Opinion

WWE Week In Review: November 26 – December 2, 2018

Published

6 years ago

December 3, 2018

This week, all eyes are firmly on TLC as WWE prepares for the final PPV of 2018. What did WWE do?

On RAW, Baron Corbin’s tyranny continues unabated and Strowman’s allies, Finn Balor and Elias, struggle to keep the resistance up. Alexa Bliss gets a promotion that means bad news for Sasha Banks and Bayley. The war of words between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins continues and Rollin’s Open Challenge brings out a very real threat. Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax prepare for their own match, but the Riott Squad isn’t done with Rousey’s friend, Nattie.

On SmackDown, Becky Lynch returns and confronts Charlotte over her actions, but both must face a mutiny in the women’s division. The Bar struggles with the loss of Big Show against the Usos. Miz’s schmoozing of Shane McMahon continues. Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio try to put an end to their feud, and the celebration of Jeff Hardy’s career brings out a surprising opponent.

On NXT UK, the first NXT UK Women’s Champion is crowned, Jordan Devlin gets the shot of a lifetime against Pete Dunne, Eddie Dennis’ rampage continues, the Coffey brothers face an unexpected foe

On 205, Maria Kanellis’ plan for the Lucha House Party hits an unexpected snag, and Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali face Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese in a battle for supremacy.

On NXT, the fallout from War Games continues. Candice LeRae faces questions about her actions, Kairi Sane finds ready allies for her battle against Shayna Baszler and her friends, and Lars Sullivan and Keith Lee face off in an epic main event.

RAW

Baron Corbin vs Braun Strowman: Last week, Baron Corbin and his friends had run roughshod over Braun Strowman and his allies, Finn Balor and Elias, shattering Strowman’s elbow and leaving both Elias and Balor in heaps in the ring.

Corbin and company saw no reason to be remorseful about their actions, in fact, they were gleeful abut it. Corbin said that what happened to Strowman and friends was what happened to people who were on the wrong side of history. He was going to keep his job as RAW GM after TLC and anyone who had opposed him could expect the same.

As for Strowman, Corbin claimed that he’d sent a camera crew to Birmingham to talk to Strowman. Strowman was there and his arm looked nasty, but his anger wasn’t dimmed by the anesthesia. He vowed that, when he got back, he was going to make Corbin, Lashley, and McIntyre pay for what they’d done, even if he might not be at TLC.

At this point, the lights went out, but, instead of the Undertaker, the culprit was revealed to be Elias, who reminded us that WWE means ‘Walk With Elias’. Elias said that anyone, including pant-pissing Drake Maverick would be a better GM than Corbin. He also has a song for Bobby Lashley, which consists of singing ‘Bobby Lashley Sucks!’.

Elias vs Bobby Lashley (with Lio Rush, Baron Corbin, and Drew McIntyre: This looked like it was going to be a 3-1 handicap match, but it ended up being 1-1, at least at first.

Lashley dominated the first part of the match, but Elias managed to keep battling back, until he found himself outside the ring, which let Lashley get a cheap shot in and regain control. Elias came back and regained his footing, but the match was initially stopped by DQ after Rush pulled the ref out of the ring when Elias had the match won. Corbin got on the mic and declared that the match was now No DQ.

An enraged Elias snapped and was actually getting the better of Lashley when Corbin and McIntyre intervened, giving the Drifter a three on one beat down before Lashely would finally get the pin.

Later on, Corbin would take on Finn Balor one on one, or at least that’s how it started. When it became clear that he couldn’t beat Balor on his own, Corbin called in the troops and declared a 3-1 Handicap match instead. Balor and his demon have a lot of fight in them, but going against three huge men proved to be more than even they could handle, and Balor received a nasty beatdown to close out RAW. Will anyone stop the tyranny of Baron Corbin?

RAW Women’s Division: Alexa Bliss has been riding high since the RAW Women’s Team beat the SmackDown Women’s Team, even though the win came by Nia Jax sacrificing fellow teammate, Sasha Banks. Corbin, however, has been impressed by Alexa’s handling of the situation, and, admitting that he needed help running RAW, appointed Alexa as head of RAW’s Women’s Division, which is probably the worst idea he’s come up with.

