Mission 020: The 2025 Draft

Mission 020 – Reviewing the 2025 Installment of the WOW Draft

Welcome back to the Quest for Truth, as we look at this year’s Draft. This was the 9th WOW Draft overall, with the first taking place in 2008 (featuring HCW, EWA, and UWA), the second in 2010 (HCW, NEW, and PWI; but it was redone with just PWI and NEW), the third in 2019 (EWA and PWI), the fourth in 2020 (EWA and PWI), the fifth in 2021 (EWA and PWI), the sixth in 2022 (AEW and PWI), the seventh in 2023 (AEW, PWI, and WWE), and the eighth taking place last year (AEW, WWE, and ULW).

If you include the 2002 UWA Draft that inspired all of this, this would be the tenth draft, but we don’t include that one in the total count because it obviously only focused on one promotion. I just wanted to give it an honorable mention since it is the reason why we’re all here. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t cite the fact that it was Jeff Murrey’s brainchild; as he was the one who pitched it to Mickey during the negotiations to create the former Undisputed Wrestling Alliance.

Anyways, back to 2025, and as commentary mentioned during this year’s draft, the 2025 draft actually inverted what we saw last year. Last year saw ULW win the first pick in each of the three sections of the 2024 draft, with AEW and WWE switching places in each section. This year, ULW had to pick last in each of the three sections, with AEW and WWE switching places in each section. Crazy how that works!

So, let’s look at the breakdown of the first ten rounds of picks:

WWE	AEW	ULW
1. Brock Lesnar 4. Tiffany Stratton 7. Ethan Page 10. Gunther 13. Omos 16. Carmelo Hayes 19. Scarlett 22. Bayley 25. Dexter Lumis 28. Raquel Rodriguez	2. LA Knight 5. Matt Jackson 8. Nick Jackson 11. Matt Cardona 14. Ruby Riott 17. Jesse Hash 20. Charlotte Flair 23. Zoey Stark 26. Shotzi 29. Zelina Vega	3. Sasha Banks 6. Asuka 9. Adam Cole 12. Drew McIntyre 15. Sammy Guevara 18. Lexis King 21. Dragon Lee 24. Darby Allin 27. Rusev 30. R-Truth

Right out of the gate, the luck of the draw had dire consequences for CME Head Lenny Mouse’s agenda, as WWE stole Brock Lesnar out from under ULW with the first overall pick of the draft. The Rock addressed Lesnar immediately and told him that he sees him as a true competitor for the WWE gold. Brock responded that this may be something that Rock regrets, as he plans to come away with that title.

AEW then chose LA Knight, taking the top prospect away from ULW. Knight has been off and on with his rise to prominence since he arrived in HCW during the last season of the Sixth Era. Now, we have to wonder what is next for the “Megastar”. Will he be in line for AEW gold soon? We’ll see.

Following the competition, Lenny instructed Lawrence Mason to select the former Knockout’s Champion, Sasha Banks, to join the stacked ULW Women’s Roster. Sasha returns to a locker room with Alexa Bliss for the first time in five years, and one has to wonder if this will portend a final payoff for their rivalry. Or, is it truly over as of last year’s Starrcade?

After the opening salvo, we see AEW taking the most hits with a net-loss of one from their roster, and WWE netting one. Next, WWE finished this section of the Draft rather strong, with pickups including the fast-rising Tiffany Stratton, the very talented Ethan Page, the former AEW TV Champion, Gunther, Omos, the up and coming Carmelo Hayes, Scarlett, Bayley, Dexter Lumis, and Raquel Rodriguez. The standouts here were Stratton, Page, and Hayes. Nothing against any of the other great picks here, but these three absolutely sent a message of having an eye towards the future of the business. These three also all dealt a blow to Lenny’s Draft agenda, as Page and Hayes are each future champions and Stratton is undeniably bound for title dominance!

AEW’s remaining 9 picks for the first section of the Draft were nothing to snicker at, though. These picks included the Young Bucks (who were chosen separately), Ruby Riott, Jesse Hash, Charlotte Flair, Zoey Stark, Shotzi, and Zelina Vega. While Lenny definitely had his eye on Zoey and Vega, and while he certainly didn’t want to lose Charlotte or Ruby, this was an excellent group of picks for AEW without being seriously damaging for Lenny’s apparent agenda. Rumor has it that Lenny wanted to push Jesse Hash (and Attitude, for that matter) out of ULW, as he sees them as being deeply loyal to Triad Member Dibiase. I will point out that this round was certainly concentrated on growing the Knockout’s Division, and did so in a great way by adding emphasis to the undercard thereof.

