Opinion

News From Cook’s Corner 2.15.21: Stanfield, Stanfield, Stanfield

Valentine vengeance and a reflective moment! Steve Cook paints with all the colors of wind in this week’s news!

Published

4 years ago

February 15, 2021

Hi, hello & welcome to News From Cook’s Corner! I hope you all had a happy Valentine’s Day and got to spend it with somebody you love doing something enjoyable. Me, I spent most of it with people I don’t care for doing something that’s very difficult to enjoy. So don’t worry if you spent the day single & alone, you weren’t the only one even if it felt like it.

Those of you that have known me for a while know that the simple act of finding a mate has been similar to the quest for the Holy Grail. Barring a few brief intermittent stretches over the years where I’ve found someone not immediately repulsed by me, life hasn’t exactly blessed me in the romance department. This used to be the source of most of my depression, and I’ve written countless “woe is me” screeds into the voids of the Internet.

Fortunately, this doesn’t bother me as much anymore. I have other sources of frustration to occupy my time these days, and at this point I value the time I actually get to spend alone. Finding a girlfriend would merely cut into my alone time, and that’s not something I wish for at the moment.

So while I’m sure this all comes off as incredibly depressing to outside observers, know that the moments I get to write about these things are happy ones.

I might not be blessed with love from a soulmate or something like it, but I am lucky to have people that appreciate me enough to click on my words on the pro wrestling and other things. Whether it’s for the first time or for the thousandth time, it’s something I appreciate greatly.

Even if I do have to yell at y’all sometimes. And I will later on here because people are doing things to warrant it. Regardless, I still love you guys.

Enough of the mushy crap, let’s get to the news!

Who Got Vengeance?

I was unable to watch NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day live. Then I got home & the Daytona 500 was on, so I watched that instead. Apparently it was a good show though, at least in the eyes of those that always give TakeOver a perfect score. Let’s look at some of the highlights:

Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez won the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

The right choice here. Gonzalez seems to be on the verge of big things, and Kai has deserved to win something big for a long time now. I would not mind them winning the Women’s Tag Team Championship.

Johnny Gargano defeated Kushida

Apparently this match was Johnny TakeOver doing Johnny TakeOver things. You either really like it or really don’t. I’m not a fan of Dexter Lumis kidnapping Austin Theory, as I try to forget that Dexter Lumis exists.

MSK won the Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

Talk about having a rocket strapped to you. Trey Miguel might be regretting doing the right thing for his family at this point. Today I learned that MSK stands for Must See Kids, so there’s that.

Io Sharai retained the Women’s Championship

I expected Io to retain, though I would have probably preferred either Toni Storm or Mercedes Martinez winning. Toni was working pretty stiff tonight, as this spot shows:

Damn 2020 Table #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/yRfYaQ2qXi

— Wrestling News World (@wnwnews) February 15, 2021

That table was scared of her!

Finn Balor retained, but he & Kyle O’Reilly got superkicked by Adam Cole

Ol’ Pete Dunne gets put on the backburner while Adam Cole Bay Bay re-inserts himself into the title picture. See, this was a large part of my problem with the Cole/Pat McAfee feud to begin with. I never really bought Cole as the babyface people were trying to tell me he was. A leopard never changes his spots, and Adam Cole is just better as a cocky heel.

Sounds like a solid night of action that I’ll try to watch at some point when there isn’t a NASCAR race on after midnight.

Trouble in AEW/Impact Paradise?

You had to know it would happen eventually. This AEW/Impact working relationship was always destined to meet a bump in the road. Somebody wouldn’t play ball, people would get annoyed. Its wrestling.

That somebody, according to Fightful Select, PWInsider & everybody else is Sammy Guevara. See, Sammy was going to do some work for Impact, which would air during his self-imposed absence from AEW after quitting the Inner Circle. However, Sammy wasn’t thrilled with the creative he was given. After some back & forth between Sammy, Don Callis, Scott D’Amore, Tony Khan & Chris Jericho, Jericho told Sammy to head on home.

The word is that AEW isn’t exactly happy with Guevara at the moment, which would be understandable. I’m a big fan of Sammy’s, and he seems like a guy that’s deeply invested in his character. He has an idea of what he should be, and if Impact sees him differently, there’s going to be a conflict. However, I hope that Guevara doesn’t get a reputation of being difficult to work with. He’s a very talented kid, but there are plenty of talented kids that could be pushed over him.

