So, with next week being a WWE Roster Shake-up or whatever it's called, I'm just going to quickly grade how things have gone for both brands since the July 2016 draft. The people that came up after the draft or went undrafted will be at the end as a quick summary.
Round 1:
Raw)Seth Rollins (B+), Charlotte(B+), Finn Balor(Undecided)
Grade:B+
Rollins after the draft took awhile to actually become the top good guy he could be, even staying heel until after fellow first rounder Balor had to relinquish the championship. However his storyline with Triple H, culminating with a fantastic victory rebooted The Architect's stock. Charlotte's constant back and forth with Sasha Banks was great at first, but was rushed and that's what hurt Charlotte's stock. Even though she was part of the final two at Mania's PPV, she ended up losing to someone undrafted. Best female heel, but considering she's been the focal point during all of the 1sts that happened since the draft, I would say she's lost some momentum. Balor winning the Universal Championship was perfect, but then he was injured and out since then. Balor isn't a bust just yet, unless he switches brands.
Smackdown)Dean Ambrose (B+)and AJ Styles(A+)
Grade: A
Ambrose won the Championship at Battleground to keep the title at Smackdown, then lost it to AJ Styles. He did end up with the Intercontinental Championship so it's not all bad for Dean at this point. AJ lost the title to 2nd rounder Cena but had one of the best years in recent memory and hasn't slowed down since. The fact that AJ's match against Shane McMahon could be considered one of the top matches of the weekend says enough about Smackdown's first round.
Smackdown won Round 1. Finn Balor being gone is really the main difference. AJ and Dean were competent parts of the storyline and title picture and were consistently there in both the main event scene and even in mid card situations. Charlotte being an A was stopped by the lack of momentum the Raw Women's title scene has considering her draft position. The first round picks should be knocking things out of the park ALL the time. And the person that personified that that from this round was AJ Styles.
Round 2:
Raw)Roman Reigns (B), Brock Lesnar(A+), The New Day(B)
Grade: B
New Day lost the Tag team Championships and while still more over than most acts, has cooled immensely. If you grade by reactions, then Reigns would have an A. If you're grading on getting the reactions you want your audience to give, Reigns has an F. Even though he won the US Championship, the reactions that are supposed to be positive aren't doing such, and he was booed beyond belief after beating the Undertaker at WrestleMania. (not to mention that US title reign was pretty much him neglecting the championship so FUCK YOU). Lesnar losing to Goldberg and building that storyline that resulted in Lesnar winning the Universal Championship was GREAT!
Smackdown)John Cena (A), Randy Orton (B+)
Cena had match of the year candidate in both calendar years to date with AJ Styles, and then proposed to Nikki Bella after winning his match at Mania. He also won his 16th World Championship. Orton, after getting busted open, had a compelling storyline with Bray Wyatt that resulted with him gaining the WWE Championship. Yeah, the blowoff was a bit lackluster, but it made a star out of Luke Harper in the process.
Smackdown also wins Round 2. Name notoriety wasn't lacking in this round, but Cena and Orton were better used to benefit their brand in comparison to Reigns and the New Day. While you could argue that Lesnar's importance overshadows Orton, the fact that he's more of a part timer in this case hurts Raw's argument. Note: The first 4 picks of Smackdown's draft all held the WWE Championship in this past draft period. I think that's very indicative of the confidence Smackdown's roster depth shows.
Smackdown:2 Raw:0
Round 3:
Raw)Sami Zayn(C), Sasha Banks(B), Chris Jericho(A)
Smackdown)Bray Wyatt(B+), Becky Lynch(B)
Zayn was under utilized and set up as the punching bag to all the big stars, which is really disappointing considering his HUGE victory (at the time) over Kevin Owens at Battleground. Banks made a ton of huge Raw moments, but pretty much came off as a choker at PPVs against Charlotte. Jericho was a REVELATION and you could say that he, along with 4th rounder Kevin Owens, kept Raw afloat against a motivated Smackdown brand.
