Opinion

Smackdown Live – How WWE Is Killing The Blue Brand

Published

7 years ago

February 27, 2018

WWE Smackdown Live. What a difference a year makes…

Smackdown Live – The Land of Opportunity. The show which won WWE plaudits from fans and critics alike for its wrestling-first approach following the brand split of 2016 has been on a slippery slope for the last 12 months. SDLive has effectively become WWE’s C show behind RAW and NXT but it didn’t happen by mere coincidence, it all comes down to a series of bizarre decisions and mistakes on WWE’s behalf. The sudden decrease in quality has seen a drastic plight in live show attendances, and backstage sources have recently leaked information which suggests the superstars and staff aren’t happy. So, what happened? How did a show housing the likes of AJ Style, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and many more talented superstars end up as somewhat of an afterthought?

The copious amounts of steroids had given Jinder nasty constipation that week…

Unusual Booking Decisions

Ask any member of the WWE Universe and they will unanimously agree that one of the major catalysts for the sudden decline on the blue brand was WWE’s short-sighted decision to put the WWE Championship around the waist of Jinder Mahal. This isn’t to say he is entirely to blame as that would be unfair on a man who was thrust in to the spotlight and did the best he could with limited material but considering the calibre and talent of the names mentioned above this was never going to sit well with regular viewers. The fans aren’t stupid, this was quite clearly a marketing ploy on WWE’s behalf, one intended to help drive the company forward into the Indian market, but what WWE failed to recognise is the impact this would have outside of its intended market. Viewing figures down, network subscriptions going nowhere, half empty arenas for live shows… all for the sake of making a few extra bucks on a different continent where wrestling isn’t even close to being their number one sport. WWE absolutely baffle me sometimes, the merchandise sales from keeping the belt on a guy like AJ Styles, the best wrestler in the world, would’ve more than outweighed all the negative impacts that the Jinder experiment had.

Dolph Ziggler won the United States Championship out of nowhere against Bobby Roode and Baron Corbin. It was a genuine shock and for a lot of fans quite a welcome one, you can question Dolph’s commitment, but you certainly can’t deny his talent, plus we so rarely see actual surprises anymore. What did WWE do next? They had him vacate the title just 2 nights later, seemingly quitting the company in the process, then held a tournament to determine a new winner. Dolph then surprisingly returned as the number 30 entrant in the Royal Rumble, another decision which made no sense whatsoever, just to have him leave little impact on the match before being eliminated. A few short weeks later and he is shoe horned in to the WWE Championship fatal 5-way match at Fastlane. So that’s: 1. Gives up his title 2. Walks away while insulting fans and company 3. Gets handed an opportunity at the main title. Am I the only one seeing something wrong there? If I quit my job and walked away while saying my employer doesn’t deserve me, I wouldn’t then walk back in a month later as the new CEO…

When Tyler Breeze & Fandango formed to create the fashion police, barely anybody batted an eyelid, myself included. But then when Fashion Files came along out of nowhere, the world started to pay attention. These two guys had something special, they had ‘it’… we already knew they were good enough in the ring, but now they were entertaining, hilarious, clever, witty and with a marketable gimmick to boot. They were so good they even managed to bring The Ascension back out of obscurity, which should never have happened in the first place seeing as they were the longest reigning NXT Tag Team champions in history, but that’s WWE’s horrible booking for you. So, what have Breezango done since? Surely they’ve won the titles by now? Shown the world what we always knew they could do right? NOPE! They’ve been relegated to short clips on wwe.com, turned into a complete joke and they’ve been jobbing out to the Blugeon Brothers for no good reason in ridiculous squash matches.

Can somebody please find exactly what it is WWE are smoking and bring it my way please?

The only good thing to come from the Jinder experiment… this GIF

Limited Roster

Another problem SDLive has is the roster. While they do have some outstanding talent on offer, once you look away from the WWE Championship picture there really isn’t a lot going on. The mid card scene right now is one of the poorest I’ve ever seen, and while it is centred around the gifted Bobby Roode does anybody really want to see him taking on the likes of Mojo Rawley and Jinder? In their desperation, WWE have shifted Randy Orton into the mix, but unfortunately the move has come about 3 years late when the majority of fans are fed up of seeing yet another one of Vince McMahons golden boys given undeserved opportunities.

