Opinion

Cook’s Top 5: 1996 Wrestling Memories

Ol’ Steve Cook continues his look back through his own wrestling history with this Top 5 Memories of 1996!

Published

5 years ago

June 20, 2020

Steve Cook

Ol’ Steve Cook continues his look back through his own wrestling history with this Top 5 Memories of 1996!

When I look back at 1996, I look at it as a year where the groundwork was laid for bigger things. The WWF brought in some new talent and began featuring people that would be part of its rebound from the troubles of the early & mid 1990s. WCW began its most successful angle that changed a lot about North American wrestling. Also, I was introduced to what I still feel is the best way to experience wrestling, though who knows when we’ll be able to do that again.

Well, unless we really want to attend a show from a promotion stupid enough to run shows with fans at the moment. Ian Rotten might have got my money one time in 2004, but he ain’t getting it now. We might talk about that in a couple of months, we might not. 04 was a busy year. So was 1996! Let’s continue my celebration of thirty years as a wrestling fan with a look back at my best five memories of 1996.

5. Rocky Debuts

The young man then known as Rocky Maivia got a ton of hype upon his arrival in the WWF. Dude’s debut match was at the Survivor Series, where he was the sole survivor in his match. There were a number of hype videos touting Rocky as the future of the business. It seemed like way too much hype at the time, and that was one of the reasons Rocky failed early on.

As it turns out, the amount of hype was exactly right. Rocky became one of the biggest stars in the history of pro wrestling within four years. Could we have seen it coming at the Survivor Series? Sure, all we needed to do was listen to Jim Ross declare Rocky a blue chipper the moment he entered the arena. They knew he was going to be great.

4. Cactus Makes It Big

The Night After WrestleMania wasn’t as big a deal in 1996 as it has been in recent years. However, the Raw after WM would often see some interesting events and debuts. One shining example was the debut of Mankind against Bob “Spark Plug” Holly. I was familiar with Mankind under his previous persona of Cactus Jack, and since I knew how good he was in WCW & ECW, I had no doubt he would be equally as successful in the WWF.

The outfit and mask? A little much. Pulling his hair out? Weird. But that was the WWF for you. And we ended up seeing Cactus Jack later on anyway, so all was well that ended well.

3. Austin 3:16

Speaking of people who had some early awkwardness in the WWF. I knew Steve Austin had the potential to be a star, but the Ringmaster wasn’t going to get it done. Once they got rid of that gimmick and let Austin speak for himself, the rest was history. Austin had to give up the prestigious Million Dollar Championship in the process of becoming Stone Cold, but he made up for that by winning the 1996 King of the Ring tournament. Austin’s speech after winning would take his career to another level.

Austin went to the hospital after his first round match to get some stitches put in his lip. When he returned, he was told that Jake Roberts had cut a Bible-thumping promo prior to their match in the finals. Since wrestlers weren’t overly scripted back in 1996, Austin had the opportunity to think of a comeback, and came up with Austin 3:16. A worldwide phenomenon was about to begin.

2. The NWO Changes The Game

To be honest, you could fill a Top any number you want column with NWO moments from 1996. Scott Hall’s WCW debut on Memorial Day. Kevin Nash powerbombing Eric Bischoff through the stage. Hulk Hogan turning against the fans. Nash using Rey Mysterio as a lawn dart. It had a different feel to anything WCW (or the WWF, for that matter) had presented since I started watching wrestling. It felt more real for some reason.

Yes, the NWO would eventually lose its coolness. It got way too big & lasted longer than anybody possibly could have cared. In 1996 it was one of the craziest things I’d ever seen.

1. My First Live Event

A big moment for me. After years of begging & pleading, my dad finally agreed to take me to a wrestling event in February 1996. It was a Raw taping at the Cincinnati Gardens the night after an In Your House event. The build to WrestleMania XII was heading into full gear. I went to thehistoryofwwe.com to find the full results for the evening, I’ll interject here & there with thoughts.

WWF @ Cincinnati, OH – Cincinnati Gardens – February 19, 1996 (8,500)
Monday Night Raw taping:
Herman the German defeated Scott D’Amore

– I was very impressed by Herman the German! I never saw him again. D’Amore would pop up in mainstream wrestling again later on, but I don’t recall him doing anything in the WWF besides dark matches like this one.

