Opinion

News From Cook’s Corner 6.8.20: One Last Mop-Up

Hi, hello & welcome to News From Cook’s Corner!

Published

5 years ago

June 8, 2020

Steve Cook

Hi, hello & welcome to News From Cook’s Corner!

We’ve got a little bit of a different look this week. WWE & AEW have stories that kind of tie into each other and are all about what’s going on here in the United States. We also need to pay tribute to one of the biggest internet wrestling writers from back in the day. So it’s one of those columns that doesn’t have a lot of different stories, but is still jam-packed with the content you’d expect.

I’d like to do something less serious, maybe even a little normal, next week. But I’m realistic.

WWE News

We all knew it was coming, right?

Last week around this time, the police brutality & racial injustice protests had just begun. Folks were beginning to hop on the bandwagon and recognizing that black lives did, in fact, matter. Even wrestlers you wouldn’t necessarily expect that from were acknowledging the moment.

It was only a matter of time before somebody upset the apple cart. Somebody was going to put themselves out there and be that pro wrestler to tell everybody that they were wrong. Somebody was going to stand up for the folks that don’t believe that excessive police violence towards a certain segment of the population is a bad thing. Surely, somebody would let us know that violently putting down peaceful protesters was the right thing to do. As long as it was ordered by the President, of course.

That somebody was Jaxson Ryker. One of the Forgotten Sons, formerly known as Gunner in TNA & Phil Shatter on the indy circuit. It’s saying something when “Gunner” is your best ring name, but that’s where we’re at here. Ryker took some time on Monday to tweet out how thankful he was for the President. Personally, I couldn’t say I was thankful for that guy without bursting out laughing. I know there are folks that disagree with me. If they want to express that opinion, we do live in America, and at least for now, most of us are allowed to express our opinions.

Unless we’re peacefully protesting somewhere that the President wants to go. Then we get tear gassed and moved out of the way for a publicity stunt designed to appeal to the religious right.

Oftentimes in life it’s not about what you say & do, it’s the moment that you choose to say & do things. Ryker chose the very moment that his President was tear gassing peaceful protesters standing against racial injustice & police brutality so he could walk to a church and hold a Bible upside down as a moment to pump his guy up and ask God to bless America. That’s where Jaxson Ryker’s head is at.

Given that backdrop, you can understand how this led to a lot of negative feedback from fans & his fellow wrestlers. Oh, and of course his previous social media posting were looked through because that always happens in these situations, and of course somebody found Ryker bitching and moaning about how blacks had it good now compared to the movie “12 Years A Slave” and they should all be thankful. Like I said last week about the Clutch Adams situation, I find that aspect of these situations a bit unseemly, but it does make it perfectly clear why Ryker supports his President so much.

Some of you were even calling for Ryker’s firing, which I can only assume means you temporarily forgot who he was working for. Linda McMahon runs a pro-Trump super PAC. The idea that Vince would fire somebody for publicly supporting his good buddy Donald? How does Vince’s theme song go? No chance, no chance in hell? Yeah, that sums that up.

I remember back when writing about politics in a wrestling column was a little bit of a stretch most of the time. Outside of your typical jingoistic storylines to capitalize off of a war, you didn’t see wrestling & politics cross paths too much. Even Jesse Ventura becoming Governor of Minnesota didn’t really meld the two together, though it did make a lot of people realize that the same skillset could make one successful at both.

It all changed the moment Linda McMahon decided she wanted to run for office. That made the WWE company political, no matter how much people wanted to say Linda’s endeavors were different from the rest of the McMahon family business. Linda’s involvement in the Trump Administration & Vince’s funding her cause, not to mention Trump’s previous involvement with WWE, marries the two parties together. WWE can tweet their own black screen with a message like every corporation is doing these days, but we know where their interest is.

Black Lives Matter…as long as WWE can make some money off of them.

To be fair, Vince feels the same way about white lives. If he can’t make some money off of you at some point, he doesn’t care. He does care about many of the people that have worked for him in the past…because they made him money. Money is Vince’s lifeforce. It doesn’t make him especially unique, but it helps you understand how he operates. Supporting the idea of black lives mattering is good for business right now. But so is supporting his buddy Donald, and quite a few of Donald’s followers are wrestling fans.

From where I sit, the most likely endgame is WWE strongly discouraging their independent contractors from making political posts on social media. That won’t make people happy. Ryker might run into some issues the next time he steps into a WWE locker room. There might be some potatos served up the next time he’s in the ring. Honestly, WWE should just go ahead and fire the guy anyway, he usually just stands outside while the two other Sons do the actual wrestling.

