The Exemptions:
All Elite Wrestling:
AEW World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles; Brock Lesnar; MJF w/ Wardlow; Cody Rhodes; Bryan Danielson; Kenny Omega; Malaki Black; Randy Orton; Jon Moxley; Roman Reigns; The Samoan Connection Yokozuna & Umaga; Lucha Bros Rey Fenix & Penta; The Bludgeon Brothers Luke Harper & Erick Rowan; Kevin Nash & Scott Hall; Hulk Hogan; Authors of Pain Akam & Rezar; Asuka; Charlotte Flair; Chyna; Athena Star; Living Dead Girl; Nyla Rose; ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey; AEW Knockouts Champion Sasha Banks; Armageddon; The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Jake Hagar, AEW Tag Team Champions Proud & Powerful Santana and Ortiz)
Not a lot of surprises on the AEW list of exemptions; though it is notable that Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Hulk Hogan made the list. It’s a testament to how much can change in the world of wrestling, as if you’d have told me a year ago that these three men would qualify as superstars worthy of protecting I’d probably have laughed in your face.
Premier Wrestling Incorporated:
Austin Theory; Granddaddy Duxen; The Undisputed Era Adam Cole & Roderick Strong; Bayley; Shayna Baszler; Rhyno; Jesse Hash; CM Punk; The Young Bucks Nick & Matt Jackson; The Bella Twins Nikki and Brie Bella; FRED; Bray Wyatt; Finn Balor; Liv Morgan; Karrion Kross & Scarlett; Seth Rollins; Slammer; Alexa Bliss; Emma; Tommaso Ciampa; The Agency; The Attraction Teo & Attitude; Paige; Becky Lynch; Dragonfly; The Pinnacle (Shawn Spears, FTR, and Jade Cardgill)
We’ve got the usual suspects exempted, including Dragonfly, Teo, Attitude, FRED, Bray Wyatt, Slammer, and Alexa Bliss, all of which will probably be lifers with MMouse Enterprises. Because PWI has so many champions, we saw exemptions for the likes of Emma and The Agency — all of which are fine talents, but likely would not have been targets in the draft. Their exemption left other top stars such as Kevin Owens, Rhea Ripley, and The Usos vulnerable, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Comically enough, Rhyno was a late exemption, and was rumored to have been swapped for Rhea Ripley, despite his heavy involvement in the ending of Motivation X.
World Wrestling Entertainment:
Jeff Murrey chose to exempt only Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio. Murrey’s strategy baffled those on the scene, but I think his approach was unique and his gamble paid off. But more on that shortly.
Round 1:
BWM Inc. again won the right to the first pick in this year’s draft, and without hesitation, Megan Mouse chose the Usos. Apparently the move came as a shock to my counterpart in PWI, but to me, the move made sense. AEW has signaled interest in the team for months, and even attempted to negotiate a trade earlier this year.
PWI chose AJ Lee, who had been exempted in years prior. As promising as AJ Lee is, she’s really not had the chance to shine under the BWM Inc. banner. So, good for her, I’m sure she’ll get the star treatment she is worthy of in PWI.
WWE continued to shock everyone with their first-round pick of the War Raiders (formerly known as Viking Raiders) who were essentially jobbers in the PWI. All that said, if Murrey has proven anything, it is his ability to make stars of just about anyone. (See: Aiden English) Long story short, I’m willing to see where this goes.
Round 2:
AEW again wasted no time in making a selection, scooping up the promising Ricky Starks from the WWE. Starks, like the Usos, is someone the AEW attempted to negotiate a trade for earlier this year.
PWI responded by picking up Thunderosa, who this time last year was one of the hottest free agents in the world. HCW even negotiated a trade with BWM Inc. last year, agreeing not to pursue her in exchange for Bill Goldberg. (Not the smartest decision Megan’s made, but I digress.) Comically enough, Murrey swooped in and picked her up before PWI could. I can reveal for the first time that this move came at the behest of Megan Mouse and the AEW, who provided Murrey with some insider tips to covertly screw the PWI/HCW. All’s well that ends well, however, as Thunderosa is officially a PWI star as of yesterday.
WWE then scooped up a major victory in Kevin Owens, who should have been exempted in the first place.
Round 3:
AEW scooped up Rhea Ripley, who PWI originally exempted but then removed from the list in exchange for Rhyno. PWI responded by picking Lance Archer, who had wrestled approximately one match in the entirety of his AEW career. WWE then scooped up Ricochet, who had previously held the record for most losses in All Elite Wrestling. (Not to take anything away from Ricochet; he’s a world class talent and has more to offer than what he showed in AEW.)
Round 4:
AEW continued scratching names off of our “Most Wanted” list with Hangman Adam Page, who had a hell of a year in PWI. Page has been a target for All Elite Wrestling since day 1, and like the Usos and Starks, we attempted to sign Page earlier this year to no avail. PWI drafted Darby Allin, who’d later be traded to the AEW but we’ll get back to that later. WWE picked up Mr. Wrestling Johnny Gargano, who just had a great outing against Bryan Danielson two weeks ago. The sky is truly the limit for Gargano.
