Opinion

The Exposed Turnbuckle: They can’t all be “cool” heels

Published

6 years ago

July 13, 2018

by: Mike Neon

Someone on Raw (preferably) has got to take a hard turn. That’s all there is to it. Of course i’m breaking the kayfabe and speaking in terms of faces and heels here. I hear so many complaints about Raw being a “cheesy” comedy show, that I feel it may come down to the gravity at this point to keep it’s audience engaged and invested throughout it’s 3 hour air time.

In my opinion, if you are constantly working to build the matches at the next pay-per-view, and therefore putting the same opponents against each other in a variety of manners leading up to that point, the more emotional intensity you can plant, the more benefits you can reap at harvest time.

By harvest time, I refer to the lead-in episode that occurs right before the PPV, where you leave your viewers wanting more, and encourage them to sign up free for the WWE Network to watch the upcoming event. The last couple of “lead-in/go home” shows have been generally considered “underwhelming” by many.

The primary reason for this, is the lack of genuine “heels” on Raw. The only reason I specify Raw instead of “The Main Roster” is because I have hope for SmackDown.

With the recent and delightful “heel turn” of Shinsuke Nakamura, the appearance of Sanity, Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega (please do something productive with them, they are amazing) as well as, the arrival of “The Miz” after the “superstar shake up” SmackDown Live has grown and imported quite a crop of potential heels, and I’ll reserve judgment until I see how they are utilized.

Bad Vibrations – Mike Neon (Shinsuke Nakamura)

Even Carmella is overachieving in her championship reign, and reinforcing her with Ellsworth and occasional the IIconics (who are absolutely fabulous at what they do) makes the babyface vs. heel dynamic even stronger on Tuesday nights.

Whether you find the eternal conflict of good vs. evil, law vs. chaos, right vs. wrong to be a “tiresome trope” or a “tried and true” method, I find that it is a basic foundation of conflict, which is the building block for emotional storytelling in the ring.

Unless you’re Kenny Omega and want to put together a 9 year pseudo-romantic love story between two men, and celebrate the power of friendship with flavors of Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring” giving you strength to finally conquer your opposition.

Obviously, things that half a million “hipster wrestling aficionados” hail as glorious may be off putting, or simply unable to be accommodated due to the other 9.5 million fans that the WWE is also trying to cater to, all with subdivisions of particular things and superstars that they have a preference to.

So that’s why we have to examine the Raw “conflict” situation in terms of accommodating the “many” at the expense of the “few”, while still keeping the characters and their branding relevant and valuable. After all, this is a business, and Raw has consistently been the biggest wrestling showcase in the biggest company for over 25 years.

First and foremost, yes I am aware that Raw is in the “PG-Era” as people like to call it, but being PG doesn’t have to mean free of unpleasant situations and real, emotional human conflicts. Sure, other shows can make that point with more graphic violence or risqué behavior but it’s nowhere near required for solid “heat” going into a much anticipated match.

I’ve seen some great examples of despicable behavior that is rewarded with genuine disgust from wrestling fans in other shows and promotions as of recent, even underneath the WWE’s own roof.

Notable highlights:

The recent conflict’s between Sami Callahan and Pentagon Jr, in which Sami, after attacking and removing the mask of the popular luchador with the help of his OVE posse, came to the aid of Pentagon’s brother Fenix in disguise, only to ambush and orchestrate a beating on Fenix after a delightfully heinous reveal, in which he ripped the mask from his face and glared with wild-eyed glee at the crowd, as he reveled in his own despicable actions until the actual Pentagon Jr. arrived to save his brother, sending Sami and the OVE to retreat.
Cerberus Callihan – Mike Neon (Sami Callihan)
NXT Takeover Chicago (and nearly everything leading up to this PPV). Tommaso Ciampa, is absolutely the best heel in wrestling at the moment. From attacking Johnny Gargano and ruining his title shot against Aliester Black, his altercation between with Gargano, Candice LeRae and security which led to LeRae being knocked unconscious trying to break up the fight, and even Ciampa pulling the wedding ring off of a dazed Gargano’s finger, spitting on it and tossing it into the crowd at Chicago. Ciampa is absolute Chernobyl in terms of generating pure nuclear heat from the NXT fans.
Nuclear Heat – Mike Neon (Tommaso Ciampa)
Antonio Cueto freeing his son Matanza from the “shackles of humanity” in order to make him a more fearsome competitor, and then unleashing him the following week on “Mr. Pec-tacular” in a brutal squash match before offering him up to the “gods” in some kind of Aztec ritual as the lights went off and Pec-tacular had disappeared with only Matanza remaining in the ring with his arms outstretched to the skies. (this literally happened again, with Cortez Castro this week, the body count this season is getting out of hand)
El Jefe Nuevo – Mike Neon (Antonio Cueto)

