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WWE Week in Review: November 5-11, 2018

As WWE leaves the controversy of Crown Jewel in the rearview mirror, all eyes turn to Survivor Series. What happened this week?

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Chairshot WWE Week In Review

SmackDown

Survivor Series: Smackdown kicked off with Paige introducing Shane McMahon as ‘The Best in the World’, which was NOT popular with the Manchester crowd. McMahon was surprisingly humble, saying that he didn’t deserve that title, he’d just stepped in to make sure SmackDown wasn’t beaten by RAW and that the World Cup trophy belonged to the SmackDown locker room.

That settled, he and Paige turned their attention to Survivor Series. They are both determined that SmackDown will come out on top this year. With that in mind, they name the team captain for the SmackDown Men’s Team: Daniel Bryan!

Bryan is happy to be named the SmackDown Team Captain and can’t resist taking a small dig at Shane, thanking him for admitting that he’s NOT the best in the world. Before he can announce who he’d like to have on his team, Miz came out, still limping from his injury from Crown Jewel. As far as Miz was concerned, his performance at Crown Jewel makes him more qualified to be Team Captain than Bryan, even suggests that he and Shane be co-captains of Team SmackDown.

Shane declined to be co-captain of Team SmackDown with Miz, pointing out that if Miz hadn’t been injured and lost, he would’ve been fired but suggested that Bryan and Miz be co-captains instead.

Miz didn’t like that since he hadn’t been so injured that he couldn’t wrestle, which made him better than Bryan, but Bryan welcomes the challenge.

Given their near decade long rivalry, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Miz and Bryan couldn’t agree on who should be on Team SmackDown. Miz shot down Bryan’s suggestions and Bryan was skeptical of Miz’s. Finally, Shane stepped in, and it turned out that he was the one person both team captains could agree on and Shane agreed. Miz was so happy, he ‘offered’ to let Bryan get the next pick.

Bryan’s pick was Rey Mysterio. Miz was skeptical, probably because of his two encounters with him, but he was willing to let Mysterio on the team if Mysterio managed to impress him in a match with someone Miz had an eye on: Andrade Almas! They then agree to each pick one more person and have those picks also compete in a match with the winner becoming the final member of Team SmackDown.

Rey Mysterio vs Andrade Almas: With a chance to be part of Team SmackDown, Mysterio and Almas had a lot on their plates on top of being a dream match.

The match lived up to expectations and then some, which is extremely rare in wrestling. Mysterio has had a long career and a lot of injuries, but he was still able to keep up with Almas and they put on a great match. Mysterio would pull out the victory over Almas, seeming to stamp his ticket to Survivor Series, much to Miz’s chagrin. Even worse, Mysterio got jumped by Randy Orton yet again. Orton hasn’t been mentioned in the Survivor Series conversation and he seems quite unhappy about it.

Jeff Hardy vs Samoa Joe: In a rematch from the World Cup qualifier, Bryan’s pick of Jeff Hardy took on Miz’s pick, Samoa Joe. This match was a lot better than the match from the qualifiers since Joe’s leg seemed to be in much better shape than last time.

It looked like Miz was going to have to deal with being the only heel on the SmackDown team, Samoa Joe was able to counter the Swanton Bomb with his knees before locking on the Coquina Clutch for the win.

Afterwards is when things get squirrely. Joe, not forgetting Bryan not wanting him on the team, rubbed the victory in Bryan’s face and Bryan, not forgetting that Joe had attacked him after his match with AJ Styles, attacked Joe and got him in the Yes! Lock. Miz and Shane tried to break things up and ended up on the nasty side of Bryan’s temper, leaving Bryan’s future as co-team captain of Team SmackDown in doubt. 

WWE Championship: It was announced that AJ would face Brock Lesnar in a rematch from last years’s encounter. Styles cut a promo, reflecting on taking on the Beast for a second year. He’d fought Lesnar with everything and come up short. This year, he said that he would defeat Lesnar and that wasn’t a mere promise, it was a spoiler.

WWE United States Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura addressed his upcoming match with Seth Rollins. He commented that he felt bad for Seth Rollins because of how his life is burning down around him with Reigns being sick and Ambrose turning on him. Nakamura promised he’d make Seth feel better by giving him a knee to the face.

SmackDown Women’s Division: On RAW, Ronda Rousey cut a promo in which she, rather arrogantly, dismissed Becky Lynch as a threat, saying that Becky had her respect, which sounded ridiculously hollow.

