Opinion

Mishal’s Top 5 Most Bizarre WWE Pay-Per-Views

In preparation for a Money In The Corporate Bank pay-per-view, Mishal takes a look at the worst of all time?

Published

5 years ago

May 5, 2020

It’s almost impossible to keep track of all the WWE & wrestling shows I’ve seen in my almost 2 decades watching wrestling to this point. The business is always active, always evolving & always throwing so much content at you that it’s next to impossible to ever think you’ve seen enough professional wrestling yet.

Considering the number of choices someone like WWE is giving us nowadays, I always find myself watching or wanting to talk about the greatest moments, matches, or things that most people already widely discuss, but what about the oddities? What about the bizarre?

I think at a time like this where there is so much of your day to fill due to all the blank space that I’ve actually had time to sit down and delve into the truly bizarre parts of the wrestling business, in particular, some shows that I’ve come across that are so bizarre I’d need a lot more time to properly talk about them in-depth, but I thought this article would be a solid start.

For this list, I chose to focus more on shows I’ve either seen or ones that have happened within my own time of watching professional wrestling rather than simply put a show on here that I don’t have full knowledge over. Each show here is ‘bizarre’ in its own unique way, whether than be the name, idea, matches, execution, or something totally out of the ordinary that we aren’t used to seeing normally. Here at 5 of the most bizarre WWE shows of all time.

Honorable Mentions:

Backlash (2017)
D-Generation X: In Your House (1997)
Breaking Point (2009)
Wrestlemania II (1986)
Crown Jewel (2018)

Fatal-4-Way (2010)

WWE’s Fatal-4-Way is a show I’ve never quite understood, not because any of the matches on the card were outright dreadful in any way, but because the idea behind this show is so bizarre to me as a marketable idea. On paper, the very idea around a show based on the Fatal-4-Way match is acceptable enough, however, is it really a match type that’s marketable or actively popular within the wrestling community at all is the real question we need to ask. Unlike matches like Money in the Bank, Elimination Chamber, Hell in a Cell or the Royal Rumble, the idea of a Fatal-4-Way match possessed nothing spectacular about it, not a single selling point to paying customers to sink their teeth into beyond it being a match with four people wrestling in it. There have been countless great ones throughout WWE history, it just isn’t a match fans fawn over to see more of, let alone have a show based around it. While their strategy remains to be a confusing one, it’s a pretty obvious way for the company to test the waters at the time since they were transitioning into a new era of newer stars & a newer fanbase to cater to.

The show itself was nothing to be ashamed of though, in fact, I’d honestly say it was one of the strongest of 2010, a genuinely great show that outshined middling expectations going into it. Both the World title matches delivered the goods in their respective 4-Way matches while furthering the current storylines they were working around, Kofi Kingston & Drew McIntyre put on a stellar opening contest over the Intercontinental Championship, The Hart Dynasty beat The Usos in a fine encounter & Evan Bourne (the now Matt Sydal) pinned Chris Jericho in one of the more underrated PPV matches of that year. During a time where a lot of fans craved newer talent gaining a spotlight, this show did just that and highlighted the newer crop of their roster. It’s honestly a solid card that just seems forgotten because of how random the overall concept of the show was, utilizing a gimmick that doesn’t really have much of an ‘it’ factor to it.

Compared to my other selections, I’d say this was the strongest of the bunch. As odd of an idea as it is on paper, there’s still a lot to admire.

Great Balls of Fire (2017)

What I’d pay to be a fly on the wall of the board room meeting where the creative team & WWE management decided that a show called ‘Great Balls of Fire’ would be a good idea to market towards their audience.

This entire show, the build-up to it, the marketing campaign & even the show’s own hysterical production design all seem like one big rib to the WWE fanbase, the biggest troll that the company has ever delivered. It still amazes me to this very day that a show like this even exists, or was taken seriously at one point, even the fact that I woke up at 1 am to sit through this show baffles me when I reflect on it. WWE is an entertainment juggernaut, amongst the biggest in the entire world right now & I truly understand the need to try to innovate and constantly experiment with new ideas to potentially foster into something larger, but what was the endgame with this show?

