Originally posted by AlbySureI did a depth chart of my own (because I'm a dork) and mine looked much the same, except I thought Primo was a face post-endearing NXT relationship with plucky rookie AJ.
Zach Ryder and Primo are apparently a wacky evil tag team, at least in Zach Ryder's videos.
Originally posted by Spank EWait, why would Sheamus be in the UK stable when Ireland isn't even in the United Kingdom?
They're a 19th Century stable.
Gotcha. Maybe Sheamus and Finlay could form a tag team and then the dastardly Regal can beat up Sheamus, kidnap Finlay and force him to fight under his banner.
It's been about a full day since the Draft ended and I'm now of sound mind to look at this roster (missing Goldust and, uh, Darren Young?) now that the dust has settled and (almost) everyone is where they're supposed to be at the moment.
As Joey Styles would say, "Oh my God!" The word I'd use to describe this roster is "depleted". I hate to be a doomsayer because I generally think strong Creative can hide the flaws of any wrestling, I mean, entertainment show, but this post-WrestleMania/post-Draft roster does not look particularly robust.
No Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Edge, The Rock, Steve Austin, or Trish Stratus on the active roster. Except that everyone of them plus Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole minus Jericho were all prominently placed and intregal parts of the WrestleMania build for two and a half months.
Now we have a week-to-week roster without any of them except for Lawler for who-knows-how-much-longer and The Rock popping in from time to time but not to wrestle until next April.
Look at that roster again and then possibly subtract CM Punk if the rumors are true.
That leaves Kane, Big Show, and Rey among the time-tested veterans who have been main eventers around more than 5 years. How much longer do any of them have left before they're out the door.
I mean, if Chris Masters is now on the list as one of your veteran hands, I think you're in a bit of trouble.
Looking over the roster some more, suddenly NXT seasons 1 and 2 look incredibly important, just for providing more or less a half dozen more bodies (green as they may be) to fill out slots in the roster.
Clearly, WWE has to make some of these guys stars but how do they do that when there are so few real stars who mean something left to give the new guys rubs combined with questionable Creative?
Originally posted by AlbySureI did a depth chart of my own (because I'm a dork) and mine looked much the same, except I thought Primo was a face post-endearing NXT relationship with plucky rookie AJ.
Zach Ryder and Primo are apparently a wacky evil tag team, at least in Zach Ryder's videos.
hasn't primo been a heel in his matches with Mistico?
Originally posted by John OrquiolaLooking over the roster some more, suddenly NXT seasons 1 and 2 look incredibly important, just for providing more or less a half dozen more bodies (green as they may be) to fill out slots in the roster.
NXT would be invaluable, except it's poking so many holes in the current WWE farm system. Season 1 was just fine, but there were so, SO many busts in just about every season that came after that. Lucky Cannon, Eli Cottonwood, Jacob Novak, Byron Saxton, etc. etc. etc. The field is so full of failures and even among the guys that DID make it, a bunch of them (Darren Young, Husky Harris, Kaval) didn't pan out and either got demoted or turfed entirely. And then look at the ones that have managed to stay on the roster. Look at the deer-in-the-headlights look that Mason Ryan had during the battle royale. Would you ever let Michael McGillicutty touch a microphone again? Would you feel good about putting Alex Riley or Brodus Clay in a 20-minute PPV match? I was advocating for Chris Masters to get future endeavored for months, but I've completely backed off of that stance, because he's honestly worlds better than the crop of losers that have come out of NXT Seasons 2-6.
That leaves Kane, Big Show, and Rey among the time-tested veterans who have been main eventers around more than 5 years. How much longer do any of them have left before they're out the door.
The day this happens and the E looks around and finds that the only ones left to elevate are the NXT losers, then it'll be time for a good old-fashioned talent raid. They can toss a boatload of money at a guy like Samoa Joe or bring back guys like Elijah Burke and Kennedy now that they'll have had a few years of seasoning. At this point, TNA's a far better farm system than FCW.
