It has been three years since Jonah and I did an NXT Fantasy Draft to make our picks of who are going to be the next great superstars in the WWE. Then, about six months ago, we reviewed all of the picks to figure out what went right and what went wrong. We realized three things through this process. First off, very few wrestlers are in NXT from that original draft, and even the ones that are have changed dramatically over the last few years. Second, and more importantly for the strategy of this draft, is that we realized we cannot rely on WWE success to determine the strength of our selections as many of their creative decisions do not optimize their talent. So this draft is not predicting future success as much as it is drafting the wrestlers that we would want to build our organization around. Finally, we decided to be inclusive in this draft so not only will we have NXT and all of the wrestlers at the Performance Center, but we will include everyone over in NXT UK and even 205 Live since all of them are still working to progress in their career.
We've now made it to picks 31-40, where we really have to start going more with projection than results.
31. Jonah selects Taynara Conti
Jonah: Another one of my favorites like Dakota Kai is, there’s just something about Taynara Conti that’s awesome. She’s super cute and she could destroy the vast majority of the roster in a shoot. Like Kai she just needs some actual TV exposure, so I guess let’s make them a tag team on my new show. She is also only 25, so she has a long career ahead of her.
Joe: Jonah, I decided to make you mentioning ages a drinking game, and I have died three times from alcohol poisoning. I like Conti too and am surprised she hasn’t been given more TV time. It may be a good thing as they might actually wait for her to develop more to give her a strong push when she finally becomes a thing. I like her more than Dakota Kai, but she still has a lot of development to do.
Jonah: Number one get your tolerance up, Nancy. Two, I told you, I’m about the future. Three, Conti is just plain awesome.
32. Joe selects Oney Lorcan
Joe: Oney Lorcan is nonstop action in the ring. He’s been put in the ring with every level of competition in NXT, and his matches are always somewhere between good and great. He’s probably not a future world champion, but I would be very surprised if he wasn’t a champion of some sort in the future.
Jonah: Is he Total Nonstop Action in the ring? Lorcan is a very good wrestler, but he still looks super generic to me. He rarely talks which makes me think he’s not a great promo, but like I said he is a very good wrestler. This is really too late for him to go, but I had some people I really wanted so I went with my favorites.
33. Joe selects Shane Thorne
Joe: Shane Thorne is a guy who has gotten lost in the shuffle recently when his tag team partner, Nick Miller (now back to being Mikey Nicholls) left to wrestle for New Japan. But Thorne was always the star of the team, and he’s shown some incredible things as part of a tag team. It will be interesting to see whether they try to find him a tag partner or let him spread his wings as a singles competitor. Either way, the guy has a great look, great in ring work, and has experience cutting promos. I could see him rising really high or getting released from the company altogether, but the talent is there. It’s just a matter of finding the right spot.
Jonah: Shane Thorne is definitely underutilized. I was a big fan of The Mighty Don’t Kneel because they were a great team and that name is unbelievably awesome. I thought the heel turn was a little odd and hurt them as they had really gotten over as babyfaces by being great in the ring. He’s got a good look and should be successful when they find a good place for him.
Joe: I actually liked the heel turn and think that’s where Thorne’s future is. He’s a good-looking Australian guy, just typing that sentence pisses me off a little bit.
Jonah: Go to Australia, they think people with American accents are fascinating.
34. Jonah selects Cameron Grimes
Jonah: Cameron Grimes is super talented in the ring and has a very unique look. Great cruiserweights don’t look like dirty hobos, so I’m excited to get Grimes here. You may know him as Trevor Lee, a guy that dominated the TNA X Division for quite some time. I did not expect him to be able to wrestle like he did when I saw him, so he was immediately interesting. He’s 25, and could be a main event player on 205 Live right now. He’s not the biggest indy name around, but I really like him and think he’s going to do well for himself.
Joe: I’ve heard good things about Grimes but don’t have much knowledge of him myself. From what I’ve heard, this is a good pick, and I would have considered him in a few rounds had he still been on the board.
35. Jonah selects Chelsea Green
Jonah: Chelsea Green AKA Laurel Van Ness has actually been in the WWE before. I personally witnessed her debut in Portland on an episode of RAW as Daniel Bryan’s physical therapist that they were going to try and run an affair angle with. The crowd rightly shit all over it and she disappeared to TNA to hone her craft. She plays the crazy gimmick well, though I’m not a huge fan of the women be crazy gimmick itself. She’s got a good look, is good in the ring and has experience on national TV. She’s also engaged to a Broski, so you know she’s cool as hell.
Joe: I will say I was a little disappointed that you took Chelsea Green. She was next for me for available women in the draft, because she actually has shown personality. I feel like she should get a good push out of the gate when she is able to come back from injury.