Will they? Nah. Trump’s kid put Ryker over on Twitter. Can’t anger the boss. It’s going to be a situation to keep an eye on, for sure.

AEW News

WWE might be afraid to act against their own talent, but Tony Khan has no fear of acting against people that don’t work for him. After Linda Hogan made some remarks on Twitter about how it was all “afro Americans” involved in the looting that took place during the protests, Khan replied saying that she was joining her (ex) husband on the list of people banned from attending an AEW event. This came as news to most of us, and Khan explained to Dave Meltzer that it was due to the racist comments Hogan made on that infamous sex tape with Mrs. Bubba the Love Sponge.

“What he said on the tape, long before George Floyd, I’ve told people I can’t work with Hulk Hogan…How can I look my Black friends, football players, employees in the face or myself in the mirror after the things he said and has never given an adequate apology for. He can’t blame what he said on tape on the dangers of social media.”

I have zero issue with this. To be honest, if I was starting up a new wrestling company I wouldn’t want Hulk Hogan anywhere near it. Even putting aside the racist remarks and the disgust many wrestling fans feel towards Hogan that reduces his value to a wrestling company to nearly zero…we saw what happened when TNA signed him, right? That got them nowhere except on the long road to financial ruin, which didn’t end until Dixie Carter finally sold the company.

However, it does raise some important questions. A couple of high profile wrestlers working for AEW have tweeted and liked things that have raised some eyebrows. Mike Tyson is affiliated with AEW, and that’s going to be brought up whenever these topics of morality come up, even if Iron Mike did his time and we all love him now. Heck, we saw what happened with Clutch Adams getting booked.

I’m just saying it’s a slippery slope kind of thing. I have no problem with the Hulkster being banned from AEW, but Tony’s going to have to be consistent on this. If he isn’t, we’ll let him know about it. Even if we all love AEW and are obviously on the payroll.

This may be a bad idea.

My original plan for paying tribute to Internet Wrestling Community legend Chris “Hyatte” Gaudreau, who passed away this past Thursday at the age of 50, was to write a nice little tribute at the end of the column. I wrote one up Saturday night. It wasn’t my best work but it probably would have sufficed for the subject matter and filled enough column space to be worthwhile.

Then I came to the following realization: The Chris Hyatte that I read back in the 2000s would have thought that was a load of shit. Flowery tribute articles are definitely appropriate for honorable men like my dear friend Larry Csonka, but not for a degenerate like Hyatte was back in the day.

No, the best way to pay tribute to Hyatte is by ripping his gimmick off lock stock & barrel just like he accused everybody else of doing to him. We’re going to Mop-Up NXT TakeOver: In Your House. And through the course of it, I can talk about what Hyatte meant to the world of Internet wrestling writing and how there hasn’t been anybody like him since.

And, as I may end up proving here, why there shouldn’t be anybody like him now. Oh, God, it would not go well here in 2020.

The NXT TakeOver: In Your House Mop-Up

– Todd Pettengill introduces us to the very first NXT TakeOver: In Your House. Still has the voice for it. The look? Well, let’s just say Todd looks like every washed up announcer out there.

– So expect AEW to steal him away next week.

– We then cut to some band singing some song. Code Orange. “Underneath”. Never heard of it, and I doubt I’ll ever hear it again after tonight.

– Anyway, Hyatte was the first writer I read on 411wrestling.com back in the day. Back in the black & green days! If I had more stroke over there I’d get Ashish to bring it back. Actually, if I had more stroke over there I’d get Ashish to drop me off at 5th & Walnut.

– See, Hyatte never ran out of racial jokes. Me…well, I don’t even know what I was going for there. You’d think I’d be better at that being from Kentucky, right? It was a taxi thing. Do people even take those anymore? Am I dating myself here? HELLO IS THIS ON?

– We hear Mauro Ranallo welcome us to the show. Hyatte had quite the tiff with Tony Schiavone back in the day, and I’m sure Hyatte in his prime riffing on Mauro would send our boy into self-isolation for a few weeks. Hyatte wasn’t shy about picking on people he knew had issues, so it’s a good thing they didn’t cross paths.

– Speaking of people I’d like to cross paths with, here’s Shotzi Blackheart! Shotzi’s teaming with Tegan Nox & Mia Yim to take on Dakota Kai, Candice LeRae & Raquel Gonzalez. Ol’ Chris never seemed to have much time for ladies’ matches back in the day except for talking about how much he wanted to have sex with them.

