WWE REVIEW: Battleground 2016

Here we are, in a post-Draft WWE, with a PPV still to get through. Battleground in terms of marketability is living up to its name. We have RAW and SmackDown primed and ready for a brand war, with all the wrestlers assigned their colours and allegiances. Some of these matches are crossing newly drawn divides, while others are a little closer to home. It's an event that has laid its cards on the table, giving us Final Encounters, two mammoth six-man tag team matches with some of the best on the roster, and finally a dream Triple Threat Match for the title. It sounds pretty good, with some sublime graphics by WWE's visual effects department to boot to make it feel special.

In contrast, last years event, in conjunction with the 2013 & 2014 events proved to be one of the worst of the year, with those first two receiving the Worst Major Show Award in their respective years Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards. Outside of Cena/Owens III, the event struggled to come to life. With all the big matches and the implications of the draft hanging over the event, the negative impression of this event could change. Whether it does, is my job to analyse and conclude.

SPOILER WARNING - IF YOU DON'T WANT THE RESULTS RUINED, DO NOT READ ON.

If you've never seen The CC Network's video reviews of WWE events before, my review system that I use for those as well as these blogs will be new to you. Matches are given star ratings in accordance with an average, accumulated score of five rating factors: Psychology (in-ring story), Move Variety, Crowd Reaction, Match Length and Pacing, as well as my overall enjoyment as a result of those factors. 

THERE WILL BE NO ACCOMPANYING VIDEO DUE TO MY CURRENT HIATUS FROM UPLOADING TO THE CHANNEL.

Now time to get into the show. As I don't review the Pre-Show Match as part of the whole televised package, here's the result of that match:
 
Breezango def The Uso's (5:26)

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SASHA BANKS & BAYLEY def CHARLOTTE & DANA BROOKE (7:25)

PSYCHOLOGY: 1.5
MOVE VARIETY: 1
CROWD REACTION: 2.5
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2.5
MY ENJOYMENT: 2
CORRECT PREDICTION: YES

FINAL RATING: *3/4

After months of dominance and underhanded victories, it was about time that Charlotte and her associate Dana Brooke got their comeuppance. Thankfully, it came at the hands of the two best female wrestlers in the company. While Bayley's inclusion was a surprise to no one, it still added a buzz to proceedings that didn't falter and help add extra spice to a match that desperately needed it.

Charlotte and Dana stopped the Bayley love-fest by attacking the faces early on, while that didn't stop Sasha & Bayley's momentum too much, it still took its toll and built for their systematic dissection of Bayley that built the rest of the match up. They worked her head and back to weaken her up still allowed with smooth momentum shifts for Sasha & Bayley to get a decent amount of offence in to show their strengths. The near falls that were stopped thanks to Bayley and Brooke saving their partners added to the drama, with Sasha & Charlotte left to finally face each other one on one, but sadly it was ended far too quickly with Banks taking hold of the momentum and locking in a Bank Statement for the win. It was simply executed, had just enough time to deliver itself and was adequately paced enough to not bore the crowd and keep everyone on their toes.

While I am happy that the match achieved all that, I would have liked Sasha to have been involved more. She was the focus of the feud with the Women's Champion, and didn't have most of the match to amplify that. She was overshadowed by the debuting Bayley and even though she got the win, nothing she did was of much consequence. In that regard, there wasn't enough time for Sasha to do what we would expect, while Charlotte alternate with Brooke to ensure both got good representation on show. This was almost a two star match that did the minimum expected, but I honestly wanted more aggression, more passion and more moves on show to highlight the technical skill this women's division has become known for. It was an opening match that did what it could to get the crowd excited but felt like it failed elsewhere despite being executed well for what story they were trying to tell, in that Bayley is resilient and Sasha can get the job done. I shouldn't be disappointed, but despite the decent rating I was expecting more from all women involved here.

THE WYATT FAMILY def THE NEW DAY IN A SIX-MAN TAG MATCH (8:47)

PSYCHOLOGY: 3
MOVE VARIETY: 1
CROWD REACTION: 2
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2.5
MY ENJOYMENT: 2.5
CORRECT PREDICTION: YES

FINAL RATING: **1/4

A wrestling storyline translates into a match via different ways. Some matches rely on the use of body selling and body language to tell itself while others use vast risks via big spots, interference and other complications. Some matches though, through simplicity use facial expressions and what ISN'T done to do the join all the points together. This match, while an ordinary tag match, elevated itself with such a simple story premise and enough action to give itself life that, in retrospect, it proved to be better than all PPV tag matches this year.

