and both having tag team history with the now-retired Edge.
Of course I was not satisfied with the result of Christian losing prestigious title after only five days, you can not help but think it may be apart something much bigger.
All signs point to either man to be turning heel sometime in the near future, and I'm highly anticipating for the feud to stretch over the next few months similar to the Jeff Hardy and CM Punk feud in the summer of 2009.
The finish to their match was simply breath-taking, and it still amazes me how Orton can continue t concur a variety of ways to end his bouts.
Being the top two talent on the blue brand, this rivalry over the World title should be nothing should of exciting and epic. Without a doubt, the title will begin to regain the prestige it has lost recently and give us viewers a reason to tune in to Friday nights.
With that said, which of these 10 rivalries would you like to see come to fruition over the next year? Feel free to voice your opinions below in comments as to whether these feuds could be helpful to the talent, television, or improving the product overall. GSM out.
Visit my website at Next Era Wrestling for more of GSM's writings, along with WWE/TNA news, recaps, and more. Follow me on Twitter @GSM2ndComing.
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