Transcript
I couldn't think of a better reason for us all to join and share our feelings. It is an emergency. Not Sam wrestling instant reaction podcast because Jey Uso has won the Royal Rumble for 2025. Whether we predicted it or not, the fact that it's actually happened is certainly worth having feelings over welcome. Here we are. When I say we, of course, I mean myself, Sam Roberts. I mean, Megan, Marant, and Megan. We just witnessed the grandeur, the spectacle of the Royal Rumble, and the scene that we are left on is Jay Uso yeeting up a storm with tens upon tens upon tens of thousands of the greatest Indianapolis has to offer, as he makes his way to WrestleMania. Well, Sam, first of all, congratulations to you. I mean Because you called this one. Look, I'm a be a 100% honest. When I called it, number 1, it was because a couple of the other more clear choices were not logically making sense to me just because of the storytelling. Yep. But more because because you wanted it. I wanted it, and because everybody was making the same predictions, and I just wanted to do something different. It was one of those where, like, if I got it wrong, no big deal. It was kind of a shot. Rip you for picking J. E. U. S. But if I got it right I mean, it's one of those bets. Yeah. You know what I mean? Where it's like, I'll put 50 down on this, because if because I could make a 1,000. Yeah. And I'll lose 50. What's the big deal? Yeah. And everybody likes to bet on Jey Uso. Right? It's the funniest thing to bet on is Jey Uso. But once it started to really shape up Mhmm. The final 6 are in the ring, and we started to realize it really could be Jey Uso's night. But, man, even the closing minutes, I still didn't even know. It's Cena and Jey Uso. Both on the edge, and I'm thinking to myself, this could truly go either way. Well, that's the beauty of the storytelling of it all. That if it were left down to Jey Uso and Logan Paul, you almost have this moment of being, like, well, Logan Paul is acting as the spoiler, but I'm sure Jay Uso is bound to win. Yes. When it's John Cena and Jay Uso, nobody's sitting there going, I'm sure Jay Uso is gonna win. In fact, there was a part of me that was, like, I wonder if John Cena is gonna win and people are gonna be disappointed because once again, Jay Uso has gotten so close because that's the story of Jay Uso. And that was why I was like, he'd be kind of perfect to win the big one to win the Royal Rumble because as he's grown, as he keeps you can go back to the SummerSlam main event that he had with Roman Reigns. Mhmm. It was like he was right there. And even at that SummerSlam, there were so many people going now is the time. Take the title off Roman. Put it on Jey Uso. He's the one. Jey Uso is what the bloodline story was all about anyway, and it didn't happen. And people and then Jay quits the bloodline altogether, and he ends up on on Raw, and he starts this tag team with Cody Rhodes. And he still got all these moments. And we talked about him. I'm sure. Yeah. And then you're, like, they're doing that thing again where they're testing me to see if I really want it. And the answer is yes, but I want it. Please give it to me. Can do does your interest maintain even when you get that close and it gets stripped away, even when he almost beats Gunther for the intercontinental championship? But I don't think so. And then you go. I go. He's gonna win the king of the ring. But Gunther takes him out. And then there were absolutely people who had Saturday night's main event. I was talking to him. They were in my discord. They were in my personal life. Go no no no. I think Jay Uso is gonna beat Gunther for the world heavyweight title at Saturday night's main event. And even us, when we came on here and talked about it. We realized we wanted it. Whether you going in, you realized it or not, to me, and I think I said it, it was that near fall. It was that near fall on Gunther after the Uso splash. Mhmm. That I was like, oh my god. He has to win the Royal Rumble. Yeah. And he actually did. Because you're right about that final 6. I mean, let's talk about it. Yeah. So it was Roman Reigns, Centimeters Punk, Logan Paul, Seth Freakin Rollins, Jay Uso, and John Cena. I mean, come on. There is so much going on, and everybody talks about the final 4. Yes. But the final 6, traditionally, I mean, that same thing happened, I think, in 2018 where you were looking at a final 6 that I I was, like, maybe Cena, Orton, and Rey versus, like, Balor, Nakamura, and somebody else. I don't know. There have been some really cool final 6 scenarios, but this was one of them for sure. Well, we looked around the ring, and it's like, wow. Look at these 6 competitors that are left. And then all of a sudden, this camera shot gets us a frame of Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. Oh, when they when they're all fighting and And I think both of us went, oh, that's it. Yeah. And we had it was sort of like the rack focus. And you could just see the emotions of Roman Reigns' face and everything that he's been through with Seth. And you see the emotions in Seth's face, And I'm thinking about WrestleMania last year and how Seth cost Roman and ultimately led to Cody winning the championship, but that wasn't the first time Seth cost Roman. And it's just like, man, so much is being said right now, but nothing's being said at all. That's a that's a 100% right. And it was to me, I you hear a lot from Seth Rollins about how much he hates Roman Reigns. Yes. And leading into WrestleMania 40, how he promised to be Cody Rhodes shield. How no matter what kind of animosity he and Cody Rhodes had, the hatred that he had for Roman Reigns was always gonna trump that. Mhmm. And then he was never gonna let Roman Reigns have the power. We have one shot to get this power away from him. And even tonight in the rumble match, that's what he was saying to him. You're never gonna get back to the main event of WrestleMania. You're never gonna get back to the world title. I'll never let that happen. But I thought one of the things that made it so unique was it was definitely the first time since WrestleMania and even leading to WrestleMania. Roman was focused on Cody and was almost not even acknowledging Seth Rollins. That was the no pop era. Remember when he said that on SmackDown? It was brutal. It was brutal. But then