Xavier Woods versus Bray Wyatt in a mental battle for the ages defined this storyline going into the match, during it and noticeably though the result, all that will come after it as well. His noticeable fear shown throughout and his reluctance to step in the same ring with the Face Of Fear and his partners lack of due care and attention for their friend in going full pelt meant the distortion in The New Days tactics that built gave this match an eerie, frankly nervous quality that hasn't emanated from a Wyatt Family match in some time, they felt terrifying to watch, with some very aggressive and hard hitting moves that were at times wince inducing. Even a crowd, that were very pro-New Day were stunned into silence by how the longest-reigning tag champions of the modern era were being physically dissected by a team who hadn't shown this much venom in years. Wyatt kept intensifying that by staring the New Day's 'leader' and causing him to lose confidence in himself. Even when he finally mustered up the courage it was to no avail as no New Day member could really stop it. By the time Woods was able to step into the ring and confront the man of his nightmares, it came too late, as he overcame the fear, only for it relapse and cost the team the victory. The match was shorter than expected, but considering the fact that the heels were in control for almost the entire thing, it wasn't too much of a problem and added to the drama that such a dominate team had finally found their achilles heel and looked weaker than usual, for once.

This was a match that played itself out slowly in-ring and the crowd, building up to that BIG crescendo of Wyatt & Woods staring off in the ring together. It did all it could to create a great atmosphere and make it feel like the big match that it wanted to. While I wish the crowd were more invested and it was longer for obvious reasons pertaining to momentum shifting and a good balance of offence, it did all it needed to do and gets an almost fully average rating as a result. This match needed to make The Wyatt's look strong and for the first time in years, they've got their fear factor back. That is a massive positive, and I can't wait to see what happens next for either team going forward on separate brands.

RUSEV (c) def ZACK RYDER TO RETAIN THE WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP (7:01)

PSYCHOLOGY: 2.5
MOVE VARIETY: 1.5
CROWD REACTION: 1.5
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2.5
MY ENJOYMENT: 2
CORRECT PREDICTION: YES

FINAL RATING: *1/2

If Rusev versus Zack Ryder had taken place prior to WrestleMania, you wouldn't have held a hope in hell for the Long Island Iced Z. His status in the company combined with Rusev's dominating in-ring presence would have meant for a swift end and an easy win for The Bulgarian Brute. However fast forward to July, and Ryder is on a bit of a renaissance. He's had a cup of coffee with the Intercontinental Title following his improbable WrestleMania Ladder Match win and has been showcased as more hungry and impervious to fear in the wake of his feud with the Bulgarian Brute, desiring to take the fight in his own way rather than be someone's whipping boy. As a result, we were treated to a more even contest than anticipated, which proved to be quite an enjoyable thing to watch.

Seeing Ryder counter Rusev's offence, refuse to back down from anything put towards him and come back fighting at all costs showed how much he'd grown since the year began, rising from nowhere to have the belief he could win it all, it's quite fantastic. Unsurprisingly however, that didn't stop Rusev from stomping his boot onto the Long Island and assert himself like only a confident champion could by targeting the ribs and arms of his opponent, setting up for the Accolade that was brutally applied to get the win, but Ryder tried to fight out, something which we wouldn't have dared believe would have happened if they faced twelve months earlier. The USA chants, spurred on by Ryder's patriotic choice of attire and the obvious national alignments gave them the hope that the nation's capital could see a massive upset, while it didn't come to pass, the match was fluid and switching enough momentum to make the crowd believe Ryder had a chance, while also proving Rusev could fight back from someone who just wouldn't stay quiet.

While the pace of the match lead to the match falling flat with the crowd at times, it went an adequate amount of time and showed both men athletically well, especially noting Ryder's barricade dropkick and his duplex neck breaker counter being executed flawlessly. While Ryder did sell the ribs periodically, some more would have been appreciated as Ryder at times failed to sell the pain enough, making his comebacks feel more artificial than genuine, however by the time his close victory via a Rough Ryder came round, many were convinced he could do it, so therefore the match did its job. While it was nowhere near a classic, it was a solid affair that not only showcased Rusev as a dominant force, but gave Ryder his biggest platform since WrestleMania to remind fans why they got behind him so much five years ago. The guy has heart and determination in his character that none can match and through this performance, he will thrive on Smackdown in the coming months, especially with Mojo Rawley (who made the save from a further Rusev beating) by his side. I was in no doubt of this matches' result, but I am surprised at how much I liked this one, despite the low-ish rating given.

