Greg DeMarco chimes in on the criticism of Adam Pearce challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble.

Friday’s edition of WWE Smackdown was highlighted by two title matches, one of them resulting in new tag team champions that are eerily reminiscent of the Midnight Express, and a great Gauntlet Match that gave us everything sports and entertainment.

That Gauntlet Match…

After Sami Zayn provided the entertainment and lost out quickly to Rey Mysterio (which you could see coming from a mile away), Rey took care of Baron Corbin, and had a great back and forth before falling to Shinsuke Nakamura. Shinsuke and Daniel Bryan then delivered a great match that would have closed out the Gauntlet with poised for a great match with Roman Reigns–two men who were the final two in the 2018 Royal Rumble won by Nakamura himself.

But that didn’t happen, did it? This episode was bookended by the blooming program between the Universal Champion and Head Of The Table and WWE Official Adam Pearce. 2020 was a breakout year for Adam Pearce as an on-screen character, where he has been straight-laced and procedure oriented, along with becoming “Post Man Pearce” after entering the Firefly Fun House.

But his recent decisions have not sat well with the Tribal Chief himself, who continues to excel as the Samoan Mob Boss. Roman’s promo to kick off Smackdown was one of his best ever, ensuring Pearce’s safety in a way that made ol’ Scrap Iron feel as secure as an NFL head coach who just got the owner’s “vote of confidence.”

In short, not safe at all.

Pearce was informed mid-way through the episode that Paul Heyman pulled a few strings and got him added to the Gauntlet Match. Pearce was the final entrant, but it was Roman Reigns and cousin henchman Jey Uso that took care of business, leaving both men laying.

The important detail there is who was laying on top, and it was WWE Official Adam Pearce. Now the aforementioned official will challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble, coming full circle after Reigns implied that Pearce thought he was stupid during the show opening promo.

When I saw this, I immediately reacted, just not in the same way many others reacted. Adam Pearce is a personal favorite of mine. He’s a five-time guest on the Greg DeMarco Show, created one of our first soundbites (“Nice try, though!”) and is the reason we have “The Adam Pearce Rule,” (no one can come on more times than Adam Pearce).

His mantra has always been “Work Hard, Treat People Fairly, Earn Respect” and I can tell you with 100% certainty that he lives it. I’ve been lucky enough to serve as a ring announcer on an NWA card in 2007 that featured Adam Pearce (and even shared a dressing room with him and Dave Marquez), and got to see him in action when working for Ring Of Honor in 2010 on their WrestleMania Weekend events here in Phoenix. I’ve told countless stories about my interactions with Adam Pearce, and make no mistake about it–I was the lucky one.

“Ugh….”

In response to Adam Pearce now getting a world title match at the Royal Rumble, I saw a lot of this:

If Adam Pearce wins and faces Roman at the #RoyalRumble

Well, we'll be getting 2 shit World Title matches #SmackDown

— The Angle Podcast (@theangleradio) January 9, 2021

This is a misinformed opinion at best, and just stupid at worst. But the real issue here is simple: the Internet Wrestling Community really does live in a bubble, and…

They obviously don’t know “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce.

“Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce made his pro debut in 1996, and wrestled his last match in 2014, losing to Colt Cabana. In the 19 years in between, he became one of independent wrestling’s most respected journeymen, including winning the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship at the end of a tournament that was supposed to be won by (ironically enough) Bryan “Daniel Bryan” Danielson.

He’s had legendary feuds with The Almighty Sheik (now known as Josef Samael), Blue Demon Jr, Brent Albright (often referred to as his greatest opponent), and of course Colt Cabana. He’s traveled the world multiple times over, gaining respect from damn near everyone he shared a ring–or locker room–with.

#UniversalChampion @WWERomanReigns shouldn't overlook his #RoyalRumble opponent @ScrapDaddyAP! Just ask @AdamColePro. @HeymanHustle #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/B55Jx1ym7i

— WWE (@WWE) January 9, 2021

He also performed in Ring Of Honor, bringing a sense of old school to the company in each appearance. He would eventually also replace Gabe Sapolsky as the company’s booker in 2008, seeing them through an era of transition and learning a lot along the way. I bet he would cite his time at the helm of ROH as being heavily influential towards his early success in WWE.

Keep this in mind: “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce isn’t a former NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion. He’s a FIVE TIME NWA WORLD’S HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION. He held the championship for over 1078 days, too. His five reigns puts him fourth all time, behind only Ric Flair, Harley Race, and Jeff Jarrett. And Pearce never booked himself to win the championship, either!

If you’re unfamiliar with the work of Adam Pearce, I highly recommend checking out his YouTube channel, as it features a ton of great matches and promos that will show you just how great he was/is.

Find it here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ScrapdaddyPearce.

But will the match be any good?

The short answer–is “yes.”

The long answer is “Yes, and there are a million reasons why.”

Adam Pearce was a 19 year pro wrestling veteran before his bump card got full and he called a career. He’s been a highly effective person behind the scenes for NXT, Raw, Smackdown, and especially 205 Live during its resurgence after Drake Maverick became General Manager. Quite simply, the man knows what he is doing outside AND inside the ring.

Roman Reigns, at this stage in his career, is a ring general who has headlined FOUR WrestleMania events. That puts him behind only Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Triple H, and The Undertaker, and tied with Brock Lesnar. As much as it pains many to admit (not me), The Big Dog is already one of the greatest WWE wrestlers of all time, and he’s nowhere near being done yet.

And then you have Adam Pearce, the retired veteran who was inducted into the NWA Hall Of Fame after his 19 year career, getting one more shot in the spotlight. And don’t think he doesn’t know what this means…

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝.
𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐲.
𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧. 🙏 https://t.co/k4EmUBDVG7

— Adam Pearce (@ScrapDaddyAP) January 9, 2021

He’s still a seasoned veteran, still a ring general, and he will make this most of this opportunity…and then some. In short, while Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roman Reigns would be (and still will be when it happens) a banger of a match, Adam Pearce is going to work with Roman Reigns to deliver a classic encounter that, if you are a true fan of the business, you will enjoy and appreciate for a long time to come.

If you’re not familiar with “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce, and won’t take the time to explore, just pay close attention to the master class he teaches on January 31st at the Royal Rumble. Scrap Daddy will be in full effect, and I will be loving every moment of it.