While the ending of his storyline with Orton SUCKED, Wyatt winning the WWE Championship is all I need to know to not give him a bad grade, heck Wyatt got the winning fall at Survivor Series, final four at the Royal Rumble, and outlasting Cena and AJ at the Elimination Chamber. Becky finally won the Women's Championship (grant it it was without Sasha, Bayley, and Charlotte, but whatevs). She was the backbone of the division and has taken a backseat so the other members of the smackdown women's roster so there could be deeper depth.
Smackdown wins the third round because new stars, and well built depth. Point blank, this is the one time over the last year that I can say Becky did one better than Charlotte. 6 to 8 viable challengers has more variety and is better than 4.
Smackdown 3 Raw 0
Round 4:
Raw)Rusev and Lana(C), Kevin Owens(A), Enzo and Cass(B-)
Rusev lost the US title to Roman Reigns and pretty much was forgotten. Enzo and Cass came close but couldn't get over the hump to win the Tag Team Championships. However, we also got a glimpse of Big Cass as a singles guy...and it was awesome. Kevin Owens buoys this round for Raw because he won the Universal Championship and held it until February. Then at Mania he beat 3rd Rounder Chris Jericho for the Universal Championship
Smackdown)The Miz and Maryse(A), Baron Corbin (B+)
The Miz had a career renaissance, dueling and verbally beating out Daniel Bryan (NO!), then having a fantastic trilogy of PPV matches with Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship. While the payoff was bad, Miz had a great buildup with 2nd Rounder John Cena leading up to WrestleMania. Corbin had many undercard victories and impressed in opportunities against Dolph Ziggler, AJ Styles, and most recently Dean Ambrose.
Smackdown wins this round too. Miz and Corbin were well built, whereas Rusev's treatment and Enzo/Cass's short-comings drag down Kevin Owens's impact.
Smackdown 4 Raw 0
Round 5:
Raw)Gallows and Anderson(B-), Big Show(D), Nia Jax(B+)
Gallows and Anderson honestly were treated like jokes the moment AJ Styles was drafted to Smackdown. That being said, at least they held the Tag Team Championships until WrestleMania. Big Show has basically been a non-factor. Nia Jax has started to prove her worth in the back half of the WrestleMania season. Well built monster for the Women's Division
Smackdown)American Alpha(B), Dolph Ziggler(B)
American Alpha were derailed by injury for a bit before capturing the Tag Team Championships at the end of the calendar year. However, really lazy lack of booking for them completely ruined an opportunity for them to fight for the Tag championships at WRestleMania. Ziggler was PHENOMINAL at this pick after the 2nd half of 2016. However, once his feud with the Miz finished, he went back to being the de-facto high end jobber.
This round was bad for both but I'll give Raw this round because at least Nia Jax is still relevant amongst the people in this round. Also, while Anderson and Gallows haven't been treated well, they're in the tag division that matters in WWE currently.
Smackdown 4 Raw 1
Round 6:
Raw)Neville(A), Cesaro(B+), Sheamus(B+)
Cesaro and Sheamus had a FANTASTIC best of 7 series, then were paired off and broke the title reign of The New Day. While Neville didn't feel relevant right away, the moment he entered the Cruiserweight division went to Raw, his stock SKYROCKETED.
Smackdown)Natalya (C), Alberto Del Rio(F)
Del Rio is gone from WWE. Natalya, while a mainstay in the Title picture, is located on the low end of the Smackdown Women's hierarchy.
This round is NO contest. Raw wins this round.
Smackdown 4 Raw 2
Supplemental Rounds
Round 7:
Raw)Golden Truth(D), Titus O'Neill(C), Paige(F)
Smackdown)The Usos(A), Kane(C)
Between these two, Smackdown wins this round due to the resurgence of The Usos. As heels they have the biggest reaction of their Tag Team Division, and deservedly hold the Tag Team Championships right now. Kane isn't a factor in smackdown anymore. Golden Truth hasn't sniffed the Tag Title scene in such a long time, Paige is gone (and dealing with a sex tape scandal), and Titus O'Neill is a Jobber to the highest degree.
