Opinion

Rey: Perspectives in Wrestling

Rey Cash looks at the current wrestling landscape & tries to make sense of things by looking at the different perspectives involved: company, fan, & wrestler.

Published

3 years ago

August 4, 2021

Rey Cash

Rey Cash looks at the current wrestling landscape and tried to make sense of things by looking at the different perspectives involved: company, fan, and wrestler.

There has never been a more confusing time in my wrestling fandom than right now.

On paper, this should be the best time in the wrestling business since the late 90s. We have two easily accessible, viable, thriving wrestling companies with shows spanning 4 nights a week (not counting Pay-Per-Views). We have the best Independent scene maybe ever, only rivaled by the post WCW world with the beginning of places like Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Wrestlers are more accessible than ever, with a good portion of them interacting with fans on social media and the majority willing to do more interviews than any other time in history. We should be in a good place.

Clearly, you know that’s not the case. The wrestling part? That’s pretty damn solid. In fact, except for the controversies and criticisms of Monday Night Raw, most fans would say the wrestling is regularly excellent. What’s gotten almost unbearable is the rhetoric surrounding wrestling, and that’s starting to affect the entire wrestling world.

I’d like to break this down a bit, but we’re going to have to look at this with a LOT of nuance, because as we’ve learned in wrestling, nothing is tangible and everything is controversial.

The most appropriate place to start would be with the sudden and shocking releases that the WWE has made multiple times over the past 18 months. With WWE reporting record revenue over the past few years, the multiple billion dollar television deals, and most recently, leasing the WWE Network to Peacock for another billion dollars, the idea of WWE releasing wrestlers under the guise of “budget cuts” feels callous, unnecessary, and downright disrespectful. And even if there is truth to that claim (which there is), it’s still a horrible thing to do to your talent in a pandemic landscape. To make matters worse, WWE didn’t just “trim the fat” as they used to do once upon a time. Regularly and currently used wrestlers were surprisingly released. Top stars were released. People in ACTIVE storylines were released.

WWE is a business first and foremost. They’ve never lied about that, and it’s never been more apparent than now. And as much as we want them to be all about the wrestling, that’s not their primary goal. Vince realized 40 years ago that wrestling alone wasn’t going to get him where he thought he and his company should be. So, he slowly moved away from the regular tropes of “traditional” wrestling. He called his performers “superstars”. He called his product “sports entertainment”. Eventually, thanks to a lawsuit from the World Wildlife Fund, he changed his company’s name directly to include the word entertainment. He also took his company public, which greatly expanded his reach, his bank account, and his company’s scrutiny. See, the WWE and Vince’s FIRST priority is not to the fans or even to its wrestlers and employees. It’s to its shareholders. As a publicly traded company, they have a fiduciary responsibility to that stock price and the people who own shares. And this is where so much of the disconnect between company business and fan understanding begins. We don’t control the bottom line of the WWE as much as we think, we’d like, and we do with almost every other wrestling organization.

Now, this fact sucks from a fan perspective. As a fan base, we’ve been taught that what we want is what matters. We’ve been taught that our cheers or our boos have a direct line to what the company does. The more a character is supported, the stronger he or she is pushed. And for every other company, this may be true for the most part. But every company isn’t the WWE and doesn’t have the structure that they have. John Cena was the first “guinea pig” for this phenomenon. John did record business for the WWE during his run. Houses sold out, merchandise was sold at a ridiculous rate, ratings were strong, and Pay-Per-View numbers were really good. But the adult fan base couldn’t stand him. They audibly booed him and complained about him online, claiming that Vince wasn’t listening to the fans. So, think about this conundrum. WWE, a business, is doing fantastic business with a particular wrestler on top. The fans, who are the consumers, aren’t happy with that certain wrestler as the main star. Somebody must be spending that money on tickets and merchandise and Pay-Per-Views for the business markers to be what they were. What should WWE do? Listen to the fans or listen to the bottom line?

