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Steve Cook’s 2012 WWE Royal Rumble Road Trip

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2012 Royal Rumble

Steve Cook takes you on a stroll down memory lane as he attends the 2012 WWE Royal Rumble live and in person!

It’s Royal Rumble Week! If you’re anything like me you get nostalgic during these huge events in the wrestling year. We can’t help but think about some of our favorite Royal Rumble memories. Ric Flair winning the WWF Championship in the 1992 Rumble still rates as my favorite match ever. I watch it at least once or twice a year. Stone Cold Steve Austin’s various Rumble victories were a highlight of my teenage years. I think I can mention now that I watched them on a black box of questionable legality.

The one I remember most has to be the 2012 Royal Rumble. Internet experts might not agree with the idea of it being memorable. 2012 wasn’t one of the more well-received editions of the event. I might not remember it either if I wasn’t there. Oddly enough, I still have many fond memories of my trip to St. Louis. Since I was nowhere near sober for most of the weekend, this surprises me.

I thought it would be fun to dip into the archives and take a look back at that trip. The following originally appeared in the 02.01.12 edition of News From Cook’s Corner. If you’d like to read more of my classic writing, or even more of my recent stuff, 411mania.com has plenty of both.


The Royal Rumble has always been one of my favorite events of the year. There’s nothing quite like the Rumble Match, where thirty wrestlers enter in intervals to determine who will challenge for the WWE or the World title at WrestleMania. I’ve always wanted to see it live, but never had the opportunity until this year. The Rumble was in St. Louis, Missouri, which is a couple of states over from where I live and a couple of hours from the home of my Offtheteam.com podcasting partner and best Internet friend, Trent “The Penguin” Howell. I hadn’t seen ol’ Trent in person since we went to a Raw house show back in 2004, so going to the Rumble with him seemed like a darn good idea.

I spent a lot of time before the trip worrying about the weather for the 6+ hour drive to Cape Girardeau. Weather is always an issue in this part of the country this time of year, but I was blessed with clear skies and decent temperatures for the trip. Saturday night in Cape was pretty fun, we hit a couple bars once Trent finally got the headlight on his motor vehicle working after two trips to an auto part store. Trent’s wife joined us later in the evening and she was even cooler than he said she was. If you think AJ’s attractive you’d like her, as they’re the same size. Better-looking face too. Trent did good there.

On Sunday we headed up to St. Louis and set up camp in Harrah’s. I haven’t been to too many casinos in my day, but I might have to make that happen more often because the vibe there was awesome. Even if they rob you blind they’re really nice about it. They’ll give you a bottle of water when they close the bar at 3 AM. (By the way, if you’ve listened to our OTT podcasts and think we’re ridiculous, you should hear us talking sports & politics at 3 AM after a long, long night.) The chicken fingers I had at 2 AM really hit the spot. Making things even better was the fact that they were having a Chinese New Year’s celebration and the place was full of fine Asian chicks. Chinese New Year’s is my new favorite holiday.

But you’re not here to read about my casino adventure with the Penguins, you want some Royal Rumble thoughts! We were joined for the show by Trent’s friend Shawn and Andy Critchell, Larry Csonka’s Monday night 411 on Wrestling co-host. Andy is a very jovial fella and went absolutely crazy for Mark Henry, so he was pretty much what I expected. Good dude. I thought the crowd was really good but apparently it didn’t come across that way on TV for whatever reason. It was a pretty smart crowd, one that started chanting about how Cena sucked before the show started. The people around us were pretty good…there was somebody in front of me that held up a sign early on, but I approved because it said “I Paid To See Daniel Bryan”. If you want to block my view for a couple of minutes during a three-hour show I won’t mind if you have something that’s worth saying. I thought the crowd was a lot better than the crowds I’ve been part of in places like Cincinnati & Lexington, where people actually don’t respond to much of anything. People were reacting to stuff here, and all of us were going crazy at various points in the show.

