WWE Mock Draft.
So with the new WWE Brand Split just days away, it seems like everyone is doing a mock draft...so what the hell why not?
Now for my mock draft I made a couple assumptions.
1) Just like the original brand split WWE will only do the first 10 or so live on air
2) Like the original, they will try to play it as a game of one upsmanship for the two commissioners.
3) The commissionors and not the yet unnamed General Managers will be doing the drafting.
4) Neither the Woman's or Tag divisions are currently strong enough to be split....so instead much like how the original draft started in 2002, the holders of those belts (New Day and Charlotte) will be able to appear on both shows....and to that end will be immune from the draft.
5) To that same end, while WWE will rather quickly introduce a second world title, for the moment they will need to keep their champion on both shows, so Dean Ambrose will also be excepted (also allowing them to run a free agent storyline with him once he loses)
6) Brock Lesnar's infrequent work schedule and recent doping controversy in UFC will cause WWE to come up with a fake contractual excuse to exclude him.
7) I have no idea about former stars who might return on the draft...I'm sure at least one will, but rather than speculate I will only look at currently contracted talent.
So those are the assumptions I am working with.
Now as to format, as I said I think the draft works best as a mini storyline, so to that end, I will be starting each pick with a very brief summary of how the on screen pick of that star might go and might factor into the game of one upsmanship between the McMahon's. Those sections will be in italics.
The regular text on the other hand will be the real life rational for giving each superstar their spot.
So with that all laid out, here we go. I assume as the flagship show, and the "guest show" RAW gets first pick:
#1 RAW
So Steph picks first and picks Seth Rollins, claiming hes the clear future champ and this will ensure the WWE title comes to RAW.
Honestly Rollins makes the most sense at this point as first pick....Reigns suspension makes it impractical to draft him and as Champion I'm assuming Ambrose is immune......otherwise because hes champ hes the obvious #1. Rollins on his own however is still the TOP heel in the WWE right now....and possibly second in crowd support only to Ambrose so while starting with a Heel might seem a bit weird.....top guy takes the top spot right?
#1 Smackdown!
Shane counters by pointing out Seth might lose to Roman Reigns or Dean Ambrose, but if steph wants to make this about titles, he will make it about titles, and drafts Rusev, bringing the US title to Smackdown.
Rusev this early might seem a bit weird. Hes not the most over guy on the roster, and the US title isnt really seen as that important. But thats also the problem. The title NEEDS to be that big. One of the reasons Smackdown was seen as the "B" show last time around was its titles were never seen as prestigious as the RAW ones. So by having Smackdown draft one of the Midcard belts in the first round, it also elevates the belt as being more important than say an individual superstar no matter how big a name.
And hell, Rusev is getting a hell of a push right now so its not like this doesnt help with that too.
#2 RAW
Steph counters by drafting Miz, a "real" champion and a major hollywood celebrity as a coup for RAW.
Going to be honest, this is mostly a matter of convenient timing more than anything else. Once one title goes to one show, everyone knows the other one is going to the other, so might as well get it over with.
That said, to be fair to the Miz hes riding one of the best waves of his career right now, so he DOES actually currently have star power to merit a spot during the televised draft, unlike say last year when he probably wouldn't have made the cut.
#2 Smackdown!
Shane will then counter by pointing out Miz is a celebrity, but that WWE has an even bigger one.....JOHN CENA, the face of the WWE.
Again this one is all about making it seem like Smackdown is on equal footing with RAW by giving them the biggest name WWE has. This is kinda similar like how during the first brand split smackdown got the Rock and Hulk Hogan to try to legitimize them. The difference here is Cena's still got several years left in the tank to help Smackdown unlike those 2.
#3 RAW
Steph will then point out Cena is the face of the past, a cash cow wwe has used and will soon discard. So the man she wants is WWE's future cash cow.....Roman Reigns.
WWE has invested too much in Reigns to not have him feature in the Draft.....but his suspension puts them in a hard spot. As the seeming new face of the company he still merits going early....and having him go 3rd would still make him the first face drafted to RAW (as both Rollins and Miz are heels) behind only the top heel and top RAW only belt....while also making sure WWE doesnt feature him too prominently to gain bad press by having him be drafted first
#3 Smackdown!
