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Cook’s 2022 Wrestling Year-End Awards

It’s a trip back in time to 2022–as Steve Cook rounds up the best (and a little worst) of the year just for you!

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WWE The Usos 2022

It’s a trip back in time to 2022–as Steve Cook rounds up the best (and a little worst) of the year just for you!

Hey kids! Steve Cook here, and it’s kind of funny because the last time you read my words on this website I was writing about something I didn’t really want to write about. We continue that theme today, as I have a bit of a confession for you folks. It’s something that I’ve been hiding from wrestling website higher-ups ever since I started writing about this so called sport.

I don’t like participating in year-end awards.

At first, it was because I was already overworked with school and trying to make something of my life. Then it was pure laziness. Nowadays, it’s a combination of laziness and the fact that I don’t feel particularly qualified to participate in these things. Pro wrestling is one of many interests that take up my time away from work. That means that I don’t watch as much pro wrestling as my fellow writers, or as many of you reading.

Multiple websites list the top 100 matches at the end of a year…I know I watch far more than 100 matches per year, but the odds of me remembering 100 matches at the end of a given year aren’t great. As many have pointed out, the plethora of great matches on TV/PPV/streaming is awesome for fans, but leads to fewer matches really standing out from the pack. Plus, most of the matches I end up watching are old matches, and I don’t think people would appreciate my listing a Bret Hart match from 1986 at #1. Not quite what the folks are looking for, right?

Even though I don’t like to do year end awards, I still do when certain people ask me. I don’t like disappointing my bosses any more than I already do, so I fill out the awards, send them in and hope the people enjoy them. Unfortunately, I’m not the only writer out there that doesn’t have the time or doesn’t feel qualified to present awards. It turns out that I have some material left on the cutting-room floor.

Now, the middle of February seems a bit late to be doing a 2022 year-end awards column. Then again, Hollywood gives out all their year-end awards around this time of year as well, and I’m pretty sure Uncle Dave hasn’t given his out either. So now seems as good a time as any to give you Chairshot readers a super duper exclusive: my 2022 Year-End Awards! I’m even going to include some extra comments on the end of each one revealing if my mind has changed since turning them in back in late December 2022. Sound good to you? Sounds good to me!

* The Biggest Disappointment of The Year

5. Ronda Rousey’s return doesn’t catch fire
4. Hangman Page does little after his AEW Championship reign
3. Cody Rhodes tears a pec after getting off to a hot start in WWE
2. Tony Khan fails to get ROH a TV deal
1. CM Punk’s AEW Championship reigns & eventual departure

CM Punk

The fact that CM Punk’s arrival in AEW gave the company a boost can’t be denied. Punk’s return to professional wrestling interested a good number of fans that had been waiting since 2014 to see their favorite wrestler actually wrestle. Punk came off like a big star, and his segments were often the highlight of the AEW week. Putting the AEW Championship on him made all the sense in the world.

Unfortunately, a foot injury forced Punk to vacate the championship just days after winning it. In the ensuing months, Punk grew agitated with a talent roster that he felt didn’t give him the respect he deserved. A certain percentage of the talent roster grew agitated with the influence that Punk seemed to hold over Tony Khan. Things were said to the dirt sheets. Punk decided it was necessary to bury a talent on television, then he went on a tirade against some members of management after regaining the AEW Championship at All Out. The Young Bucks took offense, punches were thrown in a locker room, and we haven’t seen Punk on AEW television since.

Regardless of whose side you’re on in this whole fiasco, it’s a shame that what started out as such a good comeback run for CM Punk ended in the fashion it did.

February Thoughts: I feel pretty good about this choice. As time passes we tend to forget how much fun most of Punk’s stuff in AEW was. The best thing AEW fans can hope for is that Punk & the Elite will eventually be smart enough to try & make money off their dispute, like most people in the wrestling business that have legit heat with each other eventually do.

* The Best Non-Wrestler

5. Jose the Assistant
4. Stokley Hathaway
3. William Regal
2. Paul Heyman
1. Pat McAfee

Pat McAfee WrestleMania 38

I was never really a fan of McAfee’s media work prior to his employment by WWE. He was a little too much, like he was constantly on a Red Bull bender or something. He hasn’t really changed, which is part of what his fans love about him. McAfee is McAfee, and people either love him or hate him.

That said, I can’t deny the positive effect he had on SmackDown once starting as color commentator. McAfee, as usual, was a bit too much for fans like me. He did increase the energy level on the show, and you could tell that he was happy to be there and very into what he was seeing. So much so that Michael Cole got more interested in being there than he had been in years. Pat did get into the ring three times, but I’ve been advised that he qualifies as a Non-Wrestler so he’s getting my vote here.

