5 WWE Smackdown Draft Picks That Ruled (And 5 That Sucked)
1. CM Punk (2009)
It's amazing to think, considering how his WWE career turned out, but there were a lot of people resistant to CM Punk getting the call-up from developmental. It was only due to the championing of Paul Heyman that the Second City Saint was given a spot on the re-branded ECW.
After a good run on the 'C' show, Punk's career was given a boost when he was drafted over to Raw on the 23rd, 2008 draft. The Money in the Bank winner wasted no time making an impact, successfully cashing-in his guaranteed WWE Title shot on Edge the following week and becoming World Heavyweight Champion for the first time.
His run was something of a flop, unfortunately. Feuds and matches with Batista and JBL sought only to undermine him and he lost the title at Unforgiven in September, despite not being involved in the match (he was attacked by Legacy beforehand and replaced by eventual winner Chris Jericho).
It was obvious that, while on the flagship, Punk would be taking a backseat to the likes of Randy Orton, Batista and John Cena. With his switch to Smackdown in 2009, his fortunes changed for the better. His cash-in on and subsequent feud with Jeff Hardy over the summer was great, with Punk really shining on the mic and doing his part in high pressure pay-per-view main events.
He looked like a proper star, until some off-hand comments landed him in the doghouse and saw him stripped of the World Heavyweight Title in the autumn. He would slide down the card momentarily but recovered with the excellent Straight Edge Society, eventually clawing his way back up the card.
Regardless of his role, Punk was a bright spot on any Smackdown show on which he performed.
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