Opinion

Andrew’s Top 5 Matches: Week Ending 4/19/20

On what feels like the 6th Sunday in the decade of April, we take a look at the matches of this past week!

Published

5 years ago

April 20, 2020

So as we learn more of Eorzea, the primal beasts are threatening the land – erhm…-wait that’s not what I write about. MATCHES! Yes, wrestling matches of the quarantine weeks.

It’s the 6th Sunday of the decade of April…

Alright I’ll stop being a moron now. Last week’s match vote was a complete runaway for; NXT: Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano. Even though it had a mixed reception from many, it’s been a slow few weeks.

Let’s see what we have to work with this week!

Quick Top 5:

Pro Wrestling NOAH: Global Tag League Finals: AXIZ (Go Shiozaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima) vs Rene Dupree & El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr
Rating: ****
NXT: NXT Tag Team Championship: Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher (c) vs Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong
Rating: *** 3/4
WWE SmackDown: Cesaro vs Daniel Bryan
Rating: *** 1/2
NXT: Akira Tozawa vs Isaiah Scott
Rating: *** 1/2
WWE Raw: Oney Lorcan vs Aleister Black
Rating: *** 1/2

Honorable Mentions:

IMPACT!: Tenille Dashwood vs Taya Valkyrie w/John E. Bravo
Rating: *** 1/4
AEW Dynamite: Kip Sabian vs Chuck Taylor
Rating: ***
IMPACT!: Dez & Wentz vs XXXL vs Reno Scum vs Fallah Bahh & TJP
Rating: ***
NXT: Fabian Aichner vs Finn Balor
Rating: ***
IMPACT!: Ace Austin vs Trey
Rating: ***
WWE Raw: Rudy Riott vs Asuka
Rating: ***

5. WWE Raw: Oney Lorcan vs Aleister Black

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

Aleister lets Oney free but starts kicking away. Oney clinches and swings, into an armlock! Oney stays up but Aleister cranks on the arm! ROPEBREAK! Aleister lets Oney go and Oney CHOPS! Aleister BOOTS back then throws more EuroUppers. Oney shoves but Aleister rallies with forearms and elbows. Aleister unleashes the strike fest! KNEE THRUST! Aleister kips up and runs, but Oney gets under the springboard to LARIAT! Cover, TWO!! Aleister lives but the Fury of 205 Live fires up! Oney half nelsons but Aleister wheelbarrows to a victory roll! TWO and Oney CHOPS again! Oney CHOPS again and fires up. He dares Aleister to stand, and Aleister KNEES back! Aleister brings Oney back up with a foot, to BLACK MASS! Cover, Aleister wins!

Winner: Aleister via Black Mass

4. NXT: Akira Tozawa vs Isaiah Scott

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

Tozawa cranks on Swerve and brings him to a knee. Swerve fights out and pops Tozawa around, but Tozawa makes it a hanging dragon sleeper! Tozawa drags Swerve to the mat and cranks hard! Swerve gets free of the body scissors for only a moment as he turns around. Tozawa has a guillotine but again Swerve powers out with a BRAIN BUSTER! Both men are down but Swerve grits his teeth. Swerve stands first and drags Tozawa up. He begins the full nelson but Tozawa resists. Swerve clubs away on Tozawa’s back then lifts, but Tozawa victory rolls! TWO, and Tozawa kicks, spins, slides under and waistlocks! Swerve breaks free, trips Tozawa and rolls him, to a DEAD LIFT GERMAN of his own! HOUSE CALL!! Cover, TWO!?

Swerve can’t believe Tozawa survives! Swerve drags Tozawa to a corner and hoists him up top. He gets under Tozawa to push him up, but Tozawa kangaroo kicks back! Tozawa OVERHEAD SUPLEXES Swerve into buckles! Swerve staggers into the ROLLING ROUNDHOUSE! Tozawa heads up top with Swerve in the drop zone! He’s up top, for the SUPER SENTON!! Cover, Tozawa wins!!

Winner: Tozawa via Senton Drop

3. WWE SmackDown: Cesaro vs Daniel Bryan

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

But into a Crossface! Cesaro and Bryan struggle but the hold locks on! Bryan is stuck, but he rolls and rolls, and pops out to his YES LOCK!! Cesaro is the one caught now, but he pries the fingers apart. They fight for a cover, ONE, then another, TWO! Cesaro LARIATS Bryan down! Cesaro looms over Bryan and brings him up. He gives more EuroUppers in the corner, until the ref counts at him. Cesaro brings Bryan up to whip corner to corner. Bryan goes up and over, but Cesaro catches him! But Bryan spins through to a takedown, and the YES LOCK!! Cesaro endures, Nakamura gets in, but Gulak stops him! Nakamura kicks at Gulak but Gulak won’t let go! Gulak throws Nakamura into barriers, and Cesaro taps! Bryan wins!!

Winner: Daniel via Yes Lock

2. NXT: NXT Tag Team Championship: Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher (c) vs Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

Thatcher drags Strong up, butterfly underhooks but Strong resists. Fish runs in but Thatcher easily kicks him back out. Thatcher walks into the boot! And the enziguri! Strong tags Fish and Fish runs, to body check Thatcher down! Cover, TWO! Tag back to Strong and the Undisputed Era bring Thatcher up. Gutbuster drop to flying knee! Cover, TWO!! Thatcher survives but the Undisputed Era adds strikes. Riddle SPEARS Fish before the next double team! Strong KNEES Riddle but Thatcher EuroUppers Strong! Strong KNEES Thatcher then reels him in. But Thatcher drags Strong down, FUJIWARA! Strong taps, Riddle and Thatcher win!!

Winner: Thatcher via Fujiwara Armbar

1. Pro Wrestling NOAH: Global Tag League Finals: AXIZ (Go Shiozaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima) vs Rene Dupree & El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr

Pro Wrestling NOAH held a truncated version of their annual tag league to find a new opponent for MochiMaru (Masaaki Mochizuki & Naomichi Marufuji). The former champions; and fans favorite edgy boys AXIZ, prove their worth by getting to the finals. Conversely, the surprise foreign Sugiura-Gun squad of Rene Dupree & Hijo de Dr Wagner Jr, made a great push. Who pulls it off; AXIZ or Les Mexicanos?

The match starts off like most Japanese tag matches with each of the partners taking turns, in a fairly respectable way. Wagner manages a few power spots, but Nakajima gets the better of things with quick Hamstring Kicks and keeping things moving. Eventually, Dupree keeps Shiozaki on the outside while Nakajima and Wagner work toward the decision. Nakajima hits the Vertical Spike, but Wagner kicks out. Wagner hits the Wagner Driver, Dupree hits a Gotch Piledriver; then goes to wipe out Shiozaki while Wagner goes for the Moonsault Press. Overshooting a little, it looks more like a Moonsault Headbutt, but it gets the job done.

This was a nice evolution of Wagner Jr in NOAH. He went from being an opening match, low points in the N-1, tag along in Sugiura-Gun; to finally getting a chance to shine and show his progress. A nice feather in the cap for the son of a legendary luchador, coupled with a familiar face that many probably forgot about.

Winner: Wagner Jr via Moonsault Headbutt

Thoughts:

If for no other reason than the way NOAH built up Wagner Jr’s legitimacy over the past year; the Global Tag League match gets my vote. It was a really solid match, along with the built in story…just great wrestling.

Since most of us know who Rene Dupree is, follow the link in the Quick Top 5, to check out the match.

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

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

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

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

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

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

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

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

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

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Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

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

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

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Classic POD is WAR

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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