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- [00:03]
Sam
David. Yes. Have you ever noticed that the way we use our phones is ironic? Phones are for connection, but we look at them more than we look at each other. That's ironic.
- [00:13]
Big E
Griffin, it's like rain on your wedding day. Listen. That's ironic. So U.S. cellular created U.S. mode to help us reconnect, you and I.
- [00:23]
Sam
That's right. A phone company wanting people to use their phones, less ironic. A phone company wanting people to use their phones, less ironic. But let's find US again with US mode from US Cellular. Visit uscellular.com built for us to get started.
- [00:40]
Big E
What are the other things that are ironic? Doors just opened at the T Mobile arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the Raw after Wrestlemania. I have no idea what's going to happen. We will break down it all. This is the WWE RAW recap brought to you by Fanatics. Those last words that you heard were recorded about three hours ago and the entire world around us has completely changed. Megan Morant with us as always, and we are blessed to have in our presence Big E of all times to add the extra analysis on a Raw. That requires more analysis than I would say, Megan. Any Raw that's been on since we've started RAW recap, that's a very accurate statement.
- [01:40]
Megan
I mean, we say oftentimes in WWE the entire landscape has shifted, but we really mean it this time. Everything has changed in just about three hours since you recorded that, that initial cold open.
- [01:54]
Big E
Yeah, yeah, I did not. Of all the possibilities. And remember coming off of WrestleMania night one, all I was sitting here was screaming, why? Why, why would Paul Heyman do this? I, in every sort of crevice of my brain, did not foresee the formation of a modern day dangerous alliance, the formation of Paul Heyman. Because Paul Heyman has said in so many interviews, I would never work with anybody except Roman Reigns. If I wasn't working with the tribal chief, I'd be gone. And all of a sudden, not only has he gone over to Seth Rollins, he's gone to the youth. We get a Monday night Raw where Roman Reigns is not advertised but appears, which is exceptionally rare. He shows up and even more rare, he gets laid out.
- [02:43]
Megan
Also, he showed up after a loss with Roman Reigns after losses recently. What has happened?
- [02:49]
Big E
He does.
- [02:49]
Sam
He goes, yeah, he goes away for a bit.
- [02:51]
Megan
Yeah.
- [02:52]
Sam
But man, I have been such. Honestly, the first time I met Bron Breakker, talked to him, saw him in the ring, this kid is it. And I am excited. I kind of leapt out of my chair when I saw the reveal of the Hoodie, because I think this is going to be so incredible for his career. He already is clearly a star, but I think Paul is going to help take him to that next level of being a main eventer. He's already held the Intercontinental Championship. Now I think he can very quickly be in a position where he's challenging for world championships. And I'm excited for him. He's so young. He's so hungry. The kid has got it, man. He's got it.
- [03:31]
Big E
Well, also, all of a sudden you see, like you said, the word landscape, Megan. You see this completely new vision of what Raw and what WWE looks like, where you've got these two superheroes now in CM Punk and Roman Reigns. When it comes to good guys, the biggest of the good guys versus what has become and didn't exist until tonight, these two super villains in Seth Rollins and Bron Breaker with Paul Heyman. There is the part of me that is the more logical, clear thinking, Sam. Like maybe after a night's sleep, maybe something where I can look at it and go, man, that triple threat main event from WrestleMania night one was a pure work of wrestling art. And it continues on to something that is even more another work of art in the closing segment of Monday Night Raw. But the fan, the fan in me that you have to allow to come out. And Megan, you saw it. I was jumping all over the floor. I was out there on the floor watching this thing go acknowledging.
- [04:37]
Megan
I mean, ooh, ah.
- [04:38]
Big E
How was you whine? How was you whine?
- [04:40]
Megan
I thought Sam was gonna spear somebody. I mean, he was fired up because you go right?
- [04:46]
Big E
And you go, well, Seth Rollins can't take this kind of heat. Even he can take out CM Punk, but he can't now take out Roman Reigns as well. And both of them, both of them were there to put hands on Paul Heyman. Paul Heyman took a Superman punch tonight.
- [05:00]
Sam
Rightfully so, though.
- [05:01]
Big E
Rightfully so.
- [05:02]
Sam
Rightfully so. I just love the door is open to, like now I'm thinking, do we see. Of course we saw the Bloodline War Games match where we had CM Punk on the side, but now do we see kind of this forced tandem of Roman and Punk and having to work together, such a clash of personalities. Do we get to see a tag team for a little bit of Braun and of Seth? Like, there's so many different possibilities. And I'm also wondering, like, is this the end? Like, is, is Paul going to stop here or are we going to see more members added? Are we going to, you know that I, I am so intrigued. And that's what I love, when you have a great episode of Raw or smackdown and you end like that. It's like this thing is going to carry us for maybe the next six months, maybe the next three years. This is going to be a focal point for, we know when Paul aligns himself with someone or someones, this is not going to be a short term thing. This is going to go on for a while. So I'm so intrigued because we're just in, as he likes to say, the first inning of the story and I'm intrigued to see what follows.
- [05:59]
Megan
Well, I love that you bring that up because I think this is going to be a moment when Bron Breaker becomes whoever Bron Breaker is going to become. We'll look back on tonight, we'll look back at The RAW after WrestleMania 41 and say, remember when that hooded figure ran out and delivered a spear that broke somebody in half? It was Bron Breakker. I feel like we will look back on tonight in a lot of ways. And it almost felt like WrestleMania 41 just set the stage for a lot of change, right? We saw titles change hands almost everywhere across the roster. And then we head into tonight and we have this main event moment with Paul Heyman, with Seth Rollins, Bron Breaker, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and it's just, wow, we have a lot to look forward to.
- [06:52]
Big E
But we still don't have a why. We still don't have a why. Why would Paul Heyman, who spent all this time, first of all, unless he just lied, which usually Paul Heyman has some kind of logic to get out of his lies, but unless he just straight up lied because he said, I will always be loyal to the tribal chief. I will always be loyal to my best friend. And he uses those words so carefully. I mean, the thing that was sending off red flags on Smackdown, for instance, was Seth Rollins when he said Paul Heyman brought the shield into wwe. And I said, you said CM Punk. What do you mean, Paul? You mean there's history now with Paul Heyman brought the shield into wwe. So everything is said, I think, for a reason. And the fact that, like there hasn't been, we know that Paul Heyman has declared Seth Rollins as the new top star in the entire industry, which, as you know, is who Paul Heyman likes to associate himself with at all times. But was he just lying or is there some logical way to get out of the fact that he doesn't appear to have been loyal to Roman Reigns or CM Punk in any way, shape or form?
- [08:02]
Sam
Well, I mean, you can ask a lot of the guys that work for Paul in ECW about his integrity. So he has a certain track record, no disrespect intended, but you know, Paul is a master manipulator and you see a lot of that on screen. But I'm telling you, that translates behind the scenes as well. He is the perfect game player, the perfect chess player. We talk about triple H in that instance as well. The game. That's a title that is really well earned. But the same thing with Paul as well. Like, he's always moving pieces around. He's always in people's ears. He's always like, where is my next move? How do I stay relevant? How do I put things in place for my benefit? And look, I said this on the post show for WrestleMania and I kind of told this to people. I think as many world championships as Seth Rollins has won as much as he's done in this company. First ballot, hall of Famer, all the accolades, I still think he is one of our most underrated talent. And, and that's, that's incredible that that's hard to, to fathom for someone who's been at the top for so long. But he, that man is so stellar in the ring. I think he's getting better and better on the microphone as well. And now with this alliance with Paul and now bringing in the young pup and Braun breaker as well, like, I, I am so excited to see how all these pieces come together. And to your point as well, we don't know the why yet and I, I think we're going to get that revealed over time. But Paul is someone who likes to. He's going to drop a breadcrumb. Breadcrumb here, breadcrumb there. You're not going to get it all at once. Means you're slowly going to get reeled in. And I'm excited for that path that we travel along the next several weeks and months on Raw.
- [09:36]
Megan
Biggie, I needed you after WrestleMania night one because I tried to tell Sam exactly what you just said. Seth Rollins is underrated. Seth Rollins deserved this. He's the MVP of WrestleMania 40 and all he did was cry about his tribal chiefs.
