Welcome to another edition of STATE OF THE ‘E with The Scrum Sports! Today, I have a difficult task. I have an urge but, I don’t know how to go about it. As I write this, I’m still thinking. I have a list, I have a way and I’m going to complete this. What is this list? What is this task? Well, I’m going to go in the route of good old predictions! Basically, my thoughts on who gets left behind after the 2016 WWE Draft.
And you know what the sad thing about this is? Realistically, none of these people can afford to be off of TV for the long run or, more importantly, with how thin the roster actually is, the WWE can’t afford to have these people off of or forgotten about for too long. Unfortunately though, we all know that they pick and choose who they want to build based on our reactions, backstage presence and attitudes and not to mention, work ethic. If they don’t produce on those fronts, don’t expect them to get rewarded. And a few of them don’t actually deserve to be rewarded even though things are so thin right now.
DEAN AMBROSE (Smackdown): Yes, right now he’s the WWE Champion. But to me, he’s still just a place holder until they put him in a REAL feud that challenges his reign. Rumors have it that after he and Ziggler square off at SUMMERSLAM, he’s going to be put into a program with AJ Styles. If he survives that as Champion, I’ll be impressed. It’s been documented that the WWE is very high on AJ after his bouts with Jericho, Roman and then Cena. I’m expecting Dean to be pushed to the wayside within a couple months. He’ll be back to mid-card by SURVIVOR SERIES if things go how its been talked about.
BECKY LYNCH (Smackdown): Look, I really like Becky. Mostly all of us do. But, I feel like she was placed on Smackdown, along with Nattie, to make these new girls look good until they get their feet wet enough. I really hope I’m wrong with Becky because she deserves better than that.
BARON CORBIN (Smackdown): I don’t think he was ready at all. They brought him up way too soon in my opinion. His mic skills are sickly and his workrate seems to have dropped since the call up. I think they were high on him because he’s a big guy but, the more they see of him in the ring, the less we’ll see of him on TV.
THE BIG SHOW (Raw): With it now being documented that he’s winding down his career and him going on record stating that his final match will be with Shaq at WRESTLEMANIA 33, don’t expect to see him on TV really until bigger PPV’s roll around and obviously when WRESTLEMANIA rolls around. I don’t really think he’s going to make an impact whether he’s there or not but, he should be included simply due to his longevity.
DOLPH ZIGGLER (Smackdown): The man that can’t get his career off the ground. It seems like every time they put him in a main spot, either he messes it up personally or the WWE pull the rug from underneath him. I don’t really know what’s worse. I don’t expect him to be anywhere near the WWE Championship picture after SUMMERSLAM. I hope, like with Becky, that I’m wrong but, I don’t think I am and that he’ll remain a mid-carder for the rest of his tenure.
ALBERTO DEL RIO (Smackdown): I don’t really have much to say here. He’s unhappy again. He’s making it kind of known he’s unhappy again. I think we’ll get to see him in the WWE Championship picture if they’re serious about keeping him. I REALLY hope AJ wins the Championship from Ambrose in a couple months and they give us the glory of AJ Syles V. Alberto Del Rio. It would, in my opinion, be a fantastic feud. But again, he needs to last.
SHEAMUS (Raw): Former WWE, WHC, US, IC and everything in between Champion… and current on and off sidekick of Rusev. He’s getting TV time for sure but, he’s just a body right now. He’s a time filler until things fully get settled on Raw. He’ll never achieve the status he once had and with that, I feel he’s doomed to just be fodder for the next upcoming stars until he’s done. Much like The Big Show became.
THE GOLDEN TRUTH (Raw): These guys will be nothing more than comic relief until their careers are done. hey suffer the same fate as a couple other teams here. They’re just fodder for the team that the company really wants to build on. I don’t think they’ll ever be Tag-Team Champions but, at least they’re entertaining.
TITUS O’NEIL (Raw): I don’t think this man will ever leave the dog house after what he did and the controversy it caused afterwards. I think he’ll do what they want of him until his contract is done and not renew. If they give him horrible treatment, he doesn’t have to stay and it’ll be known what happens when spring cleaning comes around next year.
