Opinion

Week in Review: April 1-7, 2019

With how late WrestleMania goes, this is the week in review leading up to WrestleMania 35!

Published

5 years ago

April 8, 2019

TiffanyMC

With how late WrestleMania goes, this is the week in review leading up to WrestleMania 35!

RAW

RAW Women’s Championship Match: I wish I was more excited about the Winner Take All stipulation about the Women’s Championship, but I’m not. It honestly feels like WWE didn’t think that the story they’d been building for a year wasn’t big enough for WrestleMania and needed to be made much bigger. Hopefully, it’ll turn out better than it sounds to me.

I love the Riott Squad, but they were pretty unimportant in the tag match, the all-out brawl after the match was over was THE moment of the night. It’s not often that we see brawls like this in WWE and never in the Women’s Division and Rousey, Lynch, and Flair did a fantastic job. Though, I do have to wonder what kind of idiot thought it was a good idea to put two brawling women in the same squad car. However, moment of the night goes to Charlotte Flair for the amazing knee she landed on Rousey. Bravo, ladies.

Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins: Seth Rollins REALLY needed a big moment to re-light interest in his Universal Championship match at WrestleMania and he did a pretty good job of it. I wasn’t thrilled about Heyman dismissing the Women’s match, but his selective memory about Lesnar’s career was amusing. I’m HOPING that Seth Rollins pulls this out somehow.

Eight Woman Tag: Even though this match wasn’t the best thing I’d ever seen from any of the women involved, I’m glad this match happened so Beth Phoenix could shake off any ring rust she might have. I’m also hoping that Sasha and the IIconics were just having a bad night because there were a lot of botches that didn’t do anyone any favors. I am hoping that Boss-Hug wins on Sunday, but I honestly can’t say I’m certain of it after Monday.

Batista: I was expecting a much longer promo than what we got, but I guess it was better than nothing.

Elias: I have a feeling that Elias isn’t going to get much concert time as much as they’ve hyped him as a musical act.

Jinder Mahal vs Apollo Crews: This was a match to build up the Andre Battle Royal and that’s the most that can be said for it. Crews has a lot of talent, that gets a little lost trying to cover for Mahal, who still stinks in the ring. It breaking down into a mock battle royal wasn’t a surprise, but it was very predictable.

Kurt Angle vs Rey Mysterio: I was a little disappointed, but not surprised, that Angle vs Mysterio didn’t happen. It’s clear that WWE wants to save Angle for WrestleMania. I’m still hoping SOMETHING will happen to keep Corbin vs Angle from happening, but it seems WWE is really serious about this match, and that’s a real shame.

Revival vs Aleister Black and Ricochet: I really enjoyed this match and I knew it was too much to hope that Black and Ricochet, who will be facing the War Raiders for the NXT Tag Titles on Friday, would win this match, but I am frustrated that no attempt was made to put them in the RAW Tag Team match since they got screwed over. Guess we’ll have to see what happens on Sunday.

Backstage: This was just a dumb segment to justify Strowman having a match and it sucked.

Roman Reigns: There’s been a lot of talk about who needs a win at WrestleMania more, Reigns or McIntyre, but since McIntyre has been getting in cheap shots and destroying Dean Ambrose, I’d say Reigns needs the win more, especially since McIntyre is as boring as paint.

Bobby Roode and Chad Gable vs Heavy Machinery: This was just a fun match. It looked like WWE hadn’t figured out what to do with Heavy Machinery, but they looked fantastic with Roode and Gable. Time will tell what will happen after WrestleMania since no RAW Tag Match has been made, but that can still change before Sunday.

Handicap Match: We went from fun to dumb so quickly, it’s actually pathetic.

Lashley and Rush: It’s been speculated that Balor might be bringing back the Demon for WrestleMania, despite claiming that he’d leaned on that persona too much. However, I’m glad that he’s doing it because it makes this never-ending feud with Lashley and Rush more interesting.

