WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:05.839 The European Tour is over, and tonight WWE was in Montreal. 2 00:00:06.519 --> 00:00:08.839 They were at the Bell Center on the eve of 3 00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:12.759 Saturday Night's main event with as quiet a crowd, as 4 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:16.640 quiet a Canadian crowd as I have ever seen. Not 5 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:18.879 that they were given a whole lot to be excited about. 6 00:00:18.920 --> 00:00:20.920 They weren't. I don't blame the crowd. I love my 7 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:25.160 fans up in Canada, the best wrestling fans, A lot 8 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:27.399 of the best wrestling fans you will find them in Canada. 9 00:00:28.440 --> 00:00:30.120 But tonight they really didn't have a whole lot to 10 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:33.560 get excited about. You know, we are heading into the 11 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:36.280 Royal Rumble, which is not tomorrow, but it is a 12 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:40.079 week from tomorrow. This is and I can sit here 13 00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:42.479 and say this, I mean, I go back in my 14 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:47.560 brain and try to figure out a different answer to this. 15 00:00:47.560 --> 00:00:52.359 This is the worst and weakest build to a Royal 16 00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:57.960 Rumble since the early ones, really since the first two. 17 00:00:58.359 --> 00:01:02.679 I would say this is the worst Royal Rumble build 18 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:06.640 in decades and the Royal and it pains me to 19 00:01:06.680 --> 00:01:09.040 say that because the Royal Rumble is my favorite show 20 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:12.599 of the year, more than WrestleMania, more than SummerSlam, more 21 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:15.480 than any of the other ones. So the build to 22 00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:19.120 the Royal Rumble has not been good. Before we get 23 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:22.159 to the Royal Rumble, though, we have Saturday Nights Made Event, 24 00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:25.319 we have four matches. We had three, now we have 25 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:29.120 four on the card for tomorrow, and that will be 26 00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:32.439 on Peacock. Outside the US, I guess it would be 27 00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:35.760 on Netflix, I believe, but here in the States it'll 28 00:01:35.799 --> 00:01:40.480 be on the Cock. And so tonight that really is 29 00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:45.319 what the show was primarily geared towards, you know, keying 30 00:01:45.400 --> 00:01:48.000 up the key matches for Saturday Nights Made Event tomorrow. 31 00:01:49.280 --> 00:01:53.560 But I've been very complimentary of SmackDown over the last 32 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:57.560 few weeks. In fact, since they moved back to three hours, 33 00:01:57.640 --> 00:02:01.319 I would say that for the last few weeks it 34 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:04.640 has not felt like three hours. They've done a pretty 35 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:10.080 good job of diversifying the segments and getting new faces 36 00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:13.759 on the show and keeping the show interesting enough to 37 00:02:13.840 --> 00:02:16.800 where you don't really feel like, oh man, this show 38 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:19.360 is a slog. Oh man, this show feels like it's 39 00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:22.520 just never gonna end. Right, Well, the streak is over. 40 00:02:23.960 --> 00:02:27.000 The streak is over. I cannot sit here and say 41 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:29.199 that about tonight show. Tonight's shows felt like it was 42 00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:34.360 four hours long. That's what this show felt like. This 43 00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:39.360 show felt every bit of those three hours. It really 44 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:41.479 hit me when they send Drew McIntyre out there to 45 00:02:41.479 --> 00:02:45.159 do that promo, and I'm like, well, it was a 46 00:02:45.319 --> 00:02:47.840 way to eat up some time here on a three 47 00:02:47.879 --> 00:02:52.000 hour shows as pointless as Drew McIntyre promo as you 48 00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:54.159 will ever say. And I like seeing Drew McIntyre on 49 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:56.719 the show generally when he has something of substance to do. 50 00:02:56.800 --> 00:02:58.800 Tonight was not one of those nights, at least not 51 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:02.520 in that particular segment. I will also point out to 52 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:05.479 you that four of the six matches that we had 53 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:08.960 on the show tonight ended with some sort of interference, 54 00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:13.599 someone getting involved, someone causing it to squalify k or 55 00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:17.080 whatever it was. Four of the six matches tonight. We 56 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:19.280 do have a new match added to Saturday Night's made event. 