Opinion

Tiffany: Who Is After Roman Reigns? Let’s Name the Suspects!

So, over the past several weeks, the big story on SmackDown has been “Who in the world is after Roman Reigns?” Tiffany breaks down the suspects!

Published

5 years ago

August 15, 2019

TiffanyMC

So, over the past several weeks, the big story on SmackDown has been “Who in the world is after Roman Reigns?”

The Big Dog narrowly avoided two attempts on his life/career. It looked like we had prime suspects in the form of Erik Rowan and Daniel Bryan, at least, according to Buddy Murphy. However, there is no real evidence pointing to anyone, so let’s break this down.

What We Know

Okay, we know someone pushed some scaffolding onto Roman Reigns on the July 30th edition of SmackDown, right before he was going to issue a challenge for SummerSlam. Reigns escaped with no injuries, but he was very shook up.

On the August 5th edition of Monday Night RAW, Reigns narrowly escaped being run down by a car during a confrontation with Samoa Joe. Reigns suffered a sore shoulder, but was otherwise fine.

At the end of the August 6th SmackDown, Reigns confronted Buddy Murphy, who claimed to have seen the culprit and after a little…persuading, Murphy claimed it was Erick Rowan.

At SummerSlam, Erick Rowan ATTACKED Buddy Murphy during Murphy’s match with Apollo Crews.

On the August 13th edition of SmackDown, Murphy admitted to lying about Rowan being the person who attacked Reigns after getting the snot beat out of him by Erick Rowan. On that same edition, Reigns confronted Bryan and Rowan and Bryan demanded an apology from Reigns and claimed to have solved the mystery.

The Evidence

Outside of Murphy’s unreliable witness statement, we have no ACTUAL evidence that points to anyone. The video footage we have of the backstage incident seems to be from a GoPro on the scaffolding, very convenient, and all we saw was the attacker’s arm. Now, some intrepid fans with better eyesight and more time than I do, did some serious looking at the video footage and spotted Murphy lurking around in the aftermath, but it still doesn’t say anything of hard evidence.

The footage of the car incident didn’t really show anyone behind the wheel and everyone was, rightfully, focused on Reigns and not on spotting the driver.

The Motive

Why would anyone seemingly want to hurt or kill Roman Reigns? Well, Roman, with or without the title, is the top guy. He is the big dog in the SmackDown yard, so he’s naturally going to be the one to gun for by anyone wanting to make a statement.

Reigns has made a lot of enemies in his run, and a lot of them are still on the main roster. However, that doesn’t mean any or all of them want Reigns out of the picture permanently.

Also, despite appearance, I don’t honestly believe the culprit wants to harm Reigns. The scaffold wasn’t solid and the boxes fell off before it, which saved Reigns from being really hurt and he had time to move to avoid serious injury. In the car incident, if the person was actually trying to hurt Reigns, they did a pretty bad job of it. Reigns was able to jump back into the car because the driver door was still open and the car hit the driver’s side passenger door/trunk area. That’s pretty bad aim if you’re trying to hit someone in the driver door of a parked car.

I think whoever is behind this is trying to scare Reigns, not hurt him. Scare him enough to make him paranoid and jumpy, but hurting him or taking him out permanently really accomplishes nothing.

What kind of person would do this? Well, it’s someone who wants attention, specifically Reigns’ attention because Reigns is the ruler of the yard. This is someone who is feeling overlooked and underappreciated by WWE. This is also someone who has a big ego and a serious sense of entitlement to target WWE’s top guy. Which brings us to…

The Suspects

Obviously some suspects have been named, but only one of them has seemingly been eliminated, so let’s look at them.

Likely Suspects

Erick Rowan and Daniel Bryan

These are the prime suspects in this. Erick Rowan was identified by Buddy Murphy as the man who pushed the scaffolding onto Reigns and Reigns seems to have believed him.

Why: Since Rowan has been a professional lackey for most of his career, it stands to reason he didn’t do this under his own initiative, which is why Bryan is included in this, since he’s the leader of the Greenjerks for reasons I’ll go into in the next entry.

