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.

About Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

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Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

3 weeks ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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SUNDAY – Keeping the news ridiculous… The Oddity / The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: WrestleMania 41 Las Vegas

Time for The Chairshot personalities to put their money where their mouths are! WreslteMania 41 predictions from the “expert” staff at TheChairshot.com and Chairshot Radio Network.

Published

1 month ago

April 18, 2025

PC Tunney

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Chairshot Staff Picks. And what better setting than WrestleMania for this article to return! This 41st edition has one of the most stacked rosters in WWE history. So, without further ado, let us get to the predictions and prognostications…

AJ – The New Day
Andrew – The New Day – No one seems to hold tag titles long anymore.
Dave – The New Day – They have earned it.
DJ – The New Day – Feel tha Powah!
DPP – War Raiders – Big E distraction.
Jason – The New Day – We are not getting E in a working capacity though everyone wants it.
Patrick – The New Day – WWE doesn’t care about this match, so why should I?
Rey – The New Day – Its a New Day, bruh.
Rob – The New Day – New Day rocks and wins!
Greg – The New Day – New. Day wins. New. Day wins!

Tunney’s Take: War Machine – Yes, WAR MACHINE. I have personally had the pleasure of throwing back a few cold ones with these guys on more than one occasion. Not only being tag champs in WWE but defending the titles at Mania and against The New Day is really cool for me as a long-time fan. Would it be fun to see The New Day have another title run.. YES. I think it’s smarter to give the War Raiders a big Mania W.

Chairshot Pick: THE NEW DAY 9-2

AJ – Jade Cargill
Andrew – Jade Cargill – She needs to stay a dominant force.
Dave – Jade Cargill – Gotta gear her up for the long term.
DJ – No contest – Naomi puts another beat down on Jade.
DPP – Jade Cargill – Nervous for how this match will go.
Jason – Naomi – Way more runway with Naomi as a bad guy. Keep it going!
Patrick – Jade Cargill – Jade gets her revenge.
Rey – Jade Cargill – Best non-title feud going. Naomi should win but Jade sneaks by.
Rob – Naomi – Naomi gets help to win.
Greg – Jade Cargill – They ain’t beating Jade here.

Tunney’s Take: Jade Cargill – I imagine WWE sees Jade’s ceiling much higher than Naomi’s. What better way to keep Jade climbing the ladder towards a World Title than to pick up a decisive victory in Vegas!

Chairshot Pick: Jade Cargill 8-2-1

AJ – Jacob Fatu – “AJ does a pretty good LA Knight impersonation” – PC Tunney
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – I’m biased, Jacob for President.
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Getting gold back in the Bloodline is smart.
DJ – Jacob Fatu
DPP – Jacob Fatu
Jason – Jacob Fatu – Thanks for coming pal, YEAH!
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – C’mon cuz! All gas no brakes with it. Yadadamean??
Rob – LA Knight – Solo costs Jacob.
Greg – LA Knight – Solo screws Jacob.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – It has been quite the journey for the Samoan Werewolf. I feel like that journey and the positive turn around it has taken deserves to be rewarded. Let’s see what Jacob can do on his own. Plus, LA Knight is ready to challenge for a World Title.

Chairshot Pick: Jacob Fatu 9-2

AJ – Tiffany Straton
Andrew – Tiffany Straton – I hate Charlotte Flair, no objectivity here.
Dave – Charlotte Flair – Tiffy might be the future, but she kinda failed the litmus test.
DJ – Charlotte Flair – The Queen crowns the freshman.
DPP – Tiffany Stratton
Jason – Charlotte Flair – Tiff wasn’t ready for this spot. Charnos is inevitable.
Patrick – Charlotte Flair – Lol Charlotte wins.
Rey – Charlotte Flair – Tiffany SHOULD win but, if Charlotte can squash, she will.
Rob – Charlotte Flair – Charlotte gets number 15.
Greg – Tiffany Stratton – Lol Charlotte wins. (Actually she doesn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Charlotte Flair – Charlotte needs the title for the first time in her career. Tiffy has had a nice run but now needs to take that all important step of not losing momentum after losing the title. Despite the drama and lackluster build here, I see a really good match coming this weekend from these two.

Chairshot Pick: Charlotte Flair 7-4

AJ – El Grande Americano
Andrew – El Grande Americano – I’d like to see Gable gain some momentum. Rey is Teflon.
Dave – El Grand Americano – He needs a marque win much more than Rey.
DJ – Rey Mysterio
DPP – El Grande Americano – Grande wins with the switcheroo to prove he is not Gable.
Jason – Rey Mysterio – Unmask Grande at the end. It is fun but has a shelf life.
Patrick – El Grande Americano – TOTALLY NOT CHAD GABLE
Rey – Rey Mysterio – Someone’s mask is coming off and it ain’t Rey.
Rob – El Grande Americano
Greg – Rey Mysterio – Hall of Famer wins but doesn’t take the mask.

