Roster Jump Evaluation
It's pretty interesting to see that since the brand extension, with the exception of a certain few, every single superstar who was part of the original draft lottery has switched shows. I want to see just how impactful every single roster jump has been. First I’ll start with all the people who jumped from Smackdown to Raw. After that, I'll do the same for those who jumped from Raw to Smackdown.
I'm going to be doing these in chronological order.
Chris Benoit - Benoit was the first person to technically switch shows, even though he never appeared on Smackdown before he switched. Benoit ended up on Raw after weeks of being a "guest," when Vince McMahon took full control of both shows, he allowed Benoit to be on Raw as a favor. While on Raw, Benoit looked to be the next in line to face Steve Austin after Eddie Guerrero was done with his match at King of the Ring. Unfortunately for both men, Austin walked out of the company, leaving them without a high-profile feud. Benoit did have a good table match at Vengeance, another good match with Booker T to become number one contender for the IC title, and a third good match the week after to win the IC title from Van Dam, before jumping to Smackdown with Eddie.
Benoit didn't make nearly the impact he'd make on his second go-around with Raw, but I think that has a lot to do with Austin's departure. I would have loved to see Austin/Benoit V, as I really enjoyed their four previous singles encounters. But Benoit was still trying to shake off the ring rust, and he had pretty good matches while doing so.
Impact: 4
Triple H: What a pick up for Raw. When Hunter lost the Undisputed Title to Hogan, he ended up on Smackdown, and it just didn't seem like home for him. He just screamed "Raw guy" to me. I actually wanted him to go to Raw. Sure enough, my prayers were answered at Vengeance when, after a little coaxing by HBK, Hunter ended up on Raw. One night later, on one of the best Raws of the year, Hunter teased a DX reunion and turned heel. Since then, he's run completely roughshot over the entire Raw roster up and down. He was the first World Heavyweight Champion and has stayed in the title picture for three years. Say what you will about his methods, but it's been proven that people still want to see him, whether they love him or they hate him. Hunter was single-handedly the most valuable pickup for Raw.
Impact: 10
Chris Jericho: Jericho jumped to Raw a week after Vengeance after Stephanie McMahon booked him in a steel cage match with Edge the week before on Smackdown. Jericho showed up blasting Ric Flair with a chair before claiming once again that "Raw is Jericho." He went on to dominate the tag scene with Christian (who I'll get to in a second) and then had one of the best years of his career in 2003 as a second-tier heel under Triple H. He had what I believe to be the match of his career against Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania, and managed to carry Goldberg to something passable at Bad Blood. After that, Jericho had a VERY slow face turn, and even though he didn't really do much in terms of storyline after his Christian feud in 2004, he held down the midcard with great matches and help fine tune some of the younger, greener talent.
I can't give Jericho too high of a grade because he never really stepped into the full limelight (whether he was allowed to or not is your call). But you can't deny he's been a great pick up for Raw.
Impact: 8
Christian: Christian came to Raw as part of the UnAmericans the same night as Jericho. Since that date we've seen Christian metamorphasize from whining, complaining jobber to bona-fide star (while continuing to do the same jobbing). It's another classic case of how you package somebody. From 2003 when Christian became IC Champ and cut his hair to early this year when he started getting face pops for his interviews, Christian is the newest rising star. He doesn't have that great of a moveset and his win-loss record can't be anything close to above .500, but with his charm and charisma, he's managed to be one of the most over people on the roster, and managed to remain a top heel even when there was a glass ceiling on who could be a top heel. His presence will sorely be missed on Raw.
Impact: 8
Lance Storm: As part of the UnAmericans, Storm enjoyed his most over period in the WWE. He came in as a tag champion, then won the belts again with William Regal after the UnAmericans disbanded. His team with Regal was very underrated. After Regal got his injury in February of 03, Storm had the problem of actually being BOOKED to be boring. It turned into a nice face turn for him, but he eventually didn't go anywhere, and after turning back heel briefly after last year's draft lottery, saying he wanted to go to Smackdown, Storm retired.
Storm had a couple good months in late 2002 and early 2003, but by the time he had the boring angle, Storm did relatively little, which is a shame. It probably would have done him better to stay on Smackdown.
