Opinion

News From Cook’s Corner 11.8.21: Release

Cook touches on some of the bigger stories lately, a passing of classic wrestler and Twitter drama! Check it out!

Published

4 years ago

November 8, 2021

Hi, hello & welcome to News From Cook’s Corner! It’s pretty amazing…I take a week off from this nonsense and everything just piles up! You got WWE releasing people, ROH releasing their entire roster, AEW folks taking time off…if this was the old days when sports printed transactions in their own section, you could have a whole page dedicated to wrestling transactions this week. Do sports pages still do that? I haven’t actually looked at one in years because I’m one of those dang millennials.

Since football didn’t happen over the weekend, we can skip right to the wrestling news & information you need to get through your day.

A Quarterly Tradition Unlike Any Other

Shayna Baszler injury angles for women are the equivalent to a Randy Orton insult for the men#wwereleases pic.twitter.com/3EaLLBYVOv

— 𝔾𝕒𝕣𝕪 ℍ  (@garyh3k) November 5, 2021

WWE released their quarterly financial report last week and had their conference call to talk about how great everything was going. Let there be no doubt that things are going great for WWE financially. We online experts tend to focus on the merit of the product that the company produces. What nobody can deny is the fact that WWE knows how to make money.

What also can’t be denied is a trend that’s developed recently. Here’s how it goes: WWE releases their financial report & has a conference call where they talk about how much money they’re making and all the fun projects they have planned going forward. Shortly after that, we find out who’s getting released from the talent roster. This time, eighteen names were released into the ether, many of who were featured in NXT over the past couple of years. John Laurinaitas informed the roster that these were “budget cuts”, while sources told the Kellers, Sapps & Satins of the world all of the bad things about the people that got released.

Keith Lee, for example, had “attitude issues”. You know, I can’t imagine why Keith Lee might not have been the happiest camper over the past year or so. Maybe having serious health problems, being told to change your wrestling style because it’s not what the boss wants, and constantly having your presentation changed from week to week weighs on a person? For what it’s worth, Lee was just out here a week or two kissing Vince McMahon’s backside & talking about how neat it was having Vince be so involved in developing the “Bearcat” persona. But yeah, “attitude issues”, sure, ok whatever. Reports magically came out about Karrion Kross’s “backstage heat” as well. How about that? Again, shocking to believe that somebody presented the way Kross was from the moment he made the move to Raw wouldn’t be all sunshine & butterflies. Mia Yim & Scarlett were both released as well, to make sure everybody in their households were on the same page.

Both Lee & Kross were the victim of a poor transition from NXT to Raw. We’ve seen the changes to NXT lately, and hopefully for the new talents being brought in, one of the changes that will become evident in the future is a smoother transition from NXT to the main roster. However, if the treatment of B-Fab is any indication, where she was called up to SmackDown with Hit Row, reportedly signed a new contract, and was released in near-record time, it might not be wise to expect such a thing.

Perhaps the most surprising of the releases was Nia Jax. We’ve written about many of the issues surrounding her over the years, but assumed she was untouchable due to her familial connection with The Rock & Roman Reigns. Nia had been on a leave of absence to take care of her mental health, and had requested to extend that leave prior to her release. Pretty harsh.

Other notable releases included Franky Monet, Ember Moon, Oney Lorcan, Gran Metallik, Lince Dorado, Harry Smith & Eva Marie. Eva had taken time off to do a movie, unfortunately her second run with WWE wasn’t nearly as fruitful as her first.

There had been a report that the releases had something to do with the vaccination status of the wrestlers. Some of the wrestlers involved have refuted this claim, and given that the company is still owned by the McMahon family, I tend to dismiss the idea without much thought.

This is going to be a pretty regular thing. Dave Meltzer reported that most of the new talent (minus the top prospects) will be signed to sixty-day trial contracts to see how things go. It’s a different approach from what WWE did for most of the last decade, holding on to talent as long as they possibly could. It’s an overall shift from experienced pro wrestlers to hopeful stars. We’ll have to wait & see how it goes. In the meantime, WWE’s just added to the glut on the pro wrestling free agent wire.

