Post by Wardlow on Wardlow 54 on May 30, 2022 21:14:01 GMT -5
(So this is just a fantasy booking idea I had, based on a concept that's been discussed on another forum I post on. The discussion was about a company that was specifically based around tournaments, with an off-season. This is my take on that.)
The Draft
We open with an arena, packed with fans in the bleachers. Sitting in the floor section are some one hundred wrestlers, men who used to work for WWE, AEW, Impact, New Japan, ROH and other companies. In the fallout of the great Wrestling Crash, Vince McMahon, Nick Khan, Ed Norholm, Scott D’Amore, Cody and Brandi Rhodes, Maria Kanellis, Tony Khan, Cary Silkin and Takami Obhari had agreed to combine (in the case of the latter, it would be more of a talent loan) their forces to create one wrestling company. This company would be based on running tournaments, along with having it’s own set of Championships. It was announced that there would be eighteen teams participating. These teams would each have their own manager, who would be in charge of deciding who competes in which tournaments and in the case of Championship matches, they would be responsible for the promotion of those matches. The governing body was simply present to enforce the rules and book the shows.
In the weeks following the initial announcement, countless managers threw their hats in the race, looking to head up a team. In the end, these were the teams chosen by the governing body were as follows:
Undisputed (managed by Triple H)
House of Windham (managed by Windham)
Blackpool Combat Club (manged by William Regal)
Bloodline (managed by Paul Heyman)
CHAOS (managed by Rick Boogz)
The Elite (managed by Don Callis)
Bullet Club (managed by AJ Styles)
Best Friends (managed by Sue)
Suzuki-GUN (managed by Minoru Suzuki)
Hurt Business (managed by MVP)
Dark Order (managed by Evil Uno)
The New Day (managed by Big E)
Los Ingobernables (managed by Ric Flair)
The Pinnacle (managed by Tully Blanchard)
Inner Circle Society (managed by Chris Jericho)
The Revival (managed by Bret Hart)
Judgment Day (managed by Edge)
Honor Society (managed by Nigel McGuinness)
Which brings us to tonight, the draft, to determine the initial rosters for the World Wrestling League. Cody Rhodes was selected by the governing body to explain the rules:
“The World Wrestling League will be run on a system of tournaments, which will feature representative from the eighteen teams. Managers are responsible for submitting applications for their charges to be part of the tournaments. In the event that there are more applicants than spots available, the governing body will have final say.
There will, on occasion, be non-tournament matches, which will be contested for Championships. The World Wrestling League will support seven Championships:
The WWL World Championship and WWL Women’s Championships, the symbols of excellence for this company
The WWL World Tag Team Championship, the symbol of tag team excellence
The WWL Mixed Doubles Championship, the prize for winning the Mixed Match Challenge Tournament
The WWL Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship, the prize for winning the King of the Trios Tournament
The WWL King and Queen of Wrestling Championships, the prizes for winning the King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown tournaments
Which brings us to the schedule for our tournaments!
The WWL World Championship and Women’s Championship tournaments will run through the month of June.
In July, we will be running both the Tag Team Championship tournament and the WWL Women’s Cup, the winner of which will be the number one contender for the WWL Women’s Championship.
In August, the Mixed Match Challenge will take place, which is the first of the round robin tournaments. Coinciding with that will be the WWL Men’s Decider Tournament, to determine the number one contender for the World Championship.
In September, we will be running King of Trios, alongside the King and Queen of Wrestling Tournaments.
In October and November, we have the WWL Summits, which will be open for men’s, women’s and tag team divisions.
Finally, in December, we will have the WWL Playoffs, which will be a two month series to determine the winners of the 2022 World Wrestling League!
In January, everyone becomes a free agent again and we will reconvene later in the year for another draft.
Now for the team rules.
Eighteen team franchises have been awarded and the managers are here tonight. They will be drafting their teams, which will consist of four men and one woman. The managers are responsible for choosing who will compete in which tournaments, as well as for handling challenges for Championships. The manager of the Champion will have final say on when a match will take place and for promoting that match.
