Opinion

Mishal’s Top 5 Worst Matches Of The New Millennium

Mishal takes a look at the Top 5 Worst Matches Of The New Millennium! Did your “favorite” make the list?

Published

4 years ago

June 2, 2020

Roman Reigns Triple H WWE WrestleMania 32 Chairshot Edit

Last week I took a dive into ranking the best matches that WWE has presented in the new Millennium. A series of matches that haven’t just defined what the industry means to me as a fan since the late ’90s, but ones that have defined this generation for fans. Matches that gave, and still give us, goose bumps, make us cry or scream at the top of our lungs whether you’re at home or in the rafters, they simply are among the few we can call the very best.

This time, I took a different approach.

Being in the mood for some truly awful professional wrestling over this past weekend put me in the mood to really contemplate what were the worst main events we’ve seen from the company since the new millennium rolled around.

Professional wrestling always has its classic moments, those that edge their place in the corner of our hearts & minds, and for the most part, I’d say the business has the tendency to be somewhat decent on a regular basis. Every now & then, however, we see it at its very worst. Wrestling can take a turn for the worst, being the very worst thing that fans want to see.

Bad or terrible wrestling matches don’t usually happen on their own, they’re a result of much larger issues. It could boil down to bad storytelling, a botched build-up to the match, crowds that aren’t invested in what you’re selling, the chemistry between performers just doesn’t mesh as well as you’d want, the overall booking & placement of a certain match on a card or in some cases, a match that absolutely nobody, and I mean nobody, has the desire to see in the position its in.

Thankfully, these matches aren’t frequent and are more oddities than anything, but they’re still worth mentioning for the sake of not repeating the same devastating mistakes twice over. On this article, I’ll have a look at just those kind of matches, ones that in some cases WWE has managed to learn from, but in some cases, has remained as stubborn as they always have been.

Honourable Mentions

Team RAW vs Team SmackDown – Survivor Series 2017
I’ll never understand what the creative team was trying to achieve here. Aside from booking the NXT newcomers like Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor & Bobby Roode to look like complete filler all this did was come across as entirely aimless. It resulted in a booking that amounted to nothing, a hysterical Triple H meme & Shane McMahon of all people being booked to look the strongest amongst a sea of fresh talent that could use the boost to their standings. A complete waste of time that nobody will look back on fondly.
Goldberg vs The Undertaker – Crown Jewel 2020
One of the very few matches I can ever say I had a rough time sitting through. I’ll be an Undertaker fan until the day I die, but it was clear that he didn’t have enough to carry an already concussed Goldberg in a match that didn’t even cross the 10-minute mark. Most spots either botched dreadfully or in some cases were so horrifying to look at that you wanted to turn your screen off. It was mercifully short but nothing short of uncomfortable to see two industry icons almost kill one another on multiple occasions.
The 2014 Royal Rumble Match – Royal Rumble 2014
By no means, a terrible Royal Rumble in execution, filled with solid spots & star-building material that was just enough to admire in the early stages, but marred by one of the most bizarre match finishes ever witnessed. When a company has a star as red-hot as Daniel Bryan was at the time, the idea of replacing him with an essential part-timer infuriated everyone across the board, whether you were at home or in the crowd.
Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton – Battleground 2017
In all honesty, it takes effort for a match to be this uneventful from an action point of view. Orton & Mahal possessed next to no chemistry that would have you invested in a match solely on your own interests in what they were fighting over, most of their confrontations were plodding, formulaic & lacked any real spark (aside from the ‘classic’ at Backlash 2017), so placing them inside the ‘Punjabi Prison’ did them no favours. The match happened, nobody cared, but The Great Khali’s surprise return was so wonderfully bizarre it made the whole experience slightly worth torturing yourself through. But no more than once.
Seth Rollins vs Baron Corbin – Stomping Grounds 2019
Name me a single soul that actually cared about this match. Both guys are immensely talented in their own right but the lack of tension & heat for anything they did left the crowd more stoic than even slightly engaged. It didn’t help that the stipulation this was contested under is so hard to actually execute well, in this case feeling more like it got in the way of a match that could have been somewhat acceptable if the two were allowed to flex their own talents. The post-match moment got an okay pop, but aside from that nobody is going to remember this, ever.

Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns – WrestleMania 34

I’ll be the first to admit, a small part of me adores this absolute train wreck of a WrestleMania main event.

In the build-up to this match there seemed to be no other route for WWE to go than having ‘The Big Dog’ Roman Reigns finally ascend to the top of the throne on Monday Night RAW & dethrone then Universal Champion Brock Lesnar after a reign that lasted an entire calendar year at that point. This was billed as the long-time, much-anticipated rematch between the two men who engaged in a war at WrestleMania 31 that exceeded almost everyone’s expectations, especially myself. Their rematch promised no interference, shenanigans and a decisive finish to determine the best on the brand.

