Raw Draft Preview

It's time to shake things up a bit. At least according to Vincent Kennedy McMahon. WWE announced a few weeks ago abruptly the draft will return and it will this Monday Night on Raw. The draft has always benefited Smackdown with adding wrestlers but Raw usually gets one big name. The mid carders are always the ones who benefit the most. A guy that is rarely used on Raw, heads to Smackdown and becomes something. For example, Cody Rhodes looked to be an outcast after Wrestlemania 26. He was shipped to Smackdown, became "Dashing", lost the moniker and is having a great story with Rey. I didn't think Dibiase would have been the man to get buried once Legacy broke up. I see a lot of moves going to be made on Monday. I hope some of these moves help the undercard get recognized for their work. Smackdown should get one big name to replace Edge and hopefully a few more wrestlers. Here's a list and explanation of who I would like to see move to both shows.

Smackdown

Ted Dibiase Jr.- He has to head to Smackdown. Teddy has plenty of potential and is a solid in ring worker. His mic skills are not great but on Smackdown it wouldn't show as much. In fact, he could be given a mic once in a while just to help his character. He's stale on Raw. Smackdown came up with "Dashing" for Cody Rhodes so I would think they could help Teddy. I would even turn him into a good guy.

Zach Ryder- Long Island Ice Z has enough charisma that his character should be making it on Raw. If you haven't seen them, Ryder has some solid Youtube hits that are actually funny and unique. He's still very young so he has time to grow. Zach could use a change of scenery and not be used all the time on "Superstars". This kid could go far and I can see an IC title shot if he moves to Smackdown.

Daniel Bryan- Why would I want him to move to Smackdown? He's a wrestler. Smackdown is more of a wrestling show. It's a perfect match. I know Bryan should have gotten the chance to shine at Wrestlemania with Sheamus. It's unfortunate. Bryan could easily be in the semi main event at the end of the first hour of Smackdown providing a 10-15 minute match. Bryan probably won't get to main event or get a chance at the World Heavyweight Championship. Smackdown will give Bryan a place to do what he does best and that's wrestle.

Sheamus- Fun, how I mention Bryan and then have his opponent coming with him to Friday Night. My reasoning is simple, Smackdown only has 1 main heel character going after the WHC, Albert Del Rio. I don't mind Sheamus wearing the U.S. title on Raw since that made him relevant since the WWE title picture is full. On Smackdown, the Irish Ghost can come over and jump right into the main event scene.

Randy Orton- The whole left by Edge is to big for just Christian to fill. I believe Christian should get the opportunity to wear the World Title sometime this year. By adding Sheamus and Orton, you can have 4 top guys going after the title and mix up the story lines. Orton has been in the best feud on Raw with CM Punk. Randy deserves to be in the title picture and he won't get that chance on Raw. He will on Smackdown and the Viper can easily change from face to heel and heel to face.

Raw

Drew McIntyre- There is no guarantee a change of shows will do someone good. We are all hoping it will for "our" guy/s. Well Drew is one of my guys. I like this kid a lot. He has a good look, great finisher and his entrance music is very recognizable. He was named 'The Chosen One' by Vinnie Mac and hasn't done anything with it. A move to Monday Night where he can be used in the mid-carder title picture would be perfect. I would love to see him and Sin Cara compete in a few matches.

Wade Barrett- It only makes sense if Sheamus goes to Smackdown, the IC title comes to Raw. I realize it's only been a few months since Barrett had a 100 chairs fall on him by Cena and he was forced to leave Raw. The Corre is lame and needs to break up. Barrett made his name on Raw and he should try and extract some revenge on Punk and the Nexus. I'm not saying Barrett should turn face. All I am saying is Wade should beat down the Nexus and Punk. I don't see fans cheering Barrett as his character is brutal and malicious. Wade and Morrison sounds like a good story.