Ring of Hiatus

LETS TEAR THIS MOTHAFUCKA DOWN ONE MORE TIME!!!https://t.co/jwCBXxNfJv #FinalBattle pic.twitter.com/YoBFKkPYqu

— DEM BOYS (@jaybriscoe84) November 5, 2021

ROH’s Final Battle event will be the last the company undertakes, at least until April 2022. Talent is being relased from their contracts at the end of the year, and they can start working for other promotions before Final Battle. The idea is to make changes to the business operations, come up with a new mission, strategy & presentation, and bring ROH back with live events starting on WrestleMania weekend with freelance talent.

Given Sinclair Broadcast Group’s recent problems (a ransomware attack stealing data and causing disruption to many of their stations, regional sports networks not providing the revenue hoped for, millions of dollars of debt), it’s easy to understand why their professional wrestling operation is being put on the backburner. Sinclair did right by ROH employees throughout 2020-21, keeping them on the payroll through the heaviest part of the pandemic & running shows in the safest manner possible. Unfortunately, these things didn’t lead to revenue, or a considerable amount of interest from wrestling fans.

I’ve been reviewing ROH’s weekly broadcast for 411mania, and while I’ve enjoyed a lot of what I’ve seen, there is a certain lack of energy without a live audience of some sort. The wrestlers really try. It just isn’t the same, as was noted when WWE & Impact Wrestling did their shows with no audience. I’ve also noticed that the comment section isn’t quite as active as it is for most of the TV recaps, and that can’t just be because the 411mania readers hate me. Granted, that’s part of it, but it isn’t the whole story.

Joe Koff, COO of ROH, swears that the company will be back. He has to do that, and I’m sure he believes what he’s saying. I can’t help but be skeptical, considering Sinclair’s financial issues & the general landscape. Sinclair stations already made a deal with the Women of Wrestling re-launch, so it’d be real easy to stick those shows in the ROH timeslots. Hope I’m wrong, as I would prefer there to be as many viable wrestling companies as possible, and many of my best wrestling memories involve Ring of Honor. Even if Sinclair’s Ring of Honor is different than the ROH of the 2000s in many ways, it’s still three letters that I have something of a connection with.

What can I say? I’m a wrestling romantic.

As for the talent involved, all we can hope is that they find good working situations. WWE would be much more of an option if Paul Levesque was still running NXT. He had a thing for signing ROH kids. Since he isn’t signing people anymore, I don’t see most of these people landing there. AEW probably has their eyes on some folks, as does Impact Wrestling. (A pity Danhausen is on the injured list, as he’d fit Impact’s television show like a glove.) Game Changer Wrestling has already started using some of ROH’s top talent like the Briscoes & Jonathan Gresham. PWG has been using ROH wrestlers for its entire existence and I doubt that’ll change. Then there’s some guys with NJPW deals that will keep working those Strong shows.

As for the video library, there’s been varying reports on it, but it doesn’t appear to be for sale at this time. They’ll probably be using the heck out of it for at least the next few months.

Not the Jon Moxley news I expected to be touching on.

Jon Moxley Bloodsport GCW Josh Barnett

Jon Moxley had a pretty big week planned. His autobiography was released, he was starting the process of moving back home to Cincinnati, along with his usual AEW responsibilities. Instead, he entered an inpatient alcohol treatment program, and will be out of action until further notice. From a purely business perspective, this takes one of AEW’s top draws off of the roster at a time where people are already making note of television ratings & other metrics that may or may not be trending in AEW’s favor. One can wonder how the lack of Mox will affect things.

From a more human perspective, which I try to present here from time to time in spite of my inability to function as a normal human, one hopes that Moxley is able to defeat his demons & become the type of person he wants to be. That’s all one can hope for here, as a happy & healthy Jon Moxley is a great thing for professional wrestling. What Moxley is battling is certainly something I can relate to, and I wish him the best.

We Are Here For Trolls Getting Owned.

