Opinion

News From Cook’s Corner 12.14.20: Kenny Omega

Hi, hello, and welcome to News From Cook’s Corner! It’s ya boy Steve Cook, back after a few days on the injured reserve. Would you like to read about what happened?

Published

4 years ago

December 14, 2020

Steve Cook

Hi, hello, and welcome to News From Cook’s Corner! It’s ya boy Steve Cook, back after a few days on the injured reserve. Would you like to read about what happened? No? Too bad, you’re going to read about it anyway.

So I’ve been having some issues with my right eye for the past few months. The upper eyelid, to be specific. First time happened during the initial stay at home order, where eye doctors were closed up and could only be reached on the phone. Got prescribed some meds, kind of got better, forgot about it for awhile. The problem flared up again a few months later, at which time I could actually go to my eye doctor. She thought it was a cold sore, and prescribed me some meds for that. It seemed likely, so I went with it and things seemed to be getting better. I even got my vision checked and got some fancy new contact lenses! Things were looking better.

Until they weren’t.

The very first new contact lens I tried to insert wound up wedged in the corner of my eye. In the process of getting it out, I scratched my eye. That’s what led to no columns from me for a week. I couldn’t look at a computer screen for very long without a good amount of pain. The scratch healed up, but I still went to see another doctor about the eyelid issue, since theoretically the cold sore should have gone away and hadn’t.

Turns out that the issue is I have some extra skin on my right eyelid. Got some extra skin on my left eyelid too, which I haven’t noticed yet. So maybe that will flare up in the next couple of months! Awesome! It is a better outcome than was previously diagnosed, and better than other outcomes I looked up on the Interweb. You know, “can you get cancer on your eyelid”, stuff like that. Just some extra skin that might get irritated! That is such a relief.

So in three months I might need to get some skin removed. It is what it is. Until then, barring other medical issues, I shall continue to provide you people with the wrestling news & views you need.

Time To Go To School!

Word came out this week that Vince McMahon is less than impressed with the in-ring work of some of the large men populating his roster. This has led to these men being sent to the Performance Center for some extra classes in order to refine their skills. PWInsider gave us a list, and two of these names stick out as somewhat surprising: Keith Lee & Otis. Surprising because Vince has reportedly been high on both men in the past, but their recent booking indicates that somebody cooled on them.

Of course, people were outraged because they don’t have any issue with Keith Lee’s ring work. Many would tell you that one of the problems with Lee’s main roster presentation is that they don’t let him do the things that made him stand out to begin with.

To be honest, none of this really bothers me. If you have a real job, you know that you can always get better at it. Companies are constantly sending employees to training that will theoretically make them more effective. (It usually doesn’t, at least from my experience.) Wrestlers used to get better by working matches on the road, but here in 2020 with no road schedule, they need to do it somewhere. Why not the Performance Center?

Sure, Keith Lee is good, and there are a ton of people on WWE’s roster that need more improvement than he does. But, if Keith Lee wants to get to the very top, he needs to get better. Everybody does. There are things Randy Orton could be better at, or Roman Reigns, or anybody else you want to name. When you stop learning and improving, there’s nowhere else for you to go.

One funny thing about this includes Lee’s involvement in some of our favorite things to talk about every single year…

WRESTLEMANIA RUMORS!

Yep, it’s that time of year when we start hearing potential matches for WWE’s biggest event of the year. We heard about three of them last week…one isn’t a surprise at all, one kind of isn’t but still sounds pretty bad, and the other is kind of surprising given the previous news item.

Let’s talk about the non-surprise: Edge vs. Randy Orton. This has been rumored since the last WrestleMania, and as long as Edge is healthy to go in April, you have to figure this one will be on the card. I think everybody in the wrestling world is more excited about this match than I am, so it should be fine for them.

Then we got Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg in the match that was going to take place at this past year’s WrestleMania before the covid hit. I wasn’t exactly excited about it early in 2020, and I’m even less excited about the idea of it happening in 2021. Goldberg does bring some much needed name value though, and will be a good name to sacrifice at the altar of Roman Reigns.

The final one is kind of funny considering Keith Lee’s now in the news for Vince not liking his work, and frankly I don’t see it happening anyway. I mean, maybe Brock Lesnar would return for a triple threat against Lee & Drew McIntyre, but it doesn’t seem like the most possible scenario to me. Can’t rule it out though, WWE loves running those triple threats with one too many people at WrestleMania.

Expect More Kenny Omega in Impact Wrestling

One of the main stories I wasn’t able to write about last week was the burgeoning relationship between All Elite Wrestling & Impact Wrestling. Impact EVP Don Callis was on AEW commentary again for Kenny Omega’s championship match against Jon Moxley on December 2, and ended up assisting Kenny in his victory. Callis told the world to turn in to Impact on AXS TV to hear from the new AEW Champion, and sure enough on Tuesday night we heard from Kenny & Don. They appeared on Dynamite the next night and did largely the same promo they did on Impact, establishing Omega as the cocky, full of himself heel champion with Callis as the brain behind it all.

It’s a relationship that serves both parties. Impact is getting more attention out of all this than they have since their days on Spike TV. Their Twitch numbers on Tueday night went through the roof and they got the highest viewership they’ve had since moving the show to AXS. Tons of views on various social media platforms. My friends at offtheteam.com actually watched the show, which is quite the feat because they gave up on Impact back when it was still TNA.

