Opinion

Becky Lynch & Kofi Kingston: WWE Fans Enjoy The Moment But Expect The Worst

Published

6 years ago

April 13, 2019

Becky Lynch is The Man, both in gimmick and in status. Lynch finally overcame the odds and reached the top when she defeated both Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair to become the Raw and SmackDown Women’s champion at WrestleMania 35 on April 7. But fans know all of this. What they may not know is what happens from here.

The same is true of Kofi Kingston on SmackDown Live. The New Day standout realized his 11-year dream on The Grandest Stage of Them All when he won the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan. Much like Lynch, Kingston is now part of the guessing game. But why is that?

The fact is that fans are waiting on both Superstars to lose their titles. It’s not that anyone necessarily wants either one to lose. In fact, both Rollins and Kingston are hugely popular Superstars in Vince McMahon’s company. They’ve both worked hard and they’ve both done more than enough to warrant a top spot.

But then again, this is Vince McMahon’s company. That realization tempers any fan excitement over a title win, or win in general, for any babyface Superstar. The same goes for both Becky and Kofi, who should both be considered at their peak with no real reason to lose any time soon.

Yet many of the WWE faithful are already waiting for the other shoe to drop. Yes, WWE made them all happy at WrestleMania 35. So what? It’s only a matter of time until Lynch is sabotaged once again, possibly even by Flair and is left flat on her back with no title. Kofi may have enjoyed a feel-good moment for himself and the pro wrestling world, but how soon until it’s over and he ends up with nothing? Is all of that missing the point, or is it a fair assessment?

How jaded is the WWE fan base that less than one week out from a very satisfying WrestleMania, a great many are expecting the worst to happen? Is that purely cynicism on the part of fans? Or is there enough good cause for everyone to be doubtful of WWE and its efforts to put over the top protagonists?

Common sense says that it’s much too soon for anyone to be contemplating a possible swerve on WWE’s part. After all, the company did do a massive amount of work to get both Lynch and Kingston to The Showcase of the Immortals. Why throw away all of that work in the name of generating yet another overwhelming wave of heat?

But therein lays the issue. Vince McMahon and his company are obsessed with heat. It drives nearly every storyline that hits the TV and it likely always will. It’s the WWE way of doing things. Throw as many unbelievable obstacles as possible at the babyface and force the audience to either go along on the comeback journey, or alienate them to the point that they no longer care about said babyface.

How logical is that? Is it logical at all? Perhaps it’s an overdramatic view of things in WWE. But to be fair, there’s every reason to suspect that at any given moment, everything could go south and the heroes of Raw and SmackDown will go right back to life after the snap in Avengers: Infinity War. There is no hope in the moments after that event. Everything is bleak and everyone is defeated. This is the way of things in WWE.

The ironic part is that the upcoming Superstar Shake-Up should be cause to celebrate. Kofi could end up with a new cast of characters to defend his title against on SmackDown Live. Bryan could go to Raw, taking his eco-terrorist agenda with him. Kofi could find himself surrounded by a fresh set of Superstars, including some faces from NXT as well.

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The same is true of Lynch. Maybe The Man won’t have to deal with Charlotte anymore at the moment because either The Queen would be traded back to Raw or she could get distracted in a new feud with someone else. Lynch has both women’s championships but that doesn’t necessarily mean she will be defending both of those titles for long. What if WWE announces that both titles will merge into one? While that would present another set of issues for many fans, at least it would solidify Becky as a megastar between both brands.

But the fact is that no matter how intriguing the Superstar Shake-Up may be, it’s probably not the cure-all for anyone. Simply shifting talent from one program to the other won’t solve any questionable moves or curious quirks that WWE has when it comes to storytelling. It’s still the same company, run by the same family, with the same set of ideas on how to do business their way.

Of course it’s entirely possible that none of this matters to Lynch or Kingston. As much as the championships mean to the fans, that doesn’t suggest they mean quite as much to the talents holding them. The most important part of getting to Mania is the journey itself. The winning or losing is often only important to the paying audience and those watching at home.

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“Getting over” to the Superstars means contributing to the overall product and doing it on a high level. Did the company sell more tickets, move more merchandise and generate more attention because of a talent’s efforts? If so, then that talent would surely consider herself successful. To say that she was a valuable part of the presentation is to say that she did everything that was asked of her and that she gave maximum effort while doing it. Anything above that is for the fans to decide.

So perhaps the titles aren’t the real story here after all. Maybe the point is indeed the storytelling itself, not the championship wins along the way. But WWE wants the fans to care about those wins and they most certainly do. Seeing their favorites finally realize their full potential on the grand stage of WrestleMania is enough to bolster anyone’s faith in the WWE product. This is especially true for both Becky Lynch and Kofi Kingston. Whether or not WWE will allow one, or both, of them to remain on top as champions is unknown. It may not matter to either one of them. But it will certainly always matter to the fans.

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

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

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

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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

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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

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1