Rey Mysterio vs Baron Corbin: This was the Main Event of the go-home show of RAW and I can’t say it was a worthy one. The women should’ve ended the show, but I guess WWE wanted to give Angle one last final moment of RAW. The match was ‘eh’, but seeing Angle get some revenge on Corbin, and hopefully ‘taking’ him out of WrestleMania was a lot of fun. Thanks for the memories, Kurt.

SmackDown

Daniel Bryan vs Kofi Kingston: Well, it is officially official, Kofi Kingston WILL be facing Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania, or is he? Yes, the contract was checked over, notarized, and signed in a remarkably non-violent ceremony, with both men firing up the crowd with their promos. However, some sharp-eyed fans noticed that the date on the contract for the match was March 10, 2019, which was Fastlane, the match Kofi got screwed out of in favor of Kevin Owens.

Now, this could simply be oversight/laziness on WWE’s part since Kevin Owens signed the Fastlane contract meant for Kingston, or it could be another way for Vince to screw over Kingston if he should win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. We’ll have to wait and see.

Kevin Owens Show: I’ve been very ‘meh’ about Styles vs Orton but their segment during the Kevin Owens show definitely got me more interesting. I loved them taking shots at each other’s career, maybe hinting at RL backstage issues between the two. This definitely is a WrestleMania match.

Eight Man Tag: We all knew that the Usos would likely face some backlash over their decision to forfeit their match against New Day so Kofi Kingston could go to WrestleMania, so the announcement of the Fatal Four Way Tag Match doesn’t surprise me and it gives Black and Ricochet a chance to be in WrestleMania.

Women’s Tag Match: The IIconics might not always be the best in the ring, but they’re hard to top on the mic, even if their gimmick is obnoxious. I’m really glad they’re getting this big WrestleMania opportunity.

Miz vs SAnitY: Shane definitely seems to be relishing his return to heeldom, but Miz turned it up to 11 in that handicap match, holy crap. This was another match I wasn’t totally sold on until Tuesday. I just hope Shane and Miz don’t literally kill each other at WrestleMania.

Becky Lynch: I LOVED Becky showing up in a cop car after getting ‘arrested’ on Monday night. Her interview was exactly what was needed to bring all the threads this storyline together and owned to up to WWE planning for Rousey vs Flair until Lynch turned everything on its head. I honestly hope that Lynch walks away as the champion at WrestleMania, but we’ll have to see.

18 Person Mixed Tag: Well, we had to have one clunker of the night and this match was definitely it. Too many people, too thrown together, too ridiculous. Plus, it turning into another ‘battle royal’ was just dumb. It sounds like there was supposed to be two separate matches and someone decided to just lump everyone together to have them on the show.

Samoa Joe vs Mustafa Ali: It was mentioned Tuesday afternoon that Rey Mysterio had suffered an ankle injury during his match with Baron Corbin, leading to speculation that Mysterio would be removed from the match and Ali might be put in. Both those theories were put to bed when it was announced that Mysterio would still be competing and after Joe put Ali to sleep with the Coquina Clutch after a quick match. So much for that.

205 Live

Oney Lorcan vs Kalisto: It looks like Lorcan is here to stay and he had a great match with Kalisto. I would’ve been happier if Cedric Alexander had done a run-in after what happened a couple of weeks ago, but I’m guessing that Lorcan’s going to be a big, monster, heel for whomever wins the title at WrestleMania down the line.

Drake Maverick’s Office: I’m guessing that Cedric’s dealing with an injury and needs a little time off because Maverick’s decision to bench him instead of giving him the match with Lorcan is just silly. I guess we’ll have to see, it could just be WWE wanting to rebuild Alexander into their super-over underdog to replace Ali.

Tony Nese and Buddy Murphy: TBH, I think 205 waited too long to start the build for WrestleMania, because they only gave themselves a few weeks to build this feud and it’s showing because there’s not as much heat as the Cruiserweights need to stand out on the STACKED WrestleMania card. However, I think they’ll do a great job, I’m just not sure it’s going to be a standout match.

