Opinion

How To Compete With WWE: A Business Plan

This is how to compete with the WWE, in business plan form.

Published

5 years ago

November 10, 2018

Rey Cash

Could someone compete with WWE? Rey Cash puts together a true to form business plan that addresses the obvious, and not so obvious, moves someone needs to make to compete with Vince McMahon.

For nearly 40 years, World Wrestling Entertainment has been the preeminent wrestling organization in the world. They’ve ascended to heights no other company could ever dream of, all the while defeating their closest competition so forcefully, that it’s been nearly 15 years since there has even been a viable number two. What has Vince done so well that nobody else, sans Eric Bischoff and Ted Turner for 83 weeks, could replicate to this level? How is the WWE is much stronger than everybody else? Or, maybe the question should be, why is nobody else able to be as strong as the WWE?

Those two questions are some that fans spend days debating. There’s no denying that there is an air of WWE fatigue; I mean, they’re their own competition! And while plenty of other companies have taken the de facto mantle as the number two wrestling organization in the world, nobody has gotten as close as WCW did in the late 90s. So, how do we change that? What will it take for another wrestling company to legitimately compete with the WWE?

First, before we even begin to think of how that’s possible, we have to acknowledge a few things. Realistically, competing with WWE is a fairly futile idea. It’s not impossible, but highly improbable. WWE controls the entire market share for professional wrestling. The reason that they can get 2 separate $1 billion deals is because for 25+ years, they’ve had a consistently top drawing show on two separate nights without taking a week off. Every major American star of the past 40 years has spent some time in the WWE world. It’s truly the juggernaut of its industry.

So, what a company would have to achieve before they can even think about competing is to steal some of the market share of the wrestling industry, have at least 25 years of consistent top-level business, and create at least 5 home-grown world-wide stars. And this is the bare minimum they’d need to achieve to be considered on the same playing field. WWE has created stars who the entire world knows, such as Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena, The Undertaker, Dave Bautista, and to a lesser extent, guys like Ric Flair, Triple H, and of course, Vince McMahon himself. A new company would have to do the same so that when fans think of that wrestler, they think of their respective company.

So, let’s break down what a company could do in the mean time to compete. I’ve come up with 12 things that a new company can do to make a dent in the market share and to start to become a viable number two in a fairly quick amount of time. Now, this is akin to fantasy booking, but I tried to be ultimately realistic in all of my ideas. This will be fairly long, so bear with me.

Hire a Hollywood director and/or producer to run the production

One of the major things that sets WWE apart from other companies is their production. It’s impeccable. It’s head and shoulders ahead of all of the competition. The graphics, the set designs, the video packages…all of it has set a precedent of how we expect to view wrestling. This is the very first step for a new company to start to compete. Having a Hollywood producer or a director will allow for a professional vision and a different lens, all to make the product look the absolute best and hopefully different than the WWE.

Hire a mix of former wrestling people and Hollywood writers for the creative team

I realize that this infuriates some die-hard fans, but wrestling is and always has been an entertainment entity. So, while what happens in the ring can largely be sport, the storylines and plots have to be entertainment based. So, while the WWE has too many Hollywood writers and other companies have none, a perfect mix is the desired goal. So, I’m thinking of maybe Jim Cornette, Dave Lagana, and Jake Roberts, and Max Landis, Freddy Prinze Jr., and Seth Green on the Hollywood sign. The key is a mixture of different styles and ideals, and you want writers who are fans of the business. I’d also have two wildcard writers involved. That way, maybe you could get some buzz by hiring an actual fan with a writing background, or you could have a place for a current wrestler or something of the like. For the record, I have a head booker in mind, but I’ll mention that person later.

EMBRACE the casual fan…

This will also infuriate the die-hard wrestling community, but casual fans are what takes a wrestling company from a small Indy organization to a global powerhouse. Every company has patrons who will support no matter what or will never support no matter what. It’s the 80-10-10 rule. 10% of people will love you regardless, 10% will hate you regardless; the goal is to cater to that 80%. This is why the WWE is king, and all of the other companies are struggling to reach their level. WWE has billion-dollar deals in America, high paying deals in other major countries, has its own wrestling network with a free first month for new subscribers, and storylines that are catered to create buzz among casual fans. The casual dollar is what can help grow the company into a powerhouse.

…but CATER to the die-hard fan…

While everything I said in the prior paragraph is true and paramount to competing at the highest level, you have to cater to your main base. This is the part where a good portion of the fan base is disgruntled. Raw and Smackdown are largely catered to the mainstream, while NXT and 205 Live are catered to the core. The problem is, however, that NXT and 205 Live openly referred to as lower tiered shows than the flagship programs. Enter the new company. You have to aim to get the casuals, but you have to grow and keep your core first. WWE has a 70-year head start on growing a fan base; we’re trying to do this in a matter of years. So, grow the die-hards with the hope of training the casuals to want what the die-hards do. It’s a tough ask, but it’s necessary for the goal in mind.