With a smaller roster comes the big problem of having fewer storylines, and therefore having to extend the current programs way longer than they need to be. It feels like at this point AJ Styles has been facing off against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for about 6 months, I know it hasn’t been that long, but it genuinely feels as though it has been, and that’s a real problem. Don’t get me wrong, RAW suffers from this problem too most notably with anything Bray Wyatt ever does, but SDLive has this issue all over the show. Charlotte v Natalya, Uso’s v New Day (amazing but still overextended), AJ v Jinder… the list goes on. We want short, snappy and exciting feuds lasting a couple of months at most.

While SDLive is suffering badly with its talent pool, RAW is facing the opposite problem of having too many great superstars to utilise them all correctly. The blue brand will hopefully get a shot in the arm when we see the return of the Superstar Shakeup this spring, bringing talent from RAW such as Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Elias and Seth Rollins who could make a monumental impact and conjure up some dream matches with the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura and Styles. A few NXT call-ups wouldn’t go amiss either, with Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black more than deserving of their time to shine after incredible 2017’s.

The gold that can be struck from intelligent booking. From Roman’s boot boys to the greatest tag team in the world

Tag Team Division

While the show has been on a downward spiral, the one thing that SDLive got right in 2017 was the tag team division. The Uso’s and The New Day produced main event calibre matches week in and week out, their promos were absolute fire and a rivalry which spanned across both shows somehow managed to never get boring and they single handedly saved awful PPV’s. The back end of 2017 was equally as entertaining with the addition of Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin (Benjable) and the unlikely duo of Rusev & Aiden English (Rusev Day) into the mix. We saw these 4 teams put on some of the best tag team contests I have ever seen, harking back to the glory days of Edge & Christian, The Dudley Boys and The Hardy’s. The division was so good that it was gaining plaudits from all over the world and was keeping people interested in a show which was lagging in other aspects.

Then around 4 months ago, WWE said ‘screw you guys’ and decided that what we really wanted to see was The Uso’s v Benjable. The best tag team in the world versus the weakest of the four teams mentioned before competing in a series of regular 2v2 tag matches, when we had just been treated to some absolutely insane and frantic contests. The going plan seems to be The Uso’s v The Blugeon Brothers leading into WrestleMania and I’ve got to be honest, I can’t think of anything that I would want less right now. The Uso’s were almost universally voted as the best tag team of 2017, and now Vince is going to feed them to his favourite thing. Big. Burly. Angry. Sweaty. Homoerotic. Muscly. 7-foot-tall men. Because god forbid natural talent should be rewarded eh? What we REALLY want to see is Erik Rowan lumbering around the ring slapping himself…

WWE really need to let go of the likes of The Colons, The Ascension and (it pains me to say it) Breezango. Let them go and shine somewhere else, they would thrive in other promotions such as Ring of Honor or New Japan Pro Wrestling, and could be quite nicely replaced with a couple of NXT call-ups like Authors of Pain, SAnitY or Bobby Fish & Kyle O’ Reilly.

The crap that can be forced out through lazy booking. From the best woman on the roster as a heel to losing all credibility as a face

Women’s Division

I’ve tried to find a way to say this nicely but its proving impossible so ill just come out with it. The SDLive women’s division is an absolute clusterfuck right now. There is no direction, no appeal, no storyline and no credible challenger for the championship. Charlotte v Sasha Banks on RAW was the rivalry which reminded fans that with the correct booking, the women could be main eventers. Since Charlotte moved to the blue brand however, she has lost everything that was great about her, The company are building her as a natural babyface, but it just doesn’t work at all, she is a natural born heel like her daddy, but she finds herself on a show already full of heels… albeit very average ones.. Natalya was the last woman other than Charlotte to hold the belt for a short while and it was one of the most painful and forgettable experiences that I’ve seen. Of all of the other women on the show there are only one or two who can be believable champions, and even they are a bit of a stretch. Becky Lynch is very talented in the ring and she is good enough on the mic but was treated like absolute shit in 2017. Naomi is probably the closets to Charlotte in terms of ring work and athleticism, but she falls flat when it comes to mic work where she is horribly stereotypical with almost every sentence.

