By Chad Cooper
Twitter @thechadcooper
The WWE Draft has come and gone and we here at Flagged Sports have had time to digest the spectacle. What was a cool idea turned into some silliness as both the FOX and USA Network draft/war rooms were a cheese-fest. But hey, it’s sports entertainment and what mattered most is who went where. FOX definitely got the star power.
Round 1
1. RAW: Becky Lynch is the No. 1 overall pick. Let that sink in. Women’s wrestling is at an all-time high (cheap plug for Title Match Wrestling Network who has a ton of awesome women’s matches on demand). Lynch is the RAW’s women’s champ, but might be the most popular on the entire roster. It’s a Stone Cold-type movement and speaks volumes for “The Man.” Grade: A+
2. Smackdown: Roman Reigns, no big surprise here. Love him or hate him, he is a star that resonates with young fans as well as the female demo. Grade: A-
3. RAW: The OC, which includes US champ AJ Styles + Anderson/Gallows. Styles is legit and I am a huge OC fan, so let’s hope they give them a proper heel storyline and no cheesy bits. Grade: A
4. Smackdown: The Fiend, Bray Wyatt. Did he really need to be drafted? Rather see him pop up unannounced on both shows. Will be interesting to see who he works with after Seth Rollins story is over. Grade: B+
5. RAW: Drew McIntyre. Fantastic pick. He has been off TV awhile due to injury, but he is beast. A steal in my book. Grade: A-
Round 2
6. RAW: Randy Orton. Glad to see Mr. RKO get a change of scenery. Would love to see him go straight to a title shot. Grade: A
7. Smackdown: Sasha Banks. She has set the world on fire since returning to feud with Becky Lynch and now she can challenge her BFF, Bayley. Grade: B
8. RAW: Ricochet. Good move to stay on Monday nights, now stop screwing with his booking. Grade: A
9. Smackdown: Braun Strowman. Interesting move here. Don’t think he fits in with Smackdown, but FOX loves him. Grade: C+
10. RAW: Bobby Lashley. Dude has tons of talent but has been stuck in shit-hole storylines. B-
Round 3
11. RAW: Alexa Bliss. Well, I love me some Bliss, but he has since been announced that her and Nikki Cross (picked 18th overall by RAW) are both heading to Smackdown. She will benefit even more on Fridays. Grade: A+
12. Smackdown: Lacey Evans. I am a nasty. Evans can do no wrong in my book. Her gimmick will also flourish on the Blue Brand. Grade: A
13. RAW: Kevin Owens. Was hoping KO would stay on Fridays…Seems he gets lost on Mondays. Hoping for the best. Grade: B-
14. Smackdown: The Revival. Smackdown tag champs staying put. Grade: A
15. RAW: Natalya. Just not a fan. Loveable loser. Grade: C-
Round 4
16. RAW: The Viking Raiders. They are finally getting over with the crowd, plus they just won the RAW tag titles. Solid move. Grade: A
17. Smackdown: Lucha House Party. I have nothing. Grade: F
18. RAW: Nikki Cross. See Alexa Bliss. Her and Little Miss Bliss have been traded to Smackdown. Love Nikki on the mic, too. Grade: B
19. Smackdown: Heavy Machinery. Otis and Tucker are mid-carders. Grade: C+
20. RAW: The Street Profits. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins are the first from NXT to get draft, despite they have been the “unofficial” hosts of RAW for the last few months. Great move. Grade: A
Round 5
21. RAW: Seth Rollins. No surprise here. Grade: A
22. Smackdown: Brock Lesnar. No surprise, I’m sure it will set up for Brock vs. Roman at Mania. Grade: A
23. RAW: Charlotte. Solid pick. I’m not her biggest fan, but she makes whoever she is in a story with better. Grade: A
