Today in WWE History

[Hidden Blaze]

Everyday I'll post something from the history of the WWE and we can go over it and discuss it.

So today! March 22nd in WWE HISTORY!!

WWF(E) held their "draft lottery" between Raw and Smackdown during an edition of Raw from the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

This would be the draft where the GM's would draw names, we saw some pretty good draft picks during that draft and honestly was one of my favorite drafts they have done. If they ever do a draft again they need to do it this way, that way they at least get the same amount of draft picks and it's not like one roster loses like 4 or 5 people and only get two or so.

Any opinions on the 2004 Draft?

 

[Postman Dave]

Back when the annual draft was a big deal.

I liked the original version, everything seemed important at the time, even the title match on that show between Eddie Guerrero & Triple H came across as a rare and special event.

 

[Hidden Blaze]

Back when the annual draft was a big deal.

I liked the original version, everything seemed important at the time, even the title match on that show between Eddie Guerrero & Triple H came across as a rare and special event.

Exactly, now when they do it I just feel it's another Raw where stars are just changing shows where even that doesn't matter for the fact in two or three weeks you'll be on both shows all the time anyway. They just need to really fix things and make it seem way more important then it is. Go back this style of draft, make the brand split mean a bit more as well so that draft picks even matter.

 

[JakeYourBooty]

They aren't doing the draft anymore Blazy

 

[Fuji Vice]

What they really need to do is "draft" some people right to the unemployment lines.

EDIT: I'm looking at YOU Kofi Kingston!

 

[Hidden Blaze]

They aren't doing the draft anymore Blazy

Well if they ever did do it again, even if its a small if, they really need to do it 2004 style

What they really need to do is "draft" some people right to the unemployment lines.

EDIT: I'm looking at YOU Kofi Kingston!

Can we get Khali on that draft list? If so I'm down with a few possible people getting the boot.

 

[Fuji Vice]

Can we get Khali on that draft list? If so I'm down with a few possible people getting the boot.

Heh, you'd be surprised at some of the people I'd put on my list.

 

[Horrorfan_1986]

I still have the 2004 draft on tape in my basement. Looking back, the draft didn't do a whole lot:

Smackdown's Additions
Rene Dupree - Pushed for a few months before forgot about. Ended up being sent back to Raw a year later.

Mark Jindrak - Pushed on Velocity and briefly on SD, fired a little over a year later.

Triple H - Traded back to Raw.

Rob Van Dam - Failed to be pushed higher than the #2 midcard babyface.

Teddy Long - Short push as a manager on Velocity before transited into a long time GM.

Spike Dudley - Solid push as #1 CW heel. Fired a little over a year later.

Trades
Rico - Pushed hard as tag wrestler, fired later in the year.

Miss Jackie - Pushed as a manager, fired a little over a year later.

Booker T - Long time SD wrestler, pushed in all three divisions.

Dudley Boyz - Removed from TV later in the year, fired a little over a year later.

Out of the main draft wrestlers, Teddy Long was SD's biggest success. Not exactly a great thing. Booker T ended up being valuable though.

Raw
Shelton Benjamin - Good midcard push and remained a fixture on the show for a few years.

Nidia - Fired less than a year later.

Rhyno - Fired a year later after spending his year in a tag team.

Tajiri - Good initial pushed before being sent to Heat where he'd remain for the rest of his WWE career.

Edge - Biggest push of his career, future main eventer and World Champion for Raw.

Paul Heyman - Never ended up joining Raw.

Trades

Triple H - Already on Raw, so Raw just kept their #1 guy.

A-Train - Wrestled one match and eventually fired before the end of the year.

Chuck Palumbo - Fired later in the year.

The additions of Edge and Benjamin played big parts in Raw's future.
----

Really, the 2004 Draft should have been about helping SD after they lost their top 3 guys from 2003 (Show, Lesnar and Angle). Instead, they raped and pillaged it.

 

[Hidden Blaze]

Today in WWE History takes us back to March 23rd, 2001 when this was announced

STAMFORD, Conn., March 23, 2001 - World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWF) today announced its purchase of the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) brand from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS Inc.), a division of AOL Time Warner.