SDLive have a nasty tendency to use every single woman on every single show. 99% of the time you can guarantee that we will be seeing some sort of 3 v 3 tag match with one of those teams being the Riott Squad and both teams having a manager or valet such as Lana. It’s such uninspiring drivel every single week, and although each woman brings something different to the match, they have absolutely no chemistry with eachother and it ends up a complete mess. The Riott Squad was a nice idea when they debuted, but neither Liv Morgan or Sarah Logan were ready for the main roster, they were brought in because one is pretty and one is dominant, and their matches are usually so bad that even Botchamania would struggle to fit in all the screw ups. I can’t be the only one who has a hard time generating any excitement for the next episode when I know exactly what matches I’m going to see before they’re even advertised.

The only saving grace here is that it seems Asuka will be using her Royal Rumble victory to challenge Charlotte at WrestleMania. While I may not be an Asuka fan, and I know I’m in a minority there, she is at least a credible threat and will bring out the best in the champ. Going forward SDLive desperately need to trim the fat from the division and say goodbye to the deadweight such as Tamina and Lana, bring Bayley over in the Superstar Shakeup and give debuts to someone like Nikki Cross or Peyton Royce.

“Shane mate, stop rolling up your sleeves to look like a badman. You’re not hench, you’re fat. Grow up. Stop wearing sneakers you adolescent dick” Bryan’s actual words. Honest.

Shane McMahon & Daniel Bryan

Well here we go… the real kicker. Let me take a second to apologise in advance in case this gets a bit… sweary.

When Shane McMahon returned to WWE it was one of the most surprising and iconic moments of all time. The prodigal son had returned to challenge his sister Stephanie and father Vince and despite falling short he was rewarded by being put in charge of SDLive and taking on RAW in direct competition. Show v show, brand split, first WWE draft in years, new general managers… it was an exciting time. SDLive got off to a great start, with Shane outlining the direction of the show from day one. He proudly announced that SDLive would be the land of opportunity, it would focus on the talent and the superstars opposed to the management who were the focal point on RAW at the time. It was a welcome change from the norm, and something the fans had long been craving.

Fast forward almost two years. We have seen Shane face the legend, icon and challenger for the Greatest Of All Time title The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 32 in a terrible Hell In A Cell match, Kevin Owens in yet another less than average cell match, AJ Styles at Wrestlemania 33 and two Survivor Series main events. This is an old man who at no point of his career has been able to wrestle or sell, who has never been able to speak consistently well on the mic and is known for nothing more than falling off of tall things… and he is taking the spots and matches that superstars infinitely more deserving are missing out on. He hasn’t even won any of his feuds, so please tell me what was even the point? None of the men he has faced needed to be put over, they didn’t need someone to make them look good. It’s a non-stop ego trip from a man born into wealth and power and it makes me fucking sick.

We have seen him appear on virtually every single episode of SDLive in some capacity, and over the last 6 or so months we have seen his personal differences with Daniel Bryan take precedent over the actual wrestling and superstars. Their bickering and tension led to Styles v Owens going on for months longer than it needed to and has led to some terribly lazy writing in the process. SDLive is not the land of opportunity, it is the Shane McMahon show.

Daniel Bryan is a different story altogether. He is universally adored and respected for his ability, phenomenal career and heart-breaking early retirement. He is the general manager, someone whose character and job it is to defuse tension, make matches, interact with superstars etc. and he performs this job well. He appears as much as Kurt Angle does on RAW and that is completely the way it should be as they are both fan favourites who we are happy to see sticking around. But the constant need to have Shane on TV has dampened the impact that Bryan has. It never felt like it was about the management when Bryan was on screen, even during his great backstage rivalry with The Miz, but as soon as Shane appears it just becomes so draining to watch.

The saviour of SDLive?

