Opinion

WWE Week in Review: March 4-10, 2019

The week up to and including the last stop before WrestleMania is on the docket! Let’s see how Tiffany saw it all.

Published

5 years ago

March 11, 2019

TiffanyMC

The week up to and including the last stop before WrestleMania is on the docket! Let’s see how Tiffany saw it all.

RAW

The Shield: I can’t say that the Shield reunion was a surprise. I think we all knew that once Roman Reigns was back, the Shield would reunite. How they went about giving us the reunion was surprising. I was hoping that the reunion build would take a little longer, but with Fastlane, WrestleMania, and Dean’s possible departure looming, now was as good a time as any. Ambrose running to his brothers’ rescue was extremely hilarious, but it was also very in line with how the Shield have always been with each other.

The Ambrose thing is puzzling, though. His booking says he’s leaving, but WWE mentioning the departure on air and giving Ambrose a big storyline heading into WrestleMania makes me think that it’s either up in the air or a total work. I will firmly believe that it’s the latter until I can’t anymore.

The Dogs of War 2.0 is every bit as uninspiring as the first version. You’ve basically got three guys with nothing in common and no personality between the three of them. Not exactly fodder for an epic rivalry.

Finn Balor, Braun Strowman, and Kurt Angle vs Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley: This match was meant to get the Dogs of War 2.0 over as a viable threat to the Shield and it failed miserably. This is just not a great team. They got the win, but made everyone else, except for maybe Strowman, look bad in the process.

Heavy Machinery and The Ascension: Vince’s booking struck this one. I get that Otis is great for comedy but I couldn’t get into this segment. Heavy Machinery should just be beating everyone up, not making a big deal over Otis’ hurt feelings.

Natalya vs Ruby Riott: Even though I like both women in this showdown, I hated this match. Ruby Riott is extremely talented, so for her to be squashed by Nattie, whom she’s beaten several times, is just dumb. Add in another appearance by Lacey Evans, and this was just a bad segment for the women.

Stephanie with Michael Che and Colin Jost: I get that WWE’s trying to drum up more interest in WrestleMania by having cast members of Saturday Night Live, a New York based show, on but I’m not sure that Che and Jost had any idea about what they were getting into and I hate that. If you’re going to have celebs on the show, at least book celebrities that are fans of your product.

Triple H: I LOVED this segment!! Triple H is a promo master and this was a prime example of why. He absolutely ripped Batista to shreds while keeping enough humor in it to keep it from sounding like raving. My one issue is that Triple H seems to be making this about what happened to Flair than about the issues he and Batista were having back in the fall and seem to have with each other. I guess we’ll have to see where this goes on Monday.

Heavy Machinery vs B-Team vs Ascension vs Major Brothers: I would’ve been more impressed with this match if something had been at stake instead of it being about Otis and Tucker getting back at backstage bullies. That said, it was a really good showing for Heavy Machinery, even if the other teams looked less than stellar.

Tamina vs Sasha Banks: This was a much better match than it had sounded when I saw it advertised. Tamina isn’t exactly a finesse person, but she and Sasha had a really good match. Tamina getting the win wasn’t a huge surprise since the Samoan Dynasty needed to look like viable contenders after being beaten in singles matches by Sasha and Bayley.

The Revival vs Aleister Black and Ricochet: I really loved this match and the contrast of styles between these two teams, but I hated the intrusion of Roode and Gable, who have been doing very little since losing the titles a few weeks ago. The assertion that Black and Ricochet don’t deserve to be champions yet, because Roode and Gable say so, is eyerolling at the least. I don’t think Revival’s going to drop the titles just yet, but it should be an interesting match.

RAW Women’s Title: To me, Stephanie’s decision to vacate the RAW Women’s Title and reinstate Becky Lynch and give her a match at Fastlane, is the first indication in the ‘McMahon Kids Turn on Vince’ storyline I see brewing after Vince’s capricious title match booking. However, her basically cowtowing to Rousey’s tantrum over the decision was kind of stupid. Rousey laid the belt down and walked out, what did she think was going to happen?

