FMW Wrestling Fantasy League 2011 DISCUSSION THREAD

Taking trade requests for both Alberto Del Rio and Mark Henry.

Would you be interested in the #2 pick for ADR?

Yes, yes I would.

Can we also swap third-round picks? ADR and my third for your first and third?

Ro would still need another draft pick, unless you mean that you're trading ADR and your first and third round picks for his first and third round picks.

I have one offer for Kelly, and None of Cena thus far.

I'll give everyone another day or so to get in offers.

Slegna wrote:

Ro would still need another draft pick, unless you mean that you're trading ADR and your first and third round picks for his first and third round picks.

I may have to allow a instantaneous FA add period right after the draft. There's no use in adding another round for extra picks, and giving up a draft pick is commonplace in sports anyway.

But yes, I'm willing to trade my third-round pick as well. Gentleman's agreement?

Anyway, just a reminder that the draft is set for Saturday night, your time. Keepers to be finalized 11:59 PM on Friday. Exact hour for the draft will be worked out later.

Yessir.

Jeff gives: ADR, 3rd-Round Pick
Ro gives: 1st-Round Pick, 3rd-Round Pick

Just a reminder that keepers are due in a few hours.

For my reference, please post your final decision, even if you've already made them before.

Mine shall be Alberto del Rio.

Cody Rhodes.

Rottata wrote:

Slegna wrote:

Ro would still need another draft pick, unless you mean that you're trading ADR and your first and third round picks for his first and third round picks.

I may have to allow a instantaneous FA add period right after the draft. There's no use in adding another round for extra picks, and giving up a draft pick is commonplace in sports anyway.

But in other sports, there's not a set amount of people you need on your roster. There's a minimum and a maximum, but it's different than needing no more or no less than 7 people.

Anyways, my keeper is, well I'm not sure. Daniel Bryan or John Morrison. You guys know I rarely (if ever) watch WWE anymore, which one has more potential for points?

Daniel Bryan has the MiTB

JoMo stopped banging Melina.

They're about equal.

Then AmDrag it is.

CM Punk.

El Capitan Charisma

Somebody please get a hold of Leon, Butters, and PX.

So far, we have:
Me - Alberto del Rio
Panzer - Christian
Jeff - CM Punk
Slegna - Daniel Bryan
Nick2 - Cody Rhodes
Nick1 - Sheamus
Ed - Miz
Butters - Cena
PX - Randy Orton

The draft will be later tonight! I haven't done a good job of hyping it this week but I've already set the date a long time ago. I will post my rankings later.

Man, forgot draft is tonight.

I'm keeping Orton of course, and If I can't find Leon and Butters for pokemanz, good luck finding them yourself

Shit, the draft's tonight? I won't make it, I'm going to a curling event. So if you can get rankings up within the next ten to twelve hours I'll send you a cheat sheet.

EDIT: Speaking of Pokemanz, you have quite a few battles to go. Please do them.

What Sleg said. What time will the draft be.

2 AM EST. Who can?

Really? That late?

I'll make it. I'll just take a nap in the middle of the day. I'll be there.

WE MUST PROTECT THIS DRAFT

Rottata wrote:

2 AM EST. Who can?

7 in the morning? Fucking hell, you can probably count me out then

John Cena, and I'll be there if it's 2am EST.

It's time for Ro's Draft Primer!

This is where I list down everyone eligible for the draft and grade them. Also know that if you are not around for the draft and did not send me a cheatsheet, I will be using this to autodraft for you, and more often than not they're fair, because I automatically draft the highest-graded Superstar available based on these grades.

Let's begin!