The major appeal of Bryan throughout the latter stages of his career was that he was fighting against The Authority, constantly having to battle against all odds with his tyrannical bosses who were trying to hold him down. He was the common man, fighting and scratching for what he deserved and that is something which will always resonate with fans. However, over the course of the last 6 months he is becoming nothing more than just another suit in the back, playing politics and bickering with talent, which has recently led to small sections of the live crowds booing him. WWE have well and truly fucked this up and if it leads to a Shane v Bryan match, like they’re constantly teasing us with, I genuinely don’t think I’ll be able to keep supporting the product. Bryan deserves better and so do the fans. The only way I would take this match is if it was ‘loser leaves the company’ kind of deal, because there isn’t a chance in hell Bryan would lose and we would finally be rid of the geriatric, embarrassing, skin crawling, professional botcher, ego stroking, sneaker wearing piece of shit.

So to summarise, if SDLive want to climb back to the top of the mountain they need to:

Utilize the Superstar Shakeup, especially as they will likely lose Styles to RAW. Explore NXT and call up guys like Gargano who would thrive under the management of Bryan seeing as they are so similar (don’t believe me? Read this!). Invest time building Charlotte v Asuka as the new Charlotte v Sasha. Bring back the exciting tag team turmoil we grew so accustomed to last year. Give Shane much less TV time, only really utilizing him if the occasion requires the main bosses involvement to give it a sense of importance.

Never mind making it the blue brand…make these changes and it can be THE brand.

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Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s 2025 WWE Royal Rumble Results, Review & Reaction

We are firmly on the Road to WrestleMania, starting with the Royal Rumble! Greg has his initial thoughts and reactions for everyone’s favorite event!

Published

2 months ago

February 2, 2025

Greg DeMarco

We are firmly on the Road to WrestleMania, starting with the Royal Rumble! Greg has his initial thoughts and reactions for everyone’s favorite event!

It’s the first Royal Rumble in an NFL stadium (thanks to the WWE calendar change), and both Rumble matches feature a star-studded line-up that makes it much harder than you’d think to pick a winner. I was lucky enough to attend one Royal Rumble live, 2019, and it’s always the best way to set the stage for WrestleMania.

If @whoislaniee‘s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner is any indication, we are in for one hell of a night with one hell of a crowd!

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

Always great to see Stephanie McMahon kicking off a show–the more Stephanie, the better. Apparently we’ve managed to pack 70,000 fans into Lucas Oil Stadium, and if you didn’t know, Pat McAfee loves him some Indianapolis.

With each match you’ll see my picks, in my traditional “Who Should Win?/Will Will Win?” format. I made them in this week’s solo edition of The Greg DeMarco Show, which you can listen to here:

Women’s WWE Royal Rumble Match

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

Who Should Win: Bianca Belair
Who Will Win: Bianca Belair

Last year’s winner was Bayley, entering at #3, and she went on to defeat Iyo Sky for the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 40.

Iyo Sky enters #1, and I do love the elevated platform–it’s not really a stage, but it does enhance the overall feel of the show. Old school fans will remember the entrance from Montreal watching Prime Time Wrestling.
I feel like Liv Morgan always enters these matches early. I also didn’t realize she’s been in all 8 Women’s Royal Rumble matches.
I do love the “ticker” across the bottom of the screen with stats and info during the entrances. Very ESPN, very “Wrestling As A Sport” to me.
Gotta say I was hoping for the black canvas (I’m biased), but I’ll always take grey over light blue.

Roxanne Perez has “Iron Woman” written all over her entering at #3. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

We even get “Active” and “Eliminated” in the ticket? I am REALLY digging this.
Lyra Valkyria enters to very little reaction–she’s a fantastic talent but has not connected on the main roster.
Lyra with the early wardrobe malfunction and we are already slightly derailed, kudos to everyone for getting it together.
Interesting to have the secondary champions enter back-to-back, and Indianapolis doesn’t seem to care much about her, either. Maybe I was wrong about this crowd, and maybe my criticism of Lyra was premature.
Chelsea thinking she’s dumped everyone and pointing to the sign is a great piece of business.
B-Fab enters at #6, and I would assume she has the lowest chance of winning of anyone in the field.
Man, B-Fab is still very NOT good.
Ivy Nile enters #7, the 5th straight entrant who has zero chance of winning this thing.
Also, we are still without an elimination, but probably 10 “hanging on the rope” spots already.
Ivy Nile is already more over in Indy than the Intercontinental and United States Champions.
Zoey Stark, complete with Barry Windham’s “Stalker” facepaint, enters eighth to continue our run of women with zero chance of winning.
Lash Legend enters at #9, and I have a feeling she’s about to win this crowd over.
LASH POINTED TO THE SIGN.
“Get her on the Fever” – Pat McAfee.
Chelsea Green gives us our first elimination, of B-Fab.
Bianca Belair enters at #10, really hurting my chances of being right.

