Opinion
Cook’s WrestleMania Backlash 2021 Gambling Picks
I’m going to be 100% honest with you guys.
I’ve been watching most WWE shows. My schedule has opened up more on evenings when the local baseball team is out of town, and I can catch Raw, SmackDown & NXT more often than not. The issue? It often serves as background noise while I’m working on Internet writing, and rarely holds my interest when I look up from my laptop. Smackdown does the best, with NXT second and Raw a very, very distant third.
So am I the most informed person to get your WRESTLEMANIA Backlash betting tips from? Probably not. But if there’s one thing we know about predicting things, it’s that sometimes it’s better not to go in thinking you know everything about everything. That’s when you lose big. This month, we’re going to go with our gut. Our gut knows more than we give it credit for sometimes.
As always, we’re getting these odds from BetOnline and remind you that these picks are for entertainment purposes only.
Lumberjack Match
Damian Priest (-400) vs. The Miz (+200)
Priest dropped from -700 to -400 within a day, so there’s some money coming in on Miz here. Is there good reason for there to be? Sure there is. The story could definitely lead to Miz using the chaos of having tons of lumberjacks at ringside to come out on top and foil Priest’s plans to move on to bigger things.
But the smart play is hoping that Damian Priest price drops even further, since he’ll be the one winning here. He needs to beat Miz to move up in the world, Miz is going to be just fine doing his thing no matter what happens here.
SmackDown Tag Team Championship
Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode (+150) vs. Rey & Dominik Mysterio (-200)
BetOnline knew this match was coming at some point, as they had odds on it for the WrestleMania card even though it was never announced and obviously didn’t happen there. Obviously WWE was making us wait for this one with bated breath. I think Rey & Dominik are bound to be champions at some point, but Dolph Ziggler losing to them two weeks in a row tells me that the Dirty Dawgs are due for a rebound on Sunday.
How do we feel about the “Dirty Dawgs” name? WWE obviously doesn’t like it, but at least Dolph & Robert are trying.
SmackDown Women’s Championship
Bianca Belair (-950) vs. Bayley (+500)
Yeah, there’s no real reason to be throwing money on this one. You could put the title on Bayley to get some heat, but Bianca Belair needs to have a nice long run with this championship. She’s a great person to have out front representing WWE in its various endeavors, and her in-ring is solid. I wouldn’t think of taking the strap off of her until SummerSlam at the earliest. No need to get cute here.
Raw Women’s Championship
Rhea Ripley (-200) vs. Charlotte Flair (+175) vs. Asuka (+500)
Nothing against Rhea or Asuka, who are stellar competitors who don’t have the best of chemistry with each other, but they’re not even in the top three of Raw women’s storylines right now. What are they? Glad you asked:
1. Alexa Bliss possessing people
2. Eva Marie’s Eva-Lution
3. The existence of Charlotte Flair
I mean, there’s a reason Asuka is such an underdog here. The Internet loves her, WWE creative moved on months before she lost the championship. I’m a big Rhea fan and wouldn’t be shocked if she retains, but any time you give me a chance to make money off of Charlotte Flair I’ll take it. It’s time for the Queen to reclaim her throne.
WWE Championship
Bobby Lashley (-200) vs. Drew McIntyre (+175) vs. Braun Strowman (+500)
These days, Raw is all about the three-ways. People didn’t want the same match they saw at WrestleMania, so WWE has added Braun Strowman to the proceedings for WrestleMania Backlash. I assume some people are more interested now. Me, I liked the first Bob/Drew match and wasn’t really interested in Braun mucking up the rematch. Not as much an issue now that Raw has run Bob vs. Drew two weeks in a row.
I see absolutely no reason to take the title off of Bobby Lashley. Drew’s cooling off by the week and Braun’s nowhere near the level he was at back when people wanted him pushed to the moon. They tried with the go-home segment this week, but I’m still not sold. Roll with Lashley until you’ve got somebody better.
Universal Championship
Roman Reigns (-600) vs. Cesaro (+350)
I think it’s really cool that Cesaro is finally getting a shot at a major title on a PPV/Peacock event. Long overdue, and I’m excited to see what he can do with Roman in a match that will get plenty of time.
Do I expect him to win? Absolutely not. We don’t bet against Roman Reigns around here.
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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Opinion
Chris King: Is Brock Lesnar Truly Retired?
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
At WrestleMania 42, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar took off his boots and gloves following his loss to Oba Femi. Lesnar has done it all inside of his twenty-four-year career in professional wrestling. He’s a ten-time WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he’s one who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
While Lesnar was in the ring, he was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and crying while he thanked the fans in his own way. The Beast even threw up an x to signal to Paul Heyman, his longtime friend and advocate, that this was not scripted and was real. There had been rumors that Lesnar and Oba were supposed to have a series of matches before everything went down at Mania.
‘The Career Killer’ Gunther was doing Heyman’s bidding as he faced Seth Rollins for a favor. For a while now since Gunther retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles, the rumor has been Gunther was set to retire Lesnar in his hometown at this year’s SummerSlam event. There’s been no confirmation if Lesnar is truly retired, but on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we saw Heyman talking with General Manager Nick Aldis. Later that night following Rhodes’ match against the debuting Ricky Saints, Gunther choked out the WWE Champion. Could this be the favor from Heyman?
I know in the world of professional wrestling we live by the mantra of “never say never,” but what if Lesnar is actually retired and this was WWE’s way of shutting down those rumors about Gunther and Lesnar? What if Gunther’s next program is chasing after the WWE title, and where is Randy Orton at in all of these plans? There are so many questions that need to be answered, hopefully soon!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
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Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Opinion
Chris King: Defend The Intercontinental Championship At Backlash!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
This year’s annual Backlash showcase is only a few days away, and while there are many big matches announced, one that definitely should be isn’t on the card. In my opinion, outside of Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu and Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Championship scene has been stellar over the last month.
Penta has been an excellent champion, especially after his triumphant title defense in a ladder match against JeVon Evans, Rusev, Dragon Lee, and the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. Their ladder match at Mania was one of the best that WWE has produced in a while.
The momentum never stopped, as on the post-Mania episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page made his debut and was quickly inserted into the Intercontinental title scene. Page had a fantastic showing against his longtime NXT rival Evans and picked up a big win in his debut match thanks to an assist from Rusev.
All Ego immediately joined forces with ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev, who was also vying for the Intercontinental Title in his own right. On this week’s episode of Raw, Page and Rusev defeated Evans and Penta. All Ego pinned the champion, making a huge statement and putting him one step closer to getting a title shot. For the past few weeks I’ve been anxiously waiting to see if WWE was going to add this incredible fatal four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, but it hasn’t happened yet.
As much as the WWE Universe enjoys witnessing great matches on free television, I truly believe all four superstars deserve the chance to showcase their talents on the PLE. While Penta has done a terrific job as the intercontinental champion, it’s time for a fresh face to hold the prestigious title. Page would make a great braggadocious heel that would help elevate the Intercontinental Championship to new heights!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
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