I do want to be clear that I don’t believe that it is a fan’s job to care about the business dealings of a company that they support. I do, however, think it’s their job to understand that their personal desires can and sometimes will deviate from the business dealings of that company. For fans and those critical of WWE, that last part is imperative. I hated that WWE released the wrestlers. It bothers me in a very serious way and is something I’ll never forget in my fandom of theirs. I also understand that while I don’t like the reasons, it doesn’t mean that they are any less legitimate.

This brings me to the fan’s perspective. I’ve touched on it a bit in my previous paragraphs, but to say that fan rhetoric these days is terrible is an understatement of massive proportions. There has always been an anti-WWE sentiment since they bought WCW. World Championship Wrestling was everything that the WWE (then WWF) wasn’t. WCW came from the lineage of the NWA and was always a wrestling focused company. Even with WCW focused on the older stars of the time, they still focused on the Cruiserweight division and those top stars were looked at as “WWE guys”. Also, WCW was a southern staple that made it big, whereas the WWE was the fancy company in New York. Most importantly, older fans will always harbor an abhorrence for Vince McMahon for buying his father’s company and killing the territories to create his national powerhouse.

In the spirit of WCW, we’ve seen the rise of All Elite Wrestling. AEW is owned by Tony Khan, a child of the Attitude Era and a wrestling die hard fan who had the capital (his father owns the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC) and the passion to create the biggest wrestling company since WCW folded. AEW has filled a place that anti WWE fans, those who felt unfulfilled with the WWE, or fans willing to follow something new were begging for. Khan’s company is built largely off the backs of the top stars of the Independent scene, legends of the current day that had never had their name in the marquee of the WWE’s world. That, added with some major WWE defections and Legends, started a revolution of sorts. Most importantly, the structure of the company is one that delivers on what fans want desperately – influence. The cheers and boos of the AEW crowd play a major part in the creative decisions of the company. Speaking of creative, AEW offers a large sense of creative control to their wrestlers. Performers create their own promos, pitch and portray their own characters, and structure their own matches. There is a genuine feeling of synergy between the company and the fans.

The interesting thing about this can be seen in the business side of the company. AEW is privately owned, as opposed to WWE being publicly traded. Shad Khan, the father of Tony Khan, is a multi-billionaire, but unlike the McMahons, all of their money isn’t and will never be in wrestling, which breeds a different level of risk between the companies. In fact, Tony has mentioned that their company is currently running at a loss, with continuing to employ the wrestlers that they do and making a sizable investment in a video game division. They’ve partnered with Warner Media and TNT for two cable TV shows and have outworked their contract deal twice to get better, more lucrative ones. AEW is here to stay and has shown that they are a legit alternative. Because of this, there is a good portion of the fanbase that is begging for AEW to beat and end the WWE’s reign on top of the wrestling world. There’s also a desire of all of the talent that WWE apparently is misusing to go to AEW on their own volition, even though AEW has had clear issues using the number of wrestlers that they have contracted regularly (AEW currently has more wrestlers under contract for their one current show than WWE does on their three main shows total).

Let’s dive into this idea of fans believing that wrestlers are being misused, and let’s use an example. Bray Wyatt, who has been a WWE main stay and a top talent since his debut, was shockingly released this week. Bray, who hadn’t been seen since the Monday after WrestleMania 37, was reportedly waiting for the right creative direction for him to come back as he was released. Immediately, there was an understandable expression of support, shock, and anger. And there was a large belief that Bray was misused. Now Bray Wyatt is a former WWE Champion, has been a major player in the WWE, has been a part of some of the most memorable moments of the current era, and has feuded with and beaten some of the biggest names in WWE history. He’s also been one of the most creative wrestlers possibly ever. His characters, his promo skills, and his ability to reinvent himself will be looked at as legendary. Have there been moments where it felt as if his character wasn’t put in the best situations? Yes. Has it felt at times like he could’ve and should’ve done more? Absolutely. However, the world misuse ignores all of the positives he gave to us. And since WWE is unlike AEW and is extremely unilateral in their creative direction, we have to give WWE some of that credit as well.

