»Reported by Jon Minners of WrestleView.com

On Saturday, May 7, 2005 at 10:43 PM EST

Hey to the yo! It’s the Badseed…aka…JPMessiah…hitting you up with another Badseed’s Bottomline. There is a lot of stuff going on in the world of wrestling, so I want to touch upon each subject with this addition of the Bottomline.

Topics:

After Wrestlemania
The Draft
ECW Invasion
TNA and Chris Candido

Post-Wrestlemania Upswing

Wrestling has gotten really interesting in the past few weeks. Ever since Wrestlemania, I feel as if the WWE is getting to be hot once more. I am into every show like I haven’t been in a really long time. I just look forward to so much now, unlike how I was before Wrestlemania. This is great. We could see the WWE get hot once more. They are not there just yet, but they are close to getting there.

Batista kept the World Heavyweight title, beating HHH once more. I thought for sure HHH would take the belt back, but the WWE did the smart thing and went with the Animal, who if promoted right, could be the Hulk Hogan of a new generation. If Hulk Hogan respected wrestling and knew good business, he would enter into a high profile match with Batista and pass the torch to the young upstart who has captured the attention of many wrestling fans.

Speaking of Hogan, the legend and HBK had a great match and although they won, they elevated the career of Hassan to the point where he could eventually get a higher profile spot in the company, possibly fighting for the Intercontinental title or with the right champion, a world title shot. In fact, I would like to see the Arab American turn face and become a star. The WWE would be smart to play some positive press by having the Arab American show that he loves his country and was just angry over what he felt was resentment toward his kind, but changed when he realized that not everyone was that way. Maybe Kurt Angle could be the heel to turn Hassan or maybe HHH could do the job.

Shelton Benjamin is the man. His match with HBK was one of the best matches I ever saw on Raw in a really long time. He lost, but he showed why he deserves to be in the position he is in. I think Shelton holds on to the IC title for some time. I think he could break the Honky Tonk Man’s record and at least someone respectable will hold that record as the greatest IC champ ever. I think he is closing in on Randy Orton’s record as we speak. Now that I have a taste of Shelton vs. HBK, I think I want to see this match on a grander scale. The modern-day Ricky Steamboat needs to shine on PPV in a high profile match that doesn’t have ladders or other gimmicks. He has already shown he get the crowd started with his work with Chris Jericho. Groom this talent for something bigger. Teach him how to talk and we have a star that will go places. Ain’t No Stopping Me could be an inspirational term to millions.

Smackdown is hot again. I watch Smackdown with renewed vigor I haven’t felt in months. Carlito’s new show, the arrival of MNM, the John Cena era, more than one wrestler fighting for the world title, Heidenreich’s enthusiastic and fun face turn and the heel turn of Eddie Guerrero has renewed spark into a show that seemed lost when Smackdown lost Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit and Edge. The writers seem to really be doing something right with the Smackdown brand. They are caring about it again and maybe it is because now that Raw has a new home, they need to build Smackdown up to where USA or another network will want it when UPN doesn’t anymore. And to think they are doing it without the Undertaker, Dudley Boys or RVD.

HHH lost his match on Raw. Yes, he will still get his title shot. I am sure the tournament will grant the winner a title shot before the next PPV so that HHH can still get his shot, but it shocked the fans. Everyone thought HHH was winning this one. Benoit’s win gets some of his heat back he has lost in recent months when he has lost to Edge and HHH. It also made Batista more popular, because he got one over on HHH again. Everyone loves when HHH gets his. Finally, HHH is giving back to the business by losing some matches and possibly building some stars.

The Draft is Back

I have picked five guys from Raw and five guys from Smackdown who should switch brands. Here they are:

Edge: This makes so much sense. I mean, he keeps getting screwed over and wouldn’t it be great to see him get screwed over once more. Here is what is going to happen. He beats HBK next week and fights Kane in the finals. Lita turns on Kane and helps Edge win. Edge gets his title shot for the next PPV, but on the night of the draft, he gets picked to go to Smackdown. Because he didn’t sign his contract for the PPV title shot, he chooses to fight Batista that night for the title, using the contract he won in the Money in the Bank match. Of course, he loses the match and goes to Smackdown pissed because he was forced into the match with Batista and did not have the proper time to prepare. Teddy Long forces him to start from the bottom and work his way to the top. On Raw, Lita realizes her mistake with Kane and must find a wrestler to stop him as he goes on a rampage to get his revenge. Edge becomes a dominant heel on Smackdown and we see a series of great matches against Booker T, RVD, Rey Mysterio and John Cena among others. A battle with Undertaker over the perfect record at Wrestlemania could be the boost Edge needs.

Eugene: He is done with Raw. There is nothing for him to do there anymore. They pushed him down our throats on Raw and did everything with him. They need to step back, push him on Smackdown and let him rise naturally. He is a great wrestler and on Smackdown, they can repackage him a little so they make him fun, but less special. Eugene could be a dominant face on Smackdown and he could never be one on Raw with HBK, Batista and Chris Benoit.

