By Anthony O'Reilly on June 25th, 2008
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest edition of One Night Blog. This Monday was the annual WWE Draft. And man did they shake things up last night. The only thing that I was upset about was the lack of superstars that ECW picked up. We got one major star and then that was it. One thing that annoyed me is that they seemed only to focus on main eventers. I guess that makes sense since the recent decline in ratings. The picks will definitely make for better feuds, better matches, and an all around better show. Right now I’ll cover in-depth what I think of these Draft choices.
Rey Mysterio to Raw- Wow. I really didn’t see this one coming. Rey Mysterio is such a huge asset to Smackdown I couldn’t imagine why’d they sent him to Raw. I could see him challenging for whatever world title will end up there but mostly hanging around Intercontinental. I think now we could see a whole lot of better matches with him considering the roster Raw has. Perhaps another classic Rey vs. Jericho.
CM Punk to Raw- Well we knew he was moving but we just didn’t know to where. So now it looks like he’ll be WWE Champion soon enough. Punk is pretty much what you’d call a WWECW original. His move from the ECW Brand will certainly reflect in Tuesday night ratings. It’s a good move for him though because it’s about time he goes on to bigger and better things. I see a possible heel turn for him. My prediction is he cashes it in on John Cena.
Batista to Raw- I would’ve never guessed this before the show but when he came down to the ring to beat up Edge I immediately knew he was being drafted. This should make for the ultimate mark dream match: Batista vs. John Cena. I can’t say that I haven’t wanted to see that match. Batista should do well on Raw and give him some fresh faces to work with instead of just Undertaker and Edge.
Kane to Raw- Now this I don’t get. The ECW, repeat, ECW champion to Raw. It should’ve said on the graphic: Kane gets drafted to RAW, and will therefore lose at Night of Champions. This is a bad move for Kane. In ECW he was a big fish. Now he’s returned back to mediocrity where he will probably feud with the likes of JBL.
Jeff Hardy to SD! – Another move I didn’t see coming. Jeff Hardy was receiving such a big push on Raw that I thought it was only a matter of time before he became WWE Champion. Nonetheless I’m sure he’ll do fine on Smackdown. From what happened during the battle royal it seems that he’ll feud with MVP first. He’ll certainly bring some excitement over there. The schedule also gives him a little more time to heal some nagging injuries.
Umaga to SD!- The only draft pick that we were totally certain of came through. Umaga has been on Raw his entire career. There’s absolutely nobody new for him to work with. I have no idea who he might feud with first.
Mr. Kennedy to SD! – Oh yeah baby. Mr. Kennedy comes back home to Friday Nights. I would like to see him go straight up to main event and feud with Edge. Kennedy. I think when we look back on the legacy of Kennedy all we can say about him on Raw was that it was a complete waste of his time.
Triple H to SD! – Well it was either him or Cena and I’m shocked at the decision. To me Cena seemed like the better choice to go to Smackdown. People are saying “oh now Smackdown’s going to get buried.” Yeah probably. I’d like to see him feud with Edge over whichever championship stays on SD! I’ve already heard people say he’s going to be traded back like in 2004. I don’t think this’ll happen though. It gives him more time to stay with Stephanie as she is ready to deliver her second baby.
Matt Hardy to ECW- Everyone was psyched when the Hardyz reunited n Raw. Only for them to lose and Matt to be drafted to ECW. Well I certainly never would’ve expected this. But it’s a good move in many ways. It gives ECW another title to work with and therefore more time on PPV’s. Matt Hardy is an extremely big name and it should be interesting what he can do over here. I expect him to stay on top and even challenge for the ECW title soon. Hardy vs. Bourne anyone??
Michael Cole and J.R. switch brands. Holy Shit (I don’t know if I can say that but whatever). Michael Cole is a Smackdown original if there ever was one. And J.R. is Oklahoman for Monday Night Raw. In my opinion this is probably the biggest shake-up that occurred. It was obvious that J.R. was pissed and Cole was just surprised. With J.R.’s career winding down though it’s probably a smart move in the long run.
