WWE Supplemental Roster Draft 2009
A plethora of other Superstars and Divas were relocated by the Supplemental Draft which took place on WWE.Com.
Supplemental Draft
Mr. Kennedy Drafted to RAW from SMACKDOWN.
For the third year in a row Kennedy has been drafted between Raw and Smackdown. I really rate Kennedy but between injuries and filming he’s never really been given a solid main event push, perhaps 2009 is his year.
Shad Drafted to SMACKDOWN from RAW.
Cryme Tyme is no more it seems. Just as the tag division looks like it might be picking up one of the few teams with, shall we say a common bond, is split apart. Hopefully Shad and JTG can make something of themselves alone, but I’m not holding my breath as it rarely works. Think Dudleys split = Brother D’Von.
Alicia Fox Drafted to SMACKDOWN from ECW.
So far Alicia Fox has been best known for dancing around with D.J Gabriel on ECW. Hopefully now she has moved to Smackdown she will be a contender for the WWE Womens Championship, although I’ve got a feeling she’ll just be a dancing manager for someone else.
Primo Drafted to RAW from SMACKDOWN.
For the last few weeks the commentary team have been pushing the ‘what if the tag champs are split up’ scenario and wouldn’t you know it, they have been. Whether it will be temporary and Carlito will join his brother later in the draft is uncertain, but either way if the Unified Champs are meant to defend their titles across all three brands I don’t see how it makes much of a difference.
Mike Knox Drafted to SMACKDOWN from RAW.
Unless they have a plan for him to be pushed on Smackdown, then this is just one of those situations where they’ve decided to move someone with little repercussions. Unless he’s to continue stalking Rey Mysterio or going to team up with Kane I can’t understand this one.
Ezekiel Jackson Drafted to ECW from SMACKDOWN.
So ‘The’ Brian Kendrick is now left without a big guy to protect him. Knox is too unpredictable to fill this role so either Kendrick will have to go alone or someone else will have to fit the bill. As for Jackson, I’ve heard good things about him and now he is on his own it’ll be interesting to see if he can live up to the hype, it’s a shame that he’s on ECW and not Raw though.
Nikki Bella Drafted to RAW from SMACKDOWN.
Another ‘team’ split up, but I think this has to be a top candidate for the ‘Who cares? draft’ this year. She’s not terrible but The Bella’s main selling point is exactly that; they ARE the Bellas. Together they are identical twins who can play ‘Sister Sister’ style pranks and entertain the crowd, alone they are just 2 more divas.
Zack Ryder Drafted to ECW from SMACKDOWN.
Another team divided, albeit a pretty under-used one. ECW hasn’t done well from the draft so far and this one isn’t exactly earth shattering stuff either.
Candice Michelle Drafted to SMACKDOWN from RAW.
Candice has been out of action off and on for quite a while now, but there’s no doubt that she will be one of the top divas on Smackdown if she can maintain fitness levels.
Chavo Guererro Drafted to RAW from SMACKDOWN.
This one was pretty obvious with Vikki taking the role or Raw G.M. After all, if Chavo wasn’t on the same brand who would wheel her out onto the ramp to make ground breaking announcements every week. It’s sad because Chavo is better than that, but predictable all the same.
Ricky Ortiz Drafted to SMACKDOWN from ECW.
This one is potentially quite exciting. I’ve only seen a handful of Ortiz matches but from what I did see he was fresh and enjoyable to watch and I get the feeling this will be much like Kofi Kingston being drafted to Raw in the supplemental draft last year. If he’s given a decent storyline or even if he puts in a few memorable performances, he could do well on the blue brand in 2009.
Layla Drafted to SMACKDOWN from RAW.
Another pretty pointless Diva draft unless she is going to be pushed up to competing for the Womens Championship. Managing Regal was a good place for her, especially with the British connection, but it’ll be interesting to see whether she will now go it alone or align herself with another powerful or influential heel.
Hornswoggle Drafted to RAW from ECW.
WHY? This makes the least sense of the draft so far. Hornswoggle doesn’t really do anything, other than get involved with Finlay’s matches. I can’t see them using him as an in-ring competitor, so unless he decides to help a particular Superstar out I assume he’s just going to be interfering in random matches.
(So far the only good thing to come from this particular draft pick is that I’ve realised I’ve been spelling his damn name wrong for months, oops.)
DH Smith Drafted to ECW from RAW.
Did anyone even know this guy was on Raw? I don’t recall seeing him more than a handful of times and this seems like a real step back because he was a prime candidate to join Legacy. Still, the Hart family connection with Tyson Kidd and Natalya Neidhert is sure to be played upon and it could do DH a lot of good to get some actual T.V time.
