Wednesday, JULY 1 – 4:39 PM (CT)

-Nine days after WrestleMania 25, WWE held their partially annual draft to, in theory, strengthen weaknesses, shake things up, freshen the product, and infuse new life by showcasing feuds that either have never been seen, or have not been seen in a long time. Well, we all know what happened. Raw became a stale show, ECW became a solid show, and Smackdown became the best show.

I am guessing the huge trade, spearheaded by Donald Trump, was not planned a few months ago, but was brought to the forefront out of necessity. Raw and Smackdown both benefitted from the trade, while ECW was left virtually dry. The question I ask is this: should WWE continue with ECW as a third brand?

ECW lost middle to top level veteran talent in Mark Henry and Finlay. More importantly, on a show that pushes young stars, they lost Jack Swagger, Evan Bourne, Natalya, Tyson Kidd, and David Hart Smith. Out of that group, Swagger is ready for the move, but the others (minus Natalya, who should be women’s champion) could use some more seasoning.

In theory, ECW is a graduation from Florida Championship Wrestling, but not yet a step onto one of the two top shows. It is a place for young stars to cut their teeth and acclimate themselves to life on the road. Most importantly, it affords them the opportunity to hone their on screen characters. In those aspects, ECW should stay. However, how often can you go back to the well?

Earlier on in ECW’s infant stages, C.M. Punk, Kofi Kingston, and Mike Adamle really made names for themselves before moving to Raw. Okay, of course I am kidding about that last name. The track record has been very good and more times than not, the Tuesday night show has been a very good hour of wrestling television.

However, what if this current batch of FCW stars does not produce a talent like Swagger or Bourne? What if the B-level veterans that were not getting pushed on Raw or Smackdown continue to get crammed onto this show? If that turns out to be the case, will the show itself provide any reason to believe it is not a current day version of Sunday Night Heat?

Don’t get me wrong, I love Christian and William Regal. I think they should both be main eventing. However, they are not going to be anytime soon. They deserve better than this show. Of course, Sheamus and Abraham Washington may turn out to be the next big stars traded to one of the more prestigious shows. I just wonder how many times WWE thinks they will catch Kofi Kingston in a bottle?

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