The reason why this blog is up later than usual is because I thought I’d cover the supplementary draft in here too.
Mark Henry to ECW- Not a big surprise. He’ll probably work a program with the ECW Champion and then who knows. Not a big pick though.
Jamie Noble to Raw- He wasn’t used that much on Smackdown so he’ll be used even less on Raw. I can see maybe an IC chase in the possible future. Perhaps he can even work with Mysterio.
Trevor Murdoch to SD!- Do you see anything big for him. Me neither. He’ll probably just be a jobber.
Big Daddy V- There’s nothing big about this pick except for the person. I’m glad I don’t have to cover him here anymore.
Deuce to Raw- Now this is the first pick that makes sense. With the 2nd Generation stable coming soon it could help give Deuce a push. Maybe even a certain somebody’s partner.
DH Smith to SD!- Well the first major shakeup to the supplemental draft. DH was the frontrunner to become DiBiase’s partner. I think now on SD! he’ll just stay as a jobber for now.
Hornswoggle to ECW- I’ll give you my opinion on this later.
Super Crazy to ECW- I’m happy about this pick. I feel like something could be done with him to become a bigger name. Or he could stay as a jobber.
Chuck Palumbo to Raw- Chuck is an extremely talented guy. An IC run is definitely in his future and a possible top heel one day.
Brian Kendrick to SD!- Kendrick comes back home without his tag team partner. If there was still a Cruiserweight title I’d say it’s a good move but I think he’s just going to be wasted.
Matt Striker to Raw- Nothing really to say.
Maria to SD!- My Friday Nights just got a whole lot more enjoyable.
Shelton Benjamin to SD!- Hopefully Shelton’s talent can be put to use there. His time on ECW was brief but I think he’ll rise through the ranks soon enough. It’s sad to see the Benjamin-Kofi feud end so abruptly.
Finlay to ECW- Now it’s time for Horny. We all know these two will win on Sunday so it looks like the WWE Tag Team Championships stay on ECW. That’s a nice shakeup
Carltio to SD!- Now I’d say this is a good move if Triple H wasn’t there. He’s most likely going to remain unhappy there.
Layla to Raw- Again I have nothing to say.
KofiKingston to Raw- MAN. ECW is getting ass-raped here. Jesus. I mean do they want the show to fail.
So now it looks like they are trying McMahon Death Angle Part 2. Of course now they want to try it as an injury. I thought it was well played out last night. They had Edge, a heel, rush over and help him. But the thin that shocked me was when McMahon used Triple H’s real name. Luckily now McMahon’s Million Dollar Mania is over. Now we can focus on good storylines. I’ve heard some people say that it’s going to turn out to be an assassination attempt storyline.
Well with a “new” roster let’s see what new and exciting things will happen on ECW
We open up the show with a recap of Million Dollar Mania last night and the tragic accident that Mr. McMahon suffered. Standing in the middle of the ring is ECW GM Teddy Long. He tells us that he can’t give us information on Mr. McMahon’s status; however the show still must go on. How familiar does that sound. We are then introduced to the newest member of the ECW Roster: The United States Champion, Matt Hardy.
Our first match is a tag team match and also looks like CM Punk’s last match here on Sci-Fi. Out come the WWE Tag Team Champions Miz and Morrison. This match was a good tag team match, as is any when you’re dealing with the WWE Tag Team Champions. Punk and Hardy work well too. One funny part of the match was when Punk was hanging on the ropes next to Hardy and then his face is like “Oh crap he’s right there”. Hornswoggle, who is now a part of ECW along with Finlay due to the supplemental draft, distracts Morrison for Hardy to hit the Twist of Fate for the win. Punk and Hardy celebrate in the middle of the ring.
