RAW’s #1 pick is… DANIEL BRYAN
Andrew Riche: Thanks to a coin flip, I got the chance to pick first for the 2014 Draft, and the two top candidates for me at the #1 spot were easy: John Cena or Daniel Bryan. It may seem like striking the iron while it’s hot, but at the end of the day, I felt bound to choose the most beloved and most talented superstar that WWE has to offer, and that was Bryan. I can build basically any program around him because his position at the top of the card is fresh, including a potential heel run thanks to his incredible work on that end in early 2012. His matches against just about everyone are phenomenal and can help my main events deliver every week or month. I knew by picking Bryan that Ben would scoop up the biggest merch mover in the company in Cena, but I am taking the risk. The Champ is there, but the Beard is here.
SMACKDOWN’s #1 pick is… JOHN CENA
Ben Morse: When Andrew drew number one, I got nervous, but when he selected Daniel Bryan, I breathed a sigh of relief. I love Daniel Bryan and think he’s the most over and talented performer on the roster today, but John Cena is in a different category—he’s a franchise. With Cena, I can sell tickets, I can sell merchandise, and I have my ambassador to the world beyond wrestling; he’s the most media-savvy wrestler around and the mainstream loves him. Besides that, he can still go in the ring, and while some may have their doubts, I believe this is a guy who’s more than willing to help make future stars, which is crucial. Quibbles about his character being stale or other minor concerns aside, John Cena was, to me, the most valuable pick in this draft, and I got him at number two.
RAW’s #2 pick is… BROCK LESNAR
Andrew: After picking a steady hand in Bryan as my #1, I wanted to go after big names that may not be around all the time but can carry me through the crucial months leading up to the bigger events. Like him or hate him (and most hate him), Brock Lesnar is the man when it comes to SummerSlam and WrestleMania programs in WWE these days. Fresh off of breaking The Undertaker’s WrestleMania winning streak, the Beast Incarnate’s legacy in the WWE is now firmly sealed as one for the ages even without a full-time schedule. I take a hit in the lowly months like May and September and December and I miss out on a great future star on the horizon like Cesaro, but the upside for featuring an attraction that big is worth it. Plus, he can still go in the ring.
SMACKDOWN’s #2 pick is… CESARO
Ben: With my established star locked in, it was time to start building for the future, and for me there was no better place to start than with Cesaro. Second to Daniel Bryan, he may be the best in-ring performer in WWE, so I needed that, plus he’s over with the crowd and pretty universally respected by his peers. Sure he’s still building those mic skills and English isn’t his first language, but his natural charisma makes up for it and I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable sending him out to do media.
RAW’s #3 pick is… TRIPLE H
Andrew: Scott Criscuolo can thank me later, because I could not cross the new boss at #3. I enjoy Triple H’s in-ring work for the most part, and he is more than capable of servicing that end if need be, but this pick was pretty much based on his role as the on-screen authority figure in WWE. His heel work has come back to life thanks to his feuds with Daniel Bryan and The Shield, he is still likeable in some ways as a character, and he can carry a segment free of actual wrestling so I can rest my guys. I am sure Trips would still work behind the scenes on SmackDown, but his presence (and power) needs to be felt on Raw.
SMACKDOWN’s #3 pick is… ROMAN REIGNS
Ben: I never thought I’d be able to get both Cesaro and Reigns, but like Raw in 2002, Riche decided to front load on big names, giving me the opportunity to look toward tomorrow. Reigns has almost unlimited upside, with every intangible you could imagine and the versatility to be a babyface or heel depending on what’s needed. He’s got Rock-like crossover appeal and was able to briefly quell the riot at the Royal Rumble—he’s that good.
RAW’s #4 pick is… RANDY ORTON
Andrew: Ben smartly swiped the next two in line for superstardom in Cesaro and Roman Reigns, so I went back to the well when it came to proven superstars, and I took the best one out there in Orton. His Evolution partner Batista was also on the board, but I still took the Viper because his in-ring work is more solid, his heel character is so convincing as the foil to the brand’s top babyface, and he rarely takes time off. He is a natural rival for Daniel Bryan and his story with Triple H and The Authority still has chapters left to be written. I call this a shoo-in.
SMACKDOWN’s #4 pick is… BATISTA
Ben: At this point, I realized while I had a solid base of future stars, I needed to grab some guys to put them over before Riche cornered that market. In retrospect, maybe Batista wasn’t the best option available at this spot given his ring rust and alleged attitude issues, but he certainly evokes a massive reaction and showed at WrestleMania he’s willing to be a team player. The fact that he’ll be more of a household name after a blockbuster movie this summer doesn’t hurt.