57 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:21.879 The reason that Aj Styles was invited to the show 58 00:03:21.879 --> 00:03:24.719 tonight by Nick Aldis had to do with a match 59 00:03:25.639 --> 00:03:30.159 that aj will now have tomorrow against Shinsky Nakamore, an 60 00:03:30.199 --> 00:03:33.919 old rival of his even pre WWE. But in WWE 61 00:03:33.919 --> 00:03:36.039 they had many matches. They had a WrestleMania match was 62 00:03:36.039 --> 00:03:39.840 a very disappointing WrestleMania match, but they had a WrestleMania match, 63 00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:41.960 which is hard to believe it was eight years ago, 64 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:45.680 but it was. And so now aj and Nakamura will 65 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:48.560 have what I presume will end up being their final 66 00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:51.719 match together, and that will take place tomorrow, and I 67 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:54.439 think that's cool. You know, one more time at least 68 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:57.439 on TV, one more time in the ring together. Right, 69 00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:00.479 These two guys in the past have had some and 70 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:03.199 they had at least that one classic match. I wouldn't 71 00:04:03.240 --> 00:04:06.639 call any of their WWE matches classic, but certainly the 72 00:04:06.680 --> 00:04:10.439 match they had in New Japan that was a classic match. 73 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:14.199 So that brings the card tomorrow up from three matches 74 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:17.680 to four. We also had a segment. This was the 75 00:04:17.720 --> 00:04:20.439 best thing on the entire show. It was not a match, 76 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:22.879 It did not even happen in front of the live audience. 77 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:25.600 It was to sit down interview that Michael Cole was 78 00:04:25.639 --> 00:04:29.959 to have conducted with Cody Rhads and it was hijacked 79 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:33.360 very early on by Jacob Fatu. So we had a 80 00:04:33.399 --> 00:04:36.199 face to face between Cody and Fa Twu stemming from 81 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:38.360 their recent issues. Of course, it goes back to the 82 00:04:38.360 --> 00:04:40.839 cage match at the end of three stages of hell 83 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:43.839 when Jacob returned and he ended up costing Cody the 84 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:48.199 WWE Championship, and then last week they were just going 85 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:50.279 after each other. They had to be pulled apart, so 86 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:52.319 they're going to have a match tomorrow. The face to 87 00:04:52.360 --> 00:04:55.360 face between them on this show. That more than anything 88 00:04:55.399 --> 00:04:58.199 else that they did, sold me on that match on 89 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:00.439 that show and me wanting to tune in to see 90 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:05.040 that tomorrow. It was the best Jacob Fatu promo that 91 00:05:05.079 --> 00:05:08.079 he's been involved in since he joined the company. And 92 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:09.639 the thing that stands out to me and the thing 93 00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:13.240 I love about Fatu when you are able to get 94 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:16.639 him in a situation like this, there is an authenticity 95 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:19.800 there that not very many people have. There are people 96 00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:23.839 who have it. Ceampunk is one of those people. But 97 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:26.399 there's just an authenticity to the way that he carries 98 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:29.040 himself and he speaks, and he cuts a promo where 99 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:31.800 it doesn't feel like he's on television playing a character. 100 00:05:31.879 --> 00:05:35.600 It doesn't feel like he's on the show playing a part. 101 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:38.199 It doesn't feel like he's on the show trying to 102 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:41.759 remember his lines. It really feels like what you see 103 00:05:41.800 --> 00:05:45.560 is what you get. This is the real authentic hymn 104 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:50.879 and are we going to get the menace Jacob Fatu 105 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:54.240 who's just raging out of control tomorrow or are we 106 00:05:54.279 --> 00:05:58.600 going to get the more sort of measured, calculated Fatu 107 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:00.879 that he teased at the end of his promo. So 108 00:06:00.920 --> 00:06:02.439 I was a big fan of what they did with 109 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:04.519 the two of them. I'm looking forward to that match. 110 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:07.720 That was the highlight of the show for me, outside 111 00:06:07.720 --> 00:06:10.240 of the US Title Open Challenge, because we had yet 112 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:14.680 another match between Carmelo Hayes and Ilyya Draganov which ended 113 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:18.040 with the Miz getting it. We got a winner, but 114 00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:21.560 it ended with the Miz sticking his nose in and 115 00:06:21.639 --> 00:06:25.040 getting involved in the match. And oh yeah, by the way, 116 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:28.160 I haven't even mentioned the fact that we have new 117 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:30.879 WWE Tag Team champions and I could not give a 118 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:35.079 single solitary shit. That was the worst thing on the 119 00:06:35.240 --> 00:06:39.000 entire show. We'll talk about that. Why this is your 120 00:06:39.079 --> 00:06:44.079 Friday Night SmackDown review. It is January twenty third, twenty 121 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:48.879 twenty six. I am the solea Monster Like and subscribe. 