As ridiculous as the show’s actual name is, the fact that Jerry Lee Lewis’ classic song of the same name as the show itself was used as the official theme song is extraordinary to me, simply extraordinary.

However, I’ll proudly admit that the show ended up being far above what I expected, in fact, it was a fairly loaded card that even featured a personal dream match of mine finally coming to fruition. Headlined by Brock Lesnar defending his Universal Championship against Samoa Joe, WWE did a pretty solid job in putting together a card that was more than just being represented by a show name so ridiculous you wouldn’t bother investing your time or interest in it. Lesnar vs Joe wasn’t necessarily a spectacular match but did its job in giving fans something on the show to truly take notice of. Alongside the main event, we had Roman Reigns attempt murder in a chaotic Ambulance Match against Braun Strowman, Alexa Bliss defend her title against Sasha Banks in a great little match, The Hardys face Cesaro & Sheamus in a slow-paced but really well executed 30-minute Iron Man Match, Neville battle Akira Tozawa over the Cruiserweight Championship & Big Cass mauled his former partner Enzo Amore in one of that year’s most effective angles up until that point.

It still stands as one of the most bizarre decisions WWE has ever made, but Great Balls of Fire is a show I’d highly recommend checking out if you have the time. At the very least you’ll laugh at how absurd the show looks every time the stage is in the background.

Wrestlemania 2000 (2000)

To this day, Wrestlemania 2000 stands as the only Wrestlemania in history to not feature one basic, straightforward, down the middle singles match on its card.

In the midst of a Hardcore Battle Royal, 4 Tag Team matches, a Triangle Ladder Match & a Fatal-4-Way main event the only thing closely resembling a singles match was a ‘Catfight’, which ranks amongst my least favorite ‘matches’ in Wrestlemania history. The issue with this card is that the overreliance on multip-person bouts can lead to show being far too overcrowded & active, resulting in a lack of storytelling a show as big as Wrestlemania needs to truly be memorable. There was just simply too much happening on this show at stages that exhausted me simply watching it on television, despite this being at one of the peak periods of WWE programming as the Monday Night Wars were still being waged on primetime television.

When looking at the actual card, the only real standout was the Triangle Ladder Match between The Dudleys, The Hardys & Edge and Christian which isn’t just a revolutionary match that changed the way the industry looked at gimmick matches, but the importance of tag team wrestling as an entire concept. It embodies what Wrestlemania is and what it should feel like to watch, on top of having phenomenal storytelling from everyone involved in it, as well as the right men coming out on top. WWE sadly crammed the rest of the card with too much dead weight to really discuss, particularly the remaining tag team contests which did nothing to excite me, although the Hardcore Battle Royal, while an incredible mess, is one of the few bright spots of the show due to how absurd the flow of the match is with its breakneck pacing.

Sadly the ultimate nail in the coffin for me was the show’s main event, a star-studded Fatal-4-Way match between Triple H, The Rock, Mick Foley & Big Show, each with a member of the McMahon family in their corner to battle over the WWE Championship. The match itself had pretty solid action, but as I mentioned earlier shoved far too much into the match itself to really land the ending it went for. Balancing not just the retirement of Mick Foley, the rise of Big Show, a plethora of McMahon family drama that just dragged on at points but it sadly sacrificed all of this in favor of having the company’s biggest star at the time, The Rock capture the WWE Championship in what should have been the conclusion to your biggest show of the calendar year.

Wrestlemania 2000 is a pretty solid example that signifies the importance of one-on-one contests, that allows for breaks in between matches with abundances of talent involved in them. As crazy as a show as this can be, it was just so much to digest at points that it becomes overwhelming to watch, with such an intense focus on the spectacle of Wrestlemania that it’s just absurd at times, especially considering that this show wasn’t even held in a larger venue than what we’re now accustomed to.

With Wrestlemania’s getting seemingly longer by the year & WWE seemingly always wanting to shove the maximum amount of talent possible onto a card, this show should be a bleak reminder that sometimes quantity just doesn’t equal quality.

December to Dismember (2006)

What hasn’t been said about ECW’s December to Dismember that hasn’t already been said by any living, breathing professional wrestling fan?

