2021 WWE Draft Review
Now that the 2021 WWE Draft has concluded, I can once again make it clear why this concept, which once was exciting and a breath of fresh air whenever it came around, is nothing but a useless anchor that needs to go away and never come back. Yes, as I have said before, I absolutely hate the brand split. Why would I as a fan be excited or happy to see less possibilities and have limited matchup options? Plus, why would I as a fan want to be subjected to the total idiotic way Vince McMahon chooses to divide up his talent. Its dumb, its been dumb, and in this day and landscape, where AEW presents an unlimited variety of matchups, this is an example of cutting off your nose to spite your face.
You may be asking, why is he so against the Draft? Well, there are many reasons, so let me detail a few. One issue I have is the Draft rules are not consistent nor clearly defined, no matter how much they try to pay lip service to the notion that they are. If they really want to do a real Draft of the roster, they need to tell us who are the Draft eligible wrestlers ahead of time, from RAW, Smackdown, AND NXT!! If anything, the draft should be heavily focused on RAW and Smackdown management vying to Draft the best talent from NXT to their show. For example, like with college sports, if a wrestler has been in NXT for more than let's say 2 years, they should be Draft eligible. The best of the best should not be down in NXT for five years, while green amateurs with a muscle bound body get called up quickly just because Vince McMahon has a fetish for the look. It's pathetic.
Another example is that if the executives from USA and FOX are picking whom they want, they should be trying to load up their roster with only the best. And the wrestlers who are undrafted should be sent back down to NXT, as they are not deemed good enough to be drafted. There shouldn't be a bunch of picks just added later for no damn rhyme or reason. It's stupid. As a result, the current best wrestlers and featured talent on NXT are overlooked year after year, which negates the entire premise. If the Draft was legit, every wrestler would be eligible to be drafted and the most talented performers would be featured on the main roster.
Another example is that if the executives from USA and FOX are picking whom they want, they should be trying to load up their roster with only the best. And the wrestlers who are undrafted should be sent back down to NXT, as they are not deemed good enough to be drafted. There shouldn't be a bunch of picks just added later for no damn rhyme or reason. It's stupid. As a result, the current best wrestlers and featured talent on NXT are overlooked year after year, which negates the entire premise. If the Draft was legit, every wrestler would be eligible to be drafted and the most talented performers would be featured on the main roster.
But my real issue with the Draft is the fact that we have a brand spilt to begin with and need to divide the options. The way they divide the rosters never works. One show is three hours, which is a chore regardless, and one is two hours, which makes for easier viewing. Last years Smackdown roster was very well built, but it was so loaded that RAW suffered greatly. So why do this to yourself? Why make one of your shows less than the other? The WWE should go back to one roster between RAW and Smackdown, with one WWE champion, one Women's champion, a IC champion, and one tag team champion for each gender. The champions should be featured on any show the booker feels like booking them on that particular week. Contender matches and rankings would be more important than ever, as there is one title to vie for on top.
It just makes the most sense. Plus we would get far more fresh matchups, because the pool to choose from would be far greater. In addition wrestlers would not need to be on every show and could be kept fresh. House shows could even have some variety and possibly become a draw again. And as far as the Draft is concerned, I would make the Draft solely with NXT wrestlers in the pool, and have a main roster GM pick against and William Regal. Regal would be selecting the wrestlers he wants to keep in NXT to help elevate his show. That would be a far better use of the draft and a more logical reason to keep certain talent in NXT.
It just makes the most sense. Plus we would get far more fresh matchups, because the pool to choose from would be far greater. In addition wrestlers would not need to be on every show and could be kept fresh. House shows could even have some variety and possibly become a draw again. And as far as the Draft is concerned, I would make the Draft solely with NXT wrestlers in the pool, and have a main roster GM pick against and William Regal. Regal would be selecting the wrestlers he wants to keep in NXT to help elevate his show. That would be a far better use of the draft and a more logical reason to keep certain talent in NXT.
