12.04.2005, 19:52
Der PWInsider hat eine Zusammenfassung ueber den Roster Draft 2004 gemacht. Es bietet einen guten Ueberblick ueber die damaligen Draft`s und was sie wirklich gebracht haben bzw wo heute die Leute stehen die vor genau einem Jahr gedraftet wurden:
http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=9545&p=1
Zitat:A year ago, WWE held a "draft" between Raw and Smackdown in which then-General Managers Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff got to select six workers from the opposing roster to bring over to their brand in a lottery. That was followed by a series of traded between the two sides. For those that don't remember, here are the results of the draft:
Smackdown:
1. Rene Dupree
2. Mark Jindrak
3. Triple H
4. Rob Van Dam
5. Theodore R. Long
6. Spike Dudley
Raw:
1. Shelton Benjamin
2. Nidia
3. Rhyno
4. Yoshihiro Tajiri
5. Edge
6. Paul Heyman
Following the draft, Paul Heyman "quit", refusing to work on the Smackdown brand under Eric Bischoff. He would later return to Smackdown.
Trades then took place between the two sides:
- Triple H was traded back to Raw in exchange for The Dudley Boyz and Booker T being sent to Smackdown.
- A-Train and Chuck Palumbo were sent to Raw as well. In exchange, Rico and Miss Jackie were traded to Smackdown.
Now, with a year gone by, I thought it would be interesting to see who was helped, and who was hurt, by being traded. Yesterday, we took a look at the talent that went from Raw to Smackdown. Today we will examine those that made the switch from Raw to Smackdown.
STILL WITH SMACKDOWN
Booker T - Booker T's trade to Smackdown included an immediate heel turn as Booker became bitter over being on the "second-rate" brand, which led into immediate matches with Eddie Guerrero and The Undertaker. He also ended up feuding with former partner Rob Van Dam, and ended up involved in the U.S. Title picture, winning the belt from John Cena and having a long feud with him over it. However, Booker eventually was moved back into a babyface position, challenging JBL for the WWE Title and, unfortunately, feuding with Heidenreich. He also had the dubious honor of winning the Wrestlemania XXI battle royal thus making him the king of all the wrestlers left off the PPV. Still, Booker is probably better off on Smackdown, where he has a solid semi-main event position on the brand.
PPV Matches Since Draft:
- Lost to The Undertaker at Judgment Day, May 16, 2004.
- Lost to John Cena in a Four Way Match, pinning Rene Dupree, but getting pinned by Cena, at the Great American Bash, June 27, 2004.
- Lost to John Cena at Summerslam, August 15, 2004.
- Lost to the U.S. Title to John Cena at No Mercy, October 3, 2004.
- Lost to WWE Champion JBL at Survivor Series, November 14, 2004.
- Was pinned by JBL in a Four Way Match at Armageddon, December 12, 2004.
- Competed in Royal Rumble, January 30, 2005.
- Defeated John Heidenreich via DQ at No Way Out, February 20, 2005.
Title Wins Since Draft:
- Defeated John Cena for the United States Heavyweight Title on July 29, 2004.
Rob Van Dam - Up until an injury put him on the shelf, Rob Van Dam found himself in the same place on Smackdown as he did on Raw. Hugely popular, winning tag team championships, having entertaining matches, and kept out of the WWE Title picture. Van Dam wasn't even given serious consideration in the U.S. Title picture, often getting his opportunities in three and four way matches. Going to Smackdown ended up being a lateral movement for RVD.
PPV Matches Since Draft:
- With Rey Mysterio, defeated The Dudley Boyz at Judgment Day, May 16, 2004.
- Lost to U.S. Champion John Cena in a Four Way Match at Great American Bash, June 17, 2004
- Defeated Rene Dupree in a Heat match at Summerslam, August 15, 2004.
- With Rey Mysterio, lost to WWE Tag Team Champions Kenzo Suzuki & Rene Dupree at No Mercy, October 3, 2004.
- On winning team in Elimination match, but was pinned by Kurt Angle, at Survivor Series, November 14, 2004.