even coming off of WrestleMania and the return. Right? It was Cody Rhodes, you know, you're in my way Mhmm. In life. It was Solo Sikoa. It was Jacob Fatou. But but it was almost like he wasn't even acknowledging Seth Rollins. And this was the first time in a long time that we saw this moment in Roman's face where Roman was like, I hate you, Seth Rollins. It's not because the opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is indifference. And I think for a long time, Roman tried to maintain this aura of indifference. Seth is beneath me. Yeah. But he couldn't mask it anymore, and we saw him actively hating the person who turned on him and started this whole thing by breaking up the shield, and the person who I would argue cost him the title in the match with Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins. And how about this? For, you know, those newer fans, this is the first time seeing Roman Reigns in a Royal Rumble match. My first time seeing Roman Reigns Certainly. In a Royal Rumble match. So to have all of that going on and to tell this story in the final 6, I thought it was remarkable. I mean, I thought it was wild that Roman came out at 16. Roman, you would Roman is the guy who, if he's gonna be there, he's coming out at 30. Yeah. You know, every that's the thing about Rome. Oh, he never works. He never does this. He never does that. He came out at 16 and changed the entire composition of the match. It was a different match. It wasn't fun and shenanigans anymore after 15. Because 16, the OTC, according to his new t shirt, YTC, came. I'm assuming that's your tribal chief? I would think so. Other than to think what the Y was came for. Yeah. And here he comes and and the whole match changes. But you're right because then and then and then it was such a a fascinating story that was told on the outside of the ring. Because Roman almost has Seth out, and Seth is hanging on for life. And I mean, it was right out of And this was interesting for us watching, because I'm like, come on, Seth. Yeah. And you're, like, come on, Roman. I was, like, oh, no. Sam's bloodline. I'm all now I'll always be bloodline. I'm, like, come on, Seth. I'll always be bloodline. I mean, literally, tonight, I'm I'm across the table from you. At lunchtime today, I was across the table from my tribal chief Roman Reigns. That's right. The OTC met the PTC. I'm just honored. Met the OTC. I mean, I'm just honored that you made your way back. I'm look. I mean, this our feelings need to be dealt with. And if I need to bend the space time continuum to do it, I'm gonna do it. So, so then Centimeters Punk, like he's Ric Flair in the 1992 Royal Rumble, sneaks up behind the both of them and eliminates the both of them. And I'm sitting there going, well, this has to be building towards a Roman Reigns Centimeters Punk match, which we started planting the seeds for at Survivor Series. Yeah. But then Centimeters Punk gets eliminated. Right? And then By Logan Paul. By Logan Paul, which the idea of Centimeters Punk versus Logan Paul is so delicious. I think we're gonna get it. Because it's this idea of the guy who has just blood, sweat, and tears for wrestling, had to leave to come back. I mean, it's defined by pro wrestling versus this outsider social media guy who shows up for 3 matches a year and is claiming to eat, sleep, and breathe pro wrestling. Like, that makes any sense whatsoever. He'd be starving to death. Really good at it, though. As it turns out, he's really good. He could jump from the apron to the table to the stairs to get back in the ring. Best spots we've ever seen. I mean, opening thing. He just flips over the rope, buckshots both of them. It's it's amazing. But, but yeah. So then I go, woah. Roman's mad at punk because punk eliminated. He's like, what are you doing? What do you I go, okay. This is how we're getting there. But then Rollins snaps on Roman. First he goes over Roman, starts being a punk because that rivalry is not dead. Nope. And then Rollins starts going after Roman, but I mean, with severity. He stops him, but with both feet on the floor. And then when Paul Heyman is, like, what are you doing? This is the you're he's on the floor. Are you kidding me? He's on the and then Seth goes, okay. And he what does he bring him over to the stair? Yep. And does it to him again. So I'm, like, where He snapped. Who knows where we're going with this? I mean, I trust it. I'm letting him cook. Yeah. We have to at this point. But it's really interesting. But I want both things anyways. Right? What are we Like, I would like to see Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, and I would like to see Roman Reigns and Centimeters Punk. And I also feel like things are not over between Centimeters Punk and Seth Rollins. And then I also think you throw Logan Paul into the mix, and it's like Logan Paul and Centimeters Punk. Like, I want it all. I don't know what I'm going to get, but I love every bit of it. And I mean, I have to believe that Jey Uso is gonna go after Gunther at WrestleMania. Although, I mean, it would be really interesting if the guy that he was tag team champs with, Cody Rhodes, is the guy that he picked, and it was J versus Cody somehow. Then. It'd be amazing. Or if Roman went to the chamber and somehow Roman beat Gunther before WrestleMania, we get J versus Roman. Oh, wow. I mean, there's a million thing. I I mean, look. What are we gonna stay here all night doing this? But, but the elimination chamber is something to really think about because okay. If you're gonna make the chamber now, you said those are the final 6, Jay Uso wins. I think you can put Seth, Roman, Punk, Cena, Logan Paul. Mhmm. And then maybe I don't know. Who's the 7th to go? Drew. Drew might be that 6 one in the chamber. Drew? Maybe I mean, and that'd be a hell of a chamber ranch. Cena, Paul, Roman, Seth, punk, Drew. Yeah. Maybe Sammy? Could be. I like Drew better. Yeah. I like Drew better too. Yeah. We could talk about Sammy a little bit later, but I'm a little confused by Sammy at the moment. I think what's going on with Sammy is great. Okay. Yeah. We will tell you. Yeah. We will talk about that. Let's talk about that in the latter match. So, yeah. The the the Jay and Cena sequence at the end was terrific. And I mean and also just the idea of, like, it was one dumb thing. Like, Cena picking him up and