WWE 2009 Supplemental Draft analysis

After giving analysis of the twelve WWE superstars who were drafted around WWE live this past week on Monday, here is my take on what impact the 24 other superstars were drafted on Wednesday’s online supplemental draft. These ensuing draft picks were released on wwe.com all throughout Wednesday afternoon in ten-minute intervals, which led to some interesting results as it seemed numerous tag teams would be split apart in the draft only for their partners to conveniently join them on their new brand just minutes later.

Mr. Kennedy (from SmackDown to RAW) - Kennedy is easily the biggest name of those swapped during the online draft lottery, however his untapped potential has yet to be fulfilled. Since his debut in 2005 he looked like a hot young prospect that could be one of the company’s biggest stars. He was drafted to RAW in 2007 and gained valuable momentum and become a good guy for the first time in his WWE career. He was drafted back to SmackDown in 2008 only for him to go out with a serious shoulder injury last August. He has yet to step back inside the squared circle despite taking time to film the WWF Studios-produced direct-to-DVD film Behind Enemy Lines III: Colombia. In this ensuing draft he was sent back to RAW although no timetable for his return to the ring has been set. If Kennedy can finally get back on track and shake his injury-prone stigma he still has time to be one of the company’s big stars.

Shad Gaspard of Cryme Tyme (from RAW to SmackDown) - Shad and his partner JTG form the comic tag team of Cryme Tyme, two happy-go-lucky thugs from Brooklyn who love money and “borrow” from others. Racial and satirical overtones aside, the duo became a hit with fans as a nice comedic break in the middle of the crowds. It looked as if the duo would be split up but as you will see later his partner JTG would also be drafted to SmackDown as well, bringing the tag team to a new home, with a fresh audience, fresh opponents and fresh surroundings. Shad is the bigger and stronger of the team who provides the power to complete JTG’s speed and athleticism.

Alicia Fox (from ECW to SmackDown) - The lovely Alicia is a relative rookie to the wrestling business who hasn’t logged in too much in-ring time. Recently she had spent her time on ECW as the dancing valet for fellow WWE newcomer DJ Gabriel. Splitting the duo means that Alicia will be able to mix it up with the veteran women wrestlers on SmackDown, challenge for the Women’s Championship and gain valuable in-ring experience. Unfortunately it may be the demise for her former co-hort DJ Gabriel, who without his valet looks to be dead in the water on their old home of ECW.

WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Primo Colon (from SmackDown to RAW) - When this pick was first released fans were in uproar as it looked as if the company was about to split the newly crowned Unified Tag Team Champions, however as you will see later, Primo’s older and more experienced brother Carlito will also join him on RAW, bringing their act together to the RAW brand. While their home brand will be RAW being that the real-life brothers from San Juan are the Unified Tag Team Champions expect them to make appearances on all three shows fending off the challenges of tag teams from every brand.

Mike Knox (from RAW to SmackDown) - Mike Knox is a throwback to the old ‘80s style of big, mean, hairy, silent bad guys. Knox is nearly 300 pounds and is a perfect mid-card monster that can act as a spoiler for fan favorites looking to climb the ladder of success. Knox has already had fairly successful runs on both ECW and RAW and a move to SmackDown, a place he has never wrestled on, is the next logical choice for the big man for Phoenix.

Ezekiel Jackson (from SmackDown to ECW) - Ezekiel debuted last summer on SmackDown as the bodyguard/enforcer/associate for the 190 pound cocky Brian Kendrick. Ezekiel is another big 300-pound monster of a man who plays the role of silent bodyguard quite effectively. This move to ECW will separate Jackson from his former client Kendrick and will be his first real test as a singles competitor and to see whether he will sink or swim on his own.

Nikki Bella (from SmackDown to RAW) - Nikki is one half of the beautiful identical twin pair of sisters that spent their early months in their WWE career confusing opponents while switching identities. In early 2009 Nikki and her sister Brie took opposing sides in the tag team war between The Colons and John Morrison & The Miz. Nikki took the side of the evil Miz and Morrison and battled with her sister Brie, and it seemed logical that the twins would split up in the ensuing draft, however after WrestleMania XXV when the tag team battle was settled the girls made their peace with each other. Now the curvaceous twins will make their home on the RAW brand.

Candice Michelle (from SmackDown to RAW) - She is another one of those talents who has improved incredibly since her debut in 2005. She became the top female performer for a brief time in 2007 but her stock has fallen greatly after a series of injuries halted her progress through both 2008 and 2009. After her return from her second clavicle injury in late 2008 she got a quick push to the top of the women’s division before falling down to number four on the depth chart of female fan favorites on the RAW brand. This move to SmackDown will do worlds of good for Candice as it will give her a fresh perspective and new opponents. Essentially a move to SmackDown could actually save Candice’s WWE career.

