Draft Chaos!

Well, friends, I just got back to XHW HQ after the weekend in Miami, and I have no qualms in saying that this X-Fest weekend will go down as one of the moments that's defined the year when we look back on it come awards season. We saw the vicious turn of Alexis Wilde on Johnny Sniper, Fixx's last match (and winning!), and Jakk Levy getting back to the top of the mountain in what had to be one of the most emotional nights in that young man's life. All that was capped off though by an eventful afternoon at the second annual XHW draft, the biggest surprised saved for last. I followed it all back in the reporters' war room, and here are my initial observations after the chaos that ensued.

GENERAL MANAGERS DRAFTED!
This had to easily be the biggest surprise of the event by far. Even Walker and Price both had this shocked, almost horrified expression on their faces when they realized they had drawn each others' names. Now I've spoken with corporate and the board, and they've confirmed that they were the ones to include this little surprise, and that it is very, very real. Ethan Price will be the General Manager for Warzone, and Lucy Walker will be the General Manager for Anarchy. Without going into everything that this translates to for the shows, let's hit the big concepts:

- Walker inherits a stacked roster as picked by Price
- Anarchy could very well take over as the top show, and Price won't be given the credit
- There could be a power struggle if Hendrix chooses to try and bully Price over moving to Anarchy to be with his wife
- Price is now in charge of the "flagship" program for the XHW, while Lucy inherits what she has regularly called the "b-show" for years

This promises to be interesting.

WRESTLERS CHANGING SHOWS
Last year saw both Asylum losing his Bronx Championship and King CHAVO losing the Anarchy Championship through their drafting to Warzone, both men changing shows. This year, however, all four brand-specific champions staying put, leaving the champion leadership on both brands intact. However, there were some notable roster swaps. Here's the full list of those that changed shows:

To Warzone
Dante West
Turbine
sIMON
Agent Orange
Randy Orton
Colt Windham
Roxas
Dirk Diver
Jael
Yosi Hait

To Anarchy
Mike Hoss
Mr. Jingles
Joel Dekker
Blake Lewis
Dakota Burrows
Morgan Garcia
Duane Ellis
Alonzo Childs
Shark Boy
Johnny Diamond
Vincent Hubbard
Kannon-K

The big interest, I think, will lie with sIMON and Dante West staying together, and both moving to the same brand with current West Coast Champion, Aaron Kay. After what transpired at the end of the West-Kay match at X-Fest, I can only imagine the animosity that's going to exist between those three.

TAG TEAMS STAY TOGETHER
One rather amazing twist in all this is how much things stayed the same. None of the tag teams within the company were split, something that's confounding considering how many we have these days. Take a look.

Warzone Teams
Los Banditos - Diego Cortez and Guillermo "Crazyhorse" Morales
One Way Street - Asylum and Rob Gunn
Destiny - Randy Orton and Colt Windham
La Famila Real - Doug Bean, the Arnold Classic, Bobby Lashley
The Adams - Jay Adams and Koby Adams

Anarchy Teams
Stars and Straps - Alonzo Childs and Duane Ellis
Rulers of the Ring - Derek "the King" Redmond and "Deluxe" Freddy Flux
Sons of Anarchy - (champions) North Starr, Silus Ravenwood, and TITAN

DIVISIONAL POWER
With the shake-up, we get to see some big names facing off in the upper tier of the different brands. Take a look at Warzone's new West Coast line-up and Anarchy's new East Coast stack (divisions based on bank account, not all wrestlers are committed to divisions):

West Coast Division
Aaron Kay (champion)
Koby Adams
Jay Adams
Dante West
sIMON
Diego Cortez
Asylum
Rob Gunn
J.T. Cash
Leon Washington
Johnny Sniper

East Coast Division
Wesley Burns (champion)
Mike Hoss
The Japanese Seaman
Giovanni Valentino
Dakota Burrows
Malibu
Johnny Diamond
Demetrius "the Scourge" Angel
Mr. Jingles
Shark Boy
Vincent Hubbard