February Thoughts: Heyman’s the early leader in the clubhouse for 2023, but McAfee’s contributions to SmackDown while he was there still can’t be denied. It’ll be interesting to see how involved he gets with WWE during football off-seasons, as I expect him to be on College Gameday for years to come.

* The Best Tag Team of The Year

5. The Briscoes
4. Lucha Brothers
3. Motor City Machine Guns
2. The Usos
1. FTR

It was a very strange year for Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler. Fans spent most of 2022 complaining that FTR weren’t featured enough on AEW television, and the fans probably had a point. Thing is, whenever FTR did appear on AEW television, or on ROH PPV events, or anywhere else they appeared, they delivered. We’re talking about a team that held the AAA, IWGP & ROH tag team championship. It’s tough to say a team that held three different tag team championships in 2022 was underutilized, but plenty of people would tell you that.

Underutilized or not, FTR took part in more of my favorite matches of 2022 than anybody. Harwood also had a nice singles run that didn’t result in many victories but did result in quality matches. FTR never let me down in the ring this year, so they’re the pick for Tag Team of the Year in a year with plenty of quality selections.

February Thoughts: Pretty good year for the Top Guys, I thought. Spots beyond the top two were a bit of a cluster that could have gone any type of way, it was a solid year for tag teams.

* The Worst PPV/Major Show of 2022

5. Ric Flair’s Last Match
4. WWE Elimination Chamber
3. AAA Rey de Reyes
2. The WRLD on GCW
1. WWE Royal Rumble

I’ve always had a special place in my pro rasslin fan heart for the Royal Rumble. It was my favorite event pretty much every year when I was a youngster. Something about thirty people entering the ring at two minute intervals with the winner getting a shot at the world champion at WrestleMania just did it for me, you know what I mean? It was the biggest stars in the WWF all in the same ring at the same time, often with interactions you weren’t expecting. Ax & Smash coming in at 1 & 2. The 92 Rumble with Flair working with pretty much everybody. People talk about going to WrestleMania as their Holy Grail of wrestling fandom…for me it was going to the Royal Rumble back in 2012.

Not that the 2012 Rumble was especially great, but the 2022 version was even worse. People hoped that Sasha Banks would have a big night, especially when she came out first. Instead they got Ronda Rousey in the return that nobody was really asking for, and nobody’s really cared about since. The men’s match didn’t feature a big star returning to win, as Brock Lesnar had already lost a championship earlier in the evening, and rebounded later in the night to win that prize. Honestly, the most exciting thing to come out of this show was all the backstage gossip about Shane McMahon trying to build the men’s Rumble match around himself. Shane would just be the first McMahon to find themselves on the outside looking in during 2022.

February Thoughts: At least the 2023 Rumble was better. Not among the best of all time, but I doubt it’ll make worst of lists unless 2023 is just a complete banger of a year for everybody.

* The Best PPV/Major Show of 2022

5. ROH Supercard of Honor
4. AEW Full Gear
3. WWE WrestleMania XXXVI Night One
2. AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door
1. WWE Clash at the Castle

Clash at the Castle came at a very important time for WWE. It was the first major show after all of the Vince McMahon allegations came out and the changing of the guard happened. WWE needed to send a message via quality & presentation that their fans could still expect everything from before, and more. Also, the show happened to be in Cardiff, Wales. The United Kingdom hadn’t seen a show in one of their stadiums since 1992. They were more than ready to pack one.

They got a darn good show too! Gunther vs. Sheamus alone was worth the price of admission. Dom Mysterio finally showed his true colors as the bastard heel he’s meant to be right now. Liv Morgan got a nice win, as did Damage CTRL. The only real weak point, which wasn’t really one because the match was really good, was Drew McIntyre not going over Roman Reigns. I know WWE gets off on the number of days of a title reign and that’s why it didn’t happen, but those fans would have gone absolutely banana over a Drew title victory, especially after “Broken Dreams” got used during his intro. A missed opportunity to make somebody. Other than that, the show had a limited number of matches that got enough time to breathe and achieve their full potential, which most shows could have taken a lesson from this year.

February Thoughts: I didn’t review or watch Clash at the Castle when it first aired, which more often than not means I won’t go back to watch it unless it seems utterly necessary. Glad I did!

