Whether you enjoyed the 2016 WWE Draft or not, it can certainly be argued that it lacked excitement. The draft didn't necessarily excite fans to look toward the future impact that it would have. Specifically though, there was a lapse in logic that underlined the event. Before I start the rebooking process, I need to make one thing very clear. It it very easy to sit back and nit pick the mistakes WWE makes. I am in no way directly affiliated with the business of professional wrestling/sports entertainment. These are simply ideas that myself and my friend, Esai Saldana have spoken about.
To redraft, we've edited some of the NXT call-ups but used the real WWE Draft list. We also used the same picking format that we saw last Tuesday on SmackDown.
With that being said, let's rebook the draft, beginning with some guidelines dealing with NXT call-ups.
NXT Call-Up Guidelines
At some point on Raw, William Regal (In some kind of taped segment) would explain that NXT cannot be a victim of the WWE Draft. Regal says that he will allow the main roster to make six acquisitions as long as they have been signed to an NXT contract for at least one year and are not currently a champion. Tag teams will still count as one acquisition.
Phase I: The Cruiserweight and Women's Division Agreement
The agreement is as follows:
-Cruiserweights are now exclusive to SmackDown and female wrestlers are now exclusive to Raw.
-Male wrestlers 205 pounds and under will negotiate with SmackDown if they wish to participate in the division. They will also be allowed to wrestle for other titles on SmackDown, but are also eligible for the Crusierweight Championship.
-Female wrestlers can only sign with Raw.
- Raw acquires Bayley and Alexa Bliss
- SmackDown acquires Kalisto, Sin Cara, and Neville
There are now 12 women's wrestlers going to Raw and 3 cruiserweights going to SmackDown. Since Bryan is going to sign both former talent and current talent from the Cruiserweight Classic, 12 to 3 is not as uneven as it appears. Bayley and Bliss count as two of the NXT acquisitions, though they are not draft picks. Regal specified six acquisitions, not necessarily draft picks.
Phase II: The Draft
RAW
1. Seth
Rollins
2. Brock
Lesnar
3. Roman
Reigns
4. Finn
Balor
5. The
New Day (c)
6. Kevin
Owens
7. The
Miz (c) w/ Maryse
8. Randy
Orton
9. Bray
Wyatt
10. Enzo
& Big Cass
11. Chris
Jericho
12. Alberto
Del Rio
13. Baron
Corbin
14. Dolph
Ziggler
15. Darren
Young w/ Bob Backlund
16. The
Dudley Boyz
17. Kane
18. Zack
Ryder
19. Mark
Henry
20. Breezango
21. Curtis
Axel
22. The
Golden Truth
23. The
Shining Stars
24. The
Big Show
25. Jack
Swagger
26. Mojo
Rawley
27. Heath
Slater
Agreement acquisitions:
- Bayley
- Alexa Bliss
SmackDown
1. Dean
Ambrose (c)
2. AJ
Styles
3. John
Cena
4. Gallows
& Anderson
5. Rusev
(c) w/ Lana
6. Sami
Zayn
7. The
Usos
8. Cesaro
9. Apollo
Crews
10. Sheamus
11. American Alpha
12. Braun Strowman
13. Tye Dillinger
14. The Vaudevillians
15. Titus O’Neil
16. The Ascension
17. Erick Rowan
18. Bo Dallas
Agreement acquisitions:
- Sin Cara
- Kalisto
- Neville
-Finn Balor, Tye Dillinger, American Alpha, and Mojo Rawley make up the remaining four NXT acquisitions.
In any scenario, there will eventually be a major championship created for one show opposite of the WWE Championship on the other. That would give each brand three exclusive championships (WWE, IC, W's / WHC, US, CW) with the tag titles bouncing between each shows.
Reasons For Brand Exclusive Divisions
If SmackDown is supposed to be the new, fresh show, they should have the revived Cruiserweight Division. There will be new faces and some familiar ones that will create an excitement unique to the brand. Daniel Bryan's wrestling style is synonymous with the cruiserweight's. He is also commentating for the the Cruiserweight Classic. Why would this not be his idea? It explains the launch of the division and how he had the resources to sign more talent to participate. In our current real life timeline, we know that Kota Ibushi will join the division. With him as well as the speculated signings of Cedric Alexander, Zack Sabre Jr., TJ Perkins, and Gran Metalik, the agreement appears to be fair. In this fantasy timeline, they will be allowed to sign with SmackDown because they're not under an NXT contract, thus the one-year of service stipulation does not apply.
Having the Women's Division on Raw would far outweigh any of the positives of splitting them between two brands. Yes, half on each show would allow them to shine more often. The issue is depth and longevity of feuds. Though in theory mid-card women would be able to move up, about six women on each show would run it's course in a matter of months. You can't add another Women's Championship because of the lack of depth and capable workers. In the fantasy scenario, all the women on one show makes them a special attraction and protects the value of the championship. As the women's division expands there may come a time when they need to be divided. When that day arrives, they should have their own draft unique to the division.
Tag Team Division
The tag team division is the tough part in all of this. Yes, the tag team division will be thin because they're split between the two shows. Consider this: more than likely there will only be one tag division match per show, per week. The champions will have to be responsible for being on both shows at certain periods. This division will require more inter-promotional matches to keep things fresh. Scenarios involving number one contender and championship matches are examples.