Impact: 3
Test: Test came over as part of the UnAmericans, but was quickly depushed when he didn't want to cut his hair. When he finally agreed to do so, he was paired with real-life girlfriend Stacy Kiebler, and thanks to one word, Testicles, Test had a pretty successful face turn. He had a high profile feud with Chris Jericho, but he was punished for not showing up at Raw due to travel problems and lost his spot on the No Way Out 2003 card. He turned heel later that year, and started to develop some personality. Unfortunately, he had a neverending feud with Scott Steiner that got EXTREMELY stale. Test got a neck injury and was subsequently released. I think if Test hadn't gotten injured we might have seen some spark from him, but alas, it wasn't to be.
Impact: 4
Stacy Kiebler: Stacy jumped to Raw after plotting with Eric Bischoff to get RVD another title shot. Since then, she's fit in quite well, actually being a bit of a whore in finding people to manage. First it was Test, then Steiner, then Test again, then Randy Orton, and now Hurricane and Rosey. Despite doing relatively little, Stacy had remained over through her good, natural looks. But when you think of Raw girls, you first imagine Stacy, and it's tough to remember that she actually was a part of Smackdown. Stacy belongs on Raw.
Impact: 7
Rico: Rico jumped after the Billy and Chuck wedding, showing that he was aligned with Eric Bischoff the whole time. On his first night on Raw, he pinned Ric Flair cleanly. This might have meant big things for Rico, but unfortunately, it never happened. Instead of being paired with Billy and Chuck, he was paired with Three Minute Warning (Rosey and Jamal) and they didn't really do anything of note. Jamal got fired, Rosey became a superhero, and Rico became queer. Shortly after that, Rico was traded to Smackdown along with Miss Jackie. I think Rico had much more success over on Smackdown than he did on Raw.
Impact: 2
The Hurricane: Hurricane was one of the last two picks to go to Raw before the rosters froze in September 2002. On his first night, he won the tag team titles with Kane. It was a surprising move, as he was a staple in the Cruiserweight Division over on Smackdown. Since then, he was put over by the Rock, then put down by Triple H many times. He found a tag partner, got stale VERY quickly, then got a resurgence when the two of them won the tag team titles a couple months ago at Backlash. I still say Hurricane should have stayed on Smackdown, seeing as how his only purpose right now is to keep Rosey over.
Impact: 4
Randy Orton: It seemed like a shitty pick at the time, because he was a nobody. But then Orton got injured, and started to cut a subtle heel promo. Then came the RNN updates, and from there, a star was born. For one whole year (June 2003 to June 2004) Orton was being built and groomed for greatness, and that's exactly what he got. He became IC Champ very quickly, and despite not defending it much, he gave the belt some prestige. And a month after losing it, he became the youngest World Champion in history. After that, he lost the belt and had one of the worst face turns in history. After dropping the face act, Orton looked to be interesting again, but is now on Smackdown. It's better for him to be a heel over on Smackdown, but you can't deny all the accomplishments he had over on Raw. Raw was where he became a star.
Impact: 9
Al Snow: Snow's contract slipped through Stephanie McMahon's hands, and he ended up on Raw. He became a Heat announcer with Coach, and turned heel when Coach turned heel in the summer of 2003. I actually really liked Snow as a color commentator for Heat and I miss him dearly. He just sorta ended up on Smackdown when they did the Tough Enough competition in 2004. With Todd Grisham being the new color commentator for Heat, Snow's presence is most certainly missed.
Impact: 6
Ivory: Ivory was part of a "blockbuster" trade sending Big Show to Smackdown and a whole buncha other people over to Raw. She tried being part of the Women's division, even getting a push in mid 2003. But nothing ever came of that, and she ended up being on no show, co hosting WWE Experience with Todd Grisham. It might have been a good idea at the time, but she is a totally worthless pick now, since there really is no Women's Division anymore.
