Opinion

News From Cook’s Corner 6.1.20: Save Black Lives

So last week I closed News From Cook’s Corner with a guarantee that next week would be better. Welp…

Published

5 years ago

June 1, 2020

Steve Cook

So last week I closed News From Cook’s Corner with a guarantee that next week would be better. Welp…

I mean, I was kind of right. Professional wrestling news wasn’t nearly as depressing or disheartening over the past week. Unfortunately, the rest of the world more than made up for it. I never really know what to say when these things pop up, as I feel like I have little authority to speak on matters of racial justice. I’m a Caucasian from Kentucky that’s never had to worry about the idea that police wouldn’t protect me. My experience is not the experience of other people.

On one hand, I find it hard to believe I’ve benefited from racial privilege, because it’s not like my status in the grand scheme of things is all that great. One look at my rusted out Chrysler Concorde would tell you that. On the other hand, I don’t have to worry about being shot at if I have my hands in my pockets. I’ve never had police break into my house. If I got arrested for some reason, which I don’t plan on any time soon, I assume I would make it to the hoosegow in one piece. Heck, they might take me to Burger King if I ask nicely.

I know there is a percentage of you that don’t want to hear about these things in a wrestling column. You want my takes on pro wrestling & nothing else. I understand that, but I feel like I would be doing a disservice to the situation if I ignored it. I’ll address it one time, and then I’ll shut up and listen, as us white folk should probably do at this point.

Things need to change, and we need to play our part in that change. It’s become blatantly obvious we can’t trust our elected leaders to lead the way. The people at the top of our government got there by dividing the people, not uniting them. Uniting people is not in their best interest, and they won’t do anything that’s not in their best interest. Any true change in the way things are will need to start from the ground up. As little as we think our voice matters, it can still create change in concert with others.

Hopefully you’ll bear with me up on my soapbox for a little bit longer, as I offer my respect to the many pro wrestlers out there that have also commented on the situation in a responsible manner. That might cost them some fans & some social media follows, but some things are more important. Wrestling’s racial history is complicated just like society’s, and while great strides have been made by the current generation of wrestlers of color, there’s still a long way to go. Here’s hoping that people of color can continue to prosper in wrestling, and that those standing in the way either change or get out of the way. Pro wrestling is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, but it’s also a reflection of society. Promoters that refuse to book wrestlers that make their opinions known are merely re-enforcing the current system.

Whether you like the current system or not, it’s not going to work long-term. The reaction gets louder every time. Our leaders might not have to worry about it because they won’t be alive too much longer, but those of us in the 18-49 demographic will have to address it. If I had the answers…well, I wouldn’t be launching into a wrestling news column.

But here we are.

WWE News

Matt Riddle is on his way to SmackDown, and WrestleTalk reports that Dominik Dijakovic is also expected to start on the main roster soon. I know that the success rate of NXT wrestlers on Raw & SmackDown is certainly hit or miss, but I can also see Riddle & Dijakovic doing very well. Both guys can work, and both guys also bring unique qualities to the table. Riddle has a certain charisma about him that should translate well to a network audience. People just seem to like him. As for Dijakovic…well, feast your eyes. Big, jacked dude that can do some big spots. You know Vince McMahon sees some potential in that guy.

I know the easy argument to make is that both guys will flop on the main roster because that’s what almost always happens. I’m willing to give it a chance though. It’s also a good thing to ease the NXT logjam that keeps people in their same spots forever, either on TV or off. Although at least now some of them get to be on TV by being the audience, so there’s that. Say what you will about WWE being slow to the draw by finally introducing a live paid audience weeks after AEW did, but they’ve already had the second best fan moment of the pandemic era:

Mood.@KacyCatanzaro #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/l4BrOIdqlo

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 30, 2020

Number one is still Dr. Britt Baker DMD hitting Cody with her shoe, and I don’t see that getting topped. Actually, hold up, I think I just came up with a column for this week, or sometime pretty soon. So let’s not spoil any more of that future piece of business.

Drew Gulak is back with WWE after briefly becoming a free agent. There was a bit of disparity between what WWE wanted to give Gulak and what Gulak thought he was worth, which led to negotiations taking longer than expected. As things turned out on television, nobody knew Gulak was gone for any period of time except people like us that are obsessed with wrestling news. Hopefully Drew got a good deal. It could have been fun to see him reunite with some old friends in another promotion, but it does seem like WWE has some interest in using him right now. Hope it stays that way!