trying to give him the attitude adjustment on the apron, only for Jay to fall on the other side of the ring and just having to shove him. It was just one bad move from Cena, one and that's it. And now the match is over. I love that it went that way. So we can go back let's go back to the beginning of this Rumble match. Okay? Oh, it was awesome. That's by the way. By the way, I want credit for that one too. You do. You do deserve credit. So we have Rey Mysterio enters first into the men's Royal Rumble. And Sam looks at me and goes, do you think Penta's gonna come in at number 2? I said you gotta do it. And I'm like, you do have to do it. I said you gotta do it. You do have to do it. And then all of a sudden, the red flashing lights come on. Made too much sense. Penta's stretch coming out, And he's doing his strut. Fantastic. Right? Perfect. Perfect. By the way, I reviewed the footage. I'm staying with 1 foot touch. Foot? I believe it was 1 foot. People are gonna be haters. And, you know, I got no time for haters. I've made that clear. No matter what show we're doing, I'm not here for haters. And there were a lot of people hating, saying that Penta, who was in the match for, like, 35 minutes or something. Yeah. No. No. No. No. No. You so I was afraid to check it. That's smart. I get it. It's feelings. I said, look. I I want him to stay in. I saw one foot. That's what I said. The referee's decision is final. It's final. And those are good referees. I saw one foot. I don't need to watch the replay. Okay. I saw one foot. Penta stays in. I thought that yeah. Yeah. So that was a great way to start it. And then Gable, who obviously has issues with Luchadores. I gotta know. That works out wonderful. Who's Dom hooking him up with to help him with Luchadores? I have no idea. I mean, if anybody out there, like, leave it in a comment or something, because I have no idea who Dom unless Dom's gonna show up in a mask and be a luchador or something. Could be. Yeah. I have no idea who this luchador is. The mustache, though. Would you miss the mustache? You can't cover that face. No. I can't. Dominic Mysterio's face is not meant to be covered up. At a great appearance in the rumble. We'll talk about that. So at first, now we go through the match and Carmelo comes out and all these. Now, I have to say that I have enjoyed lately the Carmelo attacks. Mhmm. The way they've been filmed. It started with, Big Jim, Big Jim Uso 2 weeks ago on SmackDown. Right? Mhmm. And he made a comment to Melo about, like, how about next week I beat you in 3 moves. Right? Remember that? Yes. And then and then he walks off. And then Carmelo walks in the same direction. And for a second, I go, oh, did they leave the camera on for too long? Like, I don't think we're supposed to see Melo. Like, we need to see him walking there. Except he ended up coming behind Jimmy and attacking him. I was like, that was so great because now you've added context. Yes. And again here, like, as Tozawa is coming out, Melo is leaving. And if you go back in previous Rumbles, I'm talking about going back to, like, the nineties. There are plenty of instances in the nineties of guys coming out and then them leaving in the same because they didn't have the, like, go through the crowd this way. It was just enter exit the same way. So I go, oh, I guess Melo is just leaving and and there's gonna be but then Melo turns around. Everything counts. This isn't being done by mistake. Everything counts. There's a reason why Melo is in this shot. It's because he's gonna turn around and take out Tozawa. And at first, I go, I don't take much to take out Tozawa. Just a forearm to the back. Now look, it would take me out, but I've seen I've seen wars happen to wrestlers. The fact I mean, that they've I can't say enough about the little details. I love them so much that they follow Tozawa into a a gorilla. Gorilla. We love when Gorilla's featured. We love when Gorilla because it was it was never featured. Never got to see it. It's one of the best things to be featured. Mattel crowdfund a gorilla play set because I'll buy 3. They're great. So he's sitting in the chair and We need a replacement. Triple h. Yeah. Go to he need a replacement. Well, somebody's gotta do it for a second. I thought, is it time to play the game? Is he gonna rip off that shirt and go, I'm going into the hall of fame anyway. Let's go. And I show speed is there. That'd been awesome. It would've been great, but we can't. We can't wish for these things because we want them too much. So badly. But iShow Speed is there, and he's like, iShow, you go out. You go, speed. Speed. Go out there. And I was and and and so iShow Speed goes out there. 1 of the biggest streamers in the world. My kid's obsessed with him. He goes out there. He goes like this. Like, he's a he's a he's a psychotic guy. And he goes out there, and he's got his own entrance and everything. And he started getting a little physical with some of the wrestlers. Right? Yep. And he helped get an elimination and everything. And I was like, I don't know if I like how much they're giving the SciShow speed. You know, I I don't know if I like You give him a little rupsky? I don't know if I like how much they're giving him. He's not a and then he and Bron Breaker start to, like Bron's like, oh, yeah. Like, they're acknowledging each other, and I go Little sign of respect. Okay. Please please tell me this is going where I think it's going. And when Bron starts hitting the ropes, I go, oh my god. Yes. And, dude, he did not let up even slightly. Braun Breakker said, I don't care how big of a streamer you are. This spear cuts everybody in half. And if it don't cut you in half, it's gonna make all of us look bad. You're getting cut in half, I show. And I show speed got broken into bits, thrown over the top rope. And if that wasn't bad enough, OT sketches him and dopes him backwards with a fall away slam on the table, and I'm going, this is exactly what we wanna see. The fact that you can get that headline of big Internet star star I Show speed is not only at the Royal Rumble, but in the Royal Rumble. And then wrestling fans that are watching can also love the fact that he's in there getting his a*s kicked. It's not it's it's like a it's it's not a a waste of a spot or anything like that. Yeah. Beautiful. I thought. I thought Otis putting him through the table