Opinion

A Letter From A Frustrated WWE Fan

Published

6 years ago

May 10, 2018

AJ Styles Shinsuke Nakamura WWE Smackdown

Like many of you reading this article I frustratingly made my way through Sundays WWE Backlash event, a show that certainly brought out the anger in many wrestling fans across the world. Most fans on both Facebook & Twitter expressed their disdain for Backlash and attributed it to the worst qualities we know the WWE can bring out every now and then, I however saw Backlash as part of a much bigger picture.

Backlash to me didn’t just represent everything I dislike about the WWE product but was the boiling point of so much pent up emotion & frustration I’ve been having lately.

In 2016 when the re-introduction of the brand split came about, the new WWE business model excited me; 3-4 smaller shows (like Backlash) in between the 4 marquee spectacles (Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, Survivor Series & WrestleMania) that occur seasonally and would set the tone for everything leading into the next respective event. This model isn’t just brilliant on paper but can adjust the flow of your entire product to work to perfection if executed correctly, clearly, I don’t believe this has been accomplished.

The last 6-8 months of the WWE product as a whole has quite frankly drained a little bit of the life out of me. The expansion of the company and its ever-growing roster of talent might be exciting to some but to me comes across as incredibly overwhelming. Some were ecstatic over the announcement of new show concepts such as ‘The Greatest Royal Rumble’ & the combination of both brands under monthly network specials instead of the traditional 2 shows per month method they had been following, but my excitement seems to have sadly dwindled.

As a fan for close to 2 decades now this concerned me, has my passion for the business gone? Is wrestling too stale? Is the product not as exciting as I once remember it to be? The answer however was dead-centre the entire time, the mainstream WWE product is simply exhausting.

When I refer to exhaustion I in no way mean it’s entirely poor booked or scripted, I mean we as fans are being fed far too much in what seems like such a short space of time, but in reality, is a combined 7-hours of weekly television between Raw, Smackdown, 205 Live & NXT. This combination excludes the occasional specials WWE tends to place on its Network, such as; The Mae Young Classic, Cruiserweight Classic, Mixed Match Challenge and countless others we can expect to be announced anytime now with summer just around the corner.

But surely the only way to critique a product is to look at external competitors, right?

Wrong.

A product as broad at the WWE gives us the perfect opportunity to analyse the issues from its own internal structure and thankfully we have more than enough evidence to sink our teeth into and get an idea of far larger issues lurking below the depths of what we as fans tune into weekly.

NXT

The NXT product is arguably the best professional wrestling product on the planet right now and arguing against this would be quite the challenge.

This brand acted as Triple H’s pet project, something he took under his wing and over time turned into a global phenomenon which many cite as the best thing going under the WWE banner, having outshined the main roster talent of the company on countless occasions. It combines everything great about the art of professional wrestling; the simple yet excellent storytelling, compelling characters, rabid audiences & some of the best in-ring work in the business of the last 5 years regardless of the company you choose to discuss.

What I find as the main attraction however, is the brands use of timing. Only providing one episode per week that runs anywhere from 45-60 minutes, NXT is able to cram a ridiculous amount of fun professional wrestling into a small space of time that surprisingly works.

A format such as this keeps it simple, rotate your storylines on a weekly basis while keeping the key championships at the forefront of your programming & let the wrestling do the talking. It may not provide the eccentric energy and chaos of the 90’s Attitude Era but that isn’t the intention here at all. It’s a classic call-back to the roots of the business and does it in a way I never thought could be so perfect.

Using familiar faces from International brands such as Asuka, Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Aleistar Black & many more is also a brilliant move on the part of the brands creative team, as it introduces the wrestling world to names some never thought would have the WWE light shun on them. The brand isn’t exclusive to just independent talents though, current names such as Velveteen Dream & Lars Sullivan were homegrown under the WWE Performance Centre and have been highlights of the programming for months now.

NXT itself highlights the primary aspect the 2 mainstream WWE shows slips up on, the importance of timing. Brands such as Smackdown & RAW may provide some good storytelling & wrestling, but both shows clock in at 5 hours of weekly programming, something a lot of us don’t have time to sacrifice for regardless. This only gets worse when we take into account each of the brands key events, in this case NXT’s TakeOver specials which run roughly 3 hours as opposed to the 6-8 hour monstrosities that the mainstream product offers us every 3-4 months.

