Well, the WWE draft is upon us next week. It used to be a big night, with superstars who genuinely hadn’t appeared on the other show in far too long being traded. These days however, there’s a number of superstars who’ve appeared on both shows so much I’ve forgotten what brand they’re on. But the draft can still be a big deal, if John Cena jumps ship to Smackdown.
There is some value left in the draft. As much as we’ll see Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger weekly on Raw, by rights they are still Smackdown superstars, and can only compete for the Smackdown championship. Last weeks Raw saw John Cena, Randy Orton, R-Truth, Dolph Ziggler and John Morrison all come out and make their case to face The Miz at Extreme Rules.
But there’s a problem I’ve had with the two rosters for quite some time. John Cena and Randy Orton are on the same show. And quite frankly it’s killing them both. As much as through the back end of last year it was refreshing to see Cena in a non-title feud with Wade Barrett, they’re always going to be top of the list every time they need to establish a new number one contender. And, as we saw in the Royal Rumble in January, nobody wants to see any more confrontations from the pair for a very, very long time.
The good thing is that I’m convinced that, now Edge has retired, one has to move. Not only are they getting in each others way on Raw, but there’s a number one baby face spot on Smackdown that can’t be filled by anyone else. Christian is good, but he’s been under-utilised for so long it might be difficult to take if they forced him into that role. Mysterio could, but given his age, and the state of his body it would only be a short term fix. Triple H and Undertaker don’t wrestle enough.
So, Cena or Orton? Orton is the obvious choice – and it’s one I’m leaning to. Cena is the face of the company, and Orton’s character has been struggling big time since he’s turned baby face. Not only because he’s not the most natural baby face, but he’s had no room to breathe on Raw. In a number one program he might work, but again, Cena is getting in his way.
But what about Cena? Since The Rock came back two months ago, Cena’s character is being despised more and more. And it’s not mega bad guy heat either, it’s heat because the kids like him. It’s an odd dynamic, and I think while he’s on Raw he’s going to be stuck in the same rut. Shift him to Smackdown, even if it was for only a year. Bounce him off Del Rio – a guy who could genuinely beat him, bounce him off a guy like Jack Swagger. A Cena-less Raw would be a breath of fresh air, and Smackdown would feel so much stronger with him.
It’s a perfect fit. The talent on Raw would have so much more space to expose themselves without being in Cena’s shadow. And Smackdown would get the big baby face to replace Edge. The more I write it the more it makes perfect sense to me, I just get the feeling Vince won’t have the balls the go through with it. It’s not to say Orton is a bad trade-off, but Cena would be the bigger deal. It would make waves across the board. It’s a win-win situation.
So, my question for this weeks column is – Cena or Orton? Tweet either name to @bobbybamber, followed by your reasons – I’d love to get a feel for what you WrestleZone readers are feeling. Alternatively, you can email me at [email protected].