Apparently, the plans for Sammy went to Black Taurus. This seems odd to me, mostly because Sammy would be a terrible fit with the Decay group. If that was the idea, I don’t blame Sammy for balking.

WrestleMania Weekend Returns

You might remember this. Back in the pre-pandemic days, independent wrestling promotions would flock to wherever WrestleMania was being held and hold shows in the same metro area. Made sense, as WrestleMania would annually draw north of 50,000 wrestling fans to a city. (This is a conservative estimate, the number’s probably higher but I’m factoring in local wrestling fans & WWE’s tendency to announce numbers for entertainment purposes.) Most of the people traveling for WrestleMania are hardcore wrestling fans aware of wrestling outside of WWE, so it’s good business sense for these independent promoters to try & cash in off of that.

WWE is planning on having fans at WrestleMania, so independent promoters are making plans to cash in off of them. Game Changer Wrestling announced that their Collective Remix would be coming to Tampa on WrestleMania Weekend. They have four shows scheduled on April 8, four shows scheduled on April 9, and four shows scheduled on April 10. Most of the band names you’re used to, like “Joey Janela’s Spring Break”, “Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport” & “Effy’s Big Gay Brunch”. I’ve never actually seen any of these shows, but they’re very popular.

GCW is also bringing back the Acid Cup for two shows in honor of the late, great Trent Acid, who would have made a million dollars if he was a year older. Came around one year too late for ECW to push him. Poor bastard.

Should be a fun weekend of shows. But of course, there’s more! IWTV is running their own series of shows, which they’re calling a Showcase of the Independents. Beyond Wrestling is the main draw here, there’s four shows scheduled on April 8 & 9 & three on April 10. I should note that one on April 9 is “Event To Be Determined”. I have no knowledge of anything going on there, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Mike Quackenbush has a CHIKARA show for us. Tough to say, but this seems like the perfect time for Quack’s friends to hide his return under the rug and hope we don’t notice.

Apparently, the folks behind GCW & IWTV had a falling out, and there’s a dispute over who holds the rights to previous GCW events, so the result is both groups holding a ton of shows on WrestleMania Weekend. This all seems like a bad idea to me. I’ve been wrong before, so maybe all of these shows will have healthy crowds that produce enough revenue to make everything worthwhile. I hope I’m wrong, for the sake of all the indy wrestlers that will travel to Tampa to work these shows. But I’m just not feeling too optimistic about any of this nonsense.

I mean, I just read in the Wrestling Observer where a promoter in Florida passed away after a stroke that was covid-related. Apparently two other people on the show got the healthy version of the covid. Like, what are we doing here? I ask this question every day on multiple occasions. I still see people on my Twitter wishing they could move to Florida, since they’re social creatures. Good luck is all I can say. I just don’t understand any of it, and since I already ranted on it last week I really don’t want to do it this week too. However, people just really aren’t getting the part where maybe if they stay in a general area and wear a mask occasionally they won’t die or make other people die. Unfortunately, most people care about the first part and don’t care about the second.

So, expect another covid boost of infections & deaths in the weeks after WrestleMania. Unless all of these folks travelling to Tampa get vaccinated. Highly unlikely, in my view.

Lauren Lane-Boebert?

Much to the annoyance of many readers, I tend to do some political talk in these columns. I can’t help it. As much as people want me to stick to sports, politics has also been one of my interests for most of my life. I don’t claim to be an expert even if I’ve studied the field…if I was an expert, I’d be able to get some type of political gig. I’m not, and I’m not.

One of the things that I’ve always found interesting is the background of these people sent to Washington to represent their fellow citizens. Where do these people come from? How do some of these odd personalities that make it to Congress somehow end up getting elected?

I understand that a lot of it has to do with the letter of the party listed to their name. Many voters don’t put any more thought into it than that. It still amazes me how some of these people get through the system.

There are a number of recent arrivals that boggle my mind. One is new Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert. Boebert’s main claim to fame, and the issue she apparently got elected on, is her unflinching support of the Second Amendment. Boebert carries a gun wherever she goes, which makes some of her colleagues feel uneasy. Understandable, I’d be worried if an extremist who constantly talked about how evil I was had weapons at their disposal at all times they were around me too. Especially if they were involved in giving crazy rioters updates on my location.

