To say the crew at the SoBros Network is pumped about the draft would be an incredible understatement. Last week, we got together to record our own podcast version of a WWE mock draft. The rules were simple: Bill represents Raw. Brandon represents Smackdown. I (Stoney) moderate.
We flipped a coin to see who would get the first overall pick. Whoever lost the coin flip got their first choice of General Manager. Bill won, so Raw gets the first pick, but Brandon gets the first choice among GMs…
Let’s gooooo!
Smackdown General Manager – Brandon selects Daniel Bryan, the presumptive favorite to actually land the gig. No issues with this whatsoever – he’s incredibly over and is an incredible wrestling mind. This is going to be gold.
Raw General Manager – Bill selects Edge, and boy – talk about outside-the-box. Edge is a name on absolutely no one’s radar, but would he be great at it or what? We’re just naming GMs and I’m already sold that this mock is going to be amazing.
Draft Results
1. Raw – Seth Rollins – Seth Rollins is one of the select few cornerstone pieces in the WWE, and I’ve tagged him as the best wrestler in WWE for two years running. I have no gripes whatsoever with Rollins becoming the face of the flagship program. He would be my #1 pick ten out of ten times.
2. Smackdown – Dean Ambrose – Is there an echo in here? Ambrose is another of the potential WWE cornerstones, and though he hasn’t seen the success Rollins has, he can certainly become the face of either brand. Solid pick.
3. Raw – Finn Balor – Bill makes things interesting and we’re only three picks into the draft. This is obviously all about the future. Balor is no spring chicken, so the question is whether or not he has the longevity to be a top guy in WWE. You have to live in the present and promote what’s hot at the moment. Balor is hot right now, and he’s a new face to push to the moon. I approve.
4. Smackdown – AJ Styles – Heel Styles vs. face Ambrose for the WWE Championship? Hell yes. Take all of my money. Styles is in the discussion as the best wrestler on the planet. Like Balor, he ain’t getting any younger, but this is about the here and now, and there’s no reason to suggest he doesn’t have a few main event level years left in him.
5. Raw – Shinsuke Nakamura – Nakamura isn’t making main roster, main event level money to sit in NXT. He’s going to get the call up sooner rather than later, so why not during the draft? Is #5 overall too high? Probably, but when you think about how AJ Styles has been booked, you realize that Nakamura is probably on track for a similar push.
6. Smackdown – Randy Orton – Brandon outright shocked me with this pick. Orton was not a guy I had on my radar as a top six pick, but with Orton, you get an established main event superstar who still has plenty of good matches in him. He’s not the foundation he was in 2008, but he’s still a damn credible main event player in 2016.
7. Raw – Kevin Owens – This is a real no-brainer. Owens could and should go in the top five of tomorrow night’s draft. He’s talented, versatile, and reliable – a guy that definitely stands to benefit from the WWE splitting into two rosters.
8. Smackdown – Bray Wyatt – Wyatt will undoubtedly be to Brandon’s Smackdown what Owens is to Bill’s Raw. I would’ve been interested to hear if Bill & Brandon split the Wyatts up in their mock draft, or if Bill would have drafted Strowman/Harper/Rowan to Raw. I’ll be interested to see if it happens tomorrow night as well.
9. Raw – The Miz – Bill clearly states that this pick is about getting the prestigious Intercontinental Championship on Raw, but I’m higher on The Miz himself than Bill is. The guy’s having a career year – I’d say his best work since his WWE Championship run in 2010-11. Do I take him over Reigns or Cena? No – but he’s certainly not a bad investment.
10. Smackdown – Roman Reigns – There’s no way Reigns isn’t one of the top two picks in the actual draft. He is going to be the face of one of the brands. Nonetheless, the SoBros aren’t high on Reigns long-term. There are serious questions about whether or not he can truly get over. Cue up the Lex Luger/Diesel comparisons. That being said, he can’t possibly slip out of the top 10, even in our own mock draft.
11. Raw – John Cena – Cena is beginning the transition into life after wrestling – the writing is on the wall. You obviously don’t want to build a brand around such a guy, but should he fall all the way to #11? Nah – I don’t think so. I think he still goes in the top three, but don’t be surprised if Rollins or Ambrose edge him out of a top two spot.
12. Smackdown – Dolph Ziggler – Brandon wants to make Ziggler the star that he never was. Bringing The Showoff back to his Smackdown roots is definitely the right start. The big question is whether or not he’s been booked past the point of no return. Can he get the fans behind him like he did in 2013? It remains to be seen.
13. Raw – Cesaro – Honestly, #13 is lower than I would have imagined for the Swiss Superman, but he doesn’t have the charisma required of a main event talent. Still, he’s going to be a solid worker and deliver a five star match when needed. He’s a guy you want to be a staple of your program.
14. Smackdown – Rusev – Talk about major star potential. Rusev can do it all, and he brings the coveted United States Championship with him. In my book, he’s a top ten pick. Brandon couldn’t watch him slide any further.
15. Raw – Charlotte – Interesting for Charlotte to come off the board at #15. I figure the WWE will want to make the women look strong, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see her go in the top ten. We’ll see.
16. Smackdown – Big E – Brandon breaks up the New Day in what is undoubtedly the biggest shock of the SoBros mock draft. Still, it’s for good reason – he thinks Big E has main event star potential. He’s built like a brick shit-house, and has more personality than half the roster.
17. Raw – Austin Aries – My runner up for ‘shocker of the mock draft,’ Aries is going to an already NXT-laden Raw roster. No gripes from me, though, as Aries is one of the most proven workers in the WWE.
18. Smackdown – Sami Zayn – Like Owens, Zayn is one of the guys who stands to benefit the most from this roster split. He’s a potential World Champion, and you’re getting him at #18 – great value for Brandon’s Smackdown.
19. Raw – Undertaker – Bill made this pick for one reason and one reason only: Wrestlemania, vs. John Cena. But, if Taker has more than one match left in him, Bill, you better circle Survivor Series on your calendar and see if Finn Balor is game for a Casket Match. Just saying.
20. Smackdown – Brock Lesnar – I bet this pick would change if we redid the mock draft after the weekend’s transpirings. But, hey – what can you do? He’ll only wrestle a few matches, but damn it – he’ll boost those Smackdown ratings!
Snubs
Chris Jericho – I get it. He’s older and you don’t know when he’s going to decide Jericho World Tour 2016 is over and done with. Still, it’s a huge name to go undrafted.
Enzo & Cass – If we were operating under the assumption that tag teams wouldn’t be split up, these two would be a top ten pick. That wasn’t the case here.
Sasha Banks – The best women’s wrestler in the world would have been my first choice among the ladies, but alas, I wasn’t drafting.
The Club – See Enzo & Cass
Bayley – Bayley is going to be huge on the main roster. People are already calling her the female John Cena. We’ll see.
LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4OntSyByqI
Stoney Keeley is the editor of the SoBros Network, Tennessee Titans Featured Analyst for Pro Football Spot, and covers the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley,@PFSpot, @WrestlingNewsCo
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