Opinion

Has The Light Faded On WWE’s Women’s Revolution?

Published

7 years ago

March 21, 2018

Hell In A Cell. Iron Woman match. Main eventing RAW. Money In The Bank. Royal Rumble. The poorly thought through Fabulous Moolah Battle Royale… WWE have certainly gone all out in the last two years to follow through on their promise of a Women’s Revolution and have offered up a veritable smorgasbord of ‘first evers’. By finally focusing on the talent possessed by these women rather than their bodies, WWE have struck gold and helped the women to become more relevant than ever before, sometimes even more so than the male superstars. But then something happened, something all too common within WWE… they took a good thing and ran it into the ground. The women’s divisions on both RAW and SDLive have become largely unwatchable, over populated, cringeworthy, clusterfuck botch fests… but how? What happened? I’m going to dissect the situation and take a look at what WWE can do to avoid turning this revolution… into a de–evolution.

Charlotte Flair

What can be said Charlotte Flair that hasn’t already been said? She is arguably the greatest female superstar of all time, one of the most naturally gifted, athletic and charismatic women the company has ever seen. But one thing she is NOT… is a face. Let’s get one thing straight, Charlotte is not very good on the mic. She wasn’t as a heel and she certainly isn’t as a face, but at least as a heel it could be disguised with shouting, abuse and general sliminess. Her time on SDLive has been largely uncomfortable to watch, but this has also been contributed to by her colleagues. When Natalya is the closest thing you have to a heel you know you’re in big trouble. The introduction of The Riott Squad was a welcome one, but yet another shining example of WWE trying to flog a dead horse.

Speaking of the SDLive roster, it’s overcrowded with women who aren’t even close to Charlotte’s level. Carmella, Lana, Tamina, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan are all absolute messes and in no way legitimate threats to the queen’s throne. Ruby Riot offered a nice change of pace, but I always felt she was brought in just to be the polar opposite of Charlotte – rough, tattooed and alternative – rather than for her talent. Becky Lynch is still one of the best women the company has on its books, but they continue to misuse her… the best course of action here would be turning Charlotte heel again, having her claim no one is worthy of dethroning her, and having Becky step up to challenge her. The two have had fantastic matches before, including on ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All’, and would no doubt tear the house down again.

The biggest problem WWE faced by moving Charlotte to SDLive was trying to find her another Sasha Banks. Love her or hate her, Sasha always managed to bring out the absolute best in Charlotte, and their outstanding rivalry was rewarded with multiple history making moments. Hell In A Cell, main eventing RAW, Iron Woman match… can you imagine Charlotte v Carmella in any of those? Absolutely not. WWE need to look toward NXT to get them out of the shit once again… the prospect of Charlotte v Ember Moon or Kairi Sane are both tantalising.

Now I know what you’re thinking. What about Asuka? Surely WWE have sidestepped all of this mess by having The Empress of Tomorrow choose Charlotte as her WrestleMania opponent? Well sure, it’s the first time she has had genuine, serious competition for a long time which Is obviously a welcome change, but you’re now left with a roster full of women desperate to stake their claim not being given an opportunity.

Having a woman treat a man like a pathetic, worthless, lacky, spineless, ugly bitch in new demeaning ways every week… EQUALITY!

Carmella & James Ellsworth

The first ever women’s Money In The Bank match was an absolutely huge moment for the women of WWE and one they very much deserved after years of proving themselves worthy. The match had great build up, a great storyline and genuinely felt very important. So what did WWE do? They decided to take this iconic moment, iconic match, career defining moment… and have a man win the match on a woman’s behalf. Nice one WWE! James Ellsworth had already outstayed his welcome at this point after being quite a funny sideshow attraction for a long time, but this was one of the most mind-boggling decisions WWE have ever made. Sure, the company did eventually backtrack on the decision and reschedule the match for an episode of SDLive, but by this point the damage was done and it was too late to get the fan’s back on side. The victory felt cheap the second time round.

