Opinion

Bodeen’s Top 5 Moments: Money In The Bank

WWE brings live fans back to PPV with Money In The Bank 2021! You know who won the briefcases, but who shined for Bodeen?

Published

3 years ago

July 20, 2021

Bodeen Green

WWE brings live fans back to PPV with Money In The Bank 2021! You know who won the briefcases, but who shined for Bodeen?

With the help of a packed returning crowd, WWE delivered an amazing show as Money In The Bank delivered at every point and had no weak points, being one of the best WWE Pay-Per-Views in recent memory. So on a show that featured a great main event between Roman Reigns and Edge for the Universal Championship as well as two chaotic Money In The Bank matches and more what moments truly stood out? Well, let’s waste no time and look at the top 5 moments from Money In The Bank this year.

5. The Usos and the Mysterios battle for the SmackDown Tag Team titles on the preshow

Despite being on preshow this match felt special and felt like it was on the main card, while it was disappointing to see the Mysterios lose the Tag Team titles so soon and there is the big controversy around Jimmy Uso’s DUI and if he should be allowed to be given the Tag Team title so soon, I am still putting this match on the top 5 list regardless on the outside factors, mainly because it was a great match that did a great job in hyping up the live Texas crowd.

The Mysterios would get the upper hand early in the match when Dominik took down Jimmy Usos with a series of arm drags with Rey tagging himself in to hit a double team on Jimmy Uso. The Mysterios controlled the Usos throughout the early section of the match but a cheap shot from Jey Uso on Rey outside the ring changed the momentum in the match and gave Jimmy and Jey Uso the upper hand. Both teams went back and forth it was a great back team match with neither team having the advantage for too long. Late in the match, Rey Mysterio put Jey in position for a 619, only for Jimmy to take the bullet for his brother, allowing Jey to recover and hit the superkick on Rey followed up with a splash only for a close 2 count and a massive pop.

The Usos would then attempt to finish things with a double Uso splash but Dominik would make the save, attacking Jimmy, forcing Jey to attack Dominik. Jimmy would then roll up Rey near the ropes, with Jey coming back in the ring to put extra leverage on the pin, helping Jimmy get the pinfall victory as both men became Tag Team Champions once again.

4. Bobby Lashley dominates Kofi Kingston and retains his WWE Championship

After Bobby Lashley got rid of the women and the champagne it was time for Bobby Lashley to become the all-mighty once again as he dominated Kofi Kingston, destroying Kingston in just a few minutes to retain his WWE Championship. While a lot of people did not like this match as it was basically a squash match, personally I loved it, Lashley destroying Kofi was a great way for Lashley to look dominant as he heads towards his potential match with Goldberg at Summerslam

Despite Kingston hitting Lashley with an early double stomp, Lashey dominated Kingston throughout the match cutting off Kingston at every corner in a match that gave flashbacks to when Brock Lesnar destroyed John Cena at SummerSlam. The crowd’s support for Kofi would do nothing as Lashley hit Kofi with three dominators and then finished things with the Hurt Lock, making Kofi pass out with the crowd being completely shocked as the referee called for the bell.

Not only was this match a great way to make Bobby Lashley look strong ahead of his WWE Championship match against Goldberg at Summerslam it was a great shocking moment and caught the fans off guard, however, but there was also still one big surprise scheduled for later in the night…

3. Charlotte takes on Rhea Ripley for the RAW’s Women Championship

Charlotte and Rhea Ripley would once again get a chance to face each other at Money In The Bank as both women put on a fantastic match for the RAW Women’s Championship. Before either woman got a chance to get some offence in, chants of “we want Becky” would be heard all around the arena with Charlotte answering these chants with a “suck it” gesture then flipping off the whole crowd, forcing the Network and Peacock streams to cut to black to censor it, which feel a little strange. Both women put on an amazing match with the strengths of Rhea and Charlotte being showcased as with a spot involving Rhea’s raw power being an example of this as she was able to lift Charlotte up in an awkward position, allowing her to hit a vertical suplex on Charlotte.

Late in the match, Charlotte climbed the top rope to get ready for a moonsault, but Rhea was able to recover and started to attack Charlotte on the top rope. Both women trades strikes, forcing Rhea to back down and go back down to the mat, this would allow Charlotte to hit a super Natural Selection from the top rope only to get a close nearfall with the crowd going crazy. Charlotte then tried locking in the figure eight on Ripley, but Ripley was able to reverse sending Charlotte outside the ring. Ripley attempted to follow The Queen outside the ring, but Charlotte used her experience and crafty nature to her advantage and slammed Rhea’s head straight into the ring post. Ripley would then trap the legs of Ripley in the gap between the ring post and the stairs with Charlotte then kicking the stairs into Ripley’s legs to take out Ripley’s legs, allowing her to lock in the figure eight submission to force Rhea to tap out to The Queen once again as Charlotte became Raw Women’s Champion once again.

While it does feel a little disappointing that Ripley lost Charlotte once again, she still put up a great fight and pushed The Queen to the limits, hopefully, Rhea can still remain in the main event on RAW and does not end up being dropped to RAW’s poorly booked women’s mid-card.