* The Best Wrestling Storyline of 2022

5. Josh Alexander vs. Moose
4. Paul Heyman’s Choice Between Roman Reigns & Brock Lesnar
3. Cody Rhodes Returns to WWE
2. CM Punk vs. MJF
1. Sami Zayn is the Honorary Uce

WWE SmackDown has largely been built around the Bloodline for ages now, and it’s been a pretty good choice. Early in the year, “Wise Man” Paul Heyman had to prove his loyalty to the Tribal Chief, which he did in spades. The Usos have been doing their thing. Solo Sikoa has become part of the mix. Then there was Sami.

It took awhile, but good ol’ Sami Zayn has managed to make himself part of the Bloodline. It started with him helping out here & there, to the point where Roman Reigns made him and Honorary Uce. Jey Uso didn’t buy into Sami’s act though, and spent months telling everybody that Sami was bad news. Roman didn’t seem sold on Jey’s claims, even giving Sami an official Honorary Uce t-shirt. It even got to the point where one week Solo didn’t want his brothers coming down to ringside with him, asking Sami to come with him instead. Sami finally earned Jey’s trust at the Survivor Series, and the Bloodline has lived happily ever after since then. (This was written before the 12/30 edition of SmackDown, just in case John Cena & Kevin Owens cause some trouble.)

February Thoughts: This is still going pretty well. Although, the Bloodline is no longer living happily ever after as I write this.

* The Best Promotion of 2022

5. New Japan
4. AAA
3. Impact Wrestling
2. AEW
1. WWE

Triple H WWE Creative

Remember when people thought that Vince McMahon was the only person capable of running WWE? Business experts were convinced that if Vince passed away or stepped down, WWE would go into the toilet financially. After all, Vince had single-handedly won the wrestling war. He’d killed all the territories. He ran WCW & ECW out of business, and nobody had competed with him for two decades. Obviously, Vince was the one guy that knew what was going on. The experts didn’t have a ton of faith in his daughter & son-in-law as the heirs apparent. Oh, and both Stephanie & Paul Levesque had seen their power wane in recent months.

Then Vince had some stuff come out. He was forced to step down, though he remains the top shareholder. While business experts were concerned at first, wrestling fans were pretty darn happy. The diehards believed that Vince’s ideas had resulted in less entertaining programming. His way of dealing with talent had been criticized in comparison to Triple H, who seemed to support all of the Internet’s favorite wrestlers & was responsible for NXT when it was at a creative peak. A regime change was just what was needed to turn the perception of WWE around.

After Vince stepped aside, the machine kept humming along. Triple H brought back most of the people that had been fired. Stephanie & Nick Khan kept the confidence WWE’s partners had in them high. It’s tough to deny that WWE’s future looks as bright as it ever did. Even if the company gets sold, there’s no reason to think it’s going anywhere but at least the level it’s at now.

February Thoughts: Vince is back, but WWE is still rolling along pretty strong. It must be true if even your humble correspondent says it.

* The Best Matches of 2022

5. Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW Dynamite 1/5/22)
4. El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Rey Fenix (AAA TripleMania: Mexico City)
3. Gunther vs. Sheamus (WWE Clash at the Castle)
2. FTR vs. The Briscoes (ROH Supercard of Honor 2022)
1. FTR vs. The Briscoes (ROH Final Battle 2022)

LOL to me casting aside #4 during my review of that show as “there are too many MOTY contenders.” This is why people should not pay attention to my match & show ratings, I’ve yet to learn what the hell I’m doing. Easier to pop off in list columns than try to rate a match or a show. Vikingo & Fenix were freaking awesome. They weren’t as awesome as FTR & the Briscoes. I missed one of their matches, and that one would have likely made the list too. Two of the best tag teams of the 21st century that immediately had chemistry? That was bound to light the world on fire, and get ROH more PPV buys than they’d seen before Tony Khan bought the company.

People wanted to see these two teams go at it. People were even more excited with dog collars involved. Dax, Cash, Jay & Mark all went all out. The dog collar match has quite the history, and they lived up to it. They spilled blood by the pints. It was ridiculous.

February Thoughts: RIP Jay Briscoe.

* The Best Weekly TV Show of 2022

5. Impact Wrestling
4. WWE NXT
3. WWE Smackdown
2. AEW Dynamite
1. Tales From The Territories

Tales From The Territories wasn’t the ratings hit that Dark Side of the Ring was. Which isn’t surprising. Television viewers tend to flock towards negative stories. Tales From The Territories wasn’t telling negative stories so much, it was just old rasslers telling stories from back in the day. The truth of the stories definitely varied.