Tunney’s Take: Rey Mysterio – Go listen to DWI 471. DP, Greg and I lay out exactly what this match should be, FUN! Multiple Americanos!!!

Chairshot Pick: El Grande Americano 6-5

AJ – Jey Uso
Andrew – Jey Uso – Kinda booked themselves into a corner here.
Dave – Jey Uso – It just makes sense.
DJ – Jey Uso – Jey YEETS all over The Ring Genreal.
DPP – Jey Uso – Jey wins after normal Gunther beating.
Jason – Jey Uso – Land the plane man. YEET
Patrick – Jey Uso – Jey has earned this one.
Rey – Jey Uso – YEEEEEEEEEEEET!
Rob – Jey Uso – YEET
Greg – Jey Uso – If Jey loses we riot. We don’t cause he wins.

Tunney’s Take: Jey Uso – ‘Til sweat drop down my balls, ‘Til all these bitches crawl, ‘Til all… YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chairshot Pick: Jey Uso 11-0

AJ – Roman Reigns
Andrew – Seth Rollins – I can see Rollins being the last piece of Team Rock.
Dave – Roman Reigns – I can’t see Roman losing two years in a row.
DJ – Seth Rollins – Paul Heyman is a Seth Freakin Rollins guy.
DPP – Seth Rollins – The Rock helps Rollins.
Jason – Roman Reigns – Seth’s favor is a red herring. Make-A-Wish Brooks got his main, now look at the lights.
Patrick – Seth Rollins – Seth Rollins… Paul Heyman guy.
Rey – Seth Rollins – I smeeeeellllllll a new soul to sell.
Rob – Roman Reigns – Paul Heyman helps Roman win.
Greg – Seth Rollins – Brock Lesnar returns to help Seth win.

Tunney’s Take: CM Punk – I really have no idea here. I picked Punk because nobody else did. This is going to be professional wrestling cinema at its finest. The story is thick and neatly woven. All the participants are legends and so are the potential party crashers. Will The Rock stick his nose in here? Will Brock Lesnar return to play a factor? Obviously, Paul Heyman has a Plan A… but what is it? All these questions and more will be answered Saturday as night 1 will definitely go out with a bang!

Chairshot Pick: Seth Rollins 6-4-1

AJ – Iyo Sky
Andrew – Iyo Sky – Rhea vs Bianca doesn’t need a belt to be compelling.
Dave – Rhea Ripley – Going with Rhea barely, hoping Iyo wins.
DJ – Iyo Sky – Unfinished business.
DPP – Iyo Sky – Rhea and Bianca are too consumed with each other.
Jason – Iyo Sky – More layers to Rhea/Bianca. Iyo rules.
Patrick – Iyo Sky – Iyo stole the build and gets the win.
Rey – Iyo Sky – Smart money is on the underdog champ.
Rob – Iyo Sky – Iyo survives.
Greg – Bianca Belair – Naomi helps Bianca win and turn heel.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – Rhea is the best women’s wrestler in the world. Give her the biggest win on the grandest stage of them all!!! Bianca needs to go full heel. Iyo has been amazing in this build.

Chairshot Pick: Iyo Sky 8-2-1

AJ – Dominik Mysterio
Andrew – Finn Balor – I can see a Judgement Day meltdown incoming.
Dave – Bron Breakker – Bron is about to become a MegaStar.
DJ – Bron Breakker – Judgement Day implodes.
DPP – Dominik Mysterio – Finn take the pin.
Jason – Penta – I literally do not care because the winner is us, the fans.
Patrick – Bron Breakker – The WWE doesn’t care about this matchup, so why should I?
Rey – Dominik Mysterio – Only match without a clear winner. I choose chaos.
Rob – Bron Breakker – Finn and Dom cancel each other out.
Greg – Dominik Mysterio – Dom steals the pin from Bron, on Finn.

Tunney’s Take: Bron Breakker – The case can be made for any of these four to walk away with the most prestigious non-World title in pro wrestling history. The short of it is though that the Main Event picture isn’t really readily accessible for Breakker right now. Let this IC reign go through the summer, to SummerSlam.

Chairshot Pick: Bron Breakker 5-4-1-1

AJ – Damian Priest – “AJ does a pretty good Drew impersonation” – PC Tunney
Andrew – Drew McIntyre – Priest has not been interesting in this face incarnation.
Dave – Drew McIntyre – Time for Drew to get that win back.
DJ – Fuck finish – To be continued at Backlash.
DPP – Drew McIntyre – Physical matchup!
Jason – Drew McIntyre – Either one is fine here.
Patrick – Drew McIntyre – With two eyes, Drew turns the tide.
Rey – Drew McIntyre – Low key match of the weekend.
Rob – Damien Priest
Greg – Damien Priest – Priest wins, Drew tweets about it half hour later.

