The Wrestling Estate Fantasy Draft: Round 7

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.
The second-round picks can be found here.
The third-round picks can be found here.
The fourth-round picks can be found here.
The fifth-round picks can be found here.
The sixth-round picks can be found here.

Anthony Mahalis
World Wrestling Syndicate
Draft Pick #67: Finn Balor
It would just be stupid to keep letting this man linger. We already saw what he could do when he became the first Universal Champion. It is a shame that WWE has mismanaged him since he has come back from his injury, but we will fix that.

Calvin Gibbon
Champagne Championship Wrestling
Draft Pick #68: John Cena
The biggest name in professional wrestling for the last 15 years and arguably one of, if not the greatest of all time, John Cena has become this generation’s Hulk Hogan and he did it with class. Although his days of being a top guy are numbered, “Big Match” John has a few more left in him. Champagne Wrestling is proud to have John Cena as part of our roster – his experience and passion for wrestling will add credibility and the type of global attraction we need.

Juan Bautista
Global Championship Wrestling
Draft Pick #69: Alexa Bliss
One of the top five women in WWE. She’s a great heel with untapped potential as a babyface.

Sam Gladen
Deep South Wrestling
Draft Pick #70: “The National Treasure” Nick Aldis
The NWA World Heavyweight Champion brings 70 years of history along with him as well as a killer look and solid move set in the ring.

Steven Jackson
International Association Wrestling
Draft Pick #71: Reo Hazuki
Coming through the STARDOM system, Reo Hazuki is a fantastic prospect in the pro wrestling industry. At 21 years old, she is just at the tip of a huge iceberg in regards to her talent. Brilliant stage presence and great technical ability make her another perfect addition to IAW.

Neal Wagner
Anarchy Wrestling
Draft Pick #72: The Bar
Need to build up the tag division and give The Young Bucks some competition. Besides just remember, they don’t just set the bar…THEY ARE THE BAR!

Chad Gelfand
Professional Wrestling Association (PWA)
Draft Pick #73: Rusev
It’s Rusev Day! The Bulgarian Brute has never fully been able to realize his main event potential in WWE, but that will all change once he joins PWA. Rusev has the charisma and in-ring ability to be a top guy and in PWA he’ll get that chance to become one.

Team LeftJab
Gotham Championship Wrestling
Draft Pick #74: MJF
One of the most charismatic wrestlers on the indy scene and one of the best heels in wrestling today. MJF has it all including the ability to make a crowd boo him relentlessly or cheer him at the end for a show stealing match.

Jack Goodwillie
World Series of Wrestling
Draft Pick #75: Andrade Cien Almas
Two words: EL. IDOLO!!!!! Las Vegas is a tourist destination and I need a Mexican star for tourists south of the border to throw their weight behind. I really don’t know why Almas hasn’t caught on with the SmackDown audience yet. Of course, it’s not like he’s had the support of the writers to book him in meaningful spots and storylines, so you have to give him a pass. That said, Almas’ loss is my gain. If this draft happened back in Summer 2017, Almas would have been a top-30, maybe even top-20 pick. He is only 29, oozes charisma and is the perfect storm for what WWE looks for in a Mexican star: Young, good looking, good worker, not named Alberto Del Rio, you know, the essentials.

I remember Dave Meltzer saying shortly after his debut without the mask (he wrestled under a mask as La Sombra in CMLL) that he was a better talent with the mask on. Unlike John, I love Dave and admire his work and sometimes even his opinions, but after hearing that, my thought became, “I’ll have whatever he’s smoking.” This dude is HANDSOME. Maybe even objectively the handsomest man in the entire company, and certainly not the type to be confined to a mask. I don’t know if he’ll be King of the Strip right off the bat, but his intangibles will always make him a candidate to carry the strap if I need him to, and it’ll be fun to see how El Idolo’s style meshes with the ground n pound of a guy like Pete Dunne or the athleticism of a Matthew Riddle.

Jenna Leigh
Sparkle Female Superstars
Draft Pick #76: Candice LaRae
Easily one of the toughest female wrestlers on the planet and of all-time, she has experience in tiny indy feds and in front of massive crowds. She proved over and over that certain women can absolutely go toe to toe with the guys! Her toughness, charisma and experience make her absolutely invaluable.

John Corrigan
SHOOT
Draft Pick #77: Samoa Joe
To the untrained eye, Samoa Joe is merely a badass in the perpetual narrative of pro wrestling. However, the former world champion was actually a California State Junior Judo Champion, which has clearly influenced his wrestling style. After he and Kurt Angle pulled off a believable, highly successful MMA-style fight in Impact Wrestling, Joe has proven he can draw money and be taken seriously as a legit warrior. It’s a travesty that he is being selected so far after scrubs like WALTER.

The eighth round begins Wednesday.