Chris Clyde defeated Gary Scott
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification an arm wrestling challenge, when Smith tipped the table onto Ahmed; Johnson recovered and was able to hit the Pearl River Plunge on Smith after a brief brawl
Duke Drose defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley in a steel cage match when the momentum of a knee by Helmsley knocked Drose out the door

– Ah, the cage match. This was interesting. See, it had been advertised on television that Bret Hart would take on the British Bulldog in a cage match. I was a fan of that idea. The night of the card, a paper inside the program listing some of the matches had the cage match pitting Razor Ramon against Goldust. I wasn’t as excited, but it did seem to make more sense as they were feuding at the time while Bret & Davey’s issue had cooled off. Instead, they had a regular match for the live portion of Raw that aired that evening, and we were left with a cage match pitting the garbage man against the Connecticut aristocrat. Which featured the classic bad ending for a cage match with somebody getting punched and falling through the door. Good times.

Diesel & Shawn Michaels defeated the Undertaker & Jake Roberts at 2:58 when Michaels pinned Roberts with the superkick; mid-way through the bout, Taker and Diesel battled backstage, making the match 1-on-1; after the bout, Roberts and Michaels shook hands

– Roberts & Michaels were two of my favorites so it was fun to see them go at it, and I also enjoyed Jake re-forming his alliance with Undertaker. I don’t remember the match being that short. I do remember it went on last, which was kind of awkward because they had to take the big blue cage down. They were four names worth sticking around for, even if it went less than three minutes.

2/19/96 – included a vignette promoting the return of the Ultimate Warrior; featured a vignette for Mankind; included a Larry Fling Live segment with special guest Billionaire Ted:
Razor Ramon defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) via count-out when the champion walked out of the match after sustaining Razor’s back suplex off the top; after the bout, Razor grabbed a microphone and asked acting WWF President Roddy Piper to make a match with Razor and Goldust, not a title match but a fight (this was to have led to the Miami ally fight scheduled between Razor and Goldust for WrestleMania XII)
Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) fought Barry Horowitz & Aldo Montoya to a no contest when Vader came out before the Body Donnas’ entrance and brutally attacked Horowitz and Montoya
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Marty Jannetty via submission with the Million $ Dream; during the bout, Vince McMahon stated that Jannetty was about to enter the tag team tournament with a partner that had yet to debut; McMahon also referred to Austin’s personality as “stone cold”
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Tatanka (w/ Ted Dibiase) with the tombstone; mid-way through the bout, Diesel came ringside to grab a cameraman, taking him backstage so he could document Diesel destroying the Undertaker’s casket with an axe; after the bout, the reminants of the casket were shown on the video screen as the Undertaker and Bearer looked on

– Our seats were above the giant Raw letters they were using for an entrance at the time. The video screen was on the A, and there was no scoreboard hookup to the video screen so we didn’t get to see anything shown on the video screen. Which wasn’t as much of a problem as it would have been in later years, but it was awkward hearing Diesel smash a casket with an axe and not being able to see it.

2/26/96 – included a vignette in which several young fans asked WWF President Roddy Piper to bring the Ultimate Warrior back to the WWF; featured the announcement WWF World Champion Bret Hart would face Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Shawn Michaels would wrestle the 1-2-3 Kid the following week; included a Mankind vignette in which he talked about his mommy and his rat named George; featured footage of the Smith & Owen vs. Hakushi & Horowitz from the 2/24 Superstars and the announcement that the New Rockers would face the Godwinns the following weekend in the WWF Tag Team Title Tournament; included Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with the two men that would face off in the main event of WrestleMania XII, Shawn Michaels and WWF World Champion Bret Hart; during the segment, Michaels agreed Hart was the best there was and possibly the best there ever will be but disagreed about being the best there is; Hart then put over his recent title defenses against men so much larger than him and said he didn’t have to beat Michaels but Michaels would have to beat him to win the title; after the two spoke about their conditioning, WWF President Roddy Piper came out and took over the segment, first saying he didn’t to hear fans boo either Bret or Shawn and then put down each man, telling Michaels he had nice abs but that didn’t mean anything and then telling Bret anyone could have a lucky title defense; Piper then said there would be no cheap finish for the match because the winner would be the man with the most falls; after both agreed to the stipulation, Piper said the match would last a full hour:

– Choosing between Bret & Shawn was always pretty tough. I got a Shawn foam finger, but it’s not like I was rooting against Bret.