And here’s my pick to win the Women’s #RoyalRumble, Bianca Belair. At #10? Doesn’t look good for me!

(Seth Rollins won his from #10, I believe.)

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

The crowd definitely picked up with Bianca being in the match.
BIANCA IS A MACHINE.
Shayna Baszler enters #11, reminding me she works for WWE. Which is sad, I really thought she’d have a hell of a run in WWE.
Bayley is #12, and we still have quite the group in this match. Personally I don’t see Bayley being a back-to-back winner.
Sonya Deville is in at #13 to complete the PFC trio in this match. I’m sure that’ll work out well for them!
Iyo Sky is so good, she saved Sonya’s knee spot and I am sure no one noticed.
Maxxine Dupri in at #14, another non-winner, but to her credit she only keeps getting better.
With 12 women thill in this match, I have a feeling we’re getting Nia Jax or Charlotte Flair soon to give us a bunch of eliminations.
Ivy Nile out, followed by Maxxine Dupri, and the countdown is on!
Naomi brings the halfway point with her, entering at #15.

Naomi is a former women’s champion and had an amazing WrestleMania moment back in Orlando–why does Michael Cole keep saying 2024 was her breakout year? #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

All of PFC is gone, and nothing of value is lost (from this match–they are valuable as people).
Jaida Parker, entering at #16, comes in to a better reaction than half of the field. Miss Parker has a hell of a WWE career ahead of her.
Chelsea Green is so damn good at what she does.
And here comes Piper Niven at #17.
Will Piper somehow eliminate Piper?
Yes – the answer to that question is yes.
Naalya enters at #18, her eighth Royal Rumble. She’s a little over 20 minutes away from 3 cumulative hours in Rumble matches.

If anyone “deserves” a Royal Rumble win, it’s Natalya. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

FANTASTIC reaction for Jordynne Grace–that has to raise some eyebrows among leadership.
JORDYNNE GRACE IS A STAR.
Michin in at #20, as we are up to 10 eliminations.

BUT THE INTERNET TOLD ME ALEXA BLISS WASN’T GONNA COME BACK DUE TO A CONTRACT DISPUTE. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

Wade Barrett, Michael Cole, and Pat McAfee crapping all over the wrestling newz sites is amazing.
And you can tell Alexa Bliss is THRILLED to be back.
Zelina Vega in at #22 to not win the Royal Rumble.
HUGE SPOT for Zelina Vega and Jordynne Grace.
If you happen to rewatch this match, watch Bayley very closely. It’s a look inside the business–she’s basically an agent in the ring.
Candice LeRae enters at #23, and I am reminded that she’s the WWE Women’s Speed Champion. I also wonder if they’ve started piping in crowd noise for these entrances.
Of note, we haven’t closed a Royal Rumble PLE with the Women’s Royal Rumble Match since the first one in 2018.
Of the 10 women eliminated so far, 6 of them entered #4-5-6-7-8-9.

Great reaction for Stephanie Vaquer–Indianapolis seems to be an NXT crowd. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

LET STEPHANIE VAQUER HER WIN YOU COWARDS. (Personal opinion, she’s the best women’s wrestler in the world.)
#25 already–we are trying to make up some time.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand it’s Trish Stratus.

Honestly, did we need Trish Stratus? #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Kinda wanted Jordynne Grace to toss Trish Stratus right there.
Piper Niven just kncoked the SH*T outta Trish!
Raquel Rodriguez in at #26, and we have 4 more entrants left.
Nia, Charlotte, and…..Becky? Nikki? (Bella, that is.)
The crowd is NOT HAPPY about Alexa Bliss’ elimination.
#1-3 all still in the match.
Charlotte Flair and her new face at in at #27.