On Tuesday, Becky fired back at the RAW Women’s Champion. Dismissing Rousey’s warning, Lynch said that Ronda Rousey might HOLD a championship, she is not a champion. Why? Because she’s never been tested. True champions endure struggles, doubts, and hardship. Champions overcome adversity, something Ronda Rousey has never had to do, which is why she’ll lose at Survivor Series, she’s too weak-minded to understand what true adversity does to a person. That’s why Becky is a champion and Ronda is just a title holder.

Becky then fired back at Rousey’s mockery of her path to WWE. Yes, she had a lot of different jobs before WWE, so what? No, Becky wasn’t the one the company wanted to be champion, she wasn’t the one who was supposed to be the true main event of Evolution, she wasn’t supposed to be the one everyone in wrestling was talking about, but here she is, all of those things and more. Ronda Rousey may CALL herself the Baddest Bitch on the Planet, but at Survivor Series, the only bitch Rousey’s going to be is Becky’s.

Now all fired up, Becky says that she’s in the mood to fight and issues a challenge to anyone in the back to come out and fight the champion. After a minute, SAniTy comes out, which is bad news for anyone, but the gentlemen of SAniTy weren’t there to fight Becky, they were bringing out the person who DID want to fight, Nikki Cross!

Becky wasn’t sure what to make of the, undeniably, unhinged Cross and made the mistake of mocking her. Nikki means no harm, she just wants to play with the champ. Let’s play, Becky!

The match between Lynch and Cross was amazing. Cross’s gimmick of being bats**t crazy might obscure it sometimes, but she’s undeniably talented and was able to give the Champ a run for her money. Becky would get a submission victory over Nikki, but it was far from a sure thing.

With the Men’s Survivor Series team on its way to formation, Paige turned her attention to the Women’s team. Forgoing Alexa Bliss’ decision to have matches to see who should be allowed on the team, she announced the team right away: Carmella, with R-Truth in tow, Naomi, Sonya Deville, Asuka, and Team Captain, Charlotte!

Problem was, Charlotte didn’t come out, but Mandy Rose did, stating that her entry to the team was an upgrade. When Paige told Rose that she wasn’t getting Charlotte’s spot, Rose’s rage boiled over. She got on the mic and started bashing the whole team. Carmella was just like her dance breaks, short and useless; though Carmella fired back that she, at least, had had a title reign. To Naomi, she claimed that no one was feeling the glow anymore… including Naomi’s husband, Jimmy Uso.

That was a stupid thing to say and Naomi made her pay for it with a punch in the face. The fight is quickly broken up, though it took Asuka and Carmella to pull Naomi off of Mandy. Deville got Mandy away and the two argued before Mandy stormed off, rather than face more wrath from a furious Naomi.

Where’s Charlotte? No idea, but if I had to hazard a guess, I’d guess that the Golden Goddess had something to do with it.

SmackDown Tag Team Division: It was announced on Monday that the SmackDown Tag Team Champions, the Bar would be facing the RAW Tag Team Champions. When RAW started, those champions were Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, but things change. Now, the Bar will be facing AoP instead.

On top of that, it was announced that there would be a traditional Survivor Series match for the Tag Teams, 10 vs 10. So, on Tuesday, the Usos took on New Day to determine who would be the team captains.

It’s common for teams who have met as often as the Usos and New Day had, to put on the same old match, but these two teams put on a great match. It looked like New Day might pull one out to be team captains again, but the Usos would be the ones to get the pinfall and become team captains.

In a display of sportsmanship that belies the fact that New Day was going to be on the team anyway given the small number of tag teams on SmackDown, the Usos invited their long-time rivals to be on the team as well, which the New Day accepted after a moment of hesitation.


NXT UK

 Episode 5

NXT UK Championship: A few episodes ago, Danny Burch threw down the gauntlet to Pete Dunne over the UK Championship, which Dunne accepted.

This match was amazingly good. Both men have justifiable reputations as brawlers, but they put on a very great technical match, including an incredible Super German Suplex. Ultimately, Pete Dunne would triumph over Burch, but it was almost by the skin of his teeth and only by BREAKING Burch’s fingers.

It’s hard to put into words just how great this match was. It should be a starmaking match for Burch who proved himself to be a worthy contender for the NXT UK Championship. After the match, Dunne gave Burch a nod of respect, but I have the feeling that Burch isn’t done with Dunne.

NXT UK Women’s Division: Since episode 1, we’ve been seeing promos for Jinny, who made her first appearance in the first round of the Mae Young Classic this year, going up against Toni Storm. I can’t say I was very impressed with her from that match, but they seem to be pushing her as a big deal.