So why am I talking about this? Turns out, Boebert allegedly has a connection to the world of pro wrestling! Last week, some online dots were connected and it was discovered that Boebert’s mother has claimed for years that her daughter’s father is none other than “Sweet” Stan Lane of the Fabulous Ones & Midnight Express. There was even a paternity suit filed back in 1990. Lane was cleared at the time, but the lady claims that science is better now or some such thing.

@willmenaker apparently Lauren Boebert's father is a former professional wrestler named Stan Lane and her mom has been trying to get him to acknowledge her existence for years. there are comments from her mom on this video dating back to 12 years ago https://t.co/vulLmVOc7M pic.twitter.com/3ku4jPJ4tu

— … (@panda4bernie) February 10, 2021

As it turns out, the timeline would fit. Lane was working the Florida territory when the congresswoman was conceived and born in the state. Given Stan’s social life at the time, nothing can really be ruled out there. I don’t know his political affiliation, so it’s hard to say how Lauren’s current career affects his feelings about things. For his part, Jim Cornette was flabbergasted and wondered why Stan couldn’t have fathered a Democratic congresswoman.

Oh, by the way, Lane & Boebert’s mother are also allegedly cousins. I’m not sure why somebody would want to claim that their cousin is the father of her daughter, but there’s a whole lot going on with Boebert’s political career that I have no explanation for.

Thanks for reading, everybody! Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

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Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s 2025 WWE Royal Rumble Results, Review & Reaction

We are firmly on the Road to WrestleMania, starting with the Royal Rumble! Greg has his initial thoughts and reactions for everyone’s favorite event!

Published

3 weeks ago

February 2, 2025

Greg DeMarco

We are firmly on the Road to WrestleMania, starting with the Royal Rumble! Greg has his initial thoughts and reactions for everyone’s favorite event!

It’s the first Royal Rumble in an NFL stadium (thanks to the WWE calendar change), and both Rumble matches feature a star-studded line-up that makes it much harder than you’d think to pick a winner. I was lucky enough to attend one Royal Rumble live, 2019, and it’s always the best way to set the stage for WrestleMania.

If @whoislaniee‘s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner is any indication, we are in for one hell of a night with one hell of a crowd!

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

Always great to see Stephanie McMahon kicking off a show–the more Stephanie, the better. Apparently we’ve managed to pack 70,000 fans into Lucas Oil Stadium, and if you didn’t know, Pat McAfee loves him some Indianapolis.

With each match you’ll see my picks, in my traditional “Who Should Win?/Will Will Win?” format. I made them in this week’s solo edition of The Greg DeMarco Show, which you can listen to here:

Women’s WWE Royal Rumble Match

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

Who Should Win: Bianca Belair
Who Will Win: Bianca Belair

Last year’s winner was Bayley, entering at #3, and she went on to defeat Iyo Sky for the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 40.

Iyo Sky enters #1, and I do love the elevated platform–it’s not really a stage, but it does enhance the overall feel of the show. Old school fans will remember the entrance from Montreal watching Prime Time Wrestling.
I feel like Liv Morgan always enters these matches early. I also didn’t realize she’s been in all 8 Women’s Royal Rumble matches.
I do love the “ticker” across the bottom of the screen with stats and info during the entrances. Very ESPN, very “Wrestling As A Sport” to me.
Gotta say I was hoping for the black canvas (I’m biased), but I’ll always take grey over light blue.

Roxanne Perez has “Iron Woman” written all over her entering at #3. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