In the event of injuries, the affected manager must draft a replacement competitor, who will assume the bookings of the injured worker. Should a Champion go down with an injury, an Interim Championship will be created, with the governing body electing how to determine the Interim Champion.
The draft will work as follows. Whoever picks first in round one will select last in the next round, with the person who followed them going first. This will proceed until all five picks have been made. You can only draft one wrestler at a time.”
Draft Results
Round One
Adam Cole drafted to Undisputed
Malakai Black drafted to House of Windham
Bryan Danielson drafted to Blackpool Combat Club
Roman Reigns drafted to Bloodline
Shinsuke Nakamura drafted to CHAOS
Kenny Omega drafted to The Elite
Finn Balor drafted to Bullet Club
Trent Berreta drafted to Best Friends
Lance Archer drafted to Suzuki-GUN
Bobby Lashley drafted to Hurt Business
Hangman Adam Page drafted to Dark Order
Kofi Kingston drafted to New Day
Andrade El Idolo drafted to Los Ingobernables
Maxwell Jacob Friedman drafted to The Pinnacle
Sammy Guevara drafted to The Inner Circle Society
Dax Harwood drafted to The Revival
Damian Priest drafted to Judgment Day
Seth Rollins drafted to Honor Society
Many of the first round picks were not surprising. Notably, there was tension between Finn Balor and Kenny Omega when they were sitting on stage with their managers. Sue got some heat for choosing her son as her first pick. The MJF selection was considered controversial, but Tully defended it as part of the plan. Windham announced that he would be renaming his team The House of Black, in honor of his first pick.
Round Two
Braun Strowman drafted to House of Black
Jon Moxley drafted to Blackpool Combat Club
Samoa Joe drafted to Bloodline
Kazuchika Okada drafted to CHAOS
Nick Jackson drafted to The Elite
KENTA drafted to Bullet Club
Chuck Taylor drafted to Best Friends
The Butcher drafted to Suzuki-GUN
Shelton Benjamin drafted to Hurt Business
John Silver drafted to Dark Order
Xavier Woods drafted to New Day
RUSH drafted to Los Ingobernables
Shawn Spears drafted to The Pinnacle
Daniel Garcia drafted to The Inner Circle Society
Cash Wheeler drafted to The Revival
Ali drafted to Judgment Day
Jay Lethal drafted to Honor Society
Kyle O’Reilly to Undisputed
The selection of Braun Strowman raised a few eyebrows, but Windham called him one of his best friends, so that did justify the pick somewhat. Okada and KENTA as the first NJPW picks surprised many, who didn’t know if NJPW workers would be permitted to spend six months in the US. The Butcher for Suzuki-GUN was a surprising pick, but Lance Archer was said to have advocated for both him and The Blade.
Round Three
Eddie Kingston to Blackpool Combat Club
Jey Uso to Bloodline
Lee Moriarty to CHAOS
Matt Jackson to The Elite
Karl Anderson to Bullet Club
Orange Cassidy to Best Friends
The Blade to Suzuki-GUN
Cedric Alexander to Hurt Business
Alex Reynolds to Dark Order
Keith Lee to New Day
Penta Obscuro to Los Ingobernables
Randy Orton to The Pinnacle
Matt Menard to The Inner Circle Society
CM Punk to The Revival
Tommaso Ciampa to Judgment Day
Kevin Owens to Honor Society
Bobby Fish to Undisputed
Brody King to House of Black
Eddie Kingston was seen as an interesting choice by William Regal, considering his history with Bryan Danielson. Lee Moriarty to CHAOS was seen as a shock, considering his lack of connection to the group previously. The Blade was expected for Suzuki-GUN after The Butcher was drafted in Round One. There were many people raving over the selection of Keith Lee to New Day, as nobody really expected it. Penta Oscuro going to Los Ingobernables came out of nowhere to many, but Ric Flair was grinning like a cheshire cat afterwards. Randy Orton being taken so low in the draft was a major shock, same with CM Punk.
Round Four
This would be the final round for the men.