SAMI ZAYN def KEVIN OWENS (18:22)

PSYCHOLOGY: 4
MOVE VARIETY: 1.5
CROWD REACTION: 4.5
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 4.5
MY ENJOYMENT: 4
CORRECT PREDICTION: NO

FINAL RATING: ****1/4

We all know these two can go, and with the feud reaching a heated climax, it had to deliver. The question I had going in, is would it beat the THREE AND A HALF STAR match these two had at Payback? I can thankfully say, yes it did, although it was a hard slog to get there.

Both men were aggressive and hot headed throughout, showing intense desire to win and doing it taking all risks necessary, especially with Zayn nearly re-injurying his surgically repaired shoulder trying to execute a sit-down springboard moonsault. Zayn's aggression in his moveset was something absent from the prior match and showed how much more game he was for it, Owens did his usual schtick by insulting the fans adoration for his rival. Zayn's bad arm didn't stop him hitting big moves such as a brain buster on the apron or his signature Blue Thunder Bomb but still sold it well afterwards, with Owens locking in a crossface on bad arm. Both men dodged each others moves throughout because they know each other so well. They both struggle to their feet and the crowd are lapping absolutely everything up, as the near falls and counters roll around like dice in a cup as these intense finishers get kicked out of left right and centre. No one is sure of whose going to win, the match has been paced fast and slow to perfection and it's been a blast. Zayn gets the upper hand and with authority lays in two Helluva Kicks to finally put his rival to bed.

While that all sounds pretty good, there are still some problems. The body selling that drove the second half of the match partly in one direction came as the result of a quite substantial botch, which invalidates its psychological story-telling merits somewhat, while both men could've sold the punishment better towards its latter stages as the momentum shifts felt far too fluid for an eighteen minute match at that stage. Owens despite doing what he's done for his entire WWE career by putting on hard-hitting, trash talking encounters felt like a non entity in a match he dominated for periods, as Zayn took all the spotlight from him, and this match could have lasted a few minutes longer to have aided with that. While this match was obviously the match of the night, it still needed to do more to ensure it got into the higher echelon of the best matches of the year. Was it a great match? Yes. Was it a Match Of The Year winner? Unfortunately not. Sorry fans, I can't agree with your consensus here. On the plus side though, it does slip into my Top 10 (excluding NXT) PPV Matches of the Year... so that's something.

NATALYA def BECKY LYNCH (9:04)

PSYCHOLOGY: 3
MOVE VARIETY: 1
CROWD REACTION: 1
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2.5
MY ENJOYMENT: 2.5
CORRECT PREDICTION: NO

FINAL RATING: **

Former friends turned bitter enemies due to an act of betrayal. This match was set up simply and through this match executed effectively. Some will complain that this match was slow, boring and lacking any real substance. To the untrained eye, that is an accurate assumption, but there was a lot here for me to smile about.

Firstly, the psychology, which was demonstrated by Natalya's fixation on destroying Becky's knee with every move she could muster, while Becky fought valiantly like a young lion to work her way around it and show her determination with every counter, reversal and window of opportunity she could find. The match tried to show that both women understood how each other worked and had them take advantage of it, while also showing incredible intensity and vigour in their attacks and movements. It showcased the methodical, technical side of Natalya not seen for some time, done with some passion for once to amplify its execution. The pace, while slow had momentum firmly in Neidhart's corner, but not before Becky took control early on barraging on her former mentor with such ferocity you'd think this match wouldn't be as one sided as the result and corresponding moves made it look, but Becky showed herself valiantly in a defeat that makes her look stronger than you might think. The steady non-fluctuating pace allowed for the story to tell itself, but I would have like Becky to have had more later on, but her great selling of the damaged leg meant while we weren't getting it, we would get a well told story that the match delivered on greatly.

The crowd may have been silent outside the odd Becky chant and the moves on show were the same ol' stuff we've seen before from both women, the story and its execution was simple and well done. The pace was kept consistent with no botches and while it went a decent amount of time, it could have been longer to amplify Becky's side of the story, but for now, we're just going to have to wait until SmackDown on Tuesday to see if she gets her chance. This was a match that I had a distinct lack of interest in coming into the show, so to have them put on a near two star, story and psychology driven performance that surprised? I'm quite impressed. 

