Thanks for making my first day on the job just so damn easy, WWE.
Written by: Josh Rushinock
A wise man once said, "You're only writing Smackdown reviews because Kevin Berge didn't want to work Tuesdays!"
And to that I say; "JUST GIVE ME A CHANCE! I CAN BE BETTER! I CAN BE EVERY BIT THE LOVER THE OTHER BRAND IS!"
Ahem.
Today is a monumental day in the recent history of professional wrestling. With a solid foundation of a developmental system built under their product, the backing of a Network who actually pays the company to go over and outside their time slot, and quite possibly the most plentiful and talented roster they've had this decade, WWE has re-established the brand split with a few new caveats to shake things up and, hopefully, make things consistently interesting again.
With four hours of programming outside of the main two hour Smackdown that is just beginning its journey toward live television, the WWE has promised a lot in terms of change in this brand draft, and lest we forget, Battleground is this Sunday as well, so this two hour Smackdown has a lot to cover in its time slot.
All things considered, WWE has quite a bit on their plates tonight and very little time to deliver before their big go-home swan song of a show that, once it ends, will initiate the official start of the split. The stakes are high, but will the show be able to live up to the hype?
My name is Josh Rushinock, and it's time for some competition around here.
A wise man once said, "You're only writing Smackdown reviews because Kevin Berge didn't want to work Tuesdays!"
And to that I say; "JUST GIVE ME A CHANCE! I CAN BE BETTER! I CAN BE EVERY BIT THE LOVER THE OTHER BRAND IS!"
Ahem.
Today is a monumental day in the recent history of professional wrestling. With a solid foundation of a developmental system built under their product, the backing of a Network who actually pays the company to go over and outside their time slot, and quite possibly the most plentiful and talented roster they've had this decade, WWE has re-established the brand split with a few new caveats to shake things up and, hopefully, make things consistently interesting again.
With four hours of programming outside of the main two hour Smackdown that is just beginning its journey toward live television, the WWE has promised a lot in terms of change in this brand draft, and lest we forget, Battleground is this Sunday as well, so this two hour Smackdown has a lot to cover in its time slot.
All things considered, WWE has quite a bit on their plates tonight and very little time to deliver before their big go-home swan song of a show that, once it ends, will initiate the official start of the split. The stakes are high, but will the show be able to live up to the hype?
My name is Josh Rushinock, and it's time for some competition around here.
"YEEEEEAH, WWE DRAFT, HERE COMES THE FACE THAT RUNS THE PLACE, FIRST ROUND PICK! I'M READY AND... oh, I haven't been picked yet? I... I guess I'm just used to being in the first round, since it's always happened in past years... are you sure none of you picked me? I have two t-shirts under this shirt and it's getting kind of hot. No? Seriously? Well, okay.... this got awkward fast, right Louie? WAIT, WHERE DID THE LEFT SIDE CAMERA MAN GO?!" - John Cena's mind, probably.
The First Round Draft Picks
The Segment: The show opens with Shane and Bryan leading the crowd into a yes chant. Foley and Stephanie manage to reign in the crowd and bring attention to their first pick, Seth Rollins. Shane and Bryan shot back by choosing the current WWE Champion, Dean Ambrose, whom Stephanie scoffed at.
She and Foley followed up by choosing Women's Champion, Charlotte. Shane McMahon, undeterred, chose AJ Styles as a singular pick. Finally Stephanie and Foley looked toward the future and called Finn Balor to the main roster as a part of the RAW brand.
The Review: This was a simple yet effective way to kick off the show in a quick and decisive fashion, but it definitely lacked in some of the heat that Shane and Stephanie have built up to this point. The first round picks were terrific and there wasn't really a hole in there, even managing to put over a debuting star and the women's division in one fell swoop.
My only issue is that this format doesn't allow for a lot of excitement. Video packages entirely replacing a star coming out to celebrate makes it seem static and boring even if it successfully managed to make the night go quicker. More could have been done with this format for the excitement. Add onto that the extremely awkward transition into stars who haven't been picked and there's little left to say. Overall, however, the first group is great in both serving the shows well and building the talent pool.
Was it worth the watch?: I'd say so if for no other reason than the excitement of the draft itself. As I said, it could have been better, but, in this first round, it still was exciting. Steady momentum throughout the night, however, it is not built to give.
She and Foley followed up by choosing Women's Champion, Charlotte. Shane McMahon, undeterred, chose AJ Styles as a singular pick. Finally Stephanie and Foley looked toward the future and called Finn Balor to the main roster as a part of the RAW brand.
The Review: This was a simple yet effective way to kick off the show in a quick and decisive fashion, but it definitely lacked in some of the heat that Shane and Stephanie have built up to this point. The first round picks were terrific and there wasn't really a hole in there, even managing to put over a debuting star and the women's division in one fell swoop.
My only issue is that this format doesn't allow for a lot of excitement. Video packages entirely replacing a star coming out to celebrate makes it seem static and boring even if it successfully managed to make the night go quicker. More could have been done with this format for the excitement. Add onto that the extremely awkward transition into stars who haven't been picked and there's little left to say. Overall, however, the first group is great in both serving the shows well and building the talent pool.
Was it worth the watch?: I'd say so if for no other reason than the excitement of the draft itself. As I said, it could have been better, but, in this first round, it still was exciting. Steady momentum throughout the night, however, it is not built to give.
John Cena wants you to believe this is him selling for Gallows, but that simply isn't true. This is the face of a man entering a deep and morbid mid-life crisis in which he begins to wonder what his worth is if he's no longer considered to be a number one pick. Poor John.
John Cena w/ Enzo & Cass defeats Luke Gallows w/ The Club
The Match: Immediately following the first round of picks, John Cena entered the arena for his match against Gallows, seemingly outnumbered by The Club, but his tag team partners at Battleground Enzo and Cass came out for the assist. As we cut to commercial, the first of the many television changes to come shows itself to us in the form of the match continuing in the corner, much like a major sporting event.
The story stays fairly simple as Cena attempts to battle back but is constantly cut off by Gallows's size. A flurry of offense puts Cena ahead and leads to the five knuckle shuffle, but a superkick from Gallows cuts Cena's fire off. With both men down, Enzo and Cass and Karl and AJ enter the ring and begin a brawl with Enzo and Cass eliminating the rest of The Club so Cena could use the AA and walk away with the win.
The Review: The story here was rather basic, but it served its purposes well enough. Gallows played the power game and kept Cena at arms length for the majority of the match, leading to the babyface comeback and the assist from the other members of the six man match at Battleground. Nothing special here, really, just two people who have been through the draft before telling a simple story.