KANE (Smackdown): We’ve come to “The Devil’s Favorite Demon”… yeah, about that. The WWE has a new demon and his name is Balor. I expect a feud with them two at some point. And I expect that feud to be Kane’s final hurrah. I don’t know why but, I feel it. I know a lot of people won’t miss Kane but, I really enjoyed him and his character for what they’ve been for over fifteen years. It’s going to be sad seeing him finally go soon but, hopefully they do it right.
PAIGE (Raw): I think Paige is a victim of circumstance. She’s in a relationship with Alberto Del Rio, who’s not happy with the company. She’s been off of TV for undisclosed reasons but, she’s been known to have some backstage issues. She’s a former Divas Champion and NXT Women’s Champion but I think she may have hit that proverbial glass ceiling on what she can do in the WWE. With all of these new women there and with the company focusing on them, she’ll be hard pressed to capture that former glory she once had. It’s sad because she’s still so young as well.
NAOMI (Smackdown): I’m putting Tamina with her here. She’s got a cool theme song, cool shoes, great in ring work but, I think her personality and lack of mic skills are keeping her down. And again, Tamina is in here with her. And not to mention on Tamina’s end, they now have Nia Jax on Raw. Do you think they’ll have two women who look close enough alike on the different brands at the same time? Nope. Not by a long shot. And until either of these ladies can master charisma, don’t expect to see too much of them in this new landscape.
JACK SWAGGER (Raw): I don’t even know how this guy still has a contract. With how many people he’s hurt in his career, with how many missteps he’s had, with all of the crap he does backstage… I’m just confused.
THE ASCENSION (Smackdown): I feel bad for these guys. I really do. They never recovered from how they were treated upon their arrival onto the main roster when they came up. They never will recover either. Once you get it into the minds of the viewers that they’re Legion Of Doom ripoffs, they’ll never be viable. They’re really a great duo as well. They truly could have been a great tag-team but alas, they’re doomed to keep falling.
SUMMER RAE (Raw): I’m honestly glad we’re not seeing her on TV and that’s she’s not in any programs. I’ve never been a fan, I’ve never seen anything redeeming in her and hopefully she’s on tap for the 2017 Spring cleaning list. Please, tell me one thing she’s actually brought to the table since being hired. I’ll wait.
MARK HENRY (Raw): Pretty much look at what I said about Big Show for him. He’s gearing up for one final run and once he’s gone, will we truly notice? And just like Big Show and Kane, he’s here due to putting in so much time and effort.
THE SHINING STARS ( Raw): Oh boy… where to begin? They should have just left Primo and Epico alone. I know they were getting stale but, they could have changed them up without making them Matadores and then Puerto Rico travel agents. These guys are DOA and if rumors are to be believed backstage, Vince himself has really soured on the gimmick being used and truthfully, it’s kind of showing.
THE VAUDEVILLAINS (Smackdown): Really, you can kind of go partially where I went with The Ascension. They weren’t made fun of or compared to another team but, the way they were presented on the main roster really made them look goofy from the offset. They’re really hard workers but on the main roster, they’re just there for the other team being pushed to look good.
ALICIA FOX (Raw): Has she even been mentioned since the Draft? Nope. As of this writing, it’s been three weeks. I’m sure they have something up their sleeve for her. Right? Right? I mean, she is a “Total Diva” so… maybe we’ll be seeing more of her soon?
CURTIS AXEL (Raw): This man is the son of a complete legend and Hall Of Famer. He helps get all of the returning part-timers back into ring shape when they decide to show up again. He’s given so much time and energy to this company that you’d think they’d give him some actual time to shine. Get rid of the dumb name, let him be who he can be and just let him really go. I’m sure the fans would love it.
And there you have it. I’m sure I left out a couple people in maybe your eyes but, this is just a prediction of people that will become obsolete in the very near future. If they’re not obsolete already. Thanks for reading and see you next week for another go round when I bring you my “TOP 10 SUMMERSLAM MATCHES”!!