Then, ULW came out swinging with Lenny’s agenda still largely intact for our next 9 picks. These picks included the former PWI, AEW, and WWE Women’s Champion, Asuka, Adam Cole, former WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre, Sammy Guevara, Lexis King, Dragon Lee, Darby Allin, Rusev, and R-Truth! I will let you be the judge as to which company came out better in this first section of ten picks, but take a look at the sheer – largely established – talent on this list. Asuka may well be the greatest women’s wrestler of all time. Adam Cole is a former singles and Tag Team Champion in his own right who continues to cling on to a bright future. Drew McIntyre was the world champion who lost to the Rock, but he has never truly been too far from the world title scene (so watch out, Punk…if you survive Gonzales this Thursday or Dragonfly at the Premiere).

Guevara also has quite a great future ahead of him, and was knowingly placed at risk by a reluctant AEW for this draft. Lexis King stole our hearts last year, but now he will have a chance to shine once again, and the same can be said of Darby Allin; who had an incredible program with Lesnar last year. Dragon Lee is also coming off of an impressive debut match against Will Ospreay, and Rusev seems more determined than ever to prevail. But many in the locker room shared an equal number of cheers and groans when R-Truth finished the round by being brought to ULW. If I am not mistaken, this will make him the first star to appear in three promotions in the span of a year…maybe ever.

Now, we look at the second section of Draft Picks:

AEW	WWE	ULW
31. The Attraction 34. DIY 37. Brodie Lee & Ilja Dragunov 40. FTR 43. The Hardy Boyz 46. Viking Raiders 49. Pretty Deadly 52.  Anthony Bowens & Otis 55. Ricochet & Matt Riddle 58. Cora Jade & Roxanne Perez	32. Trick Williams & Lyra Valkyria 35. JBL & Grayson Waller 38. D’Angelo Family 41. Pete & Nikki Bella 44. Erick Rowan & Austin Theory 47. Rhythm & Blues 50. Bill Goldberg & JD McDonagh 53. Braun Strowman & Mystico 56. Flex Fuller & Ron Simmons 59. Jeff Cobb & Cameron Grimes	33. Jurassic Express 36. Samoan Connection 39. Jake Hagar & Brock Anderson 42. Piper Niven & Candice LeRae 45. Chyna & Vince Russo 48. Nyla Rose & William Regal 51. Thunder Rosa & The Miz 54. Petey Williams & Shawn Spears 57. Scott Steiner & Ryback 60. Brothers of Destruction

Right away, AEW fulfills the prophecy that we heard from Teo and Attitude when we last saw them as they accepted that they may be heading away for the first time in six years, as AEW drafted them back home. A monumental moment that I don’t think has had enough of a solid reaction considering that the main event scene of PWI’s entire Sixth Era largely revolved around these two men through to the end when Attitude (briefly) retired Teo. Great job, guys!

WWE responded by taking Trick Williams and Lyra Valkyria from the Available Talent pool. This one irked Lenny a little, I have to say, as Lyra had briefly been in talks with ULW a few months ago. Unbeknownst to ULW, though, both had also been in talks with WWE at the same time, and no deal was closed on either end. Now, WWE gets to showcase these young talents for the world to see, and I couldn’t be more excited for them!

ULW’s turn then came about and Lenny responded to AEW by taking one of their best tag teams, including the former co-WWE Champion, Jungle Boy, alongside his absent partner, Luchasaurus! The Triad had their eyes on nabbing these guys last year, but AEW managed to save them just in time. Will this be their breakout year for tag gold?

AEW’s next nine picks were all pretty excellent as well, as these included former WWE Tag Team Champions, DIY, Dark Order leader Brodie Lee, Ilja Dragunov, FTR, legendary tag team, The Hardy Boyz, former WWE Tag Team Champions, the Viking Raiders, Pretty Deadly, Anthony Bowens (Max Caster had been exempted), Otis, Ricochet, Matt Riddle, Cora Jade, and Roxanne Perez. I was watching Lenny’s reaction when Splinter announced the pick for Cora and Roxy, and he was not pleased. He was also unhappy with AEW taking DIY, Dragunov, FTR, and Matt Riddle, but not AS displeased. FTR was internally really high on the ULW target list, but Cora and Roxanne have been considered “the future” for the past year in the company, and this definitely stung. Overall, though, this – in my opinion – may have been a stronger series of picks than the opening ten rounds. A lot of former champions and future stars here. Well done, AEW!