These villainous acts vary in ranges of believability, but hold a common thread in unmistakable cruelty. This is an element entirely lacking on Raw. It’s difficult to toss Lucha Underground into a comparison, because it’s an entirely different kind of show, but it makes me nostalgic for Undertaker vs. Kane type of conflicts featuring “supernatural” kinds of heels that produced many wild types of matches, and vignettes that didn’t entirely work all the time but were a spectacle none-the-less.

A spectacle that the WWE has never been to replicate successfully post-Undertaker. Bray Wyatt has succeed to some extent in bringing “supernatural, southern, gothic horror” to the big stages in SmackDown and Raw, and it’s been met with some degrees of success, but never has it been “over” in the same degree it used to.

Fireflys – Mike Neon

The Miz, who has his pulse on a great many things, went as far as to call Kane a “nostalgia act” and a “broke down demon” on SmackDown Live this week, while Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy are mocked relentlessly by “The B Team” for the flavors of bizarre mysticism in their characters. Also, Kane got jokes. Dad jokes, and Nsync jokes.

Even the modern day the newer players in the mystic/supernatural gimmick game such a “Ember Moon” and “Aleister Black” seem to have supernatural tendencies limited to appearance only, because I find myself feeling like the illusion is shattered once they are handed a microphone. Also, If I’m Aleister Black, I’m never showing up to Full Sail University when i’m scheduled to address the fans again. This is routinely leading to ambushes and severe beatings for “The Dutch Destroyer”, most recently at the hands of my favorite human being, Tommaso Ciampa.

So despite the success that Impact has had with delivering creepy, character driven developments, such as the feuds between Su Yung, Allie, and Rosemary, and the random otherworldly madness of Lucha Underground, it seems that the WWE is generally avoiding the supernatural. I can’t remember the last time I even saw the extremely popular “demon” half of Finn Balor make an appearance.

However the “truly” sinister heel never goes out of fashion and it’s something desperately needed in the current paradoxical world of mainstream professional wrestling, where “heels” can find themselves accidentally “over” with the crowds with a clever slogan or good marketing, thus making it difficult to get “heat” on a “babyface”. Perfect examples of this are Rusev and Adam Cole who are usually cheered like top “faces.”

Therein lies the need for heels like Tommaso Ciampa, and Sami Callahan. True “pureblood” heels that can draw massive heat against any competitor. This type of heel looks to not only destroy their opponent in the ring, but to destroy their characters.

Ciampa in a heated promo against reigning NXT champion Aleister Black, told him he was not only going to destroy him physically but also destroy the “myth” behind him, and expose him as a flawed and vulnerable person hiding behind smoke and mirrors. Callahan went a step further in unmasking Pentagon, the ultimate show of disrespect in the world of Lucha Libre.

With Raw’s recent ratings revealing the lowest viewer-ship ever in the history of the program (no it’s not time to panic), it’s time for the creative forces within to start finding ways to draw in greater emotional investment in the characters and the booking.

Unfortunately, the powers that be, seem to be content in shooting themselves in the foot. A perfect example of this is the Bayley and Sasha feud, that exploded several weeks ago has been completely diffused into comedic therapy segments instead of turning into a series of nasty altercations which could have culminated into a brutal match at the appropriately timed “Extreme Rules” PPV that’s just around the corner.