- With Rey Mysterio, defeated Rene Dupree & Kenzo Suzuki to retain WWE Tag Team Title at Armageddon, December 12th.
Title Wins Since Draft:
- With Rey Mysterio, defeated Kenzo Suzuki & Rene Dupree for WWE Tag Team Title on September 12. 2004.
Rene Dupree - At the time Dupree was traded, it certainly seemed like an upward movement. Instead of being a third of La Resistance, he found himself with a singles push and a feud with John Cena. He was a part of the U.S. Title picture throughout the summer, then found himself back in a tag team, working with Kenzo Suzuki. The pair held the tag straps, but once their reign was over, so it seemed was Dupree's push. In recent months, his most notable moment was getting dropped on his head by the Undertaker on steel ring steps.
PPV Matches Since Draft:
- Lost to U.S. Champion John Cena at Judgment Day, May 16, 2004.
- Lost to U.S. Champion John Cena in a Four Way Match, pinned by Booker T, at Great American Bash, June 17, 2004.
- Lost to Rob Van Dam in the Heat match at Summerslam, August 15, 2004.
- With Kenzo Suzuki, defeated Rey Mysterio & Rob Van Dam to retain WWE Tag Team Title at No Mercy, October 3, 2004.
- With Kenzo Suzuki, lost to WWE Tag Team Champions Rey Mysterio & Rob Van Dam at Armageddon, December 12, 2004.
- Competed in Royal Rumble, January 30, 2005.
- With Kenzo Suzuki, lost to Bob Holly & Charlie Haas in a Heat match at No Way Out, February 20, 2005.
Title Wins Since Draft:
- With Kenzo Suzuki, defeats Billy Kidman & Paul London for WWE Tag Team Title on September 9, 2004.
Spike Dudley - There is little doubt that Spike Dudley found himself with a lot more opportunities on Smackdown that Raw. Rather than being relegated to meaningless matches on Heat, Spike found himself with the Cruiserweight division and a chance to shine. For the first time in his WWE run, Spike was also turned heel, with some fantastic results. Spike's role as the "boss" of the Dudleys made for good television, and resulted in a Cruiserweight Title reign. Unfortunately, the WWE's on-again, off-again love affair with Cruiserweights has cooled off again, putting Spike in the background once again. However, there are signs that the Cruiserweight division will get a push again, and Spike should be a part of it. Either way, he is certainly better off here than getting squashed by Chris Masters on Heat.
PPV Matches Since Draft:
- Defeated Jamie Noble at Great American Bash, June 27, 2004.
- With Bubba & D-Von, defeated Paul London, Billy Kidman & Rey Mysterio at Summerslam, August 15, 2004.
- Defeated Nunzio at No Mercy, October 3, 2004.
- Defeated Chavo Guerrero, Rey Mysterio & Billy Kidman in Four Way at Survivor Series, November 14, 2004.
- Lost Cruiserweight Title to Funaki at Armageddon, December 12, 2004.
- Lost to Paul London in Cruiserweight Gauntlet match at No Way Out, February 20, 2005.
Title Wins Since Draft:
- Defeated Rey Mysterio for the WWE Cruiserweight Title on July 29, 2004.
Mark Jindrak - Jindrak being switched off Raw broke up his up and coming team with Garrison Cade, although compared to where Cade is, Jindrak is probably better off. He was saddled with the "never worked, never will" Narcissist gimmick, and found himself with a one way ticket to Velocity. Luckily, his fortunes turned when he was made Kurt Angle's third banana, which resulted in him turning babyface and beating the second banana, Luther Reigns. Has promise as a babyface singles worker, but with the recent Wrestlemania hype he has been spending time on Velocity again.
PPV Matches Since Draft:
- Defeated Funaki in a Heat match at Judgment Day, May 16, 2004
- Defeated Scotty 2 Hotty in a Heat match at No Mercy, October, 2004.
- Lost in an Elimination Match, pinned by Eddie Guerrero, at Survivor Series, November 14, 2004.
- With Kurt Angle & Luther Reigns, lost to The Big Show in a Handicap match at Armageddon, December 12, 2004.
- Competed in Royal Rumble, January 30, 2005.