– To be fair, that could have summed up most of the WWF’s fanbase back in the day.

– And a lot of it now. And it’s not like I have much room to talk considering the whole Hot 100 thing I used to do. Hyatte had an IWF 100 one time, you can guess what IWF stood for.

– Gotta tell you, the students in the crowd starting the “This is Awesome” chant before the first match even starts doesn’t give me a lot of optimism for their reaction to the rest of the show.

– Kai & Nox have some great chemistry together. I’d like to get some chemistry going with Shotzi. Hyatte had a reputation for thirsty comments about Divas, that’s why I’m going on about Shotzi here. Total tribute stuff, nothing to do with my actual thirst.

– OK, I think they believed it.

– Time for a dive section! Nox gets the edge for degree of difficulty, but I think LeRae had the best overall.

– Shotzi gets worked over for awhile by the heels. Not to be confused with the AEW Heels, the North Carolina Tar Heels or the heels Sean Shannon wears on the weekends.

– Does anybody reading this remember that name? Hyatte done broke her.

– Mia gets the hot tag. Tom Phillips’ call of “Soul Food” is more racist in anything I’ve said so far in this tribute to Hyatte. Maybe he was a fan?

– Mia & Candice battle back into the In Your House set, which is a nice change of pace from the set for every other NXT show ever.

– Kai wins with the Shiniest Wizard, which I think is another racial joke. Damn Mauro & Tom stealing my heat. Good match.

– Regal’s voice over for the ice cream commercial is a nice attempt, but you aren’t replacing Lord Al Hayes.

– Sale on wwe.com. BUY YOUR BELTS NERDS!

– I haven’t really been feeling this Finn Balor/Damian Priest feud at all. They were trying to sell me on Balor being better than ever on the pre-show, but much like anything else Sam Roberts says, I wasn’t buying it.

– Hyatte would have had some fun when Balor had the Pride t-shirts a few years back. Probably would have had all types of comments about Balor’s sexuality. Like I said, he was from a different era. An era where making fun of homosexuals was acceptable on places other than right-wing message boards & Fox News. I’m happy we’ve moved on from that aspect of the old days.

– One of Priest’s biggest influences is Scott Hall? Jeez, that won’t end well.

– Priest hits some big blows and a big rest hold. I hit the toilet. Yes, those breaks were mentioned in Mop-Ups too. I’ll spare you the graphic detail some of those had.

– Priest even does the that’s it hand motion Razor used to do and a Razor’s Edge? Starting to remember why I tuned the dude out after awhile.

– Mauro puts over his own pronunciation of Pele. Gonna send me back to the toilet here in a minute.

– Razor’s Edge to the ring apron gets 2 because what else would it get? 1?

– Priest does throw some good kicks though, I’ll give him that.

– He tries to Razor Edge Balor on the ring steps, but Balor slips out and punches Priest onto them. Doesn’t look fun. Two coup de graces end it.

– Tom says Balor showed respect to Priest by hitting him with his finisher twice. Why would Balor show respect to a guy that attacked him from behind? One of those wrestling things I’ll never get.

– Adam Cole tells us what ICOPRO is all about. Greg DeMarco just ran out and bought 8 cases. 4 cases of ICOPRO, 4 cases of Adam Cole’s sweat. It’s kind of weird.

– So are Keith Lee & Mia Yim dating in real life? I try to avoid all of these wrestling relationship rumors and do a pretty good job of it usually. They look like a good couple though.

– Doesn’t surprise me that Johnny Gargano would live in the NXT In Your House set.

– Keith Lee letting us know that Black Lives Matter. I think Hyatte would go along with that due to a fear of Keith Lee.

– OK, the double bell ringing is definitely a thing. People were telling me about this before I turned it on.

– Lee catches a Gargano dive, catches a cannonball, but can’t follow up on either. He finally does get some offense and Gargano wants to go back in the house. Is he waiting for Candice to open the door? Cute but made no sense.

– Lee has a bad eye & hand for this match. Johnny begins taking advantage of it eventually because that’s what it takes to make Gargano beating Lee up seem believable.

– While this is going on I’m trying to figure out when to make a Scott Keith joke. Are there no Canadians on this show? Well, that’s racist.

– Lee finally makes a comeback. Gargano fires back though and locks an armbar on a standing Lee. JOINT MANIPULATION.