Why Not: Rowan is pretty hard to miss, SOMEONE would’ve noticed him lurking around.

Daniel Bryan

Yeah, I already had him with Rowan, but it’s possible Bryan’s doing this solo or with a secret partner. Bryan’s got a big ego and believes that he is sinless, which makes him a cross between a Bond villain and Charles Manson.

Why: For someone like Daniel Bryan, Reigns being on top would rankle greatly. Also, he could be doing it, or capitalizing on someone else’s work to bind Rowan to him. Bryan was very vocal about Rowan not being the culprit and seemed to take great pains to make it look like he was trying to clear Rowan’s good name, something I’m sure Rowan appreciated.

Why Not: The problem is Bryan’s ego. Bryan’s enough of a narcissist to not want to see someone else, even his own disciple, get the credit for his work and he would find it very hard to keep his mouth shut.

Buddy Murphy

Yeah, I’m serious. Murphy was the one who pointed the finger at Rowan, then recanted, both times after getting the snot beat out of him. Murphy is the only person who claimed to have seen what happened and any detective can tell you that eyewitnesses are notoriously unreliable.

Why: Well, since his call up to SmackDown in April, Murphy has yet to be used in any capacity, except maybe as a lumberjack or breaking up a brawl. That would be a tough pill to swallow for someone who was a big fish on 205 Live and a former champion. Going after the biggest dog in the yard would be for him to get the attention he feels he should be getting.

Why Not: The problem with Murphy being the culprit, in terms of storylines, is that he’s not important enough to be put to Reigns’ level, though the match they had on August 13th’s SmackDown should open some eyes to how good Murphy is.

Drew McIntyre

McIntyre was last seen beating Cedric Alexander on August 12th’s RAW, but he and Reigns have had issues with each other for over a year, with Reigns beating McIntyre at WrestleMania and several times after that, culminating in Reigns and the Undertaker beating McIntyre and Shane McMahon at Extreme Rules.

Why: It’s no secret that McIntyre feels he should be higher up on the card than he is and after the bruising defeat at Extreme Rules, he could be trying, again, to make himself the top dog at Reigns’ expense.

Why Not: Like Rowan, McIntyre is extremely hard to miss and since he’s on RAW, someone would’ve noticed him lurking around on SmackDown.

The Fiend

The Fiend made his debut at SummerSlam, but Bray Wyatt and Reigns had a feud back in 2015 with Wyatt targeting Reigns’ family at first, then anyone in the wrestling world Reigns was close to. Reigns finally beat Wyatt in a brutal Hell in a Cell Match and the feud seemed done.

Why: Does Wyatt need a reason to target someone? I’m not sure why he targeted Roman in 2015.

Why Not: Since the wild card rule is slowly being fazed out, there’s no reason for it to be Wyatt since he’s on RAW for now. Plus, there’s no motive for him to target Reigns.

Samoa Joe

Reigns and Joe have been rivals since they met and have put on some fantastic matches during that rivalry. Joe hasn’t been used very much since his debut and only recently won his first title on the main roster: The United States Championship.

Why: It’s no secret that Joe and Reigns don’t get along and with Joe being relegated to the mid-card, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to see a path back to the top in attacking Reigns. Also, Joe seemed to intent on declaring himself innocent despite no one accusing him of anything but having a bad haircut. He was also with Reigns when Reigns was nearly run down.

Why Not: Samoa Joe is a pretty straight-forward guy, heel or not. If he’s got a problem with you, or wants a fight, he doesn’t tend to mess around, he comes right at you. I can’t see him doing all this sneaking around just to get to Reigns.

The McMahon Family

Reigns’ issues with the McMahons go back several years and have had several eruptions, most recently at Extreme Rules. The feud between Reigns and Triple H and Reigns and Shane McMahon have actually culminated in physical confrontations.

Why: Reigns isn’t one to tow anyone’s line if he doesn’t agree with it and he’s repeatedly refused to be a corporate champion. He has also not hesitated to lay out any McMahon, including Stephanie, if sufficiently provoked. Also, the WWE botched the investigation of the first incident, laying the blame on a forklift operator, who was later revealed to have not been at work that day, and Triple H was seen helping Reigns out of the car.