Jack Swagger- The All American American American needs a face turn at Extreme Rules. If he does that and moves to Raw, BAM, fresh start. With Barrett and McIntyre coming over, Raw needs at least one face and Swagger can fit the bill. Raw has always had more characters and less focus on wrestling, Swagger needs more time to talk and can do that on Raw. He's a good wrestler so that's not his problem. Raw can help him with his character issue.

I'm sure the WWE will throw in a few more curveballs during the Draft episode. I didn't mention the Divas either. I doubt Kong will show up this week but it would be nice to know what show she is going to be on. If Del Rio or Miz move, that will be shocking. Raw should be interesting but it might feel thrown together. The writers have had a few weeks to prepare. I hope it's a good show and some of the moves benefit those being buried. Let's see how much the WWE decides to shake things up. Be sure to come back Monday night after Raw for the Raw blog. You can also hit me up on twitter @mccall316 during Raw as I am always on there as well. If you want more wrestling, head to BBSD.

J Call

Raw 12-20

TLC is done and gone. We didn't learn a whole lot from the results. Edge is the WHC and I couldn't be happier. Christian will return soon and those two should end up headlining Wrestlemania. Randy Orton is still fighting his way to the WWE title. As predicted, John Morrison is getting a huge push even though he lost the KOTR tournament. I worry Nexus story is over and they have no where to go. Judging by their absence on the show, the writers had no clue what to do either. I hope Triple H returns shortly. My TLC picks were successful, Raw wasn't as much.

The opening with Riley and Cole was stupid. I was glad Miz came out but then it just got weird. Morrison and Miz was smart writing. These two have a history which adds to the feud. Now, the fans need to be invested in the match. Morrison also needs to prove he belongs in the main event. The only fault is Orton finishing the segment. Morrison is the focal point. He's the number one contender. Although, it doesn't seem that way after witnessing all of Raw. The main event sounded solid.

The Diva match did its job, name a contender for Natalya's title. We are moving away from LayCool, good deal. To bad the 3 ladies goofed up half the spots. I do have expectations for the Melina Natalya bout. I called Melina turning heel. Phoenix and LayCool can continue on Smackdown so the division isn't completely wasted on Friday Nights.

I thought Regal retired. The physicality in the match was great. Bryan and Regal put on a classic wrestling contest. That type of match is something we use to see in the 60's only lasting about an hour longer. A very old school match. I'm certain Michael Cole has never had a 3 some unless it's with Miz and Riley. I like the side story with Bryan and the twins. Raw did nothing with his title. Dibiase seems to be done and the rest of the roster is buried. One guy that comes to mind is Big Zeke. He's been squashing guys for weeks. Elevate him to the United States contention and turn him heel. He's a better and natural heel.

One thing Cole said that made sense was Dibiase needs a win. I don't recall the last win Teddy had or Maryse. Either break them up or have them win a few matches. Dibiase is way better than a jobber. Stop burying him! I can't wait for him to move to Smackdown. You turned the corner with Morrison. You've put a crown on Sheamus only because it gives Triple H a reason to beat the crap out of him. You've done nothing for Dibiase. He lost cleanly to Bryan about 4 times. He's losing any and every match you can possibly have at this point. I'm freaking sick of it. If he's wrestling Santino, bring Brett Dibiase back and tag for the titles. It's not rocket science. Teddy must have pissed in one of the writers cereal to be treated this poorly.

Somehow Cena changed in a week. He's back to normal even though he never left and did the same stuff I've heard for the last 6 years. I can't believe I'm saying this, ah well it's true, Vicki Guerrero saved me from Cena. I'd rather see her and Ziggler than Cena. Punk gave Cena a new nickname, the horrible person Cena. I think it will be used everytime I'm forced to type his name. I didn't fully comprehend the reason Ziggler faced the horrible person (see it will grow on you) Cena. It does nothing for either man. I guess they could meet again at the Rumble or tomorrow night on Smackdown. Ziggler is running out of guys to beat on Smackdown. Nearly half the roster has competed for the IC title. Punk must be healthy! Yippee. Highlight of the night, Punk back in the ring. I heard reports the WWE thought about keeping Punk at the broadcast table. Bad idea. Punk has years before hanging up his boots. I'd prefer to see him wrestle. The horrible person Cena has a new feud and I love it.