36. Joe selects Bobby Fish
Joe: And somehow, someway, I managed to unite the entire Undisputed Era. Poor Bobby Fish is getting up there in age, and he has suffered numerous injuries since coming to NXT, but the guy is still a talent as he continues to put on great performances in tag matches but has so much experience that he can easily put on a great singles match as well. You can put him in there with anybody and be entertained, and that is Undisputed.
Jonah: I’ll be honest, I thought I had taken Bobby Fish about five rounds before he was taken, but I apparently only did that in my mind. Fish is a good wrestler, a good promo, and has a good look but man does he get hurt all the time. He’s been in NXT for two years and he’s been injured three quarters of the time including currently. I mean I can’t really trash the pick, because like I said I thought he was already on my roster.
37. Joe selects Riddick Moss
Joe: Did you see what this man did at the WWE PC Combine? He ANNIHILATED the competition. There is no conceivable way that it will not go down as the greatest athletic performance in Performance Center history, and this is a man who is less than a year removed from a ruptured achilles. The Riddick Regimen. It just worked now as it taught me that Regimen and Regiment are two different words. I actually am excited about his future, because he’s finally starting to show off a personality, and if he can really translate the athletic gifts to his in-ring work, he could turn into a hell of a talent.
Jonah: Look Moss is a big boy who’s a great athlete, but he don’t got that back meat like Sabatelli. He may be more athletic, but I already mentioned I don’t think he has near the charisma that Sabatelli does either. For the sake of both guy’s careers I’m willing to put the team back together using the Wildcard rule.
Joe: Jonah, you do realize that charisma is different than “ridiculous glute muscles,” because that’s all the charisma that Tino has shown. Riddick Moss has the Riddick Regimen, which is also not much right now, but I could see myself nodding along in a few months with how everybody’s doing the Riddick Regimen, or it will end up like Bull Dempsey’s fitness program. Either way, Riddick Moss will always be the greatest PC Combiner of all time.
Jonah: Charisma is whatever gets you over my friend, and the Riddick Regimen gimmick was him taking a break mid match to take a drink of water or a protein shake or something. The good news is it generated zero heat and he lost to a jobber.
38. Jonah selects Angelo Dawkins
Jonah: I knew I’d end up with my boy the other half of the Street Profits Angelo Dawkins. Joe isn’t high on him, but I think even he has to admit this is pretty damn late for an NXT Tag Team Champion to be picked. He’s been in developmental forever, but here’s the thing, he actually developed. Dawkins doesn’t have the charisma that Montez Ford does, but very few do. He’s a big boy with a legitimate athletic background. I know Joe’s not a fan, but Dawkins has legitimate potential for success.
Joe: Congratulations. You got the most Marty Jannetty tag partner since Marty Jannetty. I do like Dawkins, but he’s just a solid hand, so it’s tough for me to envision a bright future for the guy.
39. Jonah selects Jazzy Gabert
Jonah: Another homer female pick by me, Jazzy Gabert was actually a very early follower of my podcast so I had to make sure she ended up on my show. Beyond the loyalty, man what a look she has. She looks like an absolute monster that could destroy anyone she steps into the ring with. You may also remember her from the first Mae Young Classic where after her loss the crowd chanted “Sign Jazzy” in response to her impressive in ring performance. The WWE finally did, and although she’s 37, she’s someone who will absolutely be booked as a monster. She’s also 1-1 in MMA, so besides being huge and being able to put on a good match she can also shoot just in case.
Joe: I knew Jonah loved Jazzy, so I didn’t even bother doing any research on her as I knew she was not going to end up on my roster. I still have not done any research, but now I know she’s 37.
Jonah: All you need to know about her is she recognized my genius early, that makes her pretty smart in her own right.
40. Joe selects Brendan Vink
Joe: Australian Elliot Sexton, now known as Brendan Vink, but I know of him as my arch nemesis, as he once responded to my heckling by sexually harassing me by shaking his ass in my face at a PROGRESS show in Seattle. Luckily, Brody King beat him up for me that night. This is a case where you keep your friends close and your enemies closer. This dude is absolutely massive, and he is still wearing very tiny trunks while shaking his ass in front of fan’s faces, so that part has definitely not changed. Even before he signed with the WWE, he seemed like the most WWE guy available with his size and incredible charisma. It was kind of surprising that more people weren’t talking about Elliot Sexton. He will absolutely never be a babyface, but he is an ideal heel, and when he makes his television debut, I expect him to get a major push in NXT.
Jonah: He’s a handsome, cut Australian man. I guess I’m sorry he sexually harassed you, odd that you drafted him after that. If you ever want revenge on him just put him in the ring with anyone on my roster and they’ll destroy him.