On this past week’s Monday Night Raw in Chicago, which is the first live show since Bray was released, there were chants of “We Want Wyatt” at times throughout the show. Ronda Rousey, a former WWE superstar and MMA legend who’s notoriously had issues with the fan relationship in WWE, tweeted:

This is coupled with the fact that Bray has had the unfortunate honor of winning multiple “Worst” awards on the fan voted Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and you could often find a large contingent of IWC fans vocal about their disdain for Wyatt and his characters. So, can we say he was misused if there was a group of fans who didn’t give him a chance and didn’t enjoy him? And does Ronda have a point, given that growing contingent of contempt for the character could’ve possibly led to Wyatt not being considered untouchable?

I’ve seen you same “fans” chanting #WeWantWyatt last night chanting “We want beach balls” over @WWEBrayWyatt performing. If the @wwe treated him like he was expendable it was because you ungrateful idiots did first

— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) August 3, 2021

This leads me to the perspective of the wrestlers themselves. Mickie James, who recently was given her own release coupled with a heartless act of sending her remaining things back to her in a trash bag, had her own thoughts on Bray’s release. She tweeted:

This isn’t against Alexa. I love her. She’s an incredible performer who is killing it in a role she was given. She always does. We as artists take every role we’re given & turn it into gold. He, she, they both did that. Like it/not. Facts are facts. So sorry if that offends you.

— Mickie James~Aldis (@MickieJames) July 31, 2021

It’s completely understandable for Mickie to have disdain for WWE given the way she was treated upon her exit, as well as seeing so many of her contemporaries lose their jobs. Her tweet, however, was off base on so many ways, and that is evident in her follow up tweet, seen above

In one breath, she claims that Bray came up with a gimmick that WWE didn’t know how to book correctly and just gave it to another person, then she says that the wrestlers are artists that take what they’re given and turn it into gold. So if Bray came up with it and WWE didn’t know how to book it right, shouldn’t some of the blame be on Bray? And she tried to walk back her shot at Alexa, but the tweets still felt unnecessary and selfish. This is just a small example of how vocal the wrestlers of today have become. Whether good, bad, or indifferent, wrestlers in 2021 are more than willing to let their true thoughts be known. It doesn’t matter if it’s about a fan, a company, or even another wrestler. We’ve seen such movements as #TimesUp and #SpeakingOut be pushed primarily by wrestlers, as well as the growing concern of wrestler use in the companies.

The perspective of a wrestler is the most salient. They are, in fact, the life blood of this business. The way that they feel and interact is the most relevant opinion in the business. So, it’s simultaneously apropos and hilarious that wrestler opinions on the current happenings between WWE and AEW. There are so many wrestlers disgusted and dis-enamored with WWE’s business practices and creative woes. And there are another group, particularly Malakai (formerly Aleister) Black and Tyler Breeze who feel the opposite. Both wrestlers were recently released from the company but look back on their time fondly and have been very vocal about how wrestlers should be more accountable for their fates with the company. Tyler, in particular, has talked about how wrestlers know what they’re getting into with signing with the company, and how it’s their job to be ready when called upon but to not complain when they’re not used.

Ultimately, everything is conjecture. Wrestling is a subjective art built on the backs of deceiving fans. Every company has one person who chooses who wins and loses, and the fan response can be looked at a million different ways. The only concrete, factual evidence is the business returns. Once again, it’s not the job of a fan to care about this, but it explains a lot about the ideology of the companies and in turn, the feelings and opinions of the fans and the wrestlers. WWE may be at an all time low among IWC support, however they’re the most successful they’ve ever been. This tells me that they’ve tapped into and doubled down on the fan bases that they know support them and have stopped caring about the fan bases that criticize their product, particularly the IWC. TV ratings are lower now than they’ve ever been, however, Peacock subscriptions, YouTube views, and social media interactions are some of the highest in the entire entertainment industry. This tells me that the fan base is consuming the product in a much different way than usual. WWE has released a ridiculous amount of wrestlers in such a small amount of time, while reporting record revenue on their investor calls. This tells me that WWE is trying to remain profitable in the eyes of their stockholders, and Nick Khan’s influence has changed how and what they value regarding their talent.