Listen, I’m going to hell, but Charlotte Flair’s entrance reminds me of when JR returned from his stroke. Lay off the plastic surgery. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Love Wade Barrett pointing out that Charlotte got pyro. I hope Roman gets his, too.
Took Charlotte forever to get her robe off, apparently.
Like I’m supposed to believe Jordynne Grace can’t suplex Charlotte Flair?
Charlotte definitely brought some fire to this match.
Giulia getting almost no reaction is surprising given the reaction of some other NXT talents.
Iyo and Liv approaching an hour in the match, along with Roxanne Perez.

Giulia eliminated Jordynne Grace, which makes me think Jordynne might be spending some time in NXT. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Nia Jax enters at #29, leaving a surprise for #30? Becky Lynch?
Good for Nikki Bella! And she gave someone in the crowd one hall of a souvenir.
And now it’s time for the “World vs Nia” spot.
Forget Superkick It’s an APRON PARTY.
Roxanne Perez just snuck back in without being eliminated.
Given who is left, it does seem like this is Charlotte’s match to win.
ROXANNE PEREZ IN THE FINAL THREE?

This company obviously believes in Roxanne Perez. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

LOLCHARLOTTEWINS

Winner of the 2025 Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Charlotte Flair

I don’t love the decision to have Charlotte Flair win the Women’s Royal Rumble Match after being gone for over a year, but she IS Charlotte Flair. This should shock nobody. I know Charlotte Flair is a dream match opponent for Tiffany Stratton in the eyes of many, and if she were to put Tiffany Stratton over at WrestleMania, then I will eat my words and say it was worth it.

Hell of a performance for Roxanne Perez, I haven’t seen the tally yet but I do wonder if she broke the record for longest time in one Rumble.

I could go for a Slim Jim meat stick right about now.

Why was Mickie James in the crowd, and not IN THE MATCH??? #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

2 Out of 3 Falls Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships
The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. #DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano, champions)

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

Who Should Win: DIY (but it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things)
Who Will Win: DIY (but it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things)

(I won’t be live tweeting or doing a bulleted list for these two matches, likely just the two Rumbles.)

Had to laugh seeing the drone in front of Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin during their entrance.

DIY wins 2 falls to 1, making my prediction accurate. That is small change, though. I liked the match for what it was, but it’s a reminder of Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey from WrestleMania 38–great match, wrong setting. This was an arena match, not a football stadium match. Yes, that DOES matter. Setting is a huge part of pro wrestling.

NXT Black and Gold will always hold a place in my heart, but part of what made that what it was was the crowd. This wasn’t the crowd for this match. Plus it got around 15 minutes, which is about right for a 1-fall match featuring these four. On TV, counting commercial breaks, these guys get 25-30 minutes.

The Street Profits got involved, eventually attacking everyone. I fully expect a WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match at WrestleMania, with DIY, MCMG, the Street Profits, and possibly Pretty Deadly and Angel/Humberto. This was really just the beginning–it was just misplaced on this card.

Winners AND STILL WWE Tag Team Champions: DIY

Michael Cole did also inform us that Roxanne Perez is the new record-holder for longest Royal Rumble performance. Score one for the good guy (me, from my tweet above).

Ladder Match for the WWE Championship
Kevin Owens vs. Cody Rhodes (champion)

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

Who Should Win: Kevin Owens
Who Will Win: Cody Rhodes

Love that Kevin Owens took down the Winged Eagle Championship during SmackDown last night, and entered with it. Granted, Cody Rhodes has his, too. But KO has a certain edge to him when carrying that title.

That little ladder is HILARIOUS. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

This match was brutal, and whatever they are paying Kevin Owens isn’t enough. Cody Rhodes was beating on KO as a heel would, but he’s a babyface? I know everyone wants “Homelander” Cody, but really he might be more like “Patrick Bateman” Cody. Either way, as great as Cody is (and he is great), there is one missing element. At this point, it’s obvious to me that Cody is the worst babyface in the company. Look at him: THE MAN IS A HEEL.

While I’m glad Cody is fully out of The Bloodline’s shadow, he just needs to beat John Cena at WrestleMania, turn heel, and truly hit his stride. And I want true heel Cody. Chicken sh*t, goons, the whole thing.

