Raw Brand Analysis

[Dandy 0]

WARNING: VERY LONG!

 

I thought this might spawn a good discussion on a variety of topics. Raw is detailed below with who was acuired through the draft/trades this year, each title holder and a few contenders, top feuds or angles that are running at this time, who should be poised for a breakout year, and how this year's draft will affect Raw in the long run. Feel free to add speculations on who could form a new tag team, who should contend for what belt, etc.

 

*Smackdown will be posted in a separate thread after Thursday's show, to keep from putting spoiler tags over every other sentence.*

 

 

 

Drafted:

1. John Cena

2. Kurt Angle

3. Carlito

4. Big Show

5. Rob Van Dam

 

Acquired through trade:

1. Mark Jindrak

2. Rene Dupree

3. Danny Basham

4. Chavo Guerrero

5. Kenzo Suzuki w/ Hiroko

 

 

Draft/Trade Analysis:

Cena---After initially taking a backseat to Batista when both champs were on the same show, Cena now holds the top title on Raw, and will be getting the top stars to feud with. Cena had been speculated to switch to Raw for at least a year, where he could be more risque with his raps and character, and be live on cable.

 

Angle---Angle left a horrible angle on Smackdown and has immediately mixed it up with the main eventers on Raw. It appears Angle is moving toward a feud with Triple H, where the lines will be blurred of face/heel for each man. Angle can be inserted into a WWE Title match any month and it could be believable that he would win.

 

Carlito---While not being known as a tremendous worker in the ring, Carlito has his share of fans for his character and talking ability. Carlito won the IC Title in his debut on Raw, and will be a part of that scene for a while, probably.

 

Big Show---Big Show seemingly doesn't have much to do right now on Raw. He benefitted big the last time he switched shows, but this time he has an uphill battle. If anyone else was champ right now, he could probably have a feud for the title. However, it looks like Show is dead in the water right now without a tweak to his character.

 

Rob Van Dam---This pick could turn out to be awesome, or RVD could fall right back to where he was on Smackdown. There will be lots of time to decide his direction as he is still rehabbing his knee. I think the best thing to do at this point would be to bring him back with Fonzie, and let him keep talking like at ONS and on Raw last week. Until I see them utilizing Van Dam, though, I can't help but think he will flounder in the midcard doing the same thing he has for 2+ years.

 

Chavo Guerrero---Immediately used after the draft and given a name and character change to Kerwin White. White has denounced his heritage and is acting like an American stereotype. All this means is the occasional funny promo/skit, and nothing else of note for the former Chavo. I personally think it would have been better for Bischoff to say he wanted to make Chavo as successful as Eddieand look out for him in the process. Chavo could be placed in some higher profile matches with Bischoff trying to have his own successful Guerrero, only to have Chavo trying to live up to Eddie's accomplishments but ultimately fail, causing Bischoff to punish him. Better than "Kerwin White."

 

Rene Dupree---Also immediately used after the trade. Dupree was not mentioned in the same breath as La Resistance, so hopefully they won't reform the team. Dupree will be in roughly the same position as he was on Smackdown. If he stays away from reteaming with Conway, I could see them feuding for a bit, but not much else from Dupree.

 

Jindrak---Hard to tell what they will do with him. He was rumored to be a part of Evolution over a year ago. He would fit in well with Chris Masters in a team or a lame feud. Or he could be released. After last year's draft, several of the people drafted and/or traded were released without doing much. Jindrak could be headed down that same road. If Triple H wanted a new Evolution, Jindrak might fit in well. One of Jindrak's best-known moves is his leap to the top turnbuckle, a move that SHelton Benjamin is already known for on Raw. Either they feud them, or Jindrak drops the move. We will have to wait and see what or if they do with him.

 

Danny Basham---Now would be a great time to switch back to the Damaja. However, Danny could be in the same boat as Jindrak as far as being released. We will just have to wait and see with him as well.

 

Kenzo Suzuki---Kenzo was rumored to debut as a descendant of Emporer Hirohito before ultimately going to Smackdown. I don't think they could go back to that now, and there is really not much to do with him unless you put him with Tajiri in some way. Hiroko might enter into the Women's division, but I've never seen her wrestle.