All of these differing perspectives normally make for a beautiful convergence of wrestling viewpoints. Unfortunately, there is so much vitriol in the air at the moment. What used to be a fantastic hobby is turning into a cesspool of hatred, bias, and egocentricity. There will always be bad things that happen in this business. This is an unfortunate truth, however, this business has also shown a resilience that most mediums wish for. If we can all get out of our own preconceptions and remember why we’re fans and what place we all play in this ecosystem, I feel like we can get back to wrestling nirvana. As things currently are, however, we’re on the verge of wrestling hell.

FIN

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

Up Next

Cook’s Top 5: Bobby Eaton Tag Team Partners

Don't Miss

News From Cook’s Corner 8.2.21: Whole World In My Hands

Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s Top 5: The Final Opponent For John Cena In WWE

It’s obvious that John Cena is nearing the end of his legendary career, and he’s suggested ending it at WrestleMania 41. Who should be his final opponent?

Published

2 weeks ago

April 11, 2024

Greg DeMarco

John Cena Last Match Randy Orton WWE WrestleMania 41

It’s obvious that John Cena is nearing the end of his legendary career, and he’s suggested ending it at WrestleMania 41. Who should be his final opponent?

John Cena recently appeared on the Pat McAfee Show, the Monday after his surprise (but mostly expected) WrestleMania 40 appearance during Cody Rhodes’ win over Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship. During that appearance, he confirmed what many expect, that he is nearly done with his in-ring career. But Cena even tossed out the idea of a time-frame, detailing that his acting schedule will likely take him through Christmas, and maybe Hollywood could “pump the brakes” to allow for one final run.

That run could easily begin at the Royal Rumble with a surprise entrance (or entering himself via TV appearances as part of the build), with a tease for his 17th world title win before finally settling in on his final match.

Fantasy booking and storytelling aside, the goal here is the final match–more specifically the final opponent. With a John Cena, you’ve got a ton of options. As such, it’s hard to narrow it down to 5, and one of your favorites is likely missing–be warned!

Greg DeMarco’s Top 5: The Final Opponent For John Cena In WWE

Honorable Mentions:

The Miz – A feud with John Cena gave The Mix a WrestleMania 27 main event–and a WrestleMania main event victory on top of it. Miz has been receiving more love than ever lately, and a match with John Cena would not be misplaced. Maybe he can use their WrestleMania 33 contest (and Cena’s personal aftermath) as fodder for it, too.
AJ Styles – The man who once made it popular to “BEAT UP JOHN CENA” is also nearing the end of his run, and could be the one candidate on this list that could realistically give us a double-retirement match. He would also be the guy who retired both The Undertaker and John Cena (and would probably end up being the guy who lost in both).
The Rock or Cody Rhodes – Both great options, but you have to figure their dance card for WrestleMania 41 is already full, potentially standing across the ring from one another. Either is an amazing option (including “Thrice In A Lifetime”), but I just don’t think it’s in the cards.
Trick Williams – Potentially a surprising addition to the Honorable Mentions, but the comparisons are there in terms of in-ring style/ability, promo skills, and the interplay they had in NXT (remember, it was Cena who is credited with encouraging Trick to not be afraid to go for it himself despite his relationship with Carmelo Hayes).

5. CM Punk

The fifth spot on this list was nearly interchangeable between several of the honorable mention names, but it really came down to Punk and Seth Rollins for me (with a hint of AJ Styles). The 2011 feud between CM Punk and John Cena was legendary, and is a moment that will forever be seen by me as the one that truly cemented CM Punk as a member of the growing list of all-time greats in WWE.

Punk is uniquely qualified for this match as he would make it mean more than a showboat for John Cena’s career and final match. It’s entirely believable that CM Punk would want to put John Cena’s career into the ground, and WWE has the video archive to support it.

Despite being #5, this could actually be a dark-horse for the match we get, and I can’t see anyone reasonably being upset about that.

4. Roman Reigns

John Cena and Roman Reigns have had two separate legendary programs. the first saw Cena, at times, embarrass Roman in promo exchanges in a feud that took place in the “pre-Tribal Chief” era. The second is more fresh and likely more memorable, as John Cena put Roman Reigns over in a football stadium in Las Vegas at SummerSlam (although it might be more remembered for the return of Brock Lesnar).

