Opinion

News From Cook’s Corner 2.8.21: Tom Freaking Brady

Cook goes over a few big/interesting wrestling topics, but the week was capped off by Tom “Freaking” Brady!

Published

3 years ago

February 8, 2021

Hi, hello & welcome to News From Cook’s Corner! I am Steve Cook, and I absolutely nailed everything that happened on Super Bowl Sunday. If you read my column on Saturday, you didn’t even need to watch the game. Of course the Buccaneers won. They had Tom Brady. As I’ve told you before, you don’t bet against greatness, and betting against Brady is like betting against Michael Jordan’s Bulls or Bill Russell’s Celtics. You might as well flush your money down the toilet if you’re thinking of betting against that.

I told you the under was the smart bet, because all of the hype heading into the game was about the offense, and whenever that happens we end up with a lower-scoring game than expected. The Buccaneers put up plenty of points, but there weren’t enough on the other end. I also told you that the best bet on Gatorade color splashed on the winning head coach was blue, since the Patriots had used blue the last couple of times they were able to get Bill Belichick with it, and Brady had enough stroke to pick the Gatorade dispensed on the sideline. Sure enough…

The Gatorade was Blue pic.twitter.com/x6I4nZD24I

— Official Bookmaker (@bookmaker_eu) February 8, 2021

It was an up & down year for me with the NFL. Pretty sure that calling everything that happened at the Super Bowl pushes me over the top and solidifies my “expert” status. Granted, I achieved this by going in the tank for Tom Brady, but if you’re going to shill for somebody, it might as well be the GOAT. Honestly, I don’t see how people that still hate him at this point sleep at night. Just give in already! Accept it for what it is! Denying reality will just make you angry and useless to the world.

There’s a political joke there, but I’m gonna leave it alone. Gonna be nice to the opposition. Let’s get to what you all click on this column for, the wrestling news!

AEW & New Japan

We have to start this week with something that’s a rarity amongst Internet wrestling writers. Many of us have a tough time admitting when we’re wrong about something. We usually just sweep it under the rug while moving on to the next hot take.

Me, I feel the need to own up to when I get something wrong. Especially when I’m so sure I’m right about something. Like last week, when I said with 100% certainty that this whole Moxley/KENTA thing on NJPW Strong wouldn’t lead to anything important on AEW television. I absolutely thought they might mention it on commentary prior to the match, and then not say anything after the match aired.

I did not think that KENTA would appear at the end of Dynamite to make Moxley Go 2 Sleep. I also did not think that KENTA would do a match on the next week’s episode, as I didn’t expect him to appear on AEW Dynamite. Some crazy stuff going on here, which was easier to make happen than I originally thought.

As it turns out, the heat between AEW & New Japan came down to two things. One being the fact that Harold Meij wouldn’t do business with the Elite guys. Once Meij got relived of his duties with NJPW, things got easier. The other issue, which is easier for people like you & I to understand, is the fact that AEW was not an established brand in North America. New Japan likes to rely on established partners in various countries. Ring of Honor was their partner in the United States. They didn’t know that the Elite & Tony Khan could form a promotion that could be a viable partner. They underestimated what AEW could be. Once AEW established themselves as a viable partner with international reach, New Japan saw the value.

Let’s be honest. This isn’t the sort of thing that’s going to draw in those casual viewers. People are going to slam this thing because of that. They’ll use it as evidence that AEW is only interested in catering to their hardcore demographic, because nobody outside of that demo cares about Japanese wrestling. They’re not entirely wrong. I, for one, am happy to be catered to from time to time. Also, it’s kind of nice to be able to watch a show and not feel compelled to defend it by saying “it’s not for us”.

We don’t know how far this thing can go, and as long as things are the way they are, that dream match supercard can’t happen. As a wrestling geek, I am marking out over the idea of AEW, NJPW & Impact Wrestling crossing over, and I’m also hoping that Ring of Honor gets involved since I review their show for 411. Would be nice!