2. Big E wins a chaotic Money In The Bank match

Thankfully, living in Australia I was able to watch Money In The Bank on the original WWE Network, meaning a had no problems with streaming the show. Unfortanly I have seen that those in America who were forced to watch on Peacock had multiple streaming problems during this match. For a multi-million dollar company to still be having issues months after the Peacock and WWE deal is simply terrible and honestly an apology should be given to fans who are forced to watch through Peacock. Now onto the positive side of things, this was an incredible match and was the most stacked Money In The Bank ladder match card in recent memory with all eight men involved having a chance to shine at some point in the match. Early in the match, all eight men would go back and forth as there was chaos everywhere, but Seth Rollins and John Morrison would gain control as the kings of drip teamed up to take out the rest of the competition, with Rollins breaking the alliance after he hit John Morrison with a ladder.

During the match, Drew Mcintyre seemed to have things in hand after he hit a double Claymore kick on Shinsuke Nakamura and Riddle after both men had a great exchange of strikes and counters. Drew then took out Big E with a future shock DDT, with Drew then taking out Ricochet with an Alabama slam on a ladder with Drew finishing things off with a suicide dive outside the ring and then hitting a Glasgow Kiss headbutt on Seth Rollins. As Drew climbed the ladder alone, Veer and Shanky hit the ring to pull Drew off the ladder as Jinder Mahal appeared to take out Drew with a steel chair. After several chair shots, Veer and Shanky dragged Drew to the back, taking The Scottish Warrior out of the match. Riddle tried to use the chaos to his advantage and climbed the ladder only for Ricochet to come out of nowhere, jumping from the top rope onto the ladder. Both men brawled on top of the ladder with Riddle getting the upper hand. Riddle tried tipping the ladder but Ricochet managed to land his feet on the ropes and then dove onto the wrestlers outside the ring for an amazing spot.

All the remaining men in the match came close to grabbing the precious Money In The Bank but one by one that all got taken out. Seth Rollins seemed to be the last man standing after he took out Kevin Owens by powerbombing him outside the ring onto a bridged ladder, but as Rollins made the climb, Big E would come out of nowhere and hit a massive Big Ending off a ladder, allowing Big E to climb the ladder and grab the Money In The Bank Briefcase getting one of the biggest pops in the night. Big E winning was a great choice and having him take the pin on SmackDown in the fatal-4-way match was a great way to make the win more surprising. Big E is sure to have a great feud with either Roman Reigns or Bobby Lashley, especially as a feud with Roman Reigns can lead to The New Day getting involved with the Usos, putting another chapter in their long and amazing rivalry. After the match, Seth Rollins would be asked about his loss in the match, with Seth losing his mind over the simple question. Seth would then calm down, stating that he was done waiting and that he was next in line for a shot at the Universal Championship.

1. Edge and Roman Reigns battle in the main event as Money In The Bank ends in a huge surprise

After Daniel Bryan made his way into the match between Edge and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37, fans would finally get to see the match that was originally planned for WrestleMania as Edge took on Roman Reigns one-on-one for the Universal Championship. Right of the bat, this felt like a big main event with the entrances, the stare down and the hyped crowd, making the match feel important. Edge would try to use his experience and mind games to get in the head of Roman, but Roman proved why he was Universal Champion and begin to regain control and then started controlling.

Roman Reigns would continue to control Edge throughout the match while taunting the crowd, with one hilarious moment occurring when the fans started a “you can’t wrestle chant” towards Roman, only for Roman to laugh and tell the crowd “I’m winning.” Edge would get back into the match after Roman missed a spear outside the ring, sending him into the barricade in the corner. Edge reset the count and proceeded to spear Roman through another barricade, dragging Roman back into the ring for a close 2 count. Chaos then occurred after a superman punch on Edge forced Edge to collapse on the referee taking down the ref. Roman tried to lock in the crossface with the chair leg, but Edge was one step ahead and managed to lock in the chair leg crossface on Roman, The Usos would try to interfere but the Mysterios took both men out as Edge continued to put the crossface on Roman, only stopping after Seth Rollins came out and superkicked Edge. Despite being superkicked Edge reversed Roman’s spear attempt with a spear of his own, but Roman would just manage to kick out at 2 after it took extra time for the replacement referee to run out from the entrance ramp to make the count. As both men recovered Seth Rollins would interfere yet again, appearing on the apron with Edge taking him out with a big boot, allowing Roman to recover and hit a spear on Edge to score the pin for the win, in a chaotic and somewhat overbooked finish to the match.

After the match, Seth Rollins and Edge brawled through the arena, to the back as Roman grabbed the microphone, telling the live crowd it was time for them to acknowledge him. As Roman and Heyman went to leave the ring, John Cena’s theme song would hit for the biggest pop of the night. Cena then made his entrance, staring down Roman to finish a great night of wrestling.

These were my top 5 moments from Money In The Bank. What were your top 5 moments and what did you think of Money In The Bank as well as the streaming issues that many people suffered on Peacock? Let us know in the comments below.

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

1 week 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!