Impact: 1
D'Von Dudley: It was the reunion everybody wanted to happen. I think breaking the Dudley Boyz up in the original draft lottery was shocking, but a bad idea. The singles pushes wouldn't and didn't work. The pop they got for their reunion in NYC was deafening. Yes, their act was stale, but they were still an over, credible tag team on the roster. They turned face and heel more times than I can count on my hands, but at least they were a team for the division. I actually enjoyed their face run with the belts in late 2003, because it was refreshing to see faces holding on to the belts rather than chasing for them. D'Von went back to Smackdown along with Bubba in a trade for Triple H after the 2004 Lottery. D'Von didn't make a TON of impact, but he was much better off with Bubba on Raw than without him on Smackdown.
Impact: 5
Val Venis: When Val came over to Raw as part of the Big Show trade, he immediately made an impact with a new character, Chief Morley. He was to Bischoff then what Coach is to him now. It was a great role for him, and it gave him a chance to try new levels of his personality out. For some reason, somebody somewhere thought he'd do better if he went back to Val Venis for the 17th time. Since then, Val has been a Heat regular, and even though he hasn't done much, he still puts on good, competitive matches. I wish he could have done more to make more of an impact, but I'm not going to say that he has been totally worthless.
Impact: 5
Maven: Poor Maven. The man can't get a break. He was going to be pushed as a star on Smackdown before he got a HUGE shoulder injury. He came back on Raw, and he just didn't get the push he was going to get over on Smackdown. They tried giving him a push in mid 2003 by having him wrestle Triple H a couple of times. It didn't work. They tried again in late 2004 giving him Shawn Michaels's spot in the Survivor Series match for Raw. It didn't work. Now he's a heel and even though he's gotten a personality, he's just not getting over as much as he should. Again I say, Poor Maven.
Impact: 4
Batista: Because of Reverend D'Von firing Batista, he ended up on Raw. And it was obvious from the very beginning that they had high hopes for Batista. They immediately paired him with Ric Flair, and then made him part of Evolution. Despite not having an actual feud, he played the enforcer role well. And we all know how great his face turn was earlier this year. He got the face turn Randy Orton wishes he had. Triple H single-handedly made Batista a star, and they sent him off to Smackdown in style. Both Batista and Orton have Raw to thank for their success, because the blue chipper and the Deacon just weren't going to cut it on Smackdown.
Impact: 9
Rodney Mack: He came over to Raw after he had a falling out with John Cena (I don't even remember it happening), but he took over for D'Lo Brown when he got released. Nobody cared. Mack's White Boy challenge failed, and he then took a back seat to Mark Henry in Long's stable, before getting injured and then fired. He did absolutely nothing of note, and was a worthless pick.
Impact: 0
The Rock: He was only on Raw for a short time, but man, were those not the most entertaining two months in all of 2003 for Raw? From the Hurricane vignettes to the Rock Concerts. It was all fabulous. I wish there was more, but what can you do? Even when Rock makes those small comebacks every once in a while, he helps somebody else get over. Rock is invaluable to Raw, and I hope he comes back.
Impact: 8
Matt Hardy: This truly is a troubling tale. Hardy was doing extremely well on Smackdown (barring a clean loss to Zach Gowen), and he went over to Raw, ironically, to be with Lita. He started losing a lot of matches to the point where they started making it an on-screen story. Hardy turned face, and started the Kane rivalry. Even though it was horrible, it got him back in the limelight and he got a couple high-profile matches, including a win at Vengeance. Then Matt got injured, and the rest is history by now. I still think Hardy could do some good for Raw, should they ever decide to bring them back, if ever they do.
Impact: 6
Chris Benoit (2): The night after the 2004 Royal Rumble, Benoit joined Raw, and it hasn't been the same since. We started having quality wrestling matches every single week that somehow involved Benoit. The HBK series, the HHH Ironman, the Evolution tags, Benoit was the shit. He became World Champion in 2004 and managed to be even more over with the crowd after he lost the title. Benoit didn't do much this past year, and I think he'll be a welcome addition to Smackdown. But his almost year-and-a-half stay on Raw turned out to be quite a success.
Impact: 10
Shelton Benjamin: The first lottery pick for Raw last year, and what a pick. Benjamin immediately paid off dividends by beating Triple H two weeks in a row, followed by a big victory over Ric Flair. He then had a nice feud with Randy Orton that was cut short by injury, and upon his return he immediately became Intercontinental Champion. He just lost it now, but I think there are big things on the horizon for him.
