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By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor

The following article was published Sept. 16, 2006 in PWTorch Newsletter #932. This year's new Raw Roster Evaluation was published in last week's PWTorch Newsletter available online now exclusively for VIP members...

A reminder that these Annual Roster Rankings are based on my perception of how wrestlers are being pushed at this point, not my opinion of who should be pushed.

TOP TIER

(1) Batista (#2 on Raw last year#7, #13, unranked previously): A fading star who has by all measures failed to inspire passion for this brand, Batista just doesn't have the tools to carry a brand. Yet, he is pushed without a doubt as the top star of the brand. The one strength he has is carrying himself like a star, and that is important, but he hasn't delivered in the ring at the level of his predecessors such as JBL, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, The Rock, Steve Austin, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels, or his contemporaries such as Triple H, Edge, and even John Cena. On the mic, he's limited. His strength was reacting with subtle facial reactions to Triple H's plotting during the Evolution storyline, but it didn't carry over into a compelling personality once he was handed the mic in center ring with the responsibility of carrying a five minute, much less a ten minute, segment, as those in his position are required as part of this WWE formula. There's more to being a capable top tier player in WWE than looking the part and carrying yourself like you've earned the top spot. Fans pop for him because he does project himself as a star, but they aren't paying to see him or going out of their way to watch him. In his defense, perhaps no top star in WWE history has had such a weak roster and poor booking supporting him, plus he lost momentum during his injury hiatus. WWE management has lost confidence in his ability to be a franchise player, although they may not know why - because those in power in WWE tend to underestimate the requirement of actually being able to wrestle a compelling 15-25 minute match now and then that proves to fans they belong.

(2) King Booker (#9 on SD, #10 on Raw, #3, #8): Better than Batista, but still a notch short of having the overall skillset required to be a true top heel. He's entertaining, he's solid in the ring (although do any fans really have a passionate anticipation for any of his matches?), and he has been around long enough that fans see him as worthy of consideration as a World Champion. While he is solid all-around, he isn't spectacular, and as a comedy heel, it's a bit demeaning to the World Title's prestige. Having a second-tier comedy act on top is an illustration of the lack of depth on the Smackdown roster. He might be a reason to tune in to Smackdown for many fans - although there does seem to be a repetitiveness to the strengths of his comedy routine - but the rightful place for King Booker in this incarnation is not as the top heel of the brand, but as a top-of-the-second tier act that provides some comedy relief from the money-drawing feud at the top of the card.

(3) Undertaker (#4, #3, #6, #4, #3, #1): It takes bells and whistles to make it seem like he's around a lot more than he is, and it's done effectively. But the truth is, he's at the point in his career where he's not the centerpiece of the brand and can't be with his semi-retirement schedule. But a little bit of Undertaker is better than no Undertaker for a brand in sad need of credible tenured star power. Fans at this point see him for what he is now, and that is a novelty act, not a true World Title contender. He can keep being fed monsters like Great Khali, but his role is inherently limited. If they invest too much in him on TV, but he's neither on TV every week nor performing at house shows, it accentuates his part-time status.

(4) Chris Benoit (#5 on Raw last year, #4, #5, - (injury hiatus), #7): Scheduled to return to the roster for the new fall season, he immediately moves into the top tier. His effectiveness depends on his push. Can the writing team earn their money by coming up with a way to capitalize on fans' belief in him as a legit in-ring star and develop a compelling storyline that draws ratings? The writing team tends to focus on his weaknesses and just throw him into the ring, rather than take it as a challenge to figure out a way to minimize his negatives (primarily limited mic ability and, as it's called in the industry, "his Canadian personality," whatever that means) by celebrating his positives (his intensity, tenure, resume, credibility, ability to have what appears to be a legit fight). The reality is, though, he is aging, and he has shown a tendency to rely on a style from ten years ago dumbed down by pressure to conform to WWE's antiquated, scaled back moveset and the realities of aging and the schedule. No matter what, though, even a mundanely presented Benoit will outshine almost everyone on this roster. A feud with Kennedy could test Kennedy's in-ring potential. A tag team with Lashley could potentially give both a chance to play off of each other and draw out some personality. Even a babyface-babyface feud with Mysterio would be welcome, boosting interest among WWE fans who would consider that a dream feud.

