Opinion

Cook: Larry Csonka Was The Best

Steve Cook looks back at the loss of an IWC legend, and more importantly, a friend.

Published

4 years ago

May 20, 2020

Steve Cook

Steve Cook looks back at the loss of an IWC legend, and more importantly, a friend.

There are a lot of bad things about the Internet.

I could go on all day listing aspects of the World Wide Web that piss me off. I’d rather not. Not today. Instead, I’d like to talk about my favorite thing about the Internet.

No, not porn.

It’s the fact that it’s never been easier to connect with people that share your interests. When I was a young wrestling fan, there weren’t exactly a ton of other kids I could share that interest with. Sure, there was always that group at school that watched pro wrestling, but it was only so big, even during times when wrestling was mainstream. And, to be honest, most of the people I knew that watched wrestling were still true believers deep into their teenage years. You couldn’t really have a dignified conversation about who the best workers were, or why that particular angle fell flat, or who you thought was going to be the next big thing.

It wasn’t until Owen Hart’s passing that I learned there was a world of Internet wrestling opinion outside of promotion-sanctioned websites. I was hooked immediately. These writers had such passion behind their words & talked about things that I’d always wanted to hear more about but didn’t know where to look. 411wrestling.com (now known as 411mania.com for way too many years because I’m old) quickly became one of my favorites.

It also became the place where I started posting on message boards. This opened up a Pandora’s Box of interesting characters that I soon became acquainted with. Of course, like most major message boards, 411 spawned a plethora of off-shoots, and I had my hand in a couple of them. One was The Wrestling Talk Franchise, run by my dear friend Voodoo Penguin. TWTF’s hook that made it different from the other off-shoots was they wanted to have a serious wrestling main page. It ended up giving a number of successful writers a start in the early to mid 2000s, including myself.

Also including Larry Csonka.

Larry had taken issue with what he perceived to be 411’s bias against TNA Wrestling and started posting his own TNA PPV reviews in their TNA Forum. He got hooked up with the Penguin and started posting them on TWTF’s site. We became friends quickly because we shared many of the same opinions concerning pro wrestling. Even though he insisted on rooting for the detestable Pittsburgh Steelers, I couldn’t help but like the guy. His passion for wrestling was contagious. He even did the weekend warrior thing, training under the legendary Ivan Koloff & having matches as “Tremendous” Tom Lawrence in Carolina feds that wouldn’t pop up on indy video sites of the era. Unfortunately, injuries led to the end of his in-ring career, but they couldn’t end his voice or his insatiable appetite for pro wrestling.

I mean, seriously. Go to his 411 archives sometime and marvel at the ridiculous number of shows he reviewed. I honestly have no idea how he managed to father children, fight various physical battles and review all those damn wrestling shows. That speaks to Larry’s incredible work ethic.

Gonna jump ahead in the timeline here, but that’s ok. Dude lost most of a leg last year. If I lost most of a leg, y’all couldn’t count on another wrestling column from me for at least a year. Maybe two. That’s how long it would take me to regain some composure. I tried to help fill in for Larry on 411 for a little while, then I got word that he was back in the saddle. I would have asked “Really?”, but I knew Larry. I knew the second that guy could get back in front of a TV screen and a computer, he would have plenty of things to write.

That was Larry.

So of course 411 noticed Larry’s work on TWTF and hired him to do TNA reviews. He ended up doing everything else too, of course. Websites are picky about their work being cross-posted, so Larry couldn’t recap TNA for TWTF anymore. That’s when I came into the fold, and it was good timing because TNA had a new TV show called Impact. I don’t know why I said “good timing” in relation to the early days of TNA Impact, because that timeslot of 3 PM on Fridays on Fox Sports Net was the drizzling shits. It was fine for me though! I got to have some fun recapping a show, while also doing a news column for TWTF since Dave Schilling (there’s a blast from the past some of you might recognize) made the mistake of encouraging me to fill in for him one week. I had some interactions with former 411 writer Joshua Grutman (GRUT!) previously that made me feel like I could possibly do this whole wrestling writing thing.

So then the fabled 411/Inside Pulse split happened. Widro took pretty much any 411 writer with name value off to a new site because…well, I’ve never asked Ashish why though I’m sure he’d be glad to talk about it now considering how things ended up. Larry was one of the few hands left on deck, because apparently Widro and the rest of the old guard didn’t see any potential there. I’m not going to say whether or not Larry would have gone, because I don’t know, but I do know that not getting Larry on board was their fatal mistake. Ashish turned to Larry, and they made 411 better than ever. They brought in fresh writing talent like J.D. Dunn, Mat Sforcina, Andy Clark, Bayani Domingo, JP Prag, James Thomlison and countless others that hopefully don’t get mad I neglected to mention them. Greg DeMarco came along a bit later, so I’m not leaving him out here.

