Tag Archives: cody-rhodes

WWE Unreal S1 E4, E5

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Spoilers

So I wrapped up the final two episodes of WWE Unreal tonight with two episodes that I thought were the best ones of the series.

Episode 4 featured the heel turn of John Cena, including the parts of the story involving Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Episode 5 was Wrestlemania 41.

There were a lot of cool moments in these episodes. I did enjoy listening to the planning behind the Elimination Chamber where what exactly they wanted to do with the Rock/Cody story was determined. With it leading to John Cena’s heel turn, the writer’s room was pretty cool.

I did enjoy hearing CM Punk give the idea for the ending of the men’s Elimination Chamber where Seth stomps Punk and Cena puts him into the STF. It went exactly as Punk had laid out and hearing that was an awesome moment. Especially with all six participants surrounding Triple H in the planning. It showed how professional these men were.

My favorite part of the entire series was seeing how emotional CM Punk was over finally main eventing Wrestlemania. He had tears in his eyes before heading out for the match. Triple H told him that he had always been a main event performer and you could see how much that meant to Punk. The tears after the match were so powerful too. He spoke about how he had accomplished his lifelong dream and it was not just a written promo. This was Phil Brooks (CM Punk’s real name) speaking from his heart.

The show did mention some of the negatives that lead up to Wrestlemania, such as Jey Uso’s troubles where we saw a ZOOM meeting where creative had discussed not putting the title on him because of his malaise. They also addressed the Charlotte Flair-Tiffany Stratton promo that had gotten too real on an episode of Smackdown.

It still felt as if there could have been more that we saw, but, perhaps the dirt sheets that report all these things, do not necessarily get things correct. The relationship between Rock and Triple H is supposed to be very bad, but there was no even slight example of that in this docu-series.

This was an interesting docu-series and I do believe it was well put together. It was certainly produced carefully, but it was fun seeing the backstage parts.

WWE Unreal S1 E1-E3

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Spoilers

The new docu-series dropped on Netflix today called WWE Unreal. It was a series that takes the audience behind the scenes to see what happens to create the magic of the WWE.

The show focused on the time period starting around the Netflix debut of RAW through Wrestlemania 41.

WWE has always been great at documentaries and there was some definitely controversy about WWE pulling the curtains back. I did enjoy this, but I am going to say that Unreal was clearly too clean… too produced.

What I mean is that we do not really see any negative things that might happen or that was rumored to happen. They did not mention Seth Rollins’s absolute hatred of CM Punk, which feels like would be a major piece of what happened backstage.

However, I did like the few looks into the writer’s room with how they were putting together ideas for the matches.

The first three episodes featured in on CM Punk, Rhea Ripley, Chelsea Green, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Jey Uso, and Cody Rhodes (in particular with his matches against Kevin Owens).

What we got was fun, but it did feel very homogenized. I like seeing the wrestlers backstage out of character and how they bond with each other. Watching the group of female wrestlers heading out for the Elimination Chamber match praying together was fascinating.

The show did continue to show that this was not just scripted material, but that these men and women truly put their careers on the line every night they go out to perform. They talked about injuries to Rhea Ripley, CM Punk and Charlotte Flair. One of my favorite moments was when Kevin Owens was discussing a spot he had with Cody Rhodes during the ladder match when he gave Cody a fisherman’s buster off the second rope into a ladder. KO was worried because of the way the ladder had been set up and he was afraid Cody’s neck would be injured.

Another great moment was watching the backstage agents dealing with the matches. Chris Park, who used to wrestle under the moniker of Abyss, was in charge of the Netflix RAW debut main event CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins. The match is a great match and will be on a list of the best of the year, but Park was facing pressures because the match was running long. Park, trying to get approval from Bruce Prichard, who was pushing him to get the match to go to the finish. I felt for Chris Park because it felt like he was in trouble despite this being a classic match.

There are two more episodes of this docu-series that have dropped. One of them is focused in on the John Cena heel turn and another one on Wrestlemania 41. Both could have some major news, including an original match lineup for Wrestlemania 41 before things get switched around. This list was released as news from the series so I look forward to finishing up the series.

WWE Evolution (2025)

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It has been well known that the WWE has some of the greatest women wrestlers in the world today. I have sat watching RAW or Smackdown thinking about the sheer number of awesome female performers the company could put out.

They only solidified that by having their all-female PLE Evolution on Sunday night. They had done an all-women PPV (at the time) in 2018 and it was a fun night, but this was at such a level that some are claiming that it is the best show of 2025 so far for the WWE.

There were complaints about the build to the show as the WWE only had two weeks of build and nothing of real note had happened. The WWE was also building to Saturday Night’s Main Event, The Great American Bash and SummerSlam during this stretch so the time was limited.

It just goes to show how remarkable the women of the WWE truly are that they can put on arguably the best event of the year with little background.

Lots of credit goes to the Atlanta crowd because they were hot all night long and that is a key to having a great event.

Show kicked off with a triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship with champion Becky Lynch defending against Bayley and Lyra Valkyria. It was the match that had the best story behind it and I had even heard some people say that this should main event the show. The three wrestlers had amazing chemistry with each other and it was a spectacular match. All three of them delivered and the first match on the card threatened to steal the night. Becky did this amazingly smooth roll-up finish that I had never seen before. It was so good.

