Hawk 34

I hate you so much right now. I assume you wanted Goldust to go with Booker? .

If I'd taken Virgil or Mike Adamle before he could, I don't think he would've been so kindly about it.

I have a knack for killing people's hopes in this round. First with MVC and now Awesome.

what were they? Edge vs. Sting and Brainbusters vs. Windham and Rhodes (prob. 2/3 Falls). Windham/Rhodes are one of my favourite underrated teams ever. I had wanted them in both drafts but really underestimated how valued Windham was. I adored the 1992 WCW Tag Team Scene.

My next selection will begin the formation of the main event stable led by Flair. I wanted to make sure this version isn’t identical to the real stables led by Flair in the past but realistic enough that it could’ve happened. This guy is a great upper card performer that will act as the “enforcer” of the group. My next selection is... Mike Awesome

This next guy is such an under appreciated face and that’s mostly because the later part of his career certainly outshined that in being one of the great heels of our times. However, before that came to be, he was a true top main event face in the making. I believe he will be a good companion to Magnum in their war against Ric Flair. Since I have acquired him, I obtain the rights to his other well known persona, if I chose to utilize that instead. With that, it makes him a very, very valuable asset to possess. Here is my next selection "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes

He'll stay in Cincinnati.

I was looking to reunite him with Flair in this round. Really appreciate the difference this draft has seen from the previous one.

Looking at the last ten seasons Tyler Hansbrough (UNC)-Final Four Kevin Durant (Texas)-2nd Round JJ Redick (Duke)-Sweet Sixteen Andrew Bogut (Utah)-Sweet Sixteen Jameer Nelson (St. Joes)-Elite Eight TJ Ford (Texas)-Final Four Jason Williams (Duke)-Sweet Sixteen Shane Battier (Duke)-National Champions Kenyon Martin (Cincinnati)-2nd Round Elton Brand (Duke)-Runner Up

I settled on Magnum after taking Jake, when I started to rationalize that I liked Jake as a heel more. So, I took Magnum to fulfill that role. Although, I can still use Jake as a top face. What's fun about this draft is that your original main event idea can change based on who you are able to grab in the later rounds.

With my next selection in this draft, I wanted to continue to have as many talented baby faces as I could. With this selection, I will take someone that had a short career but in that time he was a fantastic face with great ability, presence and he captured the common man charisma. In all likelihood, he seemed destined to be a legend in this business but it wasn’t meant to be. However, his gift didn’t go unnoticed in the history of this business and he’ll always be well respected for he accomplished and what should’ve been. He’ll be a key figure in this company, in one clearly established role. With the next selection of the draft Magnum TA

With The Nature Boy presented as my promotion’s top figure, and of course, he’ll be in the familiar role of the cocky arrogant heel that is respected as much as he is hated, I wanted a sympathetic baby face that the crowd could jump behind and support while being capable of holding his own with the talents of Ric Flair and that as a main event attraction. A lot of great talents whom could’ve fulfilled that role were taken in this round; clearly everyone understands the importance of that position. However, he isn’t limited to being just a great and beloved face; he can easily be the most vindictive, deplorable figure to ever crawl through this business. I can’t proclaim which side he was best at; I believe he was equally remarkable at each. He didn’t have the perfect looks or the god given athletic ability but he could convince you that he was going to figure a way out; he certainly was the smartest guy in the ring. Everything he did was a calculated measure and so was this selection. With my second selection, I present to you Jake "The Snake" Roberts

THIEF! They were paired together in the last draft by me but I guess they are destined to dance together again. I'm making the most effort not to draft the same people as I did last year unless it's a situation I can't pass up.

I hate your guts.

I was really hoping he would fall down to the final pick of this round for a reunion with Flair.

They just need to stretch it out to WM because a re-match will be pretty good.

I appreciate that the first two selections are quite different.

This is just a note for the newcomers to this draft who might not be aware of this rule but once a wrestler has been taken, all of his gimmicks are included. Such as Mick Foley. You can't draft Dude Love or Mankind. However, if it's a gimmick that's been used by multiple performers (and there are many), you can select it as long as you indictate which performer.