Smackdown 5 Raw 2
Round 8:
Raw)Darren Young and Bob Backlund(D), Sin Cara(C), Jack Swagger(D)
Smackdown)Kalisto(C), Naomi(A), The Ascension(C)
Swagger moved to smackdown
Swagger's grade is due to the fact that he's now gone, but when he was still part of the roster, he at least had a role in helping build Baron Corbin on Smackdown. He did nothing on Raw. The Lucha Dragons being separated did no favors for either one, but between the two Kalisto had the better impact, with a great Chairs match against Corbin and even getting a win over Dolph Ziggler at a PPV. The biggest impact player here is Naomi, considering she's now a 2 time and CURRENT Smackdown Women's Champion, winning the second one at WrestleMania in her hometown in the Semi-Main Event.
Smackdown 6 Raw 2
Round 9:
Raw)The Dudley Boyz(F), Summer Rae(F), Mark Henry(D)
Smackdown)Zack Ryder(C), Apollo Crews(C-), Alexa Bliss(A)
Smackdown Wins because of Alexa Bliss. She became a 2 time Women's Champion and was the defending champion going into WrestleMania. Ryder had some momentum as part of the Hype Bros tag team before getting injured. Crews was poised to be a huge steal here, but neglectful booking hurt his grade bad. The Dudley Boyz are gone, Summer Rae is essentially irrelevant, and Mark Henry is pretty much a part timer at this point.
Smackdown 7 Raw 2
Round 10:
Raw)Braun Strowman(A) Bo Dallas(C), The Shining Stars(D)
Smackdown)Breezango(C), Eva Marie(D), The Vaudevillians(F)
Breezango should be more of a threat and they're not. Eva Marie is on her way out,(which sucks because she actually was used well before her suspension) and Simon Gotch was released. Aiden English is a man on an island so no more Vaudevillians. Bo Dallas and The Shining Stars are jobbers as expected, but BRAUN STROWMAN was honestly the BIGGEST steal of this draft. He's been built so well to the point of having a big time match against Roman Reigns at Fastlane, a fantastic feud with Sami Zayn, and eliminated the most people at the Royal Rumble.
Smackdown 7 Raw 3
Round 11:
Raw)Alicia Fox(C), Dana Brooke(C), Curtis Axel(D)
Smackdown)Erick Rowan(D), Mojo Rawley(B), Carmella(B)
Alicia Fox has been used more on 205 live, but she had a good match against Nia Jax on a pre-show I don't remember, Dana Brooke being used as Charlotte's lackey....but is kind of lost since. Axel had 1 great moment in Minnesota before losing to Bo Dallas....and it's a shame.
Rowan was injured and just came back after Mania....and is still being used as a Jobber. Carmella has had good feuds, but hasn't won any. Her pairing with James Ellsworth is amusing. Mojo Rawley is the best pick in this round, because of how well they've built him. Rawley ended up surviving the likes of Sami Zayn, Braun Strowman, Big Show, and Dolph Ziggler to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (AND I'm still not as hyped as I should be...but he was wearing Maryland Flag designs on his tights so I guess I like him now lol)
Smackdown 8 Raw 3
Undrafted people (Brands will gain .5 point per steal post draft, Cruiserweight division is 1 entity)
Gone: Ryback, Rosa Mendes, Tyson Kidd (injury)
Rybacks a whiner. Rosa Mendes was pregnant so fantastic for her! Kidd is still injured, and I do not expect him to come back.
Unaffiliated: Triple H, The Undertaker, Tamina Snuka
Triple H returning to screw over Seth Rollins was sometimes spotty in terms of the story itself but was quite satisfying. So that was worth .5
Tamina hasn't returned from injury so no point either side.