Samoa Joe is still waiting to get cleared from a concussion. The Wrestling Observer & many other sources expect to see him behind the announce table going forward, and if he does get cleared it’s unlikely he’ll be working a full-time schedule in the ring. Joe being on television constantly should help any future matches he has garner an extra bit of interest. Joe is 41 years old and has a ton of miles on his tires, so it is about that time to make the next transition in his career. He’s also good at announcing, which always helps.

This appears to leave Jerry Lawler out of the mix, which I would assume is perfectly fine with the King. He previously said he was only interested in coming back to Raw commentary as a favor, and would be happy to step aside when he was no longer needed. Lawler’s absence solves a couple of problems for WWE: it’s a bad look to have a 70+ year old flying around during a pandemic, and if he’s not there he can’t make “ramen noodle moonsault” jokes. Everybody wins here.

In other announcing news, Nigel McGuinness was among the names furloughed by WWE during the pandemic. Kurt Angle is already back on television again and his name was on that list, so all bets are off as to when we could see some of these people. Might be next week, might be next year. Depends on how that profit margin is looking.

Chris DeJospeh was released by WWE this week. He had been working as one of the top writers for SmackDown, reporting to Bruce Prichard. PWInsider noted that DeJoseph had received a promotion in the last week or so. My assumption was that he wrote the opening segment of this past Friday’s show, and somebody important watched it. SEScoops.com reported that DeJoseph was released due to inappropriate conduct & remarks during a backstage meeting that infuriated Vince McMahon. I’d love to hear more about that. I’d also love to see some footage of that. In any event, I never get too wrapped up in WWE writer comings & goings because they’re all Vince’s shows. I never notice much of a difference when a writer arrives or leaves.

Kairi Sane had one of the worst weeks one can imagine. Reports came out this past week that she was one of the first people that saw Hana Kimura’s social media posts and alerted people she knew in STARDOM to the situation. Just to show that no good deed goes unpunished, Kairi had her head busted open on the ring steps during a match with Nia Jax at the Raw tapings. You can guess how the reaction to that went. Fans were outraged at Nia Jax. WWE didn’t blame Nia Jax. That’s how it’s going to go as long as Nia Jax wrestles for WWE. I think all we can hope for is that Kairi doesn’t have to wrestle Nia anymore.

AEW News

I have to admit that I thought Double or Nothing would be way down from AEW’s previous PPV efforts as far as buys go. It didn’t feel like the buzz was there. Apparently it was, as Mike Johnson & Dave Meltzer are both reporting that the show did better than expected. In fact, it may have been the most purchased AEW PPV thus far. Even if AEW’s overall viewership is down, they’re turning more of those viewers into PPV buyers.

The one thing that generated the most negative comments online from the PPV was a spot in the Stadium Stampede match where Matt Hardy was drowned in a swimming pool so he could change into a different character. As Matt’s wife Reby pointed out, it’s a spot he’s done for five years now. Usually it was at the Hardy Compound in the Lake of Reincarnation, but Matt changing into different characters after going into water is nothing new. However, Chris Jericho did admit that the segment of the match could have been thought out better, and he understands why people would have been offended by it.

My Take: If they found the same icebox they used for Matt/Kenny vs. Le Sex Gods, nobody would have thought anything of it. Sometimes you just gotta read the room. Even if you personally loved Shad Gaspard and didn’t mean to invoke his memory in any way, you need to know that doing something similar to what led to his death will rub people the wrong way. Matt’s a smart guy and he’ll learn from it. We won’t see him drowning for awhile. Everything else about the Stadium Stampede match seemed to be a major success and I expect it to be a drawing card for AEW going forward, much to the dismay of the second-most beloved Kentuckian in pro wrestling.

Clutch Adams had a match taped for AEW Dark to air this coming Tuesday. It could have been a big deal for him to work Shawn Spears on YouTube, but now that won’t be airing. See, Adams had to go and be a homophobe on social media. 411mania was all over this story. Adams claimed that he couldn’t get booked in Beyond Wrestling because he isn’t “butt buddies” with the promoter. The tweet in question was deleted after Beyond Wrestling called him out and said they wouldn’t be booking him anymore.