Jake Roberts pinned Isaac Yankem DDS at 3:32 with the DDT after blocking Yankem’s version by holding onto the ropes; prior to the bout, footage was shown of Jerry Lawler escaping Roberts’ snake at the Royal Rumble
Diesel pinned Bob Holly with the powerbomb at around 5:30; after the bout, as Diesel made his way backstage, the Undertaker’s gong sounded and the lights went out; when they came back on, Taker was standing alone in the ring; as Diesel went to get back in the ring the lights went out and when they came back on Taker was gone; moments later, Taker appeared on the big screen and said he was the master of playing mindgames
Ahmed Johnson pinned Shinobi (Al Snow) with the Pearl River Plunge; during the bout, WWF IC Champion Goldust called in and read a poem directed at WWF President Roddy Piper in which he asked when he could play his bagpipe
Yokozuna defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) via disqualification in a handicap match when Vader, who had come ringside moments earlier, interfered and hit a clothesline knocking Yoko to the mat; after the bout, Jake Roberts and Ahmed Johnson made the save against Vader, Owen, and Smith

– Yoko, Owen & Davey appeared in a picture on the front page of the sports section. Remember when newspapers were things?

3/4/96:
Shawn Michaels pinned the 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase) with the superkick at around the 12:30 mark after avoiding a legdrop off the top; during the bout, WWF World Champion Bret Hart was shown watching the match backstage, during which he said he wouldn’t fall for the same tricks against Michaels at WrestleMania that Michaels was using against the Kid and that he and Michaels were friends and he didn’t want to see him get hurt before their match; after the bout, Michaels danced with a young girl in the ring (Shawn Michaels: His Journey)
Justin Bradshaw pinned Hakushi with the lariat
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley via submission with the Sharpshooter in a non-title match

– Up until this point, Helmsley had a pretty solid win-loss record, so seeing him lose twice in one night was a bit of a surprise. He hadn’t even done a curtain call yet!

It was a fun evening and opened my eyes further to the joy of pro wrestling. Last week I talked about how 1995 was a tough time to be a wrestling fan. 1996 showed me that better times were ahead. That’s why I’ve never quit watching the stuff…there’s always something good on the horizon.

I know that seems difficult to believe these days, but there is. Trust me.

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Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s 2025 WWE Royal Rumble Results, Review & Reaction

We are firmly on the Road to WrestleMania, starting with the Royal Rumble! Greg has his initial thoughts and reactions for everyone’s favorite event!

Published

2 months ago

February 2, 2025

Greg DeMarco

We are firmly on the Road to WrestleMania, starting with the Royal Rumble! Greg has his initial thoughts and reactions for everyone’s favorite event!

It’s the first Royal Rumble in an NFL stadium (thanks to the WWE calendar change), and both Rumble matches feature a star-studded line-up that makes it much harder than you’d think to pick a winner. I was lucky enough to attend one Royal Rumble live, 2019, and it’s always the best way to set the stage for WrestleMania.

If @whoislaniee‘s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner is any indication, we are in for one hell of a night with one hell of a crowd!

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

Always great to see Stephanie McMahon kicking off a show–the more Stephanie, the better. Apparently we’ve managed to pack 70,000 fans into Lucas Oil Stadium, and if you didn’t know, Pat McAfee loves him some Indianapolis.

With each match you’ll see my picks, in my traditional “Who Should Win?/Will Will Win?” format. I made them in this week’s solo edition of The Greg DeMarco Show, which you can listen to here:

Women’s WWE Royal Rumble Match

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

Who Should Win: Bianca Belair
Who Will Win: Bianca Belair

Last year’s winner was Bayley, entering at #3, and she went on to defeat Iyo Sky for the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 40.

Iyo Sky enters #1, and I do love the elevated platform–it’s not really a stage, but it does enhance the overall feel of the show. Old school fans will remember the entrance from Montreal watching Prime Time Wrestling.
I feel like Liv Morgan always enters these matches early. I also didn’t realize she’s been in all 8 Women’s Royal Rumble matches.
I do love the “ticker” across the bottom of the screen with stats and info during the entrances. Very ESPN, very “Wrestling As A Sport” to me.
Gotta say I was hoping for the black canvas (I’m biased), but I’ll always take grey over light blue.

