As the stage is set for Battleground, there are still many questions left from last week’s draft. I actually am still trying to wrap my head around the Mick Foley move, but that is only one of the things that had me in a look of confusion on the first episode of SmackDown Live.
When the concept of bringing back the draft first came about, I was happy that the WWE was at least going to bring back the hope that their entertainment could once be great again. Some of you might say this line of thinking is idiotic and the reason why you don’t watch anymore. However, ever since the Royal Rumble it seemed as though the WWE was gaining momentum. They were signing a host of new and popular wrestlers, along with kicking up their shows a notch to gain more ratings. So when word of the Draft was released, it made me and a lot of other people think they finally turned the corner. After watching the Draft, I may have to reevaluate my thoughts.
Let me start off my review by asking, “Didn’t it feel like something was missing?” The crowd was dull, the announcements weren’t enthusiastic enough and the order seemed a bit odd. I think the one thing that was missed most was the entrances. Whatever happened to the draft pick’s music being played and then coming out to cut a promo or at least give the crowd some type of response. With all that being said, let’s take a look at what actually worked and how it could play put in the future….
Bray Wyatt to SmackDown
The Wyatt Family looks to have disbanded, as Wyatt and Erick Rowan are on SmackDown, while Braun Strowman is heading to Raw. Vince was quoted as saying Strowman can be a great singles competitor and now he will have the chance to prove it.
However, Luke Harper will eventually be back from injury and could very well restore the stable to its first, and arguably best, version since its inception. Either way moving Bray to SmackDown is a genius move that could pay huge dividends down the road. Bray has everything the company wants in a Champion and now he immediately becomes a leading contender to move to the head of his brand’s hierarchy chart.
Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar are just three names that have been removed from his path to the top, leaving guys like Randy Orton, John Cena and AJ Styles to do battle with. This is a clear-cut way of outing him at the top!
Finn Balor, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to Raw
One of the major storylines created from the 2016 draft was the breakup of the newly, reincarnated Club, with AJ Styles heading to SmackDown and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson going to Raw.
However, it won’t be long until a new version of the stable is founded, given the Raw selection of NXT Star, Finn Balor. We all know the history and are aware of the tweets. As soon as Gallows and Anderson were signed to WWE earlier in the year, there was an expectation Balor would come up to the main roster and form The Balor Club once again, just like he did in Japan. In theory that was an excellent gameplan, but since Finn had his own feuds still blazing in NXT there was never a time for it to materialize.
It looks as if the plan all along was for AJ Styles to get the Club started and introduced to the fanbase, while Finn finished up his business in NXT. Now we can go back to AJ Styles being the main headliner and the Club to continue with its new leader now that they already have a path etched out.
The only question that remains is will Finn lead as a hell or a face. Either way he is polished enough to cover both roles and looks to an integral part of WWE’s future.
Enzo and Cass to Raw
With all the talk of Tag Teams splitting up at the draft, the biggest positive in my mind was the news that The New Day and Enzo Amore and Big Cass are staying together. The New Day has been entertaining for over a year now, while Enzo and Cass have taken the DX mold and reshaped it to fit their own style.
We all are aware that Cass fits WWE’s valuation of a top star and that sooner or later he will be going off on his own. But in the meantime, why not capitalize on the crowd reactions and ratings boost they give to a show while we go through a transition. Breaking them up now would have been a huge mistake.
Splitting up teams before they’ve run their course makes for a dangerous situation and usually does more harm than good. For example, Cass would certainly flourish in a singles path, but if he’s thrown out there before he is ready, we could witness a complete failure like Chris Masters or Mason Ryan. These were 2 amazing athletes, but thrown into the spotlight way too soon. Along those same lines, what would happen to Amore? Yes he is an old-school maestro on the microphone, but a top singles competitor, I think not.
They feed off each other and will continue to rise on WWE’s flagship show. Can you say Tag Team Champions?????
These are just a few of my positives coming from the draft with the negatives waiting to play out. Overall I think the brand split was necessary and a welcomed change for the direction of WWE. It should be interesting to see how this all pans out through the course of the year…What are your feelings on the draft? How do you think it will play out over time? Any bold predictions?
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