The Wrestling Estate Fantasy Draft: Round 2

What if all the top wrestling companies in the world got together and said, “let’s blow the whole thing up and start from scratch?”

Eleven companies will then rise from the ashes, having a draft to determine how the best talent in the world will be divided up for the foreseeable future.

The draft will be conducted through email – 12 rounds. As far as the talent pool goes, all active wrestlers are available. Part-timers are usable, semi-retired wrestlers are not. (So Brock Lesnar and John Cena are fair game, Triple H, Undertaker and HBK are not.) For the purposes of this simulation, we will assume Roman Reigns does NOT have leukemia and Joey Janela’s leg is NOT broken. Some wrestlers can be taken as tag teams, but the caveat is that you have to use them in the same match.

At the end of the draft, we will also have a bonus 13th “legends” round, where you can draft one legend to appear on your show in any way you see fit. The only rule here is that the legend has to be in their present-day form, so you can’t get, for instance, Shawn Michaels from 1997. You won’t be able to draft Chris Jericho, though, as he will be able to appear on any of your shows without having to use a draft pick on him, kind of like as he does in real life, almost like a free space in bingo.

At the end of the draft, you will then submit a “2-3 hour” pay-per-view card to show how your talent would work together in your fictional wrestling company. We’ll run Twitter polls to let readers vote on who has the best roster and who created the most entertaining PPV.

The first-round picks can be found here.

John Corrigan
SHOOT
Draft Pick #12: Brock Lesnar
First of all, I’m shocked and appalled by some of these first-round choices. Adam Cole? Jay Lethal? WALTER!? Ladies and gentlemen, you all slept on the once-in-a-lifetime attraction, a multi-sport athlete, the only man to be NCAA, UFC and WWE Champion, the Beast Incarnate, my top star…Brock Lesnar.

Jenna Leigh
Sparkle Female Superstars
Draft Pick #13: Toni Storm
Toni, at 22 years old, already shows the confidence and ring awareness of some vets twice her age. That, coupled with her innovative offense and overseas training, makes her a unique asset that will benefit my company immeasurably.

Jack Goodwillie
World Series of Wrestling
Draft Pick #14: Pete Dunne
Shame on John for dressing down my Adam Cole pick. I read his Brock Lesnar pick entirely in his voice and was immediately in stitches. Anywho…my second-round pick all along was always going to be Pete Dunne. I’ll admit, I raised my nose to British wrestling for a long time, because let’s face it, English fans are the best-worst fans out there. I love their passion and their soccer hooligan chants, but they think every WrestleMania should be at Wembley Stadium and seem to travel in packs on Reddit (with apologies to our buddy Steven Jackson)!

All that said, I became the biggest fan of British wrestling after the first WWE United Kingdom Tournament, where Pete Dunne delivered one of the best two-night performances I have seen in quite some time. I call him the Draco Malfoy of wrestling, and he’s really anti-Adam Cole in a lot of ways. He’s neither flashy nor outrageous, but he does lay each of his shots in and has one of wrestling’s most punchable faces. The Bitter End is an awesome finish and his ring awareness and psychology for being 25 years old is off the charts. His selection doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be squaring off with Cole on my show, however. For me, this is purely a value pick, and when you factor in all the attributes that make him great in the package of a 25 year old with his best years ahead of him (plus the international flavor that I covet), Dunne could be ruling the world of wrestling by the turn of the next decade, and is an appropriate “King” to go along with my “Ace” in Las Vegas.

Team LeftJab
Gotham Championship Wrestling
Draft Pick #15: Sami Callihan
Another great fit for GCW is Sami Callihan. For the last few years, Callihan has been one of, if not the hottest name on the Indy scene. Unmatched intensity, great wrestler, great promos and plenty of attitude. A return to his CZW switchblade conspiracy days is what the fans would get in GCW.

Chad Gelfand
Professional Wrestling Association (PWA)
Draft Pick #16: Dean Ambrose
Since returning from injury, the Lunatic Fringe has looked rejuvenated and better than ever. Still in his early 30s, Ambrose looks to be at the top of his game on the mic and in the ring. He has also shown that he can thrive as a face or heel and that’s the type of versatility I want in my promotion.

Neal Wagner
Anarchy Wrestling
Draft Pick #17: Tommaso Ciampa
Nobody in wrestling today has presented more panic, chaos, disorder and triumph than Ciampa. If you want Anarchy and “crash TV”, I present to you The Sicilian Psychopath!

Steven Jackson
International Association Wrestling
Draft Pick #18: Zack Sabre Jr.
IAW is about contrasting pro wrestling styles and technical wizardry, and you won’t find a more technical wizard than England’s own Zack Sabre Jr. Whether it is singles or tag team competition, Zack can adapt beautifully to his surroundings and bring the best out of everyone he wrestles with or against. An international star who has honed his craft all over the world, you won’t find a better person to represent the UK in IAW.

Sam Gladen
Deep South Wrestling
Draft Pick #19: Jeff Cobb
He may be having the hottest year of any wrestler in terms of big wins and feuds. The newly minted ROH TV Champion will back down from no challenge and that’s exactly the mindset we want in Deep South.

Juan Bautista
Global Championship Wrestling
Draft Pick #20: Will Ospreay
The youngest Best of the Super Juniors winner and the first UK native to go all the way in the tournament, he is always evolving and can be heel or face.

Calvin Gibbon
Champagne Championship Wrestling
Draft Pick #21: Shinsuke Nakamura
Despite the tepid booking of the King of Strong Style as of late in WWE, he’s still the hardest-hitting striker and one of the greatest performers in the world of professional wrestling. When you erase his misuse from your mind, no one embodies the glitz and glamour of Champagne Wrestling more than Shinsuke Nakamura!

Anthony Mahalis
World Wrestling Syndicate
Draft Pick #22: Kazuchika Okada
Just watch his matches with Kenny Omega. I need no further explanation. I am absolutely stunned that he made it all the way back to me.

The third round begins Friday.