The WWE unfortunately seems reluctant to “pull the trigger” on a Sasha Banks “heel” turn. This befuddles me more than I can say, because Sasha’s character has so many “heelish” tendencies, and served as an absolutely fantastic heel on NXT. I personally find that Sasha on her own is iconic enough, much like Alexa Bliss to sell merchandise on the merits of who she is, regardless of “face” or “heel” status, so I don’t find that it would be a large risk to go ahead and run with Sasha becoming a treacherous blessing on Monday nights.

$t. $asha – Mike Neon (Sasha Banks)

My biggest hope for a “super-heel”at this moment rests on the shoulders of Drew McIntyre. Elias is a little “too cool” in the sense of being an ironic heel, and Baron Corbin, proceeded to sing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” before Raw’s main event, so he’s right out of consideration. Thanks for that, by the way Baron/creative, or whom’st ever came up with that productive use of time.

Drew appears to be a genuine threat to anyone on the Raw roster, and seems driven to destroy “nonsense” and those who are “lazy and complacent” on the roster. It sounds like a solid foundation to build upon for the type of dastardly development akin to contemporaries like Ciampa and Callahan.

I’m predicting that eventually Drew is going to grow impatient with Dolph Ziggler’s showboating and antics, and someday soon, (possibly as soon as Extreme Rules on Sunday) is going to just lay out not only his opponent, but Ziggler himself. Imagine McIntyre decimating both participants in the match and looming over the carnage before walking out, holding the intercontinental championship hostage, daring the rest of the roster to try to take it from him.

Claymore – Mike Neon (Drew McIntyre)

At the moment, the best “heel” style torment on Raw is actually coming from Braun Strowman, at the expense of Kevin Owens. Imagine the heat that Strowman would be getting if he was constantly bullying Seth Rollins, Finn Balor or another “popular” wrestler. Braun’s relentless attacks on Owens and his property is really serious heel work, but in it’s current context, somehow the WWE has managed to reverse polarity on the situation in a bizarre way, burying Kevin Owens figuratively and sometimes literally along the way.

They collect some degree of cheers in a situation where a large, monstrous superstar is terrorizing a smaller, fearful superstar as the punchline of a joke that seems to be a misuse of both men, because running from Strowman doesn’t make Owens look cowardly, it makes him look human, and relatively wise. Strowman’s pursuit of Owens, doesn’t make him look tough, or help add to his image, mystique and legend either.

This cognitive dissonance, between the face/heel dynamic is becoming a common occurrence on Monday night, for example Nia Jax, spent her championship reign bumbling back and forth between trying to be a sympathetic “face”, and drawing “heel” heat during her feuds and promos.

Also, wearing a fancy robe isn’t a gimmick. “Hi, I’m nice guy Bobby Roode, I have an unnecessarily fancy robe and I crack jokes with the other good guys backstage.” “No, no, no, just stop.” This is a personal appeal on my behalf and the rest of the WWE Universe. Roode not being a “heel” is a waste of time, space and possibly oxygen. Maybe get him into the mix with The Revival, and let that be an old school “tribute” act, because you’ve got nothing to lose and it works for all parties involved. Otherwise, Roode is little more than an extravagant robe and a great theme song.

One thing is clear, with the bizarre absence of the Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, that only becomes a storyline when they feel like pushing it, and the main championship out of play, the creative forces behind Raw need to do something compelling to “right the ship” and keep it’s millions of fans invested in the product before the ratings “downturn” becomes a regular pattern.

Follow Mike Neon: @TheRealMikeNeon

Enjoy his art and entertainment: @neoncolosseum

Like him at facebook.com/theneoncolosseum

and always #UseYourHead

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s Top 5: The Final Opponent For John Cena In WWE

It’s obvious that John Cena is nearing the end of his legendary career, and he’s suggested ending it at WrestleMania 41. Who should be his final opponent?