Dark Match: Yoshi Tatsu d. Heath Slater

This would have fit right in on Superstars for sure. It wasn’t spectacular or anything, but both guys worked hard and it definitely wasn‘t bad. Yoshi was quite popular with the crowd and Heath got a good heel reaction. For all I know this might actually be a feud on NXT. I like Yoshi a lot, and Heath’s going to be around for awhile because he’s good at making other people look good.

Triple Threat Cage Match: World Champion Daniel Bryan d. Big Show & Mark Henry

With Mark Henry hurt and Big Show reportedly hurt, it was on Daniel Bryan to put on a show and he did just that. D-Bry got a hell of a mixed reaction from the St. Louis crowd, as boos dominated his entrance but there were a few loud “DANIEL BRYAN CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP” chants during the match. Like I told Larry (Csonka) people can’t say that he doesn’t get a reaction now. Well, they can say it, but they’re wrong. I question the reports of Big Show being hurt because he looked pretty good here and even got his 450-pound butt on top of the cage. Nice story here, with Bryan constantly trying to get out of the cage early, getting some offense in later, and a great ending sequence with Bryan hanging off the wrist of Big Show. Eventually he fell to the floor and retained the title, and I screamed about how that was my boy D-Bryan. Watching Critchell mark out for Mark Henry in person was quite the experience, and I don’t know what he would have done if Mizark had won.

Beth Phoenix, Natalya & the Bella Twins d. Kelly Kelly, Eve, Alicia Fox & Tamina

I wasn’t sure how they would get the Divas on the show, so we probably should have seen this match coming. This had Kelly Kelly doing a freaking cross-body off the top rope to the floor, so it was better than any Diva match I’d seen in quite awhile. Also, it was nice to see that Beth Phoenix is still alive and they actually had her win the match. Guess it’s time to build her up for her next challenger.

John Cena vs. Kane – Double Countout

I wasn’t feeling this at all going in, and the match & aftermath only made things less interesting. The Cena crowd response was interesting, as they got the LET’S GO CENA/CENA SUCKS chant going a couple of times (For the record, Critchell chanted the former while Penguin and I chanted the latter), but when that wasn’t going on nobody really knew what to do. Match was pretty much what you’d expect, then they went to the back so Kane could drag Zack Ryder out of his locker room and Tombstone him. I had a feeling something would happen to Zack when I saw that he had his own locker room. I guess it was nice that all the people that bought Broski headbands got to see their guy, even if he got Tombstoned.

The stretcher job seemed like a good time to get a t-shirt, but the Royal Rumble XXL shirts sold out. I probably should have seen that one coming. Fortunately I got back in time for the next match…

Funkasaurus d. Drew McIntyre

I was happy when Drew came out, then Funkasaurus came out and I lost my shit. You can’t help it, that song will get stuck in your head for days and how many chances will you have to dance along with a Funkasaurus? Hell yes I did the Dactyl arms. I got my Funkasaurus entrance so I didn’t have to start a riot or anything. Good times. I love the Funkasaurus and I’m so happy I got to see him do his thing live.

There were quite a few people wearing their James Laurinaitis St. Louis Rams jerseys at the show, but that didn’t stop John Laurinaitis from getting booed out of the building when he came out. He had to wear the sleeveless ref shirt so he could show off the guns!

CM Punk d. Dolph Ziggler

This got off to a really great start and most of it was enjoyable, but the overbooking at the end drug it down a bit. Of course that was to be expected with Big Johnny out there as the ringside enforcer, but it seemed kind of blah to me. Some darn good wrestling led up to it, but it didn’t quite live up to the MOTYC potential that most of us thought it had. Punk was rather popular. Ziggler had a solid performance, but as good as he is I don’t think he’s quite ready to carry Raw’s main title yet. He could be very soon, but he doesn’t quite have that connection with the audience.