- [09:51]
Big E
Not one tear. I was not crying. Okay. I had feelings.
- [09:54]
Sam
It's okay to cry. It is okay to cry. Men can cry.
- [09:56]
Big E
I didn't.
- [09:57]
Sam
It's okay. I see you welling up a little bit. The eyes are a little glassy right now.
- [10:00]
Big E
No, no, no, that's okay. I'm not. I'm just thinking about my tribal Chief, again, that's the only thing that's going on. And look, you're still. Both of you are still sitting here saying seth Rollins is underrated. That's something maybe, maybe you could have said before WrestleMania, but he literally just showed up on Raw and the declaration was made that he is the greatest star in all of our industry. That's the highest rating you could possibly get. He is no longer underrated. I won't hear it anymore. If anybody's underrated, it's our tribal chief, Roman Reigns, with people going, can he do it alone? Now here's what's interesting. Okay, what's up? We're looking at a Roman Reigns who at WrestleMania comes out. And we talked about this on the WrestleMania RAW recap. Night one. The only thing red that he was wearing was the ula fala. Black and white on the. On the wrist and the glove. The Concord 11 black and white boots. And the same thing tonight on Raw. I was out there. We're backstage right now. We just rolled off the floor and came back here into this room to talk about it. But I know the T shirt is a black and white T shirt. There's no bloodline anymore. Paul Heyman, there wasn't a drop of red on his body as he stood next to Seth Rollins. That was gone. I am so intrigued at the idea of not only Roman Reigns as a certified good guy, but a certified good guy that is now, for the first time, truly, truly separated from the bloodline.
- [11:32]
Sam
Yeah, I mean, that's. I think that's gonna be so interesting. And that was a point like we made, I think on the pre shows as well, was just that we. It is. It's odd to watch Roman come out alone by himself. No. No cousins, no brothers.
- [11:46]
Megan
He had nowhere to put the ula fala.
- [11:48]
Sam
I know, I know. Just. Just Roman all by himself. So I'm intrigued to see if that remains. If there is an allegiance with Punk.
- [11:56]
Big E
Is.
- [11:57]
Sam
Are we going to reform the bloodline? Like, what. What does this all look like for Roman? But I think this new chapter of his career is a good one. And look, he's someone he doesn't need. I don't think he's someone who needs the extra people around him. I don't think. I'm not saying he's above the wise man, but he. He's a megastar in and of himself. He doesn't need all the extra malt.
- [12:19]
Big E
Just say, goaded. He's goaded. Tell him he's goaded.
- [12:22]
Sam
The kids would say, you're Glazing it right now. You're glazing.
- [12:25]
Big E
I've never been accused of glazing. One thing I won't do is glaze.
- [12:28]
Sam
Not here, sure. But no, I think this is a really, this is a really pivotal point in Roman's career. Now that the allegiance with Paul and you talk about memorable moments, the fact that we remember this first time we, we saw Braun with Paul, I still, it is still burned in my memory. The first time after beating Bray for the WWE Championship, when he came back several years ago, the first time we see Paul and Roman on screen, that, that is a moment that the cinema. Cinema, you know, that is a moment. And I feel much the same with this new pairing of Braun and Paul.
- [13:02]
Big E
Yes.
- [13:03]
Megan
I mean, that was the start of the bloodline.
- [13:06]
Big E
A thousand percent.
- [13:06]
Sam
Yep.
- [13:07]
Big E
A thousand percent. But you go back to Punk and this idea of this alliance forming and it's just like War Games is when we first saw Punk and Roman working together and WWE social media did like millions of views just on the video of them giving looks to each other or Roman, you know, putting his hand in front of him, or just that tension existing and people were waiting for this eventual one on one Roman Punk thing. It's got to explode. But somehow we've gotten to this place where as fans, we're watching and it's far more likely, it seems that we're going to see these two as a, like a proper. As a tag team.
- [13:52]
Sam
Yeah. I mean, look, I still think I'm assuming we'll see them align, but it is hard for me. And look, I spent the bulk of my career in a tag team, so I'm not trying to diminish that at all. But I think Seth is coming after world titles and I think the same thing for Braun as well. So. But like, that's the great thing is right now we really don't know how these pieces fit together yet. So there's so many different possibilities. And that's what I'm looking forward to see, how they all come together.
- [14:17]
Megan
And that's the interesting part. There's. There's no title talked about. Right, right. I mean, we saw Seth raise the hands of Paul Heyman and Bron Breaker. There's no, there's no title, there's no belt.
- [14:29]
Big E
Yeah.
- [14:31]
Megan
Are you okay?
- [14:32]
Big E
It was so stressful.
- [14:33]
Sam
He did.
- [14:34]
Big E
Yeah, he raised the hands of both when he. Because he first. He was looking like, kind of like almost like when Bron Breaker shows up, it's almost like, oh, what's this X factor doing here? And then he gave him a hug. He raises both the arms. It was disgusting.
- [14:47]
Sam
I thought it was beautiful. It was beautiful.
- [14:49]
Big E
It was disgusting. And it was lacking in integrity.
- [14:52]
Sam
I thought it was full of integrity. Wow.
- [14:54]
Big E
You obviously did not see it.
- [14:56]
Megan
You should have seen Sam. We saw, you know, the copyright comes up, we see the credits come up, and then all of a sudden, Roman Reigns music hits.
- [15:05]
Big E
And it wasn't even with no bump, bump, bump, they run, right?
- [15:08]
Sam
Yeah, none of that.
- [15:09]
Big E
Right into it.
- [15:09]
Sam
Were your pants moist?
- [15:10]
Big E
Oh, no. You're getting back to the glazing conversation. There's no glazing. Not even a dough.
- [15:16]
Sam
Ask a question.
- [15:18]
Big E
It's important. It's important to ask questions. But look, listen. I mean, I mean, when you talk about Roman Reigns, because you brought him up, I think that you have to really understand that coming off of WrestleMania 40, he lost that title. The unthinkable happened. And by the way, I was not in a great state that day either.
- [15:37]
Megan
No, you don't say.
- [15:38]
Big E
If you recall. But he loses the title, and what do we all say, all of us who know how wrestling stories work, we go, this is going to be great for the next year. He's going to rebuild. And I don't even. I didn't realize, and I don't think most of us realized, that instead of watching a year of Roman rebuilding, we were actually watching a year of Roman slowly losing everything else outside of the title. Right. We come off of WrestleMania 41, which you would think is going to be okay. Roman rebuilds for a year, goes to 41, he's back on top of. And instead he comes out of 41 with even less, less than maybe he's ever had, he is truly, completely alone. He's got no title. He's got no wise man. And we are, to your point, for the first time in four years, maybe almost five years, seeing this superstar function alone, it's. It's. It's a pretty remarkable scene.
- [16:41]
Sam
Yeah. And I think it's a great test for him as well. You know, oftentimes they say you don't really know who you are until you hit rock bottom. And I'm not saying he's at rock bottom. He is still Roman Reigns.
- [16:49]
Big E
This is his rock bottom. Put me there.
- [16:52]
Sam
It's still a great place to be, but I. I think, you know, he's kind of going to be forged through fire, I think, during this period. Who are you? Who are you without Paul? Who are you without Solo, without the twins? Who. Who are. Who is this version of. In 2025 of Roman reigns. Like, who. Who is he? And. And I'm excited because Roman is not the type to lay down. He is not the type to. To surrender and go in the back and. And I know, like, he has talked about. I think the finish line for him is closer than the start line. But. But. But I'm saying. But I think he still has many more years to come. I still think he's, like. I don't know if he's hit his peak yet. Like, look at him physically. We all were. But no, he's in incredible shape. You could tell he is focused, he's dialed in. He's having incredible performances. But now when all that's stripped away and everything else is stripped away, who are you and what side? So I think we're gonna see. And he's someone who has evolved as a person. He's involved in ring. He's evolved on the microphone as well. And I think this is another opportunity for him to show a layer that we have yet to see.
