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DRAFT PICKS - Batch #7 featuring top picks of Chris Jericho, C.M. Punk, and Edge, plus Undertaker, Aries, Tomko, Briscoes...
Sep 1, 2008 - 2:23:29 PM |
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Picks by PWTorch.com reader W. Spaedt of Greeley, Col.
Before I give my list, let me say that I am not very familiar with ROH and other indies, I have huge respect for what I have seen, I just have not seen any where near as much as I would like, so I am only going the mainstream TV WWE/TNA rosters due to my lack of knowledge beyond being impressed with online clips of ability. I thought of only wrestlers I consider myself to have a well rounded knowledge of.
(1) Chris Jericho: He has become Lex Luthor. Need I say more? He is the perfect "You don't understand how truly superior I am to you all" heel on the mic. In action, I loved how he took the high road when not hitting a down opponent with a chair and got booed for it, but when you looked at him he had this 'I've already won, I don't need to resort to this, because I am better.' aura. How long has it been since you've seen a heel that you want to see so bad but don't want to cheer him and crowds don't boo him like they do most heels, he gets you to hate his character yo can hear it in crowds reaction to him. If he is even half this good after his feud with Michaels he'll still be one of the best heels in wrestling.
(2) Edge: Keep him as a skilled heel. Will to play dirty but good enough he doesn't always have to. Willing to do anything to win. Any and I mean ANYTHING. Such a perfect bastard. Over the last couple years he has been the best overall heel in wrestling.
(3) Shawn Michaels: Every praise aimed at him is fitting. Best wrestler alive today. Best wrestler of a generation. Can tell a story in the ring better than anyone (why he is the best alive today). Look at it this way, who is the last person who looked bad wrestling Michaels. Good wrestlers look great with him. Can you name a lesser skilled/green wrestler who didn't look better than they usually do in the ring with him? I honestly can't remember. Also adds a level of credibility and a is a bonafide legend.
(4) Undertaker: The best wrestler of his size ever. No other big man has adapted and improved like he has through out his career. Yes, he is up there is years, but so is Michaels, and look at the matches each one has had in the last year or two. Some wonderful matches. Adds the same level of legendary status as Michaels. Plus 'Taker as my biggest wrestler would make his presence even more intimidating.
(5) John Cena: What a worker. I mean, if the babyface Cena gets on your nerves or not you must admit he would bust his ass like crazy to sell your promotion and he would work his ass off to improve what he does. Make him a tweener, give him a mic and tell him to knock off the bullshit, and just call people out.
(6) A.J. Styles: This guy could be the next Shawn Michaels. I really believe that. His ability is incredible, his storytelling is good and you can just tell by watching him that as good, no great, as he is, he can get better. Remember the Hardy/Undertaker ladder match, where hardy really turned a corner and made gave Taker a run for his money? Styles could shine in a role like that. The never give up baby face.
(7) Rob Van Dam: C'mon he's the whole fucking show. I almost went with Jeff Hardy but then I realized that like Hardy, RVD is super over, not matter the push, put him in front of any wrestling crowd in the world and they love him. And he can do things no one else does, he is heavily imitated by wrestlers in every company. Plus I just want to see him wrestle everyone on this list more or for the first time.
(8) Samoa Joe: A future face of the business. His year long undefeated heel streak was probably the best thing from an angle perspective TNA has ever done. Unique and memorable. Works best as a heel, someone who just destroys, but isn't a dirty heel like Edge, and doesn't have the 'morals' of Jericho, he would just b that good. HBK and Joe could be a monster, the skilled young monster against the old war horse.
(9) C.M. Punk: Another future of the business type person. Also a unique in ring style and someone the fans can connect with. He is over just for being C.M. Punk, like RVD, only kinda like the opposite with that Straight Edge thing. That could be a unique feud, the two polar opposite but over tough as nails guys.
(10) The Brian Kendrick: I wanted a smaller guy who is fast, solid in the ring and can tell a story, I almost went with Bourne or Lethal or another X Division guy but for me TBK (love the initials) entertains me more on the mic. Future star here.
My announce team would be Jim Ross and Mick Foley. If I had to give up a wrestler for JR I'd drop TBK just because JR is the voice of wrestling. I'd miss TBK, but JR calling my matches would add a level of credibility and just sheer professionalism and entertainment that would sell anything and everything this roster could come up with.