As somebody who has watched CM Punk & Daniel Bryan compete on ROH shows with about 500 people at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds and at an IWA-MS show in a national guard armory with somewhere around 50 people, it was incredible to see both of them retaining their world championships with 18,120 other people in a huge arena. People often ask me why I bother with that indy wrestling stuff that isn‘t as slickly produced as WWE or Impact Wrestling, and that’s the reason. To see guys like Punk & Bryan go from performing at county fairgrounds & national guard armories to huge arenas…it’s a beautiful thing.

Royal Rumble Match

It was 55 minutes, so it’s best if I cover it in the Raw Thoughts format…

-Miz had a long run in the match and was the Iron Man by a couple of minutes over Cody Rhodes, but he didn’t do a whole lot for most of it. He laid on the floor for awhile after R-Truth took him out, then he got back in the ring and laid around most of the time. It’s like most of Miz’s career…he accomplishes stuff like winning the WWE title and headlining WrestleMania, but it doesn’t quite connect the way it should.

-I called Alex Riley being number two, and he lasted about as long as I expected.

-Cody had a much more impressive showing at number four, as he was active most of the time and threw out a pretty good collection of legends. Something tells me he’ll be feuding with a veteran at WrestleMania. It might be his brother Goldust, or perhaps his elimination of Mick Foley will lead to something. Either could work pretty well.

-Ricardo Rodriguez was fantastic. I thought it was actually ADR at first because I didn’t see just how wrecked the car was. I wonder if WWE expected a “RICARDO” chant.

-Socko vs. the Cobra got a tremendous reaction. I guess Santino started wearing the cobra sock just for that spot. Why not?

-Kofi Kingston needs to be doing something since his tag partner‘s having issues, and if Sunday’s Rumble performance & Monday’s victory over The Miz are any indication WWE gets that too. The walking handstand to remain in the Rumble was insane.

-I don’t need to see another Khali/Jinder feud, but at least Khali eliminated Jinder from the match. Speaking of which, WWE has some interesting wrestlers on the sides of their semis:

Khali
Drew McIntyre
Beth Phoenix
Kelly Kelly
Sin Cara
Ezekiel Jackson
Kane (without mask)

There are some more I’m forgetting, but there were some interesting choices. They also have a couple of Rock/Cena WrestleMania semis.

-I know some of you guys didn’t like having all the announcers in, but the crowd went crazy for Lawler & Booker and booed the hell out of Cole. We were glad not to have to listen to them all night, but it would have been interesting to hear how they handled things when they all got back to the announce table.

-Hacksaw & Road Dogg got huge pops (and apparently Road Dogg still has it), but to me the biggest surprise in the Rumble by far was Kharma. We were actually talking about her earlier in the day while explaining the current storylines to Mrs. Penguin, and weren’t sure when she’d be coming back. Good job by her keeping that a secret, and the Implant Buster on Dolph Ziggler was tremendous.

Not a fan of the new Wade Barrett music. He finally had a decent re-mix of his old theme so I guess it was time to change it.

-People in the crowd were getting way too excited over who #30 would be. I told them not to get their hopes up, but no, they were sure that it’d be Batista or Rey Mysterio or somebody else making a big comeback. So they were pretty disappointed when it was Big Show.

-They saved a whole lot of the heavy-hitters for the end of the match, but it made sense to keep Orton’s return appearance a bit brief and it was Jericho’s first real in-ring action since September 2010. Not that you could tell, because the ending sequence with Jericho vs. Sheamus was the best part of the match. I had no idea who was going to win out of those two, and they showed some damn good chemistry. I’m sure we’ll be seeing it again sometime down the road.

-No Hornswoggle. I’m not really complaining, I’m just saying he wasn’t in the match.