The Undertaker is the only wrestler that went to Raw after being on Smackdown so he has no official affiliation. His last run was full of empty promises....then a lackluster WrestleMania main event that was only saved by his grand exit after Reigns left the ring. Such a beautiful WrestleMania ending at the expense of a crappy final match. No points given.
Smackdown: Nikki Bella, Heath Slater, (.5) Luke Harper (.5), Rhyno, Curt Hawkins, James Ellsworth, Shelton Benjamin, Mickie James(.5), Tye Dillinger, Shinsuke Nakamura, The Spirit Squad, The Headbangers
Bringing solid Nostalgia acts (rather than wasted ones) in Rhyno and Nikki Bella helped the growth of the Tag and Women's divisions. Slater and Harper in different halves of the post draft year broke out as stars. It will be interesting to see how Dillinger and Nakamura fit into the program from here on out.
Raw: Emma, Jinder Mahal, Bayley(After Summerslam) Goldberg(for Survivor Series) All Cruiserweights(After Cruiserweight Classic finished), The Hardyz (WrestleMania), The Revival
Cruiserweights:Akira Tozawa, Ariya Daivari, Austin Aries, Brian Kendrick, Cedric Alexander, Drew Gulak, Gran Metalik, Jack Gallagher, Lince Dorado, Mustafa Ali, Noam Dar, Rich Swann, TJ Perkins, Tony Nese (Only cruiserweight that have appeared on Raw)
-Cruiserweight division is half a point considering it has helped the quality of Raw, even in neglect, and honestly it's due to the last 2 PPV Cruiserweight Title matches (Neville vs. Jack Gallagher at Fastlane and Austin Aries at WrestleMania) (.5)
-Emma was forced to do an Emmalina gimmick...and was immediately abandoned, Jinder's a Jobber, Bayley is the current Raw Women's Champion (.5), Goldberg was great while he was there (minus the burial of Kevin Owens's work) (.5), The Hardyz added after Mania won't count towards the points but DEAR LORD THAT WAS AWESOME, and Same goes for The Revival!
Raw Finishes with 6.5 points.
Raw:Final Roster after WrestleMania (bolded are champions)
Rollins, Charlotte, Balor, Reigns, Lesnar(Universal), Kingston, Big E, Woods, Zayn, Banks, Jericho, Gallows, Anderson, Big Show, Jax, Owens (United States), Rusev, Lana, Enzo, Cass, Neville(Cruiserweight), Cesaro, Sheamus, R-Truth, Goldust, O'Neill, Darren Young, Bob Backlund, Sin Cara, Rae, Henry, Strowman, Dallas, Primo, Epico, Fox, Brooke, Axel, Emma, Mahal, Bayley (Women's), Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, (Tag Team)Dawson, Dash, Cruiserweight Division (Tozawa, Daivari, Aries, Kendrick, Alexander, Gulak, Metalik, Gallagher, Dorado, Ali, Dar, Swann, Perkins, Nese)
Best Picks: Brock Lesnar Round 2, Chris Jericho Round 3, Kevin Owens Round 4, Neville Round 6, Braun Strowman Round 10
Lesnar being the current champion and being as valuable for working the main event scene with Goldberg is priceless. Owens and Jericho carried the Main Event scene all the way throughout the post draft year. Neville's dominance in the Cruiserweight division was fantastic for Raw, and Strowman's journey was the biggest value of it all.
Biggest Busts: Finn Balor Round 1, Titus O'Neill Round 7, Big Show Round 5, Rusev and Lana Round 4, Sami Zayn Round 3, Emma undrafted.
Balor being sidelined after winning the Universal Championship hurt his standing. We'll see how this year plays out to figure if he was worth the pick or not. Titus O'Neill could have had much more success after his feud with Rusev for the US Championship....but I guess the ghost of man-handling Vince McMahon at Daniel Bryan's retirement ceremony isn't going to go away. Big Show did NOTHING after being drafted, other than set up a match with Shaquille O'Neal that never existed...got in AWESOME shape for that match....then was ceremoniously eliminated from the ATGMBR. When Rusev lost his title to Roman Reigns, both his and the title's prestige went down the drain. Reigns treated the championship as a side note, whereas Rusev defended the Championship like it was worth something. He has to bounce back. HAS to bounce back once he returns from Injury. Emma being turned into Emmalina was stupid. Glad she's back to her Evil gimmick.