New Japan on Roku

We’ve been hearing about this New Japan TV deal in North America for awhile, and in most circumstances I would be ready to dump on what they came up with. People were hoping for New Japan to get a nice slot on a channel people could find on their cable systems. Vice was a popular suggested destination, and apparently there were talks with ESPN as well. Neither of those happened, so they got a deal on the Roku Channel. It’ll be like the show they had on AXS, older stuff for an hour.

Doesn’t sound like much, but it works for me. I have a Roku box since Tony Sly told me to get one for fifteen years. So I’ll be able to view whatever they put on Roku. Sounds good to me!

Cesaro Re-Signs

There was a brief period of time where Cesaro’s WWE contract was about to expire and people thought he might go somewhere else. That led to Shinsuke Nakamura getting the push in the gauntlet match on SmackDown a few weeks ago, and apparently Shinsuke’s job going forward will be to make stars. I hope he does, WWE could definitely use some!

Cesaro was apparently the original choice for that role, as Daniel Bryan has been pretty insistent on featuring him. In an somewhat related note, it’s interesting how nobody noticed the difference between Daniel Bryan & Edge on the creative team until Dave Meltzer wrote a sentence or two about it in his newsletter. One wants to push other people, the other wants a main event slot for themselves. I’m not even blaming Edge for it, as I know some otters that are totally buying into his deal. Just noting the difference between him & Bryan, who could have a main event slot for himself if he wanted it. Doesn’t seem to be a priority for him.

Cesaro has reportedly agreed to a new deal with WWE, and people have thoughts & opinions about it. My thoughts & opinions: whatever makes Cesaro happy is good with me. Also, I don’t think he’s been as underutilized as people claim over the years. We’re talking about a seven-time Tag Team Champion here, and I happen to think he’s best as part of a tag team. I know that “tag team” is a dirty word to some of you, but I think there’s a lot of value in somebody that can make a perfect tag team with just about anybody. Cesaro is the Bobby Eaton of his generation, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s kept him under contract for a very long time. Nothing wrong with that in my book.

Cutler Cut

Steve Cutler, formerly one third of the truculent trio known as the Forgotten Sons, was released by WWE last week. In normal circumstances, most of us would shrug our shoulders & move on to the next thing, as Cutler wasn’t exactly a featured performer & WWE has become ridiculously profitable by letting people like him go. We don’t move on because outlets like the Wrestling Observer & Fightful tell us he got released because he got the coronavirus.

Cutler’s been quiet on the issue, but his girlfriend, Deonna Purrazzo, has been vocal in his defense on social media. She admits that they both tested positive early in January, but defends their decision to party with other wrestlers & points out that other wrestlers that attended the party are still employed. I’m guessing those other wrestlers are hoping that they remain nameless, especially if they’re expendable.

We don’t know if testing positive for the coronavirus after partying was Cutler’s only offense. He’s certainly not the only person contracted by WWE that’s done that, so there very well may be other issues at play that we don’t know about. We probably won’t know either, since the coronavirus angle is what the wrestling media is going with at the behest of Cutler & Purrazzo. Maybe it is just that. WWE’s probably getting frustrated with their workers continually ignoring requests to not party all the time party all the time party all the time during a pandemic.

Listen, it’s easy for me to say this because my social life hasn’t changed all that much over the past year. Might be hard for y’all to believe, but I’m not a popular guy. Never been particularly well-liked by my peer group. I don’t get invited to very many parties. So it’s easy for me to tell people to stop going to parties & spreading viruses. It seems like an easy thing to do from my perspective. Maybe not from that of a popular person that loves being around other people.

Should WWE be firing people for getting sick? Probably not, but I understand a certain level of frustration people there must be feeling towards their workforce. They keep getting sick and missing time at work, forcing plans to constantly be changed. WWE keeps having these outbreaks, and they’re not as good at covering it up as other wrestling promotions are.

