Smark Out Moment

Which wrestler is the greatest rival of AJ Styles over the course of his entire pro wrestling career? That's what this year's 2026 Smark Out Moment SMARK MADNESS tournament was all about, to honor The Phenomenal One after his retirement from the ring.

Who won the tenth Smark Madness tournament and was named the best rival AJ Styles ever had? Let's break down the results from the finals and reveal the winner!

Heading into this week's episode of the Hot Tags podcast, there was a deadlocked tie between Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle. After deliberating with Rob and Callum, who both cast their votes for Samoa Joe, that made the decision final that he would be the victor of this tournament.

To be fully transparent, there was not much interest in this tournament this year, and with the waning interest overall in tournaments as time has gone by, I feel rather confident in saying that I do not anticipate Smark Madness returning next year. I appreciate the support from those who were voting, but it is rather clear that there just isn't enough interest to justify the workload, so if any tournaments do continue, it will likely need to have a different format, and I cannot speak to what that will be.

Nevertheless, thank you for your participation in this year's tournament, and if you think someone else should have won, be sure to voice that opinion in the comments section below!.

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

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Who is the best rival AJ Styles ever had over his entire pro wrestling career? That's what we seek out to determine with the Smark Out Moment 2026 SMARK MADNESS tournament! Finishing up our tenth year of our version of March Madness, we've got the finals of the tournament in Round 4.

Cast your votes below and decide who wins!

MATCHES IN ROUND 4

Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Click here to open the direct link in a new window if you are unable to view it. Next week, the tournament will be over and the winner will be announced.

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

Who is the greatest enemy AJ Styles ever had over his entire pro wrestling career? That's what we seek out to determine with the Smark Out Moment 2026 SMARK MADNESS tournament—the tenth year edition of our March Madness contest

Moving on from the Elite Eight, we are now on the semifinals with Round 3. Cast your votes below and decide who moves on to the finals in Round 4!

MATCHES IN ROUND 3

John Cena vs. Samoa Joe
Kurt Angle vs. Christopher Daniels

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Click here to open the direct link in a new window if you are unable to view it. Next week, the tournament will conclude with Round 4 and the finals.

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

Who is the greatest rival AJ Styles ever had over his entire pro wrestling career? That's what we seek out to determine with the Smark Out Moment 2026 SMARK MADNESS tournament! Our answer to March Madness is on its tenth year and we've already gone through the first round of the bracket.

Cast your votes below and decide who moves on to the semifinals in Round 3's Final Four!

MATCHES IN ROUND 2

John Cena vs. Kevin Owens
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe
Kurt Angle vs. Kazuchika Okada
Abyss vs. Christopher Daniels

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Click here to open the direct link in a new window if you are unable to view it. Next week, the tournament will continue with Round 2 and the semifinals.

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

While most people are concerning themselves with March Madness, we here at Smark Out Moment present to you the 2026 SMARK MADNESS tournament instead!

For the tenth edition, we're going to actually repeat last year's tournament, but with a new name. Instead of focusing on the best rival of John Cena of all time, let's shift our gears to another recent retiree. Who is the greatest rival of all time for AJ Styles?

The list of the top 16 options, as well as how they were placed on the bracket, were determined during a special Darkcast #89 podcast of Smack Talk, meaning it is only available to those who are signed up to the YouTube Membership or Patreon for the Darkcast tier and above, so if you want access to check it out, you must subscribe in one of those ways!

We are kicking things off with Round 1's set of matches. Cast your votes below and decide who moves on to Round 2!

MATCHES IN ROUND 1

John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose
Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Chris Jericho
Shane McMahon vs. Samoa Joe
Kurt Angle vs. Robert Roode
Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Abyss vs. Jerry Lynn
Sting vs. Christopher Daniels

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Click here to open the direct link in a new window if you are unable to view it. Next week, the tournament will continue with Round 2 and the semifinals.

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

While most people are concerning themselves with March Madness, we here at Smark Out Moment present to you the 2025 SMARK MADNESS tournament instead!