Toni Storm gave an interview and it was announced that she and Dakota Kai will go one on one in the next episode. Storm said that she wants that NXT UK Women’s Championship, but it hasn’t changed her preparation for Dakota Kai, who is on record as saying she wants that yet-to-be-announced championship too. Storm said that she was aware of Kai’s comments, but she’s Toni Storm and Kai’s ambitions aren’t going to get very far.

At this point, Kai interrupted. Kai asserted that she had a lot of respect for Toni, but warned her that when Dakota Kai says she will kick heads off to get what she wants, she’s not kidding and promises that she’ll be better than Toni, even with as good as Toni is. The two shake hands, but the stage for a barnburner is set.

Dave Mastiff vs Damien Weir: The Bomber has been making a big splash in his previous appearances with his massive size and amazing skill. He took on Damien Weir, who looked scared to death at the prospect before the bell rung.

To Weir’s credit, he tried REALLY hard, but he was basically dinner for Mastiff, who wasted little time in squashing his opponent. At least he gave Weir an approving thumbs up, though whether it was for the effort, or his hilarious squeals of pain and terror remains to be seen.

El Ligero vs James Drake: The Leeds Luchador took on the debuting James Drake. Ligero had been part of the first episode of NXT UK, racking up a win, but Drake is hungry to prove himself.

The match was pretty good. Ligero and Drake were pretty evenly matched in height and weight, but Drake is more of a brawler compared to technical and high-flying Ligero. Ligero would pull out the win after a thunderous tornado DDT.

Ashton Smith vs: Ashton Smith was SUPPOSED to have a match tonight, but he never got that far. He was jumped by the Coffey Brothers and Wolfgang. After leaving Smith in a heap, the Sinister Scottish Trio came to the ring to cut a promo.  They seemed quite pleased with their work over the past couple of week. Joe addressed the Wolfgang situation and said that he’d had a revelation, he and his brother needed others like themselves, so they turned to the Last King. They vow to make NXT UK into their kingdom and woe to those who stand in their way!

As for previous victims, Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster, they were busy talking to GM Johnny Saint about getting a match against the sinister Scotts.

Eddie Dennis vs Sid Scala: Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen vignettes of Eddie Dennis. Dennis was a childhood friend of Pete Dunne and Mark Andrews, and actually gave up his job as schoolteacher to become a wrestler so they could stay together, but while Dunne and Andrews have found success, it seems like Dennis hasn’t been so lucky in his career and certainly seems to have an ax to grind.

The match between the angry schoolteacher and Sid Scala was a pretty good one. Dennis certainly seemed pretty pissed off and used poor Scala to vent his frustrations. Scala put up a pretty good fight, but Dennis’ rage and frustration proved the deciding factor, earning Dennis the pinfall win. I hope Dunne and Andrews are looking over their shoulders.

Episode 6

 Dakota Kai vs Toni Storm: The long-awaited battle between the two New Zealanders happened this week. Both ladies have been vocal about wanting to be in contention for the yet to be announced NXT UK Women’s Championship.

The match was amazing! Babyface vs Babyface matches are always tough, especially with two fan favorites, but Kai and Storm worked really well together and put on a real brawl with each other while the fans chanted for Australia.

Storm would pull out a victory with Storm Zero, but it was made clear that the Captain is more than a match for the Lightning from Down Under. The two women shook hands and hugged, but as Kai was leaving, she was attacked by the debuting Jinny, who declared that this was HER NXT! Jinny was chased away by Storm, who helped the injured Kai to the back.

Zack Gibson vs Amir Jordan: Liverpool’s Number 1 has been talking a lot of smack lately, especially about Amir Jordan, promising to not let the Bhenga Bad Boy deter him from taking his place at the top of NXT UK.

The fans were on Gibson’s case from the start, threatening to suffocate him with their foot odor. The match was good, but pretty quick. Gibson put on a dominating performance, but that didn’t stop Jordan from putting up a fight, hoping that Gibson’s aversion to the fans’ foot odor would work in his favor. Unfortunately for him, Gibson overcame the stink and forced Amir to tap out to the Shankly Gates.

Once the vanquished Jordan was out of the ring, Gibson cut a promo talking about NXT UK and the sheer amount of talent coming in, but as far as Gibson is concerned, he’s NXT UK’s #1, not just Liverpool’s and he puts the locker room on notice that he’s not sharing the top spot and that he’s the guy the brand should be built around, not Pete Dunne or Danny Burch.