Territory NEW YORK CITY Main Venue Madison Square Garden Other Venues Hammerstein/Grand Ballroom Shea Stadium Quite frankly, this is the best Pro Wrestling fanbase. These four venues will serve well for the promotion. All have a great history and a fanbase that appreciates what they have, show no fear in voicing their opinions and can single handedly alter a promotion and the talent within. Madison Square Garden will be the epicenter of the promotion as it has been the home to some of the greatest wrestling events in our time. Shea Stadium would provide a locale for the annual Summer Mega-Show. The Ball-Rooms, steeped with history themselves will serve as house show and TV taping venues. #1 Overall Selection When it comes to building a promotion, the centerpiece of the promotion is the most crucial element because everything builds around it. With the absurd luck of getting the first selection of this draft and having the entire history of this business to select from, the choices are surprisingly limited. Very few performers in this business are definitive centerpieces. The role of a centerpiece is to attract an audience, perform at a high caliber level, and provide the promotion with a sense of accomplishment and value. Many mitigating factors were juggled to determine the first selection. Specific names were valued higher or lower with regards to certain aspects. Ultimately, I chose to take value for quality, ability and prestige even at the expense of more probable money-making attractions. My selection has an indelible record that speaks for itself. An immense volume of quality in-ring performances, a unique command of the interview and a special presence that is quite rare in the business. With all the fanfare behind us, this will be the first selection of this draft and it’s certainly not a surprise. I give to you, from Charlotte, North Carolina … "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair

Yes. He promotes his energy drink occasionally and gave a speech before the Shawn is Broke storyline about still having his money.

Hardly a surprise. She was the favorite. I thought everyone nominated except Davis would've been a fine winner. I like the concept they did with the introduction of the nominees but it could drag if they do this for all the acting awards.

Another round would be great, especially with the issues worked out. I'm in.

I got all the WWE Champions correct but you could've given me a full hour on the IC Champions and I would've never remembered having a title reign.

Best Picture Slumdog Millionaire - Christian Colson Best Director Gus Van Sant – Milk Best Actor Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler Best Actress Kate Winslet – The Reader Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight Best Supporting Actress Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Best Original Screenplay WALL-E - Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter Best Adapted Screenplay Frost/Nixon - Peter Morgan Best Animated Feature WALL-E – Andrew Stanton Best Foreign Language Film Waltz with Bashir (Israel) in Hebrew - Ari Folman Best Animated Short Presto - Doug Sweetland Best Art Direction The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo Best Cinematography The Dark Knight – Wally Pfister Best Costume Design The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Jacqueline West Best Documentary Feature Man on Wire Best Documentary Short The Final Inch Best Film Editing Slumdog Millionaire – Chris Dickens Best Live Action Short New Boy (Ireland) Best Makeup The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Greg Cannom Best Original Score Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman Best Original Song "Down to Earth" from WALL-E – Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman (music), Peter Gabriel (lyrics) Best Sound Editing The Dark Knight – Richard King Best Sound Mixing The Dark Knight – Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick Best Visual Effects The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron

Unfortunately, with such a large roster of guys deserving of a spot on the WM card, it's not really feasible for all of the mid-level titles (IC, US, Tags) to be defended. Since the IC Title has more WWE history than the US Title, it would be better to see an IC Title match at Mania than only a US Title match, but looking at the current rosters, Punk doesn't have many good WM opponents whereas on the Smackdown side, there are quite a number of US Title-level guys that could compete for the belt at Mania. Punk could put out an open challenge for his IC belt a few weeks before Mania, for Mania, and someone from SmackDown! could accept. MVP, if he wasn't already programmed with Shelton, would have been a pretty good pick. If that were the case, I'd like to see Shelton answer that challenge. Not for a unification match but just a champion vs champion showdown. That would provide the show with a good mid-card match that showcases each championship without having to place these guys in the MITB yet again.