Jimmy Uso to Bloodline
Matt Sydal to CHAOS
Kota Ibushi to The Elite
Doc Gallows to Bullet Club
Rocky Romero to Best Friends
PAC to Suzuki-GUN
Low Ki to Hurt Business
PresTen Vance to Dark Order
Swerve Strickland to New Day
Rey Fenix to Los Ingobernables
Riddle to The Pinnacle
Angelo Parker to The Inner Circle Society
Drew McIntyre to The Revival
Johnny Gargano to Judgment Day
Sami Zayn to Honor Society
Roderick Strong to Undisputed
Buddy Matthews to House of Black
CSRO to Blackpool Combat Club
Nobody was too shocked about how the Bloodline, Elite, Bullet Club, Best Friends, Dark Order, Inner Circle Society, Honor Society, Undisputed or House of Black rosters rounded out. Sydal and Moriarty to CHAOS were seen as surprises, especially as Sydal is better known as a part of Taguchi Japan. PAC to Suzuki-GUN finished off a very intriguing lineup, with Archer getting a lot of the credit for Suzuki’s choices. Low Ki was seen as a bit of a surprise, as many were unaware he was even eligible to be drafted. Swerve Strickland rounded out a fantastic draft for Big E, while many were still in shock at Ric Flair nabbing The Lucha Bros for Los Ingobernables. The Pinnacle is viewed as a risky investment, as MJF’s recent antics and Randy Orton’s injury leave half the group in doubt. Nobody was sure what to expect with Bret Hart’s last pick, but Drew McIntyre was viewed as a smart choice. Judgment Day has one of the more interesting lineups for many fans, as Ali, Ciampa and Gargano have no preassociations with Edge going into the season. Many are wondering how the Blackpool Combat Club will fare, considering Eddie Kingston doesn’t get along with anyone on his team. When asked to comment, William Regal said Kingston doesn’t like anybody, but trusts he will fare just fine in the World Wrestling League.
Round Five
Asuka to CHAOS
Riho to The Elite
Bayley to Bullet Club
Kris Statlander to Best Friends
Serena Deeb to Suzuki-GUN
Sasha Banks to Hurt Business
Anna Jay to Dark Order
Bianca Belair to New Day
Charlotte Flair to Los Ingobernables
Leyla Hirsch to The Pinnacle
Tay Conti to The Inner Circle Society
Athena to The Revival
Rhea Ripley to Judgment Day
Mercedes Martinez to Honor Society
Dr. Britt Baker DMD to Undisputed
Alexa Bliss to House of Black
Ruby Soho to Blackpool Combat Club
Naomi to Bloodline
Many of the female picks were seen as interesting, such as Asuka to CHAOS. Boogz, when questioned, reminded the press that she was the longest reigning NXT Women’s Champion, “back when that belt meant something”. Bayley to Bullet Club was surprising, but was owed to her connections with Finn Balor back in NXT. Serena Deeb getting the nod for Suzuki-GUN over The Bunny appeared to upset The Blade, but Archer was seen talking to him about it later in the evening. Sasha Banks was a shocker for the Hurt Business, but she was all smiles when she stepped on stage to join the team. Supposedly, Bianca Belair to New Day was a holdover from when Big E was considering The Street Profits. Leyla Hirsch is a pick many questioned, after her injury on April 6th. Many people groaned when Tay Conti was chosen for The Inner Circle Society, as nobody was happy to see her and Sammy on the same team. Athena was viewed as a huge pick for The Revival. Alexa Bliss and Julia Hart were both being considered by Windham, but he ultimately went with Alexa, due to her being more experienced. Ruby Soho was seen as a no-brainer pick for the Blackpool Combat Club, since she is friends with Eddie Kingston. Despite the controversy, Naomi was not seen as a surprising pick for The Bloodline at all.
