The Ultimate NXT Draft: Picks 61-70

NXT definitely has too much talent, because picks 61-70 has a great mix of established stars and young wrestlers with TONS of potential. I start with a potential pick, and Jonah ends with The Finest.

61. Joe selects Lacey Lane

Joe: Lacey Lane is building up quite the following, and I think she is going to have a big impact when she starts making frequent appearances on TV. She’s very athletic and brings a lot of fire to the women’s division, despite her diminutive size.

Jonah: Lane sounds like a pretty good wrestler and has a good athletic background. She played D II basketball which is impressive considering I tower over her. Looks like a good pick for you here Joe, well done.

62. Jonah selects Danny Burch

Jonah: Danny Burch is interchangeable with Oney Lorcan and I got him 30 picks later. He’s good in the ring, and has a good brawling style. He and Lorcan got over with their wrestling ability and he should continue to do so.

Joe: Jonah, I’m convinced you’ve never seen Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch wrestle. Burch is solid, but Lorcan is FIRE. I hope your organization becomes a reality and you can officially make Marty Jannetty the commissioner, logo, and sommelier.

Jonah: I would absolutely hire Marty Jannetty just to fire him, Vince loves to do it. I’ve seen them wrestle quite a bit and I think they’re both talented, just that they’re equally talented.

Joe: Jonah, it’s impossible for me to believe that. Burch is nowhere near the level of Oney Lorcan, and you even said that Lorcan went too late at pick #32. If you thought these guys were even, why would you wait another 30 picks to take him? Come on, just admit that Burch is fine but nothing special.

63. Jonah selects Ridge Holland

Jonah: Here is an example of a great name change, because Luke Menzies is a terrible name. Holland is a former professional rugby player who’s big and looks like he would kick your ass. He’s also a pretty good looking dude, and he’s taken to wrestling pretty quickly since he’s only done it since 2016.

Joe: One of those picks that’s too early to tell much of anything with him. He hasn’t shown a ton in the ring, not a ton of personality, but at least Jonah thinks he’s cute.

Jonah: If you’re allowed to talk about guys being handsome, why can’t I?

Joe: I’m just making observations; I’m not going to stop you.

64. Joe selects Zack Gibson

Joe: People get so mad at Zack Gibson that they remove their shoes so they can stand in socks or barefoot on a nasty ass arena floor. This is way too low for Zack Gibson as he has an abusive style in the ring that is entertaining, and anybody who can generate that kind of heat is a-ok by me.

Jonah: Man this guy is super British. He did win the second NXT UK tournament and is the current NXT UK Tag Team Champion so he should have probably gone earlier. Also, getting British people to take of their shoes is apparently really easy, no wonder they lost the Revolutionary War.

65. Joe selects Brennan Williams

Joe: Brennan Williams was actually a legitimate NFL player as he was drafted in the third round by the Houston Texans. Things didn’t work out for him in football so he has since made the transition to wrestling. With the NFL background, he has tons of athleticism, and people have really gotten behind him as the “Sultan of Sit.” His big thing is just sitting down really hard in the corner, and I know that sounds stupid, but that’s because it actually is very stupid. Still, it’s really fun to chant, “Holy sit.” With the size and physical skills, he could be special, but there is definite bust potential which is why I was able to acquire him this late.

Jonah: Well Tino Sabatelli was a second round pick so I guess he’s super legitimate. Williams is a big guy with a good look who’s athletic, so plenty of potential there, but the sultan of sit thing doesn’t sound great. I mean no one can ever do it as well as Earthquake did.

66. Jonah selects Noam Dar

Jonah: Man Noam Dar was awesome when he talked about Alicia Fox. Plus we’re boys because he’s from Israel. I mean he’s also a good wrestler, plus him saying Alicia Fox is probably the most charisma I’ve seen from anyone in the last 15-20 picks.

Joe: Can’t deny that I laughed every time Noam Dar said, “Aleesha Faaaaaaaaaaaaawx,” and I was strongly considering taking him in the near future. I feel like he is one of many guys whose potential was hurt by 205 Live where a run on NXT or even NXT UK would have turned him into more of a viable threat. I know he’s been doing NXT UK stuff lately, and he has a very punchable face which is actually a good thing in pro wrestling.