The show definitely varied based on who was available to tell stories on a territory. Which makes it a shame it didn’t happen a decade or two ago when more people were alive to discuss these things. The early-season Memphis shows had a great cast of characters. Jeff & Jerry Jarrett, Dutch Mantell, Jimmy Hart & Jerry “The King” Lawler are all among the best story tellers in pro wrestling. Bret Hart appeared on an episode. The Mid-South show with Jim Ross, Ted DiBiase, Jake Roberts & Michael Hayes also featured four of the best story tellers in pro wrestling. It was a bit different from DSOTR, in that it was just old rasslers telling stories, instead of stories being told to make rasslers look bad. I liked it. Maybe some of you didn’t.

February Thoughts: It’s a very good thing they did the Andy Kaufman episode of Tales From The Territories, just in case Jerry Lawler’s stroke actually takes this time. It probably won’t, since he’s the King and when he pulls down the strap everybody’s in trouble. It’s a good reminder to get these veterans to tell their stories while they still can.

* The Most Improved Performer of 2022

5. Ridge Holland
4. The Gunns
3. Solo Sikoa
2. Powerhouse Hobbs
1. The Acclaimed

Max Caster & Anthony Bowens moved their way up through the ranks in 2022. They went from being regulars on Dark to entertaining characters that would pop up on Dynamite & Rampage here & there. Max’s raps were entertaining, while Anthony’s tagline gained more and more recognition. Their pairing with Billy, Austin & Colton Gunn helped everybody out. Billy openly wishing that the Acclaimed were his sons instead of Austin & Colton got the Gunns over as proper heels while Max & Anthony got the approval of the people.

As the Acclaimed got more popular they kept getting bigger matches. They were able to rise to the occasion and give fans the matches they expected from AEW Tag Team championship matches. The sky should be the limit for these guys.

February Thoughts: Caster & Bowens just ended their first reign as AEW Tag Team Champions. They might get them back from the Gunns pretty soon, or from somebody else at a later date. I do believe they’ll get those titles back, as they’re among AEW’s most over homegrown acts at the moment and everything they touch turns to gold. Or at least not crap.

* The Best Women’s Wrestler of 2022

5. Mandy Rose
4. Roxanne Perez
3. Jordynne Grace
2. Jamie Hayter
1. Bianca Belair

Most of our more established names saw limited action in 2022. Bayley & Becky Lynch both missed extensive time due to injury. Charlotte Flair missed time due to injury and I can’t remember what else. Sasha Banks left. WWE was left without their Horsewomen, and it was Bianca that stepped up and carried the torch.

Since defeating Lynch at WrestleMania, Belair has gotten more time to establish herself on top of the food chain. She’s managed to maintain her popularity as a dominant champion, which often isn’t easy.

February Thoughts: Can’t really argue with that list for 2022. Looks like the Horsewomen might be returning to form for 2023, which will give Bianca some competition.

* The Best All-Around Performer of 2022

5. CM Punk
4. Kevin Owens
3. Roman Reigns
2. MJF
1. Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn Roman Reigns

Many of us remember the days where Sami travelled the indies wearing a mask and never speaking English. He was a fantastic in-ring performer, but it was fair to wonder if his style would translate to a bigger stage. Would he be able to carry a storyline that didn’t revolve around in-ring affairs?

Then he went to WWE, ditched the mask and became Sami Zayn. His matches don’t get as many snowflakes as they did back in the day, but his character has helped carry WWE’s biggest storyline through 2022. WWE fans are tremendously interested in the future of the Bloodline, and Sami’s involvement with the group. This is mostly due to Sami’s efforts in getting the group and himself over with their interactions.

February Thoughts: Sami’s still getting it done, and will be facing off with Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber. Evidence of how well WWE is doing with its fanbase right now: Most years, fans would be mad that Sami is getting his shot at Roman at Elimination Chamber instead of WrestleMania. This year, people seem fine with it. Sami’s not becoming a cause celebre just because WWE has chosen Cody Rhodes for the WrestleMania main event spot. WWE has trained their fans well.

* The Best In-Ring Wrestler of 2022

5. Gunther
4. El Hijo del Vikingo
3. Dax Harwood
2. Seth Rollins
1. Jon Moxley

Moxley was tasked with carrying the AEW main event scene on his back throughout 2022. No matter who came and went, Moxley could be relied on to make things interesting. His matches would be the biggest fights on the card and live up to main event billing. While Moxley tended to rely on blood soaked brawls, he could still hang in technical matches and whatever else the day needed. If a never say die Babyface was needed, Mox could fill that role. If a bastard heel was needed, Mox could do that just as well. Either way, the match would deliver and send AEW fans home happy.

Granted, I might be biased in favor of my fellow Greater Cincinnatian.

