Opinion

Bodeen’s Top 5 Moments: WWE SummerSlam 2021

There were a few things people disliked, as with most things. But Bodeen lists out his Top 5 moments of SummerSlam 2021! Do you agree?

Published

3 years ago

August 23, 2021

Bodeen Green

Summerslam was an odd Pay-Pay-View. Following CM Punk’s epic return the night before on AEW Rampage, SummerSlam had a tough job in outdoing the return of Punk. While there were some outstanding moments on the show such as Edge’s great match with Seth Rollins the show was a roller coaster ride as we saw some good matches mixed with terrible matches as well as pointless filler segments and the return of Brock Lesnar and Becky Lynch with Lynch’s return dividing fans both in attendance and online.

But, as always I am here to bring the power of positivity and look at the good side of things. So as we remove ourselves from SummerSlam and get ready for either ALL OUT and Extreme Rules it is time to look at the top 5 moments from this year’s edition of SummerSlam.

5. Becky Lynch returns and beats Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, dividing fans

Before we get to the controversial part that divided fans, it should be noted that this year’s SummerSlam was a massive curse for Champions who won their titles at WrestleMania 37 with Sheamus, Bianca Belair and AJ Styles and Omos all losing their titles, however, Bianca lost her SmackDown’s Women’s Championship in an odd way. After rumours of Sasha Banks not being able to medically compete at SummerSlam surfaced many wondered if we would see the match between Banks and Belair, especially as WWE kept promoting the match heading into SummerSlam. Despite the rumour, we would get a hype package for the match and things seemed to be normal as Bianca Belair made her entrance. But things would soon take a weird turn after the announcer told fans that Sasha Banks was not medically able to compete and that Bianca’s opponent was actually Carmella. Boos rang all over the arena as Carmella made her entrance with chants of “We want Sasha” continuing after Carmella’s entrance. Bianca got on the mic and told Carmella, she was going to make quick work of her and as both women got ready for the match, Becky Lynch’s music hit for a massive pop with The Man returning to WWE being out for a year after having a child with Seth Rollins.

The crowd were deafening as Lynch made her entrance with Lynch soaking in the moment as Bianca and Carmella watched on in the ring. After soaking in the moment Becky stared and both women and then took out Carmella forcing Carmella out of the ring. Lynch continued the assault on Carmella outside the ring as she threw Carmella into the ring steps before making her way back into the ring and grabbing a mic with Becky then asking with Belair wanted to have a match with Lynch for the SmackDown’s Women’s Championship. Belair accepted the challenge and as the bell rang Lynch offered her hand to Belair out of respect. But this would turn out to be a massive trap as Lynch was sucker-punched Bianca and hit her with the pumphandle slam to pin Bianca in seconds and become the new SmackDown Women’s Champion in just seconds.

Right of the bat, I will say, while this did feel bad for Bianca’s title reign to end like this, personally, I don’t think she looks as weak as some people are saying. While she did lose to seconds to Lynch it can easily be argued that she was caught off guard by Lynch’s appearance and had no time to prepare, Lynch also used a sucker-punch to catch Belair off-guard, perfectly playing to the fact that while Belair is talented she is still young and inexperienced. Of course, it could have made sense for Lynch to have a triple threat match with her pinning Carmella to protect Belair, however, I will wait to see how Lynch’s return will play out in the following weeks to come before I give my ultimate opinion on this. However controversy aside it is great to see Becky Lynch back in the ring as she no doubt deserves a place on this list.

4. Damian Priest takes on Sheamus for the United States Championship

After a terrible match involving Alexa Bliss and Eva Marie, Damian Priest and Sheamus had a big job in recapturing the crowd’s attention. Luckily both men put on a great match that resulted in Damian Priest pinning Sheamus to capture the United States Championship. Both men started the match evenly exchanging strikes and holds throughout the match, Sheamus did a great job in interacting with the crowd during the match, with Sheamus calling out members of the crowd throughout the match and even stopping the Beats of the Bodhrán to stop the crowd from counting along. Damian Priest also had a good showing has his unique move set was on show as he continues to gain support from the crowd.

Late in the match, Priest jump of the middle rope only to be caught with a knee for Sheamus, giving Sheamus a close nearfall. Sheamus tried to attack the legs of Priest and put Priest and a heel hook but Priest was able to grab the mask of the United States Champion and rip it off, exposing Sheamus. Priest then unloaded on Sheamus with multiple strikes and smashed the champion with a heel kick and then hit The Reckoning on Sheamus to become the new United States Champion.

Priest, without a doubt, deserves this moment and hopefully, it’s a step in the right direction in making Priest a star for the future. Priest has charisma, in-ring skills and talent and has done an amazing job during his time on the main roster thus far, putting on a great match with Bad Bunny and The Miz and John Morrison at WrestleMania as well as somehow making a zombie lumberjack match work at WrestleMania Backlash. As for Sheamus, I can still see him being a big part of RAW’s midcard, knowing RAW’s obsession with rematches we will most likely see a rematch between Sheamus and Priest down the line, but after that, I think Sheamus will play the role of an in-ring veteran and help newer talent get over.