Impact: 9
Nidia: Another great idea in concept that never fully came to pass. Nidia had just finished whatever she was doing with Jamie Noble over on Smackdown, so there was no need for her to be there anymore. They brought her over for the Women's division, but bless her heart, Nidia just wasn't that good. She was released later in the year.
Impact: 1
Rhyno: I liked Rhyno on Raw. Too bad nothing ever came of him. I thought his Tajiri team had some success, but they never got the tag belts. Rhyno was released right after Wrestlemania along with Matt Hardy, and made a return in time for the ECW PPV. I'll miss him, but I don't think he would have made such a big difference if he was still around.
Impact: 3
Edge: HUGE pick for Raw. Along with Kurt Angle, I consider Edge to be Mr. Smackdown. He had a shaky start, but since then has blossomed into an awesome heel. His work rate, mic skills and overall presentation have improved tenfold since he joined Raw. Hopefully, he'll be WWE Champion soon.
Impact: 9
Tajiri: Just like Hurricane, Tajiri had me scratching my head, as they should put as many cruiserweights on Smackdown as possible. Anyway, Tajiri had some high profile feuds on Raw, as he was involved with Evolution on a number of occasions. But he's only really seen as a jobber, when on Smackdown he was king of the Cruisers. He really seems out of place on Raw.
Impact: 4
Paul Heyman: He was just brought to Raw to further a storyline to get Kurt Angle on TV without wrestling since he was injured. Heyman ended up right back on Smackdown anyway.
Impact: N/A
Triple H: He was drafted to Smackdown and then immediately traded back. I think it was just a way for him to wrestle Eddie Guerrero one night, which was a cool sight. Since he never really appeared on Smackdown, I'm not making an impact rating.
Impact: N/A
Chuck Palumbo and A-Train: I'll lump these two together since they were both traded at the same time, contributed exactly the same amount to Raw (which was nothing) and were released at the same time. Both were extremely worthless picks. I would be interested to see how Custom Chucky P would have turned out.
Impact: 0
John Cena: The first pick to Raw in the 2005 Draft Lottery. I'm digging Cena on Raw already. He's got more leeway to say what he wants to say, and he already put on his best performance of 2005 in the triple threat at Vengeance (yes, I think it was better than the Judgment Day match with JBL). I'm excited for Cena to step front as the top babyface on Raw.
Impact: 8
Kurt Angle: Another dagger in the heart of Smackdown. It's nice to see Angle on Raw because now Hunter has to share the spotlight of the top heel on Raw. Angle can more than hold his own. He's already had two great matches while on Raw, vs. HBK and vs. Flair. I can't wait to see the Angle/Benjamin program.
Impact: 9
Carlito: So far, he has paid off huge dividends for Raw. He's IC champion, he had an exciting Cabana with the next pick, and tonight he's got Hulk Hogan on the show. Carlito is the real deal, and he'll dominate the midcard scene for the next few months.
Impact: 8
Big Show: Eh. I don't really mind his move over to Raw. It's good now that Batista's on Smackdown that Raw at least have a "big" guy. He already tossed around Snitsky, and I can't wait for him to toss around Chris Masters, Tyson Tomko, and the other supposed "big men" on Raw. Show has his place.
Impact: 6
Rob Van Dam: This all depends. If they keep going with this "I'm better than the creative team thinks I am" character progression, RVD will be gold. I can actually see them falling back to the old "Whatever" character, which I hope doesn't happen. The jury is still out on Van Dam for how big an impact he'll make the second time around on Raw.
Impact: N/A
[u]Here are the 5 stars who were just traded to Raw. These are all predictions, seeing as how they haven't debuted on Raw yet. So the Impact is all N/A.[/u]
Kenzo Suzuki (and Hiroko): His ass is fired, and I'm pretty sure her ass got fired too. I'm okay with that, because if they kept these two but still fired Haas and Jackie, I would be PISSED OFF!
Chavo Guerrero: Another head-scratcher like Tajiri. But when you look at it again, it makes a bit more sense. The Mexicools are going to take over as the top heels in the Cruiserweight Division on Smackdown, so Chavo comes to Raw. I think out of all the trades, he'll make the most impact. I hope he does stuff on Raw, and not just Heat. Also, the Kerwin White gimmick has a LOT of room for success!