February Thoughts: If I had to take one back, it would probably be this one. Like I said at the top, I haven’t seen as much as many of you have. I’m still higher on Mox’s work than most, but I think I’d probably change this to Vikingo because he’s just so damn fun to watch. Might be tempted to move Gunther up a bit too.

* Larry Csonka Award For the Hardest Working Performer of 2022

5. Seth Rollins
4. Dax Harwood
3. Taichi
2. Shingo Takagi
1. Jimmy & Jey Uso

The Bloodline was the major storyline for WWE in 2022. Roman Reigns went all part-time on us, showing up when it was convenient. Sami Zayn was an Honorary Uce, but even he didn’t put in as much ring time as Jimmy & Jey. The Usos were definitely fighting champions during 2022, working more matches than anybody else in WWE & anybody else documented in North America. Maybe there’s some indy folks that slipped under the radar, but the Usos were working every WWE house show they could to keep the Bloodline part of things.

The Usos have made mistakes. Mistakes that would have gotten them fired if not for their Bloodline. They know that. That’s why they work their asses off now to make people believe that they are the ones. We’re all allowed to make mistakes. Jimmy & Jey both have. They’ve proved their worth in the ring since.

February Thoughts: Yep, this was the right choice. I might nix the second paragraph as I’m not sure how relevant it is to the topic, but Jimmy & Jey were among the hardest workers in 2022. They wrestled the most matches and were unsung heroes in the Bloodline storyline on television. Jey especially seems in line for big things in 2023.

2022 is officially in the rear view mirror! Stay tuned to see what we’ve got for you as 2023 continues to unfold…whatever it is, good times will definitely be involved.


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Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s 2024 WWE Royal Rumble Reaction

It’s the Royal Rumble! A favorite of many fans, the Rumble kicks off the Road To WrestleMania. Greg DeMarco is here with his live reactions to the event!

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WWE Royal Rumble 2024 Results

It’s the Royal Rumble! A favorite of many fans, the Rumble kicks off the Road To WrestleMania. Greg DeMarco is here with his live reactions to the event!

The WWE Royal Rumble is upon us, and while the Men’s Royal Rumble Match isn’t for the World Heavyweight Championship like I suggested, it’s still the most anticipated event of the year.

Why? The Unknown.

That’s right–in this age of the internet (usually incorrectly) telling us everything it possibly can about what is going to happen in the world of wrestling, the Royal Rumble stands out because despite what we’re told (or, more importantly, what we choose to listen to), the event is always full of fun and surprises.


Check out Steven Mitchell’s 2024 WWE Royal Rumble Results & Review!


Women’s Royal Rumble Match

  • They really are driving home the “main event WrestleMania” point this year–strengthens my thought that women will main event Night 1. Triple H would catch a ton of heat if he keeps women out for the third straight year.
  • NAOMI! Good to see her back, and the emotional response she had.
  • Love Michael Cole calling out Naomi’s time in TNA, and recognizing her as a former Knockouts Champion.
  • Entering #3 doesn’t bode well for Bayley. I honestly don’t think she is gonna win.
  • JORDYNNE GRACE! I saw the reports earlier today. This is a much bigger deal than Mickie James, because Mickie was a returning legend.
  • “TNA HAS A WEAPON!” So glad to have Pat McAfee on the call.
  • Honestly, Jordynne Grace belongs in WWE.

  • Asuka comes in, and they sell the surprise of Bayley. STORYTELLING, people!
  • Something tells me when we get Kairi Sane in there, The Kabuki Warriors will eliminate Bayley.
  • Ivy Nile enters, and I immediately want to see her go toe-to-toe with Jordynne Grace.
  • What if they pulled some crazy sh*t and had Jordynne Grace win???
  • Just step through the ropes next time, Bianca.
  • When I first saw the C4 clock, I thought I would get tired of it But I am already used to it.
  • Here’s Kairi Sane, time to set the plan into motion!
  • This crowd does not appear to like Tegan Nox.
  • Welp, there goes my idea o Asuka and Kairi eliminating Bayley.
  • That was a hell of a way for Jordynne Grace to go out.

  • I think Michael Cole secretly loves to call a Meteora.
  • There’s a reason Maxxine Dupri doesn’t wrestle much.
  • That tandem Code Red was very Young Buckish. And that’s not a compliment.
  • Hair,…gear…this might be the messiest Royal Rumble yet.
  • Ah, here comes the winner, Becky Lynch (I am calling Becky eliminates Bayley to win her second Royal Rumble).
  • LOVE the scoreboard of time in the Rumble for selected wrestlers.