Of course, once you make one social media faux pas, people start looking back in your history to find some more. I’m not a huge fan of this, as I feel that people do have the capacity for change and most of us would shudder at things we said years ago whether they were offensive or not. That being said, it was a bad time for people to find out that Adams made all kinds of racist and homophobic tweets seven years ago. That, along with I presume knowledge of Adams’ recent tweets, led to his match being removed from this week’s AEW Dark.

I’m sure some will get mad over Adams’ freedom of speech being violated or some such thing. Here’s the thing: Beyond is an independent wrestling promotion. They can book any indy wrestler they want. They don’t have to book somebody if they’re not inclined to, for whatever reason they want. Also, last I checked, referring to people with homophobic slurs publicly isn’t a good way to get on their good side. As for AEW, they can find anybody to job to Shawn Spears on Dark. Its an easy slot to fill. There’s no reason for them to risk it on somebody that is prone to outbursts on social media, or in real life for that matter. Dark is a big opportunity, and we’ve seen AEW hire indy talent that show something in a match with an AEW regular.

Simply put, Clutch Adams couldn’t have chosen a worse time to shoot his mouth off. If I was in that position, you wouldn’t hear a damn thing from me on social media from that Wednesday until the next Tuesday except plugs for AEW Dark and my match. Sure, if world events intervene you can comment on those, and hopefully in a way that won’t get you noticed in a negative light, but why would you go out of your way to talk shit? Makes no sense whatsoever.

Adams did post a heartfelt apology, and one hopes that he will learn from this experience and be better going forward. I will say that I’m not buying his explanation of “butt buddies” being “slang for being close or tight with someone”. Unless verbiage has changed since the days I hung out with people immature enough to use the term, I think it’s pretty obvious what’s being insinuated there. Like I said, I hope he learns and gets better.

One could argue that this would also justify independent promoters that don’t want to book wrestlers that aren’t homophobic & racist. We’ve heard about promoters making suggestions to wrestlers not to be activist, or simply hashtagging Black Lives Matter. My response? Those promoters are entitled to their decision. They should put their name on it, so we know where they stand. Beyond made it perfectly clear where they stand. AEW made their move If other promotions want to favor racism or other phobias, or excuse them in the name of talent, they should be decent enough to let the consumer know. Makes sense to me.

Danny Havoc

Right around the time I was going to put the finishing touches on this column, I was alerted to the passing of Danny Havoc. Havoc was most known for his lengthy stint with Combat Zone Wrestling, a promotion he watched rabidly as a teenager and wanted to wrestle for. So he flew out from Iowa to do just that, and they didn’t really have a school at the time. This was around when CHIKARA & CZW had combined their wrestling schools, and Havoc ended up learning a lot from Mike Quackenbush & Chris Hero. Now, you might not think Havoc learned a lot from those two considering most of his matches ended up being deathmatches, but it did give him the basics, and I think Havoc’s creative side was helped along by both Quack & Hero, two wrestling masterminds.

My childhood best friend & I watched a ton of CZW during my visits to his residence over the years, and we saw most of Havoc’s early work. Danny was willing to take an absolute beating from anybody on the roster, which served to get him over with a CZW audience that could be really tough to impress. It wasn’t surprising to learn that Danny was one of the most widely respected men in the CZW locker room.

It also wasn’t surprising to learn that Havoc put a lot of thought into his deathmatches. Havoc had a retirement match with Alex Colon for CZW that actually stuck for a couple of years, and it was interesting to see the drawings he made to plan out spots for the match, which were showcased when Vice’s The Wrestlers series aired an episode on deathmatch wrestling. A lot of people dismiss deathmatch wrestling as mindless blood & guts with no rhyme or reason, and there are a lot of those matches that fall into that trap, but the best at the craft really shine through. Danny Havoc was one of those guys whose deathmatches always had some meaning.

Havoc had a return match for Matt Tremont’s H20 promotion in 2019, and took part in a Game Changer Wrestling tour of Japan this year. He also competed on a GCW show in Cleveland in March, which would have been one of the last indy shows to take place before the coronavirus shut everybody down. I assume Havoc decided he was returning somewhere else than CZW when DJ Hyde botched buying glass for his retirement match.

Anybody that watched Danny Havoc assumed he wouldn’t live to the average life expectancy. The guy was born two years after I was. That’s way too soon. Sadly, we have to end this edition of the Corner paying respect to somebody that left this world way too soon.

I’m making no promises for next week. Calling my shot obviously didn’t work.

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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