WWE’s next nine picks were interesting as well, with some twists. For starters, the Rock initially elected to separate the former ULW Tag Champions, the Acolytes, as he told “JBL” that he would be forced into a management position. It was also notable that he chose Grayson Waller separately from Austin Theory; which had the unintended consequence of disrupting Lenny’s strategy, as Waller and Theory were listed in the hit list together under their AEW tag team name. WWE also hit a homerun choosing the D’Angelo Family (which was expected by ULW, though it still hurt a little), and then followed up with the funniest picks of the night when Murrey personally selected his son Pete the Ref and the former Knockout’s Champion, Nikki Bella! Afterwards, we saw Erick Rowan, Austin Theory, Rhythm and Blues, Goldberg, JD McDonagh, Braun Strowman, Mystico, Flex Fuller, Ron Simmons, Jeff Cobb, and Cameron Grimes all selected to finish this section for the company! The choices that smarted the most for ULW here were Theory, McDonagh, Mystico, and Fuller. Hell, Fuller was high on both ULW and AEW’s lists, as he was the breakout star of 2024, and now he promises to be again in the near future! Last thing I will say here is that Mystico – Dragonfly and Krusader’s younger cousin – has some high hopes, and while Lenny had privately said he wanted him to stay, he was dead-set on not using any saves in this Draft, which I am pretty sure that ULW became the first company to ever accomplish!

Lastly, for this section of picks, ULW’s next nine picks included former AEW and PWI Tag Team Champions, the Samoan Connection, Jake Hagar, Brock Anderson, Piper Niven, Candice LeRae, Chyna, Vince Russo, Nyla Rose, William Regal, Thunder Rosa, The Miz, Petey Williams, Shawn Spears, Scott Steiner, Ryback, and the Brothers of Destruction!

Last year, ULW used this section purely to target tag teams, but with WWE and AEW having caught on to that this year, ULW was kind of forced to mix it up a little, but I think we did well. Hagar, Anderson, Chyna, Spears, Steiner, Ryback, Undertaker, and Kane were all significantly prominent on the target list, with most of this talent having been persons of interest for several drafts. I also happen to know that the company is rather excited about pickups like Niven, LeRae, Russo, Williams, Rose, Regal, Miz, and Rosa. This season coming up may prove to be the best yet for each promotion the way this draft has been shaking out.

Now, let’s look at the final section of ten picks:

WWE	AEW	ULW
61. Moxley, Stratus, Andrade 64. Lucha House Party & Buddy 67. Santos, Nattie, & Sonya 70. John Cone, & Chase U. 73. Loa, Tonga, & Axiom 76. Sheamus, Steph Mc., & HBP 79. Olson, McGregor, Shane Mc. 82. Luger, B. Cage, & Hobbs 85. Doink, Sabu, & Hurricane 88. Los Guerreros & Taya	62. Cobra Kai & Beth Phoenix 65. Savage, Henry, & Bam Bam 68. Splidder, Mandy, & Scott Hall 71. Goldust, Y. Crock, & Ziggler 74. AOP & Nia Jax 77. Kai, Proud & Powerful 80. Cross, Boogeyman, & K. Carter 83. Abyss, & Beer Money Inc. 86. Sting, Dominatrix, & Moon 89. Bunny, Carmella, & Christian	63. New Catch Republic & Maryse 66. Evans, Penelope Ford, & Paige 69. Hayter, Wardlow, & Britt Baker 72. Hook, O. Cassidy, & Pac 75. Fandango, Strong, & Warrior 78. Street Sharks & Keith Lee 81. SCU & Gigante 84. Archer, English, & Baszler 87. C. Jones, Vega, & Lawler 90. Sane, Cass, & G. Kim

WWE yet again takes advantage of having the first selection as they come out swinging with Jon Moxley (making this his third promotion of the past couple of years), the legendary Trish Stratus, and Andrade. Look, ULW was really excited about getting Moxley back last year, but after he fell to an unfortunate injury for a significant chunk of this past season, his stock fell steeply internally. Stratus is an excellent wrestler and a legend, but neither she nor Andrade were targets of ULW. Still, this was a great group, and I am increasingly excited seeing these bombshell women’s roster picks by WWE!

AEW was up next and responded in powerful fashion themselves by regaining their former Tag Champions, Cobra Kai, and bringing the former PWI Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix back into the fold. I know for a fact that ULW had Cobra Kai on their target list, but accidentally looked them over in the previous section in favor of some top notch singles stars. As for Beth, like Moxley, her stock dropped slightly due to her early-season injury at the hands of Living Dead Girl (who was not drafted for the first time ever despite being available, as a colleague pointed out to me last night). Still, I think this was a great first round pick of this section of the draft by AEW. Great start!