Roxanne Perez has “Iron Woman” written all over her entering at #3. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

We even get “Active” and “Eliminated” in the ticket? I am REALLY digging this.
Lyra Valkyria enters to very little reaction–she’s a fantastic talent but has not connected on the main roster.
Lyra with the early wardrobe malfunction and we are already slightly derailed, kudos to everyone for getting it together.
Interesting to have the secondary champions enter back-to-back, and Indianapolis doesn’t seem to care much about her, either. Maybe I was wrong about this crowd, and maybe my criticism of Lyra was premature.
Chelsea thinking she’s dumped everyone and pointing to the sign is a great piece of business.
B-Fab enters at #6, and I would assume she has the lowest chance of winning of anyone in the field.
Man, B-Fab is still very NOT good.
Ivy Nile enters #7, the 5th straight entrant who has zero chance of winning this thing.
Also, we are still without an elimination, but probably 10 “hanging on the rope” spots already.
Ivy Nile is already more over in Indy than the Intercontinental and United States Champions.
Zoey Stark, complete with Barry Windham’s “Stalker” facepaint, enters eighth to continue our run of women with zero chance of winning.
Lash Legend enters at #9, and I have a feeling she’s about to win this crowd over.
LASH POINTED TO THE SIGN.
“Get her on the Fever” – Pat McAfee.
Chelsea Green gives us our first elimination, of B-Fab.
Bianca Belair enters at #10, really hurting my chances of being right.

And here’s my pick to win the Women’s #RoyalRumble, Bianca Belair. At #10? Doesn’t look good for me!

(Seth Rollins won his from #10, I believe.)

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

The crowd definitely picked up with Bianca being in the match.
BIANCA IS A MACHINE.
Shayna Baszler enters #11, reminding me she works for WWE. Which is sad, I really thought she’d have a hell of a run in WWE.
Bayley is #12, and we still have quite the group in this match. Personally I don’t see Bayley being a back-to-back winner.
Sonya Deville is in at #13 to complete the PFC trio in this match. I’m sure that’ll work out well for them!
Iyo Sky is so good, she saved Sonya’s knee spot and I am sure no one noticed.
Maxxine Dupri in at #14, another non-winner, but to her credit she only keeps getting better.
With 12 women thill in this match, I have a feeling we’re getting Nia Jax or Charlotte Flair soon to give us a bunch of eliminations.
Ivy Nile out, followed by Maxxine Dupri, and the countdown is on!
Naomi brings the halfway point with her, entering at #15.

Naomi is a former women’s champion and had an amazing WrestleMania moment back in Orlando–why does Michael Cole keep saying 2024 was her breakout year? #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

All of PFC is gone, and nothing of value is lost (from this match–they are valuable as people).
Jaida Parker, entering at #16, comes in to a better reaction than half of the field. Miss Parker has a hell of a WWE career ahead of her.
Chelsea Green is so damn good at what she does.
And here comes Piper Niven at #17.
Will Piper somehow eliminate Piper?
Yes – the answer to that question is yes.
Naalya enters at #18, her eighth Royal Rumble. She’s a little over 20 minutes away from 3 cumulative hours in Rumble matches.

If anyone “deserves” a Royal Rumble win, it’s Natalya. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

FANTASTIC reaction for Jordynne Grace–that has to raise some eyebrows among leadership.
JORDYNNE GRACE IS A STAR.
Michin in at #20, as we are up to 10 eliminations.

BUT THE INTERNET TOLD ME ALEXA BLISS WASN’T GONNA COME BACK DUE TO A CONTRACT DISPUTE. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

Wade Barrett, Michael Cole, and Pat McAfee crapping all over the wrestling newz sites is amazing.
And you can tell Alexa Bliss is THRILLED to be back.
Zelina Vega in at #22 to not win the Royal Rumble.
HUGE SPOT for Zelina Vega and Jordynne Grace.
If you happen to rewatch this match, watch Bayley very closely. It’s a look inside the business–she’s basically an agent in the ring.
Candice LeRae enters at #23, and I am reminded that she’s the WWE Women’s Speed Champion. I also wonder if they’ve started piping in crowd noise for these entrances.
Of note, we haven’t closed a Royal Rumble PLE with the Women’s Royal Rumble Match since the first one in 2018.
Of the 10 women eliminated so far, 6 of them entered #4-5-6-7-8-9.

Great reaction for Stephanie Vaquer–Indianapolis seems to be an NXT crowd. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

LET STEPHANIE VAQUER HER WIN YOU COWARDS. (Personal opinion, she’s the best women’s wrestler in the world.)
#25 already–we are trying to make up some time.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand it’s Trish Stratus.