Shane will counter than in order to be a cash cow, there must be great competition in the ring to get fans....so to that end, his 3rd pick will be the Club.
WWE cant afford to break up the Club right now. They also cant afford to waste 3 televised picks to draft all 3 of them. And they cant hurt the value of 2 of them by having them relegated to an televised part of the draft. So much like the nWo (who the Club claim are their spiritual predecessors, and who the gimmick is modeled on), I assume their will be some rule WWE finds allowing them to be drafted as a unit. And again their placement is for the same as Reigns. Coming in only behind the Face and the exclusive Title, this makes the Club the top bad guys on Smackdown.
RAW #4
Steph will then point out that no one likes competition if its one sided, so to make Smackdown predictable and boring, shes going to help the Club do what they do best....beat up John Cena all day every day, by drafting his back-up Colin Cassidy to RAW.
Cass seems to have impressed the hell out of WWE brass when Enzo was injured, and it only helps his stock to get drafted on the televised portion of the draft. And drafting him separate from his partner helps build some tension as to if the team will remain together or not, and allows for speculation on his and Enzo's future (though if I did a full draft, I would have Enzo join him on RAW....just save that to the untelevised part, as neither one is really ready for a singles push just yet, and keeping the reveal of Enzo being on RAW back keeps the speculation and talk going for longer)
#4 Smackdown!
Shane will then compliment Steph on the seeming coup but claim hes one step ahead of her because he sees the game she wants him to play, she wants him to draft Enzo Amore...and there by become the bad guy who broke up that team. But he respects Enzo's wishes to team with Cass to much to do that....plus he has faith with out without help Cena can beat the Club.
So instead of falling into his sisters games, Shane is going to take inspiration from his sisters drafting "Big Cass" as the future of the WWE and draft his own "future"...NXT Superstar Finn Balor.
So NXT stars are supposedly eligable for the draft, Balor is clearly ready to be called up. The "foundation" of each show was made with the first 3 picks, we need some shock value.....and oh yea, he's the original leader of The Club over in Japan so interjecting him into The Club/Cena, especially right after Cena loses some of his backup, that spells intrigue, which spells value.
#5 RAW
Steph will thank him for reminding her NXT superstars are eligible for the draft, but point out that in 2016 the hottest division in WWE isnt the men's division, it's the woman's division. So to that end her 5th draft pick is the hottest (read most over) woman in NXT...Bayley.
Pretty much the same as Balor, shes clearly ready to go. Furthermore as much as WWE is trying to hype the women's division right now, half their womens roster is out injured. Bayley however was the final member of the Four Horsewomen with WWE's 3 biggest female talents right now (Sasha, Charlotte and Becky Lynch) and has already proven she can have fantastic matches with any of them. So this is just what WWE needs to energize the Woman's division and keep the great matches coming while keeping them fresh.
#5 Smackdown!
Shane will then agree with Steph that 2016 IS the year of the Woman...and that Bayley was the hottest woman on NXT. So he's left with only 1 choice to draft the hottest (read most over) woman in WWE...Sasha Banks
I kinda figure this one explains it self. Sasha really is the most popular woman in WWE right now, so its pretty much a lock shes getting drafted live on tv, and this just seems to be the best place to fit her.
#6 RAW
Steph comes out and accuses Shane of just playing to the fans by drafting all the "popular" superstars to try to trick fans into watching his show instead of her's but she can play that game as well, and therefore is drafting the beloved Sami Zayn to RAW, adding for good measure he may be one of the most athletically gifted superstars in WWE
Now for my mock draft I made a couple assumptions.
1) Just like the original brand split WWE will only do the first 10 or so live on air
2) Like the original, they will try to play it as a game of one upsmanship for the two commissioners.
3) The commissionors and not the yet unnamed General Managers will be doing the drafting.
4) Neither the Woman's or Tag divisions are currently strong enough to be split....so instead much like how the original draft started in 2002, the holders of those belts (New Day and Charlotte) will be able to appear on both shows....and to that end will be immune from the draft.
5) To that same end, while WWE will rather quickly introduce a second world title, for the moment they will need to keep their champion on both shows, so Dean Ambrose will also be excepted (also allowing them to run a free agent storyline with him once he loses)
6) Brock Lesnar's infrequent work schedule and recent doping controversy in UFC will cause WWE to come up with a fake contractual excuse to exclude him.
