Opinion

Cook: WWE TV Is The New WWE PPV

Steve Cook solidifies the movement happening for WWE: TV is now officially more important than PPV.

Published

6 years ago

October 8, 2019

Steve Cook

Steve Cook solidifies the movement happening for WWE: TV is now officially more important than PPV.

I’m not here to tell you that this past week was the biggest week in the history of our great sport. What I will tell you is that it was a fun time to be a wrestling fan. Raw had its season premiere on Monday night. Tuesday saw an AEW preview special on TNT & Impact Wrestling’s Homecoming event from earlier this year air on AXS. Wednesday… well, I don’t need to tell you what happened on Wednesday, do I?

Thursday was severely missing some wrestling content, especially considering it’s been the home of Thunder, SmackDown & Impact over the years. Somebody needs to fill that void ASAP.

Friday night rolled around and it was time for SmackDown’s big debut on Fox. I have to admit, I was surprised that everybody jumped on the “SmackDown = A Show” bandwagon so fast. There have been several periods of time where SD was superior to Raw that people still insisted on only watching Raw & giving SD none of their time. I’d get looks from people that indicated that I had two heads when I suggested that SD was actually better than Raw on a given week. Now that SD is on Fox and the WWE Machine looks to be fully behind it…of course the WWE Universe would fall in line. I should have seen it coming.

I also underestimated the impact of Fox as a network in 2019. I was told people didn’t watch TV anymore.

What I saw on Friday night was the perfect example of WWE in 2019. It showcased everything that WWE wants to be & everything they do well, while hiding the negatives. Allow me to explain…

Vintage Rock

I admit to beginning the rolling of my eyes when King Corbin came out for the first segment as part of the Wild Card Rule, but immediately realized that he was only there to get owned by somebody else. Just like the last few Kings of the Ring.

That Rock pop though…jeezus. No wonder Austin, Sting & Undertaker got bumped off the show. They didn’t want to hurt the old fellas’ feelings when they got much less of a reaction than Rock. That pop put the old Road Warrior pop to shame. Goodness gracious.

Rock is by far the biggest star in wrestling. Can’t wait until his next match.

Brand Synergy!

.@ErinAndrews is LIVE on @FOXTV with The #NewDay!#SmackDown @TrueKofi @WWEBigE @XavierWoodsPhD pic.twitter.com/qYnFkVQ2yl

— WWE (@WWE) October 5, 2019

How about that Fox production? It was first-rate and made WWE look even better than usual. The idea as WWE as part of Fox Sports’ opening plug alongside the Super Bowl & US Open is something I wouldn’t have thought possible a year ago.

There was really only one slip-up from the Fox involvement on Friday night, which came from Erin Andrews misidentifying Kofi Kingston as the challenger in his match later in the night. The rest of the interview didn’t go much better in my opinion and I was left hoping they keep EA on the ridiculously highly-rated shows I don’t watch in the future.

Yet, I appear to be alone in this sentiment. WWE fans were going crazy over the brand synergy and how she was so much better than any other interviewer since Mean Gene. I’m not sure I watched the same interview as these people, but hey, if the core likes it WWE might as well go with it.

Braun Strowman versus an outsider!

The Monster Among Men is certainly a visually impressive fellow and has a certain charisma about him. Unfortunately, these things don’t translate to winning championships, as Braun is approximately 0-45 in Universal Championship matches over the past two years. It’s all right though, there are other ways for one to make an impact in the world of wrestling.

We saw it during WrestleMania season with the Saturday Night Live guys. I don’t think that actually worked as well as WWE was hoping, but maybe I’m wrong since they’re going back to the formula so soon. Braun is the type of guy who draws the attention of people changing channels, and involving him in higher-profile storylines makes sense. Fox apparently wants WWE to emphasize the sports part of sports entertainment, and involving one of the best heavyweight boxers in the world is a good way to do that. Tyson Fury is a marketable character in 2019, and I see him & Braun doing big business on a future WWE event.

And let’s be honest, it’s a much more even fight than Braun vs. two SNL guys.

