Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of Reading Between The Ropes. Before I get to the meat of today's discussion I have a quick announcement about Swerve. For those wondering on the whereabouts of Swerve, well, I can get you right up to date. The last edition of Swerve was, in fact, the season finale. However, don't fret. While Swerve season 4 is over, season five is just a short while away. In around a month the season premiere will air with all the usual Swerve shenanigans, and look out for new features and guests spots as well. Hope you all tune in when season five kicks off.
During this exciting period where the draft lottery is taking place I will be taking a look at each of the moves and giving my opinion on the sense of the move, the logic behind it, and what the move means for both brands, as well as the individual themselves who has jumped ship.
And let's not kid ourselves; it is rather an exciting time. I don't know about you but I was genuinely intrigued and excited to find out whom the first draft pick was on last night's Raw. I mean, after all, these moves are really going to shape up what potential the next 12 months, at least, are going to have in terms of the quality of programming. The fact is that these are impacting moves and, whether you like or dislike them, they have got to make you sit up and take notice because they will have their effect on what we witness over the coming months.
When Bischoff came on our screens looking ecstatic and delighted at his first draft pick my initial thoughts were that it could be Kurt Angle. There had been a few rumours of Kurt switching to Raw. I doubt we'll see Bischoff come on our screens every week with such reactions as if he were, say, for instance, to draft a lesser Smackdown! guy then he can't exactly come on bemoan his choice. He'd have to big up each move for the sake of each wrestler's reputation. If he were to do that each week, the impact of such reactions would quickly diminish. However, Bischoff was certainly warranted in his gleeful boast out how huge this move was. I don't think many expected the magnitude of the first draft pick.
At first I wondered if the person drafted wouldn't even come out and we'd wait until th eend of the show before he appeared. However, the delay was soon met with shock and cheers as the WWE Champion John Cena made his way to a Raw ring in what was a truly unpredictable moment.
My initial thoughts were that the title belt situation would need looking at. Perhaps Batista is going to jump to Smackdown! following his match with HHH. That is, however, assuming he retains against HHH. Should the Game win the gold then perhaps he would move to Smackdown!. Surely not? Raw is still WWE's premiere brand, I'm positive Hunter would not allow that to occur.
A couple of titbits while I remember. First off... irony. Batista has berated the quality of the Smackdown! product in the past, and were this Cena switch (hey, that has a ring to it) mean he is to jump to SD! then those comments wouldn't exactly sit well with his new colleagues. Secondly, John Cena raps in his new album (no, I don't own a copy) about being too crude for the Monday night live mic. Hmmm, well things change quickly. And thirdly, moving away from irony to intrigue, HHH said in the contract signing that after Vengeance this deal with Batista would definitely be done. Maybe that's because they woudl ahve fought three times and there would be no desire for a fourth meeting for overkill's sake, or perhaps this is because they will be torn apart by the draft? Having said that, aren't the people being drafted only told about their switch days before it takes place? If that's the case then Hunter would not know these things. Then again, he is the boss’s son-in-law. Questions. Big questions that this move has thrown up.
So, Raw has itself two champions. Such a move dumbstruck this writer but also made him slightly sceptical of the longevity of this draft, for reasons I will get in to at the end of this column.
What this move opens up is an instant feud between Christian and Cena, and it was definitely the right move to get Captain Charisma straight out there at the first guy to "welcome" Cena to Raw. This feud has been simmering nicely for a while without the two ever meeting face-to-face, save one Royal Rumble encounter. Most of the hostility had been on Christian's part, and this was Cena's chance at a rebuttal. At the Rumble it was Christian who owned Cena, but Cena was on top form last night, with a rap which was as entertaining as soon of his earlier work as a heel. Last night was one of his best for a LONG time. Yes, there were homosexual and penis references, but this rap had a little more substance than a mere desire to appease the crowd. Let's hope this move rejuvenates Cena like it seemed to last night.
There is even the potential for a Christian-Cena match at Vengeance, all the while throwing up questions as to whether the WWE Title will be redundant for the time being. I actually believe that should this match take place at Vengeance, Christian should get the win. The belt wouldn't be on the line, so it wouldn't end Cena's reign and make him seem like a limp champion, and it could really cement Christian as a threat to the gold.
What happens then? Does Christian go over to Smackdown!. Perhaps it would be a simple Vengeance match to get this feud a quick pay-off before Christian moves on and the feud is over. That would be a real shame. Many people, myself included, believed Christian would move to Smackdown! to feud with Cena, but few believed it would be Cena coming to Raw to feud with Christian. Perhaps Christian will stay put on Raw throughout this draft.
Either way, I hope this feud does not last solely up until Vengeance, because I truly believe this has the makings of a classic feud with some great interaction, and a feud leading up to, and perhaps not even finishing at a Summerslam card, with potential rematches after this summer's biggest event.
However, as I said previously, I am not 100% convinced that this is a draft which will last for a substantial amount of time. As we know, the GMs have a chance to trade following the draft picks, and I believe Cena may well be heading back to Smackdown! a lot sooner than people may think.
For starters, both Raw and Smackdown! have tours announced for this summer and both indicate Batista staying on Raw, and Cena staying on Smackdown!. Anyone living in the UK would know how often JR tells us on RAw repeats that Cena vs. Angle vs. HBL, with Austin as the referee is taking place on the Smackdown! summer bash tour. Well, the WWE may leave lots of fans unhappy were they to take one of the soul reasons many young fans may have bought a ticket and remove him from the show. WWE usually stands by the tours they announce.
Secondly, Kurt Angle revealed in a very recent interview that he is in line to be Cena's next challenge for the WWE title. This could mean Angle is heading to Raw, but you can't have both titles active on the same show. SOMETHING must be done to have a title represented on Smackdown!. Should Kurt move to Raw Smackdown! might as well fold now. And should WWE send a few Raw guys over to address that balance it would still render the draft a little pointless as it woudlmerely be swapping the guys on Smackdown! for the Raw guys with the same main event roster just represented by a new brand name.
Therefore, assuming Kurt is now Smackdown! for the time being, and he is indeed Cena's next challenger, then this is another hint at this move not being a permanent one. This would also allow Christian to move to Smackdown! towards the end o end of the draft and face Cena in a match at a big PPV after the Angle-Cena feud is over.
These are merely suggestions and speculation, but it is definitely something to bare in mind. For the time being, though, both champions are on Raw and Smackdown! badly needs a BIG draft pick to redress the balance.
On one final note, does any one else believe the WWE topped their entire Invasion angle of 2001 in the last 5 minutes of Raw this week? THAT'S an invasion!
Until next time,
Mitchell L. Gadd
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