As for the charisma thing, the pick before was a guy who has got the act of sitting down over, and six picks ago was Malcolm Bivens who got a WWE contract strictly based off charisma.

67. Jonah selects Aliyah

Jonah: Aliyah is young, attractive, on TV and decent in the ring. She’s of Iraqi descent, and as we all know I keep it international. She’s got potential and is already good enough to be on TV, plus I just love potential picks.

Joe: I was very happy that you went with Aliyah, who I would have liked to have, but I think her tag partner is significantly better than her.

68. Joe selects Vanessa Borne

Joe: It was clear that now was the time to pounce on Vanessa Borne who I think is very underrated in the ring. She obviously has a good look, but she has shown enough flashes that I think she will be a very good pro wrestler on top of that. I would say both her and Aliyah are still figuring out their characters, but there’s progress, and I’m looking forward to seeing how she develops in the future.

Jonah: This is a good pick, I just like what I have seen a little more out of Aliyah. Borne definitely would have been a pick in the next round for me. She’s got some good potential, I do think she needs to work on her character as “bitchy” has become quite a cliche in today’s women’s wrestling scene.

69. Joe selects Deonna Purrazzo

Joe: 69th pick is a lady, nice. But Deonna Purrazzo is also good in the ring. They haven’t quite pulled the trigger on really giving her a push on NXT TV, but I think she has the skill-set to be an important part of it and would be very surprised if she doesn’t make an impact on the main roster in a few years. I probably waited too long to take her so I feel very fortunate that she fell to me at this point.

Jonah: I was more disappointed in this pick than your other one. Deonna Purrazzo has shown good in ring skills so far. She’s got a good look and just needs a character, well and also some real TV time. Purrazzo is a steal here, good pick.

70. Jonah selects Kona Reeves

Jonah: A tip for the NXT booking team, if you’re going to repackage a guy to try and get him over, maybe don’t have him lose every match he’s in. I’m pretty sure Reeves won his first match back, but has jobbed in every other match. He does put in a good showing against guys much higher on the card than he is, which means the WWE does see some potential and will actually give him a real push at some point. His in ring skills are actually pretty good, and I like his look. I think I said this in our last draft review, but he’s better suited as a creepy heel, his eyes are freaky.

Joe: Is Kona Reeves the next CJ Parker? You can see flashes of something, but the way he’s packaged means that I do not want to see him at all. Maybe he’ll quit WWE (I’m not sure if that’s allowed anymore), go to Japan, and become Milk Stevenson.

Previously in the NXT Draft:
Picks 1-10

Picks 11-20

Picks 21-30

Picks 31-40

Picks 41-50

Picks 51-60

The Ultimate NXT Draft Review: 41-51

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 40, and now it's time to author the next 11 picks.

41. Jonah selects Alexander Wolfe
Joe: He has made it to Smackdown, so that’s a nice accomplishment, but he may be the least important person on Smackdown. Earlier, I mentioned Street Profits being The Black Rockers. Well, Sanity is Goth Rockers, with Killian Dain as Shawn Michaels, Eric Young as Marty Jannetty, and Alexander Wolfe as Leif Cassidy, and only Leif Cassidy as there is no Al Snow run to follow.

That was unnecessarily mean as he is very solid, just has been given nothing to make him memorable in any way. I doubt many people even know he’s German.

Jonah: Hey Wolfe made the main roster and that is impressive.  He’s also a former NXT Tag Team Champion. He looked great in that War Games match, he does have some real potential if they ever use him in any way.  Joe mentioned that he is German which is great for the expanding Europe market, but making his gimmick anything German probably won’t go well, a little bit of German culture goes a long way Joe.  The crazy thing is Sanity will probably be tag team champs on the main show at some point, so I think he’s a future tag champion. At 41, that’s a good pick, and really this probably where he deserves to go even if he did already make the main roster.

Joe: Jonah, have you not been paying attention? German thoughts from the 1930s are all the rage in America today. Alexander Wolfe could be the babyface the oppressed white heterosexual males need to fight for their cause.

