As a kid growing up, I spent a lot of my time playing video games, such as Madden NFL or NHL Live, and often I found myself far more interested in drafting and putting together a team, rather than playing an actual football or hockey game. Never mind taking over a preexisting team, I always wanted to jump into a draft, make everyone available, and start everyone from the same level playing field.
So what would happen if the same were true in the wrestling world?
Here at PWP, we had eight contributors get together on Facebook, and over the course of several days, we drafted our own promotions. The rules were simple:
- Current talent only. Male and female talent were included.
- 30 rounds. 240 people drafted in total.
- Part-time talent could be drafted, but only in a part-time role. No using The Undertaker 300 days a year.
- Snake-draft rules apply
- No roster positions requirements. Owners are left to decide how to construct their roster.
- No rules stating you must draft announcers/personalities. Each owner can decide if they want to add those roles.
- Tag teams/stables were NOT a package deal. Individual picks only.
Your eight participants, and their draft position, are listed below:
- John Dimiceli – PWP contributor, host of Beer & Money podcast
- Caden Moran – PWP contributor, host of Uncensored podcast
- Tim Bell – PWP contributor, podcast host on PWP
- Eron Ramadanov – PWP editor-in-chief & contributor
- Zack Heydorn – PWP editor & contributor, host of The Bottom Line podcast
- Bill Shannon – PWP contributor
- Casey Brothers – Longtime wrestling fan
- Chris Baker – PWP Contributor
In this type of draft, not only is it important to know the value of the available talent, but also to know the preferences of the people you’re drafting with. Here, we’ll examine each round, with full rosters at the very end. So who went #1? Let’s check out the picks, along with my analysis, and thoughts/strategy from some of the participants!
I can’t imagine that anyone is questioning the decision at #1 here – AJ Styles is worthy of a #1 overall pick in just about any discussion. All in all, not a ton of surprise in the first round, with some of the greatest talent in the world being picked in the top eight picks. Perhaps the biggest surprise came at the end of the round, while Matt Hardy’s certainly done some amazing work over the past 12 months, at his age, it’s questionable whether he’s a top-ten performer in the world.
Best Pick (according to Tim): I felt pretty sure Styles wasn’t falling to me at #3, but there was a bit of disappointment when Omega went right before my pick. That being said, Balor might have ultimately been the biggest “steal” of the round at fifth overall.
Worst Pick (again, according to Tim): I’d have to go with Hardy here, as with his age and his publicized desire to not work a full-time schedule, it’s tough to sell him as a cornerstone of a promotion. However, I have to acknowledge Chris getting two picks here, and had he reversed the two names, it’s likely nobody would have questioned him.
Tons of talent here in the second round, and as expected, it’s tough to argue with any of these names. Chris makes up for the age of his first round pick by grabbing Seth Rollins, while Zack grabs perhaps the most known name in Pro Wrestling in John Cena, and John grabs perhaps the #1 “part-timer” Chris Jericho. Ultimately, we were still overflowing with available talent at this point, and it shows.
Best Pick (according to Tim): Tough to pick out only one again here at this early point, but I was glad to see that Roman Reigns wasn’t punished for his unpopularity and was chosen within the top 15. It would have been easy for everyone to avoid “The Big Dog” based on the backlash to his perceived push, and instead Eron focused on his star power and talent and nabbed him at an appropriate time.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): While I’ve been at the front of the bandwagon shouting his praises for quite some time, #11 overall seemed awfully early for Braun Strowman. Make no mistake – I’d have been gunning for him at some point in this draft, but the second round feels like a massive reach.
Best Pick (according to Tim): Grabbing Orton in the third round lessened the blow of losing Naito a bit, however, it’s tough to ignore the fact that Ricochet might truly be the future of this business. A talent who can dazzle with every high-risk maneuver in the book, yet also has the look to incorporate a more tough, strong-style approach when needed, anyone building a promotion would be silly not to pull out all the stops to get Ricochet on their roster.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): In term of star power, Brock Lesnar is a no-brainer. However, after already selecting Chris Jericho, who always needs a few months off for Fozzy, Lesnar’s light schedule may be tough for John to absorb. While either Lesnar or Jericho are a dream match for AJ Styles, we’re still waiting for John to draft someone to have that long-term main event feud with Styles.