 

 

 

Current Champs:

WWE Championship---John Cena

Contenders---Chris Jericho, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, Edge

 

Cena has a slew of heels he can face in the next few months. There aren't too many faces near the top right now, so it looks like he will hold on to the title for the near future. Jericho will be a nice little feud while everyone else gets their ducks in a row. Triple H could possibly turn face due to a possible feud with Angle, but most likely he will return and work his way into a feud with Cena for the title, possibly creating a new Evolution in the process. Angle, like I said before, can jump into a title match at any time and be credible, and he has worked well with Cena in the past. Michaels recently turned and after his program with Hogan, a feud with Cena could be really good. Edge is still hovering around the main event scene simply because of his "Money in the Bank" contract, which he could spring on Cena whenever he feels like it. All in all, there are finally several heel options for the face champ to defend against, which is better than what we had most of the last two years.

 

Intercontinental Championship---Carlito

Contenders---Shelton Benjamin, Rob Conway, Danny Basham, Mark Jindrak

 

A lot of these really depends on how they are used. We have not seen any of these men since the trades were finalized. Benjamin should be a top contender for the fact that he held the title for so long recently. Conway was more of a face in his competition with Grenier, and would make a good mid-level face after dropping the La Resistance crap. Basham and Jindrak will have to appear on Raw first before we can really say, but the would be welcome additions to this title scene. All of these guys should work together pretty well. I think Carlito is only holding the belt for a face to take it from him at SummerSlam.

 

Tag Team Championship---Hurricane and Rosey

Contenders---The Heart Throbs, Tajiri/Kenzo???, Masters/Jindrak???, OVW Team???

 

This division is the drizzling shits. Besides the Heart Throbs, there is not a single regular tag team on Raw. I could see Tajiri paired with Kenzo and becoming a team, as well as Chris Masters and Jindrak. Besides that, it might be a good time to call up a couple of your OVW tag teams. The thing is, they CAN NOT debut a new team and have them immediately win the belts and then have no one to face for several months. We have gone through this very scenario several times recently, and this division will take a while to fix.

 

Women's Championship---Trish Stratus

Contenders---When Trish returns, she will probably turn face. Otherwise, it's an all heel division, discounting Christy Hemme, who is more of a diva than a wrestler. Victoria and Lita are both heels, and they are basically the only women wrestlers on Raw besides Trish. This division sucks now, after a promising outlook a year or two ago.

 

 

Big Angles/Feuds

 

HBK Heel Turn/Hogan vs. Michaels---This turn by Michaels was done excellently, and I posted in the Raw thread that I thought it would be great for Michaels to have gotten upset that people refer to Hogan as "God," as well as there being a visible sign saying just that for the duration of the tag match on Raw. Even without my fantasy booking on how this angle goes, I have a feeling it is going to be pretty good. Shawn has needed a turn for a while, and this is another of those champions from different eras matchups. Had this happened nearer Wrestlemania than SummerSlam, it could have a Hogan/Rock feel to it. No matter what, I am hyped about this angle due to the execution of the heel turn. WWE needs more things like this to sustian viewers, and boost ratings.

 

Triple H Gone---It can be explained that he is selling the beating he took in the cell, he is depressed that he didn't get the title back, etc., but this is now two straight weeks that Triple H has been off of Raw. I don't hate Triple H, but it is nice to see him away after dominating the title scene for so long. In my opinion, he should stay gone for at least two more weeks, as SummerSlam is still 7 weeks away. When he comes back, it will be very interesting to see what he does and who he feuds with, but he has several options. He has a built in feud with Flair at any time, has minor beef with Angle that was looking to set up a feud, could work his way into a title match with Cena, or could possibly turn face.

 

Cena vs. Jericho---This has several layers to it already. Before the draft, Jericho was turning heel/tweener against Benjamin, and saying that he was such a successful rock star that he didn't really care about wrestling anymore. Then, he interviewed Cena on the Highlight Reel for his debut on Raw, and that lead to Jericho making sure to call himself a better multimedia entertainer thatn Jericho. After Jericho fully turned on Cena, he announced that he had not had a title shot in a long time, and wanted Cena's Title. Now after Cena said that he can tell Jericho desperately wants the title but has cheapened himself over the years, Jericho seems to be hell-bent on winning the title. To me, Jericho was starting to rest on his laurels, but became threatened when Cena came over to Raw because he was also a wrestler who is successful with music. Taking Cena's title would prove he is better than him, and he could once again be seen as the most successful cross-media star currently on Raw. Jericho is jealous of Cena, but since Cena pointed out how "cheap" he has become, Jericho has renewed vigor.

