This week in WWE, the very foundations of the company were shaken to the core by the events on Monday Night Raw, both the WWE Draft and the tragic events occurring just moments prior to Raw going off air, and the Supplemental Draft on WWE.com two days later.

Here Real World of Wrestling Editor IceChris and Lead Writer El Santolly present their views on the moves between Raw, Smackdown and ECW from the live 2008 WWE Draft.

Pick 1 – Rey Mysterio (SD) to Raw

IceChris – “Rey’s getting a chance here to move to the big leagues and show his high flying style off to a new audience. Can be nothing but good news for Mysterio. Obviously he’s still injured at the moment, but I’m positive that once he returns he’ll be back to his best.”
El Santolly – “I think moving to Raw is good for Rey. He’s spent his entire WWE career as apart of the SmackDown! locker-room, and now he has been given an all new platform to shine and showcase his talent. This should create some interesting match ups for the future that we may not have seen otherwise and is without a doubt a huge gain for Raw, no matter how small the man.”

Pick 2 – Jeff Hardy (Raw) to Smackdown

IceChris – “This move is probably a step-down for Jeff, having been so close to winning his first WWE Championship, but he’ll battle through and show that no matter where he is, he can still perform for his adoring fans. Considering a few of the later picks, Jeff has a number of wrestlers he’s got a history with, and expect those rivalries to continue on Smackdown. And who knows, maybe his first World title run will be the World Heavyweight Championship instead.”
El Santolly – “Jeff Hardy has proven he can hang with the ‘big boys’ on Raw and came very close to beating the dastardly Orton for the WWE Championship. Without a doubt, this is certainly Raw’s loss, I think it will only be a matter of time before we see Jeff Hardy burning it up in the title picture on Friday Nights!”

Pick 3 – CM Punk (ECW) to Raw

IceChris – “A step in the right direction for former ECW Champion, current Money In The Bank briefcase holder CM Punk. This straight-edge superstar is on a stairway to heaven, and it will no doubt end in title glory. Which title though? Who knows. Despite being drafted to Raw, his history with Edge may tempt him to cash the case against the World Heavyweight Championship in order to show who is better between the Straight-edge Superstar and the Rated R Superstar.”
El Santolly – “I think CM Punk moving to Raw is absolutely incredible for him. Monday Night Raw is considered the “A show”, so travelling from the land of the extreme all the way to the big leagues can only be in Punk’s favour. CM Punk has gained lot’s of fan approval during his run in ECW and is a former ECW Champion. Let’s not forgot he has the Money In The Bank, and could cash it in at any time. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Punk walking around with a top title on the top brand within the next few months.”

Pick 4 -Matt Hardy (SD) to ECW

IceChris – “An interesting move here, Matt Hardy currently holds the United States Championship, a Smackdown title, but has now taken the belt to the land of extreme, ECW. Matt’s declared several times that he wishes to be a fighting champion, well here he gets his chance to prove it against the superstars of the extreme brand of the WWE. It is no doubt a shame that Matt got moved moments after teaming with his brother Jeff, but who knows what the future holds for the Hardy Boyz.”
El Santolly – “This could be considered a step down for Matt Hardy, but that would be underrating the merit of the ECW roster. Now with the likes of Mark Henry, along with ECW mainstays such as the always viable Tommy Dreamer, there is still tons of competition on the youngest of the brands. This could be a blessing in disguise, as Matt still holds his US title, but now may have the opportunity to break the glass ceiling and come out on top as the brands leading Superstar!”

Pick 5 -Jim Ross (Raw) to Smackdown

IceChris – “The legendary commentator JR is virtually eponymous with Monday Night Raw. This move is one of the biggest shocks in Raw history, but can only be good for Smackdown with two legends of the sport in the booth.”
El Santolly – “This is without a doubt the most shocking move! It’s always hard to think about Raw without JR giving his legendary commentary, yet the Hall of Famer indeed wont be calling on Raw anymore. I think this can only be a good thing for SD! as Jim Ross is a WWE Hall of Famer and with Mick Foley by his side, it’s a fantastic fresh commentary team in place for Friday Nights!”

Pick 6 – Michael Cole (SD) to Raw

IceChris – “Michael leaves behind Smackdown after a nigh on ten year tenure as the main fixture of Smackdown’s broadcast team. This move is a definite step up for Cole, moving to the big time with Jerry The King Lawler by his side.”
El Santolly – “Speaking of shock about the JR move, what about Michael Cole!? JR is a staple of the Raw announcers desk, but as Cole himself said, he’s called pretty much every SmackDown! in the shows history. But he is not stranger to announcing on Raw, either. I think this move could be good, if only it gives Cole a chance to call live every Monday Night in his current form.”