Lars Let Go

PWInsider reported last week that Lars Sullivan had been released by WWE some time back. It was a bit surprising, not only because Lars had been a project they’d been trying to build for awhile, but because there was no notice on WWE’s website. No future endeavors! It was like WWE was hoping we’d forget he existed with them. And we did for about a month or so.

Lars’ last straw was continuing to no-show TV tapings, which had been a problem with him in the past due to anxiety. He confirmed during an interview with Fightful that his anxiety issues had gotten the best of him, and he & WWE mutually agreed to part ways.

Its very similar to what happened with Kylie Rae. Kylie got more sympathy from the public though, largely because she wasn’t known to post racist & homophobic comments online. Maybe it’s not fair to Lars, but people will hold that stuff against you. Hopefully he gets better, figures things out & finds some happiness on his own terms.

Tyler Reks Transitions

You might remember Tyler Reks from early 2010s WWE. Reks started in ECW before moving to SmackDown. Career highlights included beating Kaval to earn a spot on SmackDown’s Bragging Rights team & teaming with Curt Hawkins to kidnap Matt Striker. Reks left WWE in 2012 to spend more time with family, and didn’t do much in the pro wrestling scene afterward.

Reks made some news last week by coming out as a trans woman. Now known as Gabbi Tuft, she’s the first former WWE Superstar to make a transition in gender identity. We haven’t seen that a whole lot in wrestling in general. Nyla Rose is the only active transgender wrestler working for a major company. It’s not something we’re used to discussing, and I’m just happy I’ve gotten better at handling these things with age. Me trying to write about a topic like this in 2005 wouldn’t have been good. I had no idea what was going on back then. So young and stupid.

I tend to avoid reading the comment sections on news items like this one, so I don’t know how the majority of wrestling fans have been reacting. Hopefully they’ve been supportive. I can’t imagine what it’s like to spend your life being one thing when in your heart you know that you’re the opposite. Going through that, then deciding to make the change and dealing with the reactions of others that see you a certain way…that takes a strength I don’t think most people have. I doubt I would be able to. Fortunately, I am very confident in my identity as an ugly male that has no appeal to the opposite sex, and have no desire to explore other avenues. Especially at my advanced age.

We wish Gabbi the best, and hope people treat her with the respect she deserves.

Butch Reed

Butch Reed, most known for his stints with Mid-South Wrestling, WCW & the WWF, passed away last week at the age of 66. He suffered two massive heart attacks within a week and was unable to recover.

My Mid-South watching hasn’t gotten to the part where Reed shows up yet, but people speak very well of his work there. His WWF stint is mostly remembered for his chance to be Intercontinental Champion falling by the wayside due to a series of no-shows. That WWF road schedule was no joke, and claimed many a victim back in the day. Reed denied this for many years, but came clean later on.

I’m most familiar with Reed as one-half of Doom, the team he formed with Ron Simmons that won the WCW Tag Team Championship. Simmons would go on to further glory as the first black World Champion recognized by a national wrestling promotion. Reed did not have similar success, Doom was pretty much his last major run. I was pretty excited to hear that Reed was still watching wrestling recently, and saw Will Hobbs as the next “Hacksaw”, reminding him of himself back in the day. A great compliment to a youngster.

He did wrestle part-time while pursuing a career on the rodeo circuit in the 1990s. So you could say he spent his later years in wrestling riding producers of bullshit while Ron Simmons spent his later years in wrestling teaming with one.

And on that note, I’ll see you next week!

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

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Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s Top 5: The Final Opponent For John Cena In WWE

It’s obvious that John Cena is nearing the end of his legendary career, and he’s suggested ending it at WrestleMania 41. Who should be his final opponent?

Published

2 weeks ago

April 11, 2024

Greg DeMarco

John Cena Last Match Randy Orton WWE WrestleMania 41

It’s obvious that John Cena is nearing the end of his legendary career, and he’s suggested ending it at WrestleMania 41. Who should be his final opponent?