For the ninth edition, and with John Cena's heel turn fresh in our minds and the focal point of WrestleMania 41, this year's question posed is Who is John Cena's greatest rival of all time? 

Your finals came down to a Triple Threat between CM Punk, Randy Orton, and The Rock. The votes are now in, so let's see who won the tournament!

MATCHES IN ROUND 5

Randy Orton vs. CM Punk vs. The Rock
+ bonus questions

As the results indicate, Randy Orton defeated CM Punk and The Rock in a rather easy contest, overall.

Orton received 62.5% of the votes, with 31.3% going to CM Punk and a measly 6.3% going to The Rock.

Furthermore, to reiterate this gold, silver, and bronze medal situation, the tiebreaker had Randy Orton being most people's first choice, CM Punk being their second choice, and The Rock overwhelmingly being the third choice for most people.

When asked about the potential of Cody Rhodes usurping these three and being the eventual best rival for John Cena with his ongoing storyline, the majority (half in total) voted "Most likely no, but I can't judge yet." The smallest margin was for "Definitely yes", and "Possibly yes, but I can't judge yet", meaning more people are banking on Rhodes either definitely not or most likely not becoming an even bigger archenemy when all things are said than done.

We'll have to find out, but at least for now, Randy Orton is John Cena's greatest rival, as determined by you.

Thank you for participating in this year's tournament! If you have any suggestions of what you'd like to see for the 2026 Smark Madness tournament, drop them below or send a feedback email or tweet!

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

While most people are concerning themselves with March Madness, we here at Smark Out Moment present to you the 2025 SMARK MADNESS tournament instead!

For the ninth edition, and with John Cena's heel turn fresh in our minds and the focal point of WrestleMania 41, this year's question posed is Who is John Cena's greatest rival of all time? 

It's time for the finals, so cast your vote to decide who wins this tournament! Since Randy Orton and CM Punk tied in Round 4, we'll be having a Triple Threat match for the finale between those two and The Rock, who defeated Edge in the semifinals.

MATCHES IN ROUND 5

Randy Orton vs. CM Punk vs. The Rock
+ bonus questions

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Click here to open the direct link in a new window if you are unable to view it. Next week, the winner of the tournament will be announced.

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

While most people are concerning themselves with March Madness, we here at Smark Out Moment present to you the 2025 SMARK MADNESS tournament instead!

For the ninth edition, and with John Cena's heel turn fresh in our minds and the focal point of WrestleMania 41, this year's question posed is Who is John Cena's greatest rival of all time? 

The tournament is winding down, with Round 4 now down to the Final Four semifinals. Cast your votes below and decide who moves on to Round 5's finals!

MATCHES IN ROUND 4

Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
Edge vs. The Rock

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Click here to open the direct link in a new window if you are unable to view it. Next week, the tournament will conclude with Round 5.

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

While most people are concerning themselves with March Madness, we here at Smark Out Moment present to you the 2025 SMARK MADNESS tournament instead!

For the ninth edition, and with John Cena's heel turn fresh in our minds and the focal point of WrestleMania 41, this year's question posed is Who is John Cena's greatest rival of all time? 

With Round 2 done, we're moving on to Round 3 and the Elite Eight. Cast your votes below and decide who moves on to Round 3's Elite Eight!

MATCHES IN ROUND 3

Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns
Kurt Angle vs. CM Punk
Edge vs. Triple H
Batista vs. The Rock

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Click here to open the direct link in a new window if you are unable to view it. Next week, the tournament will continue with Round 4.

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

While most people are concerning themselves with March Madness, we here at Smark Out Moment present to you the 2025 SMARK MADNESS tournament instead!

For the ninth edition, and with John Cena's heel turn fresh in our minds and the focal point of WrestleMania 41, this year's question posed is Who is John Cena's greatest rival of all time? 

Round 1 is in the bag, so let's move on to Round 2 with the Sweet Sixteen. There were two ties this past round, meaning there are two Triple Threat matches to settle the score. Cast your votes below and decide who moves on to Round 3's Elite Eight!