– Pretty good back & forth match, but I can’t see it playing well with Hyatte’s skill set. He was better at stuff that wasn’t a basic rasslin’ match.

– Now a Pounce through the Plexiglas? That’s pretty cool. Too bad it broke the forcefield around the ring and now everybody will get the corona.

– Candice & Mia come out to CATFIGHT! CATFIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!

– Gargano with the key to the eye and the One Final Beat DDT, but that only gets two. Welp, he’s screwed now.

– They were going for some of that over-acting but the camera couldn’t really pick it up. Probably for the best.

– Keith Lee ends it with the BBC. Well, ya know.

– Johnny Gargano has a worse record at NXT TakeOver than Scooter has with the ladies. HAHAHAHAHA I KNEW I’D GET ONE IN THERE.

– No, I got nothing against SK, that was a Hyatte thing. A Hyatte column without an SK joke or 5 wasn’t really a Hyatte column.

– Look at Shotzi put away that ice cream sammich. Yeah that’ll send my mind places.

– So Cole vs. Dream isn’t going on last? Spoiler Alert: Adam Cole wins.

– It’s a Backlot Brawl. I really don’t see Adam Cole as a truck guy. This thing’s already stretching believability.

– Dream in the Lambo is a little more like it, except NXT guys can’t be making that much.

– Dream thinks he’s Chris Jericho with that leather jacket & baseball bat.

– The Kerry Von Erich backslide & Oklahoma roll don’t end the match, shockingly.

– Cole wants to leave, and shockingly that doesn’t happen. Didn’t Dream attack a car not too long ago, or are we all forgetting about recent transgressions? I KNOW NOBODY’S ASKING TRIPLE H ABOUT THEM IN PRESS CONFERENCES BECAUSE THE IWC IS YELLOW! YELLOW, I TELL YA!

– An Uber driver pulls up.

– Cole disappears for a minute, but re-emerges with a fire extinguisher. Phillips points out it’s shades of Shawn Michaels at a previous In Your House. Dude has those random historical reference sometimes. I respect it.

– Ah, there’s that over-acting I was hoping for.

– Dream dives right into a super kick. I think Shawn did one of those at a previous In Your House event.

– Cole dives right into a super kick because anything Dream does, Cole can do better.

– Dream sets up a elbow drop, but here comes Roddy Strong & Bobby Fish. Doesn’t stop Dream from pushing Cole onto a windshield. Strong & Fish beat Dream down and start throwing chairs into the ring like Terry Funk asked them to.

– Here’s “the tortured artist” Dexter Loomis to hit Strong & Fish with chairs. He sends them into a trunk & drives off. There’s a PornHub video I have no interest in seeing.

– Hyatte might have. I really don’t know.

– Mauro calls the Dream Valley Driver the Panama Sunrise, because he had no idea who was supposed to be getting hurt there, I guess.

-Purple Rainmaker gets a nearfall. Then Dream wants to do the speech, gets low blowed, and there’s the Panama Sunrise on the chairs for the…three count? I was expecting one or two more, but that’s cool.

– No more title shots for Dream. As for Cole, I expect him to be NXT champion whenever they close the thing down.

– Todd hypes the main event & the NXT merchandise. Apparently there isn’t a 1-900 number.

– Shawn, Hunter & Road Dogg are working the AOL chat. None of them look a day under 62.

– Karrion Kross & Tommaso Ciampa are next.

– I assume Hyatte would have found himself a Scarlett impostor at some point. Definitely his type, especially when she’s rocking the blonde hair.

– Speaking of imposters, that Tammy imposter from back in the day has to be more sane than Tammy these days, right? Talk about a piece of work.

– Kross takes the early advantage. Ciampa actually does get some offense. Quite a bit, actually. Until Kross bounces his head and neck off the apron. That didn’t look fun.

– After that it’s complete squash city. Which is what it should have been. Kross is the new star.

– Ciampa got one last flurry. Unlike Mark Madden’s mother, he wouldn’t go down easily.

– Madden’s still a douche. Hyatte was 100% right on that one.

– Ciampa got choked out like Pat Patterson choking on…ok, Pat’s cool, I’m not with Hyatte there.

– Robert Stone looks creepy. Renee Young wearing a Simpsons shirt like it’s a throwback.

– The NXT Women’s Championship goes on last. Hyatte wouldn’t have been able to figure that out, though there would have been enough blonde hair & breasts to keep him interested on some level.

