Smackdown – July 19, 2016: Draft Notice
Smackdown
Date: July 19, 2016
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Jerry Lawler
Now this is a big one. Tonight we’re not only going live but also splitting the shows into two rosters again for the first time in a few years. There’s only been one other draft like this in company history and it wasn’t the greatest show in the world. The interesting things here tonight are the potential returns of former stars as well as the guaranteed NXT callups. Oh and a rematch from last night’s World Title match as a bonus. Let’s get to it.
We open with the Commissioners and the GM’s on the stage and a quick explanation of the rules:
1. Raw gets three picks to every Smackdown two.
2. Tag Teams are selected as a unit unless a GM wants either.
3. Raw has the first pick.
4. Six NXT picks will be made.
Stephanie cuts Foley off and picks Seth Rollins number one. So much for the title meaning a lot.
Daniel Bryan picks Dean Ambrose to put the Shield boys on different shows.
I won’t bother saying the specifics so I’ll just say which show.
Raw: Charlotte
Smackdown: AJ Styles
Raw: Finn Balor
Before we get to another pick, it’s time for a match.
John Cena vs. Luke Gallows
The rest of the Club, Enzo and Cass are at ringside. We go to a quick commercial but this time they’re showing the match during the commercial on a split screen. Gallows powers him down and is apparently too heavy to take the AA. Cena gets in a dropkick and we come back from the break. A spinning side slam gets two for Luke but he walks into the ProtoBomb and the Shuffle. Gallows breaks up the AA with a superkick (GET THAT MAN A T-SHIRT!) but the other four get in the ring and the match….is allowed to continue with Anderson and Styles being sent to the floor. An AA gives Cena the pin at 5:27.
Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and I’m hoping the airing the match during the break doesn’t become a regular thing. If there’s one concept WWE never got, it’s the idea of giving the fans a breather. You can’t present every single moment as must see and expect the fans to stick with you through the insane amount of content WWE pumps out.
Time for more picks.
Raw: Roman Reigns
Smackdown: John Cena
Raw: Brock Lesnar
Smackdown: Randy Orton
Raw: New Day
Darren Young/Zack Ryder vs. Rusev/The Miz
Challengers vs. champions. Backlund atomic drops Miz to start and Ryder adds a slingshot elbow for two. Miz pulls Zack off the ropes for a crash before it’s off to Rusev for some shots to the back. Miz gives up the hot tag to Young for his still generic offense. A quick Gut Check gets two but Rusev suplexes Darren, only to throw Ryder into a Rough Ryder on his partner. Zack dropkicks Rusev off the apron and the crossface chickenwing makes Miz tap at 4:05.
Rating: C-. No time here and I have a feeling that’s going to be the case for almost all matches tonight. That’s how things should go though as the wrestling isn’t the point here. Young making Miz tap sets up the title match just fine, though I don’t see much of a reason to get hyped for Ryder vs. Rusev. Maybe it was the losing to Sheamus in two minutes flat.
Xavier Woods vs. Bray Wyatt
Everyone is at ringside. Bray stands in the corner with his back to Bray before bending backwards. He even kneels in the middle of the ring to offer a free shot but Woods is afraid. Woods seems to be hypnotized so Bray beats him down and chokes a bit. The release Rock Bottom plants Woods again but he makes a quick comeback, only to walk into Sister Abigail for the pin at 4:47.
Rating: D+. This was all about the story instead of the match and that’s the right idea. Bray squashing Woods is the right idea too and it’s cool to see someone freaking out at the sight and thought of Bray. That almost has to play into the finish on Sunday but it also makes the titles more interesting. If Woods is teasing a split, they’ll have to drop the belts soon and that’s not happening Sunday.
Kevin Owens vs. Kane
And never mind as Sami Zayn runs out to attack Owens. Kevin sends Sami in for a chokeslam from Kane but he chokeslams both of them for fun. No match.
Back to the picks!
Raw: Sami Zayn
Smackdown: Bray Wyatt (not the Wyatt Family)
Raw: Sasha Banks
Smackdown: Becky Lynch
Raw: Chris Jericho
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte/Dana Brooke
Dana starts for the team but Sasha knocks Charlotte outside and hits the double knees off the apron. Back in and Dana misses a charge to set up the Bank Statement, only to have Charlotte break it up and hit Natural Selection for the pin at 2:21.
More picks:
Raw: Rusev w/Lana
Smackdown: The Miz w/Maryse
Raw: Kevin Owens
Smackdown: Baron Corbin
Raw: Enzo Amore/Big Cass
Chris Jericho vs. Cesaro
Cesaro uppercuts him to the floor and hits a running version up against the barricade. Back in and we hit the pinfall reversal sequence until Jericho slams him off the top. The Lionsault is countered into a Russian legsweep off the middle rope and it’s time for a Swing. The spinning springboard uppercut is countered into the Codebreaker for the pin on Cesaro at 4:53.
Rating: C+. In case you didn’t get enough of these two during the build to Money in the Bank. I’m really not wild on the idea of Jericho winning here as they don’t seem interested in actually doing anything with him despite giving him a bunch of wins. Cesaro continues to be that guy who keeps losing and WWE keeps expecting him to be over, which to be fair he kind of is.
Back from a break with Becky Lynch attacking Natalya before a match. Ok then.
Draft time.
Raw: The Club
Smackdown: American Alpha
Raw: Big Show
Smackdown: Dolph Ziggler
Raw: Nia Jax
Rollins says he’ll win tonight.
Time for the final five televised picks before 30 more will be made on the WWE Network.