Published

2 weeks ago

April 11, 2024

Greg DeMarco

John Cena Last Match Randy Orton WWE WrestleMania 41

It’s obvious that John Cena is nearing the end of his legendary career, and he’s suggested ending it at WrestleMania 41. Who should be his final opponent?

John Cena recently appeared on the Pat McAfee Show, the Monday after his surprise (but mostly expected) WrestleMania 40 appearance during Cody Rhodes’ win over Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship. During that appearance, he confirmed what many expect, that he is nearly done with his in-ring career. But Cena even tossed out the idea of a time-frame, detailing that his acting schedule will likely take him through Christmas, and maybe Hollywood could “pump the brakes” to allow for one final run.

That run could easily begin at the Royal Rumble with a surprise entrance (or entering himself via TV appearances as part of the build), with a tease for his 17th world title win before finally settling in on his final match.

Fantasy booking and storytelling aside, the goal here is the final match–more specifically the final opponent. With a John Cena, you’ve got a ton of options. As such, it’s hard to narrow it down to 5, and one of your favorites is likely missing–be warned!

Greg DeMarco’s Top 5: The Final Opponent For John Cena In WWE

Honorable Mentions:

The Miz – A feud with John Cena gave The Mix a WrestleMania 27 main event–and a WrestleMania main event victory on top of it. Miz has been receiving more love than ever lately, and a match with John Cena would not be misplaced. Maybe he can use their WrestleMania 33 contest (and Cena’s personal aftermath) as fodder for it, too.
AJ Styles – The man who once made it popular to “BEAT UP JOHN CENA” is also nearing the end of his run, and could be the one candidate on this list that could realistically give us a double-retirement match. He would also be the guy who retired both The Undertaker and John Cena (and would probably end up being the guy who lost in both).
The Rock or Cody Rhodes – Both great options, but you have to figure their dance card for WrestleMania 41 is already full, potentially standing across the ring from one another. Either is an amazing option (including “Thrice In A Lifetime”), but I just don’t think it’s in the cards.
Trick Williams – Potentially a surprising addition to the Honorable Mentions, but the comparisons are there in terms of in-ring style/ability, promo skills, and the interplay they had in NXT (remember, it was Cena who is credited with encouraging Trick to not be afraid to go for it himself despite his relationship with Carmelo Hayes).

5. CM Punk

The fifth spot on this list was nearly interchangeable between several of the honorable mention names, but it really came down to Punk and Seth Rollins for me (with a hint of AJ Styles). The 2011 feud between CM Punk and John Cena was legendary, and is a moment that will forever be seen by me as the one that truly cemented CM Punk as a member of the growing list of all-time greats in WWE.

Punk is uniquely qualified for this match as he would make it mean more than a showboat for John Cena’s career and final match. It’s entirely believable that CM Punk would want to put John Cena’s career into the ground, and WWE has the video archive to support it.

Despite being #5, this could actually be a dark-horse for the match we get, and I can’t see anyone reasonably being upset about that.

4. Roman Reigns

John Cena and Roman Reigns have had two separate legendary programs. the first saw Cena, at times, embarrass Roman in promo exchanges in a feud that took place in the “pre-Tribal Chief” era. The second is more fresh and likely more memorable, as John Cena put Roman Reigns over in a football stadium in Las Vegas at SummerSlam (although it might be more remembered for the return of Brock Lesnar).

Reigns, a legend himself at his point (he’s featured alongside Steve Austin at the top of the “Forever” portion of the Then/Now/Forever/Together video that recently debuted) would provide a pairing akin to The Undertaker serving as Shawn Michaels’ retirement opponent at WrestleMania 26 9notice I didn’t say “final opponent). The end of Roman’s 1316 day world title reign has brought about a new appreciation for Reigns, which would further enhance this pairing at WrestleMania 41.