Lineups for each team
Undisputed
Manager: Triple H
Adam Cole (0-1) (injured)
Kyle O’Reilly (0-1) (injured)
Bobby Fish (injured)
Roderick Strong
Dr. Britt Baker DMD – World Wrestling League Women’s Champion (4-0)
House of Black
Manager: Windham
Malakai Black (0-1)
Braun Strowman
Brody King
Buddy Matthews
Alexa Bliss (0-1)
Blackpool Combat Club
Manager: William Regal
Bryan Danielson (injured)
Jon Moxley (2-1)
Eddie Kingston
Claudio Castagnoli
Ruby Soho (2-1)
The Bloodline
Manager: Paul Heyman
Roman Reigns (3-1)
Samoa Joe
Jey Uso
Jimmy Uso
Naomi (0-1)
CHAOS
Manager: Rick Boogz
Shinsuke Nakamura (1-0)
Kazuchika Okada – World Wrestling League World Champion (4-0)
Lee Moriarty
Matt Sydal
Asuka (1-1)
The Elite
Manager: Don Callis
Kenny Omega (injured)
Nick Jackson
Matt Jackson
Kota Ibushi (0-1)
Riho (0-1)
Bullet Club
Manager: AJ Styles
Finn Balor (2-1)
KENTA (0-1)
Karl Anderson
Doc Gallows
Bayley (injured)
Best Friends
Manager: Sue
Trent Berreta
Chuck Taylor
Orange Cassidy
Rocky Romero
Kris Statlander (1-1)
Suzuki-GUN
Manager: Minoru Suzuki
Lance Archer
The Butcher
The Blade
PAC
Serena Deeb (0-1)
Hurt Business
Manager: MVP
Bobby Lashley (2-1)
Shelton Benjamin
Cedric Alexander
Low Ki
Sasha Banks (1-1)
Dark Order
Manager: Evil Uno
Hangman Adam Page (0-1)
John Silver
Alex Reynolds
PresTen Vance
Anna Jay (0-1)
New Day
Manager: Big E
Kofi Kingston
Xavier Woods
Keith Lee (1-1)
Swerve Strickland
Bianca Belair (1-2)
Los Ingobernables
Manager: Ric Flair
Andrade El Idolo (0-1)
RUSH
Penta Oscuro
Rey Fenix
Charlotte Flair (3-1)
The Pinnacle
Manager: Tully Blanchard
Maxwell Jacob Friedman Wardlow
Shawn Spears
Randy Orton (injured?)
Matt Riddle (0-1)
Leyla Hirsch Jade Cargill
The Inner Circle Society
Manager: Chris Jericho
Sammy Guevara (0-1)
Daniel Garcia
Matt Menard
Angelo Parker
Tay Conti (0-1)
The Revival
Manager: Bret Hart
Dax Harwood
Cash Wheeler
CM Punk Miro
Drew McIntyre (0-1)
Athena (2-1)
Judgment Day
Manager: Edge
Damian Priest (1-1)
Ali
Tommaso Ciampa
Johnny Gargano
Rhea Ripley (1-1) (injured)
Honor Society
Manager: Nigel McGuinness
Seth Rollins (1-1)
Jay Lethal
Kevin Owens
Sami Zayn
Mercedes Martinez (0-1)
July Event Schedule
July 9th, St. Louis, Missouri – World Wrestling League Tag Team Championship Tournament Night One
July 10th, Louisville, Kentucky – World Wrestling League Women’s Cup Tournament Night One
July 16th, Houston Texas – World Wrestling League Tag Team Championship Tournament Night Two
July 17th, Dallas Texas – World Wrestling League Women’s Cup Night Two
July 24th, Cleveland, Ohio – World Wrestling League Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals
World Wrestling League Tag Team Championship Tournament Night One
July 9th, St. Louis, Missouri
The Usos vs. 2.0
Lucha Bros vs. John Silver and Alex Reynolds
The Good Brothers vs. FTR
Kings of The Black Throne vs. Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. #DIY
The Young Bucks vs. Roppongi Vice
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. The Butcher and The Blade
Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander vs. Lee Moriarty and Matt Sydal
World Wrestling League Women's Cup Tournament Night One
July 9th, St. Louis, Missouri
Tay Conti vs. Kris Statlander
Serena Deeb vs. Sasha Banks
Anna Jay vs. Naomi
Riho vs. Mercedes Martinez
Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka
Ruby Soho vs. Alexa Bliss
Athena vs. Jade Cargill
(Just for the record, for injuries and what-not, I'm keeping that true to real life. So Kenny, Orton, Orange, Punk, Bayley and Leyla are all currently out of action. For each tournament, I can either have a manager opt out if they have nobody available, or choose a replacement. I may end up doing that with at least one of the picks fyi)
We open with an arena, packed with fans in the bleachers. Sitting in the floor section are some one hundred wrestlers, men who used to work for WWE, AEW, Impact, New Japan, ROH and other companies. In the fallout of the great Wrestling Crash, Vince McMahon, Nick Khan, Ed Norholm, Scott D’Amore, Cody and Brandi Rhodes, Maria Kanellis, Tony Khan, Cary Silkin and Takami Obhari had agreed to combine (in the case of the latter, it would be more of a talent loan) their forces to create one wrestling company. This company would be based on running tournaments, along with having it’s own set of Championships. It was announced that there would be eighteen teams participating. These teams would each have their own manager, who would be in charge of deciding who competes in which tournaments and in the case of Championship matches, they would be responsible for the promotion of those matches. The governing body was simply present to enforce the rules and book the shows.