We even get “Active” and “Eliminated” in the ticket? I am REALLY digging this.
Lyra Valkyria enters to very little reaction–she’s a fantastic talent but has not connected on the main roster.
Lyra with the early wardrobe malfunction and we are already slightly derailed, kudos to everyone for getting it together.
Interesting to have the secondary champions enter back-to-back, and Indianapolis doesn’t seem to care much about her, either. Maybe I was wrong about this crowd, and maybe my criticism of Lyra was premature.
Chelsea thinking she’s dumped everyone and pointing to the sign is a great piece of business.
B-Fab enters at #6, and I would assume she has the lowest chance of winning of anyone in the field.
Man, B-Fab is still very NOT good.
Ivy Nile enters #7, the 5th straight entrant who has zero chance of winning this thing.
Also, we are still without an elimination, but probably 10 “hanging on the rope” spots already.
Ivy Nile is already more over in Indy than the Intercontinental and United States Champions.
Zoey Stark, complete with Barry Windham’s “Stalker” facepaint, enters eighth to continue our run of women with zero chance of winning.
Lash Legend enters at #9, and I have a feeling she’s about to win this crowd over.
LASH POINTED TO THE SIGN.
“Get her on the Fever” – Pat McAfee.
Chelsea Green gives us our first elimination, of B-Fab.
Bianca Belair enters at #10, really hurting my chances of being right.

And here’s my pick to win the Women’s #RoyalRumble, Bianca Belair. At #10? Doesn’t look good for me!

(Seth Rollins won his from #10, I believe.)

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

The crowd definitely picked up with Bianca being in the match.
BIANCA IS A MACHINE.
Shayna Baszler enters #11, reminding me she works for WWE. Which is sad, I really thought she’d have a hell of a run in WWE.
Bayley is #12, and we still have quite the group in this match. Personally I don’t see Bayley being a back-to-back winner.
Sonya Deville is in at #13 to complete the PFC trio in this match. I’m sure that’ll work out well for them!
Iyo Sky is so good, she saved Sonya’s knee spot and I am sure no one noticed.
Maxxine Dupri in at #14, another non-winner, but to her credit she only keeps getting better.
With 12 women thill in this match, I have a feeling we’re getting Nia Jax or Charlotte Flair soon to give us a bunch of eliminations.
Ivy Nile out, followed by Maxxine Dupri, and the countdown is on!
Naomi brings the halfway point with her, entering at #15.

Naomi is a former women’s champion and had an amazing WrestleMania moment back in Orlando–why does Michael Cole keep saying 2024 was her breakout year? #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

All of PFC is gone, and nothing of value is lost (from this match–they are valuable as people).
Jaida Parker, entering at #16, comes in to a better reaction than half of the field. Miss Parker has a hell of a WWE career ahead of her.
Chelsea Green is so damn good at what she does.
And here comes Piper Niven at #17.
Will Piper somehow eliminate Piper?
Yes – the answer to that question is yes.
Naalya enters at #18, her eighth Royal Rumble. She’s a little over 20 minutes away from 3 cumulative hours in Rumble matches.

If anyone “deserves” a Royal Rumble win, it’s Natalya. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

FANTASTIC reaction for Jordynne Grace–that has to raise some eyebrows among leadership.
JORDYNNE GRACE IS A STAR.
Michin in at #20, as we are up to 10 eliminations.

BUT THE INTERNET TOLD ME ALEXA BLISS WASN’T GONNA COME BACK DUE TO A CONTRACT DISPUTE. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 1, 2025

Wade Barrett, Michael Cole, and Pat McAfee crapping all over the wrestling newz sites is amazing.
And you can tell Alexa Bliss is THRILLED to be back.
Zelina Vega in at #22 to not win the Royal Rumble.
HUGE SPOT for Zelina Vega and Jordynne Grace.
If you happen to rewatch this match, watch Bayley very closely. It’s a look inside the business–she’s basically an agent in the ring.
Candice LeRae enters at #23, and I am reminded that she’s the WWE Women’s Speed Champion. I also wonder if they’ve started piping in crowd noise for these entrances.
Of note, we haven’t closed a Royal Rumble PLE with the Women’s Royal Rumble Match since the first one in 2018.
Of the 10 women eliminated so far, 6 of them entered #4-5-6-7-8-9.

Great reaction for Stephanie Vaquer–Indianapolis seems to be an NXT crowd. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

LET STEPHANIE VAQUER HER WIN YOU COWARDS. (Personal opinion, she’s the best women’s wrestler in the world.)
#25 already–we are trying to make up some time.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand it’s Trish Stratus.

Honestly, did we need Trish Stratus? #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Kinda wanted Jordynne Grace to toss Trish Stratus right there.
Piper Niven just kncoked the SH*T outta Trish!
Raquel Rodriguez in at #26, and we have 4 more entrants left.
Nia, Charlotte, and…..Becky? Nikki? (Bella, that is.)
The crowd is NOT HAPPY about Alexa Bliss’ elimination.
#1-3 all still in the match.
Charlotte Flair and her new face at in at #27.

