And the First Pick is… WWE Draft 2004

Colt Cabana asked me during the Art of Wrestling if I was “star struck” my first day in the WWE at No Way Out 2002.  While not truly star struck, I was more “awe struck” by my surroundings.  Anytime you go behind the scenes, how you see it changes – some might say for better, some might say for worse.  For me, it just changed everything.  And that seems to be the theme of the WWE Drafts.

On my first day, my very first two duties were to find Kevin Dunn and to make copies of the Sunday Night Heat rundown for Vince.  Like any good man in unfamiliar surroundings, I asked for directions.  I was pointed towards the production meeting room and meet Kevin Dunn.   He greeted me with a look I’m sure he’s greeted every writer who has ever worked there since the dawn of time.  I achieved my first mission of getting the rundown and now to make those copies.  And then I met enemy #2 of the writers… the copier.  Most enemies of the writers were beasts with jagged edges that if you got your hand caught in them, they’d devour you.  This copier devoured every copy I tried to make.  Finally success and I was off to my very first production meeting… late.

As I entered, I was greeted with stares and looks.  Yup, it was high school again.  “Who is the new guy?”  I handed out the rundowns and started to over hear what was being talked about.  The idea of the first WWE Draft was being pitched out to the agents (now called “producers”).  This just added to me being “awe struck”.  There was only one WWE (WWF at the time) to me.  I had seen what had happened with the invasion – one side was made to look inferior to the other.  But, again, I was the new guy who barely had survived battle with the copier and my opinion didn’t matter yet.  Read my first article to see how the first year of the brand extension broke down to sudden news here.

Fast forward to March of 2004, news breaks that Brock Lesnar is leaving WWE after Wrestlemania 20 and a new draft (called the Draft Lottery) is scheduled.  Losing Lesnar was a big hit, but we still had a pretty strong roster with the dynamic of Paul Heyman as GM.  The hidden element going into that draft was the health of various members of the Smackdown roster.

The idea of “anyone can be drafted” was an intriguing story and the “lottery” aspect made it plausible that big names could be drafted chosen.   The issue with the 2004 Draft Lottery was the moves weren’t that big.  Look at the the rundown of the draft here.  The biggest draft picks were Triple H and RVD to Smackdown.  Edge was still injured but his return to RAW was probably the biggest hit to Smackdown long term.

And then there was this pick…

Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin had made a reputation as the self proclaimed “World’s Greatest Tag Team.”  This pick was made to break out Shelton as a single star on RAW.  He was thrust into a star making situation with Triple H compared to Sting vs. Flair from Clash of the Champions 1998.  (See Shelton vs. Triple H here.) But years later, Shelton was never truly elevated.  There are probably hundreds of reasons but by watching that match back with Triple H, the people were hungry for new.

The whole draft show, carried by Heyman and Bischoff, felt like a huge edition of RAW. And it closed big with Triple H vs. Eddie Guerrero (which I believe is one of the only times they ever wrestled).

Both brands battled in a huge brawl.  Raw vs. Smackdown looking equal going off the air…

Triple H never showed up on Smackdown.   Instead, Kurt Angle walked out and announced himself replacing Paul Heyman (who was “Drafted” to RAW – only to quit).  Kurt was injured and needed a break from the ring.    Triple H was “traded” back to RAW for Booker T and the Dudleys.  That episode of Smackdown was unique because the first quarter hour of the show was the highest rated segment and then it dropped and stayed flat for the rest of the show.  That was not the normal ratings pattern for the show; most Smackdown shows saw the ratings build over the two hours.  This show, people tuned in to see Triple H on Smackdown, and they left when he didn’t show.

Over the next few months, Big Show joined Kurt Angle on the injured reserve.  The loss of Brock Lesnar, Edge, Kurt Angle, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Benoit (who went to RAW in Jan), and more left the roster in a rebuilding phase.  Who was the one character who stepped up and succeeded when most people didn’t think he would?

The transition from APA Bradshaw to John Bradshaw Layfield was met with a lot of skepticism.  Vince McMahon saw it, believed it and never wavered from it.  He pitched it the Tuesday after Wrestlemania 20 at the Smackdown taping in Boston, MA.  During my six years in WWE, it was one of the best character pushes of that period.  JBL took the new challenge and ran with it.  He took Smackdown and made it his show for the next calendar year.  JBL was the perfect antagonist to help build the new hero for Smackdown – John Cena.

Their battle at Wrestlemania 21 crowned Cena as the WWE Champion but it was their I Quit Match at Judgement Day 2005 that made Cena a hero.  They main evented that Smackdown only PPV and everyone knew from that moment that John Cena was going to be a top guy for WWE.  Sadly, it was the last main event that John Cena would have on Smackdown PPV.  Because the draft of 2005 “shook everything up again.”

The 2005 Draft changed the fortunes of not only talent but the balance in the brands.  Come back on Friday for that article.

David Lagana (@Lagana)

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