21. Jonah selects Angelo Dawkins
Joe: I love the Street Profits, so much so that I saw them win their first Tag Team Championships at an Evolve show. They are so much fun, but Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins are the Black Rockers, and sorry, Angelo, you ain’t the Heartbreak Kid. It’s still a fine pick, and we are in the 20s, so it’s not like you can look up at the Moon, have a Dream, and come up with The Idol this late in the draft.
Jonah: The Street Profits are amazing, that’s a fact. That being said, there are obviously better choices made after this. In a redraft, Dawkins by himself probably falls about 10 spots, however if The Street Profits are kept together the Early 20’s is probably where they should go. He’s half of a super over tag team, and while Ford is the better of the two, Dawkins is no slouch.
Joe: In comparison to Montez Ford, Dawkins is the definition of slouch. He’s fine, but if the Street Profits broke up, I do not see a path for him that leads to the main roster.
Jonah: Dawkins brings the swag like nobody can, don’t mean to brag what about it yeah?
22-23. Joe selects Andrade “Cien” Almas and Adrienne Reese
Jonah: Geez Joe, you saw my pick of Gargano and Ciampa and felt like you needed to hit two home runs at some point. I knew you wanted Almas badly, so I let you have him like Tyson Kidd in the main roster draft. I like you too much to break your heart. These are obviously both amazing picks, so let’s talk about Andrade’s first 6 months or so on NXT TV. I described him as being dressed as a member of Los Boricuas who joined the American Males. His finisher was a running tea bag. He was floundering badly. Then came Zelina Vega to save the day. Almas was one half of my favorite wrestling match ever against Gargano at Takeover, so he’s obviously recovered. On the main roster he’s been putting on great matches against main eventers in losing efforts, but he should have a bright future. If Almas comes with Vega, he may very well be top 5 in a redraft, at least top 10. Adrienne Reese is better known as Ember Moon, another great wrestler. She was overshadowed by Asuka when they were both in NXT, but she still carved out a good spot for herself. She won the NXT women’s belt and gets good TV time on RAW. She’s not Almas, but she’s still a future Women’s champ on the main roster and moves up a good amount in a redraft. I like her more than Nia Jax for instance, so I think she’s in the 10-15 range in a redraft. Excellent round Joe, almost as good as getting Gargano and Ciampa in the same round.
Joe: Interesting talking point. Who will have the better WWE career, DIY or Almas and Moon? At this point, I’m probably taking Moon over someone like Bayley, because the crowd seems to like her, but they have been given no reason to care about her. But if the fans are given a reason to care, the pop that she gets on her finisher could make her a special talent. Almas is great in the ring, has a great look, has a great presence, but his ceiling is pretty low since he doesn’t speak English as his first language. As someone who has thoroughly enjoyed jumping into NJPW, I disagree with this concept, but it is the WWE way. I still think he’s a future World Champion, but more of a transitional champion as opposed to a champion who runs the division for six months. DIY is already telling their most interesting story in NXT, and it’s tough to capture that sort of magic twice. I would still say those picks would have the higher ceiling but also a much lower floor.
24-25. Jonah selects TM61
Joe: Had we done this a couple weeks ago, this still would have been a solid pick as I really liked The Mighty as a heel tag team to counter balance all of the love that most NXT guys get. Then, we found out that Nick Miller had been released by the WWE, which really hurts their chances at tag gold. I think Shane Thorne is the better talent, but right now, I have no idea what the future holds with this pick.
Jonah: Not sure why Nick Miller got released, hopefully he requested it. I looked at this pick and was still pretty happy with it when we started talking about reviewing this draft. Sure the guys missed some time due to injury, but they were still one of the best tag teams in NXT. Absolutely crushed it against AOP in the finals of the Dusty Classic and they looked bound for stardom. They went heel, got their dope name of The Mighty back and things seemed good. Apparently, another guy from their stable of The Mighty Don’t Kneel just got signed, so maybe Thorne will be tagging with him soon. He’s still got a decent chance at a future career, so this isn’t a terrible place for him to be taken, but you crushed it with one of your next picks.
26-27. Joe selects Patrick Clark and Tino Sabbatelli
Jonah: What can you say about Patrick Clark? He was a random guy who lost Tough Enough at this time. He turned into the Velveteen Dream, one of the best characters in NXT. He also crushes it inside the ring. I like that he’s still in NXT because he’s super young, and you might as well let the guy get as good as possible if you don’t have any plans on the main roster. He’s frequently mentioned as one of the guys in NXT that full timers and legends want to work with. He’s a top 10 pick in the redraft, almost a guaranteed star, though it will be depressing to see how the main roster screws him up. Tino Sabbatelli was in a rising tag team with fellow ex NFLer Riddick Moss and they were doing pretty well. The team made sense, they had their gimmick down, and they were improving in the ring. Naturally, the team got broken up for no reason and I don’t think Tino has been on TV since. Good potential, good look, great entrance music, just get the tag team back together and they will make the main roster.
Joe: I’m not saying it will happen, but if you told me Velveteen Dream had the best career of anyone on this list, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least. His progression has been absolutely incredible, and you can tell that this guy understands wrestling psychology far better than most and fully embodies his character in promos and in the ring. There’s not much more to say about him except that he’s incredible.
Even as a heterosexual male, I can recognize that Tino Sabbatelli has an ass that don’t quit. His workrate is a different story.
Jonah: Velveteen Dream is in the running for number one pick, but Balor might still edge him out. Dream will be awesome.
28-29. Jonah selects Billie Kay and Peyton Royce
Joe: Every time I make a prediction for the women’s division, it involves The IIconics going over, so I love this pick more than any reasonable person should. They are Australia’s greatest treasure, and I am so happy they are in our lives. My heart tells me they are top-10 picks, but my brain says this is probably right around where they should be. But they’re great, and if the world ever catches on to how great they are, the sky is the limit.
Jonah: The IIconics are a good pick. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce are better in the ring then they show on TV, and they are IIconic outside of the ring and on the mic. If the WWE ever gets their long rumored Women’s Tag Belts, the IIconics have to be in the championship scene all the time. At least one of them will win the World Championship at sometime, possibly both. I’m surprised by Joe thinking this is a good place for them, I think they move up in a redraft. They’re not top 10, but they should be top 20, they’re good wrestlers and characters on the main roster. They will be successful in the future.
30. Joe selects Mandy Rose
Jonah: Mandy Rose, I figured she was blond Eva Marie so I didn’t care about her. I was wrong. Rose isn’t a horsewoman or Asuka or Ember Moon, but she certainly isn’t Eva Marie. She’s decent in the ring and she has an amazing look. I could do without Corey Graves having a heart attack every time she comes out, but she’s a good character. Eva Marie who can actually wrestle at an average level is a great place to be. She’s improved wildly and could end up being very good in the ring, while still having an incredible look. She’s not going to be Trish Stratus, but remember this was the path that Stratus took. Started out as eye candy, worked hard to be a real wrestler. Rose definitely moves up in the redraft at least a few spots, and only a few spots because we have so many people moving up.
Joe: She’s already right there with Trish Stratus. Trish came along during my formative years, so I can never say anyone lives up to her, but realistically, they’re the same. They’re both attractive blondes, right at the same level of in-ring work, and both have a very natural charisma. Trish developed hers to a higher level, but Rose isn’t far behind. And where Trish was at the ceiling of in-ring work, that same level is probably slightly below average these days. I could have just said attractive blonde, and you could assume a big push coming in the next couple years.
Previous Installments:
Picks 1-10
Picks 11-20
Previous Installments:
Picks 1-10
Picks 11-20
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