- [17:59]
Megan
Well, in the Pandemic era really was what made Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns. Right. And you talk about that moment with Paul Heyman, you talk about the bloodline and what it became and what it meant not just to Roman and the people in the bloodline, but everyone in the locker room and everything that we see happening today. But there was a time before the bloodline where people didn't want Roman Reigns. When Roman Reigns won the Royal Rumble in Philadelphia, people did not want it, and that was when Roman was alone. So do you think it's important for Roman to. To do this alone by himself and have something different come out of it?
- [18:34]
Big E
I do. I remember I was at that Royal Rumble, and I went with a friend, and they were wearing a Roman Reigns shirt, and I said, you need to put your jacket back on.
- [18:42]
Megan
It is not a safe place.
- [18:44]
Big E
They were like, what do you mean? I said, roman Reigns is gonna win this Royal Rumble, and it's gonna be not pretty in Philadelphia. And they had to put the jacket back on. It was a rough time, and he had years of that being a rough time. He doesn't even talk about that era in his career. Right?
- [18:55]
Sam
Yeah.
- [18:56]
Big E
But I do think to your point and to what you were saying before about forging through fire, that, like, this is the ultimate test, the ultimate evolution of this, was the guy who said, nope, he's going to be our top star. He's going to be our top star whether you like it or not. And we didn't like it. And he was not he didn't. It wasn't what it was supposed to be. Now, like you said, without the bloodline, without Paul Heyman, without being a villain, with just being Roman Reigns by himself, fighting bad guys, are we now ready to embrace this person that we weren't?
- [19:36]
Megan
So you were always ready.
- [19:37]
Big E
I'm very ready now. I'm more ready than I've ever been.
- [19:40]
Sam
And fans definitely are. I think fans are really excited. You hear the reception at WrestleMania. You heard the reception here tonight. People are ready for this version of Roman and I think he's, he's fully. And you know, people, I think oftentimes we look back at the big dog days and obviously the reception wasn't what he wanted, but he could always go in the ring. Like, let's not, let's not pretend he wasn't a main event caliber wrestler from day, those SHIELD matches. Incredible what he did on his own. Also incredible. It's just being able to, you know, and when you're in that position and I got a little glimpse of it as WWE Champion and I wasn't like, not even. It's not the same position that Roman has been in for essentially a decade now. But you have so many cooks in the kitchen, you know, you have so many instrumental people in the office and creative saying, you need to do this, this needs to be done. It is. I'm telling you, it is. It's like a Game of Thrones man, because there's so many power players who want their agenda done. And, and that's, that's a difficult position to be in, especially when you're young. But now this is a fully formed Roman who knows himself. He knows who he is. He knows who to listen to. He knows what to ignore. Roman is. He is fully ready to do this alone. He, he doesn't need anyone. And I think we're going to get a version of him that this might be his best run yet. Look, the stuff with Paul has been clearly his best run has been as tribal chief. Truly incredible. But I think there's potentially, and it's hard to fathom because it's been so incredible. I think there's potentially another level for him to hit. And I think as Roman fans, I think that's what you should be excited about.
- [21:13]
Megan
You're going to need to get more.
- [21:14]
Sam
Pants, double up on the undies, Sam.
- [21:18]
Big E
I mean, it's so funny you say that, because I didn't even think about that. But when I'm in the audience, as I was, you know, we're here in Vegas I was out there on the floor. You know this. Megan, you've been to shows with me. I lead with my heart. There's no sort of like, you know, well, I'm here to work and I have to be an analyst and I have to have this. No, it's like, what am I feeling right now? And emote. This is what the, this is what pro wrestling to me is all about. I was having so much fun cheering for Roman Reigns as a good guy with the rest of the audience all together being like, yes, this is the final form. This is what we've been waiting for. And to your other point, and I'm sure you know, you, you are more familiar with this than I am, but I can't tell you how many wrestlers that I've spoken to, interviewed, just had conversations with that, have stories of in that Big Dog era, working with Roman Reigns at the live events and working with Roman Reigns every night and every single one of them go, yeah, that's what made me good because I worked with Roman every night. Yeah. And he brought out the best.
- [22:24]
Sam
He's stellar. And look, man, we go. I remember the first time he walked through the doors in FCW and like he, he's grown up obviously in a massive wrestling family, probably the most important wrestling family there is up there with the hearts and, and I've, I've seen his growth and I remember him as a key, you know, and FCW and being there along the way as he's getting his feet wet, as he's getting. Look, I remember him even before that. I. So we both played defensive tackle in college. He was a DT at Georgia Tech. He was all acc. I remember. No, I knew his name when we were both like 18, 19, 20 years old. So I had, like, he's a guy I'd always kind of had an eye on and then we enter FCW together. But man, he, it took him a while maybe to get comfortable with his presence, but like, he was always charismatic. He always, He's a natural athlete. And I think a lot of times, because people didn't enjoy the direction that he had, they dismissed how incredible he was in the ring. And I think now all of it's coming together, like the whole package is there now. So people get. And it's been there now for several years and he's fully ready. And I think too, when you are at the top, as long as he is, when you have this unbeaten streak, it can be difficult to continue to find motivation. Yeah, and, and, and I don't know, I'M not saying that was apparent at all. When you watch him in the ring, when you watch him title defense after title defense after title defense, like, he's still bringing it every single night. But I think over time, finding your why can be difficult because you're just. You kind of get used to all that success. And I think now in this current position, there is no struggle to find motivation. There is no struggle. It is the man who blew up the shield, who he used to call his brother, who stabbed him in the back, is now doing that again. The guy who, his wise man, who, you know, flew on private jets with him. When, when Paul Heyman manages you, it's not just being out in the ring with you. It is. It is like a total lifestyle thing. You are traveling together, you are communicating when you're not, you know, at work, when you're not at the arenas. So now to have that guy who stood by your side day in and day out, and he betrays you in the ultimate way at WrestleMania, to have those two men, I'm not sure anyone outside of his family has meant more to his career than those two men. To have those two turn against him. Look, there. There is no struggle for motivation at all. And I think a fired up, a focused Roman reigns, a monster.
- [24:51]
Big E
You're right. And you talk about, you know, you're talking earlier about the, you know, the status of the bloodline rebuilding. We saw something very interesting tonight, which was Jey USO coming out, finally starting to yeet again, which made me very, very happy coming out as the World Heavyweight champion, which for a myriad of reasons, makes me very, very happy. But seeing Sami Zayn come out first. Jay addresses the crowd. Sami Zayn comes out, who, I mean, on screen, off screen, just has this amazing history with Jay uso and they embrace and Sammy talks about how much Jay deserves it, how much we all know Jay deserves. It's just this feel good moment. And I will say, I don't know if it's because of trauma I've been through in my life. I don't know if it's because I'm dealing with all these betrayals in wwe, from Cena to Heyman to I don't know when the next shoe is gonna drop. I was very, very fearful that Sami Zayn was gonna drop a haluva kick.
- [25:46]
Megan
There was a moment.
- [25:47]
Sam
There was a moment where he stood in the middle, okay, Jay was up on the ropes and like, right, well.
- [25:51]
Megan
And I think we're also attached to the relationship between Jay, Sammy and Jimmy uso Because, I mean, I'll speak for myself. That was my favorite part of the bloodline. I mean, that match at elimination chamber in Montreal, like, to me, that was the best bloodline and I loved when Sammy was in it. And so when you see those three go together and we get the. My dog.
- [26:14]
Sam
And we get the handshake.
- [26:16]
Megan
Yeah, the handshake. It's like, oh, we are so back. So to see Sammy standing there, I think my heart actually stood. Stopped beating for several seconds. Please don't do this to us. I can't take this right now.
- [26:28]
Sam
No, not.
- [26:28]
Megan
Not yet.
- [26:29]
Big E
We need nice things, too.