Was it worth the watch?: While nothing was wrong with the match at all, I can't say it was worth the watch. The one night a year that you'd rather see segments that aren't matches is generally the draft, and it's hard to put yourself in the shoes of a competitive match when you have no idea if the match itself matters or not come next week, or even the pay-per-view.
In the end, it was logical and decent filler, but nothing worth searching out... except that commercial break bit. That's going to make so many fans lives that much more fresh and ruin a lot of wrestlers' extended headlock periods. Also probably lose some sponsors as well, but hey, WWE can afford to lose three of their twelve pizza sponsors. And so can Jerry Lawler.
The story stays fairly simple as Cena attempts to battle back but is constantly cut off by Gallows's size. A flurry of offense puts Cena ahead and leads to the five knuckle shuffle, but a superkick from Gallows cuts Cena's fire off. With both men down, Enzo and Cass and Karl and AJ enter the ring and begin a brawl with Enzo and Cass eliminating the rest of The Club so Cena could use the AA and walk away with the win.
The Review: The story here was rather basic, but it served its purposes well enough. Gallows played the power game and kept Cena at arms length for the majority of the match, leading to the babyface comeback and the assist from the other members of the six man match at Battleground. Nothing special here, really, just two people who have been through the draft before telling a simple story.
Was it worth the watch?: While nothing was wrong with the match at all, I can't say it was worth the watch. The one night a year that you'd rather see segments that aren't matches is generally the draft, and it's hard to put yourself in the shoes of a competitive match when you have no idea if the match itself matters or not come next week, or even the pay-per-view.
In the end, it was logical and decent filler, but nothing worth searching out... except that commercial break bit. That's going to make so many fans lives that much more fresh and ruin a lot of wrestlers' extended headlock periods. Also probably lose some sponsors as well, but hey, WWE can afford to lose three of their twelve pizza sponsors. And so can Jerry Lawler.
"Sure, we might have a cruiserweight division, and a tag team division, and a women's divsion that are all very stacked, but you know what we take the most pride in? Two steroided up main eventers who are currently serving suspensions in two seperate companies! Our future looks bright!" -- Stephanie McMahon's mind, definitely.
Second Round Draft Picks
The Segment: Foley and Stephanie kick off the second round of picks with Foley revealing that the two didn't agree on the next pick, the currently suspended Roman Reigns. In response, Shane announces that the fifteen time World Champion and face of the WWE John Cena will be coming to Smackdown.
Raw followed this up by choosing the Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar! Bryan then decided to recruit his old rival, Randy Orton. Stephanie used the entirety of her last pick to choose all three members of The New Day.
The Review: This second round of picks was very much WWE going through the motions and putting their reliable draws up there at the top of the conversation, which was perfectly acceptable given how the draft started off. Still, these picks did put a noticeable dampener on the crowd and the fans at home.
That was mostly because one of the picks is out on suspension until the end of Saturday, another is on UFC suspension for the same thing, and that third option still hasn't returned despite already having a match at Summerslam. The only surprise that came out of this was that Orton and Cena are on the same brand... which means we could have more Cena/Orton matches which I'm just so utterly certain everyone is looking forward to.
Was it worth the watch?: Nope. In fact, I'd say pretty much it's a given that it's a no on all draft picks till the end of the review.
Raw followed this up by choosing the Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar! Bryan then decided to recruit his old rival, Randy Orton. Stephanie used the entirety of her last pick to choose all three members of The New Day.
The Review: This second round of picks was very much WWE going through the motions and putting their reliable draws up there at the top of the conversation, which was perfectly acceptable given how the draft started off. Still, these picks did put a noticeable dampener on the crowd and the fans at home.
That was mostly because one of the picks is out on suspension until the end of Saturday, another is on UFC suspension for the same thing, and that third option still hasn't returned despite already having a match at Summerslam. The only surprise that came out of this was that Orton and Cena are on the same brand... which means we could have more Cena/Orton matches which I'm just so utterly certain everyone is looking forward to.
Was it worth the watch?: Nope. In fact, I'd say pretty much it's a given that it's a no on all draft picks till the end of the review.
"Be careful of the Luke Gallows fellow, Darren. I have this odd feeling that they're going to ask you to lose a title to him in ten seconds..."
Zack Ryder and Darren Young w/ Bob Backlund defeat Rusev w/ Lana and The Miz w/ Maryse
The Segment/Match: The entrance of Rusev immediately follows the draft picks, with the Intercontinental Champion The Miz already in the ring, and the two challengers for the titles, Darren Young and Zack Ryder. The action is hot and heavy at the start with quick tags and illegal breaks by both of the heels, but Rusev being cut off with a big move on the outside finally allows Young to cut off The Miz, lock in his mentor's Crossface Chickenwing, and win via tapout.
The Review: While it was absolutely terrific that we finally got to see Darren Young win on his own merit, two things bring this match back down to Earth: its incredibly short length and Darren Young once again needing to have everyone else involved distracted to even lock in that Crossface Chickenwing.
I sincerely hope that Darren Young ends up winning this title because he's doing some amazing promos and his work with Backlund is superb, but, with the way he's being booked, I wouldn't be surprised to see him go the same way that Curtis Axel's career has gone which is truly sad.
Was it worth it?: Check out a gif of the finish to see a nice and proper application of the Crossface Chickenwing but, beyond that, not really worth the effort.
The Review: While it was absolutely terrific that we finally got to see Darren Young win on his own merit, two things bring this match back down to Earth: its incredibly short length and Darren Young once again needing to have everyone else involved distracted to even lock in that Crossface Chickenwing.
I sincerely hope that Darren Young ends up winning this title because he's doing some amazing promos and his work with Backlund is superb, but, with the way he's being booked, I wouldn't be surprised to see him go the same way that Curtis Axel's career has gone which is truly sad.
Was it worth it?: Check out a gif of the finish to see a nice and proper application of the Crossface Chickenwing but, beyond that, not really worth the effort.
Twas not fear that stopped Xavier Woods in his tracks that day, but respect for Bray Wyatt's devotion to his yoga craft despite his many duties as cult leader.
Bray Wyatt w/ The Wyatt Family defeats Xavier Woods w/ The New Day
The Segment/Match: As we come back on the air, The Wyatt's are already on their way to the ring. New Day already are within the ring, hyping up an uneasy Xavier Woods. As the two teams leave the ring for the match to begin, Bray begins to use his mental advantage to pose and trick Xavier into succumbing into his fear with a slow approach.
Once eye contact is broken, Bray begins a beat down on the fearful member of The New Day then using that advantage to slowly and methodically beat him into the mat as effectively as possible. As Wyatt attempted to intimidate the rest of The New Day, Xavier manages to recover in the corner and get in a flurry of offense, leading to him setting up Lost In The Woods, but, once Xavier saw Bray fall into his backward crab position, his fear got the better of him, allowing Bray to hit the Sister Abigail for the win, sending The New Day into retreat.