NXT has claimed that they have the best Women’s division in all of wrestling, and they got a chance to show it with NXT Champion Jacy Jayne defending against Jordynn Grace. They had a banger of a match that ended with a heel turn from the newly arrived Blake Monroe. I saw that one coming from the pre-show, by the way. I smelled the heel turn.

The four way tag team title match saw the Judgement Day retain their titles against the Kabuki Warriors, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss and Sol Ruca & Zaria. This was a lot of fun too. The Atlanta crowd was hot for Charlotte, even chanting “We Want Charlotte” at one point. That was amazing considering how hated Charlotte Flair had been since her return. It was a wonderful moment for sure.

This tag match also had one of my favorite sequences of the night as Sol was holding Alexa so Zaria could spear her only to wind up getting speared herself when Charlotte pulled Alexa away at the last moment. The timing on that was impeccable and it looked so great. I also loved how Charlotte held Alexa in the corner and mouthed “I got you” to Alexa even though their gimmick has been that they were not friends. The Charlotte and Alexa pairing has been sensational so far and has helped get Charlotte cheered.

Tiffany Stratton defended her WWE Women’s Championship against the Hall of Famer Trish Stratus in a solid match. Tris is almost 50 years old and she looks amazing. She still has it to as these two put on a really entertaining title match.

Anything went in the next match between Jade Cargill and Naomi. This feud had been going for months and this felt like a blow off. There were a bunch of cool spots in this match including the ending sequence of Jade putting Naomi through a table from a top rope Jaded. It looked great.

Battle Royal followed this and it was fine. The best part was the win by Stephanie Vaquer, who now gets a title match at Clash in Paris. Vaquer is one of the newer stars in WWE, but she is known worldwide and she is one of the best going.

Then, what has a chance to be the Match of the Year. Iyo Sky defended her WWE World Championship against Rhea Ripley. We have seen this match several times, but, honestly, it never gets old and this match was brilliant. These two have such chemistry together and are so special in the ring that they stole the entire weekend that had been loaded with wrestling.

Then, after a beautiful Spanish fly maneuver, the big shock happened. Naomi, fresh off of getting beaten up badly in the match with Jade, came down with her Money in the Bank contract and cashed in, making the match a triple threat. Iyo and Rhea had killed each other so much that they were easy picking for Naomi and she became the new Women’s World Champion.

An unbelievable moment with a shocking cash in. I, like many, figured Naomi was cashing in on Tiffany or Jade after their match at SummerSlam, but instead, she cashed in on Iyo and made a historic moment.

There should be no doubt that the WWE women could put on a show like this. Their amount of riches they currently have is an embarrassment of riches. This was even without the currently injured Liv Morgan, who is one of the best of the division.

WWE Women’s Division has come a long way from the Bra and Panties matches of the past. They are now the main events and the bangers that were once exclusively the male’s area. Congrats to the WWE Women’s Division on a massively successful show that exceeded expectations.

Wrestlemania 41 Weekend: The Raw After Mania

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The Wrestlemania weekend continued tonight on Monday Night Raw, which has become known as the Raw After Mania. It is a night where they reset stories, debuts some new talents and have a general amount of chaos.

John Cena spoke about his plans to leave with the belt after his final 27 dates scheduled. I’m still not sure how this was going to “ruin wrestling” as he claimed. We saw the next opponent for Cena as Randy Orton gave him a RKO out of nowhere.

Rusev made his return after five years and attacked the Alpha Academy, who were getting ready to take on the New Day. Rusev looked really great.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez regained the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship by defeating Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch. Afterwards, Becky flipped out and attacked Lyra. Did not seem to be the same person who went to the press conference last night after night two with her daughter on her lap.

Iyo Sky came out to celebrate her World title defense and she was interrupted by NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer, who wanted to congratulate Iyo and fight her. Then we got an impromptu match between them. They are two of the best women wrestlers in the world and they were having an awesome match until they were disrupted by Roxanne Perez and Giulia, resulting in a DQ.

Dirty Dom, the new IC Champion, pinned Penta. Yes, I typed that. There was interference from a returning JD McDonagh, but still. Of course, I would have hated to see how the crowd would have turned on Penta if the WWE would have done the one-day title reign to Dom.

Jey Uso came out to celebrate and Sami Zayn joined him. I was afraid that Sami was going to turn heel on Jey the entire time they were out there, but it did not happen. I do not want heel Sami. He is just too good of a babyface.

Gunther took this celebration badly as he was there after the commercial, confronting Michael Cole for comments Cole had made. He put Michael in the sleeper, but Pat McAfee broke it up. Then, Gunther grabbed Pat and choked him out while a bunch of security and backstage people tried to get him to stop. Pat sold this like he had been nearly killed.

Bron Breakker joined up with Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman and they destroyed CM Punk and Roman Reigns as the show went off the air.

