WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.480 --> 00:00:06.040 Welcome to the WWE Podcast, your place for the most 2 00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:08.439 passionate wrestling analysis on the web. 3 00:00:08.759 --> 00:00:13.199 Just turn Roman Heel. What is WWE Waiting for? Another 4 00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:15.199 wrestling podcast put you to sleep? 5 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:19.440 You can count on the WWE Podcast to get you 6 00:00:19.519 --> 00:00:21.640 engaged and asking for more. 7 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:24.600 I've been watching wrestling for over twenty years and that 8 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:27.120 was one of the best matches I've ever seen. 9 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:29.920 If you're easily offended, this may not be the show 10 00:00:29.960 --> 00:00:30.320 for you. 11 00:00:30.519 --> 00:00:33.600 Whatever happened to the men being able to physically retaliate 12 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:37.840 against the women in WWE, This is a fantasy environment. 13 00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:42.119 This is unlike any other wrestling analysis. So without any 14 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:46.759 further delay, let's get the show started right now. 15 00:00:47.560 --> 00:00:51.240 Welcome to the WWE Podcast. On this Thursday, June twentieth, 16 00:00:51.240 --> 00:00:56.119 twenty nineteen, the last day of spring, so summer actually 17 00:00:56.200 --> 00:00:59.880 starts tomorrow, longest day of the year for daylight anyway, 18 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.799 and after that, sadly, things start to turn the other 19 00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:07.879 way until we get to the winter beginning of winter 20 00:01:07.959 --> 00:01:11.400 in December. So longest day of the year tomorrow, Enjoy it. 21 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:13.719 It'll be light at least where I am until probably 22 00:01:13.719 --> 00:01:16.439 like you can see the sunlight up until nine p 23 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:21.280 fifteen at night. It's just nuts. So enjoy that and 24 00:01:21.799 --> 00:01:23.959 enjoy this podcast as well, because we have a great 25 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:26.280 one for you might be And I keep saying this, 26 00:01:26.359 --> 00:01:28.439 but I keep topping myself. The longest show in the 27 00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:32.439 history of the WWE podcast, my co host Anthony DeMarco 28 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:37.200 and I we chatted for over two hours about the 29 00:01:37.239 --> 00:01:42.079 status of WWE, the current product, Ron spack Down dove 30 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:43.879 a little bit into the past because a lot of 31 00:01:43.879 --> 00:01:46.359 the past is now relevant for what's going on now. 32 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:49.640 So some cool tidbits there, and of course we give 33 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:53.560 our predictions for the Stomping Grounds pay per view this Sunday, 34 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:55.640 so we get you all ready for that with some 35 00:01:55.799 --> 00:01:59.560 interesting selections and what is a pay per view that 36 00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:02.719 on paye looks very predictable, and so we've got a 37 00:02:02.719 --> 00:02:05.719 couple of swerve picks for you there and I think 38 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:08.560 you'll enjoy it. But again, guys, if, by the way, 39 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:10.599 if you guys don't like ads in the show and 40 00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:13.360 you're like, oh my god, too many ads. Easy way 41 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:15.639 to resolve that, Number one, you could just use your 42 00:02:15.639 --> 00:02:18.240 skip button on your phone, or you could get an 43 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:21.680 ad free experience for every single show that I've ever 44 00:02:21.719 --> 00:02:25.639 put out on Patreon and you go to patreon dot 45 00:02:25.639 --> 00:02:29.000 com slash WWE podcast and you can get all these 46 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:31.759 shows ad free. There's not one plug. It's just straight 47 00:02:32.199 --> 00:02:34.919 wrestling audio to your ears, and you just go to 48 00:02:34.919 --> 00:02:39.400 patreon dot com Patreon dot com slash WWE podcast and 49 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:41.879 it's just a dollar. A dollar will get you access 50 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:45.520 to like a zillion shows that I've done. Okay, not 51 00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:47.319 a zillion, that's not I don't even know if that's 52 00:02:47.319 --> 00:02:50.759 actually a numerical term, but a lot of shows that 53 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:53.159 I've done that are a completely ad free experience. So 54 00:02:53.199 --> 00:02:56.000 if you want ads to go away, there's your place 55 00:02:56.039 --> 00:02:59.000 to do it. So thank you guys once again for 56 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:02.520 joining me though, and please check out wwepodcast dot com, 57 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:05.360 where I have published numerous articles over the past couple 58 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:09.159 of days too talking about WWE, and I think you'll 59 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:12.280 enjoy them. It's always a good read, not coming from me, 60 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:14.800 not just my brain, other people's brains, which is a 61 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:18.000 good thing. And so the site is growing in content, 62 00:03:18.120 --> 00:03:21.000 it's growing in general. This podcast is growing, as you 63 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:23.400 guys know, and that's all thanks to you. So this 64 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:25.680 will be the final show of the week, but I'll 65 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:27.520 be starting a new week and just a few days 66 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:31.280 on Sunday, when I do my wrestling nostalgia and or 67 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:34.120 what if segment. I haven't decided yet, so what I've done, 68 00:03:34.840 --> 00:03:36.400 what I've decided to do, just so you guys know, 69 00:03:36.439 --> 00:03:39.840 my schedule is. On Sunday, I'll be doing my typical 70 00:03:39.879 --> 00:03:43.319 what if and or wrestling nostalgia segment, and then I 71 00:03:43.400 --> 00:03:46.039 will be taking Monday off from doing audio, and then 72 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:49.240 Tuesday I'll be doing a raw show. Wednesday I'll be 73 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:54.280 reviewing SmackDown Live. Thursday will be my typical co hosting spot, 74 00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:56.199 and then I'll take Friday and Saturday off, so you 75 00:03:56.199 --> 00:03:58.479 guys will get me four days a week. This week 76 00:03:58.520 --> 00:04:00.919 I did experiment with five. I think four is more 77 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:04.879 realistic for me just in terms of time, and I 78 00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:08.719 have other projects going on. So I think that Sunday, 79 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:13.159 Monday or Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. So Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 80 00:04:13.199 --> 00:04:18.000 Thursday will be your audio audio pleasure of wrestling, and 81 00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:21.079 so I'll be off three days a week, working four 82 00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:23.360 days a week for you. So just so you guys know, 83 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:26.199 and thank you guys for listening. Thank you guys for 84 00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:28.800 making this a great show, a big show, and much 85 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:31.480 more to come. As you guys know, this show is 86 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:34.759 just getting started, so no further Ado, Let's just get 87 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:38.439 you to the conversation with myself and Anthony and everybody. 88 00:04:38.600 --> 00:04:41.639 Enjoy your weekend. I'll be back Sunday. Take care. Okay, 89 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:45.360 welcome to the WWE podcast, and this week I have 90 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:48.360 my third co host in the rotating cast of three, 91 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:51.920 Anthony DeMarco, who is officially on the show as a 92 00:04:51.959 --> 00:04:54.800 co host for the first time, and it's a blast 93 00:04:54.800 --> 00:04:57.319 to have him here. So Anthony, welcome to the show, 94 00:04:57.399 --> 00:05:00.600 and congrats on being the official co host of the 95 00:05:00.680 --> 00:05:01.480 ww podcast. 96 00:05:02.040 --> 00:05:03.279 Thank you so much, Matt. 97 00:05:03.399 --> 00:05:06.240 It's a real honor to get this position. I'd just 98 00:05:06.279 --> 00:05:09.199 like to thank everyone who voiced their opinion, who supported 99 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:11.040 me and wanted to be wanted me to be a 100 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:11.920 permanent co host. 101 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:14.560 So thank you all, and especially thank you Matt. 102 00:05:15.079 --> 00:05:18.800 No, it's it's it's always great when I have an 103 00:05:18.839 --> 00:05:21.120 opinion that agrees with the masses. And you were one 104 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:22.560 of the three that people were like, oh, you got 105 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:23.800 to bring them back on, you got to make them 106 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:26.720 make him a co host. You guys had good chemistry, 107 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:29.000 and so I was like, yes, all right, so I 108 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:32.120 don't have to pick somebody that I was didn't feel 109 00:05:32.279 --> 00:05:34.560 was the best choice, and I got my wish. So 110 00:05:35.319 --> 00:05:37.160 it's a it's a blast to have you on and 111 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:39.680 we certainly don't have any shortage of things to talk 112 00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:42.759 about this week. There are a lot of things going 113 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:47.000 on in WWE. The some of them good, some of 114 00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:51.519 them not. With the lowest SmackDown rating in the history 115 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:55.560 of w WE, that's a non holiday. That is a 116 00:05:55.639 --> 00:05:59.519 telling tale sign for WE, and you can't really blame 117 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:02.079 it on any kind of sporting event. You can't blame 118 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:06.639 it on Memorial Day, fourth of July, and so we'll 119 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:09.879 get to smack Down live. But so ay, they let 120 00:06:09.879 --> 00:06:12.839 me just ask you this, out of this entire week 121 00:06:12.839 --> 00:06:15.560 in WWE, what are some of the things that really 122 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:18.120 stood out and that you're like, we need to talk 123 00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:18.560 about this. 124 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:22.040 Well, I think the biggest thing, and I'll start with 125 00:06:22.040 --> 00:06:25.839 a positive, is I actually like Seth Rollins's kind of 126 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:29.480 changing character with the chair shot the business that he's 127 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:32.560 on right now. It kind of adds a new element 128 00:06:32.680 --> 00:06:34.600 to his character. I feel like he was getting a 129 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:37.000 bit stale there for a bit and it was just 130 00:06:37.079 --> 00:06:39.279 kind of getting repetitive. But it kind of gives him 131 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:42.160 almost like a Steve Austin anti hero type of thing 132 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:45.959 that I'm really liking, and I guess and then on a. 133 00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:48.480 Bit on the negative side of it, it's. 134 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:51.480 Just kind of like the Shane McMahon in your face 135 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:53.959 over over and over and over and over and over 136 00:06:53.959 --> 00:06:57.000 and over again of raw and SmackDown. 137 00:06:57.079 --> 00:06:58.360 It's just the same thing. 138 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:02.199 It's like it's just getting repetitive a bit, and I'm 139 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:04.399 just kind of getting tired of it. So there's my 140 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:07.360 big positive and there's my big negatives for this week 141 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:08.879 so far, and. 142 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:10.920 So I want to touch on that. I mean, I 143 00:07:11.399 --> 00:07:14.800 I'm with you about the Shane McMahon deal. I was 144 00:07:14.839 --> 00:07:17.160 a proponent and still I am a proponent of Shane 145 00:07:17.240 --> 00:07:19.759 McMahon staying heel. I think he's doing a very good 146 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:22.519 job as a heel. But the problem is, Shane McMahon 147 00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:24.160 is not the future, right. Shane mcman' is a forty 148 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:26.879 nine year old son of the promoter who is the 149 00:07:27.759 --> 00:07:30.560 head of this stable that has no name that I 150 00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:33.439 know of that is that should be. And it's starting 151 00:07:33.480 --> 00:07:38.079 to transition to focusing on the wrestlers Drew McIntyre and 152 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:42.439 Elias who's just kind of there. So, yeah, I'm with 153 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:44.360 you about the Shane deal. I understand what they're going 154 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:48.199 for with the heat, but at some point this is 155 00:07:48.199 --> 00:07:49.800 going to need to come to an end. There needs 156 00:07:49.839 --> 00:07:52.199 to have a faction that stands up to them and 157 00:07:52.879 --> 00:07:56.040 just dismantles them and they all go their separate ways. 158 00:07:56.399 --> 00:07:58.720 But I'm with you on that. The chair the chair 159 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:01.519 shots with Seth Rollins, I'm all for too. I mean, 160 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:05.240 that was a nice change, a nice big difference from 161 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:07.160 what we have seen from Seth in the past of 162 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:10.079 just kind of like talking and there was no real aggression. 163 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:12.000 There was no sense of urgency from Seth. It felt 164 00:08:12.120 --> 00:08:16.480 like and he has seemingly snapped and become the chairman 165 00:08:16.600 --> 00:08:20.279 of WWE and gone around and just pummeled anybody that 166 00:08:20.360 --> 00:08:24.199 has thought about being a special guest referee for Baron Corbyn. 167 00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:27.920 So I really liked that aggressiveness from Seth to It 168 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:31.360 needed to be done. As you said, Seth has been 169 00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:35.679 feeling a bit stale and adding this to his character 170 00:08:36.360 --> 00:08:39.440 is just another layer that we need to see from Seth. 171 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:42.080 We needed that and I was glad to see it 172 00:08:42.080 --> 00:08:44.440 Monday night and obviously bleeding into Tuesday night. 173 00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:48.799 Yeah, and It brings almost like a realistic sense to 174 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:53.279 the character. Because anyone who's constantly being shadowed by a monster, 175 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:57.679 by a guy like brock lesnar and toyed with the 176 00:08:57.720 --> 00:09:01.039 potential cash, and then you have Baron Corbin just always 177 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:03.879 kind of like busting his balls in the background and 178 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:06.879 like taking cheap shots at him. So it makes sense 179 00:09:06.919 --> 00:09:11.480 that eventually any normal person would come to this conclusion 180 00:09:11.519 --> 00:09:14.879 where you would snap eventually. So I like that it 181 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:17.759 shows it's more like of a realistic feel from seth 182 00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:20.840 Rawlins as opposed to just the repetitiveness that were both 183 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:23.480 alluded to. But then to just go back to the 184 00:09:23.480 --> 00:09:26.360 shame thing a bit. I really do like what Chaine's doing. 185 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:29.600 I've always been a big Shane McMahon fan, and I 186 00:09:29.799 --> 00:09:32.799 like the whole faction thing. I think factions are kind 187 00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:35.720 of a lost art in the WWE these days, or 188 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:38.679 if they are, if they do get assembled, they're quickly 189 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:42.279 died out, like that awful faction the League of Nations 190 00:09:42.320 --> 00:09:44.960 way back in twenty fifteen or what was it. 191 00:09:45.559 --> 00:09:46.519 But yeah, I like it. 192 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:49.879 I like that now it's transitioning onto Drew McEntire. But 193 00:09:49.960 --> 00:09:50.919 I think just as a. 194 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:53.440 Result of this stupid wildcard rule. 195 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:55.879 It's kind of getting diluted a bit that we're seeing 196 00:09:55.879 --> 00:09:59.360 it on both shows for more than once per show. 197 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:01.679 So I just wish they would tone it down of 198 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:04.720 it because I loved the idea, I love the people 199 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:07.159 in it, I love McIntyre, I love the revival. 200 00:10:07.559 --> 00:10:09.600 But I just think it's getting a bit too diluted. 201 00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:12.480 And you mentioned wildcard. What are your thoughts on the 202 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:16.399 wild card I'm hearing a lot of conflicting opinions, very 203 00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:19.919 strong opinions one way and the other. What are your 204 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:21.240 thoughts on this wildcard rule? 205 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:26.120 If it was used to the pure definition of it, 206 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:29.799 just like three random wrestlers per week could go on, 207 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:33.320 maybe I could get behind it. Like I told you 208 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:35.200 the first time I was on the show, before I 209 00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:37.159 was a permanent co host, I grew up in the 210 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:40.440 ruthless aggression era, and that's when the brand split was 211 00:10:40.440 --> 00:10:44.200 in full force, and that was like, no one crossed 212 00:10:44.200 --> 00:10:47.879 over brands. The only only time you saw crossovers was 213 00:10:47.960 --> 00:10:51.159 at the Royal Rumble. Now I understand it's not like 214 00:10:51.240 --> 00:10:54.639 that anymore, but and I know they're more loosely with 215 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:55.840 the rules, So like I'm. 216 00:10:55.720 --> 00:10:57.120 Trying to be open to the idea. 217 00:10:57.200 --> 00:11:00.799 You know, times change, but it's not even random three 218 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:03.799 on each shows. It's now four or five or six, 219 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:06.080 and it's always the same four or five or six. 220 00:11:06.440 --> 00:11:09.559 They're just using the wild card to use the same 221 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:12.360 wrestlers weekend week out on both shows. 222 00:11:12.679 --> 00:11:13.759 It's not changing. 223 00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:17.720 It's always samy Ze going to SmackDown, Alexa Bliss going 224 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:20.480 to SmackDown, Drew going to smack down. It's always Roman 225 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:23.559 coming to Raw, Kevin Owen's coming to Raw, Bailey coming 226 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:26.440 to Raw. It's not being creative, and I thought the 227 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:30.360 whole point was to give more creativity to the writing 228 00:11:30.840 --> 00:11:33.360 and make it more unpredictable, but it's actually become the 229 00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:38.200 exact opposite. It's predictable, same thing, same thing, every week, 230 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:42.440 and I absolutely hate it, Honestly, I can't stand it. 231 00:11:42.919 --> 00:11:46.600 And we're not seeing other wrestlers being used, like we've 232 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:49.600 barely seen Cedric Alexander since he came up, and he 233 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:52.200 was supposed to be like the big graduation from cruiser 234 00:11:52.200 --> 00:11:54.960 Weight to Raw. So yeah, I just think it's done more. 235 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:55.440 Harm than good. 236 00:11:56.320 --> 00:12:00.559 And it's also I think an admission, although would never 237 00:12:00.600 --> 00:12:03.559 be admitted, but it's kind of in a subset admission 238 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:07.600 by WWE that they're of their failure to create big 239 00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:10.559 stars that can hold down both brands, so they have 240 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:13.039 to take their biggest stars and put them on both shows. 241 00:12:13.240 --> 00:12:16.039 And as you just said, you already know who's going 242 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:19.320 to be there. So this quote, this idea that the 243 00:12:19.320 --> 00:12:22.919 wild card is supposed to add this this unpredictability factor 244 00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:26.039 that anything could happen at any time, it's done the opposite, 245 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:28.559 because you know which stars are going to show up, 246 00:12:28.840 --> 00:12:31.759 and they've taken their top stars and just diluted the 247 00:12:31.919 --> 00:12:35.559 entire product with those stars, and now you've overexposed them 248 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:39.799 on both shows twice a week. So it's not you're 249 00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:42.360 doubling down on the problem by doing this, which is 250 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:45.600 it's really unbelievable when you think about it, that this 251 00:12:45.720 --> 00:12:47.799 rule was supposed to be doing the opposite of what 252 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:51.600 it's actually doing. And if it was, as you said, 253 00:12:51.720 --> 00:12:54.559 implemented to a t in the exact way that it 254 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:58.919 was meant to. Yes, this could be a very cool 255 00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:02.440 idea if NXT stars could do it. Have we seen 256 00:13:02.440 --> 00:13:05.120 an NXT star come up and utilize this wildcard rule? 257 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:08.440 I mean anybody? And furthermore, and I've said this before, 258 00:13:08.440 --> 00:13:09.919 and I won't get too much more into it, but 259 00:13:11.159 --> 00:13:14.559 how is this done. Nobody has explained to the fans 260 00:13:15.480 --> 00:13:18.799 how it's decided who shows up. They just I don't 261 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:21.399 understand as it first come for surf, first to the building. 262 00:13:21.519 --> 00:13:25.960 Nobody's explained this, so that furthermore is diluding this whole 263 00:13:25.960 --> 00:13:30.960 wild card thing, which is just it's nonsensical. But as 264 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:33.720 you said, I would love them to go back to 265 00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:37.200 totally sprint lands sprit split brands, I'll get it right. 266 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:41.200 And they just have one world living in it of itself, 267 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:44.960 and an island another island, and they never ever ever 268 00:13:45.080 --> 00:13:48.440 cross paths unless there's an absolute, big reason to do it. 269 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:51.840 Maybe it's WrestleMania. As you said, I remember when Goldberg 270 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:55.399 and brock Lesner were on separate brands, and I mean 271 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:57.000 back in two thousand and four when they had their 272 00:13:57.080 --> 00:13:59.639 terrible match of WrestleMania twenty. But I remember how crazy 273 00:13:59.639 --> 00:14:01.759 it was to see, oh my god, Goldberg's on SmackDown. 