24. Smackdown: The New Day. I’m over this. Way over it. Grade B-
25. RAW: Andrade w/Zelina Vega. WWE keeping couples together (Andrade & Charlotte). Nonetheless, he can work a ring. Grade: A
Round 6
27. RAW: The Kabuki Warriors. They are the Women’s tag team champs, so they will be on both brands. Meh. Grade: B-
28. Smackdown: Daniel Bryan. Again, nothing surprising here. FOX wants stars. And DB has looked better than ever. Grade: A
29. RAW: Rusev. Poor guy in a cuckhold storyline with Lana and Bobby Lashley. Grade: B
30. Smackdown: Bayley. The Smackdown Women’s champ has gone rogue. She has cut her hair and ditched the hug gimmick. Love it. Grade: A
31. RAW: Aleister Black. He was the hot name after getting the call from NXT then went cold after not being used properly. He will have to be re-introduced again. Grade: B
Round 7
32. RAW: Cedric Alexander. Someone likes Cedric Alexander. WWE Universe does not. Grade: C
33. Smackdown: Shinsuke Nakamura. The IC champ stays put. Grade: B-
34. RAW: Humberto Carrillo. Who? I had to Google to see who he was. Grade: C-
35. Smackdown: Ali. He has the tools to be a big star. Grade: B+
36. RAW: Erick Rowan. Was in a great storyline with Daniel Bryan then turning. They even brought back Luke Harper for him, and now he is back to RAW. Grade: C
Round 8
37. RAW: Buddy Murphy. Known as the best kept secret in WWE. Here is your chance, pal. Grade: B+ (almost an A for dating Bliss).
38. Smackdown: Bobby Roode & Dolph Ziggler. The former RAW tag team champions head to Fridays, and we love it. Grade: A
39. RAW: Jinder Mahal. The former WWE champion has been on injury hiatus and we are stoked to see him get another show. Grade: A-
40. Smackdown: Carmella. F-A-B-O-L-O-U-S, yes. No more 24/7 Title cheerleader. She can moonwalk over my heart any day of the week. Grade: A
41. RAW: R-Truth. He has elevated the 24/7 title, but no longer has his sidekick, Carmella. Grade: B-
Round 9
42. RAW: Samoa Joe. Despite nursing a hand injury, Joe still got it. Grade: A
43. Smackdown: The Miz. The A-Lister is must see TV. Glad to see him change brands. Grade: A-
44. RAW: Akira Tozawa. Why waste this pick? Grade: F
45. Smackdown: Baron Corbin. All Hail King Corbin. Bend the knee. Grade: A
46. RAW: Shelton Benjamin. Can’t believe he still has a job. Grade: F
Round 10
47. RAW: Rey Mysterio. Solid pick and want to see the storyline continue with his son Dominic. Grade: A
48. Smackdown: Shorty Gable. Sure. Solid wrestler. Grade: B-
49. RAW: Titus O’Neil. I’m a Titus guy. He does a lot of charitable work outside the ring, but wish they would put him in a more serious storyline. Grade: B-
50. Smackdown: Elias. He was once the hottest talent in WWE, then he got buried in bad booking. Grade: A
51. RAW: Liv Morgan. The final pick or “Miss Irrelevant.” I like Liv, but she gets annoying. Grade: B-
My biggest complaints are: Cesaro, The Usos, Authors of Pain, Mandy Rose, The IIconics…They deserved to have their names called.
Free agents signed and heading to RAW:
No Way Jose – F, don’t care.
Mojo Rawley – C+, meh. Has potential.
Sarah Logan – C+, see how she does solo or do they bring in Ruby Riott?
The IIconics – B+, like’em.
Ryder & Hawkins – B. They were RAW champs this year. Love their podcast.
Free agents signed to Smackdown:
Luke Harper – A, this guy can work.
Cesaro – A+, superstar.
Sonya Deville – B-, meh.
Drake Maverick – B+, entertaining.
Dana Brooke – B-, still here.
Mandy Rose – B+, nice to look at and she is getting better.
Remaining free agents: Authors of Pain, The Usos