It’s highly regarded amongst the very worst shows in company history, stands as the show with the lowest buyrate in company history, lead to the creative departure of Paul Heyman, gave us changes to the ECW brand that no fan at the time wanted & put the nail in the coffin for the revival of one of wrestling’s most incredibly unique products back in the day. More than anything, it was a slap in the face to anyone who cherishes the world of Extreme Championship Wrestling, a brand pioneered by echoing the voices of its fans with its rowdy, violent, brutal & over-the-top product that to many was seen as a ‘rebellion’ against the norms we were so used to in the industry.

This show missed the mark on almost every beat. It succeeded at dismantling whatever integrity the ECW brand name had left under the WWE banner & killing what had the potential to be a pretty solid show if creative reigns had actually understood what made a product, a brand like ECW tick in the first place. None of the heart was there, the wrestling was watered down to the very thing it was designed not to be, not a single storytelling beat worked because of how absurd aspects of the product were & it just felt too corporate for the average fan, who craved something authentic considering what ECW represented.

Probably the most insulting thing was that prior to this actual show back in 2006, the company only announced 2 official matches, the opening & main event matches, both of which were fine enough but did nothing to satisfy what WWE marketed this brand as. In terms of highlights, the tag team contest between The Hardys and M&M worked, everything else, however, was just a joke in most people’s eyes, an insult almost. Littered with bizarre ideas that seemed like how someone like a Vince McMahon would interpret the ECW product in modern-day, most of this show was too cringe-worthy to take seriously and was met with either silence or boos from fans depending on where you look at on the show. Even the ‘Extreme’ Elimination Chamber that headlined the show was booked in a manner that was so backward to what ECW is at its core that you’d think whoever was in charge had no knowledge of the product whatsoever, and that may have been the case in reality.

I can probably say it’s a show you can watch to laugh at, however, if you’re an ECW fan like myself, this was such a frustratingly bizarre experience that it’s hard to think the WWE would follow through with something like this at a point in time.

Summerslam (2004)

There is no WWE show that will ever represent the notion of ‘bizarro world’ much like Summerslam 2004 did. Being held in Toronto, Canada this was a show unlike any other I’ve personally ever seen in my life so far, one of the craziest, strangest experiences this industry probably has to offer.

Going into this show there was nothing really controversial or out of the ordinary on the card, it was all pretty standard, well booked & carried a lot of potentially great wrestling to put on display with it being one of the companies ‘Big 4’ in their calendar year. It featured a loaded card headlined by Chris Benoit defending his title against Randy Orton & JBL defending his title against The Undertaker, both matches featuring newly bred main event stars taking on seasoned veterans. And while you’d expect the standard, solid show from a card like this, what played out on live television is something that has to be seen.

On that evening the crowd in Toronto lost their minds entirely. It’s a crowd that I can’t quite explain or understand since not only does what they did make no real sense but not being in the audience, is something I can’t make a fair judgment on myself. Rather than playing into the storylines that the company had built up heading into their summer season, the live crowd hijacked the show and almost every match on the card, particularly within the latter half of the show. The crowd booed whomever the company had built up to be cheered, harassed their hometown hero in Edge during his first title defense in his hometown, heckled referee Earl Hebner to no end, turned on stars halfway through their matches, did a Mexican wave during title matches & never really let the show foster into its own thing. While it did admittedly ruin some of the stories the stars tried to tell, it was ridiculously entertaining to watch as an experience.

Probably the saddest part was that the show did have some highlights outside of the rabid live audience, namely a superb Wrestlemania XX rematch between Eddie Guerrero & Kurt Angle, a really fun Six-Man tag team match, as well as a technically fabulous main event between Chris Benoit & Randy Orton. It was probably the remainder of the card that sinks this shows standing and resulted in what the crowd became since nothing else really stood out in my mind due to some really odd booking decisions, especially everything surrounding a Triple H & Eugene (yes, Eugene, of all people) which went well past its limits in terms of timing. And while the match itself is a bit of a snoozefest to get through, witnessing the crowds dissensions into madness during the WWE Championship match between JBL & Undertaker is one of the funniest things the company has put on to this day.