3. Bron Breakker

Bron Breakker is the picture-perfect definition of a juggernaut in WWE, a fast rising star who almost seems like a lock to main event WrestleMania one day (you never know–Seth Rollins JUST got his first WrestleMania main event last weekend). Breakker recently said farewell NXT as the natural in-ring competitor makes a transition to full-time main roster competition.

Breakker also fits the category of who “needs it.” Bring the man to retire John Cena would be quite the feather in the cap of Breakker’s early career, and would give him a moment that would be relived for generations to come. The only question mark is WWE “trusting” Breakker with this moment, as a sudden change of character could mean that Cena’s final match wouldn’t be seen or discussed as much. Breakker, to me, has given no reason for anyone to suspect that might happen, regardless of any controversies his father and uncle have been linked to.

2. R-Truth

Despite being 5-years older than John Cena, and making his in-ring debut in the same year (1999), R-Truth’s childhood hero hanging up the boots will undoubtedly be a hard-hitting moment for the man who has basically become the WWE Mascot. Truth emulating Cena in his matches, and of course the RawAfterMania moment with Cena, Truth, and The Miz hitting a Fifteen Knuckle Shuffle (thank you, Michael Cole) on The Judgment Day makes this a near can’t miss final match for both John Cena and the WWE Universe.

R-Truth himself is equally deserving of this match, as it would be a reward for all of his years in the ring as part of a career that seems age defying while proving that age is not only a number, but also a number that can be ignored (see Child Hero, John Cena).

While a rematch of their 2011 WWE Capital Punishment main event is an unlikely WrestleMania 41 match-up, it’s one I believe everyone would love to see.

1. Randy Orton

I mean, is there anyone more perfect? John Cena and Randy were inseparably linked for a good portion of their careers, and have shared the ring more times than Big Show has turned babyface/heel. Both are far into legendary status at this point, and Orton specifically is obviously focused on enjoying this stage of his career.

But Orton is still delivering great performances inside the ring, too.

Randy Orton vs John Cena was an exciting proposition many years ago, became a punchline for WWE booking a few years ago, but is now coming full circle as the perfect match-up to end the amazing career of John Cena. It has my vote, and should have yours, too.

Even if R-Truth would be the most fun option.

What say you? Who is the best candidate to stand across the ring from John Cena in his final WWE match, potentially at WrestleMania 41? Who did I leave out?

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s WrestleMania 40 Saturday Results & Review

It’s the Granddaddy Of ‘Em All, WrestleMania! Night 1 of WrestleMania XL and Greg DeMarco has your results and review!

Published

2 weeks ago

April 8, 2024

Greg DeMarco

It’s the Granddaddy Of ‘Em All, WrestleMania! Night 1 of WrestleMania XL and Greg DeMarco has your results and review!

It all comes down to this–at least for the first night! A loaded card in front of a packed house, and I’d expect everyone to deliver one hell of a performance.

Women’s World Championship – Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (champion)

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Rhea Ripley retains

In my opinion, this match should be the main event of Night 1, but The Rock is back and that was going to take precedence (even if I disagree). Becky won this title shot at the Elimination Chamber, even though they were already building the feud before that event in Perth. Ripley herself main evented that event in a stadium, defeating Nia Jax.