THE MIZ (c) & DARREN YOUNG FOUGHT TO A DOUBLE DISQUALIFICATION, THE MIZ RETAINS THE WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP (8:41)

PSYCHOLOGY: 1.5
MOVE VARIETY: 1
CROWD REACTION: 1
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 1.5
MY ENJOYMENT: 1
CORRECT PREDICTION: YES

FINAL RATING: ZERO

With all the matches averaging around two star territory for most of the night, I had a feeling we'd have a down moment at some point. Unsurprisingly it came from the match with the worst quality build on the card, which ended in a way which compounded its' poor quality even further. I will give credit to Darren Young though, his offence in this match was fluid, crisp and show more technical skill than I'd seen in matches of his up until this point. Whether it showed in storyline that Backlund had worked his magic, or outside the ring he'd finally found his style of wrestling is unclear, but whatever Young did impressed me more than it should've and allowed for the match to start promisingly, however once Miz got advantage following a Maryse distraction the match slowed to a painful crawl consisting of rest holds and nothing else. All life was sucked from it, to the point where the confusing Double Disqualification proved more nonsensical looking back. I have to ask, why did Darren Young get disqualified for his manager (looking to have) hit a valet? Seeing as both Backlund and Maryse didn't interject by hitting either of the competitors, a double DQ makes no sense, a double count-out would have made more sense but the referee made no counts due to the furore that came through. While I can respect the slight usage of Maryse's "acting" skills to try and swing the match in her husbands' favour added the slightest bit of psychology to the match along with Backlund and Young's fight-back, it did little to improve the quality of the match overall. The crowd were dead outside of the finish and it went longer than it rightfully should have, on top of only having Young's back drop on the apron for company in the move department.

This was a match that the Washington D.C. couldn't have cared less about. The build revolved around a fluke battle royal win and nothing else, which makes the lack of intrigue more stark than you'd realise. As a result the match came across in ring as flat, lifeless and by its end made little sense to the viewer at home upon its conclusion. Despite Darren Young's best efforts early on to showcase his ability, it did nothing in the long run to help this match, and it hits the lowest mark in my scale as a result. While it's not Erick Rowan VS The Rock or Cutis Axel VS R-Truth bad in terms of PPV barrel scrapers this year, it does rank alongside them and the unfortunate Enzo & Cass VS Vaudevillians match as the lowest ranked matches of the year thus far. Apart from having to remind myself of that for my end-of-year awards article, I won't keep this one in the memory for my own sake.

JOHN CENA, ENZO AMORE & BIG CASS def THE CLUB IN A SIX-MAN TAG MATCH (14:30)

PSYCHOLOGY: 1.5

MOVE VARIETY: 1.5

CROWD REACTION: 3

MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2

MY ENJOYMENT: 2

CORRECT PREDICTION: YES

FINAL RATING: *3/4

This was a match that had the momentum through an entertaining and intense build to be a sleeper hit for this event. However, in a move that didn't surprise me, this match had a lengthy promo segment by Enzo & Cass to put the crowd into hysterics. Just like The New Day's promo before their Money In The Bank four-way tag match, it undermined the match somewhat, and while it helped the crowd retain some interest and volume that got progressively louder throughout, the match itself in terms of story, moves and pace suffered from not being able to match the fluid, vibrant and loud promo that preceded it.

The crowd followed on from said promo with the 'Soccer Mom' chant at Styles, cheering on as Enzo & Cass dominated proceedings, creating a frantic and fast pace to keep their interest. Cena, funnily wasn't tagged in at all for the entire sequence which garnered laughs from me and the D.C. crowd, creating a fun atmosphere that was slowly building, however thanks to The Club and their slow, methodical beatdown of Enzo that seemed to last an eternity, the crowd petered out and made the match have to will itself back to life with Enzo's exaggerated facial expressions and arm movements in response to rest holds and heavy strikes, thankfully for story, Gallows, Anderson and Styles kept Smacktalker Skywalker away from his much stronger opponents to ensure their dominance was felt. The match took its time to get back into full swing before descending into unfiltered chaos, with all six men entering and hitting their signature moves and over the rope dives, with surprisingly Anderson hitting the moves of the night with a Spinebuster to Cena on the table and a mid-air spear to Enzo on the outside. With Styles and Cena, the legal men on the outside, Enzo again used his popularity to get the crowd buzzing by single handedly taking Gallows & Anderson out before giving Styles a fair beating. Cena, who remained absent for most of the match hit the decisive AA from the top rope to Styles, vanquishing his foe, not long after both Styles and Cena almost had their matches ruined by their respective partners in another bit of crazy booking.