274 00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:04.039 He's not supposed to be here, and it just felt 275 00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:06.960 like it felt much more exciting when it genuinely felt 276 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:10.720 as if somebody was invading the other opposing brands show. 277 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:14.159 So we don't have that. Nothing surprising. You know who's 278 00:14:14.200 --> 00:14:16.799 gonna be there. And this whole thing is not even 279 00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:21.080 a wild card, it's just a it's a quasi brand split, 280 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:23.279 but really there's no brand split anymore. 281 00:14:23.320 --> 00:14:25.919 So no, yeah, and that's exactly it. 282 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:29.279 And it just feels like they knew the ratings were down, 283 00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:33.840 so they wanted a reason to get top superstars from both. 284 00:14:33.639 --> 00:14:36.879 Brands and just use them on Raw and smack them. 285 00:14:36.960 --> 00:14:39.559 Like look look at this past week on Raw Daniel 286 00:14:39.559 --> 00:14:43.360 Bryan Verus Eth Rollins of that kind of match, zero 287 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:47.080 build to it, no logic behind it, Like it makes 288 00:14:47.159 --> 00:14:49.240 no sense and you're just wasting it. And was it 289 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:52.000 a good entering, Matt, of course it was. It's two 290 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:54.960 of the best wrestlers there. But you're you're just wasting 291 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:58.600 this to get cheap ratings, in my opinion, because you 292 00:14:58.759 --> 00:15:02.320 advertise this big time match and I just I can't. 293 00:15:02.440 --> 00:15:04.759 I think you're you're a big proponent of this. 294 00:15:05.320 --> 00:15:08.559 I don't care if the match is super good, if 295 00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:12.759 the story is garbage or in this case, nonexistent, I'm 296 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:14.039 not gonna care about it. 297 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:15.000 I won't. 298 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:18.519 I've never been a big guy of like, Okay, well 299 00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:21.600 we'll throw two really technical guys together out of nowhere 300 00:15:21.679 --> 00:15:25.519 and you'll draw attention. No, I'll get behind a really 301 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:27.720 good story, even if I know that the in ring 302 00:15:27.799 --> 00:15:32.759 product won't be its best, Like Shane mcmah versus Vince 303 00:15:32.840 --> 00:15:36.639 McMahon at Wrestling in seventeen that like we knew that 304 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:39.919 the entering product wasn't gonna be too good, But I 305 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:42.440 to this day go back and watch that match because 306 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:45.200 I remember the build to it and the build of 307 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:48.240 Shane coming to his mother's aid and all this in 308 00:15:48.279 --> 00:15:51.559 the street fight and Dad versus Son and this and that, 309 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:54.480 and now with this wildcard rule, like except for like 310 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:58.399 the same stories of Roman against Shane or Alexa Bliss 311 00:15:58.399 --> 00:16:02.080 against Bailey, and then somehow, some way, Kevin Owens and 312 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:05.799 Sammy Zane always weasel their way in as just guys 313 00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:08.240 who lose. Because that's why I just feel like they 314 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:11.240 are now guys to put over the good guys. I 315 00:16:11.240 --> 00:16:15.200 don't know, it's just really bothersome to me that they're 316 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:18.159 just using this to be creative, but it's the opposite, 317 00:16:18.200 --> 00:16:20.200 and it's just the same thing weak in week out, 318 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:23.440 and just the stories have just gotten so diluted and 319 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:24.759 just poorly written. 320 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:27.600 And and we're not gonna beat it at horser but 321 00:16:27.879 --> 00:16:30.480 I yeah, I mean we've said everything there is to 322 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:32.799 say in terms of the wild card execution, and I 323 00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:35.279 don't think we're being unfair. This is just the truth. 324 00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:38.240 I mean, the fact that you can bring a team 325 00:16:38.279 --> 00:16:40.840 over and only consider them as one out of the 326 00:16:40.840 --> 00:16:45.600 four wild cards is preposterous, because why doesn't everybody just 327 00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:48.080 say they're a team, and oh, we're all just considered one. 328 00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:51.200 So I mean, like, it's just the ridiculousness of this 329 00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:52.919 and the fact that they don't ever take the time 330 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:56.759 to just give us basic details of how this works 331 00:16:56.480 --> 00:17:01.120 is maddening and insults fans intelligence. And it's lazy, sloppy 332 00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:05.759 booking to allow themselves leeway to book however they want 333 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:09.000 without regulation, to fit whatever story they want to fit 334 00:17:09.039 --> 00:17:11.240 at the time, even if there's no parameters for it. 335 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:15.119 It's it's the worst possible storytelling that you could make 336 00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:18.240 if you're if you're an author of any book. It's 337 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:21.319 just terrible. So moving on, though I want to, I'm 338 00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:22.799 going to move away from this because I could, I 339 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:24.400 could run about the wildcard for a while. I'm not 340 00:17:24.440 --> 00:17:28.359 gonna do that. So what about Dolf Ziggler. Do you 341 00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:31.319 are you are you thinking like, hey, does Dolf Ziggler 342 00:17:31.359 --> 00:17:33.559 even belong in the main event picture? Do you think 343 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:36.319 that Dolf Ziggler is deserving? Do you like that he 344 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:38.839 is saying it should have been me? What's your take 345 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:40.799 on Ziggler and Kofi Kingston. 346 00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:44.519 Oh? Well, I've always like Dolf Ziggler. 347 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:48.799 I I because I he's kind of a diverse character. 348 00:17:48.920 --> 00:17:51.400 You can kind of give him anything and he'll spin 349 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:54.720 it into gold if you will. But I, as we 350 00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:56.440 talked about when I came on the show about a 351 00:17:56.440 --> 00:17:59.599 month ago, I really liked at the beginning, I feel 352 00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:01.960 like it this should have been me saying the promos. 353 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:02.680 It's starting to. 354 00:18:02.599 --> 00:18:07.000 Get a little bit repetitive, but I still like it. 355 00:18:07.160 --> 00:18:08.960 But even though he's kind of referring back to like 356 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:12.799 his screaming thing now the one thing about Golf, And 357 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:15.440 I'm happy that he's getting a second match because I 358 00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:17.160 thought it was just gonna be a one and done 359 00:18:17.400 --> 00:18:21.279 in a Super Showdown, But I still feel like he's 360 00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:25.000 just a placeholder challenger, and it just it gets that 361 00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:28.480 feeling because he doesn't really like even though he's the 362 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:32.079 number one contender for the w Championship, He's still kind 363 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:34.720 of just on the side of it. Like he comes 364 00:18:34.759 --> 00:18:37.039 out at the first segment of the show, he wrestles 365 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:39.680 a match against Zavier Woods and he's done, and then 366 00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:42.200 the guy who he's challenging for the belt on Sunday 367 00:18:42.599 --> 00:18:45.319 is often a completely irrelevant tag team match. 368 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:47.279 So even though I. 369 00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:50.200 Like for the most part what he's doing, and I 370 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:53.000 think that he should have been there, no pun intended, 371 00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:55.640 even though I think that he belongs to be there, 372 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:58.720 it just it gives off this feel and this is 373 00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:02.559 more on the writing than him, that I'm not taking 374 00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:05.640 him seriously as a potential winner and they're just kind 375 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:08.720 of finding a placeholder challenger until they can find something 376 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:11.519 more concrete heading into SummerSlam. 377 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:14.960 Yeah, he does. He feels like a placeholder. And I 378 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:16.599 said this last night on the show that I did 379 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:21.240 with for the SmackDown review, is that Dolf Ziggler. He 380 00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:24.799 the thing is his character has been educated to fans 381 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:28.319 for how many years now that he can wrestle his 382 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:32.039 ass off, he can sell his ass off, he can 383 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:35.680 cut a good promo'. He's not a bad character. He's 384 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:37.720 not bad on the mic, he's decent on the mic. 385 00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:40.720 I mean, aside from his screaming, and even when he's screaming, 386 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:43.119 you're still paying attention. There are certainly worse guys in 387 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:45.680 the business on the promo than Dolf Zigler. He's I 388 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:49.240 would say good to above average. And so the problem 389 00:19:49.319 --> 00:19:51.920 though is, no matter what how good his promo is, 390 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:54.279 no matter how good he is in the ring, you 391 00:19:54.599 --> 00:19:57.720 just know, because of years and years and years of 392 00:19:57.759 --> 00:20:00.440 booking that Dolph Zigler is going to lose the big 393 00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:03.160 match because we have been educated to believe that, and 394 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:06.000 I have no reason to believe otherwise until proven wrong. 395 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:11.000 Dolf Ziggler's character has been a victim of creative booking 396 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:14.599 and just just booking that has destroyed the credibility of 397 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:16.799 his character. Anytime he tells us he's going to win, 398 00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:19.079 he has to win, I will beat you, it's like, 399 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:21.960 but you're not going to, Like Dolph, let's be real, 400 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:24.200 you're not gonna win. We all know you're not going 401 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:28.200 to win. And that's the problem with his character. Beyond 402 00:20:28.519 --> 00:20:31.000 the fact that he is one of the best in 403 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:33.799 the ring and has been for quite some time and 404 00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:36.079 is a he can make his opponent look like a 405 00:20:36.119 --> 00:20:40.119 million bucks. That's a huge asset. But as you just said, 406 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:44.519 Kofi Kingston, I think is on a roll and he 407 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:50.880 is a people's champion, no pun intended, and he anytime 408 00:20:50.920 --> 00:20:53.440 that and I've said this before too, anytime Kovie Kingston 409 00:20:53.480 --> 00:20:57.119 or anytime a champion wins the championship at WrestleMania, it's 410 00:20:57.160 --> 00:21:00.440 a championship win that needs to stick for six months. 411 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:02.200 And I really believe that you can't just have a 412 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:04.880 champion win it WrestleMania and then have them lose the 413 00:21:04.920 --> 00:21:07.720 next month or two months after, because then it really 414 00:21:07.720 --> 00:21:10.200 means nothing. WRESTLEMANI is the reset button Wrestlemani's the end 415 00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:12.440 all be all. And on top of it, it doesn't 416 00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:14.480 hurt that Kobe Kingston's a black man. I mean, let's 417 00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:18.759 be honest, he is the perfect candidate right now for 418 00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:23.000 WWE's progressive ideology to play Kate Hey, we have an 419 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:25.720 African American champion. I mean, I don't think he's being 420 00:21:25.799 --> 00:21:28.039 used for that, but it certainly doesn't hurt that he 421 00:21:28.200 --> 00:21:30.920 is the face of WWE right now. There's a lot 422 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:33.079 of things going against Dolf Zigler, and those are just 423 00:21:33.079 --> 00:21:36.079 a couple of them, but overall, look, I am a 424 00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:38.319 fan of Dolf Ziggler to a point. You know, I'm 425 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:40.400 not gonna go there and scream my face off like 426 00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:42.240 a thirteen year old girl for him. But I think 427 00:21:42.279 --> 00:21:44.599 that he has a lot of good qualities and it's 428 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:47.559 just unfortunate that they didn't strike while the iron was hot. 429 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:49.440 And when I think the iron was the most hot 430 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:51.440 for him was I think it was the night after 431 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:54.240 WrestleMania at twenty seven, don't quote me on maybe twenty 432 00:21:54.240 --> 00:21:56.559 seven to twenty eight, and he cashed in and won 433 00:21:56.599 --> 00:21:59.759 the World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto del Rio and he 434 00:21:59.880 --> 00:22:02.799 was placeholder champion then and he feels like a placeholder 435 00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:03.599 contender now. 436 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:08.279 Yeah, because if if memory certainly correctly, they ended up 437 00:22:08.359 --> 00:22:10.599 at the end of that feud, it culminated in a 438 00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:14.640 double term turn with him in Alberto do Rio, if 439 00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:18.039 I'm not mistaken, where like in one match they swapped heel. 440 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:22.480 And face positions, and honestly, like that whole feud, like 441 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:24.200 I just hated Alberta do Rio. 442 00:22:24.759 --> 00:22:27.720 I thought he was the most boring thing I'd ever seen, 443 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:30.599 and they were just kind of recreate Eddie Guerrero to 444 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:33.799 be honest. But yeah, to get back on Dolf Zigler, Like, 445 00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:36.680 it's just kind of been the same thing. 446 00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:38.759 Over and over and over again with him. 447 00:22:39.240 --> 00:22:42.599 I did think they were kind of rejuvenating it with 448 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:46.079 his initial phase run when they first did the brand 449 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:48.960 split in twenty sixteen or the second brand splint, I 450 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:52.599 must say, because he was the initial number one contender 451 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:55.319 to Dean Ambrose at the time on SmackDown to. 452 00:22:55.279 --> 00:22:56.640 The w W Championship. 453 00:22:57.039 --> 00:22:59.519 They actually had a title match at SummerSlam that year, 454 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:01.799 and then he kind of had that feud with the 455 00:23:01.880 --> 00:23:04.960 Mizz of the Intercontinental Championship, and I thought that there 456 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:08.240 was going places, and then it just kind of died again. 457 00:23:08.279 --> 00:23:11.640 And then he did the whole like the no music thing, 458 00:23:11.759 --> 00:23:14.319 the no entrance themes thing, and then he walked out 459 00:23:14.359 --> 00:23:17.359 after winning the US titles. So I just found that 460 00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:20.400 his character has been kind of hard to follow. He's 461 00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:23.400 all over the place. He was somewhat relevant when he 462 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:26.680 teamed with Braun and McIntyre last year when he was 463 00:23:26.680 --> 00:23:29.759 on Raw. It's just and I feel bad because I 464 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:32.599 do like the wrestler for the most part, but it's 465 00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:34.839 just been way too hard to follow because it's been 466 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:35.640 all over the place. 467 00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:38.160 He's been faced, he's been heal, he's. 468 00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:40.960 Been kind of cocky and arrogant, or now he's kind 469 00:23:40.960 --> 00:23:44.559 of psycho. It's just too much and I just I 470 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:47.519 don't see how there's any way that he actually wins 471 00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:50.920 this title or how I can even take him seriously. 472 00:23:51.240 --> 00:23:53.680 You can't. And that's a good point too, that his character, 473 00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:56.640 there's zero consistency in his not just as you said 474 00:23:56.680 --> 00:24:00.119 heal and face, just his personality, like we don't know 475 00:24:00.240 --> 00:24:04.000 who he is outside of a great in ring wrestler. 476 00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:06.880 We we just don't know who he is. And I'm 477 00:24:06.960 --> 00:24:11.119 sure that him as a as a person is extremely 478 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:14.519 frustrated with Creative just not giving him a clear path 479 00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:18.079 and saying, yeah, you're you're this this month, this next month, 480 00:24:18.839 --> 00:24:20.680 but you know, we'll see how this goes, and then 481 00:24:20.680 --> 00:24:23.759 we pull back and then there's just stop start, stop, start, 482 00:24:23.960 --> 00:24:26.400 go over here, go over there, And when you get 483 00:24:26.440 --> 00:24:27.960 to that point, no matter how good you are in 484 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:31.440 the ring, fans get complacent. They just go who cares? 485 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:34.279 I mean, like this, this guy's clearly not the guy 486 00:24:34.279 --> 00:24:36.960 that WW is gonna get behind. How can we get 487 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:39.599 behind him if we know that he's going nowhere? And 488 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:43.400 that's exactly where Dolph Ziggler is and it's really unfortunate 489 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:45.799 because I really think he could have been He could 490 00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:49.160 have been a top top guy had they given him 491 00:24:49.200 --> 00:24:52.680 a serious run and go all in with him at 492 00:24:52.960 --> 00:24:57.000 one point, but they never have. So let's let's get 493 00:24:57.039 --> 00:24:59.640 to something that we like and something that I like. 494 00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:01.240 And I thought I brought this up last time, but 495 00:25:01.279 --> 00:25:04.240 it is a shining light in my week of WWE, 496 00:25:04.319 --> 00:25:08.440 and that's a Firefly fun House Now I can't remember. 497 00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:10.319 Are you a fan of the Firefly fun House? 498 00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:11.559 Yes? Very much? So. 499 00:25:11.720 --> 00:25:15.200 Okay, now now that we're what almost two months, probably 500 00:25:15.440 --> 00:25:17.759 closing in maybe on two months of this, are you 501 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:20.359 still as big of a fan? Are you ready to 502 00:25:20.359 --> 00:25:22.400 just say, oh my god, just dive you already? Where 503 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:23.079 do you stand with this? 504 00:25:23.920 --> 00:25:25.359 I've loved it. 505 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:30.039 There was a point where that one episode of him 506 00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:32.319 when he was like dancing and it was almost like 507 00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:36.759 a weird music video, and I looked at my girlfriend, 508 00:25:36.759 --> 00:25:38.960 I'm just like, did we take LSB? And I didn't know, 509 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:43.599 but but on his ears note, there was a point 510 00:25:43.640 --> 00:25:46.039 where I was like, Okay, it's hanging old. But it 511 00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:49.400 actually worked out perfectly because they dropped the whole fiend 512 00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:51.519 thing for a bit, and there was either two or 513 00:25:51.519 --> 00:25:53.960 three weeks where you didn't really see him, and now 514 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:56.599 he pulls you back in. And this episode was just 515 00:25:56.680 --> 00:25:59.960 amazing because now it's kind of it's starting to make 516 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:02.519 a lot more sense that like, from what I'm taking 517 00:26:02.519 --> 00:26:04.920 from it is that he's saying like he was always rejected, 518 00:26:05.400 --> 00:26:08.720 so he created this altered ego to protect himself from it, 519 00:26:09.279 --> 00:26:11.279 And I just think it's amazing. 520 00:26:11.319 --> 00:26:14.359 I think they're really pushing the boundaries here of PG. 521 00:26:15.240 --> 00:26:18.200 Again, I think you shared the same concern, or the 522 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:21.200 only concern I may have is that I just hope 523 00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:24.799 that when he finally does debut, they execute it properly, 524 00:26:24.880 --> 00:26:28.599 because they've built it so well better than anything they've 525 00:26:28.640 --> 00:26:31.240 done in the last number of years, that it would 526 00:26:31.319 --> 00:26:33.400 just kill me to see them just butcher it when 527 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:34.640 he finally does debut. 528 00:26:35.079 --> 00:26:36.920 But as of right now, I think it's the best 529 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:37.680 thing they have going. 530 00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:44.519 WWA cannot, under any circumstances screw this up. They can't. 531 00:26:44.559 --> 00:26:47.160 This is one of the best things, as you said, 532 00:26:47.160 --> 00:26:49.720 that they have had going in. I can't remember the 533 00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:52.839 last time, when is the last time that WWE has 534 00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:58.640 utilized Vignette's videos, promos, whatever, to this extent to where 535 00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:03.400 there's this much anticipation and for not only the video itself, 536 00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:05.680 but also when is he going to debut? I can't wait. 537 00:27:05.720 --> 00:27:07.599 What's gonna happen? How's it gonna be? Is he gonna 538 00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:09.119 come out in a sweater vest? Is he gonna come 539 00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:10.640 out as a fiend? How's it gonna work. Is he 540 00:27:10.680 --> 00:27:12.279 gonna be like Finn Balor and kind of a regular 541 00:27:12.279 --> 00:27:13.960 guy but bring out the demon when he needs to? 542 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:16.559 I don't know, And I think that's the that's the 543 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:19.400 interesting part, but also the part that I'm scared of, 544 00:27:19.880 --> 00:27:23.640 Like I'm nervous that they are going to really really 545 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:27.680 mess this up and they can't. And bray Wyatt has 546 00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:31.559 done an amazing, amazing job going all in with this character. 