At this point, Trent Seven came out, saying that Gibson is giving him a headache and asks the audience if Gibson is delusional. Seven points out that it was himself, Dunne, Burch, and others who kicked off the craze for a UK version of NXT, not Zack Gibson.

It looks like a fight was going to break out, but Gibson backs off. He’ll deal with Seven on his time.

Kevin Williams vs Jordan Devlin: This match between the Luckyan (Williams) and Ireland’s Iron Man was random but pretty good. Devlin definitely learned a lot from Finn Balor and dominated the match. Williams gave him a pretty good fight, but the Iron Man was not to be denied, and put the Luckyan away with Ireland’s call for the win.

Six Man Tag: Mark Andrews, Flash Morgan Webster, and Ashton Smith vs The Coffey Brothers and Wolfgang: The issues between these six men goes back to the 2018 UK Championship Tournament, when the Coffey brothers made their presence known in the battle royal. The surprising turn of Wolfgang last week only adds to the Coffey’s fearsomeness.

This was less a match than a fistfight, but it was very good. The Coffey’s and Wolfgang are big guys, but they move extremely well. Andrews, Webster, and Smith, for their parts, were able to hold their own against the Scots.

In the end, it would be strategy, not muscle, that would decide this match. The Coffeys and Wolfgang were able to use teamwork a little better than the Andrews/Webster/Smith contingent and pulled out the victory, effectively declaring themselves the dominant faction on NXT UK, at least for now.


205 Live

WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Buddy Murphy will be facing Mustafa Ali at Survivor Series, but this week, he took on NXT UK’s Mark Andrews in a non-title match for brand pride.

The match was excellent! Andrews was EXTREMELY over with the Manchester crowd, but Murphy was able to filter out the crowd and put on a great performance. Andrews, for his part showed why he should be included in the NXT UK Championship conversation.

Ultimately, Murphy would get the win with Murphy’s Law, but Andrews definitely proved himself a worthy contender for a top title.

Mustafa Ali, who will be facing Murphy at Survivor Series, cut a promo discussing how everyone had written him off as ‘a maybe’. He talked about coming so close to being Cruiserweight Champion and yet coming up short at WrestleMania. He vowed to change that at Survivor Series by leaving as Cruiserweight Champion.

As for former champion, Cedric Alexander, he’s gone back to basics. He was filmed at the Performance Center, training with the rookies, hoping to get back to his winning ways to get the rematch Maverick robbed him of.  He also threw some shade at Lio Rush, saying that if Rush stopped worrying about Lashley, he’d be champion.

Rush, who heard the comments, wasn’t impressed, commenting that a match with Rush would get Alexander the title match he wanted. Alexander was even less impressed with Rush, but Rush persisted, asking Alexander to think about it.

Lucha House Party vs TJP and Mike Kanellis (with Maria Kanellis): For the last several weeks, the Lucha House Party have had their hands full due to TJP’s blatant disrespect for the Luchador tradition. Last week, TJP seemed to have made an alliance with Mike Kanellis.

The match was okay. Kanellis and TJP sound like a great team on paper, but their dueling egos were definitely a hindrance to their success. However, they managed to keep it together to give the Lucha House Party a run for their money. However, TJP’s obsession with stealing the Lucha House Party’s masks would cost him. He unmasked Lince, but the Golden Lynx had a second mask and the distraction as enough for a hurricanrana to get the wind.

TJP and Kanellis were furious and each blamed the other, but Maria played peacemaker, reminding them that they had the other masks, though the fact that the Party guys probably have an unlimited supply of masks doesn’t seemed to have occurred to anyone.

 Lio Rush vs Josh Morell: If you listen to Lio Rush, he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread in 205 Live, or in wrestling. However, since he took on the momentous task of hyping Bobby Lashley, he hasn’t had as much time to focus on 205 and, as Alexander pointed out, hasn’t earned himself a championship shot.

This week, Rush took on Josh Morell, a local Manchester talent. Rush doesn’t respect his opponent, which Morell makes him pay for by giving the Man of the Hour a serious run for his money. Rush would get the win, but only by sheer luck, rather than better skill.

After the match, Rush got on the mic and again taunted Cedric Alexander, restating his offer of a match, and warning Alexander that time was running out.

NXT

NXT Women’s Division: Some NXT interviewers caught up with Candice LeRae, asking her about her AWOL husband, Johnny Gargano, who hasn’t been seen since he’d been exposed as the man who took out Aleister Black. LeRae refused to comment, complaining about being exploited.