-Sheamus won! He was one of the favorites to win and the person I went with on the podcast, and he’s a fine choice to have in one of the title matches at WrestleMania. I’m hoping it ends up being Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan, as it’d be pretty cool to have a match that got bumped off of WrestleMania XXVII be one of the main events for WrestleMania XXVIII. I was one of the people that thought Sheamus was getting pushed too soon a couple of years back, but he’s proven to be a solid wrestler, a good/unique promo, and he always comes off well as a spokesperson for the company whenever he’s doing radio shows & TV appearances. I, for one, will not be hopping off the Sheamus bandwagon anytime soon. Dude does a good job.

-Of course, if he goes against my boy D-Bry I’ll have to root against him at WrestleMania. But I won’t be too broken-hearted if he gets the win.

-I thought the Rumble match was pretty good overall. The comedy went over pretty well, the stretch with Jericho & Sheamus at the end was awesome, and there was a lot of Cody Rhodes. There were a lot of people in the match that didn’t have a chance of winning, I wouldn’t rate it as one of the greatest Rumble fields of all time or anything like that. It was still put together really well and had some good spots. You would think that yelling the countdown numbers over and over again gets old, but it really doesn’t.

After the show we met up with a gentleman from England that goes by “Snowman” on the OTT Forums and headed to the Sheraton for drinks. Yeah, he flew in from England so he could see the Rumble & Raw. That doesn’t suck. The Penguins and I went back to the casino, and that is pretty much the end of our story. There are more stories, but I think I’ll save them for another time…Trent and I are doing a Super Bowl podcast on Thursday night so I’m sure we’ll be talking about some of the crazy things that happened then.

If I had to rate the weekend on a scale from 1-10, it would come in at about an 11 because I had so much fun. I can officially cross the Royal Rumble off of my wrestling bucket list. And hey, as Trent said, maybe St. Louis will host a WrestleMania after they build another football stadium for the team they get after the Rams leave. So there’s hope I can see one of those too.

——————–

…St. Louis ain’t getting no WrestleMania.

Can you believe I still had a full news column after this? Man, 2012 was great if you liked reading lots & lots of words about wrestling.

About Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast 

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR


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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

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May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

  • AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
  • Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
  • Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
  • DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
  • DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
  • Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
  • Patrick – Gunther
  • Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
  • Rob – Gunther
  • Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

  • AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
  • Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
  • Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
  • DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
  • DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
  • Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
  • Patrick – Becky Lynch
  • Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
  • Rob – Lyra Valkyria
  • Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

 

  • AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
  • Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
  • Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
  • DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
  • DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
  • Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
  • Patrick – Jacob Fatu
  • Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
  • Rob – Jacob Fatu
  • Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0 

 

  • AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
  • Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
  • Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
  • DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
  • DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
  • Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
  • Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
  • Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
  • Rob – Dominic Mysterio
  • Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

 

  • AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
  • Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
  • Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
  • DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
  • DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
  • Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
  • Patrick – John Cena
  • Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
  • Rob – John Cena
  • Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

  • AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
  • Andrew – @IWCWarChief
  • Dave – @AttitudeAgg
  • DJ – @TheMindlessPod
  • DPP – @itsmeDPP
  • Jason – @JediFett
  • Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
  • Rey – @itsreycash
  • Rob – @rbonne1
  • Greg – @gregdemarco44
  • PC – @PCTunney
  • TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

About Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY – Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY – 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY – The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY – POD is WAR (Los Tres Friends)

FRIDAY – DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY – The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY – Keeping the news ridiculous… The Oddity / The Front and Center Sports Podcast 

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

 


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About Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast 

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR


Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand


Powered by RedCircle


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

Chairshot Staff Picks: WrestleMania 41 Las Vegas

Time for The Chairshot personalities to put their money where their mouths are! WreslteMania 41 predictions from the “expert” staff at TheChairshot.com and Chairshot Radio Network.

