The Draft - who came out better Raw or Smackdown?

[tripleddd]

Ive got to say i'm not that fussed with the draft as i beleive its lost alot of its early excitement and has indeed become predictable - never the less what it has thrown up is this time - is the fact that Smackdown could become the number one show? Weve got to assume that the vacant whc is going to Smackdown with the probability of Christian getting it. Raw can not have the whc title unless its going to get unifyed - and lets not go down that road.So whose going to be in the whc hunt randy orton, undertaker, Kane sheamus - wade Barrett - its starting to look like a very solid card not to mention daniel bryan, sin cara, kofi .
Now lets consider Raw wwe title The Miz, Cena , CM punk Big Show , adr, jack swagger may be - i think its not as strong - The Miz has got to drop the title soon, Cena at some point has got to be out of the title picture at the end of the year .
Unless there is one last surprise draft pick smackdown has won hands down .
The Undertaker has to go to Raw

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

While watching the show on Monday, it was obvious that Smackdown got the better draw.

However, John Cena was back on Raw by the end of the night, and now with the supplement draft, I think Raw got the all around better picks. Rey, Show, and ADR were Smackdown's top guys; Swagger, Drew, and Kofi filled out SD's upper midcard.

Raw certainly picked up a lot of top talent, while SD looks to be working toward building up some talent.

Also:

Unless there is one last surprise draft pick smackdown has won hands down .
The Undertaker has to go to Raw

This will never happen. He's currently kayfabe-injured, and won't be around for a while, and his schedule doesn't allow for it. Undertaker pretty much just shows up during PPVs now.

 

[JBK2008]

SmackDown got a hell of a makeover and I think the blue brand won out here. SmackDown will no doubt look a lot fresher as far as feuds go where Raw you're still going to see Miz and Cena mix it up. Hopefully someone on the new Raw brand can keep him out of the title picture for a few months now.

 

[MCMG]

Raw: Cena, Jomo, Punk, Miz, ADR, Swagger, Ziggler and to a lesser extent rey, mcintyre, kofi, bourne and the big show are all on raw and could easily be in the main event this year.


Smackdown: Orton, Christian, Kane, Barret, Rhodes, Barret, Sheamus and with the right backing Dibiase and Bryan.

For me Raw is clearly better off than smackdown. Smackdown has 3 former world champs whereas Raw has 7 clearly showing raw has more experience and already established stars. I'm am positive that Taker will not be back before SumerSlam at the earliest and there would be no point giving him the belt at this time in his career.

Raw has a better established main event and a better mid-card waiting for a push.

 

[stmarks2002]

I think SD won: they got a new face in Orton who immediately goes into the WHC picture; Sheamus who needed a change of scenery and could do wonders on SD, and they got Daniel Bryan. They brought over the Uso's who could do well in the tag title picture and got: Kidd, Yoshi, and Dibiase. These gentlemen can start to find there way and become relevant. Orton doesnt have to vie with Cena anymore and he can also work a program with Barrett and the Corre. SD gained many new possibilities whereas RAW added more space fillers and talent to waste. Hopefully McIntyre can get something from this and this is great for Beth Pheonix if Kong is RAW. My only concern and question is whats gonna happen to Zach Rider; are they gonna pair him back up with Hawkins or finally give him his much needed air time.

 

[TheFatManFromYoutube]

Depends how you look at it,
SD-Orton, Dibiase, Rhodes, Sin Cara Daniel Bryan, Christian, Chavo, The Uso's, Kane, The Corre, Sheamus, Tatsu, Tyson Kidd, Berretta, Undertaker, etc.

SD has the better in ring performer's then Raw but Raw has the more Charismatic/"Entertainers". In my opinion SD got the better deal(other then ADR moving brands, should of stayed on SD).

 

[Prince Punk]

I think the wrestlers themselves got the best pick....

Raw is considered the 2 hour prime time. So you only REALLY get to showcase what you have if your over to some degree. They don't try new things here anymore as far as building up talent. Your either getting a massive push or your not even there.

Smackdown is where you go to build up momentum and get over with your character. You now have Sheamus over there as one of the top heels, Tyson Kidd will be able to grow into the upper midcard cody rhodes can hit the main event and chase the world title while Ted can find himself some tv time. Sin Cara can work and not worry about blown spots (or primo blowing them for him).

However Raw also got people like chris masters which means you could see a few of the raw picks future endeavored in the very near future.