Zack Ryder (from SmackDown to ECW) - He is a young kid from Long Island who came into World Wrestling Entertainment back in 2006 with his childhood friend who now goes by the ring name Curt Hawkins. The pair initially debuted on the ECW brand in early 2007 as a brother tandem named The Major Brothers. By late 2007, the two long blonde-haired rookies joined up with WWE mainstay Edge as his team of lackeys. Despite their uncanny physical similarities the two friends were not actually brothers and renamed themselves to their current ring names. The duo won the WWE Tag Team Championships one time while under the tutelage of Edge but after their association ended and they lost the Titles Ryder and Hawkins essentially fell off the face of the earth. Now Ryder and Hawkins will be split via the draft. While I don’t like another tag team being split up, this might be the best for Ryder (and Hawkins) as having them on different brands will allow them to develop their own personas and actually allow audiences to actually tell them apart. I’ve said it before with other talents but this is the real case of “sink or swim” as Ryder moving the c-show with a smaller, younger roster will allow him to gain valuable visibility. Within a few weeks it will be easy to tell whether the two rookies can thrive on their own and if the company has plans for one or either of them.

Chavo Guerrero (from SmackDown to RAW) - This was probably the biggest no-brainer of the supplemental draft as Chavo’s aunt Vickie Guerrero is the new General Manager of RAW, and he is her biggest lackey. Without his aunt Vickie and the legacy of his late uncle Eddie, Chavo would be persona non grata in WWE right now. This move to RAW to stay close to Vickie is the best way to keep him relevant in the company.

Ricky Ortiz (from ECW to SmackDown) - Ortiz is another of WWE’s newest superstars who debuted on the ECW brand in 2008 and made a quick splash before getting lost in the shuffle amongst other much more talented new guys. He has a goofy charisma that some fans have gotten behind and a move to SmackDown to will give him a second chance to see if he gain traction with WWE audiences, or if he will continue to be lost in the shuffle and ultimately released.

Layla (from RAW to SmackDown) - Layla is a product from the 2006 Diva Search, basically meaning she was a model hired by the company for her looks. During her tenure she has bounced around all three WWE brands playing a variety of roles. Her most recent run on RAW saw her play up her British roots by acting as valet for British superstar William Regal. She didn’t make much of a splash in that role either and frankly I don’t know if this return to SmackDown will help raise her stock either.

Hornswoggle (from ECW to RAW) - The diminutive little person has portrayed the leprechaun-like “son” and sidekick to Irish veteran Finlay since 2006. Now the father-son combo will be split up. This is great for Finlay as he can now go back to his previous serious, tough guy ways. The real question is where does the little man fit in on RAW without his “father” or a little person division or even a cruiserweight division to compete in. I’m a little puzzled by this move but I’m assuming the company has some plans for splitting the Irish duo apart and moving Hornswoggle to the A-show.

DH Smith (from SmackDown to ECW) - He is the son of legendary wrestler the late “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith and has grown up in the pro wrestling industry. He signed with WWE in 2006 with loads of pedigree and potential that unfortunately has yet to be realized. After working in WWE’s developmental territories for over a year he made his debut on RAW in October 2007. He promptly wrestled two live matches before being suspended for violating the company’s Wellness Policy. After his return he was relegated to working pre-show and on-line exclusive matches. In 2008 he was drafted to SmackDown but made no appearances on the show. Despite not being on WWE television for over a year he is still considered an active roster member and has now been traded to ECW, which will be his best chance to finally thrive. He will be joining his childhood friend Tyson Kidd and his cousin and fellow third generation star Natalya Neidhart. It looks as if a new generation of the legendary Hart Foundation could develop.

John Morrison (from ECW to SmackDown) - As I stated in part one of the Draft analysis it was pretty obvious that the entertaining tandem of John Morrison and The Miz would be split up, but most figured it would be Morrison that would be promoted to the A-show of RAW. Rather Miz was the one who went to RAW which gives him the momentum he so desperately needs. Morrison is the more talented and entertaining of the duo and his quiet move to SmackDown will benefit him greatly as he will be able to carve an entertaining singles niche for himself without the added pressure.

WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Carlito Colon (from SmackDown to RAW) - The uproar of splitting up The Colon brothers and the Unified Tag Team Champions lasted all of about two hours before it was released that Carlito would be joining his younger brother on the RAW brand. Carlito has been with WWE since 2004 and is a WWE mainstay that isn’t a stranger to RAW. As I said earlier, expect them to make appearances on all three shows fending off the challenges of tag teams from every brand.