- [26:30]
Sam
We do, we do. And I know we're going to get into Jay a little bit late, but I also want to just take a moment to. I was so bummed for Sammy and that he didn't have a spot at WrestleMania. But what I love about Sammy is he is one of the most earnest people you will ever meet in this industry. And it really just. It comes out so much on camera. And look, we have so many larger than life characters and people with. With all different motives and whatnot. But I just love how when Sammy speaks and he speaks with passion, you feel it like you. You know, and it's very easy. You see so many things in this industry, it's very easy to get jaded. But Sammy still gives me that feeling of, like, man, he. He makes you believe he met, like, that connection. And he really was, for me, the MVP of the bloodline for so long. The humor he brought the. The change of pace, he brought the. He's incredible at what he does. And I think, you know, everyone is obviously very, very happy for Jay, but that Sammy co sign and the way he delivered it just like, it really solidified the whole. Man, I love you. I'm proud of you. Like, I got. I got chills right now just thinking about that moment. It was. It was special. And I love when wrestling can deliver those heartfelt, real, genuine moments, because it is. It can be a cliche about family and brotherhood, but for those guys, that brotherhood is real. And it also makes me think back to. So when I first met Jimmy in FCW in 2009, I remembered he would always say, okay, you think I'm good now? Wait for my brother. He's coming, he's coming. Y' all ain't seen nothing yet. When my brother comes, it's gonna be a force. And those guys, look, they grew up in a wrestling family, obviously Rikishi and whatnot, but they were never just granted the keys to the kingdom, it was never. They're not silver spoon guys. You know, they came to FCW making 500 a week, you know, barely scraping things together to pay their bills. And. And when Jay did finally get to fcw, those guys were off and running. And they weren't there long. They were up to the main roster, making their debut very, very quickly with Tamina. Shout out to Tamina.
- [28:31]
Big E
Shout out.
- [28:32]
Sam
She's a lovely human being. But for me, I think what makes it selfishly even more special is knowing the journey. The journey of what Jay's been through, the ups and downs, obviously, those guys, you know, when I was with the new Day, the battles that we had, we. We earned so much respect from those guys. We already had it. But just knowing that we all saw the business much the same. We all had a similar perspective of what we want to do, what kind of legacy we want to leave. And it can be so hard to break out of, hey, your tag team guy. Especially as twins, like, we don't talk enough about that. When people, they just see you as a package, it's just you two. But for them to be able to break out on their own to Jay, have this run to be 0 and 3 against Gunther, who is just a monster, a guy who does not drop titles very quickly. He has incredible 666 day runs in NXT UK. I think like a thousand days, something incredible to overcome. All those odds to overcome the criticism online. I think for me, when I see that moment of Jay with that title, with his twin brother, with one of his best friends, the feels, man, it is very real. Cause I know the journey.
- [29:42]
Big E
I also love that story that you just said that Jimmy said, if you think I'm good, wait till my brother Jay gets here. Because we talked to Jay right when he got out of Gorilla Position for RAW recap two days ago, and he said, by the way, y' all need to stop comparing because Jimmy's even better than me. And to know that, that, you know, that that brother relationship is there where they're just kind of uplifting each other. But I didn't really, you know, you see Sammy come out, he embraces Jay. No. Sort of, ah, swerve. You thought it was. No, we're doing.
- [30:17]
Sam
These are.
- [30:17]
Big E
They're brothers. Then his real brother comes out, Jimmy comes out, and there's no, ah. But they're together and they're gonna turn out. It's just like. No, we're just happy that this dream came true. And not just for Jay, but for all of us. It's really happening. But when they left, right when they were at the entryway and Jay was standing there and Jimmy and Sammy were behind him, I was like, wow, this really is. See, this is the power of that bloodline story. This is what the evolution is, that Jay now has Jimmy and Sammy having his back. I don't feel like when they left together, I did not feel like, okay, they just wanted to come out on Jay's first RAW as champion to congratulate him. It felt like these are the guys that are going to have Jay's back. This is what this looks like going forward.
- [31:11]
Megan
Yeah. The bloodline story elevated so many more people on the roster. I mean, it brought Sami Zayn to a whole new level. We talked about earlier, that Elimination Chamber match in Montreal, an all timer. It elevated Jimmy, it elevated Jay. I mean, it continues. And I think that's a moment that was illustrated, as you mentioned, Sam, when we saw them as they were exiting on the entryway.
- [31:34]
Sam
Yeah. And look, that not to glaze. You gotta glaze further.
- [31:39]
Big E
It's okay to glaze.
- [31:40]
Sam
I'll glaze a little bit. But again, I'll give more credit to Roman as well and have some shit.
- [31:46]
Big E
I like where you're going. I like where you're going.
- [31:48]
Sam
But again, that head of the table moniker is real because he's talked about, like, feeding his family, I'm telling you. And again, these guys deserve it. But Tamatonga has a job because of Roman Tangaloa. We see Jacob Fatu. We see.
- [32:02]
Big E
You mean the United States champion.
- [32:04]
Sam
United States champion. Jacob Fatu. Future world champion. Yes, Jacob. I am a huge Jacob Fatu.
- [32:09]
Big E
That's glaze Jacob.
- [32:12]
Sam
He's incredible. And what a performance, man. Like, he, he's, he's, he's special. He's truly special. But we see all these people now who either came in from elsewhere and outside, and now we're in WWE doing incredible things. And we've also seen guys who've been here for a long time now elevated to a position where Jay is a world champion, where, where Jimmy has now gone on. I feel like we haven't even scratched the surface with what Jimmy can do in his solo run. Like his match with Drew on smackdown a few weeks ago, man, he's killing it. He's doing such a great job. And honestly, one. One of the. You guys know, know Jimmy backstage. Yeah. One of the warmest, funniest, most charismatic dudes. We haven't. As long as he's been on the main roster, I still feel like we haven't seen fully how funny, how warm he is. He's such a great dude.
- [32:56]
Megan
Talking Big Jim.
- [32:57]
Sam
Big Jim, that's right. But. But it really, that Roman just brought so much of his family up, you know, and so many guys are in such great positions now and doing incredible things in WWE because of the bloodline story.
- [33:12]
Big E
And the idea that, like, we could be looking at whether you call it friends, a group, a faction, a version of that bloodline that is actually a fan favorite, supportive group. That's kind of. That's kind of amazing. It's. It's antithetical to what the bloodline was doing, but it is the result of what the bloodline did. And I did want to say too, we saw Jay was rocking his Heavy Yeet Champion T shirt. You know, there's all kinds. We got some on the walls here. There's the John Cena shirt. There's our Heavy Yeet shirt, our Eosky Women's Champion shirt. Those are all. All the WrestleMania winners merchandise is available on WWE Shop Fanatics. Put it out instantly. You know, I love it. I've been telling you, Maggie, because it, it encapsulates the moment, right? It's all about that one moment where that journey ended where somebody won the championship. And they do such a good job of grabbing you for that moment, making the shirt. They got the. The, as I said, the EOS guy. And also they made Still Champion shirts. Tiff got a shirt that says still Champion. And that shirt's so nice that before we started this podcast, Megan found one and asked if she could scoop it up. Yeah, here it is. Oh.
- [34:31]
Megan
Oh, come on.
- [34:34]
Big E
But look at this. Look at this.
- [34:36]
Sam
Let's take a look. We got here.
- [34:37]
Big E
Look at this. It's so. Here you go.
- [34:39]
Megan
Look. It matches the outfit.
- [34:40]
Big E
Yes.
- [34:41]
Megan
This is.
- [34:41]
Sam
I like it.
- [34:42]
Megan
Isn't it great?
- [34:43]
Big E
Yes.
- [34:44]
Sam
Motif.
- [34:44]
Big E
Look at that. So all the winners merch plus sign titles and other memorabilia from WrestleMania is all available at WWE Shop. Go and check it out. Now, look, I support you wearing the Tiffany Stratton shirt. Biggie. If you had come in in a. In a Heavy Yeet Champion shirt, I would support it. But right behind you is the last real Champion T shirt, which is not a message that I can support as much. We had John Cena come out on Raw, his first Monday night raw as the 17 time world champion. He is saying that he's here to ruin wrestling. And this is what drives me crazy because this is the stuff that ruins wrestling when he goes, I have 27 appearances left. Not matches, appearances and we're going. You, you sold us this bill of goods. You went and you told us, I'm gonna do it for real. I'm gonna be here for a year. And now he's counting down his appearances because he wants to leave with the championship after a main event that so many fans were going, this is not what I wanted. And John Cena is going, yeah, that's exactly the point. It's, it's, it's, it's awful.