547 00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:34.519 Like when I when I look at bray Wyatt, I 548 00:27:34.599 --> 00:27:37.519 believe that he's like that in real life. He's gotten 549 00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:40.720 me to that point where I believe that he is 550 00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:44.519 this crazy. Of course, I still know it's fantasy, but 551 00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:47.119 at the same time, when I'm watching, I get lost, 552 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:50.279 and that's what I miss watching w w E. And 553 00:27:50.319 --> 00:27:53.599 I just I watch this this Firefly funhouse every week 554 00:27:53.640 --> 00:27:55.799 and I'm looking for Easter eggs and I'm looking for 555 00:27:55.880 --> 00:27:58.960 hints and there are there's so many layers to every 556 00:27:59.039 --> 00:28:02.759 episode that he's done that you could spend hours every 557 00:28:02.839 --> 00:28:06.440 week dissecting just that episode because of just all the 558 00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:09.799 different things that he's put in each episode, between the 559 00:28:09.880 --> 00:28:13.519 characters' names and the things that he says, the looks 560 00:28:13.559 --> 00:28:17.160 that he gives, the way he says things. There are 561 00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:19.319 so many different things that you could dissect that it's 562 00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:22.400 just it's so complex, but it's easy to follow at 563 00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:25.079 the same time, and he is he's a he's a 564 00:28:25.119 --> 00:28:28.920 master at making you just in pulling you in right now. 565 00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:32.160 He's masterful at that. And he has got us hooked. 566 00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:35.680 And it's been two months, I think around two months, 567 00:28:35.720 --> 00:28:38.319 probably a little bit less, but it's been to the 568 00:28:38.519 --> 00:28:40.200 I don't think it's I'm not to the point of, 569 00:28:40.240 --> 00:28:42.279 oh my god, I'm sick of this. Let's just get 570 00:28:42.319 --> 00:28:44.799 him in the in the ring. I want this to 571 00:28:44.920 --> 00:28:47.279 go as long as it needs to go, and I 572 00:28:47.319 --> 00:28:50.920 want creative behind the scenes and Vince McMahon to make 573 00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:52.759 sure they have all of their ducks in a row 574 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:56.759 and have a long term plan for bray Wyatt, not 575 00:28:56.960 --> 00:29:00.000 just well we're debuting against I don't know Matt Hardy 576 00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:02.839 and see how he does. No, no, no, they need 577 00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:06.480 to have a vision and stick by their guns and 578 00:29:06.599 --> 00:29:09.759 go all out with this character and see their plan through, 579 00:29:10.079 --> 00:29:12.599 which hopefully is a three to six month maybe even 580 00:29:12.680 --> 00:29:16.240 longer plan for bray White. I need this to succeed, 581 00:29:16.279 --> 00:29:19.960 bray needs us to succeed, and WWE cannot flop on this. 582 00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:24.240 Yeah, and I'm really hoping that when he does come out, 583 00:29:24.359 --> 00:29:27.720 it's not just him, you know, squashing people like just 584 00:29:27.839 --> 00:29:31.960 no names or really bottom card guys. Because you mentioned 585 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:34.400 this the last time we spoke about it. He's already 586 00:29:34.440 --> 00:29:39.000 an established wrestler. Sure he's been repackaged to the fullest extent, 587 00:29:39.559 --> 00:29:41.880 but people know who Bray White is. He's been a 588 00:29:41.960 --> 00:29:45.880 WWE champion, he's been around since twenty twelve or whatever 589 00:29:45.880 --> 00:29:46.200 it is. 590 00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:47.119 He can't just. 591 00:29:47.079 --> 00:29:50.440 Come in and you know, squash like Apollo Cruise or 592 00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:54.519 whatever one of the guy's chasing the twenty four seven title. 593 00:29:54.759 --> 00:29:57.680 He has to come in and get into a few 594 00:29:57.839 --> 00:30:02.119 that's worthwhile, like come in and attack Reigns or take 595 00:30:02.240 --> 00:30:04.759 or fight with Kofi Kingson. I want him to come 596 00:30:04.799 --> 00:30:08.920 in and make an impact because already his story of 597 00:30:08.960 --> 00:30:09.519 the Firefly. 598 00:30:09.640 --> 00:30:11.839 Hunhouse is making such an impact and he's not even 599 00:30:11.920 --> 00:30:14.200 in the ring. So I don't want. 600 00:30:14.039 --> 00:30:17.000 Him to show up on either Raw or SmackDown, or 601 00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:20.720 at this streat both and take a back seat. I 602 00:30:20.759 --> 00:30:22.720 want him to come in and I want this story 603 00:30:22.759 --> 00:30:25.599 to be the focal point of the show because I 604 00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:27.839 think it can be, and I think people want it 605 00:30:27.880 --> 00:30:30.920 to be. And he's just such a mastermind at it, 606 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:33.039 as you brought up, and he's good in the ring. 607 00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:35.000 We've seen him be good in the ring. I just 608 00:30:35.079 --> 00:30:38.359 think that when he comes out, they better pick their 609 00:30:38.359 --> 00:30:41.640 spot properly, because it can't just be a storyline on 610 00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:43.880 the back burner. It has to be front and center. 611 00:30:44.160 --> 00:30:47.200 It has to be in a major storyline or possibly 612 00:30:47.240 --> 00:30:49.480 for a title. I don't know what they're gonna do, 613 00:30:49.519 --> 00:30:52.000 but I just know that they have to make it worthwhile. 614 00:30:52.119 --> 00:30:53.599 It can't just be an afterthought. 615 00:30:54.720 --> 00:30:59.119 No, it absolutely can't. WW has no choice on this one. 616 00:30:59.480 --> 00:31:01.839 And I don't say that lightly. I don't know if 617 00:31:01.839 --> 00:31:04.160 I've said that in quite a while, but if they 618 00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:07.759 botched this, there's gonna be I think a lot of 619 00:31:07.880 --> 00:31:12.640 angry fans that that are. I mean, they might I 620 00:31:12.680 --> 00:31:14.839 don't I don't want to say the rebel, but you 621 00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:17.279 could turn a lot of fans off very quickly if 622 00:31:17.319 --> 00:31:19.920 this is is failed, and it's failed on the part 623 00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:22.680 of WWE, and Bray White has put so much effort 624 00:31:22.680 --> 00:31:25.759 into this and has done an amazing job. So let's 625 00:31:25.799 --> 00:31:28.640 touch on the women's division, and I just have to 626 00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:31.880 put some quick thoughts. So in general, you know, for 627 00:31:31.960 --> 00:31:35.359 a while, it felt as if Becky Lynch, I think 628 00:31:35.440 --> 00:31:38.400 has been cooled off and I think that she has 629 00:31:38.480 --> 00:31:41.839 been kind of just flopping out there since WrestleMania. I 630 00:31:41.880 --> 00:31:44.640 alluded to a few weeks ago that maybe it's because 631 00:31:44.920 --> 00:31:47.680 she hasn't had the great dance partner of Ronda Rowsey 632 00:31:48.039 --> 00:31:49.880 hanging around, which I think is a is a big 633 00:31:49.920 --> 00:31:53.480 contributing factor. And you have Lacey Evans who's been put 634 00:31:53.599 --> 00:31:59.039 front and center against Becky Lynch. And while some people 635 00:31:59.079 --> 00:32:03.920 may really really dislike Lacy Evans and thinks she's undeserving, 636 00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:06.920 and yes, she had a terrible match against Charlotte a 637 00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:09.440 number of weeks ago. Of course it was awful. It 638 00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:13.440 was probably the worst match of the year. But you 639 00:32:13.640 --> 00:32:16.519 need to establish new stars and build new stars. You 640 00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:19.200 can't just have all the time stars against stars. You 641 00:32:19.279 --> 00:32:21.559 need to have people that are up and coming, and 642 00:32:21.640 --> 00:32:24.200 after WrestleMania is the perfect time to do it, to 643 00:32:24.319 --> 00:32:27.680 build that new star for the new year. And I 644 00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:32.400 think overall, Lacy Evans has done a good job as 645 00:32:32.440 --> 00:32:35.680 the heel. I don't think she's masterful in the ring. 646 00:32:36.359 --> 00:32:39.839 She does need work, but that'll come in time. She's 647 00:32:39.880 --> 00:32:42.839 got her promo down better than most do when they 648 00:32:42.839 --> 00:32:45.319 come up from NXT, even though she does speak a 649 00:32:45.319 --> 00:32:48.119 little bit slow, and Becky Lynch alluded to that pretty 650 00:32:48.119 --> 00:32:51.480 well on Monday net Raw, but I think she's she's 651 00:32:51.480 --> 00:32:54.400 got a good presence. I don't mind her right now 652 00:32:54.519 --> 00:32:57.839 is the challenger because I want to see Lacy Evans 653 00:32:58.480 --> 00:33:02.279 get her kicked and that's what I want to feel. 654 00:33:02.759 --> 00:33:05.440 And Becky Lynch, on the other hand, has kind of 655 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:09.519 felt lukewarm. I haven't got that spark, that energy that 656 00:33:09.559 --> 00:33:13.079 I want as a as Becky Lynch really had when 657 00:33:13.079 --> 00:33:15.599 she turned heel and turned her really into the biggest 658 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:19.319 babyface in WWE, but has since cooled off and right 659 00:33:19.359 --> 00:33:22.039 now she's I don't think going to be getting back 660 00:33:22.079 --> 00:33:24.440 to that status when she's in a program with Lacy Evans. However, 661 00:33:25.119 --> 00:33:27.839 right now I'm fine with Lacy Evans and going against 662 00:33:27.839 --> 00:33:29.920 Becky Lynch. We all know Lacy Evans isn't going to 663 00:33:29.960 --> 00:33:32.000 win the championship, at least not at this time. So 664 00:33:32.319 --> 00:33:33.880 those are my thoughts. What do you think about the 665 00:33:33.880 --> 00:33:37.279 women's division, and not just even Becky and Lacy Evans, 666 00:33:37.319 --> 00:33:39.440 but the SmackDown women's division. 667 00:33:39.200 --> 00:33:40.519 As well well. 668 00:33:40.599 --> 00:33:43.640 I think the women's division as a whole has kind 669 00:33:43.640 --> 00:33:46.640 of I won't see torpedoed, but it hasn't been as 670 00:33:46.680 --> 00:33:50.559 good as it was pre Wrestlmingia, because leading up to WrestleMania, 671 00:33:50.640 --> 00:33:52.880 I would argue that it was much more entertaining than 672 00:33:52.960 --> 00:33:57.000 the men's division. But since Wrestlingia, you know, Charlotte's kind 673 00:33:57.000 --> 00:33:59.599 of she's been there, but now like the past few weeks, 674 00:33:59.640 --> 00:34:02.319 she's kind have not been around. Sasha Banks has been 675 00:34:02.319 --> 00:34:05.680 on a hiatus. We haven't really seen Naomi or Ember 676 00:34:05.720 --> 00:34:09.880 Moon prominent roles, so it's kind of just been Bailey, 677 00:34:11.440 --> 00:34:16.519 Becky and Lacy Evans. Becky, I find she's gotten really stale, 678 00:34:16.639 --> 00:34:19.079 you know. I feel like her promos have just becne 679 00:34:19.119 --> 00:34:21.159 the same thing, calling people. 680 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:23.039 Blokes or what have you. 681 00:34:23.519 --> 00:34:27.719 And I won't say that I'm happy that she's cooled 682 00:34:27.760 --> 00:34:28.760 off to this extent. 683 00:34:29.280 --> 00:34:33.039 But I am also because I think people took Ronda. 684 00:34:32.800 --> 00:34:36.159 Rousey for granted and they didn't realize just how good 685 00:34:36.320 --> 00:34:40.079 Rowsey was in promos and in the ring, and as 686 00:34:40.119 --> 00:34:43.960 you said before, she was a great dance partner for Becky. 687 00:34:44.440 --> 00:34:46.719 I personally really like Lacy Evans. 688 00:34:46.880 --> 00:34:49.239 Obviously she does need work in the ring, but I 689 00:34:49.280 --> 00:34:53.159 think she's hammered down her character perfectly. Her promos are good, 690 00:34:53.199 --> 00:34:58.599 you understand her standpoint, and she's just not quite there 691 00:34:58.679 --> 00:35:02.000 to elevate Becky's game. I just think that Becky's become 692 00:35:02.719 --> 00:35:06.519 just repetitive and it's the same thing and we know 693 00:35:06.800 --> 00:35:09.400 that people have held you down and blah blah blah, 694 00:35:09.480 --> 00:35:11.440 and I don't know. I just I've had a hard 695 00:35:11.480 --> 00:35:14.880 time getting behind Becky lately. But as for Lacey, I 696 00:35:14.920 --> 00:35:17.519 think she's been the best part of the women's division 697 00:35:18.239 --> 00:35:21.920 up until Alexa Bliss getting back into entering competition, because 698 00:35:21.960 --> 00:35:25.920 I think that Alexa Bliss Bailey storyline is much more intriguing, 699 00:35:26.119 --> 00:35:28.320 aside from the fact that Alexa Bliss is a raw 700 00:35:28.400 --> 00:35:31.000 competitor fighting for the Smackdowens title. 701 00:35:31.039 --> 00:35:33.119 But we already touched the wildcard rule. 702 00:35:33.519 --> 00:35:36.960 But as a whole, I think that storyline of Bailey 703 00:35:37.000 --> 00:35:39.840 and Alexa is much more intriguing than Becky and Lacey 704 00:35:39.920 --> 00:35:40.280 right now. 705 00:35:41.480 --> 00:35:44.920 Yes, and I'm glad you brought up Becky and Alexa 706 00:35:44.960 --> 00:35:46.800 because that's something I wanted to talk to about as well. 707 00:35:46.840 --> 00:35:52.800 But just to finish up on Becky and Lacey, I 708 00:35:52.840 --> 00:35:56.599 really think that they As you said, Lacy Evans has 709 00:35:56.639 --> 00:35:59.320 her character. She down more than most do and more 710 00:35:59.360 --> 00:36:02.519 than some more established stars do. And she has come 711 00:36:02.559 --> 00:36:05.840 up from NXT and made it impact, made it impact quickly, 712 00:36:06.400 --> 00:36:09.159 and that's what you want. And she feels different than 713 00:36:09.199 --> 00:36:11.519 most of the women. That's what you want too. You 714 00:36:11.559 --> 00:36:14.599 want to differentiate yourself from the pack. She's done that. 715 00:36:14.920 --> 00:36:17.599 She's the sassy Southern Bell or whatever cute nickname they 716 00:36:17.639 --> 00:36:20.119 give her. But she plays the part. She goes all in. 717 00:36:20.360 --> 00:36:23.159 That's what I want, and she does it, and she's 718 00:36:23.239 --> 00:36:27.519 got a really good looking finish. I like the woman's right, 719 00:36:27.719 --> 00:36:30.719 it's it's nice. It's kind of the female version of 720 00:36:30.880 --> 00:36:34.719 Big Shows WMD Weapon of Mass Destruction. I'm fine with it. 721 00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:40.480 I think it's unique. And you know, on top of that, Becky, 722 00:36:40.519 --> 00:36:43.719 as you said, has kind of just spun her wheels. 723 00:36:43.760 --> 00:36:45.519 I mean, that's kind of a that's a good analogy. 724 00:36:45.639 --> 00:36:50.840 She's just there running on old fumes, not giving us 725 00:36:50.880 --> 00:36:54.599 something new to get behind her on. She's just still 726 00:36:54.679 --> 00:36:59.320 kind of in WrestleMania post match mode. Instead of looking 727 00:36:59.400 --> 00:37:04.119 ahead and just saying the same things you said, it good. 728 00:37:04.119 --> 00:37:07.159 I mean, she's just saying, everybody's held me down. I've 729 00:37:07.159 --> 00:37:09.920 done this all my life. I've put dopes down like you. Okay, 730 00:37:09.960 --> 00:37:13.320 well come up, we need something more, Becky. Please. Right now, 731 00:37:13.320 --> 00:37:15.079 I'm starting to lose a little bit of interest in 732 00:37:15.119 --> 00:37:19.280 Becky Lynch. She's nowhere near how hot she was. If 733 00:37:19.280 --> 00:37:21.320 you would put her out of ten from how hot 734 00:37:21.360 --> 00:37:23.639 she was the night after the Royal Rumble, I'd say 735 00:37:23.679 --> 00:37:27.079 she's about a three or a four right now. That's 736 00:37:27.119 --> 00:37:29.719 based on crowd reaction. That's just based how I feel 737 00:37:29.760 --> 00:37:33.039 sitting at home watching her. I mean, I'm interested when 738 00:37:33.039 --> 00:37:36.280 she comes out, but I don't have that unpredictable feeling. 739 00:37:36.320 --> 00:37:40.679 I don't have the rebellious nature, that instinct that I 740 00:37:40.719 --> 00:37:44.519 felt when Becky Lynch came out. She's just kind of 741 00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:47.639 another one of the women, and she happens to be champion, 742 00:37:47.679 --> 00:37:50.079 and I don't want that for Becky Lynch. As far 743 00:37:50.119 --> 00:37:53.719 as Bailey and Alexa go man. That promo they had 744 00:37:53.719 --> 00:37:58.199 on SmackDown, While they clearly booked it for a work 745 00:37:58.320 --> 00:38:02.960 shoot promo, it came cross very real and I'm sure 746 00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:05.960 that a lot of that, some of that material was 747 00:38:06.159 --> 00:38:10.159 instinctual and from their own brains in the moment. And 748 00:38:10.199 --> 00:38:14.440 that's what I love too. When Alexa noted to Bailey, hey, 749 00:38:14.719 --> 00:38:17.159 you know you peaked an NXT. What have you done 750 00:38:17.199 --> 00:38:19.480 since you got here? And boy is that true? Since 751 00:38:19.519 --> 00:38:22.920 Bailey got here outside of her being the I don't 752 00:38:22.920 --> 00:38:26.880 know she was some surprise tag team partner. I forget it, 753 00:38:26.880 --> 00:38:31.920 what pay per view? She has just gone up, down, up, down, down, down, down, 754 00:38:31.960 --> 00:38:35.480 down down, and her and Sasha going back and forth 755 00:38:35.519 --> 00:38:37.320 and the love you Hate You mode for a year 756 00:38:37.320 --> 00:38:40.079 and a half and the Bailey this is your life 757 00:38:40.119 --> 00:38:42.519 that she had with ironically Alexa Bliss a year and 758 00:38:42.559 --> 00:38:46.960 a half ago. None of that did her any favors, 759 00:38:47.039 --> 00:38:50.480 and the promo they had it brought it all back together. 760 00:38:50.719 --> 00:38:55.559 It made Bailey human again. It It really also kind 761 00:38:55.559 --> 00:38:57.400 of made me side with Alexa because she had a 762 00:38:57.440 --> 00:39:00.920 lot of good valid points that as a heel. I 763 00:39:00.960 --> 00:39:04.880 typically don't. I'm not supposed to. I feel like I 764 00:39:05.360 --> 00:39:08.840 agree with and you know, see that they're see their 765 00:39:08.880 --> 00:39:11.639 side of it. But they both had some scathing things 766 00:39:11.679 --> 00:39:14.679 to say. And yes, of course it was a workshoot promo, 767 00:39:14.960 --> 00:39:16.639 but I don't know, I loved it. What did you 768 00:39:16.639 --> 00:39:18.119 think about that on SmackDown Lives? 769 00:39:18.400 --> 00:39:22.119 Oh, it was really good. It felt real, it felt authentic. 770 00:39:22.599 --> 00:39:26.239 I liked I well, in general, I've liked the nikky 771 00:39:26.320 --> 00:39:29.840 cross element to it. I like that, like, you know, 772 00:39:29.920 --> 00:39:33.320 the whole manipulation on the part of Alexa Bliss, and yeah, 773 00:39:33.400 --> 00:39:35.559 I just think that a lot of it felt like 774 00:39:35.599 --> 00:39:38.119 it came from the gut with them. It's made me 775 00:39:38.360 --> 00:39:41.760 care about Bailey. It's not just like she you know, 776 00:39:41.840 --> 00:39:44.519 she was the cartoon character and at first it was fine, 777 00:39:44.559 --> 00:39:47.280 but then the fire dynam quick. But lately, like I 778 00:39:47.480 --> 00:39:49.800 like seeing her come out just in street clothes and 779 00:39:49.920 --> 00:39:53.519 jeans and a T shirt and regular girl heels or whatever, 780 00:39:54.119 --> 00:39:57.840 and it just felt like she's more relatable now, and 781 00:39:57.920 --> 00:39:58.400 so it. 782 00:39:58.280 --> 00:40:00.519 Makes me care about Bailey. It makes me you want 783 00:40:00.559 --> 00:40:01.320 to support her. 784 00:40:01.599 --> 00:40:04.079 And Alexa, well, she's just always been great as a 785 00:40:04.159 --> 00:40:08.440 heel and getting heat. But yeah, I'm really invested in 786 00:40:08.480 --> 00:40:12.199 this match. I'm looking forward to this match as opposed 787 00:40:12.199 --> 00:40:14.360 to the raw one where I just really couldn't care 788 00:40:14.400 --> 00:40:16.519 at this point. But yeah, I really like what Bailey 789 00:40:16.519 --> 00:40:18.639 and Alecxa have done and that promo they had on 790 00:40:18.760 --> 00:40:22.440 Spact that was amazing, And. 791 00:40:23.119 --> 00:40:25.599 Like you said in One Fell Swoop, they made me 792 00:40:25.679 --> 00:40:29.000 care about this program more than they have ever since 793 00:40:29.039 --> 00:40:32.639 they started having a few, and that was years ago too. 794 00:40:33.639 --> 00:40:35.920 This this is not something I want to see all 795 00:40:35.960 --> 00:40:39.360 the time. I don't need this workshoot style every single time. 796 00:40:39.920 --> 00:40:43.599 But when it's done in dribs and drabs here and there, 797 00:40:43.679 --> 00:40:46.119 when you don't see it coming, that's when it's the 798 00:40:46.159 --> 00:40:49.280 most effective. So just because it was super effective this 799 00:40:49.320 --> 00:40:51.440 week doesn't mean I want to see it every single week. 800 00:40:51.480 --> 00:40:57.000 I don't mind the you know, the typical WWE created promo. 801 00:40:57.519 --> 00:41:01.239 Sometimes that's not a bad thing to have. I don't 802 00:41:01.239 --> 00:41:03.719 want to make it feel like they're reading lines. But 803 00:41:03.800 --> 00:41:06.719 I also don't need the shoot aspect all the time 804 00:41:06.800 --> 00:41:08.920 because it just it takes me out of the moment 805 00:41:09.000 --> 00:41:13.280 I need. I need it occasionally. So yeah, the street 806 00:41:13.320 --> 00:41:15.880 clothes thing, and while Alexi said it looks like you're 807 00:41:15.880 --> 00:41:18.159 working at you know, Forever twenty one, which made me laugh. 808 00:41:18.679 --> 00:41:22.039 It did humanize her, just as it did with Drew McIntyre, 809 00:41:22.159 --> 00:41:25.360 not constantly seeing him in street clothes or in his 810 00:41:26.199 --> 00:41:29.360 wrestling gear and having him just wear jeans and his 811 00:41:29.440 --> 00:41:33.320 shirt or whatever. Just the simple thing of that humanizes 812 00:41:33.360 --> 00:41:38.360 people quickly. And Bailey was a cartoon character. Bailey buddies. 813 00:41:38.559 --> 00:41:40.679 I just like to hug people. I come out and 814 00:41:40.719 --> 00:41:44.199 I'm all colorful. I want to who's Bailey. I need 815 00:41:44.239 --> 00:41:45.960 to know who you are as a person and what 816 00:41:45.960 --> 00:41:48.800 your mission is. Apparently you're done giving hugs, but your 817 00:41:48.800 --> 00:41:52.079 Bailey buddies are still here. I don't know. I don't know. 818 00:41:52.119 --> 00:41:56.519 But the Nikki crossing is interesting too. And for Bailey 819 00:41:56.599 --> 00:41:59.599 to say to NICKI, Hey, do you remember Naya Jacks? 820 00:42:00.000 --> 00:42:02.719 What did Alexa do to Nia Jacks? You remember Mickey James? 821 00:42:02.840 --> 00:42:04.840 What did she do to Mickey James? How do you 822 00:42:04.840 --> 00:42:09.079 not see this coming? And interestingly too, I don't know 823 00:42:09.159 --> 00:42:11.760 if this was by design or not, but Nicky Cross 824 00:42:11.960 --> 00:42:17.440 never actually punched, kicked, did anything too to to Bailey 825 00:42:17.480 --> 00:42:19.360 to pull her off of Alexa. Other than just pull 826 00:42:19.400 --> 00:42:23.239 her off, There was no actual physical exchange between the two. 827 00:42:23.400 --> 00:42:28.000 So whether Nicky Cross turns on Alexa or not remains 828 00:42:28.000 --> 00:42:29.480 to be seen. But it was just interesting that they 829 00:42:29.519 --> 00:42:33.079 never actually had a physical exchange in that moment that 830 00:42:33.159 --> 00:42:35.480 she could have and there was there was also a 831 00:42:35.519 --> 00:42:39.199 pause or a hesitation by Nicki after Bailey had started 832 00:42:39.239 --> 00:42:43.199 attacking Alexa, So that's just something interesting. But yeah, to 833 00:42:43.280 --> 00:42:46.320 take Nicky Cross into this, it does add another layer. 834 00:42:46.519 --> 00:42:48.480 I don't know what the endgame is for Nicky, but 835 00:42:49.000 --> 00:42:51.400 I hope it ends with Nicky not looking like a fool. 836 00:42:52.400 --> 00:42:54.760 You know, Matt, you said something in there that I 837 00:42:54.800 --> 00:42:56.719 wanted to touch on because it doesn't have to do 838 00:42:56.760 --> 00:43:00.000 with the women particularly, but you said that it worked 839 00:43:00.199 --> 00:43:03.199 this week, So I hope they don't keep using it 840 00:43:03.239 --> 00:43:06.199 and gets diluted because I think we've touched on When 841 00:43:06.280 --> 00:43:09.679 Vince McMahon likes something, he beats that thing to death. 842 00:43:10.360 --> 00:43:13.320 And one thing that I don't understand why he keeps 843 00:43:13.360 --> 00:43:15.960 going to is Sammy Sane and Kevin Owens. 