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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Chairshot Staff Picks. And what better setting than WrestleMania for this article to return! This 41st edition has one of the most stacked rosters in WWE history. So, without further ado, let us get to the predictions and prognostications…

  • AJ – The New Day
  • Andrew – The New Day – No one seems to hold tag titles long anymore.
  • Dave – The New Day – They have earned it.
  • DJ – The New Day – Feel tha Powah!
  • DPP – War Raiders – Big E distraction.
  • Jason – The New Day – We are not getting E in a working capacity though everyone wants it.
  • Patrick – The New Day – WWE doesn’t care about this match, so why should I?
  • Rey – The New Day – Its a New Day, bruh.
  • Rob – The New Day – New Day rocks and wins!
  • Greg – The New Day – New. Day wins. New. Day wins!

Tunney’s Take: War Machine – Yes, WAR MACHINE. I have personally had the pleasure of throwing back a few cold ones with these guys on more than one occasion. Not only being tag champs in WWE but defending the titles at Mania and against The New Day is really cool for me as a long-time fan. Would it be fun to see The New Day have another title run.. YES. I think it’s smarter to give the War Raiders a big Mania W.

Chairshot Pick: THE NEW DAY 9-2

  • AJ – Jade Cargill
  • Andrew – Jade Cargill – She needs to stay a dominant force.
  • Dave – Jade Cargill – Gotta gear her up for the long term.
  • DJ – No contest – Naomi puts another beat down on Jade.
  • DPP – Jade Cargill – Nervous for how this match will go.
  • Jason – Naomi – Way more runway with Naomi as a bad guy. Keep it going!
  • Patrick – Jade Cargill – Jade gets her revenge.
  • Rey – Jade Cargill – Best non-title feud going. Naomi should win but Jade sneaks by.
  • Rob – Naomi – Naomi gets help to win.
  • Greg – Jade Cargill – They ain’t beating Jade here.

Tunney’s Take: Jade Cargill – I imagine WWE sees Jade’s ceiling much higher than Naomi’s. What better way to keep Jade climbing the ladder towards a World Title than to pick up a decisive victory in Vegas!

Chairshot Pick: Jade Cargill 8-2-1

  • AJ – Jacob Fatu – “AJ does a pretty good LA Knight impersonation” – PC Tunney
  • Andrew – Jacob Fatu – I’m biased, Jacob for President.
  • Dave – Jacob Fatu – Getting gold back in the Bloodline is smart.
  • DJ – Jacob Fatu
  • DPP – Jacob Fatu
  • Jason – Jacob Fatu – Thanks for coming pal, YEAH!
  • Patrick – Jacob Fatu
  • Rey – Jacob Fatu – C’mon cuz! All gas no brakes with it. Yadadamean??
  • Rob – LA Knight – Solo costs Jacob.
  • Greg – LA Knight – Solo screws Jacob.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – It has been quite the journey for the Samoan Werewolf. I feel like that journey and the positive turn around it has taken deserves to be rewarded. Let’s see what Jacob can do on his own. Plus, LA Knight is ready to challenge for a World Title.

Chairshot Pick: Jacob Fatu 9-2

  • AJ – Tiffany Straton
  • Andrew – Tiffany Straton – I hate Charlotte Flair, no objectivity here.
  • Dave – Charlotte Flair – Tiffy might be the future, but she kinda failed the litmus test.
  • DJ – Charlotte Flair – The Queen crowns the freshman.
  • DPP – Tiffany Stratton
  • Jason – Charlotte Flair – Tiff wasn’t ready for this spot. Charnos is inevitable.
  • Patrick – Charlotte Flair – Lol Charlotte wins.
  • Rey – Charlotte Flair – Tiffany SHOULD win but, if Charlotte can squash, she will.
  • Rob – Charlotte Flair – Charlotte gets number 15.
  • Greg – Tiffany Stratton – Lol Charlotte wins. (Actually she doesn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Charlotte Flair – Charlotte needs the title for the first time in her career. Tiffy has had a nice run but now needs to take that all important step of not losing momentum after losing the title. Despite the drama and lackluster build here, I see a really good match coming this weekend from these two.

