10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2005

10. 2005’s Draft Was Fairer To SmackDown

If you were looking for just three words to describe 2004's Draft, they'd be: 'SmackDown', 'got' and 'screwed'. The 'other show' was initially handed Triple H, but then Hunter decided he didn't want to work Thursdays and fancied sticking around on Raw. So, one of the bigger picks in the entire Draft was a total waste. Great.

2005 was way better for both brands.

John Cena jumped to Raw to become the poster boy, and SmackDown received the likes of Batista, Chris Benoit, Randy Orton and others in return. There was better balance to the roster separation on this occasion, which definitely hadn't been the case the prior year. Back then, it was blatantly obvious that SmackDown was the 'B' show next to Raw's 'A' tier status.

Admittedly, team blue did spend a few weeks in no man's land - Cena leapt to Raw on 6 June, and Batista didn't sign on with Teddy Long's show until 30 June. Being fair, WWE managed to mask that by asking who'd be joining the roster eventually, and by drip-feeding other picks like Benoit.

When binging, it was nice to see the show getting more love and being treated less like a secondary concern. SmackDown didn't get shafted like it did in '04, and the onus was now firmly on guys like Batista and Orton to fly the flag as bonafide stars on the level of others like The Undertaker or Kurt Angle. They'd relish that challenge for the rest of the year.

WWE can't say this often, but the 2004 Draft was a success.