42-43. Joe selects Aliyah and Thomas Kingdon
Jonah: Aliyah has become a new heel in the lower card of NXT.  She’s getting some TV time and has a gimmick of a rich spoiled girl.  She’s got potential and you never know what she could become in the future.  She’s good enough in the ring and super young. A nice potential pick here. Thomas Kingdon is huge and working at a 24 Hour Fitness.

Joe: Aliyah has had more gimmicks and turns than anyone in NXT history. That seems to give her less aim, but maybe she’ll just become a construction worker and join up with Heavy Machinery on the main roster next month. I’ll just take your word on Thomas Kingdon as I’m not even going to waste my time looking him up.

44-45. Jonah selects Dylan Miley and Josh Woods
Joe: Josh Woods is gone, but the Dylan Miley pick worked out okay for Jonah. He’s now lurking around as Lars Sullivan. Sullivan is going to be interesting, because he plays the monster, but he’s really just a beefier Rusev who has solid charisma but not to the level of Rusev, but he’s American, so his charisma will likely get seen as much higher since he doesn’t have an accent. This is obviously incredible value as he can make a strong case to be in the top ten. I would have liked to see him get some more seasoning in NXT as these quicker call-ups do not have a great history. It will be interesting to see what they do, as he could be a monster on the level of Lesnar or Strowman, or he could end up doing shitty comedy bits and be depressingly underutilized.

Jonah: Dylan Miley looked like a buff George “The Animal” Steel, that’s a good look.  He’s now known as Lars Sullivan and he’s going to the main roster as a monster. He had a good NXT career and he moves up a ton of picks in a redraft.  Great wrestling pick, but he’s a racist so that really bums out my excitement over this pick. Josh Woods won the ROH Top Prospect Tournament in 2017, so he was still a good pick, he’ll be back in the WWE in five years as a huge indy signing.

Joe: Jonah, can you hear me? Are you still living in reality? What have you seen from Josh Woods that makes you think he’ll be a huge Indy signing in five years? I actually like him, and although anything could happen, this is an insane take.

Jonah: In five years Triple H will be signing everyone he can from ROH, that’s just a fact.  He probably renames the WWE NWA-ROH.

46-47. Joe selects Bronson Mathews and Tucker Knight
Jonah: Bronson Matthews won Tough Enough and was hated by everyone, he got released.  Tucker Knight is half of Heavy Machinery and despite looking like garbage at the Portland NXT show, he found gear and a wrestling style that worked for him.  Heavy Machinery is on their way to the main roster so great pick and a higher pick in the redraft.

Joe: Not my best round as Mathews is gone, but Tucker Knight is going up to the main roster so that’s nice value. Still not sure what kind of impact they will have on the main roster as I definitely have doubts about how well they will be used. Either way, I can’t wait for six months of Heavy Machinery vs. The Ascension before it comes to a head on the Vengeance preshow.

48-49. Jonah selects Jeet Rama and Kishan Raftar

Joe: They have not done anything with Jeet Rama, and they released Raftar, but at this point in the draft, you’re basically throwing darts hoping somebody will work out. These darts didn’t hit a bullseye, but he does have some of the greatEST steals coming up later.

Jonah: Good news, Jeet Rama is still signed to NXT.  The WWE needs an Indian superstar, and I can guarantee that Rama is better in the ring than The Great Khali and can pretty confidently say he’s better in the ring than Canadian Jinder Mahal.  If he’s still got that moustache, he’s gonna be over like Rover. Kishan Raftar was released and retired this year, cutting my Indian developmental guys in half.

50-51. Joe selects Gzim Selmani and Sunny Dhinsa
Jonah: These random names are better known as AOP, The Authors of Pain.  Well done on the pick here as they are former NXT Tag Team Champs and former RAW Tag Champs.  They have everything that could make a real monster tag team. They’re The Ascension except physically intimidating and better in the ring.  They were obviously better with Paul Ellering than Drake Maverick, but having some sort of a manager makes tons of sense. Make AOP a real monster tag team and they will be great for the next decade.  I think these guys move up to the top 20, maybe the biggest jump of anyone in the redraft.

Joe: Yeah, definitely a fan of the AOP pick, and although they have had a slow start, they are massive, strong, and have shown they can go in the ring. It would take a lot of things to go wrong for them to not be one of the better tag teams for years to come. Thank God they had cool masks, or otherwise, they may have slipped by.