John Cena recently appeared on the Pat McAfee Show, the Monday after his surprise (but mostly expected) WrestleMania 40 appearance during Cody Rhodes’ win over Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship. During that appearance, he confirmed what many expect, that he is nearly done with his in-ring career. But Cena even tossed out the idea of a time-frame, detailing that his acting schedule will likely take him through Christmas, and maybe Hollywood could “pump the brakes” to allow for one final run.

That run could easily begin at the Royal Rumble with a surprise entrance (or entering himself via TV appearances as part of the build), with a tease for his 17th world title win before finally settling in on his final match.

Fantasy booking and storytelling aside, the goal here is the final match–more specifically the final opponent. With a John Cena, you’ve got a ton of options. As such, it’s hard to narrow it down to 5, and one of your favorites is likely missing–be warned!

Greg DeMarco’s Top 5: The Final Opponent For John Cena In WWE

Honorable Mentions:

The Miz – A feud with John Cena gave The Mix a WrestleMania 27 main event–and a WrestleMania main event victory on top of it. Miz has been receiving more love than ever lately, and a match with John Cena would not be misplaced. Maybe he can use their WrestleMania 33 contest (and Cena’s personal aftermath) as fodder for it, too.
AJ Styles – The man who once made it popular to “BEAT UP JOHN CENA” is also nearing the end of his run, and could be the one candidate on this list that could realistically give us a double-retirement match. He would also be the guy who retired both The Undertaker and John Cena (and would probably end up being the guy who lost in both).
The Rock or Cody Rhodes – Both great options, but you have to figure their dance card for WrestleMania 41 is already full, potentially standing across the ring from one another. Either is an amazing option (including “Thrice In A Lifetime”), but I just don’t think it’s in the cards.
Trick Williams – Potentially a surprising addition to the Honorable Mentions, but the comparisons are there in terms of in-ring style/ability, promo skills, and the interplay they had in NXT (remember, it was Cena who is credited with encouraging Trick to not be afraid to go for it himself despite his relationship with Carmelo Hayes).

5. CM Punk

The fifth spot on this list was nearly interchangeable between several of the honorable mention names, but it really came down to Punk and Seth Rollins for me (with a hint of AJ Styles). The 2011 feud between CM Punk and John Cena was legendary, and is a moment that will forever be seen by me as the one that truly cemented CM Punk as a member of the growing list of all-time greats in WWE.

Punk is uniquely qualified for this match as he would make it mean more than a showboat for John Cena’s career and final match. It’s entirely believable that CM Punk would want to put John Cena’s career into the ground, and WWE has the video archive to support it.

Despite being #5, this could actually be a dark-horse for the match we get, and I can’t see anyone reasonably being upset about that.

4. Roman Reigns

John Cena and Roman Reigns have had two separate legendary programs. the first saw Cena, at times, embarrass Roman in promo exchanges in a feud that took place in the “pre-Tribal Chief” era. The second is more fresh and likely more memorable, as John Cena put Roman Reigns over in a football stadium in Las Vegas at SummerSlam (although it might be more remembered for the return of Brock Lesnar).

Reigns, a legend himself at his point (he’s featured alongside Steve Austin at the top of the “Forever” portion of the Then/Now/Forever/Together video that recently debuted) would provide a pairing akin to The Undertaker serving as Shawn Michaels’ retirement opponent at WrestleMania 26 9notice I didn’t say “final opponent). The end of Roman’s 1316 day world title reign has brought about a new appreciation for Reigns, which would further enhance this pairing at WrestleMania 41.

3. Bron Breakker

Bron Breakker is the picture-perfect definition of a juggernaut in WWE, a fast rising star who almost seems like a lock to main event WrestleMania one day (you never know–Seth Rollins JUST got his first WrestleMania main event last weekend). Breakker recently said farewell NXT as the natural in-ring competitor makes a transition to full-time main roster competition.