The Review: This was absolutely a squash meant to play on the events of last week's Raw, and, while very few squashes work in such a way that end up making them must-see television, that one percent of matches that manage to show off amazing storytelling whilst squashing someone deserve to be touted as that is the true mark of two professionals.
The storytelling in this match was absolutely top notch, with Bray's every movement unsettling Xavier until he was forced to look away in fear, leading to him absolutely dominating the terrified man, and yet, as any great story should have, he managed to overcome his fear just long enough to battle back, only to lose via his opponent's mental hold over him.
I watch a lot of wrestling. An unreasonable amount, some may say. But it's been two or three years since I've seen a squash I've enjoyed as much as this. It's truly amazing what The New Day and The Wyatts have done for one another in this feud and a damn shame that their paths are destined to fork in different directions for the foreseeable future as I would've enjoyed a full, three month series out of this feud.
Was it worth the watch?: Without a singular shadow of a doubt. I highly advise anyone who hasn't seen this episode to search this match out themselves and watch it. It will be worth the short amount of time it takes to see it in full.
Once eye contact is broken, Bray begins a beat down on the fearful member of The New Day then using that advantage to slowly and methodically beat him into the mat as effectively as possible. As Wyatt attempted to intimidate the rest of The New Day, Xavier manages to recover in the corner and get in a flurry of offense, leading to him setting up Lost In The Woods, but, once Xavier saw Bray fall into his backward crab position, his fear got the better of him, allowing Bray to hit the Sister Abigail for the win, sending The New Day into retreat.
The Review: This was absolutely a squash meant to play on the events of last week's Raw, and, while very few squashes work in such a way that end up making them must-see television, that one percent of matches that manage to show off amazing storytelling whilst squashing someone deserve to be touted as that is the true mark of two professionals.
The storytelling in this match was absolutely top notch, with Bray's every movement unsettling Xavier until he was forced to look away in fear, leading to him absolutely dominating the terrified man, and yet, as any great story should have, he managed to overcome his fear just long enough to battle back, only to lose via his opponent's mental hold over him.
I watch a lot of wrestling. An unreasonable amount, some may say. But it's been two or three years since I've seen a squash I've enjoyed as much as this. It's truly amazing what The New Day and The Wyatts have done for one another in this feud and a damn shame that their paths are destined to fork in different directions for the foreseeable future as I would've enjoyed a full, three month series out of this feud.
Was it worth the watch?: Without a singular shadow of a doubt. I highly advise anyone who hasn't seen this episode to search this match out themselves and watch it. It will be worth the short amount of time it takes to see it in full.
Sweet dreams are made of this... minus the disgusted yet oddly aroused look on Stephanie's face.
Sami Zayn Attacks and Throws Out a Match Between Kevin Owens and Kane
The Segment/Match: We come back from commercial to find Kane in the ring as another match is hinted. Kevin Owens hits the ramp and starts screaming at both teams of authority figures for not choosing him as of yet.
Before he makes it halfway down the ramp however, Sami Zayn rushes the ramp, attacking the man whom he has a blood feud with. As they brawl to the ring, the match is thrown out, and, as Kevin finally gets the best of the situation, Kane chokeslams both former best friends to end the segment.
The Review: Here's a fun fact of the day for you all: one of Kevin Owens' dream matches for himself going into WWE was himself versus Kane.
So with that in mind, this segment didn't do much. The stuff on the ramp with Kevin Owens angrily assaulting both sides of the draft with words for not being picked yet was brilliant, but everything else was filler.
We already know Sami would risk life and limb to attack Kevin at any opportunity, and vice versa, and it helps absolutely no one to have Kane kill them in their attempts to kill each other. Essentially, this was just a second thought segment to get two of their picks for the show booked.
Was it worth the watch?: Watch the first five seconds with Kevin coming out then call it a night.
Before he makes it halfway down the ramp however, Sami Zayn rushes the ramp, attacking the man whom he has a blood feud with. As they brawl to the ring, the match is thrown out, and, as Kevin finally gets the best of the situation, Kane chokeslams both former best friends to end the segment.
The Review: Here's a fun fact of the day for you all: one of Kevin Owens' dream matches for himself going into WWE was himself versus Kane.
So with that in mind, this segment didn't do much. The stuff on the ramp with Kevin Owens angrily assaulting both sides of the draft with words for not being picked yet was brilliant, but everything else was filler.
We already know Sami would risk life and limb to attack Kevin at any opportunity, and vice versa, and it helps absolutely no one to have Kane kill them in their attempts to kill each other. Essentially, this was just a second thought segment to get two of their picks for the show booked.
Was it worth the watch?: Watch the first five seconds with Kevin coming out then call it a night.
Poor Bryan, he's so excited to be back that he has no idea what Shane has already realized. Their brand is already doomed.
Third Round Draft Picks.
The Segment/Match: Stephanie follows up the chaos by choosing Sami Zayn for her brand, to which Shane counters with Bray Wyatt as a singular pick. Stephanie scoffs at this, and Foley takes a shot at the Smackdown for not choosing any women then chooses Sasha Banks.
In response, an annoyed Bryan chooses Becky Lynch to go to Smackdown Live. After something unusual happens with the tron and Foley brings out a trash bag as some sort of homage to his next pick, Raw chooses Chris Jericho, drink it in, maaaaaaaaaan.
The Review: This was the only segment of the night in which one side of the draft really laid into the other, and surprisingly, it was done by Mick Foley and not the antagonistic Stephanie McMahon. More confusing yet, the Smackdown side of things fell into it, directly changing their plans for who they'd draft based on this, and, while that makes watching this more entertaining, it certainly doesn't make sense in terms of content.
There are so many women on the Raw side of things that it makes a roster that's already admittedly thin look weaker than it actually is not to mention that it adds two divisions to RAW while not making Smackdown stand out in the least. This is really where the draft started falling apart, but it wasn't beyond saving yet.
Was it worth it?: Kind of, if you'd like to see Mick Foley take a rare pot shot at someone? If not, then of course not.
In response, an annoyed Bryan chooses Becky Lynch to go to Smackdown Live. After something unusual happens with the tron and Foley brings out a trash bag as some sort of homage to his next pick, Raw chooses Chris Jericho, drink it in, maaaaaaaaaan.
The Review: This was the only segment of the night in which one side of the draft really laid into the other, and surprisingly, it was done by Mick Foley and not the antagonistic Stephanie McMahon. More confusing yet, the Smackdown side of things fell into it, directly changing their plans for who they'd draft based on this, and, while that makes watching this more entertaining, it certainly doesn't make sense in terms of content.
