Opinion

The Good, Bad and Ugly: SmackDown Live (4/2/19)

After a brilliant Raw, the red brand bounced back from a horrific week last week. SmackDown on the other hand was fantastic as always and shined brightly. The go home show to WrestleMania is here and now and we cannot wait! Did SmackDown deliver? Let’s get down to ringside!

Published

6 years ago

April 4, 2019

Bobby Fernandes

After a brilliant Raw, the red brand bounced back from a horrific week last week. SmackDown on the other hand was fantastic as always and shined brightly. The go home show to WrestleMania is here and now and we cannot wait! Did SmackDown deliver? Let’s get down to ringside!

GOOD

KO Show with AJ Styles and Randy Orton

You have to love the story here. The indie icon and easily in the discussion as one of the GOATS of Professional Wrestling AJ Styles getting dressed down by the Elitists 3^rd Generation Legend Killer, The Viper Randy Orton. The insults are personal and seem begrudging. There is some real Good heat here and the back and forth and stiff shots are great for the story. As usual just as it looked like Orton was down for an “RKO” out of nowhere took out AJ Styles in this heated segment. Good stuff and if this is the preview for WrestleMania, we have some real Good stuff ahead.

The Usos and Aleister Black and Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev and The Bar

Given that everyone in this match are actual top tier talent, and many former decorated Champions, this one was a winner from the start. Non-stop action with Cesaro and Ricochet shining out of the pack. The Heels were in control most of the time beating down Jey Uso for the majority of the contest. Everything was smooth and everyone looked WrestleMania ready. This was full time, high caliber content and WWE really had a winner here. Finally after endless punishment Jimmy Uso got the much needed tag, and a ton of craziness followed. Everyone got in a shot (or should I say signature kick) as everyone dropped their respective opponents. In the end, the Usos hit a “double superkick” to the mighty Rusev for the Victory. As everyone expected the Usos had to answer for their forfeit last week with New Day out of respect to Kofi Kingston. Their punishment is they will have to face all 4 teams involved in this week’s match. Obviously this caused massive destruction as all 4 teams beat the hell out of each other for position. When the smoke settled it was NXT’s Superstars Ricochet and Aleister Black who stood victorious. Will they get the WWE Tag Team Championships on the biggest show on Earth? Possibly, but no matter what, this match should be amazing. Good stuff again!

(3-1 Falls Count Anywhere) The Miz vs. Sanity

Originally just a 3 on 1 to punish The Miz by the all-powerful Shane McMahon, Miz did just a little too Good for his WrestleMania opponent’s liking. Shane interrupted and made it a Falls Count Anywhere while the match was already underway. This whole thing is crap for a number of reasons. First, Sanity should have crushed Miz quickly and won this match, no question. They are being sadly squashed by the machine and completely wasted. This is living proof of that. Secondly after the falls count anywhere was added Sanity certainly should have crushed Miz without any delay as they love to play with weapons and kill it hardcore. That is their pleasure. This was a joke. Miz who just recently became a Baby Face is a coward in the ring and loves to cheat and run, that is his whole deal. Having him “fight” and Win against Sanity is a joke and completely wrong, no matter the reason. Also if that isn’t enough where the hell is Eric Young’s beard?

For the purposes of the Good, Bad and Ugly format however I must write about the actual action. The actual match and the action was Good. Miz brought it and Sanity is amazing in the ring. This was a hell of a match and looked great. Miz wins and the match was honestly Good especially given the odds were completely stacked against it. Hopefully the Good luck continues as I have very little hope for the Miz/McMahon Match at WrestleMania.

“The Man” Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch and company had a hell of a night on Raw, getting brutalized and arrested for her efforts. The segment went well and the crowd is pumped for this match. Lynch really is red hot and cannot fail. She grabbed the mic and went atop the announce table to reiterate that “The Man” will make one of her opponents tap, and will leave with both titles. Good, solid promo, and the more Becky Lynch comes out, the happier the audience will be. Good for the show and Good for business.

Mixed Tag Match (18 competitors all from either the Andre Battle Royal or Women’s Battle Royal)

If you saw this then you already know, or maybe not. This was just insane. Firstly the actual amount of people involved, added with the special mixed tag type rules and the complete chaos of it all was just overwhelming. Add another Lacey Evans runway moment and the absolute randomness and we had quite a circus on our hands. It was like having a Grand Finale in the middle of nowhere before the end of the show. Everyone did well, the action looked Good, and it was entertaining to the audience. These types of matches are Good in a way due to the fact that the fans get to see so many faces. The highlight was of course the Mandy Rose and Otis stare off, as it was so Good. Otis is Gold and can be tremendously valuable to the brand for his antics and charisma. All of a sudden the match turned into an over the top battle royal and the last person standing of course was the Empress Asuka. Not real sure what the hell was going on but I liked it!

Samoa Joe vs. Ali

Both guys can go and they did well this week. This short but brutal match looked sharp. Ali did well fighting back against the violent strikes by the United States Champ. Joe beat Ali down but couldn’t keep him at bay. Ali came back with a series of high impact moves and spectacular offense. Just as he was to hit a “450” Joe moved and locked in the “Coquina Clutch” for the impressive victory. This was a solid, entertaining match. All Good!

Contract Signing w/ Kofi Kingston and WWE Champion Daniel Bryan

With a hot crowd behind him Kofi Kingston entered the ring with his New Day brethren in tow to sign the biggest contract of his career. Daniel Bryan of course heeled out and did well at that. This wasn’t Bad overall. There was a ton of emotions, and a ton of passion in what we saw. The crowd just loves Kofi and Daniel Bryan plays off it so well. This should be an excellent match and maybe even the match of the night rivaled by Orton/Styles. All of this cheap heat mixed with the real love behind Kofi this is sure to be a great one. Kofi Kingston took it all in silently stewing as the tension built up. It was finally his time to talk. Kofi deserves his shot, and worked his ass off, and as he said “it all lead to this moment.” He will have his shot and everyone is ready for the era of Kofi. KofiMania is alive my friends and we cannot wait to see it.

BAD

The IIconics

This was just horrible. Let me clarify something though. In my humble opinion, Peyton Royce is fantastic, she can work, talk and is unbelievably pleasant at all times on screen. We could stand to see a TON more of her and I believe the more time she gets the better for all of us. Having said that she is on another planet compared to her bestie Billie Kay. Billie Kay is weighing her down in the worst way and it shows. These promos are terrible and it is shocking that they get so much mic time. This promo did nothing but solidify just how much no one cares about them in this match on Sunday. Personally I would take the IIconics over the horrendous Nia Jax and sad case of Tamina Snuka all day but this still was Bad.

UGLY

FINAL

Good- 7

Bad- 1

Ugly- 0

OVERALL

This was an excellent show overall. Great action and really solid energy heading home to WrestleMania. SmackDown was near flawless and looks like they are ready to go for the big night!

Raw was Great, SmackDown was Great, now comes NXT. NXT is coming off of a Bad week. Shockingly they aren’t perfect! However this is the take home show prior to Takeover and WrestleMania weekend. This week should rock out! See how NXT fared on the next Good, Bad and Ugly only on thechairshot.com.

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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!

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FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

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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

17 hours 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

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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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

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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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)

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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

4 weeks 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