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VIP MEMBER GUEST EDITORIAL
By Torch VIP Forum member UltraSajid

One of the many exciting benefits of the oft-maligned Brand Extension has been the post-WrestleMania season spark of the annual WWE Draft. This year, without the inclusion of the ECW brand, WWE has plenty of options to swap talent between the red and the blue brands.

Where We Stand: Raw

The top babyface stars of the Raw roster right now are John Cena, Triple H, and Randy Orton, with Kofi Kingston poised to either breakout or acquire a case of the Shelton Benjamins this year. Christian, Evan Bourne, and MVP are the strong mid-card babyfaces on the brand.

Looking at the official roster, established main event heels on Raw are an endangered species right now. Sheamus is a former WWE champion and developing nicely, but not a top-tier guy quite yet. Big Show is another former champion but seems to have found a niche in the tag team division as his career winds down. Makes sense that Raw has been borrowing Batista from SmackDown to shore up the heel side.

Ted DiBiase and especially The Miz are due to breakout as major league heels this year, and Cody Rhodes has that potential as well.

Diagnosis: The flagship show of WWE needs, above all else, some strong main event heel talent.

Where We Stand: Smackdown

The top babyface stars on Smackdown right now include The Undertaker, Edge and Rey Mysterio. All three have some glaring weaknesses, as The Undertaker is a part-timer and Rey Mysterio is hurting and not seen as a long-term World Title holder by the powers in WWE. Edge has yet to catch fire as a babyface and may be miscast. John Morrison is the only real mid-card babyface on the blue roster who may be ready to break out, though R-Truth has some potential and there are always those Matt Hardy and Shelton Benjamin diehards hoping this is the year. (It isn't.)

The main event heel side of SmackDown is stacked, with three of the best developed heels in a decade: Batista, Chris Jericho, and C.M. Punk. Jack Swagger is also coming along nicely as a main event player, and he should remain in that spot this year. Drew McIntyre, who seems to be gaining some traction, and a resurgent Dolph Ziggler are also strong heel mid-card acts for the blue brand.

Diagnosis: Everyone's favorite wrestling show needs an injection of main event babyface talent, especially with the big move to SyFy in October and the expected hiatus of Undertaker and possibly Mysterio.

The 2010 WWE Draft

To Raw:
- C.M. Punk
- R-Truth
- Kane
- Drew McIntyre
- Edge

Supplemental Picks: Serena, Luke Gallows, David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, Natalya

To Smackdown:
- Cody Rhodes
- Christian
- Evan Bourne
- Mark Henry
- Randy Orton

Supplemental Picks: Primo, Gail Kim, Yoshi Tatsu, Zack Ryder

Post-Draft Raw

Top babyfaces on Raw following the draft include Monday night stalwarts John Cena and Triple H as well as babyface Edge. The heel side of Raw will get a heap of main event talent with CM Punk, my pick to be the star heel of WWE in 2010, who can have fresh feuds with Cena, Triple H, Edge, and Kofi Kingston (elevating him in the process). I would also turn MVP heel (perhaps by turning on and beating down Mark Henry after he is drafted to Smackdown) and push him to be a main event level player in what may be his last chance.

While Sheamus, Punk, and MVP occupy the top heel spots on Raw early on, The Miz, Drew McIntyre, and Ted DiBiase can continue to develop into main event players. I would put at least two of the three in programs with a babyface Edge, leading to major programs down the line with John Cena and Triple H. Putting DiBiase or The Miz over Kane in a short program will also be a good use of Undertaker's little brother, strengthening that heel side on Raw even more without sacrificing a main event babyface.

Other fresh feuds on this new roster include Edge vs. Sheamus, Cena vs. MVP, Kingston vs. McIntyre, and the Hart Dynasty vs. the Fortunate Sons if Brett DiBiase and Joe Hennig are called up to the roster. Natalya v. Maryse for the Divas Championship could also be a fun feud.

Post-Draft Smackdown

Smackdown in 2010 will be Randy Orton's show. Without very much top-tier competition for the main event slot on Smackdown, Randy can develop into the kick-ass babyface the WWE Universe wants, working extended feuds with strong heels like Jericho and Batista, as well as Jack Swagger. If WWE is serious about Dolph Ziggler's push, I could see a PPV run with Orton facing off against Ziggler down the line, with Orton easily going over but giving Ziggler a main event rub in the process. Having Orton and Undertaker as babyfaces on Smackdown together will also allow them to cross paths without feuding for the year, hopefully building up to an epic babyface showdown at WrestleMania with a red-hot and much-improved Randy Orton trying a second time to end The Streak. I would tease the match starting as early as Summerslam with very subtle interactions between the two, as well as allusions to their previous WrestleMania match.

Jack Swagger will continue to develop, holding the World Title until at least Summerslam, and taking part in feuds with Orton, Mysterio, and Undertaker. This would also be the year that I would push John Morrison to the top, putting him in a high-profile feud with Jericho and a very long, epic feud with Batista. Cody Rhodes and Christian will also be able to stand out on Smackdown as they are unable to do on Raw, developing into full-fledged characters the way Punk has been able to do. Rhodes can feud with Morrison, Mysterio, Matt Hardy and his brother Goldust. Christian can feud with Rhodes, Ziggler, Shad Gaspard, Jericho, and maybe Batista. Hopefully, by the time WrestleMania comes around, fans will be clamoring to see a strong Edge vs. Christian feud after spending three disciplined years on separate brands.

Mark Henry comes to Smackdown solely to put over Dolph Ziggler and his sleeper hold. Other fresh feuds for the blue brand include Bourne vs. Mysterio, Bourne vs. Mike Knox, Bourne vs. Dolph Ziggler, Mysterio & Bourne vs. ShowMiz for the Unified Tag Team Titles, Mysterio or Bourne vs. Shad Gaspard, and Gail Kim chasing Michelle McCool for the Women's Title. The Miz-Kane feud I mentioned earlier can also lead organically into a ShowMiz vs. Brothers of Destruction Summerslam match, keeping Undertaker out of the World Title picture (and out of Randy Orton's way) and allowing The Miz to rub elbows with another huge star.

Young talent will also have a chance to develop on the blue show, including Yoshi Tatsu, Zack Ryder, and the Dude Busters.

Closing Thoughts

WWE has its strongest young roster in a very long time thanks to a deliberate initiative to push young talent over the last few months. The draft as laid out here will elevate Sheamus, MVP, John Morrison, Jack Swagger, The Miz, and Ted DiBiase into reliable main event level talent, while developing a strong upper mid-card of Christian, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, and Kofi Kingston, any of whom could be able to fill a main event slot when necessary.

The NXT rookies also throw a nice little wrench into the usual WWE suspects. There should definitely be a place on one of the two rosters for Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel, Darren Young, and Heath Slater (in that order of priority).

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, it should be an exciting year to be a WWE fan.

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