Picks by PWTorch.com reader Wil Spaedt
1. C.M. Punk, absolutely the future of the sport.
2. Samoa Joe, another star that is the future of the sport
3. Bryan Danielson, top technician in the sport today
4. Austin Ares, INTENSE, with the right opportunity he could be a huge star
5. Chris Jericho, veteran and could be a locker room leader, best heel in the biz
6. A.J. Styles, just an amazing entertainer
7. Kurt Angle, another leader but absolutely the best entertainer in the biz right now (eventually taking on the "Ric Flair role")
8. Tyson Tomko, should have already been a main eventer
9. Homicide, maybe not a world title contender, but one of the top 2 "2nd tier" champions available
10. Shelton Benjamin, the other top "2nd tier" champion with more opportunity to challenge for a world title (I find Homicide more entertaining though)
Picks by PWTorch.com reader Ken Thomas
1. Edge: Edge is perhaps the best heel of the decade. He has the ability to cut promos that can nearly incite riots and he backs it up with showstealing wrestling skills and an occasional street fight style spot fest.
2. Rob Van Dam: I still believe that ol' RVD still has at least one last white hot run left in him. His laid back low energy personality would be a direct foil to Edge's agressive, high energy, at times maniacal presence. Edge-RVD would be my first main event feud.
3. Raven: Arguably the best promo man of the 90's, possibly ever, Raven would be my renegade heel. Just as in ECW he would amass a stable to slowly take over. And if he could no longer take any more physical punishment, he would be an ideal manager for a wrestler big on talent.. but short on promo skills. There would always be a place for Raven in my promotion.
4. A.J. Styles: I have been a fan of AJ since his days in NWA Wildside. I did, and still believe in his skill. He's not bad on the mic and he can deliver in the ring against just about anyone.
5. John Cena: He sells merchandise. The only reason that he isn't number one is because everyone listed above are sentimental favorites of mine. Cena is growing on me as his skills slowly improve, I have no reason to hate on Cena so after RVD-Edge dies down, expect to see Cena in RVD's spot against Edge.
6. Randy Orton: RKO is right up there with Edge as the top heel in WWE. His quiet intensity and tendency to deliver great matches and cut a mean promo makes him can't miss for me.
7. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin): My promotion needs a strong tag team division, MCMGs must be heel for this to work. Shelley and Sabin seem to exude a heelish quality and with a cocky smarmy attitude and a flashy technical moveset, they have massive potential and can match up with many teams very well.
8. Age of The Fall (Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black): With Jacobs' promo skills and emo crybaby 'tude, and Tyler Black constantly bailing him out of trouble with force fans will be clamoring for a team to shut them down.
9.The Briscoes: Their ranking on my list has nothing to do with my opinion on their skill. They will carry my tag division and be the forerunners in feuds with AOTF and MCMG's. Expect a lot of match of the year candidates from these matches.
10. Brent Albright: I need a badass tweener, Joe is probably over done on this draft so I pick Albright. "The Shooter" is interchangeble in heel or face roles... All you need is the right opponetn and scenario... probably not even both
Honorable Mention: MVP, The Brian Kendrick, Bryan Danielson, Santino Marella, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho,& Christian Cage
DRAFT INFO - INVITE TO PARTICIPATE
Since 1997, Pro Wrestling Torch has conducted "Priority Fantasy Drafts" about once a year, usually around this time of year. The concept is simple. If the existing national promotions went out of business and all wrestlers became free agents, and you had the budget to sign ten wrestlers before any other competing start-up company could even compete, which ten currently active wrestlers would you choose? The goal is to make money, not make you in particular happy as a fan or viewer. This is about the wisest business move. This should not be a roster for a vanity promotion that goes out of business or unnecessarily burns through money.
You can build your roster around whatever promoting philosophy you think would draw, though. If you think wrestlers only over 6-8 would draw best, draft them. If you think cruiserweights is the best approach, choose them. Or women. Young. Old. A mix of all of the above. It's up to you.
We invite you to send in your Top 10 Draft Picks this week. We will compile the results, which will be featured on PWTorch.com next week. An expanded list of vote-getters (Top 50) will be part of next week's special Draft Edition of the Pro Wrestling Torch newsletter (#1042), which will also feature a variety of staff articles related to the draft. This week at PWTorch.com we will also look back on previous draft results, so stay tuned.
When you send your top ten draft picks to us, you are invited to include a few sentences explaining each pick, making your case for why they deserve a top ten spot. Please send your picks numbered one through ten to pwtorch@gmail.com (put "Draft Picks" in the subject line, please). Deadline is today (Aug. 31). We will publish select top ten lists this week in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com.
Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
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