Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of Reading Between The Ropes. As always, RBTR is discussing the very latest on-goings in the draft after each and every move is made and, much like in previous editions, I begin the column with a radio/television style advertisement where I shill my product, or column, shamelessly. You know the drill: the move, the implications for both rosters, the future of the drafted athlete – all discussed, right here… only on RBTR… for a mere $97.50… order now and receive your free copy of David Long’s (That Damn Good) “72 Ways How To Skin A Cat.
So, off the back of Raw and heading in to Smackdown! I discussed the need for Smackdown! to use the loss of Carlito to gain a big name in his place. I spoke of my admiration for Carlito and how I see great potential for him, yet I also feel that being an unproven and largely small name that he is, Smackdown! could easily bolster their roster with a heavyweight move in his place (and when I say heavyweight I mere in a superstar stature type sense, not a literal one).
Well, this past week it was revealed that Muhammad Hassan and Daivari are heading over to Smackdown! in Carlito’s place. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. Of all the drafts thus far, this has been the one which has disappointed me the most.
Sure, before the draft I spoke of Daivari possibly moving to Smackdown! and plying his trade in the cruiserweight division (though they have enough star quality, particularly with recent signings, to surely make some kind of a fist of making that division work) which he can do now, but you must put this move in to perspective. By this I mean looking at what the rosters have gained and lost from this week, and over the entire draft this far.
Carlito is a great addition to any roster, so he’s equally as great a loss to any roster. However, he’s not a massive star yet. He has potential, but that is all he has right now. So, that left a door open which needed to be kicked in by Smackdown!. Unfortunately, the addition of Hassan and Daivari to the Smackdown! roster leaves the door as little ajar, if not even less so, as it was before.
Smackdown! may have gained an extra number in this trade, with two guys coming in to their ranks, but it does not mean they have gained doubly from this weeks drafting. The two moves this week are young, up and coming stars, but of the two (or three) stars, make no mistake, Raw has got the better one.
Moving Hassan would have been a wise move, but his move should have come at the expense of a smaller star leaving Smackdown! for Raw, or during the trading that takes place at the end of the draft lottery picks. Hassan had pissed off just about everyone he could have on Raw and so moving him to a roster full of fresh faces for him to annoy is the right decision. I just would have liked to have seen Hassan’s move to the benefit of Smackdown!, as opposed to him coming in when they needed a bigger exchange than the one they have got.
Hassan and Daivari’s gimmick is such that they would need a fresh environment because they gripes can soon grow old. There is only so long you can hear someone cry foul and prejudice before they begin to sound like a stuck record. Sure, Hassan will no doubt have the same gripes Smackdown!, but at least there’s someone different for him to provoke in doing so.
After his loss to John Cena in convincing fashion this week it’s perhaps best that Hassan ran from Raw and to pastures new seeing as all JR and The King did was talk about his unbeaten streak. If he remained on Raw I think they’d be stuck for words during a Hassan contest. As unbeaten streaks go, however, Hassan’s has to be one of the worst in memory. He’s probably the unbeaten person with the most losses in the history of the business. He’d lost tag team matches without being pinned, lost handicap matches too (which makes him look horrible and Daivari even worse), he’d lost to Chris Benoit by DQ in one of his first outings as well, and his Batista match was a throw-away. I think he may have been on the losing side moretimes than the winning side in his unbeaten streak.
Personally, I don’t think Smackdown! has gained any strides on Raw this week and, in fact, they’ve lost out in many aspects. I don’t think Hassan and Daivari contribute as much to a show as Carlito, in and out of the ring, and I don’t think they have anywhere near the longevity and novelty effect as someone like triple C has.
Raw certainly hasn’t lost anything here. Daivari contributed little to nothing on Raw, and Hassan was quickly becoming stale. In its place they’ve gained someone who can more than fill Hassan and Daivari’s void, and add that extra bit of charisma to their programming as well as better in-ring skills (than Hassan, at least). A Hassan and a Daivari will NOT solve Smackdown!’s problems.
However, looking at the wider picture, things are even worse for Smackdown!. With the announcement of a match to crown Smackdown!’s new champion, it seems that they are losing John Cena for more than just the short term. Raw cannot have two champions on it’s show for an extended period of time, surely? Perhaps a unification match beckons after the completion of the draft. For now, however, they’ve lost their champion and their best all-round athlete and have not been given enough in return.
Surely it’s not just like for like from here? Surely Smackdown! must score a HHH, Batista or John Cena before the end of the draft in return for a lesser name? I shudder to think what beckons for Smackdown! in the future should that not be the case. This was an opportunity for them this week, and instead of throwing them a lifeline,eline, the WWE has thrown them scraps.
So, in a draft where everyone hoped Smackdown! would redress the balance of the two rosters, they’ve actually sunk deeper in to the mire, and this week’s picks have further enhanced my belief that Smackdown! is in dire need of better compensation for the types of talent it is constantly leaking each week to it’s “competition”.
Until next time,
Mitchell L. Gadd
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