The past two days James Ray has taken a look at the WWE Draft Lottery of 2004. Today, James and I discussed this year’s draft lottery picks as well as the trades listed after. First, let’s take a look at the lottery picks in the order they were selected.
John CenaJames: Cena is in a tough spot after the draft. As much as I hate to harp on this point, the simple reality is, with Triple H on the roster, Cena is very likely to always look like a weak champion. It behooves WWE at this point to put Cena in a feud with anyone
but Triple H, and maintain that. Cena's future really does hinge on whether he remains a strong champion. He's got the fan support, more so than any other main event face on RAW in a very long time, so pushed right I can't see the following year being anything but positive for WWE's resident rap star.
Stefan: I can't really disagree with what you're saying. WWE already spent a lot of time and money grooming Cena to be in the position he is in. I fully expect a feud with Triple H heading into SummerSlam but I think that could be a mistake. If they hold off on it then that is that much more money that they can draw when it finally happens.
James: I think we're both agreed then that Cena has the drawing power to stay a top superstar on RAW over the next year, but we think it's time to phase Triple H out of the main event for a while. With Evolution no longer around, WWE Creative will have to find some legitimate guys to feud with Cena. If they forego a feud with Triple H, my money would be on Edge.
Stefan: I agree with that. Interesting you mention Evolution. I'll be discussing that later.
Chris BenoitStefan: Chris Benoit is back on SmackDown which was good for him the last time he ran through it. There are a lot of other workers there with the potential to make Smackdown the best wrestling show on television again. The problem with Benoit is that it is too easy to get his character wrong. He's a wrestler. A fighter. Not a gimmick worker. If they can recapture that Paul Heyman booking magic and focus on the wrestling, as far as Benoit is concerned, then it will be smooth sailing.
James: Personally I think Benoit's in a bit of a bind right now. Batista is a face champion and right now Benoit just isn't in the Championship Title picture. My bet is he'll be put in a feud with Orlando Jordan for the US Title. If that's the way they run with it, your suggested booking scheme would work really well, given OJ's boxing background (if they play that up). Eventually, I'm sure the rabid wolverine will once again make his way into the Championship picture, but I have my doubts about his winning the title again anytime soon, and I'd say it's almost certain he won't in the next year.
Kurt AngleJames: Kurt Angle may be the best thing politically to happen to RAW in years. He has a lot of clout backstage and has historically shown he isn't afraid to use it. This allows for the possibility of a little more upward mobility on RAW than has happened in quite a while. In terms of the big picture, it's hard to see Angle as ever being anything less than a main eventer. I believe this build-up with Ric Flair will lead to a feud with Triple H heading into SummerSlam myself, and given the history between the two it practically writes itself. Love him or hate him, Triple H is the premiere heel on RAW and throwing him against a properly face-turned Angle could be a huge draw.
Stefan: You don't think the HBK/Angle series will go to 3 at SummerSlam? That surprises me. I think Angle on Raw is a very, very good move for the WWE. He adds a lot of freshness and psychology missing in the main event picture. The man can work a crowd like nobody else in the business today. As he said in his interview, Vince is willing to let him go in the main event scene finally but is that best for him and the show? I'd use him as upper-midcard to create more stars before moving up to the title scene. The Triple H feud should wait until he has the belt IMO.
James: I'd like to think WWE has enough sense to put HBK/Angle to bed for at least a little while. While it's a fine on-again/off-again feud, Michaels has proven to be best used sparingly. SummerSlam is less than two months away at this point, and I'm not sure it's in Angle's or Michaels' best interests to have either one of them almost immediately have a third match. I certainly would not be unhappy if this were to occur, but honestly I may be more than a little biased in hoping Triple H moves out of the title scene for a while, and there's really no other viable candidates for Triple H to wrestle, unless Shelton Benjamin gets a tremendous push.