RAW’s #5 pick is… PAUL HEYMAN
Andrew: Ladies and gentlemen, in honor of my next pick, I am taking this to the extreme. This one may look like a reach compared to the many other stars I just bypassed, but Paul Heyman is by far the best mic man in the wrestling business. His ability to carry a feud, let alone a wrestler for whom he serves as a mouthpiece, is an ultimate intangible when it comes to improving your show. He is a forward thinker on a weekly basis, the matches he is involved in are always better because of him, and he can make a young talent. You can’t have any of those vaunted Paul Heyman Guys without the man himself.
SMACKDOWN’s #5 pick is… SHEAMUS
Ben: Riche picking Heyman as early as he did threw me for a loop; it’s a great pick as he’s every bit the star-maker most in-ring main eventers could be in a totally different way. That said, I love Sheamus and I was happy to get him here. There are a lot of complaints about him becoming Cena-lite on the surface, but once he gets going in the ring, he’s awesome, and he’s the perfect upper mid-carder, not to mention another media-friendly face, something obviously I’m placing a lot of value on. Also, a quick heel turn silences a lot of his critics right quick.
RAW’s #6 pick is… BRAY WYATT
Andrew: Ben is following the shamrock while I follow the buzzards. In less than a year, Bray Wyatt has gone from an NXT curiosity to a creepy yet immensely popular character, maybe the most conniving heel in the entire company behind my other picks, Triple H and Paul Heyman. Wyatt operates more loosely than those two, and he can go toe to toe with anyone from faces to heels to even the WWE machine as a whole. His promos alone are worth the pick and I know I can build him to the top of the card and fans will buy into it. My first pick based more on future stardom after Ben got two in a row.
SMACKDOWN’s #6 pick is… SETH ROLLINS
Ben: I never had designs on keeping the Shield intact, so Riche taking Dean Ambrose won’t hurt me in that regard, so much as that dude’s just a great, versatile talent. But, I think of all three Shield guys, Rollins is arguably the most reliable when it comes to putting on good matches, and since I lost out on Daniel Bryan early, the more of that type of performer I can get, the better.
RAW’s #7 pick is… DEAN AMBROSE
Andrew: I will admit to selfishness here. I saw Ben take Roman Reigns third and Seth Rollins right before this pick, so I decided to officially break up The Shield and take Ambrose. But trust me, this pick was not made out of desperation. Ambrose has proven himself in spades as a singles wrestler back in FCW before NXT got rebooted, and he had been the United States Champion for nearly a year. They call him the Lunatic Fringe for his eccentric personality, and a fresh singles run is just what Ambrose needs. He is also only 28 years old, so I have a true young gun in my back pocket.
SMACKDOWN’s #7 pick is… DOLPH ZIGGLER
Ben: Another guy who can go in the ring, and despite cooling off in the last year, I still think he could be rehabilitated as a main eventer; if not, great guy to have in the midcard putting on awesome matches and getting the crowd warmed up.
RAW’s #8 pick is… KOFI KINGSTON
Andrew: Like Dolph Ziggler, he has never had that Eureka moment that has truly made him a bonafide superstar, but I still think that the possibility is there for Kofi Kingston to make that big push for himself. His matches are always good even against lesser wrestlers and his athleticism might be the best in the whole company. This pick is more in the vein of when Rob Van Dam went to Raw and the bloom was pretty much off the rose already. But it doesn’t mean I can’t have a B+ player.
SMACKDOWN’s #8 pick is… THE BIG SHOW
Ben: I wasn’t going to take him too early, but this feels like the right spot to grab Show. It’s tough for him to necessarily be the guy to make new stars as a veteran—though Cena and potentially Cesaro could prove that theory wrong—but as an attraction and a recognizable/fascinating figure to the mainstream audience, he still has value.
RAW’s #9 pick is… SAMI ZAYN
Andrew: Ben went with Show, so I am dipping into the NXT pool for the first time. Daniel Bryan might be the ultimate underdog in the eyes of many, but to me, Sami Zayn is the next best one. Adrian Neville is a worthy NXT Champion, but Zayn has got all the goods as a performer from his selling to his creativity to his remarkable fighting spirit. Who would have ever thought that El Generico without the mask would become such a valued star in WWE? But here we are, and he deserves this spot.
SMACKDOWN’s #9 pick is… PAIGE
Ben: Riche scooped me a bit again by grabbing Sami Zayn, so I zigged and became the first guy to take a Diva, something that should surprise nobody who reads any of my articles or listens to me on Main Event. Paige has skill, a unique look, a personality and, perhaps most importantly, the youth to be on top for some time to come. I think her potential is huge and she’s a great cornerstone for the Divas division.