MATCHES IN ROUND 2

Randy Orton vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Big Show
Roman Reigns vs. The Nexus
Kurt Angle vs. Bray Wyatt
Kevin Owens vs. CM Punk
Edge vs. JBL
The Miz vs. Triple H
Batista vs. AJ Styles
Brock Lesnar vs. Sheamus vs. The Rock

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Click here to open the direct link in a new window if you are unable to view it. Next week, the tournament will continue with Round 3.

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

While most people are concerning themselves with March Madness, we here at Smark Out Moment present to you the 2025 SMARK MADNESS tournament instead!

For the ninth edition, and with John Cena's heel turn fresh in our minds and the focal point of WrestleMania 41, this year's question posed is Who is John Cena's greatest rival of all time? 

With a list of 32 of John Cena's most tenured foes over the course of his career according to various online sources and lists, it's time to figure out who is the best arch-nemesis of The Doctor of Thuganomics.

Note that since Cody Rhodes has only just started to feud with John Cena, he is not included in this list. He will instead be part of a special bonus question in the finals.

We are kicking things off with Round 1's set of matches. Cast your votes below and decide who moves on to Round 2!

MATCHES IN ROUND 1

Randy Orton vs. Great Khali
Rob Van Dam vs. Big Show
Roman Reigns vs. Kane
The Nexus vs. Chris Jericho
Kurt Angle vs. Dolph Ziggler
Rusev vs. Bray Wyatt
The Undertaker vs. Kevin Owens
Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk
Edge vs. John Laurinaitis
JBL vs. Seth Rollins
The Miz vs. Umaga
Triple H vs. Carlito
Batista vs. Eddie Guerrero
Shawn Michaels vs. AJ Styles
Brock Lesnar vs. Sheamus
Mark Henry vs. The Rock

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Click here to open the direct link in a new window if you are unable to view it. Next week, the tournament will continue with Round 2 and the semifinals.

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

While most people are concerning themselves with March Madness, we here at Smark Out Moment present to you the 2024 SMARK MADNESS tournament instead!

For the eighth edition, and with WrestleMania 40 transitioning Roman Reigns to surpassing Hulk Hogan for the most WrestleMania main events of all time, the question was simple: who is the top WrestleMania main-eventer ever?

After three rounds, the finals came down surprisingly not to Hulk Hogan against Roman Reigns, but John Cena against The Tribal Chief.

And while The Head of the Table wasn't victorious against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania XL, he was indeed the winner here, as ROMAN REIGNS defeated John Cena with 60% of the vote!

All things considered, this isn't too much of a shock. Not only does Roman Reigns get recency bias for being the primary focal point of WWE for the past several years, he also had a record-breaking weekend to put him in the definitive top spot as far as pure numbers are concerned. Given how his competition in this tournament are all effectively retired, the likelihood anyone is going to surpass Reigns as having the most WrestleMania main events of all time is looking slim, if not impossible.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's tournament! It was a quicker one than normal, and if you preferred that to the bigger brackets from previous years, let me know in the comments. Likewise, if you have any suggestions of what you'd like to see for the 2025 Smark Madness tournament, drop them below as well or send a feedback email or tweet!

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS YEAR'S WINNER?
TELL US IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

While most people are concerning themselves with March Madness, we here at Smark Out Moment present to you the 2024 SMARK MADNESS tournament instead!

For the eighth edition, and with WrestleMania 40 about to put Roman Reigns in a whole new level for having the most WrestleMania main events of all time, the question is simple: who is the top WrestleMania main-eventer ever? Is it Roman for what he's about to do? Is it Hulk Hogan for having the current record? Does quality trump quantity?

This list was narrowed down to the top 8 WWE Superstars who have had the most WrestleMania main event matches, which were then seeded by their numbers and then randomized for the bracket.

We're now down to the final round, so cast your votes below and decide which WWE Superstar wins!

MATCHES IN ROUND 3

John Cena vs. Roman Reigns

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Click here to open the direct link in a new window if you are unable to view it. Next week, the tournament will continue with Round 3 and the finals.