Then we have Carmella herself. Not the most obvious winner at the time, but one which made a lot of sense going forward. She had improved in the ring and on the mic, had a manager we all loved to hate, has the look that WWE love their women to have and is still young enough to grow in the business. The issue is that since winning the contract she has done absolutely nothing in WWE. No memorable matches, no memorable feuds, hastily thrown together last-minute matches and repeated failed cash in attempts. I imagine she will attempt to cash in on the winner of Charlotte v Asuka and fall flat on her face. She is in no way ready to be a champion and in hindsight was probably not the best choice in the first place.

Alexa Bliss and RAW

It may seem like I’m blaming SDLive entirely for the issues in the women’s division, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. RAW has become increasingly stale over the years and guilty of stagnating, with little storyline development and lots of underutilization of talent. Exhibit A… Emma. One of the most talented female superstars of the modern era with a stunning look to boot, she had every tool in the box to become a huge star in WWE yet was repeatedly buried, with her most memorable run coming at the expense of putting Asuka over on the main roster. Millions of fans got behind Emma through the #GiveEmmaAChance Twitter movement, but once again WWE failed to recognise that giving the fans what they actually want would result in more $$$. Exhibit B – Nia Jax. Sure, she is finally being used correctly now, but at the start it was painfully obvious she was brought up too early purely because of her size. There were much better options on the roster and also in NXT at the time, but Jax was brought up and spent months squashing jobbers left, right and centre. With a little more refining, Jax could’ve stepped straight onto the main roster and been a dominant force. But she was treated, lets face it, as a fat girl. It sounds harsh but its painfully true.

WWE also really screwed up by having Alexa Bliss defend the RAW Women’s Championship so rarely. I get that she’s a dirty slimy, heel who runs away at the first sign of danger, and I get that it made sense in terms of storyline, but in a day and age where so many millions of fans berate the company for not using Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship often enough you would think they would try and keep their top belts relevant by actually featuring them. The one thing missing from Bliss’s arsenal is in ring talent. Don’t get me wrong, she isn’t the worst in terms of talent, but she’s also far from the best, and you want your top titles to be represented by the absolute best. There is no better woman on the mic than Bliss, but talk is cheap and it will only get you so far. The belt became completely irrelevant towards the latter part of 2017.

Ronda Rousey

The worst kept secret in WWE history… Ronda Rousey was signing with the company. This decision instantly got the fan’s riled up… we are sick to death of seeing part timers and celebrities treated better than the actual talent and it seemed history was repeating itself. We all assumed Rousey would be handed a title opportunity on her arrival, an assumption seemingly backed up by her incredibly well acted and not awkward at all sign pointing party, to kick the rest of the roster in the teeth once again. WWE have made the right decision in having Rousey join up with Kurt Angle to take on the team of HHH and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania next month, but this could be another case of the damage being done. WWE have their work cut out for them getting Rousey ready in ring, especially considering she has supposedly signed a full-time contract, and even more work cut out for them to get her ready on the mic. It doesn’t take much for the fans to shit all over something or someone, and this could turn out to be a very expensive mistake… one which alienates the vast majority of the female roster and the little girls watching around the world.

‘You need to act like a champ’ ‘Why? You never did when DX won the Womens Championship for you…’ WE MISS YOU AJ

Stephanie McMahon

Did you know Stephanie McMahon created women’s wrestling? She actually created women altogether. She’s often cited with being the mastermind behind electricity, oxygen and penicillin. Obviously, I am joking, but the way Steph goes on sometimes you would be forgiven for assuming she is our lord and saviour. WWE love nothing more than shoving an authority figure down our throats when they should be looking at the bigger picture, evident in how much we saw and heard Steph talking about the first ever women’s Royal Rumble. Let the women themselves talk about it, let it feel important rather than yet another marketing tool. Steph is in every way just as bad as her brother Shane when it comes to hogging the limelight. A pair of power hungry, egomaniacs determined to remind us that their daddy gave us everything that we see before us. It’s a stark contrast between Steph and her husband HHH who did things the right way. He has successfully earnt the respect of the locker room and the fans by giving most of his life to the company, so his place a top of the mountain as WWE COO is one which the fans can accept. When he hands someone a title in NXT, its fine. When he introduced himself into the Survivor Series team, it was fine. He is there when he is needed. When the story can benefit from his experience. He isn’t there to put himself over.