…and Embrace the Internet

We’re in a different time in the world. The Internet is king. Now, if a company doesn’t have a presence on the Internet or social media, then you’re fighting from behind. Think about how once WWE started their network, how many other companies then were forced to create their own. It’s not even a matter of copycatting; it’s a necessary business move. So, use what’s available to you. The Internet, while massively used, is still largely untapped in this market. Use social media to your advantage. Have live shows for the Internet. Find a way to make your own niche within this market. It will only help.

Have a good mixture of known stars and up and coming wrestlers with potential

If what we’ve talked about so far is the foundation or the bread of the sandwich, this is the meat. The prior 5 points are moot without a fantastic roster. And with this being the most talented and talent rich time in history, it shouldn’t be hard to achieve this. Now, nobody in this section is obviously going to be one of the 5 world wide stars overnight, or ever. That’s fine. This is building a base to grow to that point. This is also a perfect spot for The Elite.

If the rumors are true that they’re considering starting their own company, those 6 men would be the perfect front men for a venture like this. They’re known in the wrestling community, have a tremendous buzz, are massively talented in the ring, and have aspirations on par with the company. I’d also pick some younger, lesser known talent to build up the roster and grow. Off the top of my head, I’m thinking of people like Shane Strickland, Maxwell Joseph Friedman, David Starr, Austin Theory, Joey Janella and Penelope Ford, Jordynne Grace, Shotzi Blackheart, and others similar to them. You want to have the best wrestling roster possible. That matters.

Build or team up with a top-level training center

The WWE Performance Center is revolutionary. What Triple H has done is create a talent recruitment and training department that wrestling has never seen. Now, WWE wrestlers are trained like the top-level athletes they are. To be at their level, this is practically a necessity. Much like college football programs compete with each other through their locker room and football facilities, wrestling organizations will start doing the same. Now, building your own may not been necessary if you can find an existing one and team up with it. That brings me to point number 8…

Make connections with other companies, both in and out of pro wrestling

WWE has the market share on professional wrestling. But they don’t have the market share on sports or entertainment individually. They’ve controlled their own section of the world, but what if we expanded that world? Now, at the beginning, I said that this would be akin to fantasy booking, but I was going to try to keep it realistic. So, if I’m the owner of this company, and I want to move up the timeline of competition to be the number one wrestling organization in the world, you can’t just focus on wrestling. What I would do is create a new multi-sport organization. I’d start the new wrestling company, I’d buy Bellator and make a stake in Mixed Martial Arts, and I’d create a new boxing organization. I’d not just try to take over pro wrestling; I’d takeover combat sports in general. That is a fight Vince is not ready for. Also, I’d buy a smaller wrestling organization as a developmental federation. So now, you have a top-level professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, and boxing organizations. They can all train the same, and even cross promote and compete. This is a juggernaut that is possibly the haymaker that could rock Vince.

Hire at least three (3) needle movers

This point is the one that will get the most publicity. This is where you make your statement to the world that you’re seriously in this for the long haul. Everything we’ve done so far has build the foundation, created the base, and expanded the scope. Now, we need to have the front men to lead the organization. And when I say needle movers, I mean people who are known in the mainstream and will draw interest and viewership instantly.

So, to start off my needle movers, the first guy I’m picking is Chris Jericho. Now, this is a fairly obvious pick seeing as Jericho has become one of the hottest commodities in wrestling. With a top-level rock band, a popular podcast, and an expansive television resume, Jericho is the perfect guy to be the wrestling face of the company. I wouldn’t even have him wrestle. He can be the face of the organization. The host or authority figure, so to speak.

Secondly, I’d hire the MMA fighter Jon Jones. Jones is a wrestling fan and has a checkered past with the UFC. He’s still young enough to be an asset in the wrestling business as a performer, and he still has a lot to give in the MMA realm. I’d sign him to a dual deal, where he’d fight in Bellator and wrestle in our organization.

And my third needle mover will be his natural and arch rival. I would hire Brock Lesnar, with Paul Heyman coming in as my head booker.

I can hear the audible groans now at the mention of Lesnar’s name. Hear me out. The goal is to become a viable wrestling organization in the quickest way possible, and steal some of the market share that WWE has. Brock Lesnar is the biggest name is pro wrestling that currently wrestles. The only two men who are close are John Cena, who is a part-timer now, and Roman Reigns, who is battling leukemia for the second time. Both men bleed WWE.