3. A reunited RK-BRO faces AJ Styles and Omos for the Raw Tag Team Championships to open the show

While Big E and Baron Corbin did a good job in opening things on the kickoff show, RK-BRO would open the main show with the pair challenging AJ Styles and Omos for the Raw Tag Team Championships. The set-up for this match was great with Randy Orton returning a few weeks ago on RAW only to break up RK-BRO with The Viper ending the night by hitting an RKO on Riddle. However just as RK-BRO seemed dead, Riddle came to the rescue of Randy Orton when Orton was being attacked by AJ Styles and Omos forcing Orton to change his mind and bring back RK-BRO. RK-BRO dominated the early part of the match as they managed to use surprising teamwork on AJ Styles, but the tide would quickly turn as a frustrated Styles tagged in Omos to change the tide of the match. Omos dominated Riddle as The Viper had no choice but to watch on, despite dominating Riddle, Omos tagged in a cocky AJ Styles who controlled Riddle with full confidence until Riddle was able to knee Styles in the face and move to his corner to give Randy Orton the hot tag.

Orton changed the match with the hot tag as he took out Styles and kept attacking Omos keeping the big man off-balance, Orton finished the hot tag by hitting his legendary draping DDT onto Styles for a huge pop from the Las Vegas crowd. Orton then got ready for the RKO but Omos pulled Styles out of the ring, protecting his partner from The Viper, Riddle tried to get involved by jumping from the steel steps onto Omos but Omos was able to catch Riddle and chokeslammed Riddle on the apron. Orton tried to get involved but would be taken out by Styles with Styles inflicting more damage on Riddle by hitting the moonsault DDT from the ring apron onto the floor on Riddle. Just as things looked bleak for RK-BRO Orton managed to avoid the Phenomenal Forearm and after some back and forth from both men, Orton was able to hit the RKO on Styles to pin him making RK-BRO the new RAW Tag Team Champions and starting a curse for Champions who won their titles at WrestleMania. Later in the night, Mario Lopez (who made a WWF reference) interviewed the pair with Orton saying the most destructive letters in sports entertainment are RK…BRO.

This was a fun little match that did a great job in opening the show. While it wasn’t completely memorable and certainly won’t be in any match of the year list, it was fun and did a great job in hyping the crowd for the rest of the show. RK-BRO are an amazing and entertaining pair, both Orton and Riddle did a great job in carrying RAW after WrestleMania 37 during the ThunderDome period and I cannot wait to see how entertaining both Riddle and Orton will be as Champions. It is also great to see Orton’s reaction each week as he starts to like Riddle even more with Orton giving a genuine smile as both men celebrated their title win.

2. Roman Reigns and John Cena square off in the main event as Brock Lesnar returns with a new look

After his epic return at Money In The Bank, it was finally time for John Cena to take on the Universal Champion Roman Reigns after weeks of amazing promos between the two men. This match had a big fight feel to it with the crowd being hot for both men with Cena having a great entrance as the Titantron showed off all of his 16 World Title wins. Cena tried to catch Reigns off guard early in the match by performing multiple roll-ups on the Universal Champion only to get a 2 count, but Reigns would assert his dominance as he began to beat down Cena, cutting Cena off at every turn as he talked trash to the camera. However, Cena was able to hit the 2 shoulder tackles as he started the 5 moves of doom, only for Reigns to reverse the five knuckle shuffle into a Guillotine with Cena being able to power up and escape the hold.

Despite surviving the Guillotine Roman still controlled the match, but Cena was able to hit a AA out of nowhere to score a close nearfall, After Reigns escaped the STF by grabbing the ropes both men went out to the floor, Reigns tried to hit Roman with a spear but Cena was able to counter, hitting another AA through the announce table with Cena throwing Reigns back in the ring for a nearfall. Late in the match Reigns attempted a spear but when shoulder first into the ring post, allowing Cena to lift Roman to the top corner and hit a super AA for another close 2 count. Cena attempted a spear of his own but Reigns was able to counter and would eventually hit a pair of Superman punches on Cena and would finish things with a spear, pinning Cena for the win to retain his Championship.

After the match Reigns stood over a broken John Cena but then out of nowhere Brock Lesnar’s music hit as Brock (now with a beard and a ponytail) made his entrance as Paul Heyman freaked out and Roman couldn’t believe it. Lesnar seemed generally pumped to be back as he stared down the Champion as Heyman panicked with Reigns and Heyman retreating to the back as SummerSlam went off the air. It would later be revealed then Brock Lesnar sent Cena to suplex city once again, proving old habits die hard. Love him or hate him, Brock being back was a great moment and I generally can’t wait to see his interactions with Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman and SmackDown.

1. Edge brings back The Brood as he steals the show with Seth Rollins

Fans off the attitude era would be in for a treat at SummerSlam was Edge channeled his former brood character making for a truly epic entrance as he stole the show with Seth Rollins. Both men put on a great match despite high expectations with both men truly delivering the match of the night.

Rather than give a quick analysis of what happened during the match, I am just going to simply say it was an epic match that had great storytelling and great in-ring action that honestly made me feel like a young kid once again (especially as I am a huge Edge fan.)

This is honestly one of those matches that fans from different eras can rejoice watching as both men without a doubt put on a match of the year candidate.

These were my top 5 moments from the roller coaster ride that SummerSlam was. What were your top 5 moments from SummerSlam this year and what do you think of the return of The Beast, Brock Lesnar? Let us know your thoughts 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

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!