Putting Sami Zayn as a bust hurts my soul badly. But as much credit as I can give to him helping Braun Strowman's credibility, Zayn never got off the ground after an arguable MOTY candidate against Kevin Owens at BattleGround. That should have springboarded him somewhere bigger. Heck his biggest title opportunity was for SMACKDOWN's Intercontinental Championship. Unless there's a bigger plan for Zayn, MOVE HIM TO SMACKDOWN LIKE HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DRAFTED TO IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND ADD CESARO THERE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT. (Rant done).
Biggest Surprises and Steals Braun Strowman Round 10, Neville Round 6, Cesaro Round 6, Kevin Owens Round 4, Nia Jax Round 5, Bayley Undrafted.
Strowman in Round 10 is the closest thing to Tom Brady in Round 6 for Raw. Cesaro shouldn't have dropped past Round 4. Neville being this relevant now wasn't a concept at the time of the draft. Kevin Owens should have been in Round 1 over Balor. Nia Jax, while not as dominant as Strowman, has made herself credible enough for the Title picture. Bayley, while her title reign hasn't been booked tremendous, is the Raw Women's Champion after coming from NxT, after NxT Takeover Brooklyn. Worth it!
Smackdown:Final Roster after WrestleMania
Ambrose, Styles, Cena, Orton, Wyatt, Lynch, Miz, Maryse, Corbin, Jordan, Gable, Ziggler, Natalya, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Kane, Kalisto, Naomi, Konnor, Viktor, Ryder, Crews, Bliss, Breeze, Fandango, Marie, English, Rowan, Rowley, Carmella, Bella, Slater, Harper, Rhyno, Hawkins, Ellsworth, James, Mosh, Thrasher, Dillinger, Nakamura
Best Picks: Miz and Maryse Round 4, AJ Styles Round 1, The Usos Round 7, Alexa Bliss Round 9
AJ Styles lived up to his 1st Round choice, carrying Smackdown's main event scene. The Miz was honestly the biggest value looking back, because he remade the Intercontinental Championship into something worth fighting for. The Usos found their fire as heels and now they're the Tag Team Champions with some steam. Alexa Bliss won the Smackdown Women's Championship twice and went into WrestleMania as the Champion. Well done for Smackdown.
Biggest Busts: American Alpha Round 5, Natalya Round 6, Alberto Del Rio Round 6
So, in terms of American Alpha, it's not that they've been bad....but they could have been much more and really died as an act after they won the Tag Titles. Quite disappointing. However, Smackdown's worse round was Round 6. Natalya is still essentially a stepping stone, while reliable as such, and Del Rio is gone due to bad issues with the company's feelings towards him and Raw 7th Rounder Paige.
Biggest Surprises:
Miz and Maryse Round 4, Heath Slater Undrafted, Luke Harper Undrafted, James Ellsworth Undrafted
Miz shouldn't have been as good as he was this past year, and he was better than that. Slater's journey to get a roster spot was worth the fact that he and Rhyno were the first Smackdown Tag Team Champions, Luke Harper without the Wyatt Family IS MAIN EVENT MATERIAL. And then James Ellsworth Found his way on the roster with a Superkick that could make the Usos and Dolph Ziggler jealous.
Smackdown Finishes with 9.5 points.
Finally, here are the Moves and Final Rosters after the Superstar Shake-Up
Moving to Raw include
Apollo Crews Round 9 (C- during the past year, B for the switch)
-A change in scenery can do nothing but help Crews. He could still go after the IC title.