In the weeks following the initial announcement, countless managers threw their hats in the race, looking to head up a team. In the end, these were the teams chosen by the governing body were as follows:
Undisputed (managed by Triple H)
House of Windham (managed by Windham)
Blackpool Combat Club (manged by William Regal)
Bloodline (managed by Paul Heyman)
CHAOS (managed by Rick Boogz)
The Elite (managed by Don Callis)
Bullet Club (managed by AJ Styles)
Best Friends (managed by Sue)
Suzuki-GUN (managed by Minoru Suzuki)
Hurt Business (managed by MVP)
Dark Order (managed by Evil Uno)
The New Day (managed by Big E)
Los Ingobernables (managed by Ric Flair)
The Pinnacle (managed by Tully Blanchard)
Inner Circle Society (managed by Chris Jericho)
The Revival (managed by Bret Hart)
Judgment Day (managed by Edge)
Honor Society (managed by Nigel McGuinness)
Which brings us to tonight, the draft, to determine the initial rosters for the World Wrestling League. Cody Rhodes was selected by the governing body to explain the rules:
“The World Wrestling League will be run on a system of tournaments, which will feature representative from the eighteen teams. Managers are responsible for submitting applications for their charges to be part of the tournaments. In the event that there are more applicants than spots available, the governing body will have final say.
There will, on occasion, be non-tournament matches, which will be contested for Championships. The World Wrestling League will support seven Championships:
The WWL World Championship and WWL Women’s Championships, the symbols of excellence for this company
The WWL World Tag Team Championship, the symbol of tag team excellence
The WWL Mixed Doubles Championship, the prize for winning the Mixed Match Challenge Tournament
The WWL Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship, the prize for winning the King of the Trios Tournament
The WWL King and Queen of Wrestling Championships, the prizes for winning the King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown tournaments
Which brings us to the schedule for our tournaments!
The WWL World Championship and Women’s Championship tournaments will run through the month of June.
In July, we will be running both the Tag Team Championship tournament and the WWL Women’s Cup, the winner of which will be the number one contender for the WWL Women’s Championship.
In August, the Mixed Match Challenge will take place, which is the first of the round robin tournaments. Coinciding with that will be the WWL Men’s Decider Tournament, to determine the number one contender for the World Championship.
In September, we will be running King of Trios, alongside the King and Queen of Wrestling Tournaments.
In October and November, we have the WWL Summits, which will be open for men’s, women’s and tag team divisions.
Finally, in December, we will have the WWL Playoffs, which will be a two month series to determine the winners of the 2022 World Wrestling League!
In January, everyone becomes a free agent again and we will reconvene later in the year for another draft.
Now for the team rules.
Eighteen team franchises have been awarded and the managers are here tonight. They will be drafting their teams, which will consist of four men and one woman. The managers are responsible for choosing who will compete in which tournaments, as well as for handling challenges for Championships. The manager of the Champion will have final say on when a match will take place and for promoting that match.
In the event of injuries, the affected manager must draft a replacement competitor, who will assume the bookings of the injured worker. Should a Champion go down with an injury, an Interim Championship will be created, with the governing body electing how to determine the Interim Champion.