Mike Kanellis vs Akira Tozawa: I’d really like to know what the heck WWE has planned for Mike Kanellis because they looked to be building him into something and then have him lose clean to Akira Tozawa. I like Tozawa, but the narrative for Kanellis really seems to be going nowhere and that’s frustrating.

NXT UK

Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan vs European Alliance: The Lucky Bad Boys haven’t had the greatest luck as a team, but they’re improving! This week, their luck got test against the European Alliance in a fabulous match that actually saw Williams and Jordan get another win, to the surprise of everyone in the ring and out of it. I’m not saying that they’ll be getting a Tag Team Championship shot out of this, but they are inching toward that goal.

Rhea Ripley: Considering that she ran away when Piper Niven showed up, Ripley really has no business trying to pretend she’s not scared of Niven, but I guess that’s part of the gimmick.

Jordan Devlin: I’ve made no secret of the fact that I like Jordan Devlin, at least as an in-ring performer, but why did they wait until the go-home show to push the idea that Devlin wanted to face Dunne instead of WALTER? I predicted that they’ll probably have WALTER win in New York, but now I’m not sure about that.

Isla Dawn vs Kay Lee Ray: This match frustrated me because of how Isla Dawn has been used. She went from challenging for the NXT UK Women’s Championship to basically putting over everyone else. I’m still hoping Dawn, Ray, and Niven will create a female version of Gallus because they’d make a great team, and this match was great, I’m just very frustrated.

Toni Storm vs Jinny: I’m over this feud already because I don’t get Jinny and I’m not invested enough in Toni to really want to see her defeat Jinny either. I’m just ‘eh’.

Travis Banks: I was hoping that the Banks/Devlin feud would continue, but I guess Devlin’s getting a push after TakeOver. I’m intrigued to see how a Banks/Ohno feud will go though.

Grizzled Young Veterans: I found this promo a little strange. Of all the teams to worry about, why focus on Williams and Jordan? They’re hardly the only tag team that consider themselves contenders for the Tag Titles. Anyway, we’ll see what happens after TakeOver, but the idea of Williams and Jordan getting a shot makes me pretty happy.

Trent Seven vs Joe Coffey: This was a great match, as usual, but it definitely feels like they’re building towards a rift in Moustache Mountain by making Seven look like he can’t go anymore and is hold down Bate. Seven looked great in match, but he still tapped and that could be another building block in the takedown of the Big Strong Boys. We’ll see.

NXT

War Raiders vs Jobbers/Cezar Bononi and Adrian Jaoude: This was actually pretty hilarious. Rowe and Hanson completely destroyed their first opponents in unseemly hast and then demanded another team and destroyed them too and even faster! I know it was to try and intimidate Black and Ricochet but it was so funny!

Candice LeRae, Aliyah, and Vanessa Borne: I’m glad that NXT is finally remembering that Candice is more than Johnny Gargano’s perpetually worried wife, so I’m thrilled that she’s being given a storyline with Aliyah and Vanessa Borne, who have been on a roll lately. Very excited for this match.

Jaxson Ryker vs Oney Lorcan: Oney Lorcan is a nasty heel on 205, but he’s still a beloved babyface on NXT, but that wasn’t enough to help him against the Forgotten Sons this week, much to my surprise. Since it doesn’t look like there’s a rift between Lorcan and Burch, I’m a little curious as to how they’ll explain Lorcan getting called up by himself.

NXT Championship Promos: These were really good, but also pretty standard promos for Gargano and Cole. They hit all the right talking points and still kept Ciampa in the storyline, in case he can come back.

NXT North American Championship Promos: Since I really don’t like either man involved, it was hard for me to really pay attention to what they were saying, but it sounded pretty standard for them too.