Then, ULW’s first picks of this round came when we picked up the former WWE Tag Team Champions, the New Catch Republic, and picked up Maryse (who was also absent from the pool in attendance). We’ve worked with the former Ascendants Champion Pete Dunne in PWI, but Tyler Bate caught the attention of Mmouse Enterprises and then Cash Mouse Entertainment late last era and early in this era. While ULW also managed to pick up Penelope Ford and Jamie Hayter, so they have the potential of being reunited with their former group leader in Maryse. Fun stuff!

Topping things off for WWE, their final picks wound up being Lucha House Party, Buddy Matthews (formerly Murphy), Santos Escobar, Natalya, Sonya Deville, Referee John Cone, Chase University (Chase and Hudson), Tonga Loa, Tama Tonga, Axiom, Sheamus, Stephanie McMahon, former multi-time USWA and UWA world champion, HBP, multi-time world champion, Sean Olson, Connor FUCKING McGregor, former CME Board Vice President Shane McMahon, Lex Luger, Brian Cage, Powerhouse Hobbs (Luger, Cage, and Hobbs will be joining Flex Fuller in the “Flex Express” or whatever it will be called), Doink the Clown, former HCW Champion, Sabu, Hurricane Helms, Los Guerreros (Chavo from AEW and Eddie from ULW), and Taya Valkyrie!

This section was kind of light on women’s talent for WWE, but the most interesting picks here were Chase U., Tonga Loa, Tama Tonga (all of whom were on ULW’s list), HBP, former CME exec Shane McMahon (Rock even asked about Vince, but he was not in the picture here), Olson, and the Flex group. I am not downplaying any of the picks, but these were significant because they either stung for ULW or raised some eyebrows (such as with Shane and HBP). I am very excited to see what WWE has to offer, and I know Anthony himself is just dying to misspell a bunch of words as he conveys his excitement as well!

Onward to AEW and how they finished the draft with picks including Randy Savage, Mark Henry, Bam Bam Bigelow, Splidder, Mandy Rose, Scott Hall, Goldust, Young Crock, Dolph Ziggler, the Authors of Pain, Nia Jax, Dakota Kai, former AEW and ULW Tag Team Champions, Proud & Powerful, Nikki Cross, the Boogeyman, Kayden Carter, Abyss, Beer Money Inc., Sting, the Dominatrix, former Knockout’s Champion, Ember Moon, The Bunny (drafted for the first time in her career since the shadow draft of 2019), Carmella, and Christian Cage!

Solid finish for AEW all around, honestly. The painful picks for ULW (whether on the agenda or roster) here were Savage, Bigelow, Rose, Hall, Goldust, AOP, Kai, Proud & Powerful, Sting, the Boogeyman, and Kayden Carter. I saw Lenny directly telling Lawrence to get Hall and Boogeyman ASAP, but each pick was made by AEW just before ULW had a chance. AEW grew their Knockout’s Division a little here, and I am also excited to see where Goldust and Splidder go in their stories after the involvement of each in the saga of ULW’s power struggle!

Finally, let’s look at how ULW wrapped up the Draft before Lenny decided to abruptly end the whole event by pulling ULW out of the proceedings with a closing speech to a depleting group of people. The final ULW picks included: Lacey Evans, Penelope Ford, Paige, Jamie Hayter, Wardlow, Britt Baker, Hook, Orange Cassidy, Pac, Fandango, Roderick Strong (noticeably NOT drafted with his former tag title partner, Adam Cole), the Ultimate Warrior, former AEW Tag Team Champions, the Street Sharks, Keith Lee, SCU, former world champion, El Gigante, Lance Archer, Aiden English, Shayna Baszler, Casey Jones, Vega, Jerry “the King” Lawler, Kairi Sane, Big Cass, and Gail Kim!

Honestly, I am not sure who had the strongest closing rounds of the draft, but I can say confidently that ULW left with pride knowing that they didn’t use a single save and that they feel they left the draft stronger than they went in. That’s at least the propaganda spreading around via an internal memo sent out by CME Acting Head Lenny Mouse in the hour after the Draft concluded.

As Jim Ross pointed out on commentary, WWE really seized the moment with each draft pick to showcase the promo skills of each member of their leadership as well as certain talent. Benny went on a minutes-long rant via his address which had Lenny fuming to the point that he felt the need to make his impromptu address to almost no one at the event’s conclusion. All in all, it was an amazing installment of the Draft, and may have been the smoothest to date.

Now, we prepare for this Thursday’s fourth installment of WOW presents Starrcade, the predictions for which I will share in the next 24-48 hours! Stay tuned!

Until our next Quest, this has been Johnny with yet another mission!