Previous Installments:
Picks 1-10
Picks 11-20
Picks 21-30
Picks 31-40

The Ultimate WWE NXT Fantasy Draft - Part 2

With Smackdown moving to a live show on Tuesdays, there are plenty of rumors about an upcoming brand split for the WWE. Instead of waiting for the WWE to pull off a disappointing draft routine, the ultimate tag team, Lukewarm Jonah and Hott Joe, came together this past week to have an old fashioned WWE Fantasy Draft. Our goal is to create the best possible roster to create a successful, moneymaking product.

We knocked out the main roster in parts one, two, and three, with a review added at the end. But this week, we focus on NXT. With 73 superstars, we had to break it into two parts, with part one earlier this week. So let's see what Jonah and I did for part two.

36-37. Jonah selects Sara Lee and King Constantine
Sara Lee, female winner of Tough Enough, great prospect.  Already known to a large audience from being on Tough Enough.  Now we’re getting really deep into the draft.  Joe had the advantage living in Florida, but I tried to come out swinging.  King Constantine is the total package.  Number one, he’s got an awesome name, he’s shredded as all get out, he’s a multiple time medalist in amatuer wrestling, and he’s an evil Russian.  After a year or two more of developing he’ll be ready to make his main roster debut and Putin will have probably declared war on us by then.

38-39. Joe selects Hugo Knox and Chris Girard
Chris Girard is a classic indy guy who is getting his chance in the WWE. He's going to be a good worker, and we'll see what he can blossom into when given an opportunity. Hugo Knox is a bodybuilding Brit who likes to dance. That is my jam right there. I laugh every time I see him, but it's definitely laughing with him, because he's basically dancing like he's at the club in the middle of the ring. He'll likely remain as the guy that I love way more than anybody else, but I'm still good with that.

40-41. Jonah selects Riddick Moss and Alexander Wolfe
I actually did my research on these guys.  Riddick Moss is endorsed by Finn Balor.  If Finn says you’ll be good, I believe him.  He’s also 6’2” 250 lbs. So Finn says he can wrestler and he’s got a good look.  Alexander Wolfe has made it on tv a few times as an enhancement talent, but he’s gotten in some offense.  I’ve read a lot of people praising his work, and he’s also the only German to be employed by the WWE so he expands my market into Germany as well.

42-43. Joe selects Aliyah and Thomas Kingdon
Aliyah is another attractive lady who is super young but has gotten a decent amount of matches for her age. She was highlighted on Breaking Ground, and it's clear that the WWE is excited about her potential. Kingdon is just a massive human being. No clue about anything else that he brings to the table.

44-45. Jonah selects Dylan Miley and Josh Woods
Holy crap have you seen Dylan Miley?  He’s 6’3” 285 lbs. Built like Rusev.  He’s raw, but he certainly has the look of a freaking monster.  Josh Woods has a good look, like the partial mask he wears during his entrance, then takes off after his entrance.  He’s also a 4 time All American, and a former National Champion.  That screams superstar to me.

46-47. Joe selects Bronson Mathews and Tucker Knight
Bronson Mathews won Tough Enough and seems to be really disliked by almost everyone in the WWE. Welp, we're at pick 46, so what else do you want me to do? Tucker Knight originally had trunks that looked like a diaper wrapped with duck tape. I think he got rid of those, but he was the only guy left who has gotten TV time, so I think that is worth it.

48-49. Jonah selects Jeet Rama and Kishan Raftar
I felt kind of bad not taking Tucker Knight since he’s from my hometown of Portland, Oregon, but I’m just not sold on him.  Jeet Rama is a big dude with an athletic background and a sick moustache.  He’s also Indian and teams with fellow Indian Kishan Raftar.  Raftar is also a big guy who was an amatuer wrestling background.  Most importantly, they’re Indian.  If The Great Khali can get India interested, imagine what these two can do.

50-51. Joe selects Gzim Selmani and Sunny Dhinsa
So these guys are actually a tag team, and they have these awesome masks that they wear out to the ring. They are basically Executioners. I have watched them wrestle the Ealy Brothers, and it wasn't very good. Then I watched them against TM 61, and it was really fun. There's something here, so we'll see how far they can go.