Tunney’s Take: Drew McIntyre – With the addition of the Street fight rules, these two behemoths have a really good chance to have one of the best matches of the entire weekend (winks at Rey Ca$h-A-Mania)! I do wonder what is next for both of these talents moving forward. Priest has staled since leaving the Judgement Day and Drew seems stuck in the same cycle for a while now. Very interested to see what the summer holds for this pair.

Chairshot Pick: Drew McIntyre 7-3-1

WHO WILL BE RANDY’S OPPONENT?!?

AJ – Nick Aldis – Orton wins
Andrew – Orton and Aldis vs Solo and Tama – Orton and Aldis win
Dave – Someone is getting an RKO!
DJ – A segment w/ the Wyatt s6cks.
DPP – Rusev – Aldis introduces Rusev who defeats Orton.
Jason – Nick Aldis – You got one more in ya, bubba. Aldis wins!
Patrick – Nick Aldis
Rey – Solo then Rusev – Solo in a squash and Rusev MATCHKA(wins)
Rob – Nick Aldis – Aldis proves himself, Orton wins.
Greg – Nick Aldis – Orton beats Aldis, they shake after.

Tunney’s Take: I would really love to see a singles match between Orton and Aldis. More likely this is some type of involvement with Solo and Tama. Rusev as a surprise challenger would be cool but, I feel that would be better left for RAW. An impromptu Goldberg retirement match would be crazy and fun, yet highly unlikely and illogical. Whatever happens, best believe exactly what Dave Ungar said, “Someone is getting an RKO!”.

AJ – Logan Paul
Andrew – AJ Styles – Logan doesn’t need the rub and should stay upper mid card.
Dave – Logan Paul – It’s the smart move and would be a statement win for Paul.
DJ – Logan Paul – Kross gets involved somewhere.
DPP – AJ Styles – AJ wins a great high-flying match.
Jason – AJ Styles – Just enjoy it or get a beer, nerds.
Patrick – Logan Paul – Logan Paul will main-event Mania sooner than later…
Rey – Logan Paul – Pass the torch, my wily vet.
Rob – Logan Paul – Kross helps Paul win.
Greg – AJ Styles – Styles wins after Paul’s cheating backfires.

Tunney’s Take: Logan Paul – Logan seems to really have dedicated himself to becoming great in this business. Anyone with that type of goal must have a World title on their mind. Beating AJ at Mania will be a great springboard for Logan into the Main Event sooner than later (winks at Patrick O’Dowd).

Chairshot Pick: Logan Paul 7-4

AJ – Liv & Raquel
Andrew – Liv & Raquel – Not really a fan of Lyra, she needs more work.
Dave – Liv & Raquel – This Bayley and Lyra team makes no damn sense.
DJ – Liv & Raquel – Bayley crashes out.
DPP – Liv & Raquel – Bayley continues a potential heel turn tease.
Jason – Bayley & Lyra – Finish the story!
Patrick – Bayley & Lyra – The WWE doesn’t care about this matchup, so why should I?
Rey – Liv and Raquel – Bayley want a title but it ain’t the ones in this match.
Rob – Liv & Raquel – Champs retain.
Greg – Liv & Raquel – Liv and Raquel retain thanks to Carlito and maybe JD.

Tunney’s Take: Liv & Raquel – Liv and Raquel need to be kept as the cornerstone of the women’s tag division for a lengthier period of time. Building tag teams in this division is difficult enough, let alone without a North Star.

Chairshot Pick: Liv & Raquel 9-2

AJ – Cody Rhodes
Andrew – Cody Rhodes – They are mentioning it so much, I don’t think 17 happens.
Dave – Joh Cena – Record falls and we head to summer with a built-in storyline.
DJ – John Cena – Some kind of Final Boss involvement.
DPP – John Cena – Cena wins and retires on RAW.
Jason – John Cena – Story’s over, “Captain” BIG MATCH JOHN.
Patrick – John Cena – A record breaking night for Cena.
Rey – John Cena – They’d be really stupid to turn John just to lose. (Post-Mania: Rock, Cena, T Scott, Seth & Drew, TEAM Corporate)
Rob – Cody Rhodes – Cody surprises us with the W.
Greg – Cody Rhodes – Cody wins to piss off Rock and set the table for Cena to turn back face. Crowd is behind Cena all the way through.

Tunney’s Take: Cody Rhodes – They had me until the threat of retirement. Been there. Done that. Didn’t fall in love with it back then. I love John Cena. I love this final run. John will get his 17th just not here. I expect nothing less than an absolute GEM of a match here to close WrestleMania 41. This has all been, is, and will continue to be about Cody Rhodes. WM40 defeats Roman Reigns. WM41 defeats John Cena. WM42 defeats The Rock (The Final Boss).

Chairshot Pick: John Cena 6-5

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We wait all year for this so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!