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: WrestleMania 41 Las Vegas

Time for The Chairshot personalities to put their money where their mouths are! WreslteMania 41 predictions from the “expert” staff at TheChairshot.com and Chairshot Radio Network.

Published

19 hours ago

April 18, 2025

PC Tunney

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Chairshot Staff Picks. And what better setting than WrestleMania for this article to return! This 41st edition has one of the most stacked rosters in WWE history. So, without further ado, let us get to the predictions and prognostications…

AJ – The New Day
Andrew – The New Day – No one seems to hold tag titles long anymore.
Dave – The New Day – They have earned it.
DJ – The New Day – Feel tha Powah!
DPP – War Raiders – Big E distraction.
Jason – The New Day – We are not getting E in a working capacity though everyone wants it.
Patrick – The New Day – WWE doesn’t care about this match, so why should I?
Rey – The New Day – Its a New Day, bruh.
Rob – The New Day – New Day rocks and wins!
Greg – The New Day – New. Day wins. New. Day wins!

Tunney’s Take: War Machine – Yes, WAR MACHINE. I have personally had the pleasure of throwing back a few cold ones with these guys on more than one occasion. Not only being tag champs in WWE but defending the titles at Mania and against The New Day is really cool for me as a long-time fan. Would it be fun to see The New Day have another title run.. YES. I think it’s smarter to give the War Raiders a big Mania W.

Chairshot Pick: THE NEW DAY 9-2

AJ – Jade Cargill
Andrew – Jade Cargill – She needs to stay a dominant force.
Dave – Jade Cargill – Gotta gear her up for the long term.
DJ – No contest – Naomi puts another beat down on Jade.
DPP – Jade Cargill – Nervous for how this match will go.
Jason – Naomi – Way more runway with Naomi as a bad guy. Keep it going!
Patrick – Jade Cargill – Jade gets her revenge.
Rey – Jade Cargill – Best non-title feud going. Naomi should win but Jade sneaks by.
Rob – Naomi – Naomi gets help to win.
Greg – Jade Cargill – They ain’t beating Jade here.

Tunney’s Take: Jade Cargill – I imagine WWE sees Jade’s ceiling much higher than Naomi’s. What better way to keep Jade climbing the ladder towards a World Title than to pick up a decisive victory in Vegas!

Chairshot Pick: Jade Cargill 8-2-1

AJ – Jacob Fatu – “AJ does a pretty good LA Knight impersonation” – PC Tunney
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – I’m biased, Jacob for President.
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Getting gold back in the Bloodline is smart.
DJ – Jacob Fatu
DPP – Jacob Fatu
Jason – Jacob Fatu – Thanks for coming pal, YEAH!
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – C’mon cuz! All gas no brakes with it. Yadadamean??
Rob – LA Knight – Solo costs Jacob.
Greg – LA Knight – Solo screws Jacob.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – It has been quite the journey for the Samoan Werewolf. I feel like that journey and the positive turn around it has taken deserves to be rewarded. Let’s see what Jacob can do on his own. Plus, LA Knight is ready to challenge for a World Title.

Chairshot Pick: Jacob Fatu 9-2

AJ – Tiffany Straton
Andrew – Tiffany Straton – I hate Charlotte Flair, no objectivity here.
Dave – Charlotte Flair – Tiffy might be the future, but she kinda failed the litmus test.
DJ – Charlotte Flair – The Queen crowns the freshman.
DPP – Tiffany Stratton
Jason – Charlotte Flair – Tiff wasn’t ready for this spot. Charnos is inevitable.
Patrick – Charlotte Flair – Lol Charlotte wins.
Rey – Charlotte Flair – Tiffany SHOULD win but, if Charlotte can squash, she will.
Rob – Charlotte Flair – Charlotte gets number 15.
Greg – Tiffany Stratton – Lol Charlotte wins. (Actually she doesn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Charlotte Flair – Charlotte needs the title for the first time in her career. Tiffy has had a nice run but now needs to take that all important step of not losing momentum after losing the title. Despite the drama and lackluster build here, I see a really good match coming this weekend from these two.