Best Pick (according to Tim): Lots of ways I could go in this round, and while I think getting Cesaro at #30 overall, even with all of his extremely warranted hype, is a steal, in an effort not to be biased, I’ll also mention John nabbing Asuka at #32. While Bayley and Charlotte are both phenomenal talents, Asuka may have deserved to be the first female off the board, so John being able to get her after two other female competitors had been chosen was great value.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): I don’t blame Zack for wanting to lock down Ricochet vs. Ospreay, I can’t help but feel that Ospreay was a hype pick at this point.
Female competitors continue to fly off the board with three more going in the fifth round, as well as the first half of a clear tag team being chosen. John finally grabs a talent able to match up with AJ Styles for a 6-8 month program, and Eron nabs the recent New Japan Cup winner Katsuyori Shibata.
Best Pick (according to Tim): Once again, I go to a pick that I was hoping would stand for one more round, only to see Eron take Katsuyori Shibata immediately after I stake my claim for The Young Bucks. Shibata is an absolute stud in any country, as we’ve seen with his ventures to Europe and even the United States for independent promotions. He’s a huge value at this point.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): Baron Corbin will be a real player at some point in his career, but I’m not ready to consider him a top-40 talent at this point. A bit too early for “The Lone Wolf” in my opinion.
This was the first point where, personally, I began to feel that the run on female talent had gotten a bit out of control, and was the beginning of the narrative which led to me not drafting a single woman onto my roster. Without taking anything away from Peyton Royce, Ember Moon, and Nikki Cross, the only reason I can accept for them being drafted at this point, ahead of some of the names we see in the coming rounds, is the scarcity of female talent. Meanwhile, we see John select another part-timer, this time The Undertaker, who even under our relatively relaxed rules, seems only useful for a handful of appearances. I went after my second tag team by selecting Chad Gable, while Caden selected Big Cass, and made it immediately clear that he would not be pairing the seven-footer with Enzo Amore.
Best Pick (according to Tim): I honestly believe that multiple people in the draft forgot about Jay Lethal completely, as it’s tough for me to imagine that he was available after names like Tyler Bate and Big Cass were selected. Also, “The Villain” Marty Scurll at #56 was a great value.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): Each round spotlighted here had a head-scratcher for me. I was just as impressed as anyone with WWE U.K. Champion Tyler Bate after he won the title, but I’m not sold on him being a sixth round pick. Likewise, without taking anything away from his in-ring talent, it felt incredibly early to grab Akira Tozawa at #52 overall.
In this segment, we see more tag teams beginning to be claimed, as The New Day, The Revival, The Briscoes, and even the feuding Wolves see one member go within these rounds. Zack grabs Enzo Amore, depending on his youth and charisma to carry him as a singles performer, while Eron prevents Chris from uniting the Hardys by taking Jeff Hardy. Women continue to fly off the board, with Candice LeRae, Gail Kim and Jade all being taken in these rounds, while I add one half of my third and fourth tag teams with Scott Dawson and Eddie Edwards. All I can do is hope nobody interferes with my plan, as at this point, I’d decided that rather than fight everyone for a decent women’s division, I’d instead forgo a women’s division and work on building an unbeatable tag division.
Best Pick (according to Tim): I wasn’t surprised when I didn’t get him, but I was very curious to see when Hideo Itami went. John getting him at #64 could seem insane if he’s able to stay healthy.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): I’d have to say Candice LeRae, not because I don’t find her to be hugely talented, but because I believe it was a pick based solely on the crazy run the other participants had been on in terms of female talent. Anyone who plays fantasy sports knows you want to be the one to start the run, not the one chasing it. I felt like Chris was chasing here.
In the tenth and eleventh rounds, we see Casey finishing off the first faction of the draft by grabbing all three members of The New Day, Eron grabs his longtime favorite Triple H, and we officially begin to see a true diversification of talent drafted from a host of promotions. Caden grabs Bully Ray after his ROH debut, and Bill begins to build towards the second stable of the draft in The Kingdom. I make sure I can have both Wolves, as well as nab Sanada from Eron before he can continue his run on New Japan talent.
Best Pick (according to Tim): Can’t lie, I think Sanada was a steal here. I consider him as talented as Tetsuya Naito, and believe that will bear itself out over the course of the next 12 months. Was thrilled to get him here.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): Nia Jax. The run on women has officially gotten crazy.
