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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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 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.
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