122 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:52.199 Super chats are open. We have a goal. I see 123 00:06:52.240 --> 00:06:54.439 we're already ticking up on the goal. That's good to see. 124 00:06:54.879 --> 00:06:57.040 We're gonna hang out and entertain ourselves, I think more 125 00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:01.240 than we did being entertained by WWE ten. Because this 126 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:04.920 was not a great show. And since we were talking 127 00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:07.480 about Saturday Night's main event, I should point out that 128 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:11.240 I will be live tomorrow night. You get another podcast 129 00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:13.879 out of me this weekend, because as soon as Saturday 130 00:07:13.959 --> 00:07:16.680 Night's main event is over, you can come back to 131 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:19.800 the channel. Here. We'll talk about all four matches on 132 00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:23.519 this very stacked card tomorrow night. But that one right there, 133 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:26.560 Cody and Fatu, that is the one that I am 134 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:30.160 looking forward to the most. So it's an eight pm 135 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:33.519 Saturday Night's main event, so I'll probably be live but 136 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:35.560 around the same time I am tonight, probably a little 137 00:07:35.560 --> 00:07:39.680 bit earlier, maybe eleven ish, So hopefully I will see 138 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:41.560 you guys there. And now let's get into this show. 139 00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:44.199 Three fucking hours of this, let's not waste any more time. Here. 140 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:47.879 They were in Montreal and Sam bey'z aan was the 141 00:07:47.879 --> 00:07:51.439 hometown boy, so of course he got a Heroes welcome 142 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:54.399 coming out to open the show. He addressed the crowd 143 00:07:54.399 --> 00:07:57.360 in French before he said that he felt like he 144 00:07:57.439 --> 00:08:01.000 had all the momentum heading into tomorrow night because he 145 00:08:01.079 --> 00:08:04.120 had a chance to become the number one contender for 146 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:08.519 the WWE Championship. Isaac, Yes, you know, I did want 147 00:08:08.560 --> 00:08:12.480 to mention that we actually do. We have a hell 148 00:08:12.519 --> 00:08:16.160 of a storm. That's I'm not talking about Jade Cargill. 149 00:08:16.199 --> 00:08:18.600 A storm is coming, like a real storm is coming. 150 00:08:19.319 --> 00:08:22.839 And you guys, wherever you may be, you may well 151 00:08:22.959 --> 00:08:26.680 have one coming your way too, because this thing is 152 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:29.720 just a freaking his weather is a monster right now. 153 00:08:29.720 --> 00:08:32.120 It's affecting so many different states, so many different parts 154 00:08:32.120 --> 00:08:36.240 of the country. Texas is affected, So wherever you may be, 155 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:39.240 And I did forget the wheel, thank you for reminding me. 156 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:41.559 We're going to spin the wheel as well, because I 157 00:08:41.559 --> 00:08:44.679 forgot to mention the likes. But I just wanted to say, 158 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:47.039 stay stafe wherever you may be. I always say that 159 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:50.399 the end of every podcast I do on Sunday. You know, 160 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:55.240 be well, stay safe, but definitely, wherever you are, don't 161 00:08:55.240 --> 00:08:57.960 go out if you don't have to. It's also fucking cold. 162 00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:03.600 There's some places where it's like twenty below, which is terrible. 163 00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:05.360 By the way, like here in New York, we're gonna 164 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:08.559 get pounded by the snow and then the temperatures are 165 00:09:08.600 --> 00:09:11.879 in like the teens, so that's not gonna help matters. 