Chris Jericho: He is in major need of a turn of some kind. We have seen the heel turn. We have seen the face turn. It is time we see the brand turn. He was on Smackdown once, but now, it would have more meaning. Tired of losing week in and week out, he comes over to Smackdown and demands a title match. We could have him come in as a trinity of terror with Edge and Christian or he could come in as a face at first and battle Eddie Guerrero for a little while before turning heel and going for his shot at Cena. Jericho is the man and his presence alone on Smackdown can renew interest in the show. How about a feud with Carlito Caribbean Cool over who has the better show could result in a series of spots reminiscent of Roddy Piper’s feud with Adrian Adonis.

Christian: He could get drafted to Smackdown via some shadiness. We all know he is going to be drafted so let him do it through some trickery to make it fun. His rap against John Cena could put him right into the top spot on Smackdown when he is drafted. The chemistry with the two would be hilarious. I would love to see the two go at it and when all is said and done, Christian could battle many of the other stars he hasn’t battled in some time while also possibly reuniting with Edge to battle the Dudley Boys down the road. Edge, Christian, Jericho and Eddie Guerrero would make great top heels on Smackdown.

Val Venis: This guy so needs a change of scenery. The fact that he was shown a few weeks back on Raw gets us thinking about him again, so when he is traded over to Smackdown, fans remember who the hell he is. He could go in as a heel. He was a very good heel. Heel power would be needed on Smackdown with the changes I am thinking of for that brand.

Big Show: So, he went over to Smackdown and held his own with Brock Lesnar, won the world title and became a big star again. However, he has gotten stale. His loss to Akebono made him look like a chump. I think he has fought everyone on that brand at least once. A heel turn and a trip to Raw could help Batista shine as a champ, much like Lesnar was helped by Big Show. Matches with HHH, Chris Benoit, Kane, HBK and others would be a lot of fun to watch, because we haven’t really seen them in awhile. Hey, a match with Hulk Hogan would just be fun to watch again. They were gearing up for that feud when Hogan left Smackdown the last time.

Charlie Haas: He needs to move over to Raw. He could be a great wrestler and his matches with Shelton vs. Benoit were hot once. Give him a chance to shine with great talent again and he will get a good rub again. A feud with Shelton would make perfect sense. A reuniting of the tag-team they had would lead to a great feud with the reuniting Rockers. There is a lot that could be done by bringing Haas over to Raw.

Hardcore Holly: Like Val Venis’ move to Smackdown makes sense, so does this move. They put Hardcore Holly on television for a reason. Hardcore Holly would fit on Raw. His look is perfect for matches with Chris Masters and is also good for a feud with Matt, the Tough Enough guy when he debuts for Raw soon. We remember their drama. Let’s reignite the powder keg. Holly won’t achieve much on Raw, but he will benefit from a new start and he would help other stars.

Kurt Angle: This has been a rumor for some time. It has to happen. Kurt Angle has been on Smackdown since the draft and he has made it all work, but now, he needs a fresh start. He needs matches with Benoit again. He needs to battle HHH. He needs to battle Batista. What about a battle with Shelton Benjamin with teacher vs. student? He needs to finish his feud with Shawn Michaels. Kurt Angle vs. Ric Flair needs to be seen before Flair retires forever. Angle is a hot commodity and one stint on Raw is necessary.

JBL: After being a wrestling God, he had a run-in with HHH, so obviously, he needs to fight him. He would be the guy to turn HHH face. JBL could unite with Angle and Randy Orton to battle HHH, Batista and Ric Flair. That would be fun.

ECW Invasion

This is how it should be. I think they need to invade both brands to set up for the PPV match. The Dudley Boys, Psicosis, Super Crazy, Sandman, Justin Credible, Lance Storm, Dean Malenko, Tommy Dreamer, New Jack, Rhino and others should attack wrestlers on both brands setting up former ECW stars that are WWE mainstays into battle with ECW stars, where these matches would take place:

Dudley Boys vs. FBI
Super Crazy vs. Tajiri
Rey Mystero vs. Psicosis
Chris Benoit vs. Lance Storm
Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko
Tommy Dreamer vs. Mick Foley
A reuniting of the BWO
Sabu (saving RVD from an attack) vs. Sandman
What else?

Real quick, before I go; I loved the all-cage match PPV for TNA. It was a PPV that really cemented the TNA brand as being head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to creativity. However, I was saddened by what happened to Chris Candido. You all know that I don’t care when a wrestler dies young (well, I care, but you know what I mean). I Only Feel Bad For Owen was probably one of my most controversial columns I ever wrote, but I also feel bad for Candido. He was always my favorite wrestler in terms of the regular guy who could still steal a show. When he fell apart, I announced some of his matches for USA Pro. To see him piece his life together again only to die doesn’t seem fair at all. He will sorely be missed. He was one of the last wrestlers who knew how to truly put together a match and make a star. The wrestling world lost a true star. Goodbye.