A Little Bit of Roman goes a long way

The main complaint about Roman Reigns’ lengthy never-ending push over the past few years was that it was lengthy & never-ending. Most of us never really disliked the Big Dog, we just disliked the Big Dog constantly being shoved down our throats. It may have taken a battle with leukemia, but WWE finally figured out that the best way to handle Roman Reigns is to leave us wanting a little more.

So now he’s doing stuff with Daniel Bryan, Erick Rowan & Luke Harper in the mid-card and it’s getting good reactions. The booking hasn’t been perfect (it’s probably for the best if we all forget the part where somebody tried to kill Roman), but the work by the individuals involved has been solid. That’s what you want out of Roman Reigns these days. He’ll go back up the card again, but there’s little need to rush it.

Brock Lesnar squashing a fool!

Why do people still act like they don’t want to see Brock Lesnar? All I ever hear whenever Brock isn’t around is that how it’s so terrible that WWE books everything around him and how it hurts the rest of the product. When Brock Lesnar is around, all I ever hear is about how awesome he is and everybody else on the roster should just step aside. I wish y’all would make up your minds, but I know that won’t happen.

Sure, I feel a little bit of disappointment for Kofi Kingston’s fans that his title reign ended in less time than it took King Kong Bundy to squash SD Jones at the first WrestleMania. I don’t feel disappointed for Kofi, simply because he seems like the kind of guy that’s down for whatever and didn’t give the match time a second thought. Also, if I was the one losing a championship, I’d like to get it done as quickly as possible. Pin me, pay me.

Brock Lesnar squashing a guy WWE spent the whole year building up, and most observers shrugging their shoulders, is peak 2019 WWE.

MMA People Get YouTube Views!

If there’s one thing we learned from WWE back in 2018, it’s that MMA people are really freaking popular. I myself tapped out on the MMA craze several years back due to growing tired of the UFC cannibalizing everything & the general fratboy culture around the sports’s practitioners & fans. It was a toxic atmosphere, one which has only grown in recent years to cover even more landscapes. I could go the rest of my life without ever watching a UFC show again pretty easily.

That being said, I’m in the minority as far as combat sports fans go. Most of you love you some UFC & can’t get enough of anybody involved in it. That’s why the two biggest stars in WWE the past two years have been Ronda Rousey & Brock Lesnar. And that’s why Cain Velasquez will be the next person to join that fraternity. His debut did huge numbers on YouTube, and his follow-up appearances should do the same.

The only downside of Cain coming to WWE to wrestle Brock? He won’t be working those cool lucha moves like he was at TripleMania. Brock doesn’t do that stuff.

The Best of WWE

From most accounts I’ve seen, WWE put on a fairly typical Network Event on Sunday. Strong opener followed by a bunch of stuff & a weak main event. I didn’t watch it, and the odds of me ever watching the whole thing aren’t great…but I don’t need to watch it.

In 2019 & the years going forward, the vast majority of your important WWE happenings are going to happen on Fox & USA. Saudi Arabia will get some matches with huge star power, and I imagine WWE will still value WrestleMania, SummerSlam & the Royal Rumble. The rest of those Network shows will be there for the hardcore fans wanting something to watch on a Sunday night. There will be some good matches, some entertaining moments & some not-so-quality content. It won’t be the end of the world if you miss the show, though. If all you see of Hell in a Cell is Seth Rollins getting Mandible Clawed by The Fiend on a Raw or SmackDown clip, it’s cool.

The weekly TV is what matters now.

About Chairshot Radio Network

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

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

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

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

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

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

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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

All Shows On Demand

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

Up Next

King: Takeaways From 2019 Hell In A Cell (Fiend/Rollins Free!)

Don't Miss

Tiffany’s WWE RAW Takes: Hell In A Cell Fallout

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

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

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

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

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

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

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

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

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

About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY – Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY – 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY – The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY – POD is WAR (Los Tres Friends)

FRIDAY – DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY – The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY – Keeping the news ridiculous… The Oddity / 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

Listen on your favorite platform!

iTunes | iHeart Radio | Google Play | Spotify
Listen, like, subscribe, and share!

About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

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

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

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

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

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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

All Shows On Demand

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

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

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

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

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

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

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

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

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

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

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

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

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

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

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

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

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

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1