844 00:43:17.159 --> 00:43:21.800 You know, I don't understand why that these two constantly 845 00:43:21.920 --> 00:43:25.840 have to be paired together as just glorified trolls, and 846 00:43:25.920 --> 00:43:29.400 because they have relatively big names attached to them that 847 00:43:29.639 --> 00:43:32.760 like their losses will automatically put over the over guys, 848 00:43:33.280 --> 00:43:36.519 and it's just been something bothering me that like these guys, 849 00:43:37.079 --> 00:43:40.559 like I've has had seen them been building matches like 850 00:43:40.960 --> 00:43:45.719 final time ever culmination of former best friends they won't 851 00:43:45.800 --> 00:43:49.159 meet again. Now one's on raw, one's unsmacked up, but 852 00:43:49.199 --> 00:43:52.760 then for some reason they're always just put back together 853 00:43:53.199 --> 00:43:56.280 as giant trolls. And it's just it's bothered me that, 854 00:43:56.360 --> 00:43:58.480 like it's been going on for so long now, because 855 00:43:58.480 --> 00:44:01.039 now we're coming up on two years that the whole 856 00:44:01.079 --> 00:44:05.079 thing started with the angle against ironically Shane McMahon, that 857 00:44:05.079 --> 00:44:08.199 that's all that they've been and since the days where 858 00:44:08.519 --> 00:44:12.239 Sammy Sing was actually a somewhat relevant mid card guy 859 00:44:12.280 --> 00:44:15.880 and Kevin Owens was a competitor against aj Styles for 860 00:44:15.920 --> 00:44:19.800 the US title and the Universal Championship, And now I 861 00:44:19.880 --> 00:44:24.639 just feel like, because their whole slightly heeled comedic act work, 862 00:44:25.119 --> 00:44:27.880 that that's all they use these guys for. And I 863 00:44:27.960 --> 00:44:30.320 just feel like these guys are being wasted big time. 864 00:44:31.880 --> 00:44:33.400 Now I'm gonna try to remain a little calm here 865 00:44:33.440 --> 00:44:35.719 because last night I went I went off on this 866 00:44:35.840 --> 00:44:44.039 topic that Kevin Owens and Sammy's ain they are sorely underutilized, 867 00:44:44.079 --> 00:44:45.880 and that is being the most mild I can be. 868 00:44:46.480 --> 00:44:49.800 Do they have such an upside? I don't care if 869 00:44:49.880 --> 00:44:52.000 Vince McMahon looks at Kevin Owens and says, look at him, 870 00:44:52.039 --> 00:44:53.679 he's got a beer gut. He can't be the face 871 00:44:53.719 --> 00:44:56.639 of the WWE. I mean, I feel like that's what 872 00:44:56.760 --> 00:45:00.519 Vince McMahon is thinking. And I don't know why they 873 00:45:00.599 --> 00:45:03.960 put him as Universal Champion. And since that time after 874 00:45:03.960 --> 00:45:06.280 Triple H handed it to him, if we all forgot 875 00:45:07.599 --> 00:45:10.440 he lost to Goldberg and then we have he just 876 00:45:10.559 --> 00:45:14.119 spiraled down into an abyss. And once he was doing 877 00:45:14.159 --> 00:45:16.599 these promo videos to come back, if you want to 878 00:45:16.599 --> 00:45:19.519 call him promo videos. He's in a bowling alley with 879 00:45:19.559 --> 00:45:22.480 his kids, he's at a movie theater and he comes 880 00:45:22.519 --> 00:45:24.719 back as a babyface, and I'm like, all right, cool, 881 00:45:24.800 --> 00:45:27.280 Like I want to see how this Kevin Owens' babyface 882 00:45:27.360 --> 00:45:32.000 run goes. And they cut that so quickly that I well, 883 00:45:32.079 --> 00:45:33.679 I mean, everyone said all they shouldn't have done it 884 00:45:33.679 --> 00:45:36.039 that quick, and I'm kind of torn because we all 885 00:45:36.079 --> 00:45:37.760 knew the other shoe was gonna drop and it was 886 00:45:37.800 --> 00:45:39.880 a matter of time when he turned here Okay, so 887 00:45:39.920 --> 00:45:41.679 he turns, heal, he's back to where we all thought 888 00:45:41.679 --> 00:45:44.199 he was going to be anyway. But then they just 889 00:45:44.719 --> 00:45:49.039 have him lose and lose and lose. What has Sammy 890 00:45:49.079 --> 00:45:50.760 done since he came back and was a critic of 891 00:45:50.760 --> 00:45:53.320 the critics, which I think has gotten good momentum and 892 00:45:53.360 --> 00:45:57.159 I actually enjoy It's something different, unique, And they bring 893 00:45:57.199 --> 00:45:59.599 out an electric chair one week, which made no sense, 894 00:45:59.679 --> 00:46:03.159 but they had an interaction with fans and it seemed legitimate. 895 00:46:03.239 --> 00:46:05.199 It didn't seem like they were plants in the audience. 896 00:46:05.800 --> 00:46:08.320 You get to ask Sammy z Ain questions and he 897 00:46:08.400 --> 00:46:10.920 attacks the fans and he's the critic of the critics. 898 00:46:11.519 --> 00:46:13.599 I think that was great, it was original. I am 899 00:46:13.719 --> 00:46:16.360 enjoying it, and they gave him a lot of time 900 00:46:16.400 --> 00:46:19.920 to do it. And yet braun Stroman comes out flattens him. 901 00:46:20.159 --> 00:46:24.199 You know, Kofi Kingston beats him like there. And I 902 00:46:24.239 --> 00:46:26.880 know wins and losses don't really matter too much in 903 00:46:26.920 --> 00:46:29.679 the in the world of professional wrestling, this fantasy environment, 904 00:46:30.239 --> 00:46:34.159 but I can't get behind characters that lose and lose 905 00:46:34.360 --> 00:46:38.119 and lose and lose, and two guys that could easily 906 00:46:38.400 --> 00:46:41.800 either one be a top guy and I'm talking champion 907 00:46:42.159 --> 00:46:44.800 just to Samojo, and maybe we'll touch on Samojo too. 908 00:46:45.159 --> 00:46:47.760 You can put Samoa Jo in this argument too. All 909 00:46:47.840 --> 00:46:52.440 three guys, why are they being just just pushed to 910 00:46:52.519 --> 00:46:55.840 the side, not given an opportunity to take the ball 911 00:46:55.920 --> 00:46:58.880 and just go to the end zone when they could 912 00:46:58.960 --> 00:47:05.320 easily do it. All three are are very experienced independent scene. 913 00:47:05.039 --> 00:47:08.280 They've had their independent scene run. They know who they are. 914 00:47:09.000 --> 00:47:11.960 They are, they understand the business, they understand the psychology. 915 00:47:11.960 --> 00:47:14.679 They can work a crowd, they can have amazing matches, 916 00:47:15.880 --> 00:47:20.920 and yet they lose week after week after week. And maybe, 917 00:47:21.000 --> 00:47:23.079 and I said this last night, maybe it's because for 918 00:47:23.159 --> 00:47:25.960 Kevin Owens anyway, that he's being punished by management for 919 00:47:26.000 --> 00:47:28.760 not going to Saudi Arabia. I don't know, I don't 920 00:47:28.800 --> 00:47:31.519 know the reasoning, but it is maddening that three, these 921 00:47:31.559 --> 00:47:34.920 three guys who could if my god, maybe they're eyeing 922 00:47:35.199 --> 00:47:37.880 a w because if they ever go to AW and 923 00:47:37.920 --> 00:47:41.119 are allowed to just creatively do whatever they want, look out. 924 00:47:41.480 --> 00:47:43.639 I mean, I'm sure they feel handcuffed. I'm sure all 925 00:47:43.639 --> 00:47:46.760 three feel frustrated. So I'll just stop there. 926 00:47:47.480 --> 00:47:50.920 Well, yeah, and we saw glimpses of the old Kevin 927 00:47:51.000 --> 00:47:53.599 Owens when he was like that vicious heel, like he 928 00:47:53.639 --> 00:47:56.559 could really be a force that you reckon with Samy's ay, 929 00:47:56.599 --> 00:47:59.800 and it feels as though, like, unless he's just riding 930 00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:03.320 shotgun with Kevin Owens, he's a nobody to them. And 931 00:48:03.360 --> 00:48:05.360 it's kind of weird because when he first came back 932 00:48:05.400 --> 00:48:07.920 and he was the critic of the critics, you thought like, Okay, 933 00:48:07.960 --> 00:48:10.679 they're finally gonna let him go off on his own, 934 00:48:11.119 --> 00:48:15.079 but no, he just somehow inexplicably used the wild card 935 00:48:15.159 --> 00:48:18.760 rule again, jumped a SmackDown, and now him he's basically 936 00:48:18.840 --> 00:48:21.559 riding shotgun with Kevin, like I just said. As for 937 00:48:21.719 --> 00:48:25.320 Samoa Joe, it's just it's feeling like bray White all 938 00:48:25.360 --> 00:48:29.400 over again, where he's like this vicious, like evil heel 939 00:48:29.880 --> 00:48:33.400 and like no one can stop him, and then he 940 00:48:33.480 --> 00:48:36.639 I remember you talked about how like Somojo has this 941 00:48:36.760 --> 00:48:40.000 aspect that even when he loses, he makes you believe 942 00:48:40.119 --> 00:48:43.000 that he's gonna come back better than ever. But even 943 00:48:43.000 --> 00:48:45.719 when he loses now he always has that like look 944 00:48:45.760 --> 00:48:47.440 of shock on his face. I don't know if you 945 00:48:47.440 --> 00:48:49.960 know what I'm talking about, where he gets rolled up 946 00:48:49.960 --> 00:48:51.360 and he's like completely distraught. 947 00:48:51.400 --> 00:48:53.599 But it happens so often. 948 00:48:54.039 --> 00:48:57.639 He loses so much that that look on his face. 949 00:48:57.360 --> 00:48:59.960 It's not even realistic anymore. It's almost funny to me 950 00:49:00.440 --> 00:49:02.880 because you're just like, how is he shocked? This always 951 00:49:02.920 --> 00:49:06.360 happens to him. He always loses. And I know that 952 00:49:06.559 --> 00:49:09.559 they put the US title back on him, which I am. 953 00:49:09.440 --> 00:49:11.639 Happy about because I think he's a guy that could 954 00:49:11.719 --> 00:49:15.519 benefit from it and the title could benefit from him 955 00:49:15.559 --> 00:49:19.760 as well. I still find it ridiculous that he got 956 00:49:19.760 --> 00:49:22.960 it because Raymond Steer just vacated it. I remember you 957 00:49:23.039 --> 00:49:25.840 touched on it, Like when has that ever happened before? 958 00:49:26.599 --> 00:49:29.719 The title never just gets vacated and then handed to someone. 959 00:49:30.000 --> 00:49:31.960 It always has to be fought for, like what happened 960 00:49:32.000 --> 00:49:33.519 with Roman Reigns when he had to go away for 961 00:49:33.599 --> 00:49:37.239 his leukemia. So even though they put the belt back 962 00:49:37.280 --> 00:49:40.639 on Joe, it doesn't mean anything because they just handed 963 00:49:40.639 --> 00:49:43.280 it to him. But another thing is like, do titles 964 00:49:43.400 --> 00:49:46.840 mean anything anymore? Obviously the two major titles of the 965 00:49:46.960 --> 00:49:51.000 Universal and the WWE means something. But again, Finn Baler, 966 00:49:51.199 --> 00:49:55.199 besides his win against Andradi a Super Showdown, I don't 967 00:49:55.199 --> 00:49:58.199 even know if I've seen him on television, let alone 968 00:49:58.320 --> 00:50:01.559 win a match since he's been drafted the SmackDown. Samoa 969 00:50:01.679 --> 00:50:03.639 Joe is the US champ, but I don't think he's 970 00:50:03.679 --> 00:50:06.840 one match since being the US champ. And as for 971 00:50:06.880 --> 00:50:11.960 the tag team titles, well, Hawkins and Ryder literally lost 972 00:50:12.000 --> 00:50:16.159 it their first titled event since WrestleMania, and that's that's 973 00:50:16.320 --> 00:50:19.119 just ridiculous to me. Like I think people had forgotten 974 00:50:19.119 --> 00:50:22.079 that they had these titles and that's why they eventually 975 00:50:22.119 --> 00:50:24.880 just put them back on the Revival. So yeah, I 976 00:50:24.920 --> 00:50:27.719 think Joe at this point is just a very big 977 00:50:28.280 --> 00:50:31.400 victim of just how badly they use the titles right now. 978 00:50:32.840 --> 00:50:35.119 It's a crime. I mean, I feel like this could 979 00:50:35.199 --> 00:50:38.360 be a felony of sorts, Like there's got to be 980 00:50:38.360 --> 00:50:41.519 some kind of penal code for this. It's it's awful. 981 00:50:41.960 --> 00:50:46.079 And Samoa Joe is a guy that could easily be 982 00:50:46.119 --> 00:50:48.440 a top guy, you know. And when I said that 983 00:50:48.599 --> 00:50:51.880 about Samoa Joe and his promos, he is you could 984 00:50:52.000 --> 00:50:54.519 have him lose and his promo the next night would 985 00:50:54.519 --> 00:50:55.800 make you feel like he won and you want to 986 00:50:55.800 --> 00:50:59.199 see him you lose again. He's got that ability, and 987 00:50:59.239 --> 00:51:02.559 that is an ability I don't really know anybody has 988 00:51:02.599 --> 00:51:05.039 that I can think of beyond Smojoe. It is such 989 00:51:05.039 --> 00:51:09.360 a good quality. But he loses and loses and loses. 990 00:51:09.559 --> 00:51:12.559 It's it's as if his one win was a fluke 991 00:51:12.679 --> 00:51:15.840 win and it happened to be for a championship and 992 00:51:15.960 --> 00:51:20.679 since then, I mean, he constantly loses. At WrestleMania, I said, Okay, 993 00:51:20.679 --> 00:51:22.920 here we go. He beat Raymisterio in like a blink 994 00:51:22.960 --> 00:51:25.719 of an eye. They're gonna finally strap the rocket to him. 995 00:51:25.719 --> 00:51:31.000 He's just gonna tear through in the SmackDown Live roster 996 00:51:31.400 --> 00:51:33.719 and they're just gonna have him be a bulldozer. And 997 00:51:33.800 --> 00:51:36.639 he loses and loses and loses on roll ups and 998 00:51:36.719 --> 00:51:40.199 roll ups and roll ups, and it's ridiculous. It's ridiculous 999 00:51:40.199 --> 00:51:42.039 That'smojo would lose on a roll up, the guy that 1000 00:51:42.079 --> 00:51:47.159 nearly beat brock Lesner straight up. So but as far 1001 00:51:47.159 --> 00:51:49.599 as the tag team champions go, if we're gonna jump 1002 00:51:49.599 --> 00:51:53.119 into that realm the revival, yeah, I think it's simply 1003 00:51:53.199 --> 00:51:56.039 because they are associated with Shane McMahon and they want 1004 00:51:56.079 --> 00:51:58.760 to get more heat on that faction that they have 1005 00:51:58.840 --> 00:52:01.960 the Gold and they were told, if you bring the Gold, 1006 00:52:02.119 --> 00:52:03.840 you can come to the party. Well, they brought the 1007 00:52:03.840 --> 00:52:07.800 gold and now they're invited to that backstage champagne lobster 1008 00:52:08.239 --> 00:52:13.039 whatever it was that Roman Reigns ended up crashing. But 1009 00:52:13.199 --> 00:52:17.719 on the flip side, I'm really liking Rowan and Brian 1010 00:52:17.800 --> 00:52:22.920 as champions on SmackDown Live and Heavy Machinery. I really 1011 00:52:22.960 --> 00:52:26.800 think that they are good, formidable opponents for daniel'brien and 1012 00:52:27.480 --> 00:52:32.119 for Rowan. Rowan, who has been reinvented from the really 1013 00:52:32.159 --> 00:52:35.159 the third wheel of the Wyatt family and has been 1014 00:52:35.519 --> 00:52:38.639 re educated to us as a legitimate threat, a legitimate 1015 00:52:38.639 --> 00:52:41.920 big man, a guy that can take a lot of punishment, 1016 00:52:42.039 --> 00:52:45.320 kick out of finishers, and is the heavy for Daniel Bryan. 1017 00:52:46.159 --> 00:52:50.639 And I'm really liking this duo the Planet's champions. I 1018 00:52:50.679 --> 00:52:52.920 think that Daniel Brian has done a great job with 1019 00:52:53.000 --> 00:52:57.000 his veganism brought to the max to be arrogant and 1020 00:52:57.039 --> 00:53:01.039 an obnoxious and they're doing a really good job. Despite 1021 00:53:01.079 --> 00:53:03.000 the fact that they are not being booked to be 1022 00:53:03.199 --> 00:53:06.440 anywhere near the focal point of the show. They are 1023 00:53:06.480 --> 00:53:09.400 always a highlight of the show because Daniel Brian is 1024 00:53:09.440 --> 00:53:13.039 so believable and his delivery is always very smooth. It's 1025 00:53:13.119 --> 00:53:16.679 easy to understand, and it's they're arrogant, and the fact 1026 00:53:16.679 --> 00:53:19.079 that Daniel Bryan has been able to pull the wool 1027 00:53:19.119 --> 00:53:22.920 over fans eyes and in a way that you resent 1028 00:53:23.039 --> 00:53:26.239 Daniel Brian now a character that we never thought we'd 1029 00:53:26.280 --> 00:53:30.079 hate again is just a tribute to the genius and 1030 00:53:30.679 --> 00:53:33.559 mastery that is Daniel Brian and he's and Rowan is 1031 00:53:33.599 --> 00:53:36.599 certainly benefiting from this, and that's that's always a plus. 1032 00:53:37.320 --> 00:53:39.360 Yeah, Daniel Brian is brilliant. I think he's one of 1033 00:53:39.360 --> 00:53:41.880 the best talkers right now. He's a great wrestler and 1034 00:53:42.320 --> 00:53:45.159 he's just great in whatever role he does. He's really 1035 00:53:45.199 --> 00:53:48.000 taking the ball and run with it. In his he'll 1036 00:53:48.320 --> 00:53:51.519 full blown he'l Vegan mode. And I think Rowan is 1037 00:53:51.559 --> 00:53:54.039 really excelled. He got a shot and he's really been 1038 00:53:54.280 --> 00:53:57.639 like taking advantage of it. And I really it's good 1039 00:53:57.639 --> 00:54:00.400 to see how well they're doing because if I've seen 1040 00:54:00.400 --> 00:54:04.840 this though before WrestleMania SmackDown was loaded with tag teams 1041 00:54:04.960 --> 00:54:07.239 and now all of a sudden, there's none. You know, 1042 00:54:07.360 --> 00:54:10.880 Jeff Hardy got hurt, so they're so the Hardy Boys 1043 00:54:10.880 --> 00:54:11.920 don't exist right now. 1044 00:54:12.119 --> 00:54:13.480 The USOS went to Raw. 1045 00:54:13.800 --> 00:54:16.039 The New Day have basically been taken out because of 1046 00:54:16.079 --> 00:54:20.960 what's gone on with Kofi. The bar inexplicably dismembered, and 1047 00:54:21.119 --> 00:54:24.719 now Cesarro is off being some weird character on Raw 1048 00:54:24.719 --> 00:54:27.840 that we'll get to. But yeah, I really like what 1049 00:54:27.880 --> 00:54:31.760 they've done on SmackDown Rowan and Brian, that is, I 1050 00:54:31.880 --> 00:54:34.960 like how Brian has alluded to the fact that SmackDown 1051 00:54:35.039 --> 00:54:39.480 has no formidable tag team challengers. As for Heavy Machinery, 1052 00:54:39.599 --> 00:54:41.840 I really like them. They feel like an old school 1053 00:54:41.920 --> 00:54:45.159 type tag team. I find them funny too, and they're 1054 00:54:45.199 --> 00:54:48.679 well placed comedy because it's organic they don't go out 1055 00:54:48.679 --> 00:54:50.400 of their way to but they. 1056 00:54:50.239 --> 00:54:51.360 Also are good in the ring. 1057 00:54:51.400 --> 00:54:53.920 I find them entertaining, and I think it's a good 1058 00:54:54.039 --> 00:54:58.480 kind of feud because obviously Heavy Machinery are rather heavier 1059 00:54:58.559 --> 00:55:01.559 set guys. Daniel Brian can kind of, like, you know, 1060 00:55:01.679 --> 00:55:04.119 grasp on to that about like the whole vegan thing 1061 00:55:04.519 --> 00:55:07.039 and being healthy and not stuff in your face with gluten. 1062 00:55:07.480 --> 00:55:10.199 But yeah, that's been a really bright spot. I've always liked. 1063 00:55:10.159 --> 00:55:13.360 Daniel Brian Rowan's been nice touch and they've had good 1064 00:55:13.440 --> 00:55:14.920 chemistry with Heavy Machinery. 1065 00:55:16.639 --> 00:55:19.199 Yeah, and while we're on that subject, as you said 1066 00:55:19.199 --> 00:55:23.719 about Cizarrow, though I don't know what they're doing with Czarrow. 1067 00:55:23.719 --> 00:55:26.039 I don't think Cesarrow knows what they're doing with Czarrow. 1068 00:55:26.239 --> 00:55:29.760 It's just another iteration of them trying to find and 1069 00:55:29.840 --> 00:55:33.599 Cesarrow trying to find who he is. We all know 1070 00:55:33.679 --> 00:55:37.519 he is freakishly strong in the ring, he's a great competitor, 1071 00:55:38.000 --> 00:55:41.440 he is in incredible shape. All of that is true, 1072 00:55:41.559 --> 00:55:44.519 check check check. The problem is he has never been 1073 00:55:44.559 --> 00:55:48.400 able to organically connect with the fans on a level 1074 00:55:48.440 --> 00:55:50.559 that's outside of the tag team of the bar. And 1075 00:55:50.559 --> 00:55:53.480 even the bar didn't really like it. Never connected with me, 1076 00:55:53.599 --> 00:55:58.079 like I understood who they were, but I never was saying, oh, hey, yeah, 1077 00:55:58.480 --> 00:56:00.679 I understand what you I mean, I can I feel 1078 00:56:00.679 --> 00:56:03.199 what you're doing. They just kind of came up with 1079 00:56:03.239 --> 00:56:06.280 the catchphrase that you know we are we aren't the bar, 1080 00:56:06.400 --> 00:56:08.960 we set the bar, you know whatever, And they never 1081 00:56:09.480 --> 00:56:13.280 just felt like they were something that would be long term. 1082 00:56:13.400 --> 00:56:16.320 They were just in good in ring competitors. And now Cizzar, 1083 00:56:16.400 --> 00:56:19.320 as you said it, is doing this whatever he's doing 1084 00:56:19.400 --> 00:56:22.719 with new music. Okay, he's refreshed with new music. I'd 1085 00:56:22.719 --> 00:56:24.480 like to see a promo from him to let us 1086 00:56:24.559 --> 00:56:27.559 know who he is. But his in ring competition on 1087 00:56:27.599 --> 00:56:30.079 Monday Night certainly spoke for itself. And that's where he 1088 00:56:30.119 --> 00:56:31.719 does most of his talking is in the ring. 1089 00:56:32.480 --> 00:56:32.599 Uh. 1090 00:56:32.800 --> 00:56:35.920 And in his crazy strength that he you know, what 1091 00:56:36.000 --> 00:56:40.519 he showed against Bronz Stroman was just otherworldly. Uh. And 1092 00:56:40.880 --> 00:56:43.480 you know he has that ability to go toe to 1093 00:56:43.519 --> 00:56:46.159 toe with anybody and put on a five star match 1094 00:56:46.199 --> 00:56:49.559 if given the time. So, I mean, obviously that match 1095 00:56:49.639 --> 00:56:53.000 was really more focused around Broun Stroman, who tossed everybody 1096 00:56:53.039 --> 00:56:56.519 around for you know, half the match until he was 1097 00:56:56.559 --> 00:56:59.639 eliminated by two guys who were already eliminated and then 1098 00:56:59.719 --> 00:57:01.800 hit you know, about three finishers on him before he 1099 00:57:01.920 --> 00:57:04.039 was taken out of the match. So what did you 1100 00:57:04.079 --> 00:57:05.840 think about that match and what did you think about 1101 00:57:05.920 --> 00:57:07.639 Cizarrow getting kind of repackaged. 1102 00:57:08.199 --> 00:57:11.280 Well, the match was good, the match was entertaining. 1103 00:57:11.519 --> 00:57:13.719 I think it was like a cool aspect that it 1104 00:57:13.840 --> 00:57:18.599 was the elimination factor. As for Cizarrow, I think it's 1105 00:57:18.719 --> 00:57:21.320 never been in doubt how good he is in the ring. 1106 00:57:21.400 --> 00:57:24.039 I remember, even before the bar he had one or 1107 00:57:24.079 --> 00:57:27.920 two really really good matches with John cenn Raw and 1108 00:57:28.000 --> 00:57:30.480 people were always kind of waiting for him to break out. 1109 00:57:30.840 --> 00:57:33.639 And then when he got paired with Seamus, I was 1110 00:57:33.719 --> 00:57:34.280 personally a. 1111 00:57:34.239 --> 00:57:35.679 Fan of the Bar. I liked them. 1112 00:57:36.159 --> 00:57:39.280 I've always liked Shamus, and I found that they were 1113 00:57:39.320 --> 00:57:42.280 also kind of like an old school like brutish tag team. 1114 00:57:42.920 --> 00:57:46.119 But ever since he's been repackaged, it kind of made 1115 00:57:46.199 --> 00:57:47.440 me realize why he. 1116 00:57:47.440 --> 00:57:50.400 Was in a tag team because he I don't know 1117 00:57:50.480 --> 00:57:51.039 who he is. 1118 00:57:51.119 --> 00:57:54.280 I don't know what his character is, and I found 1119 00:57:54.280 --> 00:57:57.079 it weird because they feel like there was even confusion 1120 00:57:57.079 --> 00:58:00.480 between him and the creative because when he first started 1121 00:58:00.519 --> 00:58:04.719 coming out on raw solo post WrestleMania without Seamus, he 1122 00:58:05.280 --> 00:58:10.760 came out using Seamus's music and then they quickly switched 1123 00:58:10.760 --> 00:58:13.679 it to new music. But then for the biggest while, 1124 00:58:13.719 --> 00:58:16.519 he was still coming out with the Bar wrestling attire 1125 00:58:16.880 --> 00:58:19.440 and doing the sign coming to the ring, while the 1126 00:58:19.480 --> 00:58:21.679 commentators were making no reference to the Bar. 1127 00:58:22.079 --> 00:58:23.559 And it's only been the past few. 1128 00:58:23.360 --> 00:58:25.719 Weeks where he's got rid of the sign and got 1129 00:58:25.760 --> 00:58:29.159 rid of the attires, So it's almost been me just 1130 00:58:29.400 --> 00:58:32.840 not taking him seriously because obviously he's good in the 1131 00:58:32.880 --> 00:58:34.679 ring and no one can take that away from him, 1132 00:58:34.679 --> 00:58:38.719 but it's just the whole character direction just doesn't make sense. 1133 00:58:39.079 --> 00:58:42.840 He hasn't said a word since coming over to Raw 1134 00:58:43.159 --> 00:58:47.800 and being dismembered from the bar. So I can't get 1135 00:58:47.840 --> 00:58:50.360 behind him because I just don't know who he is. 1136 00:58:50.400 --> 00:58:53.000 I don't know why he's there. I don't know why 1137 00:58:53.079 --> 00:58:56.079 him and Shamus broke up. I know, for real reasons. 1138 00:58:56.079 --> 00:58:59.039 I think Seamus left to go fill him teenage mutant 1139 00:58:59.079 --> 00:59:00.280 Ninja turtles or something thing. 1140 00:59:00.800 --> 00:59:02.960 But just tell me why, tell me what happened, Just 1141 00:59:03.039 --> 00:59:05.559 tell me anything, you know. It could be as easy 1142 00:59:05.559 --> 00:59:10.360 as when Bobby Rood and Chad Gable split and Ruges said, ah, 1143 00:59:10.400 --> 00:59:12.599 he was weighing me down and I shed two hundred 1144 00:59:12.639 --> 00:59:13.360 pounds of nothing. 1145 00:59:13.719 --> 00:59:16.239 Okay, at least I get it, at least I know why. 1146 00:59:16.320 --> 00:59:18.880 But like, I have no reason as to why won 1147 00:59:18.920 --> 00:59:21.199 the most successful tag teams over the last two and 1148 00:59:21.199 --> 00:59:23.719 a half years randomly dismembered. 1149 00:59:24.039 --> 00:59:26.679 So yeah, but it's just been kind of hard for. 1150 00:59:26.599 --> 00:59:29.840 Me to get behind him when it's like there's been 1151 00:59:29.880 --> 00:59:31.880 no explanation as to why he's solo. 1152 00:59:33.440 --> 00:59:35.280 It's kind of a funny point. I mean, when you 1153 00:59:35.320 --> 00:59:38.599 see Cizarro outside of a tag team, you just said it. 1154 00:59:38.639 --> 00:59:41.519 I mean, you go, oh, that's why they put him 1155 00:59:41.519 --> 00:59:44.440 in a tag team and him and Seamus before they 1156 00:59:44.480 --> 00:59:47.559 became the Bar. We're having a best of seven series 1157 00:59:48.159 --> 00:59:51.559 and if you remember, they got to game seven, if 1158 00:59:51.559 --> 00:59:53.599 you will, they got to the seventh match, of course, 1159 00:59:54.119 --> 00:59:57.159 and I believe that match ended in a draw. And 1160 00:59:57.239 --> 01:00:00.480 so Mick Foley decided to put them together, and they 1161 01:00:00.480 --> 01:00:03.559 reluctantly were together for I don't know how many months 1162 01:00:03.599 --> 01:00:06.840 before they finally started to gel and just accepted each other, 1163 01:00:07.199 --> 01:00:09.480 and the fans got behind him for a while. It 1164 01:00:09.599 --> 01:00:14.440 was Boo shamous, yay Cesarrow, Boo shamous, yay Czarrow, and 1165 01:00:14.480 --> 01:00:16.920 then they just kind of morphed into one and you know, 1166 01:00:17.039 --> 01:00:19.199 outside of their catchphrase, they didn't say a whole lot. 1167 01:00:19.280 --> 01:00:22.400 It was just their catchphrase. And so now that he's 1168 01:00:22.400 --> 01:00:25.599 on his own, he needs to tell us his identity 1169 01:00:25.679 --> 01:00:28.960 and tell us it fast. While you while you kind 1170 01:00:28.960 --> 01:00:31.800 of alluded to it, and I agree that I'll get 1171 01:00:31.800 --> 01:00:35.039 behind him because I like Cesarrow as an in ring performer. 1172 01:00:35.079 --> 01:00:37.440 I respect him so much and he's so good that 1173 01:00:37.599 --> 01:00:41.280 I'll get behind him until they tell me otherwise. But 1174 01:00:41.320 --> 01:00:43.440 I'm not going to get super excited about who he 1175 01:00:43.639 --> 01:00:47.360 is or where he's going until I'm told who he 1176 01:00:47.519 --> 01:00:51.760 is until they tell me something. But WWE doesn't care 1177 01:00:51.760 --> 01:00:54.599 about detail, and Vince McMahon you can hear him backstage. Oh, 1178 01:00:54.639 --> 01:00:56.760 people don't remember that. People don't care, They just want 1179 01:00:56.800 --> 01:00:59.280 to be entertained. Well, here's how you entertain people by 1180 01:00:59.280 --> 01:01:02.360 telling them detail and rewarding them for paying attention to detail. 1181 01:01:02.760 --> 01:01:05.840 But that's not gonna happen. You know, we'll never get 1182 01:01:05.880 --> 01:01:08.239 an explanation, just as and I don't know why I 1183 01:01:08.280 --> 01:01:10.679 keep bringing this up, but it irks me. Charlotte got 1184 01:01:10.719 --> 01:01:15.119 a SmackDown Women's Championship title match a week before WrestleMania, 1185 01:01:15.320 --> 01:01:17.639 yet and she won. I mean there was no zero 1186 01:01:17.760 --> 01:01:20.440 explanation against Oscar for that. I mean things like that. 1187 01:01:20.639 --> 01:01:24.000 How can you overlook that? How can you not tell 1188 01:01:24.119 --> 01:01:28.199 fans why this is happening or how it's happening. Obviously, 1189 01:01:28.599 --> 01:01:30.960 Ciesarro and Seamus breaking up, I don't think is on 1190 01:01:31.000 --> 01:01:34.239 the scale of Charlotte winning the SmackDown Women's Championship a 1191 01:01:34.280 --> 01:01:38.719 week before WrestleMania. But it's that same logic, that same 1192 01:01:39.360 --> 01:01:43.559 mentality that WWE has creatively Vince McMahon that we don't 1193 01:01:43.559 --> 01:01:45.280 need to tell him, we'll come up with something later. No, 1194 01:01:45.280 --> 01:01:48.480 one's gonna ask, well, we're asking, we're asking why wouldn't 1195 01:01:48.519 --> 01:01:53.480 we want to know? And it's a fundamental problem with WWE. 1196 01:01:54.440 --> 01:01:56.719 And you know what, I like that you brought up 1197 01:01:56.719 --> 01:01:59.360 the lack of logic because this is something and it's 1198 01:01:59.360 --> 01:02:02.719 been amplifed by the wildcard rule that's been bothering me. 1199 01:02:03.360 --> 01:02:07.039 Why is it that heels who have never come into 1200 01:02:07.119 --> 01:02:10.920 contact before, or heels that have had past beef with 1201 01:02:11.000 --> 01:02:15.360 each other, just because their heels they're friends? Like why 1202 01:02:15.360 --> 01:02:19.400 do Sammy Zain and Kevin Owens inexplicably have the back 1203 01:02:19.519 --> 01:02:20.440 of Baron Corbyn? 