Wrestlemania 41 Weekend: Night Two

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Night Two of Wrestlemania 41 was considerably stronger than night one. There may not have been anything quite like Punk-Rollins-Reigns match, but there were a couple that came close.

John Cena won his 17th championship when he defeated Cody Rhodes with help from Travis Scott and by hitting Cody with the title.

The crowd in Las Vegas was much better tonight than they were Saturday. They were in the matches all night. However, some of their reactions were weird. They cheered for Cena. They booed Cody. They cheered wildly when Dom Mysterio became the new Intercontinental Champion. The crowd was bizarre.

The triple threat match with Bianca-Rhea and Iyo Sky was an amazing match to kick off the show. Iyo won and retained, and I am so happy about that. She had been shown as a third wheel of the build for this match and it seemed as if there was a lot of disrespect for Iyo. The crowd did love her, and her big victory was awesome. This is in the conversation for Match of the Year when December comes around.

I am also happy Drew McIntyre won the Street fight with Damian Priest. However, it looked liek Damian was injured. They apparently carted him off after the match, off camera.

Logan Paul defeated AJ Styles cleanly (for the most part). That was a sad moment of the night, though it was a really strong match.

Somebody must have said his name… because Joe Hendry answered the Randy Orton challenge. Of course, the TNA World Champion was defeated by the RKO, but Joe Hendry got a really great response from the crowd. It was short and sweet, but it was fun. Randy liked Joe Hendy’s theme song too, you could tell.

Becky Lynch returned as Lyra Valkyria’s partner and they became WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions by defeating Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez.

I had heard some rumors that they might be considering putting the IC title on Dominik Mysterio, but I never thought they would do it. Yet, it happened when he hit a frog splash on Finn Balor. Bron Breakker was not involved in the final, and he looked like a phenomenon during this match.

The whole cheering Dirty Dom blows my mind. I do not know where it came from. Same way the boos for Cody seemed to just materialize.

Night two was really great.

Best matches of the weekend (Not necessarily in this order)

  1. Rollins vs. Punk vs. Reigns
  2. Oba Femi vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Trick Williams
  3. Rhea vs. Iyo vs. Bianca

Wrestlemania Weekend: Smackdown

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Friday Night kicked off the Wrestlemania weekend with Smackdown on the USA Network. Three hour show (Smackdown was better when it was two hours, just saying) filled with fun promos and exciting action in Los Vegas.

Seth Rollins started the show off with a fantastic in-ring promo, sitting in the middle of the ring much like his rival CM Punk would do, delivering a scathing promo on the Saturday night match against Roman and Punk. Rollins is just one of the best all-around performers in the WWE. He threw even more gas on the fire of this match.

The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was won by Carmelo Hayes, which I found shocking. I expected Rey Fenix to win the battle royal, but El Grande Americano showed up and cost him the match. Funny, Chad Gable was in the battle royal and had been previously eliminated. It came down to Carmelo and Andrade and they have amazing chemistry with one another.

Smackdown tag team champions the Street Prophets do not get on Wrestlemania card, which was a shame, but they defended against Motor City Machine Guns tonight. However, Gargano and Ciampa interfered causing a no contest and they stole the title belts. Nick Aldis got them back and announced a TLC match next week.

LA Knight and Braun Stroman defeated Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu. Knight had injured Tama Tonga before the show. He was taken to the infamous “Local Medical Facility”.

Selina Vega pulled an upset against Chelsea Green in a non-title match.

Cody Rhodes and John Cena had a face off in the ring. Cena delivered another strong promo, and the crowd seemed to boo Cody when he started his retort, but Cody pushed on and seemed to win them back afterwards. Both men are great on the microphone. Cena may be right about the crowd and how fickle they are.

Wrestlemania 41 EYG Predictions

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Night One match card (April 19, 7 p.m. ET, Peacock):

  • Triple-threat match: Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs CM Punk
  • World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Jey Uso
  • WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
  • World Tag Team Championship: War Raiders (c) vs. The New Day
  • United States Championship: LA Knight (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
  • Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano
  • Jade Cargill vs. Naomi

Night Two match card (April 20, 7 p.m. ET, Peacock):

  • Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. John Cena
  • WWE Women’s World Championship (triple-threat): Iyo Sky (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair
  • Women’s Tag Team Championship: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
  • Intercontinental Championship (fatal four-way): Bron Breakker (c) vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta vs. Finn Bálor
  • Sin City Street Fight: Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre
  • AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul

– Shaheen Al-Shatti Uncrowned

It is that time of the year. It is Wrestlemania 41 weekend! Live from Las Vegas, two sensational nights of professional wrestling and sports entertainment. The glitz. The glamour. The spectacle. Wrestlemania 41 has had some people questioning the build to the card, but I think that will all go by the wayside when the event finishes. I am very excited about all of the events this weekend and I will be covering as much as I can for EYG.

Starting off, we will be looking at the official EYG Match predictions for Wrestlemania 41!

Night One:

  • Kicks off with Jey Uso vs. Gunther for the WWE World Championship. I’m torn on this. I do not really want Gunther to lose his title, and Jey Uso’s run has been spotty. However, Jey has been fire the last few weeks. I may be quietly rooting for Gunther to retain, but…

Predicted winner: Jey Uso, new World Champion. Yeet!