- [36:03]
Sam
It is. And you know who else sold us a false bill of goods?
- [36:07]
Big E
Who's that?
- [36:08]
Sam
Dwayne the Rock Johnson. Tell me, where is he? Where is he? I. Look, I. So many of us, and I know I am not alone, wanted to know why. Why John? What is the reasoning, Dwayne? Can you explain? What is this offer? What does it entail? What is the reason for it? And look, I feel like a lot of us felt like we were robbed of an appearance at WrestleMania and some of us were holding out hope that maybe we'd see him tonight here at raw. And again, we did not, we did not see Dwayne. But I think that part still intrigues me. I want to know why this deal was made. And for me, I still have a hard time. And again, like, I can never discredit anything that John Cena has done. I was there when I first came up. My, actually, my very first thing on the main roster was during the Slammies 2012. I attacked John Cena, leave him laying. And with Dolph Ziggler and AJ Lee, shout out to those folks. I miss him. But I, so I was there every night when, when Dolph was in the ring. I was there for a steel cage, Madison Square Garden, that's the day after Christmas. I, I saw the impact of when John Cena was in his prime. We, we, we have great pops now. And I'm, I'm telling you, that reaction every single night was incredible. And I can never take anything away from Jon because of what he's done, all the make wishes, all the contributions. But to say that the reason I'm carrying myself the way I am now is because of you people, the fans, when he gave so much, but they gave him so much in return. And, and I have a hard time. That doesn't, that doesn't sit right with me, that this is the reason that we're seeing this version of John Cena. But what is undeniable is that he is indeed a 17 time world champion. He stands alone at the very top. And you know, Ric Flair that tie with Ric Flair is no longer there. It is him. It's 17 times. But my hope is it sounds like his intention is to leave with this championship and, and go home when all his dates are up. I. And, and that does indeed ruin wrestling. We want to see the WWE Championship defended on TV regularly. We want to see it at every ple. And, and again, I feel bad because Cody Rhodes is getting lost in this discussion so much. And I know we didn't see an appearance from him tonight and we're recapping Raw, but I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about the man who has gone above and beyond who, who stays in our after shows to shake hands, to kiss babies, to, to sign autographs, all the things that he does off screen in the ring. He has truly been a workhorse for WWE and much in the same way that John was for, for 20 years, essentially. And, and that's what selfishly I will never begrudge anyone for, for taking a, a part time schedule for if it's given to you, if you have the chance to accept it, do your thing. But I, I miss the workhorse. I miss a workhorse champion. I want a guy that, who is here every single week doing his thing. And that is not John Cena's intention whatsoever.
- [39:07]
Megan
No, and he made it clear. I mean, he's literally counting down the days. But when you talk about being robbed of Dwayne the Rock Johnson, I just want to know how he fits into all this. Because Cody had the opportunity. Yes, I understand he's the final boss. He fits into everything because he's the final boss. But Cody had an opportunity to sell his soul to the Rock and Cody passed on that opportunity. And then we all saw what happened.
- [39:31]
Sam
When John Cena gets in this business. Not I, nothing, zip, nothing, zip.
- [39:36]
Megan
I just want to know where it all comes together.
- [39:39]
Big E
Listen, I thought the amount of pyro was offensive for John Cena. I thought this guy didn't give us a WrestleMania entrance. Nothing going on on the Tron, black and white. And then all of a sudden just scooping up all the pyro budget for himself. I'm surprised we got three cameras for this pod because of all the budget, four cameras. We must know somebody because John Cena sucked up all the budget and all that ridiculous pyro that went off for him. He's not even wearing the championship front facing, he's wearing it backwards.
- [40:16]
Sam
It's as if he's leaving everything behind him. That's what it feels like, he has the towel behind him. He has the face of the title also on his behind everything. It's like he can't wait to leave this all behind him.
- [40:27]
Big E
And.
- [40:27]
Sam
And look, if you want to go on to do other things and kill it in Hollywood, Peacemaker, all the. All the things that come with that, do your thing. But everything you. You have built in your career is because of wwe. It's because of wrestling. And to talk about wanting to ruin something that you help build, something that like, we eat off of, off of wrestling. Oh, yeah. We all. Everyone behind the cameras, we're. We're all paying our bills because of wrestling. Please don't ruin this.
- [40:54]
Big E
Yeah. Lives and my kids. Lives. My kids. These kids are hungry. They're so hungry. They are so hungry and they need food.
- [41:03]
Megan
Eggs are expensive.
- [41:04]
Big E
Eggs are ridiculous these days. And I thought they were going to get cheaper. They have not. But speaking of bills of goods. But regardless. Regardless, when John Cena went out there and he said there's nobody strong enough, fast enough, there's nobody with enough ruthless aggression, I went, please tell me, tell me. And they told me. Randy Orton coming out and RKO ing John Cena, myself included, on the floor here in the T Mobile arena going nuts when John Cena just let the sh. Did you hear that one syllable escape before?
- [41:47]
Sam
He's trying to use an expedie.
- [41:49]
Big E
He was. He was trying, but there's not enough time. That RKO strikes fast.
- [41:52]
Sam
I bet it does.
- [41:53]
Big E
And he got him and left him laying again. The idea right now that Randy Orton versus John Cena in 2025 is as exciting as it is, you know, to use a commonly used phrase was not on my bingo card.
- [42:13]
Sam
Yeah, man. I'm excited for it. And I want to see. I want to see that match so badly. I want to see him in punk. I want to see so many of the guys that I watched when I was first coming up on the main roster that I watched in FCW that Cena was going head to toe with on a weekly basis. I want to see that. But I'm. I'm so excited. Obviously, our next ple. Backlash is in St. Louis. That reception for Randy is going to be incredible. But again, like Randy, you talk about someone who is stronger. Check that's Randy right now. But. And Cena is a monster in. But this version of. Of Randy that looks like a left tackle. He is massive, yo. So someone stronger. He is. I love the way he's moving. I love this. Randy is focused. I love the. The intensity. I'm really excited for this. I think this match is going to be a lot of fun and I think Randy has something to prove. You know, he was supposed to have that mania match with KO and unfortunately shout out to Kevin who is dealing with neck issues right now. And I love the stuff with Joe Hendry, but it's been a while since we've seen Randy in a world title picture since we've seen him. You know, like we're even very fortunate just to have Randy at all. You know, the back surgery that he had to deal with, like, that's serious stuff when you're talking about a fusion. And I remember talking to him at the PC when he was still working things out and he talked about being stiff and, and like, you know, just kind of that uncertainty at his age and all the mileage on his body of like, hey, can I come back after surgery like that. And I think he's proven that he is world champion caliber still at this point in his career. Coming off that injury, he's looking great and, and people are behind him. The next several weeks of this build, I'm really excited for, man. Randy's ready.
- [43:52]
Megan
He's looking better than ever, honestly.
- [43:54]
Sam
I mean, he's just crazy.
- [43:55]
Big E
It is, it is. Yeah. Randy's at his biggest. And John Cena, I mean, still massive, not at his biggest. You know, he's got. He's a little bit more of in Hollywood shape than in his.
- [44:06]
Megan
I just did talk about somebody else's body.
- [44:08]
Big E
This is wrestling.
- [44:09]
Sam
We gotta see these bodies.
- [44:10]
Big E
That's what we're here for. But I will say this. Randy Orton picks up that championship and we've all seen it. If you've been watching smackdown, I mean, for months and months and months, you would watch the glances that Randy would give. Cody would have the championship and Randy would be just glancing at the title. Randy would be fixated on it. You'd think he's looking at Cody, he's looking at the belt. To see him finally have this moment where he's holding up that thing that he has been looking at for months and without saying a word, making that declaration known. It's time for me to go ahead and take this.
- [44:49]
Sam
Yeah. And look, we talk about obviously the, the magnitude of Cena standing alone with 17 world titles, Randy is not far behind at all. He's nipping on his heels. Oh yeah. Let's not act like this thing is encased in glass that can never be broken. 17 is the number forever. Randy has an opportunity to match that number, if not exceed it and like, seeing Randy the way he is, I don't think he's ready to be done anytime soon. He's got. He's got a little bit more in the tank.