There have been people saying that Charlotte is the real babyface in this, but that’s hard to jibe with her presumptuous and entitled attitude towards the title. The idea that she would just be handed the RAW Women’s title without doing anything to earn it just because she was Charlotte Flair is NOT the attitude of a babyface.

Rousey attacked Becky, after demanding that Lynch be put back in the WrestleMania match was baffling, but I guess WWE wanted to be sure there was no question who the babyface was by having Lynch be attacked when she wasn’t in a position to really defend herself.

Stephanie’s post show interview was interesting and raises major questions about who will win at WrestleMania and if the McMahons will be a deciding factor. It’s going to be a wild ride to WrestleMania at this rate.

SmackDown

Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens: If there are a pair of more obnoxious opponents for any title than Bryan and Owens, I have yet to see it. Bryan’s new gimmick is annoying enough, but add in ‘babyface’ Kevin Owens and it’s almost unbearable. I did enjoy listening to Owens call Bryan out for his self-righteousness.

Rowan vs Owens was really good, but I can’t say that anything really unpredictable happened. It was a very formulaic match between the ‘babyface’ and the heel’s enforcer. Not even Bryan attacking Owens and getting Rowan disqualified was really shocking, but WWE is playing it safe right now until they can get all the ducks in order for WrestleMania.

One interesting thing was New Day’s promise to be at Fastlane. There’s been a rumor that the WWE Championship will be a Triple Threat and I can see Kofi costing Owens the match due to Owens stealing Kofi’s opportunity, even if Owens claims that he had no say in Vince’s decision, due to the fact that if Owens wins, Kofi’s pinfall victory over Bryan will be null and void and thus end his chance of getting the title shot he earned fair and square.

Miz vs Jey Uso: This was another interesting, but not terribly surprising singles match for Miz and Jey Uso just before the Tag Team Championship rematch at Fastlane. The one interesting thing was the promo war between the teams about who was the real team. I think the Usos had a point about Shane and Miz not being a real team, but Miz getting the win over Jey with some help of Shane at least makes Shane and Miz look much more viable.

US Championship Open Challenge: I’m honestly not surprised that Truth lost the US Championship on Tuesday. I am surprised that Samoa Joe is the one who got the win. The match was really good, but Truth’s promo before the match was kind of…weird and the appearance of Lacey Evans grows more and more annoying.

Vega and Carmella seemed to be building quite a rivalry since this week was the second time they’d clashed, so that should be an interesting non-title feud of WWE does it right.

Samoa Joe’s post-match interview seems to be planting the seeds for a Cena feud at WrestleMania, which would be fun to watch, so we’ll see what happens after Fastlane.

Ricochet and Aleister Black vs The Bar: After the kerfuffle of Monday, Black and Ricochet needed a big win and they got one against the Bar. This is such a great feud for both teams that I wish there were titles involved. The way they fought, you’d think they’d been rivals for years. If Black and Ricochet hang their hats at SmackDown, I hope the feud with the Bar continues.

Mandy Rose vs Naomi: I literally face-palmed over this match. I get that WWE wants to make Mandy Rose look like a viable opponent for Asuka, but having her squash Naomi was just dumb and didn’t do much for either woman because it made a former 2x SmackDown Women’s Champion look like an idiot and it made Mandy look like she couldn’t win except by lucky and help. Even Asuka’s run-in after the fact didn’t really help build my enthusiasm for this match.

AJ Styles and Randy Orton: While I’m intrigued by this rivalry, I didn’t get this promo. I liked Styles taking Kofi’s side and pointing out that Vince’s promise to listen to the fans has clearly not held up, but I don’t get what Orton’s problem is with Styles. Styles held the title for a year while Orton lost to Jinder Mahal. Plus, AJ Styles was a much bigger deal coming into WWE than Randy Orton has ever been in during his nearly twenty years in WWE.

