Last night, the WWE Universe watched as six superstars changed their address. Alberto Del Rio, Rey Mysterio Jr, and The Big Show all moved to Raw, while Randy Orton, Sin Cara, and Mark Henry were all relocated to Smackdown. Today, the draft continued on WWE.com, and 24 additional superstars now have new homes.
It appears that the lion’s share of the talent being moved are heading from Raw to Smackdown. So far, the changes look like this:
To Smackdown – Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, The Great Khali, Ranjin Singh, Jimmy & Jey Uso, Tamina, Alicia Fox, William Regal, Yoshi Tatsu, Natalya, Ted DiBiase, Tyson Kid, Tamina, and Alex Riley.
To Raw – Jack Swagger, Kelly Kelly, JTG, Drew McIntyre, Curt Hawkins, Chris Masters, Kofi Kingston, Tyler Reks, and Beth Phoenix.
In my opinion, the rival brands benefited pretty evenly during today’s draft. Prior to the last pick (Sheamus), I was of the belief that Raw made out better today than Smackdown despite the Friday night show receiving more draft picks. With the exception of Daniel Bryan, Raw hadn’t really lost much in this supplemental draft, as guys like Ted DiBiase and Tyson Kid were seldom used anyway. Meanwhile, three upper midcard talents moved from Smackdown to Raw in the form of Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre, and Kofi Kingston. The final pick that moved Sheamus from Raw to Smackdown really evens things out though, as the acquisition of the Celtic Warrior and his United States title are a big deal.
Some points of interest:
- Alex Riley will be forced to survive without his boss and mentor The Miz, although I suspect the two will find a way to continue their dubious partnership.
- Tamina and Santino Marella’s relationship has become a long distance one, however, Santino’s old flame Beth Phoenix is now on the same brand as he is.
- With the shipment of Sin Cara, Daniel Bryan, Yoshi Tatsu, and Tyson Kid to Smackdown, WWE appears to be corralling their smaller guys onto one brand. I wonder if a resurrection of the cruiserweight division is in the cards.
- Jack Swagger’s addition to the Raw roster certainly makes it appear that Michael Cole is staying put.
- Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase being on the same brand leads me to believe it’s possible we see a Legacy reunion of sorts, perhaps to feud with Smackdown’s newly acquired Randy Orton.
- Drew McIntyre and Kelly Kelly remaining on the same brand, now Raw, indicates to me that we haven’t seen the end of their tumultuous relationship.
- Beth Phoenix’s move to Raw likely opens the door for a feud with Kharma down the line.
Remember, just because the draft is over, it doesn’t mean that we’re necessary done with the roster swaps. WWE has continued to change superstars’ brands, or revert them to their original ones, in the days following past drafts. We should have a better feel for what’s going to stick come next week, but for now, this is how things look.