Stefan: Whatever is done with Angle will be interesting. Back to Cena though, we both agree that he shouldn't be feuding with Triple H right away so this is the perfect opportunity to bring Jericho back to the main event. They already started the feud so let it end naturally. Angle does add a a lot of dynamics to the main event scene on Raw that allows for all of these other discussions to happen. If they go with Jericho/Cena and Angle/HBK at SummerSlam then maybe Triple H should face Shelton again. They have great in ring chemistry and the most stars they can develop the better. As for angle, I'm not too worried. He'll stay over whatever they do with him.
Randy OrtonStefan: I became a huge fan of Randy Orton following Backlash 2004. That match against Foley really showed me that he has the passion and desire for the business worthy of the push he was given. He finally clicked for me. He became the most over heel in wrestling. And then…? Booking disaster. We all know the mistakes made so we won’t go into that. Instead I will say that the WWE knows what works for him and should be using that. He’s a fantastic smarmy, egocentric heel who doesn’t know that everybody hates him. That’s who Randy Orton should be as a heel. It’s simple. Effective. It works. The focus solely on the “Legend Killer,” if continued, is a mistake. He can be a huge star again but let it happen naturally by staying in the midcard until it happens. This not only rebuilds him but builds new stars as well because of his name.
James: I agree with basically everything you say about Randy. I will expand a bit to say that so far his Smackdown appearances have been anything but stellar. In point of fact they've been downright boring. I simply do not like the pairing of Randy and Undertaker. Randy needs to be put in a feud with a solid wrestler who can help him look good. This was a guy a year ago who was being hailed as the next Rock and now he's being fed to a wrestler that refuses to put people over. If the continuation of the Angle/Michaels feud is the ultimate positive to come out of WM 21, I suspect a year from now we'll say Randy/UT was the ultimate negative. Randy's got a lot of upside to him. He's charismatic, good-looking and pretty good on the mic. But he needs to be put in a feud where he can shine, and outside of his feud with Mick Foley that's yet to really happen for him.
CarlitoJames: Carlito is one of only two "project" picks in this year's draft. He is not an established superstar and is still very green around the edges. His start on RAW may rub long-time fans the wrong way; traditionally wrestling fans are not entirely fond of guys just showing up and winning titles. However, Carlito has a massive amount of charisma, more than any young superstar I've seen in years, and he seems to know just how to wield it. Witness his segment with RVD on this past Monday's RAW...he walked into the arena to almost no crowd reaction and walked out to quite a bit of heat. If he's used as well as Benjamin was, there's really no limit to where he can go in the next year. He still needs to work on his in-ring skills however.
Stefan: I agree with just about everything you said about Carlito. He's in a tough position already because of the IC title win. Even the casual fans think "too much, too soon". It pulls them out of the work. But still, he'll make it work if they give him some clean wins. I expect him to be given his 3rd bodyguard since joining the company. This time it’ll probably be Tyson Tomko since he is alone on Raw now that Christian is gone. They will have a great dynamic together as Tyson is vastly underrated.
Muhammad Hassan & Khosrow DaivariStefan: Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari! These two can get heat like nobody else. It's just a shame that they are using racism to get it. But I digress. What do I expect from them on SmackDown? More of the same. What can I really say? I'd think Hassan winning the US title needs to, and will, happen eventually. But what about Daivari? They can use him to bring some prestige back to the cruiserweight division. The man is immensely talented. A long feud with Paul London would be a lot of fun. Raw helped to make them stars. But SmackDown is where they needed to be.
James: Along with Carlito, Hassan is the other "project' wrestler I was referring to. I don't think it's really a secret to most of our readers that we both feel like Hassan and Daivari have been misused since their debut, starting out as a subtle jab at America's fear of all Muslims and rapidly devolving into the stereotypical "I Hate America" foreigners. Despite all this they've still managed to get way over, and I don't believe that is all related to pro-America sentiment. I'd love to see Hassan win the US Title and then attack it as being anti-Arab. I'd also love to see Hassan replace Carlito's Cabana on Smackdown. He's got the mic skills for it, and his character is really well-suited to that sort of thing. Hassan is not likely to be in the upper echelons of Smackdown within the next year, but if booked right he could easily be reaching towards it, ala Shelton Benjamin (once again) on RAW.