 

[BritishLion]

I would say that it was roughly equal, but it I had to give it to one brand I'd say Smackdown. This is mainly due to Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, William Regal & Sin Cara in terms of wrestling ability and Randy Orton in terms of star power. RAW did get some big players also, such as Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston & Drew McIntyre. I think in the long run this has helped RAW the most because Randy Orton has been moved to Smackdown, which opens the door for another babyface, for example John Morrison, to become one of the top faces on RAW.

 

[Kofi/ZigglerClassic]

Let's see, RAW has alll the heels and none of them have interest in facing each other or turning face. Smackdown has a lot faces so we might see more professional feuds and matches instead of the good/bad angle. I'd say this draft was very unbalanced if anything.

 

[Dagger Dias]

On paper it looks like Smackdown came out better as a result of the draft. They needed it after how they have been as a brand for the past year. Raw seems to be in bad shape, having been robbed of so many faces and midcarders only to get mostly mediocare talent in return. They have the potential to build some new stars with guys who can get a second chance on Raw after failing on Smackdown. I see quite a few of those who moved getting future endeavoured if they do not impress one last time. Smackdown got a great draft selection though and hopefully things will be better for the blue brand now because they have a great roster to work with as of this week.

 

[usn128]

I think it is going to be a little while until we see who got the better end of the draft. It's not just about who they got, its about how WWE ends up using them.

Also, does anyone else think Miz could end up turning face? Hear me out, if I was running it, this is how I would do it. Step 1: Get rid of Alex Riley (done!). Step 2: continue to have him not be the focal point. He is the WWE champion, so he should be, but he took a MAJOR backseat to Cena/Rock around and during WrestleMania. Step 3: Have the heels and faces continue to do things other than focus on being WWE champion. Step 4: Let this go on for another month or so. Continue to have Miz talk about himself being the WWE champion and the must see blah blah blah. Step 5: Make a main event at a PPV (or Raw) that isn't for the WWE title and doesn't include him. Step 6: Have him bitch about it. Step 7: After the match is over (or in the middle of the match if it is Raw) have him come down with a steel chair and level everyone. Faces and heels! The crowd would pop BIG time. Step 8: Give him more of a badass, edgy attitude. Not whiny or bitching, but badass, almost cross between Stone Cold and Rock attitude. He has the mic skills, and his wrestling ability is pretty good. Give him this attitude and continue the attacks on the heels and he would be so over. You could then end up Cena turning heel (he gets about 50/50 cheer/boo anyway). The fans want to boo Cena because he is to clean. Miz could walk that line like Rock and Stone Cold could IMO. Thoughts?

 

[rge2010]

I think Smackdown needed these changes more than Raw so in my opinion Smackdown is the winner.

Randy Orton, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan are major coups. Yes they lost Show and Rey but they have been on Smackdown for years in he main and were stale. Del Rio is a loss, but he never really seemed that over on Smackdown. Raw will be better for him.

Swagger, McIntyre, Kofi were doing nothing anyway so no great loss. Tyson Kidd and Ted Dibiase both have potential if you ask me so be good to see what the SD writers do with them. I also think Alex Riley is a nice coup. He is no slouch on the ring and good on the mic. This could be his chance to shine. I really hope he does because I like him.

 

[dotty_84]

I'm going for SD! for me i think the Midcard looks good, looking forward to what Rhodes will do and hopefully see DiBiase get utilised. I'm so pleased Kofi and Rey are off SD! Would loved to have seen Ryder on SD! he better get some push, he's got star quality all over him.

 

[WeAreLasers9097]

Uh, is this a topic about the draft or plans for a Miz storyline?

SmackDown! definitely came out on the better end of the deal. Take a look at the current rosters and it speaks for itself. Its midcard looks better than ever, and its main event has taken a serious adjustment, with numerous potential to ignite great feuds, such as Orton vs. Christian, Mark Henry vs. Orton, the list continues. Smackdown is known for having more action packed events, and we'll be seeing even better matches with the addition of Sin Cara, Daniel Bryan, etc. RAW didn't get completely shafted, however, as it still kept a lot of major players, such as Cena and Punk, and acquired Mysterio and Del Rio. RAW also gained Kingston and McIntyre, hot off the press, young athletes ready to blow up.

In my opinion, they should have traded the Corre over to RAW and The Nexus to Smackdown. But that would have been a big waste of 8 draft picks.

 

[usn128]

WeAreLasers, sorry about that, but with all the heels coming to Raw, I think it kinda ties in. Show and Rey won't be around as long as McIntyre and ADR and some of the others and with the (too long) awaited Cena heel turn coming sometime (hopefully, I pray every day lol), I think it could lead to a great face run for Miz. Didn't realize going just a tad off topic was a crime punishable by death.