  • Jade Cargill vs. Naomi. This one-on-one match has had one of the best builds of any match on the card as it goes way back to the “who attacked Jade?” angle. I think Naomi needs the win more, but I think the babyface gets this one.

Predicted winner: Jade Cargill

  • Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano. It is so sad when a newcomer shows up and takes Chad Gable’s spot on the roster. *shakes head sadly*. Any way, I think this is a victory for the newcomer to eventually set up a Mask vs. Mask match down the road. I feel like this story is just beginning and that means a win for the heel.

Predicted winner: El Grande Americano

  • United States Championship Match: LA Knight vs. Jacob Fatu. Tough one to predict. I do not see LA Knight pinning Jacob Fatu, unless there is a direct interference from Solo Sokoa. I don’t know if it is time to take the US title back off LA Knight, though. There are not as many DQ finishes at Wrestlemania, but this would be an opportunity for one.

Predicted winner: LA Knight (with some kind of involvement with Solo)

  • WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlette Flair. This has been a mess of a build but I do think these two are talented enough to make the match special. While I would wish that Tiffy Time would continue, I think the Queen reclaims her throne to build up the Charlotte vs. Jade match that was teased a few weeks ago.

Projected winner: And New WWE Women’s Champion, Charlotte Flair

  • WWE World Tag Team Championship: War Raiders vs. The New Day. The villainous New Day has been treading water since their epic heel turn against Big E. I think this is where that is straightened out. New Day wins their 12th tag titles at Wrestlemania.

Projected Winner: And New WWE World Tag Team Champions: The New Day!

  • Main Event of Night One: Triple Threat Match: Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk. I legitimately can see this match going to any of the three of the men in the match. I am cheering for CM Punk, but, with what has happened in the build, I think the winner is going to be Seth Rollins. Will Paul Heyman leave with Seth Rollins? What a twist that would be. Or will Paul lead to either a victory for Punk or Roman? I just do not know what way they are going with, but I expect this to be a match of the year contender.

Projected winner: Seth Rollins

Night Two

  • AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul. This could be an exceptional match. The athleticism of these two are off the charts. I do think they should give this match to AJ Styles, but I am afraid that Logan Paul may get the nod. Probably using those brass knucks again.

Predicted winner: Logan Paul.

  • Sin City Street Fight: Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre. This match is one of those under-the-radar matches that could be excellent. Street fights tend to favor the good guys, but I think this is a reward to Drew for being such an MVP of the year.

Predicted winner: Drew McIntyre.

  • Intercontinental Championship (fatal four-way): Bron Breakker (c) vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta vs. Finn Bálor. This could steal the show. What a massive match up with some of the best up-and-comers in the WWE. Penta is awesome, but I think a title run is too soon yet for him. Dom would shock the world with a win, but I do not think it is out of the question. Finn has been winning a few lately, but my money is on Bron Breakker retaining.

Predicted winner: And STILL Intercontinental Champion: Bron Breakker.

  • Women’s Tag Team Championship: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria. I do not think there is any chance Bayley & Lyra win this match. In fact, I am leaning towards a Bayley heel turn to set up a future Women’s IC title match.

Predicted winner: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez

  • WWE Women’s World Championship (triple-threat): Iyo Sky (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair. This is another match that could be amazing. This has had a shaky build and the idea of bringing Rhea into the match did not work overall, but they are three of the greatest women performers in the company. I’d like to see Iyo Sky retain because of they way she has been treated in this build, but I do not think that will happen. Bianca does still have an unbeaten streak at Wrestlemania and, while she is years away, wouldn’t the company love to have another Undertaker-like streak?

Predicted Winner: And new WWE Women’s World Champion: Bianca Belair.

Randy Orton will have a match on this night too, I am certain. Not sure whom it will be as of yet. Randy wins though.

  • Main Event Night Two– Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. John Cena. All I see is people expecting John Cena to win his 17th World Championship to break Ric Flair’s record, and that could definitely happen. However, I think Cody Rhodes is going to send John into an even deeper spiral and get the victory here, setting up an even more desperate Cena down the road.

Predicted winner: And Still Undisputed WWE Champion: Cody Rhodes.

John Cena Turned Heel

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Triple H had stated that the WWE’s PLC this weekend, The Elimination Chamber, would be an “industry-changing event” and he was wasn’t joking. The biggest shock came at the very end of the show, as John Cena, the ultimate of all good guys, turned to a bad guy.

Some set up. Dwayne Johnson had returned to the WWE as The Final Boss. A week before, he went to WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and asked him to give him his soul, and become The Rock’s champion. He gave Cody until the Elimination Chamber to make his decision.

John Cena had just won the Men’s Elimination Chamber match by forcing CM Punk to pass out to the STF. Cena was still in the ring when Cody Rhodes made his way to the ring. This was not uncommon. By winning the Chamber, Cena earned a match for the championship with Rhodes at Wrestlemania and there is a long tradition of people in the matches like this facing off with each other. In fact, earlier in the PLC, Bianca Belair had won the women’s Chamber and Rhea Ripley (and Iyo Sky) came out to confront her. So when Rhodes came down to the ring, it was expected to be a confrontation.