The draft will work as follows. Whoever picks first in round one will select last in the next round, with the person who followed them going first. This will proceed until all five picks have been made. You can only draft one wrestler at a time.”
Draft Results
Round One
Adam Cole drafted to Undisputed
Malakai Black drafted to House of Windham
Bryan Danielson drafted to Blackpool Combat Club
Roman Reigns drafted to Bloodline
Shinsuke Nakamura drafted to CHAOS
Kenny Omega drafted to The Elite
Finn Balor drafted to Bullet Club
Trent Berreta drafted to Best Friends
Lance Archer drafted to Suzuki-GUN
Bobby Lashley drafted to Hurt Business
Hangman Adam Page drafted to Dark Order
Kofi Kingston drafted to New Day
Andrade El Idolo drafted to Los Ingobernables
Maxwell Jacob Friedman drafted to The Pinnacle
Sammy Guevara drafted to The Inner Circle Society
Dax Harwood drafted to The Revival
Damian Priest drafted to Judgment Day
Seth Rollins drafted to Honor Society
Many of the first round picks were not surprising. Notably, there was tension between Finn Balor and Kenny Omega when they were sitting on stage with their managers. Sue got some heat for choosing her son as her first pick. The MJF selection was considered controversial, but Tully defended it as part of the plan. Windham announced that he would be renaming his team The House of Black, in honor of his first pick.
Round Two
Braun Strowman drafted to House of Black
Jon Moxley drafted to Blackpool Combat Club
Samoa Joe drafted to Bloodline
Kazuchika Okada drafted to CHAOS
Nick Jackson drafted to The Elite
KENTA drafted to Bullet Club
Chuck Taylor drafted to Best Friends
The Butcher drafted to Suzuki-GUN
Shelton Benjamin drafted to Hurt Business
John Silver drafted to Dark Order
Xavier Woods drafted to New Day
RUSH drafted to Los Ingobernables
Shawn Spears drafted to The Pinnacle
Daniel Garcia drafted to The Inner Circle Society
Cash Wheeler drafted to The Revival
Ali drafted to Judgment Day
Jay Lethal drafted to Honor Society
Kyle O’Reilly to Undisputed
The selection of Braun Strowman raised a few eyebrows, but Windham called him one of his best friends, so that did justify the pick somewhat. Okada and KENTA as the first NJPW picks surprised many, who didn’t know if NJPW workers would be permitted to spend six months in the US. The Butcher for Suzuki-GUN was a surprising pick, but Lance Archer was said to have advocated for both him and The Blade.
Round Three
Eddie Kingston to Blackpool Combat Club
Jey Uso to Bloodline
Lee Moriarty to CHAOS
Matt Jackson to The Elite
Karl Anderson to Bullet Club
Orange Cassidy to Best Friends
The Blade to Suzuki-GUN
Cedric Alexander to Hurt Business
Alex Reynolds to Dark Order
Keith Lee to New Day
Penta Obscuro to Los Ingobernables
Randy Orton to The Pinnacle
Matt Menard to The Inner Circle Society
CM Punk to The Revival
Tommaso Ciampa to Judgment Day
Kevin Owens to Honor Society
Bobby Fish to Undisputed
Brody King to House of Black
Eddie Kingston was seen as an interesting choice by William Regal, considering his history with Bryan Danielson. Lee Moriarty to CHAOS was seen as a shock, considering his lack of connection to the group previously. The Blade was expected for Suzuki-GUN after The Butcher was drafted in Round One. There were many people raving over the selection of Keith Lee to New Day, as nobody really expected it. Penta Oscuro going to Los Ingobernables came out of nowhere to many, but Ric Flair was grinning like a cheshire cat afterwards. Randy Orton being taken so low in the draft was a major shock, same with CM Punk.
Round Four
This would be the final round for the men.