RAW Women’s Title: No, I didn’t screw up my editing. Even though Charlotte and Becky will be fighting for the RAW Women’s Championship, they are still technically SmackDown Superstars, so it made sense for them to face off on SmackDown.

As I said in the RAW section, there are people claiming that Charlotte is the real babyface, but her promo on Smackdown, where she mocked Becky’s injury and belittles her former friend’s wrestling ability doesn’t sound like much of a babyface to me. It sounded more like a smug, entitled brat gloating over someone she’s repeatedly sold short and paid for it.

Even though the whole suspension/loss of opportunity storyline was conceived to gain sympathy for Lynch, it also cost her some steam, but she got that back when she paid Charlotte’s arrogance back by getting her in the Disarm-Her. Hopefully, Lynch standing tall in the ring will be the end of Fastlane too.

205 Live

Oney Lorcan vs Humberto Carrillo: I was surprised by a lot of things in this match. I had no idea that Oney Lorcan qualified as a Cruiserweight, and I didn’t expect them to put an NXT guy over a 205 guy. I loved the match, Carrillo is definitely a star and him ignoring the ‘corrections’ of Gulak and Gallagher makes that growing feud more interesting.

Mike and Maria Kanellis: I LOVE this growing feud. I figured last week that the Kanellises would raise six kinds of hell when they realized that Maverick had no intention of putting Mike in the tournament. Also, their fourth-wall breaking reaction to dealing with local talent was very on point.

Poor Colby Corino, the son of ECW Legend, Steve Corino, seems like a talented kid, but he was basically Kanellis’ punching bag. Having Kanellis basically letting Maverick know he’s pissed off the wrong guy is magnificent. Can’t wait to see this next week.

Tournament Promos: These were interesting but pretty standard promos for Nese and Alexander. Alexander acknowledging that people were getting tired of Alexander being in the title picture was interesting to hear because there’s probably more than a grain of truth in the statement.

Cedric Alexander: This match, which we just saw a month or so ago, was really good, but there was nothing surprising about it, especially since Alexander won, he seems to be 205’s top guy and WWE seems to want to keep him in the title picture to anchor all the guys who haven’t been champion. I was a little disappointed that Tozawa lost, but since he just faced Murphy a while back, I’m not surprised. Round 2 is next week.

NXT UK

Ligero vs Joseph Conners: I enjoyed this match for the simple fact that I really like Ligero, but I’m not crazy about him winning two straight falls. I would’ve rather seen Conner win and extend this feud, but we’ll have to see what’s in the cards.

Toni Storm Interview: I’ve said before that I don’t get Jinny and don’t see why she’s getting a push, but it seems that they’re at least going to get her feud with Toni Storm started, so maybe that will change my outlook.

Gallus: I really enjoyed this promo. It SORT of feels like they’re trying to recreate the Shield in NXT UK with this family/brothers thing. The whole thing about this being about respect run a little hollow, but I’m glad they’re doing something with Gallus for now.

Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley vs European Alliance: This sounded like a squash on paper and while it wasn’t a steamroller, Aichner and Barthel definitely smushed Stoker and Howley, which gives them an advantage in the Dusty Rhodes Classic.

Nina Samuels vs Charlie Morgan: After a couple of weird promos, Nina Samuels debuted her new show against Charlie Morgan, who we’ve only seen once before. I liked the match, I wish it could’ve been longer, but they’re clearly building Samuels to be a contender for Toni Storm, so her winning wasn’t a shock. Morgan was protected by her loss being more a matter of bad luck than lack of skill.

Pete Dunne: Honestly, I’m kind of sick of Dunne and WALTER teaming up, I wish they’d just get on with this feud so we can get it over with because I’m not a WALTER fan and I’m getting bored with it.