Me, I like a lot of what Impact’s been doing lately. That being said, this wasn’t the best show they could have presented to a larger audience. The general opinion I’ve seen is that Impact didn’t present a strong enough show to keep people around…unless Kenny Omega is around. I will also say that OTT was very high on Rosemary. She stood out among the Impact Wrestling pack, so props to her.

So, how does this serve AEW? Well, they get to use Don Callis as Kenny Omega’s manager, and it’s a great act. Callis has always been a money promo when he’s gotten the chance to do it. The man’s just a tremendous talker and a douchebag manager in the style of all the greats like Heenan, Cornette, Heyman or whoever else you want to throw in there. There’s no doubt that Don will add an obscene amount to Kenny Omega as AEW Champion. That’s going to be good.

There’s a side benefit which I think is being under reported, but is a historical comparison more appropriate to AEW vs. Impact than WCW vs. NWO or WWF vs. WCW/ECW or whatever invasion storyline you favor. See, I was wondering how Tony Khan agreed to Kenny’s idea to help out his buddy Don’s promotion. If we’re being honest, Impact’s men’s division is nowhere near AEW’s. There are some tag teams like The North, The Good Brothers & The Motor City Machine Guns that would be great opponents for The Young Bucks, FTR or whoever. Impact’s women’s division, much like the NWA’s women’s division, is better than AEW’s. You could easily build up Deonna Purrazzo or Rosemary or Jordynne Grace or whoever for a shot at Shida, or at Serena Deeb since NWA’s women’s championship seems more important these days.

Tony Khan got to do a commercial during Impact Wrestling, alongside his man Tony Schiavone. The second I saw it, I drew comparisons to Vince McMahon doing promos for the USWA in 1993. We all know TK will be a pro wrestling character at some point. I can’t even knock him for it, since I can’t name a wrestling promoter during his lifetime that didn’t become a character. It’s a thing that happens. Tony still needs some work before he can become a character on a major promotion level, which is why this Impact Wrestling stuff is perfect for him. He can work out the kinks. Vince perfected the Mr. McMahon character in the USWA, and Tony Khan is going to figure out his character while working with Impact Wrestling. I believe that’s how Kenny & Don sold Tony on this. Tony knows he needs some reps, and a program with Impact Wrestling will allow him to work out those kinks.

A Good Night for AEW at Triplemania

AAA held Triplemania XXVIII this past Saturday night in Mexico City, and it was a good night to be an AEW wrestler. The Lucha Brothers defended AAA’s Tag Team Championship in a three-way tag team match. Brian Cage won a match as the character Terror Purpura, which will be part of AAA’s licensing deal with Marvel. Kenny Omega defended AAA’s Mega Championship against Laredo Kid in a pretty darn good match, giving AEW a clean sweep on the evening.

Surely a good sign for the AEW/AAA relationship, or maybe just a sign that AAA feels like their titles are best off being held by internationally known stars these days. Considering the state of things in Mexico, where the covid situation is seemingly getting worse by the week and there’s no reason to believe that major lucha promotions will be holding shows in full arenas anytime soon (legally, anyway), AAA is in no rush to get their championships off of Kenny Omega or the Lucha Brothers. Even in non-covid times AAA has been happy to let international talent hold their titles, figuring the titles would get more exposure that way.

Regardless, it’s nowhere near the top of the list of issues facing AAA at the moment. Last week they got sued by the company they worked with on Lucha Underground, who claim to have rights to any money that AAA makes outside of Mexico with their trademarks. Which I figure explains why you don’t see or hear more mention of AAA on AEW programming. It’s a confusing bit of business that hopefully gets resolved at some point before the LA Park/Blue Demon Jr. mask match at a future Triplemania.

NXT India, live from Orlando, India

Just because Jinder Mahal hasn’t been WWE Champion for awhile now doesn’t mean that WWE is giving up on advancing their position in India. NXT India will be launching in January, reportedly with an eight-man tournament taking place in Orlando’s Performance Center. The hope is that once 2022 rolls around, things will be at a point where WWE can have an actual location in India to train people and tape matches.

Sportskeeda reports that the tournament will feature the likes of Mahal, the Singh Brothers, and some of the other recent signees from India. This has been part of WWE’s planning for a long time now, and this won’t be the last NXT: Fill in the country. I’m just wondering if Jeff Jarrett can get himself pushed on top here, since Ring Ka King was a pretty big deal in India back in the day.

Pat Patterson

Another one of the things I missed out on writing about last week was the death of Pat Patterson. We all know Pat was the first Intercontinental Champion, winning the title in a tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I saw it way back in the day on a fourth or fifth generation VHS, really good piece of business. We also know him as one of the few openly homosexual wrestlers of his generation. If you’re of my age, you remember Pat most as one of Mr. McMahon’s Stooges and his incredible chemistry with fellow Stooge Gerald Briscoe. We’ve seen plenty of flunkies for authority figures over the years, but nobody ever did it better than Pat & Gerald.

I’ll always fondly remember Pat for creating my favorite thing in the history of pro wrestling: The Royal Rumble! Pat was a key force behind the scenes throughout the 1980s & 1990s, almost anything you liked during that time period could be credited to him. You could make the argument that Pat Patterson was the most important person to the WWF/E’s success without the last name “McMahon”.

All right, that’s all the damage I feel like doing for now. Thanks for reading, and keep your stick on the ice.

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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!

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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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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)

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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!