Listen, I’m going to hell, but Charlotte Flair’s entrance reminds me of when JR returned from his stroke. Lay off the plastic surgery. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Love Wade Barrett pointing out that Charlotte got pyro. I hope Roman gets his, too.
Took Charlotte forever to get her robe off, apparently.
Like I’m supposed to believe Jordynne Grace can’t suplex Charlotte Flair?
Charlotte definitely brought some fire to this match.
Giulia getting almost no reaction is surprising given the reaction of some other NXT talents.
Iyo and Liv approaching an hour in the match, along with Roxanne Perez.

Giulia eliminated Jordynne Grace, which makes me think Jordynne might be spending some time in NXT. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Nia Jax enters at #29, leaving a surprise for #30? Becky Lynch?
Good for Nikki Bella! And she gave someone in the crowd one hall of a souvenir.
And now it’s time for the “World vs Nia” spot.
Forget Superkick It’s an APRON PARTY.
Roxanne Perez just snuck back in without being eliminated.
Given who is left, it does seem like this is Charlotte’s match to win.
ROXANNE PEREZ IN THE FINAL THREE?

This company obviously believes in Roxanne Perez. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

LOLCHARLOTTEWINS

Winner of the 2025 Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Charlotte Flair

I don’t love the decision to have Charlotte Flair win the Women’s Royal Rumble Match after being gone for over a year, but she IS Charlotte Flair. This should shock nobody. I know Charlotte Flair is a dream match opponent for Tiffany Stratton in the eyes of many, and if she were to put Tiffany Stratton over at WrestleMania, then I will eat my words and say it was worth it.

Hell of a performance for Roxanne Perez, I haven’t seen the tally yet but I do wonder if she broke the record for longest time in one Rumble.

I could go for a Slim Jim meat stick right about now.

Why was Mickie James in the crowd, and not IN THE MATCH??? #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

2 Out of 3 Falls Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships
The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. #DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano, champions)

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

Who Should Win: DIY (but it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things)
Who Will Win: DIY (but it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things)

(I won’t be live tweeting or doing a bulleted list for these two matches, likely just the two Rumbles.)

Had to laugh seeing the drone in front of Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin during their entrance.

DIY wins 2 falls to 1, making my prediction accurate. That is small change, though. I liked the match for what it was, but it’s a reminder of Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey from WrestleMania 38–great match, wrong setting. This was an arena match, not a football stadium match. Yes, that DOES matter. Setting is a huge part of pro wrestling.

NXT Black and Gold will always hold a place in my heart, but part of what made that what it was was the crowd. This wasn’t the crowd for this match. Plus it got around 15 minutes, which is about right for a 1-fall match featuring these four. On TV, counting commercial breaks, these guys get 25-30 minutes.

The Street Profits got involved, eventually attacking everyone. I fully expect a WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match at WrestleMania, with DIY, MCMG, the Street Profits, and possibly Pretty Deadly and Angel/Humberto. This was really just the beginning–it was just misplaced on this card.

Winners AND STILL WWE Tag Team Champions: DIY

Michael Cole did also inform us that Roxanne Perez is the new record-holder for longest Royal Rumble performance. Score one for the good guy (me, from my tweet above).

Ladder Match for the WWE Championship
Kevin Owens vs. Cody Rhodes (champion)

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

Who Should Win: Kevin Owens
Who Will Win: Cody Rhodes

Love that Kevin Owens took down the Winged Eagle Championship during SmackDown last night, and entered with it. Granted, Cody Rhodes has his, too. But KO has a certain edge to him when carrying that title.

That little ladder is HILARIOUS. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

This match was brutal, and whatever they are paying Kevin Owens isn’t enough. Cody Rhodes was beating on KO as a heel would, but he’s a babyface? I know everyone wants “Homelander” Cody, but really he might be more like “Patrick Bateman” Cody. Either way, as great as Cody is (and he is great), there is one missing element. At this point, it’s obvious to me that Cody is the worst babyface in the company. Look at him: THE MAN IS A HEEL.