was truly the cherry on top. Yeah. It was great. You know, the spear throwing him over and then because if you were a famous streamer and you got an opportunity to be in the Royal Rumble, I'd be, like, can I go through a table? Like, that's all I want. You put me through a table. I don't need to look cool at all, and I love that I show speed. I mean and by doing so, he looked really freaking cool. He did. But I also love I love when you know that on some level, he may have said, oh, can I take a spear or something like that? And Ron's, like, sure you can. Oh, yes. And it's like But I do like the way that you know, there are certain celebrities who come in, and it's like, Bad Bunny was outstanding. His athleticism is on is on display, and they eventually worked for towards a match. And that obviously served its purpose, and it was incredible. I like that use of celebrities, but I also like this use of celebrities in this situation where it's the Royal Rumble, and it's like, we're gonna have this awesome spot. Yes. And Braun's gonna look so badass, so cool, and it's gonna be memorable forever. I mean, I'm already seeing on my timeline the picture of Bron hoisting eyeshowspeed over his head. It's just Paul's an epider. It really is. It's an eternity in and of itself. Jacob Fatou, beautiful performance. Oh, I'm sorry. I meant, Jacob. f**k you. Thank you. And he did it on SmackDown the last time. I mean, it's so it's so great. This was another prediction you got right. What was my prediction? You said he was gonna be in the Diesel spot. Well, I don't know. He had a a Diesel spot, so you gotta get, like, 11 eliminations. Alright. He had a nice little run. But then Roman also had this a similar scenario. Like, Roman got a ton of eliminations to start too. So he wasn't fully but he was still awesome. And we got a lot of of those sort of fantasy, you know, showed stare downs. We got a little taste. That's what it was all about. Yeah. A taste. Imagine it. A little sampler platter. Right. You know? And also speaking piggybacking off bronze spear, we got to see another sick Braun Spear on Roman Reigns, by the way. I mean, when Roman comes out and it remind yeah. When when when Roman is spearing people and then we see that that's another taste, another little piece of the sampler. When we see Braun and Roman, which is something people have talked about, like, maybe someday what if. And Roman after spearing everybody eats 1 of Bron Breakker's spears. And the best part about it was that even though he turned around and eliminated Bron Breakker right after, when the camera goes back to him, he's on the ground clutching his ribs Mhmm. As if to say you have no idea how much that hurt. Like, there you go. That's how that's how it's done. I mean, it's that's how it's it was awesome. But I loved, my headphones keep coming out. I loved because I'm excited. I loved So excited. All the all the all the all the taste that we got, the penta, braun breaker stare down Jacob Fatou stare down. The Braun Breaker Jacob Fatou stare down, like, all of this stuff. Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatou going at it. I was shocked that Braun Strowman, that big SOB that he is, eliminated Jacob Fatou. I was shocked too. Which Especially after what we saw. Yeah. I mean That's Saturday night's main event. And I thought it was awesome that he took Michael Cole's big fluffy commentator chair and broke it when he threw it towards the ring. Knocked off everything off the commentary table. It was just it was just awesome. I was almost waiting for him to come back in the ring at some point and do something else. Mhmm. I would think this means that we're getting more from Strowman and Fatu. It it would it appears that way. Right? I would think so. I don't know if that mean yeah. I don't yeah. I would think so. And maybe because we still haven't had things settled with Solo. And it was interesting You haven't seen Solo. Just that one time when he walked off SmackDown, you know, the week after this the Monday Night Raw, matched with Roman Reigns. It was interesting that Michael Cole described Jacob Fatou and Roman Reigns staring each other down as this will main event WrestleMania one day. I did say that. And And it's interesting because I think some of us would go, this will main event WrestleMania this year, but we're not there yet. And it goes back to we did. We had I did. I hosted busted open with Dave LaGreca today, and we interviewed Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. And I asked both of them because I looked at Paul Heyman and I said, you know, you're talking about on the Logan Paul podcast, stories come to an end. Mhmm. And you start at the end and you work backwards. But the Bloodline story is this unique scenario where every story, every major story in the WWE ties back to the bloodline. Is there an end to the bloodline story, or is it just the story of modern day WWE? And Roman is like I mean, he's over the analogies. He's like, we were talking about he's like, you know, we said a while ago we were in the 3rd inning. There's 7 games in a series. That was game 1, the 3rd inning of game 1. He's not wrong at all. He's like, bro, I can carry this company myself on my back for another 2 years easy, and this story keeps going forever. It's like we're in the bloodline era. I mean yeah. And beyond. So yeah. Just the just the idea of that, I think it's really fun that we may still be a year, 2 years away from actually seeing Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatou, and it's okay because we got all this stuff with Jacob Fatou that still needs to be settled. We got all this stuff with Roman Reigns, that still needs to be settled. We also saw Roman Reigns put his hands on one of the surprises. Say his name, and he'll appear. I believe in Joe Hendry. Oh, one of the biggest pops of the night. Biggest pops of the night. Again, this is one of those instances of of WWE listening to fans and understanding that they wanted to see Joe Hendry enter into this Royal Rumble, and they got it. I thought it was done perfectly. It was like we got the entrance. He's got the TNA championship on. That's what it's all about. He gets in there. He mixes it up. He has a moment with Cena. He has a moment with Roman. He has and then he gets eliminated, you know. Not quick quick, but he's not in there the