SECOND TIER

(5) Fit Finlay (previously unranked): Brought out of retirement to be veteran savior of the inexperienced, anemic Smackdown brand, he has been a solid role player. But is he an effective no. 2 heel on the brand? That's probably overplaying his assets. He's a solid heel in many ways, and in the ring he is regarded as the anchor of the brand, but is a wrestler who takes pride in how he applies headlocks and armbars really going to connect with and motivate today's viewers to pay money to see his matches?

(6) Rey Mysterio (#6, #7, unranked/injured previously): Six months ago, he would have been ranked in the top tier, but it's difficult to name a wrestler whose elevation to becoming a World Champion was treated so apologetically on the air. The "underdog champion" theme was overplayed to the point that Rey was characterized as almost a disgrace to the heritage of the belt and a recipient of dumb luck and undeserved fortune. Rather than characterizing his reign as a revolution, as evidence that size doesn't equal might, as evidence of his fighting spirit and innovative strategy, the end of his reign was portrayed as "just a matter of time." Now, engaged in a disgraceful feud with Chavo Guerrero and Vickie Guerrero, he's no longer the fun, spunky, outgoing, athletic underdog, but a sad downer whose merely playing out a role that exploits the death of the best friend whose death he mourned less than a year ago. He's hardly the hero to kids and attraction to adults he was, thanks to misguided, disgusting, and baffling booking decisions over the last year.

Bobby Lashley [artist Joseph Borzotta (c) PWTorch]

(7) Bobby Lashley (new to Smackdown): The up-and-coming hopeful on the roster, but seems in a bit over his head as the no. 2 or 3 full time babyface right now. His promos feel uneasy, like a citizen speaking at a local city council meeting, not a sports entertainer who has something to say and an interesting way of saying it. In the ring, his time with Fit Finlay has brought him along, but nobody's calling him a natural or a sure-thing, but rather the best option available in a weak cast of young, in-development wrestlers. What do fans know about Lashley? Almost nothing. He's just a generic "cheer me because I'm cast as a good guy" babyface character. It's a glaring, poignant example of what's weak about WWE's character development compared to the reality presented on The Ultimate Fighter each week.

(8) Mr. Kennedy (previously unranked): A fresh face who's getting a solid heel push. But is there more to him than the initial ring introduction routine that put him on the map? While WWE management is banking on him to continue his rise, he could still turn out to be another Billy Gunn-type, who hits a ceiling in his development as an in-ring wrestler and overall character and seems oblivious to it. Does he have the in-ring skills beyond a basic mid-'90s mid-card style to sell tickets and draw ratings? There is nothing special about him. He's not particularly athletic. He doesn't have any killer moves. He's not particularly big or strong or intimidating. He's a plain guy who, like Batista, at least carries himself like he belongs. That takes you only so far, though. The next year will be make or break for him. Will he lay back and expect fame and a high six-figure income to land in his lap, or will he work hard to figure out how to stand out and be something special once that mic is raised back toward the rafters? Being given PPV main events or semi-main events is not success. Drawing domestic buyrates that improve upon last month's and last year's is.

(9) Chavo Guerrero (#10, #9, #13, previously unranked): A perennial bottom of the second tier level player, does live off of the Guerrero name and a past reputation of at one time being a world class worker. Now, appears to be collecting his paycheck and performing adequately overall. He probably overachieves in the charisma department, but the "he's no Eddie" comparisons have to sting.

THIRD TIER

(10) Gregory Helms: This is where the big dropoff takes occurs, as there are only eight wrestlers who are being given any kind of a legitimate singles push. There's an honest-sounding, but actually pointless attempt to push Helms as the longest-reigning Cruiserweight Champion of all time. It's pointless because the Cruiserweight Title means nothing based on years of being portrayed as, well, meaning nothing. Helms means little because his character is undefined, in the ring he's pedestrian, and on the mic he's directionless (but with signs of talent). He just hovers in this third tier, occasionally filling some TV time and house show match slots.

(11) The Miz (previously unranked): What made him utterly unbearable as a "host of Smackdown" and supposed babyface make him a potential money heel. Just keep being who he is, and what WWE fan wouldn't pay to boo him and see him get his ass kicked. There's definite potential here for the Tough Enough runner-up to Daniel Puder to break out. His MTV history and outgoing personality should help him get several chances to move up the roster.