Reigns, a legend himself at his point (he’s featured alongside Steve Austin at the top of the “Forever” portion of the Then/Now/Forever/Together video that recently debuted) would provide a pairing akin to The Undertaker serving as Shawn Michaels’ retirement opponent at WrestleMania 26 9notice I didn’t say “final opponent). The end of Roman’s 1316 day world title reign has brought about a new appreciation for Reigns, which would further enhance this pairing at WrestleMania 41.

3. Bron Breakker

Bron Breakker is the picture-perfect definition of a juggernaut in WWE, a fast rising star who almost seems like a lock to main event WrestleMania one day (you never know–Seth Rollins JUST got his first WrestleMania main event last weekend). Breakker recently said farewell NXT as the natural in-ring competitor makes a transition to full-time main roster competition.

Breakker also fits the category of who “needs it.” Bring the man to retire John Cena would be quite the feather in the cap of Breakker’s early career, and would give him a moment that would be relived for generations to come. The only question mark is WWE “trusting” Breakker with this moment, as a sudden change of character could mean that Cena’s final match wouldn’t be seen or discussed as much. Breakker, to me, has given no reason for anyone to suspect that might happen, regardless of any controversies his father and uncle have been linked to.

2. R-Truth

Despite being 5-years older than John Cena, and making his in-ring debut in the same year (1999), R-Truth’s childhood hero hanging up the boots will undoubtedly be a hard-hitting moment for the man who has basically become the WWE Mascot. Truth emulating Cena in his matches, and of course the RawAfterMania moment with Cena, Truth, and The Miz hitting a Fifteen Knuckle Shuffle (thank you, Michael Cole) on The Judgment Day makes this a near can’t miss final match for both John Cena and the WWE Universe.

R-Truth himself is equally deserving of this match, as it would be a reward for all of his years in the ring as part of a career that seems age defying while proving that age is not only a number, but also a number that can be ignored (see Child Hero, John Cena).

While a rematch of their 2011 WWE Capital Punishment main event is an unlikely WrestleMania 41 match-up, it’s one I believe everyone would love to see.

1. Randy Orton

I mean, is there anyone more perfect? John Cena and Randy were inseparably linked for a good portion of their careers, and have shared the ring more times than Big Show has turned babyface/heel. Both are far into legendary status at this point, and Orton specifically is obviously focused on enjoying this stage of his career.

But Orton is still delivering great performances inside the ring, too.

Randy Orton vs John Cena was an exciting proposition many years ago, became a punchline for WWE booking a few years ago, but is now coming full circle as the perfect match-up to end the amazing career of John Cena. It has my vote, and should have yours, too.

Even if R-Truth would be the most fun option.

What say you? Who is the best candidate to stand across the ring from John Cena in his final WWE match, potentially at WrestleMania 41? Who did I leave out?

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

Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s WrestleMania 40 Saturday Results & Review

It’s the Granddaddy Of ‘Em All, WrestleMania! Night 1 of WrestleMania XL and Greg DeMarco has your results and review!

Published

2 weeks ago

April 8, 2024

Greg DeMarco

It’s the Granddaddy Of ‘Em All, WrestleMania! Night 1 of WrestleMania XL and Greg DeMarco has your results and review!

It all comes down to this–at least for the first night! A loaded card in front of a packed house, and I’d expect everyone to deliver one hell of a performance.

Women’s World Championship – Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (champion)

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Rhea Ripley retains

In my opinion, this match should be the main event of Night 1, but The Rock is back and that was going to take precedence (even if I disagree). Becky won this title shot at the Elimination Chamber, even though they were already building the feud before that event in Perth. Ripley herself main evented that event in a stadium, defeating Nia Jax.

