Opinion

Cook’s NXT TakeOver: In Your House Gambling Picks

People appreciate knowing the odds; so Cook explores the favorites for In Your House!

Published

5 years ago

June 5, 2020

NXT TakeOver has taken place in some prestigious locations over the years. None more prestigious than where it’s taking place this Sunday…In Your House! People of my age group fondly remember the In Your House series of PPV events from the mid-1990s. NXT is capitalizing on their popularity with an older audience with the return of this brand name. It’s good business.

The card should be pretty good business too. I can’t say this feels like a top-end TakeOver card, but it’s not like it’s full of duds either. Some interesting matchups should lead to some interesting betting. Who should you place your money on? That’s what I’m here to tell you. Odds come to us from 411mania via BetOnline.

Six-Woman Tag Team Match

Mia Yim & Shotzi Blackheart & Tegan Nox -200 (1/2)
Candice LeRae & Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez +150 (3/2)

You know I like me some Shotzi, but I have to acknowledge certain facts when telling you how to wager. Shotzi has yet to win a match on NXT television outside of her victories during a gauntlet match on the March 23rd episode. Who beat her at the end of it? Dakota Kai. It feels like the heels have stood tall whenever these women have gotten together on NXT television.

So obviously that means Mia, Shotzi & Tegan are going over here. You didn’t actually think I’d pick against them, did you? Nahhhhhhhhhhh.

Finn Balor vs Damian Priest

Damian Priest -160 (5/8)
Finn Balor +120 (6/5)

I feel for Finn Balor. He was doing nothing of value on the main roster for years, and the hope was that returning to NXT would freshen him up and give him new things to do. Maybe some really good matches or feuds or something like that. That lasted for a couple of months or so. He’s had some good TakeOver matches, got a NXT Championship Opportunity, but I’d have to classify Balor’s NXT return as a disappointment thus far. The heel turn had potential, but Finn’s Conor McGregor impression didn’t go over as well as people hoped, I suppose.

Damian Priest seems like the smart pick, but I’m actually leaning Finn Balor here. Probably a disqualification, but maybe Balor just gets the win and Priest beats him down after the match.

Tommaso Ciampa vs Karrion Kross

Karrion Kross -250 (2/5)
Tommaso Ciampa +170 (17/10)

I’m a little surprised Kross is taking on somebody of Ciampa’s status in NXT so early in his tenure. I’d have figured on several more weeks of squashes & lip-syncing before taking on a serious contender. It’s bad news for Ciampa, as I see Karrion Kross winning this one in relatively short order. Kross has the look & the gimmick to be a big deal in NXT, and there isn’t a better way to establish him as a main eventer right away than by squashing one of NXT’s most-tenured employees.

It could also send Ciampa further down the road towards what he used to be, which doesn’t seem like a bad idea to me. Tommaso’s missing a little something right now. I think he could use a change of scenery and he’s been saying he’s more open to it lately. We’ll see how he feels about it when they have something resembling a road schedule again.

Keith Lee (c) vs Johnny Gargano

Johnny Gargano -160 (5/8)
Keith Lee +120 (6/5)

I don’t know why Keith Lee isn’t on Raw or SmackDown right now. He should have been on one of those shows after Survivor Series, or at least challenging Adam Cole for the NXT Championship. Lee fiddling around with the North American Championship doesn’t make any sense to me. Johnny Gargano fiddling around with it does. He’s an NXT guy for life at this point, and his heel character would be further solidified with a second reign as North American Champion. I’d have Gargano take the strap off of Lee and send the big guy off to Raw or SmackDown.

Charlotte Flair (c) vs Rhea Ripley vs Io Shirai

Io Shirai 2/3
Charlotte Flair 6/5
Rhea Ripley 2/1

Picking anybody other than Charlotte Flair seems silly. Theoretically, the idea of Charlotte as NXT Women’s Champion is to really put over the person that ends up beating her for it. To me, that works better in a singles match than in a triple threat. Sure, you could have Io pin Rhea or Rhea pin Io to keep Charlotte strong, since apparently that’s needed in 2020. But what does that really do for either woman? They need to beat Charlotte for the idea to work. Also, if Charlotte being NXT Women’s Champion is going to mean anything, it needs to last a little bit longer.

I can’t believe I’m advocating keeping a story going that’s caused me to lose a lot of interest in NXT & WWE programming in general. But it makes sense for Rhea, Io or whoever you’d have Charlotte lose the title to to get it done in a one on one situation. Of course, WWE loves doing their big title changes in triple threats, so maybe I’m barking up the wrong tree here.

Adam Cole (c) vs Velveteen Dream

Adam Cole -300 (1/3)
Velveteen Dream +200 (2/1)

Cole’s listed as the favorite right now, and given his lengthy title reign and everything that’s happened over the past couple of months, it’s easy to see why. Betting against Adam Cole in NXT is a fruitless endeavor. Velveteen Dream hasn’t been around too much lately, and when he has been around he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. There was a situation that popped up around WrestleMania time that hasn’t really been talked about since. However, some are now speculating that Dream will end In Your House as NXT Champion for one simple reason:

Have you seen the news lately?

People think it would behoove WWE to have Velveteen Dream win the championship on Sunday night, and that his coming up short wouldn’t be a great look. It’s a very fair point. Dream could easily be used as a transitional champion, which he could talk about and put on his tights because that’s the kind of thing he does. Cole’s reached a year as NXT Champion. It’s probably time for him to move on to something else anyway.

If Velveteen Dream remains the underdog here, I’d recommend you put your money on him. However, would I be surprised if Adam Cole got the win? Absolutely not. He’s more reliable in the ring, he’s been champion for a long time, and I don’t think Vince/Hunter/whoever’s making the decisions will necessarily feel they have to put the title on Dream because of current events. Their take on current events might not match yours or mine.

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

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

Published

1 day 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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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

4 weeks 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