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

While most people are concerning themselves with March Madness, we here at Smark Out Moment present to you the 2024 SMARK MADNESS tournament instead!

For the eighth edition, and with WrestleMania 40 about to put Roman Reigns in a whole new level for having the most WrestleMania main events of all time, the question is simple: who is the top WrestleMania main-eventer ever? Is it Roman for what he's about to do? Is it Hulk Hogan for having the current record? Does quality trump quantity?

This list was narrowed down to the top 8 WWE Superstars who have had the most WrestleMania main event matches, which were then seeded by their numbers and then randomized for the bracket.

With Round 1 out of the way, we're down to the semifinals. Cast your votes below and decide what moves on to Round 3!

MATCHES IN ROUND 2

John Cena vs. The Rock
Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Click here to open the direct link in a new window if you are unable to view it. Next week, the tournament will continue with Round 3 and the finals.

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

While most people are concerning themselves with March Madness, we here at Smark Out Moment present to you the 2024 SMARK MADNESS tournament instead!

For the eighth edition, and with WrestleMania 40 about to put Roman Reigns in a whole new level for having the most WrestleMania main events of all time, the question is simple: who is the top WrestleMania main-eventer ever? Is it Roman for what he's about to do? Is it Hulk Hogan for having the current record? Does quality trump quantity?

This list was narrowed down to the top 8 WWE Superstars who have had the most WrestleMania main event matches, which were then seeded by their numbers and then randomized for the bracket.

We are kicking things off with Round 1's set of matches. Cast your votes below and decide what moves on to Round 2!

MATCHES IN ROUND 1

Hulk Hogan vs. John Cena
The Rock vs. Triple H
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar
The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Click here to open the direct link in a new window if you are unable to view it. Next week, the tournament will continue with Round 2 and the semifinals.

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

Welcome to the end of the sixth annual Smark Out Moment 2023 CHAMPSGIVING tournament!

This edition focuses on determining who is the best tag team that, unfortunately, NEVER won a tag team title within WWE.

After all the rounds, the final came down to Bret Hart and Owen Hart against Big Cass and Enzo Amore. Now that the results are in, we have a victor. With a score of 71% (22 votes) over 29% (9 votes), BRET HART AND OWEN HART have been declared your winners!

Check out the full bracket (direct link) along with some statistics and analysis below:

CLOSEST CALL

You can't get closer than a tie, which is what happened in Round 2 with The Divas of Doom (Beth Phoenix and Natalya) tying 50/50 with The Bella Twins.

BIGGEST LANDSLIDE VICTORY

Razor Ramon and 1-2-3 Kid demolished Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon in the first round with 100% of the votes. The same happened with Bret Hart and Owen Hart squashing Ultimate Maniacs in Round 1 with 100% of the votes, too, as well as Big Cass and Enzo Amore getting 100% over The Beverly Brothers

BIGGEST SHOCKERS

I'm honestly surprised Bret and Owen won this. I thought they might make it a round or two in, but that they'd lose to a more established "true tag team" and we'd have something more like Cryme Tyme in the finals against Big Cass and Enzo, or the Bella Twins. Seeing Nikki and Brie tie with Nattie and Beth was a bit shocking, too, to be honest.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THESE RESULTS?
TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

Welcome to round 5 of the sixth annual Smark Out Moment 2023 CHAMPSGIVING tournament!

This edition focuses on determining who is the best tag team that, unfortunately, NEVER won a tag team title within WWE.

The results from Round 4 are in and the winners are as follows (and can be found in more detail here):

Bret Hart and Owen Hart defeated Cryme Tyme
Big Cass and Enzo Amore defeated The Bella Twins

We are now on Round 5, which is the finals! Cast your votes below and decide what wins this year's tournament!

FINAL MATCH FOR ROUND 5

Bret Hart and Owen Hart vs. Big Cass and Enzo Amore

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Next week, the winner of the tournament will be announced.

DIRECT LINK TO VOTING POLL | DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

Welcome to round 4 of the sixth annual Smark Out Moment 2023 CHAMPSGIVING tournament!