She had more important things to think about, namely Nikki Cross, the woman who had seen Gargano attack Black. Apparently, Mrs. Wrestling has it in her head that Cross owes her answers about her revelation about Johnny Gargano. Last week, she’d tried to get answers from Cross, only for Cross to laugh at her. She’s going to talk to William Regal about getting a match with Cross and get the answers she thinks she’s owed. Or does she have another reason for wanting to get her hands on Cross?

NXT Women’s Champion, Shayna Baszler was feeling pretty smug going into Survivor Series. Her buddies, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke, were with her, still proud of their parts in robbing Kairi Sane of the NXT Women’s Championship at Evolution. When asked about Kairi Sane invoking her rematch clause, Baszler was dismissive, wondering how many times she had to beat Sane before people understood that Sane was a nobody and that the bigger news was that the Queen of Spades was the rightful champion again.

Then William Regal came in with some news: Kairi Sane WILL get her rematch at TakeOver: War Games. Then he adds a little twist: Due to Baszler and Sane’s history and the shenanigans of Evolution, the match will be two out of three falls. That wiped the smile off of Baszler’s face.

The Captain of Team Kick, Dakota Kai, took on the Black Belt, Taynara Conti, in one-on-one action. Both ladies were pretty evenly matched in terms of skills. Anyone thinking that Conti was just a pretty face, was disabused by that when watching her wrestle. That black belt isn’t just a great marketing gimmick. Kai would pull out the win with a Kai-de-Grace, but Conti definitely put the NXT world on notice about her skills. While Kai, for her part, not only added another win to her long list of them, but has put her name in the Women’s Title picture on two continents.

Mia Yim came up a little short in the Mae Young Classic, but fate, and Triple H, gave her another chance by signing her to the WWE. Yim said that she was enjoying the Performance Center and Full Sail, and is living her dream.

The interview was interrupted by Bianca Belair, another Mae Young alum, who was less than impressed with the attention given to Yim. Belair is undefeated and hasn’t been given a title shot, and somehow thinks Yim has gotten things handed to her, despite the evidence to the contrary. As far as the EST is concerned, Yim can go back to the indies.

Yim is a little confused as to why Belair has such an attitude, but fires back that the EST hasn’t met the HBIC, Head Baddie in Charge. Belair laughed it off, but I doubt she’ll be laughing when she deals with Yim one on one.

Aleister Black vs Johnny Gargano: Ever since it was revealed that Johnny Gargano was the one to attack Aleister Black, the question on everyone’s lips has been Why? Why did Gargano attack Black? Last week, Gargano had promised to explain everything on NXT.

The explanation, as given in a video promo, is that Johnny Gargano has gone to the dark side of the Force, but, like Anakin Skywalker, or the Death Eaters, he doesn’t see it that way. As far as he’s concerned, Aleister’s terribly confused. Gargano is the HERO of this story, not the villain. Sure, attacking Black wasn’t heroic in the strictest sense of the word, but the attack wasn’t anything personal, just business. Black was in the way of Gargano getting his hands on Ciampa. Besides, who is Black to complain? He hands out Black Masses to people left, right, and center, and no one complains or whines about him being a coward or a villain.

According to Gargano, he’s the same person he’s always been, he’ll still fight the good fighting, but the place he’s in is just a little darker, and Gargano likes it that way. He warns Black that he’ll leave him laying in a heap at War Games, just like he did right before TakeOver: Brooklyn.

War Games: William Regal announced that next week on NXT, one member of Undisputed Era and one member of Team Hate Undisputed Era will meet in one on one action.

Lars Sullivan vs Velveteen Dream: To say that Lars Sullivan wasn’t happy when Velveteen Dream was given the title shot against Tommaso Ciampa is putting it mildly. The Leviathan was LIVID over the snub and vowed to make Dream pay for Regal’s snub.

Dream definitely paid the price in his one on one with Sullivan, who was still mad as hell. However, the Dream put up a hell of a fight, but there was no stopping an enraged Sullivan, who put Dream away with Freak Accident for a win, making a dominate case for being included in the Championship match at War Games.

For Dream, the trouble wasn’t over. Tommaso Ciampa came out of nowhere and attacked his challenger, vowing that Dream wouldn’t steal his title or his spotlight. Dream rallied and fought back before the two were separated by the refs, but Dream got free and attacked the champion and hit the Purple Rain Maker. Will Dream walk out of War Games as Champion or does Ciampa have more tricks up his sleeve?