Pick 7 -Batista (SD) to Raw

IceChris – “The Animal returns to the wilds of Monday night. Expect Batista to dominate the superstars of Raw in an attempt to win his first WWE Championship. Having shown his talent during his World Heavyweight reigns, its pretty obvious he’ll stand a good chance in achieving his goal on Raw.”
El Santolly – “I personally wasn’t all that shocked by this move. Batista has been a huge part on SmackDown! since his arrival there, after he went three PPV’s in a row defeating Triple H on Raw and becoming the Champion. He’s back on the brand where he started, and I think this is great for both him and the fans, as it allows for some fresh match ups. Also, a chance to truly reignite the Jericho-Michaels feud. I think it will be interesting to see how he and John Cena match up, considering it was those two men who switched brands as Champions and have dominated where they roamed.”

Pick 8 -Umaga (Raw) to Smackdown

IceChris – “The Samoan Bulldozer moves to blue along with Jeff Hardy, expect the history between these two to end in blows. Umaga has shown his strength and agility in numerous battles on Raw, and now gets a chance to destroy the Smackdown brand from within.”
El Santolly – “The Samoan Bulldozer to SmackDown!? Yikes! Every one on the brand of blue will have to watch out now, as when Umaga is on form, he’s near unstoppable. But will old grudges from Raw with the likes of Jeff Hardy and Triple H carry over to Friday Nights? We can only wait and see.”

Pick 9 – Kane (ECW) to Raw

IceChris – “The reigning ECW Champion moving to Raw is a shock. What will happen to the ECW Championship this Sunday at NoC? Will it remain on Raw, or move to Smackdown or return to the land of extreme? Whatever happens, expect Kane to utilize his size and strength to chase the World gold.”
El Santolly – “I cannot lie here. Seeing the ECW title not in ECW is going to be really weird. It was strange enough for the fact Kane was officially a member of the SmackDown! roster using the talent exchange to nab the third brands belt, but now he’s moved to Raw!? Where’s that talent exchange?! It seems weird, as Bobby Lashley was stripped of his title when moved to Raw last year, but then again; Kane hasn’t ticked off the boss just yet. But could this mean a talent exchange being dealt between Raw and ECW in future if his reign continues past Night of Champions?”

Pick 10 – Mr Kennedy (Raw) to Smackdown

IceChris – “Having run out of steam in recent weeks on Raw, a move to Smackdown was long overdue. Here Kennedy can refocus on the goal, which is of course winning the gold. The future is bright for Kennedy, and expect to be hearing about him for a while yet. He’s grown with his time on Raw, hes not as brash and cocky anymore, but hes still the talented Mr Kennedy………..Kennedy that we all knew was beneath the rough exterior.”
El Santolly – “I am somewhat suprised yet personally happy of Kennedy’s move back to SmackDown! I believe it is fair to say, that his impact on Raw has not been as great as some of us were expecting, and now that he is on the side of the people, returning to the brand that made him can only be a boost for him. I can see Kennedy facing some old foes, while gradually working his way back up the ladder.”

Pick 11 – Triple H (Raw) to Smackdown

IceChris – “Possibly the biggest shock in WWE Draft history. The WWE Champion has moved to Smackdown, meaning both World titles are on the single show. No doubt HHH will want to prove his dominance on Smackdown early, so expect a confrontation with the World Heavyweight Champion Edge sooner rather than later. If either lose their title this weekend at Night of Champions, I’m sure they’ll be quick to target the other, that is if they haven’t both lost their titles.”
El Santolly – “If it couldn’t have got anymore shocking than the moving of announcers, try this one; the WWE Champion! Triple H has been the top dog of the Raw brand since the original split, so seeing him in a SmackDown! ring every week is going to be something we’ll all have to get used to. However, I feel that Triple H will continue to dominate in his new land and continue to reign as WWE Champion for quite some time.”

In addition to the live Draft, there was also a Supplemental Draft, carried out on WWE.com on Wednesday. The picks were as follows:

Pick 1 – Mark Henry (SD) to ECW

Pick 2 – Jamie Noble (SD) to Raw

Pick 3 – Trevor Murdoch (Raw) to Smackdown

Pick 4 – Big Daddy V (ECW) to Smackdown

Pick 5 – Deuce (SD) to Raw

Pick 6 – D.H. Smith (Raw) to Smackdown

Pick 7 – Hornswoggle (SD) to ECW

Pick 8 – Super Crazy (Raw) to ECW

Pick 9 – Chuck Palumbo (SD) to Raw

Pick 10 – Brian Kendrick (Raw) to SD

Pick 11 – Matt Striker (ECW) to Raw

Pick 12 – Maria (Raw) to Smackdown

Pick 13 – Shelton Benjamin (ECW) to Smackdown

Pick 14 – Finlay (SD) to ECW

Pick 15 – Carlito (Raw) to Smackdown

Pick 16 – Layla (ECW) to Raw

Pick 17 – Kofi Kingston (ECW) to Raw