the Big ShowJames: Big Show's future on RAW is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. He's coming into a roster with a very strong main event picture -- one of the strongest WWE has had in quite some time. If Monday's RAW was any indication, WWE plans to use him in an upper midcard capacity as the HHIC (Head Hoss in Charge) of RAW. I perceive feuds with Gene Snitsky and Kane in Big Show's future, but very likely he'll stay as he's been on SmackDown for quite some time: an over upper mid-carder with no real shot at the Championship.
Stefan: I see nothing for the Big Show on Raw. Next.
Rob Van DamStefan: Hey I get first dibs on a Raw guy! RVD is both the most overrated and most underrated wrestler in the WWE today. Where will he fit in on Raw when he's ready to wrestle again? Hell if I know. It seems to me he is only on Raw to give him back him "Mr. Monday Night" moniker. Yeah, I guess he now has a built in feud with Carlito when he returns but I don't think their matches will be anything but average. And then from there...? At least he has a voice again which means they should turn him heel. His whiny Michigan pothead accent is not suited well for a face. And RVD as a heel means he can be the egocentric talented guy we all want the shit to beaten out of.
James: I will make no secret of this here, I do not like Rob Van Dam. However, after One Night Stand Vince is very high on RVD and so a push for him is almost inevitable. In his segment with Carlito on Monday, he was clearly outmatched verbally with the Caribbean superstar and came off to me looking quite weak. Injury aside, RVD is fairly obviously poised to feud with Carlito over the IC Belt, which is essentially the same position he was in on Smackdown. Frankly I don't see him ever legitimately entering the Championship picture, but he'll certainly skirt the edges of it for most of the next year (if he can stay injury free) if only simply because he is so over with the fans.
ChristianStefan: What can I say about Christian that I haven't said about him already? I love him. I've loved him since he first got called up the the main roster. The man is the future of the industry. He should have one of the big 2 belts right now. There's no excuse at all for him not to. We all know that JBL and Batista will be feuding for a while so he's not getting a World title shot until at least Survivor Series. So it looks like a feud with Booker T is on tap. I want Christian to win the Royal Rumble. I want him to win the World Championship. But I see him getting the RVD treatment on Smackdown.
James: Slow down there my friend, slow down. Chrsitian is poised to be the next big superstar in the WWE, but he still has quite a bit to prove to the common fan. Moving him to Smackdown was far and away the best choice WWE could have made for him. With the RAW roster as loaded as it is, Christian needed to be put on a show where he should have a legitimate chance to shine. Obviously you hit the nail on the head as far as possible feuds for him go. Batista/JBL is going to be the clear main event feud for a while, but a feud with Booker T, properly executed, should keep him in the limelight. The biggest thing over the next few months WWE has to do is keep him from falling out of the big picture. If he is allowed to keep delivering killer promos and actually given legitimate pushes there's no reason at all to believe he won't be a Title contender or even champion by next year's draft.
Stefan: I agree that he should be on SmackDown. It's where he has the best chance to move into the World title scene. But will it happen? I can only hope. His feud with Cena was botched big time. Here's hoping that they know what they're doing.
Batista James: Batista has been given a second chance at life on Smackdown. As ludicrous as this sounds, given that he's had three PPV victories over Triple H over the World Heavyweight Championship, Batista has always been shown to be little more than a "pretender to the throne". Now he's free of that image and is being given a chance to prove he deserves to be in the position he's in. A feud with JBL over the belt is inevitable, but both men's styles should mesh together very well. As long as he can keep from being hurt there's really no reason to believe he won't remain in the main event and title seen in the year to come. He's fairly over with the crowd, and while he's not the greatest wrestler ever on the mic he is capable of holding his own, and has been known to have the crowd eating out of his hand from time to time. After he loses the belt, I look for him to go back to being a heel for a while. Switching him to a face was necessary at the time, but I think Batista's image and style fit his being a heel better.
