Initial Draft Discussion

[LowBlowPodcast]

How about 5 for the draft and 7 once it is done with free agency??

[gordi]

I never thought about that! A Canadian, an Englishman, and a German! Even though I'm Canadian myself, I wasn't mentally counting Bret as a foreigner on your roster.

[gordi]

I'd be happy if you went to 6 now, with a Gentleman's Agreement that the big promotions will leave the lowest-level gaijin alone, then jump to seven for the big promotions only rounds. I dunno, though, maybe someone really has their eye on the same D-level guys I do... But even in that case we can hopefully arrange talent exchanges down the road...

 

I have an idea for two semi-comedy trios teams, one with three gaijin and one with two luchadores and Dick Togo... But if I can't set those up right away it's not the end of the world. I can book a year of shows with the roster I have now and maybe 4 more juniors...

 

So...

 

I'm absolutely not gonna get all butt-hurt if you jump to seven right away. (Maybe just a little, if the guys I have my eye on all get snagged in the next couple of rounds).

[Grimmas]

6 works.

 

Really I mostly wanted a few more FMW regularly guys.. guys nobody else wants anyways.

[gordi]

I'd be a little surprised if anyone else really wants the guys I'm after, too... But there is so much creative thinking going on in how people are building their rosters... It's hard to guess what anyone's gonna do next.

[topropepodcast]

I kind of assumed for American promotions, considering Canada is their secondary market and there are no Canadian companies at this time, that they would not count against the Foreign limit. Now I have to make real changes as I only have 2 spots left.

[Grimmas]

Hmmm... as a Canadian I was thinking of Canada/USA being the same bucket

[gordi]

Yeah, it's weird... In almost any other situation it would infuriate me to hear someone equate Canada with America or Cnadians with Americans... but in this case it seems totally reasonable.

[Grimmas]

Yeah, it's weird... In almost any other situation it would infuriate me to hear someone equate Canada with America or Cnadians with Americans... but in this case it seems totally reasonable.

Same. I really hate when we are thought of as the same or a lesser US or whatever. Here, don't care. Maybe because Canada doesn't have anything but scattered indies at the time?

[kevinmcfl]

It doesn't effect USWA at so if you want 5,6 or 7 that is all fine. Right now I have 0. On another note, I am having trouble with the roster size of 26 as USWA tried to do it all between World title, tag titles, women, TV title and JR's. I obviously can't do all of that which is fine with me. I am just informing you that some of my lower level guys will be doing double duty under a mask or two to make this work.

[Grimmas]

It doesn't effect USWA at so if you want 5,6 or 7 that is all fine. Right now I have 0. On another note, I am having trouble with the roster size of 26 as USWA tried to do it all between World title, tag titles, women, TV title and JR's. I obviously can't do all of that which is fine with me. I am just informing you that some of my lower level guys will be doing double duty under a mask or two to make this work.

USWA with a roster over 26 is huge. I think at the time their roster was like 20...

 

Although they do a lot of guys come in for a month, and then are replaced.

Under masks is very Memphis though.

[kevinmcfl]

I understand the actually number is fine as long as everybody is ok with a lot of moving parts. I will be in free agency every week to keep things moving.

[Grimmas]

How about 5 for the draft and 7 once it is done with free agency??

Post draft bring in as many foreigners as you want.

 

Look at WCW in 97 and the amount of luchadores.

 

EDIT: Maybe set it up as a percentage of ones roster size post draft?

[SirEdger]

Perfectly fine with moving to 7 foreigners on the roster.

[Grimmas]

So.. six in the draft.

 

After draft you can have 30% of your roster as foreigners. (35 or 40?.. 50 is too much, so under that).

[Boon]

I understand the actually number is fine as long as everybody is ok with a lot of moving parts. I will be in free agency every week to keep things moving.

Memphis would run house shows with maybe 16 tops (2 tags and 4 singles matches), it was the sign of the times unfortunately, massive territory rosters gone. Look at the shows they were running in mid 97 on the road.

[SirEdger]

I don't think I'll exceed more than 35. I could more than likely bring in some free agents to tour once in a while.

[elliott]

 

Yeah, it's weird... In almost any other situation it would infuriate me to hear someone equate Canada with America or Cnadians with Americans... but in this case it seems totally reasonable.

Same. I really hate when we are thought of as the same or a lesser US or whatever. Here, don't care. Maybe because Canada doesn't have anything but scattered indies at the time?

 

 

We really should have just said North America and Asia. WCW could take all the luchadores they want but they could only have 5 japanese guys. Same thing with me and the Russians. Volk Han was literally only going to work in Japan for a shoot style promotion or he was going to go back to Russia and train soldiers on hand to hand combat.

[Grimmas]

I somehow missed putting Crusher Maedomari on the list.. She's an underneath joshi worker for FMW that is Shark's underling. Mind if I add her to the list.

[topropepodcast]

Go for it.

[elliott]

My next pick...I'm telling you. If i just get to make it....

[elliott]

*lights victory cigar*

 

Quick explanation on my non-shoot style guy draft picks like Hashimoto, Dr Death, Regal & now FInlay. Basically I asked myself two questions:

1. Do they have tough guy reps?

2. Could I see them working hard hitting matches without rope running?

 

I don't really care that Dr Death isn't a Volk Han level mat wrestler. He has the amateur credentials that the crowd knows about and believes in enough that he could believably work in my environment. Same sort of principal with Finlay. Finlay is an awesome base against smaller high flying wrestlers. But he could definitely work compelling matches not dependent on crazy rope running spots.

 

Gary Albright was successful in the real UWFi without being a good mat worker. Same thing with Vader. Takada was shoot style's biggest star of the 90s and one of the formative matches on his rise to the top was against Bob Backlund.

 

Finlay is also probably the last guy I'll draft that I could imagine anybody having any interest in.

[gordi]

I'm frankly surprised Finlay lasted this long. I considered taking him myself (as you said, great base...) but I decided Storm, Smiley, and maybe one or two other gaijin would make better and more realistic fits for what I have in mind. But to see hm just sitting there, round after round, it was always tempting.

 

Finlay vs Regal in UWFi is something I'd pay to see.

[elliott]

I've been debating on Finlay for several rounds honestly. I almost drafted him but Yoshiaki Fujiwara interrupted the party and headbutted his way into the promotion

 

I never would've expected to get Finlay so late though. In reality (if I was building an actual wrestling promotion designed to make money), I wouldn't view him as a first 5 round sort of guy in 1995 but I expected him to go there because he was available to everyone, could fit in everywhere and is so beloved online.

 

But realistically, he wasn't a major name in 1995. He was never a main eventer outside of Europe. Regal had an IWGP Title Match against Hashimoto in either 95 or 96 and Finlay was never on that level. Regal I always though had main event level potential both as a worker and with his acting/interviews/charisma but he never really got the chance for reasons. Finlay always struck me as a perfect midcard tough guy who could probably main event a Sumo Hall show or a Monday Night Raw or possibly even a Budokan Hall or B-Level PPV if you built him properly (and if you were out of other options entirely), but he's not someone who is ever going to be a Tokyo Dome or WrestleMania headliner. King of Saturday Night main event is kind of perfect for him. Or veteran tough guy high mid carder.

 

Pure value pick this late. He'll be a great fit for my midcard. I just couldn't keep passing on him once we gained some extra foreign picks and the free agency post draft rules became a little more clear. And you can't have Regal & Finlay in the same promotion and not run Regal vs Finlay matches...but I might make you wait a while

[gordi]

Psicosis vs Rey! Psicosis vs. Owen! Noice pick for ECW!