1204 01:02:21.079 --> 01:02:24.039 Why is it that like Baron Corbyn can bump. 1205 01:02:23.719 --> 01:02:26.519 Into Bobby Lashley backstage and all of a sudden their 1206 01:02:26.519 --> 01:02:29.920 buddies and it goes on to SmackDown Sea McMahon's walking 1207 01:02:29.920 --> 01:02:32.679 into the building, Sammy Zane and Kevin Owens are there 1208 01:02:32.679 --> 01:02:35.400 to greet him and kiss his ass. Do we not 1209 01:02:35.920 --> 01:02:39.400 remember what went on a year and a half ago 1210 01:02:39.519 --> 01:02:44.280 that lasted six months between Seaye McMahon and Kevin Owens 1211 01:02:44.320 --> 01:02:47.519 and Sammy z Ain. It's just like I understand the 1212 01:02:47.559 --> 01:02:51.280 premise of it that eventually heals will side with heels 1213 01:02:51.280 --> 01:02:54.519 and babyfaces will side with baby faces, but like, let 1214 01:02:54.519 --> 01:02:58.159 me know why you guys are siding like with each other. 1215 01:02:58.679 --> 01:03:00.880 I always found it cool when heels would come into 1216 01:03:00.960 --> 01:03:03.760 contact with each other and they would actually like have 1217 01:03:03.880 --> 01:03:05.920 a bit of beef and say like, oh, you know, 1218 01:03:06.079 --> 01:03:09.119 like I don't like you, but the the enemy of 1219 01:03:09.119 --> 01:03:12.440 my enemy is my friend or whatever it is. But like, 1220 01:03:12.760 --> 01:03:16.280 just give me something, like I just can't get behind like, okay, 1221 01:03:16.280 --> 01:03:17.920 they're together because they're two heels. 1222 01:03:18.000 --> 01:03:19.400 No, why are they together? 1223 01:03:19.840 --> 01:03:22.360 Why is this guy backing this guy? And it's just 1224 01:03:22.679 --> 01:03:25.400 it's too much of just like it's just lazy, like 1225 01:03:25.440 --> 01:03:26.360 oh yeah, like. 1226 01:03:26.320 --> 01:03:27.639 You mentioned about Vince mcmatt. 1227 01:03:27.880 --> 01:03:30.960 Oh yeah, they will remember that Sammy San and Kevin 1228 01:03:31.000 --> 01:03:33.320 Owens and made the shame mcmhan's life a living hell 1229 01:03:33.480 --> 01:03:35.000 for five or six months on end. 1230 01:03:35.559 --> 01:03:38.480 It's just like, give me something. It just can't be 1231 01:03:39.079 --> 01:03:43.239 so easy as heels are friends of heels and babyfaces 1232 01:03:43.239 --> 01:03:44.480 are friends of babyfaces. 1233 01:03:45.840 --> 01:03:49.039 I think maybe the logic would be, if you're if 1234 01:03:49.079 --> 01:03:53.159 I'm talking to Vince McMahon, why are all heels automatically friends? 1235 01:03:54.000 --> 01:03:57.800 Maybe his explanation would be, well, fans aren't gonna care 1236 01:03:57.840 --> 01:04:00.360 about two heels fighting each other. There's no investment there. 1237 01:04:00.400 --> 01:04:02.920 They have nobody to get behind. And that's probably what 1238 01:04:02.960 --> 01:04:05.079 he would say, is that's the reason that no one 1239 01:04:05.079 --> 01:04:07.400 would care who wins if they got in in any 1240 01:04:07.480 --> 01:04:11.239 kind of argument or program, because no one would care. However, 1241 01:04:11.360 --> 01:04:13.880 you could create a new star and see who who 1242 01:04:13.960 --> 01:04:16.880 the fans would organically get behind by putting two heels together. 1243 01:04:17.239 --> 01:04:21.519 They did that, maybe you remember or not with Kurt 1244 01:04:21.559 --> 01:04:24.760 Angle and Triple H when Kurt Angle was getting with 1245 01:04:25.400 --> 01:04:27.920 Stephanie McMahon and getting a little close, but Triple H 1246 01:04:28.000 --> 01:04:29.840 was still the heel. So do you side with Angle? 1247 01:04:29.960 --> 01:04:32.119 Do you side with Triple H? And ww left it 1248 01:04:32.199 --> 01:04:35.840 up to the fans to decide. That's how you created. 1249 01:04:37.000 --> 01:04:40.320 Yeah, and exactly culminated at Summerstime two thousand and a 1250 01:04:40.320 --> 01:04:44.239 triple threat match with The Rock, and it actually happened 1251 01:04:44.280 --> 01:04:47.280 where the Kurt Angle and Triple H brawled for about 1252 01:04:47.280 --> 01:04:49.400 ten minutes before the Rock even got to the ring. 1253 01:04:49.960 --> 01:04:53.239 And now I'm not not like you are right because 1254 01:04:53.280 --> 01:04:55.920 why would heels like go against each other? The fans 1255 01:04:55.960 --> 01:04:58.239 women get behind it, and I'm not saying that, but 1256 01:04:58.280 --> 01:05:01.000 it's it's also it's and more so in the fact 1257 01:05:01.000 --> 01:05:03.519 that like Why are Sammy Zinging and Kevin Owens so 1258 01:05:03.719 --> 01:05:07.800 behind helping Baron Corbin out? Why can't heels trying to 1259 01:05:07.880 --> 01:05:10.480 undercut each other? Like I liked it a bit when 1260 01:05:11.199 --> 01:05:14.159 Baron Corbin tried to like take advantage of Drew McIntyre 1261 01:05:14.320 --> 01:05:16.400 in a Number one Contenders match. 1262 01:05:16.440 --> 01:05:17.280 Something like that. 1263 01:05:17.360 --> 01:05:20.039 I just I want a bit more of like a 1264 01:05:20.079 --> 01:05:23.159 bit more meat behind the storyline, Like explain to me 1265 01:05:23.280 --> 01:05:25.920 why they're helping him. I'm not saying that they have to, 1266 01:05:26.079 --> 01:05:28.920 you know, go against each other, because you are right there. 1267 01:05:29.360 --> 01:05:32.119 I don't think there would be too much emotional investment 1268 01:05:32.159 --> 01:05:35.079 in from the fans. But at the same time, it 1269 01:05:35.119 --> 01:05:37.719 can't just be Okay, well, they're both bad guys, so 1270 01:05:37.800 --> 01:05:40.360 he's gonna have automatically come out to help him, like 1271 01:05:40.400 --> 01:05:43.840 what happened at the end of Raw, where like all 1272 01:05:43.880 --> 01:05:46.599 these different people were coming out, like the USOS came 1273 01:05:46.639 --> 01:05:49.559 out to help the Fate the the New Day, just 1274 01:05:49.599 --> 01:05:52.960 because they're both good guys, like in the Daniel Brian 1275 01:05:53.079 --> 01:05:56.480 and seth Rawlins match. I just don't like how, just 1276 01:05:56.800 --> 01:06:00.440 like all these different storylines will intertwine and and people 1277 01:06:00.480 --> 01:06:03.639 will side with each other just because ones are booked 1278 01:06:03.639 --> 01:06:06.000 at baby Faces and the other ones are booked as heels, 1279 01:06:06.320 --> 01:06:08.719 and that's the only explanation we get for it. 1280 01:06:09.800 --> 01:06:13.559 I think it's just reasons. I mean, that's just reasons. 1281 01:06:13.760 --> 01:06:17.360 I mean that you're right that there are no inexplicable 1282 01:06:18.559 --> 01:06:22.239 rational reasons why heels and heels and faces and faces 1283 01:06:22.280 --> 01:06:24.320 are all just we Oh, well, you're on my side 1284 01:06:24.320 --> 01:06:27.239 of the land. Here're on my side of the train tracks. 1285 01:06:27.480 --> 01:06:30.440 We all like you. Once you cross over, we automatically 1286 01:06:30.440 --> 01:06:34.000 dislike you. I mean, it's not reality, that's not life, 1287 01:06:34.079 --> 01:06:38.400 but it's the life of WWE's interpretation of professional wrestling. 1288 01:06:38.519 --> 01:06:41.480 So now I do want to get to stomping grounds. 1289 01:06:41.480 --> 01:06:44.280 But before I get into stomping grounds, is there anything 1290 01:06:44.280 --> 01:06:46.159 else that maybe I didn't touch on from this week 1291 01:06:46.199 --> 01:06:47.039 that you wanted to get to. 1292 01:06:47.679 --> 01:06:52.480 Well, there was one little tidbit of SmackDown that happened backstage, 1293 01:06:52.559 --> 01:06:57.039 and it was the whole Apollo Cruise on Ratty part 1294 01:06:57.239 --> 01:07:01.760 where you know, on draw he basically got Selina Vega 1295 01:07:01.800 --> 01:07:05.239 to goat in Apaulo Cruz and then he attacked them. 1296 01:07:05.480 --> 01:07:08.079 And I actually liked that story, and I'm just like, oh, 1297 01:07:08.119 --> 01:07:10.760 you know, this is like a cool, fresh storyline and 1298 01:07:10.800 --> 01:07:13.079 then it made me realize, like, you know, because of 1299 01:07:13.119 --> 01:07:16.440 the wildcard rule, all these guys got in this week 1300 01:07:16.440 --> 01:07:19.960 a WWE programming was a minute and a half of 1301 01:07:20.000 --> 01:07:24.679 a backstage segment. But that's why I liked the brand split, 1302 01:07:24.719 --> 01:07:28.320 because guys like Androtti and Apollo Cruz would get screen 1303 01:07:28.400 --> 01:07:30.320 time and it was fresh feuds. And those are two 1304 01:07:30.320 --> 01:07:33.679 guys that ONRAFTI much more so than Apolo Cruz, But 1305 01:07:33.800 --> 01:07:36.400 those are two guys that are very good in the 1306 01:07:36.440 --> 01:07:39.760 ring and I think have potential, but they're just buried 1307 01:07:39.840 --> 01:07:42.719 because Raw and SmackDown are constantly being taken up by 1308 01:07:42.719 --> 01:07:46.039 the same guys and the same storylines. And I just 1309 01:07:46.159 --> 01:07:49.159 feel like, if they just let the brand split alone, 1310 01:07:49.239 --> 01:07:51.480 these are two guys that could actually have a really 1311 01:07:51.519 --> 01:07:56.800 good undercard feud and maybe eventually culminated an Intercontinental Championship 1312 01:07:56.840 --> 01:08:00.760 match or Number one Contenders match. And again, like, where 1313 01:08:00.840 --> 01:08:03.800 is Finn Baler And I think he's also a victim 1314 01:08:03.880 --> 01:08:08.159 of this wildcard rule. So that whole segment backstage made 1315 01:08:08.239 --> 01:08:10.880 me realize that I want to see your wrestlers, and 1316 01:08:10.920 --> 01:08:12.880 I like a lot of the wrestlers are not using 1317 01:08:13.239 --> 01:08:15.519 and just kind of makes me despise the wild card 1318 01:08:15.559 --> 01:08:16.239 that much more. 1319 01:08:17.680 --> 01:08:19.920 We keep coming back to the wild card, but a 1320 01:08:19.960 --> 01:08:23.039 lot of a lot of the source of the problem 1321 01:08:23.199 --> 01:08:25.960 is the wild card that's been implemented, and that is 1322 01:08:26.119 --> 01:08:29.039 a side effect, a negative side effect. Another that we 1323 01:08:29.079 --> 01:08:33.840 can just tally up on this bandwagon of just terrible ideas, 1324 01:08:34.439 --> 01:08:37.399 is that yes, because you are now bringing in the 1325 01:08:37.439 --> 01:08:42.960 same predictable wrestlers into each show. Now, that takes away 1326 01:08:43.079 --> 01:08:45.760 from the guys that would have gotten the screen time 1327 01:08:45.840 --> 01:08:49.039 to build new stars for the guys that are already here, 1328 01:08:49.079 --> 01:08:52.720 to just kind of run the same main storyline through 1329 01:08:52.720 --> 01:08:55.560 and have the leftovers on SmackDown and the real the 1330 01:08:55.560 --> 01:08:58.640 progression of the storylines un raw and then the leftovers 1331 01:08:58.680 --> 01:09:01.000 are smacked down. It's the same thing over and over 1332 01:09:01.079 --> 01:09:04.359 and over now since it's been implemented. And guys like Andrade, who, 1333 01:09:04.520 --> 01:09:08.279 as you said, Andrade is so damn good in the ring. 1334 01:09:08.680 --> 01:09:11.640 He's so damn good. Zelena Vega adds so much to 1335 01:09:11.680 --> 01:09:15.560 his character. I love that pairing. They are so good together. 1336 01:09:16.119 --> 01:09:20.640 Apollo Cruz, who I think inarguably may have been one 1337 01:09:20.680 --> 01:09:25.920 of the i'd say least successful NXT call ups since 1338 01:09:26.000 --> 01:09:28.279 NXT has been a thing, and he was actually I 1339 01:09:28.319 --> 01:09:31.960 believe one of the first NXT call ups. Yeah, that 1340 01:09:32.039 --> 01:09:35.600 could be that the spark for Apollo Cruz that he 1341 01:09:35.680 --> 01:09:38.680 needs in his career going against Andrade, who could make 1342 01:09:38.800 --> 01:09:41.720 him look really good in the ring. It was and 1343 01:09:41.800 --> 01:09:43.680 it is a few that I want to see, but 1344 01:09:43.760 --> 01:09:46.000 it's a blink of an eye in terms of the 1345 01:09:46.039 --> 01:09:48.520 airtime that it's given because we got to worry about 1346 01:09:48.600 --> 01:09:52.039 Shane McMahon and his faction or is Roman Reigns gonna 1347 01:09:52.119 --> 01:09:54.079 come out here? I mean, it's the same thing as 1348 01:09:54.079 --> 01:09:56.279 Seth Ronin's gonna attack somebody from behind with a chair, 1349 01:09:56.479 --> 01:09:59.720 which I like, but again it's it's over exposing the 1350 01:09:59.800 --> 01:10:02.399 top guys when I want to see less of them, 1351 01:10:02.640 --> 01:10:04.800 which makes it more special to see them, and I 1352 01:10:04.840 --> 01:10:08.279 want to see newer stars built. That's the cycle of 1353 01:10:08.359 --> 01:10:11.279 professional wrestling, and right now we're not getting that. 1354 01:10:12.560 --> 01:10:16.520 Yeah, that's exactly because I remember days of pay per views, 1355 01:10:16.640 --> 01:10:19.840 especially when they were Brad exclusive pay per views, where 1356 01:10:19.880 --> 01:10:23.199 I would look forward to some of the undercard matches 1357 01:10:23.279 --> 01:10:25.720 and I would look forward to the US title feuds 1358 01:10:25.960 --> 01:10:29.279 and the Intercontinental Championship feuds. Like I find it kind 1359 01:10:29.279 --> 01:10:32.279 of crazy that, Like, yes, the match was great, but 1360 01:10:32.359 --> 01:10:36.359 the US Number One Contender Championship match of the Fatal 1361 01:10:36.399 --> 01:10:39.239 Five Way where Ricochet ended up winning. I find it 1362 01:10:39.640 --> 01:10:44.520 kind of insulting to that whole group of wrestlers that 1363 01:10:44.560 --> 01:10:47.000 they were given just a week to build a feud 1364 01:10:47.079 --> 01:10:50.600 with Samojo for a title before a pay per view event. 1365 01:10:51.039 --> 01:10:53.479 And as I brought up several times already, but Finn 1366 01:10:53.479 --> 01:10:56.720 Baller holding one of the most prestigious titles on the 1367 01:10:56.760 --> 01:11:00.239 main roster is just irrelevant and we just I don't 1368 01:11:00.279 --> 01:11:03.279 see him and there's not even a challenger for him, 1369 01:11:03.279 --> 01:11:06.600 Like no one brings up the Intercontinental Championship, and that's 1370 01:11:06.680 --> 01:11:09.760 after years and years and years of the Miz repeatedly 1371 01:11:09.760 --> 01:11:11.720 saying that he was trying to elevate it and make 1372 01:11:11.760 --> 01:11:14.560 it relevant. And again, I just think it all comes 1373 01:11:14.600 --> 01:11:16.920 back to the Wild Carnival because they're just devoting so 1374 01:11:17.039 --> 01:11:20.960 much time to the same three or four storylines and 1375 01:11:21.000 --> 01:11:23.960 then recycling it and as you said, Raw gets the 1376 01:11:24.000 --> 01:11:26.640 main advancement and then SmackDown kind of just picks up 1377 01:11:26.680 --> 01:11:29.800 the scraps. So I just find it really a disservice 1378 01:11:29.840 --> 01:11:32.239 to a lot of these wrestlers who are very talented 1379 01:11:32.720 --> 01:11:36.399 that they can't get the proper airtime now, obviously Apollo Cruz, like, 1380 01:11:36.439 --> 01:11:39.119 you know, I wish you would stop smiling. Damn it, 1381 01:11:39.199 --> 01:11:41.399 you know, like it's kind of the same thing over 1382 01:11:41.439 --> 01:11:43.479 and over again. But maybe if he got a somewhat 1383 01:11:43.520 --> 01:11:46.920 relevant feud, he could become something. I think and Drowndi's 1384 01:11:46.960 --> 01:11:48.760 one of the best up and comers they have. But 1385 01:11:49.199 --> 01:11:51.159 how are they supposed to take that next step and 1386 01:11:51.239 --> 01:11:54.079 advance themselves when all they get is a minute and 1387 01:11:54.119 --> 01:11:56.359 a half of backstage airtime. 1388 01:11:56.159 --> 01:11:58.079 In a few that we don't even really know why 1389 01:11:58.199 --> 01:11:58.840 it's happening. 1390 01:12:00.560 --> 01:12:03.239 You can't. The answer is you can't. You can't succeed 1391 01:12:03.279 --> 01:12:05.880 with that little air time. I know that the old 1392 01:12:05.880 --> 01:12:08.800 adage is maximize your minutes. Well when you don't even 1393 01:12:08.800 --> 01:12:12.159 get minutes you get minute, you can't do it. I mean, 1394 01:12:12.520 --> 01:12:14.960 it's just not feasible, it's not realistic, and it's not 1395 01:12:15.000 --> 01:12:19.079 fair to expect any performers to excel if they're getting 1396 01:12:19.079 --> 01:12:22.199 that little air time. And it's unfortunate because and I 1397 01:12:22.279 --> 01:12:24.199 understand that there are some wrestling fans out there that 1398 01:12:24.279 --> 01:12:27.159 don't have the patience to build new stars and that 1399 01:12:27.239 --> 01:12:28.760 they just want to see all the big names all 1400 01:12:28.800 --> 01:12:30.680 the time. And they don't care about these people that 1401 01:12:30.720 --> 01:12:33.079 we don't know their names, Well, why don't you learn 1402 01:12:33.079 --> 01:12:36.239 their names? Because eventually the people that you like to 1403 01:12:36.279 --> 01:12:38.199 see all the time, and that's all you care about. 1404 01:12:38.239 --> 01:12:40.239 You want to see your favorite moves and your biggest stars, 1405 01:12:40.600 --> 01:12:43.960 they will be cycled out because Father time wins all 1406 01:12:44.000 --> 01:12:48.000 the time. You need to constantly have people up and coming. 1407 01:12:48.079 --> 01:12:49.920 You need to have that farm system, which is why 1408 01:12:50.000 --> 01:12:52.840 NXT is so brilliant. And credit Triple H for his 1409 01:12:52.960 --> 01:12:55.680 vision and his execution of it, because that is the 1410 01:12:55.680 --> 01:12:58.920 breeding ground for the stars of tomorrow. And so when 1411 01:12:58.960 --> 01:13:02.560 you don't have that mentality on the main roster, eventually 1412 01:13:02.680 --> 01:13:05.439 you're going to be so reliant and heavy on the 1413 01:13:05.880 --> 01:13:09.800 top stars that you are quote top stars of Roman 1414 01:13:09.880 --> 01:13:13.399 and Seth and Drew. Whatever what if they get injured, 1415 01:13:13.880 --> 01:13:16.640 What if they decide to leave and their contract expires, 1416 01:13:16.640 --> 01:13:18.880 they go to a different promotion. There are so many 1417 01:13:19.319 --> 01:13:22.800 variables and factors that I understand. You can't get everybody 1418 01:13:22.840 --> 01:13:26.439 hot all the time, but you certainly can add new 1419 01:13:26.520 --> 01:13:29.560 things to their character. You can progress them in different ways. 1420 01:13:29.760 --> 01:13:32.600 There are ways to advance characters and move them along 1421 01:13:32.840 --> 01:13:36.159 and give everybody an equal share of the time that 1422 01:13:36.319 --> 01:13:40.079 is allotted unsmackedown. I know SmackDown's two hours, which is 1423 01:13:40.079 --> 01:13:43.079 why I enjoy the show more. But they need to 1424 01:13:43.399 --> 01:13:48.600 understand that while all the big stars do indeed draw ratings, 1425 01:13:48.840 --> 01:13:52.279 you need to also build new stars and you can't 1426 01:13:52.319 --> 01:13:54.600 do that if the current stars are sucking up all 1427 01:13:54.600 --> 01:13:57.319 the airtimes. So one more thing I want to get 1428 01:13:57.319 --> 01:13:59.319 to and then I want to talk about stomping grounds 1429 01:13:59.319 --> 01:14:01.359 and get your predictions. What are your thoughts on the 1430 01:14:01.399 --> 01:14:05.760 twenty four to seven Championship still funds kind of corny 1431 01:14:06.439 --> 01:14:09.279 in between, I. 1432 01:14:09.159 --> 01:14:11.920 Think that it's done better than I would have anticipated. 1433 01:14:12.119 --> 01:14:14.520 I'll give them that They've come up with some creative 1434 01:14:15.840 --> 01:14:18.319 things to keep me interested, Like you know, the whole 1435 01:14:18.319 --> 01:14:22.760 elevator scene is kind of funny. I found the whole 1436 01:14:22.800 --> 01:14:26.840 airplane thing going to Jetta funny. How our Truth covered 1437 01:14:27.640 --> 01:14:29.760 Jinner Mahal and then everyone chased them through the plane. 1438 01:14:30.239 --> 01:14:34.680 I think that given my ultra low expectations for it, 1439 01:14:34.680 --> 01:14:37.880 it's really succeeded. I think that they've timed it properly, 1440 01:14:38.640 --> 01:14:41.439 unlike how when it originally started. I think they've kind 1441 01:14:41.439 --> 01:14:44.680 of reduced how many times they use it on a 1442 01:14:44.720 --> 01:14:48.439 programming show. So yeah, I think even though it started 1443 01:14:48.479 --> 01:14:51.640 maybe a bit too much to just get the point across, 1444 01:14:51.680 --> 01:14:54.079 I think the past month or so they've done a 1445 01:14:54.079 --> 01:14:55.199 pretty good job with it. 1446 01:14:57.079 --> 01:15:01.279 I'll second that. I mean, I was a lukewarm proponent 1447 01:15:01.319 --> 01:15:03.199 of it when Mick Foley introduced it in front of 1448 01:15:03.199 --> 01:15:07.800 my hometown crowd that gave it no reaction, So congratulations Albany. 1449 01:15:08.119 --> 01:15:11.399 I was a proponent of it, and it was we 1450 01:15:11.479 --> 01:15:13.960 all kind of alluded to it as the PG hardcore 1451 01:15:14.039 --> 01:15:16.560 title because it's got the same rules, and we all 1452 01:15:16.640 --> 01:15:19.039 kind of we all poo poo on what it looks like. You, Oh, 1453 01:15:19.039 --> 01:15:20.640 it looks like awful. I don't need the belt to 1454 01:15:20.680 --> 01:15:22.880 look good. I don't really care about that part of it. 1455 01:15:22.880 --> 01:15:24.439 I don't care what the belt looks like so much 1456 01:15:24.520 --> 01:15:26.760 because it's not a belt that's supposed to take seriously anyway. 1457 01:15:27.159 --> 01:15:32.319 But in execution, they are certainly going wild with the 1458 01:15:32.359 --> 01:15:35.079 creative on this, and the creative is. The upside is 1459 01:15:35.159 --> 01:15:37.119 there is no limit to what they could do, the 1460 01:15:37.159 --> 01:15:40.439 scenarios that could happen, and I think that it adds 1461 01:15:40.439 --> 01:15:42.960 a little bit to that unpredictability that Vince McMahon is 1462 01:15:42.960 --> 01:15:45.319 looking for. But at the same time, they need to 1463 01:15:45.319 --> 01:15:48.279 be careful to not undermine their own product with such 1464 01:15:48.319 --> 01:15:51.920 a joke of a championship, and there's that fine line, 1465 01:15:52.039 --> 01:15:54.920 and right now I think they're teetering on it. I 1466 01:15:55.000 --> 01:15:58.279 love Our Truth as champion. I loved the Drake Maverick 1467 01:15:58.359 --> 01:16:01.439 interaction because Drake mav has been going all in on 1468 01:16:01.479 --> 01:16:04.760 his character on social media, putting up wanted signs for 1469 01:16:05.000 --> 01:16:08.199 Our Truth, just saying you know, I'm gonna find you. 1470 01:16:08.520 --> 01:16:10.600 He bumps into him backstage a couple of weeks ago. 1471 01:16:10.760 --> 01:16:12.760 They look at each other and Our Truth takes off. 1472 01:16:13.119 --> 01:16:15.479 They have a really good chemistry right now, at very 1473 01:16:15.520 --> 01:16:19.640 unexpected chemistry with Drake Maverick and Our Truth. And Our 1474 01:16:19.680 --> 01:16:23.520 Truth obviously loses this week because Drake Maverick dresses up 1475 01:16:23.520 --> 01:16:27.279 as Carmela, which was really funny, and Drake Maverick ends 1476 01:16:27.319 --> 01:16:29.520 up tweeting out that you guys don't know how much 1477 01:16:29.560 --> 01:16:32.359 those fake boobs cost or something like that. Like, I mean, 1478 01:16:32.560 --> 01:16:36.399 just the hilarity of it is. It does make me chuckle. 1479 01:16:36.760 --> 01:16:41.279 It is a nice bit of a comedy segment to 1480 01:16:41.319 --> 01:16:45.760 cut through all of the quote serious storylines. I'm fine 1481 01:16:45.800 --> 01:16:48.399 with it right now. I think that eventually that it 1482 01:16:48.479 --> 01:16:51.479 will get boring and we'll all go home. My god, Okay, 1483 01:16:51.520 --> 01:16:53.399 what are they doing this week? This is getting boring, 1484 01:16:53.439 --> 01:16:56.800 This is stupid, This is totally unbelievable. I'm sure we'll 1485 01:16:56.800 --> 01:16:59.039 get there. I mean, this has a shelf life. This 1486 01:16:59.199 --> 01:17:02.439 championship does have a shelf life. But for the moment, 1487 01:17:02.800 --> 01:17:08.920 I'm enjoying it. I love the the completely impossible scenarios 1488 01:17:08.960 --> 01:17:12.840 that happen. Do I enjoy that our Truth is constantly 1489 01:17:12.880 --> 01:17:16.760 being chased in it by I don't know, the same five, six, seven, 1490 01:17:16.840 --> 01:17:19.840 eight guys that aren't having anything going on backstage, and 1491 01:17:19.840 --> 01:17:21.760 they all just chase them in a straight line all 1492 01:17:21.800 --> 01:17:25.319 the time, and it gets a little bit cartoonish. But 1493 01:17:25.479 --> 01:17:27.399 I'm enjoying it for what it is right now, and 1494 01:17:27.520 --> 01:17:30.840 I'm on board. It'll eventually, you know, wear itself out, 1495 01:17:30.880 --> 01:17:33.479 and the expiration date will happen. But I'm fine with it. 1496 01:17:34.199 --> 01:17:37.640 One thing about one of the wrestlers that's constantly chasing 1497 01:17:37.680 --> 01:17:40.039 our Truth, because I think the Our Truth has been 1498 01:17:40.119 --> 01:17:43.720 fantastic doing it. I love what Drake Maverick has done. 1499 01:17:43.800 --> 01:17:47.359 I really enjoyed that elevator scene. I found that pretty comedic. 1500 01:17:48.079 --> 01:17:49.560 But I don't know. 1501 01:17:49.560 --> 01:17:53.199 About you, Matt, but how lost does EC three look? 1502 01:17:53.439 --> 01:17:59.960 In every single segment? He looks like just completely low. 1503 01:18:00.439 --> 01:18:04.359 Like in that elevator scene, I remember when everyone's. 1504 01:18:03.880 --> 01:18:07.439 Fighting each other, he was literally being restrained by the 1505 01:18:07.479 --> 01:18:10.039 ref but the ref wasn't even looking at him. 1506 01:18:10.359 --> 01:18:13.439 Like it's just like it's like he couldn't get around 1507 01:18:13.520 --> 01:18:16.920 the five foot five ref and I just he it's 1508 01:18:17.000 --> 01:18:20.960 almost distracting that like as soon as the segment comes out, 1509 01:18:21.039 --> 01:18:24.479 like I automatically focus on him and. 1510 01:18:24.439 --> 01:18:27.359 He's just just so bad And I don't want to 1511 01:18:27.359 --> 01:18:28.960 be mean, but he's just bad. 1512 01:18:29.720 --> 01:18:31.319 And he's never even said a word. 1513 01:18:31.359 --> 01:18:34.079 And like, okay, his segment on Raw when he got 1514 01:18:34.119 --> 01:18:37.119 clobbered by Seth but the chair was purely funny. But 1515 01:18:37.159 --> 01:18:40.119 aside from that, just like the twenty four to seven 1516 01:18:40.439 --> 01:18:43.760 Championship moments, like he's so he stands out in the 1517 01:18:43.800 --> 01:18:47.119 worst ways and I just can't understand how clumsy he is. 1518 01:18:48.960 --> 01:18:52.000 Yeah, this is this is a tough one with EC three. 