The main event was given plenty of time to develop an in ring story. The 6 men should be commended for their efforts. Okay, everyone but Riley. He still sucks. Raw rarely gives us a 20 minute main event. I'd like to see it more than 3 times a year. I know to much to ask. I loved they gave Lawler some retribution for losing to Miz a few weeks ago. Again, my only problem is they had Orton finish the show. I guess they need to cap it off one more time before Morrison gets his shot. Please, don't make it a triple threat match. Let Morrison and Miz show off their talents alone.

Raw did a half ass job of setting up Miz and Morrison. Instead, Orton doesn't seem out of the picture. The best thing by many miles was Punk leaving the booth and hitting the horrible person John Cena with a chair. I can't wait to see that develop more and I'm sure it will on Smackdown. Other than that, Raw did nothing for stories. I do have some sad news to end this Raw blog. This is my final Raw blog of 2010. I'm taking next week off for the holidays and spend time with my family. I will return in 2011 and continue to be the best damn WWE blogger on the planet. Continue to send in your e-mails to jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com. I don't know why I'm giving the bastards on Showstoppers on BBSD a plug but I just did. They weren't to friendly to your old Raw blogger this weekend. Oh well, all in good fun and I will get even. Take care and Merry Christmas to all of you.

J Call

Bragging Rights Pick

I'm not softening my stance on this show. Bragging Rights sucks. I don't give a crap which team will win. I do care about a few other matches on the card. I look forward to a buried alive match, something we haven't seen in years. Also Bryan and Ziggler could steal the show. The big issue since Monday has been "Stand up for WWE". I'll have my own thoughts on that in the October 25th Raw blog. For now, the focus is on Bragging Rights.

Diva Championship
LayCool (c) vs Natalya
This feud started slow and built nicely over the past few weeks. I didn't think I'd actually be looking forward to a Diva match. I just hope these two are given time. My guess is McCool will be the opponent. I'd love to boldly pick Natalya to lock the Sharpshooter in and make McCool tap. Unfortunately, I feel Laycool keeps.

Champion vs Champion
U.S. Champ Bryan vs IC Champ Ziggler
Hey WWE, don't screw up this match. How you ask? Oh, they could bring Nexus down and kill both before the bell rings. Bryan and Ziggler have a real shot to steal Bragging Rights. They've never met so it's new, both are good in ring competitors and build stories. Out of all the matches, Bryan and Ziggler is the one I want to see most. I would say I win but I have to choose someone. I'll say Bryan.

Team Raw vs Team Smackdown
Do you even care that I didn't name all the participants? I figured you didn't. The build has been the biggest of all the matches. Now it's an elimination match so it will be even longer. I simply don't give a crap either way. I hope someone turns and sets up a feud for a show. Raw wins.

WWE Title
Orton (c) vs Barrett with Cena
Is Cena going to turn heel? Probably not this Sunday. He will down the line. I have a feeling Cena will do the opposite and cost Barrett the match. Orton and Wade had a TOTAL of 2 minutes worth of interaction. Even then, they didn't say a word. That tells me WWE put to much stock in Cena and not enough in the champ or challenger. Orton wins.

Buried Alive Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Kane (c) vs The Undertaker
If you want to set up Taker and Cena at Mania, then Cena would screw Taker. Kane did it back in 2003 to set up their second mania match at XX. That's not going to happen. I'm still rooting for Sheamus and Taker at next year's Wrestlemania. Bearer has turned so what is left of this story? Well, Taker could take time off again and return for the Rumble. I'm not sure what the hell is going to happen. I wouldn't think Taker would leave again since he just came back at Summerslam. Kane meanwhile is on the biggest push of his career and having him off TV for an extended period wouldn't make much sense either. One man leaves while the other is world champion. It's a gamble but I'm taking Kane.

J Call