RAW’s #10 pick is… ALBERTO DEL RIO
Andrew: Like Kingston, Alberto Del Rio is a reclamation project in some ways. Unlike Kingston, however, Del Rio has been a WWE and World Heavyweight Champion and was on a great underrated run in late 2013 before his wings got clipped by John Cena and bad booking. Since early 2012, he has stayed injury free and, like Randy Orton, is a heel with a capital “H.” Another solid mid card addition.
SMACKDOWN’s #10 pick is… ADRIAN NEVILLE
Ben: The current NXT champion has the kind of wrestling style that electrifies the crowd Rey Mysterio-style and has been developing underrated mic skills recently. If I can get a main eventer out of him, great, but he can fit just about anywhere on the card, from the opening match to the tag division, and deliver.
RAW’s #11 pick is… C.M. PUNK
Andrew: I went with gaudy names at the top of my board on Raw, and I could not resist taking that the self-proclaimed Best in the World. Perhaps Daniel Bryan has taken that mantle over the past six months, but Punk’s potential return would immediately become THE story in professional wrestling whenever he decides to do so. His talents are obvious: He can work great matches, do face or heel beautifully, and has incredible mic skills. The reason he sank this low? Because I may have used the #11 pick on a guy that might not come back in three or four years and passed up on a future star like Adrian Neville.
SMACKDOWN’s #11 pick is… BAD NEWS BARRETT
Ben: Now is absolutely the time to buy stock in Wade Barrett. After years on the cusp, he’s finally found a hook that works for him and looks to be having the time of his life. Perfect upper midcard bully, but has potentially even more worth with a face turn down the line.
RAW’s #12 pick is… LUKE HARPER
Andrew: This is sort of a grouping pick because I want to keep the Wyatt Family trio together, so I go with the best of the two in Luke Harper. He is a mobile big man and his improvement has shown both in the ring and in interviews. He also might have Daniel Bryan beat in a beard-off. My only concern is that he is already 34 years old, so I don’t know how much time I have left with him, so I will make it count as he joins his cult leader, the Eater of Worlds. I am, however, irked that I missed out on Barrett.
SMACKDOWN’s #12 pick is… THE ROCK
Ben: Since Andrew took the most accessible and reliable—to a point—mainstream box office draw early in Brock Lesnar plus grabbed Triple H as well, I wanted to supplement my Cena pick at this point with Rock. Even if I only get him once or twice a year and matches are a rarity, at #12, he’s worth it.
RAW’s #13 pick is… THE UNDERTAKER
Andrew: My strategy was to go with a legend the moment Ben did. When he went for the best part-timer out there in The Rock, I took a flier on The Undertaker even though his Mania winning streak is done and many think his career is, too. Taker alone as a character popping up on Raw can provide great moments and there is the chance that he has a match or two left in him to build up to, perhaps a rematch with my #2 pick Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman.
SMACKDOWN’s #13 pick is… HULK HOGAN
Ben: See my reasons for taking Rock and couple them with an icon that will be able to work a more regular schedule. Hogan works as an attraction, an ambassador and a nostalgia lure.
RAW’s #14 pick is… STEPHANIE McMAHON
Andrew: Ben went a nostalgia-laced Hall of Famer in Hulk Hogan for promo purposes, so I went with an indelible face in WWE that will be a service every single week in the power-driven Stephanie McMahon. Her character is beyond grating at times and her promos are just as unbearable, but her heel presence is even more dominant than Triple H’s is. She does not get her comeuppance often, but when she does, people want to see it.
SMACKDOWN’s #14 pick is… REY MYSTERIO
Ben: He’s way closer to the end of his career than the start, but when he’s healthy, Rey’s a proven main eventer known by plenty of casual fans who works well putting over young talent or mentoring them in a tag team, plus he’s a merchandise machine.
RAW’s #15 pick is… CODY RHODES
Andrew: His face act with his brother Goldust worked wonders for both of them, but Cody is the ascendant one between the two and that time is coming very soon. He can be just as good as a prima donna heel as he can be a plucky babyface as he has been for months. His match quality is quite good against opponents of all kinds, as well, a sure sign of a superstar in the making.
SMACKDOWN’s #15 pick is… LANA
Ben: My reason for drafting Lana is, honestly, as the best response I could muster to Riche’s shrewd pick of Stephanie McMahon. I wanted a potential female authority figure who could rankle the crowd, and I think with some seasoning, that could be Lana. It’s also worth noting here that none of Andrew’s picks burned me as badly as Cody Rhodes; I think he’s a potential World champion, but I kept letting him slide down the ladder and paid for it.
RAW’s #16 pick is… ERICK ROWAN
Andrew: See Luke Harper at pick #12. I got paranoid that Ben would take Rowan if I dangled him out so long after I had already taken Wyatt and Harper, so I completed the circle of psycho that is the Wyatt Family. Along with the Shield, it is the hottest faction in the company and all three guys need each other. He is the worst of the three talent wise, but he provides a lot of good things as a member of a unit. At worst, I got a consistent tag team threat.
SMACKDOWN’s #16 pick is… ALEXANDER RUSEV
Ben: If Riche had taken Rusev, I wouldn’t have been devastated, as I took Lana with other ideas for her than as his mouthpiece, but since he was still available, doesn’t hurt to have a young monster.
RAW’s #17 and #18 picks are… JIMMY & JAY USO
Andrew: I finished up getting Harper and Rowan, and now I want the best tag team in the company to spice up that division. While Ben was obsessed with putting Lana and Alexander Rusev together, I made sure I got the premier tag team in the company right now. Both guys are almost equal as performers, but Jimmy has that Total Divas rub from marrying Naomi, which makes Ben and Jen (and sometimes Brad) all warm and gooey inside. I once again pass up on strengthening my singles mid card, but I just found these tag teams too valuable at this position.
SMACKDOWN’s #17 pick is… BIG E
Ben: While Andrew started to snatch up tag teams, rather than try to screw with him out of spite, I elected to keep going with young talent and adding beef to my roster. Big E, in my opinion, is not being used to anywhere near his full potential right now, even as Intercontinental champ; let him display personality beyond being strong and silent, and the sky’s the limit.
SMACKDOWN’s #18 pick is… THE MIZ
Ben: With the main event/upper midcard class dwindling, now was the time to snatch Miz, who can always get over as a heel, and is a media machine when it comes to making the rounds for promotional work.
RAW’s #19 pick is… KANE
Andrew: Whether he is wearing a mask, a wife beater, a towel, or a pin for the Libertarian Party, there is always and forever will be Kane. Since the end of his tag team title run with Daniel Bryan, Kane’s work rate has definitely slipped along with his conditioning. However, he is still a tall monster, he can give you a creepy promo every now and then, and he is always game to wrestle at any point on the card without complaint.
