10 Times WWE's Smackdown Brand Got Shafted

8. WWE Couldn't Put John Cena On Raw Fast Enough (2005)

Cena Smackdown 2011
WWE.com

While the 2004 re-draft was a mix of main eventers and midcarders crossing lines, the 2005 re-draft was exclusively main eventers and upper-card residents swapping. The very first pick of Raw's was Cena, the reigning WWE Champion and ostensibly the future of the company. Like Rock, why would they waste Cena on something WWE internally viewed as an inferior brand?

This isn't a complaint at all; WWE clearly viewed (and still views) Raw as the flagship show, and it only makes sense to put the would-be top star on said flagship show. It just speaks volumes of Smackdown's place in WWE's eyes that Cena couldn't be wasted for another second on that show.

This is mere child's play compared to another Cena entry coming up later in the list.

Contributor
Contributor

Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.