WWE sure knows how to run a business

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

By Dave Scherer

 

There were a lot of surprised and unhappy people at the Smackdown house show in Manchester, NH last night when news of next Monday’s lottery became public. Most of the talent found out about the brand shifting when they started getting cell phone calls at the show from friends and significant others, who told them that they would have to be in Detroit for Raw next week, after Vince McMahon cut his promo making the announcement on live TV. From what I heard, people were not happy to find out that way.

[2GOLD 0]

Odds are this is a work that leads to Heyman and Smackdown breaking away from Vince and the WWE. I don't know how, but I can't believe for one second that Vince would piss off his workers even more.

 

If he really did this without informing them, then the morale of this company will hit a new low.

[OldSchoolWrestling 0]

How could he have told them in advance when he thought it up on his way to the ring?

[Lightning Flik 0]

Ok, so now we are quite sure that there is no "other brand", but possible the most STUPID promoter the world has ever known.

 

How the hell do you NOT tell people these things? I mean, if this is a work, great job Vince.

 

You've now officially pissed off the entire Smackdown roster, Vince.

[CanadianChick 0]

Meh, it's just like two years ago. Didn't wrestlers have to go on WWE.com to find out what roster they would be on?

[snuffbox 0]

uh huh...

[haVoc 0]

Who cares? What's the difference if they were called and told or found out by watching Raw? They have a whole week to get ready. Either way they would bitch and cry about the draft.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

They're probably upset because they weren't told about it before it was made public. They should have been told over the weekend.

 

Say you're at work (for example), and a co-worker comes up to you and says "Hey, I heard you're being transferred to Wyoming next week." If that was the 1st you heard about it, I'm sure you'd be a little ticked off.

[haVoc 0]

True, but they don't know who is being traded yet. Not like "Hey Cena, you're being moved to Raw. Says who? Vince a few minutes ago on Raw."

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Still, it's a major roster shake up. Common business sense would have been to notify the wrestlers before making the announcement.

[Guest Goodear]

Its their own damn fault for leaking every plotline they could to anyone with a laptop. Vince has to do this sort of thing if he wants to actually surprise the fan base anymore. So they didn't know that there was going to be a reshuffling of brands... so what? They know now. 'Smackdown' will get the better end of the stick anyway considering their entire heel side of the card has either quit, is injured, or is in preparation for surgery.

[Guest thetrendsetter]

They probably didn't want it to leak to the net before it happened, the boys proved to not be able to keep kayfabe, and leaked the lesnar thing, so fuckem...

 

Edit: GodDamn it Goodear

[Lightning Flik 0]

They know now. 'Smackdown' will get the better end of the stick anyway considering their entire heel side of the card has either quit, is injured, or is in preparation for surgery.

Big Show is still there and he's not quiting, isn't injuried or preparing for surgery.

 

That's one heel down. Just get me about 4 more, and we's be good.

 

Probably the RAW roster wasn't mentioned about this either.

[OldSchoolWrestling 0]

Big Show is still there and he's not quiting, isn't injuried or preparing for surgery.

The Big Show is likely to take time off following WrestleMania XX. He has a variety of nagging injuries including knee and elbow problems.

 

Credit: Torch Newsletter

[Lightning Flik 0]

Big Show is still there and he's not quiting, isn't injuried or preparing for surgery.

The Big Show is likely to take time off following WrestleMania XX. He has a variety of nagging injuries including knee and elbow problems.

 

Credit: Torch Newsletter

Well damn...

 

I didn't know that. That sucks.

[snuffbox 0]

Its their own damn fault for leaking every plotline they could to anyone with a laptop. Vince has to do this sort of thing if he wants to actually surprise the fan base anymore. So they didn't know that there was going to be a reshuffling of brands... so what? They know now. 'Smackdown' will get the better end of the stick anyway considering their entire heel side of the card has either quit, is injured, or is in preparation for surgery.

good point

[Scroby 0]

Could be a work, it is sorry for people falling for that. If it isn't Vince either did it because he didn't want it to be leaked and maybe told only a few Raw people, which I can't blame him for or it was just becuase maybe they thought it up last minute or so.

[buffybeast 0]

I suspect that Vince and the writing staff only came up with the idea of a lottery over the weekend or Monday afternoon.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

Matt Hardy STILL probably doesn't know.

 

Seriously, if this is a work it's probably one of the silliest things ever. I mean, it does make sense in the kayfabe world of wrestling - Vince McMahon, Chairman, making this HUGE announcement to the world and letting everybody (even his own employees) be in shock. But in the real world, this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

[Guest I Got Banned for Sucking]

Even while Vince McMahon can make a stupid decision or two here and there (or at least, so we think), you can't deny the fact that he has a great noggin' on him, which is a grave understatement.

 

I don't know about all of you, but I'm intrigued to see where this is going - I'd say more, but I have to go now.

 

(Note: iB died on the way back to his home planet).

[razazteca 0]

The good news from all of this is that the Dudleys vs La Resistence feud is finally over! Raw can keep Rob Conway and send the dancing fools with their dog to Smackdown. I think its about time that Teddy Long gets somebody good to manage now........so bring in The Worlds Greatest Tag Team to Raw.

 

Poor Matt Hardy still has nothing to do.

[syxx2001 0]

1) Why does every thing have to be a work?

 

2) If Vince hates the internet so much and doesn't even acknowledge that a large majority of his fans are internet users, and everyone on the internet thinks its soooo fucking funny to be sarcastic when talking about Vince and the internet, why would he try to work us?

[Slickster 0]

Even while Vince McMahon can make a stupid decision or two here and there (or at least, so we think), you can't deny the fact that he has a great noggin' on him, which is a grave understatement.

 

I don't know about all of you, but I'm intrigued to see where this is going - I'd say more, but I have to go now.

 

(Note: iB died on the way back to his home planet).

Otto: Whoa-ho! A talking dog! [chuckles] What were you

guys smokin' when you came up with that?

Cohen: We were eating rotisserie chicken.

[KTID 0]

Relevant article by Wade Keller:

 

KELLER'S TAKE: Some potential benefits to the decision to reshuffle rosters next week

 

I'm greeting the major announcement by Vince McMahon about reshuffling the rosters as good news. There are some definite drawbacks to the decision, perhaps accurately classified as a rash decision in reaction to dipping ratings and the unexpected loss of Brock Lesnar, but overall I see more potential positives than drawbacks if everything plays out well.

 

The Guest Editorial published last month suggesting a new draft after WrestleMania each year made a compelling case for an annual reshuffling. At the time, I liked the idea.

 

Here are some benefits that come to mind immediately:

 

-The Bashams and Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas may be broken up, giving each of the four wrestlers, now stagnant in a nothing-happening Smackdown tag division, new life as singles wrestlers. They could have accomplished this without the reshuffling of both rosters, but this creates a built-in reason for the break-ups without having to contrive them.

 

-Rene Dupree, who has great potential as a singles wrestler, may be separated from the stagnant, stale La Resistance gimmick, giving Rob Conway and the returned Sylvian Grenier a chance to remain a tag team without dragging him down.

 

-Perhaps through some miracle, Matt Hardy will be better utilized with yet another change in atmosphere or talent around him.

 

-The Cruiserweights will presumably be split up. Ideally, that would lead to competing divisions on Raw and Smackdown, which would mean Jim Ross calling Cruiserweight matches, would ideally would mean the division would have a better chance to get over.

 

-Smackdown had slowed to crawl headed into WrestleMania. As good as some elements of the storylines were, as as much as nothing offensively bad was happening, it just didn't feel like a red-hot show lately. A new mix of names and feuds can ignite new energy on that show.

 

-Several people who otherwise would have wrestled each other may now be separated until SummerSlam, such as Randy Orton and Mick Foley or even Chris Jericho and Christian.

 

-In a fresh atmosphere, Christian and the newly turned heel Trish may be better able to take advantage of momentum coming out of WM20.

 

-There are fans who only watch Raw or Smackdown each week for a variety of reasons, be it lack of availability of UPN, lack of cable access, or schedule conflicts. This will give them new exposure to new wrestlers, and perhaps give them a new reason to start watching the other show one way or another to keep following their favorites who've they've watched over the past year or so.

 

-Steve Austin and Paul Heyman may be put on the same show, creating a new person for Austin to feud with since the Austin-Bischoff dynamic had certainly run its course.

 

-The losses of Goldberg and Brock Lesnar will be less obvious since everything is being shaken up. There won't be an obvious gaping hole on Smackdown since everything will look new.