- [45:15]
Big E
I mean, can you imagine being triple H in gorilla position, watching Randy Orton do his thing and go, yeah, that's the kid that I picked for evolution that is now in 2025, going out there and still at this level getting this reaction. It's. I mean, Randy is unbelievable.
- [45:34]
Sam
He made the right choice picking that kid.
- [45:36]
Big E
Yeah, he did.
- [45:36]
Sam
Yeah. 20, 20 WrestleManias. 20 WrestleManias.
- [45:39]
Big E
It's amazing. One for Joe Hendry.
- [45:41]
Sam
One for Joe Hendry.
- [45:42]
Big E
Shout out to Joe Hendry.
- [45:43]
Sam
I love that. I love that. It was Joe Hendry. Yeah, that was. That was a lot of fun. It was such a great moment. Of all the speculations I had, it didn't once cross my mind that it could be Joe Hendry.
- [45:51]
Big E
Right.
- [45:52]
Megan
One of the all time rkos of.
- [45:55]
Sam
Loved it. I loved it.
- [45:57]
Big E
Wow. We saw one of the fun things about the raw after wrestlemania is always seeing who from NXT is going to be around. And everybody from NXT is in town because NXT is going to be in Vegas tomorrow.
- [46:10]
Sam
The world is full of tours. But you don't choose a Toyota truck.
- [46:16]
Big E
To follow the beaten path. You choose it to find the places in between.
- [46:24]
Sam
The detours where each adventure pulls you toward the next.
- [46:28]
Big E
And wrong turns turn out right.
- [46:32]
Sam
So why would you ever take a.
- [46:34]
Big E
Tour when you could take a detour? Toyota trucks. But we saw EO sky kind of come out and something that we were talking about was this idea that that triple threat was about EO winning. So there was no question as to who was the best. Like there was no more putting somebody in the backseat. IYO is the champion. The best came at her and she won. She is the champion. To see Stephanie Vacair come out and be the one going, hey, respectfully, I'd like to see if you're the best.
- [47:09]
Megan
I'd like to have this reaction that Stephanie Vacair got. I mean, the women of NXT and Sam, you and I saw it firsthand at stand deliver on Saturday. Like, they are dominating. They're the best women's division in the industry. Stephanie Vacair is at the top of the mountain. She relinquished her women's North American title to help build the rest of the roster is what she said. And then she comes out, has the amazing reaction here in Las Vegas and puts on a show with IYO sky. But it wasn't just Stephanie Vacair.
- [47:40]
Big E
Well. So I think first of all, that reaction that Stephanie Viker got was not just to see her, but because we knew it's the Raw after wrestlemania, are we going to get Stephanie and IO like, is this. Is this what we're going to get? And we got it. It's this fantastic match. And then, boom, you're right. Here comes Roxanne. Here comes Roxanne Perez.
- [48:02]
Sam
Here comes Julia.
- [48:02]
Big E
Here comes Julia. On Monday Night Raw. Julia is there. And you can already tell, right? Like, there was so much hype around Julia. There were all the rumors, even people that had never watched a Julia match. We're going. I keep hearing about this Julia. I keep hearing she's coming, man. When she is on that big stage, you talk about undeniable, there's just like, boom, there's a star. There's a star right there.
- [48:27]
Sam
Absolutely. And again, like, I am. I'm absolutely with you in that. The NXT women's division is. Is kind of the gold standard right now.
- [48:34]
Megan
Great.
- [48:35]
Sam
And it feels like it keeps growing and getting stronger and stronger. So I'm really excited. And I feel like we just got a little taste of Stephanie with Iyo and I there. There's more to come, I'm sure. And I'm really excited to see what NXT does at Fountain Blue. I still, I've been so busy, I haven't had a chance to watch stand and deliver. Yeah, I've heard that. And I heard, like, people are comparing it to WrestleMania. So as soon as I go home and have some time, I'm gonna sit down and watch it in full. But I, I think this was such a great showcase of the NXT women's division. I love that EO got an opportunity post WrestleMania to get her flowers because it is insane to think that a woman that talented has been kind of, you know, underrated a bit and, and has been. And everyone was talking about Bianca, they were talking about Ria and not talking enough about Iyo and the match that they put on, that was my match of WrestleMania. And as much as I love the men's three way that women threw it from start to finish, so hard hitting the athleticism. So I love that EO got a chance. And did you also see the. The video of her parents? Like, that got me. I got emotional. That was so beautiful. That was so touching. But no, I. I'm such a fan of I.O. and I love that she's getting her due, but I love now that she's getting to intermingle with. With the women who are coming very soon. Who, who are going to be on the main roster soon, but are doing incredible things in, in nxt. And I also love that we got a little. I thought Adam Pierce was going to take everything away. He's like, no, no, no, actually, we're going to do this tonight. I, I love that little tease as well. So that was really a lot of fun.
- [50:06]
Big E
It was funny, too. Adam Pearce got booed when he came out because people thought they were like.
- [50:09]
Sam
No, no, give it to us. Exactly.
- [50:11]
Megan
Well, and we've seen Roxanne, you know, be on the main roster here and there a little bit. Not as a mainstay, but she's had her appearances, she's had her matches. And then, you know, we see Julia come out, we see Roxanne Perez, we see obviously Stephanie Valkair and then Rhea Ripley's music hits and here comes mommy to the ring. And what really stood out to me about these women who are still in nxt and they're not on the main roster yet, but they, they, they looked like they belonged. They did belong. And this is Rhea Ripley and this is Iyo Sky. And the future is just so bright for women's wrestling.
- [50:46]
Big E
I mean, just that, just that stare down between Julia and Ria, you're just like, instantly, you're like, now. I don't want to wait. I don't want to wait. Give this to me now. And then, of course, we saw the, the respectful handoff of the championship from Ria to IO almost acknowledging this idea that, yes, you are the champion. And, you know, all these debuts are gonna be a part of the new debut patch program. Have you heard about this? You know WrestleMania. Yes, yes, WrestleMania. Everybody's wearing their WrestleMania patches. We were talking about it. We also found out tonight that everybody now making their main roster debuts, all superstars will wear a main roster debut patch. All those patches, as soon as the match is done, the patch is going to get removed from the Superstar and then inserted into a one of one trading card with the superstar later signing it. So we're not talking about cutting the patch up and everybody gets a little. One person is going to open a pack of Tops WWE cards and one person is going to get. That could be Stephanie Vacair debut patch, where you have the patch inside a card and, and it's signed by the Superstar as well. Sets including these debut patches are going to hit retail and hobby shops later this year. So you can stay tuned and follow at Tops for their official drop date. Very, very exciting times.
- [52:14]
Sam
Yeah, no, I'VE done a lot of stuff with Tops as of late and they've been wonderful to work with in the last several days. Doing a lot of fanatics live stuff with with Tyler Breeze. Shout out to my guy and he's really put me on to how big trading cards have become. Sebastian, we just debuted the Cactus Jack line. Oh yeah. We pulled a Ria Ripley Auto from that collection and they told me that probably goes. That'll go for about $2,000.
- [52:40]
Big E
Yeah.
- [52:40]
Sam
It is like how much people love we people were bidding like I think about $1,000 a box. It's incredible. So all the stuff with Tops is really cool for fans to be able to get a piece now. To be able to own something that was on. That's right. You know, on screen at WrestleMania potentially or RAW or Smackdown. To have those moment and to own them, have them in your hand, have them in your home. I think it's really special. So. So Tops and I didn't realize how big the community is when it comes to.
- [53:07]
Big E
Oh yeah.
- [53:08]
Sam
It is massive. And I feel like it's just growing and growing and growing. So a chance to be a part of that. I think it's really cool.
- [53:13]
Big E
Yeah. We broke a box of Travis Scott. Cactus Jack. WWE Chrome. Here we go. Last night.
- [53:19]
Megan
Zane one of ten.
- [53:20]
Big E
Yeah. We got some great one. I'll tell you about it because I took them all home.
- [53:23]
Sam
As you should.