(12) William Regal: Good for some funny facial expressions and a level-headed veteran presence in the locker room, but so many years of being portrayed as a jobber has cut off his credibility. Although comedy is one of his best personality traits, he can play it serious, too, and it might be worth a shift in his portrayal to see if they can get more out of him than this third tier role player spot. Given the roster depth here, he might rise quickly, leapfrogging Kennedy along the way. Not a long-term solution, though.

(13) Vito (previously unranked): A novelty act that, like Kenzo Suzuki and Heidenreich a couple years ago, defines the approach of the current booking regime. It's a one-note joke, replayed week after week creating a wrestling fans' Groundhog Day scenario, with JBL mocking him and Michael Cole defending him for wearing a dress in the ring. It's a gimmick that's amusing, perhaps, to ten year olds, but strange and boring to most everyone else.

(14) Tatanka (previously unranked): One of the big mystery hires of the year. What did John Laurenaitis see in him that said he was money? It was another hire that seemed to reflect a simple-minded approach to cartoonish wrestling characters right out of the early 1990s when garbage men, hockey thugs, hillbillies, and I.R.S agents were the flavor of the era. His "sore loser/complain to the ref" gimmick is better than nothing, but what's that really saying?

(15) Matt Hardy: Boy, has his stock fallen since the Edge-Lita fiasco. Before and during, he was seen as an underutilized potential top tier player. Since then, thanks initially in part due to slam-dunk character-assassination rebuttals by Edge and Lita on air and online followed by management's belief that he's "a nice hand to have hanging around, but nothing more," has marginalized him to a butt of JBL jokes about Hardy's junior high school obsession with his female followers on the Internet. In the ring, he's above average, but without the dynamic of his brother's old athleticism and without the credibility of wins that makes his offense appear credible, he's just a mid-carder filling a slot.

THE OTHERS

(16) Sylvester Terkay (an example of how clueless WWE is regarding how to try to take advantage of the rise of MMA in 2006; MMA is exciting, it's personalities are marketable; Terkay is neither)... (17) The Great Khali (at his best, he's a short-term, immobile, freak show; at his worst, he's an injury-prone, mumbling, mistimed move waiting to happen)... (18) Boogeyman (good for a laugh, not good for a match)... (19) MVP... (20) Sylvan... (21) Psicosis... (22) Scotty 2 Hotty... (23) Funaki... (Injured) Mark Henry...

TAG TEAMS

(1) Brian Kendrick & Paul London... (2) The Pitbulls (Jamie Noble & Kid Kash)... (3) Idol Stevens & K.C. James... (4) Gymini

DIVAS

Ashley... Jillian... Kristal... Michelle McCool...

MANAGERS

Queen Sharmell... Daivari... Elijah Burke... Little Bastard... Simon Dean...

DROPOFFS

JBL (#1, retired, now color commentator)... John Cena (#2, shifted to Raw)... Kurt Angle (#3, moved to ECW, then released)... Big Show (#5, shifted to ECW)... Eddie Guerrero (#7): Deceased... Orlando Jordan (#8, released)... Carlito (#11, shifted to Raw)... Heidenreich (#12, released)... Luther Reigns (#14, released)... Mark Jindrak (#15, released)... Kenzo Suzuki (#16, released)...

FINAL THOUGHTS

They lost JBL, John Cena, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Eddie Guerrero, and Carlito and replaced them over the last 18 months with Batista, Finlay, Lashley, Kennedy, and The Miz. No wonder it's the least compelling roster line-up perhaps in WWE history.

It's not just the talent that's weak overall, but the booking has been so basic, unimaginative, and dumbed down that it's impossible to imagine anyone who watches Smackdown is enthusiastic about the product - unless they're ten years old and don't know any better and like giggling at Vito every week and think stereotypical Native Americans are amusing.

There's not much of a tag team division, but if Kendrick & London were given an honest push with something amounting to character development, and if Kash & Noble were given unrestrained mic time every week with no writers involved, it could go a long way to filling a segment or two each week of an otherwise often bland, unathletic, or repetitive show.

There are so many cruiserweights out there on the indy scene who could add a spark to Smackdown and give it a strong identity of its own, it's a crime against wrestling that the McMahon big-man bias blocks it from happening. If there's ever been a reason to really give the cruiserweights a go, it's this thin roster.

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