Kairi Sane vs Bianca Belair: This was a really great match, but the real story was the all-out brawl that erupted after Baszler attacked again. I have a feeling that the NXT Women’s Division is going to have a say in who wins that Fatal Four Way. I loved that Shirai stood tall at the end of the day.

NXT TakeOver: New York

NXT Championship Match: WrestleMania is usually the WWE show that makes history, but Johnny Gargano made some history of his own when he became NXT’s first Triple Crown/Grand Slam Champion after defeating Adam Cole in a breathtaking 2-out-of-3 Falls match that showed both men at their best. Cole had some help from the Undisputed Era, but Johnny Wrestling had come too far to be denied his prize and it was Johnny Wrestling who came out on top.

Even better than the victory was the celebration. Not only did Candice LeRae come out to celebrate with her husband, but Tommaso Ciampa, still in a neck brace came out to congratulate his best frenemy. Time will tell how that story is going to play out, especially since Ciampa’s return to in-ring competition is not a foregone conclusion, but it was a wonderful moment between two men who have been the best of friends, the best of enemies, and back again.

NXT UK Championship Match: Well, after nearly 700 days, the unbelievable finally happened, Pete Dunne was defeated by WALTER in an incredible match up that saw Dunne push WALTER to his limit, but the Stock Character managed to hold on before putting Dunne away with the WALTER Splash, but not before Dunne had kicked out of the WALTER bomb, which was crazy to watch. Time will tell what the Bruiserweight’s reaction is going to be, but this isn’t over by a long shot.

NXT North American Championship Match: I’ve probably said this too many times before, but I don’t really care for Velveteen Dream vs Matt Riddle. That said, this was a really good match with Velveteen Dream being the first person to pin Matt Riddle after rolling through the Bro-mission. Dream was a good sport, but I have a feeling this feud won’t be over.

Fatal Four Way for the NXT Women’s Championship: This was the match I was most looking forward to, hoping that someone would finally unseat Shayna Baszler, but that didn’t happen. It was an incredible match, but the fact that Baszler still retained is baffling to me since this seems like the perfect way to crown a new Women’s Champion while still protecting Baszler. I guess we’ll have to see what happens next week, but I hope they figure out a way to sort this out because they aren’t doing the Women’s Division a lot of favors.

NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Of all the teams in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Aleister Black and Ricochet were the most unlikely team to win, but win they did and face the War Raiders in an AMAZING match. War Raiders are huge guys, but both of them are amazing athletes with both men hitting sentons that have to be seen to be believed. To no big surprise, Raiders retained, but Black and Ricochet were allowed to give the NXT crowd one last, emotional, farewell before making their full transfer to the main roster.

WWE 2K19 Million Dollar Challenge: AJ Styles vs Stephen T. Benson: I’m not entirely sure WHY this had to be part of TakeOver, but it was interesting, even though I know nothing about video games outside of Super Mario Brothers and the first Legend of Zelda.

Note: No, I haven’t forgotten about WrestleMania, The Showcase of the Immortals will be getting its own, separate, Week in Review Article which will be out Tuesday, April 9, so keep your eyes peeled for it.

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

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The Good, Bad and Ugly: WrestleMania 35 (2019)

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Opinion

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

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

Published

3 weeks ago

April 11, 2024

Greg DeMarco

John Cena Last Match Randy Orton WWE WrestleMania 41

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

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

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

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

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

Honorable Mentions:

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

5. CM Punk

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

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

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

4. Roman Reigns

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

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

3. Bron Breakker

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

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

2. R-Truth

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

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

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

1. Randy Orton

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s WrestleMania 40 Saturday Results & Review

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

Published

4 weeks ago

April 8, 2024

Greg DeMarco

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

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

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

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Rhea Ripley retains

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winners via belt retrieval, AND NEW:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brother vs Brother: Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

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

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

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

Winner, via pinfall: Jey Uso

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Intercontinental Championship – Sami Zayn vs. GUNTHER (champion)

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

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

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

Winner via pinfall, AND NEW Intercontinental Champion: Sami Zayn

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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