Roundtable: Fantasy Draft

Jack Goodwillie

Raw Selection: John Cena

John Cena may be a man without a show, but he has appeared on Raw more than SmackDown as of late and even at 41 years old, checks every box for a main event guy. Not to mention, he seems more confident on the mic than ever before. Add the fact that he’s shredded, growing his hair out a bit AND has a new finishing move in the works.

SmackDown Selection: AJ Styles

Ultimately, you need adversaries for your top guy; rivalries that you can revisit over time and tell a story with, as opposed to ones you think the fans are forgetting about, but don’t, thus putting the egg on the company’s face as Kevin Dunn and WWE do on a week-to-week basis. Thus, I plan on running Cena vs. Styles as long as it sells or as long as I can before both men’s bodies break down.

NXT Selection: Tommaso Ciampa

I need characters, and I need heels to challenge my top guys. John Cena is not turning anytime soon. AJ Styles can really go either way as the Sting of my promotion. Tommaso Ciampa, however, is a heel and will remain a heel for as long as those guys are alive and kicking.

Impact Selection: Tessa Blanchard

Impact recently invested in Tessa Blanchard, and if I’m building a wrestling show from the ground up, so am I. Tessa is a weight room warrior, and she is thiccccccc (I follow her on Instagram). Moreover, she is beautiful, strong, has a noticeable pedigree for this line of work, is improving all the time and has perhaps a better understanding of her character than any woman in wrestling not named Su Yung or Alexa Bliss.

NJPW Selection: Zack Sabre Jr.

Now, I did say I believe characters are prudent in wrestling, and of all the previously mentioned names, character and mic skills are not ZSJ’s strong suit. Where he shines is his uniqueness. A lot of people will look at his wiry build like it’s a bad thing, but I see a completely unique character in wrestling, and with proper writing and storytelling, we can make something of ZSJ yet (first thing I’d do is explain in storyline who Zack Sabre Sr. is LOL). From a technical standpoint, he’s done all he can do to prove himself. I’d love to see him work a Styles or Cena as a cold, calculated heel, plus his English roots could provide a great chance for us tap into that U.K. market.

Chad Gelfand

Raw Selection: Seth Rollins

JBL often said about Randy Orton that if you could build a “sports entertainer” from the ground up, that it would look like Randy Orton. Well, I feel that way about Seth Rollins. It’s rare that a wrestler has multiple peaks in their career, but that applies to The Architect. Rollins was on top of his game in 2015 before a devastating knee injury took him out of commission. There were doubts if he would ever be the same type of performer. Well, in 2018, Rollins has proven the doubters wrong and then some, reclaiming his title as one of the best wrestlers in the world today.

SmackDown Selection: Big E

With so much talent on SmackDown, it may be surprising that I’ve chosen Big E as my number one overall pick. But Big E has all of the tools, and as the years go on, I’m more and more convinced that if given a chance, he will fully recognize his potential. The New Day member has size, agility and power to go along with a charismatic personality. He’s also shown that he can hang with the best in the ring, recently having a great match with Daniel Bryan on SmackDown.

NXT Selection: Velveteen Dream

Speaking of the total package (sorry, not you, Lex Luger), Dream has all of the makings to be WWE’s top star at only 23 years old. What sets him apart from other great wrestlers on the NXT brand is his magnetic and mysterious personality that draws viewers in and makes you anticipate his next match. As far as his in-ring skills are concerned, Dream still has a lot of room for improvement, but he’s also shown that he’s still capable of putting on a great performance.

Impact Selection: Tessa Blanchard

I wanted to go with a “homegrown” Impact wrestler who is young enough to carry a division for years to come, and Tessa Blanchard fits that bill. Also, at just 23 years old, Blanchard has already shown off her immense talent and along with pedigree (not a Triple H reference), being the daughter of Four Horsemen member Tully Blanchard, she has what it takes to succeed and be one of the best in the business.

NJPW Selection: Kazuchika Okada

You have to go with Okada here – he’s the centerpiece of New Japan and one of the best, if not the best wrestler in the world. His charisma and in-ring skills are nearly unmatched, and any roster that has Okada on it immediately becomes one of the best in the world.

Jenna Leigh

Raw Selection: Finn Balor

SmackDown Selection: AJ Styles

NXT Selection: Tommaso Ciampa

Impact/MLW Selection: John Hennigan/Morrison/Nitro/Mundo/etccc.

ROH/NJPW Selection: Hiroshi Tanahashi

Juan Bautista

Raw Selection: Alexa Bliss

When it comes to the red brand, my pick would be Miss Five Feet of Fury. She is a reliable, safe worker and has a well-defined heel character. The beauty in building a women’s division around Alexa is that we haven’t seen her as a babyface yet. WWE has really only scratched the surface with her.

SmackDown Selection: The New Day

There’s nothing they can’t do. Kofi, Big E and Xavier can lead a tag team division or when they’re not wrestling, they’ll promote merch or do a YouTube show. These guys are just naturals at whatever position they’re put in.