There are so many women on the Raw side of things that it makes a roster that's already admittedly thin look weaker than it actually is not to mention that it adds two divisions to RAW while not making Smackdown stand out in the least. This is really where the draft started falling apart, but it wasn't beyond saving yet.
Was it worth it?: Kind of, if you'd like to see Mick Foley take a rare pot shot at someone? If not, then of course not.
At some point this match stopped looking like a match on Dana's part and started looking like the most confused game of Twister ever conceived.
Charlotte and Dana Brooke defeated Sasha Banks in a Handicap Match.
The Segment/Match: As we return from commercial, Dana Brooke and Charlotte make their entrances, followed by Sasha Banks for a two-on-one handicap match. The match starts off with Sasha showing her ability by fending off Dana with a series of nasty strikes, then kicking Charlotte away whilst on the apron. The number games, however, still proves to get the better of her as Dana delivers a wicked lariat to Sasha then grounds and pounds Sasha in the ring.
Sasha manages to battle back with a series of elbows that is followed up by a flying knee, but a miss on a backstabber thanks to Dana grabbing the ropes takes her momentarily out of the action. As Sasha outmaneuvers Dana in the corner and puts her in the Banks Statement, Charlotte breaks up the submission, forces Dana to tag out, and hits Natural Selection for the win.
The Review: The misdirection to the finish of this match was perfect, but the rest of the match consisted completely of Sasha Banks dominating and Dana Brooke trying desperately to keep up, which is a shame, because I really like Dana.
If she'd been allowed to work another six months in NXT, I think she would have debuted on the main roster as a total package wrestler, but sadly she wasn't given that time and spent most of her active in-ring career in NXT on the injured list. Thus this is where she is at with her development. It also doesn't help that she and Charlotte are an incredibly forced pairing that nobody is really a fan of.
As for the booking itself, it worked for what it wanted to do, and that was make Sasha appear alone and vulnerable with no one to back her up. Still, this probably would have been better suited for yesterday's Raw rather than rushed on an already jam-packed episode of Smackdown.
Was it worth it?: Unfortunately not. Other than a brilliant heel finish, there's just nothing here to latch onto. It was short and fast, but it wasn't pretty.
Sasha manages to battle back with a series of elbows that is followed up by a flying knee, but a miss on a backstabber thanks to Dana grabbing the ropes takes her momentarily out of the action. As Sasha outmaneuvers Dana in the corner and puts her in the Banks Statement, Charlotte breaks up the submission, forces Dana to tag out, and hits Natural Selection for the win.
The Review: The misdirection to the finish of this match was perfect, but the rest of the match consisted completely of Sasha Banks dominating and Dana Brooke trying desperately to keep up, which is a shame, because I really like Dana.
If she'd been allowed to work another six months in NXT, I think she would have debuted on the main roster as a total package wrestler, but sadly she wasn't given that time and spent most of her active in-ring career in NXT on the injured list. Thus this is where she is at with her development. It also doesn't help that she and Charlotte are an incredibly forced pairing that nobody is really a fan of.
As for the booking itself, it worked for what it wanted to do, and that was make Sasha appear alone and vulnerable with no one to back her up. Still, this probably would have been better suited for yesterday's Raw rather than rushed on an already jam-packed episode of Smackdown.
Was it worth it?: Unfortunately not. Other than a brilliant heel finish, there's just nothing here to latch onto. It was short and fast, but it wasn't pretty.
Ah, the patented 'overhead trip'. Used by such legends as Giant Baba, The Great Khali, Kelly Kelly, and even our very own Stephanie McMahon. It's a classic maneuver, sung by the annals of time.
Chris Jericho defeated Cesaro
The Segment/Match: As Jericho makes his way to the ring to face Cesaro, commentary runs down the picks so far. The match starts off hot with Jericho escaping the ring and Cesaro delivering a senton to the outside and stopping Jericho in his tracks. Jericho manages to get the edge on Cesaro after a nasty beating with an enzuigiri and a top rope hurricanrana.
Cesaro manages to derail his offense with a series of European Uppercuts in the corner, then lead him into the middle of the ring for a Springboard European Uppercut, but, after getting overly cocky, a second springboard is met with a Codebreaker, giving the newly drafted Raw wrestler the win.
The Review: This was a well-wrestled match in which both wrestlers fought as if they were fearing it might be the last time they ever locked up in the ring, and the displays of athleticism by both Cesaro and Chris Jericho, who showed signs of himself from as far back as 2003 in this match, were quite impressive to see.
Cesaro and Jericho have had off and on chemistry since the very first time they got in a ring together with some of the matches being terrific and others being utterly dull, so it was great to see them clicking here tonight.
The one thing this match didn't have going for it, however, was its pacing. Both men attempted to wrestle a fifteen minute match in five minutes, and that forced it to be incredibly rushed and heated when the build for that simply wasn't there.
If they've regained this much chemistry, I hope these two end up in the ring again on a bigger stage because they very clearly have some great ideas together to use. It just wasn't allowed to be present here because of the nature of this particular show.
Was it worth it?: For what it is, I'd say yes, if you're a fan of either man. It's certainly not a strong match, but it's got some great displays of ability. It certainly wouldn't be the worst choice out of tonight's crop of entertainment.
Cesaro manages to derail his offense with a series of European Uppercuts in the corner, then lead him into the middle of the ring for a Springboard European Uppercut, but, after getting overly cocky, a second springboard is met with a Codebreaker, giving the newly drafted Raw wrestler the win.
The Review: This was a well-wrestled match in which both wrestlers fought as if they were fearing it might be the last time they ever locked up in the ring, and the displays of athleticism by both Cesaro and Chris Jericho, who showed signs of himself from as far back as 2003 in this match, were quite impressive to see.
Cesaro and Jericho have had off and on chemistry since the very first time they got in a ring together with some of the matches being terrific and others being utterly dull, so it was great to see them clicking here tonight.
The one thing this match didn't have going for it, however, was its pacing. Both men attempted to wrestle a fifteen minute match in five minutes, and that forced it to be incredibly rushed and heated when the build for that simply wasn't there.
If they've regained this much chemistry, I hope these two end up in the ring again on a bigger stage because they very clearly have some great ideas together to use. It just wasn't allowed to be present here because of the nature of this particular show.
Was it worth it?: For what it is, I'd say yes, if you're a fan of either man. It's certainly not a strong match, but it's got some great displays of ability. It certainly wouldn't be the worst choice out of tonight's crop of entertainment.
Respect for the Women's Division has never been higher!