Jimmy Uso to Bloodline
Matt Sydal to CHAOS
Kota Ibushi to The Elite
Doc Gallows to Bullet Club
Rocky Romero to Best Friends
PAC to Suzuki-GUN
Low Ki to Hurt Business
PresTen Vance to Dark Order
Swerve Strickland to New Day
Rey Fenix to Los Ingobernables
Riddle to The Pinnacle
Angelo Parker to The Inner Circle Society
Drew McIntyre to The Revival
Johnny Gargano to Judgment Day
Sami Zayn to Honor Society
Roderick Strong to Undisputed
Buddy Matthews to House of Black
CSRO to Blackpool Combat Club
Nobody was too shocked about how the Bloodline, Elite, Bullet Club, Best Friends, Dark Order, Inner Circle Society, Honor Society, Undisputed or House of Black rosters rounded out. Sydal and Moriarty to CHAOS were seen as surprises, especially as Sydal is better known as a part of Taguchi Japan. PAC to Suzuki-GUN finished off a very intriguing lineup, with Archer getting a lot of the credit for Suzuki’s choices. Low Ki was seen as a bit of a surprise, as many were unaware he was even eligible to be drafted. Swerve Strickland rounded out a fantastic draft for Big E, while many were still in shock at Ric Flair nabbing The Lucha Bros for Los Ingobernables. The Pinnacle is viewed as a risky investment, as MJF’s recent antics and Randy Orton’s injury leave half the group in doubt. Nobody was sure what to expect with Bret Hart’s last pick, but Drew McIntyre was viewed as a smart choice. Judgment Day has one of the more interesting lineups for many fans, as Ali, Ciampa and Gargano have no preassociations with Edge going into the season. Many are wondering how the Blackpool Combat Club will fare, considering Eddie Kingston doesn’t get along with anyone on his team. When asked to comment, William Regal said Kingston doesn’t like anybody, but trusts he will fare just fine in the World Wrestling League.
Round Five
Asuka to CHAOS
Riho to The Elite
Bayley to Bullet Club
Kris Statlander to Best Friends
Serena Deeb to Suzuki-GUN
Sasha Banks to Hurt Business
Anna Jay to Dark Order
Bianca Belair to New Day
Charlotte Flair to Los Ingobernables
Leyla Hirsch to The Pinnacle
Tay Conti to The Inner Circle Society
Athena to The Revival
Rhea Ripley to Judgment Day
Mercedes Martinez to Honor Society
Dr. Britt Baker DMD to Undisputed
Alexa Bliss to House of Black
Ruby Soho to Blackpool Combat Club
Naomi to Bloodline
Many of the female picks were seen as interesting, such as Asuka to CHAOS. Boogz, when questioned, reminded the press that she was the longest reigning NXT Women’s Champion, “back when that belt meant something”. Bayley to Bullet Club was surprising, but was owed to her connections with Finn Balor back in NXT. Serena Deeb getting the nod for Suzuki-GUN over The Bunny appeared to upset The Blade, but Archer was seen talking to him about it later in the evening. Sasha Banks was a shocker for the Hurt Business, but she was all smiles when she stepped on stage to join the team. Supposedly, Bianca Belair to New Day was a holdover from when Big E was considering The Street Profits. Leyla Hirsch is a pick many questioned, after her injury on April 6th. Many people groaned when Tay Conti was chosen for The Inner Circle Society, as nobody was happy to see her and Sammy on the same team. Athena was viewed as a huge pick for The Revival. Alexa Bliss and Julia Hart were both being considered by Windham, but he ultimately went with Alexa, due to her being more experienced. Ruby Soho was seen as a no-brainer pick for the Blackpool Combat Club, since she is friends with Eddie Kingston. Despite the controversy, Naomi was not seen as a surprising pick for The Bloodline at all.