 

 

Breakout Star(s)

 

I really see Rob Conway having a breakout year. Just like Shelton last year, Rob is a talented wrestler that was part of a tag team, but the draft opened up the opportunity for him as a singles wrestler. Conway worked out with Benoit, and is very dedicated to conditioning and wrestling. He has caught people's attention on here many times with his performances in the ring, and would be suited to a good run as IC champion or contender.

 

Also, RVD could very well be more successful after this draft if used properly as stated above. If he is allowed to come back talking like he has been recently, and with Fonzie, he could be huge.

 

Jindrak, Basham, and Carlito also have some good opportunities stemming from this draft.

 

 

 

Draft Analysis

Raw really shifted its main event scene around with this draft. Not only is there a new champ, but the contenders are lined up like nothing we've seen recently on this show. Several people have excellent opportunities to use the switch as a springboard much like Shelton did last year. One thing I would have done differently would be to help form some better tag teams, like trading Conway for Dupree, so La Resistance could reuinite in their original form, and Conway would still be on his own finally. Also, Charlie Haas should have come over this year. Not only would it be a kickass feud for Shelton, but they could temporarily team up and bring some good tag team wrestling back.

 

One major thing that could have been different was not having the damned Diva Search around the end of the draft, so your new stars could be fit into the program instead of 30 minutes wasted on these girls.

 

Overall though, Raw has a great outlook due to this draft. Whether they follow up on that remains to be seen.

[Dangerous A 0]

Actually, I think Carlito has the most potential for a breakout year. On WOL, Konnan said that he can actually do more in the ring like high flying and such, but WWE wants him to do more their style, so it limits him. Plus, as gauged by reactions live and from other reports, he's got a face run in the future as well.

[Dandy 0]

Can't believe I forgot to put this in, but I thought Tajiri and Hurricane should have also been sent to Smackdown to compete in the cruiser division as well as help out with Smackdown's tag teams (by teaming with Akio and Shannon Moore, respectively).

 

With the tag titles vacant on Raw, Bisch announces that he will hold the "Heenan Cup" (or some other name that could be linked to tag wrestling or wrestling in general) to award the tag titles in one month's time, giving everyone a month to find a partner and work on teaming. I meant to put that in my analysis as part of a way for Raw to have helped their tag team situation.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

Good read dude.

[Dandy 0]

Since Mark Jindrak was just announced as being released, I guess you can factor that into the Draft Analysis. There goes a possible tag team, IC Title contender, etc., and a guy that Bischoff specifically tadced for. Does the WWE even think about this when they do it?

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Uh, Edge's guaranteed title shot is for the World Heavyweight Title, not the WWE Title. I think you can factor that into keeping him away from Cena until they resolve it. Or possibly it could lead to it. Edge as champion would suck though, with so much actual talent on Raw now.

[Dandy 0]

It was said to be for a title shot on Raw, if I do believe, and he is still carrying the briefcase around with the contract in it. I believe the only way he would have lost it was if he himself were to go to Smackdown.

[zyn081 0]

Since Mark Jindrak was just announced as being released, I guess you can factor that into the Draft Analysis.  There goes a possible tag team, IC Title contender, etc., and a guy that Bischoff specifically tadced for.  Does the WWE even think about this when they do it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

No, they rarely do.

 

Uh, Edge's guaranteed title shot is for the World Heavyweight Title, not the WWE Title.  I think you can factor that into keeping him away from Cena until they resolve it.  Or possibly it could lead to it.  Edge as champion would suck though, with so much actual talent on Raw now.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Loves the way Edge has just got shafted. The WWE should have Edge panicking about his title shot, Cena last RAW saying its not valid and a prolonged dispute with Cena saying finally, fine have your title shot.

[Guest KingofHarts]

Actually, I think Carlito has the most potential for a breakout year

 

I'm afraid I disagree, Carlito may be enterraining on the Cabana, but as far as wrestling goes hes definitly part of the problem of the WWE. They gave this guy the title on his first night on BOTH shows...why? Because he had talent...no...Because he earned it?...no..Because his Daddy owns some territory Vince wanted?...Bingo. Meanwhile you have more talented individuals, i.e. Charlie Haas, and Shannon Moore getting fired.

[cabbageboy 0]

Well the first time on SMDN it was a joke but I can kinda see putting the IC on Carlito since he's actually over now. He's still awful in the ring however, thus jobbing RVD or whoever out to him would be a farce.