I will mention myself.

Larry brought me on. Ashish agreed with it, and I would never sell his contributions to my writing career short, but I can’t see Ashish bringing me on without Larry’s recommendation. I did the Impact Insight thing for awhile, then got the news column, and then the rest is pretty much history. Larry, myself and the rest of the 411 Young Guns kicked some Inside Pulse ass and sent most of them into retirement. I think most of them were headed there anyway, but NAME VALUE!

Then Larry wanted to do some podcasting. Between you and me, I still don’t understand why anybody would listen to several hours of people rambling on about the wrestling. Are people that bored whilst traveling? But when Larry asked me if I wanted to co-host his show, the answer was pretty obvious. Our first show wound up being a tribute to “Macho Man” Randy Savage after he’d died earlier in the day, so that was a positive note to start on. We did a bunch of happier podcasts later on, trust me.

I think a large part of the reason he had me podcast with him was he knew my interest in writing about wrestling would fluctuate. I’ve never had the work ethic Larry had. That guy could write four columns in a day, while I look at four columns in a week like an impossible thing. I enter these phases where wrestling just doesn’t interest me, and I check out of writing about it. I still watch, because of my addictive personality, but I don’t have much to say sometimes.

Then again, I might be over-analyzing things. Maybe he just liked talking about wrestling with me. Which, considering his stature in the Internet wrestling writing world, is a pretty big deal. I never took it for granted. In fact, I assumed he would get tired of it eventually. Most people do.

If there’s one weakness our podcasts had, other than whatever I would have blown on a breathalayzer during many of them, it’s that we didn’t disagree enough. Early on, I had a bit of an ego and really wanted to talk about things. Eventually I figured out (on my own because Larry would have never said it to me) that Larry was the draw, and the best thing I could do was let him talk. Could I have disagreed more? Sure, but the problem there was that we naturally agreed on most things, and I wasn’t going to do the First Take thing and purposely argue the opposing viewpoint.

I was Larry’s sidekick.

My most recent Top 7 column for 411 listed the best sidekicks in pro wrestling. I mentioned in the intro that I was Larry’s sidekick, and I thought I did a good job at it. There’s nothing wrong with being a good sidekick. Ed McMahon made a career out of announcing Johnny Carson and laughing at some bad jokes. Arn Anderson was fucking great as Ric Flair’s Enforcer. And Hey Now…Hank Kingsley!

The only problem is…what does a sidekick do when the main attraction leaves?

That’s the part I need to figure out. It’s gonna take some time. Larry had some serious health issues over the years, I knew that. I also knew that he kept coming back, seemingly stronger than ever. It seemed certain to me that out of the two of us, it was more likely he’d be writing something like this about me. Nothing about any of this makes sense.

The best thing about the Internet is that it introduces you to people that share your interests. I never met Larry in person. The closest we came to meeting was when Larry attended a CHIKARA show in Kingsport, TN. I gave some serious thought to making that town even though it was many hours and some strange roads away, but my car at the time didn’t seem likely to make it. The car I have now wouldn’t have made it either. Some things never change.

Thing is, even though I never met Larry in person, I can count him among the top five people that have helped me along my way. I can also count him among the best five friends that I’ve had. Most people only knew Larry through his reviews & columns. I got to know him through MSN Messenger convos & podcasts. I’m a very lucky man.

I just wish more of you got to know him like I did, and I hope I’ve done at least an adequate job here of describing his greatness. He had a family he adored, and I wish I got to know them better because they seem like wonderful people. I’ve met a lot of amazing people thanks to Larry, like my USB family of Dustin James, Jeremy Lambert & Todd Bergman. Too many to name here, and again, I hope nobody gets offended by being left out.

I made sure Larry knew how important he was to me. I’ve written about it multiple times & said it many times through the course of convos & podcasts. You never really know if that sinks through. Especially as a writer…we writers are a pretty self-loathing bunch. I hope he knew.

And I hope that someday down the road, we’re in a better place sitting on that balcony drinking scotch & smoking cigars like Alan Shore & Denny Crane. Boston Legal was something else we shared a fandom of, and even if I can’t claim to have a tenth of the charisma James Spader has on my best day, I always noted the similarities between the friendships between Denny & Alan and Larry & me. Denny & Larry were legends in their fields. Alan & I were controversial folks that had a tendency to make enemies and ramble through closings. Which I’m doing right now, now that I think about it. I don’t want to end this column, because ending the column means I have to say goodbye to one of the best men I’ve ever known.

Goodbye, Larry Csonka. We were flamingos. Rest In Power, my friend.

A GoFundMe page is being run to help out Larry’s family during this time, you can click here if you’d like to contribute, or click on the image below.

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!