It was revealed during her entrance that this is Becky Lynch’s “Flu Game,” as she has temperatures as high as 102 degrees throughout the week.
Rhea Ripley enters to a life performance of her entrance theme, which you can tell she dug.
Prime logo is center ring, just the black outline with “Prime” in the middle, and it is not at all bothersome. I can’t believe people made such a big deal out of bitching about that.
The stage looks dope, not at all “too small” as some had said. The whole environment looks great, honestly.
Rhea Ripley has been dealing with a wrist injury. She said on the Pat McAfee Show she didn’t expect to work with the wrist brace on tonight, but there it is.
Corey Graves points out that Becky’s training was likely impacted by her illness, and Pat McAfee scoffs at him for stating the obvious. I hope that isn’t what we get all night.
Commentary notes that is is 52 degrees and windy in the stadium, and I am reminded of Nick Khan’s comments about moving an outdoor WrestleMania to late April in the future, if they don’t get an indoor building (he did say “2026” when talking about that, which likely means the 2025 venue is indeed set).
Rhea’s Prism Trap is a fell of a submission finisher. Add in the body lock the way she did, and it’s even more impressive.
I just noticed the “Prime” turnbuckle pads and it’s…weird. I just didn’t expect it and can’t think of the last time we didn’t have the WWE/WWF logo on the buckles outside of Black and Gold NXT. WrestleMania 2?
I am also noticing that Dude Wipes seems to have sponsored the ring posts. Kudos to WWE (and the wrestling industry behind them) for being so damn desirable to sponsors!
That combo to get into the Riptide was fantastic–and the kickout was even better.
During the DisarmHer you can clearly see the commentary position, and Michael Cole is legit reclined all the way back. Love it–Cole is living his best life.
Rhea’s Riptide into the buckle before the proper Riptide was pretty sweet as well. Made Becky look insanely strong in defeat.

Winner via pinfall AND STILL your Women’s World Champion: Rhea Ripley

Hell of an opener, and if you didn’t know Becky was sick, you wouldn’t have known. Props to them both. That would have satisfied as a main event, but can now go down as one of the best openers in WrestleMania history.

Ladder Match for the Raw Tag Team Championships and Smackdown Tag Team Championships – DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. A Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller) vs. The New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest, Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions)

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Awesome Truth (Raw titles) and A-Town Down Under (SmackDown)

As many expected, the belts are hanging separately, meaning we are most likely splitting the tag titles here. Triple H and company have put some serious work into building up the tag team divisions of both brands, and even though I expect the two winners to not be actual “teams,” but either way I actually like the way they didn’t make a big deal out of splitting the titles up, they’re just doing it. They have been defended separately since being unified, albeit rarely.

R-Truth makes a joke about DIY being DX and that’s now taken off. I love it.
The Miz is very under appreciated. Can literally do anything.
Someone is struggling with the “Titan Tron” videos tonight.
Not gonna lie, I am the biggest Pat McAfee fan, but he’s actually quite annoying right now.
Sign of the night: SANTA DESERVED IT.
Lots of green in this match, half of the teams wearing their “WrestleMania Green” gear.
Also, loving the Consequences Creed gear for Woods.
God Bless Finn Balor for taking that Airplane Spin into the ladder.
205 combined years of experience in this match. That’s an average of 17 years (Waller has the least with 7, Balor and Miz are tied for the most with 23).
“Dunne Mountain?!?!” Thank you Michael Cole for fixing that.
HOT TAG TO R-TRUTH!
Poor Finn Balor, not he takes the AA to the ladder after John Cena’s Five Moves Of Doom
R-TRUTH WITH THE PIN!
Hilarious.
A-Town Down Under gets the SmackDown tag titles!
And Grayson gets tossed through a ladder, still holding a title!
The match does continue until the Raw tag titles are also retrieved.
If Theory also got the Raw tag titles down, I will laugh my ass off.
Birminghammer is a fantastic name for a tandem (somewhat) Burning Hammer.
Tornado DDT through a table!
Air Raid Crash from the ladder!
And we still have more tables set-up.
JD McDonagh trying to get Finn–who has taken a beating–to get the Raw tag titles.
McDonagh through the tables!
PERFECTLY placed Razor’s Edge onto that chair.
Dude, that ladder is trashed. (And very unsafe.)
AA sends Damian outside!
I think everyone wants R-Truth to get this. EVERYONE.
YES!