Breakker also fits the category of who “needs it.” Bring the man to retire John Cena would be quite the feather in the cap of Breakker’s early career, and would give him a moment that would be relived for generations to come. The only question mark is WWE “trusting” Breakker with this moment, as a sudden change of character could mean that Cena’s final match wouldn’t be seen or discussed as much. Breakker, to me, has given no reason for anyone to suspect that might happen, regardless of any controversies his father and uncle have been linked to.

2. R-Truth

Despite being 5-years older than John Cena, and making his in-ring debut in the same year (1999), R-Truth’s childhood hero hanging up the boots will undoubtedly be a hard-hitting moment for the man who has basically become the WWE Mascot. Truth emulating Cena in his matches, and of course the RawAfterMania moment with Cena, Truth, and The Miz hitting a Fifteen Knuckle Shuffle (thank you, Michael Cole) on The Judgment Day makes this a near can’t miss final match for both John Cena and the WWE Universe.

R-Truth himself is equally deserving of this match, as it would be a reward for all of his years in the ring as part of a career that seems age defying while proving that age is not only a number, but also a number that can be ignored (see Child Hero, John Cena).

While a rematch of their 2011 WWE Capital Punishment main event is an unlikely WrestleMania 41 match-up, it’s one I believe everyone would love to see.

1. Randy Orton

I mean, is there anyone more perfect? John Cena and Randy were inseparably linked for a good portion of their careers, and have shared the ring more times than Big Show has turned babyface/heel. Both are far into legendary status at this point, and Orton specifically is obviously focused on enjoying this stage of his career.

But Orton is still delivering great performances inside the ring, too.

Randy Orton vs John Cena was an exciting proposition many years ago, became a punchline for WWE booking a few years ago, but is now coming full circle as the perfect match-up to end the amazing career of John Cena. It has my vote, and should have yours, too.

Even if R-Truth would be the most fun option.

What say you? Who is the best candidate to stand across the ring from John Cena in his final WWE match, potentially at WrestleMania 41? Who did I leave out?

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

Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s WrestleMania 40 Saturday Results & Review

It’s the Granddaddy Of ‘Em All, WrestleMania! Night 1 of WrestleMania XL and Greg DeMarco has your results and review!

Published

3 weeks ago

April 8, 2024

Greg DeMarco

It’s the Granddaddy Of ‘Em All, WrestleMania! Night 1 of WrestleMania XL and Greg DeMarco has your results and review!

It all comes down to this–at least for the first night! A loaded card in front of a packed house, and I’d expect everyone to deliver one hell of a performance.

Women’s World Championship – Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (champion)

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Rhea Ripley retains

In my opinion, this match should be the main event of Night 1, but The Rock is back and that was going to take precedence (even if I disagree). Becky won this title shot at the Elimination Chamber, even though they were already building the feud before that event in Perth. Ripley herself main evented that event in a stadium, defeating Nia Jax.

It was revealed during her entrance that this is Becky Lynch’s “Flu Game,” as she has temperatures as high as 102 degrees throughout the week.
Rhea Ripley enters to a life performance of her entrance theme, which you can tell she dug.
Prime logo is center ring, just the black outline with “Prime” in the middle, and it is not at all bothersome. I can’t believe people made such a big deal out of bitching about that.
The stage looks dope, not at all “too small” as some had said. The whole environment looks great, honestly.
Rhea Ripley has been dealing with a wrist injury. She said on the Pat McAfee Show she didn’t expect to work with the wrist brace on tonight, but there it is.
Corey Graves points out that Becky’s training was likely impacted by her illness, and Pat McAfee scoffs at him for stating the obvious. I hope that isn’t what we get all night.
Commentary notes that is is 52 degrees and windy in the stadium, and I am reminded of Nick Khan’s comments about moving an outdoor WrestleMania to late April in the future, if they don’t get an indoor building (he did say “2026” when talking about that, which likely means the 2025 venue is indeed set).
Rhea’s Prism Trap is a fell of a submission finisher. Add in the body lock the way she did, and it’s even more impressive.
I just noticed the “Prime” turnbuckle pads and it’s…weird. I just didn’t expect it and can’t think of the last time we didn’t have the WWE/WWF logo on the buckles outside of Black and Gold NXT. WrestleMania 2?
I am also noticing that Dude Wipes seems to have sponsored the ring posts. Kudos to WWE (and the wrestling industry behind them) for being so damn desirable to sponsors!
That combo to get into the Riptide was fantastic–and the kickout was even better.
During the DisarmHer you can clearly see the commentary position, and Michael Cole is legit reclined all the way back. Love it–Cole is living his best life.
Rhea’s Riptide into the buckle before the proper Riptide was pretty sweet as well. Made Becky look insanely strong in defeat.

