Opinion

News From Cook’s Corner 6.15.20: THE GREATEST NEWS COLUMN EVER

Steve Cook looks at the “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever,” Howard Stern and AEW, and much more in the News From Cook’s Corner!

Published

5 years ago

June 15, 2020

Steve Cook

Edge Randy Orton WWE Backlash Greatest Wrestling Match Ever

Steve Cook looks at the “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever,” Howard Stern and AEW, and much more in the News From Cook’s Corner!

Hi, hello & welcome to News From Cook’s Corner! I’m Steve Cook, and I’m pretty jazzed up about this edition of the column. If you’ve been with us the last few weeks, you know it’s been a depressing time around here. Even if I could act like an asshole last week to pay tribute to one of the best assholes the IWC ever knew, it was still pretty rough.

I have yet to watch Backlash, so I don’t know if we actually saw the greatest wrestling match ever or not last night. I do know that Edge got hurt, which just goes to show that the dude hasn’t lost a step. Just goes to show that us old guys still have it, am I right? Anywho, here’s your look at all the latest and greatest news…

WWE News

When you’ve been following pro wrestling for as long as I have, you grow to realize that it’s a “matter of time” business. Especially on the WWE side of things. Every so often WWE makes big announcements heralding some form of change. You know it’s just a matter of time until that change is cast aside and things go back to the way they were before. That has the side effect of not getting worked up over things that other people go crazy over.

A prime example of this would be a huge announcement WWE made on June 27, 2019.

“WWE has named Paul Heyman as Executive Director of Monday Night Raw and Eric Bischoff as Executive Director of SmackDown LIVE, newly created positions reporting directly to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon.

In their executive roles, Heyman and Bischoff will oversee the creative development of WWE’s flagship programming and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business. The creation of these roles further establishes WWE’s ability to continuously reinvent its global brand while providing two distinct creative processes for its flagship shows.”

Boy, did that get a lot of us going crazy with rumor & speculation or what? I can understand why. So many different layers to the story of Uncle Eric & Happy Heyman returning to positions of power in WWE. It was fun to speculate over how Raw & SmackDown would be different going forward. Maybe Raw would have a grittier feel to it, and focus on younger stars. Maybe SmackDown would feast off of star power.

I never really got wrapped up in all of that. Why? I knew the endgame. Neither Eric or Paul were going to last in that position for too long. A year seemed like an attainable goal, and Paul almost made it there. Eric…not even close. Doesn’t matter. What does matter is that there’s one factor that shapes everything that WWE produces. We here on the Internet try to boost certain creative minds while dismissing others, but at the end of the day there’s only one creative mind in WWE. As Bill Watts said while telling Vince McMahon he was going home after several weeks working for the man, there can only be one Titan at Titan.

As long as Vince is the big cheese, the head honcho, the cock of the walk, the chairman of the board, whoever is going to attempt to be the creative force behind Raw and/or SmackDown will need to have their finger on Vince’s pulse. That makes things easier for everybody involved. If the “head of creative” already knows what Vince will think about something before Vince thinks it, it’s the next best thing to having Vince in the room. Call him “The Vince Whisperer” if you like, though I’d much rather have Jennifer Love Hewitt whispering to me if ya know what I’m saying but maybe I’m the only one that remembers that show.

That’s why Bruce Prichard was always going to have this job. A lot of you love him, a lot of you hate him. I have no real opinion, though I’m not sure I’d buy a used car from him. What I do know about Bruce is that he’s in the upper echelon of people that have had Vince’s ear for an extended period of time, and that his podcast proved he was capable of explaining any ridiculous decision Vince made over the years. I wasn’t surprised when he took over from Eric on SmackDown, and I’m even less surprised that he’s taking over a minimized Raw/SmackDown booking team.

I’ve seen some people worrying about Brucey due to this promotion, with the idea that working for Vince is a highly stressful situation. I’m not. Bruce knows what Vince wants. I see him sitting at the head of the table, hearing ideas and telling people whether Vince will like them or not. I’ve heard of less stressful situations. Besides, Vince will come in day of show, tear everything up and produce something to his liking anyway. Prichard has heard so much Vince yelling at this point that he has to be immune.

Of course, with the creative teams being combined, everybody’s wondering when the rosters will be combined. I can’t tell you when, but it’s something else falling under the “matter of time” umbrella. WWE has a few tricks they go to when they want to boost the ratings. One of them is splitting the roster. The other is putting the rosters back together. So, yeah, that’s coming. Don’t know when, but maybe when the pandemic lifts? Just spitballin’ with that guess. Do I know what that will mean for various championships? No. Does it matter? No. I assume Charlotte will combine any women’s championships on the roster. Tag teams don’t matter to WWE so that’s easy to unify. The rest will keep floating around. Gotta have the IC & US belts, and two world titles. The company knows nothing else at this point.

24/7? Eh, whatever. I’m honestly surprised they didn’t retire that thing with Gronk.

Heyman will be focusing on his role as an “in-ring performer” according to WWE’s announcement, which either means that Brock Lesnar is coming back soon or Paul’s finally going to start having regular matches. I would guess the former, but one never really knows these days. Heyman could theoretically manage somebody other than Brock, but he hasn’t shown any interest in doing that in a long time. Not even when he was managing people other than Brock!