Overall, this match was quite fun to watch at times with its chaotic action, Enzo and Cass providing entertainment throughout, Styles again showcasing his fluid movement and precision and Anderson finally showcasing some of his skills. However, even with that the made felt laboured to reach its bit finish, with Cena and Gallows being non entities in proceedings, with a fluctuating pace that became uncomfortable at times. The lack of real story elements outside of Enzo's beating and revival meant the match didn't feel as buoyant as its build-up and despite some good crowd reaction didn't come to life visually as one would expect. If not for the extended tirade by Enzo & Cass prior to the match, we'd have had more time to flesh things out a bit and inevitably make the match look a lot more complete and composed than it was. While I'm happy that this match went enough time for its work to be done, it could have done a lot more to impress.

DEAN AMBROSE (c) def SETH ROLLINS & ROMAN REIGNS IN A TRIPLE THREAT MATCH TO RETAIN THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP (18:03)

PSYCHOLOGY: 3.5

MOVE VARIETY: 1

CROWD REACTION: 3.5

MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 3.5

MY ENJOYMENT: 3.5

CORRECT PREDICTION: YES

FINAL RATING: ***1/4

This was a main event hyped to gargantuan proportions, a battle between three of the most dominant wrestlers of the last few years and a match that would in theory, live long in the memory. With Ambrose on the run of his life, Rollins looking to reclaim his position and Reigns returning from suspension looking to prove his worth, it all looked to make for a fun match that could live up to the hype. All I can say is that while it did in some aspects, it could've done better.

When looking at the ratings above, you'd think I'm mad, why would I want MORE from a match that in all pre-tenses and my rating history prove to be an above average affair? Well, when looking at the three men on show, what I KNOW they're capable of in big matches and what transpired here, it wasn't the all out spectacle it promised. Sure the crowd kept invested throughout, all three men told a great story through their unilateral hatred and respect for one another as well as their knowledge of move patterns, the selling of their intense beatings and the nods back to their times in The Shield as well as its break up. It told of the progression all three men have had to go through to reach this point and was executed well, it was shifting greatly between all three men and went for a solid amount of time and was fun to watch literally not knowing who would hit the decisive move and come out with the win, however, I did want more than that.

This was a match built to be a once in a lifetime match, the first time the former Shield members face off and was meant to be this spectacle of the peak of this 'new' era in WWE. While it showed off some great bits of continuity storytelling, held a good balance of pace and got a crowd behind it, it wasn't in the FOUR STAR level I had anticipated. It needed more body selling, a little blood maybe, more time to reach a less rushed conclusion, bigger risks and moves on show and finally for me, a bit more anarchy. It felt to formulaic a triple threat match for the intense rivalry that all three men are involved in, it needed a bigger stage, a bigger presence and more risks to be taken to bring it to the next level, which I feel wasn't reached. Do I think it is in any way a bad match? Hell no. It was still a great watch and was a surprising way to finish the night off, with Dean Ambrose somehow retaining a belt many thought he'd lose. However, in the spirit of keeping all three men strong and not weaken anyone ahead of their positions as main eventers on their respective brands, this match neutered itself and made it a little weaker than it should've been. It's still a good match, just not a GREAT match, which is an example of what excessive hype can do, while I'm still positive about what this match put forward, the hype gave the impression of more and sadly it wasn't fully realised. Credit to all three men for trying, but it just wasn't enough.

FINAL THOUGHTS

After three sub-par events in its history, Battleground had a LOT to do to ensure this years iteration proved to be more than just a stepping stone to SummerSlam. Incredibly, it has done it. Going from an event that averaged around a three out of ten for its entire history to go double that here was a nice change of pace, and we can thank the quality of the wrestling on show for that.

Outside of Young VS Miz, all the matches had purpose, fit their time and placement in the card, told a great story and got the crowd (mostly) going all night. While I did get two thirds of the predictions right, I didn't feel disappointed in its predictability with the matches themselves throwing curveballs in near falls, fakeouts and spots to make me believe my analytical opinion mattered for nothing. This is an example of a good wrestling show. Was it the best it could've been? Of course not. Was it a success across the board? Obviously not. However, when you have eight main card matches and all bar one reach above ONE AND A HALF STAR, with two going over THREE STARS, you know you have something good to talk about.