Chairshot Pick: Charlotte Flair 7-4

  • AJ – El Grande Americano
  • Andrew – El Grande Americano – I’d like to see Gable gain some momentum. Rey is Teflon.
  • Dave – El Grand Americano – He needs a marque win much more than Rey.
  • DJ – Rey Mysterio
  • DPP – El Grande Americano – Grande wins with the switcheroo to prove he is not Gable.
  • Jason – Rey Mysterio – Unmask Grande at the end. It is fun but has a shelf life.
  • Patrick – El Grande Americano – TOTALLY NOT CHAD GABLE
  • Rey – Rey Mysterio – Someone’s mask is coming off and it ain’t Rey.
  • Rob – El Grande Americano
  • Greg – Rey Mysterio – Hall of Famer wins but doesn’t take the mask.

Tunney’s Take: Rey Mysterio – Go listen to DWI 471. DP, Greg and I lay out exactly what this match should be, FUN! Multiple Americanos!!!

Chairshot Pick: El Grande Americano 6-5

  • AJ – Jey Uso
  • Andrew – Jey Uso – Kinda booked themselves into a corner here.
  • Dave – Jey Uso – It just makes sense.
  • DJ – Jey Uso – Jey YEETS all over The Ring Genreal.
  • DPP – Jey Uso – Jey wins after normal Gunther beating.
  • Jason – Jey Uso – Land the plane man. YEET
  • Patrick – Jey Uso – Jey has earned this one.
  • Rey – Jey Uso – YEEEEEEEEEEEET!
  • Rob – Jey Uso – YEET
  • Greg – Jey Uso – If Jey loses we riot. We don’t cause he wins.

Tunney’s Take: Jey Uso – ‘Til sweat drop down my balls, ‘Til all these bitches crawl, ‘Til all… YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chairshot Pick: Jey Uso 11-0

  • AJ – Roman Reigns
  • Andrew – Seth Rollins – I can see Rollins being the last piece of Team Rock.
  • Dave – Roman Reigns – I can’t see Roman losing two years in a row.
  • DJ – Seth Rollins – Paul Heyman is a Seth Freakin Rollins guy.
  • DPP – Seth Rollins – The Rock helps Rollins.
  • Jason – Roman Reigns – Seth’s favor is a red herring. Make-A-Wish Brooks got his main, now look at the lights.
  • Patrick – Seth Rollins – Seth Rollins… Paul Heyman guy.
  • Rey – Seth Rollins – I smeeeeellllllll a new soul to sell.
  • Rob – Roman Reigns – Paul Heyman helps Roman win.
  • Greg – Seth Rollins – Brock Lesnar returns to help Seth win.

Tunney’s Take: CM Punk – I really have no idea here. I picked Punk because nobody else did. This is going to be professional wrestling cinema at its finest. The story is thick and neatly woven. All the participants are legends and so are the potential party crashers. Will The Rock stick his nose in here? Will Brock Lesnar return to play a factor? Obviously, Paul Heyman has a Plan A… but what is it? All these questions and more will be answered Saturday as night 1 will definitely go out with a bang!

Chairshot Pick: Seth Rollins 6-4-1

  • AJ – Iyo Sky
  • Andrew – Iyo Sky – Rhea vs Bianca doesn’t need a belt to be compelling.
  • Dave – Rhea Ripley – Going with Rhea barely, hoping Iyo wins.
  • DJ – Iyo Sky – Unfinished business.
  • DPP – Iyo Sky – Rhea and Bianca are too consumed with each other.
  • Jason – Iyo Sky – More layers to Rhea/Bianca. Iyo rules.
  • Patrick – Iyo Sky – Iyo stole the build and gets the win.
  • Rey – Iyo Sky – Smart money is on the underdog champ.
  • Rob – Iyo Sky – Iyo survives.
  • Greg – Bianca Belair – Naomi helps Bianca win and turn heel.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – Rhea is the best women’s wrestler in the world. Give her the biggest win on the grandest stage of them all!!! Bianca needs to go full heel. Iyo has been amazing in this build.