 

[Wickpeeka]

For me it shakes out like this;

RAW: Mysterio, Big Show, Del Rio, Swagger, McIntyre, Kingston, Beth Phoenix
Smackdown: Orton, Mark Henry, Sin Cara, Daniel Bryan, Natalya, Ted DiBiase, Alex Riley, Sheamus

Smackdown came out on top. They get the only legitimate current main event star of the draft in Orton. They replace an aging Rey Mysterio with a fresh high flying Sin Cara. They replace Big Show with a guy who can take his place in Sheamus. Daniel Bryan, Ted DiBiase and Alex Riley can all fill midcard slots. The big loss for Smackdown is Del Rio but the addition of Orton is a bigger gain.

For RAW they get two aging vets to fill out their air time. They get two great young heels in Swagger (who could actually turn face when all is said and done) and Del Rio. They also get two midcarders who haven't lived up to their potential at this point in Kofi and Drew.

What I'm personally most disappointed about is that both Sheamus AND Drew change brands. I've wanted to see them pair up for a couple of years now. It's similar to people wanting the Cody Rhodes Vs Goldust feud. It's something that is tantalizing but we likely won't get it until its lost much of its lure (Goldust will be a deteriorated wrestler on his way out while the freshness that McIntyre/Sheamus provide will be well and truly gone).

A little shocked that Natalya was drafted to Smackdown. If Kharma (Kong) is going to RAW then it would have made more sense to have both Natty and Beth on the RAW roster. Then again, with the way in which they constantly swap the divas around that will be fixed in no time.

I suppose with Del Rio moving to RAW it's almost a guarantee that Christian will win his first World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules. I can't say that I'm not jumping through hoops in anticipation. Have been a BIG fan for years. Then again, perhaps it's a swerve and they'll end up unifying the belts (again).

I don't get to watch Smackdown much but this will certainly encourage me to take advantages of the opportunities that I do.

RAW is coming to Australia in a few months. Disappointed I wont get to see Sin Cara and Daniel Bryan. Knock on wood that Punk stays healthy this time and comes out (he missed the Smackdown tour last year due to injury). Del Rio was great last year - got to see him perform before he debuted on Smackdown. I'm excited to see him again now that he's been so successful in the WWE.

I wonder where Jericho will go if he does come back? I'm assuming he'd be headed to Smackdown, if at least temporarily. He has unfinished business with Orton. He could very well be the difference maker of this draft. If he does go to Smackdown then they've clearly won but if he goes to RAW then it somewhat cancels out the advantage Smackdown got in the draft. Smackdown does make the most sense as RAW will have Punk, Miz, Swagger, Del Rio and R-Truth as upper midcard or higher level heels.

 

[MWRedskins]

i say Smackdown because that is the show with more in ring wrestling and what did they get??? a great wrestler in Daniel Bryan and they got more main event players in Orton and Sheamus to join up with Barrett and Christian. RAW did well though because they got an exciting wrestler in Mysterio.

 

[Tors Hall Rule]

Smackdown... At least in my opinion because of the following facts

1) They have taken a ME guy in Orton who is probably the most over face in WWE right now (Cena still gets around 50% boos depending on situations and locations) in trade with ADR who still isn't much tested.

2) Mysterio's retiring soon and they have zeroed in the blue brand to be the one aiming for the Hispanic crowd. Sin Cara. Perfect replacement. And as many pointed out, botched moves edited.

3) They can now develop more feuds and being the crowd more face prone, I guess it will finally allow Barrett and Rhodes to get into the ME scene and polish their skills.

4) Now this one is still a speculation. Y2J has been eliminated and though I would love him to play the babyface once more, him coming back to WWE on SD will balance the face-heel imbalance because he is a crowd stealer. The guy gives you perfect emotions and has the skills to put over anyone. He comes back against Orton, Christian, possibly the Undertaker. All mouth-watering prospects.

 

[nerd4life]

kofi is on raw not smackdown but he sucks anyways


clearly smackdown got the better deal, that was the purpose of the draft to help smackdown out with edges departure.

Christian wins title holds it till summerslam and loses to orton.

Orton Runs smackdown.

 

[Tors Hall Rule]

WeAreLasers, sorry about that, but with all the heels coming to Raw, I think it kinda ties in. Show and Rey won't be around as long as McIntyre and ADR and some of the others and with the (too long) awaited Cena heel turn coming sometime (hopefully, I pray every day lol), I think it could lead to a great face run for Miz. Didn't realize going just a tad off topic was a crime punishable by death.

