 WWE Champion Triple H def. Mark Henry (Non-title; Raw vs. SmackDown Draft Pick Match)Kicking off the evening with the WWE Champion in action was a refreshing change of pace. Despite Henry having the size advantage over Triple H, he didn't come across like a threat at all. And it was a shame because Henry had been on a roll on ECW and would actually go on to win the ECW Championship that Sunday at Night of Champions. Rey Mysterio being drafted to Raw as the premiere pick in the draft set the tone for the rest of the night. Granted, Mysterio's Raw run was unspectacular, but it was cool to see him back after so many months. Finlay and Hornswoggle def. Santino Marella and Carlito (SmackDown vs. Raw Draft Pick Match)Yes, Finlay and Hornswoggle were actually a staple of SmackDown's tag team division for a time in 2008. Marella and Carlito looked weak in losing to the comedy duo, but Finaly and Hornswoggle needed to win this match considering they were challenging for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Night of Champions. Jeff Hardy going to SmackDown was a wise move because that would be where he would cement his spot as a main event player and finally become WWE Champion. World Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes def. Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely (Non-title; Raw vs. ECW Draft Pick Match)For weeks, tension had been teased between Holly and Rhodes, ultimately leading to their split at Night of Champions, but they were a pretty cohesive unit here in their win over Guerrero and Neely. If nothing else, Ted DiBiase appeared on commentary to further that feud as well as shamelessly plug his father's new book. CM Punk got sent to Raw with this win from the flagship show, and although he was overshadowed during his stint on Monday nights, he went on to capture the World Heavyweight Championship a mere week later by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase. Chris Jericho Attacked Shawn MichaelsLance Cade's explanation for aligning with Jericho was picture-perfect. I'm not sure many fans knew of Cade's ties to Michaels, so it was a logical pairing. Jericho was once again awesome here as well, though I would have waited a little longer to bring back Michaels so he could sell his eye injury. Thankfully, Jericho once again laid out Michaels in this segment, and it was interesting for Jericho to acknowledge that he had the choice (in his mind) of not defending his Intercontinental Championship at the pending pay-per-view. WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz def. The Hardy Boyz (Non-title; ECW vs. SmackDown Draft Pick Match)The Hardy Boyz weren't together on SmackDown for very long, as The Dirt Sheet Duo's victory here would result in Matt Hardy being drafted to ECW, but I loved how they reunited for one match before being split up immediately afterward. Did you know Morrison and Miz faced The Hardy Boyz, The Brothers of Destruction, and D-Generation X in the same calendar year? Can any other tandem in history say that? This was a ton of fun while it lasted and was one of the better bouts on the show. Women's Champion Mickie James and Melina vs. Victoria and Natalya Ended in a Double Disqualification (Raw vs. SmackDown Announcers Only Draft Pick Match)We went from one of the best matches of the show to one of the worst. Seriously, this was an absolute train wreck. The match itself was whatever, but it didn't last long whatsoever and the finish was terribly confusing. I realize they had to improvise due to Melina's legitimate injury, but it came off awkwardly and the double disqualification call by the referee didn't make any sense. What was the finish supposed to be? And for those wondering, Jim Ross had zero clue he was being traded to SmackDown for Michael Cole. His reaction here was genuine and he almost quit the company because of being embarrassed on national TV. John Cena def. World Heavyweight Champion Edge by count-out (Raw vs. SmackDown Draft Pick Match)Cena and Edge had always worked well together and had very good chemistry, so it wasn't surprising that this match was solid. As the World Heavyweight Champion, Edge shouldn't have lost by pinfall or submission here, so the finish with him getting intentionally counted out was well done. They also planted the seeds nicely for Cena vs. Batista down the line with Batista being drafted to Monday nights thanks to Cena's victory. MVP def. Tommy Dreamer (SmackDown vs. ECW Draft Pick Match)ECW was screwed over in this WWE draft. Then again, when was it not? It was already established by this point it was the C-show, so them receiving one pick in the televised portion of the draft was hardly shocking. Dreamer had been an enhancement talent for so long that MVP beating him was only academic. Tazz's reaction to all of this throughout the show was hilarious. Umaga had been so misused on Raw that him heading to SmackDown was for the best. Unfortunately, he was hurt soon after arriving on Friday nights and never fulfilled his full potential. JBL def. Kofi Kingston (Raw vs. ECW Draft Pick Match)If you thought Dreamer didn't stand a chance against MVP, how about Kingston facing off with JBL? I will say Kingston had an impressive outing here and looked good in defeat, so it wasn't a total squash match. That was key since he would win the Intercontinental Championship from Jericho that Sunday. Kane being drafted to Raw as ECW Champion was laughable if only because Bobby Lashley was stripped of the gold for doing the exact same thing a year prior. Team SmackDown def. Team Raw and Team ECW in a Tri-Branded Battle Royal (Double Draft Pick Match)As previously mentioned, ECW being totally shut out in this draft was both hysterical and sad, and they never stood a chance here. Almost every Raw wrestler was left until the end, and there were so many little things about this Battle Royal that hindered my enjoyment of it. For example, why would MVP attack his own teammate and cost his brand a draft pick? Why wouldn't John Cena and Triple H have helped out Batista before he was tossed out by Big Show? SmackDown needed this victory more than Raw, so they were the right brand to go over (other than ECW, of course). The crowd was flat for Mr. Kennedy's move to SmackDown, but Triple H going to the blue brand as WWE Champion was huge. Overall ShowPer usual, "McMahon's Million Dollar Mania" was held on this show, but thankfully the segments were far and few between, and not nearly as bad as the previous weeks. The episode ended with McMahon's own set collapsing on top of him, an angle that was never actually explained, oddly enough. There were a ton of newsworthy draft picks, but the build for Night of Champions suffered as a result. There was some hype for the pay-per-view, and at least there was the hook that no matter who moved where, the title matches remained intact at the event.
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