Up next is just what we’ve been looking for in the Kofi vs. Shelton feud: An Extreme Rules Match. This match was definitely not their best match out of the four but it was enjoyable. Two extreme spots were Kofi being suplexed onto the garbage can and Benjamin being hurracaraned into the garbage can. The rest was your average hit you with lids and chairs. Kofi wins with the enziguri. So this was their good-bye match on ECW. I felt it could’ve been a lot better.
The show starts to fall a bit after this. Mike Knox comes out to do battle with Evan Bourne. I think half the audience went to the bathroom during this match because there was barely any crowd reaction. This match was very similar to Bourne’s debut match against Shelton. Knox wins with the Knox Out. I feel that it’s too soon for Evan Bourne to lose. They should’ve built him up to be a bigger deal.
We then go to an even more boring match with Mark Henry vs. Kane. With Mark Henry now on ECW we might as well call ECW Monster Island. We get Big Show out on commentary which was interesting. Better then Adamle, but then again who isn’t. This match was very short and very boring. Big Show distracts Kane allowing Mark Henry to take him down and win with the World’s Strongest Slam. I just read that it’ll now be a triple threat at NOC. I’m dreading this match now.
Well you win some and you lose some in this show. The first half hour was good and the last half hour was terrible. Oh well maybe after this supplemental draft we’ll get a better show next week. I’ll see you all at the Talent Exchange.
Tags: Big Show, CM Punk, Evan Bourne, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, Mike Knox, Shelton Benjamin, WWE Draft, WWE Tag Team Champions
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June 25th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
nice blog
think ECW has got raped again
maybe they will have a RAW talent exchange?
CM Punk to cash in at NOC after triple H wins
June 25th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
ECW is only a one hour show. How many picks did you want them to get? Too many and you have guys that don’t get TV time. ECW is used to develop younger talent which is what they are doing. Just looking at some of the guys that went to RAW/SD from ECW shows that. I think ECW got pretty much what they should have gotten for a one hour show that isn’t used to showcase main event talent.
Overall I think the draft actually accomplished something this year. The only thing I really would have loved to see is Adamle get drafted into a black hole somewhere.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
why is Layla on Raw instead of Kelly Kelly is more raw ready than Layla!! they should put Kelly on raw and have her feud with Jillan since she has nothing to do right now
June 25th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
This is BULL SHIT! Kane is a GREAT ECW champ and now he has to job to FUCKING henry! What a JOKE. Shows Exactly why WWE creative SUCKS. Im gona go vomit now.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Here’s my only problem with the draft. Its the way its done. I don’t like it. They say its just a random selection. Well I hate to say it, but thats not a draft. The draft should consist of them drafting talent from FCW and the development territories. The GMs should then be able to trade draft picks to move up in the draft (like they do with the NFL draft) and use trades of current superstars to pick up draft picks. At least make it look and feel like a draft, not some dumb luck random lottery , or just call it a lottery as thats what it really is. I mean come on, the GM of the show has no say in what talent they get or have? It just makes no sense.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Tim is right. This match made Kane look weak and when was the last time you actually saw Kane beating Henry’s ass down. If there is one thing I DON’T want, is that Spandex King becoming the ECW champ. Well it can’t be any worse than Crappy Khali now can it? They should have kept Kane if you ask me. But if they move Kane to Raw then I say bring back the emotionless masked Kane. Good times. Or is that just me dreaming. And to master bates. Think about it. They truly got raped of there big stars but for the most part it does make sense.
1) CM Punk – He was basically what WWECW was about. But moving him to Raw was a good decision since he has done everything that could have been done in the brand.
2) Kane – As great as it is to have him on Raw this really sucks for ECW since Kane has returned from being the big dog on ECW to being an underused(probably) mid-carder on Raw.
3) Kofi Kingston and Shelton Benjamin – These 2 really made ECW a great show with their matches. Shelton really needs to move on but they should probably have kept Kofi on ECW for now but maybe he could do wonders for Raw. We never know.