Even though I pray the same that Cena turns heel, or at least tweener who can battle the entire locker romm (He can pull it off, he's only next to Superman ) I doubt its going to happen. He is the closest WWE has got who puts people's backside in the seats and the fact that he is going up against Rock makes it even more sure that he will remain face at least till the next wrestlemania.. Still, one can dream of it..

And the idea you put forward for Miz, I dont really think he can play it to perfection. Esp with the way he looks, that haircut and suit and the way he carries himself off. Now if you remember when he impersonated Rock, had his hair all slicked backwards and spoke as if he meant everyword. have him play that kinda thing and your idea will work.. Though I would still prefer him develop his character more..

 

[Born To Fly]

After trimming the fat off both drafts, it’s tough to see who got the overall edge. Originally, I said Raw. Now, it’s a toss-up.

To Raw — Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre, Chris Masters, Kofi Kingston, Beth Phoenix (solely because of Kharma), Rey Mysterio Jr, The Big Show, Alberto Del Rio

To Smackdown — Daniel Bryan, Ted Dibiase, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Mark Henry, Sin Cara

Obviously, a lot of people were moved to Smackdown so they could get future endeavored, hence trimming the fat, as I said earlier. Yet, at the same time, some were definitely put over there to see if they could swim on their own, such as Ted Dibiase. Was disappointed to see Sheamus go over, because it stalls Daniel Bryan a bit. Moving Sin Cara allows WWE the ability to edit his matches to make them look clean.

Raw got a ton of talent, mainly with Swagger, McIntyre, Kingston and Del Rio. That’s the future for the WWE, while it seems Big Show and Mysterio were sent over there to conclude their careers. Masters is a toss-up, but he’s shown flashes of brilliance recently.

Overall Edge — Slight nod to Raw

 

[p11srad]

Raw got the better draft since a lot of the people that went to Smacdown ere already on that show so they got drafted by their own brand!

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Going to RAW can also mean Future Endeavoured.... I was a bit miffed at Sheamus, moving a championship should have been a bigger deal than Mark Henry... it should have been on the show itself... Guessing this could head to a unification though...

 

[Danny84]

I would say they both came off gd as raw got all the main eventers pretty much bar orton,christian and kane

and smackdown now gets intresting cause they have the chance to put a number of people in the main event for the world title like everyone said
orton,christian who will have the title at extreme rules i would think,wade barret,kane,sheamus,daniel bryan,cody rhodes,ted dibiase,sin cara at some point
and why not chris masters if they use him right


I would love to see for the smackdown summerslam main event
RANDY ORTON(WHO IS CHAMP BY THEN)VsCODY RHODESVsTED DIBIASE how good would that be ?

 

[lilnev2009]

I feel as though for today, raw came out looking better. They got a couple of guys who can be in the main event right now and it be believeable in rey, swagger, cena, alberto del rio, morrison, miz, big show and to a lesser extent kofi. BUT in the big picture, smackdown won hands down. With Orton and wade barret being essentially the only guys who have been in a main event match in the past few months, smackdown has no choice but to start developing guys. You have to figure that christian will win the title since del rio is on raw so thats one guy that you put in the lime light right now. You have orton who even though he is on smackdown now,will no doubtedly be still in this feud with cm punk and you have the undertaker who has been working 4 months of the year for pretty much the last 5 or 6 years. So now you have guys like sheamus, barrett, rhodes, kane (im pretty sure since big show is on raw now that the usos or gabriel/slater will get the titles) and even mark henry ( last time he was a heel, he was heavyweight champ and was beating the dog shit out of the undertaker) be in the main picture right now. It makes the product fresh and makes it more interesting knowing that new guys will have the strap. Then this also gives you time to have alex riley, ezekial jackson, ted dibase, daniel bryan and others time to legitly become upper tier guys and eventually look strong enough to go after the heavyweight title. Smackdown doesn"t look as weak as it use to. Raw can do the same with mcintyre and R truth but smackdown essentially recieved the future champs while raw recieved the current champs. Now if raw is smart they will put mcintyre in a program with HHH so it would become believable for him as a main eventer ala Sheamus. If Raw can freshen up the title picture, then they could be the brand to carry wwe until the guys on smackdown are ready. Isn't that what they did with Cena, Orton and Angle back in the day? essentially make smackdown FCw with a national tv contract