As far as what they did, aside from keeping Reigns and Sasha on Smackdown, the rest was basically a waste and splitting the roster just to split the roster. Good to see Hit Row get called up, but we'll see how it goes.
WWE RAW/ SMACKDOWN
Big E vs. Big D
The Big E era is fully in effect now that he has been drafted to RAW, and positioned as the top guy. One move that was very important to cement that was moving Drew McIntyre to Smackdown. If the company wants to push both of these guys as top contenders, they should be on different shows, but we will see them face off at Crown Jewel. I don't think I would have done this yet, as this matchup could've been saved for down the line, but I do think its a match the fans will get behind because we won't see it at least for another year and it could tease for something later. I did enjoy the interactions with Dolph Ziggler, since both men served as his muscle in the past. Says a lot about how far they have come, but also how long Ziggler has been there.
What a Difference a Boss Makes
Sasha Banks returned a few weeks ago at Extreme Rules and attacked Bianca and Becky Lynch, and set herself up to be back in the mix for the Smackdown's women's title. Sasha is just one of those performers who brings a level of star power to the division that elevates any program she's involved in. At Crown Jewel, Becky Lynch will defend the title against Sasha and Bianca, before she moves over to RAW. So that says to me, that she's dropping the title, or her and Charlotte, who was drafted to Smackdown, will simply swap titles? I hate this draft.
Brock Lesnar is free agent
Brock showed up on Smackdown and laid out Roman and The Uso's in a hot angle this past week. It's always fun seeing the big fella show up unannounced, and I especially enjoy baby face lumberjack Brock. But the real news was that Brock declared himself a free agent, as he won't be drafted to either show. Just another example of how stupid this brand spilt is, as why wouldn't USA or FOX want exclusive rights to Brock? But whatever.
The King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown tournament
The King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown tournaments are set to begin this Friday on Smackdown. Commercials aired on TV this past week, saying that the two tournaments begin Friday and continue Monday on Raw. Word is that the finals for both tournaments would take place at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view event in Saudi Arabia. The current "King of WWE" is Nakamura, who took the crown from King Corbin, who won the last tournament. The women's tournament should be interesting, and could be used as a vehicle to elevate someone different.
Extreme Rules Review
Universal Title - Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar
WWE Title - Big E vs. Drew McIntyre
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SD Women's Title - Lynch vs. Belair vs. Banks
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Goldberg vs. Lashley
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SmackDown Tag Team Title - The Usos vs. The Street Profits
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ALL ELITE WRESTLING
Sammy Guevara is the new TNT Champion
I was extremely happy that Sammy Guevara was able to capture the TNT title on last week's Dynamite. I think Sammy is the type of star that embodies what I love about AEW, as he's young, athletic, charismatic, and fresh. Sammy has everything you would want from a young star, as his Latin American culture is a good mix of diversity the wrestling landscape needs, but he's also not presented as a classic trope that is typecast. Plus he can wrestle has ass off in an exciting fast paced style, that is believable and versatile. I am so excited to see some of the potential matches on the horizon for Guevara.
To kick off his reign, it was announced that Sammy will defend the TNT title against the debuting Bobby Fish on Dynamite. Fish was let go from NXT a few months ago, but is an excellent worker. Injuries have plagued Fish's career, but when he's healthy, and allowed to show what he can do, he can go with the best of them. This is exactly the type of great TV match that we can look to expect from a Sammy G title run. The possibilities are endless and I can't wait.
Casino Ladder Match
This Wednesday night on Dynamite, AEW will have he first ever Casino Ladder Match, where seven men will battle for a future world title match. Basically, its a Money in the Bank match with a one week build. So far six of the guys in the match have been announced as Matt Hardy (for some reason), PAC, Moxley, Orange Cassidy, Lance Archer, and Andrade. The seventh person, the joker, will be a surprise on Wednesday. Why you would just throw this match out there on a whim, and not save it for the PPV is beyond me. But when its evident that the company is chasing ratings at this point, nothing really surprises me. I would assume the surprise return would be for Adam Page, but it could also be the debut of someone new to the promotion. This should be interesting.