Heavy Machinery vs Forgotten Sons: Heavy Machinery has been making quite a name for themselves as they’ve mown through the NXT Tag Team Division, looking for another shot at the tag titles. Forgotten Sons, lead by former tag champion Wesley Blake, are looking to get in the same spot.

The match was really good. HM are both huge guys, and Dozer doesn’t always seem to have both oars in the water, but they’re a great team, as are Sons, especially since Blake knows what it’s like to be Tag Team Champion.

Ultimately, the match came down to who was the better team, and this time, it was Heavy Machinery, who would put away the Sons with a pop up powerslam by Dozer, which is really amazing to see such a huge guy do. Heavy Machinery has made quite a statement and Undisputed Era would be well-advised to hear it.  


Tiffany’s Takeaways

RAW: The story of Nattie bringing her dad’s sunglasses to RAW and the Riott Squad breaking them is such nonsense, I’m stunned people actually bought it.

Strowman vs Corbin is a good feud, but it’s a poor substitute for having a top title on RAW.

Alexa Bliss as non-competing team captain for the RAW women is a better use of her since she’s better on the mic than she is in the ring.

The women seem to view Alexa as a joke, if the chuckles and smirks while she was talking were anything to go by.

Ronda Rousey’s promo actually made me want to slap her for being so arrogant.

Renee Young is starting to come into her own as a commentator, and I enjoyed it.

Crews/Mahal was BORING!

 SmackDown: I like that Shane went the humble route to explain his win over Ziggler.

Miz/Bryan as co-team captains is either brilliant or the dumbest idea ever.

I want Becky Lynch’s next big feud to be with Nikki Cross.

Mandy Rose’s complaining would’ve sounded better coming out of someone else’s mouth because Mandy is not an impressive performer, in my opinion.

Miz/Bryan as a reluctant team is extremely intriguing to me. If we had more time to build it, I could see Shane making them team up to prove they can get along well enough to be co-Team Captains, but since the build to Survivor Series is ridiculously short compared to previous years, this is what we get.

Mysterio/Almas was SOOO good.

NXT UK: I get why WWE is giving us two episodes of NXT UK a week, but I can’t say I get why they both have to be on Wednesday, on top of 205 Live and NXT.

Storm vs Kai was definitely the match of the night and Dunne/Burch was a close second.

I’m glad to see some storylines starting to really take shape and make sense.

I do NOT get the Gibson/shoes thing! Someone explain this to me because it’s not translating well.

205 Live: I’m not sure why TJP is obsesses with taking the Lucha House Party’s masks and keeping them. He must realize they probably have an unlimited supply of them.

The Rush/Alexander thing is starting to get interesting.

I don’t know if Mustafa Ali will walk out of Survivor Series as champion, but I’ve got my fingers crossed.

NXT: The Candice/Nikki thing is interesting. Why is Candice so mad at Nikki? Was Candice in on the plan and is mad that Nikki spilled the beans? Is something else going on?

Yim vs Belair? Yes, please!

Taynara Conti has really impressed me in her last few encounters. She’s a great heel and can legitimately kick anyone’s ass.

Gargano is going to help Ciampa retain at TakeOver.

Tiff’s Tantrums

Kudos to Paige for clapping back at a ‘fan’ who complained that women in WWE dressed like whores and should be dressing more modestly, and for not backing down when the same fan whined that she was being rude.

To the ‘journalists’ trying to get a hold of Roman Reigns’ medical records to ‘prove’ that he and WWE are faking his leukemia diagnosis: Fuck. You! First of all, that is illegal and a violation of HIPPA. Secondly, WWE and Roman Reigns have too much to lose to pull a stunt like this. All you’re doing is making everyone look bad. I get that a lot of you are short on material since your favorite source of click-bait articles is undergoing treatment for a life-threatening illness, but this is taking things too far. I’m sure you can find something else about WWE to complain about constantly until Reigns comes back.

The ‘fan’ who made the video claiming that Renee and Seth had an affair and that was the cause of Dean’s heel turn, is a fricking idiot! It’s a storyline, not real life!


What do you think, are you ready for another week of WWE action and stories? Sound off on Twitter @TiffanyMC and @theCHAIRSHOTcom using 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?

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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.

https://cdn.wrestletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/bron-breakker-john-cena-nxt-october-11-b.jpg

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?


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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!

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Sami Zayn WrestleMania 40

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.


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