Nia Jax has been on quite a roll since Evolution, she’s the #1 Contender for the RAW Women’s Championship, she became one of the most reviled people in wrestling after her reckless punch took Becky Lynch of Survivor Series, she’s reunited with her BFF, Alexa Bliss, and formed an alliance with cousin Tamina Snuka.

This week, Jax addressed her upcoming match against Ronda Rousey at TLC. She was proud of what she’d done, especially taking out Becky Lynch because that took something away from Ronda Rousey that Rousey had really wanted, just like she was going to take the title away. According to Jax, everyone knows Rousey can’t beat her, including Rousey. Nia would’ve beaten her at Money in the Bank if Alexa Bliss hadn’t interfered, but that’s water under the bridge. In fact, Ronda Rousey isn’t as good as everyone thinks she is, she can’t win when it really counts.

To prove her point, Jax showed footage of her match against Rousey and how close she’d come to beating Rousey. To press the point home, she showed footage of the Flair/Rousey match, which Rousey won by DQ.

Before this can get much further, Rousey comes out, dressed to fight. Ronda’s not worried about Nia’s jabs, she finds them quite funny. Rousey concedes that Jax has been very lucky these past few months, but her luck’s run out now. Rousey wants to fight and is willing to have that title match now, unless Nia and Tamina have a hot date elsewhere.

Uhm, EW!

Nia refuses to rise to the bait, at least a little. She’ll wait until TLC to get her match, but for now, she settles on getting a cheap shot in, with some help from Tamina. Nattie runs out to help even the odds for her friend, but is blindsided by the Riott Squad, who are clearly not over Ruby Riott’s defeat last week at the hands of Nattie. Rousey goes to her friend’s aid, but it’s clear that she’s got more problems than Jax and Snuka.

Sasha Banks and Bayley were talking in their locker room about how much fun they’d had at Starrcade when Alexa Bliss walked in. She wanted to thank them for helping her get the job as Head of the Women’s Division. Banks and Bayley, who have both had plenty of problems with Bliss, weren’t interested and told her to get lost.

Stung, Bliss suggested that the reason they’d never gotten along is because they’d never gotten to know each other, and she intended to change that. Banks and Bayley were skeptical, with very good reason, given Bliss’ track record.

One theme of this season of Mixed Match Challenge has been substitution. Ember Moon got her chance to compete in the Challenge because Alexa Bliss was injured, but with Strowman out with his elbow, another substitute needed to be found. Unfortunately, the injury bug is going around, and all WWE had to offer Ember was Curt Hawkins. Ember was…less than thrilled, Hawkins was over the moon. FINALLY, he had a chance to end his infamous losing streak, even if he had to settle for a tag team victory. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm did nothing to endear him to his partner.

Ember took on Alicia Fox, who was backed up by Jinder Mahal and the Singh Brothers. Thankfully, for Ember, the match was short and she was able to put Fox away with a thunderous Eclipse, though not before taking out Mahal and one of the Singhs with a double Eclipse.

Hawkins was more excited about the win than Ember was, though she warmed a little to him.

Alexa Bliss made good on her promise to have a little chat sesh with Sasha Banks and Bayley so they could get to know each other. She arranged a Q&A session in the ring with the Milwaukee crowd as the questioners.

It went about as well as could be expected. Banks and Bayley were both adamant that they wanted Alexa gone from RAW. Banks just wanted her sent to SmackDown, Bayley suggested hell. However, Banks and Bayley were right to be suspicious of Bliss’ motives because the Goddess showed how treacherous she was by having Jax, Snuka, James, and Dana Brooke, who had been an ally, jump Legit Huggers. Banks and Bayley fought them off, but any veneer of goodwill has been trashed.

Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose: After a near death experience, Dean could be forgiven for being a little more off-kilter than usual, especially when it comes to germs. Mr. Ambrose wasn’t at RAW this week, or so he claimed, because he was at his doctor’s office getting inoculated against every disease known to the human race. Why? Because Milwaukee is filthy and the people there are crawling with germs, and if they cheer for Seth Rollins, they’re probably too stupid to get their vaccinations, so Dean’s protecting himself. But don’t worry, he’ll be at RAW next week and will destroy Seth Rollins.