1519 01:18:52.319 --> 01:18:55.000 As you said, with the elevator segment, yeah, I'm on 1520 01:18:55.039 --> 01:18:56.680 board with that. It made no sense that he couldn't 1521 01:18:56.680 --> 01:19:01.680 get past the referee. It's just preposterous. I mean, and 1522 01:19:01.880 --> 01:19:04.560 he when he game to the main roster, I believe 1523 01:19:04.600 --> 01:19:07.479 he was in a very very short program with Dean Ambrose. 1524 01:19:07.479 --> 01:19:10.119 I think he lost one week and one another week. 1525 01:19:10.920 --> 01:19:13.359 The crowd didn't react to him in any kind of 1526 01:19:13.640 --> 01:19:17.479 significant way, and he's just all over the place in 1527 01:19:17.520 --> 01:19:19.920 the twenty four to seven Championship trying to be a referee. 1528 01:19:19.960 --> 01:19:21.760 They don't know what the hell to do with him. 1529 01:19:21.800 --> 01:19:25.840 I mean, it's very clear right now. They're going here, there, up, down, 1530 01:19:25.960 --> 01:19:30.359 left and right. And what's very interesting, though, beyond this 1531 01:19:30.359 --> 01:19:34.319 this disaster that he has so far had in WWE, 1532 01:19:35.000 --> 01:19:37.800 is that when they were doing all of the promos 1533 01:19:37.920 --> 01:19:41.199 for hey, we're bringing up new stars, and Lars Sullivan 1534 01:19:41.359 --> 01:19:44.279 was one of the freaks. And obviously he's injured for 1535 01:19:44.279 --> 01:19:46.199 the next six to nine months with a knee injury, 1536 01:19:46.239 --> 01:19:50.000 which is I'm kind of sad about. Honestly. I think 1537 01:19:50.520 --> 01:19:54.279 that when you have EC three as one of the 1538 01:19:56.119 --> 01:19:59.800 stars of that promo, if you remember, it was just crazy. 1539 01:20:00.079 --> 01:20:01.600 I mean they were talking about all these new stars 1540 01:20:01.640 --> 01:20:03.319 that are gonna come up, boom boom, boom, and then 1541 01:20:03.319 --> 01:20:05.680 it slowed down and was EC three walking into a 1542 01:20:05.760 --> 01:20:07.800 room in a suit, and you were like, oh, well, 1543 01:20:07.800 --> 01:20:10.399 They're clearly going to focus on him because he seems 1544 01:20:10.439 --> 01:20:12.680 to be the focal point of this promo video that 1545 01:20:12.680 --> 01:20:15.800 they aired like four hundred times leading up to all 1546 01:20:15.840 --> 01:20:19.479 of these this change that they were implementing, and since 1547 01:20:19.520 --> 01:20:23.960 then they've done absolutely nothing, zero less than zero with 1548 01:20:24.039 --> 01:20:27.119 EC three. He doesn't look lost. He looks like he's 1549 01:20:27.600 --> 01:20:30.239 in another universe right now. He looks like he's he 1550 01:20:30.279 --> 01:20:33.079 doesn't know what to do, where to go, And I 1551 01:20:33.560 --> 01:20:35.479 really hope that they know and figure out what to 1552 01:20:35.479 --> 01:20:36.560 do with him. 1553 01:20:36.920 --> 01:20:40.680 Yeah, I think it hurts his reputation and more that 1554 01:20:40.760 --> 01:20:44.800 there was so much hype behind him, and like, okay, 1555 01:20:45.119 --> 01:20:49.760 his initial feud with Dean Ambers was underwhelming, but you can't. 1556 01:20:49.520 --> 01:20:51.840 Just pour cold water on him. I'm not gonna lie. 1557 01:20:52.000 --> 01:20:54.720 I'm not the biggest fan of him, and I wasn't 1558 01:20:54.760 --> 01:20:56.000 as soon as he debuted it. 1559 01:20:56.039 --> 01:20:58.800 But like, what are you saying to the other guys 1560 01:20:59.079 --> 01:21:01.359 coming up from an X that you build and hype 1561 01:21:01.439 --> 01:21:02.760 up this guy so much. 1562 01:21:02.520 --> 01:21:05.319 And so much and then he's just become such an 1563 01:21:05.439 --> 01:21:06.079 utter joke. 1564 01:21:06.199 --> 01:21:08.920 Like I don't know how he could ever come back 1565 01:21:08.960 --> 01:21:11.399 from what happened to him on RAW where he got 1566 01:21:11.399 --> 01:21:13.920 obliterated with the chair and then the New Day mocks 1567 01:21:13.960 --> 01:21:17.279 somewhere again, like, come on, really, like he's that Like 1568 01:21:17.319 --> 01:21:20.239 they were acting as if he was dead, Like let's 1569 01:21:20.279 --> 01:21:22.600 be real, like I'm all about comedy, but after a 1570 01:21:22.680 --> 01:21:25.319 certain point it just kind of becomes hokey and unrealistic. 1571 01:21:25.840 --> 01:21:29.800 But aside from that, like that segment alone buried him. 1572 01:21:29.920 --> 01:21:32.720 There's no way that he can ever come back from 1573 01:21:32.800 --> 01:21:37.000 this and be a somewhat relevant wrestler or superstars, they 1574 01:21:37.119 --> 01:21:40.039 like to say. And I just I can't understand how 1575 01:21:40.119 --> 01:21:44.560 that early into this guy's career, especially after all of 1576 01:21:44.640 --> 01:21:47.439 this hype behind him and you thought that they were 1577 01:21:47.479 --> 01:21:50.439 gonna give him this big push, especially that he had 1578 01:21:50.439 --> 01:21:53.640 that opening feud with Dean Ambrose. Obviously Ambrose was on 1579 01:21:53.680 --> 01:21:56.159 his way out, so he wasn't held in as higher regard. 1580 01:21:56.239 --> 01:21:59.000 But it's just how could you bury a guy so 1581 01:21:59.000 --> 01:22:02.560 so fast and not even give him a chance to breathe? 1582 01:22:04.159 --> 01:22:08.279 Well, they're doing it. And again, I didn't follow EC 1583 01:22:08.520 --> 01:22:13.359 three too much before his WWE entrance, to be honest 1584 01:22:13.359 --> 01:22:15.279 with you, like I knew a little bit about him, 1585 01:22:16.000 --> 01:22:18.720 I didn't follow him beyond or before that too much. 1586 01:22:18.760 --> 01:22:22.039 So if you didn't know anything about him, before you 1587 01:22:22.079 --> 01:22:25.279 would just think that this guy's here to be used 1588 01:22:25.319 --> 01:22:29.359 as an enhancement talent. And like you said, he's basically 1589 01:22:29.520 --> 01:22:32.600 laying there like a corpse after a few chair shots. Really, 1590 01:22:33.279 --> 01:22:34.640 all he did was get hit in the back. You 1591 01:22:34.680 --> 01:22:36.479 didn't get hit in the skull. Chair shots of the 1592 01:22:36.479 --> 01:22:38.399 skull are gone. I mean, you got knocked out from 1593 01:22:38.439 --> 01:22:41.439 being hit in the back. Really, I mean, and then 1594 01:22:41.520 --> 01:22:43.600 they made a reference to weekend at Bernie's and all 1595 01:22:43.640 --> 01:22:45.960 that stuff. I mean, it was clearly just a segment 1596 01:22:46.000 --> 01:22:48.880 to try to make people laugh or Vince McMahon, you know, 1597 01:22:48.920 --> 01:22:52.199 sitting backstage, you know, Nie slapping and chuckling, and a 1598 01:22:52.199 --> 01:22:54.399 lot of this humor seems to be Vince McMahon driven, 1599 01:22:54.880 --> 01:22:58.119 and any nine times out of ten, Vince McMahon humor 1600 01:22:58.239 --> 01:23:02.199 is not the majority of the audience's taste in humor. 1601 01:23:02.479 --> 01:23:05.680 So yeah, it's really just a shame that they're doing 1602 01:23:05.680 --> 01:23:09.000 with him. Find something for him, do anything anything, I 1603 01:23:09.000 --> 01:23:11.920 don't care what it is, but find something and stick 1604 01:23:11.960 --> 01:23:14.119 with it. And right now they don't have a direction, 1605 01:23:14.279 --> 01:23:17.600 So let's get to stomping grounds. And I want to 1606 01:23:17.680 --> 01:23:19.680 start right at the top of the card here and 1607 01:23:19.760 --> 01:23:21.840 not waste any time, I'm gonna go with the Universal 1608 01:23:21.960 --> 01:23:28.079 championship of Seth Rollins and Baron Corbin. That floating guest 1609 01:23:28.159 --> 01:23:30.079 referee is out there, I think we all know who 1610 01:23:30.079 --> 01:23:33.439 it's going to be, so I won't steal your thunder. 1611 01:23:33.680 --> 01:23:35.680 What are your thoughts on this match? Who's that special 1612 01:23:35.680 --> 01:23:36.760 guest referee going to be? 1613 01:23:38.319 --> 01:23:40.720 If I were to take a guess, I would have 1614 01:23:40.800 --> 01:23:44.319 to guess Elias, But again, I'm not too sure of it. 1615 01:23:44.439 --> 01:23:47.039 You seem more sure than me, but I was gonna 1616 01:23:47.079 --> 01:23:47.880 guess Elias. 1617 01:23:48.800 --> 01:23:51.199 I think that no matter who the guest referee is 1618 01:23:51.239 --> 01:23:55.239 gonna be, I think Seth Rollins is gonna win, and 1619 01:23:55.760 --> 01:23:59.039 I just think that Baron Corbin's have a placeholder challenger 1620 01:23:59.119 --> 01:24:01.840 right now. I do like what they've done with Baron Korman, 1621 01:24:01.920 --> 01:24:04.520 but just not enough to overtake Seth Rowlins for the title. 1622 01:24:06.880 --> 01:24:09.319 Yes, I agree with the outcome, so I'm gonna second 1623 01:24:09.399 --> 01:24:12.319 that that Seth Rollins isn't gonna lose. He's on fire. 1624 01:24:12.560 --> 01:24:15.720 Baron Corbin as champion would be a disaster, ratings disaster 1625 01:24:15.920 --> 01:24:18.920 more than it is now. Seth has really got a 1626 01:24:18.960 --> 01:24:21.720 lot of momentum. To use the corporate buzzword, he is 1627 01:24:21.880 --> 01:24:25.520 on a tear and he won it WrestleMania. Again my 1628 01:24:25.720 --> 01:24:29.239 argument that WrestleMania Championship wins need to stick and this 1629 01:24:29.279 --> 01:24:34.000 one will. So my pick though for referee, and I'm 1630 01:24:34.000 --> 01:24:38.079 only saying this confidently because I had heard someone suggest 1631 01:24:38.079 --> 01:24:40.119 it and go, oh, how is this person not going 1632 01:24:40.159 --> 01:24:42.840 to be the special guest referee? And that is one 1633 01:24:42.880 --> 01:24:45.880 and only brock Lessner as a special guest referee, because 1634 01:24:46.000 --> 01:24:49.560 if Baron Corbin has him as a special guest referee, 1635 01:24:50.279 --> 01:24:55.199 then it would essentially put doom and gloom to Seth 1636 01:24:55.279 --> 01:24:58.119 Rollins as champion. I mean, at least in the story 1637 01:24:58.359 --> 01:25:01.720 arc of brock Lesner being this special guest referee, and 1638 01:25:01.800 --> 01:25:05.239 if he is and then Baron Corbin, which I think 1639 01:25:05.239 --> 01:25:08.600 he's going to lose somehow, Seth Rollins wins the match, 1640 01:25:08.640 --> 01:25:11.079 but he'll be beaten down and worn down from the match, 1641 01:25:11.199 --> 01:25:14.800 which would put brock Leser in a very advantageous position, 1642 01:25:14.920 --> 01:25:17.199 which Brocklezer would want to be in if he was 1643 01:25:17.239 --> 01:25:19.800 a special guest referee to cash in his money in 1644 01:25:19.800 --> 01:25:21.760 the bank contract. Do I think He's going to cash in? 1645 01:25:22.000 --> 01:25:25.279 Maybe not, but the scenario just seems to make sense 1646 01:25:25.319 --> 01:25:28.199 that brock Lesner would be the special guest referee. What 1647 01:25:28.239 --> 01:25:28.880 do you think about that? 1648 01:25:29.439 --> 01:25:31.439 I think that would be great. I think it would 1649 01:25:31.479 --> 01:25:34.600 be really cool. I didn't even think about brock Lesnar. 1650 01:25:34.760 --> 01:25:37.079 I was just under the impression that they were going 1651 01:25:37.159 --> 01:25:39.479 to kind of let Brock sit a bit and lurk 1652 01:25:39.520 --> 01:25:42.199 in the weeds and aka let him have time off 1653 01:25:42.239 --> 01:25:45.399 that we all know he loves. But no, if that's 1654 01:25:45.439 --> 01:25:47.640 the case, I think it would be the best case scenario. 1655 01:25:49.239 --> 01:25:52.039 It would kind of suck to have him, you know, 1656 01:25:52.319 --> 01:25:55.640 kate the belt away from Seth because one thing I'll 1657 01:25:55.640 --> 01:25:58.920 say about Brock is that they can have another failed 1658 01:25:59.079 --> 01:26:01.880 cash in. So the only reason why I think they 1659 01:26:01.960 --> 01:26:03.640 may not do that is to build up when you 1660 01:26:03.720 --> 01:26:06.279 said it, they want set to run with the belt 1661 01:26:06.319 --> 01:26:09.399 here have a good long title run, but they can 1662 01:26:09.600 --> 01:26:12.119 have another failed cash into the third year in a 1663 01:26:12.199 --> 01:26:14.720 row or also just diminish the value of the money 1664 01:26:14.720 --> 01:26:17.520 in the bank. So I think that's a really cool concept. 1665 01:26:17.600 --> 01:26:19.479 I'm just not sure if they would go with that 1666 01:26:19.600 --> 01:26:21.399 and have Brock failed cash it in. 1667 01:26:23.039 --> 01:26:25.680 Very possible. Yeah, I don't think a failed cash in 1668 01:26:25.760 --> 01:26:29.359 by brock Leser especially would I don't. I think that 1669 01:26:29.399 --> 01:26:32.159 would be disastrous as much as nobody really wants to 1670 01:26:32.159 --> 01:26:37.920 see Brocklesner's champion anymore, I think the prestige and value 1671 01:26:37.960 --> 01:26:39.840 of the money the bank briefcase is worth more at 1672 01:26:39.840 --> 01:26:42.000 this point because Seth could come back the next night, 1673 01:26:42.079 --> 01:26:44.039 challenge Brocks somehow and even win it back the next 1674 01:26:44.039 --> 01:26:46.920 to not unraw. I mean it's very possible so that 1675 01:26:48.079 --> 01:26:50.520 you know, Brockleazer could cash in, and maybe he does, 1676 01:26:50.640 --> 01:26:53.239 and maybe we just say, okay, good, Brock doesn't have 1677 01:26:53.239 --> 01:26:55.319 a championship, he doesn't have money in the bank, go 1678 01:26:55.399 --> 01:26:57.840 away for a little while, and we keep thinking Brock's 1679 01:26:57.920 --> 01:27:00.159 just going to kind of go away. And every time 1680 01:27:00.159 --> 01:27:02.199 we think he's gonna go away and sit on his 1681 01:27:02.279 --> 01:27:05.520 farm in Minnesota, he ends up showing up out of nowhere. 1682 01:27:05.560 --> 01:27:08.680 And I like that to a point because it's not predictable. 1683 01:27:09.000 --> 01:27:11.840 But at the same time, brock Lesnar needs something in 1684 01:27:11.880 --> 01:27:13.960 his character as well. It's just kind of the same 1685 01:27:14.000 --> 01:27:17.239 old Brock. He's Brock freaking Lesnar. I mean, think about 1686 01:27:17.279 --> 01:27:21.199 who he is. He doesn't need to pick people apart 1687 01:27:21.239 --> 01:27:23.960 at their weakest moment. He is the guy that was 1688 01:27:24.000 --> 01:27:27.039 the UFC champion and came in and dominated the sport. 1689 01:27:28.039 --> 01:27:32.520 He's the guy that came in and demolished the WWE stars, 1690 01:27:32.720 --> 01:27:36.039 the wrestlers. Think about who he's beaten. He's beaten Goldberg, 1691 01:27:36.079 --> 01:27:39.399 he's beaten Big Show, He's beaten the rock Like, you 1692 01:27:39.520 --> 01:27:43.319 don't need to have Brock Lesnar playing this heel character 1693 01:27:43.840 --> 01:27:45.640 as this guy that, oh, I'm only gonna I'm only 1694 01:27:45.640 --> 01:27:48.239 gonna cash in when you're at your weakest. Brock doesn't 1695 01:27:48.279 --> 01:27:50.600 need to be that. And I know he's a heel, 1696 01:27:50.680 --> 01:27:53.359 but that's not Brock. I need Brock to be Brock, 1697 01:27:53.399 --> 01:27:56.600 and Brock hasn't felt like himself for quite some time now. 1698 01:27:57.439 --> 01:28:00.319 Yeah, and that's why I like, I found and get 1699 01:28:00.439 --> 01:28:03.159 kind of weird that he like planned his cash in 1700 01:28:03.359 --> 01:28:04.479 after the Super. 1701 01:28:04.199 --> 01:28:07.079 Showdown, which I know how you felt about that show 1702 01:28:07.119 --> 01:28:09.359 because I listened to your rant about it. 1703 01:28:10.000 --> 01:28:13.680 But yeah, I think that a scenario of Brock being 1704 01:28:13.720 --> 01:28:16.520 the ref and then cashing in on vulnerable sent rollins, 1705 01:28:17.039 --> 01:28:19.199 I don't think that would be too good for his character. 1706 01:28:19.279 --> 01:28:21.600 I think, as you mentioned, they should get brought back 1707 01:28:21.640 --> 01:28:24.680 on the whole train of doing everything face to face, 1708 01:28:25.119 --> 01:28:27.000 beating the hell out of the guy's face to face. 1709 01:28:27.039 --> 01:28:28.640 He doesn't need any advantages. 1710 01:28:29.119 --> 01:28:31.199 That's why I did find it a bit weird that 1711 01:28:31.239 --> 01:28:33.720 they put the money in the bank on him so quickly, 1712 01:28:34.199 --> 01:28:37.159 but look look at the braun Strowman how he did 1713 01:28:37.159 --> 01:28:39.319 it last year. Obviously it was a failed cash in, 1714 01:28:39.800 --> 01:28:42.720 but in a similar aspect, he wanted to face Roman 1715 01:28:42.800 --> 01:28:45.880 face to face. So I think Brock will eventually do that. 1716 01:28:46.279 --> 01:28:48.680 But I'm kind of expecting something more down the line 1717 01:28:48.840 --> 01:28:52.039 towards SummerSlam a bit, because as of right now, I 1718 01:28:52.079 --> 01:28:55.520 think people are still like on their heels for Brock 1719 01:28:55.600 --> 01:28:58.439 to come back, because we had what three four weeks 1720 01:28:58.439 --> 01:29:01.479 of Brock consistently being on coalition for a bit. So 1721 01:29:01.520 --> 01:29:03.439 I think now they want to let people kind of 1722 01:29:03.479 --> 01:29:06.760 forget about Brock a little bit and then finally come 1723 01:29:06.800 --> 01:29:09.760 in and actually surprise people when he does show up. 1724 01:29:10.880 --> 01:29:14.880 Very possible. I mean, that was just a logical choice 1725 01:29:14.880 --> 01:29:16.239 that I was like, oh, because I didn't think of 1726 01:29:16.239 --> 01:29:17.560 it either, And I'm like, how did I not think 1727 01:29:17.560 --> 01:29:19.279 of that? But it would make sense for him to 1728 01:29:19.279 --> 01:29:22.439 commit as a special guest referee. I'm fine with a 1729 01:29:22.439 --> 01:29:24.760 long periods of time without seeing brock Lesner, at least 1730 01:29:24.760 --> 01:29:28.079 in his current incantation. I want to see a different 1731 01:29:28.159 --> 01:29:31.039 brock Lesner. Maybe one that even if he cuts his 1732 01:29:31.119 --> 01:29:33.800 own promos or whatever, they're just short, sweet, to the point, 1733 01:29:33.840 --> 01:29:36.920 because that's where brock Lesner lives and thrives. He's never 1734 01:29:36.960 --> 01:29:40.960 been a good long promo guy. That's why Paul Haym 1735 01:29:41.039 --> 01:29:43.520 is with him and is a perfect mouthpiece for him. Yeah, 1736 01:29:43.560 --> 01:29:46.600 but I would also like to see somebody get an 1737 01:29:46.640 --> 01:29:49.119 advantage on brock Lesner or face him face to face 1738 01:29:49.239 --> 01:29:51.159 and get an advantage without having to kick him in 1739 01:29:51.199 --> 01:29:54.720 the nuts. Like the only way that seth Rollins has 1740 01:29:54.720 --> 01:29:56.920 been able to get an advantage is by kicking him 1741 01:29:57.000 --> 01:30:00.319 between the legs. That has been the only way as 1742 01:30:00.319 --> 01:30:03.319 a babyface. I'm just like, come on, even the Undertaker 1743 01:30:03.319 --> 01:30:04.920 did it when he faced brock Lesner a couple of 1744 01:30:04.960 --> 01:30:08.439 years ago. I don't want that. I want to see 1745 01:30:08.479 --> 01:30:10.840 a babyface be able to go on, like you know, 1746 01:30:11.399 --> 01:30:14.039 Manda Man, toe to toe and be able to find 1747 01:30:14.079 --> 01:30:16.279 a way to get an advantage on Brock without having 1748 01:30:16.319 --> 01:30:19.520 to resort to that. And it's just it diminishes the 1749 01:30:19.560 --> 01:30:21.680 babyface's credibility every time I see it. 1750 01:30:22.760 --> 01:30:25.520 Yeah, And I think that's just it shows just how 1751 01:30:25.680 --> 01:30:29.399 much stock Convince is put into brock Lesner and that 1752 01:30:29.880 --> 01:30:32.600 he wants to build Brock as like this bigger than 1753 01:30:32.720 --> 01:30:35.920 life character that even the best of the best wrestlers 1754 01:30:36.279 --> 01:30:38.680 need to cheat to beat him. But you're right, it 1755 01:30:38.720 --> 01:30:41.600 takes away from the whole baby face because yes, Seth 1756 01:30:41.680 --> 01:30:44.680 climb that mountain and finally beat Brock on the grandest 1757 01:30:44.680 --> 01:30:47.319 stage of them all, but like, at what cost did he. 1758 01:30:47.319 --> 01:30:49.960 Have to do that? So yeah, I would like to 1759 01:30:50.000 --> 01:30:52.000 see someone be Brock clean. 1760 01:30:52.640 --> 01:30:55.720 Well, obviously we know Triple H did it and Goldberg 1761 01:30:55.760 --> 01:30:57.880 did it, but like, it doesn't always have to be 1762 01:30:58.319 --> 01:31:01.680 the select few that Vin chooses, and as we brought 1763 01:31:01.720 --> 01:31:05.079 up before, like he always relies on like the established legends, 1764 01:31:05.520 --> 01:31:09.479 but like, let Seth beat him clean as Roman did, 1765 01:31:09.560 --> 01:31:12.640 because it always kind of leaves that Asterix beside him 1766 01:31:12.920 --> 01:31:15.840 or that that stain on him. And even now, you know, 1767 01:31:15.960 --> 01:31:17.880 like Seth beat the holy hell out of him at 1768 01:31:17.920 --> 01:31:19.880 Super Showdout, but you did it with a low blow 1769 01:31:20.279 --> 01:31:22.800 and twenty four times you hit him with a chair. 1770 01:31:22.960 --> 01:31:25.840 So again, like it's cool to see him get the 1771 01:31:25.880 --> 01:31:28.159 better of Brock because it shows that he's smart and 1772 01:31:28.199 --> 01:31:30.720 he'll do anything, but it takes to win the title 1773 01:31:31.000 --> 01:31:33.359 and take Rock down, which I could kind of get behind, 1774 01:31:33.800 --> 01:31:36.239 but again, it would be nice to actually see him 1775 01:31:36.439 --> 01:31:39.520 be able to be brought clean and true baby faced fashion. 1776 01:31:41.079 --> 01:31:43.680 So I think we're both on board with Seth retains 1777 01:31:43.720 --> 01:31:45.359 as long as Brock doesn't cash in. 1778 01:31:45.560 --> 01:31:47.560 Yes, all right. 1779 01:31:47.760 --> 01:31:50.640 So with that said, moving on to the other big 1780 01:31:50.720 --> 01:31:54.920 championship match, Kobe Kingston against Dolf Ziggler in a steel cage. 1781 01:31:56.359 --> 01:31:58.680 I'm gonna take a breath and a pause. What are 1782 01:31:58.720 --> 01:31:59.199 your thoughts. 1783 01:32:00.720 --> 01:32:04.399 I think Kofe's gonna win. I think Kofe's gonna win clean. 1784 01:32:04.680 --> 01:32:08.680 Because obviously Xavier got involved in the match at Super Showdown, 1785 01:32:09.000 --> 01:32:11.960 which I liked because it allowed for the storyline to 1786 01:32:11.960 --> 01:32:13.840 advance a bit and set up a rematch. 1787 01:32:14.359 --> 01:32:16.560 I think it's probably going to be the match of 1788 01:32:16.560 --> 01:32:16.880 the night. 1789 01:32:16.960 --> 01:32:20.079 These two guys inside the steel cage is gonna be something. 1790 01:32:19.760 --> 01:32:20.279 To be seen. 1791 01:32:20.880 --> 01:32:23.960 But I think that eventually KOFE will come out on top. 1792 01:32:24.399 --> 01:32:26.800 He's gonna win, and then they'll finally close the book 1793 01:32:26.840 --> 01:32:29.399 on this storyline and move on to bigger and better things. 1794 01:32:29.880 --> 01:32:33.720 But I will add one tidbit that I do think 1795 01:32:33.720 --> 01:32:36.399 that when Brock does cash it, it will be on 1796 01:32:36.560 --> 01:32:37.600 KOFE and not Seth. 1797 01:32:39.439 --> 01:32:39.600 Hm. 1798 01:32:40.319 --> 01:32:44.479 I was thinking the same thing. Really Yeah, well, I 1799 01:32:44.720 --> 01:32:49.079 don't know if it'll happen on Sunday night, but people 1800 01:32:49.159 --> 01:32:51.319 keep thinking it's definitely gonna be set, It's gonna be set, 1801 01:32:51.319 --> 01:32:53.800 It's gonna be Seth, and you're not even thinking about Kofe. 1802 01:32:54.239 --> 01:32:56.359 And I think it very well could be. And think 1803 01:32:56.399 --> 01:32:58.720 about the heat that that would put on Brock Lesen 1804 01:32:58.800 --> 01:33:02.039 to beat Kofe Kingston. That feel good story comes crashing 1805 01:33:02.079 --> 01:33:04.439 down to a guy that is going to hold that 1806 01:33:04.560 --> 01:33:06.840 the WWE Championship, which has a hell of a lot 1807 01:33:06.840 --> 01:33:09.960 more prestige in the Universal Championship does in lineage and 1808 01:33:10.039 --> 01:33:13.079 hold that championship hostage for months or maybe even years 1809 01:33:13.079 --> 01:33:16.199 at a time. I wouldn't put it pat pass Vince 1810 01:33:16.279 --> 01:33:19.640 McMahon to do that. And it could very easily happen 1811 01:33:19.840 --> 01:33:22.760 because we've seen Brock and we've seen Seth a couple 1812 01:33:22.760 --> 01:33:25.319 of times, and now it's time for maybe a new 1813 01:33:25.359 --> 01:33:27.439 opponent and when the guy we're not thinking of as 1814 01:33:27.479 --> 01:33:30.760 Kobee Kingston. But to the match on Sunday, assuming again 1815 01:33:30.840 --> 01:33:34.560 Brock doesn't cash in on Koffee, is I'm looking forward 1816 01:33:34.600 --> 01:33:36.520 to this match. You hit it on the head. This 1817 01:33:36.600 --> 01:33:39.199 could easily be and should be, on paper, the best 1818 01:33:39.239 --> 01:33:41.600 match of the night if given enough time. Both of 1819 01:33:41.640 --> 01:33:45.399 them are very similar styles, they both sell well. They 1820 01:33:45.920 --> 01:33:49.439 do have a lot of parallels which do alluded to, 1821 01:33:49.600 --> 01:33:51.960 and they do. They are both very good in the 1822 01:33:52.000 --> 01:33:55.239 ring and if given enough time, this could be a classic. 1823 01:33:57.319 --> 01:34:00.640 And so my prediction is Koffee wins hands down, goes away. 1824 01:34:00.680 --> 01:34:02.600 And so let's get that out of the way. The 1825 01:34:02.600 --> 01:34:04.800 only thing, the only tidbit I have and an issue 1826 01:34:04.880 --> 01:34:08.359 I have, is just the premise of a steel cage 1827 01:34:08.359 --> 01:34:10.239 match itself. And I went off a little bit on 1828 01:34:10.279 --> 01:34:15.359 this last night. I don't understand that why and how 1829 01:34:15.800 --> 01:34:18.239 escaping a cage or walking through a door is a 1830 01:34:18.359 --> 01:34:21.479 legal way of winning a match. Basically, whoever can run 1831 01:34:21.520 --> 01:34:24.199 away from their opponent the fastest or the best wins 1832 01:34:24.239 --> 01:34:27.439 the match. And think about this. All you have to do, 1833 01:34:27.520 --> 01:34:30.279 if you're a super athlete is you could throw somebody 1834 01:34:30.279 --> 01:34:32.039 in the other side of the ring and if you 1835 01:34:32.119 --> 01:34:34.159 really wanted to, you could climb over the cage in 1836 01:34:34.199 --> 01:34:35.640 the blink of an eye. And think about I mean, 1837 01:34:35.640 --> 01:34:37.840 think about all these athletic crazy things that they do, 1838 01:34:38.239 --> 01:34:40.600 but they just somehow can't get up that cage in 1839 01:34:40.680 --> 01:34:44.399 time and draw it out. I don't like the fact 1840 01:34:44.439 --> 01:34:46.359 that you can open a door and walk out and win. 1841 01:34:46.600 --> 01:34:49.560 In what world is that a legal way of winning 1842 01:34:49.640 --> 01:34:54.039 any sports sports situation, whether I don't care what sport 1843 01:34:54.039 --> 01:34:56.399 you're talking about, in you know, whether it's a competitive sport, 1844 01:34:56.439 --> 01:34:59.800 professional wrestling, it just doesn't make sense. And the fact 1845 01:34:59.800 --> 01:35:02.880 that supposed to believe that a steel cage always keeps 1846 01:35:02.880 --> 01:35:06.319 out interference, there's nobody gonna be able to help you. 1847 01:35:06.319 --> 01:35:09.279 You're not gonna have any help, it's just you and me. Well, 1848 01:35:09.359 --> 01:35:11.520 the last time I checked, a steel cage match is 1849 01:35:11.520 --> 01:35:14.319 a no disqualification match, which means the world could come 1850 01:35:14.359 --> 01:35:16.359 in that match, the entire locker room could come in 1851 01:35:16.399 --> 01:35:19.800 that match, and it would still be legal. So it 1852 01:35:20.000 --> 01:35:23.039 just every time I hear that and hear those two arguments, 1853 01:35:23.520 --> 01:35:26.920 it's it just hurts my brain. It should be pinfall 1854 01:35:27.119 --> 01:35:30.000 or submission only inside of a steel cage. 1855 01:35:30.560 --> 01:35:34.359 Yeah, I know, I've always personally hated the walk through 1856 01:35:34.399 --> 01:35:37.640 your door, the walk through your doorway to victory because 1857 01:35:37.680 --> 01:35:40.840 you're right, like, anyone if they try hard enough, could 1858 01:35:40.880 --> 01:35:43.399 scratch and claw their way out of there or weasel 1859 01:35:43.439 --> 01:35:45.399 their way out. And I don't think I've ever seen 1860 01:35:45.479 --> 01:35:48.319 someone actually win by going out of the door. 1861 01:35:48.760 --> 01:35:51.399 I don't so much mind the over the top of the. 1862 01:35:51.359 --> 01:35:54.840 Cage thing, because at least that proves an obstacle, like 1863 01:35:54.920 --> 01:35:58.279 you have to actually climb the damn thing and go 1864 01:35:58.319 --> 01:36:00.680 over it before the guy can come up and stop you. 1865 01:36:01.159 --> 01:36:03.239 But yeah, the whole. 