Jordan Devlin vs Travis Banks: I’m getting to the point where if I see Jordan Devlin has a match, I automatically assume it’ll be fantastic. He always delivers and this match was no exception. This was such a great match was so good and both guys gave it everything they had. I was a little mad that Devlin won, but I have a feeling that this feud isn’t over just yet. I hope not, at least.

NXT

Dusty Rhodes Classic: I love the little tribute to Dusty Rhodes in the Tag Team Classic. I also loved that they’re giving it an old school treatment and making the tournament feel important.

Aleister Black and Ricochet vs Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel: This was such a good match and it could’ve gone either way. I’m not surprised that Black and Ricochet won, since they’re clearly getting a push and European Alliance is still new and getting the hang of things, but they’re as clearly contenders as Black and Ricochet because they’ve really meshed as a team.

Performance Center: I’m glad that they’re continuing the Lee/Dijakovic rivalry. I’m not a fan of either guy but they put on a good match last week, so might as well do it again.

The Forgotten Sons vs Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch: One problem I’m having with having two NXT shows is that it gets hard to keep track of how people are doing when they keep crossing over. However, this was a really great match. Forgotten Sons REALLY needed a win and they go a big one over Lorcan and Burch, though it was just by the skin of their teeth. I really enjoyed this match and hope Burch and Lorcan have better luck down the road.

Velveteen Dream: I was ‘meh’ about this since it involved two people in NXT I don’t care about, so I just tuned out most of the segment.

Sky Pirates: I don’t like Bianca Belair, but her mental gymnastics are truly something to behold. Her twisting herself into a pretzel to explain why Io Shirai pinning Shayna Baszler shouldn’t count because they were in a tag match was hilarious. Hopefully, Shirai will come out on top in the #1 Contender’s Match next week.

Street Profits vs Moustache Mountain: I’m a little ‘eh’ on the Street Profits, mostly because their appearances on NXT are so infrequent, it’s hard for me to get behind them. However, they are amazingly talented and that definitely showed in this match against Moustache Mountain. I was a little surprised that they had Moustache Mountain win, but I’m guessing that it’s going to come down to NXT US vs NXT UK in the final.

DIY Vs Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish: DIY is back and it looks like they split up and fought like rats in a barrel for a couple of years. That was bad news for O’Reilly and Fish of Undisputed Era, who found themselves outmatched on wiliness with O’Reilly taking a nasty double team and eating the pinfall. I actually want them to go to the final just so I can see them square up with War Raiders.

Fastlane

Daniel Bryan vs Kevin Owens vs Mustafa Ali: Turns out, Vince is a man of his word…kind of. We did get a Triple Threat Match at Fastlane for the Eco-Friendly WWE Championship, but Mustafa Ali, a fan darling, was put in in place of Kofi Kingston. The angry audience didn’t refrain from making their displeasure known, booing Ali…LOUDLY.

It was a fantastic match and it looked like Ali was going to pull off a shocking victory by pinning Bryan, but Rowan was there to make the saves. Bryan would retain by pinning Ali, but only after Rowan neutralized Owens. The Planet’s Champion is still the Man, but will Vince’s conniving rebound on Bryan?

The Shield vs Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre: After five months, the Shield was back in action that was billed as ‘One Last Ride’ for the Shield. If it was the last ride, it was everything you could hope it could be. The Shield and the Trio of Doom, who deserved to get beat up just for that stupid name, pulled out every stop and tore the place down. The Hounds pulled out all their greatest hits, reminding us of just why the Shield became the most dominant faction to hit WWE in at least a decade. The Shield won and hugged it out in the ring. If that was the last ride, it was the best ride of all. Thank you, Shield.

Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch: After months of attacks and the whims of the McMahon family, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch faced off to decide whether or not Becky would get her Mania match against Ronda Rousey.