RAW

Alex Riley - Floundering in an uninspired midcard storyline that at least features the United States Championship, A-Ry has fallen quite a bit from his starmaking feud with the Miz this spring. The good news is that A-Ry is still kind of over in some circles, but the bad news is that in the pecking order, he's at least third behind Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger, and now that John Morrison is in the mix, his stock is going even lower. C+

Beth Phoenix - You can't go wrong with Beth Phoenix as your main Diva, but the Divas of Doom feud as lost steam a little due to the long wait between SummerSlam and Night of Champions. I imagine Beth would finally win the Divas title soon so as to finally shock some change into this storyline, but even if she doesn't, her renewed relevance in the picture still does her some good. B

Big Show - Once upon a time, Big Show was a reliable, hot point-scorer, as the guy would hardly lose on television. However, it's been months since we've seen the giant after being taken out by Mark Henry, and we don't really know when he'll be back. F

Curt Hawkins - Hawkins's career looks to be on the verge of being slightly revived as he seems to have formed a team with Tyler Reks. If this team could only get mileage on Superstars, they might find themselves in a tag title hunt someday, but for now you're better off getting an Uso. C-

David Otunga - And while we're talking about tag teams, this guy is in a team that is higher on the totem pole than Hawkins/Reks. For some reason, Otunga and McGillicutty continue to stay relevant, perhaps because of their pedigree, as they feud with none other than Jerry Lawler. That guy is not a bad mentor, and when you stop to think about it, the fact that these guys are a tag team in a lowercard storyline that doesn't involve the belts gives away the fact that Vince is putting some sort of effort into them. C+

Dolph Ziggler - This man is US Champion, but whenever this guy gets to hold a midcard belt they book him like he doesn't have it. I don't see him retaining the title Sunday night, but the good news is that no matter what the result is, even the idiotic booking team has some plan to continue to make Dolph somehow relevant. B-

Drew McIntyre - Oh, how far Drewie Mac has fallen. The good news is that he still puts out decent-to-good matches on Superstars with people like Zack Ryder. The bad news is that he continues to lose. He's starting to look like Chris Masters right before he was released - so much potential, but being relegated to the D show. Drew is a straight-up reliable jobber in that you know he's gonna lose when he shows up for a match, but part of me wishes for the Chosen One to break out again. C

Evan Bourne - Hey, did you know it took around three years for Evan Bourne to win a championship? The good part of a revitalized tag division is that underused midcarders get to have something to do, and being in an electrifying tag team like Air Boom is not a bad career move for Evan. (Not so much for Kofi, though.) The match at Night of Champions could realistically go either way, and like what I said about Dolph, I imagine Air Boom would continue to remain relevant despite the result. B

Eve - Eve's role has changed from earlier this year, and while she still competes in the occasional match, ever since Kelly Kelly won the Divas title she's just been an ally, a supporting actress in the Divas of Doom feud. There's really not that much to her right now. C-

Goldust - See Big Show. F

Jack Swagger - Swagger's on to something after being taken by Vickie Guerrero as a protege, and I can imagine that Dolph's onscreen jealousy will result in a Swagger face turn. Jack could realistically win the US title at NoC, but again, like I said for Dolph, expect him to remain relevant no matter the result. B-

John Laurinaitis - That's right. You thought Johnny Ace was only going to have a cameo when the whole Punk/Cena storyline began, but he's been promoted to a full-time on-air role as a villainous authority figure. That said, though, one would only expect him to appear almost as much as Teddy Long does, but Butters can tell you how much T-Lo has helped him out this season. C

John Morrison - The man who began the year in a WWE Championship match has fallen so far. While he is relatively in better standing than he was when he first returned from injury, his lack of direction after the R-Truth feud is a bit worrying. As long as he continues to be somewhat over with the audience, though, he should be fine. C+

JTG - Guess what - this season of NXT is still not yet over. The good thing is that JTG still continues to remain relevant over there as he feuds with Matt Striker. That definitely counts for something. C+

Kelly Kelly - This is a true fact: Kelly is the Divas version of John Cena. She can put on a good match on a big stage (see: SummerSlam) and she's somewhat over. She's not the best, but she's really improved, and the Divas division needs a heroine facing off against Beth Phoenix and Natalya. Because of that, Kelly will remain relevant for a long time, perhaps even after Layla's come back. B+

Kharma - See Big Show. F

Kofi Kingston - See Evan Bourne. B

Maryse - I know you'd all like to know where Maryse is right now, and as far as I can remember, she's been injured. F

