Powell Editorials WWE Draft Hitlist: Thoughts on all 11 WWE Draft picks and whether they'll stick By Jason Powell Jun 23, 2008 - 11:47 PM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing Only time will tell whether these picks stick over the long haul, but here are my thoughts on all 11 picks. Check back on Tuesday for the regular WWE Raw Hitlist. WWE Draft Hits Triple H to Smackdown: I love it. I'm just not sure it will last. This is the move that needs to happen to truly shake things up. Hunter has done everything there is to do on Raw and he needs a change of scenery as much as anyone. However, something tells me they're still going to find a way to move John Cena to Smackdown instead. Cena would be a nice consolation prize, but I'd rather see Hunter switch brands. Keep in mind that this wouldn't be the first time Hunter was drafted to Smackdown and ended up going right back to Raw. Batista to Raw: I'm happy that WWE didn't over think this one by holding off on this move simply because so many people expected it. It was a logical move to make because Batista had burned through everyone there was to work with on Smackdown. If the Hunter move sticks, then he and Batista will stay away from each other a while longer to set up an eventual money match. Likewise, if Hunter stays and Cena goes, then Batista and Cena can eventually have the money match. Jeff Hardy to Smackdown: He's reunited with lead writer Michael Hayes, who has always been a big political backer of the Hardy brothers. Jeff needed a change of pace and I have high hopes for a feud between him and Edge. I'm also looking forward to watching him and MVP improve upon their recent unadvertised pay-per-view outing. Rey Mysterio to Raw: I'm cool with this move. It gives Rey a change of scenery and some fresh opponents to work with. That's kind of the goal with most of these moves, of course. It's not the most exciting move, but I'm cool with it. Mr. Kennedy to Smackdown: This was a pleasant surprise. Kennedy bombed on Raw. Granted, they had some big plans for him until he was suspended, but the Raw writers didn't do anything to advance his character. He's still nothing more than the guy who yells into the microphone. Hell, he turned babyface without an angle. He just showed up and was a babyface one day because he had new entrance music. I'd love to see him abandon this babyface run and revert to playing a heel role. C.M. Punk to Raw: I'm just happy he's not on ECW. I was looking forward to a real program between Punk and Edge, but at least he was promoted to one of the big brands. Then again, with the ECW tapings moving to Monday nights, we probably haven't seen the last of Punk on the Sci-Fi Network. Umaga to Smackdown: Vince McMahon gave this one away at the shareholders meeting. It may have been predictable thanks to Vince's big mouth, but it made sense. Here's hoping they find someone someone to talk for Umaga on Smackdown. WWE Draft Misses Jim Ross and Michael Cole swap spots: I'm still not convinced this is one is going to last. I just don't understand why WWE would remove their top play-by-play announcer from their flagship show. I wrote in my blog on Monday that it wouldn't surprise me to see Vince McMahon and Raw lead writer rib Jim Ross by having him switch brands during the show and then move him back afterward. I hope I was right. By the way, if they really wanted to play a rib on one of the announcers, they should have drafted Mike Adamle and then had the "winning" brand trade him back to ECW for some XFL stock and a box of freezer burned WWE ice cream bars. Matt Hardy to ECW: Well, I guess someone had to go to ECW. As I wrote in my live coverage of the show, I think this move is better for ECW than it is for Matt Hardy. He's now stuck in the big fish in a small pond role that C.M. Punk has been playing. Please tell me this doesn't mean he'll fill the Punk and Kane role by having an endless feud with Chavo Guerrero in the television main event slot. Kane to Raw: WWE is moving the ECW tapings to Monday nights so I'm guessing that he'll be allowed to defend the ECW Title on Sci-Fi until he loses. Even if that's not the case, it's really hard to get excited about anything Kane does these days. Maybe working closely with Vince McMahon again will help him get back on track. This wasn't a big "Miss," but it was arguably the least exciting pick of the night. HELP SUPPORT DOT NET! BECOME A MEMBER AT OUR CHARTER RATE OF JUST $5 A MONTH - GET THE FIRST LOOK AT EXCLUSIVE INSIDER DOT NET NEWS, TONS OF EXCLUSIVE AUDIO SHOWS, MESSAGE BOARD ACCESS, START YOUR OWN BLOG, AD-FREE MAIN LISTING: SIGN ME UP (or MORE INFO) GOT AN IPHONE OR IPOD TOUCH? THEN BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD OUR NEW FREE iPhone APP: (click here!) (or SEARCH "pro wrestling" in iTunes App Store) FOR MORE BREAKING WWE & TNA NEWS AND COMMENTARY, VISIT OUR AFFILIATE PWTORCH.COM (click here!) FOR MORE MMA & UFC NEWS AND COMMENTARY, VISIT OUR AFFILIATE MMATORCH.COM (click here!) CLICK TO RETURN TO DOT NET MAIN LISTING OR SELECT A LINK BELOW FROM THIS CATEGORY Powell Editorials Latest Twelve Articles WWE Raw Hitlist: Bret Hart and Vince McMahon, Edge doesn't pick his WrestleMania opponent, Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton, William Shatner spoken word, Sheamus as WWE Champion WWE Royal Rumble Hitlist: Edge returns to win the Rumble match, Sheamus vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship, Undertaker vs. Rey Mysterio for the World Hvt. Championship, Shawn Michaels comes up short WWE Raw Hitlist: John Cena shines, DX squabbling, Legacy tension, The Miz and MVP, final hype for Sunday's WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view WWE Raw Hitlist: Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, Vince McMahon rips Bret Hart, Jon "The Flame" Heder, Randy Orton vs. Chris Masters, John Cena and Kofi Kingston vs. Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes TNA Genesis Hitlist: A.J. Styles vs. Kurt Angle, Ken Anderson debuts, Brian Kendrick makes a surprise appearance, TNA drops the six-sided ring, Beer Money vs. Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman WWE Raw Hitlist: An in-person perspective on John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston, The Miz and MVP confrontation, Vince McMahon's followup on the Bret Hart angle, Mike Tyson gets in the ring