What we got, was an exhausted, bored & uninterested crowd on the very biggest show of the year watching a match that, it seemed like, they couldn’t genuinely care less about. Rather than invest in the story being told the sellout crowd decided to formulate their own entertainment, chanting for NXT (who had just put on a show two days prior that `you could genuinely call one of the best of all-time), booing every move either man did & remaining mostly mute for all the matches big spots. Even Lesnar’s F5 to Reigns through the announce table received an ovation quieter than some lower card competitors tend to receive.

Having Reigns pull out the big guns and even blade himself on the biggest stage of the year received next to no reaction from a crowd that was either exhausted beyond belief or simply didn’t care about what the company was trying to present to them. You can revisit this and laugh at how disinterested everyone is, even the commentary team at points, and for that certain level of entertainment, I’ll give it points. That doesn’t, however, excuse this from being one of the very worst booked matches the company has slotted into the main event.

Triple H vs Roman Reigns – WrestleMania 32

WrestleMania 32, much like this match, just seemed to drag on until the end of time as we know it. The show was quite literally ‘the biggest WrestleMania of all-time’ but was at points, too big for its own good & shoved such a ridiculous amount of material, as well as talent onto the card that nobody knew what to do with everything thrown at them. Certain matches (particularly the brilliant Women’s Title bout or stellar opening contest) garnered enough praise from the audience to stand out but if there’s one match you need to ensure works, it’s your main event, which generally is contested for the biggest prize in the game, the WWE Championship.

There was nothing necessarily wrong about this going on last, it was the payoff to a supposed ‘blood feud’ that had been brewing since the fall of 2015 & seemed to mark the official ‘passing of the torch’ moment you’d come to expect from a star the company sees as their next John Cena in Roman Reigns. WWE’s failure wasn’t just the booking of Roman Reigns prior to this match, but that this was contested under a standard singles match, offering nothing to deliver on the payoff fans were promised.

Using the ‘No Disqualification’ or ‘No Holds Barred’ rule isn’t necessarily essential in telling the final chapter of a major feud, but neither man was even given a weakness or ‘Achilles heel’ to play off of, resulting in a match devoid of tension. Unlike Triple H’s match with Daniel Bryan two years prior, contested under similar circumstances, this just felt like your average main event to an average show, rather than the biggest the business has to offer.

Letting the two slug it out for just around 30 minutes didn’t help the situation either since neither man is known for their long-term capabilities in the ring, but rather shorter matches with large bursts of offence. The contest itself dragged a crowd that had already sat through upwards of 7-hours of wrestling into a world of boredom since the constant rest holds, taunting & unspectacular match style did nobody any favours since this was pitched as an all-out brawl on paper. Admittedly the match did find a bit of a spark towards its ending but by then the crowd had already been underwhelmed from 25 minutes of action that belonged on an episode of RAW, not a WrestleMania.

Arguably the worst thing to see as a wrestling fan is a WrestleMania where the crowd at the end of your show is nearly dead silent, and this was one of those painful nights to soak in.

John Cena vs John Laurinaitis – Over the Limit 2011

There’s a time & place for comedy matches in wrestling, and while they aren’t always necessarily the highest value product, they have their position on a card if executed well enough.

One position a comedy match should never be in, however, is in the main event of a pay-per-view.

John Cena’s rivalry with John Laurinaitis is one that wrestling fans don’t really speak of, not just because of how forced it was at a time when pay-per-view buys & ratings in the company were struggling in managements eyes, but more importantly because of what it overshadowed as a result of its position. The main event of the Over the Limit show had the potential to be an incredibly underrated WWE Championship Match between CM Punk & Daniel Bryan or a Fatal-4-Way Match for the World Heavyweight Championship featuring Sheamus, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho & Alberto Del Rio. What we got instead, was a joke that had no place being where it was.

In a match with Laurinaitis’ position as General Manager of both RAW & SmackDown on the line, the two contested in a one-sided affair that saw Cena humiliate the General Manager in embarrassing fashion. From dumping garbage over him, water down his pants & providing colour commentary for a brief moment, both men tried to entertain the crowd watching which was an impossible task considering what they had to follow in the show’s undercard. Rather than a stellar main event worth the money of a pay-per-view at the time what we got was an overly long, badly written joke that did nobody any favours, amounting to a match that would have been better suited to the mid-card of a show with a significantly less chunk of time dedicated to it.

To add insult to injury, the match ended when the ‘returning’ Big Show engaged what felt like his 811th heel turn in the last 3 months alone, providing nothing of excitement & continuing an angle no fan had asked for at the time. As far as the main events in wrestling go, it should always be reserved for the best you have to offer, this was the furthest from that.