 

-It's something that everybody in wrestling is going to be talking about. It adds a major topic of conversation for WWE viewers over the next week and beyond.

 

-If WWE were to make the roster reshuffling an annual tradition, it would create a sense of there being "seasons" to WWE, with everything really climaxing at WrestleMania each year, with the post-WrestleMania TV shows being as highly anticipated as those leading up to the big show.

 

-Since Vince McMahon has full control over who goes where, he can avoid matching up two wrestlers on the same roster whom he wants to keep separate from each other for a future dream match (i.e. what they were doing with Hunter and Brock).

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

-If WWE were to make the roster reshuffling an annual tradition, it would create a sense of there being "seasons" to WWE, with everything really climaxing at WrestleMania each year, with the post-WrestleMania TV shows being as highly anticipated as those leading up to the big show.

 

I like this idea. Especially if it is a draft rather than a lottery. Drafts are always fun.

[AndrewTS 0]

 

-If WWE were to make the roster reshuffling an annual tradition, it would create a sense of there being "seasons" to WWE, with everything really climaxing at WrestleMania each year, with the post-WrestleMania TV shows being as highly anticipated as those leading up to the big show.

 

I like this idea. Especially if it is a draft rather than a lottery. Drafts are always fun.

But, but--their season never ends!

 

The first draft was cool in effect, but in practice it was just a waste of time because most of the roster wasn't drafted. The only point would be to have a few wrestlers get a bit of a rub by being a high draft pick.

 

I think that likely the wrestlers will have some say in what show they go to or if they stay.

[AndrewTS 0]

-Rene Dupree, who has great potential as a singles wrestler, may be separated from the stagnant, stale La Resistance gimmick, giving Rob Conway and the returned Sylvian Grenier a chance to remain a tag team without dragging him down.

 

Fuck that! While Rene doesn't flat out suck, Conway's loads better than him and Rene needs more time tagging to be of any real use as a singles threat.

 

Damnit, I hope Conway isn't anchored with that shitbag Grenier.

[Papacita 0]

 

-If WWE were to make the roster reshuffling an annual tradition, it would create a sense of there being "seasons" to WWE, with everything really climaxing at WrestleMania each year, with the post-WrestleMania TV shows being as highly anticipated as those leading up to the big show.

 

I like this idea. Especially if it is a draft rather than a lottery. Drafts are always fun.

Hopefully, they'd institute a rankings system if they went with that idea.

[Guest Anglesault]

-The Bashams and Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas may be broken up, giving each of the four wrestlers, now stagnant in a nothing-happening Smackdown tag division, new life as singles wrestlers. They could have accomplished this without the reshuffling of both rosters, but this creates a built-in reason for the break-ups without having to contrive them.

The Bashams need fucking singles pushes now?

 

Not like they COMPLETELY blew their tag push or anything.

[Scroby 0]

Ok lets review here.

 

The cruiserweight divison could be split up...how is this good? It was stupid to put Hurricane, Hardy and Spike all to be on Raw. Each one of them should have been on or left on Smackdown. Oh and JR calling the cruiser matches would be good, How? I can see how JR and King talking about HHH, other matches, Austin, and boobs while completely ignoreing the match a good thing.

 

Rob Conway will be left with one of the French guys...Umm isn't Conway better than both guys? So WWE is going to anchor him down, a-huh.

 

Christian, RVD, Jericho, Booker T, Lance Storm, Rico, Jackie Gayda, and Stacy all would be fine for Smackdown. Moving Trish to Smackdown could be a blow to the woman's divison since Smackdown has T&A Women, but where just gonna have to see about that.

 

Breaking up the Bashems and WGTT wouldn't be a good thing. Espically the Bashems because other than WGTT their the dominant heel tag team. Besides doesn't Smackdown only have 4 tag teams all together. Actaul tag teams, not singles put together just for the hell of it. 5 maybe if you wanna count London and Kiddman but it seems everytime an idea comes up for Kiddman it gets lost somewhere.

 

I'm still sorta curious on how this "lottery" is gonna take place. I'm wondering if its gonna be like Royal Rumble's of old when they had the clear pop bubbles, where you popped off the lid and pulled a slip out of it. I don't think its going to be a draft at all. What I'm also wondering if this is going to be going on and off during the show or just gonna be one big segment altogether. I actually aren't sure which way i want it.