Mike Tyson had one of the most accurate quotes of recent memory when he stated the following: “Social media made y’all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it”. Can anybody argue against this? Shit-talking clowns have always been a part of life, one look at some of the letters Hank Aaron got while chasing Babe Ruth’s home run record will tell you that. Social media has given these people a wider platform to display their idiocy. It’s never been easier to put public figures on blast, and more & more of these delinquents seem to think that there shouldn’t be consequences for their actions.

It’s about time some of these people got what they had coming to them, am I right? Ulysses Diaz, bare knuckle boxer/MMA fighter/fiance of Dana Brooke, got arrested this week for something that I would claim is anything but a crime: showing up at an Internet troll’s house and punching him in the mouth. Dude went all Jay & Silent Bob on this fool.

Unfortunately we don’t have any details on what this troll said, whether he was going after Diaz himself or his fiance. I’ve seen some people write some vile things about Dana Brooke & her wrestling ability, and I wouldn’t blame Diaz for punching them in the face either. Fuck around & find out, as the kids say.

Then there’s Lince Dorado and one of the folks that regularly attend NXT shows. I’m sure most of you are familiar with Izzy, in fact, I’m sure most of you are more familiar with her than I am. She was a big fan of Bayley, dressing up like her at most NXT events during that time period. Turns out now she’s trying to get into the business, and her parents are very supportive of the endeavor. Some people are a bit weirded out by it, since America isn’t one of those places where pro wrestlers start at a very young age. You won’t see any Ice Ribbbon-type promotions featuring pre-teenage girls here. Different sensibilities for different cultures.

Izzy wanted to start young though, and her parents are all about it. She’s found people willing to work with her and has done some things for public consumption. A clip online of her taking a chokeslam a couple of years back when she wasn’t in high school yet drew a ton of online criticism from folks in the business. Her parents were very active online and had those rabbit ears where they heard everybody that had anything to say about what their daughter was up to. They’ve done what they can to get at those folks, including the good kids of MSK, who get booed at NXT shows by Izzy’s parents and their friends. Lince was another critic of Izzy’s, and her mom & dad took a particular delight in his being released on Friday.

Lince’s response was to invite Izzy’s dad to meet him in person to continue their discussion. This led to Izzy’s dad posting an apology, as even though he might be a jerkoff, he also knows that pretty much any wrestler with any kind of training could wipe the floor with him. As it turned out, Dorado had entered a Brazilian ju-jitsu tournament, which he won, and planned on dealing with Izzy’s dad afterwards.

It’s a shame Lince Dorado never got to do anything this interesting on television. I’m more invested in him now than I ever have been. As for Izzy’s dad, for the sake of his daughter’s future in the wrestling business I hope he stays far away from social media. He also might want to stay away from NXT shows, in case those MSK kids get any ideas from Lince Dorado or Ulysses Diaz. I don’t know if they’re as legitimate as those guys, but they could probably handle Izzy’s dad.

Angelo

Thanks and goodbye, Angie.#RememberingMosca pic.twitter.com/k2cOKaXlrq

— x – Hamilton Tiger-Cats (@Ticats) November 6, 2021

We close by noting the passing of Angelo Mosca at the age of 84. Mosca was one of many in his era that made the transition from football to wrestling. He was known as the meanest player in the Canadian Football League, spending most of his Hall of Fame career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Eddie Quinn, promoter of the Montreal territory, brought him into wrestling during his football career, and he would wrestle during the off-season because people did that back then.

Mosca was typically a heel during his career, including during a stint with the WWF in the early 1980s where he would regularly challenge Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship or Pedro Morales for the Intercontinental Championship. He also feuded with Pat Patterson after Patterson insulted him while working as a commentator.

While Mosca didn’t win any gold in the WWF, he was a title holder pretty much everywhere else he went. Mosca held championships in the AWA, San Francisco, Florida, Georgia, Toronto, Mid-Atlantic, Stampede & Puerto Rico. As wrestlers & football players found out over the years, King Kong wasn’t one to be trifled with.

That’s all for now! Looks like we’ll have some AEW Full Gear Gambling Picks to make this week in addition to the usual NFL shenanigans. Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

7 days 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)

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Classic POD is WAR

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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

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Classic POD is WAR

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

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: 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

4 weeks 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!