Aside from my bi-weekly “CHIKARA Chronicles” and occasional DVD reviews, there has not been much more that I have contributed to the Pulse Wrestling team since joining this summer. However, I am determined to finally pull something new out of my back pocket. With that taken into consideration, welcome to the first ever “Pulse Wrestling Fantasy Draft”.
General information
Nine writers (including myself) registered to participate in the draft. 25 draft choices are eligible, including 23 wrestlers or managers, two commentators, and one general manager. Only active wrestlers are permitted to be drafted for the “wrestler” part of the roster. In other words, one is free to draft Rob Van Dam or Mr. Anderson, but not Ric Flair or Jeff Hardy. “Inactive” does not mean injured, so guys like Edge or Tyler Black are completely eligible. It should be noted, though, that retired or inactive wrestlers can be used as general managers and color commentators.
If someone wants to draft a tag team, then writers have that option. To do so, though, one is essentially giving up their next draft pick. For instance, if I wanted to draft the Motor City Machine Guns as a team in round one, I could by saying the following: “my promotion selects Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, the Motor City Machine Guns”. When round two comes around, though, I would be skipped. Also, just because a team is currently not together does not mean that writers cannot reunite them. For example, someone can draft Paul London and Brian Kendrick or the Latin American Xchange, but not Harlem Heat, as Stevie Ray is retired. I would also add that faction tandems, such as D-Generation X and the the Power Trip do not count as a team.
Trades can be made once the draft is over, but under somewhat thin circumstances. General managers and commentators cannot be swapped between promotions. In order for a company to properly function, at least one general manager and two commentators must be present. Also, to keep things fair, every promotion must have a minimum of 20 individuals on their rosters once the draft has officially come to an end. For instance, who wants to see someone throw five guys away just to acquire John Cena?
Once the drafting portion has ended, the writers must produce a debut show. Readers will vote for their favorite shows and those with the highest amount of votes will advance to round two and so forth. Round three will be between the two writer finalists and they must create one pay-per-view show for the readers. The winner of round three will ultimately be declared the first ever “Pulse Wrestling Fantasy Draft” champion. If things still sound a bit confusing, more information regarding voting will be posted later on.
Draft order
Below is the draft order and promotions that each represents. This order was chosen completely at random on a shuffling website.
1. Big Andy Mac – International World Class All Star Professional Championship Wrestling Global Alliance and Grappling Arts Federation Unlimited
2. Pulse Glazer – Pro Wrestling Company
3. Mark Allen – Prime Championship Wrestling
4. Steven Gepp – Generic Wrestling Promotion #25
5. Raffi Shamir – Just Pro Wrestling
6. Grey Scherl – Real Ass Pro Wrestling
7. Roy Reynolds – Full Force Wrestling
8. Michael O’Mahony – Lost Art Wrestling
9. David Brashear – New Generation Wrestling
Round #1
Big Andy Mac of International World Class All Star Professional Championship Wrestling Global Alliance and Grappling Arts Federation Unlimited (IWCASPCWGAAGAFU) selects Bryan Danielson.
Calling Bryan Danielson one of the best wrestlers in the world is not just a clever nickname. He truly is one of the best in ring performers going. He also has ever improving microphone skills and one of the most impressive resume’s of any American Wrestler not in WWE. He may not be the most well known, but he is a great wrestler to build a company around thus IWCASPCWGAAGAFU will make him one of the backbones of our company.
Pulse Glazer of Pro Wrestling Company (PWC) selects John Cena.
Cena is the biggest draw in both merchandising and gates in American wrestling. He’s an extremely hard worker who has no problem lying down to make a new star. He’s not my favorite, but Cena adds instant credibility to all the proceedings of my company, ensuring we’d make enough to stay afloat, and with the right opponent, like Michaels a couple years back, he can put on great matches. So now I have a potential star maker who will set the tone with his hard work in the locker-room and will do enough business to keep my company afloat, letting me focus elsewhere.
Mark Allen of Prime Championship Wrestling (PCW) selects Randy Orton.
Orton is the quintessential heel for the era. He oozes an aura of someone who isn’t afraid actually be a heel and doesn’t try to be the “cool guy.” He has the look, aura and charisma that screams “top guy.”
Steven Gepp of Generic Wrestling Promotion #25 (GNW-25) selects Chris Jericho.
As someone who is good on the mic and great in the ring, who can do the technical matches or the spot-fests, he is an asset to any wrestling organisation. He is also apparently some-one willing to do anything to get the story across. And he is not too old that he will break down quickly. Plus, as an added advantage, he can do his own music.
Raffi Shamir of Just Pro Wrestling (JPW) selects CM Punk.
For a long time the management of JPW called CM Punk overrated. But the last six months proved that he is far from that. Punk has been putting excellent performances on the mic and in the ring against a variety of opponents. He proved that he is more than capable of being a top heel and after a lengthy run in that role, he will also be able to be a top face for any promotion.
Grey Scherl of Real Ass Pro Wrestling (RAPW) selects Edge.
Despite being off on injury, Edge has proven himself over the past several years that he is not only the best heel in the WWE, but in the entire industry. He’s the kind of heel that you build a company around. And hey, it makes RAPW Rated R.
Roy Reynolds of Full Force Wrestling (FFW) selects Rob Van Dam.
Regardless of his noted recreational marijuana usage, Van Dam may be one of the best all-around athletes in professional wrestling history. As the first person to ever win both, the WWE Championship and ECW World Heavyweight Championship, my words in the first sentence are proven to be more than clear. Before leaving the WWE, Rob was easily one of the company’s top talent. With that said, FFW will look to make Van Dam into a big star of their promotion, just like the WWE once did.
Michael O’Mahony of Lost Art Wrestling (LAW) selects Jack Swagger.
Swagger is a main eventer in waiting. Great skills, a legit background, and a superstar look make The All-American American the closest thing to a next-gen Kurt Angle. This is exactly the kind of performer the upper-tier of the LAW roster will be built around. Swagger has all the ingredients to be a headliner for years to come.
David Brashear of New Generation Wrestling (NGW) selects Samoa Joe.
The Samoan Submission Machine Samoa Joe is a name that strikes fear into all who know him. With technical expertise added to his size and power, Joe is a well-rounded wrestler who doesn’t win matches – he dominates them. There is no doubt that Samoa Joe will prove a threat to anyone who holds the NGW heavyweight title. And when Joe captures the belt, who will be able to dethrone him?
Tune back this weekend into the “Pulse Wrestling Fantasy Draft”, as five more draft picks from each respective company will be made. Also, feel free to leave comments below. Questions about the draft in general? Agree or disagree with our first round picks or explanations? Let us know and maybe we can explain each of our individual picks a bit more thoroughly.