Anyway Evan Bourne losing to Mike Knox was pretty gay. I didn’t watch ECW but reading this kinda pisses me off. Evan should have won to make him a more credible opponent.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
e.c.w has suffered enough with kofi and benjiman it was acutally becoming watchable and they lost c.m punk and kane aswell? there is no reason to watch this show anymore.
im dreading to see mark henry and big show feud over the title after night of champions?
why cant vince just rename the brand instead of calling it E.C.W give the brand its own identity or make every match on the show an extrmeme rules match i think the ratings will go even lower after whats happened in the draft!
oh well at least they got hornswaggle………
June 25th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Marc- With the whole title situation after the draft I wouldnt be surprised if CM Punk cashed it in. Maybe both Edge and Triple H retain and then he cashes it in bringing one of the world titles to Raw.
Bates- Well with all the people gone we now have nobody at all. It’ll be a dull show to watch.
Tim- Hope you feel okay. This is bullshit
though. I wouldnt be surprised if ECW folds soon enough.
H.M.- You make some valid points on everyhing.
faraz- Horny wont do anything.
June 25th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Well despite the so-so show a 1.2 rating aint bad for ECW. I think it’ll probably be a lot lower next week
June 25th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Master Bates, did you already forget how ECW was back when Paul Heyman was in charge? It may have been a 1-Hour show, but It seemed to cover a lot of ground every week. Almost everybody was used in some way, Kelly got to strip, and there was an Extreme Rules Match every week. If you’re talking about ECW Now, then oh yeah, the product is definitely in the shitter. I’m with you on that one. That goes without saying when Hornswoggle got drafted there. Seriously, how long do they plan to keep that annoying act running for? But I’m just worried that talent will get wasted on RAW. Look at what RAW did to the guys that Drafted there last year. I just hope I don’t a “Kofi Kingston: Released” thing on WWE.com anytime soon. The only thing that can save ECW is a Matt Hardy/John Morrison feud for the ECW Championship. Hell, a Morrison/Hardy feud would save ECW now and I’d like to see a Bourne/Miz feud, but with Finlay and Hornswoggle on ECW, I can kiss those ideas goodbye.
I agree with you on the Draft. It doesn’t feel much like a Draft unless you have some New Blood sitting in their seats waiting for their name to be called. I actually would like to see that concept implicated.
Josh, I’ve watched Layla wrestle and she can carry herself a lot better than Kelly Kelly can, plus she has the Bitch thing goin for her.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:24 am
With regards to Kane (and Punk and Kofi), remember ECW is now being taped at Raw. I feel confident that all 3 guys will spend some time on ECW in the weeks and months ahead.
June 26th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Layla has attitude and can carry herself better than Kelly. Disappointed to see ECW lose all of it’s top tier talent such as Kingston and Shelton and the champ. So ECW now has the tag team and US titles and will have them after NOC, I can see why they have all been put on there but for a brand that has 15 or so members on its roster with a 45 minute time slot, it’s just not going to work. Isn’t it about time that the ECW champion was actually ECW??. Mark Henry isn’t going to draw money EVER!!!!. And the sooner WWE realize this the better. I’ll give Henry credit, he has good heat but if your going to give the title to someone who has good heat and can compete with everyone in terms of size then give the title to Knox. He can wrestle, has good heat, is moving up in the ranks, and is ECW. And plus he isn’t really doing anything at the moment. I know that he is sort of in a feud with Bourne but that isn’t going to work either as Knox is too credible and is unstoppable at the moment. Give Bourne to Elijah.
Onto this weeks show, the opener was a good solid tag match. All of the guys did their usual things and it was a nice goodbye to Punk but I would have preferred something more. Maybe an Extreme Rules Match with Morrison to finish their ECW rivalry.
In the coming weeks I would like to see what Jack Of All Trades proposed – Bourne/Miz and Hardy/Morrison.
When I heard that Kofi and Shelton would wrestle each other in an Extreme Rules Match my first thoughts were that this match wasn’t hyped which inmy opinion it should have been with it being the second if not the biggest feud on the show at the moment. The feud has been too intense to have no hype. As for the match, it wasn’t great. A table would have topped it off but there wasn’t one. As a goodbye for both wrestlers it wasn’t good enough.
Here we go (Air) Bourne Vs Knox. Did you hear the crowd? No me neither. At least make an effort to get the crowd involved. In my opinion with tonight being the last show for quite a few people I would have skipped this match.
Big Show was on commentary for the main event and he did a good job of calling the match. This match was boring, the best part for me was when the bell rang at the end. Again skip this match and replace it with maybe Kane Vs Matt Hardy. As sort of a passing of the torch.
So to sum up the show, the first match was good but I would have much rather seen Punk Vs Morrison. The Extreme Rules match wasn’t great.
I didn’t really care for Knox Vs Bourne.
My main event would have been alot better.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:56 am
Yeah, I really have to agree with everyone, here. This week sucked ass. How bad is it when your opening match is the best one of the night? I thought that I would see another good Bourne match. Oh well. I had no interest in the “main event”. Once again, I sincerely hope Team Ireland doesn’t win the tag titles. Have Vickie come up with some way to keep the titles on SD! so MNM can lose them to an actual team. Wait, there’s not really any tag teams on SD! Or RAW for that matter. What happened?
Although I like the concept of NoC, there’s definitely no way I’m ordering it. We all know Kane’s going to lose the ECW title. Ted and ???(Deuce) are going to win the World Tag Titles. Hopefully MNM will keep the WWE Tag Titles. Chavo will probably win the US Title since he is technically still an ECW Superstar. Either that, or lose dirty. Don’t really care who wins the Women’s, Diva’s, and IC Titles. And either HHH or Edge is going to lose their titles.
June 27th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I have to agree Big D. Bourne is fantastic but I wasn’t bothered about him this week.
I can’t believe that I am saying this but take a leaf out of TNA’s book with the tag team wrestling. Apart from the mistery partner, the RAW tag match has had no real hype and will be boring anyway.
The concept of Night Of Champions is good but I have to wonder: is there too many titles being defended?
June 27th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Richard, it’s not that there are too many titles. It’s just that the WWE hasn’t utilized any of them correctly over the past couple of years except for the “Big Three”. Back during the early years of the Attitude Era, there were seven titles. (WWF, IC, Light heavyweight, Euro, Tag Team, Women, and Hardcore) You never had to wory about having a show like NoC, because they had a “30-day defense” rule. Whereas, every champion had to defend their belts at least every thirty days. I don’t know how consistant they were with it. But, I think, if they bring that rule back NoC may go back to Vengeance and you would probably see a ratings boost.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Yeah you are probably right but I still think that there are too mny titles
June 27th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I have to agree with Big D on this. If you bring back the thirty day defense rule that would make things more interesting. I mean remember when Edge was stripped because of that rule? We’d see more title defenses on TV which should boost ratings. I think I could count on one hand the number of times the U.S. and Intercontinental titles were defended this year so far. The World Tag Team is a joke and the WWE Tag titles are only slightly better. Night of Champions is a good concept for a pay per view. But as Big D said if WWE utilized the titles more properly there wouldnt be a need for it.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Im getting noc because i promised my little girl i would. But im not to happy about it because i feel like i know whats going to happen. So im going to make some predictions and hope im wrong.
1)Mickie will win
2)Fatty Henry will win
3)Ted and partner will win, im guessing deuce
4)Miz and Morrison will win, unless there getting rid of those titles.
5)IC title will stay on jericho
6)Hardy wins
7)Batista wins
8)HHH wins
I think thats it. Hope im wrong.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Im goin with chavo not hardy.
June 28th, 2008 at 6:42 am
I’m praying with you that that is how 4 will go. I can see their opponents winning on 7 & 8. I think they may have HHH as Edge’s first feud post-draft.