Fantasy PPV: SHOOT

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.) 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.

You can find all of John Corrigan’s draft picks here.

You can see all of the Legends Round draft picks here.

SHOOT, a promotion blending the best of MMA and pro wrestling, presents its inaugural live event from the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia.

Mauro Ranallo and Matt Striker are on commentary and Paul Heyman is running the show.

Jake Hager vs. CM Punk

If you’ve seen Jake Hager (aka Jack Swagger) do any interviews since entering the MMA world, you know that he doesn’t think too highly of CM Punk entering the sport without any prior experience. Well, Punk finally responded, and with nothing left to lose, challenged Hager to an MMA fight.

It’s an interesting choice to open SHOOT’s debut, but unlike UFC, Heyman realizes that a man of Punk’s limited talent should not be in any headline position. Either should Hager for that matter. So they collide and within seconds, Hager has Punk tapping out. Afterward, Hager goes to shake Punk’s hand in a sign of respect, but the former WWE Champion kicks him in the balls. Punk grabs the microphone and says “next time, we’ll do things old-school” before leaving the ring to massive boos.

Minoru Suzuki vs. Samoa Joe

Rumored for weeks that he would be retiring from pro wrestling, Minoru Suzuki finally made the announcement during a special ceremony in Japan. As fans stood on their feet and applauded the veteran, Samoa Joe stormed out and entered the ring, standing nose to nose with Suzuki. Joe grabbed the mic with one hand, and extended his other. He thanked Suzuki for his years of entertainment and commended him on trying to go out on his own terms. Then, Joe head butted Suzuki, stomping away on the 50-year-old warrior. Joe told him that he could only leave the sport once Joe allowed him to.

The Japanese media surrounded the ring for their battle at SHOOT. Suzuki immediately charged the badass Samoan, dominating the first few minutes. With Joe dazed, Suzuki swung some of his trademark chops, slapping the cobwebs around. As if the fighting spirit transferred bodies, Joe absorbed the blows, screamed and then fired back with his own onslaught. The fans couldn’t believe it as Joe pummeled the Japanese legend, eventually trapping him in the Coquina Clutch and forcing Suzuki to fade away.

Jason Jordan and Chad Gable vs. Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley

Heyman planned to revolutionize MMA by creating tag team scenarios. As a result, he signed Jason Jordan and Chad Gable to lucrative contracts, reuniting American Alpha to the delight of wrestling fans around the world. Then he attempted to sign his former clients Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas; however, Haas rejected the offer to reunite the World’s Greatest Tag Team, having moved on from pro wrestling and enjoying retirement.

With Benjamin already under contract, but having no interest in featuring him as a single’s competitor, Heyman reduced the veteran’s role to backstage trainer. Benjamin was assigned to help Jordan and Gable shake their rust off, which they were very grateful for the opportunity. Furious at his scant time left in the ring being wasted, Benjamin recruited Bobby Lashley and attacked American Alpha during a closed-gym training session.

Alpha demanded revenge and got it in a tag team match at SHOOT. After nearly a half hour of action, in which all four men looked like they hadn’t lost a step, Jordan and Gable hit their Grand Amplitude finisher onto Benjamin for the victory.

Tom Lawlor vs. Chris Jericho

It all started on Talk Is Jericho when Tom Lawlor was invited to promote MLW’s next event. Throughout the interview, Jericho heaped praise upon the former UFC star, mentioning how he had never seen such a successful transition to the squared circle. Lawlor graciously thanked Jericho and mentioned how thrilling it would be to have a match with him. He even offered to put his MLW World Heavyweight Championship on the line.

As if a switch flipped, Jericho snapped on Lawlor, denouncing him for thinking he was worthy enough to step into the ring with the G.O.A.T. He lambasted MLW, saying he would never show his face in such a minor-league promotion. As Lawlor defended the company, Jericho slapped him and then the podcast abruptly ended. Over the next few weeks, they exchanged jabs on Twitter, with Lawlor trashing AEW. Eventually, Cody and the Young Bucks persuaded Jericho to accept the fight, and Heyman offered SHOOT as a neutral location for them to finally square off.

Similar to the Omega-Jericho battle at Wrestle Kingdom, this was more of a brawl than a match. MLW and AEW both had representatives in the crowd, cheering their man on. Ultimately, Lawlor came out on top, forcing Jericho to pass out while blood ran down his face.

Brock Lesnar vs. Killer Kross

As soon as SHOOT was announced, Paul Heyman vowed to crown Brock Lesnar as the inaugural champion, citing his past accomplishments as more than enough evidence that he is the greatest competitor in the promotion. Killer Kross took exception, interrupting Heyman to challenge his client. Feeling that Kross wasn’t enough of a marquee name to headline such an event, Heyman told the psychotic ex-bodyguard to create a buzz and then, maybe, he would grant his wish.

For the next couple months, Kross would upload videos to social media of him choking out Paul Heyman Guys. He appeared at a Special Olympics event, frightening the children before pummeling Big Show. He invaded Impact Wrestling, emerging from the crowd to snuff out Rob Van Dam. He even visited The Steve Austin Show, granting a charming interview to Stone Cold before silencing the Texas Rattlesnake.

Sick from all the blood on his hands, Heyman finally acquiesced and announced that Kross would face Lesnar at SHOOT to crown the first champion. The match was your standard Brock Lesnar fare, except after every German suplex, Kross rose to his feet, begging for more. No longer amused, Lesnar hoisted the woozy madman onto his shoulders for an F-5, but Kross slipped out and applied the Kross Jacket sleeper, shocking the world as he put The Beast to sleep. Tears rolled down Heyman’s face as he tried to wake up Lesnar while Kross laughed with the championship draped over his shoulder.

UFC Rules: Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler

Ever since Ronda Rousey debuted in WWE, this has been the dream match. Two former MMA warriors stepping into the pro wrestling ring – both have transitioned quite well, mastering the entertainment side of the sport. While Rousey was at home nursing injuries and starting a family, Baszler would be making snide comments via social media, disparaging the UFC Hall of Famer for leaving active competition before facing her greatest threat. We all know how Rousey responds to mean Tweets; therefore, she would agree to face Baszler in the main event of SHOOT’s debut. In the months leading up to the historic event, Rousey’s return to the ring would be documented in videos posted online, as well as coverage by ESPN. Meanwhile, Baszler would be touring the independent scene, forcing countless women (as well as men) to submit on her war path.

After three rounds of action, Rousey’s fate would be left to the judges for the first time in her career. Holly Holm would rule in favor of Rousey, Amanda Nunes would rule in favor of Baszler and the third judge – Cris Cyborg – would rule in favor of Baszler, claiming that Rousey is well past her prime. The Rowdy One would flip out, attacking Cyborg as officials, security and Rousey’s husband Travis Browne stormed the ring for a pull-apart. In the midst of the chaos, Baszler would celebrate her victory and then choke out Browne as the pay-per-view went off the air.

Would you pay to watch this PPV? Who would you pick to win each match? Let us know on Twitter.

About Author

John Corrigan

Editor-in-chief John Corrigan has covered pro wrestling for nearly a decade, reporting for Wrestledelphia, The Philadelphia Daily News, The Temple News and others.

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