Powell's Blog Powell's Blog: Breaking down WWE's 15-man trade from the Raw brand's perspective By Jason Powell Jun 30, 2009 - 02:25 PM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing Tuesday June 30 – 2:25 P.M. (CT) The WWE website announced the details of the 15-man trade that shuffled the deck for the second time in a few months. Here's a breakdown on the wrestlers the Raw brand acquired. Check back later for my breakdown of the Smackdown and ECW trades. Gail Kim: The former TNA standout can work with quality workers such as Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, and Maryse. Anything is better than being a whipping girl for Michelle McCool on the Friday night show, which every Smackdown Diva seems to be at this point. Alicia Fox: Scratch that. Fox wasn't the whipping girl for McCool, she just stood in her corner or worked tag matches with her. She hasn't shown much in the ring, but could have value as a valet if WWE chooses to go that route. Jack Swagger: This is the gem of the trade for the Raw brand. Swagger has shined on the Tuesday night show, and it was time for him to be moved to a bigger stage. The early indication is that he's moving into a program with MVP, which could be a lot of fun. Swagger stands out as a future WrestleMania main event player. Evan Bourne: I've been disappointed with the way he's been used on ECW since he returned from an ankle injury. He didn't lose many matches, but he wasn't featured in the main mix or in a steady program. Bourne was the only wrestler to lose to Randy Orton in the gauntlet match last night, which wasn't a great start. My guess is that he'll be featured as a mid-card novelty act, which is a shame because he is a standout performer who should be spotlighted. Mark Henry: Henry was featured prominently in an apparent babyface turn on last night's show. There's only so far you can go as a babyface when you're on the same brand as Triple H, John Cena, and Shawn Michaels. Just ask MVP, who received a similar big push on his first night on Raw only to slip back into mid-card obscurity and into a silly love storyline with Sherri Shepherd of "The View." You know, because nothing screams cool like dating someone from "The View." Let's just hope Sherri doesn't end up giving birth to a hand at some point. Final Raw Trade Thoughts: The influx of the ECW talent shakes things up and Raw has more depth than it had on Sunday. However, I don't think they went far enough. I'm not sure what they have planned for Fox, but I would left her where she was and brought in another mid-card male wrestler who possesses the potential to break into the top tier. Insert your own joke about how that would never happen with the usual suspects keeping their death grip on their top spots. The bottom line is that they can keep shuffling the deck on Raw, but at some point they have to use top stars like Cena and Hunter to elevate the mid-card wrestlers into main event performers. If the title tournament that started on last night's show is any indication, then don't hold your breath. 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's Blog Latest Twelve Articles Powell's Blog: UFC going head-to-head with WWE Raw in January should put a rumor to rest, consistency is the key for TNA going forward, an important edition of WWE Raw tonight Powell's Blog: One key area where TNA dropped the ball during Thursday's Impact Powell's Blog: Shane McMahon announces his resignation from WWE POWELL'S BLOG: WWE Raw advertising is weak, TNA house show advertising is even worse Powell's Blog: More thoughts on the C.M. Punk vs. Undertaker finish, big Smackdown angles ignored on Raw, Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, WWE advertising Raw competition Powell's Blog: Jeff Hardy still showing up in WWE advertising, big Dot Net Weekly audio show, Eric Young's push is doing more harm than good, WWE marijuana policy, NFL kickoff