Then the Rock came down, and he told Cody that he wanted his answer. He told Cody that if he said yes, he would have everything, and if he said no, his dream would die, again. However, Cody said that he had already given his soul away to the fans and the ring, and that Rock could go “F-himself,” except he didn’t say “F.”

Cena was excited in the background, and he came over to hug Cody. That was when Cena’s face changed and he received the throat-slitting gesture from The Rock. He then attacked Cody Rhodes and bloodied him with the championship belt.

Cena and the Rock stood over top of Cody Rhodes posing together.

Fans have been wanting a Cena heel turn for years, but the WWE rejected the idea. Cena was the ultimate babyface, granted more Make-a-Wish requests than anyone ever, and was always a heroic figure, even if the crowd was half chanting that “Cena Sucks.” They had chances to turn him heel before, and they never took it.

Cena had announced that he would be returning to the WWE in 2025 to engage in a retirement tour. That at the end of 2025, Cena would retire from in-ring competition. He has become a successful actor in Hollywood so this would be the final run. He wanted to win his 17th world championship, which would break the record of 16, a total he shared with Ric Flair.

Turning him heel on his final run with the company and in such a grand manner was gutsy. It was an amazing decision, one that has immediately been compared to the heel turn by Hulk Hogan when he formed the NWO, largely considered the most famous heel turn of all time.

The WWE is upside down and the Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena match suddenly has so many more stakes involved besides a Cena record. The industry is totally changed and will be for the foreseeable future.

The time is now.

Year in Review: WWE Matches of the Year

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It ha been a top notch year in the WWE. I have enjoyed every show that they have put on and there have been years where I could not say that.

Because of that, there are a bunch of Match of the Year contenders. I would guess that there are plenty of matches that could make this list from NXT or RAW and Smackdown that do not stand out as much as those on the PLEs.

I have made a list of the Top 20 WWE Matches of the Year.

#20. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes, Smackdown. Match number one of their best of seven series. Honestly, most of these matches between these two could have made this list.

#19. Axiom/Nathan Frazer vs. Andre Chase/Ridge Holland, NXT No Mercy. Axiom/Frazer are our tag team of the year, and this is one reason why. Ridge Holland turned on Chase U after their loss.

#18. Gunther vs. Sheamus, RAW. A King of the Ring tournament match and you never get a bad match between these two studs. They put on a BANGER… AFTER BANGER… AFTER BANGER!

#17. Cody Rhodes vs. Logan Paul, King & Queen of the Ring. Cody may not have had the greatest feuds of the year, but he put on some great matches. Logan Paul is a special star too.

#16. Bron Breakker vs. Sheamus vs. Kaiser, Survivor Series. Breakker defended his Intercontinental Championship in this hard hitting triple threat.

#15. Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles, Backlash. The French crowd may have helped this match, but these are two masters going at it. It was an amazing match-up, much better than their I Quit Match.

#14. Bayley vs. Iyo Sky, Wrestlemania 40. The first of several matches from this year’s Wrestlemania saw Bayley get a big victory over her former Damage Control mate. Bayley deserved this big Wrestlemania moment.

#13. Gunther vs. Randy Orton, King and Queen of the Ring. This was a brilliant match between two of the best, that was tainted by a messed up finish. However, that finish was used later in storyline so it helps this out.

#12. Men’s War Games, Bloodline vs. Bloodline, Survivor Series. A great story involved with Solo Sikoa’s rival group and Roman’s shaky alliance with CM Punk. Brutal match that led to three big injuries, but also an unbelievable moment with Bronson Reed off the top of the cage, and some perfect timing for Punk and Roman to avoid the splash.

#11. Axion/Nathan Frazer vs. MSK, NXT Great American Bash. Two of the fastest and most creative teams battled right in the midst of the NXT/TNA talent sharing. Amazing work, and a Wes Lee heel turn as well.

#10. Ilja Dragunov vs. Ricochet, RAW. This was another first round match-up in the King of the Ring tournament on RAW and these two put on as show. I wish Ilja hadn’t gotten injured because he is one of the best wrestlers in the WWE.

#9. Braun Stroman vs. Bronson Reed, Last Monster Standing, RAW. What a main event. Stroman and Reed had been killing each other for weeks and this was the way to put this feud to rest. It also saw the return from injury of Seth Rollins. Big man slapping man meat!

#8. Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable, Clash at the Castle. It was for Sami’s IC title and Sami and Gable put on a classic matchup. Otis had enough of Gable’s behavior and headed for the hills, leading to Sami to defeat Master Gable.

#7. Ilja Dragunov vs. Dijak, NXT. A defense of the NXT Championship, Dragunov was brutal as ever and Dijak lost after some secret interference from Joe Gacy.

#6. Sami Zayn vs. Gunther, Wrestlemania 40. Sami Zayn ended the 666 day IC reign of Gunther at Wrestlemania. What a great match this was with Sami pulling out a top rope brainbuster into the turnbuckle that just looked sick.