Round 5:
AEW selected Bianca Belair, who last worked for BWM Inc. in the Elite Wrestling Alliance, only to suffer a wrist injury in her first and only match with the company. Here’s to hoping she has a better year this year, as she’s super talented and has a lot to offer the world of professional wrestling. PWI selected Candice LaRaw, but she’d later be traded to the WWE where she’d be reunited with her husband Gargano. WWE selected Santos Escobar, which apparently upset Mickey Mouse.
Round 6:
AEW selected Orange Cassidy, who just lost his chance to go to the finals of the TV Title tournament. Cassidy had originally appeared on AEW TV as a three-month trade deal (after AEW loaned Chris Jericho to Murrey last January.) That said, Cassidy’s deal expired as of his loss in the tournament, so it’s good to see he’ll be around permanently. PWI added Shotzi to the women’s division and WWE was the first to blink, saving Matt Riddle.
Round 7:
AEW brought Trish Status back in, after she had arguably the best year of her career; PWI brought the Riott Squad home and Rey Mysterio was drafted to WWE. (Interestingly enough, this is the first time Rey has been eligible for the draft this era, and WWE was wise to scoop him up. If anyone’s going to solidify Dom as a chickenshit heel, it’ll be his father.)
Round 8:
AEW selected the powerhouse WALTER, who has been stuck in the Ascendants Hell, er, I mean “Class” for longer than necessary. However, we later traded him to the WWE in exchange for Kevin Owens. PWI grabbed a powerhouse as well with Brian Cage, and WWE grabbed the hot young tag team the Street Profits. (WWE came into this thing with the weakest tag division in the business, but Murrey left the draft with the strongest tag roster he’s ever had.)
Round 9:
Murrey’s tag division did not go without losses, however, as AEW nabbed the Jurassic Express. Jungle Boy Jack Perry, a former co-WWE champion, and his partner Luchasaurus are just beginning to show what they’re capable of, so I’m very excited to see what happens next with these two. PWI drafted Metal Head, and Heavy Metal went along for the ride as the two are technically still a tag team. (Man, it’s been sad seeing the decline of Metal Head’s career – at one time he and Dragonfly were on the same level, but unfortunately that’s no longer the case…) WWE grabbed Bobby Lashley, who could be a future world champion under Murrey’s leadership!
Round 10:
The Rock will join the rest of the Anoa’i family in AEW, as The Bastard Pac will leave BWM Inc. for the first time in his career. WWE again chose. to retain some of their own talent (makes ya wonder why they didn’t just use more exemptions) with the pick of Otis & Gable.
Round 11:
Rob Van Dam was Megan’s 11th pick, as RVD hopes to regain some of the momentum he’s lost over the last few years. Britt Baker is heading back to PWI and Pete Dunne, now known as Butch is off to WWE.
Round 12:
For the first time ever, Gail Kim was left off of PWI’s exemption list and Megan Mouse finally did what Benny couldn’t, signing the talented addition to the Knockouts Division. The PWI retaliated by drafting the IIconics (remember the time the Chyna beat them both at once?) and the WWE selected Sheamus.
Round 13:
With our 13th pick, we drafted Powerhouse Hobbs, as PWI selected Cameron Grimes. The WWE continued the assault on PWI’s tag division by drafting the New Day.
Round 14:
AEW selected Drew McIntyre (only to later trade him to the WWE) and the PWI grabbed America’s Most Wanted/Beer Money (which was admittedly a hit; we just got them and now they’re already gone!) WWE grabbed Bronson Reed, as the powerhouses in WWE continue to stack up.
Round 15:
Though Miz and Morrison are no longer a tag team, Megan smartly drafted them together. PWI drafted Wade Barrett, and WWE snatched up Braun Strowman (seriously though, starting to think MurrDawg has a fetish for the big men…) Unfortunately for Megan, Brain was a part of the House of Black, so her muscle is slightly less muscley…
Round 16 through Round 30 highlights:
AEW Big Wins: Sean Olsen, Angelina Love, The Dark Order, Keith Lee, Tay Conti, Ember Moon, Io Shirai, The Harlem Turtles, Christian Cage
WWE Big Wins: Samoa Joe, Andrade, Carmella, Raquel Gonzales, Team Kick, Lita, Beth Phoenix, Connor McGregor, Lacey Evans, Dolph Ziggler
PWI Big Wins: Aiden English, HBK, Hurricane Helms, Goldberg, Miro, Natalya, Kris Stratlander, Big Cass, Matt Cardona, Mystico
Final Thoughts:
In terms of sheer name value alone, and at the risk of sounding biased, I think AEW walked away with the strongest roster. That said, PWI continued to prioritize the women as BWM Inc. looked to trim some of the fat from Knockouts Division. Murrey and the WWE prioritized the youth of the industry, and my sources tell me that Murrey literally did not care who he has on his roster, as he’s confident in his storytelling. (And honestly, he has good reason to be confident; he did after all start this era with a roster full of unknowns, only to turn them all into bonafide stars. If you need anymore proof of that just take a look at what he did for the career of Aiden English…)
One thing is for certain: The World of Wrestling has experienced its biggest post-draft shake up in over a decade, if not ever. We’ll see how things shake out, beginning tomorrow with Starrcade!
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 