Becky and Natalya Brawl, Fifth Round Draft Picks
The Segment/Match: Before we can even comprehend the fact that we're back from commercials, we're assaulted by Natalya and Becky Lynch absolutely destroy each other at the ringside area in a massive draw with security guards everywhere. Becky walks away the only one standing as we go back to the draft.
Two-thirds of The Club are split from AJ Styles and sent to Raw in Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. In another massive grab, Smackdown manages to fill their lack of tag teams by calling up American Alpha. Raw follows this up with The Big Show, and Smackdown chooses Dolph Ziggler. In a big coupe, Raw uses their last pick to call up Nia Jax.
The Review: I actually quite enjoyed coming back from commercial to see a brawl already in progress; it was a great way to kickstart the excitement for the show straight out of the gate. Now, I only wish it was attached to a feud that had more of a leg to stand on because thus far Becky and Natalya have had zero time to show what this feud is about.
There was a betrayal, but that betrayal is somehow not personal to Natalya yet it is to Becky, but neither have gone into detail and instead have just brawled or simply not interacted at every turn. Since both women are now on the same roster, and that roster is admittedly thin, I'd love to see this feud get another month, just so we have a reason to care about it.
As for the draft, this was more of the same although an alarming third division that is far more overlapped in Raw once again reared its ugly head in the tag division. It's actually quite infuriating that WWE has gone so far out of their way to pack Raw with great content in unique divisions while Smackdown doesn't have a leg to stand on as far as uniqueness.
The signing of American Alpha was a massive steal for Smackdown, but they don't have a lot of people to work with on the brand which seems to be the story of the majority of the split for Smackdown, and it's quite saddening. Gallows and Anderson would have evened the odds for Smackdown, but they were always destined to head to RAW so that AJ could grow back into a babyface in an even contest with John Cena while Finn could have his Balor Club.
Nevertheless, the mismanagement of divisions is quite frustrating and nearly impossible to deduce a reasoning behind. If something isn't fixed and soon, this brand split is going to be a disaster that we all forget about within a year, and nobody wants that. You can't stack the deck this ridiculously for the main brand and expand the secondary brand to succeed.
Was it worth the watch?: For the women, I'd say it was definitely worth it, but I don't think it would have the same impact watching it as a clip. As far as the draft goes, it's pretty much in the same boat.
Two-thirds of The Club are split from AJ Styles and sent to Raw in Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. In another massive grab, Smackdown manages to fill their lack of tag teams by calling up American Alpha. Raw follows this up with The Big Show, and Smackdown chooses Dolph Ziggler. In a big coupe, Raw uses their last pick to call up Nia Jax.
The Review: I actually quite enjoyed coming back from commercial to see a brawl already in progress; it was a great way to kickstart the excitement for the show straight out of the gate. Now, I only wish it was attached to a feud that had more of a leg to stand on because thus far Becky and Natalya have had zero time to show what this feud is about.
There was a betrayal, but that betrayal is somehow not personal to Natalya yet it is to Becky, but neither have gone into detail and instead have just brawled or simply not interacted at every turn. Since both women are now on the same roster, and that roster is admittedly thin, I'd love to see this feud get another month, just so we have a reason to care about it.
As for the draft, this was more of the same although an alarming third division that is far more overlapped in Raw once again reared its ugly head in the tag division. It's actually quite infuriating that WWE has gone so far out of their way to pack Raw with great content in unique divisions while Smackdown doesn't have a leg to stand on as far as uniqueness.
The signing of American Alpha was a massive steal for Smackdown, but they don't have a lot of people to work with on the brand which seems to be the story of the majority of the split for Smackdown, and it's quite saddening. Gallows and Anderson would have evened the odds for Smackdown, but they were always destined to head to RAW so that AJ could grow back into a babyface in an even contest with John Cena while Finn could have his Balor Club.
Nevertheless, the mismanagement of divisions is quite frustrating and nearly impossible to deduce a reasoning behind. If something isn't fixed and soon, this brand split is going to be a disaster that we all forget about within a year, and nobody wants that. You can't stack the deck this ridiculously for the main brand and expand the secondary brand to succeed.
Was it worth the watch?: For the women, I'd say it was definitely worth it, but I don't think it would have the same impact watching it as a clip. As far as the draft goes, it's pretty much in the same boat.
"Look Stephanie! Everything the light touches is one of our divisions." -- Mick Foley, probably.
The Final Live Draft Picks
The Segment/Match: With the final picks of the draft approaching, Stephanie used her final first pick to cement the staple of her Cruiserweight Division in the massive return of Neville. Meanwhile, Bryan fired back with the signing Natalya.
Mick Foley made a call back to his first WWE Title win and used that to give a new superstar, Cesaro, an opportunity in similar fashion that he was afforded. Shane, meanwhile, chose to pick former multiple time World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio, and Foley shot back with a grab for Sheamus.
The Review: This group of picks started out hot with the return of Neville whom the fans have been waiting for for months then, if I can be a bit vulgar, slowly dilapidated into a wet fart. If anything, Neville should have been the last pick of the draft for no other reason than it would have been an exciting note to leave Smackdown on before the main event.
This also solidifies Raw as the place where the guys with the most upward potential as talent lies while Smackdown rests on its laurels and uses established stars which is even further frustrating considering there are so many future megastars on the roster. They could have been divided evenly or, at the very least, split fairly between the two rosters.
Was it worth the watch:? No. No, the vast majority of the draft portion of this show most certainly was not.
Mick Foley made a call back to his first WWE Title win and used that to give a new superstar, Cesaro, an opportunity in similar fashion that he was afforded. Shane, meanwhile, chose to pick former multiple time World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio, and Foley shot back with a grab for Sheamus.
The Review: This group of picks started out hot with the return of Neville whom the fans have been waiting for for months then, if I can be a bit vulgar, slowly dilapidated into a wet fart. If anything, Neville should have been the last pick of the draft for no other reason than it would have been an exciting note to leave Smackdown on before the main event.
This also solidifies Raw as the place where the guys with the most upward potential as talent lies while Smackdown rests on its laurels and uses established stars which is even further frustrating considering there are so many future megastars on the roster. They could have been divided evenly or, at the very least, split fairly between the two rosters.
Was it worth the watch:? No. No, the vast majority of the draft portion of this show most certainly was not.
Of all the torture Dean Ambrose has been through in his life, both in and out of wrestling, nothing compares to the deadly viciousness of the fishook to the face.
Dean Ambrose defeated Seth Rollins to Retain the WWE Championship
The Segment/Match: As the prestige and pageantry ends for the draft, each of the brands number one picks come out for their title match, and, as their names are announced, Rollins wastes absolutely no time beating the ever loving hell out of his former Shield partner and the man who screwed him out of the title in Ambrose, and we go to commercial there.