Mason Ryan - Ryan's already back from injury, and is working as a face on Superstars at the moment. He's not the top big man in the pecking order, though, with Ezekiel Jackson and Brodus Clay being miles ahead better than he is. D

Michael McGillicutty - See David Otunga. C+

Primo - Primo sadly isn't even the poster boy for "enhancement talent." (That's Tyson Kidd.) He doesn't show up to job as much as Kidd does, and it's a shame because he could've helped out either Sin Cara. D

Rey Mysterio - See Big Show. F

Ricardo Rodriguez - Mr. One-Time Porn Star will continue to be relevant as long as his ward Alberto del Rio is relevant, but you can file him under the category where Teddy Long and Johnny Ace reside. C

R-Truth - R-Truth has had a legit career renaissance with the crazy Little Jimmy gimmick, and while both he and Miz are pretty over heels, this is the kind of gimmick that is best with a heel. Nothing else to say that hasn't already been said, so I'm going to refer to you what I said about Evan Bourne. B

Santino Marella - It's kind of sad how Santino is virtually nonexistent now, especially when you consider that he was actually never not over. That said, though, the guy does need a more serious gimmick, and if that's what they're doing with him, then more power. But right now, you're better off glossing him over. C-

Triple H - Just when you thought H's time in the ring was over, here he is again. He's still in the middle of the "passing the torch" process, and I would imagine that this would only be one of a couple more last matches in his career. Hunter is still a bit ubiquitous, though, but hanging in between Superstar and authority figure level. B-

Tyler Reks - See Curt Hawkins. C-

Vickie Guerrero - I know I said that the Vickie storyline is doing wonders for both Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger, but when you're the manager, you actually get the short end of the stick. You only get points for appearance, and while Vickie competes in the occasional match, that doesn't really make her a good main source of points, just somebody to round out your team with. C

Zack Ryder - Where else have you seen a lowercarder who competes in both brands at the same time? While he's not rising to the top of the ranks quickly, that exposure is a testament to how over Zack really is and has made himself, and when he's not on your real TV, you can see him winning on Superstars most of the time. That does make Zack a little hard to predict, but at least you know you'll be getting some sort of points when you start him. C+

SmackDown continues in the next post.

lolol I trade HHH to Panzer and he doesn't keep him?

Anyways, I have to take off here in a sec (not enough time for me to give you a list), so I trust you Ro. Pick me a good team. Or else.

SmackDown

A.J. - I posted a match on Facebook, A.J. vs. Natalya, calling it the best Divas match you'll ever see that month. (Kelly vs. Beth at SummerSlam managed to barely top it, though.) Now, you can hardly see her on television, but she does make her money on this neverending season of NXT, so that does count for something. C+

Aksana - See Johnny Ace or Vickie Guerrero. C

Alicia Fox - See Eve. C-

Brodus Clay - Right now, there is no better, sure-fire winner than Brodus Clay. The guy is literally squashing people every week on Superstars, so that's a guaranteed four points a week for as long as he keeps doing it. B-

Ezekiel Jackson - The Summer of Zeke was brought to an abrupt end by his failed Intercontinental Championship run, and now he's trying to pick up the pieces and starting over. The thing with Zeke is that he's a lot better than he has been lately, and that the face character is kind of a crutch. Big men need to be monsters, even when they're faces, and I suspect that the bookers are also partly to blame for his falling off. C+

The Great Khali - You wouldn't think this guy could possibly make a comeback, but two good matches with Sheamus and he's already somewhat relevant. This continues into a possibly groan-inducing feud with the raw Jinder Mahal, so if you need more point-scorers, you can do worse than look at Khali. C+

Heath Slater - It's quite easy to tell that Slater is the very much less-talented Marty Jannetty to Justin Gabriel's not-quite-HBK. He's not the top jobber in the pack, but like Drew McIntyre, when he shows up on TV you know the guy's gonna lose. C