Both of these divisions are absolutely loaded if all eligible participants decide they want in. This doesn't even include those who are just starting out who have had a great deal of success and amassed the funds necessary to make the jump (Agent Orange, Blake Lewis, Randy Orton, Josephy McCarthy), or those that are expected to stay in the hunt for the title in lower divisions (Jake Nelson, Rayzor, Doug Bean). Regardless, both shows are very well staffed at the top of their respective brands, and should be very interesting to watch in the coming months as things shake out.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Looking down the road, there are many superstars on both brands who haven't had the chance to compete against each other on a regular basis before. Below are some of the angles that I know I'll be keeping an eye on as the new rosters take shape.

Aaron Kay, Dante West, and sIMON - Everyone saw what went down at X-Fest between West and Kay, but what many didn't see was the confrontation backstage between sIMON and Kay later on. This has the potential to get very, very, ugly. None of this even addresses the fact that Cordelia Murphy ended up on Warzone as well, and as we all saw, she is back, in much better shape, and looking for vengeance.

Former Undisputed Champions - Anarchy is full of them. TJS, Hoss, and Valentino all share a division, and no doubt one or a couple of them will get a shot at Jakk Levy come the first PPV after X-Fest. Lucy Walker has to be pleased with the starpower drawn for her by Ethan Price.

Sniper and Wilde - Both Johnny Sniper and Alexis Wilde ended up on Warzone again after the draft, and from what I'm hearing out of the Sniper camp, he's not going to take what happened at X-Fest lying down. Much of what happens may be contingent on where Hendrix Walker decides to spend his working hours, but I can tell you that this situation is far from over.

Women's Division Dominance - While Sniper is looking for revenge, Alexis Wilde is part of a large contingent of Warzone women looking to take over that top spot in the Women's Championship division. With Cordelia Murphy, Wilde, Scarlett Willis, Awesome Kong, and others, Warzone has the bulk of the recent contenders for the Women's Championship. Anarchy features Dakota Burrows, Morgan Garcia, and a woman who's recently expressed aspirations for the belt, Spyra. With Fixx stepping down for good, the all-out brawl for dominance will be a storyline to watch for in the coming weeks and months.

Anarchy Rules! - Jake Nelson lost his Anarchy Rules Championship at X-Fest to Jordan Duke, but with the entirety of the top of the division returning to Saturday nights (Duke, Nelson, Rayzor), the battle for the namesake belt could just be heating up. I'd expect to see an interesting twist on this whole situation now that Jake Nelson's manager, Claire Logan, has her sister in charge. Heads up, Duke.

Next X-Core Contender? - With Daniel Bean's victory over his brother at X-Fest, we've now seen him atop the X-Core division since Superbrawl III! (surprised?) After the draft, we're likely to see a new contingent of contenders come to the forefront. It's unlikely that you'll see Agent Orange make a push since he's already made a claim toward the new Pride Champion, Joel Dekker, but others like Randy Orton, Matt Sterling, or perhaps another LFR member, Bobby Lashley, could step up to the plate.

The Future of Jay Adams - Even with all my sources and connections, I'm having an almost impossible time getting to the bottom of what's happening with Jay Adams. Rumors have been flying that he was actually in Miami this weekend (I don't buy it), some that it's all just an act (a horrible thing to say, in my opinion), and some that he has no interest in returning whatsoever (hard to believe). Regardless, nothing has been confirmed, all parties close to Jay are keeping their mouths shut, and the entire situation is up in the air. The facts do remain, however, that Fixx has now retired, Koby and Jay were both drafted to Warzone, and another connected party to the whole saga, Morgan Garcia, has been shipped to Anarchy. It all shapes up to be one of the most intriguing stories for all XHW fans, and I'll try to get as much information as I can without being obnoxiously intrusive to the family. With an issue as sensitive as this, that's all you can ask for.

I hope that you've enjoyed our draft special, fans. I'm looking forward to what's to come from both brands just as much as you are, and I anticipate that the best is yet to come. Take care, and as always, thanks for indulging me.

- X