Rene Dupree: A lot of people were pining for Dupree to end up back on Raw, so he could team with Grenier for La Resistance. But Grenier's on Smackdown now, and I fear that he and Conway will team up, and Conway NEEDS to go solo.
Mark Jindrak: He's gone. Can anybody say they'll really miss him?
Danny Basham: Danny was brought over so that Doug could get a singles push on Smackdown. I don't see Danny lasting very long either. I'm surprised he's made it through these releases so far!
So there you have it. Thirty nine times a superstar has jumped from Smackdown to Raw. Here is the order of how impactful each star has been.
1. Triple H - 10
2. Chris Benoit (2) - 10
3. Batista - 9
4. Shelton Benjamin - 9
5. Randy Orton - 9
6. Edge - 9
7. Kurt Angle - 9
8. Chris Jericho - 8
9. Christian - 8
10. John Cena - 8
11. The Rock - 8
12. Carlito - 8
13. Stacy Kiebler - 7
14. Matt Hardy - 6
15. Big Show - 6
16. Al Snow - 6
17. D'Von Dudley - 5
18. Val Venis - 5
19. Chris Benoit (1) - 4
20. Hurricane - 4
21. Tajiri - 4
22. Maven - 4
23. Test - 4
24. Lance Storm - 3
25. Rhyno - 3
26. Rico - 2
27. Ivory - 1
28. Nidia - 1
29. Rodney Mack - 0
30. Chuck Palumo - 0
31. A-Train - 0
----------------------
32. Paul Heyman - N/A
33. Triple H - N/A
34. Rob Van Dam - N/A
35. Kenzo Suzuki with Hiroko - N/A
36. Chavo Guerrero - N/A
37. Rene Dupree - N/A
38. Mark Jindrak - N/A
39. Danny Basham - N/A
Now to see who jumped from Raw to Smackdown.
Brock Lesnar: It made a lot of sense for Brock to go to Smackdown. His manager/agent, Paul Heyman, was the head booker of Smackdown at the time, so Heyman didn't have to go from show to show. Brock made a few select appearances on Raw right after he jumped, first as a guy who bought a ticket to get in, then as the Undisputed Champion the night after Summerslam, then jumping AGAIN that night.
Since Brock's been on Smackdown, he was the focal point of the entire show, either as a babyface chasing the title, a babyface champion or a heel champion. And during that time, he put on great match after great match with the likes of Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Big Show (surprisingly) and Eddie Guerrero. Brock quit the WWE after Wrestlemania XX, but it looks like he's coming back. Brock was the first pick up for Smackdown, and what a pick he was.
Impact: 10
Chris Benoit: Benoit went to Smackdown as the Intercontinental Champion. With this, he started the Smackdown Six (along with fellow jumpee Eddie Guerrero) and had some of the best matches that free television has ever seen. His streak ended with an unbelievable title match against Kurt Angle at the 2003 Royal Rumble. After that, Benoit was depushed HARD to the midcard, and just when he was about to make his climb toward the title, he went over to Raw.
Benoit's late 2002 run on Smackdown was great, but you can't forget how bad his 2003 run was (in terms of push).
Impact: 7
Eddie Guerrero: Eddie jumped with Benoit, and not only was he part of the Smackdown Six, he also got a tremendous character boost with the "Lie, Cheat and Steal" gimmick. I think his heel turn in mid 2003 was the most fun I've ever seen Eddie have. It helped him ascend to the top spot on Smackdown in 2004 by becoming WWE Champion. He had kind of a rough second half of the year as he didn't do much apart from feud with Kurt Angle. But 2005 has slowly shown Eddie's rise as one of the most refreshing heels on Smackdown. Eddie turned out to be a jackpot pick for Smackdown.
Impact: 9
Matt Hardy: Matt jumped to Smackdown right around Summerslam time, just after turning heel on his brother Jeff. This saw the start of one of the most refreshing gimmicks in a long time, Mattitude (or Matt Hardy Version 1.0). He took one of his weaknesses (his promo ability) and turned it into a strength. He took a rollup loss to Chavo Guerrero and treated it like he was Bret Hart in Montreal. And it worked. It's just my opinion, but I think Hardy got more over with this gimmick than he did in the many years he was in Jeff's shadow as a member of the Hardy Boyz.