Chairshot Pick: Charlotte Flair 7-4

AJ – El Grande Americano
Andrew – El Grande Americano – I’d like to see Gable gain some momentum. Rey is Teflon.
Dave – El Grand Americano – He needs a marque win much more than Rey.
DJ – Rey Mysterio
DPP – El Grande Americano – Grande wins with the switcheroo to prove he is not Gable.
Jason – Rey Mysterio – Unmask Grande at the end. It is fun but has a shelf life.
Patrick – El Grande Americano – TOTALLY NOT CHAD GABLE
Rey – Rey Mysterio – Someone’s mask is coming off and it ain’t Rey.
Rob – El Grande Americano
Greg – Rey Mysterio – Hall of Famer wins but doesn’t take the mask.

Tunney’s Take: Rey Mysterio – Go listen to DWI 471. DP, Greg and I lay out exactly what this match should be, FUN! Multiple Americanos!!!

Chairshot Pick: El Grande Americano 6-5

AJ – Jey Uso
Andrew – Jey Uso – Kinda booked themselves into a corner here.
Dave – Jey Uso – It just makes sense.
DJ – Jey Uso – Jey YEETS all over The Ring Genreal.
DPP – Jey Uso – Jey wins after normal Gunther beating.
Jason – Jey Uso – Land the plane man. YEET
Patrick – Jey Uso – Jey has earned this one.
Rey – Jey Uso – YEEEEEEEEEEEET!
Rob – Jey Uso – YEET
Greg – Jey Uso – If Jey loses we riot. We don’t cause he wins.

Tunney’s Take: Jey Uso – ‘Til sweat drop down my balls, ‘Til all these bitches crawl, ‘Til all… YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chairshot Pick: Jey Uso 11-0

AJ – Roman Reigns
Andrew – Seth Rollins – I can see Rollins being the last piece of Team Rock.
Dave – Roman Reigns – I can’t see Roman losing two years in a row.
DJ – Seth Rollins – Paul Heyman is a Seth Freakin Rollins guy.
DPP – Seth Rollins – The Rock helps Rollins.
Jason – Roman Reigns – Seth’s favor is a red herring. Make-A-Wish Brooks got his main, now look at the lights.
Patrick – Seth Rollins – Seth Rollins… Paul Heyman guy.
Rey – Seth Rollins – I smeeeeellllllll a new soul to sell.
Rob – Roman Reigns – Paul Heyman helps Roman win.
Greg – Seth Rollins – Brock Lesnar returns to help Seth win.

Tunney’s Take: CM Punk – I really have no idea here. I picked Punk because nobody else did. This is going to be professional wrestling cinema at its finest. The story is thick and neatly woven. All the participants are legends and so are the potential party crashers. Will The Rock stick his nose in here? Will Brock Lesnar return to play a factor? Obviously, Paul Heyman has a Plan A… but what is it? All these questions and more will be answered Saturday as night 1 will definitely go out with a bang!

Chairshot Pick: Seth Rollins 6-4-1

AJ – Iyo Sky
Andrew – Iyo Sky – Rhea vs Bianca doesn’t need a belt to be compelling.
Dave – Rhea Ripley – Going with Rhea barely, hoping Iyo wins.
DJ – Iyo Sky – Unfinished business.
DPP – Iyo Sky – Rhea and Bianca are too consumed with each other.
Jason – Iyo Sky – More layers to Rhea/Bianca. Iyo rules.
Patrick – Iyo Sky – Iyo stole the build and gets the win.
Rey – Iyo Sky – Smart money is on the underdog champ.
Rob – Iyo Sky – Iyo survives.
Greg – Bianca Belair – Naomi helps Bianca win and turn heel.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – Rhea is the best women’s wrestler in the world. Give her the biggest win on the grandest stage of them all!!! Bianca needs to go full heel. Iyo has been amazing in this build.

Chairshot Pick: Iyo Sky 8-2-1

AJ – Dominik Mysterio
Andrew – Finn Balor – I can see a Judgement Day meltdown incoming.
Dave – Bron Breakker – Bron is about to become a MegaStar.
DJ – Bron Breakker – Judgement Day implodes.
DPP – Dominik Mysterio – Finn take the pin.
Jason – Penta – I literally do not care because the winner is us, the fans.
Patrick – Bron Breakker – The WWE doesn’t care about this matchup, so why should I?
Rey – Dominik Mysterio – Only match without a clear winner. I choose chaos.
Rob – Bron Breakker – Finn and Dom cancel each other out.
Greg – Dominik Mysterio – Dom steals the pin from Bron, on Finn.