Winner, AND STILL WWE Champion: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes is gonna buy Kevin Owens a lot of cigars, booze, or meat. Whatever that man wants. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

You gotta think Sami Zayn not stopping Cody Rhodes from winning will be a major sticking point for Kevin Owens. Seems like we’ll get Sami vs Kevin at WM41.

Men’s WWE Royal Rumble Match

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

Who Should Win: Jey Uso
Who Will Win: John Cena

Last year’s winner was Cody Rhodes, entering at #15, and he went on to defeat Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 40.

Rey Mysterio (Jr) enters at #2, and it’s obvious that gone are the days where randoms would enter at #1 and #2.
I believe I said on my podcast (if not, I meant to) that Penta would need to enter #1 or #2 so he can have his pyro.

I am so happy for Penta in the WWE. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

I really hope we get a Lucha Underground reference on commentary.
LET PENTA WIN YOU COWARDS! (I know, it didn’t work for Stephanie Vaquer.)
PENTA IS A STAR.
I do appreciate how they didn’t fight on the apron, instead just got right back into the ring.
Chad Gable in at #3, and all we need is for Dominik Mysterio to be #4.
That spot looked NASTY, I hope Chad Gable’s knee is okay.
Carmelo Hayes in at #4, and I am reminded that we likely get Trick in this match.

Trick Williams’ #RoyalRumble entrance is gonna be ICONIC.

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

I know they have a temporary alliance at the moment, but Chad Gable vs. Carmelo Hayes would be an absolute BANGER.
KING CUERNO vs PENTAGON JR! #IYKYK
That spot was far too similar to what we saw in the Women’s Rumble.
Otis in and had some fun.
BRON BREAKKER IS A MACHINE.
The crowd reaction to Bron Breakker tells me the WWE might make even MORE money in the future.
What if Breakker won this match? He won’t, but What If?
If not for WWE, I wouldn’t know who IShowSpeed was.
Honestly, nothing wrong with what they did with IShowSpeed there.
Sheamus enters at #9, and I assume we will see some Beats Of The Bowery.

Gotta play the hits, pal. (Sheamus.) #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

This is the most normal Sheamus’ hair has ever looked.
Crazy that this is only Jimmy Uso’s 3rd Royal Rumble.
Big Jim definitely got a bulk discount on his new gear. I wonder how many color combos he got???
Andrade in at #11, and Wade Barrett points out what I’ve been thinking–why run to the ring?
Jacob Fatu enters at #12 and gets his pyro. The rocket ship has been strapped, pal.
Ludwig Kaiser enters at #13 and no one not named (Greg DeMarco Show co-host) Patrick O’Dowd cares.
Kaiser immediately dumped by Penta, and he’ll probably lose to him on Monday’s Raw, too.

Here comes the most underappreciated wrestler in WWE history, @mikethemiz. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

We lost Michael for a minute there.

The fact that Joe Hendry’s fact on the ticket is “Say His Name And He Appears” is amazing.

Great pop for him, too.

And Michael Cole references Nic Nemeth! #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

I’d actually forgotten that we’d likely get a Joe Hendry appearance, so they got a little pop out of me.
I acknowledge you, my Tribal Chief.

☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️ #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk would be one hell of a match at WrestleMania, just sayin’.
Showdowns like Roman Reigns and Bron Breakker is what the Royal Rumble is all about.
SPEAR TO ROMAN.
That might have been the greatest spear ever.
After Joe Gendry and Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre gets very little reaction entering at #17.
Drew McIntyre with the very silky smooth hair tonight.
Finn Balor in at #18 and we have our second drone sighting of the night.
Something is wrong with Pat McAfee’s headset. Hell of a showing by Penta, by the way.
Jey Uso in at #20 to a HUGE pop.
LET JE YWIN YOU COWARDS.
Poison Rana by Jey???
Let’s hope AJ Styles can stick around for a bit this time. (Not necessarily in the Rumble, but in general.)

All these megastars, and Jacob Fatu might be the most over guy in the match right now. #ROYALRUMBLE

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

I’d be okay if Braun shaved his head again.
Jacob Fatu can literally do ANYTHING and it makes sense.