1866 01:36:03.000 --> 01:36:05.239 Like argument of like oh yeah, like there's gonna be 1867 01:36:05.239 --> 01:36:06.840 no more interferences. 1868 01:36:06.279 --> 01:36:07.640 Side like oh come on. 1869 01:36:07.720 --> 01:36:11.600 You know, one of the most iconic steel cage matches, 1870 01:36:11.760 --> 01:36:13.960 well maybe not iconic, but one that sticks out of 1871 01:36:14.000 --> 01:36:16.479 my mind is the one that the Rock and Stone 1872 01:36:16.520 --> 01:36:20.439 Cold ad after wrestling its seventeen when Vincent Triple Ah 1873 01:36:20.479 --> 01:36:22.239 got in the cage and they just beat the holy 1874 01:36:22.319 --> 01:36:24.520 hell out of the Rock and formed the two man 1875 01:36:24.640 --> 01:36:26.920 power trip. And I'm just like, okay, well, what the 1876 01:36:26.960 --> 01:36:29.760 hell was the plying of that they just basically trapped 1877 01:36:29.800 --> 01:36:33.840 the Rock inside and destroyed them. But yeah, I've hated 1878 01:36:33.880 --> 01:36:36.760 that whole narrative and it's gone on for as long 1879 01:36:36.800 --> 01:36:39.119 as I could remember about like oh, well, no one's 1880 01:36:39.159 --> 01:36:41.399 gonna get in now, it's just you and me. Then 1881 01:36:41.439 --> 01:36:44.319 maybe I've just become accustomed to it, and I don't 1882 01:36:44.359 --> 01:36:47.039 really you know, react to it the same way anymore. 1883 01:36:47.479 --> 01:36:49.800 But yeah, I'm with either the whole notion of being 1884 01:36:49.800 --> 01:36:52.119 able to walk out of the door and win, or 1885 01:36:52.159 --> 01:36:55.239 that we're supposed to believe that no one's gonna. 1886 01:36:55.000 --> 01:36:56.960 Get inside like and I think. 1887 01:36:56.880 --> 01:36:59.760 What makes it worse is that we all know that 1888 01:36:59.800 --> 01:37:02.680 when and it's actually a match where no one's getting inside, 1889 01:37:02.800 --> 01:37:05.840 it's the hell in the cell. And I think that 1890 01:37:05.920 --> 01:37:08.199 makes it a bit more or less believable for us, 1891 01:37:08.239 --> 01:37:12.239 because WWE has an exact other match that does that 1892 01:37:12.359 --> 01:37:15.319 exact purpose that the steel Cage match pretends to do. 1893 01:37:16.319 --> 01:37:19.319 Yep, they do, they do. But as much as I 1894 01:37:19.479 --> 01:37:23.359 would love to make the Helenacell a prestigious match and 1895 01:37:23.439 --> 01:37:28.119 make it only for extremely deserving heated rivalries, that you know, 1896 01:37:28.159 --> 01:37:31.720 you've gone from a standard wrestling match, maybe into a 1897 01:37:31.760 --> 01:37:34.119 street fight, then you go to the steel cage and 1898 01:37:34.159 --> 01:37:35.840 the blowoff is a hell in a cell. I mean, 1899 01:37:35.880 --> 01:37:37.840 it doesn't have to happen like that all the time, 1900 01:37:38.079 --> 01:37:41.159 but that to me would be how a natural progression 1901 01:37:41.319 --> 01:37:45.239 of a heated blood feud would end, and that the 1902 01:37:45.279 --> 01:37:47.520 Helen of Cel would be the blowoff of that feud, 1903 01:37:48.479 --> 01:37:52.199 and the Helen of Cel pay per view unfortunately dissolves 1904 01:37:52.239 --> 01:37:53.720 all of the mistique of the Hell in a Cell 1905 01:37:53.760 --> 01:37:57.239 because it's built into the pay per view schedule, so we're, 1906 01:37:57.319 --> 01:37:59.039 you know, whatever feuds happened to be going on at 1907 01:37:59.039 --> 01:38:00.960 that time, well, just to in the cell because it's 1908 01:38:01.000 --> 01:38:03.479 a cute gimmick and it's killed the Hell in a Cell. 1909 01:38:03.520 --> 01:38:06.439 To me, the hell in a Cell is such a sacred, 1910 01:38:06.640 --> 01:38:10.239 special place that so many amazing matches have happened, so 1911 01:38:10.279 --> 01:38:12.840 many amazing moments, from the very first one with Shawn 1912 01:38:12.880 --> 01:38:15.560 Michaels an Undertaker, which was the very first program that 1913 01:38:15.600 --> 01:38:17.880 I remember watching, and it just that drew me in, 1914 01:38:18.000 --> 01:38:21.439 like I was hooked forever because of that program, all 1915 01:38:21.479 --> 01:38:24.600 the way obviously mcfoley's fall off the cage to Cactus 1916 01:38:24.680 --> 01:38:27.359 Jack retiring at the hands of Triple H and I 1917 01:38:27.399 --> 01:38:30.359 believe it was two thousand when he pedigreed him on 1918 01:38:30.399 --> 01:38:33.640 top of the cell to the Armageddon pay per view 1919 01:38:33.680 --> 01:38:35.800 and a Rakishi got choke slammed off of it into 1920 01:38:35.840 --> 01:38:38.039 like a bunch of wood chips. I mean, there's so 1921 01:38:38.119 --> 01:38:41.039 many things that happened inside the cell that are special 1922 01:38:41.359 --> 01:38:43.520 that when you put it into a pay per view schedule, 1923 01:38:43.640 --> 01:38:46.079 completely kills the mystique of it. But I'm getting way 1924 01:38:46.119 --> 01:38:49.640 off track. But you're right, they have a structure that 1925 01:38:49.720 --> 01:38:53.279 could do exactly what they're telling us could do. There's 1926 01:38:53.279 --> 01:38:55.319 no roof on the cell, on the cage, it's just 1927 01:38:55.439 --> 01:38:59.319 a it's not even a cage by definition, has a roof. 1928 01:38:59.600 --> 01:39:04.479 This is like a four walled you know. I don't 1929 01:39:04.520 --> 01:39:07.840 know what you'd call it. It's not true a true cage. 1930 01:39:07.920 --> 01:39:11.359 So yeah, they are making us supposed to believe that 1931 01:39:11.359 --> 01:39:13.640 nobody can get interfere. But even in Hell and a Cell, 1932 01:39:13.880 --> 01:39:16.319 you've seen people hide under the ring up until the 1933 01:39:16.319 --> 01:39:17.880 point when they're supposed to come out. I mean, you've 1934 01:39:17.920 --> 01:39:21.399 seen wacky things happen, but less so. But back to 1935 01:39:21.439 --> 01:39:23.880 this match, I'm really looking forward to it. I think 1936 01:39:23.880 --> 01:39:25.880 they could blow the roof off the place, and I'm 1937 01:39:25.920 --> 01:39:28.640 expecting a lot of high spots, a ton of near falls, 1938 01:39:28.720 --> 01:39:31.640 a zigzag off the top. I'm expecting some crazy crap 1939 01:39:31.840 --> 01:39:34.600 because these two are capable of it, and I expect 1940 01:39:34.760 --> 01:39:36.600 Kofe to come out on top in the end. So 1941 01:39:37.720 --> 01:39:41.640 Roman reigns and Drew McIntyre, I am just I'm a 1942 01:39:41.680 --> 01:39:43.239 little bit torn on this. I don't think this one's 1943 01:39:43.279 --> 01:39:45.920 as easy as most people think. And the reason is 1944 01:39:46.760 --> 01:39:50.720 Drew McIntyre has been groomed over the past couple of 1945 01:39:50.720 --> 01:39:55.319 months to be a top guy. Yet Roman Reigns is 1946 01:39:55.399 --> 01:39:58.560 the elder statesman of Vince McMahon being the top guy. 1947 01:39:58.720 --> 01:40:02.840 Roman he's the big, he's the he's the gatekeeper to being, 1948 01:40:02.880 --> 01:40:06.119 you know, the top guy. But we saw them face 1949 01:40:06.119 --> 01:40:09.800 at WrestleMania, which we're all supposed to forget. This time around, 1950 01:40:10.279 --> 01:40:13.279 I think the program has been built much better, much 1951 01:40:13.399 --> 01:40:16.600 more properly. I'm much more invested in this program than 1952 01:40:16.600 --> 01:40:18.920 it wasn't WrestleMania, which kind of felt like a last 1953 01:40:18.920 --> 01:40:21.000 minute We'll throw these two big guys together and they'll 1954 01:40:21.000 --> 01:40:23.479 have a match. Roman came out on top of that match. 1955 01:40:24.039 --> 01:40:26.199 I wouldn't be so sure that Roman comes out on 1956 01:40:26.239 --> 01:40:29.079 top of this match as revenge. I think since this 1957 01:40:29.119 --> 01:40:31.520 is the first time that they're officially meeting. And I 1958 01:40:31.520 --> 01:40:34.960 say that in air quotes, I say, Drew McIntyre wins this, 1959 01:40:35.000 --> 01:40:37.239 and I say that because I think Drew needs to 1960 01:40:37.319 --> 01:40:39.079 win more than Roman does. 1961 01:40:39.239 --> 01:40:42.039 What do you think, I'm with you. I think Drew's 1962 01:40:42.079 --> 01:40:42.720 gonna win this. 1963 01:40:42.880 --> 01:40:46.279 I think that they're fully behind building this stable with 1964 01:40:46.399 --> 01:40:51.680 Shane and Drew and the Revival. But I think, like 1965 01:40:51.720 --> 01:40:54.000 you said, I think Drew needs to win more. He 1966 01:40:54.039 --> 01:40:57.319 hasn't really had a big time pay per view victory 1967 01:40:57.399 --> 01:41:00.159 in a while now, and he's and I think they 1968 01:41:00.159 --> 01:41:02.960 want him to be established as an actual threat, not 1969 01:41:03.039 --> 01:41:06.000 just a lackey or just the right hand man of Shane, 1970 01:41:06.079 --> 01:41:08.960 a man. They want him to be his own guy 1971 01:41:09.000 --> 01:41:11.600 and be able to fight Roman reigns on his own 1972 01:41:11.880 --> 01:41:13.880 and be able to take him out. Now, in saying that, 1973 01:41:14.039 --> 01:41:16.399 I don't think he's gonna win clean. I think there 1974 01:41:16.439 --> 01:41:20.000 will be outside of the ring shenanigans from obviously Shane, 1975 01:41:20.000 --> 01:41:22.520 maybe the Revival, maybe Elias or what have you. 1976 01:41:23.039 --> 01:41:25.039 But I think when it all comes, when it. 1977 01:41:25.399 --> 01:41:28.680 All finishes, it will be Drew McIntyre coming on top 1978 01:41:29.159 --> 01:41:32.439 and in some way, shape or fashion. I feel like 1979 01:41:32.520 --> 01:41:35.720 this is all gonna culminate at SummerSlam. But you know, 1980 01:41:35.840 --> 01:41:39.279 Shane gets that win against Roman at Super Showdown. I 1981 01:41:39.279 --> 01:41:41.720 think they're gonna make Roman lose again here due to 1982 01:41:41.760 --> 01:41:46.800 outside interference and just keep Roman's frustrations building and boiling 1983 01:41:47.199 --> 01:41:49.720 and culminate down the line. But as for this match 1984 01:41:49.720 --> 01:41:51.840 on Sunday, I think Drew comes out with the win 1985 01:41:52.079 --> 01:41:54.279 and get some more momentum behind them. 1986 01:41:55.439 --> 01:41:57.600 They have to. It's almost as if Drew has to 1987 01:41:57.640 --> 01:42:01.079 win this because of everything that they've put in front 1988 01:42:01.079 --> 01:42:03.840 of him and everything he's talked about and said, he 1989 01:42:03.960 --> 01:42:05.960 has to back up his words. I don't care if 1990 01:42:06.000 --> 01:42:09.520 it's a clean win over Roman Reigns. And you know what, 1991 01:42:09.560 --> 01:42:12.000 I would actually prefer a clean win. I know he's 1992 01:42:12.000 --> 01:42:14.439 a heel, and heels traditionally win by hooker, crook low 1993 01:42:14.479 --> 01:42:17.600 blows feet on the ropes, refezent looking for an object. 1994 01:42:17.920 --> 01:42:21.840 I want to see Drew outright beat Roman Reigns with 1995 01:42:22.039 --> 01:42:25.680 the Claymore, which has been established as a killer move, 1996 01:42:25.920 --> 01:42:28.600 and it looks like Drew McIntyre is. It looks like 1997 01:42:28.640 --> 01:42:31.479 a shotgun going off. I mean, it's it's sold really well, 1998 01:42:32.039 --> 01:42:35.600 nobody's kicked out of it. It's a money finisher, and 1999 01:42:35.680 --> 01:42:39.159 I would like to see Drew McIntyre outright beat Roman Reigns. 2000 01:42:39.520 --> 01:42:42.439 I would that, to me, would be the most beneficial 2001 01:42:42.479 --> 01:42:46.479 to Drew. It would establish him as a credible threat, 2002 01:42:46.720 --> 01:42:49.439 not just a guy that uses any means necessary. All 2003 01:42:49.520 --> 01:42:51.600 heels don't have to do that. You could be a 2004 01:42:51.640 --> 01:42:55.520 guy that beats your opponent clean as a heel. But 2005 01:42:55.920 --> 01:42:59.720 you're what you stand for is is demonic, It's it's 2006 01:42:59.840 --> 01:43:03.000 just nasty. Who you are as a person is terrible, 2007 01:43:03.199 --> 01:43:06.000 even if you're winning matches clean. And I think Drew 2008 01:43:06.039 --> 01:43:10.039 could do this because it would What it'll do is, yes, 2009 01:43:10.039 --> 01:43:12.039 it'll get him over as a heel, as a credible heel. 2010 01:43:13.079 --> 01:43:16.800 But when he turns babyface, eventually the fans will remember 2011 01:43:16.840 --> 01:43:18.479 that that he was this guy that just came out 2012 01:43:18.520 --> 01:43:21.479 and kicked ass and now when he flips, you're gonna 2013 01:43:21.479 --> 01:43:24.039 remember that. So of course that's down the line. I 2014 01:43:24.039 --> 01:43:25.960 wouldn't I wouldn't want him to turn babyface for a 2015 01:43:26.039 --> 01:43:29.399 year or two. But I think that Drew needs to win, 2016 01:43:29.520 --> 01:43:31.960 and he needs to win clean and decisively. 2017 01:43:33.319 --> 01:43:36.039 Yeah, And because like I think what you said about 2018 01:43:36.119 --> 01:43:39.960 imentering babyface one day is perfect. I think that they 2019 01:43:40.039 --> 01:43:44.159 need to give the fans something to kate Drew McIntyre seriously, 2020 01:43:44.159 --> 01:43:47.079 because yeah, he's talked a big game and he's been 2021 01:43:47.159 --> 01:43:51.000 a lot of wrestlers on side matches, but like there's 2022 01:43:51.079 --> 01:43:54.600 yet to be that one big time feud that he's 2023 01:43:54.720 --> 01:43:58.119 really culminated in with a victory. Because he didn't beat 2024 01:43:58.199 --> 01:44:02.720 Roman at rest sure he had his way with Dean Ambrews, 2025 01:44:02.760 --> 01:44:04.840 but we know that Dean Ambrose was just doing the 2026 01:44:04.840 --> 01:44:07.520 favors going out the door. But yeah, I think that 2027 01:44:07.680 --> 01:44:10.840 for the long term vision of Drew that he really 2028 01:44:10.920 --> 01:44:13.840 needs this win. They've done a great job billing. 2029 01:44:13.600 --> 01:44:14.720 Up to now. 2030 01:44:15.159 --> 01:44:18.920 I really like what he's like his partnership with Sean McMahon. 2031 01:44:19.239 --> 01:44:22.199 But I do kind of fear that, like, if he 2032 01:44:22.279 --> 01:44:25.279 doesn't get this win, he'll just be viewed as an 2033 01:44:25.279 --> 01:44:27.760 afterthought because it would look kind of straighte like, Okay, 2034 01:44:27.760 --> 01:44:31.359 well Shane could beat Roman, but Drew can't, So yeah, 2035 01:44:31.439 --> 01:44:34.640 it would hurt his reputation. I think that Roman could 2036 01:44:34.720 --> 01:44:38.479 survive it because you know, Roman could just bounce back 2037 01:44:38.479 --> 01:44:41.119 from anything due to the writing and how w W 2038 01:44:41.359 --> 01:44:43.439 has built him, you know, come back. 2039 01:44:45.039 --> 01:44:47.199 It's survive and lost to Drew McIntyre. 2040 01:44:47.479 --> 01:44:51.840 So yeah, I really think this is a crucial mat 2041 01:44:51.960 --> 01:44:54.520 Drew and he really needs this victory to build himself 2042 01:44:54.560 --> 01:44:55.119 in the future. 2043 01:44:57.000 --> 01:44:59.640 Roman is elastic. I think that's a good point to 2044 01:44:59.640 --> 01:45:02.720 bring up. Roman can survive, and he can survive a 2045 01:45:02.760 --> 01:45:06.079 big string of losses because Roman has been established for 2046 01:45:06.199 --> 01:45:08.079 so long in the minds of fans that He is 2047 01:45:08.079 --> 01:45:11.319 a top guy, and at any moment, regardless of how 2048 01:45:11.439 --> 01:45:13.800 terrible of a losing streak he goes on who he 2049 01:45:13.880 --> 01:45:16.439 loses to, he could come back at any moment with 2050 01:45:16.600 --> 01:45:19.760 fire in his eyes and just start as wait, let 2051 01:45:19.760 --> 01:45:22.239 me say the tagline, start kicking ass and taking names. 2052 01:45:22.600 --> 01:45:24.439 He could do that. I mean, don't don't even get 2053 01:45:24.479 --> 01:45:29.119 me started on that forced nonsensical, corporate corporately forced into 2054 01:45:29.119 --> 01:45:32.520 every promo garbage. So that's what I think about that. 2055 01:45:32.720 --> 01:45:36.239 It's it's awful, But Roman could do that. Roman could 2056 01:45:36.319 --> 01:45:39.279 easily come back regardless of the losing streak, which is 2057 01:45:39.319 --> 01:45:42.039 why Drew needs this tenfold over Roman. 2058 01:45:42.720 --> 01:45:45.039 Yeah, and that's exactly it. Man. 2059 01:45:45.079 --> 01:45:48.199 You hit it on the head there, because Roman just 2060 01:45:48.279 --> 01:45:51.279 keeping knocked down and he will get up and he 2061 01:45:51.479 --> 01:45:54.520 always will, and like even just like the whole real 2062 01:45:54.600 --> 01:45:57.880 life battle he had with leukemia, that he no matter 2063 01:45:57.880 --> 01:46:00.319 how many times he gets knocked down, he will be 2064 01:46:00.439 --> 01:46:01.359 built back up. 2065 01:46:01.760 --> 01:46:03.439 But Drew needs it. 2066 01:46:03.479 --> 01:46:05.439 And I think Drew needs to kind of get the 2067 01:46:05.520 --> 01:46:10.520 jackpack put on him and blown away here in the trajectory. 2068 01:46:09.800 --> 01:46:11.359 Of you know, succeeding. 2069 01:46:11.640 --> 01:46:14.479 And I think they're kind of doing that with with 2070 01:46:14.600 --> 01:46:17.279 Sea McMahon right now, but he also has to find 2071 01:46:17.319 --> 01:46:19.920 some you know, solo success at the same time. 2072 01:46:21.760 --> 01:46:25.600 Yeah, I think you're absolutely right. So let's move on 2073 01:46:25.640 --> 01:46:28.520 to the Raw Women's Championship, the Becky Lynch versus Lacy Evans. 2074 01:46:28.640 --> 01:46:30.920 We alluded to this a little bit before, so I 2075 01:46:31.000 --> 01:46:33.119 honestly don't have a whole lot to add to this 2076 01:46:33.479 --> 01:46:36.600 other than I think that this will be a better 2077 01:46:36.760 --> 01:46:38.960 match than their first, which I didn't think was a disaster. 2078 01:46:39.119 --> 01:46:42.439 But it's their second match. They should get to get 2079 01:46:42.439 --> 01:46:44.720 a feel for each other more. They probably will get 2080 01:46:44.720 --> 01:46:47.640 a little bit more time. I think Becky wins, and 2081 01:46:47.680 --> 01:46:49.680 I think that's the end of the story. I honestly 2082 01:46:49.720 --> 01:46:51.359 don't have a whole lot to add to this. I 2083 01:46:51.359 --> 01:46:54.520 think just as Dolf will go into the background, I 2084 01:46:54.560 --> 01:46:57.439 think Lacy Evans will fade into the background into another 2085 01:46:57.479 --> 01:47:00.439 program after Becky Lynch beats her here. So what are 2086 01:47:00.479 --> 01:47:01.039 your thoughts on that? 2087 01:47:01.479 --> 01:47:04.159 Yeah, you know, as I said before, I'm a big 2088 01:47:04.199 --> 01:47:06.800 fan of Lacy Evans, but she's not ready yet to 2089 01:47:06.920 --> 01:47:10.159 overtake someone like Becky Lynch. I think Becky's gonna win 2090 01:47:10.279 --> 01:47:12.359 clean and kind of close the book on the story 2091 01:47:12.439 --> 01:47:15.680 for this particular fear. But yeah, we kind of said 2092 01:47:15.760 --> 01:47:17.520 all we had to say before. There's not too much 2093 01:47:17.560 --> 01:47:20.159 to add. Becky wins clean and just closes it off. 2094 01:47:21.159 --> 01:47:23.840 Yeah, I mean case closed. Really Yeah, I mean there's 2095 01:47:23.880 --> 01:47:26.399 it's very straightforward here, I believe. So all right, what 2096 01:47:26.439 --> 01:47:29.880 about the SmackDown Women's Championship Bailey and alexas a little 2097 01:47:29.920 --> 01:47:32.359 more interesting, so you know, you go ahead, What do 2098 01:47:32.399 --> 01:47:32.680 you think? 2099 01:47:33.520 --> 01:47:36.920 I like this story a lot, so I don't think 2100 01:47:36.920 --> 01:47:39.479 it's gonna be as cut and dry. I think that 2101 01:47:39.560 --> 01:47:42.880 it's gonna end kind of in a disqualification of sorts. 2102 01:47:43.359 --> 01:47:46.479 I think that it's going to I think I would 2103 01:47:46.520 --> 01:47:48.479 say I'm not sure who will win. 2104 01:47:48.840 --> 01:47:53.000 I will say Alexa wins via disqualification and warns a 2105 01:47:53.039 --> 01:47:56.279 future title match, because I don't think that alex is 2106 01:47:56.319 --> 01:47:58.920 gonna take the belt away from Bailey so soon after 2107 01:47:59.000 --> 01:48:01.920 she won it and for the women the next pay 2108 01:48:01.920 --> 01:48:04.960 per view after she wanted, because they compete at Super Showdown. 2109 01:48:05.560 --> 01:48:08.880 But yeah, I think it's gonna end in disqualification match 2110 01:48:09.680 --> 01:48:13.079 due to Niki Cross getting not a disqualification match, but 2111 01:48:13.359 --> 01:48:17.640 disqualification finished due to Nicki Cross somehow getting involved, so 2112 01:48:17.800 --> 01:48:21.319 no clean finish and just something to result in a 2113 01:48:21.399 --> 01:48:23.880 future match down the line, to keep this story going. 2114 01:48:23.920 --> 01:48:26.319 As we both mentioned, we both really like this story. 2115 01:48:26.720 --> 01:48:29.600 I don't think they're quite ready to close it off completely, 2116 01:48:29.920 --> 01:48:33.199 So I would say Alexa wins disqualification, but Bailey keeps 2117 01:48:33.199 --> 01:48:33.640 the title. 2118 01:48:35.600 --> 01:48:37.600 Man, I feel like I'm just gonna repeat what you said. 2119 01:48:37.680 --> 01:48:40.520 It's the only thing I would change on that is. 2120 01:48:41.199 --> 01:48:44.079 I think it easily and probably will be a disqualification. 2121 01:48:44.159 --> 01:48:48.479 But Bailey wins via disqualification after Nicky, you know it, 2122 01:48:48.960 --> 01:48:51.920 unintentionally gets caught by the referee hitting her in the 2123 01:48:51.920 --> 01:48:54.319 head or you know, kicking her or pulling her off 2124 01:48:54.319 --> 01:49:00.079 the apron or something. Something will cause a disqualification. I 2125 01:49:00.079 --> 01:49:02.760 don't care who wins the disqualification because either way, the 2126 01:49:02.800 --> 01:49:05.920 championship doesn't change hands. But yes, I think that is 2127 01:49:05.960 --> 01:49:08.279 the case. This is the start of the program. I mean, 2128 01:49:08.359 --> 01:49:10.920 this is their first match. It can't be a clean 2129 01:49:10.960 --> 01:49:13.920 finish either way. I believe that it is going to 2130 01:49:13.960 --> 01:49:18.359 be a three maybe longer pay per view match, or 2131 01:49:18.399 --> 01:49:22.000 a pay per view long feud. This could actually go 2132 01:49:22.039 --> 01:49:24.199 all the way to Summer Slam. I really believe that 2133 01:49:24.239 --> 01:49:26.600 if this is done correctly and we have no more Bailey, 2134 01:49:26.640 --> 01:49:29.840 this is your Life segments. This could be a program 2135 01:49:29.880 --> 01:49:32.560 that does culminate at SummerSlam. So yeah, this is going 2136 01:49:32.600 --> 01:49:35.880 to be a finish that has nothing clean about it. 2137 01:49:35.920 --> 01:49:38.840 There's going to be a lot of tomfoolery in this finish, 2138 01:49:38.880 --> 01:49:41.920 and you know that's just ww logic. I mean, there's 2139 01:49:41.920 --> 01:49:44.079 other ways to do it, but just based on how 2140 01:49:44.239 --> 01:49:48.359 WWE presents their programs, especially at the beginning of programs, Yeah, 2141 01:49:48.439 --> 01:49:51.279 I think that's really the only way that this program 2142 01:49:51.319 --> 01:49:54.159 can start off as via disqualification or some kind of 2143 01:49:54.560 --> 01:49:55.880 some kind of funky ending. 2144 01:49:56.479 --> 01:49:57.439 Yeah, exactly. 2145 01:49:57.520 --> 01:50:00.720 And I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing because 2146 01:50:01.000 --> 01:50:03.319 if you have a I don't think it'd be wise 2147 01:50:03.399 --> 01:50:06.399 to the belt off of Bailey this way. And if 2148 01:50:06.439 --> 01:50:10.680 Bailey wins, the story's pretty much done. So I think 2149 01:50:10.720 --> 01:50:13.359 that if she wins clean that is, then the story's 2150 01:50:13.359 --> 01:50:15.439 pretty much done. So yeah, I think in some way 2151 01:50:15.760 --> 01:50:19.920 there's gonna be some nonsense that goes on outside something 2152 01:50:19.960 --> 01:50:22.800 to keep the storyline going. And Warrant selects a Bliss 2153 01:50:22.840 --> 01:50:25.199 to have another match, and I think that's good, as 2154 01:50:25.239 --> 01:50:28.279 I just said, because these two clearly do have chemistry 2155 01:50:28.319 --> 01:50:29.159 outside the ring. 2156 01:50:29.520 --> 01:50:31.720 They will have chemistry inside the ring. 2157 01:50:32.000 --> 01:50:34.600 They are two very good in ring competitors, and I 2158 01:50:34.640 --> 01:50:37.680 think the whole wrinkle of the effect of Nikki Cross 2159 01:50:38.000 --> 01:50:40.960 has led to a way more complex story than we've 2160 01:50:41.000 --> 01:50:42.680 just been presented on the surface. 2161 01:50:44.399 --> 01:50:47.479 Yeah, this is we've kind of said it all. I mean, 2162 01:50:47.479 --> 01:50:50.800 this is the beginning of a program. So okay, the 2163 01:50:50.880 --> 01:50:54.560 United States Championship, Samoa Joe and Ricochet. I'm gonna toss 2164 01:50:54.560 --> 01:50:55.319 it to you first in this. 2165 01:50:56.239 --> 01:50:59.359 I think samo Joe wins here. I'm hoping, as you 2166 01:50:59.439 --> 01:51:02.720 brought up for that, it's a start of a long run. 2167 01:51:03.319 --> 01:51:06.680 I think Rikochhet won that fatal five way match to 2168 01:51:06.800 --> 01:51:11.119 take the first loss to Samoojo. I don't think Rikoshet 2169 01:51:11.159 --> 01:51:14.000 is gonna beat Samojo at Stomping Grounds to win his 2170 01:51:14.079 --> 01:51:16.439 first title. I just don't think the stars are aligned 2171 01:51:16.439 --> 01:51:18.800 for that. I think that it will be a very 2172 01:51:18.800 --> 01:51:21.760 good match. I'm looking forward to it, but I just 2173 01:51:21.800 --> 01:51:23.359 don't see how Rikoshet comes out. 2174 01:51:23.439 --> 01:51:24.600 I think it's a good. 2175 01:51:25.039 --> 01:51:29.680 First step to first step rather to get Rikochet's feet 2176 01:51:29.720 --> 01:51:32.000 wet a bit in the title scene and his first 2177 01:51:32.039 --> 01:51:34.560 kick at the can of the title. But no, there's 2178 01:51:34.560 --> 01:51:36.720 no way that he can come out here with a victory. 2179 01:51:36.720 --> 01:51:37.600 I think Joe wins. 2180 01:51:39.079 --> 01:51:43.720 So my brain is telling me, don't pick Rikoshet. This 2181 01:51:43.880 --> 01:51:48.000 is a very easy pick. It's a slam dunk. The 2182 01:51:48.119 --> 01:51:51.239 problem is everything that we just talked about a little 2183 01:51:51.279 --> 01:51:54.840 while ago about Samojo and the way that WWE treats him. 2184 01:51:55.399 --> 01:51:57.520 I could see Ricochet winning this, and I'm going to 2185 01:51:57.520 --> 01:52:01.560 pick him for that reason that WWA has not only 2186 01:52:01.680 --> 01:52:05.560 devalued Samoa Joe to this point, but also they don't 2187 01:52:05.600 --> 01:52:08.279 seem to really care about the United States Championship itself. 