– I will say that Charlotte’s robe game keeps getting better.

– The thing I forgot when telling you who to bet on for this show: WWE loves doing big title changes in triple threats. I have no idea why, but it goes back to at least WrestleMania XX. Hell, if Vince Jr. was booking in ’63 he would have shoehorned Antonio Rocca into Sammartino vs. Rogers.

– Rhea does a forward roll onto the floor and gets tossed into the barricade. That should put her down for awhile so Charlotte & Io can do some stuff.

– Charlotte rocking that Boston Crab on Io. Flexible.

– Rhea looks like a woman possessed with that contact lens. I dig it.

– Yikes, that double spear.

– These ladies brought it here. We’ve seen some disappointing women’s triple threat main events, this wasn’t one of them.

– Although that random strike Charlotte threw at Io while running by wasn’t the best. Throwing Io into the house was cool though.

– Io came back. Climbed to the top of the house & hit a cross-body onto Charlotte & Rhea. Good catch too.

– Rhea almost gets the win over Charlotte with a second-rope Rip Tide, but Io breaks it up. Rhea locks in the Prism Trap and Charlotte breaks it up with a kendo stick. Spear, Figure 4 into a Figure 8, but Io hits the moonsault on Rhea and gets the three count!

– So Charlotte loses the title without getting beat. Hell, she had Rhea in her submission hold still during the pin, which was a legal pin up until two weeks ago when they did basically the same finish in the Cruiserweight Tournament.

-Not the most inventive thing of all time. Still a fun little match though.

– Look at all those streamers! We fade out.

Well…..

Eh, I dunno. Maybe it was a bad idea. Or maybe it was the best way to prove that there was only one Hyatte and we aren’t replacing him.

Join us next week, when I’ll probably have to write about somebody else dying because 2020 is definitely one of those years.

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)

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!

Related Topics:AEW Featured Featured Big In Your House Io Shirai Jaxson Ryker Karrion Kross NXT WWE

Up Next

Andrew’s Top 5 Matches: Week Ending 6/7/2020

Don't Miss

Running the G1 Climax and Best of Super Juniors Simultaneously ?

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

3 weeks 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!

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

For the latest, greatest and up to datest in coverage, opinions, and podcasts ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit TheCharishot.com

Prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot plenty of GREAT t-shirt designs! Makes an awesome gift!!

About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY – Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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

WEDNESDAY – The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY – POD is WAR

FRIDAY – DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY – The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

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

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

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

All Shows On Demand

Listen on your favorite platform!

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!

Blog

DeMarco: Top 5 Non-Title WrestleMania Matches In WWE History

Not all WrestleMania classics had titles on the line. Dive into the top 5 non-title matches that stole the show & defined legacies. #WrestleMania #WWEHistory

Published

3 weeks ago

April 16, 2025

Greg DeMarco

Shawn Michaels Kurt Angle WrestleMania 21

Not all WrestleMania classics had titles on the line. Dive into the top 5 non-title matches that stole the show and defined legacies.

WrestleMania is the Showcase Of The Immortals, but it’s not always the championship matches that steal the show—or define careers. In fact, some of the most iconic, business-defining, and emotionally resonant contests at the Grandest Stage of Them All didn’t feature a title at all. These matches succeeded because of character work, in-ring execution, and the kind of storytelling that sells tickets and moves merch.

Here are the five best non-title matches in WrestleMania history—at least, according to me!

5. The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan – WrestleMania X8 (2002)

This was never going to be a five-star technical clinic—but it was always going to be the moment. “Icon vs. Icon” was a tagline, sure, but it was also the reality: the biggest star of the ‘80s vs. the biggest star of the Attitude Era. And Toronto turned it into magic. Hogan walked in a heel but walked out immortal (again), with the SkyDome shaking on every punch, every look, every gesture.

What made this work was its self-awareness. Rock and Hogan read the crowd and flipped roles mid-match—Rock became the arrogant aggressor while Hogan Hulked Up to thunderous applause. It’s not often a non-title match headlines a card emotionally the way this one did, but it dominated every headline and highlight reel.

4. Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart – WrestleMania X (1994)

Sibling rivalries don’t usually lead to technical masterpieces, but then again, this wasn’t your average family drama. Owen and Bret opened WrestleMania X with a wrestling clinic that stood tall over a night packed with title changes. Owen needed to prove he was more than Bret’s little brother, and he did it by out-wrestling the best wrestler in the company. Clean. One-two-three.