His success kind of fizzled off when he lost the Cruiserweight title to Rey Mysterio in June of 2003. He took a clean pinfall loss to Zach Gowen at No Mercy that year, and then left to go to Raw to be with Lita. Matt can thank his jump to Smackdown for a resurgence in his career, and he ended up being quite a valuable pick during his time on Smackdown.
Impact: 7
The Undertaker: He left to chase after Brock Lesnar when Brock became exclusive to Smackdown, and Undertaker has been quite a mixed bag since coming over. He provided a veteran locker room leadership that was missing when Hunter went over to Raw back in July. But at the same time, he kept taking extended periods of time off and not doing much when he returned. He was supposed to "make" John Cena, but instead he went over Cena clean on PPV and lost to him very UN-clean on TV.
Taker returned in 2004 as Deadman, and didn't take a pinfall loss until three weeks ago when Randy Orton cost him a match against JBL. My opinion again, but I think Taker has done more harm for Smackdown than good. He should have retired a while ago, and hasn't really been part of anything remotely interesting since coming back as Deadman. If anything, he helps Smackdown gain some starpower. But otherwise, he wasn't that helpful of a pick.
Impact: 6
Crash Holly: Holly left to go join his cousin on Smackdown in a pretty cool angle on Raw where Bischoff thought Jeff Hardy was leaving, and sicked 3 Minute Warning on him, afterwards Crash revealed it was he, not Jeff, who was going to Smackdown. Sadly, that was the most they ever did with Crash. He started as a Cruiserweight, then became a MFer along with Shannon Moore, until he was released in June 2003. He died later that year.
Impact: 2
Big Show: Big Show was traded to Smackdown for four picks. At the time, it seemed like Smackdown got shafted, as Show didn't really do anything that remotely deserved to lose four picks. But then a month later, Show became WWE Champion, giving Brock Lesnar his first pinfall loss. And he did it in MSG no less. Since then, Show was treated with much more respect creatively than he was ever on Raw. He was a main eventer. With the help of guys like Brock and Angle, Show became a more well-rounded wrestler, and the booking catered to his strengths (literally) and hid his weaknesses by not putting on so long of matches. And Show got over as a dominating monster. His momentum slowly fizzled when he returned in 2004 as a face, but you can't deny that Smackdown did wonders to ressurect the dying career of Big Show.
Impact: 8
Johnny Stamboli: People may not remember this, but Johnny The Bull was originally on Raw (well...Heat), and was Hardcore Champion for a cup of tea. But then Stamboli unexpectedly showed up on Smackdown as a member of the FBI (maybe his contract expired?). I could go into specifics of some of the things he did, but in reality, he didn't do much other than get squashed by Undertaker. And nobody seemed to care when he got released either.
Impact: 1
Bradshaw: Bradshaw was getting a pretty sizable face push on Raw when he got a shoulder injury in late 2002. So inexplicably, he shows up on Smackdown in the spring of 2003 with a new haircut, a shaved face and reformed the APA. They didn't do anything really of note other than putting over younger teams like Bashams and the World's Greatest Tag Team. When Faarooq got fired, Bradshaw got a needed heel turn. But nobody could expect what kind of impact he would make.
Say what you will about whether it was deserved or not, but JBL was the top heel on Smackdown for most of 2004, and still holds that position today. I may not like it, but that's the way it is. The top heel on Smackdown was a pick that they got for seemingly nothing. Way to go, Smackdown.
Impact: 9
Rene Dupree: Believe it or not, the WWE had big plans for Durpee, as he was going to be Smackdown's version of Shelton Benjamin over on Raw. Unfortunately, it didn't pan out as good as it looked on paper. Dupree just wasn't ready for a singles push yet. After hovering around the U.S. title scene, Dupree was paired with fellow foreign flunkie (say that five times fast!) Kenzo Suzuki, and the team had a pretty decent run as tag team champions before dropping the belts to Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam. Since that time, Dupree has done relatively nothing and just went back over to Raw. Talk about the epitome of disappointing.