#5. Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match, Money in the Bank. It is Tiffy-time as Tiffany Stratton won the ladder match for the contract. Chelsea Green took one of the big bumps from ladder through a table on the floor. Oh, and Iyo Sky nearly killed Zoey Stark… or else she should have. The women’s match really stole this show.

#4. Rock/Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes/Set Rollins, Wrestlemania 40. The first night tag team match that led to the night two match being contested under Bloodline rules. The Rock pinned Cody Rhodes. Seth was fighting through so much pain. This was such cinema. A great end of night one.

#3. Oba Femi vs. Josh Briggs vs. Dijak, NXT Stand and Deliver. An absolutely brutal match with three massive men. Oba Femi is a monster. Dijak deserved a lot better from the WWE. Oba Femi pulled off some insane power moves and this was epic. The NXT match of the Year for sure.

#2. CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre, Bad Blood. Inside the Hell in a Cell, Punk and McIntyre wrapped up their feud of the year with one of the best Cell matches ever. Bloody. Brutal. Hard hitting. And an amazing story. Most years, this would be the Match of the Year going away, but in 2024, it had to compete with the greatest feel good cinematic match ever.

#1. Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns, Wrestlemania 40. Cody Rhodes finished his story as he finally defeated Roman Reigns after an almost four years title reign for Reigns. The match was contested under Bloodline rules and so we saw interference from Solo, Jimmy and Jey Uso, John Cena, “The Final Boss” The Rock, Seth Rollins and The Undertaker. Finally, Roman Reigns succumb to three crossroads and Cody celebrated with all of the babyfaces in a scene right out of Wrestlemania 10. One of the best displays of wrestling and entertainment ever. Perhaps the greatest Wrestlemania main event ever.

2024 Year in Review: WWE

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What a big year for the WWE! Their business is booming and the creativity is at a huge level. Vince McMahon is completely gone, and Paul “HHH” Levesque as head of creative works so much. Just a few years ago I was getting ready to not watch wrestling as much, but now it is can’t miss.

Male Wrestler of the Year: Cody Rhodes. Runners-Up: Gunther, Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Jey Uso, LA Knight

Female Wrestler of the Year: Liv Morgan. Runners-Up: Rhea Ripley, Nia Jax, Bayley, Iyo Sky, Chelsea Green, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill.

Tag Team of the Year: Axiom & Nathan Frazer. Runners-Up: Motor City Machine Guns, Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill, DIY, Street Profits.

Manager: Paul Heyman. Runners-Up: Paul Ellering, Adam Pierce, Nick Aldis

On the Mike: Drew McIntyre. Runners-Up: Kevin Owens, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Paul Heyman

Feud of the Year: Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk. Runners-Up: Bloodline vs. Bloodline 2.0, Kevin Owens heel turn, New Day turns

Underused Performer: Shinsuke Nakamura. Runners-Up: Otis, DIY, Piper Niven, Chad Gable

Comeback of the Year: Roman Reigns. Runners-Up: Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson, Drew McIntyre

Saddest Comeback: AJ Styles, who is promptly injured on his return.

Celebrity of the Year: Jellyroll. Runners-Up: Dwayne Johnson, Logan Paul, Jesse Ventura

Moment of the Year: The Wyatt Sicks “murder” Chad Gable and backstage crew.

Heel of the Year: Drew McIntyre. Runners-Up: Gunther, Solo Sikoa, Finn Balor, Dominic Mysterio, Liv Morgan

Face of the Year: Cody Rhodes. Runners-Up: Sammy Zayn, Bianca Belair, Jey Uso, LA Knight

Entrance Song: I Believe in Joe Hendry (Joe Hendry). Runners-Up: Kingdom (Cody Rhodes), Burn it Down (Seth Rollins)

Storyline of the Year: The Final Boss/Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes. New Day Turns on Big E, Bloodline vs. Bloodline.

Best Broadcaster: Michael Cole. Wade Barrett, Pat McAfee, Joe Tessitore, Corey Graves

Breakout Star: Jacob Fatu. Runners-Up: Braun Breakker, Chelsea Green, The Wyatt Sicks, Tiffany Stratton

Heel Turn of the Year: Kevin Owens. Runners-Up: New Day, Shinsuke Nakamura, DIY

Shock of the Year: New Day turns on Big E. Runners-Up: Wyatt Sicks debut, The Rock shows up on WWE TV, #WeWantCody

Faction of the Year: Wyatt Sicks. Runners-Up: Judgment Day, Bloodline 2.0, Original Bloodline

NXT Male Wrestler of the Year: Oba Femi

NXT Female Wrestler of the Year: Roxanne Perez

Wrestlemania XL: Behind the Curtain

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I was excited to see this documentary that aired tonight on the WWE’s YouTube channel that told the story of Wrestlemania XL, pulling back the curtain to reveal how one of the greatest pivots of all time came to fruition.

The doc told us how the main event of Wrestlemania XL went from Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns to Roman Reigns vs. the Rock and then back to Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns. It is a fascinating story and an intriguing look at how the stories of WWE are developed and presented.