  • R-TRUTH?!?! (Funny story, it was Truth’s spot that Nia Jax took in 2019.)
  • If you push Mia Yim, she’ll take it further than you could imagine.
  • “How is everybody the most athletic person on Earth?” – Pat McAfee
  • Surprising that Roxanne Perez, at #27, is the first NXT entrant. I don’t think we’ll be seeing Tiffany Stratton of Blair Davenport since we only have 3 more to come.
  • Amazing reaction for Jade Cargill. Give her time, she’s definitely going to be a huge star.
  • JUST GIVE HER TIME.
  • Seriously, Nia Jax had to help Jade eliminate her–A LOT.

  • Greg Was Wrong: It is indeed Tiffy Time in the Royal Rumble.
  • Back to Jade–she is insanely over.
  • I know it won’t be, but this should be Tiffany Stratton’s official main roster call-up.
  • Liv Morgan returns at #30, and good for Liv. She nearly went wire-to-wire last year.
  • Liv Morgan: “Thank you!” Pat McAfee: “No problem.”
  • Tiffany Stratton eliminating Roxanne Perez is, to me, an invitation for a match with them on Raw this Monday.
  • Still love the scoreboard as Naomi passes an hour.
  • The camera is catching a lot of in-ring communications right now.
  • And Jade Cargill eliminates my pick to win. Bye Becky.
  • Jade Cargill in the final three of the Royal Rumble (with Liv Morgan and Bayley) is huge for her.
  • Hell of a debut for Jade Cargill.
  • And a huge win for Bayley.

Winner of the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Bayley (eliminating Liv Morgan to win)

Fatal 4-Way Match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Randy Orton vs AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Roman Reigns (champion, with Paul Heyman)

  • Glad to see AJ Styles got his tights back. Pants AJ Styles (but still with the football gloves) was not working. Not just bring the beard back to your face Allen–the think beard also ain’t working.

  • Pat McAfee campaigning for Roman Reigns to be given at least a 26% chance is amazing.
  • Say what you want about LA Knight, he’s a damn star and totally belongs in this match.
  • Roman completely sandbagged Randy on the table drop. I don’t think it was on purpose, but he definitely didn’t jump.
  • Roman Reigns is very much like Gunther in that he does the simple things SO WELL, like a jumping clothesline. That’s how you do it.
  • Yes, I compared Roman Reigns to Gunther. Don’t @ me, I’m right.

  • RKO City, Bitch.
  • Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand here’s Solo! (At some point, Solo will get tired of saving Roman’s ass.)
  • Solo ’bout to go through that barricade.
  • Solo indeed went through that barricade.

  • Yes, we had the Solo interference mid-match, but honestly in the end Roman won that clean.

Winner, #ANDSTILL your Undisputed WWE Universal Champion: Roman Reigns

WWE United States Championship: Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul (champion)

  • Kevin Owens wearing Zubaz shorts in the Performance Center fight makes me very happy.
  • Logan Paul talking about a full time run, and now he’s putting on size.
  • Logan’s headband didn’t list very long.
  • I honestly hate it when modern-day wrestlers bust out a crotch chop.
  • If you were watching the Royal Rumble and didn’t know who Logan Paul was, you’d just assume he was a pro wrestler. That says everything you need to know about how good he is at this.
  • ANOTHER crotch chop. Now we’re at 2 too many.

  • Cue the “Better Buckshot Than Hangman” tweets. But they might be right.
  • I love the idea of a Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and Grayson Waller stable.
  • C’mon, there’s NO WAY Ryan Tran could see the knucks on Kevin Owens’ hand given his placement. It’s the little things.
  • Finish here tells me we’ll see KO vs. Logan Paul again. I’d guess on TV, if not in Australia.

Winner by disqualification, #ANDSTILL WWE United States Champion: Logan Paul

Men’s Royal Rumble Match

  • Jey Uso coming at #1 was expected thanks to the internet reports. But I still think Jimmy should be #1 and Jey #2, for the reaction shots on Jimmy.
  • Grayson Waller talking himself to the ring is perfect.
  • “No Yeet!” Grayson is a brilliant performer. I’d make a Roddy Piper comparison here, but y’all would get at mad at me.
  • Good to have Andrade back in WWE. Great reaction for him when the mask came off.

  • SmackDown superstar Carmelo Hayes! I really really really hope Trick is also in this match, just for the chants.
  • Melo pointed to the sign, C’mon, man.
  • Do you send Andrade to Smackdown, or do you send him to Raw and let him do his own thing?
  • Oh goody, Karrion Kross is here. Yay.
  • (Yes, that’s sarcasm you read.)
  • Dominik Mysterio is so good. Give him time, he’s going to be a huge star.