Why Not: The McMahons have pulled off some successful ‘Whodunits’ in their time, including the Higher Power of 1999 and ‘Who Ran Down Stone Cold Steve Austin’. However, this seems a little too risky, even for them, there were too many variables that could’ve lead to serious injuries for Reigns.

“Who Did This To You, Roman???”

Unlikely Suspects

These are guys who have been brought up as possible suspects but ones I don’t buy from the start.

Roman Reigns

DO NOT KILL ME! Hear me out! No, I do not think Reigns is behind these attacks on himself, but I have a feeling that it’s going to come up sooner or later, so let’s put it out there.

Why: For the attention. Reigns’ triumphant return from cancer treatment was quickly overshadowed by the news that Shield brother, and long-time best friend, Dean Ambrose, had not signed a new deal with WWE and would be leaving at the end of April of 2019, necessitating a Shield reunion and farewell match. After Ambrose’s departure, Reigns found himself having to try and get Drew McIntyre over and carrying the Extreme Rules match to cover for Undertaker AND Shane McMahon. After all that, he hasn’t even been considered for a title shot. The closest he came was the Battle Royal to determine who would face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam and Reigns was eliminated by Seth Rollins. It would be enough to make anyone feel unappreciated.

Why Not: Reigns is a very straightforward man and I find it highly unlikely that he would put his safety and ability to support his family in jeopardy just for attention. Also, he doesn’t need the attention, he is the top guy on the roster, and he knows it.

Seth Rollins

Yeah, seriously. Rollins and Reigns have spent as much time being rivals as they have being BFFS and Shield brothers. They were supposed to have a feud at the end of 2015, but Rollins blew out his knee and missed a lot of time in recovery. They had a brief rivalry on Rollins’ return in 2016, but Reigns’ suspension for a Wellness violation, and subsequent detention in the mid-card, and their reunion, kept that from going too far.

Why: Well, Roman’s the Guy, which is what Seth wants to be and feels he should be. Seth has the Universal Championship, but he never beat Reigns for it, which is probably something that’s never far from his mind. Rollins did beat Reigns in 2016, but then lost the belt to Mr. Money in the Bank, Dean Ambrose, so he didn’t get a chance to crow about his triumph. Rollins has also shown a perfect willingness to turn on Reigns if the price was right or if there was a goal they both wanted.

Why Not: Rollins might want to be THE Man in WWE, or at least, THE Male Man, since Becky Lynch is THE Man, but I don’t see him trying to take Reigns out permanently. Reigns and Rollins are on different shows. Odds are good that, once SmackDown moves to FOX, and the wildcard rule is finished, they’ll only interact at Pay Per Views. That’s not enough reason to try and kill, or look like you’re trying to kill your friend. Rollins has enough people on RAW gunning for him without adding ‘Pissed off Roman Reigns’ to the list.

My Suspects

So, if you’re wondering who I think is behind this, the answer is either Buddy Murphy, or Daniel Bryan on his own, or with a secret partner. Murphy is the one who first accused Rowan of being the culprit, then admitted he lied. He also smirked before giving the initial non-answer that set Reigns off, indicating that he did know but wasn’t going to tell, something he also pulled with Bryan and Rowan.

I initially didn’t really consider Bryan a suspect until I wrote his entry in. Even though I think Daniel Bryan has too much ego to be able to pull off this kind of subterfuge, I wouldn’t put it past him either. The fact that he claimed to know who the real culprit was makes me think some innocent schmuck is going to be blamed while Bryan watches. Why I think that is to destroy Reigns’reputation by having him attack innocent people before revealing that it was him all along.

Honestly, I don’t think who the culprit turns out to be is going to matter in the long run. It’s not going to live up to expectation, but SmackDown has certainly given us a juicy mystery to tune in for every week, which makes the journey a lot more fun.

So, what do you think? Who do you think is the culprit?

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

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Opinion

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

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

Published

2 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

3 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!