The 2015 Royal Rumble Match – Royal Rumble 2015

Very few matches have the ability to infuriate an entire fanbase of people all in one fell swoop. Regardless of who you’re a fan of, who you prefer to win a match or who you desire to see headline a show, this is the prime example of WWE being WWE. I’ll always do what I can to defend the company where they deserve it, but this faithful night in Philadelphia is an evening I’ll never be able to stand by as someone who knows how good their product can be when they listen to fans.

A year prior, the 2014 Royal Rumble garnered the reputation for being the worst match of its kind up to that point. It was a failure on almost every level imaginable but at the very least was a pretty stellar match itself until the final 10 to 15 minutes came about which lead to Batista of all people clenching the victory. 2015’s match was a different story entirely, and to this day is one of the most bafflingly backwards booked matches I’ve witnessed since the darkest days of WCW in the early 2000s.

In terms of quality, the match had a solid start with the right guys entering and the company’s most popular competitor (and at the time, the favourite to win) Daniel Bryan making his presence felt after missing out on his chance to make history the previous year. It all when downhill from there because, in one of the most confusing, rage-inducing moments fans have ever seen, Bryan was inexplicably dumped from the match for no good reason. This sent fans into a flurry of anger & resentment, turning on the remaining match entirely, booing every remaining competitor almost out of the building & being forced to sit through arguably the worst booked match in company history until that point.

All of this pointed to a severe disconnect that the company had with its audience, or another solid example of its outright stubbornness to push Roman Reigns as their top guy against a fanbase that was craving something else entirely. Fans always complain about the company never listening to their wants, and this was one of those nights that complaint was undeniable. Rather than giving us the new blood so many of us desired to see garner the spotlight against then-champion Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania, we sat through the likes of Big Show & Kane tearing through the most beloved talent in the company, in a move that simply enraged fans to the point of them hijacking what the company thought would be a defining moment.

I could go on for hours about how abysmal this whole ordeal was, and if it weren’t for one other match, this would top my list without question.

Seth Rollins vs ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt – Hell in a Cell 2019

Hell in a Cell 2019, by all standards, might be the worst booked wrestling show I’ve seen in terms of structure.

The card itself was a victim of its own layout, with the hottest matches on the show going on first leaving everything else to simply wallow on its own without any real interest or stakes to keep the audience invested in anyway. As a result, the rest of the show was simply mediocre with little to no real excitement in any of the remaining contests on the card. However, the shows biggest blunder came at the height of its main event, which set the bar for how bad a wrestling match can be.

WWE admittedly did book themselves into a corner with this match, as Seth Rollins fresh off defeating Brock Lesnar for the 2nd time that year was pitted against the hottest gimmick in the company, ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt who was fairly fresh to his new role on the roster & thrown into the main event a little too abruptly for most peoples liking. Having the hottest gimmick available contest against a champion that was only just settling into his 2nd reign as champion seemed like it would have been better saved for Wrestlemania season, rather in the middle of the fall season of wrestling which isn’t always the most eventful outside of the brand warfare that takes place.

And as expected, the booking was as much of a mess as you’d imagine it to be.

In terms of a match, this wasn’t even a match, at least not a traditional one. Both competitors wisely played into building up the amount of punishment ‘The Fiend’ could absorb, further expanding on the monster-like qualities of his character, but the direction the match went ended up making everyone involved, the officials included, incredibly silly to say the least. After absorbing countless stomps, weapon shots & abuse at the hands of Rollins, ‘The Fiend’ refused to eat a pinfall, leading to Rollins dragging out a hammer (a prop used in Wyatt’s ‘Firefly Funhouse’) and slamming his opponent with it, whilst below a pile of rubble. Not only did the spot leave no impact at all but lead to the match ending in a referee stoppage, the one way you don’t portray your most feared star as the biggest threat imaginable.

To say this left fans unhappy would be an understatement, as it leads to the loudest chorus of boos I can remember hearing at a wrestling show, primarily focused towards Seth Rollins who was already on thin ice with fans due to questionable past booking. What only angered fans more was Wyatt eventually recovering and dismantling Rollins, but rather than restarting the match, the company pulled the show off the air in the most anti-climatic fashion, leaving everyone bitter.

A main event of this caliber should have been booked as an all-out war and considering the circumstance should have lead to ‘The Fiend’ running through the champion like he did everyone before him, instead, this was a match that practically forced the company to shift their stance on not just their premier superstar, but the direction of every main storyline that followed. WWE has had their bad matches in the past, but nothing was as bizarre as this match ended up being.

When a match infuriates literally every fan across the board, shatters the credibility of your biggest superstar, almost kills the momentum of your hottest act, tanks the respect people had for a match with the legacy of ‘Hell in a Cell’ & from reports, resulted in borderline riots, you know that match deserves the position I’ve given it on this list.

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!