It was revealed during her entrance that this is Becky Lynch’s “Flu Game,” as she has temperatures as high as 102 degrees throughout the week.
Rhea Ripley enters to a life performance of her entrance theme, which you can tell she dug.
Prime logo is center ring, just the black outline with “Prime” in the middle, and it is not at all bothersome. I can’t believe people made such a big deal out of bitching about that.
The stage looks dope, not at all “too small” as some had said. The whole environment looks great, honestly.
Rhea Ripley has been dealing with a wrist injury. She said on the Pat McAfee Show she didn’t expect to work with the wrist brace on tonight, but there it is.
Corey Graves points out that Becky’s training was likely impacted by her illness, and Pat McAfee scoffs at him for stating the obvious. I hope that isn’t what we get all night.
Commentary notes that is is 52 degrees and windy in the stadium, and I am reminded of Nick Khan’s comments about moving an outdoor WrestleMania to late April in the future, if they don’t get an indoor building (he did say “2026” when talking about that, which likely means the 2025 venue is indeed set).
Rhea’s Prism Trap is a fell of a submission finisher. Add in the body lock the way she did, and it’s even more impressive.
I just noticed the “Prime” turnbuckle pads and it’s…weird. I just didn’t expect it and can’t think of the last time we didn’t have the WWE/WWF logo on the buckles outside of Black and Gold NXT. WrestleMania 2?
I am also noticing that Dude Wipes seems to have sponsored the ring posts. Kudos to WWE (and the wrestling industry behind them) for being so damn desirable to sponsors!
That combo to get into the Riptide was fantastic–and the kickout was even better.
During the DisarmHer you can clearly see the commentary position, and Michael Cole is legit reclined all the way back. Love it–Cole is living his best life.
Rhea’s Riptide into the buckle before the proper Riptide was pretty sweet as well. Made Becky look insanely strong in defeat.

Winner via pinfall AND STILL your Women’s World Champion: Rhea Ripley

Hell of an opener, and if you didn’t know Becky was sick, you wouldn’t have known. Props to them both. That would have satisfied as a main event, but can now go down as one of the best openers in WrestleMania history.

Ladder Match for the Raw Tag Team Championships and Smackdown Tag Team Championships – DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. A Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller) vs. The New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest, Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions)

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Awesome Truth (Raw titles) and A-Town Down Under (SmackDown)

As many expected, the belts are hanging separately, meaning we are most likely splitting the tag titles here. Triple H and company have put some serious work into building up the tag team divisions of both brands, and even though I expect the two winners to not be actual “teams,” but either way I actually like the way they didn’t make a big deal out of splitting the titles up, they’re just doing it. They have been defended separately since being unified, albeit rarely.

R-Truth makes a joke about DIY being DX and that’s now taken off. I love it.
The Miz is very under appreciated. Can literally do anything.
Someone is struggling with the “Titan Tron” videos tonight.
Not gonna lie, I am the biggest Pat McAfee fan, but he’s actually quite annoying right now.
Sign of the night: SANTA DESERVED IT.
Lots of green in this match, half of the teams wearing their “WrestleMania Green” gear.
Also, loving the Consequences Creed gear for Woods.
God Bless Finn Balor for taking that Airplane Spin into the ladder.
205 combined years of experience in this match. That’s an average of 17 years (Waller has the least with 7, Balor and Miz are tied for the most with 23).
“Dunne Mountain?!?!” Thank you Michael Cole for fixing that.
HOT TAG TO R-TRUTH!
Poor Finn Balor, not he takes the AA to the ladder after John Cena’s Five Moves Of Doom
R-TRUTH WITH THE PIN!
Hilarious.
A-Town Down Under gets the SmackDown tag titles!
And Grayson gets tossed through a ladder, still holding a title!
The match does continue until the Raw tag titles are also retrieved.
If Theory also got the Raw tag titles down, I will laugh my ass off.
Birminghammer is a fantastic name for a tandem (somewhat) Burning Hammer.
Tornado DDT through a table!
Air Raid Crash from the ladder!
And we still have more tables set-up.
JD McDonagh trying to get Finn–who has taken a beating–to get the Raw tag titles.
McDonagh through the tables!
PERFECTLY placed Razor’s Edge onto that chair.
Dude, that ladder is trashed. (And very unsafe.)
AA sends Damian outside!
I think everyone wants R-Truth to get this. EVERYONE.
YES!

Winners via belt retrieval, AND NEW:

SmackDown Tag Team Champions – Grayson Waller & Austin Theory
Raw Tag Team Champions – R-Truth & The Miz

Really good Ladder Match, but it’s hard to have a bad one. The tag team titles are split and it was really well done. It made perfect sense to do it that way, not make a big deal out of it and just let it happen. I am excited to see both teams win–not because I picked both, but because I think one team (Waller/Theory) have amazing futures and the other (Miz/Truth) will be a lot of fun, even if their run will probably be short lived.

