Opinion

Cook’s Top 5: 2011 Wrestling Memories

Steve Cook is in the home stretch, starting with 2011! Take a look at the changing landscape of pro wrestling that is now coming to a decade in age.

Published

5 years ago

October 4, 2020

Steve Cook

Steve Cook is in the home stretch, starting with 2011! Take a look at the changing landscape of pro wrestling that is now coming to a decade in age.

2011 is one of those years that could have changed the course of wrestling history. TNA & ROH were going through all sorts of changes. WWE saw some unexpected comebacks, unexpected departures, and a pipebomb that had everybody talking for weeks afterward. All things considered, I’m not sure it quite had the impact people thought it might at the time.

It was definitely an interesting year to write about as it happened. Let’s take a look back at some of the best moments as we continue my 30th Anniversary Wrestling Fan Celebration.

5. The Rock returns to WWE

WWE promised their announcement of the guest host for WrestleMania XXVII would be pretty big. Most of us didn’t think too much of it, as previous WM hosts had included the likes of Kim Kardashian and other celebrities. This WrestleMania host would also be a celebrity. A movie star, in fact. Some dude named Dwayne Johnson, who had done a little wrestling before getting into acting.

Needless to say, fans were hyped. Rock’s WM hosting would involve costing John Cena his match against the Miz, which led to Cena & Rock agreeing to meet in a match at WrestleMania XXVIII. Before that, they would team to face Miz & R-Truth at the Survivor Series, Rock’s first match since WrestleMania XX. It was great to see Rock back in action, but I remember WWE being disappointed in the buyrate & blaming Miz & R-Truth for not being threatening enough opponents. Like it was their fault or something.

4. Edge’s last match (of the 2010s)

WrestleMania XXVII saw a number of notable events take place. One that we didn’t realize was a thing until a little over a week later was Edge’s last match of the 2010s. We didn’t know at the time that Edge’s World Championship defense against Alberto Del Rio was the last time we’d see the Rated R Superstar wrestle for a very long time, but that’s what happened.

Edge had suffered a variety of injuries throughout the course of his career, but it was still very surprising to hear that he would have to retire due to cervical spinal stenosis. He retired at the top of his game, an eleven-time world champion and first ballot WWE Hall of Famer. Edge would pop in on WWE from time to time with special guest appearances, and SummerSlam 2019 actually saw him get physically involved by delivering a spear to Elias. That would be a sign of things to come in 2020…

3. Sinclair Broadcasting Group purchases ROH

Ring of Honor had been getting by just well enough to survive for nearly ten years as it entered 2011, but there were problems on the horizon. Their TV deal with HDNet expired early in the year. Business had pretty well stagnated. Cary Silkin was looking to sell, and Sinclair Broadcasting was looking for some cheap weekend programming. Jim Cornette & Gary Juster got it all together, and ROH is still appearing on Sinclair stations every weekend.

There have definitely been ups & downs. The early days of Sinclair ownership got ROH pretty far away from what people knew the promotion for. It feels like they’re heading in the right direction now, but they still have issues airing the show properly. It’ll be interesting to see where things go for them in 2021.

2. Lockdown 2011

Lockdown was one of the staples of TNA/Impact Wrestling’s schedule from 2005-2016. Many questioned the logic of having every single match on a card take place in a steel cage, but it became one of TNA’s most popular events & one that would take place outside of the Impact Zone every year after 2006. 2011 saw Lockdown take place in Cincinnati at the U.S. Bank Arena, and your humble correspondent had pretty good seats for it. As usual, The History of WWE

Pre-Show: Devon pinned Anarquia in a steel cage match; after the bout, Devon led Anarquia up the entrance ramp and twice dropped him with a suplex
Pay-per-view bouts – included a promo by Eric Bischoff where he predicted Immortal would wipe out Fortune and regain the TNA World Title in one night:
Max Buck won an Xscape match; Other participants included: Brian Kendrick, Jay Lethal, Suicide, Chris Sabin, Robbie E. (w/ Cookie), Jeremy Buck, and Amazing Red; order of elimination: Robbie pinned Suicide; Red pinned Lethal; Sabin pinned Red after a clothesline; Max pinned Sabin with a neckbreaker; Max pinned Jeremy with a rollup; Kendrick pinned Robbie after a dropkick (Lethal’s last match)

No, I don’t remember which one of the Young Bucks “Max” was. I would assume Matt?