Winner via pinfall AND STILL your Women’s World Champion: Rhea Ripley

Hell of an opener, and if you didn’t know Becky was sick, you wouldn’t have known. Props to them both. That would have satisfied as a main event, but can now go down as one of the best openers in WrestleMania history.

Ladder Match for the Raw Tag Team Championships and Smackdown Tag Team Championships – DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. A Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller) vs. The New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest, Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions)

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Awesome Truth (Raw titles) and A-Town Down Under (SmackDown)

As many expected, the belts are hanging separately, meaning we are most likely splitting the tag titles here. Triple H and company have put some serious work into building up the tag team divisions of both brands, and even though I expect the two winners to not be actual “teams,” but either way I actually like the way they didn’t make a big deal out of splitting the titles up, they’re just doing it. They have been defended separately since being unified, albeit rarely.

R-Truth makes a joke about DIY being DX and that’s now taken off. I love it.
The Miz is very under appreciated. Can literally do anything.
Someone is struggling with the “Titan Tron” videos tonight.
Not gonna lie, I am the biggest Pat McAfee fan, but he’s actually quite annoying right now.
Sign of the night: SANTA DESERVED IT.
Lots of green in this match, half of the teams wearing their “WrestleMania Green” gear.
Also, loving the Consequences Creed gear for Woods.
God Bless Finn Balor for taking that Airplane Spin into the ladder.
205 combined years of experience in this match. That’s an average of 17 years (Waller has the least with 7, Balor and Miz are tied for the most with 23).
“Dunne Mountain?!?!” Thank you Michael Cole for fixing that.
HOT TAG TO R-TRUTH!
Poor Finn Balor, not he takes the AA to the ladder after John Cena’s Five Moves Of Doom
R-TRUTH WITH THE PIN!
Hilarious.
A-Town Down Under gets the SmackDown tag titles!
And Grayson gets tossed through a ladder, still holding a title!
The match does continue until the Raw tag titles are also retrieved.
If Theory also got the Raw tag titles down, I will laugh my ass off.
Birminghammer is a fantastic name for a tandem (somewhat) Burning Hammer.
Tornado DDT through a table!
Air Raid Crash from the ladder!
And we still have more tables set-up.
JD McDonagh trying to get Finn–who has taken a beating–to get the Raw tag titles.
McDonagh through the tables!
PERFECTLY placed Razor’s Edge onto that chair.
Dude, that ladder is trashed. (And very unsafe.)
AA sends Damian outside!
I think everyone wants R-Truth to get this. EVERYONE.
YES!

Winners via belt retrieval, AND NEW:

SmackDown Tag Team Champions – Grayson Waller & Austin Theory
Raw Tag Team Champions – R-Truth & The Miz

Really good Ladder Match, but it’s hard to have a bad one. The tag team titles are split and it was really well done. It made perfect sense to do it that way, not make a big deal out of it and just let it happen. I am excited to see both teams win–not because I picked both, but because I think one team (Waller/Theory) have amazing futures and the other (Miz/Truth) will be a lot of fun, even if their run will probably be short lived.

