Opinion

Cook’s Top 5: Non-WWE Stories of 2022

With free agents available this year and borders ideally opening up, the landscape has changed. Let’s see where Cook thinks 2022 is headed!

Published

3 years ago

January 3, 2022

Steve Cook

With free agents available this year and borders ideally opening up, the landscape has changed. Let’s see where Cook thinks 2022 is headed!

It’s 2022, you know what that means! It’s time for your humble correspondent to predict the major stories of the upcoming year & just what’s going to happen in this crazy thing called the wrestling business. Today, we look at non-WWE business. We’re keeping AEW in this grouping for now, but perhaps that’ll change by the time 2023 rolls around. Let’s let it play out and see how it goes.

5. Does Ring of Honor come back?

We all know ROH is on a hiatus. As I write this, the official plan is for the company to return on WrestleMania weekend in Dallas with free agent talent. We’ll find out before WrestleMania weekend whether or not this will actually happen. Should it happen, it’d be a great opportunity for free agent talent. Say what you will about ROH under Sinclair Broadcasting, but the show airs on stations across the country & is a good chance for people to get exposure. WWE & AEW’s rosters both have plenty of names with ROH experience to their credit. It could be a great opportunity for new names to emerge and eventually move up to one of the top two North American promotions.

Or, maybe it doesn’t happen & those ROH tv slots either get filled with WOW or paid programming. I’m leaning towards ROH maybe having one or two shows before the plug gets pulled, but maybe the shows generate enough interest to keep things running. Final Battle seems to have done pretty well, maybe some momentum builds off that.

4. Will non-US promotions get back on the radar?

The pandemic pretty much derailed opportunities for foreign promotions to break into the US market. New Japan Pro Wrestling’s attempt to generate more business in America has certainly taken a hit. Its NJPW Strong show has met with critical acclaim but hasn’t generated a lot of interest outside the hardcore fanbase. Some of New Japan’s best did appear on American television regularly in 2021. Unfortunately for New Japan, some of the American names they had previously used to generate interest weren’t able to go to Japan. They hope that’ll change soon.

Then there’s the strange situation with AAA. They can get their titles on television via AEW & Impact Wrestling, but they haven’t been able to air their shows here. A lawsuit with their former partners in Lucha Underground has limited any gains AAA could get off of Penta, Rey Fenix and the rest of their talent making waves in the U.S.. They did manage to air TripleMania Regia on FITE TV, so maybe that’s a sign of things to come in 2022.

3. Will new feds emerge to take ROH’s spot?

Jonathan Gresham

ROH’s hiatus has already led to one new promotion. Jonathan Gresham’s Terminus Pro Wrestling will be running its first show in January, featuring many of Gresham’s like-minded pure wrestlers. Oh, and Bandido, who we assume will face Gresham in an ROH title match somewhere since they both have belts now. They’re even bringing in Dave Prazak & Lenny Leonard, ROH’s announce team during what most people consider its creative apex. Terminus certainly seems to be positioning itself to be ROH’s spiritual successor.

Game Changer Wrestling isn’t a new fed, but it’s certainly seen a rise in prominence over the past couple of years. They’ve got a hold of the ultraviolent market, and now look to be expanding their horizons by bringing in non-hardcore ROH talent. They’ll be one of many promotions looking towards that talent pool to fill up their own.

2. Is Tony Khan doing too much?

The top 2 @AEW execs are brown (me & Megha)!! Jade, Bowens, Caster, Dante, Nyla, Isiah & Marq Quen all won on tv this month. The TBS Title Tournament has been very diverse. I let Swole’s contract expire as I felt her wrestling wasn’t good enough. #AEWRampage Street Fight TONIGHT! https://t.co/NprF6I7D6G

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) January 1, 2022

There’s a lot of different angles you could take the business with Tony & Big Swole that exploded on Friday. Most people are pushing the racism aspect because it gets clicks, but as a white boy from Kentucky I’m not even going to act like I have any knowledge or expertise that can be added to the situation. I think there’s something going on here that people are overlooking.

Think about it: Tony Khan is a pretty busy guy. He’s taken the AEW booking for himself with a little assistance. He’s also heavily involved with his soccer club in England & his American football team in Jacksonville. All three of these gigs involve more wheeling & dealing than most of us have to deal with on a daily basis. Tony’s still a young guy, which has positives and negatives. The good thing is that he has a ton of energy. The bad thing? He’s not the most emotionally mature person in the world. People that follow him on social media have seen that over & over again. Khan’s been known to go off on randos on Twitter that criticize his teams or his decision making. All it took was one clickbait headline for him to go off on how racially diverse AEW is and throw in a shot at an ex-employee for good measure.

Which leads to the following question: Is Tony Khan doing too much? Is he too wound up over everything going on? Aren’t there people in AEW that can take a few things off of his plate? Isn’t there somebody that could oversee his social media accounts? One of the things that could derail AEW’s momentum is for the company’s public image to take a gigantic hit, or a series of hits that all add up to people not wanting to support a company they hoped would be different.

Also, if he’s being stretched too thin, it’ll show in the quality of AEW’s television.

1. Which ex-WWE employees will shine?

WWE NXT Keith Lee Santa Hat Christmas

It’s no secret that WWE released a ton of talent in 2021. Unless they all retire, there’s a pretty good chance that some of these people will have a big effect on 2022. So who are the names most likely to do so? We know Jeff Hardy’s heading to AEW to team with his brother against some of their top tag teams at some point. That’ll happen. As for people that haven’t been wrestling megastars for 20 years?

Keith Lee could be a big deal somewhere if his health holds up.
Mia Yim would fit in any women’s division.
Swerve Scott’s a pretty talented cat.
Toni Storm seems like a gigantic missed opportunity.

I haven’t even mentioned all the people that already got jobs somewhere. Bottom line: there’s a lot of experienced talent for people to utilize in 2022.

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 days ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

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THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

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

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

4 weeks ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1