The initial story being Cody vs. Roman was penciled in after Wrestlemania 39, when Cody failed to ‘finish the story.’ However, when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson became available, plans started to change. When it looked as if Cody Rhodes was going to be left out of the main event of the ‘Show of Shows,’ the fans of the WWE made their voice heard with the hashtag We Want Cody.

Hearing the outpouring of support Cody was receiving, despite the arrival of one of the biggest stars in the world, spoke to everyone making decisions and it led to a pivot that turned into one of the greatest stretches of storytelling in WWE history, the culmination of Cody Rhodes winning the WWE championship and finishing his story, a promise that he made to his late father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.

We heard a lot from Paul “Triple H” Leveque, The Rock, and Cody during the doc. We got some from Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins too.

They ran through the two main events of Wrestlemania, which was tremendous. I would have liked to hear more from others involved, particularly those involved in that final match, such as John Cena, the Undertaker, and Seth. Particularly Seth because his role in that main event was vital to the story (Seth being Cody’s shield) and I would have liked to hear from Seth to speak about the fact that he was injured and could barely get into the ring. We saw a pic of Seth, but I wanted some comments.

Other than that, I enjoyed this doc a lot. It was cool listening to the way things developed and how the WWE put together this incredible event even after things were put into a state of flux.

Wrestlemania XL Sunday

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What a night.

After being somewhat underwhelmed by an entertaining Saturday night, Wrestlemania XL Sunday night absolutely rocked.

Cody Rhodes finished his story by defeating “The Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns in a dramatic main event that saw the Usos, Seth Rollins, Solo Sikoa, The Rock, John Cena and the Undertaker get involved. Emotions were everywhere as the “American Nightmare” finally won the title that his legendary father “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes could never win.

But that was not the only major title that changed hands tonight. Kicking off the show, Drew McIntyre defeated Seth Rollins for the World Championship. Drew went to taunt CM Punk, who was on commentary, and got jumped by Punk. This led to Damien Priest cashing in his long awaited Money in the Bank contract to become the new World Champion. Then Bayley defeated Iyo Sky for the WWE Women’s Championship.

LA Knight defeated AJ Styles in a competitive match. The Pride defeated the Final Testament in a Philadelphia Street Fight refereed by Bubba Dudley. Logan Paul pinned Kevin Owens in the triple threat after KO took an impressive RKO from Randy Orton, who reversed the pop-up powerbomb.

Great night in the WWE as a new era gets underway…

Cody Rhodes celebrated with “Mama Rhodes” and the rest of his friends.

Cody celebrates with his wife, Brandi Rhodes.
Undertaker returned to choke slam The Rock.
Seth says to Cody, “Now it’s your time, baby”
John Cena faces off with The Rock in the middle of the main event

This could be, arguably, one of the best Wrestlemanias of all time. They kept saying that this would be the greatest Wrestlemania of all time and it always felt like hyperbole. However, I think this is in the consideration.

Wrestlemania Saturday

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Night one of Wrestlemania XL is in the books and it has done some serious set up for night two.

The Rock and Roman Reigns defeated Cody Rhodes and Set Rollins in the main event of night one cheating like crazy and has ensured Bloodline rules for the WWE Championship match on Sunday night. The Rock threatened to fire the referee, Chad Patton, if he counted them out and he spent all night intimidating the ref, to the point where Rock would just hit Seth Rollins in the groin without even hiding it because he knew the ref couldn’t DQ him.

This just sets up Cody as an even bigger underdog so when he wins on Sunday, there will be a greater feeling. Seth Rollins has a bad knee (storyline wise) and will enter his title match on Sunday against Drew McIntyre far less than 100%.

The best match of the night was easily the Intercontinental Championship match which saw Gunther’s record setting reign of 666 days come to an end to Sami Zayn in an insane finishing sequence. The match was great and very hard hitting, providing one of the most satisfying results of the card.

Rhea Ripley defeated Becky Lynch cleanly after a solid match.

Much of night one felt less than I hoped. The Jey vs. Jimmy match was a disappointment. They tried a storyline section that did not work as well as intended. Jey won. The six woman tag team match was fine. Jade Cargill is a beast.

The six pack ladder match was fun with some crazy spots, especially from DIY. A Town Down Under won the Smackdown tag titles while Awesome Truth won the RAW titles, effectively splitting the titles apart, which makes sense considering how many effective tag teams they have right now.

It was an outdoor stadium and the temps hovered around 50 degrees early in the night. I don’t know how the colder temps influenced some performers, but they seemed to do well considering.

Wrestlemania XL Predictions

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So I am preparing to make the predictions for the two nights of Wrestlemania.

Wrestlemania Saturday Night

  • Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch

This is a tough one. I can see it going either way, but since I see a lot of other title changes, I think this is the most likely retention of the weekend.

Prediction: Rhea Ripley, still Women’s World Champion.

  • Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn

Gunther’s record-breaking Intercontinental title run comes to an end at Wrestlemania 40.

Prediction: Sami Zayn, NEW Intercontinental Champion

  • Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

Jimmy has taken a lot of beatings on Raw and Smackdown recently. Although I think Jey has the higher future as a single performer, I am giving this to Jimmy.