Honestly, did we need Trish Stratus? #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Kinda wanted Jordynne Grace to toss Trish Stratus right there.
Piper Niven just kncoked the SH*T outta Trish!
Raquel Rodriguez in at #26, and we have 4 more entrants left.
Nia, Charlotte, and…..Becky? Nikki? (Bella, that is.)
The crowd is NOT HAPPY about Alexa Bliss’ elimination.
#1-3 all still in the match.
Charlotte Flair and her new face at in at #27.

Listen, I’m going to hell, but Charlotte Flair’s entrance reminds me of when JR returned from his stroke. Lay off the plastic surgery. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Love Wade Barrett pointing out that Charlotte got pyro. I hope Roman gets his, too.
Took Charlotte forever to get her robe off, apparently.
Like I’m supposed to believe Jordynne Grace can’t suplex Charlotte Flair?
Charlotte definitely brought some fire to this match.
Giulia getting almost no reaction is surprising given the reaction of some other NXT talents.
Iyo and Liv approaching an hour in the match, along with Roxanne Perez.

Giulia eliminated Jordynne Grace, which makes me think Jordynne might be spending some time in NXT. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Nia Jax enters at #29, leaving a surprise for #30? Becky Lynch?
Good for Nikki Bella! And she gave someone in the crowd one hall of a souvenir.
And now it’s time for the “World vs Nia” spot.
Forget Superkick It’s an APRON PARTY.
Roxanne Perez just snuck back in without being eliminated.
Given who is left, it does seem like this is Charlotte’s match to win.
ROXANNE PEREZ IN THE FINAL THREE?

This company obviously believes in Roxanne Perez. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

LOLCHARLOTTEWINS

Winner of the 2025 Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Charlotte Flair

I don’t love the decision to have Charlotte Flair win the Women’s Royal Rumble Match after being gone for over a year, but she IS Charlotte Flair. This should shock nobody. I know Charlotte Flair is a dream match opponent for Tiffany Stratton in the eyes of many, and if she were to put Tiffany Stratton over at WrestleMania, then I will eat my words and say it was worth it.

Hell of a performance for Roxanne Perez, I haven’t seen the tally yet but I do wonder if she broke the record for longest time in one Rumble.

I could go for a Slim Jim meat stick right about now.

Why was Mickie James in the crowd, and not IN THE MATCH??? #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

2 Out of 3 Falls Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships
The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. #DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano, champions)

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

Who Should Win: DIY (but it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things)
Who Will Win: DIY (but it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things)

(I won’t be live tweeting or doing a bulleted list for these two matches, likely just the two Rumbles.)

Had to laugh seeing the drone in front of Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin during their entrance.

DIY wins 2 falls to 1, making my prediction accurate. That is small change, though. I liked the match for what it was, but it’s a reminder of Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey from WrestleMania 38–great match, wrong setting. This was an arena match, not a football stadium match. Yes, that DOES matter. Setting is a huge part of pro wrestling.

NXT Black and Gold will always hold a place in my heart, but part of what made that what it was was the crowd. This wasn’t the crowd for this match. Plus it got around 15 minutes, which is about right for a 1-fall match featuring these four. On TV, counting commercial breaks, these guys get 25-30 minutes.

The Street Profits got involved, eventually attacking everyone. I fully expect a WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match at WrestleMania, with DIY, MCMG, the Street Profits, and possibly Pretty Deadly and Angel/Humberto. This was really just the beginning–it was just misplaced on this card.

Winners AND STILL WWE Tag Team Champions: DIY

Michael Cole did also inform us that Roxanne Perez is the new record-holder for longest Royal Rumble performance. Score one for the good guy (me, from my tweet above).

Ladder Match for the WWE Championship
Kevin Owens vs. Cody Rhodes (champion)

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

Who Should Win: Kevin Owens
Who Will Win: Cody Rhodes

Love that Kevin Owens took down the Winged Eagle Championship during SmackDown last night, and entered with it. Granted, Cody Rhodes has his, too. But KO has a certain edge to him when carrying that title.

That little ladder is HILARIOUS. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

This match was brutal, and whatever they are paying Kevin Owens isn’t enough. Cody Rhodes was beating on KO as a heel would, but he’s a babyface? I know everyone wants “Homelander” Cody, but really he might be more like “Patrick Bateman” Cody. Either way, as great as Cody is (and he is great), there is one missing element. At this point, it’s obvious to me that Cody is the worst babyface in the company. Look at him: THE MAN IS A HEEL.