Santos Escobar (with Legado Del Fantasma members Angel, Humberto, & Elektra Lopez) & Dominik Mysterio vs. Rey Mysterio & Andrade (with The LWO members Carlito, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, & Zelina Vega

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Dominik and Santos win, giving Dominik “revenge” for his loss at WrestleMania 39.

Look, this match doesn’t make a lick of sense–Dominik shows up two weeks ago and finds his way into another WrestleMania match with Rey? Definitely shoehorned. But Dominik is outstanding, so if this gets him on the card, I’ll take it.

More green in this match, and I am here for it.
Innovative Double Cross Body by Rey & Andrade.
Dominik showing experience beyond his years, making sure the ref sees his tag with Santos.
At this moment, I am wondering who turns–Carlito or Andrade. Gotta assume it’s one of them.
Three matches in and I don’t even notice the Primo logo in the center of the ring or on the turnbuckle pads.
Santos Escobar trying to unmask Rey Mysterio, as if we don’t all have Google.
Corey Graves making a great point about Rey taking some responsibility for the issues in his life, and Michael Cole immediately dismissing it.
It’s so hard to do a really good Dragon Screw Leg Whip, and Andrade (along with Dominik and Santos) just pulled off two to perfection.
Camera shot of Rey’s cross body shows the heaters above the ring. Good–keep ’em warm!
This could have easily been an 8-man tag team match. Maybe we get that Monday on Raw (which can also be where the turn happens, making my prediction here likely wrong).
Joaquin Wilde gets to do his NXT spot at WrestleMania, and that’s probably more important than officially being in the match.
Two masked men–definitely the Kelce Brothers–are here.
My bad, it was Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson. Good call, honestly. Great pop for them, too.
Looking at the reply, Dominik sold that ringpost spot like a champ.

Winners via pinfall (Rey on Santos): Rey Mysterio & Andrade

Fun tag team match that served its purpose. Needed? Maybe not, as I really wanted to get Liv Morgan vs. Nia Jax onto this card. But when you can get Rey & Dominik on the card, everyone will be happy. and of course the Jason Kelce & Lane Johnson appearances.

Brother vs Brother: Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Jimmy Uso follows in the footsteps of Owen Hart and Matt Hardy and beats the “more talented brother.”

They’ve wanted this match all their lives–and the preview video was insane. Very well done.

Jey in the WrestleMania whites tonight.
And we get a hot start to the match!
“Big Brother Jimmy” is always a fun thing to hear.
More Dude Wipes sponsorship on this one–you have to wonder if having Dude Wipes on the posts for the opener was in error.
Superkicks. Lots of Superkicks.
Very enjoyable YEET/NO chants from the crowd.
Jey just kicking the hell out of Jimmy, including a Jumping Super Kick.
This has “Fight Without Honor” feels from old school ROH, where the winners have respect after. We will definitely see these guys together again.
Jimmy apologizing to Jey. Crowd is not buying it.
Of course it was BS, and Jimmy gains the advantage.
SPEAR. USO SPLASH. DONE.

Winner, via pinfall: Jey Uso

Jey breaks the babyface curse by beating his heel brother. Thought we might get an embrace between them, instead we faded out. A good match that was more about the story than the in-ring action. I can see some feeling like this hasn’t “lived up to expectations” because of the high expectations you’d have for an Usos match. Their best work will always be as a team, but I know this is a lifelong dream come true for both.

As for all the Superkicks, I mean….it’s an Usos match.

Six-Woman Tag Team Match – Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka, & Kairi Sane) vs. Naomi, Bianca Belair, & Jade Cargill

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Bianca, Naomi, & Jade win when Jade scores the pin (probably on Kairi, who always seems to eat the fall)

This match is all about getting Bianca Belair on the card (she had to be), and Jade Cargill’s debut. It also got Damage CTRL on the card, which they truly deserve–even if it is to lose.