Many backstage are disappointed with the news of Paul moving on, as he’s been responsible for various pushes of newer talent. (Gotta say “newer” because the talent isn’t always “younger.”) Prichard’s never really been known for pushing non-established talent, so one can understand their concern. Not everybody is frowning about the news though, as it was reported this week by Rovert & Dave Meltzer that AJ Styles requested his move to SmackDown due to an inability to get along with Heyman. Styles blamed Heyman for not fighting Vince on the releases of Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, and allegedly there was also some heat because Paul liked to make fun of AJ for being a flat-earther. Paul’s certainly not the only one on that front, though. Daniel Bryan called him out on it on an episode of Talking Smack some years back, and Randy Orton recently brought it up in an interview without prompting. Hey, you believe stupid stuff, people are gonna call you out on it. That’s life. We’d be a lot better off if people got called out for saying & believing factually inaccurate things more often.

As for Gallows & Anderson’s dismissal, it’s perfectly understandable that AJ would be ticked over losing his best friends. At the same time, that’s a Vince McMahon decision, and blaming somebody else for not changing Vince’s mind is some weak sauce. But hey, at the end of the day, I’d rather have AJ Styles on SmackDown anyway. So it’s all good in the hood.

One of the folks Heyman was involved in pushing was Shayna Baszler, whose push had already flatlined after WrestleMania. It’s said that Vince “doesn’t get her”, so her prospects don’t look to great at the moment. Then again, WWE.com finally moved her to the Raw roster last week, so maybe there’s hope after all. Baszler is filling time by doing interviews bashing Becky Lynch for getting pregnant while being champion, which is both pretty tasteless but pretty smart since Becky will need somebody to feud with if/when she returns.

I have yet to watch Backlash because I got home late from work, and most of what I saw online wasn’t very complimentary. All that I know for sure is that Edge tore a tricep during the GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER, which automatically doesn’t make it great because nobody should get hurt during a truly great wrestling match. Sorry, but dem’s the rules.

So, what I’ve been asking people lately is what is actually the greatest wrestling match ever. There’s a comment section down at the bottom, and my Twitter handle is @stevecook84. I do have a quality filter for the sake of my sanity, so you’ll need to be good for me to see you. I am curious though. What do people actually think is the GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER?

Let’s iron that out. I can’t imagine I’ll get a consensus on it, but I’d like to hear some viewpoints on this. Lord knows we argue about enough these days. Let’s argue on the greatest wrestling match.

AEW News

AEW’s main news this week involved Howard Stern randomly ranting on Dustin Rhodes. Based off of the clip I heard, I have no idea how somebody listens to Howard Stern in 2020. The dude still makes a ton of money off of satellite radio, so I have to respect it like I do all these geeks that do what I do and make more money off of it. I just don’t get what the common listener is thinking that they think Howard Stern is a relevant voice in 2020.

But, I also don’t get the appeal of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, 700 WLW’s entire lineup minus the legendary Ken Broo, or any of the other knuckleheads making up lamestream radio in 2020. Apparently one of the requirements of having a radio show is not having a brain. Based off of the half-assed wrestling radio show that somehow made Cincinnati airwaves recently, I can only assume that not having a brain is a requirement for being on the air, since they’ve never contacted me about being on their show. So Howard is probably doing pretty well these days.

AEW needs to spend less time chasing this washed up Stern love and more time chasing the love of fans like me that actually will watch the shit. That’s a shoot, brother. AEW needs to focus on the future, and not worry about the past. I know they have plenty of people on staff that can tell them this. If they can’t, I’m available to do so.

Other Wrestling News

Johnny Walker, known for much of his life as Mr. Wrestling II, passed away last Wednesday at the age of 85. He was a big fan favorite in the Florida & Georgia territories during the 1970s & 80s, and also had a run in Mid-South in the early 80s as the mentor of Magnum TA who ended up turning heel when Magnum got more popular with the fans than II was. Wrestling II had a brief run in the WWF from 1984-86 when they were signing everybody that had ever been a top star in wrestling, he didn’t do a whole heck of a lot there since he was well past his prime. Walker’s wife Olivia was a seamstress that made Ric Flair’s robes back in the day.

Mourning II’s death became a bit awkward when many of us learned for the first time that Johnny Walker was a registered sex offender. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19212533/mr-wrestling-ii-johnny-walker-rape/ It was easier to sweep stuff like that under the rug back in the day, so it’s hard to say if people in the wrestling business even knew about it. Learning about that right after hearing of his death definitely took a bit of a sting off of the news. I’m not even sure WWE recognized his passing. They did make sure to recognize Jimmy Snuka after he died, and he actually killed somebody! They also pushed Jimmy’s daughter right around the time the Darkest Side of the Ring episode on Jimmy Snuka aired, and they tried to bury Owen Hart’s widow right around the time that episode airedl

So you would think registered sex offender Mr. Wrestling II would merit a two hour special, am I right? Apparently he made the crucial mistake of not being a sex offender while under WWF contract. A shame the man tried to reform and as far as I can tell never caused any problems during his wrestling career. Obviously, he should have done some stuff when WWE could bail him out is all I can say.

Speaking of deaths, EVOLVE seems to be on its last legs. Rumors are afoot that the owners are looking to sell everything to WWE. I figured that was the endgame when Gabe Sapolsky got that consultant gig, but it has to be even more so now that indy feds can’t hold shows and draw audiences. WWN doesn’t have a lot of new stuff to offer, so whoever is subscribing now is their base. If that’s not enough…well, it’s probably time to look for potential buyers. If that’s WWE, it is what it is. They can get some usage of that library, and I wouldn’t mind being able to view it on the Network. I would have preferred it a few months ago when I could have reviewed it via podcast with a friend, but better late than never!

Feels like it’s time to close it out for this week. Hope y’all are fine and keep your stick on the ice.

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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

3 weeks 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

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Published

4 months ago

November 2, 2024

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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