Professor Wrestling: WWE Draft A Bit Daft
Rosters Shaken Up After 'WrestleMania 20'
POSTED: 10:04 a.m. EST March 26, 2004
UPDATED: 3:33 p.m. EST March 27, 2004
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One of the marketing lines for "WrestleMania 20" was "Where It All Begins . . . Again." With that in mind, WWE head honcho Vince McMahon decided to freshen things up a bit by swapping characters between his two big shows, "Raw" and "Smackdown!"
The "draft lottery" aired on "Raw" Monday night, with "Raw" general manager Eric Bishchoff and "Smackdown!" G.M. Paul Heyman "picking" (if anyone thinks this was random, please see me after class) six names each out of metal tumblers, with six sports entertainers from the "Raw" brand going to "Smackdown!" and vice versa. There were a few trades as well.
So what did the Professor think of the scripted swaps? Thought you'd never ask.
Triple H Goes To "Smackdown!": That didn't last long. He was traded back to "Raw" the next night at the "Smackdown!" taping for Booker T and the Dudleys. The professor thinks this was a wise move. You don't want to break up Hunter's heel group Evolution just yet. They're not the Four Horsemen, but HHH can still go, Dave Batista has great potential, Randy Orton gets better every week and even in his early 50s, Ric Flair is still the man.
Paul Heyman Goes To "Raw": That didn't last long either. Heyman "quit" the WWE Monday, not wanting to suck up to Bischoff. The hot rumor has Heyman coming back soon as someone's manager, and perhaps heading up a stable of former ECW stars. McMahon, in turn, tapped Kurt Angle to be the new "Smackdown!" G.M. Both are good moves because Heyman, who is doing a super job on the mic, won't get stale. Angle, meanwhile, can cut down on his ring time (to extend his career) and still be part of the circus. On "Smackdown!" Thursday night, he looked Lex Luthor-ish in that white sportscoat and bald head, antagonizing WWE champ Eddie Guerrero. Perfect.
Booker T Goes To "Smackdown!": Not a bad move, especially if this babyface turns full heel. Coming in, his storyline is to have him complain that "Smackdown!" is the minor leagues compared to "Raw." A nice twist. Booker T needs to be a bad guy for a while. He wasn't doing much as a babyface, even if he was teamed with Rob Van Dam.
Rob Van Dam Goes To "Smackdown!":He's now calling himself "Mr. Thursday Night." The Professor would like to see more out of RVD. He has good moves, but he always seems to be going in super slow motion. For some reason, it's hard to watch. Dude.
Shelton Benjamin Goes To "Raw": Benjamin gets split from his tag team partner, Charlie Haas. Both are great workers, but the Professor hasn't really seen much personality out of either. It's certainly a promotion for Benjamin to try to make it as a singles wrestler, he just has to perform. Same story for Haas. He's great in the ring, but bland as unbuttered white toast.
Mark Jindrak Goes To "Smackdown!":Same story for Jindrak. All the talent in the world, but he needs to come up with a gimmick that engages a television viewer.
Renee Dupree Goes To "Smackdown!": As wrestling tradition dictates, promoters rip heels from the headlines. When the Prof. was in grade school, Nazis (Baron Von Rashke), Arabs (The Sheik) and Communists (Nikolai Volkoff) were the bad guys. Today, it's a Frenchman. If he can sharpen his already improving mic skills, it looks like Dupree, at age 20, has a nice future. USA! USA!
The Dudley Boys Go To "Smackdown!": The Professor realizes that Spike, D-Von and Bubba work hard, but the act is stale. Perhaps they'll stumble into fresh storylines in a new atmosphere.
Edge Goes To "Raw": Edge. Dull. Like Dudleys. Needs to be a heel. Soon.
Chuck Palumbo and A-Train Go To "Raw": What? Whack that stellar tag team the Full-Blooded Italians? Not soon enough. The A-Train needs to shave his back.
Rico and Miss Jackie Go To "Smackdown!": Rico is a good worker, but his gimmick is PERHAPS THE WORST EVER! What is he? Wasted talent is the short answer. As for Jackie Gayda . . . this Diva stuff is getting a bit tiring, especially when the divas have no personality.
Nidia Goes To "Smackdown!": The former MTV "Tough Enough" champ will actually get to wrestle for the WWE women's title, instead of being stuck in stupid "Smackdown!" skits. A good move.
Tajiri Goes To "Raw": The best Tajiri is a crazy heel Tajiri. Here's hoping he sprays his goofy green mist on "Raw."
Rhyno Goes To "Raw": And for his first match as a "Raw" star, he gets beat by Chris Benoit. That didn't make sense. He should be marketed as an unstoppable monster heel.
Teddy Long Goes To "Smackdown!": The Prof. loves Teddy Long. He especially loves Teddy's catchphrase: "You feel me, playa?" I say that to the guy who works to the left of me just about every day and I'm sure he's ready to kill me. I said it to Mrs. Professor once, and she socked me in the shoulder. Anyway, Teddy is a God -- "Smackdown!" wins.
Overall grade: B-minus for the effort and execution. Did you really expect McMahon to make huge changes? Nope, he's a businessman and he's just going to do enough to give each show a bit of a facelift and create a few new rivalries. This was accomplished, but it still felt a bit reserved, which is something TV wrestling shouldn't be.