Tunney’s Take: Bron Breakker – The case can be made for any of these four to walk away with the most prestigious non-World title in pro wrestling history. The short of it is though that the Main Event picture isn’t really readily accessible for Breakker right now. Let this IC reign go through the summer, to SummerSlam.

Chairshot Pick: Bron Breakker 5-4-1-1

AJ – Damian Priest – “AJ does a pretty good Drew impersonation” – PC Tunney
Andrew – Drew McIntyre – Priest has not been interesting in this face incarnation.
Dave – Drew McIntyre – Time for Drew to get that win back.
DJ – Fuck finish – To be continued at Backlash.
DPP – Drew McIntyre – Physical matchup!
Jason – Drew McIntyre – Either one is fine here.
Patrick – Drew McIntyre – With two eyes, Drew turns the tide.
Rey – Drew McIntyre – Low key match of the weekend.
Rob – Damien Priest
Greg – Damien Priest – Priest wins, Drew tweets about it half hour later.

Tunney’s Take: Drew McIntyre – With the addition of the Street fight rules, these two behemoths have a really good chance to have one of the best matches of the entire weekend (winks at Rey Ca$h-A-Mania)! I do wonder what is next for both of these talents moving forward. Priest has staled since leaving the Judgement Day and Drew seems stuck in the same cycle for a while now. Very interested to see what the summer holds for this pair.

Chairshot Pick: Drew McIntyre 7-3-1

WHO WILL BE RANDY’S OPPONENT?!?

AJ – Nick Aldis – Orton wins
Andrew – Orton and Aldis vs Solo and Tama – Orton and Aldis win
Dave – Someone is getting an RKO!
DJ – A segment w/ the Wyatt s6cks.
DPP – Rusev – Aldis introduces Rusev who defeats Orton.
Jason – Nick Aldis – You got one more in ya, bubba. Aldis wins!
Patrick – Nick Aldis
Rey – Solo then Rusev – Solo in a squash and Rusev MATCHKA(wins)
Rob – Nick Aldis – Aldis proves himself, Orton wins.
Greg – Nick Aldis – Orton beats Aldis, they shake after.

Tunney’s Take: I would really love to see a singles match between Orton and Aldis. More likely this is some type of involvement with Solo and Tama. Rusev as a surprise challenger would be cool but, I feel that would be better left for RAW. An impromptu Goldberg retirement match would be crazy and fun, yet highly unlikely and illogical. Whatever happens, best believe exactly what Dave Ungar said, “Someone is getting an RKO!”.

AJ – Logan Paul
Andrew – AJ Styles – Logan doesn’t need the rub and should stay upper mid card.
Dave – Logan Paul – It’s the smart move and would be a statement win for Paul.
DJ – Logan Paul – Kross gets involved somewhere.
DPP – AJ Styles – AJ wins a great high-flying match.
Jason – AJ Styles – Just enjoy it or get a beer, nerds.
Patrick – Logan Paul – Logan Paul will main-event Mania sooner than later…
Rey – Logan Paul – Pass the torch, my wily vet.
Rob – Logan Paul – Kross helps Paul win.
Greg – AJ Styles – Styles wins after Paul’s cheating backfires.

Tunney’s Take: Logan Paul – Logan seems to really have dedicated himself to becoming great in this business. Anyone with that type of goal must have a World title on their mind. Beating AJ at Mania will be a great springboard for Logan into the Main Event sooner than later (winks at Patrick O’Dowd).

Chairshot Pick: Logan Paul 7-4

AJ – Liv & Raquel
Andrew – Liv & Raquel – Not really a fan of Lyra, she needs more work.
Dave – Liv & Raquel – This Bayley and Lyra team makes no damn sense.
DJ – Liv & Raquel – Bayley crashes out.
DPP – Liv & Raquel – Bayley continues a potential heel turn tease.
Jason – Bayley & Lyra – Finish the story!
Patrick – Bayley & Lyra – The WWE doesn’t care about this matchup, so why should I?
Rey – Liv and Raquel – Bayley want a title but it ain’t the ones in this match.
Rob – Liv & Raquel – Champs retain.
Greg – Liv & Raquel – Liv and Raquel retain thanks to Carlito and maybe JD.