While some things could've been executed better and be given more to substantiate themselves, this event exceeded expectations and produced a solid night of wrestling. It's yet another event that lands on the above average mark. To anyone who says WWE's product is bad, look at my PPV ratings below for a good counterargument. So far, this year has been the most consistent in terms of PPV quality since I started reviewing this sport six years ago. With a split roster, newly re-envigorated shows and all the fallout of this show could bring, I am incredibly excited for the company now. While they may not be making waves like Lucha Underground, New Japan and even TNA have done in terms of immediate impact, but one thing WWE has done is create a consistent product that produces good events when required. Now we can go forward to SummerSlam hoping they can hit a home run because the form they're on, this summer looks like it could be a stormer.

BATTLEGROUND 2016 GETS A 6 OUT OF 10

In relation to other 2016 events, it lines up as follows:

Payback: 7.75/10
Royal Rumble: 6/10
Battleground: 6/10
WrestleMania 32: 6/10
Extreme Rules: 4.75/10
Money In The Bank: 4.5/10
Fastlane: 4.25/10

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I've been Freddy Thomas, you've been people reading. This has been the Battleground 2016 Review for The CC Network Blog and I'll see you all next time.

WWE DRAFT 2016: Results And Analysis

For the first time in fourteen years, the WWE roster has be shaken up in gargantuan fashion. Champions, rivals and tag teams have been strewn over the red and blue battlefields, with siblings McMahon now poised, ready to fight for dominance. The stage for this momentous, once in a generation occasion, was a bumper SmackDown, the first broadcast live, within which all across the WWE will change for the foreseeable future. It's a Brand Extension, a Draft, an occasion that is sure to surprise and divide opinion, which is what makes it so great, yet also incredibly trepidatious at the same time.

Unlike the first Brand Extension held in 2002, there is a good number of rules and regulations that will drive this one forward. They are as follows:

1. RAW gets the first overall pick.

2. Due to RAW being three hours long, in contrast with SmackDown's two, Stephanie McMahon & Mick Foley will receive THREE picks for every TWO chosen by Shane McMahon & Daniel Bryan for SmackDown in each draft phase of the programme.

3. A tag team (as confirmed by the official teams list) counts as ONE pick, unless the Commissioner and General Manager agree they only want one of the members within the team.

4. A total of SIX draft picks will be chosen from the NXT roster.

With those in place, lets get on with what you've been waiting for. Here's the rundown of what I considered the best and worst of the picks, and give my insight as to why.

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RAW is the flagship brand, with a longer run-time to fill and more of an audience to please. It's of no surprise to this analyst, that they picked the ripest fruit of the tree at the first chance they got, coming home with a bumper roster that is sure to excite all who come to watch. When it comes to current talent, outside of Ambrose & Wyatt, they've pretty much got them all. The female talent on show screams quality, with Nia Jax steamrolling in to add more spice to the mix. They have four dominant tag teams, and Golden Truth, all with a point to prove, and finally, they have enough veteran talent, who will offer up room for the current talent to better themselves and rise up the ladder. Many will call this Draft as a RAW win, that they have all the talent that the 'smart' fan wants to watch, and with a Cruiserweight Division yet to come, have crushed its younger, blue brethren into the ground. While that viewpoint is held in consensus by some, I wouldn't be so confident yet. With all this 'big name' talent on show, how will it all fit? Who will be placed on a higher pedestal and who will flounder? Will it all work as a cohesive show? These are the questions I expect to be answered in the coming weeks. RAW has the most to lose with the talent they have if they get it wrong. 

Obviously, we need to talk about the star pick. No, I'm not talking about Seth Rollins, the suspended Roman Reigns or the soon to be suspended 'Beast Incarnate' Brock Lesnar, but the former NXT Champion Finn Balor. To see him be drafted as RAW's third overall pick was a quick shock to the system, it proved that WWE has big plans for him. Will he be ripe and ready for the title picture come the post-Battleground RAW, will he join up with Gallows & Anderson creating a NEW Club, or will it be something entirely different? Who honestly knows at this point, because I don't, however that is exactly what makes him so exciting. Unlike Rollins, Lesnar & Reigns at this time, Balor opens up many more opportunities and potential successes than his fellow counterparts  He could arrive as the noble, hard-nosed and fighting babyface he's been since coming into the company, or become the smart, calculating and dominant heel he showcased in Japan and turn RAW on its head. Whatever happens, Balor is the main man to keep an eye on, and will drive RAW forward for the next year or two for sure.