Phase III: Resulting Angles
Setting Up Balor vs. Styles
In this draft scenario, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson go to SmackDown, keeping The Club intact. To get to AJ (heel) vs. Balor (face), we'll have to wait for one of the big-four cross-branded PPV's. Let's say Gallows and Anderson cross paths at Summerslam. It's a Bullet Club reunion where they pal around and reflect on the fact that the three made it to WWE. Then let's say they meet up again at Survivor Series. At this show, AJ expresses a hint of jealousy that the Club is so preoccupied with Balor, but they make it clear to AJ that at the end of the day they're loyal to The Club. Fast forward to the Royal Rumble. Balor explains to Gallows and Anderson that even though they're friends, he's fighting to win the Rumble match. In the match, The Club is in the ring and it is clear that Gallows and Anderson are helping AJ along as the match goes on. Balor enters the match. He tries to eliminate AJ, but Gallows stops him. Gallows tries to argue with Balor, but Anderson attempts to attack Balor. Balor cleans house and eliminates the two. Then AJ strikes. They have no ties other than their mutual connection to Gallows and Anderson. Balor eliminates AJ, but does not end up winning the match. This sets up AJ vs. Balor moving forward, which is a feud that should culminate at WrestleMania 33. Balor beats AJ at 'Mania. After AJ's loss, either in the ring at 'Mania or Raw the next night, Shinsuke Nakamura debuts on the main roster to challenge AJ.
Separating Owens & Zayn
In this fantasy draft, we've chosen to separate Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Yes, Owens and Zayn have had a great feud, one that started well before WWE was in their sights. They absolutely must cross paths again in the future. Here's an example of how this could work. Let's say Owens, at some point, becomes the major champion of the Raw brand, months or year removed from this brand split. As Owens cuts an in-ring heel promo to gloat over his win, Zayn emerges to challenge him after being traded to Raw earlier in the day. You could get even more creative if Zayn wins a Money In The Bank ladder match. He could cash in and steal the title during Owens' promo. This all depends on how MITB would be handled post brand split in which, there are many acceptable options. This one can go a million different ways. The point of it is, distance makes the heart grow fonder. Zayn and Owens have had an awesome program. Just think of how much better it could be if both go their separate ways, win titles, have more high-profile matches, and then end up crossing paths again. They would both evolve into even more accomplished wrestlers but it would all lead back to the feud that has defined their entire careers.
Bringing In Bayley
Bayley's arrival into a Raw exclusive Women's Division will immediately position her as a top babyface. She would first be the surprise partner of Sasha Banks at Sunday's Battleground to take on Charlotte and Dana Brooke. They would go over with Brooke being pinned. Sasha heads to Summerslam and beats Charlotte for the Women's Championship, while Bayley beats Dana Brooke on the same show. Bayley could then enter a feud with Charlotte directly. After Bayley defeats Charlotte and makes it clear she's the number one contender, Banks turns heel to feud with Bayley, building towards a big championship showdown in a renewed NXT rivalry. In the fantasy scenario, Nia Jax is not on the main roster. But for the sake of the Banks/Bayley angle, Jax could be brought up to serve as Banks' heater, thus stretching out the build to the title match. With all angles included, this scenario could last from Battleground all the way to Wrestlemania 33. Once Bayley defeats Banks for the Women's Championship at 'Mania, the stage is set for Asuka to join the main roster and challenge for the title.
Conclusion
In wrapping this up I must reiterate that I am in no way attempting to say that I have all the answers to WWE storylines. Again, I've never worked a day in the business of professional wrestling. Esai and I are simply illustrating what we would've liked to see happen in the draft as well as the angles resulting from it. And who knows? Maybe WWE has a much grander vision than what we saw at the draft last Tuesday. Only time will tell. We will have a much better idea of the impact of the draft six months or more down the line. Regardless, our fantasy draft really shows that there are many ways that this thing could've gone and many ways for it to go as a result. Same goes for what we have in reality. There's still the chance that we see the return of a guy like MVP or Curt Hawkins. Though the WWE Draft may not have gone exactly how we had hoped, there are still many routes WWE can go in the coming months.
Brady Sauvageau
The Heater
Angles and additional draft scenarios were created in collaboration with Esai Saldana.
Bringing In Bayley
Bayley's arrival into a Raw exclusive Women's Division will immediately position her as a top babyface. She would first be the surprise partner of Sasha Banks at Sunday's Battleground to take on Charlotte and Dana Brooke. They would go over with Brooke being pinned. Sasha heads to Summerslam and beats Charlotte for the Women's Championship, while Bayley beats Dana Brooke on the same show. Bayley could then enter a feud with Charlotte directly. After Bayley defeats Charlotte and makes it clear she's the number one contender, Banks turns heel to feud with Bayley, building towards a big championship showdown in a renewed NXT rivalry. In the fantasy scenario, Nia Jax is not on the main roster. But for the sake of the Banks/Bayley angle, Jax could be brought up to serve as Banks' heater, thus stretching out the build to the title match. With all angles included, this scenario could last from Battleground all the way to Wrestlemania 33. Once Bayley defeats Banks for the Women's Championship at 'Mania, the stage is set for Asuka to join the main roster and challenge for the title.
Conclusion
In wrapping this up I must reiterate that I am in no way attempting to say that I have all the answers to WWE storylines. Again, I've never worked a day in the business of professional wrestling. Esai and I are simply illustrating what we would've liked to see happen in the draft as well as the angles resulting from it. And who knows? Maybe WWE has a much grander vision than what we saw at the draft last Tuesday. Only time will tell. We will have a much better idea of the impact of the draft six months or more down the line. Regardless, our fantasy draft really shows that there are many ways that this thing could've gone and many ways for it to go as a result. Same goes for what we have in reality. There's still the chance that we see the return of a guy like MVP or Curt Hawkins. Though the WWE Draft may not have gone exactly how we had hoped, there are still many routes WWE can go in the coming months.
Brady Sauvageau
The Heater
Angles and additional draft scenarios were created in collaboration with Esai Saldana.
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