Raw: Neville
Smackdown: Natalya
Raw: Cesaro
Smackdown: Alberto Del Rio
Raw: Sheamus
WWE World Title: Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins
Ambrose is defending and Rollins jumps him during the big match intros. We take a break before the bell rings with Dean being posted. Back with Ambrose saying ring the bell, allowing Rollins to hammer away in a hurry. A backbreaker sets up the chinlock before Rollins sends him outside for a chop off. Dean gets whipped into the barricade but he backdrops Rollins into the timekeeper’s area. Back in and Seth hits a low superkick for two as we take a break.
We come back again with what sounds like a CM Punk chant accompanying Rollins hitting a running forearm in the corner. Dean fights back with elbows to the face and a swinging neckbreaker for two. A quick Buckle Bomb sets up a missed frog splash but Rollins grabs a quick superplex. He loads up the Falcon’s Arrow but Dean reverses into Dirty Deeds at 12:21.
Rating: C+. The match was fine but it’s pure filler with Battleground and the triple threat looming. Rollins getting pinned clean is interesting as now Dean looks a lot more like an equal instead of someone who keeps getting beaten in the big matches over and over. It’s a good main event, though it feels kind of worthless after last night. Like, what did any of that accomplish?
Shane and Bryan come out to celebrate and a PPV rundown ends the show.
Overall Rating: B-. These are the hardest shows to review as there’s nothing to compare it to. They kept it moving fast enough and the wrestling was just there for the most part but they kept the draft picking moving and that’s a very good thing. This felt like something professionally run and that’s never really been the case in previous drafts. Good show here but this would have been better off after Battleground.
Results
John Cena b. Luke Gallows – Attitude Adjustment
Darren Young/Zack Ryder b. Rusev/The Miz – Crossface chickenwing to Miz
Bray Wyatt b. Xavier Woods – Sister Abigail
Charlotte/Dana Brooke b. Sasha Banks – Natural Selection
Chris Jericho b. Cesaro – Codebreaker
Dean Ambrose b. Seth Rollins – Dirty Deeds
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There are also a few disconcerting actions taken in the draft.
1) Why does WWE think we need to have women’s divisions on both shows? They have cannibalized NXT’s thin women’s division to give us an ok women’s division on Raw( which still might not have time to fit in two feuds regularly)and us a weak division on Smackdown centered around Becky Lynch.
2) Same for the tag division only replace Becky Lynch’s name with American Alpha.
3) Why did they spilt Strowman off on Raw away from the family? For the next 12-18 months he is better suited working tags/squashes/ playing the muscle for Bray than being off by himself.
4) Why does Raw get the crusierweights? Honestly Raw has 5 belts to Smackdown’s 2( soon to be 4 more than likely) so why overcrowd Raw with people that tend to get screwed over by the machine of WWE. Also, WHY IS THE BEST PURE CRUSIERWEIGHT ON THE MAIN ROSTER ON SMACKDOWN?!?!!
5) Would it have killed them to bring someone back as a surprise draft pick or move in a surprising or fresh direction. I have advocated for a trios title if WWE with would bring in 4-5 guys to fill out mostly fledgingly tag teams and I stand by that. WWE go get some of your people back and make them relevant again.
How does raw have five belts? They have the women’s, tag team, and us titles. That’s three unless you count the tag as two separate belts. It’s still only four.
I’d assume an upcoming Cruiserweight Title.
Correct
In Kayfabe it makes no sense for Bryan to pick AJ Styles and Bray Wyatt solo, when he could have got The Club and The Wyatt Family thrown in with them as well.
Except for they stated the Wyatt Family and The Club cannot be drafted together.
I feel like the draft is like a personal trainer/diet/fit bit. I got a fit bit this weekend and it is a constant reminder to get up from my desk and walk around and to eat right and tracks all the benefits I’m gaining. The draft is essentially VInce and the writer’s room on Raw saying ” take away the temptation to tunnel vision focus on four wrestlers at once” and “make me build up the women’s division, crusierweight division, and tag division so that we can appeal to a wider audience and find means of organically growing stars” and maybe even ” maybe Cena, Orton,Styles, and Ambrose can anchor Tuesdays and make money in his last days so we have to focus on making Zayn, Balor, and Owens viable main eventers to run with Seth and Roman”.
This feels like them saving themselves from their worst impulses instead of trying to diversify the brands and attract specific audiences and expand the talent pool to create stars. But it may work none the less.
After thinking about the draft, I do think what BB above has said is pretty much what they are doing with the draft.
Reigns/Rollins seem to be the next 2 Top guys for WWE, whilst Ambrose the wildcard is placed on the other show. Bray Wyatt is also another guy who will benefit also and may evolve finally into Main Event talent.
The main full-time vets, namely, Cena/Orton/Styles are on SmackDown which will definitely draw viewers.
Owens, Zayn, Balor will be the newer guys being setup for Main Event pushes alongside Reigns/Rollins on the flagship show of WWE going forward. Ntm, RAW’s overall roster in each division is definitely stacked in comparison to SmackDown, which is more top heavy.
Oh come on KB, how’d you make those typos for the first two draft rules?
Well amazingly enough it’s not that easy to keep track of what fourteen people are saying at once and type up rules in the span of ten seconds.
Curious about your thoughts on the draft
I’ll need some time to think about it. I’m sure this is going to be the column tomorrow.
Smackdown does not look like a show i’m ever going to watch. Other then AJ Stlyes i don’t really care for anyone else that’s been drafted to it.
Might as well have Seth or Roman win the WWE Championship then introduce a bunch of lesser titles for Smackdown to have.
American Alpha? Dean Ambrose? John Cena?
Even though id give the slight edge to RAW I think Smackdown has its far share of big names. I think it will be fine as time goes on. I am surprised Bayley didn’t get the call but i think she will be Sasha’s partner on Sunday.