NXT Selection: Adam Cole

Whether as a solo act or part of a faction, Adam Cole is a great act. Similar to Bliss, he is a natural heel. He’s also a very reliable worker who can suffer losses without losing heat or credibility.

MLW Selection: Jimmy Havoc

If I want to have a hardcore division, Jimmy Havoc is the perfect guy to build around. However, I can also build him up as a threat to the title. As a heel, he can torture the hell out of a babyface champion. As a hero, he can wreak havoc while chasing the villainous champion. There’s also a scenario where’s he is in the middle of the locker room, just giving hell to everybody.

NJPW Selection: Kazuchika Okada

Okada can be positioned as someone chasing the title or a dominant champion. He can adjust to his opponent, matching any pace. His credibility doesn’t decrease if he’s not champion. He’s another reliable worker that can help everybody improve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVTtJ0aOdw4

Steven Jackson

RAW Selection: Natayla

Since she debuted in WWE, my favorite female wrestler has been Natayla. Her wrestling ability is unparalleled in any women’s division and her legacy as part of the Hart family would be a huge boost to my company.

SmackDown Selection: Cesaro

He can wrestle, he can talk and he is like no one you’ve ever seen. Cesaro could easily have a company built around him. His peers respect him and the fans love him. He’s truly the whole package.

NXT Selection: Adam Cole

I was very fortunate to see Adam Cole debut for ROH back in 2010 and ever since then, I knew I would want him in my company. His swagger, his old-school charisma and his ability not only on the mic, but also in the ring, just oozes main-eventer. Much like Cesaro, he is one of the most complete wrestlers I’ve ever seen, and another guy you can easily build a company around, both as a babyface or heel.

Impact Selection: Pentagon Jr.

Sometimes before you see anyone do anything, you are attracted to their looks and with Pentagon Jr, his look is enough for me to think I’d want him in my company. Add in his hard hitting lucha libre move set, and you’ve got one unique asset on your roster.

ROH Selection: Kelly Klein

As you will probably imagine, my ROH choice is going to be the most difficult as I know the roster so well. Looking at what I have recently seen in ROH and thinking about building a company from scratch, it makes sense to have an antagonist to Natayla in the women’s division. Kelly Klein would be a fantastic antagonist – her amateur wrestling credentials, intimidating persona and intense promos would work perfectly against Natayla. Plus, it would allow her the chance to showcase just how diverse a talent she truly is.

Anthony Mahalis

Raw Selection: Seth Rollins
SmackDown Selection: AJ Styles

These two are the best wrestlers in the company, so this was an easy choice. Sure, you can make cases for Samoa Joe, Finn Balor or Daniel Bryan, but for my money, Rollins and Styles are on top.

NXT Selection: Adam Cole “BAY BAY!”

I’m not sure that I would say Cole is the best wrestler in NXT – that would probably be Ciampa or Gargano, but I love everything about Adam Cole. He is the biggest star in NXT.

I legitimately know nothing about Impact, so I’m just going to forfeit my pick.

NJPW Selection: This last one is a very tough call. I’ve only seen minimal stuff from New Japan guys like Okada, Omega and Ibushi. I’m going with Okada here just based off what I have seen. You know he could tear the house down any day of the week.

David Gibb

RAW Selection: Braun Strowman

The strongman act will never not be over, as long as the person doing it has a single ounce of charisma. I’d keep Strowman away from my title belts, but he’s probably the biggest eye-drawer in the business right now.

SmackDown Selection: AJ Styles

The Ric Flair of his generation in terms of ability to have worthy main events with broomsticks. You could easily build a territory around Styles prevailing against monsters of the month.

NXT Selection: Shayna Baszler

Baszler is the best heel at any level of WWE right now. People hate her, especially as champion, and she makes her opponents’ time in the ring look positively miserable.

MLW Selection: Salina De La Renta

Salina is 21 years old and somehow already one of the most confident, consistent performers in the business. In my territory, she’s the monster factory for Styles.

NJPW Selection: Kazuchika Okada

I mean, wouldn’t you want late-80s Ricky Steamboat in your promotion? In terms of ordeal, perseverance and fire, Okada is still the best in-ring storyteller in the world.

John Corrigan

Raw Selection: Ronda Rousey

I can slash the advertising budget and give everybody a raise by signing “Rowdy” Ronda. We get that mainstream publicity, that UFC rub and Joan Jett on the reg.

SmackDown Selection: Shinsuke Nakamura

He is the only man in WWE who makes me stop what I’m doing when he comes on screen. Nakamura has revitalized his career with that heel turn, becoming a demented, hilarious and extremely entertaining character in the process.

NXT Selection: EC3

Trouble, Trouble, Trouble, Trouble, Trouble, Trouble, Trouble.

Impact/MLW Selection: Sami Callihan

I can’t believe nobody has chosen the Worldwide Desperado. He remains one of the most controversial figures in all of wrestling, and steals every House of Hardcore show he performs on.

ROH/NJPW Selection: The Young Bucks

Have I been persuaded by Kelsi? Perhaps, but after recently experiencing their reaction at ROH’s Philly taping, I can attest to the hype. They’re the greatest tag team ever.