ACW Draft 2017

The 2017 ACW Draft is an upcoming special event for Anime Championship Wrestling. It is the third edition of the ACW Draft and is scheduled to take place on January 6, 2017. The show will consist of the annual draft, as well as several matches between wrestlers and their brands.

Buildup & Hype
The show's main focus is on the ACW Draft. Both the ACW Excel and ACW Impulse brands will be able to randomly draft five members of the opposing brands each, which would include anyone on the roster. The only exceptions to this rule, howerever, would be all but two of the brand's champions (Akuma, Sasuke Uchiha, Lubbock, Wave, Ryu, Ken Masters, Reiko Hinomoto, and Goten), as they held titles exclusive to their brands. Also exempt from this are Haru Glory and Kankuro, who held Road to Destiny briefcases for their respective brand's world titles. The only champions that could be drafted were ACW Television Champion Joe Higashi and ACW Intercontinental Champion Solid Snake, as both titles are interchangable and not completely exclusive to a set brand. General Managers Roger Smith and Goku are also eligible to be drafted, in which case a new general manager for that brand will be named when the new season begins.

On November 22, 2016, it was announced that the ACW Cruiserweight Championship would be defended when Goten defends the title against Ness. Goten won the title by defeating Eren Yeager at Apocalypse 2015, and had been defending the title since then as a member of the villainous Juraian-Saiyan Alliance. After the group's disbandment and banishment from ACW at the close of Animania IV, all the invading members of the JSA not signed to ACW were terminated from their contracts, while the defected memebrs signed to ACW would undergo severe punishments at the start of the season. Among the exceptions were Goten and Solid Snake, as they held ACW titles, but they would have until the start of the new year to sign new contracts or be stripped of their respective titles. The announcement of this match had confirmed Goten's new contract, as well as his punishment for his involvement in the JSA by defending against Ness, who was now on his own following the breakup of Earthbound at the start of 2015.

On November 16, 2016, ACW officially announced the signing of SEA wrestler Mighty Yukiko. Yukiko had previously competed at the ACW Direct edition of Animania IV, in a losing effort to Sakura Hagiwara. Impressed by her skill in the match, it was decided for Yukiko to be signed to the Excel brand as a part of the Glamor-X Division. On November 24, it was announced she would make her proper ACW debut in a singles match against Ino Yamanaka at the ACW Draft.

On November 28, 2016, it was announced that the ACW Intercontinental Championship would be defended when Solid Snake defends the title against Dark Magician. Solid Snake won the title by defeating Kankuro, Monkey D. Luffy, Mugen, and Samurai Jack in a Intercontinental Invitational Match at No Boundaries 2015, and had been defending the title since then as a member of the Juraian-Saiyan Alliance. After the JSA's defeat after Animania IV, Snake was stressed into signing a new contract or be stripped of the title. The announcement confirmed that both Snake and Gary Oak were resigned to new contracts, though Snake would have to defend his title at the Draft. Snake had been feuding with Magician since Impulse #76 when Snake cost Dark Magician a shot to be in the Road to Destiny ladder match, upon which Magician was enlisted into the Finbal Battle at Animania IV opposing Snake.

On December 3, 2016, it was announced that one of the new ACW Excel signees, Soma Yukihira will face his first big challenge, former Excel Champion and current Excel Road to Destiny Briefcase Holder Haru Glory. Soma made his ACW in-ring debut at ACW vs. UCCW Supershow: War of the World when he defeated ACW Veteran Kakashi Hatake. Eariler this week, Soma has been calling Excel General Manager Roger Smith about something important regarding the Draft. And that imporant mater that Soma want Haru Glory at the Draft because due to Soma's at the Animania IV episode of ACW Direct where he said that he was looking to "rise to the top" of ACW in a short notice and wants to face Haru Glory as a way to propel him to that top spot. At Animania IV, Haru won the Excel Road to Destiny Ladder Match and now the holder of the ACW Excel Road to Destiny Briefcase, where he cash-in that briefcase for an Excel World Championship shot between now and Animania V. Later in the week, Haru answered to Soma's challenge and accepted that he will Soma at the 2017 ACW Draft in a battle of "Old Lion vs. Young Lion".

Match Card
Haru Glory vs. Soma Yukihira

ACW Intercontinental Championship Solid Snake (c) w/Gary F'N Oak vs. Dark Magician

Mighty Yukiko vs. Ino Yamanaka

ACW Cruiserweight Championship Goten (c) vs. Ness