While I’m glad Cody is fully out of The Bloodline’s shadow, he just needs to beat John Cena at WrestleMania, turn heel, and truly hit his stride. And I want true heel Cody. Chicken sh*t, goons, the whole thing.

Winner, AND STILL WWE Champion: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes is gonna buy Kevin Owens a lot of cigars, booze, or meat. Whatever that man wants. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

You gotta think Sami Zayn not stopping Cody Rhodes from winning will be a major sticking point for Kevin Owens. Seems like we’ll get Sami vs Kevin at WM41.

Men’s WWE Royal Rumble Match

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

Who Should Win: Jey Uso
Who Will Win: John Cena

Last year’s winner was Cody Rhodes, entering at #15, and he went on to defeat Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 40.

Rey Mysterio (Jr) enters at #2, and it’s obvious that gone are the days where randoms would enter at #1 and #2.
I believe I said on my podcast (if not, I meant to) that Penta would need to enter #1 or #2 so he can have his pyro.

I am so happy for Penta in the WWE. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

I really hope we get a Lucha Underground reference on commentary.
LET PENTA WIN YOU COWARDS! (I know, it didn’t work for Stephanie Vaquer.)
PENTA IS A STAR.
I do appreciate how they didn’t fight on the apron, instead just got right back into the ring.
Chad Gable in at #3, and all we need is for Dominik Mysterio to be #4.
That spot looked NASTY, I hope Chad Gable’s knee is okay.
Carmelo Hayes in at #4, and I am reminded that we likely get Trick in this match.

Trick Williams’ #RoyalRumble entrance is gonna be ICONIC.

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

I know they have a temporary alliance at the moment, but Chad Gable vs. Carmelo Hayes would be an absolute BANGER.
KING CUERNO vs PENTAGON JR! #IYKYK
That spot was far too similar to what we saw in the Women’s Rumble.
Otis in and had some fun.
BRON BREAKKER IS A MACHINE.
The crowd reaction to Bron Breakker tells me the WWE might make even MORE money in the future.
What if Breakker won this match? He won’t, but What If?
If not for WWE, I wouldn’t know who IShowSpeed was.
Honestly, nothing wrong with what they did with IShowSpeed there.
Sheamus enters at #9, and I assume we will see some Beats Of The Bowery.

Gotta play the hits, pal. (Sheamus.) #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

This is the most normal Sheamus’ hair has ever looked.
Crazy that this is only Jimmy Uso’s 3rd Royal Rumble.
Big Jim definitely got a bulk discount on his new gear. I wonder how many color combos he got???
Andrade in at #11, and Wade Barrett points out what I’ve been thinking–why run to the ring?
Jacob Fatu enters at #12 and gets his pyro. The rocket ship has been strapped, pal.
Ludwig Kaiser enters at #13 and no one not named (Greg DeMarco Show co-host) Patrick O’Dowd cares.
Kaiser immediately dumped by Penta, and he’ll probably lose to him on Monday’s Raw, too.

Here comes the most underappreciated wrestler in WWE history, @mikethemiz. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

We lost Michael for a minute there.

The fact that Joe Hendry’s fact on the ticket is “Say His Name And He Appears” is amazing.

Great pop for him, too.

And Michael Cole references Nic Nemeth! #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

I’d actually forgotten that we’d likely get a Joe Hendry appearance, so they got a little pop out of me.
I acknowledge you, my Tribal Chief.

#RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk would be one hell of a match at WrestleMania, just sayin’.
Showdowns like Roman Reigns and Bron Breakker is what the Royal Rumble is all about.
SPEAR TO ROMAN.
That might have been the greatest spear ever.
After Joe Gendry and Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre gets very little reaction entering at #17.
Drew McIntyre with the very silky smooth hair tonight.
Finn Balor in at #18 and we have our second drone sighting of the night.
Something is wrong with Pat McAfee’s headset. Hell of a showing by Penta, by the way.
Jey Uso in at #20 to a HUGE pop.
LET JE YWIN YOU COWARDS.
Poison Rana by Jey???
Let’s hope AJ Styles can stick around for a bit this time. (Not necessarily in the Rumble, but in general.)

All these megastars, and Jacob Fatu might be the most over guy in the match right now. #ROYALRUMBLE

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

I’d be okay if Braun shaved his head again.
Jacob Fatu can literally do ANYTHING and it makes sense.