While I’m glad Cody is fully out of The Bloodline’s shadow, he just needs to beat John Cena at WrestleMania, turn heel, and truly hit his stride. And I want true heel Cody. Chicken sh*t, goons, the whole thing.

Winner, AND STILL WWE Champion: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes is gonna buy Kevin Owens a lot of cigars, booze, or meat. Whatever that man wants. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

You gotta think Sami Zayn not stopping Cody Rhodes from winning will be a major sticking point for Kevin Owens. Seems like we’ll get Sami vs Kevin at WM41.

Men’s WWE Royal Rumble Match

Greg’s predictions from earlier in the week:

Who Should Win: Jey Uso
Who Will Win: John Cena

Last year’s winner was Cody Rhodes, entering at #15, and he went on to defeat Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 40.

Rey Mysterio (Jr) enters at #2, and it’s obvious that gone are the days where randoms would enter at #1 and #2.
I believe I said on my podcast (if not, I meant to) that Penta would need to enter #1 or #2 so he can have his pyro.

I am so happy for Penta in the WWE. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

I really hope we get a Lucha Underground reference on commentary.
LET PENTA WIN YOU COWARDS! (I know, it didn’t work for Stephanie Vaquer.)
PENTA IS A STAR.
I do appreciate how they didn’t fight on the apron, instead just got right back into the ring.
Chad Gable in at #3, and all we need is for Dominik Mysterio to be #4.
That spot looked NASTY, I hope Chad Gable’s knee is okay.
Carmelo Hayes in at #4, and I am reminded that we likely get Trick in this match.

Trick Williams’ #RoyalRumble entrance is gonna be ICONIC.

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

I know they have a temporary alliance at the moment, but Chad Gable vs. Carmelo Hayes would be an absolute BANGER.
KING CUERNO vs PENTAGON JR! #IYKYK
That spot was far too similar to what we saw in the Women’s Rumble.
Otis in and had some fun.
BRON BREAKKER IS A MACHINE.
The crowd reaction to Bron Breakker tells me the WWE might make even MORE money in the future.
What if Breakker won this match? He won’t, but What If?
If not for WWE, I wouldn’t know who IShowSpeed was.
Honestly, nothing wrong with what they did with IShowSpeed there.
Sheamus enters at #9, and I assume we will see some Beats Of The Bowery.

Gotta play the hits, pal. (Sheamus.) #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

This is the most normal Sheamus’ hair has ever looked.
Crazy that this is only Jimmy Uso’s 3rd Royal Rumble.
Big Jim definitely got a bulk discount on his new gear. I wonder how many color combos he got???
Andrade in at #11, and Wade Barrett points out what I’ve been thinking–why run to the ring?
Jacob Fatu enters at #12 and gets his pyro. The rocket ship has been strapped, pal.
Ludwig Kaiser enters at #13 and no one not named (Greg DeMarco Show co-host) Patrick O’Dowd cares.
Kaiser immediately dumped by Penta, and he’ll probably lose to him on Monday’s Raw, too.

Here comes the most underappreciated wrestler in WWE history, @mikethemiz. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

We lost Michael for a minute there.

The fact that Joe Hendry’s fact on the ticket is “Say His Name And He Appears” is amazing.

Great pop for him, too.

And Michael Cole references Nic Nemeth! #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

I’d actually forgotten that we’d likely get a Joe Hendry appearance, so they got a little pop out of me.
I acknowledge you, my Tribal Chief.

☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️ #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk would be one hell of a match at WrestleMania, just sayin’.
Showdowns like Roman Reigns and Bron Breakker is what the Royal Rumble is all about.
SPEAR TO ROMAN.
That might have been the greatest spear ever.
After Joe Gendry and Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre gets very little reaction entering at #17.
Drew McIntyre with the very silky smooth hair tonight.
Finn Balor in at #18 and we have our second drone sighting of the night.
Something is wrong with Pat McAfee’s headset. Hell of a showing by Penta, by the way.
Jey Uso in at #20 to a HUGE pop.
LET JE YWIN YOU COWARDS.
Poison Rana by Jey???
Let’s hope AJ Styles can stick around for a bit this time. (Not necessarily in the Rumble, but in general.)

All these megastars, and Jacob Fatu might be the most over guy in the match right now. #ROYALRUMBLE

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

I’d be okay if Braun shaved his head again.
Jacob Fatu can literally do ANYTHING and it makes sense.