Stefan: I can go with that. I have a lot I can say about Batista on SmackDown but it's pretty much a "wait and see" approach for me. He works great as a face. As a heel, he gets some heat but still a large percentage cheer for him. Not to disrespect him (as far as the 'net community goes anyway) but he is a lot like Sid and the Warrior in that regard. He has a unique energy like they did that translates well as a face. For me, the best way for him to turn heel would be to stop doing the machine gun firing or the cabbage patch at the top of the ramp. But I love that goofy stuff.
The Trades James: Unlike last year, where the trades were used as an excuse to send 3 superstars to Smackdown, this year's trades seem to exist solely to shuffle around openers and mid-carders with very little rhyme or reason. Whether any of the following wrestlers will really be put to any good use or not remains to be seen, but never-the-less, we're going to bite the bullet and discuss each of them for you.
Mark JindrakStefan: Remember earlier when I mentioned I had something to say about Evolution? Well here it is: Mark Jindrak. If you recall a couple years ago he was supposed to be the fifth member of the group but the idea was scrapped in favor of the slow build up. Well, he's back on Raw. A Raw without an Evolution. I expect his face turn to last for a little while. He's next in line to face Chris Masters in the Masterlock challenge. I expect him to break it and then for the pair to form a new Evolution with Triple H and Ric Flair down the line.
James: I can't really comment on any of these trades in terms of their immediate futures. The last time Jindrak was put to any good use was back in WCW so take that as you will. I don't expect him to remain anything but a mid-carder on RAW in the future, and very likely will become the next perennial Heat player. A feud with Chris Masters makes me about as excited as watching my toenails grow.
Rene DupreeJames: I'm really high on Dupree, but I cannot stand the Frenchman gimmick. His current "Snidely Whiplash" character is hilarious and takes advantage of his mic skills somewhat, but he needs to be given a chance to shine as Rene Dupree, wrestler, instead of Rene Dupree, French guy. There's plenty of mid-carders on RAW for him to feud with, and I really can't venture a guess as to who it will be. Hopefully they'll avoid putting him back together with Rob Conway to continue La Resistance, a gimmick that should have died well over a year ago.
Stefan: I love Dupree. They have a genuine superstar on their hands with him. He's young, charismatic and can hold his own in the ring. They need to take is slow with him and not push him too hard, too fast. But that doesn't mean to job him out every week. There is a delicate balance they need to take to do this right. I agree with just about all you said and love the new gimmick as well. I just don't think he should be used as often as other midcarders.
Danny BashamStefan: Danny Basham. I know PTP contributer, Fro, is high on him due to seeing him as the Damaja in OVW. He has some talent. But why break up a tag team? I don't see much of a spot on Raw for him. Does he become the next Val Venis? Will fans accept him as a singles competitor? I just don't see a spot for him either.
James: Basham is the first of four traded wrestlers that will be coming from broken tag teams. It appears he will be coming into RAW as his OVW gimmick "The Damaja" which I've never seen. Honestly, there's not much more I can say about the guy, and I suspect he'll probably either immediately get put back into a tag team or end up as another Heat benchwarmer.
Kenzo Suzuki &HirokoStefan: Kenzo and Hiroko have a spot to take on Raw already: Muhammed Hassan and Daivari's. Expect just about the same treatment and use on Raw as they got on SmackDown.
James: I've never seen Kenzo (or Hiroko) so I will decline to comment on them.
Chavo GuererroJames: I'm a fan of Chavo Guerrero, but he'll really be way outside his comfort zone on RAW. In the past he's had Eddie and Rey to play off of but now he'll adrift in a vast sea of midcarders. He's not at all bad on the mic, and if he'd work on it he could be as entertaining as Christian is. It remains to be seen how well he'll do though, but I could see him either being put in a tag team or possibly even making it into the IC Title picture at some point.
Stefan: Chavo is a talented in-ring performer but I've never been too high on his other work. He's ok. But what can he do on Raw? He'll be put in a makeshift tag team to feud with Rosey and the Huricane probably.