Nous ne nous pouvons pas sortir. I don't disagree with you It's False, I actually agree about TNA being a great farm system, but the examples of Young, Harris, and Kaval aren't really fair.
Kaval was previously correctly mentioned to be an egomaniac but who actually was right about deserving better treatment. Harris was the best of the New Nexus who got punished for being built like a real human being, and Young was inexplicably banished back to NXT.
NXT will be invaluable to watch because we get to see who they want to succeed (Hi Johnny Curtis) and a lot of unfulffiled potential (at least according to us) like Bateman, AJ, and others.
So in other words, it's about as valuable as every other wrestling show.
NXT needs to be on TV or just dropped. I actually see more talent in some of the Tough Enough kids then a lot of the NXT guys. Yes, most of them are green, but they are at least trying and interacting with former A list stars will help them more then by the current midcard. NXT has somehow turned into this quasi-underground thing where people are now high on it as opposed to when it first started. The fanbase knows nothing about Clay expect he is fat and with ADR for some reason. Now, he is alone on Smackdown where he will get lost in the shuffle of a rather small deck.
I think WWE knew the first NXT class had all the stars for the next five years that were coming out of the farm system and throw all of them on there. I do think they have a depleted farm system and worse, a farm system that makes generic wrestlers. They will raid, raid is a bad word, more like encourage already disenfranchised TNA stars to join them. Creed and Lethal are a proven tag team, Kong is already going to a key player for them and I am sure if they wanted him, Joe would be in WWE. Yet, even if you put TNA guys in WWE, Joe would probably be Umaga 2, they don't need AJ when they have Evan Bourne and they see nothing in Daniels. The reality of the situation is that TNA as a farm system like the Pirates are for the Yankees and Red Sox looks good on paper, but the talent TNA has WWE only wants a handful of if that.
(edited by lotjx on 28.4.11 0740)
(edited by lotjx on 28.4.11 0741) The Wee Baby Sheamus.
TNA has plenty of guys that WWE could use. Even if they don't ever seriously push them there are plenty of people they could fill in the low to mid card with. If you think Lethal/Creed is a good enough tag team to raise interest then MCMG are even better and then there is Beer Money who could easily be successful in the WWE style. Even with Bourne you can use AJ on the opposite brand. Abyss, Beautiful People, Dinero, Doug Williams, Hernandez, Morgan, Mickie, Anderson, Joe, Sarita. i don't see any reason that half the roster could at least be serviceable if the WWE was really willing to bring in TNA guys over their own prospects.
I think this is one of the reasons that this year's future endeavored crop is going to be interesting. Would they really cut guys like Ryder, Kidd, Yoshi, Hawkins, etc when there are no new prospects left? This is like when networks cancel a show that fails to get good ratings for a full season and replaces it with a new show that last six episodes.
Also, I know there are people skeptical about giving Christian the title but really, why not give it a shot? They need some new stars and Christian is probably the top guy that has never won the World Title before. I know some think even if Christian wins it is a token 2 month reign or so but if WWE was smart they'd let him have a nice six month reign and see what happens. That still leaves plenty of time for Christian to drop the belt to a heel and for Orton to chase the title for WM.
Originally posted by QuezzyAlso, I know there are people skeptical about giving Christian the title but really, why not give it a shot? They need some new stars and Christian is probably the top guy that has never won the World Title before. I know some think even if Christian wins it is a token 2 month reign or so but if WWE was smart they'd let him have a nice six month reign and see what happens. That still leaves plenty of time for Christian to drop the belt to a heel and for Orton to chase the title for WM.
A Christian title win, combined with Del Rio hopping to RAW, effectively reboots SmackDown. And as a longtime SD viewer, I'm OK with that. This is what the draft is meant to do.
They don't need to bring in TNA folks to make the WWE roster interesting; they need to better use the folks they already have.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
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I wouldn't say this DEFINITLY means more Vince. They may just be using Vince to turn Brock, and then have him disappear. Hugging Vince is just the easiest way to turn someone on a dime.