Everything Evens Out In The End

Now that all the names have been traded around, and ignoring any bodies that may not make it to their new homes or make it just to be released soon after, I seem to notice two directions things may be going.

First, I know a lot of people will claim Smackdown is dead now. Others will say that Smackdown is now free to make new stars. I am in the latter camp. In case you missed it, Smackdown lost both Edge and Jericho. That was the Smackdown main event at Wrestlemania. Undertaker does not work a full schedule anymore. Who are your top faces and top heels? The answer is that they will have to rotate men who they have been using in the upper-midcard recently, like CM Punk and Rey Mysterio. Jack Swagger will continue to be pushed. Too soon for him? That is another issue. You can now potentially see the rise of Kofi Kingston or Christian, who were drafted themselves. Big Show, hopefully, will not be treated as some guy's tag partner. Whether he ever wins a World title soon or not, he belongs closer in the title hunt. This should be fresh.

Over on Raw, John Cena now has fresh, or slightly fresh, heels to overcome. Jericho is back. Edge looks to be starting a feud with Orton. Edge is heel again so fast? Both of these guys know what it is like to lose to Cena in title matches. Sheamus has never been pinned or made to submit to Cena in a televised match. Batista is focused on losing to Cena three pay-per-views in a row. The other guys sent to Raw, like Morrison and R-Truth, will fit in nicely in the midcard for now. Their characters may fit well with guest host crap or other segments and storylines. I cannot picture either of these two faces winning the WWE title so soon on a show that still has John Cena, Randy Orton, and Triple H on the roster. It may not be really fresh once you think about it, but at least Raw is stacked with big guys.

Now for the second direction. It may not be mutually exclusive to what I just said. One may feed off the other in some way. Thing is, I feel the two shows may now be balancing out. Raw just gained some guys who can wrestle a good match and are allowed to do so regularly. Hart Dynasty? I cannot picture them being wasted. The WWE cannot be that stupid. I am sure they must allow those two guys to raise the bar a bit. However, Santino is still around too. Over on Smackdown, comedy gold may be heading there. Hornswoggle? Reunion with Finlay? New push for Finlay? It could happen. Smackdown lost Khali to Raw. That somewhat negates the idea that Raw will feature good wrestling. Smackdown will definitely help good wrestlers who have been broken a bit on Raw, like MVP. But will Raw do the same for the good talent it just gained? I feel, or want to feel, that it must. Santino will still be doing his act on Raw. I look forward to seeing how far Hornswoggle will go on Smackdown. Did I forget to mention that his favorite personal jobber, Chavo is heading there too? Yeah, that doesn't make me too hopeful for Smackdown.

Maybe what I am trying to say is more clear if you consider the Smackdown diva division. Natalya is going to Raw. From Raw, Smackdown gains Rosa Mendes, plus Kelly Kelly, who moved on Monday. Two women without real wrestling experience take the place of one woman with wrestling experience? Natalya is definitely a step up for the Raw division, depending on how they treat her. But Smackdown? Raw was the show for crappy diva matches and segments. Smackdown focused on serious action and better developed angles. Can you see how Natalya does not seem to fit into the past Raw landscape? Two eye-candy divas going over to Smackdown do not fit that landscape. Why? I think it is stupid. Outside of the two women already involved in the title feud on Smackdown, I cannot easily suggest who can step in after one of them steps out, based on wrestling credibility and current angles going on. How much longer will Serena be tied into SES? I can say that Rosa will be released soon, but how much will that really fix? Is Raw good now that Natalya is there? Is Smackdown bad now that Rosa is there? In some way, have things just been evened out a bit?

Overall, the landscape has been changed. You have to admit that. Fresh stars can be pushed on Smackdown to become main-eventers (again). Built main-eventers can now face each other in matches that should not be too hard to hype over on Raw. The bar may have been raised in some ways. This past Raw featured many good matches. That can be a new norm? I won't hold my breath. The diva division seems like crap. This is where the landscape was not really changed. None of the women moved have ever held a title in the WWE. None of them are consistently featured in title feuds. None of them have proper spotlight on them regularly at all. Nothing was shaken up. Am I wrong? Then again, why bother taking diva matters seriously? They are not the main draw.