The Ultimate NXT Draft: Picks 31-40

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.

Previously in the NXT Draft:
Picks 1-10

Picks 11-20

Picks 21-30

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