Powell's Blog: Eight WWE Draft moves

Monday, April 25 – 4:20 P.M. (CT)

The following draft pick selections are not predictions for tonight's WWE Draft. Rather, I'm simply laying out eight draft picks I would make and presenting my reasoning for doing so.

Ted DiBiase to WWE Smackdown: Once considered a blue chipper, the son of the Million Dollar Man has been wasting away on the Raw undercard for far too long. A move to Smackdown helped former stablemate Cody Rhodes last year, and a fresh start with a creative team that needs to focus on building new stars for the Friday night brand could only help.

Daniel Bryan to WWE Smackdown: The former U.S. Champion lost his mojo when Raw creative decided that his no frills gimmick needed Twin Magic and eventually Gail Kim. He was getting over just fine before he was stamped with the sports entertainment seal of approval, and one can only assume that his in-ring skills would be put to better use on the wrestling-heavy Friday night show.

Sheamus to WWE Smackdown: WWE had something special when they were pushing Sheamus as a monster heel. His ridiculous King of the Ring outfit and the bizarre losing streak gimmick did a lot of damage. I'd have him drop the U.S. Title in a fluke on Raw and then have him get back to kicking ass on Smackdown to set him up as one of the top heels on Friday nights. Plus, I believe Sheamus will do very well as a babyface when the time comes for a turn.

The Miz to WWE Smackdown: As much as I hate to see the title belts jump from one brand to the other at draft time, I like the idea of The Miz being the face of Friday nights. He's overshadowed by John Cena on Raw, and he needs to earn in-ring credibility with the fans. I don't see him getting that type of in-ring credibility on Raw where he'll get cheap and fluky wins, so I'd send him to Friday nights for a year and let him have good, competitive feuds with good workers such as Rey Mysterio, Christian, Kofi Kingston, and Daniel Bryan. Obviously, the key is to book him as a guy who doesn't always have to cheat to win. Ultimately, I'd have him hold the WWE Championship for a full year before moving him back to Raw.

John Morrison to WWE Smackdown: The Friday night brand is in dire need of babyface talent. Daniel Bryan is a nice start, but I'd send Morrison back to Smackdown to give the brand a little more babyface star power. A feud between Morrison and Miz could carry a few months of television. By the way, I'd love to see Evan Bourne moved to Smackdown so that he could finally be more than the undercard guy who takes big bumps for the monster heels.

Alberto Del Rio to WWE Raw: This is an act that needs to be on the flagship show. Sure, he'd end up filling Miz's role as the guy who wins by DQ our outside interference whenever he beats John Cena or Randy Orton, but I think he already has the strong in-ring heel credibility in the eyes of the fans that is missing with The Miz. WWE has been known to make up the draft rules on the fly, so I'd be sure to include Brodus Clay as part of the Del Rio package. For that matter, I'd like to see Alex Riley stick with The Miz and perhaps do a breakup angle at some point during the year if company officials feel that Riley is ready for such a push.

Wade Barrett to WWE Raw: The Corre just hasn't clicked since the faction was formed. Barrett was a breakout heel who made The Nexus work and served as the top heel adversary for John Cena throughout the summer months last year. Creative lost their way with Barrett somewhere along the way, so I'd get him back on Raw and eventually have him attempt to destroy what he started in The Nexus. He's a strong heel, but I think he has the mic skills and the personality to hang as an upper mid-card babyface in a feud with C.M. Punk and his cronies. Yes, I would also have him drop his title belt quickly to avoid moving all of the singles belts.

Big Show to WWE Raw: Why? Hell, why not? They seem to move him every year or two anyway. Sadly, the Smackdown brand lacks the mid-card depth that it's had in past years, as the Friday night creative crew hasn't done a very good job of elevating talent like they have in past years. He could still team with Kane as long as they are tag champions, and perhaps an eventual heel turn would give John Cena and Randy Orton another opponent late in the year. It's not the sexiest pick, but it will make the draft moves feel a little more newsworthy and it could be promoted as a big move for the Raw brand given that I have them coming up short on the number count. It's also worth noting that I would make a few supplemental moves to beef up the Raw mid-card, not to mention assign returning star Chris Jericho (or even Batista) to Raw.

Join me tonight for my live coverage review of the WWE Draft as it airs on WWE Raw. Plus, Dot Net Members can look forward to my exclusive audio review of the show late tonight. You can join us on the ad-free version of the website by signing up now via the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.