As we come back from commercial, Seth is controlling Ambrose with kicks and cocky wear and tear on his opponent's body. Ambrose manages to battle back and force him to the outside, and a brawl leads Ambrose to capitalizing with a running Macho Man style Standing Elbow Drop off of the announce desk, leading to our second commercial break.
As we come back, Seth is once again in control, toying with Ambrose with slaps and a throw into the corner turnbuckle. After several splashes, Ambrose manages to battle back with a clothesline and meet him at his feet with a series of strikes and a neckbreaker for a near fall.
As Ambrose attempts to go for a second elbow drop, this time from the top rope, Seth tries for a Pedigree, but Ambrose manages to roll out of it. Seth springboards to the top but misses a big Frog Splash with Dean tying Seth up into a lucha style cradle pinning predicament for a two count. After wild brawling and a low blow attempt, the two fall to the outside, leading to a dual suicide dive and then a crossbody from the top.
As Dean slides him back into the ring, Seth manages to captialize and go for a superplex, but, upon the attempt into a Falcon Arrow, Ambrose manages to counter into the Dirty Deeds for the win, ending the show standing tall with a Smackdown T-Shirt, the WWE Championship, and both Smackdown General Manager Daniel Bryan and Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon holding both his hands up in victory, both for him, and their fledgling brand. Yes chants pour down in admiration as we go off the air.
The Review: These two have amazing chemistry, but what's more impressive than that chemistry is the fact that it works best in non-stipulation matches. Every time these two have been put into some kind of stipulation match, save their lumberjack match at Summerslam 2014, something, somewhere has gone wrong.
What tonight and last night proved was that these two are best when given a match and the time to work with it leading to unfurling magic without any complications. Now, tonight's match wasn't as good as last night's match, but it was close and had the surprise benefit of Dean Ambrose going over cleanly which was a surprise because WWE seemed to be going toward creating enough controversy around the title to call for a second World Title to be brought in for Smackdown.
While it made a ton of sense considering how difficult a draft it was for Smackdown, as sort of a caveat to send you home in a good mood, it also does not bode well for Ambrose, or Smackdown, for that matter, going into Battleground.
Was it worth the watch?: Absolutely! I would go as far as to say that if you put yesterday's match up against this match, you would have one long, cohesive story, and one that hopefully culminates into something wonderful at Battleground, considering that will almost certainly be the last time these three men meet in the ring for at least the entirety of a year.
As we come back from commercial, Seth is controlling Ambrose with kicks and cocky wear and tear on his opponent's body. Ambrose manages to battle back and force him to the outside, and a brawl leads Ambrose to capitalizing with a running Macho Man style Standing Elbow Drop off of the announce desk, leading to our second commercial break.
As we come back, Seth is once again in control, toying with Ambrose with slaps and a throw into the corner turnbuckle. After several splashes, Ambrose manages to battle back with a clothesline and meet him at his feet with a series of strikes and a neckbreaker for a near fall.
As Ambrose attempts to go for a second elbow drop, this time from the top rope, Seth tries for a Pedigree, but Ambrose manages to roll out of it. Seth springboards to the top but misses a big Frog Splash with Dean tying Seth up into a lucha style cradle pinning predicament for a two count. After wild brawling and a low blow attempt, the two fall to the outside, leading to a dual suicide dive and then a crossbody from the top.
As Dean slides him back into the ring, Seth manages to captialize and go for a superplex, but, upon the attempt into a Falcon Arrow, Ambrose manages to counter into the Dirty Deeds for the win, ending the show standing tall with a Smackdown T-Shirt, the WWE Championship, and both Smackdown General Manager Daniel Bryan and Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon holding both his hands up in victory, both for him, and their fledgling brand. Yes chants pour down in admiration as we go off the air.
The Review: These two have amazing chemistry, but what's more impressive than that chemistry is the fact that it works best in non-stipulation matches. Every time these two have been put into some kind of stipulation match, save their lumberjack match at Summerslam 2014, something, somewhere has gone wrong.
What tonight and last night proved was that these two are best when given a match and the time to work with it leading to unfurling magic without any complications. Now, tonight's match wasn't as good as last night's match, but it was close and had the surprise benefit of Dean Ambrose going over cleanly which was a surprise because WWE seemed to be going toward creating enough controversy around the title to call for a second World Title to be brought in for Smackdown.
While it made a ton of sense considering how difficult a draft it was for Smackdown, as sort of a caveat to send you home in a good mood, it also does not bode well for Ambrose, or Smackdown, for that matter, going into Battleground.
Was it worth the watch?: Absolutely! I would go as far as to say that if you put yesterday's match up against this match, you would have one long, cohesive story, and one that hopefully culminates into something wonderful at Battleground, considering that will almost certainly be the last time these three men meet in the ring for at least the entirety of a year.
OH, WHAT EVER COULD BE WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE. OH, I FUCKING WONDER SO....