  • The Royal Rumble was a great place for the Apple Spot.
  • Here comes Bob Lashley–please just eliminate Karrion Kross.
  • Lashley wearing the WrestleMania white gear more than 2 months early.
  • Austin Theory still gets his concussion effect entrance, despite it being the Rumble.
  • What if–hear me out now–Finn Balor wins the Royal Rumble to get the shot at Seth Rollins, and Priest uses his briefcase to make that match a triple threat at ‘Mania?
  • I know he didn’t, but it sure looked like Jimmy was swerving while he drives in that interaction with Gunther.
  • Kofi did tell us the Rumble Magic wasn’t happening anymore.
  • Give me Ivar vs Gunther!
  • Bron Breakker is a star. It’s inevitable.
  • Of course Omos would be in the Rumble. Good to see MVP on my TV as well.
  • “I didn’t know humans came that big!” – Pat McAfee
  • I half think Pat McAfee didn’t know he was entering the Rumble.
  • Nice moment for Bron Breakker eliminating Omos. WrestleMania match?
  • R-Truth trying to get Dominik (Tom or Nick?) Mysterio to tag him in is brilliant.
  • DOM MADE THE TAG!!!
  • “And now R-Truth is the legal man.” – thank you Michael Cole.
  • Michael Cole delivers multiple TNA references tonight, along with a Dolph Ziggler reference. God Bless Michael Cole.
  • Imagine for a second that this was CM Punk’s actual WWE return.
  • The reaction to Drew McIntyre’s entrance is a reminder that they don’t actually need him.
  • Sami Zayn enters at #30, also known as “Not The Rock.”

  • In the ring, Drew McIntyre is amazing. Just keep the microphone away from him. (And stop the damn counting!)
  • And there goes my choice for the Men’s Rumble!
  • Love having both Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in the press boxes watching to see who wins.
  • Punk kinda looks like Chris Jericho in there. Seriously.
  • Between Punk and Cody, Cody is the right choice. I really don’t want to watch Punk right now–he needs to hit the cardio, and hard. Given Seth Rollins’ injury and Punk’s conditioning, WWE would be smart to make the World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 40 a multi-man match.

Winner of the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble: Cody Rhodes


Overall thoughts on the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble

For at least the second straight year, the Men’s Royal Rumble Match was kinda disappointing. Not the result–that’s fine. But the match itself. It just wasn’t nearly as exciting as the Women’s. Of the four matches, I would place it 4th in terms of enjoyment.

Great moments for both Bayley and Cody Rhodes. Logan Paul continually shows that he deserves to be considered a pro wrestler, not a celebrity who is wrestling. Pat McAfee is a joy on commentary. Jordynne Grace is a WWE Superstar, regardless of what company she is signed to. Bron Breakker is a star.CM Punk is very out of shape. Cody Rhodes is about to become THE guy, and he deserves it.

Overall I give the event a thumbs up, but they have to do something about the Men’s Royal Rumble Match moving forward.


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Opinion

WWE Raw Heads To Netflix: What Does It Mean?

Monumental news drops as WWE RAW is moving to Netflix. Is it truly a game changing move? Greg DeMarco analyzes this shift for the TV wrestling business.

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Monumental news drops as WWE RAW is moving to Netflix. Is it truly a game changing move? Greg DeMarco analyzes this shift for the TV wrestling business.

Being a wee little kid in the 80s, I am “lucky enough” to remember having 3 TV channels, and my dad explaining what an 8-track is, how shocked I was when I say a laser disc for the first time, when I bought a 6 CD changer, installed my own car stereo, and all the way up to the fact that I have now been watching WWE pay-per-view/premium live events on the WWE Network and Peacock for 10 years. Hell, in the same month (February 2014) I signed up for the WWE Network, cut the cord to drop cable and got Sling TV. I have since moved onto YouTube TV which is highly recommended.

Over the last two years the NFL has put Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, simulcast to various streaming services, and less than 2 weeks ago put a playoff game exclusively on streaming when a Wildcard Weekend showdown between the Chiefs and Dolphins was only shown on Peacock.

And now it’s fully permeated into pro wrestling.

WWE and AEW are both in the midst of a very important time on the business side, with all of their TV rights up for grabs. The first domino fell when SmackDown On FOX became SmackDown on USA Network, and soon after we learned that WWE NXT was moving to broadcast television and joining The CW (which is also rebranding, but just to CW).