While I understand those that enjoy the spectacle of the WWE product in its weekly televised shows, it just isn’t enough to substitute for a more coherent and simple form of entertainment that NXT can provide fans with. Many of us have jobs, hobbies & interests outside of professional wrestling that potentially cannot be fulfilled with the level of dedication the mainstream WWE product requires from us, as sad as that may sound.

You may read this as anti-WWE and pro-NXT rhetoric but all I’m doing is comparing a product to another one that I feel will give us as fans far more to sink our teeth into. After all, it’s always quality over quantity.

The Greatest Royal Rumble

My overall tone & voice to this article, is as stated, one of exhaustion. Which is something I highly attribute to the overcrowding that the WWE product has currently. By overcrowding, I mean far too much content with very little breathing room that us fans need in order to appreciate what we’re given on a weekly basis. I see no better way of displaying this, than mentioning ‘The Greatest Royal Rumble’.

I previously wrote an article expressing my excitement towards The Greatest Royal Rumble, its cultural significance and what it meant to myself, someone originating from the Middle East. Regardless of how much hype the company placed behind it, the final product certainly didn’t live up to the expectations we were leading to believe.

The show itself felt like a prolonged house show, featuring one-note matches (albeit an excellent ladder match) & a main event that never quite clicked with the live crowd in the manner we’d imagine it would. Add on some of the bizarre booking decisions that took place throughout and you had a show that while large in scope, presented very little content with any form of re-watch value behind it. However, it wasn’t the failed expectations that are the primary issue here, it’s the shows long-lasting impact on the fans across the globe.

Being assigned the task of following up WrestleMania 34 seemed ambitious on paper, but you can only drag out so much excitement from a global fanbase that is already pre-exhausted from what transpired a matter of days before this event went underway. WrestleMania is our version of Christmas and this show felt like a forced rehash of it at a time when we need to kick back for a little while to soak in the events that occurred in New Orleans. It also didn’t help that the WWE’s Post-WrestleMania schedule featured the ‘Superstar Shake-Up’ roughly 8 to 10 days prior, their dual-branded Backlash event which would occur shortly after and last but certainly not least, their annual tour of the United Kingdom.

What I’m trying to express here, is overkill. Plain and simple. This in no way means ‘The Greatest Royal Rumble’ is solely responsible for the excessiveness of WWE content, but it’s a representation of such issues. Any larger scale franchise, brand or product maintains its relevancy & excitement behind it by letting their loyal customers behind it breathe for a while, giving a chance for what has been produced to resonate and sink in while plans for any future developments be slowly introduced as time roles on.

Understandably, many will disagree with me on this point, as the nature of the professional wrestling business is a non-stop thrill ride with ‘‘No Off-Season’’ as we are told every week by WWE commentators. You can’t change the nature of the business, but you can change the way its structured to keep fans more in tune with the excitement you’re attempting to resonate through your programming.

I obviously appreciate The Greatest Royal Rumble for what it was, and the efforts put in by the massive roster present on the day, but all of this just seemed like far too much at a time when we need far less. It also wasn’t helped by the car crash that followed.

Backlash

I don’t really have as much to say about Backlash as I do the other sub-topics in this writing, partially because of how outright terrible I found the show especially since I had to sit through it between 1am and 4am in the morning.

Backlash wasn’t just panned by critics online but to anyone who saw the show live, angered the live audience in ways we rarely see nowadays. From fans walking out of arena to chants for CM Punk, the WWE seemingly turned an entire fanbase against a show that had all the potential to be the years best, and you don’t blame those who acted in that manner in the slightest.

We got swerves we never asked for, match conclusions that were flat-out ridiculous, matches that came across as nothing but rushed & the constant reminder that Roman Reigns is bigger than even the WWE Championship when discussing the main event slot. Decisions like these won’t just anger your fans but will have them questioning their dedication to you entirely.

Most of us admire the company’s determination to build up the ‘Next John Cena’, but its clear this is yet another issue that exhausts people like myself and that’s being force-fed talent. Guys like Roman Reigns are insanely talented without question but from a logical perspective, how many of us are buying into him in the role he’s being pitched?

The man is certainly over but just not in the way the WWE would like him to be and this is clearly on display now that his 3rd straight big match has come out with disastrous results. We currently have of talents like Braun Strowman & Seth Rollins who the WWE Universe adores with every ounce of their heart but instead we are served a man that seems ‘out-of-date’ if you will.