Bryan Danielson vs. Nick Jackson
In a match that people got excited about last week for the cult sensation of it, Bryan Danielson defeated Nick Jackson on Rampage Friday night. Danielson is a tremendous wrestler, one of the greatest of all time in my opinion, and Nick Jackson is one half of the best tag team today and an exciting performer in his own right. So when the match was announced after it was taped on Wednesday for airing on Friday, many got excited. But when the ratings came back for Friday night's show, the show bombed, and was one of the least watched telecast in the companies history. This left many scratching their head wondering why many more didn't watch, the answer is simple, hotshot booking has a shelf life.
There was no reason to just throw a match of that caliber on Rampage at 10pm on a Friday night with no build. What would be the reason? That match should have been built up for a few weeks and featured on Dynamite, not thrown away on Rampage. This is just another example of Tony Khan booking too many matches on these shows. Let things build. Stop hot-shotting matches that could be saved for later. We have seen this happen before with other promotions and it always ends the same. With less and less returns the more you do it.
There was no reason to just throw a match of that caliber on Rampage at 10pm on a Friday night with no build. What would be the reason? That match should have been built up for a few weeks and featured on Dynamite, not thrown away on Rampage. This is just another example of Tony Khan booking too many matches on these shows. Let things build. Stop hot-shotting matches that could be saved for later. We have seen this happen before with other promotions and it always ends the same. With less and less returns the more you do it.
Lio Rush signs with AEW
After months of speculation, Lio Rush has signed with AEW. Rush competed in the Casino Battle Royal back at Double or Nothing, but it wasn't clear if he was coming back or that was a one off. Rush has been such a strange case because he previously announced his retirement from pro wrestling due to a shoulder injury, saying that he would return only to fulfill prior commitments to NJPW. He is scheduled to be part of the NJPW Strong tapings that will take place on October 16 and 17. Since getting cut by WWE last year, Rush has wrestled for GCW, MLW, NJPW Strong, and AEW. He is a great worker and an excellent talker, so he should be a great addition to a company that really needs a black wrestler who can talk and work. I wouldn't even be surprised if he forms a group with guys like The Acclaimed, Private Party, Top Flight, or any of the other black performers who are wasting away on the YouTube show, and actually help elevate them. AEW needs black stars bad.
Jon Huber Legacy Foundation
Amanda Huber, the wife and brother of the late Brodie Lee announced last Wednesday that they have created the Jon Huber Legacy Foundation which will "focus on providing support to people in creative fields who have not taken the next step in their career because of family obligations." Starting in 2022, the foundation "will select a group of creative individuals to support with resources, connections, practical skills, and direct funding. The cohort will meet throughout the year to learn from experts in areas including business planning, artist management, public relations, brand management, finances, and IP law. These skills and connections will help them provide for their families while also helping them pursue their dreams."
Huber, a member of the AEW roster, passed away last December 26th due to a lung issue at 41 years old. The group expects to announce taking its first round of applications in the first part of 2022. In the release, Amanda Huber said, “Jon almost gave up on his dream of wrestling because of his family. But he got the call to move up to WWE while we were in the hospital with our first child. I can’t think of a better way of honoring his commitment to family and his career than to help other people who are facing the same dilemma.”
Huber, a member of the AEW roster, passed away last December 26th due to a lung issue at 41 years old. The group expects to announce taking its first round of applications in the first part of 2022. In the release, Amanda Huber said, “Jon almost gave up on his dream of wrestling because of his family. But he got the call to move up to WWE while we were in the hospital with our first child. I can’t think of a better way of honoring his commitment to family and his career than to help other people who are facing the same dilemma.”
NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING
G1 Climax 31 Schedule
The 2021 G-1 tournament has been rolling along rather nicely, with some tremendous matches scattered throughout the last few weeks. Check out the upcoming schedule and mark your calendars. Remember, all of Naito's opponents are being awarded a win by forfeit.
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