2008 WWE Draft

By:  | Posted: Monday, June 23rd, 2008 at 12:31 pm.

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Tonight is the WWE Draft, so this column should be really fun to
read on Tuesday morning.

It’s tough to try to predict
who is going where, because with the exception of the very tippy-top stars like
HHH and Shawn Michaels, the draft picks are kept under super heavy wraps until
the show airs.  How tightly is this
information guarded?  So tightly that
most everyone does not know that they’re being drafted until their name is
called on live television, and those whose names are not called don’t know
until later on that evening when they log onto WWE.com.  You think I’m joking.  This has been a source of frustration for
wrestlers for years now, but, like many other things, it’s probably in some ways
one of those deals where Vince has to remind everyone now and then who is in
charge. 

Traditionally, fans get
really excited for the draft and then end up let down in the end, because
usually only a couple of top stars actually switch sides, and then we sit there
as, say, Rob Conway is moved from Smackdown to ECW.  This year, however, things may be different
if for no other reason than that there has not been a year in some time where
things so drastically need to be shaken up.

Case in point — Undertaker
faced Edge for the WWE Title at
WrestleMania in March.  Then in
April.  Then in May.  Then in June.  And he’ll probably face him in July again, and perhaps August.  For the time being, with Undertaker
“retired”, Edge is facing Batista, the same guy he feuded with for
half of last year.  Smackdown needs help,
bad.

We ran a poll on our website
asking fans which wrestlers were most likely to jump, and at press time the top
two names were John Cena and Batista.  These are, in fact, the two most likely big name candidates.  Batista has done about all there is to do on
Smackdown, and with that show moving to MyNetworkTV this fall they need to make
sure it doesn’t tank in the ratings.  Cena being moved into the top babyface slot on that show would really
help them out, plus that double jump would add intrigue to the PPV this coming
weekend.  They have already announced
that no matter what happens in the draft the planned title matches are still
going to take place.  Therefore, you have
a scenario where if, say, Cena gets drafted to Smackdown and then beats HHH,
Smackdown would end up with possession of both the WWE
AND the World Title.  Perhaps it’s too obvious and WWE will avoid that scenario as a result, but I
really think that this storyline could boost interest in both brands for at
least a month or two leading up to a Raw representative taking the title back
home. 

As far as who will not be
drafted, although anything can happen I would bet against either Shawn Michaels
or Triple H.  Both would help Smackdown
immensely, but Michaels has turned down going to Smackdown for years, largely
due to Wednesday morning church commitments, and I cannot imagine Triple H
going to what has largely been promoted as a B-level show.  Undertaker, because he’s retired, also won’t
be jumping ship, and I doubt they’d move Edge since they’re building up to the
return of Undertaker at the Edge/Vickie wedding in July. 

And finally, it will be
intriguing to see what, if anything, happens to the announce teams.  WWE
has made it clear that everyone is eligible for the draft, including the
announcers.  Jim Ross has stated publicly
time and time again that he is vehemently against the idea of being
drafted.  Will Vince once again try to
make the move he’s been threatening to make (and has, for brief periods, made)
over the course of several years?  Will
Ross be moved out of the Raw booth and replaced with Michael Cole?  A Ross/Foley combo on Smackdown would
probably be a lot of fun, but the idea of the A-show being anchored by Cole and
Lawler is pretty horrifying.  And with
Ross having saved his money and invested in two barbecue restaurants, would he
even stand for it? 

Wrestling has been fairly
blah of late, but tonight’s Raw, with both the draft and the latest and likely
final Million Dollar Giveaway, has all the makings of, if nothing else, a
newsworthy night. 

****

For the latest pro-wrestling
and MMA news and analysis with
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer, please visit the new Figure Four
Online/Wrestling Observer super site at www.wrestlingobserver.com or
www.f4wonline.com. 

CATEGORIES:Editorial