The Ultimate NXT Draft Review: 21-30

In June of 2016, so now nearly two and a half years ago, Lukewarm Jonah and I got together to do an NXT Fantasy Draft. We are going to focus on the NXT roster as the transition from NXT to the main roster or just the progression within NXT provides some fascinating talking points. Although we did a fairly good job, there were definitely some big time misses and some amazing steals. We've already broken down the top 20, so let's tackle picks 21-30 today where things went REALLY well for me.

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

The Next Big NXT Superstars

NXT is an amazing place. It's grown in popularity a tremendous amount, but it's still not that popular when compared to WWE's main roster shows. Still, everyone who has given NXT a chance prefers it over WWE, because they put on consistently compelling shows, and their special events are always off the chain. With that, NXT has evolved into something different. They've found success in taking stars from other places and transitioning them into immediate stars in NXT. Don't get me wrong, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and Shinsuke Nakamura are all admittedly awesome, but I kind of miss the days of WWE slowly building up new superstars. Luckily, there is some serious promise on the way.

With NXT traveling around the world, the house shows that I go to in Florida occasionally lack the top notch talent that everyone knows. At first, it is a bit of a bummer, but there are still a few wrestlers who truly stand out (and Tye Dillinger is there, so that always helps) and make it easy to see their potential. That's why I'm going to give you the inside scoop on the next big superstars in the WWE. I'm pretty sure none of these wrestlers have been on TV, but all of them are super awesome. And since I am a man of equality, I found a women's, men's, and tag team wrestlers that are about to break out in a big way.

Adrienne Reese
Since I'm a gentleman, I'll go ladies first. Reese is a spit-fire who is solid all around in the ring. I've gotten to watch three matches with her. She was good in one and great in two others. The most recent one against Peyton Royce was the best I had seen from either one. Her in-ring work is there, and she seems to be progressing in her in-ring charisma. But what is really going to make her a star is her finish. I mean, the Stone Cold Stunner was sweet, but Reese jumps off the top rope, and does a flip into a Stunner. It is totally sweet, and people are going to freak out about how awesome she is. Get on the bandwagon now.

Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste
These Australians made a name for themselves in Japan as TMDK (The Mighty Don't Kneel), and although I had heard about them, I had never actually seen any of their matches before seeing them at a couple NXT house shows. They're awesome, as Nicholls is one of the most charismatic performers I have seen. He's complimented by his tag team partner who is also very good in the ring. Both matches I have seen had Nicholls being the primary wrestler, so I have only seen a limited amount of Haste. But they're a very entertaining team, and they wrestle with personalities, as opposed to wrestling, with personality thrown in between moves. It makes a huge difference. And they even passed my wife's test as they instantly became her favorite tag team after one match. The only issue they are going to have is being white guys, because that means they will get USA chants anytime they face off against a foreign tag team, despite also being a foreign tag team, and yes, I did see this happen already.

Manny Andrade
Although he hasn't gotten the hype of some other WWE signings, Andrade has torn it up internationally as La Sombra, and it's clear that he has everything necessary to succeed in the ring. I've seen Andrade in two singles matches, and they are two of the best matches I have seen at any NXT house show. In the match I saw last week, Andrade took on Tye Dillinger in the main event, and they tore it up. It was a super fun back-and-forth match where there were a ton of near finishes because both guys just kept doing awesome things. It ended with Dillinger getting a rollup with handful of tights for the win, but both guys got a standing ovation at the end of the night. The other match was the best NXT house show I have ever seen against Sami Zayn, and you can read about that one here. My only real concern with him is that they are dressing him up with no shirt, suspenders, and a goofy hat which makes him look like a bad guy, but he wrestles best as a babyface. The guy has everything you need in the ring, so learning English is the only thing that will slow him down from becoming a huge superstar.