7) I have no idea about former stars who might return on the draft...I'm sure at least one will, but rather than speculate I will only look at currently contracted talent.
So those are the assumptions I am working with.
Now as to format, as I said I think the draft works best as a mini storyline, so to that end, I will be starting each pick with a very brief summary of how the on screen pick of that star might go and might factor into the game of one upsmanship between the McMahon's. Those sections will be in italics.
The regular text on the other hand will be the real life rational for giving each superstar their spot.
So with that all laid out, here we go. I assume as the flagship show, and the "guest show" RAW gets first pick:
#1 RAW
So Steph picks first and picks Seth Rollins, claiming hes the clear future champ and this will ensure the WWE title comes to RAW.
Honestly Rollins makes the most sense at this point as first pick....Reigns suspension makes it impractical to draft him and as Champion I'm assuming Ambrose is immune......otherwise because hes champ hes the obvious #1. Rollins on his own however is still the TOP heel in the WWE right now....and possibly second in crowd support only to Ambrose so while starting with a Heel might seem a bit weird.....top guy takes the top spot right?
#1 Smackdown!
Rusev this early might seem a bit weird. Hes not the most over guy on the roster, and the US title isnt really seen as that important. But thats also the problem. The title NEEDS to be that big. One of the reasons Smackdown was seen as the "B" show last time around was its titles were never seen as prestigious as the RAW ones. So by having Smackdown draft one of the Midcard belts in the first round, it also elevates the belt as being more important than say an individual superstar no matter how big a name.
And hell, Rusev is getting a hell of a push right now so its not like this doesnt help with that too.
#2 RAW
Going to be honest, this is mostly a matter of convenient timing more than anything else. Once one title goes to one show, everyone knows the other one is going to the other, so might as well get it over with.
That said, to be fair to the Miz hes riding one of the best waves of his career right now, so he DOES actually currently have star power to merit a spot during the televised draft, unlike say last year when he probably wouldn't have made the cut.
#2 Smackdown!
Again this one is all about making it seem like Smackdown is on equal footing with RAW by giving them the biggest name WWE has. This is kinda similar like how during the first brand split smackdown got the Rock and Hulk Hogan to try to legitimize them. The difference here is Cena's still got several years left in the tank to help Smackdown unlike those 2.
#3 RAW
Steph will then point out Cena is the face of the past, a cash cow wwe has used and will soon discard. So the man she wants is WWE's future cash cow.....Roman Reigns.
WWE has invested too much in Reigns to not have him feature in the Draft.....but his suspension puts them in a hard spot. As the seeming new face of the company he still merits going early....and having him go 3rd would still make him the first face drafted to RAW (as both Rollins and Miz are heels) behind only the top heel and top RAW only belt....while also making sure WWE doesnt feature him too prominently to gain bad press by having him be drafted first
#3 Smackdown!
WWE cant afford to break up the Club right now. They also cant afford to waste 3 televised picks to draft all 3 of them. And they cant hurt the value of 2 of them by having them relegated to an televised part of the draft. So much like the nWo (who the Club claim are their spiritual predecessors, and who the gimmick is modeled on), I assume their will be some rule WWE finds allowing them to be drafted as a unit. And again their placement is for the same as Reigns. Coming in only behind the Face and the exclusive Title, this makes the Club the top bad guys on Smackdown.
RAW #4
Cass seems to have impressed the hell out of WWE brass when Enzo was injured, and it only helps his stock to get drafted on the televised portion of the draft. And drafting him separate from his partner helps build some tension as to if the team will remain together or not, and allows for speculation on his and Enzo's future (though if I did a full draft, I would have Enzo join him on RAW....just save that to the untelevised part, as neither one is really ready for a singles push just yet, and keeping the reveal of Enzo being on RAW back keeps the speculation and talk going for longer)
#4 Smackdown!
So instead of falling into his sisters games, Shane is going to take inspiration from his sisters drafting "Big Cass" as the future of the WWE and draft his own "future"...NXT Superstar Finn Balor.