As for Seth Rollins, he re-instituted his Open Challenge, but before that got going, he addressed his former friend. He said that he was done chasing Ambrose around and that Ambrose could inoculate himself all he wanted, but there was no vaccine for the ass-kicking Rollins was going to give him. Rollins didn’t think that Ambrose was with his doctor, but is ready for him if he shows up.

The challenger turned out to be Ziggler, who is very happy to see that Rollins is back to being himself. However, for Ziggler, the return of Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins means that Seth is going to drop that Intercontinental Championship to Ziggler. Never mind that Ziggler only beat Rollins because he had help from Drew McIntyre.

The match was amazing, as was expected, but without interference from either McIntyre or Ambrose to put the odds in his favor, Ziggler was defeated by Rollins with the Falcon’s Arrow. The Intercontinental Championship is still in the hands of the KingSlayer, but the Lunatic Fringe is still lurking.

RAW Tag Team Division: For the last few weeks, the Revival, long spokesmen for the traditionalists in the crowd, have found themselves in the embarrassing position of being beaten by the very untraditional Lucha House Party, and since LHP is being allowed to compete 3-2 due to a misunderstanding of Lucha House Rules, that embarrassment has started being tinged with frustration, which the Revival didn’t hesitate to vent before their match against LHP this week.

Despite the Revival’s best efforts to neutralize LHP’s numbers advantage, but the wily Luchadors were always one step ahead of them, pulling out yet another win over the increasingly frustrated Revival.

Drake Maverick has been the laughing stock of the wrestling world since his bladder malfunction during Survivor Series. His attempt to get AoP to extract some revenge on Bobby Roode and Chad Gable backfired badly. This week, Maverick defended his malfunction, citing that anyone would’ve done the same when confronted by a 7’ giant with his hand around their throat. The fact that LOTS of people have been in that position and HAVEN’T peed their pants on PPV doesn’t seem to have occurred to Maverick, he wanted to inflict his pain and humiliation on Roode and Gable, through AoP.

In the history of wrestling, there have been a lot of terrible matches, and this tag team CHAMPIONSHIP match was definitely one of them. Roode and Gable tried to get something worthwhile out of this thing, but they were hampered by questionable writing. Drake Maverick, with the cunning of a twelve year old, took off with Roode’s prized robe and let Roode see him ‘peeing’ on the robe. The distraction was enough to let AoP hit a low blow and get the pin, retaining the championship.

Jinder Mahal vs No Way Jose: Alicia Fox barely had time to register that she’d gotten beaten again when No Way Jose, and his followers, conga-lined their way to the ring for Jose’s match against Mahal.

The match was quick, and ended in Mahal’s favor, so Team Mahalicia broke even Monday night.

About Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

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

Up Next

WWE Raw And It’s Lackluster Objectives As The “A” Show

Don't Miss

Making The NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Relevant

Opinion

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

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

Published

2 months ago

February 2, 2025

Greg DeMarco

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women’s WWE Royal Rumble Match

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Honestly, did we need Trish Stratus? #RoyalRumble

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This company obviously believes in Roxanne Perez. #RoyalRumble

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

LOLCHARLOTTEWINS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winners AND STILL WWE Tag Team Champions: DIY

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

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

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

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

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

That little ladder is HILARIOUS. #RoyalRumble

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

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

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

Winner, AND STILL WWE Champion: Cody Rhodes

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

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

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

Men’s WWE Royal Rumble Match

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trick Williams’ #RoyalRumble entrance is gonna be ICONIC.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We lost Michael for a minute there.

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

Great pop for him, too.

And Michael Cole references Nic Nemeth! #RoyalRumble

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

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

☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️ #RoyalRumble

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IT’S JUST YOU, UCE! #RoyalRumble

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Thoughts on the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble

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

About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

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

Opinion

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS: WWE Crown Jewel Immediate Reactions

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

Published

5 months ago

November 2, 2024

PC Tunney

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