whole match, you know. And I thought that that was, yeah. I thought it was fun. Yeah. I was thinking about it yesterday, and he was one of the people I hoped that we would get to see. Yeah. And it happened. They delivered. I was hoping that, we got to see AJ Styles. And not only did we get to see AJ Styles by the way, wouldn't be surprised if AJ Styles versus Logan Paul is where we're headed based on the interaction going on between the 2 of us. This is what I love about the rumble. We can go oh. Are they going there? Are they going there? But we also got old school AJ. We got the old music. We got the old school presentation. Yeah. I thought AJ was awesome. Let's talk about your guy, Dom. Oh, what a performance. Dominic Mysterio going in there. First of all, just at the height of of all these tippity tippity top top of all different eras guys. You're talking about Cena and punk and Roman, and all these guys are in there. And it's like It was AJ Braunstrom and Cena, punk, Seth. And it was also, like so punk enters, and it's, like, this moment where it's Roman and Cena and, you know, they're looking at each other. And then punk enters, and it's the 3 of them. Seth enters. It's like, woah. This feels massive. And the next person to enter, your guy My guy. Dirty Dominic Mysterio. And he shows up in that entrance way, and there's no part of him that's, like, this is a big moment. There's no part of him that's, like, what am I gonna do? Everything about him reads, well, of course, I'm the next big star. Like, look at these goons in that ring. Of course, I'm here to to to bring some appeal to this match. This is gonna be easy for me. He took his time down that runway. He took his time down the runway. He's taken off his vest. He's got the stash. He got that beautiful glorious mullet. And he goes in there, and who's the first person he hits a move on? He hits a frog splash on John Cena. The vest. I mean, how could it be better than that? He hits a frog splash on John Cena and then attempts a 3 amigos on Roman Reigns. The guy that's got you. He goes after John Cena and Roman Reigns to start, which I mean Do you blame him? No. No. Is that who I would go after first? No. Am I Dominic Mysterio? No. I mean, this guy is on another level. I loved his boots too, by the way. Of course, you loved his boots. Everybody loves his boots. Everybody loves Dominic. He's the greatest. Okay? I was surprised when he got eliminated. I wasn't happy about it, but I thought he had a great showing in that match. Maybe he should be put in the chamber. Damian Priest eliminated Dominik. Well, Dominik went after Damian Priest, and I probably a bad move because Damian Priest have been moved to SmackDown. You could almost forget Damian Priest ever existed, get him out of your hair, and instead, I think he might have let his ego get a little bit of control of him. Wanted to prove something to Damian Priest. It did cost him. Damian Priest had a a a good showing. But yeah. But ultimately, Jey Uso winning that match, it was a good men's rumble match. I loved it. It was a good men's rumble match. I think a lot of people didn't expect it, and it was one of those finishes that I think my read on it was that a lot of people you always have to be happy when Jey Uso wins. Mhmm. But it was also like, because you were expecting Cena, punk, Roman. Yeah. Right? And this kind of turns everybody on their head. But I think that that can be a good thing. Well, really heading into it, I mean, you and I talked about it. It was like, well, Drew could win this. It wouldn't have surprised me if Drew won it. No. It would've made sense. Sammy could've won it. That wouldn't have totally surprised me. Roman Especially because Cena. You're right. Because of the Sammy thing. Because they've not only been teasing KO, but they have been teasing possible friction between Sammy and Cody. Yeah. So that you could there's absolutely a path there. I mean, there were a lot of superstars that could have won this. And by the way, before we move on from the Rumble, shout out to Rey Mysterio, who the level at which he is working is insane. Like, I think we just take for granted because he's like a cartoon superhero Of course. That, of course, he can just keep. But we're talking about the fact, oh, you remember when he won and came in at number 2 in 2,006? That was 19 years ago, and he's still coming in at number 1. He's still wrestling penta. He's still having an expansive time in that match. It is insane and mind boggling what this guy is capable of. If only he was as good a father as he is a wrestler. Okay. However That's where you lost me. However, unbelievable showing. So yeah. Fun men's rumble match. And it's great because it leaves us with all kinds of questions still. I gotta know what's happening next. Speaking of gotta know what's happening next, real interesting finish for the 2 out of 3 falls match. Yep. Tag team championship on the line. Motor City machine guns versus DIY. I thought this was an unbelievable platform to put those tag teams on. The tag team championship, especially now that, PLEs have a limited number of matches, a lot of times you don't see the tag team title get defended on PLEs. And a lot of times you don't see teams like DIY, Motor City Machine Guns get the opportunity on a format match card to perform especially in a stadium in front of tens of thousands of people. And the fact that these two teams got on that platform, I thought was a beautiful thing. These are 4 of the best wrestlers that you're gonna find. Yeah. And, honestly, DIY has been telling some really good, really entertaining stories on SmackDown lately. So I'm glad that they had this opportunity. I thought that, And I really liked, the context that was added as well. Cole talked about it on the countdown, and then it was also talked about on commentary as well. Just how synonymous DIY Johnny Gargano and Motor City Machine Guns are with 2 out of 3 falls matches. Yep. And how it's really defined their careers and the championships that they've won. Yes. Everything counts. Yeah. It all makes sense. And I I I enjoyed the the way that the 2 first falls took place made sense. Yeah. It it really, like, it showed this is who DIY has been Yes. Recently, pulling over a fast one. Right. Oh, Ciampa sold it. Oh, they didn't know who the legal man was. Mhmm. DIY picks up a quick