Looking at the negatives of RAW brand, which heavily features current talent of both genders and sizes, its the two longest standing veterans in Big Show & Mark Henry that prove to be the most polarising. Looking at RAW's roster, they have just enough lower-midcard talent to raise, that the stark lack of veteran talent to help elevate them is alarming. Will it be up to Show, Henry & The Dudley Boyz to do ALL the heavy lifting if Bo Dallas, Jack Swagger and The Shining Stars need a hand? If we count Golden Truth in proceedings, it still leaves little in terms of wrestlers to put over others, and it could create a proverbial ceiling that some talent can't break through because not enough could be done. There are so many burgeoning talents on RAW, ready to break into the higher echelons and others ready to round off the numbers, I don't see a place for either Henry or Big Show other than being enhancement talent, and honestly if that's all they're good for, why put them on the show in the first place if even these two legendary wrestlers of the 1990's & 2000's can't do more than regress further and further by offering nothing to a table that's littered with bountiful produce.

Out of all of RAW's picks that stunned me, it was that of the combined effort of two of its best, with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn BOTH being on the same brand despite the implications of their final encounter at Battleground. I wasn't expecting to see these two rivals be on the same show, as the potential for Kevin Owens to feud with Shane was too good to pass up. Hell, even Sami Zayn being on Smackdown would have really helped their mid card be somewhat better. While I am happy that both men are on the main show and have a large platform amongst a sea of great wrestlers, having both men separate from each other for the first time in their WWE careers would have been appreciated.

Seeing Gallows & Anderson go to RAW without AJ Styles was perplexing. While I understand the desire to want to bring The Club together to their original leader Prince Devitt, now known as Finn Balor, the question in the back of may mind is why give RAW all of the 'big' tag teams? Seeing Gallows & Anderson on Smackdown, would have added prestige and bolster their attacking ranks considering the lack of major tag team players post-draft, but with this team on RAW, it beefs up an already bloated mid card, leaving it with very little movement outside of it. Whatever they decide to do with Gallows & Anderson at this time of writing remains a mystery, but I hope it's something worthwhile, as despite their position near the top of the company, their stock hasn't risen quite as much as expected.

Overall, RAW has a fantastic mid-card that will only increase in size once the Cruiserweight Division hits, they may feel flat at the top and bottom of the card, but there is enough potential main eventers in the mid card to be able to keep it fresh going forward. Lets hope they push the right talent.

Many will say that Smackdown got 'killed' last night, that the blue brand has had a mudhole thoroughly stomped into it and that it has been taken in a direction completely different from what Shane & Bryan advertised, with a lot of the more 'mature' talent on their side than anticipated. From where I'm sitting, it's not the negative it's perceived to be by others.

Many fans, week in and week out will check Smackdown out for Ambrose, Cena, Orton, Wyatt and Styles. The new talent on show isn't bad either, with American Alpha, Crews, Corbin, Lynch and Rawley all wanting to establish themselves. They even have the same amount of tag teams as RAW has (five apiece), with a rough balance of women, seasoned veterans and hungry young talent on show. While it is a smaller, seemingly flatter roster on paper, we have a collection of wrestlers here who have the chance to showcase themselves and provide for a lot of growth for the future. Most of, in fact all of RAW's picks are at the top of their game, the hottest properties in the company, who can't go too much higher than they are right now. In contrast, outside of the top draws, a lot of SmackDown's drafted talents have been lost in the shuffle for a long time over the years and were never given a chance by the crowd or management. Fans and critics may have taken Shane & Bryan's words of showcasing 'underappreciated and under-utilised' wrestlers the wrong way and expected the likes of Cesaro, Neville, Owens, Zayn and O'Neil to reach the big time by being given a platform to showcase why WWE was wrong to apparently 'ignore them' for so long. However, truthfully, they're now being given that platform by being part of RAW, and it shows that those fans and critics are missing the bigger picture. When looking at this SmackDown roster, the WWE were quite smart in who was put into it, as outside of the opening four or five picks this roster features the talents that don't get enough credit and now have a platform to show doubters what they are capable of with more breathing room available to them. Finally, with a new announce team of Mauro Ranallo, JBL and David Otunga calling proceedings weekly, I'm assured that this seemingly unassuming talent pool will prove people wrong, given time of course.