166 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:13.519 It'd be one thing if it was going to be 167 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:15.879 like in the upper thirties forties, you know that shit 168 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:18.200 starts to melt, But that's not going to happen here. 169 00:09:19.159 --> 00:09:21.600 So anyway, stay safe wherever you may be. Now, yes, 170 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:24.279 let's bring up the wheel o fun. I almost forgot 171 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:26.519 it because there was not a lot of fun to 172 00:09:26.600 --> 00:09:29.480 be had watching SmackDown tonight. But let's go ahead and 173 00:09:29.480 --> 00:09:31.080 take the wheel for a spin and find out what 174 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:37.080 the likeskull is it be the Booker tonight. We leave 175 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:41.519 it up to the wheel. Whatever it says goes here. 176 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:46.799 It is four hundred minimum, four hundred likes, and you 177 00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:49.159 guys will get your be the Booker later on here 178 00:09:49.159 --> 00:09:51.240 in the stream. Thank you for reminding me, by the way, 179 00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:57.559 So anyway, he was quickly interrupted samby Zane was by 180 00:09:57.919 --> 00:10:01.320 Trick Williams and william He said that he and Sammy 181 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:03.759 were not on the same level. Now. He called Zaane 182 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:06.600 mister too many chances, said that he knew how to 183 00:10:06.600 --> 00:10:10.559 get the job done, unlike Sammy. Reminding Sammy of his 184 00:10:10.679 --> 00:10:14.399 loss to Roman Reigns right here in Montreal for the 185 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:18.679 WWE Championship of the Elimination Chamber three years ago. So 186 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:21.360 Sammy acknowledged that Trick was right about his loss, and 187 00:10:21.399 --> 00:10:26.000 he admitted that Trick might be a future star. Might 188 00:10:26.039 --> 00:10:30.320 be Zayne said that he and Williams were nothing alike 189 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:33.519 and that Williams would be lucky to be half as 190 00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:35.440 good as he was five years down the line, and 191 00:10:35.480 --> 00:10:37.759 if Trick didn't like that, he could do something about 192 00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:41.759 it right now. So Williams refused that challenge. He had 193 00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:43.200 a lot of things on his mind. He has the 194 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:45.360 Damian Priest coming up, in fact, in the main event 195 00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:48.080 tonight on this show. He told Sammy that they could 196 00:10:48.080 --> 00:10:51.320 take care of business tomorrow night, and that brought out 197 00:10:51.399 --> 00:10:54.960 Damian Priest, who joined the other two in the ring, 198 00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:57.879 and Priest said that Williams was afraid of him because 199 00:10:57.879 --> 00:10:59.559 of the way that he didn't talk to his face 200 00:10:59.639 --> 00:11:02.240 last week, because of what he would do to him, 201 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:05.519 and Priest said that if Williams didn't want to say something, 202 00:11:05.519 --> 00:11:09.519 he could always do something. So Trick responded by asking 203 00:11:09.559 --> 00:11:12.000 if Priest thought that he was afraid to pop off, 204 00:11:12.279 --> 00:11:15.879 and he told Priest watch this, and then he hit 205 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:18.320 Sammy in the head with the microphone. He threw a 206 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:20.480 punch of Priest, who blocked it and fired back in 207 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:24.519 the corner. Sammy then approached and he went after Williams himself, 208 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:29.000 much to Damien's dismay, and in all the chaos, Williams 209 00:11:29.080 --> 00:11:31.399 shoved Priest into Sammy and then got the hell out 210 00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:35.279 of Dodge. So Trick Williams continues to shine in these 211 00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:38.600 types of segments. They're sending him out there live in 212 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:42.480 the ring with some big names, whether it be Randy Orton, 213 00:11:42.519 --> 00:11:45.240 whether it be Sammy's aying Damian Priest not as big 214 00:11:45.679 --> 00:11:48.600 as the other two, not as he doesn't have as 215 00:11:48.679 --> 00:11:50.720 much equity on the main roster yet as the other 216 00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:52.799 two do. But these are all the big names on 217 00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:55.559 SmackDown now. It's not like he's hanging out every week 218 00:11:55.639 --> 00:11:58.799 with Johnny Gargano and Ray Phoenix. I mean, they have 219 00:11:58.919 --> 00:12:02.080 him in there with the heavy hitter and he just fits, 220 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:06.240 you know, he just feels like he belongs and that's 221 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:08.879 a good thing, and they're trusting him to put him 222 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:11.679 in a you know, in these types of situations. Obviously, 223 00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:14.559 he's in what I figure will be the main event 224 00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:17.240 of the show. Tomorrow. He was in the main event 225 00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:21.960 of the show tonight against Damian Priest, so they're putting 226 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:25.840 him in these situations. It's to test him, but also 227 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:28.360 because they think, hey, we really got something here and 228 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:32.159 let's see we need stars. They know we need heels. 