one. That is that is who DIY has been as of late. And then MCMG, earned 1. Yes. You know what I mean? Through through the double team stuff. I have to say, so the match ends with the Street Profits coming out and I'm surprised. Yeah. The referee gets distracted allowing Montez When the Dawkins with the crutch? Maybe yeah. Did Montez distract and Dawkins hit with the crutch? Yes. Dawkins hit with the crutch. Okay. Okay. And then it allowed DIY to get the final thing to get the final, fall. And for a second, you go, oh, is this a big turn for the Street Profits? I thought maybe. But then they go after DIY as well, which still leaves people booing them because they attacked them. But clearly, the Street Profits going in a different direction than they've been in. And I I I would love to see a more no nonsense approach from The Street Profits. I think if that's where this is all going, I think that it's time, you know, change the attire. Yes. Change the music. Change the music. Change the presentation. Change everything. And just show me who they really are. Because based on everything that we see outside of that entrance of presentation, it feels like The Street Profits have developed chips on their shoulders and do not feel that they're getting everything that they've earned or are owed or whatever. And I think that if that could come out a little bit more in the characters, if we could see that on television, I think that that's the direction we should be going. And I feel like it is. You know? I I feel like, you know, something I something that matches what we saw at the Rumble on SmackDown, I think, would lead to people very quickly wanting the Street Profits to be tag team champions. Yeah. And I think it's important to change the presentation because as soon as I hear that music and as soon as I see those cups, I wanna party with the street profits. Right. But this version of the street profits, they don't wanna party with anybody. We're done partying. Yeah. Our party days are behind us. We've like Scott Hall said when he got to WCW, well, I've made a lot of friends. I think now I'd like to make some money. There you go. And that's it. That's the philosophy. Money for the profits. Right. Exactly. Yes. We're done with the smoke. We're done with the cups. Right. We're done with the head bopping. You know, it's a great song. It's a great song. I love it. Let's change it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Let's get mean. Yeah. Let's get let's get angry. You got the women's rumble match, which, yeah. I thought this was a a a a really good women's rumble match. I thought it was yeah. Yeah. I thought it was a lot of fun. I thought I couldn't I was actually surprised when I read that it was one of, if not the longest in duration women's rumble matches they've done because it didn't feel long to me. You know? It didn't it it felt it felt like there was stuff happening throughout, from the beginning. I think Liv and EO coming out as number 1 and 2 was not something that a lot of us would have predicted, but still really good. And then Roxanne Perez coming out Yeah. Real quick right after. It's like, okay. Now we're moving. Now we're moving. I overall, I thought it was great. So we also interviewed Bayley earlier today. And Bayley made the point that, like, she was wrestling before there even was a women's Royal Rumble match. Mhmm. And she was wrestling when it was, like, hey, we're doing a women's Royal Rumble match, but the roster is so light that we need to bring in legends. We need to bring in NXT peep I mean, those first couple women's Royal Rumble matches, it was, I think, in the first one, over 50% non active roster competitors because there just weren't enough women on the roster to fill a rumble. Now I feel like it far more matches the men's rumble, where you're gonna have a sprinkling. You might have a legend here, a legend there. You might have a surprise here, surprise there. But generally speaking, this is a showcase for the active women's roster. And I thought that's pretty much what what tonight was. And I love that. You know, you see all week the rumors, who's gonna come back Yeah. To this person and this person, and I hope we get this person. No. We can get this person and this person and this legend and this hall of famer. And I love when the legends come back. Right? I absolutely love it, but I also love showcasing this women's division in particular. This is the 8th women's Royal Rumble match. We talk about all the time, Sam. You and I are very invested in NXT, and it's constantly boasted that they have the best women's division in wrestling. And there there's a lot of people that we saw today that are going to be stars of the future Sure. In NXT, NXT, and what an opportunity to bring them up on the platform that is the Royal Rumble in front of over 70,000 fans in Lucas Oil Stadium and then more on Peac**k and Netflix globally. I think that this is the way to do it. This is the way to build the division, and I was so happy you talk about Iyo coming out, Liv, Roxanne, Lyra, and then Chelsea. I mean, those 5 right there. It's like think about the year that just those 5 had. Right? Liv Morgan. Right? Wrestler of the year. Lyra Valkyra. Lyra Valkyria, she gets called up, and now she makes history as the first ever intercontinental champion. Chelsea Green, United States champion, but also, like, Chelsea Green just came back 2 years ago at the Rumble. It just captivated all of us. Yeah. Yeah. For better or worse. Yeah. They're reacting. Without a doubt. Yeah. And Iyo I mean, she's just one of the best women's wrestlers in the world. Yeah. No. You're absolutely right. Yeah. And I thought that that yeah. Roxanne Perez coming in that early and staying throughout the entire Set a record. Duration of the match, nuts, and being there at the end with Charlotte. Lash oh, Lyra Valkyria. Yes. Great again. And by the way, we'll have, my interview with Lyra Valkyria from the live show at the Helium. That'll be going up this week on not seeing him wrestling. It was I felt like we saw a different side of Lyra in that interview, so I'm very excited to share that. To see it. I love that that Lash Legend showed up. And now We are Lash defenders. We're we we stan Lash. We do. Here on this show. We love Lash Legend. We are not Lash's trash. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. We are we are Lash supporters. We're big Lash supporters. Always have been. And the fact that she showed up and not only showed up, but looked strong, had a good showing, stayed in the match for a long time, I thought was awesome. I thought it was a good opportunity for, like, Sonya Deville to get back in there. I feel like you don't see Sonya wrestling enough, and I felt like her getting in there was great. Same thing for, like, Maxine Dupree even though she didn't spend a lot of time in there. She got her elimination on Ivy Nile. And and just again, it goes back to the showcase. Like, yeah, we've got our stars, but don't forget, Sonya Deville is still right here. Maxine Dupree is still right here. Like, we have this we have depth Mhmm. To this division that I thought was on display. Jada Parker, that was one that we both wanted. We were both like, that's from if somebody's coming up from NXT, let it be Jada Parker. Please be Jada Parker. So happy for her. I think she's got so much in front of her right now. That this was the first taste that a lot of people who might not watch NXT every week got of her. And I thought that that was awesome. For a treat. Let me tell you. Because Jada is the real deal. Yeah. I thought Chelsea had a couple good spots. First, her trying to join, who was it? It was it was Lash, Jada Parker Oh, that was Naomi, Bianca, and then Chelsea goes, me too. Right, girls? Me too. And then the elimination when, when her head of security or head of her secret service, Piper Niven, accidentally eliminates Chelsea Green. And Chelsea was so excited for Piper to arrive and save her. I know. And then And then the disaster strikes. I thought Ivy Nile had a couple of good spots. She had their double German suplex with, Chelsea Green and Roxanne, and she eliminated the Intercontinental champion. Big time. I'll tell you who had a great showing. Jordan Grace showing up. I I mean, for the begin for that beginning of that match, the Death Valley driver that she did to Piper Niven was spot of the night. I mean, Jordan Grace looked like a superstar, felt like a superstar. I love that she's had so much experience outside of WWE wrestling and TNA and elsewhere. I love that she's popped up in the Royal Rumble before, has some experience in NXT. It's like this nice foundation has been laid for her. So that now when we see her in the best shape that she's ever been in, she's truly ready for this spotlight and not just to be on the roster, but to take it all. Mhmm. And I think that that's I think that we saw that. You know? I mean, this time last year, I was just introduced to Jordan Grace. Right. And now is when her music hit, big pop. I mean, you were texting me going, I wanna see Jordan Grace. Yeah. That's what you said you wanted to see. Really great to see Julia, Stephanie Vicair, Trish Stratus Yep. Make the big comeback. Love to see Trish Stratus. But I would say the surprise of the match, certainly, was Alexa Bliss' music hitting. Because I swear, today, I read on the Internet, and the Internet is right almost always. Yes. Yeah. I had said In fact. I had said they wanted Alexa Bliss to return. She won't return. There's contract disputes. They're so far away. It won't be for a long time. And then the music hits. She's back right now. And then Wade Barrett tells Michael Cole to stop reading dirt sheets. And here's Alexa Bliss. And just the fact that we can still pull off a surprise is a lot of fun. Pop of the night, and that was one of those moments where with Jordan Grace, with everybody, with Charlotte coming back, the fact that Alexa Bliss got the reaction that she did made you go, oh, wow. There's a lot of star power in this women's division right now. Yeah. Alexa Bliss is a star. By the way, her t shirt's already up on WWE Shop. Her doll is already up on WWE Shop. The doll, the eye has a 6 in it. Wyatt 6? Oh. Don't know. Feelings. Feelings, not analysis. Don't know. We didn't see any Wyatt 6 members represented. Didn't we? Is Alexa one of them? I don't know. Don't know. Don't know. They got one of the roads named after him in Indianapolis. You did. I did see that. Don't know. Awesome. Awesome thing for Alexa Bliss to come in. Charlotte, the entrance, the robe, the pyro, the bedazzled knee brace, everything about her, just absolute regality. Everything was on the money for this Charlotte. It just says star. Star. Star. She reminded everybody. I think Nikki Bella coming in at number 30 was a surprise for a lot of people. Huge surprise. You know? And I think part of that is and that's the other thing. When you start thinking about what could happen, all these names are getting thrown around. People are talking about AJ Lee. People are talking about Becky Lynch. Oh, we didn't think about Nikki Bella, did we? And I'm sure I'm sure we'll still see other people. There's plenty of time for other people to return. But right now and there's a Nikki Bella t shirt on WWE Shop as well. I would do my merch shopping while I'm watching my PLEs. But I don't know. Is Nikki Bella back back or is she just back for the Royal Rumble? Is Trish trash back back or is she just back for the Royal Rumble? It's a great question. Elimination Chamber, Toronto. Trish in Toronto? Maybe. Don't know. Stars like Jordan Grace. Where are they headed? Transfer windows open. Right. Don't know. Right. Could Jordan Grace, who had a little, back and forth with, Julia. Julia. Yeah. Are we gonna see Jordan Grace go for the NXT championship? Maybe stand and deliver. Maybe that's a stand and deliver match. Where does Roxanne Perez go? What about that she's had beef with Bayley. That's right. Now she just made a massive statement coming down to the final 2 in the Royal Rumble. Massive statement. And how about the fact that Liv Morgan eliminated Alexa Bliss? What about that? We're done with Liv and Rhea, I think. I think we are. Where are we going with Love Alexa and Liv. Liv and Alexa. I mean, who's to say? I would love it too, though. I would absolutely love it too. Charlotte won, felt deserved, And I think it was one of those moments where even the Charlotte haters, which there are some and it makes no sense to me. No. It makes no sense. You know, it's it's ridiculous. It's like people who don't like championship dynasties. You know who doesn't like Charlotte? I'll tell you who doesn't like Charlotte, and this