The WWE Draft received a lukewarm reaction from fans with many complaining about some of the non-sensical draft picks and lack of genuine surprises (no, Mojo Rawley getting called up doesn’t count), not to mention the misbalanced rosters when you compare the rosters of Raw and SmackDown.
At this point it also looks like WWE will be splitting up the women’s division and the tag-team division, which will leave thin divisions on both shows which may get overexposed quickly.
On a positive note however, with all things considered the WWE Draft also leaves us with a host of other interesting possibilities, especially considering the fantastic Battleground pay-per-view that took place last Sunday. In this article I’ll be looking into the possible storylines following this week’s developments.
5: Heath Slater’s free agency
Heath Slater went unpicked by both Raw and SmackDown at the WWE Draft. The Draft show ended with Heath sitting alone in the locker room, dejected at not being picked in the draft with the janitor shutting the lights off the lights. Following the Draft, WWE sent out an interesting tweet hinting that Slater would be going to Evolve, in storyline, in a bid to prove himself.
This is something different from anything WWE has done in recent times, sending out one of their stars out to an indie promotion as part of a storyline. Heath Slater’s recent run in the social outcasts has seen him as pretty much just cannon fodder so this new storyline might be one last chance for Heath Slater to give his career a push.
4: Cesaro
Cesaro did not have a good night at the WWE Draft and looked a frustrated figure afterwards. He was the 28th overall draft pick and the 17th pick for Raw and he clearly felt devalued and his feelings came out in his interview afterwards. He clearly stated that he’s have preferred to be on SmackDown and was upset about the focus always being on the GM’s instead of the wrestlers who got drafted.
Cesaro also appeared on the WWE Battleground pre-show stating that even though he was one of the best in-ring workers in the WWE, he hadn’t even made the WWE Battleground card. This storyline clearly hits close to home for Cesaro who has repeatedly ignored by WWE management even though he has a very vocal group of dedicated fans.
Can a frustrated and bitter Cesaro finally rise to the top and put his failures behind him? Will Cesaro feud with Stephanie and Mick Foley in some way because he so clearly feels undervalued? Or could this be the beginning of Cesaro turning to the dark side again? Time will tell.
3: Could this be the beginning of the Balor Club?
Finn Balor had a great night at the Draft. He was drafted at #5 by Raw in the first round and is finally primed to make his main roster debut. The Club also got split up during the Draft with AJ Styles being drafted to SmackDown at #4 and Anderson and Gallows being drafted to Raw.
On the face of it, this might look like this is the end of The Club, but Anderson and Gallows have a readymade replacement in Finn Balor and the Balor Club might finally be coming to Monday Night Raw.
Something that casual fans might not be aware of is the face that Finn Balor was the founder of the Bullet Club in New Japan Pro Wrestling along with Anderson and Gallows at his side. With the Bullet Club connection, it certainly makes sense for Anderson and Gallows to reunite with the former NXT Champion as they bid to make their presence felt on Monday Night Raw.
The formation of the Balor Club could lead to a number of interesting feuds for them, whether they’re face or heel, and would establish Finn Balor as a main event player to be reckoned with from the very beginning.
2: Owens and Zayn have a ‘Loser leaves Raw’ match
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens have been at each other’s throats on the main roster since Zayn eliminated Owens from the Royal Rumble in January. Since then they’ve faced each other at every pay-per-view since Wrestlemania 32 either in singles matches or in combinations with other wrestlers.
Although last Sunday’s match at Battleground was deemed their ‘Final Battle’, this feud seems far from over. For the last month or so, Zayn and Owens’ animosity has had them brawling all over the place and even though Zayn won at Battleground, it’s unlikely that Owens will let this one go.
With them continuing to brawl uncontrollably on every show, one situation that might arise is that Stephanie and Mick realize the two have to be kept separated on different shows. They could do this by having a huge final blow-off match at SummerSlam between the former best friends, with the loser leaving Raw for SmackDown.
1: AJ Styles finally wins the WWE Championship
AJ Styles has been on fire since his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble. Some fans were concerned that Vince and Co. would bury him when he signed since he was the former face of TNA, but their fears have been more than dispelled.
Styles has been near the top of the card since his debut and he even has a singles victory against John Cena against his name. Even though Styles and The Club got defeated at Battleground, Styles has had a pretty good week with him getting drafted to SmackDown as the #4 overall draft pick making him the #2 pick for SmackDown behind WWE Champion Dean Ambrose.
With AJ Styles now clearly one of the faces of SmackDown Live, it is inevitable that AJ will win the coveted WWE Championship at some point, sooner rather than later. AJ has won championships all over the world but the one final title that has eluded him, the most coveted title in sports entertainment, the WWE Championship. AJ Styles as WWE Champion is something many fans wouldn’t have thought possible even as early as one year ago.
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