Respectfully, Dakota Kai. (Good thing the ring and surrounding area is heated)
Not gonna lie, Jade looks nervous. But this is a six-woman tag, and her portion is likely highly choreographed. Gonna be all good.
As I watch and enjoy the match (but am not typing much lol), this seems like a match where we’re all just waiting for Jade to come in and win.
No one has told Jade about the tag ropes yet, apparently.
And now Jade is in, and Damage CTRL makes her look like a million bucks.
Dakota Kai nicely gets herself into position for the finish, and Jade gets her WrestleMania win.

Winners via pinfall (Jade on Dakota): Jade Cargill, Naomi, & Bianca Belair

We knew what this one was about going into it, and that’s what it should have been. Jade still ain’t ready. I know it might be an “ego hit” for her to go to NXT, but she needs it. If Giulia can go to NXT, so can Jade.

Intercontinental Championship – Sami Zayn vs. GUNTHER (champion)

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Sami Zayn pulls off the major upset and is the one to dethrone Gunther

Gunther has had a stranglehold on the Intercontinental Championship, defending it like crazy in 2023 but slowing that down here in 2024. It’s not fair to say he’s outgrown the title, but that might actually be the case. It’ll be really interesting to see what happens with Imperium leading up to the draft, and at the WWE Draft itself.

Sami Zayn was the perfect wrestler to have their journey form backstage to the ring followed by the cameras. From his family to Chad Gable to Kevin Owens, it was all so perfect–maybe too perfect? (Not in that someone will screw him, but in that it might be too heavily foreshadowing his win?)
Gunther looked oddly nervous standing on that stage.
You know, the Intercontinental Championship is basically a third world title at this point. And we could see the end of a legendary reign. I think this deserved the Samantha Irvin In-Ring Introductions (aka “Japan Style”) treatment.
Gunther is smiling confidently now, we’re good.
Crowd is ON FIRE for these guys (and evenly split with their chants for each guy).
This is the 21st time the Intercontinental championship is defended at WrestleMania, and it makes you wonder what in the hell they were thinking for the other 11.
Looks like Dude Wipes is back on the ringpost!
Hell of a nearfall, followed up by a Helluva Kick from Gunthcr, and one from Sami!
That finish….AMAZING.

Winner via pinfall, AND NEW Intercontinental Champion: Sami Zayn

The athletes… the moments… the storytelling… professional wrestling is such a beautiful business. Sami Zayn’s win over Gunther was everything I had hoped it would be when I picked Sami to win. Absolutely beautiful.

Cody Rhodes & World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. The Rock & Undisputed WWE Champion Roman Reigns

Greg’s pre-show prediction: Seth & Cody get the win after tons of interference and surprise appearances, making Roman vs Cody on Sunday a match where The Bloodline is banned from ringside.

So much involved in this one. As you know, If Rock & Roman win, Sunday’s WWE Championship match will be held under Bloodline Roles. If Seth & Cody win, then that mach will see ZERO Bloodline involvement. Personally, if Cody is winning the title, I’d rather it be straight up. But I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I am wrong.

Honestly, after the introductions, I realized I was just watching!
This was very much Steve Austin vs The Rock inspired, with them fighting all over the stadium, and pushing the envelope.
I loved The Rock basically neutering the referee–normally I hate that, but here it works.
That finish and the condition of Rollins both lay perfectly into night 2, I would imagine.

Winners via Rock pinfall on Rhodes: The Rock & Roman Reigns

Per rule, Sunday’s main event will now be Bloodline Rules. And given that, my prediction of Roman retaining might be harder to pull off. This was a good return for The Rock, and perfectly played into the whole story. Job well done.

Greg DeMarco’s Overall Thoughts for WWE WrestleMania XL, Saturday (Night 1)

in a vacuum, this was highly enjoyable show. Night 2 might end up being legendary if both Bayley and Rhodes win, and it could overshadow Night 1. But the scene was fantastic, production was top notch as always, and the fans went home having enjoyed one for the ages. The Triple H Era s well underway, and will likely kick into a higher gear with Night 2.

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