Chairshot Pick: Iyo Sky 8-2-1

  • AJ – Dominik Mysterio
  • Andrew – Finn Balor – I can see a Judgement Day meltdown incoming.
  • Dave – Bron Breakker – Bron is about to become a MegaStar.
  • DJ – Bron Breakker – Judgement Day implodes.
  • DPP – Dominik Mysterio – Finn take the pin.
  • Jason – Penta – I literally do not care because the winner is us, the fans.
  • Patrick – Bron Breakker – The WWE doesn’t care about this matchup, so why should I?
  • Rey – Dominik Mysterio – Only match without a clear winner. I choose chaos.
  • Rob – Bron Breakker – Finn and Dom cancel each other out.
  • Greg – Dominik Mysterio – Dom steals the pin from Bron, on Finn.

Tunney’s Take: Bron Breakker – The case can be made for any of these four to walk away with the most prestigious non-World title in pro wrestling history. The short of it is though that the Main Event picture isn’t really readily accessible for Breakker right now. Let this IC reign go through the summer, to SummerSlam.

Chairshot Pick: Bron Breakker 5-4-1-1

  • AJ – Damian Priest – “AJ does a pretty good Drew impersonation” – PC Tunney
  • Andrew – Drew McIntyre – Priest has not been interesting in this face incarnation.
  • Dave – Drew McIntyre – Time for Drew to get that win back.
  • DJ – Fuck finish – To be continued at Backlash.
  • DPP – Drew McIntyre – Physical matchup!
  • Jason – Drew McIntyre – Either one is fine here.
  • Patrick – Drew McIntyre – With two eyes, Drew turns the tide.
  • Rey – Drew McIntyre – Low key match of the weekend.
  • Rob – Damien Priest
  • Greg – Damien Priest – Priest wins, Drew tweets about it half hour later.

Tunney’s Take: Drew McIntyre – With the addition of the Street fight rules, these two behemoths have a really good chance to have one of the best matches of the entire weekend (winks at Rey Ca$h-A-Mania)! I do wonder what is next for both of these talents moving forward. Priest has staled since leaving the Judgement Day and Drew seems stuck in the same cycle for a while now. Very interested to see what the summer holds for this pair.

Chairshot Pick: Drew McIntyre 7-3-1

WHO WILL BE RANDY’S OPPONENT?!?

  • AJ – Nick Aldis – Orton wins
  • Andrew – Orton and Aldis vs Solo and Tama – Orton and Aldis win
  • Dave – Someone is getting an RKO!
  • DJ – A segment w/ the Wyatt s6cks.
  • DPP – Rusev – Aldis introduces Rusev who defeats Orton.
  • Jason – Nick Aldis – You got one more in ya, bubba. Aldis wins!
  • Patrick – Nick Aldis
  • Rey – Solo then Rusev – Solo in a squash and Rusev MATCHKA(wins)
  • Rob – Nick Aldis – Aldis proves himself, Orton wins.
  • Greg – Nick Aldis – Orton beats Aldis, they shake after.

Tunney’s Take: I would really love to see a singles match between Orton and Aldis. More likely this is some type of involvement with Solo and Tama. Rusev as a surprise challenger would be cool but, I feel that would be better left for RAW. An impromptu Goldberg retirement match would be crazy and fun, yet highly unlikely and illogical. Whatever happens, best believe exactly what Dave Ungar said, “Someone is getting an RKO!”.

  • AJ – Logan Paul
  • Andrew – AJ Styles – Logan doesn’t need the rub and should stay upper mid card.
  • Dave – Logan Paul – It’s the smart move and would be a statement win for Paul.
  • DJ – Logan Paul – Kross gets involved somewhere.
  • DPP – AJ Styles – AJ wins a great high-flying match.
  • Jason – AJ Styles – Just enjoy it or get a beer, nerds.
  • Patrick – Logan Paul – Logan Paul will main-event Mania sooner than later…
  • Rey – Logan Paul – Pass the torch, my wily vet.
  • Rob – Logan Paul – Kross helps Paul win.
  • Greg – AJ Styles – Styles wins after Paul’s cheating backfires.