Prediction: Jimmy Uso

  • Six-Pack ladder match for Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Bálor) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller)

I definitely think this will split the two tag titles apart so there is one on Raw and one on Smackdown, so I am picking two winners here.

Prediction: RAW Tag Champion: Awesome Truth; Smackdown Tag Champion: New Catch Republic

  • Bianca Belair, Naomi & Jade Cargill vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka & Kairi Sane)

This one is an easy one. Bianca is undefeated at Wrestlemania and we will not break that in a six-woman tag match.

Prediction: Bianca Belair, Naomi & Jade Cargill

  • Rey Mysterio & Andrade vs. Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio

Last minute change removed Dragon Lee. Carlito will definitely get involved, perhaps with a heel change. Think that is post match though.

Prediction: Rey Mysterio & Andrade

  • The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins

I can see this going either way. There has been a lot of talk about Cody assembling the Avengers. I think that happens in Bloodline Rules. I think they have talked about Bloodline rules too much for it not to happen, and it sets up yet another hurdle for Cody Rhodes to overcome.

Prediction: Rock & Roman Reigns

Wrestlemania Sunday Night

  • World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre

Another one that I can see going either way. I believe CM Punk, who will be on commentary, will play a role costing Drew McIntyre, who has been going to new limits on his motuh with Punk.

Prediction: Set Rollins, STILL World Heavyweight Champion.

  • WWE Women’s Championship: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley

It is time for Bayley’s Wrestlemania moment, and she deserves it.

Prediction: Bayley, NEW World Women’s Champion.

  • United States Championship Triple Threat: Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

I love this match. I love Kevin Owens so much. I wish I could give him the win. I will be absolutely be rooting for KO. I don’t think he will.

Prediction: Logan Paul, STILL United States Champion.

  • LA Knight vs. AJ Styles

An excellent match coming here. I think the win does more for LA Knight, but this could go any direction.

Prediction: LA Knight

  • Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross & The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar)

A Philadelphia street fight… and I think that the faces get this one.

Prediction: Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits

  • Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes

Finish the story! I think it is time for Cody Rhodes to bring an end to the record reign of Roman Reigns. I believe it will be Bloodline rules and this could be all kinds of shenanigans going down. Expect Mama Rhodes to smack Rock across the face at some point.

Prediction: Winner and NEW WWE Universal Champion: Cody Rhodes

I am very excited about the Grandest Stage of them All.

Wrestlemania XL Weekend

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One of my favorite weekends of the year has come around. It is Wrestlemania weekend, where there are a bunch of events over the next 48 hours +.

Wrestlemania XL takes place in Philadelphia this year and the two-night event is packed full of amazing rivalries and battles.

They revealed the Wrestlemania XL set, and it looks great.

The weekend kicks off right now with Friday Night Smackdown. Mere moments ago, Big Bronson Reed won the annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. There did appear as if there may have been a couple of mistakes in the battle royal, yet I enjoyed the match. It looked like Otis was supposed to have caught Tazawa on the floor but Ivar overthrew him and Tazawa hit hard on the floor. I am also not sure that Omos was intended to be eliminated during the commercial break. I think Omos lost his balance and tumbled out too.

After Smackdown tonight is the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Tonight’s inductees include Paul Heyman, the U.S. Express (Barry Windham & Mike Rotunda), Lia Maivia, Bull Nakano, Thunderbolt Patterson, and Muhammad Ali. It is an interesting group this year, headlined by Paul Heyman, whose ECW was a Philadelphia mainstay. Also notable is the induction of Mike Rotunda, father of Windham Rotunda aka Bray Wyatt who died this past year. That should be very emotional. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, I believe, will be inducting his grandmother Lia Maivia, the first woman promoter.

NXT’s Stand and Deliver kicks off the action on Saturday with the best of the NXT brand. Ilya Dragunov defends his NXT championship against the Don of NXT, Tony D’Angelo. Perhaps the biggest grudge match of this PLE is Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes.

Then Saturday night, Wrestlemania XL kicks off with Saturday night show, which is headlined by Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns and The Rock in what is being billed as the Greatest Tag Team Match of All-Time. If the faces win, then the Cody-Roman match on Sunday night is one-on-one, with no Bloodline, and Cody has a chance to win the match without any interference. If the Bloodline wins, then the Sunday night match is Bloodline rules, and anything goes. It is a remarkable build for this tag match with all of the stakes up for grabs.

Night One Matches at Wrestlemania 40

  • The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
  • Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch
  • Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn
  • Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
  • Six-Pack ladder match for Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Bálor) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller)
  • Bianca Belair, Naomi & Jade Cargill vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka & Kairi Sane)
  • Rey Mysterio & Andrade vs. Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio

Night Two Matches at Wrestlemania 40

  • Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
  • World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
  • WWE Women’s Championship: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley
  • United States Championship Triple Threat: Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
  • LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
  • Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross & The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar)

I’m going to be doing several posts over the weekend. I am very excited. I may do a prediction post some time tomorrow before the big night’s action.

UPDATE: Dragon Lee got jumped on Smackdown and now Andrade is in the tag team match. Calling it right no, Carlito did the attack hoping to be in the tag match instead. Count on it.