The AEW suite of programming that includes Collision, Rampage, and their most successful show Dynamite is up for renewal with Warner Bros/Discovery, and Tony Khan has been optimistic about the relationship and potentially an increase in rights fees.

That brings us to Tuesday morning, and the likely groundbreaking WWE announcement that Raw is moving to Netflix, starting in January 2025. Triple H tweeted that they’re changing the game, and TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro (who knows a thing or two about shifts in media consumption) used the word “transformative” in his statement, and I really think he couldn’t be more right.

But what does it all mean?

Wrestling Remains A Strong Media Product

I have been claiming this for over a year now. As many online will cite a decline in TV viewership for both WWE and AEW, the TV product has been a strong value to networks. Even in dropping SmackDown, FOX themselves said they didn’t pump enough resources into the show, and that the advertising return wasn’t what they wanted. That doesn’t mean the product (TV value, we’re not talking about creative here) isn’t strong. It’s so strong that USA Network picked up SmackDown for $280 million per year, giving WWE an increase over the FOX deal. CW is paying $20-$25 million annually for NXT, and now Netflix is paying $500 million for RAW.

Why? Because wrestling isn’t just a strong media product, it’s consistent. And that is key.

Look at this quote from Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria:

“Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”

Now cross reference that with a comment from CW President Dennis Miller from back when the CW/NXT deal was announced:

“We are thrilled to welcome the WWE brand into the CW Sports portfolio as they play an integral role in our mission to bring live sporting events to the network year-round.”

What do those statements have in common? The year-round, 52-week nature of wrestling programming. It’s an unbeatable value for networks. It’s cheaper than a deal with a major sports league, and it’s not finite. Wrestling joins news, talk, and sports talk as the only year-round programming available to networks. And WWE and AEW have shows that essentially always land in the Top 5 after you factor out live sports. You can’t beat it.

What Does This Mean for Netflix?

Don’t get it twisted, this is also a huge leap for Netflix. Prior to the WWE Raw deal, Netflix has only experimented with live events, streaming the live Chris Rock “Selective Outrage” special, and showing The Netflix Cup live (a golf event featuring athletes from their F1 series “Drive To Survive” and their golf series “Full Swing).

WWE is the perfect partner for Netflix as it gets into live programming. It’s sports entertainment: sports like programming (which Netflix has done) that focuses on storytelling (which Netflix has obviously done). And no one does it better than WWE. It’s essentially plug-and-play for Netflix, the perfect solution for their live programming aspirations.

The perfect solution that they were willing to pay $5 billion for.

What Does This Mean for AEW?

The biggest risk to an AEW renewal with Warner Bros Discovery was WBD picking up WWE Raw–and that risk has been eliminated by Netflix. Don’t discount that fact–Netflix did Tony Khan a huge favor by throwing $500 million per at WWE. The path is clear for AEW to remain on the Turner networks.

But at what price?

I know I usually write as if I have all the answers, but I have zero idea either way on this one. WBD no longer has any other options if it wants to keep wrestling (except for TNA, who recently expressed a desire to be on a bigger network), and AEW (at least, Dynamite) is a weekly Top 5 program for them on Wednesdays, on cable.

On the other hand, AEW doesn’t exactly have another network begging for their services. The reason WWE could get a yearly increase for Raw, SmackDown, and NXT is because it was truly a bidding war. Unless Tony Khan gets another network involved, any threat of walking away from a deal doesn’t really hold water.

So if I were a betting man (and who would ever bet on this) I would expect an announcement of a renewal for AEW and WBD relatively soon. We may not know the terms of the deal, I will take a shot in the dark and say that AEW gets a small increase (not the “nearly double” that had been reported last year).

Regardless of the increase (or not), given AEW’s recent attendance challenges, this likely renewal would have to be viewed as a win for the company.


Personally, this is simply an amazing time to be a fan. We’ve seen WWE go from one live TV show per week with Monday Night Raw, through the Monday Night Wars, the addition of SmackDown and later NXT, to being this global juggernaut that is commanding half-a-billion dollars per year for Raw. I also think this makes Raw the flagship once again. All of this comes after Vince McMahon is largely out of power, Triple H has taken over creative (and holds a pretty good success rate so far), and the company was sold to Endeavor, and merged with the UFC as a business entity under the TKO banner.

If you know me, you know I am a huge follower of the business side of the wrestling business. I often care less about WHAT wrestling companies do, but HOW they do it. I have always gravitated towards that, since middle school. And for the past near 24 months, I have been like a kid in a candy store.

The Peacock deal for the WWE Network runs out in 2026, right? The fun never stops!


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