Tunney’s Take: Logan Paul – Logan seems to really have dedicated himself to becoming great in this business. Anyone with that type of goal must have a World title on their mind. Beating AJ at Mania will be a great springboard for Logan into the Main Event sooner than later (winks at Patrick O’Dowd).

Chairshot Pick: Logan Paul 7-4

  • AJ – Liv & Raquel
  • Andrew – Liv & Raquel – Not really a fan of Lyra, she needs more work.
  • Dave – Liv & Raquel – This Bayley and Lyra team makes no damn sense.
  • DJ – Liv & Raquel – Bayley crashes out.
  • DPP – Liv & Raquel – Bayley continues a potential heel turn tease.
  • Jason – Bayley & Lyra – Finish the story!
  • Patrick – Bayley & Lyra – The WWE doesn’t care about this matchup, so why should I?
  • Rey – Liv and Raquel – Bayley want a title but it ain’t the ones in this match.
  • Rob – Liv & Raquel – Champs retain.
  • Greg – Liv & Raquel – Liv and Raquel retain thanks to Carlito and maybe JD.

Tunney’s Take: Liv & Raquel – Liv and Raquel need to be kept as the cornerstone of the women’s tag division for a lengthier period of time. Building tag teams in this division is difficult enough, let alone without a North Star.

Chairshot Pick: Liv & Raquel 9-2

  • AJ – Cody Rhodes
  • Andrew – Cody Rhodes – They are mentioning it so much, I don’t think 17 happens.
  • Dave – Joh Cena – Record falls and we head to summer with a built-in storyline.
  • DJ – John Cena – Some kind of Final Boss involvement.
  • DPP – John Cena – Cena wins and retires on RAW.
  • Jason – John Cena – Story’s over, “Captain” BIG MATCH JOHN.
  • Patrick – John Cena – A record breaking night for Cena.
  • Rey – John Cena – They’d be really stupid to turn John just to lose. (Post-Mania: Rock, Cena, T Scott, Seth & Drew, TEAM Corporate)
  • Rob – Cody Rhodes – Cody surprises us with the W.
  • Greg – Cody Rhodes – Cody wins to piss off Rock and set the table for Cena to turn back face. Crowd is behind Cena all the way through.

Tunney’s Take: Cody Rhodes – They had me until the threat of retirement. Been there. Done that. Didn’t fall in love with it back then. I love John Cena. I love this final run. John will get his 17th just not here. I expect nothing less than an absolute GEM of a match here to close WrestleMania 41. This has all been, is, and will continue to be about Cody Rhodes. WM40 defeats Roman Reigns. WM41 defeats John Cena. WM42 defeats The Rock (The Final Boss).

Chairshot Pick: John Cena 6-5

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We wait all year for this so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

  • AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
  • Andrew – @IWCWarChief
  • Dave – @AttitudeAgg
  • DJ – @TheMindlessPod
  • DPP – @itsmeDPP
  • Jason – @JediFett
  • Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
  • Rey – @itsreycash
  • Rob – @rbonne1
  • Greg – @gregdemarco44
  • PC – @PCTunney
  • TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

For the latest, greatest and up to datest in coverage, opinions, and podcasts ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit TheCharishot.com

Prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot plenty of GREAT t-shirt designs! Makes an awesome gift!!

About Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY – Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY – Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY – The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY – POD is WAR 

FRIDAY – DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY – The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY – The Front and Center Sports Podcast / The Oddity… Keeping the news ridiculous!

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

 


Chairshot Radio Network
Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts… Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Listen on your favorite platform!

About Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast 

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR


Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand


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