It wasn’t just a great match—it was perfect storytelling. Owen’s victory, contrasted with Bret’s later world title win, set the tone for an entire year of brother-vs-brother tension. Bret became champion, but Owen had the moral victory—and all the bragging rights. This is proof that opening matches can steal the show.

3. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 25 (2009)

If WrestleMania moments could be trademarked, this match would be the reason why. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels wasn’t about championships—it was about legacy. Michaels wanted to be the man who ended The Streak. The build was steeped in biblical imagery: light vs. dark, heaven vs. hell. And the match? Pure perfection. Each man brought everything they had—near-falls, psychology, reversals that had 70,000+ people gasping in unison.

It was 30 minutes of generational storytelling that transcended pro wrestling. And here’s the kicker—it wasn’t even the main event. Yet it dwarfed everything that followed. Meltzer gave it 4.75 stars, fans gave it their hearts, and WWE gave it a sequel the next year. A match so good it forced the company to run it back—because lightning actually struck.

Now, if THIS MATCH is #3, what could possible be #2 and #1…

2. Bret Hart vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin – WrestleMania 13 (1997)

This wasn’t just a match—it was the turning point of an era. The Submission Match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin was as violent as it was poetic, with Ken Shamrock enforcing the rules and the Chicago crowd growing more frenzied by the second. The brilliance? The shift. Bret Hart, the traditionalist hero, grew darker and more self-righteous by the second, while the disrespectful anti-hero Austin refused to quit, even when drowning in his own blood. There was no title on the line, but the stakes felt bigger than gold.

The infamous double turn changed the business. Austin’s defiance turned him into the voice of a new generation of fans—blue collar, anti-authority, Attitude Era. Meanwhile, Bret would go on to lead the heel Hart Foundation. WWE didn’t need a championship to create a moment that catapulted Austin into superstardom and ignited the company’s hottest era. This match is business-first booking at its absolute best.

1. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 21 (2005)

Dream matches often disappoint. This one didn’t. At WrestleMania 21, Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle went hold-for-hold and spot-for-spot with Mr. WrestleMania himself, and together they delivered a masterclass in in-ring psychology. Every sequence had stakes, every near-fall had meaning. It was a stylistic war: Michaels’ heart vs. Angle’s intensity.

Angle forcing Michaels to tap was a statement—it told fans that pure wrestling, not just spectacle, could still main-event caliber storytelling without any need for a title. Michaels sold the ankle lock like death, and Angle’s post-match collapse sold the moment as a hard-fought war. This is the kind of match that keeps purists up at night, smiling, and leaves the storytelling fans like myself as happy as can be!

10 Honorable Mentions (Not Honorable, Just For The Heck Of It)

Edge vs. Mick Foley – WrestleMania 22 (2006)
A hardcore war that solidified Edge as a top-tier main eventer. That flaming table spear is still played in every Edge highlight reel.
AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon – WrestleMania 33 (2017)
Everyone expected smoke and mirrors—what they got was a surprisingly technical, high-energy opener that kicked off the show right.
The Undertaker vs. Triple H – WrestleMania 28 (2012)
“End of an Era” wasn’t just a tagline. The Hell in a Cell match, with HBK as referee, was a brutal epilogue to a generation’s legacy.
Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho – WrestleMania XIX (2003)
A student-teacher battle of wills. Jericho’s low blow post-match was the perfect heel punctuation to a career-defining contest.
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins – WrestleMania 31 (2015)
The greatest RKO of all time. That curb stomp reversal belongs in a museum.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show – WrestleMania XXIV (2008)
More sports-entertainment than wrestling, but a crossover moment that made mainstream headlines and paid off with a great finish.
Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis – WrestleMania III (1987)
A retirement match with big heat, a hot crowd, and Piper walking off into the sunset (for a minute).
The Firefly Funhouse Match – John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt – WrestleMania 36 (2020)
Cinematic weirdness at its best. A meta masterstroke that broke Cena down in layers.
Bad Bunny & Damian Priest vs. The Miz & John Morrison – WrestleMania 37 (2021)
Bad Bunny stunned everyone. He didn’t just belong—he elevated the show.
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio – WrestleMania 39 (2023)
Father vs. son in a grudge match that played perfectly off real-life drama and Hall of Fame weekend emotions.

Some of these matches shaped legacies. Others shifted eras. But all of them proved that the most memorable moments at WrestleMania don’t need a title—they just need truth in the storytelling and fire in the execution.