Booing a talent remains cool for a little while initially but as anyone watching this product knows, we aren’t that easily wavered into thinking the way a set of certain individuals wants us to and much like Backlash, these decisions come back to haunt you.

They say the first sign of madness is doing the same thing over and over again, while expecting different results. We can all but confirm this is a topic the WWE has clearly lost their minds over.

50/50 Booking

I doubt there is another topic in the world of professional wrestling, aside from the Monday Night Wars that has been done to death in the way that of 50/50 booking has over the last number of years.

To those who are clearly mature enough to avoid the constant complaints of internet ‘fanboys’, the concept of booking in wrestling is how a character is presented in regard to his/her wins & loses which in turn impacts the credibility of these characters to the general audience. One of the biggest plagues of the WWE product is just this, 50/50 booking which relates to even numbers of both wins and losses amongst feuding characters.

The primary issue of such a direction isn’t just how boring it can be in storyline but that it generally stagnates much of the programming it’s attached to. Nobody buys into a character that loses all the time and when you make a character so invulnerable he/she never loses, it can on occasion hurt the character in a similar manner in making any feud they have remotely interesting. There is however no curse more harming than going neither direction and having characters trade aimless wins & losses.

Currently we can look at the Bobby Roode vs Elias feud. Now I happen to be a massive fan of Elias, who may have the most over gimmick in all of WWE, but I’d be lying if I said Bobby Roode has turned into anything more than just a catchphrase at this point in time. A feud like this can be used to introduce the newly drafted Roode into a refreshing new role and potentially further elevate the status of Elias, WWE however have turned it into easily the most stagnant part of each weekly RAW show.

Why is it so stagnant you ask?

Because there’s no endgame. Fans of your product aren’t going to invest in a feud that just consists of passable matches on a weekly basis and this is the same mistake we’ve seen WWE conduct for what seems like an eternity.

Both ‘Road Dogg’ Jessie James & Triple H themselves in the past have stated that wins & losses generally ‘don’t matter’ in the grand scheme of the WWE product, an answer I’d never expect from two names so synonymous with the business. Talents such as Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, The New Day, Rusev, Jinder Mahal, Baron Corbin & Bayley have all suffered because of this particular issue, in spite of all the mentioned names possessing more than enough talent to hold their own.

Watching the product as long as I have, I doubt this will change anytime soon. A part of me hopes this trend continues and eventually the company’s creative team but as a fan I feel an obligation to express what a negative impact this style of booking is having on my long-term interest in storylines and like any wrestling fan, we deserve the best from every aspect.

Solution – What now?

I can easily see people misinterpreting this essay in a negative light and take it as a simple bashing of the WWE product as it currently stands. The truth is, the WWE & Professional Wrestling are a massive part of who I am today as a person, providing me with some of my fondest memories to date and is something I love so much that I spend my days writing pieces like this.

In no way is this intended as simple slander, it’s a look at the product from the eyes of someone who sees countless glaring issues with what the WWE is trying to do and there is no better time than now to fix them. Simply throwing the solution of ‘listen to the internet more’ is certainly not the way of overcoming these obstacles, if anything that would be regressive, the WWE however need to open their eyes to the issues that are facing them.

Some of what I spoke about may not seem like much, but each point represents a much larger picture, and something I fear will result in the backlash of many fans who have remained loyal for so long. I do not implore any fan to act in the manner that some fans this past Sunday at Backlash did, but there is a growing tension between the WWE and its fanbase with each passing major show and like we saw this past week, that tension could lead to something ugly.

I along with millions of fans love this business and will stand by it for as long as I can, I’m just sick of my passion being taken for granted.

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

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Opinion

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

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

Published

3 weeks ago

April 11, 2024

Greg DeMarco

John Cena Last Match Randy Orton WWE WrestleMania 41

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

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

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

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

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

Honorable Mentions:

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

5. CM Punk

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

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

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

4. Roman Reigns

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

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

3. Bron Breakker

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

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

2. R-Truth

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

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

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

1. Randy Orton

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s WrestleMania 40 Saturday Results & Review

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

Published

3 weeks ago

April 8, 2024

Greg DeMarco

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

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

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

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Rhea Ripley retains

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winners via belt retrieval, AND NEW:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brother vs Brother: Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

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

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

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

Winner, via pinfall: Jey Uso

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Intercontinental Championship – Sami Zayn vs. GUNTHER (champion)

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

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

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

Winner via pinfall, AND NEW Intercontinental Champion: Sami Zayn

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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