- [53:23]
Big E
I kept him.
- [53:24]
Sam
You talk about feeding those kids. I'm feeding those kids for a while. You bet.
- [53:28]
Big E
And I'll tell you who's feeding kids.
- [53:31]
Sam
What a segue.
- [53:32]
Big E
Rusev is back, baby. Rusev is back.
- [53:36]
Sam
You.
- [53:37]
Big E
This is. You talk about the speculation around who may show up at WrestleMania. You were getting a little dangerous. A little dangerous on all these pre shows going.
- [53:50]
Sam
I don't know what you heard about what was. I saw on the Internet. Like a fan. I don't know things. I don't know things. I just hear whispers and roars.
- [53:57]
Big E
Well, they were more than whispering. They were chanting Rusev Day behind you. They were.
- [54:01]
Sam
They were very into it. I look Rusev and I have. We've been friends for quite some time. It is exciting to see him back. I. I think he is very special in the ring. To see a man of his size move the way he does. I'm intrigued to see where things go. I also love that he interrupted a new Day match. We don't need to see that. We don't need to.
- [54:21]
Megan
Wow.
- [54:21]
Sam
I don't. Yeah. Like less of that of those two. Works for me. They Were on a couple. Great for me. But yes, Rusev is indeed back, so we'll see where he goes. I love, you know, you know me, the whole. The big men, I don't know itself, but. But Otis Rusev, those. Those bulbous men.
- [54:40]
Big E
Oh, yeah.
- [54:41]
Sam
Staring off, you know, things were tingling inside of me. Things were tingling. I like it. Oh, yeah. So, yeah, I'm intrigued. See where Rusev goes next. But if. If the first feud is Otis, I am not mad at that.
- [54:52]
Big E
Every time I turn on that TV and people start chanting meat, I go, where's Biggie's check?
- [54:56]
Sam
For this? I know. Where's Biggie's check? Little did I know what I unleashed. No idea.
- [55:00]
Big E
Yeah, they don't know where it came from either. Listen, I think I. I think that was right, of course. And it's got to make you feel good on some level that we're in this weird place right now. Especially Raw after WrestleMania, where the bad guys are getting cheered. Sometimes good guys get booed. Cody felt that a little bit at Wrestlemania. Cheers were coming in for Seth Rollins, just because, you know, stuff is happening and people end up cheering for it. John Ceno was kind of getting cheered and booed as well tonight out there in the arena. The new day. After what they did to you, still solid booze. Solid booze.
- [55:35]
Megan
Yeah. That must make you feel good.
- [55:36]
Sam
I love that for them. Yeah. People are very kind to me. It's. It's. It's kind of almost overwhelming. It's, It's. It's very, very sweet. But those, Those boos are deserved, even just for the way that they won at WrestleMania. We, like I said, we always talk about doing things the right way, and those two, as of late, are not doing things the right way. So the. The booze are. Are earned.
- [55:52]
Big E
Yeah, they earned they. And they. And they deserve them. Of course, you had. Yeah. Otis and Tazawa coming out the new day powdered real quick. As soon as Rusev was in that ring, they got out of there, and for a moment, you're like, okay, maybe Rusev is the newest member of the academy, but no.
- [56:08]
Sam
Is that what you thought?
- [56:09]
Big E
I thought you did. I thought so.
- [56:11]
Sam
There is. There's not one single. I don't think they're dancing. No, no, no, no.
- [56:17]
Big E
I thought him and Tozawa.
- [56:19]
Sam
No, no.
- [56:21]
Big E
You don't think that. Well, maybe I read that wrong. Yeah, I thought, you know, I mean.
- [56:25]
Megan
It was, after all, see him hit the caterpillar.
- [56:27]
Big E
I thought maybe after all, it is Rusev day.
- [56:29]
Sam
You thought of all. You've seen of Rusev, you thought he was going to come back to go straight into comedy? That's what you thought?
- [56:34]
Big E
I thought it could be changed. I don't know. I don't know. I thought maybe, maybe, maybe this is the newest. I mean, can you imagine if after all these years, he finally comes back and he starts doing silly stuff? People would be outraged. Absolutely outraged. But no, he made his intentions clear. If New Day wants to run away, that's fine. I will attack whoever is in this ring with me. And I am very. I am very happy to see Rusev back. I thought he accomplished a lot in his WWE run. A lot of it was early in his WWE run, a WrestleMania match with John Cena. I mean, that initial Rusev run, he was legendary.
- [57:15]
Sam
He was undefeated for, like, a year.
- [57:16]
Big E
Right.
- [57:16]
Sam
I remember him, like, crushed Sheamus, won the. The US title for a while.
- [57:20]
Big E
Yes.
- [57:21]
Sam
Comes out at WrestleMania on a tank. Oh, yeah, yeah. But also, you know, Rusev, we got a lot of Rusev Day chants on the Countdown show. And I wonder, look, Rusev is obviously the star of that, but a lot of love to Aiden English as well, who brought a lot of. So I wonder, do we see Aiden return? You know, I don't know. I'm just saying, I saw him tweet that he's a free agent, so who knows? Who knows?
- [57:44]
Big E
Wrestling's the best.
- [57:45]
Sam
It really is.
- [57:46]
Big E
Yeah. No, I'm. I'm not 100% sure that that will go right there right now, but maybe. Who's to say?
- [57:54]
Sam
You thought he was going to come out dancing and doing the work, so everything is possible.
- [57:57]
Big E
That's right. No, you're 100%. You're 1. But I do think that a huge contingent of the fan base felt like Rusev had all this potential and never got the opportunity to reach it. Like, he'd be on the precipice and right before he could get there, breaks would be put on and that his time in the WWE was far shorter than it should have been. So the fact that now Rusev, who has only grown in both size and skill, is here in his best form, I. I think it's phenomenal.
- [58:30]
Sam
I agree. And by the way, did you see his back? I. I've been around this man a long time. I don't know if he added more, if he just stacked muscle on top. His back look ridiculous.
- [58:38]
Big E
Yeah, he's like. It's like he leaned out but stayed the exact same size.
- [58:43]
Sam
Yeah.
- [58:43]
Big E
You know, he got lean and then just packed on all this new muscle doesn't make sense.
- [58:47]
Sam
I don't get it.
- [58:48]
Big E
He's a specimen. He is an absolute specimen. But, man, somebody else who, I mean, I suppose is a specimen in another way is Gunther.
- [58:59]
Megan
Yes.
- [59:00]
Big E
Gunther clearly did not take things well. He shows up on Raw after tapping out to Jey USO winning the World Heavyweight Championship. With Jey USO winning the World Heavyweight Championship, Gunther lost it. Screaming, I'm still the best. I'm still the best. Which, like this level of Cope and emotion from Gunther is not something. Gunther Cope is not something that we're used to seeing at all. He's so stoic.
- [59:27]
Sam
Very stoic, usually.
- [59:29]
Big E
And he shows up and, you know, he gets in Michael Cole's face. And I tell you about this Michael Cole, one of the things that makes him a goat. He cannot help himself, can he?
- [59:38]
Megan
Yeah, I didn't even part of what.
- [59:40]
Big E
He said, but it's very Michael Cole.
- [59:42]
Megan
I'm not the one who tapped out. Why would you say that to Guenther of all people?
- [59:46]
Big E
I mean, anybody who knows Michael Cole knows 1000%. And you've been hearing it more and more on TV lately. Now that he's got a little freedom, he cannot help himself. And in front of Gunther, he didn't. Gunther was not in the mood, shoves Pat McAfee, starts choking out Michael Cole, of all people. Pat, being the good guy that he is, he's a loyal guy, saves his friend, punches Gunther in the side of the head to get him off of Michael Cole. And then, boom, here we are, this brawl. Gunther ends up choking Pat McAfee out. His entire show. The whole toxic table was there in the front row. They're jumping over the guardrails. Security is trying to stop them. Nobody knows what's going on. But Pat is choked until he's unconscious. They finally get him off. They get him out of the building. And Michael Cole refuses to go home and goes out and calls the rest of the show alongside Joe, Tess. I mean, listen, we've seen Pat McAfee get involved physically a little bit. You know, you can go back to NXT or WrestleMania 38, but realistically, he's retired from being in the ring.