William RegalJames: Regal's the second of our tag team break-ups, but in his case it isn't really a bad thing. Regal is great on the mic, and he's still a damn fine in-ring performer. With his book coming out, he should be given a decent amount of air-time on SD which will work to his favor. The best thing that ever happened to him was Eugene because it got him over with the common fan and now he's an established quantity as a WWE wrestler. Once again I suspect he'll be put into a tag team on SD or even possibly given a managerial position akin to what he did with Eugene (Heidenreich maybe?).
Stefan: William Regal is in an enviable position of those going from Raw to SmackDowm. He has a lot of people he can work with — most notably Chris Benoit. But I don't think they'll be feuding. Of all the people traded from Raw to Smackdown, Regal is second in the list of who I expect to be most used.
Candice Michelle Stefan: Candice is the latest non-wrestling Diva to join SmackDown. I expect her to turn heel now that Dawn Marie is out of commission. Really, what can be done with her? A feud with Smackdown's makeup lady, Jan?
James: Candice's only real claim to fame is the GoDaddy.com commercial, who's sell-by date wore out several months ago. She's being put on Smackdown, which is really "cheesecake diva central" at this point. I seriously doubt she'll be able to break out of the pack and I don't look for her to still be with WWE by next year's draft.
Sylvan GrenierJames: Sylvain Grenier is another tag team victim and frankly I don't see a place for him on SD at all. He was the victim of being brought out of OVW entirely too early and was put in the atrocious "La Resistance" tag team, which he was never able to get over with. It's in Grenier's best interests to be sent back to OVW at this point -- he's so anonymous he could easily be repackaged in the future with no one being the wiser. I do not expect him to still be on WWE TV next year.
Stefan: Sylvan. He joined the WWE as a heel referee who screwed Hogan. Then he joined a tag team that became increasingly stale as time ticked by. I don't think the WWE has confidence in him yet as a singles wrestler so he'll be joining a new tag team. Probably with William Regal.
Simon DeanStefan: Simon Dean is the most underrated wrestler going in the WWE right now. The fans HATE him. He is an absolute master at getting heel heat, cheap as it may be. He's an absolute smarmy jackass, wears purple workout wear and is prone to do butt clenches. How can this guy not have a spot on the show? He's a total throwback to “the Genius” Lanny Poffo type of jobber. He plays his role to perfection. The man will continue to be used just as he was on Raw: enhancement talent with a microphone. These types of workers have successfully moved up the card before and I can easily see it happening with Simon as well.
James: Simon Dean, our final tag team victim. Dean's gimmick is quite entertaining, but he's never really been given a chance to make a dent on RAW. On Smackdown, he should have that chance. It is imperative for his character that he be used as a wrestler more often -- I'm convinced fans do not really "understand" his character because he was introduced as a non-wrestler. Regardless, there's no reason to believe that Dean, properly pushed, cannot be a solid midcarder on SD in the year to come.
Steven RichardsJames: Ah Steven Richards. What can be said about the perennial Heat wrestler who made that role his own? Stevie is fantastic enhancement talent and there's no reason to believe we won’t be watching "Stevie's Velocity" with thinly subdued glee in the year to come. (unless Velocity goes away permanently with the swap to USA of course). Seriously, Stevie is a guy that really could get over if he was ever given a chance, but he's become so synonymous with his lower-card character that I'd almost hate to see him get that push. Look for him to continue to be Smackdown's number-one curtain jerker...could a feud with Sho Funaki be in Stevie's future?
Stefan: How can somebody not like Stevie? Certainly, Vince likes him. He does what he is asked without question. That kind of loyalty is rare these days. I expect a long WWE career for Stevie even if he is never anything more than enhancement talent. He deserves better but it probably won't happen. At best I see him in a tag team or given a small push to get a new worker over. But it's still cause for celebration when he's on the air.
There you have it, folks. What do you have to say about this years picks and/or our views?