The purchase of WCW creates a tag team partnership with the World Wrestling Federation brand that is expected to propel the sports entertainment genre to new heights.

In keeping with the company's strategic alliance with Viacom, new WCW programming is anticipated to air on TNN in the near future. The possibility of cross-brand storylines and intrigue, however, may start as early as Monday night during WWF Raw Is War on TNN and the final performance of WCW Monday Nitro Live on Turner Network Television (TNT).

The binding agreement provides World Wrestling Federation Entertainment with the global rights to the WCW brand, tape library, and other intellectual property rights.

"This acquisition is the perfect creative and business catalyst for our company," said Linda McMahon, Chief Executive Officer of World Wrestling Federation Entertainment. "This is a dream combination for fans of sports entertainment. The incendiary mix of World Wrestling Federation and WCW personalities potentially creates intriguing storylines that will attract a larger fan base to the benefit of our advertisers and business partners, and propel sports entertainment to new heights."

"The acquisition of the WCW brand is a strategic move for us," said Stuart Snyder, President and Chief Operating Officer for World Wrestling Federation Entertainment. "We are assuming a brand with global distribution and recognition. We are adding thousands of hours to our tape library that can be repurposed for home videos, television, Internet streaming, and broadband applications. The WCW opens new opportunities for growth in our Pay Per View, live events, and consumer products divisions, as well as the opportunity to develop new television programming using new stars. We also will create additional advertising and sponsorship opportunities. In short, it is a perfect fit."

So today is the day that the war truly ended, the day Vince won and the wrestling world was changed forever. Up until this point they was two big companies, Vince had to try and make his show the best he could or else lose out to WCW. With WCW now out of the picture Vince was free to do whatever he wanted. Now we got TNA but truly it's not enough to make Vince scared and enough to make Vince want to try and make the show better.

So what are your feelings on the day WWE bought WCW?

 

[Wang Chung]

It was a sad day for me. I would etch Nito over Raw every Monday. I would flip over to see what was going on though. I just preferred Nitro more and found it more entertaining.

 

[Smart Marx]

Today in WWE History takes us back to March 23rd, 2001 when this was announced




So today is the day that the war truly ended, the day Vince won and the wrestling world was changed forever. Up until this point they was two big companies, Vince had to try and make his show the best he could or else lose out to WCW. With WCW now out of the picture Vince was free to do whatever he wanted. Now we got TNA but truly it's not enough to make Vince scared and enough to make Vince want to try and make the show better.

So what are your feelings on the day WWE bought WCW?

It was the saddest day in wrestling history. WWE ruined the true enterprise nature of the industry.

It was a sad day for me. I would etch Nito over Raw every Monday. I would flip over to see what was going on though. I just preferred Nitro more and found it more entertaining.

I have a new found man love for you. Nitro FTW.

 

[Hidden Blaze]

Yeah Nitro was my favorite also, it probably had to do with me being from the South and hell Georgia at that only 90 miles from the HQ of WCW, but I was always a huge fan of it and it would have been awesome if they won the war :laugh: I mean then I'd be in the same state as the Top Wrestling Company in the world, oh well WCW will forever live on in my heart.

 

[Wang Chung]

Hell I would have been happy with Vince keeping WCW around and shutting down smackdown instead or keeping and running it as its own separate company. I think things would have been better and used WCW to help his creative team pumping out good shows for both companies.

 

[Smart Marx]

Hell I would have been happy with Vince keeping WCW around and shutting down smackdown instead or keeping and running it as its own separate company. I think things would have been better and used WCW to help his creative team pumping out good shows for both companies.

The original plan was for WCW to be the babyface in the Invasion and they were going to win the angle declaring SmackDown! as their show.

It didn't pan out that way as first TNN refused to host WCW programming. Then the fans wouldn't get behind WCW stars so they turned heel.

After that things fizzled out due to the booking and Vince blamed WCW for that and turned SD! into it's own brand instead.

 

[Sabretooth]

WCW was just pure shit at the end... I mean come on