Here's The Thing .....WWE Draft

#HeresTheThing....  I have been a wrestling fan for well over 30 years, my first memories of wrestling were of my father taking me to the Mecca in Milwaukee to go see the old AWA with The Crusher headling against Mad Dog Vachon.  I #AbsoFrickenLutely hated the experience. I never would have thought that later in my life I would be asked my opinions and thoughts on  a sport originally hated, let alone eventually work with The Crusher and Mad Dog. That being said here are my thoughts on the wonderful world of wrestling...ooops I mean Sports Entertainment.  Please keep in mind this is EPO, Entertainment Purposes Only.

So the WWE just finished their annual RAW & Smackdown! talent draft. I must say they did a fine job of teasing the audience with the draftng of John Cena and Randy Orton from RAW to Smackdown, then eventually drafting Cena back to RAW.  Kind of reminded me of a recent PWRShow Fantasy Draft we did where I drafted The Miz, only to be traded to my co-host Dameon Nelson only to be wild card picked back to me to end the show.  Coincidence?? No Idea. You can watch the PWRShow Draft here...

The fact of the matter is this, the WWE as a brand needs to develop new "superstars", they are no longer called "wrestlers" per Vince McMahon. The WWE can no longer depend on aging stars such as The Undertaker and Triple H.  John Cena is the new top dog and the second tier is Randy Orton, The Miz, and CM Punk (off and on).  That being said the talent depth is rather thin and needs a good boost and for certain individuals to take their game to the next level.  Studs like Sheamus, Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, and Christian need to take advantage of the talent exchange and become the headliners that the company has hoped they would become.

Sending Randy Orton, one of the company's top stars to Smackdown to replace the retiring Edge is a great start, both guys are extremely talented and Orton will able to fill the void of losing Edge. Some may think sending Orton to Smackdown is a demotion to the "B" show, but I feel he is the one guy that will elevate the talent roster on Smackdown to become better.  I have spoken with many legendary WWE Hall of Famers, and they all say that Randy Orton is the real deal, the best in the business today.  Lets see how he does as the new face of Smackdown along with the Undertaker.

The "E" also sent some of their new, bright, young hopefuls to the Flagship show Monday Night RAW.  It will be sink or swim time for such young studs as Alberto Del Rio, Drew McIntyre, Jack Swagger, Chris Masters, and Kofi Kingston.  These  guys have been pushed and de-pushed often over the last 12 months and now they are finally getting one more chance to make a name for themselves and possibly become headliners. Alberto Del Rio has been the standout with the audience totally investing into him as a top heel. RAW also obtained Big Show and Rey Mysterio in hopes of lessening the blow of losing Randy Orton.  Both Show and Rey are solid main eventers that can also help the young talent grow and mature.

The Smackdown brand which is seen every Friday on Syfy acquired younger stars that are still searching for their identity and for fan investment such as Sin Cara, Daniel Bryan, The Uso Brothers, Tyson Kidd, Yoshi Tatsu, Alex Riley, and Ted DiBiase. By moving these younger talents to Smackdown they will get a fresh start from the Cena, Miz, Orton, Triple H led RAW brand where they never really had a chance to shine.  William Regal and Mark Henry were also solid additions to Smackdown where the can be locker room leaders and teachers.  Regal is a tremendous teacher and knows how to teach the young kids how to tell a story and use expressions instead of crazy bumps to get over.  Hopefully they will listen to him.

This Sunday the WWE will have their Pay Per View: Extreme Rules.. This will be the show that will end many feuds and start new and fresh story lines. Hopefully this is what the WWE Creative had in mind when writing the draft.

I am looking forward to a partial reset of the WWE, it is nice to see and watch of some of the new guys have an opportunity (that's all we can ever ask for)  and see if they have what it takes to become true superstars, headliners, or legends in a business that is no longer called "pro wrestling" but is now referred to as "sports entertainment".  That topic will be for discussion at a later time.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts.  You can also follow me on Twitter @DavidHerro for more random goodness.  Be Safe, Behave, and always Go Forward.