The Rosters
Round No. 1
1. Seth Rollins - Raw
2. WWE Champion Dean Ambrose - SmackDown Live
3. WWE Women's Champion Charlotte - Raw
4. AJ Styles - SmackDown Live
5. Finn Bálor - Raw from NXT
Round No. 2
6. Roman Reigns - Raw
7. John Cena - SmackDown Live
8. Brock Lesnar - Raw
9. Randy Orton - SmackDown Live
10. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day - Raw
Round No. 3
11. Sami Zayn - Raw
12. Bray Wyatt - SmackDown Live
13. Sasha Banks - Raw
14. Becky Lynch - SmackDown Live
15. Chris Jericho - Raw
Round No. 4
16. United States Champion Rusev (with Lana) - Raw
17. Intercontinental Champion The Miz (with Maryse) - SmackDown Live
18. Kevin Owens - Raw
19. Baron Corbin - SmackDown Live
20. Enzo & Cass - Raw
Round No. 5
21. Gallows and Anderson - Raw
22. American Alpha - SmakDown Live from NXT
23. Big Show - Raw
24. Dolph Ziggler - SmackDown Live
25. Nia Jax - Raw from NXT
Round No. 6
26. Neville - Raw
27. Natalya - SmackDown Live
28. Cesaro - Raw
29. Alberto Del Rio - SmackDown Live
30. Sheamus - Raw
Round No. 7 (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network)
31. Golden Truth - Raw
32. The Usos - SmackDown Live
33. Titus O'Neil - Raw
34. Kane - SmackDown Live
35. Paige - Raw
Round No. 8 (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network)
36. Darren Young (with Bob Backlund) - Raw
37. Kalisto - SmackDown Live
38. Sin Cara - Raw
39. Naomi - SmackDown Live
40. Jack Swagger - Raw
41. The Ascension - SmackDown Live
Round No. 9 (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network)
42. The Dudley Boyz - Raw
43. Zack Ryder - SmackDown Live
44. Summer Rae - Raw
45. Apollo Crews - SmackDown Live
46. Mark Henry - Raw
47. Alexa Bliss (from NXT)
Round No. 10 Picks (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network)
48. Braun Strowman - Raw
49. Breezango - SmackDown Live
50. Bo Dallas - Raw
51. Eva Marie - SmackDown Live
52. Shining Stars - Raw
53. The Vaudevillains - SmackDown Live
Round No. 11 (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network)
54. Alicia Fox - Raw
55. Erick Rowan - SmackDown Live
56. Dana Brooke - Raw
57. Mojo Rawley - SmackDown Live from NXT
58. Curtis Axel - Raw
59. Carmella - SmackDown Live from NXT
1. Seth Rollins - Raw
2. WWE Champion Dean Ambrose - SmackDown Live
3. WWE Women's Champion Charlotte - Raw
4. AJ Styles - SmackDown Live
5. Finn Bálor - Raw from NXT
Round No. 2
6. Roman Reigns - Raw
7. John Cena - SmackDown Live
8. Brock Lesnar - Raw
9. Randy Orton - SmackDown Live
10. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day - Raw
Round No. 3
11. Sami Zayn - Raw
12. Bray Wyatt - SmackDown Live
13. Sasha Banks - Raw
14. Becky Lynch - SmackDown Live
15. Chris Jericho - Raw
Round No. 4
16. United States Champion Rusev (with Lana) - Raw
17. Intercontinental Champion The Miz (with Maryse) - SmackDown Live
18. Kevin Owens - Raw
19. Baron Corbin - SmackDown Live
20. Enzo & Cass - Raw
Round No. 5
21. Gallows and Anderson - Raw
22. American Alpha - SmakDown Live from NXT
23. Big Show - Raw
24. Dolph Ziggler - SmackDown Live
25. Nia Jax - Raw from NXT
Round No. 6
26. Neville - Raw
27. Natalya - SmackDown Live
28. Cesaro - Raw
29. Alberto Del Rio - SmackDown Live
30. Sheamus - Raw
Round No. 7 (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network)
31. Golden Truth - Raw
32. The Usos - SmackDown Live
33. Titus O'Neil - Raw
34. Kane - SmackDown Live
35. Paige - Raw
Round No. 8 (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network)
36. Darren Young (with Bob Backlund) - Raw
37. Kalisto - SmackDown Live
38. Sin Cara - Raw
39. Naomi - SmackDown Live
40. Jack Swagger - Raw
41. The Ascension - SmackDown Live
Round No. 9 (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network)
42. The Dudley Boyz - Raw
43. Zack Ryder - SmackDown Live
44. Summer Rae - Raw
45. Apollo Crews - SmackDown Live
46. Mark Henry - Raw
47. Alexa Bliss (from NXT)
Round No. 10 Picks (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network)
48. Braun Strowman - Raw
49. Breezango - SmackDown Live
50. Bo Dallas - Raw
51. Eva Marie - SmackDown Live
52. Shining Stars - Raw
53. The Vaudevillains - SmackDown Live
Round No. 11 (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network)
54. Alicia Fox - Raw
55. Erick Rowan - SmackDown Live
56. Dana Brooke - Raw
57. Mojo Rawley - SmackDown Live from NXT
58. Curtis Axel - Raw
59. Carmella - SmackDown Live from NXT
Hello darkness, my old friend....
MEANWHILE, BACKSTAGE: During the pre-show, Dean Ambrose was interviewed as to what brand he preferred to end up on, and he outlined both shows but ultimately admitted, via Willie Nelson quote, that it wasn't in his control and called that lucky. He also vehemently swore against the draw decision from RAW, stating 'there are no draws in wrestling'.
The pre-show panel ran through their own draft picks for each brand. The New Day staged a promo backstage, talking about how the competition will benefit everybody, but any brand with The New Day will have the advantage. Once his match with Bray was brought up, Xavier became serious.
A live feed was set up directly to the Performance Center from Smackdown so that each roster pick can have an immediate reaction. Tom Phillips interviewed Sami Zayn about his preferences for what show he'd like, and he said he didn't mind but was more interested to see who else would be on his show and hoped that he wouldn't be on the same show as Kevin Owens but did state his hopefulness at being a higher draft pick than Kevin. He also put in a good word for a Finn Balor to be a call-up. The Social Outcasts expressed their incredulous attitude toward the very idea of being split up.
Live on the WWE Network as Smackdown rolled on, the panel of experts talked about the picks as they came in from the show. AJ Styles cut a promo calling Shane the smartest McMahon for choosing him for Smackdown and choosing him early and said he understood why he wasn't the first pick with the titles in the way. He expressed his hope that The Club would be on Smackdown and said he would speak with Shane about it, oblivious of the decision to come.
WWE Champion Dean Ambrose expressed his excitement to be working with the GM and Commissioner of Smackdown and assured everyone watching on the WWE Network that he'd hold onto that title for Smackdown. Seth Rollins had an interview with Tom Phillips bragging about his place as the number one overall pick and said he would win his title back and defend it successfully on Sunday then have a celebration with Mick and Stephanie, proving he was always the number one member of the Shield.
Charlotte joined the Draft commentary, saying that her third all-time pick proves that the women's division is at an all time high then insisted that Dana Brooke was still her 'heater'. Following that, she said she'd like to see Sasha Banks go to Smackdown, for no other reason than to leave her alone.
John Cena also joined the panel of experts, and said that despite himself he respected AJ Styles for coming out and saying he was going to be the champion of the Smackdown brand because it meant that there was another guy on his side wanting to make the Smackdown brand number one. He also spoke at length about the opportunities for new stars that this brand created and how competition would breed a better product.
Meanwhile, back at the Performance Center, Finn Balor watched on with excitement from the second row at his draft pick and was met with an ovation from the NXT roster then was pulled aside to express his long road that lead him to the Raw roster. Sasha Banks addressed Charlotte's claims about wishing for her to be on Smackdown and countered it with the belief that she is her own personal nightmare. She also expressed that she has a plan for Battleground but that she was prepared for the fight of her life.
Nia Jax was shown reacting to her draft back at the Performance Center where she broke down into tears and embraced Sara Del Rey in joy. Kevin Owens took over the panel of experts in a rage over how long it took for him to be picked in the draft and considered the fact that he took the drafting some of those guys before him as a very personal insult. He also threatened Renee for smiling at him then threw away the Raw T-Shirt he was given in frustration, telling the panel that he will prove why he should have been picked earlier.