JOHN CENA’S SOCKS!
JOHN CENA’S SOCKS!
JOHN CENA’S SOCKS!#RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

CM Punk, John Cena, and Roman Reigns all in the ring all at the same time? YES PLEASE.
Now add in Seth Rollins? This is the greatest Royal Rumble of all time.
The current field: Seth Rollins, CM Punk, John Cena, AJ Styles, Jey Uso, Drew McIntyre, and Roman Reigns. That is ABSURD.
The only man who can follow all that talent is indeed Dominik Mysterio. This is about to be amazing.
Imagine if Dom wins. I mean, just imagine it.
With the addition of Sami Zayn, the storylines in this Rumble right now are insane.
Damian Priest, who is probably challenging Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania, enters at #28.
Two more to go. Any surprises?
LA Knight, who I forgot was in this match, enters next.
I kinda expect him to move to Raw in this transfer window.
Ah yes, Logan Paul. I also forgot he was on this.
We’ve had a Nic Nemeth and now a Ricochet reference tonight. I love when you’re WWE, and you are comfortable talking about (almost) ANYBODY.

If I’m WWE, I have Logan Paul wait until the final two before jumping back into the ring. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

He didn’t, by the way. Opportunity missed.
Final 6: Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, John Cena, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Logan Paul… STAR. STUDDED.
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins – the WrestleMania Main Event we never got.
YESSS!
Brilliant spot to have Logan Paul eliminate CM Punk.
Final 3: John Cena, Jey Uso, and Logan Paul. Two of my picks are left.
The action on the outside between Rollins, Roman, and Punk drives home how important the Rumble is to the competitors.
And then there were 2: my Who Should Win vs. my Who Will Win.
Please God let Jey Uso win this thing.
(And that’s not a slight against John Cena.)
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

IT’S JUST YOU, UCE! #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Winner of the 2025 Men’s WWE Royal Rumble Match: Jey Uso

Just like the sign said: EAT. SLEEP. YEET. MANIA. I am so damn happy for Jey Uso. You can tell John Cena was as well, along with Michael Cole. And probably everyone in the entire company. Jey Uso is the success story.

As for the match? Well obviously this is a knee jerk reaction, but eff it–this is the best Royal Rumble Match they have ever put on. The early action was fun and exciting. But from the time Joe Hendry’s music hit to the moment Jey Uso pushed John Cena off of the apron, this match was insane. I think Roman Reigns coming in at 16 was a huge part of that. Once Roman is in the match, you are watching to see a) what he does, and b) if he’ll get eliminated. CM Punk eliminating Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns was beautiful, and then Logan Paul tossing CM Punk was even better. If that leads to Rollins vs. Reigns and Logan vs. Punk at WrestleMania, you can take my money.

My money is a Peacock membership, which is automatically charged. But still. Take it.

If John Cena wins it’s still probably the best Royal Rumble Match of all time. But Jey Uso winning makes that an undisputable fact.

Overall Thoughts on the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble

The Women’s Royal Rumble was decent to good. Loved Roxanne getting the Iron Woman treatment, but in the end it’s another chapter of LOL Charlotte Wins.
I need to rewatch DIY vs MCMG because I was on the phone when my son called. Maybe I will enjoy it more on a second viewing.
The ladder match was brutal but the end result was expected. Cody is still missing something, and I think that something will continue to be missing until he turns heel. He’s just overshadowed by too many of the other babyfaces.
The Men’s Royal Rumble Match was the best Royal Rumble match they have ever put on. Great action in the early half, and from 15 (Joe Hendry) on, it was amazing. The storyline movement with CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins was (here’s that word) cinema, and having the most over wrestler in the company not named Roman Reigns win, and doing so by eliminating the odds-on favorite, was perfect. I’m biased because Jey Uso was my pick, but it was the perfect ending to what was probably as close to perfect as a Rumble match has been since 1992.

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TheChairshot.com PRESENTS: WWE Crown Jewel Immediate Reactions

Join DJ and Tunney for their immediate reactions to WWE Crown Jewel. For the latest, greatest and up to datest, ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit THECHAIRSHOT.COM

Published

5 months ago

November 2, 2024

PC Tunney

Join DJ and Tunney for their immediate reactions to WWE Crown Jewel. For the latest, greatest and up to datest, ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit THECHAIRSHOT.COM