52-53. Jonah selects Chris Atkins and Dallas Harper
What happens when you look up Chris Atkins?  You find a picture of him flexing making Arnold look tiny in comparison.  He was also trained by Sgt. Craig Pittman, and he’s Australian but clearly cooler than Murphy.  Dallas Harper made his debut by talking down to the crowd and telling them that he’s 6’9” and oh so fine.  That kind of confidence gets you a spot on my roster.

54-55. Joe selects Dan Matha and Nikki Storm
Dan Matha is a large human being. That’s really all I know about him. Nikki Storm tore it up on the independents and once she debuts, she’s probably going to get a significant push to make an impact. I feel stupid for letting her fall this far, but I’m happy to have benefitted from her falling.

56-57. Jonah selects Daria and Kenneth Crawford
Daria was also on Tough Enough and is a former MMA fighter.  That bodes well for her technical abilities.  She’s also apparently friends with Maria Menoudos, so I assume they’ll be future partners in a Wrestlemania match.  Kenneth Crawford was a marine and I’m a big mark for former military members.  USA USA USA.

58-59. Joe selects Cezar Bononi and Noah Kekoa
I’ve never seen Bononi wrestle, but I did once see him cut a promo. It wasn’t good, but English is at least his second language, and even though he struggled a little, he powered through, so I was pretty impressed with the big man from Brazil. Noah Kekoa got beat up on NXT television a few weeks ago, so he is a wrestler that exists.

60-61. Jonah selects Uriel and Gabriel Ealy
Identical twins and they’re a tag team?  Look out Bashams and Neo Nazis who are in charge of TNA’s production here come the Ealys.  Once they get called up they’re definitely squashing the Usos to establish their dominance.

62-63. Joe selects Mada and Steve Cutler
Mada was on Tough Enough. Did he win? Well, no. Second place? Nope. Third? Nah. I honestly don’t even remember how early he was eliminated at this point, but he’s a big dude, and it doesn’t get much better at pick 63. Steve Cutler was in the military, I think I heard that somewhere, so let’s go for it. I’ll also make up that he’s cousins with Jay Cutler. The bodybuilder, not the quarterback.

64-65. Jonah selects Babatunde Aiyegbusi and Carolyn Dunning
I was more excited than anyone should ever be about drafting Babtunde Aiyegbusi.  There was a lot of hype about him last year.  In the wrestling world?  No, in the NFL when he signed with the Minnesota Vikings.  Clearly that didn’t work out but he’s a physical freak and that’s never a bad thing.  Carolyn Dunning was a model and a bodybuilder.  Like Joe says, can’t have enough good looking women on your roster.

66-67. Joe selects Terrance Jean-Jacques and Danielle Kamella
Terrance Jean-Jacques is a former Iowa wrestler, so he’s totally my jam. He only lasted a year, but enough Iowa rubbed off on him to become the third NXT champion with Iowa ties. Maybe you’ve heard of Seth Rollins and Big E Langston? Yeah, Iowa people are the best. Danielle Kamella has done a bunch of media things, so she should have some charisma on the microphone.

68-69. Jonah selects Jerome Turner and Bianca Blair
Jerome Turner was signed because The Rock said they should sign him, The Rock.  He’s big and a former boxer.  Also, The Rock.  Bianca Blair will be the number one heel in all of professional wrestling within a year.  She’s a crossfitter.  The gimmick I will give her is that of a crossfitter who talks about nothing but crossfit.  Straight cash homey.

70-71. Joe selects Adrian Jaoude and Nikola Bogojevic
Jonah, saying a crossfitter who talks about nothing but crossfit is redundant, as that is the very definition of a crossfitter. Anyway, these are foreigners with amateur wrestling backgrounds, so I’m guessing at least one of them will be the next Iron Shiek. Also, I didn’t want ZZ. God, I am so happy to not have ZZ.

72-73. Jonah selects Macey Estrella and ZZ Loupe
Macey Estrella has a professional wrestling background and was on the SWAT team and a former marine.  Again, I mark for the troops and being a SWAT team member her gimmick is Michelle Rodriguez from SWAT.  ZZ Loupe was the last person available.  He’s famous so I guess that’s a good thing.

We'll be back tomorrow for our final review.