In the post-show where the final trades were made, Adrian Neville cut a promo about his excitement about being back into action and how it fit into his yard that the Red Arrow was on Raw. He also expressed interest in seeing some of the new call-ups scratching and clawing for opportunities.
The panel of experts broke down various matches on the Battleground card and announced the rest of the draft picks. Alexa Bliss, through the cheers of her NXT comrades, expressed her disbelief at being called up and promised that Smackdown would never forget her name once she arrived. Kalisto cut a promo, attempting to attack Baron Corbin but instead left himself terribly embarrassed as he stumbled all over his words.
Cesaro cut a promo talking about his dismay at not being drafted to Smackdown but chose to put that aside in order to look toward the positive and the stacked card that is Raw. Goldust and R-Truth sat down with the commentary team, speaking on their chances at the tag titles and how they're the last of the old guard left around.
Conclusion: This was a terrible draft, one that only seemed to get more confused and more one-sided as it went on, and also one that derailed to a ridiculous standard once the live show went off the air and the Network special started. Raw was built to house three divisions, and Smackdown was built to house made stars and not much else.
This created a massive advantage for Raw over Smackdown during the show, yet half the cruiserweights were sent to Smackdown after the show went off the air. The call-ups were confusing and eyebrow raising from the last televised pick all the way through the end of the draft on the Network.
Some people who should have been called up were completely ignored, and others nowhere near ready were suddenly and effectively being pushed onto the main roster straight-away. Now two very odd rosters will have to fight and attempt to make a name for themselves, to create an identity, when the bookers that put them together really didn't seem to have one in mind at all from the start.
Luckily, there were some good aspects to this show when you look past where everything fell apart. The main event was superb, and two matches before that managed to deliver well when they weren't given ridiculous cuts which is very nearly a miracle all things considered. The first live Smackdown turned out to be not as bad as the entire draft together but only by the smallest of margins.
Good luck making sense of this mess, WWE, because we sure as hell can't do it for you.
RATING: C+
The pre-show panel ran through their own draft picks for each brand. The New Day staged a promo backstage, talking about how the competition will benefit everybody, but any brand with The New Day will have the advantage. Once his match with Bray was brought up, Xavier became serious.
A live feed was set up directly to the Performance Center from Smackdown so that each roster pick can have an immediate reaction. Tom Phillips interviewed Sami Zayn about his preferences for what show he'd like, and he said he didn't mind but was more interested to see who else would be on his show and hoped that he wouldn't be on the same show as Kevin Owens but did state his hopefulness at being a higher draft pick than Kevin. He also put in a good word for a Finn Balor to be a call-up. The Social Outcasts expressed their incredulous attitude toward the very idea of being split up.
Live on the WWE Network as Smackdown rolled on, the panel of experts talked about the picks as they came in from the show. AJ Styles cut a promo calling Shane the smartest McMahon for choosing him for Smackdown and choosing him early and said he understood why he wasn't the first pick with the titles in the way. He expressed his hope that The Club would be on Smackdown and said he would speak with Shane about it, oblivious of the decision to come.
WWE Champion Dean Ambrose expressed his excitement to be working with the GM and Commissioner of Smackdown and assured everyone watching on the WWE Network that he'd hold onto that title for Smackdown. Seth Rollins had an interview with Tom Phillips bragging about his place as the number one overall pick and said he would win his title back and defend it successfully on Sunday then have a celebration with Mick and Stephanie, proving he was always the number one member of the Shield.
Charlotte joined the Draft commentary, saying that her third all-time pick proves that the women's division is at an all time high then insisted that Dana Brooke was still her 'heater'. Following that, she said she'd like to see Sasha Banks go to Smackdown, for no other reason than to leave her alone.
John Cena also joined the panel of experts, and said that despite himself he respected AJ Styles for coming out and saying he was going to be the champion of the Smackdown brand because it meant that there was another guy on his side wanting to make the Smackdown brand number one. He also spoke at length about the opportunities for new stars that this brand created and how competition would breed a better product.
Meanwhile, back at the Performance Center, Finn Balor watched on with excitement from the second row at his draft pick and was met with an ovation from the NXT roster then was pulled aside to express his long road that lead him to the Raw roster. Sasha Banks addressed Charlotte's claims about wishing for her to be on Smackdown and countered it with the belief that she is her own personal nightmare. She also expressed that she has a plan for Battleground but that she was prepared for the fight of her life.
Nia Jax was shown reacting to her draft back at the Performance Center where she broke down into tears and embraced Sara Del Rey in joy. Kevin Owens took over the panel of experts in a rage over how long it took for him to be picked in the draft and considered the fact that he took the drafting some of those guys before him as a very personal insult. He also threatened Renee for smiling at him then threw away the Raw T-Shirt he was given in frustration, telling the panel that he will prove why he should have been picked earlier.
In the post-show where the final trades were made, Adrian Neville cut a promo about his excitement about being back into action and how it fit into his yard that the Red Arrow was on Raw. He also expressed interest in seeing some of the new call-ups scratching and clawing for opportunities.
The panel of experts broke down various matches on the Battleground card and announced the rest of the draft picks. Alexa Bliss, through the cheers of her NXT comrades, expressed her disbelief at being called up and promised that Smackdown would never forget her name once she arrived. Kalisto cut a promo, attempting to attack Baron Corbin but instead left himself terribly embarrassed as he stumbled all over his words.
Cesaro cut a promo talking about his dismay at not being drafted to Smackdown but chose to put that aside in order to look toward the positive and the stacked card that is Raw. Goldust and R-Truth sat down with the commentary team, speaking on their chances at the tag titles and how they're the last of the old guard left around.
Conclusion: This was a terrible draft, one that only seemed to get more confused and more one-sided as it went on, and also one that derailed to a ridiculous standard once the live show went off the air and the Network special started. Raw was built to house three divisions, and Smackdown was built to house made stars and not much else.
This created a massive advantage for Raw over Smackdown during the show, yet half the cruiserweights were sent to Smackdown after the show went off the air. The call-ups were confusing and eyebrow raising from the last televised pick all the way through the end of the draft on the Network.
Some people who should have been called up were completely ignored, and others nowhere near ready were suddenly and effectively being pushed onto the main roster straight-away. Now two very odd rosters will have to fight and attempt to make a name for themselves, to create an identity, when the bookers that put them together really didn't seem to have one in mind at all from the start.
Luckily, there were some good aspects to this show when you look past where everything fell apart. The main event was superb, and two matches before that managed to deliver well when they weren't given ridiculous cuts which is very nearly a miracle all things considered. The first live Smackdown turned out to be not as bad as the entire draft together but only by the smallest of margins.
Good luck making sense of this mess, WWE, because we sure as hell can't do it for you.
RATING: C+
