Apr 13 2009
2009 Draft For The Divas
It is finally here. Raw gains an extra hour tonight for the drafting of twelve wrestlers to new homes. A supplemental draft will follow the main draft, as was the case in previous years. It seems obvious that at least one diva will be switching shows with so much moving around.
To begin with, I doubt Vickie Guerrero or Lillian Garcia will be drafted anywhere. Vickie just became the GM of Raw. Why would they draft her anywhere? Lillian Garcia is fine on Raw. I do not see how sending her to ECW or Smackdown can really shake things up.
If anyone is going to be drafted, they are going to come from the talent that steps in the ring to compete. Before I give my own predictions, reasons why, possible implications, and the other stuff which the WWE will probably end up not doing, consider the breakdown of the three shows. Melina, Mickie James, Candice Michelle, and Kelly Kelly are the four face divas on Raw. Beth Phoenix, Rosa, Jillian, and Layla are the four heels. On Smackdown, the faces are Gail Kim, Maria, Eve, and the reunited Bella twins, if the WWE has decided to push them as faces after their reunion. The heels are Maryse, Michelle McCool, and Natalya, who spends a lot of her time on ECW with Tyson Kidd. ECW has Alicia and Tiffany for faces, but the latter is now GM, which means she will not be wrestling much. The heels are Katie Lea and Natalya, who I still count as an ECW diva as well. Why did I just list that out? Because it is important that the WWE keeps some kind of balance between faces and heels, as well as a balance between credible wrestlers and the eye-candy women. I am not going to spend time categorizing who is a real wrestler and who is not, but I just want to toss that criteria out there.
Since I just brought up the interesting case of Natalya, let me start with her. Will the WWE make her an official ECW diva with the draft? Many fans will complain that she should be in the title hunt on one of the main shows. Where does that leave Tyson Kidd? I do not want to see the pairing dropped for no reason. I do not think it would be out of the question for Tyson Kidd to be the one drafted to Smackdown. His push is going downhill on ECW. That kind of thing sometimes means that the WWE is getting ready to give you the old “fresh start” on another show. Last year, Umaga had lost a ton of steam by having to job to almost everyone on Raw. It was already known he would end up on Smackdown, but injury ruined how far that new push would have gone. Tyson Kidd feuding for the United States on Smackdown may be good. But concerning Natalya, it would be smart to keep that heel diva right on the actual show she is a part of, Smackdown.
I have mentioned Candice in a recent blog. It seems she wants to be drafted to Smackdown herself. Howard Finkle seconded the motion, for whatever that is worth. That would not be a bad idea. Smackdown can use a credible face diva to sidekick for Gail Kim. Candice has not been doing much since she returned in the summer of 2008. She can use that fresh start.
Speaking of fresh starts, Michelle McCool has not exactly been on a roll herself. The spotlight has really shifted from her. Is Smackdown big enough for McCool and Maryse? If McCool is always going to attack other heels, I have to think not. As was the case with the men and women I just mentioned, all this lack of attention on McCool may mean she is about to be drafted. What about her relationship with Undertaker? If the rumors about the WWE wanting to build Raw up huge are true, Taker may very well be moving. If that happens, McCool will probably be along for the ride. However, as was the case with Natalya leaving Smackdown, that would be a disadvantage for the heels of Smackdown in terms of quantity.
That leads me to Jillian Hall. Rumors say that she was supposed to get a push on Smackdown last year, but McCool supposedly stopped it. If McCool does move to Raw, or even if she does not, Jillian can take a heel role on Smackdown though the supplemental draft. If her push does not actually lead anywhere, at least they shook up the diva jobbers on either of the main shows.
Katie Lea has been treated as a jobber even as the heel ECW diva, if you do not count Natalya as a real ECW diva. But switching Katie Lea would not make much sense. She has not been on ECW that long. She was not moved there in last year’s draft, but in a random move a few months ago with Paul Burchill.
To finish up ECW, the two faces, Alicia and Tiffany, are not going to get much wrestling feuds there. Tiffany, new ECW GM, will not be losing that spot so fast unless the WWE has a huge shocker to take that spot. Alicia may be at a point to break away from DJ Gabriel, who has “release me” almost written on him. I can see her getting drafted to either show to start a real wrestling push.
The Bella Twins had seen a lot of ECW in past weeks. These Smackdown divas go together. I do not see them getting split up unless both will get huge pushes on their own brands. Each holding their show’s female title will be something to write about. If they do not get that push, separating them will ruin their gimmick. Neither will last long. The Bashams did not.
Kelly Kelly went from ECW to Raw last year, but not in the official draft. Her push seems to have slowed as well. A change of scenery can be helpful for her.
I do not see Beth Phoenix and Rosa being broken up. It would be lazy to drop their angle like that. Moreover, Glamerella is not done yet. Santino has to stay around. It is either you draft all three to Smackdown or leave them on Raw. But I would not be surprised if the WWE drafted Santino’s “sister” just for a comedy routine of Santino running around both shows as man and woman.
I have mentioned that some wrestlers are made to look weak before getting drafted, but others have been drafted while on the top of the world. Lashley got drafted a few years ago right after regaining the ECW Championship. Mickie James has been looking good for weeks now. Does last Monday’s match just seem like the “gold watch” for Mickie? They let her get the win for her team. Is that her last match on Raw? Is it to Smackdown with her? Candice Michelle may return to take Mickie’s spot on Raw. That match this week just has a certain feel to it. If she is not getting drafted, it may be a sign of a big push coming up.
Switching back to the idea of Candice going to Smackdown, they may very well send Maria to take her spot on Raw. There are rumors going around about that. I believe I did mention an interview where Maria commented on wanting to go back to Raw. It is not like she is doing much on Smackdown now.
There is also a rumor going around of the Melina and Maryse both switching. That would be a fair trade in terms of titles. That just seems weird to me. What about Maryse’s feud with Gail Kim? These two should stay on the same show to have that singles match that has been building. Melina is stuck in waiting, that is true. She can go to Smackdown and feud with Gail Kim, but who turns heel? Maryse can be on Raw to feud with Mickie James, who I mentioned is getting that build again. But it all may be too many titles switching shows, especially with Rey Mysterio almost confirmed to be drafted and Triple H, Batista, and Orton and Cena and Edge feuding so heavily with implications mainly on Raw.
Layla, Eve, and any other diva I have missed saying anything about can be drafted and not cause much of a difference. Both are hardly given wrestling time. Who do I see getting drafted? With Candice Michelle wanting it so bad, and the WWE supposedly aware of it, I can see her get drafted to Smackdown. She would open a spot for a credible face diva on Raw. Alicia can use that spot. McCool and Mickie James are also two divas who may just be switching places. McCool can feud with Melina. Mickie James can be inserted into the title hunt on Smackdown within weeks. Whatever happens, there is also the idea of coming developmental talent. That is a wild card. Then there is the even wilder card of releases usually coinciding with drafts. Will a diva not even be around long enough to wrestle on her new show?