The Miz and Maryse Round 4 (A+, B for the switch)
-Hopefully Miz doesn't lose his momentum that he gained from his run on SD Live. His feud with Bryan will finish on a cliffhanger for the time being so that is somewhat disappointing.
Dean Ambrose Round 1 (No. 2 Overall)(B+, A for the switch)
-considering his link to both Rollins and Reigns, expect the IC champ to come into play in both the defense of his title and potentially get back into the main event scene.
Curt Hawkins Undrafted (D, F for the switch)
-JOBBER
Bray Wyatt Round 3 (B+, C for the switch)
-Considering he's probably going to lose the House of Horrors match, a feud with Finn Balor (while enticing) is probably going to back him up further.
Heath Slater and Rhyno Undrafted (B, C for the switch)
-With New Day and the Shining Stars on SD live, Slater and Rhyno have an opportunity to either get back in the title chase or even split off properly.
Kalisto Round 8 (C, B for the switch)
-Get Kalisto in the Cruiserweight Division, he will SHINE.
Alexa Bliss Round 10 (A, A for the switch)
-The two time Women's Champion on Smackdown will fit perfectly into the Raw Women's scene. I would LOVE a Sasha/Bliss match.
Mickie James Undrafted (B, A for the switch)
-Mickie will become the Natalya of the division, BUT with possibly more impact.
David Otunga Commentator (C, C)
-Meh.
Raw:Final Roster
Rollins, Ambrose(Intercontinental) Balor, Reigns, Lesnar(Universal), Banks, Jericho, Miz and Maryse, Gallows, Anderson, Wyatt, Big Show, Jax, Enzo, Cass, Neville(Cruiserweight), Cesaro, Sheamus, R-Truth, Goldust, O'Neill, Darren Young, Kalisto, Bob Backlund, Sin Cara, Crews, Bliss, Rae, Henry, Strowman, Dallas, Fox, Brooke, Axel, Emma, Mahal, Bayley (Women's), Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, (Tag Team)Dawson, Dash, Cruiserweight Division (Tozawa, Daivari, Aries, Kendrick, Alexander, Gulak, Metalik, Gallagher, Dorado, Ali, Dar, Swann, Perkins, Nese), Hawkins, Slater, Rhyno, James
Commentators:Michael Cole, Corey Graves, David Otunga
Moving to Smackdown Include
Byron Saxton Commentator (C,C)
-Well....JBL gets to bully Saxton instead of Graves....same old same old.
Kevin Owens Round 4 (A, A)
-The various opponents Owens has on Smackdown now, along with the realistic possibility of winning the World Championship is enticing.
Sami Zayn Round 3 (C, A)
-He NEEDED this switch. Will definitely benefit.
The New Day Round 2 (B, B)
-They needed a new change of scenery since the Hardys have the Raw scene in tact.
Charlotte Round 1 (B+, A)
-Smackdown gets a gigantic boost
Jinder Mahal Undrafted (C, B)
-While he left Raw injuring Balor, the prospects of Mahal are potentially positive.
Rusev Round 4 (C, B)
-Rusev on his own should be an interesting concept
Lana Round 4 (C,A)
-We get to see Lana stand on her own and it seems as if she's going to be channelling more of her former Pitch Perfect-type persona. This should be entertaining.
Tamina Undrafted (N/A)
-Someone for Natalya to beat.
The Shining Stars Round 10 (D, B)
-Would have given this a lower grade, but their ambush of American Alpha could potentially show off a new side other than hotel cons.
Final Roster: Styles, Charlotte, Cena, Orton, Woods, Kingston, Big E, Zayn, Lynch, Owens, Corbin, Jordan, Gable, Ziggler, Owens (United States), Natalya, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Kane, Naomi, Konnor, Viktor, Ryder, Breeze, Fandango, Marie, Primo, Epico, English, Rowan, Rowley, Carmella, Bella, Harper, Ellsworth, James, Mosh, Thrasher, Dillinger, Nakamura, Mahal, Tamina
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