229 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:34.879 I just talked about this on the sounduff last week 230 00:12:34.919 --> 00:12:37.919 when I was talking about the roster. Right the way 231 00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:40.080 the roster looks on Smackden, what do you do at 232 00:12:40.120 --> 00:12:44.200 Powerhouse Hobbs who is officially signed now to WWE. Do 233 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:47.399 you send him to NXT first? Because NXT just got 234 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:51.240 rated right, they could use someone like him in NXT. 235 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:55.840 He would do well in NXT, but fuck that, they 236 00:12:55.879 --> 00:13:00.279 need him on SmackDown. SmackDown needs heels because out side 237 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:03.360 of Drew McIntyre and Trick Williams and maybe Alistair Black, 238 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:07.639 they ain't got none. I'm sorry we have solo Socoa 239 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:11.639 forgot about him. It's pretty dire on the heel side 240 00:13:11.720 --> 00:13:15.080 right now. So that's that's a move I would love 241 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:17.519 to see. But Trick, they need Trick to step up 242 00:13:17.639 --> 00:13:21.000 because they need guys, and I think so far he's 243 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:23.399 doing very well and he's going to eat the pin 244 00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:29.919 from Sammy's Ain tomorrow night, Randy Orton was shown watching 245 00:13:29.960 --> 00:13:34.639 what just transpired and he was interviewed by Kathy Kelly. 246 00:13:35.399 --> 00:13:37.559 So Orton said that this year was the Year of 247 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:41.679 the Viper and he would win his fifteenth World championship 248 00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:44.440 tomorrow at Saturday Night's main event. He's going to beat 249 00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:47.840 Sammy's Ain, He's going to beat Damian Priest. He's gonna 250 00:13:47.879 --> 00:13:52.120 whoop that trick and then he's gonna fly halfway across 251 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:55.559 the world to Saudi Arabia to fight Drew McIntyre for 252 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:58.919 the title. And as he was cutting this probo, he 253 00:13:59.080 --> 00:14:01.879 was he was so intense and the delivery of this 254 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:05.080 promo like his veins were bulging out of their neck, 255 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:08.919 out of their neck, out of his neck, like he 256 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:11.879 had two snakes on each side, but his veins were 257 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:16.679 bulging out of his neck. It's all fired up. We 258 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:20.159 got footage from earlier today. I sound like big show 259 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:24.080 now in two thousand, after the Royal rumble. I've got footage. 260 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:30.639 I've got footage. We got footage of Carmelo Hayes running 261 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:33.840 into Ilia Dragonov backstage earlier in the day, and Dragonov 262 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:39.200 was sporting a nasty shiner after his very brutal battle 263 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:42.399 with Samu's ain say. He said, yeah, he was all 264 00:14:42.399 --> 00:14:45.879 beat up, and he kind of feigned that he wouldn't 265 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:48.799 be able to accept the invitation if he was extending 266 00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:52.320 the invitation to him for the open challenge tonight, But 267 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:54.639 it was just a put on. He smiled, and he said, 268 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:59.159 I'll see out there. So Dragonov left and the Mizz 269 00:14:59.679 --> 00:15:04.120 show up. So he was complaining about this generation of 270 00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:07.080 wrestlers being all soft and nice to each other. I 271 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:09.080 can't wait to go out there and have a great 272 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:12.039 match with you. I look forward to meeting you in 273 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:16.240 the ring. And he said that the problem with this 274 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:19.480 generation is that nobody hates each other anymore. And you 275 00:15:19.559 --> 00:15:23.279 know what I agree with that I agree with them 276 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:26.600 is one hundred percent. That is one of the things 277 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:29.399 that is missing from wrestling and missing from WWE these 278 00:15:29.480 --> 00:15:32.200 days as compared to certain other eras that we have had, 279 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:37.360 where either a you have legitimately had top level guys 280 00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:40.559 that clearly do not like each other and sometimes that 281 00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:43.759 kind of spills over onto the screen, or at least 282 00:15:43.799 --> 00:15:47.360 they do such a good job of making you believe 283 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:50.840 that they don't like each other. And there really is 284 00:15:50.879 --> 00:15:53.320 a lot of real like it comes across as like 285 00:15:53.399 --> 00:15:56.759 real hatred and friction between the top four or five 286 00:15:56.840 --> 00:15:59.399 guys on the show. We don't have that anymore, We 287 00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:01.440 really don't. We kind of had that with CM Punk 