Impact: 3
Rob Van Dam: I always said for the longest time that a change of scenery would do RVD some good. Unfortunately, it didn't pan out as well as it could. Van Dam was his same bland, generic self over on Smackdown. It almost seemed as if he got less motivation, rather than more. He, like Dupree, hovered around the U.S. title scene, and like Dupree, he was put into a tag team, although he had a much better partner in Rey Mysterio, and the team had a lot of success together. Unfortunately again, Van Dam got a rare injury, and is still sidelined from it. RVD got a resurgence at the ECW PPV, and while I couldn't wait for an RVD/JBL feud when Van Dam returned to Smackdown, he got drafted over to Raw a couple weeks ago. So much for that, eh?
Impact: 4
Triple H: Doesn't really count, as he never actually appeared on Smackdown. He did have a match against Eddie Guerrero on Raw, which was pretty cool to see. I think he would have been a good fit on Smackdown, and as for JBL's long-ass title reign, of course, I blame Triple H.
Impact: N/A
Theodore Long: What a surprise Long turned out to be. After a failed run as a manager of Mark Jindrak (more on that later), Long became GM of Smackdown during the Summer of 2004 and has really found his stride as of late as a fair babyface GM. Since the brand extension, the turnaround of a Smackdown GM was pretty high, but I think Long has been the most successful so far, and doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
Impact: 7
Mark Jindrak: They shouldn't have broken Jindrak and Cade up. Neither man was the same since Jindrak was drafted over to Smackdown in 2004. He tried being a Lex Luger ripoff, didn't work. He tried being a lackey in Kurt Angle's stable, worked for a little then didn't work. He tried being a face, didn't work. Then he got drafted over to Raw and was subsequently released. Way to go, MJ!
Impact: 1
Spike Dudley: Spike had a pretty interesting outing on Smackdown. He came over as a face Cruiserweight, then got involved in a VERY interesting angle where he turned heel and became Cruiserweight Champion. But his run was a dud, and after he lost the belt at Armageddon 2004, he didn't do anything else until his release this past week. Well, it was fun for a couple of weeks.
Impact: 4
Booker T: Book really fits on Smackdown, I'm surprised to say. He had a nice heel run (even though his best of 5 with Cena was a dud), and he made a nice transition to babyface, and has stayed over even after disaster storylines like the recent Gutterslut story with Kurt Angle. Booker's even busted out a few new moves to his repitoire. He disproved retirement rumors by signing a new deal with WWE, so it looks like the Book man's not going anywhere.
Impact: 7
The Dudley Boyz: Another stale act from Raw that was shipped to Smackdown to try and become fresh again. They turned heel relatively quickly, and even won the Tag Team titles. But it just wasn't believable for the two of them to take orders from their much smaller half-brother, Spike. They took a creative vacation after Survivor Series, and got released before they could return. Sucks, but that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.
Impact: 3
Rico: Rico had his most success on Smackdown. They gave him a big push, and his matches were really entertaining. He breathed some new life into Charlie Haas (not literally, Charlie didn't need CPR) as Tag Team Champions. But Rico was released around Survivor Series time. Too bad though, he was really starting to find a niche over on Smackdown.
Impact: 5
Miss Jackie: She came over with Rico, hung out with the Haas/Rico team, then hung with Charlie, then was part of a stupid cheating angle, then did relatively nothing until her release. Shame too, she was one of the better looking Divas on the show.
Impact: 2
Jacqueline: Ugh. I can't believe I've forced myself to relive the horror of her first night on Smackdown. The horror. THE HORROR. I'm glad she's gone.
Impact: 0
Heidenreich: I can't believe it. I thought Heidenreich would be a goner on Raw, but he comes over to Smackdown, has a HORRIBLE feud with the Undertaker. And then I was SURE he'd be let go. But he's a face! And he's OVER! I can't believe it! Shows what happens to you when you're on a show like Smackdown then, huh?
Impact: 5
Johnny Nitro and Melina: So you've got a Tough Enough winner and a nameless Diva doing nothing over on Raw. What do you do? You stick a great indy worker like Joey Matthews with them and you turn them into a great tag team with female manager combination. MNM has been one of the brightest spots of Smackdown this year, and I love everything about them. The theme music, the paparazzi, Melina's entrance, the Snapshot. I hope these guys don't go anywhere for a while.