Hornswoggle - See Vickie Guerrero. C

Jinder Mahal - Mahal's debut push is pretty much over, and we're now moving to a little more serious stuff, as mentioned above. The fact of the matter is, however, it seems as though the bookers are starting to realize that Mahal really isn't clicking at all, and nobody knows what's going to happen to him after the feud with Khali is over. C+

Johnny Curtis - The NXT season 4 winner is on a wayward path. The last time he appeared was on Superstars, as a heel tagging with a face Trent Barreta and losing to the Usos. It's clear that nobody knows what to do with him. C-

Justin Gabriel - Here's the thing with Justin Gabriel. The WWE wants to push him, they really do, but they have no idea how and in which storyline to fit him. Since Cody is busy with Ted as they feud for the IC title, you've got other midcarders with literally nothing much to do than fight each other, and the writers aren't doing a very good job of establishing reasons and backstories. Gabriel is near the bottom of that pack of SmackDown midcarders, that's where he is. C

Kaitlyn - See Eve. C-

Kane - See Big Show. F

Layla - See Big Show. F

Mark Henry - Arguably the best draft pick in the pool right now, and I can easily see him going first. If I said this a season ago you would've laughed hard at me, but I don't see anyone debating this now. Do I really have to explain why I think this is so? A

Natalya - See Beth Phoenix, but at the moment she still plays second fiddle to Beth. B-

Rosa Mendes - See Eve. D

Sin Cara (Hunico) - First things first, if Leon names Sin Cara as his keeper before the draft begins (which I doubt will happen), he gets Hunico because he ended the season with him. If he doesn't, then get this - both Sin Caras are on the table. Anyway, while the Sin Cara character wasn't a main eventer in the beginning, there is a lot of interest with him to begin with, and the Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara feud is testament to that. B+

Sin Cara (Mistico) - There's a little more apprehension when it comes to Mistico as everyone now knows that Hunico is the more reliable Sin Cara, and nobody knows just how much backstage heat Mistico has, but bringing him back may either be a sign of faith or a sign of regret. Either way, Mistico seems to be here to stay, if at least only for now. The winning streak is over, however, and now it's going to be tough to predict both men. B+

Tamina - See Eve. D

Ted DiBiase - Believe it or not, but Ted might be one of the top five picks on the SmackDown brand. Unlike the US title feud, the feud with Cody over the IC title is a lot more focused, and I wouldn't be surprised if Ted doesn't walk out with the title at the end of a long, bitter feud. At least, that's how I would book it. Even then, compounded with Cody's mission to "resurrect the Intercontinental Championship," this feud is definitely a good sign for Ted. B+

Teddy Long - See John Laurinaitis. C

Trent Barreta - See Heath Slater. C-

Tyson Kidd - Sometimes I wonder if Tyson Kidd is really happy backstage. He's the poor man's Daniel Bryan, easily able to have a good match with anyone and everyone, but unlike Daniel Bryan, the guy is primarily used as a jobber, making everyone else look good. Sure, he's got his own niche, but as Chavo proved, how happy can one really be, losing to people all the time? Okay, I'm starting to digress here - I could've just said see Heath Slater but there's really something to be said about Tyson, and his #1 enhancement talent status makes him a late pick. C+

Undertaker - There's really, really no predicting the Undertaker. Some people have him coming back at Hell in a Cell (after being screwed last year at that same PPV by the Nexus), but I don't think it's a lock. You're really better off avoiding him at the draft, then just picking him up later if he does show up. F

The Usos - The Usos got a mini-push, and for some strange-ass reason, when they started to get over, they dropped the ball with them. It would've been okay if the Usos were being groomed and built up by defeating lesser teams, but nope, none of that has happened. Hopefully things get better for them. C- (for both)

Wade Barrett - Remember what I said about the SmackDown midcarders who don't have anything to do? Barrett is near the top of that pack. He goes around in matches that really don't have much of a reason, but despite that he manages to keep himself somewhat relevant. Barrett would be great if there was actual focus on his story right after the feud with Bryan, but alas, it's slightly worrying. B-