That's it. The bell has rung.
Class dismissed.
(Professor Wrestling is a masked employee of Internet Broadcasting Systems. His hometown is listed as "Parts Unknown.")
The "draft lottery" aired on "Raw" Monday night, with "Raw" general manager Eric Bishchoff and "Smackdown!" G.M. Paul Heyman "picking" (if anyone thinks this was random, please see me after class) six names each out of metal tumblers, with six sports entertainers from the "Raw" brand going to "Smackdown!" and vice versa. There were a few trades as well.
So what did the Professor think of the scripted swaps? Thought you'd never ask.
Triple H Goes To "Smackdown!": That didn't last long. He was traded back to "Raw" the next night at the "Smackdown!" taping for Booker T and the Dudleys. The professor thinks this was a wise move. You don't want to break up Hunter's heel group Evolution just yet. They're not the Four Horsemen, but HHH can still go, Dave Batista has great potential, Randy Orton gets better every week and even in his early 50s, Ric Flair is still the man.
Paul Heyman Goes To "Raw": That didn't last long either. Heyman "quit" the WWE Monday, not wanting to suck up to Bischoff. The hot rumor has Heyman coming back soon as someone's manager, and perhaps heading up a stable of former ECW stars. McMahon, in turn, tapped Kurt Angle to be the new "Smackdown!" G.M. Both are good moves because Heyman, who is doing a super job on the mic, won't get stale. Angle, meanwhile, can cut down on his ring time (to extend his career) and still be part of the circus. On "Smackdown!" Thursday night, he looked Lex Luthor-ish in that white sportscoat and bald head, antagonizing WWE champ Eddie Guerrero. Perfect.
Booker T Goes To "Smackdown!": Not a bad move, especially if this babyface turns full heel. Coming in, his storyline is to have him complain that "Smackdown!" is the minor leagues compared to "Raw." A nice twist. Booker T needs to be a bad guy for a while. He wasn't doing much as a babyface, even if he was teamed with Rob Van Dam.
Rob Van Dam Goes To "Smackdown!":He's now calling himself "Mr. Thursday Night." The Professor would like to see more out of RVD. He has good moves, but he always seems to be going in super slow motion. For some reason, it's hard to watch. Dude.
Shelton Benjamin Goes To "Raw": Benjamin gets split from his tag team partner, Charlie Haas. Both are great workers, but the Professor hasn't really seen much personality out of either. It's certainly a promotion for Benjamin to try to make it as a singles wrestler, he just has to perform. Same story for Haas. He's great in the ring, but bland as unbuttered white toast.
Mark Jindrak Goes To "Smackdown!":Same story for Jindrak. All the talent in the world, but he needs to come up with a gimmick that engages a television viewer.
Renee Dupree Goes To "Smackdown!": As wrestling tradition dictates, promoters rip heels from the headlines. When the Prof. was in grade school, Nazis (Baron Von Rashke), Arabs (The Sheik) and Communists (Nikolai Volkoff) were the bad guys. Today, it's a Frenchman. If he can sharpen his already improving mic skills, it looks like Dupree, at age 20, has a nice future. USA! USA!
The Dudley Boys Go To "Smackdown!": The Professor realizes that Spike, D-Von and Bubba work hard, but the act is stale. Perhaps they'll stumble into fresh storylines in a new atmosphere.
Edge Goes To "Raw": Edge. Dull. Like Dudleys. Needs to be a heel. Soon.
Chuck Palumbo and A-Train Go To "Raw": What? Whack that stellar tag team the Full-Blooded Italians? Not soon enough. The A-Train needs to shave his back.
Rico and Miss Jackie Go To "Smackdown!": Rico is a good worker, but his gimmick is PERHAPS THE WORST EVER! What is he? Wasted talent is the short answer. As for Jackie Gayda . . . this Diva stuff is getting a bit tiring, especially when the divas have no personality.
Nidia Goes To "Smackdown!": The former MTV "Tough Enough" champ will actually get to wrestle for the WWE women's title, instead of being stuck in stupid "Smackdown!" skits. A good move.
Tajiri Goes To "Raw": The best Tajiri is a crazy heel Tajiri. Here's hoping he sprays his goofy green mist on "Raw."
Rhyno Goes To "Raw": And for his first match as a "Raw" star, he gets beat by Chris Benoit. That didn't make sense. He should be marketed as an unstoppable monster heel.
Teddy Long Goes To "Smackdown!": The Prof. loves Teddy Long. He especially loves Teddy's catchphrase: "You feel me, playa?" I say that to the guy who works to the left of me just about every day and I'm sure he's ready to kill me. I said it to Mrs. Professor once, and she socked me in the shoulder. Anyway, Teddy is a God -- "Smackdown!" wins.
Overall grade: B-minus for the effort and execution. Did you really expect McMahon to make huge changes? Nope, he's a businessman and he's just going to do enough to give each show a bit of a facelift and create a few new rivalries. This was accomplished, but it still felt a bit reserved, which is something TV wrestling shouldn't be.
That's it. The bell has rung.
Class dismissed.
(Professor Wrestling is a masked employee of Internet Broadcasting Systems. His hometown is listed as "Parts Unknown.")Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