Casey stated early on that her goal was to create as balanced of a roster as possible, and it’s clear when we see her grab two competitors from completely different ends of the spectrum that she’s still working towards that end. First, she stakes her claim for the Authors of Pain with Akam, and then selects former Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann. Four more female competitors are selected, with Sexy Star falling much farther than she should have, given the names who have gone before her. I couldn’t risk missing out on completing The Young Bucks any longer, while John pulls off perhaps the most peculiar pick to this point of the draft, selecting Shane McMahon within the top 100.
Best Pick (according to Tim): Not trying to toot my own horn, but I again was truly amazed that EC3 had fallen this far. I know that TNA tends to give a negative connotation to all members of its roster, but Carter has been a rare diamond in the rough for that company, and in my opinion, never should have fallen this far. I could even make the argument that he deserved to be drafted ahead of Lashley.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): Taeler Hendrix. The ridiculous run on female talent continues. Hendrix serves a purpose, but these picks continue to validate my decision to avoid a women’s division entirely.
By the fourteenth and fifteenth rounds, people’s viewing preferences tend to begin to show. While many in the draft liked to joke Eron for his propensity to draft New Japan talent, Chris also showed an affinity to a specific company, as Brian Cage was only the first of a steady stream of Lucha Underground talent to make it to his squad. Eron picked up Roppongi Vice, while I snagged one half of The Uso’s, making them the fifth tag team I’d invested in. We also see some strong names from the independent circuit chosen here, with both David Starr and Sami Callihan going in this section.
Best Pick (according to Tim): While the uneven nature of WWE’s cruiserweight division may have some people forgetting what Cedric Alexander did in the CWC, he certainly should have been selected before the fifteenth round.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): I’m not a huge Eli Drake fan, but at this point in the draft, I can see him as a worthwhile value pick. The least valuable pick has to be Kurt Angle due to his health concerns, but John has proven to this point he’s not worried about week-to-week availability.
Best Pick (according to Tim): If his current free agency results in him taking his talents to a larger platform (NXT anyone?) Donovan Dijak may seem like a major steal at this point. Regardless, Dijak’s an immense talent and a great get in the seventeenth round. Also, Caden getting Emma at this point after the battle for women competitors is a great get, as long as she doesn’t convert back into “Emmalina”.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): John picks up another aging star, and while Goldberg may allow for a dream match or two on paper, until we see his performance at Mania, he’s still a two-minute match, at best. Also, seeing Emma go at #143 makes the pick of Liv Morgan at #124 seem awfully soon.
Best Pick (c to Tim): Matthew Riddle. The guy’s going to be a star, and quite frankly, I waited too long to get him, and was not too happy when Chris snagged him. That being said, I was also surprised someone like Rusev lasted as long as he did. And Kimber Lee at #167 again just makes me shake my head at some of the earlier female names selected.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): Tough to argue with many picks here, but I’m not sure how much Zack will get out of Ryback, or “The Big Guy”, whatever he’s going by at this point.
Best Pick (according to Tim): Aleister Black lasted longer than I expected, and was a nice pickup at #171. Also, I think the only reason I was about to grab half of TM-61 this late was because of the current injury keeping them off of NXT television for the last few weeks, otherwise they would have been selected much sooner.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): Take your pick: Eva Marie and/or Fandango.
Best Pick (according to Tim): Many people may not be super-familiar with him, but Jonathan Gresham is one of the best technical wrestlers in the world right now, so grabbing him this late is a great steal. Also, even if I can’t stand her, Natalya at #215 is a far better pick than many of the other female wrestlers chosen ahead of her. With the premium that was placed on women in this draft, Natalya lasting this long is criminal.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): Hey Caden, stop trying to make Elias Samson a thing. He’s not a thing.
Best Pick (according to Tim): Still lots of talent available, even in the final three rounds. Chris Dickinson is beginning to make a name for himself in Evolve, Heidi Lovelace just made her debut on NXT television, EVIL just had a huge showing in the New Japan Cup, and nobody was more excited in this round than Bill, grabbing Frankie Kazarian and declaring his plan to reunite Bad Influence. However, from an athleticism standpoint, AR Fox being a last round pick is a crime, which comes only from a lack of national exposure.
Worst Pick (according to Tim): John got some chuckles with his pick of “Mad Braddox” after the unfortunate events involving the former Raw GM, however, it’s unlikely Braddox would serve much of a purpose at all.