Santos Escobar (with Legado Del Fantasma members Angel, Humberto, & Elektra Lopez) & Dominik Mysterio vs. Rey Mysterio & Andrade (with The LWO members Carlito, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, & Zelina Vega

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Dominik and Santos win, giving Dominik “revenge” for his loss at WrestleMania 39.

Look, this match doesn’t make a lick of sense–Dominik shows up two weeks ago and finds his way into another WrestleMania match with Rey? Definitely shoehorned. But Dominik is outstanding, so if this gets him on the card, I’ll take it.

More green in this match, and I am here for it.
Innovative Double Cross Body by Rey & Andrade.
Dominik showing experience beyond his years, making sure the ref sees his tag with Santos.
At this moment, I am wondering who turns–Carlito or Andrade. Gotta assume it’s one of them.
Three matches in and I don’t even notice the Primo logo in the center of the ring or on the turnbuckle pads.
Santos Escobar trying to unmask Rey Mysterio, as if we don’t all have Google.
Corey Graves making a great point about Rey taking some responsibility for the issues in his life, and Michael Cole immediately dismissing it.
It’s so hard to do a really good Dragon Screw Leg Whip, and Andrade (along with Dominik and Santos) just pulled off two to perfection.
Camera shot of Rey’s cross body shows the heaters above the ring. Good–keep ’em warm!
This could have easily been an 8-man tag team match. Maybe we get that Monday on Raw (which can also be where the turn happens, making my prediction here likely wrong).
Joaquin Wilde gets to do his NXT spot at WrestleMania, and that’s probably more important than officially being in the match.
Two masked men–definitely the Kelce Brothers–are here.
My bad, it was Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson. Good call, honestly. Great pop for them, too.
Looking at the reply, Dominik sold that ringpost spot like a champ.

Winners via pinfall (Rey on Santos): Rey Mysterio & Andrade

Fun tag team match that served its purpose. Needed? Maybe not, as I really wanted to get Liv Morgan vs. Nia Jax onto this card. But when you can get Rey & Dominik on the card, everyone will be happy. and of course the Jason Kelce & Lane Johnson appearances.

Brother vs Brother: Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Jimmy Uso follows in the footsteps of Owen Hart and Matt Hardy and beats the “more talented brother.”

They’ve wanted this match all their lives–and the preview video was insane. Very well done.

Jey in the WrestleMania whites tonight.
And we get a hot start to the match!
“Big Brother Jimmy” is always a fun thing to hear.
More Dude Wipes sponsorship on this one–you have to wonder if having Dude Wipes on the posts for the opener was in error.
Superkicks. Lots of Superkicks.
Very enjoyable YEET/NO chants from the crowd.
Jey just kicking the hell out of Jimmy, including a Jumping Super Kick.
This has “Fight Without Honor” feels from old school ROH, where the winners have respect after. We will definitely see these guys together again.
Jimmy apologizing to Jey. Crowd is not buying it.
Of course it was BS, and Jimmy gains the advantage.
SPEAR. USO SPLASH. DONE.

Winner, via pinfall: Jey Uso

Jey breaks the babyface curse by beating his heel brother. Thought we might get an embrace between them, instead we faded out. A good match that was more about the story than the in-ring action. I can see some feeling like this hasn’t “lived up to expectations” because of the high expectations you’d have for an Usos match. Their best work will always be as a team, but I know this is a lifelong dream come true for both.

As for all the Superkicks, I mean….it’s an Usos match.

Six-Woman Tag Team Match – Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka, & Kairi Sane) vs. Naomi, Bianca Belair, & Jade Cargill

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Bianca, Naomi, & Jade win when Jade scores the pin (probably on Kairi, who always seems to eat the fall)

This match is all about getting Bianca Belair on the card (she had to be), and Jade Cargill’s debut. It also got Damage CTRL on the card, which they truly deserve–even if it is to lose.