Yoshi Tatsu - And speaking of focus, can you believe that Yoshi has more focus on his character than Wade? The darker (yet still a face) Yoshi is set to feud with Tyson Kidd on NXT, and while that isn't saying much, it's still kind of something. C+

NXT/FCW

Before I begin this, though, the deal with NXT is that it's still not over, nor do we know when it will be over. Instead of subtracting, the bookers are actually adding characters to it over time, and if this goes on, then the show would be better off as an FCW TV show or a show with an all-rookie roster. But that's just me. The FCW picks I'm going to showcase here are people I think that *might* be on the next season of NXT, whenever the hell that is.

Darren Young - This guy is stuck in a feud with Matt Striker and William Regal, which could easily be on Superstars. Kind of hard to predict but the main aim of the feud is to put him over, and he deserves it because he's easily the best of the three remaining rookies (in fact, he didn't even have to go back to NXT). Black Cena deserves a hell of a lot more than this. C+

Derrick Bateman - Saddled with an awful heel gimmick that doesn't work because he's already established to be a goofy face. Daniel Bryan has already left him, and has been replaced by NXT season 3 contestant Maxine. Feuding with Titus O'Neil, who has already long been established to be the favorite to win. C

Maxine - See Vickie Guerrero. C-

Titus O'Neil - Remains the most dominant rookie in the show that would never end - in fact, he's apparently so well-liked by the bookers that he already appears on Superstars with tag partner Percy Watson. Not the best worker, but seemingly the most over. C+

Percy Watson - Not a contestant, but being Titus's de facto tag team partner means Showtime is usually following him wherever he goes. Assuming the tag team is official, hopefully they can get some mileage in the division. C

The following FCW people will not get draft grades (meaning you're really better off not drafting them yet), but instead be like Michael Fabiano's sleeper alerts.

Antonio Cesaro - I'll give you a minute to look this guy up if you haven't already. Done? Excited, aren't you? Me too, but the thing is he's just been signed, and he's definitely going to take some time to get to the main roster. Not too long I would hope, but it'll have to be at least a few more months.

Bo Rotundo - Husky Harris's brother and recently the Florida Heavyweight Champion. The thing with Florida Heavyweight Champions is that when you get the belt, it usually means you're quite near to being promoted to the main roster (just ask Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, etc.).

Dean Ambrose - The man formerly known as Jon Moxley, I've heard he and Seth Rollins have been tearing it up as of late. It would not surprise me to see him on NXT, but that season needs to be stacked after the disaster that is this one - can more than one guy assume the role of indy favorite?

Donny Marlow - Haku's son. I could see him being a tag team with Leakee, but there's already a Samoan tag team on the main roster. Though, it definitely wouldn't hurt to have another.

Husky Harris - Please tell me it'll be soon

Leakee - Rosey's brother has got a great look for a Samoan (they're usually prone to being overweight), and I would imagine he could be on an NXT soon, even if he wouldn't win.

Peter Orlov - It may just be time for the former Alex Koslov to finally get to the main roster. If it's really any indication, it's people like him that promise a new season of NXT to be great.

Richie Steamboat - He may or may not be ready for the big time just yet, but Richie is a bonafide babyface judging from his looks alone. I imagine he would be an NXT favorite.

Seth Rollins - The next indy heir, the man once known as Tyler Black is waiting in the wings to break out, and he's starting to get impatient.

Xavier Woods - I would love to see Consequences Creed finally on WWE TV.

My keeper is Sin Cara. Now I'd like to make my case that I chose Mistico as part of my team when he came into WWE, and at no time did i chose Hunico. And it was only on this week's Smackdown that it was revealed there was two Sin Cara's in the WWE's eyes.

So whether you have to take points off me for last season or not, that's fine, but if you're still saying I have Hunico, please tell me when my team went from the Mistico Sin Cara to the 2nd Sin Cara Hunico?

Very well. You don't need to have points taken off because it wasn't exactly cheating or anything.

can I get into the draft chat without AIM...at work so I don't have it.