So NXT stars are supposedly eligable for the draft, Balor is clearly ready to be called up. The "foundation" of each show was made with the first 3 picks, we need some shock value.....and oh yea, he's the original leader of The Club over in Japan so interjecting him into The Club/Cena, especially right after Cena loses some of his backup, that spells intrigue, which spells value.
#5 RAW
Pretty much the same as Balor, shes clearly ready to go. Furthermore as much as WWE is trying to hype the women's division right now, half their womens roster is out injured. Bayley however was the final member of the Four Horsewomen with WWE's 3 biggest female talents right now (Sasha, Charlotte and Becky Lynch) and has already proven she can have fantastic matches with any of them. So this is just what WWE needs to energize the Woman's division and keep the great matches coming while keeping them fresh.
I kinda figure this one explains it self. Sasha really is the most popular woman in WWE right now, so its pretty much a lock shes getting drafted live on tv, and this just seems to be the best place to fit her.
#6 RAW
By this point in the draft each brand has a face for the show, and a face for the WWE title, and Women's division as well as a Midcard title.....but what they are lacking is a face for the midcard division....Sami Zayn fills that roll nicely.
#6 Smackdown!
Shane comes out and agrees Sami Zayn is athletic....but hes not sure hes the MOST atheltic star in WWE, for his money that is the Swiss Superman, Cesaro, pound for pound the strongest man in WWE.
Honestly, exact same reason for Cesaro and Zayn, they fit the same role on either show, and both have potential to move up to the main event sooner rather than later.
#7 RAW
Steph agrees Cesaro is a powerful man....but he's only a man. Her next pick is a group of powerful men....her next pick is the most impactful group in WWE right now, the Wyatt Family.
Just like the Club, WWE cant afford to split these guys, and cant afford to waste 4 spots drafting them. I say 4 because I would include Luke Harper in the family.....theyve lost an edge since he went down with injury, and while he did have a semi successful run on his own before, hes much better in the group....and if hes on his own and they are still around he risks looking like a cheap knock off, so intertwined is his gimmick and persona with the groups....in fact hes a big a part of it as Bray. This also gives RAW a group thats a threat to all male divisions at all times, Bray for the World title, Harper for the IC, and Rowan and Strowman for the Tag.....so thats a lot of future stories.
#7 Smackdown!
Shane claims steph is always focused too much on pure strength, rather than overall talent and potential, thats why under her RAW did so badly. However on Shane McMahon's smackdown! things will be different....so he's drafting the person with the most potential in WWE today Apollo Crews
Honestly Crews probibly isnt deserving of this spot....but given that WWE seems to be pushing him to the moon given how fast he left NXT, but I cant see him going any higher than 7
#7 RAW
Just like the Club, WWE cant afford to split these guys, and cant afford to waste 4 spots drafting them. I say 4 because I would include Luke Harper in the family.....theyve lost an edge since he went down with injury, and while he did have a semi successful run on his own before, hes much better in the group....and if hes on his own and they are still around he risks looking like a cheap knock off, so intertwined is his gimmick and persona with the groups....in fact hes a big a part of it as Bray. This also gives RAW a group thats a threat to all male divisions at all times, Bray for the World title, Harper for the IC, and Rowan and Strowman for the Tag.....so thats a lot of future stories.
#7 Smackdown!
Honestly Crews probibly isnt deserving of this spot....but given that WWE seems to be pushing him to the moon given how fast he left NXT, but I cant see him going any higher than 7
#8 RAW
Steph claims Shane is making the same mistake he always does, risking everything on unproven and risky gambles....its why he always has to come crawling back to WWE and try to make his name on her success. She prefers proven commodities.....like a 4 time WWE champion Alberto Del Rio
Much like Crews, Del Rio is clearly someone WWE wants to focus on....but hes likely never going to be the face of a brand again. So a late pick wont hurt his long term prospects and will also give him some attention...as well as remind people some big names are still left to go as we head into the last few picks.
#8 Smackdown!
Shane will claim he doesnt take unnecessary risks, but unlike Steph hes just doing what needs to be done to succeed, no matter if its drafted Crews for his possible potential, or drafting the man who in the last year has already shot well above what people thought his potential would be, becoming even more successful than they believed. And even though this man and shane have never seen eye to eye, he will do what his sister cant, and put good of Smackdown above his own personal wants and draft Kevin Owens.