JOHN CENA’S SOCKS!
JOHN CENA’S SOCKS!
JOHN CENA’S SOCKS!#RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

CM Punk, John Cena, and Roman Reigns all in the ring all at the same time? YES PLEASE.
Now add in Seth Rollins? This is the greatest Royal Rumble of all time.
The current field: Seth Rollins, CM Punk, John Cena, AJ Styles, Jey Uso, Drew McIntyre, and Roman Reigns. That is ABSURD.
The only man who can follow all that talent is indeed Dominik Mysterio. This is about to be amazing.
Imagine if Dom wins. I mean, just imagine it.
With the addition of Sami Zayn, the storylines in this Rumble right now are insane.
Damian Priest, who is probably challenging Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania, enters at #28.
Two more to go. Any surprises?
LA Knight, who I forgot was in this match, enters next.
I kinda expect him to move to Raw in this transfer window.
Ah yes, Logan Paul. I also forgot he was on this.
We’ve had a Nic Nemeth and now a Ricochet reference tonight. I love when you’re WWE, and you are comfortable talking about (almost) ANYBODY.

If I’m WWE, I have Logan Paul wait until the final two before jumping back into the ring. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

He didn’t, by the way. Opportunity missed.
Final 6: Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, John Cena, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Logan Paul… STAR. STUDDED.
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins – the WrestleMania Main Event we never got.
YESSS!
Brilliant spot to have Logan Paul eliminate CM Punk.
Final 3: John Cena, Jey Uso, and Logan Paul. Two of my picks are left.
The action on the outside between Rollins, Roman, and Punk drives home how important the Rumble is to the competitors.
And then there were 2: my Who Should Win vs. my Who Will Win.
Please God let Jey Uso win this thing.
(And that’s not a slight against John Cena.)
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

IT’S JUST YOU, UCE! #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Winner of the 2025 Men’s WWE Royal Rumble Match: Jey Uso

Just like the sign said: EAT. SLEEP. YEET. MANIA. I am so damn happy for Jey Uso. You can tell John Cena was as well, along with Michael Cole. And probably everyone in the entire company. Jey Uso is the success story.

As for the match? Well obviously this is a knee jerk reaction, but eff it–this is the best Royal Rumble Match they have ever put on. The early action was fun and exciting. But from the time Joe Hendry’s music hit to the moment Jey Uso pushed John Cena off of the apron, this match was insane. I think Roman Reigns coming in at 16 was a huge part of that. Once Roman is in the match, you are watching to see a) what he does, and b) if he’ll get eliminated. CM Punk eliminating Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns was beautiful, and then Logan Paul tossing CM Punk was even better. If that leads to Rollins vs. Reigns and Logan vs. Punk at WrestleMania, you can take my money.

My money is a Peacock membership, which is automatically charged. But still. Take it.

If John Cena wins it’s still probably the best Royal Rumble Match of all time. But Jey Uso winning makes that an undisputable fact.

Overall Thoughts on the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble

The Women’s Royal Rumble was decent to good. Loved Roxanne getting the Iron Woman treatment, but in the end it’s another chapter of LOL Charlotte Wins.
I need to rewatch DIY vs MCMG because I was on the phone when my son called. Maybe I will enjoy it more on a second viewing.
The ladder match was brutal but the end result was expected. Cody is still missing something, and I think that something will continue to be missing until he turns heel. He’s just overshadowed by too many of the other babyfaces.
The Men’s Royal Rumble Match was the best Royal Rumble match they have ever put on. Great action in the early half, and from 15 (Joe Hendry) on, it was amazing. The storyline movement with CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins was (here’s that word) cinema, and having the most over wrestler in the company not named Roman Reigns win, and doing so by eliminating the odds-on favorite, was perfect. I’m biased because Jey Uso was my pick, but it was the perfect ending to what was probably as close to perfect as a Rumble match has been since 1992.

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TheChairshot.com PRESENTS: WWE Crown Jewel Immediate Reactions

Join DJ and Tunney for their immediate reactions to WWE Crown Jewel. For the latest, greatest and up to datest, ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit THECHAIRSHOT.COM

Published

5 months ago

November 2, 2024

PC Tunney

Join DJ and Tunney for their immediate reactions to WWE Crown Jewel. For the latest, greatest and up to datest, ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit THECHAIRSHOT.COM