Final Rosters
John
Singles: AJ Styles, Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar, Sami Zayn, The Undertaker, Lashley, Hideo Itami, Jay Briscoe, Karl Anderson, Michael Bennett, Shane McMahon, Johnny Mundo, Kurt Angle, Magnus, Dalton Castle, Goldberg, Moose, Kalisto, Jushin Liger, Stu Bennett, Sheamus, Hernandez, Bram, Matt Morgan, Tony Nese, Mad Braddox, Braxton Sutter
Pre-existing teams: None.
Women: Asuka, Mickie James, Summer Rae
Caden
Singles: Kenny Omega, Bray Wyatt, Tetsuya Naito, Adam Cole, Big Cass, Bully Ray, Tye Dillinger, Cedric Alexander, Bad Luck Fale, Adam Page, Wolfgang, James Storm, Elias Samson, Homicide, Aron Rex, Heath Slater, Rhyno
Pre-existing teams: DIY, Guerillas of Warfare, Decay, Blake & Murphy
Women: Sasha Banks, Jade, Rosemary, Emma, Deonna Purrazzo
Tim
Singles: Shinsuke Nakamura, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, Cesaro, Jay Lethal, Sanada, Ethan Carter III, Hiromu Takahashi, Donovan Dijak, Dolph Ziggler, Rusev, Oney Lorcan, Mark Briscoe, Mark Andrews, JT Dunn, Chris Dickinson, EVIL, AR Fox
Pre-existing teams: The Young Bucks, The Revival, American Alpha, The Wolves, The Usos, TM-61
Women: None.
Eron
Singles: Kazuchika Okada, Roman Reigns, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Katsuyori Shibata, Tomohiro Ishii, Akira Tozawa, Jeff Hardy, Pentagon Jr. Triple H, Minoru Suzuki, KUSHIDA, Hirooki Goto, Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Juice Robinson, Mil Muertes, Kane, Gran Metalik, Killshot, David Finlay Jr. Tyrus, Yuji Nagata
Pre-existing teams: Roppongi Vice, War Machine
Women: Charlotte, Gail Kim, Santana Garrett, Alicia Fox
Zack
Singles: Finn Balor, John Cena, Ricochet, Will Ospreay, Baron Corbin, Enzo Amore, TJ Perkins, Colt Cabana, Drew Galloway, Sami Callihan, Apollo Crews, Ryback, Mustafa Ali, Jimmy Rave, Curtis Axel
Pre-existing teams: The Motor City Machine Guns, Breezango, The Hype Bros
Women: Peyton Royce, Ember Moon, Nia Jax, Paige, Liv Morgan, Eva Marie, Aliyah, Leva Bates
Non-wrestlers: Paul Heyman
Bill
Singles: Bobby Roode, Braun Strowman, The Miz, Tyler Bate, Bobby Fish, Andrade Almas, No Way Jose, Eli Drake, Punishment Martinez, Aleister Black, Erick Rowan, Lio Rush, Sawyer Fulton, Jay White
Pre-existing teams: Bad Influence, Sanity, The Kingdom, Tucker Knight & Otis Dozovic, The Vaudevillains
Women: Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Taeler Hendrix, Billie Kay
Casey
Singles: Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, Cody, Kassius Ohno, Neville, Luke Harper, Rich Swann, David Starr, Noam Dar, Jonathan Gresham, Jack Gallagher, Joey Janela
Pre-existing teams: The New Day, The Authors of Pain, EYFBO, The Ascension
Women: Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella, Veda Scott, Kimber Lee, Naomi, Carmella, Dana Brooke, Natalya, Heidi Lovelace
Chris
Singles: Matt Hardy, Seth Rollins, Zack Sabre Jr., Austin Aries, Kota Ibushi, Marty Scurll, Alberto El Patron, Pete Dunne, Michael Elgin, Trevor Lee, Brian Cage, Roderick Strong, Joey Ryan, Luke Gallows, ACH, Fenix, Matthew Riddle, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Cobb, Matt Sydal, Willie Mack, Chuck Taylor, Chavo Guerrero, Cody Hall, Aero Star, Eddie Kingston, Shelton Benjamin
Women: Bayley, Candice LeRae, Sexy Star
Who put together the superior roster? Let your voices be heard on PWP’s social media accounts!