Honestly Owens has everything needed to be a future champion....and he will play much better on the face run Smackdown than the Heel run raw.....especially since on Raw he would be stuck as second fiddle to Rollins who also has the whiney heel thing down packed. Turning up this late might be surprising....but like Del Rio it would help make WWE's roster look more stacked than it is with so many big names going late.
#9 RAW
Steph gets mad and claims she always does whats best for buiness, and not just whats best for her...so to that end she drafts long time rival Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler is the kinda guy the fans WANT to see get drafted on TV, so he will be. And much like Owens will do better with a face authority figure to play of off, Ziggler will do better with a heel to play off of....especially one like Steph with whom he already has some history. He also helps shore up both the midcard and world title division on RAW.
#9 Smackdown!
Shane admits hes actually caught off guard by that move, he didnt think steph had it in her. He also says that he likes the idea, drafting the guy the fans most want to see win....but with all due respect to Dolph he doesnt think its him....he thinks its Zach Ryder.
Ryder spent years as the "company guy" for WWE....and they seem to be rewarding him for it this year given his shock IC title win, and winning the main event of RAW. This would be another way to "pay it forward" as far as giving him a push the fans want him to get, and making him look like an underdog. Also helps create stability as he is the #1 contender for the US title...so the title wont change shows in a few weeks.
#10 RAW
Steph laughs at shane trying to play catch up as she sees it...and suggests he should get used to it. She then reminds people that unlike Smackdown, RAW is the industry leader and one of the reasons for that is its unpredictability....you never know who will be showing up.....like her final draft pick, the returning Randy Orton.
Much like Crews, Del Rio is clearly someone WWE wants to focus on....but hes likely never going to be the face of a brand again. So a late pick wont hurt his long term prospects and will also give him some attention...as well as remind people some big names are still left to go as we head into the last few picks.
#8 Smackdown!
Honestly Owens has everything needed to be a future champion....and he will play much better on the face run Smackdown than the Heel run raw.....especially since on Raw he would be stuck as second fiddle to Rollins who also has the whiney heel thing down packed. Turning up this late might be surprising....but like Del Rio it would help make WWE's roster look more stacked than it is with so many big names going late.
#9 RAW
Ziggler is the kinda guy the fans WANT to see get drafted on TV, so he will be. And much like Owens will do better with a face authority figure to play of off, Ziggler will do better with a heel to play off of....especially one like Steph with whom he already has some history. He also helps shore up both the midcard and world title division on RAW.
#9 Smackdown!
Ryder spent years as the "company guy" for WWE....and they seem to be rewarding him for it this year given his shock IC title win, and winning the main event of RAW. This would be another way to "pay it forward" as far as giving him a push the fans want him to get, and making him look like an underdog. Also helps create stability as he is the #1 contender for the US title...so the title wont change shows in a few weeks.
#10 RAW
Orton's been a big name for 14 years or so, and may have up to a decade left in his tank. You better believe he's going to be drafted live. Holding him to the end however allows Raw's part of the draft to end with a "surprise" return....which is how WWE usually seems to like it.
#10 for Smackdown!
Shane will laugh and say Orton's not a surprise, everyone KNEW he would be returning as it was announced as all major events will be going forward on Smackdown. A true unexpected surprise would be someone like his final draft pick....Neville.
WWE needs to end the draft with a big shock. And its probibily not common knowlage Neville returned from injury a few days ago at a house show. So he fits the "Shock return" box really well. And WWE seems to keep wanting to push him but can never figure out how. Maybe being the final draft pick by Smackdown will help give him that push.
So there you have it. The guys I think should be the top 10 picks for each brand in the draft....as well as the actual logic of why they should get the spots they get and even how to make it make sense on TV.
#10 for Smackdown!
WWE needs to end the draft with a big shock. And its probibily not common knowlage Neville returned from injury a few days ago at a house show. So he fits the "Shock return" box really well. And WWE seems to keep wanting to push him but can never figure out how. Maybe being the final draft pick by Smackdown will help give him that push.
So there you have it. The guys I think should be the top 10 picks for each brand in the draft....as well as the actual logic of why they should get the spots they get and even how to make it make sense on TV.
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