288 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:05.000 and Drew McIntyre last year, but we really don't have 289 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:07.480 enough of that anymore. And it really is more like, hey, 290 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:09.440 you know, let's go out there and steal the show 291 00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:14.600 and have a banger match when you know, give me both, 292 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:21.919 give me banger matches and give me hatred. What's so 293 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:27.879 wrong about giving both to the audience. Give me some 294 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:33.039 banging hatred. So Miz asked, Hey, what dragonov Ever did 295 00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:36.320 for him? Hayes said the dragonov gave him more of 296 00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:41.840 an opportunity than Miz Ever did. Lucky Dog says, I 297 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:45.480 refuse to agree with the Miz and anything I'm doing. 298 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:52.000 I'm telling you he's right on this. He's right on this. 299 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:56.080 You know. The problem is, though, we live in an 300 00:16:56.120 --> 00:17:01.000 age where we have things like wwe unreal, So you're 301 00:17:01.039 --> 00:17:03.039 never going to be able to have that. It's just 302 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:07.759 it's gone. It's gone. It's it's gone. Every now and 303 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:10.079 then you'll get the odd feud that will come along, 304 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:12.920 like a punkin MacIntyre. That does really make you believe. 305 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:16.359 So it's not impossible to pull it off, but they 306 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:18.440 just make it so. They just make it so much 307 00:17:18.519 --> 00:17:23.680 more difficult with each passing year. So he had Carmelo 308 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:27.359 Hayes against Ilia Dragonoff for the United States Championship and 309 00:17:27.400 --> 00:17:32.119 the Open Challenge. Within the first I would say three 310 00:17:32.200 --> 00:17:36.920 minutes of this match, dragon Off was already bleeding. Looked 311 00:17:36.920 --> 00:17:40.599 like he was bleeding like above the eye over here somewhere, 312 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:45.000 and I'm just like, I swear this man has thinner 313 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:48.519 skin than Rick Fly, like literally thinner skin, because that's 314 00:17:48.519 --> 00:17:51.480 why Flair bleeds so easily. His skin on his forehead 315 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:55.440 is so thin. He's got thinner skin than Flair does. 316 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:58.960 Because every match, you could if there's one thing you 317 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:01.759 could count on, and it's not quite the same as 318 00:18:01.799 --> 00:18:06.880 like John Moxley in aw where he's either on camera 319 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:10.799 sometimes just slicing himself open, or he's throwing himself onto 320 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:13.599 a board with barbed wire and broken glass, right, that's 321 00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:16.079 a little bit different. But in this case, like he 322 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:18.480 just he lays his shit in. He expects his opponent 323 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:21.599 to do the same. He's very intense and you can 324 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:25.880 set your watch to it that pretty much nine times, 325 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:28.759 if not ten times out of ten, in an Ilia 326 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:32.400 Dragonov match, he will be bleeding. He will be bleeding 327 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:37.960 from somewhere, usually his face somewhere, and this match was 328 00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:40.799 no different. So he got an early first forty eight 329 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:46.119 attempt from Hayes. Mellow avoided a Constantine's Special before trying 330 00:18:46.119 --> 00:18:49.519 for the springboard clothesline, but that got dodged. Both men 331 00:18:49.559 --> 00:18:52.319 were on the apron. Dragonov battered him against the ring 332 00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:55.839 post and he went into the ring, and then he 333 00:18:55.960 --> 00:18:59.640 suplexed him back from the apron all the way into 334 00:18:59.640 --> 00:19:03.680 the ring. Later on, Dragonov blocked a suplex attempt and 335 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:05.640 then hit Hayes in the back of the head with 336 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:09.960 a hard actually multiple hard elbows. Hayes tried for an 337 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:13.359 answer in response, but he got blasted by the Constantine Special. 