Title Wins Since Draft:
- None.
Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley - Well, they had a PPV main event after switching to Smackdown. Of course, they were squashed by one man in it, and it was among the worst PPV main events ever, so that probably isn't a positive. The Dudleys, arguably the best tag team in wrestling, did manage a tag title run, and turned heel again with prompting from Paul Heyman. There was some interesting moments with Spike Dudley leading his half-brothers, but eventually Bubba & D-Von were taken off television (storyline reason being Undertaker beating them up) and haven't been seen since, unless you watch OVW. Hopefully the ECW PPV will begin a turnaround for them.
PPV Matches Since Draft:
- Lost to Rob Van Dam & Rey Mysterio at Judgment Day May 16, 2004.
- Lost to The Undertaker at the Great American Bash in a handicap match, June 27, 2004.
- With Spike, defeated Paul London, Billy Kidman & Rey Mysterio at Summerslam, August 15, 2004.
- With Dawn Marie, lost to Jackie Gayda, Charlie Haas & Rico at No Mercy, October 3, 2004.
Title Wins Since Draft:
- Defeated Charlie Haas & Rico for the WWE Tag Team Title on June 15, 2004.
Theodore R. Long - Long was floundering as the manager of Rodney Mack and Jazz on the Raw brand, and things didn't look much better for him on Smackdown at first. Handing out "Playa Cards" in search of a charge, Long ended up managing Mark Jindrak in another failed attempt at a "Narcissist" gimmick. However, things turned around for Long when Kurt Angle returned to action and Long was installed as the new General Manager of Smackdown. As the first babyface to be put in an on-screen authority position in some time, Long has had the highest profile run of his WWE career.
Miss Jackie - At first the switch to Smackdown seemed to go very well for the Tough Enough winner, as she and Rico were paired with Charlie Haas and went all the way to the WWE Tag Team Title. However, Rico's injury, and later release, took Jackie out of the limelight, although she continued to accompany Haas to the ring. This led to the bizarre, and quickly forgotten, storyline where Jackie and Dawn Marie fought over the affection of Haas, only for neither Diva to end up with him in the end. Since then, Jackie has become just another pretty face and body amongst a slew of Smackdown Divas, with no real character or direction. On a personal note, the move did come with one huge positive, as she paired up with Charlie Haas in real life, and the two were married.
PPV Matches Since Draft:
- With Charlie Haas & Rico, defeated Dawn Marie & The Dudleys at No Mercy, October 3, 2004.
- Lost to Dawn Marie at Armageddon, December 12, 2004.
BACK ON RAW
Triple H - The joke of the draft, Triple H never even appeared on an episode of Smackdown, as the trade to keep him on Raw took place immediately. If anything, this whole draft ended up coming across as a huge ego stroke for "The Game" as Booker T and The Dudleys had to be given to Smackdown in order for Raw to get Triple H back.
NO LONGER WITH WWE
Rico - The flamboyant Rico was sent, along with Miss Jackie, to Smackdown as almost an afterthought, but the move certainly paid off better for him than it did Chuck Palumbo & A-Train, who were sent to Raw in exchange for them. Paired up with Charlie Haas as an "Odd Couple" tag team, the duo won the WWE Tag Team Title, and things were looking good for Rico. However, Rico was later sidelined with an injury, and shortly after making his return this past Fall, Rico was released. He recently made his debut for All Japan Pro Wrestling.
PPV Matches Since Draft:
- With Charlie Haas, defeated Bob Holly & Billy Gunn at Judgment Day, May 16, 2004.
- With Charlie Haas & Jackie Gayda, defeated Dawn Marie, & The Dudleys at No Mercy, October 3, 2004.
Title Wins Since Draft:
- With Charlie Haas, defeated Rikishi & Scotty 2 Hotty for the WWE Tag Team Title on April 20, 2004.
In conclusion, it would seem that while Smackdown kept more of their new talent than Raw, no one on the brand got the kind of megapush that Edge or Shelton Benjamin received. Booker T did well for himself, but other than that, anyone who got a push quickly saw it fade (Spike, RVD, Dupree).
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