Lineups for each team
Undisputed
Manager: Triple H
Adam Cole (0-1) (injured)
Kyle O’Reilly (0-1) (injured)
Bobby Fish (injured)
Roderick Strong
Dr. Britt Baker DMD – World Wrestling League Women’s Champion (4-0)
House of Black
Manager: Windham
Malakai Black (0-1)
Braun Strowman
Brody King
Buddy Matthews
Alexa Bliss (0-1)
Blackpool Combat Club
Manager: William Regal
Bryan Danielson (injured)
Jon Moxley (2-1)
Eddie Kingston
Claudio Castagnoli
Ruby Soho (2-1)
The Bloodline
Manager: Paul Heyman
Roman Reigns (3-1)
Samoa Joe
Jey Uso
Jimmy Uso
Naomi (0-1)
CHAOS
Manager: Rick Boogz
Shinsuke Nakamura (1-0)
Kazuchika Okada – World Wrestling League World Champion (4-0)
Lee Moriarty
Matt Sydal
Asuka (1-1)
The Elite
Manager: Don Callis
Kenny Omega (injured)
Nick Jackson
Matt Jackson
Kota Ibushi (0-1)
Riho (0-1)
Bullet Club
Manager: AJ Styles
Finn Balor (2-1)
KENTA (0-1)
Karl Anderson
Doc Gallows
Bayley (injured)
Best Friends
Manager: Sue
Trent Berreta
Chuck Taylor
Orange Cassidy
Rocky Romero
Kris Statlander (1-1)
Suzuki-GUN
Manager: Minoru Suzuki
Lance Archer
The Butcher
The Blade
PAC
Serena Deeb (0-1)
Hurt Business
Manager: MVP
Bobby Lashley (2-1)
Shelton Benjamin
Cedric Alexander
Low Ki
Sasha Banks (1-1)
Dark Order
Manager: Evil Uno
Hangman Adam Page (0-1)
John Silver
Alex Reynolds
PresTen Vance
Anna Jay (0-1)
New Day
Manager: Big E
Kofi Kingston
Xavier Woods
Keith Lee (1-1)
Swerve Strickland
Bianca Belair (1-2)
Los Ingobernables
Manager: Ric Flair
Andrade El Idolo (0-1)
RUSH
Penta Oscuro
Rey Fenix
Charlotte Flair (3-1)
The Pinnacle
Manager: Tully Blanchard
Shawn Spears
Randy Orton (injured?)
Matt Riddle (0-1)
The Inner Circle Society
Manager: Chris Jericho
Sammy Guevara (0-1)
Daniel Garcia
Matt Menard
Angelo Parker
Tay Conti (0-1)
The Revival
Manager: Bret Hart
Dax Harwood
Cash Wheeler
Drew McIntyre (0-1)
Athena (2-1)
Judgment Day
Manager: Edge
Damian Priest (1-1)
Ali
Tommaso Ciampa
Johnny Gargano
Rhea Ripley (1-1) (injured)
Honor Society
Manager: Nigel McGuinness
Seth Rollins (1-1)
Jay Lethal
Kevin Owens
Sami Zayn
Mercedes Martinez (0-1)
July Event Schedule
July 9th, St. Louis, Missouri – World Wrestling League Tag Team Championship Tournament Night One
July 10th, Louisville, Kentucky – World Wrestling League Women’s Cup Tournament Night One
July 16th, Houston Texas – World Wrestling League Tag Team Championship Tournament Night Two
July 17th, Dallas Texas – World Wrestling League Women’s Cup Night Two
July 24th, Cleveland, Ohio – World Wrestling League Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals
World Wrestling League Tag Team Championship Tournament Night One
July 9th, St. Louis, Missouri
The Usos vs. 2.0
Lucha Bros vs. John Silver and Alex Reynolds
The Good Brothers vs. FTR
Kings of The Black Throne vs. Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. #DIY
The Young Bucks vs. Roppongi Vice
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. The Butcher and The Blade
Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander vs. Lee Moriarty and Matt Sydal
World Wrestling League Women's Cup Tournament Night One
July 9th, St. Louis, Missouri
Tay Conti vs. Kris Statlander
Serena Deeb vs. Sasha Banks
Anna Jay vs. Naomi
Riho vs. Mercedes Martinez
Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka
Ruby Soho vs. Alexa Bliss
Athena vs. Jade Cargill
(Just for the record, for injuries and what-not, I'm keeping that true to real life. So Kenny, Orton, Orange, Punk, Bayley and Leyla are all currently out of action. For each tournament, I can either have a manager opt out if they have nobody available, or choose a replacement. I may end up doing that with at least one of the picks fyi)