Winners via belt retrieval, AND NEW:

SmackDown Tag Team Champions – Grayson Waller & Austin Theory
Raw Tag Team Champions – R-Truth & The Miz

Really good Ladder Match, but it’s hard to have a bad one. The tag team titles are split and it was really well done. It made perfect sense to do it that way, not make a big deal out of it and just let it happen. I am excited to see both teams win–not because I picked both, but because I think one team (Waller/Theory) have amazing futures and the other (Miz/Truth) will be a lot of fun, even if their run will probably be short lived.

Santos Escobar (with Legado Del Fantasma members Angel, Humberto, & Elektra Lopez) & Dominik Mysterio vs. Rey Mysterio & Andrade (with The LWO members Carlito, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, & Zelina Vega

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Dominik and Santos win, giving Dominik “revenge” for his loss at WrestleMania 39.

Look, this match doesn’t make a lick of sense–Dominik shows up two weeks ago and finds his way into another WrestleMania match with Rey? Definitely shoehorned. But Dominik is outstanding, so if this gets him on the card, I’ll take it.

More green in this match, and I am here for it.
Innovative Double Cross Body by Rey & Andrade.
Dominik showing experience beyond his years, making sure the ref sees his tag with Santos.
At this moment, I am wondering who turns–Carlito or Andrade. Gotta assume it’s one of them.
Three matches in and I don’t even notice the Primo logo in the center of the ring or on the turnbuckle pads.
Santos Escobar trying to unmask Rey Mysterio, as if we don’t all have Google.
Corey Graves making a great point about Rey taking some responsibility for the issues in his life, and Michael Cole immediately dismissing it.
It’s so hard to do a really good Dragon Screw Leg Whip, and Andrade (along with Dominik and Santos) just pulled off two to perfection.
Camera shot of Rey’s cross body shows the heaters above the ring. Good–keep ’em warm!
This could have easily been an 8-man tag team match. Maybe we get that Monday on Raw (which can also be where the turn happens, making my prediction here likely wrong).
Joaquin Wilde gets to do his NXT spot at WrestleMania, and that’s probably more important than officially being in the match.
Two masked men–definitely the Kelce Brothers–are here.
My bad, it was Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson. Good call, honestly. Great pop for them, too.
Looking at the reply, Dominik sold that ringpost spot like a champ.

Winners via pinfall (Rey on Santos): Rey Mysterio & Andrade

Fun tag team match that served its purpose. Needed? Maybe not, as I really wanted to get Liv Morgan vs. Nia Jax onto this card. But when you can get Rey & Dominik on the card, everyone will be happy. and of course the Jason Kelce & Lane Johnson appearances.

Brother vs Brother: Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Jimmy Uso follows in the footsteps of Owen Hart and Matt Hardy and beats the “more talented brother.”

They’ve wanted this match all their lives–and the preview video was insane. Very well done.

Jey in the WrestleMania whites tonight.
And we get a hot start to the match!
“Big Brother Jimmy” is always a fun thing to hear.
More Dude Wipes sponsorship on this one–you have to wonder if having Dude Wipes on the posts for the opener was in error.
Superkicks. Lots of Superkicks.
Very enjoyable YEET/NO chants from the crowd.
Jey just kicking the hell out of Jimmy, including a Jumping Super Kick.
This has “Fight Without Honor” feels from old school ROH, where the winners have respect after. We will definitely see these guys together again.
Jimmy apologizing to Jey. Crowd is not buying it.
Of course it was BS, and Jimmy gains the advantage.
SPEAR. USO SPLASH. DONE.

Winner, via pinfall: Jey Uso

Jey breaks the babyface curse by beating his heel brother. Thought we might get an embrace between them, instead we faded out. A good match that was more about the story than the in-ring action. I can see some feeling like this hasn’t “lived up to expectations” because of the high expectations you’d have for an Usos match. Their best work will always be as a team, but I know this is a lifelong dream come true for both.

As for all the Superkicks, I mean….it’s an Usos match.

Six-Woman Tag Team Match – Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka, & Kairi Sane) vs. Naomi, Bianca Belair, & Jade Cargill

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Bianca, Naomi, & Jade win when Jade scores the pin (probably on Kairi, who always seems to eat the fall)

This match is all about getting Bianca Belair on the card (she had to be), and Jade Cargill’s debut. It also got Damage CTRL on the card, which they truly deserve–even if it is to lose.

