The 2016 Good If It Goes WWE Fantasy Draft

By Kevin Schroeder
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Updated: June 1, 2016

Smackdown is going live on July 19th and with that comes the brand split. Ace wrote about the move last week. With all the excitement about the upcoming changes, Sean O’Brien and I took part in the first ~~annual~~ WWE Fantasy Draft. Sean acted as owner of Raw, while I was owner of Smackdown.

The rules, which we mostly stuck to:

1. Everyone in WWE is eligible. Men, women, NXT wrestlers, commentators, announcers, authority figures, etc.

2. The only people ineligible are part-timers, i.e. Rock, Taker, Lesnar. Jericho is eligible. HHH is a package deal with Stephanie McMahon.

3. Tag teams/stables are package deals. Pick one and the other guy gets an equal amount of picks.

Here’s how it played out:

Sean:

Seth Rollins: He’s proclaimed himself the future of the WWE and it’s not just propaganda. It’s true. I would have never pegged him to be at this level this early. Out of all three Shield members, I saw him as the third wheel. Rollins has proved a lot of people (including myself) wrong. In ring, he’s a dynamo. On the mic, he’s brilliant (when he’s not asked to do long promos that drag out that is). He’s a no brainer at #1 overall.

Roman Reigns: As one who fits into the 18-49 year old demographic, I am notoriously against Reigns as a face. His “I’m not a good guy, I’m not a bad guy- I’m THE guy” line would be more appropriate if the WWE wasn’t trying so hard to keep him from going full heel. I may not be totally aboard the Reigns train but I know right now he equals dollar signs. I wouldn’t be worried about his merchandise sales dropping as a heel. Instead, I’d be salivating at the increased heat he would get in every arena.

John Cena: Shocked to see “the face that runs the place” still on the board at sixth overall. Similar to Reigns, I’m not big on Cena as a face but wouldn’t go about booking him as a heel right away. Cena over his career has shown he’s a workhorse and reliable to the max. Over the last year and a half, he’s shown he can put talent over and help the younger generation. I’d continue to keep that reputation strong, and eventually build to having a younger star eventually submit Cena to pass the torch.

Zayn: I see Zayn as a Daniel Bryan of sorts. He’s a talented wrestler with plenty of indie and international credit. While not as technically sound as Bryan, he’s got that relatable feel and a lot of heart. Hopefully he can avoid any more major injuries in the foreseeable future.

Balor: I wouldn’t be shocked to see him taken in the actual WWE brand split. He’s accomplished pretty much everything he set out to do (outside of being a two-time NXT champion). There’s not much left for him in NXT and he’d help provide another marketable star for Vince McMahon.

The New Day: You can’t build a brand without a tag team division. And who better than the champs? Eventually the trio will split up but they are definitely a cornerstone for my version of RAW.

Rusev: The Bulgarian Brute is a diamond in the rough and hasn’t been given the chance to show his true potential yet. He debuted hot but was snuffed out by Cena in 2015. He was held back with the League of Nations. Whether on television or on Twitter, Rusev is entertaining and I would showcase him on RAW.

Sasha Banks: My pick for the best female wrestler in WWE right now. She’s got a huge following and quite the resume to boast. I’d love to be in control of her eventual Women’s Championship win.

Bayley: Another great female talent. As the first female NXT pick, the reaction would be electric. Bayley/Sasha could be this generation’s version of Trish/Lita.

Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper: Wyatt- like Rusev- has so much untapped potential even after debuting more than three years ago. The Wyatts have been handled poorly for a long time and I would look to right that wrong. Harper is another gem and it’s good to see he’s healing from his ACL injury.

American Alpha: A perfect foil for the New Day and this generation’s Team Angle…but better. Jordan’s the new suplex machine. Gable going solo years from now could see him do wonders.

Charlotte: As champion, she further bolsters the women’s division on RAW and can renew her rivalries with Sasha and Bayley.

Breezango: I HATE that name and would immediately rename them FaBreeze. The duo are perfect for each other gimmick-wise. Also, they have been bogged down by poor booking but would flourish under my watch as dark horse contenders for the tag titles.

Dolph Ziggler: Ziggler has been stale for almost four years now and should have turned to the dark side a while ago. I’d repackage him completely and help him evolve into the heel he’s meant to be. Like Cena, he can be the old guard that helps pass the torch. With WWE’s injury bug, his durability is a huge asset.

The Vaudevillians: Another great tag team makes four for RAW. The duo have tons of room for growth.

Todd Phillips: This would never happen in the real draft but this is MY show. One of RAW’s biggest weaknesses is its announce team and I often mute them. They care less about in ring action and more about social media, etc. Having a new voice call the action would be refreshing for fans.

Renee Young: She’s WWE’s best backstage interviewer in years- or maybe ever. She could continue her pre/post show hosting and help add to that “new era” feel.

The Miz: The Miz is on fire with Maryse by his side and is vastly underrated as a superstar. Derailed years ago by both John Cena and The Rock, the Miz has found a perfect niche as the best IC champion in a long time. Not everything about being a successful star is being a technical wizard or indie sweetheart. Miz is reliable and another solid veteran presence.

Trade: Sami Zayn and Tony Chimel for Dean Ambrose: I have Rollins and Reigns. Kevin has Cesaro and Owens. The perfect trade for both sides sees a Shield triple threat a possibility, and Zayn can continue his rivalries with Owens and Cesaro.

Kevin:

With my first pick, I went with Kevin Owens. His time in ROH showed he can be a great heel or a great face and few people in the world can match him in the ring or on the mic, let alone both. At #3 overall, I went with Shinsuke Nakamura. Fun fact: “Nakamura” is Japanese for “charisma.” Actually, it isn’t, but it should be. I was really glad to pick up AJ Styles at #7. He’s getting up there in years, but he’s been outstanding since he left TNA. Cesaro’s the most underrated talent in WWE. I’d love to see him get an actual shot at the top. If Tyson Kidd wrestles again, they can pick up where they left off as a fantastic tag team. Speaking of fantastic tag teams, with my next pick I took Enzo & Cass. When Paul Heyman’s not around, Enzo’s the best promo in the company.

As part of the 13^th overall pick, I went with Mauro Ranallo. Before anyone says I reached, watch a hockey game called by Doc Emrick and then watch one called by Kenny Albert. Albert’s a fine play-by-play man but Doc’s in another world. Same concept here. Mauro makes every match sound important. He’s the head and shoulders above everyone else in the company. At #49, I grabbed JBL. I don’t think JBL in and of himself is a bad commentator. Rather, I think he gets dragged down by Cole and Byron, and before him, Lawler, on Raw. Put JBL with Mauro and he could be a great smarmy heel, a la Bobby Hennan. I nabbed William Regal to be my matchmaker at #51. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were still on the board at #57, so I picked them up. Might as well at that point. I’ll find something for them to do. For now, I’ll call them COO and CFO. In any case, it was worth the pick at this spot just to have them in my back pocket in case of a cross-brand family story or to be able to put Triple H in the ring. After the draft, I traded Den Ambrose to Raw for Sami Zayn and Tony Chimel. Greg Hamilton’s fine but Chimel’s the best the company has to offer. Ambrose for Zayn was a pretty even trade talent-wise.

Here are our final rosters: