wwe-brand-split-social-raw-smackdown

Isenberg Reacts: 2016 WWE Draft “Highs and Lows on an Industry Changing Night”

WWE Raw

wwe-raw-social-1-2.jpg

When you have the flagship show, established on a Monday night for the past two decades, you can take chances on guys and hope that they flourish. WWE Raw did not need established guys from top to bottom and you could tell that by the way they drafted. Below are breakdown of specific superstars and categories of Raw’s draft last night.

Highs:

Selecting Seth Rollins was the easiest and best choice for obvious reasons. He deserves to have a three hour show built around him and his ability to carry a feud inside and outside of the ring. This was the easiest choice for the overall best guy in WWE. Seth Rollins will either bring a new championship to Raw or take Dean’s on Sunday. I am hoping for the latter.

Finn Balor

This guy was a high pick, but I loved it. Selecting him this early tells everyone who is not completely familiar with him that he is the real deal. I have always been a Finn Balor fan and think this is the perfect spot for him. I just hope he is not used in the Cruiserweight Division. I do not think WWE is that stupid to send him that route. Balor is another young body to develop other guys around while he becomes something special. Finn is going to be a mega star, mark my words.

Brock Lesnar/Roman Reigns

Two guys who are extremely controversial right now are selected to Raw and I think we understand why. Brock’s schedule will have him work Sunday and Monday. Roman Reigns needed to step away from Dean Ambrose, who was the right choice for Smackdown. Two powerhouses who are at different points in their career. It makes the main event card much more crowded. Both men returning for SummerSlam and featured on Raw could ultimately help Raw gain two more massive main event talents for the next five weeks.

Lows:

Big Show

What was the reason of drafting The Big Show before guys like Sheamus, Cesaro and others? What is his usage on the show these days? I figure he gets a match with Shaq and that is it. There was no need for him to be deemed this important when others way below him could have used it as a boost to prove something.

Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

Another surprising choice for me because I felt both guys needed to split apart and do their own thing. Sami has to stop being viewed as “Kevin Owen’s friend” and establish his own path. Kevin Owens could have been a monster heel on Smackdown, arguably the top 1-2 heels on that show.

Braun Strowman

Without his grouping in The Wyatt Family, what is he good for right now? This was way too soon for them to split him up with Bray. The guy has barely done anything in the company and putting himself all alone on Raw will certainly cause booking problems. I would have kept him with Bray and captured the WWE Tag Team Championships.

Overall:

Raw has plenty of talent to work with. I did not even get to talk about Sheamus, Cesaro and Chris Jericho. Also, Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Paige could really bolster their women’s division and it looks like the WWE Tag Team Championships will be primarily defended on Raw. I like the balance of young and old, unique characters and simplistic “wrestlers.” Seth, Roman, Brock, KO and others can lead Raw to a new “Attitude Era” feel.

TRENDING

X