Source: The Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter
The ECW section of WWE.com is stating that after Rob Van Dam and Kurt Angle were chosen as Paul Heyman’s draft picks for the new ECW brand, anyone else from RAW and SmackDown were free to “jump ship to the new global ECW.” Whether or not this turns into a full fledged storyline remains to be seen. WWE’s creative team is already having trouble with balancing the storylines currently on RAW and SmackDown at the moment along with the launch of the new ECW brand, something we will provide more on later today. Speaking of the ECW draft picks, The Pro Wrestling Torch reports that many were under the impression that Kurt Angle was moved to the brand because it would reduce his schedule and give his body more of a chance to heal since he has had nagging injuries over the last few years. However, ECW is actually holding way more House Show events this summer than SmackDown. So that assumption doesn’t quite add up. Based on what is known, Angle was not happy with the decision to move him over to the ECW brand, but is willing to be a team player at the moment since the brand is under heavy pressure to succeed early on. Many feel everything will work out for the best since Angle has great chemistry with Paul Heyman.
WWE management is said to be very high on Bobby Lashley as a wrestler and feel he can grow into a higher position on the card. Some feel Lashley has a stronger chance of moving up the card due to SmackDown having a very thin roster as of late and many wrestlers going out with injuries. At this point, those within WWE feel Lashley has made some strong progress since his debut in late 2005 on the SmackDown brand and feel he will continue to progress by holding a secondary title like the WWE United States Title, a title he captured on SmackDown last week by defeating the now out and injured JBL.