Jesse Neal & Shannon Moore defeated Eric Young & Orlando Jordan, Scott Steiner & Crimson, and Douglas Williams & Magnus in a steel cage match when Moore pinned Magnus after hitting the Mooregasm; Young thought he had won the match when he climbed over the cage and hit the floor, but the match could only be won via pinfall or submission

Big Poppa Pump got quite the reaction out of the crowd because why wouldn’t he?

Mickie James pinned TNA Knockouts Champion Madison Rayne to win the title in a steel cage match after hitting a jumping DDT to win at around the 40-second mark; before the match, Rayne told Tara to remain backstage; stipulations stated James would be shaved bald if she lost

I was a big Madison Rayne supporter at this time, so this was pretty disappointing. I want to say there was an injury to one of the combatants that kept this short, but maybe not.

Samoa Joe defeated D’Angelo Dinero via submission with the Coquina Clutch in a steel cage match
Matt Morgan pinned Hernandez (w/ Anarquia & TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions Sarita & Rosita) after hitting the Carbon Footprint in a steel cage match; after the bout, Sarita & Rosita took the mic and insulted the crowd and the Knockouts division, prompting Velvet Sky to come out and clear them from the ring
Jeff Jarrett (w/ Karen Jarrett) defeated Kurt Angle in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match; fall #1: Angle won a submission match with the ankle lock; fall #2: Jarrett won a pinfall match with a roll up; fall #3: Jarrett escaped the steel cage after Karen slammed the cage door on Kurt’s head; during the third fall, Angle was about to escape through the cage door but was stopped by TNA TV Champion Gunner, who was later chased off by Scott Steiner; Angle then nearly escaped through the door again, but Karen sprayed something in his eyes; Karen later slid a guitar into the ring for Jarrett to smash over Angle’s head

Impact in 60 recently replayed the Angle vs. Jarrett match. I’m not sure what it says about me or the match that I didn’t remember it was the one in Cincinnati until Angle did the moonsault off the cage. Where else would they have had a cage match? I dunno.

TNA World Champion Sting defeated Rob Van Dam and Mr. Anderson in a steel cage match by pinning Anderson after hitting the Scorpion Death Drop; late in the match, Hulk Hogan came out and gave RVD a pipe to use as a weapon, with RVD refusing; moments later, Anderson hit RVD with the weapon and gave Hogan the middle finger; after the bout, Sting and Hogan had a staredown

It was cool to finally see Sting wrestle in person. That’s pretty much all I have to say about that.

Christopher Daniels, TNA X Division Champion Frankie Kazarian, TNA World Tag Team Champions James Storm & Robert Roode defeated Ric Flair, Matt Hardy, Bully Ray, & Abyss in a Lethal Lockdown match when Flair submitted to Roode’s armbar after AJ Styles interfered; order of entry: Kazarian, Abyss, Hardy, Daniels, Flair, Storm, Ray, and Roode

Lethal Lockdowns are a fun kinda like War Games match, and this one was no different. Good ol’ fashioned crazy brawl in a steel cage with weapons. This ended up being Flair’s next-to-last wrestling match, at least for now. You think I’m ruling out a Flair in-ring return as long as he’s alive?

1. CM Punk’s Pipebomb

CM Punk had a fairly productive first half of 2011. After spending time on commentary while recovering from an injury, Punk took control of the Nexus from Wade Barrett, declaring the group to be the New Nexus. Things kicked up a notch when Punk worked his way into WWE Championship contention, earning a title shot against John Cena at Money in the Bank. It just so happened that Punk’s WWE contract expired then as well.

Punk launched into a diatribe on the June 27th edition of Raw that set the wrestling world on its ears. People went crazy. It was said that Punk’s “pipebomb” would change the course of wrestling history. Did it? Well, kind of, but likely not as much as people hoped. It did help Punk ascend to the top of the card & increased his popularity with the vast majority of the WWE fanbase. WWE didn’t fully take advantage of Punk’s popularity, but as it turned out, CM Punk would be gone before WrestleMania XXX.

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Related Topics:2011 CM Punk edge Featured Featured Big Raw ROH Steve Cook TNA WWE

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

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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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

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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

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

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month 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