Tunney’s Take: Liv & Raquel – Liv and Raquel need to be kept as the cornerstone of the women’s tag division for a lengthier period of time. Building tag teams in this division is difficult enough, let alone without a North Star.

Chairshot Pick: Liv & Raquel 9-2

AJ – Cody Rhodes
Andrew – Cody Rhodes – They are mentioning it so much, I don’t think 17 happens.
Dave – Joh Cena – Record falls and we head to summer with a built-in storyline.
DJ – John Cena – Some kind of Final Boss involvement.
DPP – John Cena – Cena wins and retires on RAW.
Jason – John Cena – Story’s over, “Captain” BIG MATCH JOHN.
Patrick – John Cena – A record breaking night for Cena.
Rey – John Cena – They’d be really stupid to turn John just to lose. (Post-Mania: Rock, Cena, T Scott, Seth & Drew, TEAM Corporate)
Rob – Cody Rhodes – Cody surprises us with the W.
Greg – Cody Rhodes – Cody wins to piss off Rock and set the table for Cena to turn back face. Crowd is behind Cena all the way through.

Tunney’s Take: Cody Rhodes – They had me until the threat of retirement. Been there. Done that. Didn’t fall in love with it back then. I love John Cena. I love this final run. John will get his 17th just not here. I expect nothing less than an absolute GEM of a match here to close WrestleMania 41. This has all been, is, and will continue to be about Cody Rhodes. WM40 defeats Roman Reigns. WM41 defeats John Cena. WM42 defeats The Rock (The Final Boss).

Chairshot Pick: John Cena 6-5

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 wait all year for this 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

For the latest, greatest and up to datest in coverage, opinions, and podcasts ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit TheCharishot.com

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DeMarco: Top 5 Non-Title WrestleMania Matches In WWE History

Not all WrestleMania classics had titles on the line. Dive into the top 5 non-title matches that stole the show & defined legacies. #WrestleMania #WWEHistory

Published

3 days ago

April 16, 2025

Greg DeMarco

Shawn Michaels Kurt Angle WrestleMania 21

Not all WrestleMania classics had titles on the line. Dive into the top 5 non-title matches that stole the show and defined legacies.

WrestleMania is the Showcase Of The Immortals, but it’s not always the championship matches that steal the show—or define careers. In fact, some of the most iconic, business-defining, and emotionally resonant contests at the Grandest Stage of Them All didn’t feature a title at all. These matches succeeded because of character work, in-ring execution, and the kind of storytelling that sells tickets and moves merch.

Here are the five best non-title matches in WrestleMania history—at least, according to me!

5. The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan – WrestleMania X8 (2002)

This was never going to be a five-star technical clinic—but it was always going to be the moment. “Icon vs. Icon” was a tagline, sure, but it was also the reality: the biggest star of the ‘80s vs. the biggest star of the Attitude Era. And Toronto turned it into magic. Hogan walked in a heel but walked out immortal (again), with the SkyDome shaking on every punch, every look, every gesture.

What made this work was its self-awareness. Rock and Hogan read the crowd and flipped roles mid-match—Rock became the arrogant aggressor while Hogan Hulked Up to thunderous applause. It’s not often a non-title match headlines a card emotionally the way this one did, but it dominated every headline and highlight reel.

4. Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart – WrestleMania X (1994)

Sibling rivalries don’t usually lead to technical masterpieces, but then again, this wasn’t your average family drama. Owen and Bret opened WrestleMania X with a wrestling clinic that stood tall over a night packed with title changes. Owen needed to prove he was more than Bret’s little brother, and he did it by out-wrestling the best wrestler in the company. Clean. One-two-three.

It wasn’t just a great match—it was perfect storytelling. Owen’s victory, contrasted with Bret’s later world title win, set the tone for an entire year of brother-vs-brother tension. Bret became champion, but Owen had the moral victory—and all the bragging rights. This is proof that opening matches can steal the show.

3. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 25 (2009)

If WrestleMania moments could be trademarked, this match would be the reason why. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels wasn’t about championships—it was about legacy. Michaels wanted to be the man who ended The Streak. The build was steeped in biblical imagery: light vs. dark, heaven vs. hell. And the match? Pure perfection. Each man brought everything they had—near-falls, psychology, reversals that had 70,000+ people gasping in unison.

It was 30 minutes of generational storytelling that transcended pro wrestling. And here’s the kicker—it wasn’t even the main event. Yet it dwarfed everything that followed. Meltzer gave it 4.75 stars, fans gave it their hearts, and WWE gave it a sequel the next year. A match so good it forced the company to run it back—because lightning actually struck.

Now, if THIS MATCH is #3, what could possible be #2 and #1…

2. Bret Hart vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin – WrestleMania 13 (1997)

This wasn’t just a match—it was the turning point of an era. The Submission Match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin was as violent as it was poetic, with Ken Shamrock enforcing the rules and the Chicago crowd growing more frenzied by the second. The brilliance? The shift. Bret Hart, the traditionalist hero, grew darker and more self-righteous by the second, while the disrespectful anti-hero Austin refused to quit, even when drowning in his own blood. There was no title on the line, but the stakes felt bigger than gold.

The infamous double turn changed the business. Austin’s defiance turned him into the voice of a new generation of fans—blue collar, anti-authority, Attitude Era. Meanwhile, Bret would go on to lead the heel Hart Foundation. WWE didn’t need a championship to create a moment that catapulted Austin into superstardom and ignited the company’s hottest era. This match is business-first booking at its absolute best.

1. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 21 (2005)

Dream matches often disappoint. This one didn’t. At WrestleMania 21, Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle went hold-for-hold and spot-for-spot with Mr. WrestleMania himself, and together they delivered a masterclass in in-ring psychology. Every sequence had stakes, every near-fall had meaning. It was a stylistic war: Michaels’ heart vs. Angle’s intensity.

Angle forcing Michaels to tap was a statement—it told fans that pure wrestling, not just spectacle, could still main-event caliber storytelling without any need for a title. Michaels sold the ankle lock like death, and Angle’s post-match collapse sold the moment as a hard-fought war. This is the kind of match that keeps purists up at night, smiling, and leaves the storytelling fans like myself as happy as can be!

10 Honorable Mentions (Not Honorable, Just For The Heck Of It)

Edge vs. Mick Foley – WrestleMania 22 (2006)
A hardcore war that solidified Edge as a top-tier main eventer. That flaming table spear is still played in every Edge highlight reel.
AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon – WrestleMania 33 (2017)
Everyone expected smoke and mirrors—what they got was a surprisingly technical, high-energy opener that kicked off the show right.
The Undertaker vs. Triple H – WrestleMania 28 (2012)
“End of an Era” wasn’t just a tagline. The Hell in a Cell match, with HBK as referee, was a brutal epilogue to a generation’s legacy.
Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho – WrestleMania XIX (2003)
A student-teacher battle of wills. Jericho’s low blow post-match was the perfect heel punctuation to a career-defining contest.
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins – WrestleMania 31 (2015)
The greatest RKO of all time. That curb stomp reversal belongs in a museum.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show – WrestleMania XXIV (2008)
More sports-entertainment than wrestling, but a crossover moment that made mainstream headlines and paid off with a great finish.
Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis – WrestleMania III (1987)
A retirement match with big heat, a hot crowd, and Piper walking off into the sunset (for a minute).
The Firefly Funhouse Match – John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt – WrestleMania 36 (2020)
Cinematic weirdness at its best. A meta masterstroke that broke Cena down in layers.
Bad Bunny & Damian Priest vs. The Miz & John Morrison – WrestleMania 37 (2021)
Bad Bunny stunned everyone. He didn’t just belong—he elevated the show.
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio – WrestleMania 39 (2023)
Father vs. son in a grudge match that played perfectly off real-life drama and Hall of Fame weekend emotions.

Some of these matches shaped legacies. Others shifted eras. But all of them proved that the most memorable moments at WrestleMania don’t need a title—they just need truth in the storytelling and fire in the execution.