This edition focuses on determining who is the best tag team that, unfortunately, NEVER won a tag team title within WWE.

The results from Round 3 are in and the winners are as follows (and can be found in more detail here):

Cryme Tyme defeated Razor Ramon and 123 Kid
Bret Hart and Owen Hart defeated The Real Americans
Big Cass and Enzo Amore defeated Rhodes Scholars
The Bella Twins defeated Trish Stratus & Lita and Divas of Doom

We are now on Round 4's set of matches. Cast your votes below and decide what moves on to Round 5!

MATCHES IN ROUND 4 - FINAL FOUR

Cryme Tyme vs. Bret Hart and Owen Hart
Big Cass and Enzo Amore vs. Bella Twins

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Next week, the tournament will continue with round 5.

DIRECT LINK TO VOTING POLL | DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

Welcome to round 3 of the sixth annual Smark Out Moment 2023 CHAMPSGIVING tournament!

This edition focuses on determining who is the best tag team that, unfortunately, NEVER won a tag team title within WWE.

The results from Round 2 are in and the winners are as follows (and can be found in more detail here):

Cryme Tyme defeated The Rockers
 Razor Ramon and 123 Kid defeated The Funks
The Real Americans defeated The Powers of Pain
Bret Hart and Owen Hart defeated The Mega Powers
Rhodes Scholars defeated The Bushwhackers
Big Cass and Enzo Amore defeated The Orient Express
Trish Stratus and Lita defeated Fire & Desire
Divas of Doom tied with The Bella Twins

We are now on Round 3's set of matches. Cast your votes below and decide what moves on to Round 4!

MATCHES IN ROUND 3 - ELITE EIGHT

Cryme Tyme vs. Razor Ramon and 1-2-3 Kid
Real Americans vs. Bret Hart and Owen Hart
Rhodes Scholars vs. Big Cass and Enzo Amore
Trish Stratus and Lita vs. Divas of Doom (Beth Phoenix and Natalya) vs. Bella Twins

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THESE RESULTS?
TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Next week, the tournament will continue with round 4.

DIRECT LINK TO VOTING POLL | DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET

Welcome to round 2 of the sixth annual Smark Out Moment 2023 CHAMPSGIVING tournament!

This edition focuses on determining who is the best tag team that, unfortunately, NEVER won a tag team title within WWE.

The results from Round 1 are in and the winners are as follows (and can be found in more detail here):

The Rockers defeated The Killer Bees
Cryme Tyme defeated Highlanders
The Funks defeated Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin
 Razor Ramon and 123 Kid defeated Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon
The Real Americans defeated The Twin Towers
The Powers of Pain defeated The Mega Maniacs
The Mega Powers defeated Heavy Machinery
Bret Hart and Owen Hart defeated The Ultimate Maniacs
Rhodes Scholars defeated The Allied Powers
The Bushwhackers defeated Power & Glory
Big Cass and Enzo Amore defeated The Beverly Brothers
The Orient Express defeated The Fabulous Rougeaus
Trish Stratus and Lita defeated The Sky Pirates
Fire & Desire defeated The Riott Squad
Divas of Doom defeated LayCool
The Bella Twins defeated Nia Jax and Tamina Snuka

We are now on Round 2's set of matches. Cast your votes below and decide what moves on to Round 3!

MATCHES IN ROUND 2

Rockers vs. Cryme Tyme vs. Highlanders
Funks vs. Razor Ramon and 1-2-3 Kid
Real Americans vs. Powers of Pain
Mega Powers vs. Bret Hart and Owen Hart
Rhodes Scholars vs. Bushwackers
Big Cass and Enzo Amore vs. Orient Express
Trish Stratus and Lita vs. Fire & Desire (Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville)
Divas of Doom (Beth Phoenix and Natalya) vs. Bella Twins

TELL US WHAT YOU VOTED FOR AND WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

Vote on your favorites in the Google Form below. Next week, the tournament will continue with round 3.

DIRECT LINK TO VOTING POLL | DIRECT LINK TO BRACKET