JOHN CENA’S SOCKS!
JOHN CENA’S SOCKS!
JOHN CENA’S SOCKS!#RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

CM Punk, John Cena, and Roman Reigns all in the ring all at the same time? YES PLEASE.
Now add in Seth Rollins? This is the greatest Royal Rumble of all time.
The current field: Seth Rollins, CM Punk, John Cena, AJ Styles, Jey Uso, Drew McIntyre, and Roman Reigns. That is ABSURD.
The only man who can follow all that talent is indeed Dominik Mysterio. This is about to be amazing.
Imagine if Dom wins. I mean, just imagine it.
With the addition of Sami Zayn, the storylines in this Rumble right now are insane.
Damian Priest, who is probably challenging Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania, enters at #28.
Two more to go. Any surprises?
LA Knight, who I forgot was in this match, enters next.
I kinda expect him to move to Raw in this transfer window.
Ah yes, Logan Paul. I also forgot he was on this.
We’ve had a Nic Nemeth and now a Ricochet reference tonight. I love when you’re WWE, and you are comfortable talking about (almost) ANYBODY.

If I’m WWE, I have Logan Paul wait until the final two before jumping back into the ring. #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

He didn’t, by the way. Opportunity missed.
Final 6: Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, John Cena, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Logan Paul… STAR. STUDDED.
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins – the WrestleMania Main Event we never got.
YESSS!
Brilliant spot to have Logan Paul eliminate CM Punk.
Final 3: John Cena, Jey Uso, and Logan Paul. Two of my picks are left.
The action on the outside between Rollins, Roman, and Punk drives home how important the Rumble is to the competitors.
And then there were 2: my Who Should Win vs. my Who Will Win.
Please God let Jey Uso win this thing.
(And that’s not a slight against John Cena.)
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

IT’S JUST YOU, UCE! #RoyalRumble

— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) February 2, 2025

Winner of the 2025 Men’s WWE Royal Rumble Match: Jey Uso

Just like the sign said: EAT. SLEEP. YEET. MANIA. I am so damn happy for Jey Uso. You can tell John Cena was as well, along with Michael Cole. And probably everyone in the entire company. Jey Uso is the success story.

As for the match? Well obviously this is a knee jerk reaction, but eff it–this is the best Royal Rumble Match they have ever put on. The early action was fun and exciting. But from the time Joe Hendry’s music hit to the moment Jey Uso pushed John Cena off of the apron, this match was insane. I think Roman Reigns coming in at 16 was a huge part of that. Once Roman is in the match, you are watching to see a) what he does, and b) if he’ll get eliminated. CM Punk eliminating Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns was beautiful, and then Logan Paul tossing CM Punk was even better. If that leads to Rollins vs. Reigns and Logan vs. Punk at WrestleMania, you can take my money.

My money is a Peacock membership, which is automatically charged. But still. Take it.

If John Cena wins it’s still probably the best Royal Rumble Match of all time. But Jey Uso winning makes that an undisputable fact.

Overall Thoughts on the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble

The Women’s Royal Rumble was decent to good. Loved Roxanne getting the Iron Woman treatment, but in the end it’s another chapter of LOL Charlotte Wins.
I need to rewatch DIY vs MCMG because I was on the phone when my son called. Maybe I will enjoy it more on a second viewing.
The ladder match was brutal but the end result was expected. Cody is still missing something, and I think that something will continue to be missing until he turns heel. He’s just overshadowed by too many of the other babyfaces.
The Men’s Royal Rumble Match was the best Royal Rumble match they have ever put on. Great action in the early half, and from 15 (Joe Hendry) on, it was amazing. The storyline movement with CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins was (here’s that word) cinema, and having the most over wrestler in the company not named Roman Reigns win, and doing so by eliminating the odds-on favorite, was perfect. I’m biased because Jey Uso was my pick, but it was the perfect ending to what was probably as close to perfect as a Rumble match has been since 1992.

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TheChairshot.com PRESENTS: WWE Crown Jewel Immediate Reactions

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4 months ago

November 2, 2024

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Join DJ and Tunney for their immediate reactions to WWE Crown Jewel. For the latest, greatest and up to datest, ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit THECHAIRSHOT.COM