The match was every bit as epic as you’d expect from these two. Becky was working ‘hurt’ and had to sign and ‘hold harmless’ contract, but she fought as hard as ever. Charlotte played the opportunistic heel to perfection, but it was Ronda Rousey who would play the deciding role in this contest, attacking Becky and giving her rival a DQ victory that secured Becky’s rightful place in the RAW Women’s Championship Match.

Asuka vs Mandy Rose: After Mandy Rose’s shocking win over Asuka, with some help from Sonya Deville, it looked like the self-proclaimed Golden Goddess was just a lucky shot away from being SmackDown Women’s Champion. However, in a short, but brutal match, Asuka proved why you always need to be ready for her and took Mandy down after what looked like a miscued trip by Sonya (who wasn’t there). Afterwards, Rose and Deville argued all the way up the ramp, putting more strain on their strained relationship.

Samoa Joe vs R-Truth vs Rey Mysterio vs Andrade Almas: Samoa Joe shocked the WWE Universe by winning the United States Championship on Tuesday night, his first main roster title win since his call up. After Carmella petitioned for R-Truth to get his rematch, it was decided that we would have a repeat of Tuesday’s Fatal Four Way match at Fastlane.

It was a great match! All four guys, and their managers, left it all in the ring. It looked like Joe was going to sneak out the retain when a fistfight between Vega and Carmella distracted Almas and R-Truth. Joe would retain by locking in the Coquina Clutch on Rey Mysterio. Now the question is: Who will face Joe at WrestleMania?

The Usos vs Shane McMahon and Miz: If there is one place Miz is guaranteed to be the babyface, it’s in Cleveland. Miz and Shane McMahon took on the Usos in a rematch for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships in an amazing match that featured Shane McMahon countering a Splash with Coast to Coast. However, Jey Uso countered Miz’s Frog Splash with his knees into a roll up and the Usos are still the SmackDown Tag Team Champions.

Biggest shock was Shane knocking the living snot out of Miz after the match, though I’m not sure that will make Miz the face anywhere but Cleveland.

The Revival vs Ricochet and Aleister Black vs Bobby Roode and Chad Gable: After Roode and Gable screwed Black and Ricochet out of the RAW Tag Team Championship on Monday, WWE gave the Unlikely Duo a second chance and gave Roode and Gable a chance they didn’t really deserve in a triple threat match.

This match was amazing on all sides and it looked like Ricochet and Black were going to pull one out after Buzz of the Revival got a blind tag on Gable, but the Revival would hang on to retain their tag team titles.

However, there were several sore losers, including Roode, Ricochet, and Black, who got their revenge on the Revival and each other in the aftermath.

Boss-Hug Connection vs Nia Jax and Tamina Snuka: Well, it finally happened. Sasha Banks broke her curse of losing first title defenses by retaining the Women’s Tag Team titles in a brutal match. The Samoan Dynasty fought hard, but Boss-Hug were able to survive and retain.

Furious at their loss, Jax and Snuka attacked Bayley and Sasha and then picked a fight with Beth Phoenix, who was doing commentary. Phoenix retaliated and then suffered a beat down. Natalya rushed out to defend her long-time best friend, only to suffer her own beatdown. The Samoan Dynasty picked a fight with the Divas of Doom, will they regret that?

New Day vs Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura: The unlikely pairing of Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura took on Big E and Xavier Woods of the New Day in a pretty physical kickoff show match. Despite the best efforts of Rusev, Lana, and Nakamura, New Day was able to pick up the win

Kofi Kingston vs The Bar: It looked like Vince McMahon had finally seen the error of his ways after screwing Kofi Kingston out of his hard-earned WWE Championship match by promising to put him back in the title picture, there was just one little catch: Kofi had to earn it…again, by facing the Bar in a trainwreck of a handicap match that also involved Rusev and Nakamura attacking New Day when they came out to help. Looks like the McMahons aren’t done toying with Kofi just yet, but did they go too far?

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

3 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!