Shaken or Stirred?
Did Vince "shake things up" with the WWE Draft this year?
Raw gained:
Rey Mysterio, Big Show, Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger, Kelly Kelly, JTG, Drew McIntyre, Curt Hawkins, Chris Masters, Kofi Kingston, Tyler Reks and Beth Phoenix.
Smackdown gained:
Randy Orton, Mark Henry, Sin Cara, Daniel Bryan, Khali, Jimmy Uso, Alicia Fox, William Regal, Yoshi Tatsu, Natalya, Jey Uso, Ted DiBiase, Tyson Kidd, Tamina, Alex Riley and Sheamus.
My opinion? Stirred.
The most unexpected thing was Cena getting drafted to Smackdown, but by the end of the show he was drafted back, which was sort of expected. We knew Smackdown would need a face to fill Edge's shoes, and Orton will do just that.
What else?
- Rivalries: CM Punk lost Randy Orton to torment. Alberto Del Rio won't get a rematch with Christian after Extreme Rules. Rey won't have to worry about Cody Rhodes. Other than those three, everyone is free to continue as they were.
- Family Oriented: Raw may be the big dog, but Smackdown airs at a time when the youngest fans can watch. Moving to Smackdown should give Yoshi Tatsu a push, since he is already a kiddie fan favorite. Meanwhile, Superstars like Sheamus and Sin Cara can build lasting power by winning over the youngest fans.
- Family Affair: With the moves made, a majority of second- and third-generation Superstars are now on Smackdown. In fact, the only ones on Raw are the ones we haven't exactly seen too much of lately-- DH Smith, Husky Harris and and Michael McGillicutty. With Smackdown being the more family-friendly show, having the members of wrestling families can foster discussions between the generations within families watching the programs about their memories.
- Diva Harm: With Kharma (Awesome Kong) on her way, she needs some doll-like Divas to, um, harm. So, that's why Kelly Kelly was moved to Raw. Beth Phoenix will be the only one who can hang with her. Or we are all wrong about which show she'll steamroll through, and LayCool will have something to worry about besides each other.