While many observers will state that the 'Big Four' of Ambrose, Cena, Orton & Styles are the biggest talking points, it's Bray Wyatt that has the most to gain from his position. He may be a man down with Strowman returning to RAW but with three massive faces leading the charge over the brand, with Styles having the ability to flip on the alignment spectrum at will, he has a chance to finally position himself as the top heel that he's been so close to doing over the last three years. With Rowan joining him, and a returning Luke Harper expected in the coming months, his core gimmick is not broken, and with that, Bray Wyatt has the opportunity of a lifetime to capitalise on, make the fullest of the lost potential and gain the grandest of prizes that has eluded him for so long. If WWE books it right, Bray Wyatt may not only be the 'Face Of Fear', but also the 'Face Of SmackDown' by the years end, if all works out.

I was originally going to list Eva Marie for worst pick, but realised that she has potential to showcase herself in which we hadn't seen before on the main roster. So, naturally this dubious honour falls to Dolph Ziggler, my proverbial whipping boy of the last year and a half. Why you may ask? For starters I don't feel he needed to be here, I was fully expecting Sami Zayn to be the bright, happy babyface to light up the brand and hold the mid-card together, not a washed-up former World Champion whose matches do little to excite me anymore. Looking at potential competition, he has Corbin, Ryder, Kane, Del Rio and Miz standing before him, ALL of which we've seen before in the last five years. It creates a mid card of matches that won't do much to excite. I can praise RAW for having a mid-card that can put fun matches together from all over, at this moment, I'm unsure what Ziggler and co. can bring to the table, I'm just hoping they can prove me wrong.

With the cruiserweight revolution set to light RAW's flame in the coming months, it seems awkward that Kalisto, the former Samurai Del Sol, would end up on the brand noticeably absent of his fellow high-flying brethren. It's a surprising turn of events that one of the best cruiserweights in America is missing out on WWE's biggest venture in years with the Cruiserweight Division, however that may be to Kalisto's advantage. With his United States Championship win, Kalisto showed he could generate a reaction and for a period of time, keep it. Since his title defeat at the hands of Rusev, the proclaimed "King Of Flight" hasn't really lived up to his lofty reputation, with botches in and out of the ring proving that no matter his talent, he's still got a lot of work to do. Being on Smackdown gives Kalisto the chance to work with a solid collection of wrestlers and work on his faults as well as hopefully, along with the likes of Apollo Crews and the individual components of American Alpha, they can breath life into the 'stale' mid card that the brand has assembled for itself, for the benefit of us watching at home.

Finally, with all that came Smackdown's way, one pick befuddled me more than the rest and it turned out to be their final pick, the last of the whole draft, in Carmella. The woman who Enzo Amore proclaimed for a couple of years as 'hot as hell', didn't join her fellow Certified G's on the red brand. It was a decision that for me, made no sense. She made her name with Enzo & Cass, and is fondly remembered for it. Sure, she didn't do much for the team other than mouth off to whomever happened to be at ringside and assist in the occasional victory but she rounded out the team and gave them much more of an edge as a unit. To see her drafted to the blue brand may seem liberating for her, giving her the chance to show fans what they never got to see of her as part of that rambunctious trio, but it may  backfire and could send her into obscurity. Who knows what will happen, but lets hope she isn't just 'hot as hell' and has what it takes in-ring to keep Becky Lynch, Natalya and Naomi at bay.

As I noted earlier, SmackDown looks weak on paper, but there is a lot of untapped potential to bring the brand to life over the coming year. Further additions through returning stars and free agents can help buff out its floundering mid-card and provide more viable opposition to the main event talent. Unlike many, I feel SmackDown IS worth the time, it may not have the 'internet darlings' that sends the crowd into hysteria, but the wrestlers on the blue brand have enough quality to give a well-rounded show two-hours a week. I just hope WWE gives this combination of underdogs and big players a chance, otherwise, what would've been the point of this draft business happening in the first place?

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With that, the WWE's 2016 Brand Extension is done. While there may be a few weeks of reshuffling in regards to surprise returns, the status of the WWE, Women's & Tag Team Championships and any trade deals between the authority figures, it looks set to keep us guessing once Battleground is clear after Sunday. While many are apprehensive, as am I, it's clear to remember that while the sudden reaction may seem negative, positives could come from all areas of this Draft. Only time will tell if the good or the bad becomes more apparent, on that note, bring on Sunday's PPV, where all will become clear.

I've been Freddy Thomas, you've been people reading and I'll see you next time.