Respectfully, Dakota Kai. (Good thing the ring and surrounding area is heated)
Not gonna lie, Jade looks nervous. But this is a six-woman tag, and her portion is likely highly choreographed. Gonna be all good.
As I watch and enjoy the match (but am not typing much lol), this seems like a match where we’re all just waiting for Jade to come in and win.
No one has told Jade about the tag ropes yet, apparently.
And now Jade is in, and Damage CTRL makes her look like a million bucks.
Dakota Kai nicely gets herself into position for the finish, and Jade gets her WrestleMania win.

Winners via pinfall (Jade on Dakota): Jade Cargill, Naomi, & Bianca Belair

We knew what this one was about going into it, and that’s what it should have been. Jade still ain’t ready. I know it might be an “ego hit” for her to go to NXT, but she needs it. If Giulia can go to NXT, so can Jade.

Intercontinental Championship – Sami Zayn vs. GUNTHER (champion)

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Sami Zayn pulls off the major upset and is the one to dethrone Gunther

Gunther has had a stranglehold on the Intercontinental Championship, defending it like crazy in 2023 but slowing that down here in 2024. It’s not fair to say he’s outgrown the title, but that might actually be the case. It’ll be really interesting to see what happens with Imperium leading up to the draft, and at the WWE Draft itself.

Sami Zayn was the perfect wrestler to have their journey form backstage to the ring followed by the cameras. From his family to Chad Gable to Kevin Owens, it was all so perfect–maybe too perfect? (Not in that someone will screw him, but in that it might be too heavily foreshadowing his win?)
Gunther looked oddly nervous standing on that stage.
You know, the Intercontinental Championship is basically a third world title at this point. And we could see the end of a legendary reign. I think this deserved the Samantha Irvin In-Ring Introductions (aka “Japan Style”) treatment.
Gunther is smiling confidently now, we’re good.
Crowd is ON FIRE for these guys (and evenly split with their chants for each guy).
This is the 21st time the Intercontinental championship is defended at WrestleMania, and it makes you wonder what in the hell they were thinking for the other 11.
Looks like Dude Wipes is back on the ringpost!
Hell of a nearfall, followed up by a Helluva Kick from Gunthcr, and one from Sami!
That finish….AMAZING.

Winner via pinfall, AND NEW Intercontinental Champion: Sami Zayn

The athletes… the moments… the storytelling… professional wrestling is such a beautiful business. Sami Zayn’s win over Gunther was everything I had hoped it would be when I picked Sami to win. Absolutely beautiful.

Cody Rhodes & World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. The Rock & Undisputed WWE Champion Roman Reigns

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Seth & Cody get the win after tons of interference and surprise appearances, making Roman vs Cody on Sunday a match where The Bloodline is banned from ringside.

So much involved in this one. As you know, If Rock & Roman win, Sunday’s WWE Championship match will be held under Bloodline Roles. If Seth & Cody win, then that mach will see ZERO Bloodline involvement. Personally, if Cody is winning the title, I’d rather it be straight up. But I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I am wrong.

Honestly, after the introductions, I realized I was just watching!
This was very much Steve Austin vs The Rock inspired, with them fighting all over the stadium, and pushing the envelope.
I loved The Rock basically neutering the referee–normally I hate that, but here it works.
That finish and the condition of Rollins both lay perfectly into night 2, I would imagine.

Winners via Rock pinfall on Rhodes: The Rock & Roman Reigns

Per rule, Sunday’s main event will now be Bloodline Rules. And given that, my prediction of Roman retaining might be harder to pull off. This was a good return for The Rock, and perfectly played into the whole story. Job well done.

Greg DeMarco’s Overall Thoughts for WWE WrestleMania XL, Saturday (Night 1)

in a vacuum, this was highly enjoyable show. Night 2 might end up being legendary if both Bayley and Rhodes win, and it could overshadow Night 1. But the scene was fantastic, production was top notch as always, and the fans went home having enjoyed one for the ages. The Triple H Era s well underway, and will likely kick into a higher gear with Night 2.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!