John Morrison Drafted to SMACKDOWN from ECW.
ECW is now officially a Miz and Morrison free zone. Morrison did a long stint on Smackdown (as Nitro) and never really went past mid-card status. After the push he’s received recently with The Miz, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the IC title picture sooner rather than later.
Carlito Drafted to RAW from SMACKDOWN.
Panic over. The Unified tag champs are back together on Raw.
Natalya Drafted to ECW from SMACKDOWN.
When I first saw that Natalya had been drafted I thought it was a shame to split her and Tyson Kidd (and now possibly DH Smith) up when they mesh so well. Then I noticed she’d actually been drafted TO ECW not away from it, making her an official Extreme Diva. I sense a faction in the making…
Festus Drafted to RAW from SMACKDOWN.
Jesse and Festus split up now, another poor move in my opinion as neither of them are particularly ‘stand out’ on their own and will more than likely struggle in the singles division. However…
JTG Drafted to SMACKDOWN from RAW.
It seems teams that have been split are being put back together left and right. Cryme Tyme lives and Shad is saved from a Brother D’Vonesque fate. I don’t get why they didn’t just draft these guys as teams, or at least one after another. I know they have pushed the whole ‘teams can and will be split up’ line, but so far only The Miz and Morrison have truely been split, and potentially Jesse and Festus.
Dolph Ziggler Drafted to SMACKDOWN from RAW.
This is an interesting one. Ziggler has looked good during his handful of solo appearances and given the right angle (I.e one where he doesn’t just constantly introduce himself) his personality could really shine. I’m hoping he will get at least an Intercontinental push and possibly even something a little higher, provided he can stay on the right side of the wellness policy and people don’t realise he was actually in the Spirit Squad.
‘The’ Brian Kendrick Drafted to RAW from SMACKDOWN.
At first I thought they’d paired him back up with Zeke, but no. Kendrick is now flying solo on Raw and it’ll be interesting to see if he searches out a new big man to watch his back. M.V.P and the U.S Championship could be in his sights as well.
Charlie Haas Drafted to SMACKDOWN from RAW.
Hass has faded into obscurity recently on Raw and it’s nice to see that he’s still around. There are plenty of people for him to impersonate on Smackdown, and there’s always the possibility that The Worlds Greatest Tag Team might reform now Shelton is without the U.S title.
Hurricane Helms Drafted to ECW from SMACKDOWN.
It appears they are trying to turn ECW into the new home of the cruiserweights. If this is the case ECW could get a lot more interesting for all the fans of high flying action. Either way Helms is very experienced and will no doubt make a good mentor for the up and comers in the ‘new talent initiative’.
Brie Bella Drafted to RAW from SMACKDOWN.
Ok so this makes Nikki Bella’s draft slightly less pointless, although last time the two were seen they were semi-feuding. No doubt that will be brushed under the carpet and the twins will team up once more to entertain the crowds on Raw.
Overall Impressions
A lot of the moves in the supplemental draft seemed like they were done to create tension, such as splitting Carlito/Primo, Brie /Nikki or Cryme Tyme up, but with it being an online event with nothing to watch other than a webpage, it didn’t really have that effect. Sure for people sitting and watching it (as I did, so I could bring you guys this article) it kind of made you think ‘wow, they’ve split them up’, but the majority of fans are likely to just look at a list of drafted Superstars and instantly notice that the whole team has moved.
I personally think Carlito and Primo should have been split up on Raw, then brought back together by the Supplemental draft. It would have added that air of tension and feeling of ‘what’s going to happen’ that it didn’t really achieve by being done on the website.
I don’t think a lot of the moves in the Supplemental draft will change things for the majority of the Superstars/Divas involved and although it may seem like a demotion of sorts a lot of the people drafted to ECW are likely to experience a lot more T.V time than they currently get and perhaps even a push (DH Smith and Ezekiel Jackson in particular.)
Ricky Ortiz is one to watch now he’s been drafted to Smackdown and as I said above I can see him doing the same thing as Kofi Kingston, who came from the mid-card of ECW to the mid to upper card of Raw in the space of a year.
The ‘What the Hell’ draft of 2009 has to go to Hornswoggle. Alongside Finlay he kind of worked, playing the petulant son who helps out from time to time. Alone I’m not sure how far his gimmick will stretch. Sure the crowd will pop for him when he emerges from under the ring, but without being tied to a specific Superstar it seems kind of pointless.
Well, that’s the draft for 2009. For more information visit the WWE Roster Draft 2009 Page.
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