338 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:17.079 The champion somehow kicked out. Hayes was trapped in the 339 00:19:17.079 --> 00:19:20.359 corner and Dragonov was looking to go coast to coast. Hayes, 340 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:23.680 though tried to block it with the first forty eight. Dragonov, 341 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:27.359 though he was on top of that and he caught Hayes, 342 00:19:28.039 --> 00:19:32.039 muscled him up, power bombed him, and then they went 343 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:35.799 to their second commercial break. Here in this match. So 344 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:38.640 after the break, Dragonov hit a dead lift superplex. He 345 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:41.440 covered Hayes only for two. Both men now ended up 346 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:45.359 on the apron. Dragonov encouraged Hayes to hit him. He 347 00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:47.079 wanted him to hit him, and then you just hear 348 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:50.000 Hayes go, what's wrong with you? Which is a valid question. 349 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:53.680 So they trade strikes. Hayes turned to supplex into a 350 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:56.480 cutter on the apron, and then both men tumbled to 351 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:59.359 the floor. Back inside, Dragonov cut Hayes off on the ropes. 352 00:20:00.119 --> 00:20:02.720 He pulled him onto his shoulders before hitting a death 353 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:06.880 valley driver right into the turnbuckles. Dragonov went up top 354 00:20:07.480 --> 00:20:11.960 when the Miz showed up, which I guess they sort 355 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:15.200 of teased before this match that this might happen. So 356 00:20:15.279 --> 00:20:19.200 the Mis shows up at ringside. He shoves Dragonov off 357 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:22.039 the ropes. While the referees attention he was occupied with 358 00:20:22.119 --> 00:20:24.440 Carmelo Hayes and neither of them were aware of what 359 00:20:24.519 --> 00:20:28.279 was going on here, and as he fell off the ropes, 360 00:20:28.359 --> 00:20:31.480 Dragonov got clotheslined over the top rope on his way down. 361 00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:34.799 Hayes then hit the first forty eight and he scored 362 00:20:34.839 --> 00:20:38.519 the pin while the Miz applauded from the floor. I 363 00:20:38.599 --> 00:20:43.480 do have to say that first forty eight cell by 364 00:20:43.559 --> 00:20:48.079 Dragonov was a fucking work of art, just an absolute 365 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:51.960 I got to applaud, just an absolute work of art. 366 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:56.400 This dude bounced up so high. He basically power bombed himself, 367 00:20:56.640 --> 00:20:58.480 is what he did. And I was so happy that 368 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:01.039 that was the finish. And they didn't just have mellow 369 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:03.440 then go up to do the nothing, but net like 370 00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:05.799 that right there, you don't need to do anything else. 371 00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:09.519 That's it. That should be the finish, and it was, 372 00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:12.319 and it was really the perfect way to end the match. 373 00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:18.519 Cheap interference from the Miz notwithstanding. But another great match 374 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:20.720 here from these two. You know, they just they bring 375 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:23.319 out the best in each other. Some guys they do that, 376 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:25.559 you know. And you could just see them work every 377 00:21:25.559 --> 00:21:28.119 single night and they'll deliver each and every single time. 378 00:21:28.599 --> 00:21:30.680 These two have that kind of chemistry together. It was 379 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:34.160 hard hitting, but every Ilia Dragonov match is hard hitting. 380 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:37.240 That's why he fucking bleeds. But for the lame run 381 00:21:37.240 --> 00:21:40.759 in by the Miz, I gotta take a point off. 382 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:45.079 I gotta do it now. Dragonov feels like he's kind 383 00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:48.599 of stuck now where he's not going to be wrestling for, 384 00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:52.519 you know, the World Heavyweight Championship anytime soon. He could 385 00:21:52.519 --> 00:21:54.599 have been in that mix had he qualified for the 386 00:21:54.599 --> 00:21:57.000 four way tomorrow, but he got beat by Sammy's Aine. 387 00:21:57.039 --> 00:22:01.359 So now we're heading into WrestleMania season and I certainly 388 00:22:01.400 --> 00:22:03.640 don't see a spot for him, you know, up in 389 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:05.720 that play, which is fine that hopefully that will come 390 00:22:05.799 --> 00:22:07.920 later on, but then it's like, all right, well, then 391 00:22:08.839 --> 00:22:11.400 where does he end up? Because I don't think they're 392 00:22:11.400 --> 00:22:13.400 just going to put the US title back on him. 393 00:22:14.039 --> 00:22:15.839 But he's still kind of in that mix. But he 394 00:22:15.880 --> 00:22:18.720 can't just keep wrestling. He can't keep doing open challenges 395 00:22:18.759 --> 00:22:20.799 with him every few weeks, right, you got to move 396 00:22:20.839 --> 00:22:22.839 on to something else, whatever it is that they move 397 00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:24.880 on to with him. I hope that they have something 398 00:22:24.920 --> 00:22:29.960 good for him to do going into WrestleMania season. With 399 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:31.880 any luck, maybe he'll end up with a spot on 400 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:34.160 the card. I think it's it's probably now looking too 401 00:22:34.200 --> 00:22:37.240