2188 01:52:08.680 --> 01:52:11.720 So by Ricochet winning it, it's not the most prestigious. 2189 01:52:11.760 --> 01:52:14.640 It's not in in line with or or at the 2190 01:52:14.680 --> 01:52:17.520 same level as even the Intercontinental Championship. Even it's if 2191 01:52:17.520 --> 01:52:20.880 it's presented to be. It's not so for Rick Ischet 2192 01:52:20.880 --> 01:52:23.119 to win this, I think would be I think the 2193 01:52:23.119 --> 01:52:25.399 fans will go nuts. They the fans are behind him 2194 01:52:25.399 --> 01:52:28.039 because he does really crazy, wacky moves, even though we 2195 01:52:28.119 --> 01:52:31.119 haven't heard a word from him yet. He is exciting, 2196 01:52:31.199 --> 01:52:33.720 he's fun to watch all of that, which is true. 2197 01:52:34.159 --> 01:52:37.880 So I think Samoa Joe loses here. I'm not gonna 2198 01:52:37.880 --> 01:52:39.680 bet any money on it at all. Then this is 2199 01:52:39.680 --> 01:52:42.399 probably a dumb pick, But I'm gonna go there's always 2200 01:52:42.479 --> 01:52:44.479 that one or two, those one or two matches that 2201 01:52:44.520 --> 01:52:47.840 you think are locks that Vince ends up in going out. No, 2202 01:52:47.920 --> 01:52:49.800 they think this is gonna happen. This looks too predictable. 2203 01:52:49.800 --> 01:52:52.319 We're gonna We're gonna change it up, and this could 2204 01:52:52.319 --> 01:52:54.399 be that one, This could be that one. That is 2205 01:52:54.439 --> 01:52:58.159 that that's sleeping giant. So I'm gonna go with Rickochet 2206 01:52:58.159 --> 01:53:01.279 winning the United States Championship here to shake things up. 2207 01:53:01.319 --> 01:53:03.640 As Vince McMahon would say, I'm just trying to get 2208 01:53:03.680 --> 01:53:06.479 in that man's brain. And I think that Rikoshet could 2209 01:53:06.479 --> 01:53:09.439 win this and try to bring some life back to 2210 01:53:09.479 --> 01:53:12.800 the United States Championship. And do I want that to happen. 2211 01:53:13.000 --> 01:53:13.119 No? 2212 01:53:13.239 --> 01:53:16.359 Do I think that should happen. No, But I could 2213 01:53:16.359 --> 01:53:19.279 see a case of Vince McMahon wanting it to happen. 2214 01:53:20.159 --> 01:53:22.560 Oh yeah, I mean all the points you just outlined, 2215 01:53:22.640 --> 01:53:23.800 it could very well happen. 2216 01:53:23.920 --> 01:53:26.239 Like I would have never thought in a million years 2217 01:53:26.279 --> 01:53:29.960 that being Mysteria would have beat Samojo for the US title. 2218 01:53:30.279 --> 01:53:32.640 And just the way that Simojo has been treated as 2219 01:53:32.800 --> 01:53:36.279 all the points you just brought out, it's completely realistic, 2220 01:53:36.720 --> 01:53:39.000 and I have to keep bringing myself back down to 2221 01:53:39.039 --> 01:53:42.119 earth about the US title because you're right, it's not 2222 01:53:42.319 --> 01:53:45.600 that prestigious anymore. They don't seem to care about it. 2223 01:53:45.600 --> 01:53:48.279 It is kind of an afterthought. So even if rik 2224 01:53:48.680 --> 01:53:51.640 A were to win, it's really not a big deal 2225 01:53:51.800 --> 01:53:54.319 and that would kind of stuck for Rik Koshet, like 2226 01:53:54.359 --> 01:53:56.479 his first title win is supposed to be this big 2227 01:53:56.560 --> 01:53:59.840 monumental achievement, but it's the US title who don't really 2228 01:53:59.840 --> 01:54:03.279 cares about. But no, yeah, I think that he could 2229 01:54:03.279 --> 01:54:06.039 go either way. Just based on McMahon wine to swerve US. 2230 01:54:06.239 --> 01:54:07.840 I don't think that's a bad pick at all on 2231 01:54:07.880 --> 01:54:08.279 your part. 2232 01:54:09.399 --> 01:54:12.720 And think about the way Simo Joe quote won the 2233 01:54:12.920 --> 01:54:18.079 United States Championship. He inexplicably had his long time he 2234 01:54:18.199 --> 01:54:20.920 did rival just handed to him. So that tells you 2235 01:54:20.960 --> 01:54:24.039 what Vince McMahon thinks about the United States Championship. So 2236 01:54:24.760 --> 01:54:26.960 this could Now I'm kind of like talking myself into it, 2237 01:54:26.960 --> 01:54:28.800 but I really believe Ricochet could win this. So that's 2238 01:54:28.840 --> 01:54:33.359 my pick. SmackDown Tag Team Championships with Daniel Bryan and 2239 01:54:33.479 --> 01:54:36.960 rowing against Heavy Machinery. I think this one is a 2240 01:54:37.000 --> 01:54:40.359 pretty darn good lock and I don't think anybody's gonna 2241 01:54:40.359 --> 01:54:43.680 be surprised by this that Daniel Brian and Rowan retain, 2242 01:54:43.800 --> 01:54:46.840 and my god, they should retain. Is. I enjoy Heavy Machinery. 2243 01:54:46.880 --> 01:54:50.520 I enjoy Otis and Tucker, especially Otis, who he's clearly 2244 01:54:50.560 --> 01:54:53.960 the star out of the two. They're funny, but they're 2245 01:54:54.000 --> 01:54:56.359 also serious when they need to be, and they're legitimate, 2246 01:54:56.960 --> 01:54:59.520 so they're not just a comedy act only. But they're 2247 01:54:59.560 --> 01:55:03.880 not ready, just as Ricochet. It doesn't seem ready this one. Really, 2248 01:55:03.920 --> 01:55:07.000 they are really not ready, and Daniel Brian and Rowan 2249 01:55:07.039 --> 01:55:10.479 are on a roll as the Tag Team Champion champions 2250 01:55:10.520 --> 01:55:14.039 on SmackDown Live, and they're bringing credibility back to the 2251 01:55:14.079 --> 01:55:17.840 tag team division. They're clearly the top team. There's just 2252 01:55:18.000 --> 01:55:21.720 no reason to have Heavy Machinery win this match. Daniel 2253 01:55:21.720 --> 01:55:23.600 Brian and Rowan walk away as champions. 2254 01:55:24.000 --> 01:55:26.880 Yeah, I'm with you there, I love Heavy Machinery. 2255 01:55:27.279 --> 01:55:29.199 I'm gonna just sound like a Maco and You here, 2256 01:55:29.239 --> 01:55:32.359 but yeah, they're just not ready, especially in a SmackDown 2257 01:55:32.399 --> 01:55:35.760 world that the tag team division isn't especially deep. I 2258 01:55:35.800 --> 01:55:40.000 think Rowan and Daniel Bryan are single handedly carrying it 2259 01:55:40.079 --> 01:55:42.680 and making those titles relevant just because of the star 2260 01:55:42.720 --> 01:55:46.119 power attached to Daniel Brian. And give give Rome for 2261 01:55:46.239 --> 01:55:48.560 addit like you brought up before, He's done a really 2262 01:55:48.560 --> 01:55:52.000 good job. But yeah, there's just no logical scenario how 2263 01:55:52.159 --> 01:55:55.000 Heavy Machinery comes out with a win. I think it's 2264 01:55:55.039 --> 01:55:56.520 gonna be a good match. I think it's gonna be 2265 01:55:56.520 --> 01:56:00.880 an entertaining match. I hope then it's not the last 2266 01:56:00.880 --> 01:56:03.159 match these two teams have. But yeah, I think Rowing 2267 01:56:03.199 --> 01:56:05.079 and Daniel Bryan come away with. 2268 01:56:05.039 --> 01:56:05.560 A win here. 2269 01:56:06.680 --> 01:56:08.720 Yeah, I really have nothing more to add to this. 2270 01:56:08.760 --> 01:56:11.199 I mean, I think it'll be an entertaining match. I 2271 01:56:11.199 --> 01:56:14.239 think it'll be you know, physical, It'll be just a 2272 01:56:14.359 --> 01:56:19.680 very I think smooth logical ends with even if it's 2273 01:56:19.680 --> 01:56:23.000 by hook or crook, Daniel Brian just does something underhanded. 2274 01:56:23.039 --> 01:56:25.079 I mean, I'm fine with it. I I don't care 2275 01:56:25.159 --> 01:56:28.359 how Daniel Bryan and Rowan retained. They just need to retain. 2276 01:56:29.119 --> 01:56:32.239 Just end of subject. Uh, New Day and Kevin new 2277 01:56:32.319 --> 01:56:38.840 Day versus Kevin Owens and Sammy Zay. Your thoughts, you know. 2278 01:56:39.439 --> 01:56:43.920 I wish that it was a harder pick that honestly, 2279 01:56:44.159 --> 01:56:47.800 but as we've seen Kevin Owens and Sammy zaem being 2280 01:56:47.920 --> 01:56:52.920 utilized lately. I'm gonna go with the New Day because 2281 01:56:53.199 --> 01:56:55.840 just like how much how buried Zane. 2282 01:56:55.560 --> 01:56:56.560 And Owens have been. 2283 01:56:57.079 --> 01:56:59.880 But I could see Kevin Owens and say Za play 2284 01:57:00.079 --> 01:57:03.359 the swerve here beating the New Day. But I just 2285 01:57:03.399 --> 01:57:05.840 feel like the New Day has taken such a bat 2286 01:57:05.880 --> 01:57:08.720 And by New Day I mean obviously Biggie and Koha 2287 01:57:08.840 --> 01:57:11.920 and Xavier Woods. I feel like they've taken such a 2288 01:57:12.039 --> 01:57:16.640 back seat to Kofe's title reign that they've almost been 2289 01:57:16.640 --> 01:57:20.199 an afterthought and they they need this win. But then 2290 01:57:20.239 --> 01:57:22.319 you could also say, on the other hand, that Kevin 2291 01:57:22.359 --> 01:57:23.760 Owens and Sammy z need to win. 2292 01:57:23.880 --> 01:57:25.600 But I think when all of a said and done, 2293 01:57:25.760 --> 01:57:27.720 that the New Days go with the win. 2294 01:57:27.720 --> 01:57:30.680 Here, just solely based on how Zane and Owens have 2295 01:57:30.760 --> 01:57:31.760 been voked recently. 2296 01:57:33.760 --> 01:57:37.520 You're You're right. I just I'm trying to talk myself 2297 01:57:37.560 --> 01:57:41.199 into Kevin Owens and Samuse and winning. I'm trying to 2298 01:57:41.239 --> 01:57:43.760 come up with a reason and trying to convince myself 2299 01:57:43.760 --> 01:57:47.279 to pick them. I just can't. I can't pick them 2300 01:57:47.680 --> 01:57:49.920 for the fact that they haven't won a match since 2301 01:57:49.960 --> 01:57:53.640 they came back. And yeah that Vince McMahon could this 2302 01:57:53.680 --> 01:57:55.760 could be another one of the swerves that all people 2303 01:57:56.079 --> 01:57:58.680 think that New Days just gonna win and Kevin and 2304 01:57:58.760 --> 01:58:02.000 Samy are gonna lose because they've continue to lose. I 2305 01:58:02.000 --> 01:58:04.039 don't think this is a swerve because there's no reason 2306 01:58:04.039 --> 01:58:06.199 to do the swerve in this case, there's no championship 2307 01:58:06.239 --> 01:58:10.439 on the line. Clearly, Vince does not think very highly 2308 01:58:10.479 --> 01:58:14.680 of either Kevin or Sammy as long term single stars 2309 01:58:14.800 --> 01:58:19.920 in WWE. So I think New Day wins and Xavier 2310 01:58:20.000 --> 01:58:23.600 and Biggie come out on top. Will I be absolutely 2311 01:58:23.640 --> 01:58:27.279 stunned if Kevin and Sammy win. No, I won't because 2312 01:58:27.359 --> 01:58:30.520 they honestly need the wins more than anybody on the roster. 2313 01:58:31.319 --> 01:58:33.800 But at the same time, look at the track record 2314 01:58:34.199 --> 01:58:37.920 they do. Their track record is awful. It's it's abysmal. 2315 01:58:38.279 --> 01:58:42.319 So I'm gonna go with the New Day and it's sad, 2316 01:58:42.399 --> 01:58:43.479 but that's my pick. 2317 01:58:44.359 --> 01:58:47.760 Yeah, and it feels like we're both kind of getting 2318 01:58:47.800 --> 01:58:51.439 depressed here. But yeah, you want it to be more 2319 01:58:51.640 --> 01:58:54.800 of like a hard pick. You want to have trouble 2320 01:58:54.840 --> 01:58:58.239 pick if this pick, But it also it isn't a 2321 01:58:58.279 --> 01:59:01.319 hard pick because you just know that Kevin Owens and 2322 01:59:01.319 --> 01:59:03.399 Semizan are and Tken seriously. 2323 01:59:03.039 --> 01:59:06.199 In the eyes of Fence McMahon and I just it's 2324 01:59:06.279 --> 01:59:09.880 really sad to see. But yeah, there's just no way 2325 01:59:09.920 --> 01:59:11.680 that I could see them coming out with a win here. 2326 01:59:13.600 --> 01:59:16.840 I can't. I really want to. I'm trying. I'm in 2327 01:59:16.880 --> 01:59:19.119 I do I sound depressed because I am, because I 2328 01:59:19.159 --> 01:59:21.600 can't believe that I'm not having a hard time with this. 2329 01:59:22.039 --> 01:59:24.079 I'm trying to come up with something in my brain, 2330 01:59:24.159 --> 01:59:29.760 but it's very depressing. So moving on Raw Tag Team Championship, 2331 01:59:29.800 --> 01:59:33.279 A Revival versus the USSOS, I think this one's another one. 2332 01:59:33.680 --> 01:59:37.439 This card up and down the line looks very predictable, 2333 01:59:37.520 --> 01:59:39.359 and it looks like you can make a case of 2334 01:59:39.520 --> 01:59:42.319 no championships changing hands at all on the entire card, 2335 01:59:42.640 --> 01:59:44.720 and I think in general that will be the case here. 2336 01:59:45.680 --> 01:59:47.920 With the exception of the United States Championship. Is don't 2337 01:59:47.960 --> 01:59:50.039 go to dount on the limb. But this Raw Tag 2338 01:59:50.039 --> 01:59:53.319 Team Championship, I don't see how the Revival lose them 2339 01:59:53.479 --> 01:59:56.199 to the USOS. I just don't. I think the Revival, 2340 01:59:56.600 --> 01:59:59.920 with Shane McMahon behind him and the McMahon power by 2341 02:00:00.000 --> 02:00:03.079 behind them, in the stable that they're in, they don't 2342 02:00:03.119 --> 02:00:06.239 lose here. I think that the Revival and usso's are 2343 02:00:06.279 --> 02:00:07.840 going to have a very good match. This could be 2344 02:00:07.840 --> 02:00:11.359 a sleeper of a match that people are overlooking. And again, 2345 02:00:11.479 --> 02:00:15.159 if given the time, that's the key. They could have 2346 02:00:15.239 --> 02:00:17.479 a very very good match, you know, like three and 2347 02:00:17.479 --> 02:00:20.039 a half maybe even higher out of five stars. They 2348 02:00:20.039 --> 02:00:22.239 could have a hell of a match. I just don't 2349 02:00:22.239 --> 02:00:24.000 know if they'll be given the time, and ultimately the 2350 02:00:24.039 --> 02:00:26.000 Revival comes out as champions. What do you think? 2351 02:00:26.279 --> 02:00:28.680 Yeah, I think Revival a going to come out on 2352 02:00:28.760 --> 02:00:31.640 top as well. I think the USOS could survive in 2353 02:00:31.760 --> 02:00:35.119 victory as opposed to the Revival that although they are 2354 02:00:35.239 --> 02:00:38.319 multi time tag team champions, it seems like every time 2355 02:00:38.319 --> 02:00:40.720 they have a chance to defend the titles, they are 2356 02:00:40.960 --> 02:00:44.640 unable to, whether it be against Gable and Rude or 2357 02:00:45.279 --> 02:00:46.399 Ryder and Hawkins. 2358 02:00:46.520 --> 02:00:48.880 I think like a big statement. 2359 02:00:48.520 --> 02:00:52.000 Win over arguably the best tag team in ww REE 2360 02:00:52.119 --> 02:00:54.680 right now is needed for them. I think if they 2361 02:00:54.680 --> 02:00:57.600 are to drop the titles so soon after winning them, 2362 02:00:57.840 --> 02:00:59.840 it would almost like I wouldn't be able to take 2363 02:00:59.880 --> 02:01:00.720 the seriously. 2364 02:01:01.079 --> 02:01:03.880 So I think this is a crucial opportunity. 2365 02:01:03.239 --> 02:01:06.399 For WWE to allow the Revival to get a big 2366 02:01:06.479 --> 02:01:09.439 impact win against a team like the US those and 2367 02:01:09.560 --> 02:01:12.079 show that they are on that same level with them. 2368 02:01:12.399 --> 02:01:14.479 So yeah, I really think the revivalill come out with 2369 02:01:14.520 --> 02:01:16.479 the win here, and they need the win here. 2370 02:01:18.319 --> 02:01:21.800 They do. And again, I'm not a hot potato title fan. 2371 02:01:22.279 --> 02:01:24.319 I don't like title changes for the sake of title 2372 02:01:24.399 --> 02:01:28.760 changes and oh it's newsworthy. I like long reigning champions 2373 02:01:28.800 --> 02:01:31.520 regardless of who's holding the belt. It means so much 2374 02:01:31.560 --> 02:01:34.600 more when the belts change hands. So in this case, 2375 02:01:34.640 --> 02:01:37.479 in this day and age, long term championship reigns last 2376 02:01:37.640 --> 02:01:40.039 beyond a pay per view like Unfortunately, that is the 2377 02:01:40.079 --> 02:01:44.560 scale and definition of what long term now means. But yeah, 2378 02:01:44.800 --> 02:01:47.119 Revival retains. I think you can pretty much take that 2379 02:01:47.159 --> 02:01:49.680 one to the bank as well. And finally, the Cruiserweight 2380 02:01:49.800 --> 02:01:53.520 Championship with Tony Nice versus Drew Gulak and a Kra Tazawa. 2381 02:01:54.279 --> 02:01:54.880 What do you think? 2382 02:01:56.960 --> 02:01:58.319 I'm basically Tony Nice. 2383 02:01:58.399 --> 02:02:00.720 I like the way that they've built the I think 2384 02:02:00.760 --> 02:02:03.239 that when he beat Buddy Murphy at WrestleMania, who is 2385 02:02:03.279 --> 02:02:05.520 a telltale sign that they were serious about him. 2386 02:02:06.399 --> 02:02:07.119 I'm with you. 2387 02:02:07.239 --> 02:02:09.840 I like the long title rings here, so I think 2388 02:02:09.880 --> 02:02:12.479 they're gonna stick with Tony Nies here. They've built them well, 2389 02:02:12.520 --> 02:02:14.000 and I think they're gonna give him a bit more 2390 02:02:14.039 --> 02:02:15.319 time before he drops the belt. 2391 02:02:17.279 --> 02:02:20.119 Yeah. I don't have a strong feeling on this, to 2392 02:02:20.159 --> 02:02:21.920 be honest, because I don't have a lot of emotional 2393 02:02:22.000 --> 02:02:23.920 investment in this, and I don't think most people do. 2394 02:02:24.000 --> 02:02:27.039 I mean, however, two or five Live, they've been putting 2395 02:02:27.039 --> 02:02:30.239 out some good matches as of late. There was some 2396 02:02:30.279 --> 02:02:32.600 controversy in the finish of the number one contender fatal 2397 02:02:32.640 --> 02:02:36.399 four way match, so Gulai can Tzau got the opportunity. 2398 02:02:36.840 --> 02:02:42.439 I think Tony Niss retains because he seems I think 2399 02:02:42.439 --> 02:02:45.439 he's got the most established character in the in the 2400 02:02:45.479 --> 02:02:48.920 cruiserweight division. He's a good champion. As you said, his 2401 02:02:49.000 --> 02:02:54.119 win at wrestle Mania was a statement made by WWE 2402 02:02:54.760 --> 02:02:57.520 to say, hey, we're changing. This is changing of the 2403 02:02:57.520 --> 02:03:00.920 guards here, so we're gonna go with Tony Nice. And 2404 02:03:01.000 --> 02:03:04.000 I think it's Tony Nice for probably the next few months. 2405 02:03:04.079 --> 02:03:06.399 I don't see any reason to take the championship off 2406 02:03:06.439 --> 02:03:08.920 him and just put him in matches, because you know 2407 02:03:09.039 --> 02:03:11.640 he can have good matches and at the end of 2408 02:03:11.680 --> 02:03:13.680 the day, though, he's gonna be the champion. And I 2409 02:03:13.680 --> 02:03:15.359 don't see anything different happening here. 2410 02:03:16.000 --> 02:03:19.000 Yeah, and you know, as you brought up like it 2411 02:03:19.039 --> 02:03:20.880 was a change of the guard, and they gave the 2412 02:03:20.960 --> 02:03:24.159 reins to Tony Niese and just in the fashion that 2413 02:03:24.239 --> 02:03:26.439 the two challengers got put into the match, like the 2414 02:03:26.520 --> 02:03:29.920 controversial finish at the end of the Number one Contenders match, 2415 02:03:30.439 --> 02:03:33.479 I don't think that's the kind of, you know, storyline 2416 02:03:33.479 --> 02:03:37.880 that would culminate in Tony lose event actually losing the championship. 2417 02:03:38.199 --> 02:03:40.239 I think it would be something of way more of 2418 02:03:40.279 --> 02:03:43.520 like an intense storyline, a one on one storyline for 2419 02:03:43.600 --> 02:03:46.359 a guy like Tony needs to drop the belt. So yeah, 2420 02:03:46.399 --> 02:03:49.079 I think it's gonna be a good match. I think 2421 02:03:49.119 --> 02:03:50.880 it's they're gonna all put on a good show. As 2422 02:03:50.880 --> 02:03:53.239 you mentioned, they've been putting on a good product there lately. 2423 02:03:53.640 --> 02:03:55.640 But I don't think a guy like Tony Nice, after 2424 02:03:55.760 --> 02:03:58.800 winning such a big match against Buddy Murphy would lose 2425 02:03:58.840 --> 02:03:59.960 it in this kind of fashion. 2426 02:04:01.399 --> 02:04:04.560 No, I think it's totally right. I honestly don't have 2427 02:04:04.600 --> 02:04:06.680 a whole lot more to add to this, And it's 2428 02:04:06.720 --> 02:04:10.119 just a shame that they have really defined down the 2429 02:04:10.159 --> 02:04:15.840 cruiserweight division. You know, I just they WW can't seem 2430 02:04:15.880 --> 02:04:19.600 to find that perfect balance of being able to showcase 2431 02:04:19.680 --> 02:04:22.159 this division in a way that feels legitimate and not 2432 02:04:22.279 --> 02:04:24.800 just kind of the stepchild to well, this is the 2433 02:04:24.840 --> 02:04:27.159 main roster and then we have this little, this little 2434 02:04:27.199 --> 02:04:30.359 side thing of the Cruiserweight division. It just doesn't feel 2435 02:04:30.439 --> 02:04:33.279 like it's as important, at least the way they present 2436 02:04:33.359 --> 02:04:36.319 it on air, as it should. And that's the problem 2437 02:04:36.359 --> 02:04:36.920 that I have. 2438 02:04:37.960 --> 02:04:40.880 Yeah, and because again I know I always keep bringing 2439 02:04:40.960 --> 02:04:43.439 back up, but I remember how it was in the 2440 02:04:43.520 --> 02:04:47.119 Ruthless Aggression era and how they weren't kind of just 2441 02:04:47.199 --> 02:04:51.880 segregated into their own TV show, and the Cruiserweights could 2442 02:04:52.000 --> 02:04:54.960 also be taken seriously, Like look at Raymond Sierra Eastern 2443 02:04:55.039 --> 02:04:58.079 as the cruiserweight. I remember the days of Titchierri being 2444 02:04:58.079 --> 02:05:00.760 a cruiseweight and all these guys who were just taking 2445 02:05:00.840 --> 02:05:04.199 more seriously because they could sometimes compete with guys on 2446 02:05:04.239 --> 02:05:07.079 the main roster. So I have had a bit of 2447 02:05:07.119 --> 02:05:11.439 a hard time taking the Cruiserweights seriously because even how 2448 02:05:11.479 --> 02:05:13.800 they treat the cruiser eights when they jump up to 2449 02:05:13.920 --> 02:05:17.119 raw like it's almost like they're graduating to the big show. 2450 02:05:17.239 --> 02:05:20.880 So I'm almost like, oh, Okay, So is this like 2451 02:05:21.079 --> 02:05:24.399 kind of on the par with NXT Because when Cedric 2452 02:05:24.439 --> 02:05:28.359 Alexander jumped from two to five Live to RAW, I 2453 02:05:28.479 --> 02:05:31.279 was at the two five Live there in Montreal on 2454 02:05:31.319 --> 02:05:32.800 his final show, and it was almost like he was 2455 02:05:32.800 --> 02:05:35.359 saying goodbye, he was moving on to bigger and better things. 2456 02:05:35.359 --> 02:05:38.439 So on that respect, I've always kind of had a 2457 02:05:37.760 --> 02:05:42.479 hard time getting emotionally invested into the new version of 2458 02:05:42.520 --> 02:05:43.600 the Cruiserweight Division. 2459 02:05:45.159 --> 02:05:47.720 WWE is just not doing what they should be to 2460 02:05:47.720 --> 02:05:50.199 get people to care because they probably think people don't care. 2461 02:05:50.520 --> 02:05:52.840 But the ironic thing is that people don't care because 2462 02:05:53.199 --> 02:05:55.039 they are showing us they don't care, So how are 2463 02:05:55.039 --> 02:05:58.119 we supposed to care? It's this vicious circle, and I 2464 02:05:58.239 --> 02:06:00.960 just they aren't showing the respect that they should be 2465 02:06:01.039 --> 02:06:04.079 for these athletes that are putting on matches that are 2466 02:06:04.079 --> 02:06:07.159 going overlooked by the majority of fans because WWU is 2467 02:06:07.199 --> 02:06:09.439 not presenting them as as a big of a deal 2468 02:06:09.479 --> 02:06:12.439 as they should be, so fans aren't tuning in. And 2469 02:06:12.239 --> 02:06:14.960 and again it's just like this self fulfilling prophecy of 2470 02:06:15.039 --> 02:06:17.680 c These people aren't paying attention, they don't care. Well, 2471 02:06:18.119 --> 02:06:19.800 we don't care because you're telling us. You don't care, 2472 02:06:19.880 --> 02:06:21.960 so how are we supposed to? It's just this, this, 2473 02:06:22.359 --> 02:06:24.359 and I really believe that that's the psychology going on 2474 02:06:24.399 --> 02:06:27.039 behind the scenes, and it's just it's a shame because 2475 02:06:27.039 --> 02:06:29.800 of the fact of how good some of these guys 2476 02:06:29.840 --> 02:06:34.319 are so antony. Anything else that we didn't touch on 2477 02:06:34.439 --> 02:06:37.000 that you wanted to discuss. 2478 02:06:36.960 --> 02:06:39.319 No, I think we covered everything up the bottom the 2479 02:06:39.680 --> 02:06:41.880 We really touched on all bases this week. 2480 02:06:41.880 --> 02:06:42.680 I find. 2481 02:06:44.239 --> 02:06:46.800 We did. We did, and it's easy. It's crazy how 2482 02:06:46.840 --> 02:06:49.720 fast two hours can go when you're talking wrestling. It's 2483 02:06:49.800 --> 02:06:51.560 it's amazing. Like I'm looking at I'm like, oh, it's 2484 02:06:51.560 --> 02:06:53.640 probably been an hour, right, No, it's been two hours. 2485 02:06:54.359 --> 02:06:57.760 So it's just that's what professional wrestling does. And I'm 2486 02:06:57.800 --> 02:06:59.960 not complaining because that's that's what we love to tell 2487 02:07:00.000 --> 02:07:02.840 talk about. And it's always great to be able to 2488 02:07:02.920 --> 02:07:04.439 bring people on the show that are so much fun 2489 02:07:04.479 --> 02:07:06.640 to talk to, and it's great to have you here 2490 02:07:06.640 --> 02:07:09.479 as a co host. So, but before we let you go, 2491 02:07:10.000 --> 02:07:11.880 let everyone know where they can follow you as an 2492 02:07:11.880 --> 02:07:13.000 official co host now. 2493 02:07:13.159 --> 02:07:16.079 And you can follow me at aid to Marcos twenty five. 2494 02:07:16.239 --> 02:07:19.079 I'll put out this caution if you're gonna follow me. 2495 02:07:19.119 --> 02:07:22.079 I hope you like hockey, because I'm all about that. 2496 02:07:22.119 --> 02:07:25.359 I'm sure you've seen that. Matt especially was the last 2497 02:07:25.399 --> 02:07:25.880 month or so. 2498 02:07:26.439 --> 02:07:28.920 I'm big into hockey. But yeah, at Aid to Marco's 2499 02:07:28.920 --> 02:07:30.079 twenty five was my handle. 2500 02:07:30.119 --> 02:07:31.960 And I just want to say thank you again Matt 2501 02:07:32.359 --> 02:07:34.960 for choosing me to be one of the permanent co hosts, 2502 02:07:34.960 --> 02:07:37.359 and thank you to everyone who wanted me to be 2503 02:07:37.399 --> 02:07:40.960 one of the permanent co host I expressed my absolute 2504 02:07:41.039 --> 02:07:44.039 gratitude and it's my pleasure and I can't wait to 2505 02:07:44.039 --> 02:07:44.920 do it again in three. 2506 02:07:44.800 --> 02:07:48.880 Weeks definitely, I mean it three weeks flies by. I 2507 02:07:48.880 --> 02:07:51.560 know it seems like a long time, but it'll be 2508 02:07:51.560 --> 02:07:54.880 here sooner than you think. And yeah, if you like hockey, 2509 02:07:54.960 --> 02:07:57.359 it is a good follow. I do say that, like 2510 02:07:57.439 --> 02:07:59.960 I am a casual hockey fan. I mean, being from 2511 02:07:59.920 --> 02:08:02.000 the United States, it's not as like Rabbit as it 2512 02:08:02.039 --> 02:08:04.520 is in Canada. However, you know, once the playoffs come 2513 02:08:04.560 --> 02:08:07.680 around in NHL gets into the mix here like I do, 2514 02:08:08.039 --> 02:08:09.960 kind of pop in. So if you do like hockey, 2515 02:08:10.199 --> 02:08:13.159 it's a good follow. You should you should definitely do that. 2516 02:08:13.319 --> 02:08:16.520 And Anthony, it's been a pleasure and always good talking 2517 02:08:16.600 --> 02:08:19.600 with you, and we will definitely be in touch and 2518 02:08:19.880 --> 02:08:21.640 you'll be on the show sooner than you think. 2519 02:08:22.079 --> 02:08:24.079 All right, then, have a good night and can't wait 2520 02:08:24.079 --> 02:08:25.399 to do it again in three weeks. 2521 02:08:25.840 --> 02:08:27.560 Definitely, take care, take care,