In terms of the Royal Rumble itself, the match went off without a hitch. The women who paved the way in WWE came back to remind us why they are so deserving of their Hall of Fame spots and the women of today showed us they are more than ready to take over and deliver. But then you had Steph sat on commentary talking almost as much bullshit as Booker T used to do. And she even received her own entrance as if she was a part of it. Then to really take the piss we had her mate Maria Menounas as the guest ring announcer despite women like Lilian Garcia and JoJo dedicating years of their lives to travelling the world with WWE. The Twitter outcry was almost deafening… WWE had once again taken something so monumental and made it feel cheap, prioritising their bank balance and lining their chums pockets.

Don’t mind me girls i’m just here to steal your thunder. I’m a McMahon. It’s what we do…

SDLive Overcrowding

Talk about having too much of a good thing eh? WWE have clearly given up on writing intelligent, entertaining, meaningful storylines because its easier to give us a series of meaningless 3 v 3, 6 women tag matches. Why call up Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan in the first place if they’re just going to play second and third fiddle to Ruby Riot? Riot could’ve just as easily been called up by herself and had more time invested in her. The exact same can be said over on RAW with Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose, but at least they’ve become part of the growing animosity between Bayley and Sasha Banks in the wake of Paige’s unfortunate injury.

See that’s the thing with RAW. They may have too many superstars on the roster but at least the vast majority of them get time to shine and get used properly. They’re managing to use every single woman at their disposal and spreading them over the course of two storylines, even finding a way for a veteran like Mickie James to stay relevant. There is a stark contrast over on SDLive, where we’ve seen Natalya, Becky Lynch and Naomi go from being on top of the division, to being thrown into non sensical tag matches on PPV’s just one month before WrestleMania. HHH does so much right in WWE, but for every great thing he does, he cancels it out by doing something like giving his delusional, one dimensional, living in the past, taken-one-too-many-blows-to-the-head mate Road Dogg a job in creative. If you aren’t going to give the girls a chance, let them go elsewhere. We don’t want another Emma on our hands.

Nothing says ’empowering women’ quite like idolising a well documented pimp!

The Fabulous Moolah Battle Royal

Where the fuck do I start with this one? We live in a day and age where you could Google ‘When did Hulk Hogan last go the toilet?’ and find an accurate answer. My point is that literally everything EVER is on the internet. So how did WWE think they would ever get away with naming a tournament after a well-documented sex trafficker? She actually did very little for women’s wrestling and is mostly known for her friendship with Mae Young, who happens to be a genuine pioneer and icon to women all over the world. The company’s moral compass doesn’t know which way is up at the minute. They completely blacklisted one of the most important women in their history, Chyna, for venturing into porn yet haven’t cut ties with Sunny for her addiction problems, badmouthing of the company or her very own foray into the world of sex entertainment. The same thing can be said for Paige’s leaked sex tapes with Brad Maddox and Xavier Woods. Sure, that wasn’t intentionally put out on to the internet by Paige, but it still caused a huge amount of embarrassment for WWE and a lot of people were surprised to see Paige return at all afterwards.

Chyna paved the way for women in WWE and in sports as a whole all over the world, and she would’ve been so much more deserving of this honour than Moolah. It could’ve been a great way for WWE to get the fans back on side, and a great way to lead on to Chyna finally being inducted into the Hall Of Fame. Instead, WWE have found themselves with egg on their face and have changed the name of the tournament amidst a huge fan backlash. It really does defy all belief that someone in WWE keeps giving the green light on all of these bizarre and downright stupid decisions.

Final Thoughts. WWE can still do a lot of good both pre and post WrestleMania. They’ve made the right decision in having Nia Jax and Asuka going after the RAW and SDLive belts respectively. Two really good storylines, one potential showstopper and the rest of the women get to be a part of history once again in the battle royal. Post Mania it would be a great time to start trimming off the fat and let go of the deadweight, making room for the likes of Moon, Cross and The Iconic Duo, all from NXT. This is hands down the best pool of female talent that WWE have ever had at their disposal. Long may the evolution, and revolution, continue.

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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

3 weeks 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

4 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