Impact: 8
Chris Benoit (2): Benoit returned home to Smackdown for the second (techincally third) time. It looks like he's not going to be getting the main event slot that he replaced (John Cena), instead he'll be patrolling the midcard, and most likely winning the U.S. title, which I'm okay with.
Impact: 7
Randy Orton: Orton has only been on Smackdown a couple of weeks as he's still rehabbing his shoulder, but when he comes back, he's got a bonafide rematch with The Undertaker, and an in on a title match with Batista (as Batista was the one who "took him out" the night after Raw). Orton fills the void of the upper card heel left by Kurt Angle, and is a good fit on Smackdown.
Impact: 8
Muhammad Hassan: Hassan has already paid dividends on his stay on Raw. He beat Big Show his first night, was part of a Championship match the next week, and now has a feud with Undertaker. More than likely, he's going to Summerslam to face Batista for the World Title in the nation's capital. This should be very interesting to say the least.
Impact: 7
Christian: He'd been saying for months that he'd do well on Smackdown, and here he is. There's a bit of a glass ceiling for heels at the moment (it looks like JBL, Hassan and Orton will all get title shots before he will), but at least Christian has broken free from Tomko and will shine on his own. A face turn might actually help his chances of making it to the top.
Impact: 7
Batista: A huge pick for Smackdown. He's 15 times more over than he was when he was the Deacon, and he's a champion. He's got JBL now, he'll have Hassan at Summerslam, and Orton when the Hassan program is over. Plus, he's the number one babyface on Smackdown. Not bad for a guy who was once Reverend D'Von's bitch.
Impact: 9
William Regal: Regal was one of the few people who stayed with their brand during the original brand extension. Not anymore. It's unclear whether Regal's a heel or a face at this point, but he should do well on a show that's getting back to wrestling now that Benoit and Christian have been drafted over. I'd like to see Regal in full-on heel mode, because it's been so long. He'll do well on Velocity (while they still have the show) and then should move up to U.S. title level, maybe as a challenger to Benoit.
Impact: 6
Steven Richards: Another guy who was always a Raw guy. No more Stevie Night Heat, it's now Stevelocity! I hope this bWo angle stays, because he was really over with it, and he can work the mic. The jury's still out on whether or not Richards will even survive this round of cuts, but if he does, I think he can be a worthwhile asset as a Velocity babyface.
Impact: 5
Simon Dean/Nova: Again, I hope this bWo angle is legit, because that means no more Simon Dean! I happen to be a big Nova fan, so if he hangs around, I'll be happy. Again, the jury's still out, but either Dean and Richards survive the cuts and stick with this bWo thing, or they fall under the knife. I hope the latter doesn't happen.
Impact: 5
Sylvan Grenier: Too soon to tell, as he hasn't debuted yet. I happen to think he's going to get cut.
Impact: N/A
Candace Michelle: Fire her ass. She's done no good whatsoever for the company. I want her gone. Now.
Impact: N/A
Here's the final tally.
1. Brock Lesnar - 10
2. Eddie Guerrero - 9
3. Bradshaw/JBL - 9
4. Batista - 9
5. Randy Orton - 8
6. Big Show - 8
7. Johnny Nitro and Melina - 8
8. Chris Benoit (1) - 7
9. Matt Hardy - 7
10. Christian - 7
11. Chris Benoit (2) - 7
12. Muhammad Hassan - 7
13. Theodore Long - 7
14. Booker T - 7
15. Undertaker - 6
16. William Regal - 6
17. Heidenreich - 5
18. Rico - 5
19. Steven Richards - 5
20. Simon Dean/Nova - 5
21. Rob Van Dam - 4
22. Spike Dudley - 4
23. Dudley Boyz - 3
24. Rene Dupree - 3
25. Crash Holly - 2
26. Miss Jackie - 2
27. Johnny Stamboli - 1
28. Jacqueline - 0
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29. Triple H - N/A
30. Sylvan Grenier - N/A
31. Candace Michelle - N/A
That's it! Boy, there've been a lot of jumps, haven't there?
See you next time! You can e-mail me at OratorBirdman@gmail.com