Respectfully, Dakota Kai. (Good thing the ring and surrounding area is heated)
Not gonna lie, Jade looks nervous. But this is a six-woman tag, and her portion is likely highly choreographed. Gonna be all good.
As I watch and enjoy the match (but am not typing much lol), this seems like a match where we’re all just waiting for Jade to come in and win.
No one has told Jade about the tag ropes yet, apparently.
And now Jade is in, and Damage CTRL makes her look like a million bucks.
Dakota Kai nicely gets herself into position for the finish, and Jade gets her WrestleMania win.

Winners via pinfall (Jade on Dakota): Jade Cargill, Naomi, & Bianca Belair

We knew what this one was about going into it, and that’s what it should have been. Jade still ain’t ready. I know it might be an “ego hit” for her to go to NXT, but she needs it. If Giulia can go to NXT, so can Jade.

Intercontinental Championship – Sami Zayn vs. GUNTHER (champion)

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Sami Zayn pulls off the major upset and is the one to dethrone Gunther

Gunther has had a stranglehold on the Intercontinental Championship, defending it like crazy in 2023 but slowing that down here in 2024. It’s not fair to say he’s outgrown the title, but that might actually be the case. It’ll be really interesting to see what happens with Imperium leading up to the draft, and at the WWE Draft itself.

Sami Zayn was the perfect wrestler to have their journey form backstage to the ring followed by the cameras. From his family to Chad Gable to Kevin Owens, it was all so perfect–maybe too perfect? (Not in that someone will screw him, but in that it might be too heavily foreshadowing his win?)
Gunther looked oddly nervous standing on that stage.
You know, the Intercontinental Championship is basically a third world title at this point. And we could see the end of a legendary reign. I think this deserved the Samantha Irvin In-Ring Introductions (aka “Japan Style”) treatment.
Gunther is smiling confidently now, we’re good.
Crowd is ON FIRE for these guys (and evenly split with their chants for each guy).
This is the 21st time the Intercontinental championship is defended at WrestleMania, and it makes you wonder what in the hell they were thinking for the other 11.
Looks like Dude Wipes is back on the ringpost!
Hell of a nearfall, followed up by a Helluva Kick from Gunthcr, and one from Sami!
That finish….AMAZING.

Winner via pinfall, AND NEW Intercontinental Champion: Sami Zayn

The athletes… the moments… the storytelling… professional wrestling is such a beautiful business. Sami Zayn’s win over Gunther was everything I had hoped it would be when I picked Sami to win. Absolutely beautiful.

Cody Rhodes & World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. The Rock & Undisputed WWE Champion Roman Reigns

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Seth & Cody get the win after tons of interference and surprise appearances, making Roman vs Cody on Sunday a match where The Bloodline is banned from ringside.

So much involved in this one. As you know, If Rock & Roman win, Sunday’s WWE Championship match will be held under Bloodline Roles. If Seth & Cody win, then that mach will see ZERO Bloodline involvement. Personally, if Cody is winning the title, I’d rather it be straight up. But I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I am wrong.

Honestly, after the introductions, I realized I was just watching!
This was very much Steve Austin vs The Rock inspired, with them fighting all over the stadium, and pushing the envelope.
I loved The Rock basically neutering the referee–normally I hate that, but here it works.
That finish and the condition of Rollins both lay perfectly into night 2, I would imagine.

Winners via Rock pinfall on Rhodes: The Rock & Roman Reigns

Per rule, Sunday’s main event will now be Bloodline Rules. And given that, my prediction of Roman retaining might be harder to pull off. This was a good return for The Rock, and perfectly played into the whole story. Job well done.

Greg DeMarco’s Overall Thoughts for WWE WrestleMania XL, Saturday (Night 1)

in a vacuum, this was highly enjoyable show. Night 2 might end up being legendary if both Bayley and Rhodes win, and it could overshadow Night 1. But the scene was fantastic, production was top notch as always, and the fans went home having enjoyed one for the ages. The Triple H Era s well underway, and will likely kick into a higher gear with Night 2.

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