Natalya Neidhart (from SmackDown to ECW) - Natalya has already been appearing regularly on ECW for the past few months as the valet for her childhood friend Tyson Kidd. This move is purely a logistical one to make her partnership official. Natalya, the daughter of WWE mainstay Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, is a third-generation performer from the famous Hart wrestling family. Besides Kidd, her cousin DH Smith (another Hart family legacy) will join her on ECW.

Festus (from SmackDown to RAW) - Festus is an interesting performer, loosely based of off the character of Lennie from Of Mice and Men. Festus is a loveable, mild-mannered, docile,dare I saymentally challenged character that was led around, watched over and cared for by his partner Jesse. But like Pavlov’s dog once the ring bell rang Festus would change into a near-uncontrollable machine. The team of Jesse & Festus has been a mid-card fan favorite act since their debut in late 2007 and splitting up the duo should be interesting. Festus has always been the more popular part of the duo but Jesse worked great as the big man’s controller and served as his quasi-manager. It will be real interesting to see where they take the Festus character without Jesse there to control him. On the flipside, leaving Jesse stranded on SmackDown could be bad for him. His whole success has been based on the Festus character and without his partner he becomes a generic wrestler. Jesse’s saving grace could be that the head writer of SmackDown is wrestling legend Michael “P.S.” Hayes, who was a long-time tag team partner and good friend of Jesse’s father, the late Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy.

JTG from Cryme Tyme (from RAW to SmackDown) - As mentioned earlier with JTG’s tag team partner Shad, the members of Cryme Tyme are two happy-go-lucky thugs from Brooklyn who love money and “borrow” from others. Both members of the team are going to SmackDown, bringing the tag team to a new home, with a fresh audience, fresh opponents and fresh surroundings. JTG brings the speed and athleticism and speed to the team that complements Shad’s power, size and strength.

Dolph Ziggler (from RAW to SmackDown) - This guy is the definition of a company journeyman. He has been with the company since 2004 and his role as the narcissistic Dolph Ziggler is his third completely separate and unrelated character within the “WWE Universe.” For some reason the company is high on the man named Nick Nemeth as he originally played a golf caddy and is the last surviving member of the ill-fated member of The Spirit Squad. He survived a 30-day Wellness Policy suspension in late 2008 and has come back stronger than ever. This switch to SmackDown looks to be Dolph’s chance at superstardom. In his first appearance on this past week’s SmackDown he got a non-title victory over United States Champion MVP, setting his new push to success into motion.

The Brian Kendrick (from SmackDown to RAW) - After a couple of years teaming with his long-time partner and friend Paul London, in 2008 Kendrick found himself moved to SmackDown away from his partner. He reinvented himself as a cocky little villain in the vein of the legendary Brian Pillman or his mentor/trainer Shawn Michaels. Adding Ezekiel Jackson as his large “insurance policy” only helped his character as he became the little trash talker that you couldn’t get at thanks to his oversized enforcer. Kendrick found the greatest success ever in his wrestling career with this character, however his rampant marijuana use behind the scenes caused the company to lose faith in him. Now in 2009 he finds himself separated from Ezekiel and moved to RAW, the proverbial land of the giants. This move is a bad one for Kendrick as his small size and recent behavioral problems will probably give him trouble finding TV time on the crowded RAW roster alongside other hot mid-card villains like Matt Hardy and The Miz, among others.

Charlie Haas (from RAW to SmackDown) - Charlie Haas is another throwback to the ‘80s style of wrestler, in that Haas comes from a decorated amateur wrestling background that makes him a natural inside the professional ranks. However he lacks a certain charisma that allows fans to get behind him in a meaningful way. He was been repackaged many times in hopes he find his niche but other than a brief stint as an impersonator this past winter, nothing has really caught on. The one saving grace for Haas moving to SmackDown is that is old tag team partner Shelton Benjamin is there, and perhaps a third time pairing for “The World’s Greatest Tag Team” could be the move that saves Haas’ WWE career.

Hurricane Helms (from SmackDown to ECW) - Helms has also played a variety of roles in his career, from boy band teen idol to delusional superhero to disenfranchised angry young man. He is a great performer at refining and adapting his character to change with the times. His latest run as “Hurricane” Helms was met with initial success this past success after a return from neck surgery that kept him out for over a year. However inexplicably his success stopped and he found himself treading water once again. A move to ECW could be great for Helms as it will allow him to work with some of the younger and more athletic kids on the roster to put on some quality wrestling matches and give him some valuable television time he has sorely been lacking.

Brie Bella (from SmackDown to RAW) - The other half of the beautiful team of identical twin sisters, Brie will join her recently reunited-with sister as a tandem on the RAW brand. A move to the A-show will give the young women a chance to shine in front of a bigger audience and interact with a fresh group of female opponents and male suitors.

Part One, with analysis from Monday's live on-air draft.