Bold predictions and big defections

There's been something that's been turning around in my head for quite some time now. When Jim Ross came in to sub for Todd Grisham on ECW, he made a very bold statement pertaining to Mike Knox. The claim: Mike Knox will be ECW champion by the end of 2008. The reason behind the claim: J.R. likes his strength, his demeanor, and his mean streak. It reminded him of some of the brawlers of old that have been champions with that style. Now, we all know J.R. has an eye for talent. I mean, this is the guy that helped green light Steve Austin, Mick Foley, the Rock, and Triple H as Talent Relations vice president. You have to believe that he is making sense when he says things like that, even though he no longer has that position. However, there's a problem with this claim. You see, Mike Knox has had some vignettes on WWE Raw television. At the end, the Raw logo popped up next to his name at the end. This is a clear cut sign that he will be debuting on Raw in the near future. So much for J.R.'s prediction...or was his prediction a sign of the move to begin with?

Let's face facts. Raw is still the flagship show of the WWE. Yea, Raw's quality is in question, but it's still the barometer for how wrestling operates. It's been around for 800 episodes, with some of the most memorable moments in wrestling history. To be part of Raw by debut or by random chance is still a big step in your career. The way I'm starting to see it: J.R.'s prediction might have been a sign that big things were coming for Knox, if not in the form of an ECW title run, than in a brand change where upward movement is a possibility. Maybe this isn't such a bad move for Knox. Sure, with the ECW title, you have one of the three major titles for the brands. You're guaranteed a spot on the pay-per-view at least. But a chance on Raw? The flagship show? This is big for Knox. Then, the rose-tinted glasses come off...

Knox's biggest problem with moving to Raw is that he is yet another WWE wrestler who is big, bad, powerful, and destined for a push due to his size. How many times has that been the case on Raw? Several. How many times has it succeeded? Few. So far, Batista is the only person I can think in which that has happened in recent memory. As for the others, not so much. Kane went from being an ECW champion to being in a Rey Mysterio feud that is starting to lose steam. The Great Khali is now doing a Kiss-cam segment on SmackDown, but not before he was literally obliterated on Raw by John Cena as he was traded there to fill in for an injured Triple H. Snitsky went from a dominating tough guy with awful teeth to a jobber to the likes of anyone half his size, including Santino Marella. Deuce has yet to be used on t.v. fully as he is the only remnant of his group that still works in the WWE, and Chuck Palumbo has been fired. You see the pattern? I hope so. Even though there might be a semblance of character to go with the power for each of these individuals, they have never gone anywhere further with it outside of the mid-card. Sure, Kane has, but that was about 10 years ago. Khali? He was world champion on Smackdown for about 2 months. Sadly, this is the category Mike Knox falls in.

You know what? This has actually been a growing trend when it comes to Raw, to be honest. Whenever the draft is finished, a handful of stars are sent to Raw with the belief that they have been promoted to the main stage. However, they are stuck in creative limbo either jobbing to make a debut or not debuting at all. Sometimes, if not most times, the people that do fall into this category are being drafted from a situation on another show where they were losing big time or were just not used. It's almost as if Raw ends up being the final resting place for your career because you've exhausted most of it elsewhere, but not for the better. In Mike Knox's case, he started out his career as a jealous boyfriend of Kelly Kelly's who prevented her from stripping on ECW. He would then be subject to all kinds of embarrassment through doing jobs and random attacks on his person. He then disappeared from the radar for most of the year only to return to ECW as a bad-to-the-bone grappler who has a beard as extreme as his demeanor. His losing ways would continue here and there up until the Raw vignettes started. Not the best start, which will most likely lead to a bad finish.

But, how could this be? J.R. just said that this guy is destined to be ECW champ before the year is over, not to say that it's impossible since he's going to Raw. This is due to the talent exchange the brands have in order to get ECW over. Still, J.R. just endorsed him. But, then again, he also endorsed the Miz and John Morrison as two men reminiscent of Mr. Perfect and Ravishing Rick Rude. I don't know about you, but that might be giving these two guys a little too much credit. Sure, Morrison does have a Rick Rude feel and look about him, but Rude was just a bit stronger. And Miz as Mr. Perfect? Not even close. So, there's a chance that J.R. could have said what he said about Knox just to get him over as a legitimate star. So, there is that possibility.

I don't know what the future really holds for Mike Knox, but he will be getting some serious attention in the near future. I'd keep an eye out for him. However, his being on Raw might not be very helpful for said future. I'd say he's earned the move, but who is to say that he won't get the Snitsky treatment? I'd also say that he's probably good for a possible chance at the ECW title, but with his track record on ECW already looking spotty, can he really be a credible champion? I mean, he already lost to Matt Hardy in a non-title match. I can only hope the WWE isn't short-sighted and knows what to do with Mike Knox. Otherwise, it will be another day at the office for the WWE with another big guy coming through to the big scene only to be dropped like a bad habit. I always saw being on Raw as a big step in one's career. I would have never thought that moving to Raw would also be career suicide, especially for ECW stars. I mean, they de-pushed both C.M. Punk and Kofi Kingston. The Sandman ended his WWE career as a Raw star with nothing but losses to show for it. Mike Knox? Well, I'll put it to you like this: if he's on the receiving end of a loss to say, Koko B. "Haas", stick a fork in his career! He's done.