Lesnar has shown that he’s simply in it for the money. You don’t think that he’d salivate at the thought of a great pay day, being able to wrestle and fight in a top organization as he pleases, and being able to fight the one guy he’s always wanted to fight? On top of that, his advocate (in storyline and real life) is the head booker? It’s almost a perfect deal. Now, with these three men, four if you count Heyman, you have a real idea of what the landscape can possibly be. I truly believe we’ve built something sustainable that can compete.

Be ready to not make a real profit for at least 5 years, possibly 10

Have you ever heard the economic expression, “There’s no thing such as free lunch?” The meaning of that is that everything costs money, even if it’s free. So, with what we’ve built, there’s a cost. We didn’t choose the long game like most companies do. We’re trying to make a difference immediately. Because of this, we’re having to make a ton of moves nobody else has ever attempted to make before. We have a Hollywood director and/or producer running our production, we have a very knowledgeable but highly paid creative team, we’ve bought other organizations, we’re cultivating a top-level training center, and we’ve built a roster with the best we can get, including three of the highest paid competitors on the market. The payment for all of that is not expecting a profit immediately.

The point of any business is to make money, yes. That’s why we have Bellator and the boxing organization. The wrestling company will make money too. But we’ll inevitably be in the red for at least 5 years. And that’s for one singular goal – being a viable alternative to the WWE. We want to compete on their level. And that money is one that comes with billions of dollars in possible revenue. The money is out there in wrestling. We’re trying to get the absolute most possible. So, we have to take a hit in the hopes and goal of breaking though to another level of profit and success down the line.

With these goals, this business plan, and this mindset, you’ll need an owner who has the 3 P’s of business – they’re passionate, proven, and patient. Not a lot of business owners are wiling to follow a business plan such as this, and don’t subscribe the 3 P’s. I’ve come up with one though.

The perfect owners for this venture are The Fertitta Brothers.

The Fertitta Brothers are the guys who, along with Dana White, took the UFC from an organization who couldn’t have shows in more than half of the United States to a global powerhouse. They own and manage Zuffa Inc., and recently they sold the majority of their shares in the UFC to WME. So, I’m choosing them because they’re patient – they watched UFC grow from a small-time organization that was ostracized to the biggest MMA organization ever, they’re proven – they sold their majority shares in UFC for $4.2 billion, and they’re passionate – they’re huge fans of the sport and we’re mainstays in the crowd. They have the perfect mix of capital and know-how to take this venture from a business plan to reality.

Cultivate a sport style to match the organization

I’m a sports entertainment fan, through and through. I don’t care as much about a wrestler’s move set as much as I do about their entertainment factor. I can acknowledge, however, that there is a group of fans that is the opposite. On top of those fans, we’ve built an organization that houses 2 major legitimate sporting companies. So, to match that and to create an alternative to the WWE, we need to cultivate a sport style. What I mean by that is we will have weight classes and defined divisions – heavyweight (225 lbs. to 265 lbs.), cruiserweight (205 lbs. to 225 lbs.), and light heavyweight (205 lbs. and below) for the men and lightweight (135 lbs. to 155 lbs.), bantamweight (115 lbs. to 135 lbs.), and strawweight (115 lbs. and below) for the women. We’ll also have an openweight championship that anybody can compete for, regardless of weight class or gender, and it will be defended with no rules. There will also be a tag team championship, that can also be competed for by anybody.

Part of the reason of buying an MMA and boxing company is the hopes of cross over appeal and competition. So, people like Chael Sonnen and Rampage Jackson who are currently signed to Bellator can fight and possibly wrestle, while somebody like Jake Hager (a.k.a Jack Swagger) can wrestle and possibly fight. This will be helped by the weight classes. It also allows for the company to make each weight class championship on an even playing field. And more than anything, it will set us apart from WWE.

Buy a TV Channel

We’re at the end of this business plan, and this idea is the least likely, but it’s the final ace in the hole. Vince McMahon owns the award-winning WWE Network. It’s excellent in every way, except that it’s a pay service Internet network. If Vince owned a real TV station, he’d be in a different stratosphere. That’s our goal. It’s not a necessity, but if we can buy a television station, we can not only house our own content, but we an also charge what we want in advertising and get rights fees for other content on our channel. Imagine having the premier combat sports organization in the world with the premier combat sports television channel in the world! We can even buy FITE TV and put its content on actual television.

I know this has been a long journey, but competing with Vince McMahon and the WWE takes this long of a business plan. He’s created an empire for a reason. No other person in history has had the mind to mix business and wrestling as well as he has. So, with all of the 12 ideas we’ve come up with here, we bridge that gap instantly. Now, we’re not only on the hook with wrestling. We have a premier organization with numerous companies and prospectively, a television channel. You’re instantly in WCW territory with the possibility of competing directly with Vince for the market share.

Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta? You’re welcome. I’ll be waiting for my consultation fee.

FIN

@itsreycash

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!