may be you, unfortunately. I don't know. No. I love Charlotte. No. No. No. I know you love Charlotte, but the people who hate Charlotte, I'm just saying. Are the people who hate the Kansas City Chiefs? Yes. They are. I like the Kansas City Chiefs. Are you on Twitter complaining about the NFL referees? No. I'm not. Then great. Then I can say it. The people who hate Charlotte are the same ones tweeting about the NFL referees favoring the Chiefs. You know who else they hated? The dynasty Patriots. They did. Okay? They did. You know who else they don't like? LeBron James. These are the people they don't like. Because they don't like greatness, because it's intimidating. Greatness is an intimidating thing. Trust me. It's like me in broadcasting. I understand how people could be intimidated by it. But, like Look, if I gotta pick Chiefs or Eagles, I'm picking Chiefs every time. And you should. Yeah. And you really should. They're from Kansas City. They're nice. Well, what else does Kansas City have going on anyway? Yeah. But Charlotte Flair, she's the best. Dynasty. Yes. Single woman Dynasty is Charlotte Flair. And I hope it's Charlotte Flair and Tiffany in the best way. You. Oh, I can't. I championship match, ladder match. Kevin Owens versus Cody Rhodes. Great, fittingly violent match. That spinning suplex off the rope onto the ladder where both Cody hit and Kevin hit his head as well. They both get laid out. Ultimately, Kevin Owens did not beat Cody Rhodes months months ago because he wouldn't get overly violent. He wouldn't kick out Cody's Yep. Injured knee. Cody beat Kevin tonight because he got overly violent. Which is a side of Cody Rhodes that we have yet to see. Right. That we hadn't seen before tonight. They hit in the Alabama slam off the table through the ladder. Kevin Owens looking like he would have folded in half, fade head top of head first down onto the mat. Sami Zayn is there, clearly concerned about Kevin Owens, and Cody Rhodes is able to climb the ladder. And I felt like as he climbed the ladder and got both titles down, even the fans were like, woah. Yeah. What are we seeing from Cody here? And Michael Cole said it. And this is something that I said months ago. That at some point, Cody's gonna figure out that once you're the champion, you don't have friends anymore. And this is a lesson. I think that the Cody championship reign is something that we're gonna look at as what's the what's that long term arc, you know. Mhmm. I think we've been looking way too micro at it instead of macro, which is the slow, almost disintegration of Cody and and and where he stands. Well, because he was able to ultimately win the title Yes. Because he got a lot of help from a lot of friends. Not to take Bloodline Rules, man. Yes. Not to take anything away from Cody, but the Avengers all showed up. Right. And then remember in one of his first title defenses, and he was backstage, making his way to the ring, I believe. Was it Arn Anderson? Yes. And he said to him, you have friends, and they're on their way. So this friends theme has been been recurring throughout Cody's title run. But he may not have him anymore. He might not. Because all his friends want the title. When are we gonna see Randy Rowan? Kevin Owens was his friend. Kevin Owens was his friend. Sami Zayn was his friend. And Sami Zayn is now checking on Kevin Owens. But Cody Rhodes is now at the point where he's standing over Kevin with the title while Kevin is laying there bloodied Yeah. And barely conscious conscious. Cody Rhodes is standing over him with the WWE championship in a state that we have not seen Cody Rhodes in before. If this is the Cody Rhodes that goes to WrestleMania, I mean, who knows? Maybe staying on that same theme, maybe Jey Uso is the friend that Cody thought he had. Could be. That goes to WrestleMania. Maybe he could I don't know. But it would be very interesting. Maybe Cody loses a friend in Jey Uso and we get Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes. Maybe. Maybe. But it's just very interesting to me that as we start heading towards this year's WrestleMania, the assuming Cody will still be the champion going into WrestleMania, he's not the same Cody he was going into last year's WrestleMania. Going into last year's WrestleMania, he was everybody's hope. Go get him rah rah Cody. And now he's starting to show this sort of a little bit more ruthlessness, which I think is a very interesting side for Cody to show. It's been gradual. Very gradual. But we'll see again. It leaves you going, I gotta find out what's gonna happen next. I gotta find out what's going on with Sammy too. Is Cody gonna be mad that Sammy was there? We know Damian Priest wants a shot at Cody. Is Sammy is Cody gonna have words for Sammy? Is Sammy gonna end up on SmackDown? I don't know. There's a lot to get into. There's so much to get into, but, you know, I feel like I hope we've helped unpack some of these feelings. It was a really fun, Royal Rumble. 6 PM start time was It's the best. Chef's kiss. Royal Rumble's the best. I always mark Royal Rumble as sort of, like, my anniversary into watching wrestling. Rumble was when I started watching wrestling. So What year? 4 years ago. So 2021. Yes. Bianca Belair. There you go. Yep. She won. So have you gone back and watched the 2020 Royal Rumble? I have. It was it was The 2020 Royal Rumble was amazing. Yes. The men's 2020 Royal Rumble with the drill wins. After that, the world shut down. Yeah. Yeah. That was then. That was our farewell to the world. Yes. Yeah. Because then I watched the 2020 WrestleMania, and I was like, oh, this doesn't work. No. No. No. Yeah. That's not that's not you don't need to watch the follow-up. Yeah. No. No. No. No. No. But I yeah. It's gonna be a fun road. Yes. It's gonna be a fun road. I hope you guys are enjoying it as much as we are. Don't forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel and to our audio feed. You can leave comments. You can leave reviews. You can do everything. Interact with whatever platform you're watching or listening to us on. Thank you as always, Megan Moran. Thank you, Sam. This has been great. Congrats to you. For what? Lots of hits. Hits. Lots of big predictions paying off. Boom. That's why you are our podcast tribal chief. Appreciate that. We'll see you guys soon.
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