- [60:56]
Megan
Yeah, he said that after the Royal Rumble, right?
- [60:59]
Big E
I'm retired.
- [60:59]
Megan
He's a kid now. He's. He's not getting back in the ring. And to get in the ring with.
- [61:04]
Big E
No, you're right, Gunter. Yeah.
- [61:06]
Sam
What I would not recommend. I would not recommend. I don't think that's a very good idea. But I. Look, I can obviously have A lottery. Respect. I. I've spent the last year or so working closely with. With Cole and with Pat on these pre shows and post shows, and their bond is very evident. Those guys, that friendship is very. Yeah, they really are. And Cole gives a lot of credit to Pat as far as, like, reinvigorating his. His career and just giving his passion for this as well. So, you know, it's. But it was. It was unsettling to see Pat turn purple like I. And that thing was tight. I'm telling you. There was no air at all, no space in that. But look, I did not expect Gunther to lose his world championship and go away quietly. That is not the man we have seen. And I think he has something to prove. And if I'm Pat, look, I know you. You're a great athlete in your heyday, but like you said, he is a father now. He has all these other things going on. I'm not sure he's in the gym training like that. I would maybe find a way to find maybe an arbitrator, a negotiator of some sort, maybe make some ap. Apologies, say, sir, I didn't mean to do that. Let's move on with our lives. I think that would be in Pat's best interest, is to make nice, apologize, go away quietly. I just have a feeling that's not gonna happen.
- [62:25]
Megan
Well, because, look, Gunther is always dangerous, but I feel like now that he lost his title and he has something to prove and he is angry. This may be the most dangerous version of Gunter that we've ever seen.
- [62:39]
Sam
Oh, he looked unhinged. Maybe a fruit basket would help. Has he considered a fruit.
- [62:43]
Big E
Maybe a fruit basket.
- [62:44]
Sam
Yeah.
- [62:44]
Big E
And you might handle it that way. I know I would if I realized Gunther had a problem with me before he even got within six feet. Whatever was in my pockets, I just hand him and run, right? Take it. It's for you.
- [62:54]
Megan
McAfee seems like a lover, not a fighter, too, right?
- [62:56]
Big E
Pat McAfee. And I know Pat pretty well. Pat's a proud guy.
- [63:01]
Megan
Yeah, of course.
- [63:02]
Big E
And you can even see when he was going, hey, we don't have a problem, he was doing it with his chest.
- [63:08]
Sam
You know the difference?
- [63:09]
Big E
You know the difference? Like, hey, we don't have a problem when they're telling you with their body, we don't have a problem because you don't want this. Right? And that's what he was doing to Gunther. You're Talking about Pat McAfee, the same guy who. When Michael Cole said, it's Wrestlemania, you have to wear pants. He said, fine, then I quit. And guess what? And guess what he did. That's a true story. That's why they're laughing. And guess what? He wore shorts. He didn't put the pants on. And he went to Wrestlemania. I mean, this is a guy who has done things his way and has been outrageously successful. I don't think that Pat likes the idea of being known as a. I mean, he's as big a star in sports media as you can possibly get. He does not want people turning on Netflix and seeing him get choked unconscious without any repercussions. I think Pat's going to throw caution to the wind on this one, but.
- [64:04]
Sam
He'S the biggest star in sports media. Not. Not sports. He uses. He flaps his gums for a living. And he flaps them very well. Don't get me wrong. He does not want that Gunther smoke. I. I'm telling you, I'm the. You. You have. We have all seen Gunther in the ring. We know what this man is capable of. We know it. You don't want the smoke with, you know, pretty much anyone who's an active participant on the roster. But Gunther's different. I'm telling you, he is different. So I am intrigued to see how this unfolds. This is obviously not the end of things. More to come, I'm sure.
- [64:35]
Big E
And I mean, how do you. How do you sit there, right? Imagine if you were on commentary. You physically can't compete. If you had to sit there on commentary and call a new day match, you'd be beside yourself. Yeah, I don't want to unbiasedly called this thing for these guys that did this to me. Pat's got. If he's going to go back to work, you think he's going to be able to just do color commentary over a Gunther match? Just kind of chance.
- [65:01]
Megan
Not after what happened. You can't undo that.
- [65:03]
Big E
It's a tough spot.
- [65:04]
Sam
It is a tough spot to be in. I. It's in. It's not one that I'm envious of, but I don't know. And Pat's boys, the toxic table, they might want to chill, too, because they can get. Those guys can chill. Those. Those.
- [65:17]
Big E
Yeah, those are the loyal subjects.
- [65:19]
Megan
And Connor looked really fired up.
- [65:21]
Big E
Yeah, they can look as fired up as they want. Like. Like I would. Yeah. No, I don't know. I don't know if the toxic table needs to be jumping over barricades and going after.
- [65:32]
Megan
But that's their boy.
- [65:33]
Big E
Yeah, I know, I know. But maybe he's got to take care of business himself. They can boo, right?
- [65:38]
Sam
Yeah, exactly. Make some signs. Make some good, colorful signs. Yeah. With some pejoratives.
- [65:43]
Megan
Maybe I have to say something.
- [65:43]
Big E
That's right. Pejoratives would be important. But Ty Schmidt jumping?
- [65:46]
Megan
You know, if I'm Pat and my toxic table doesn't come out to help me, I'm pissed off.
- [65:51]
Big E
Look, I know who works for my radio show. And if Travis jumped over the barricade, I go, what are you doing?
- [65:58]
Sam
What, are you gonna help me here? Get back on the other side.
- [66:01]
Big E
You're useless in this scenario. Yeah, and I don't want to lose subjects as the lord of the marks. Those people worship me.
- [66:08]
Sam
They do.
- [66:09]
Big E
Okay. I don't wanna.
- [66:10]
Megan
They do.
- [66:11]
Sam
I don't want to.
- [66:11]
Big E
I don't want to lose them.
- [66:13]
Megan
I do hope we get to see. We get to hear Pat do his ring, you know, when he does that thing.
- [66:19]
Big E
Yeah, he's not going to have fun with it.
- [66:21]
Sam
No. Yeah. There's no fun to be had. We get choked out like that.
- [66:23]
Big E
No, no, no.
- [66:25]
Sam
Wow.
- [66:25]
Big E
Speaking of no fun to be had. Literally. By the way, king of the sag on this apps, on this episode, literally, what was 24 hours ago, you. Megan.
- [66:36]
Megan
Oh, we have to go here now. Yeah, because it's hard for me.
- [66:40]
Big E
I know. Well, you teased me with my Roman Reigns stuff, but you have your own emotional ties, Megan. Literally. You know what she did tonight?
- [66:49]
Sam
What's that?
- [66:49]
Big E
Right now, we're backstage at the T Mobile arena here in Las Vegas. But we were on the floor, and she leaned over to me, and she said, if I could be any wrestler, Tell me when I'm lying. If I could be any wrestler, I would be Lyra Valkyria. I said, why is that, Meg? Why? Why would you? And she said, because Becky loves her, and Becky just wants to put her on a pedestal. And I'm like, can you be Lyrassy?
- [67:16]
Megan
Well, she's living out my dream, right? It's like, she is. She's tagging with her hero. She's a double champion. She got to have a WrestleMania moment with Becky lynch, the woman who got her into wrestling. I'm like, wow, If I could be anybody right now, it's definitely Lyra because she's living out her dream.
- [67:37]
Big E
And then.
- [67:39]
Sam
Then how'd that go?
- [67:41]
Big E
Yeah. Yeah.
- [67:41]
Sam
They say, never meet your heroes for a reason. For a reason, Megan.
- [67:45]
Big E
And by the way, we interviewed Becky right after that match, and Becky said.
- [67:49]
Megan
That Lyra was her hope for the future of the women's division. And she told Lyra that when she left. And it was just this wonderful moment. And this is the best Becky lynch that I know that you know, that everybody knows that. She takes the elevator up and you know what she does when she gets to the top? She hits the button and she sends it right back down because she wants to help the next in line. She changed the whole industry and now she wants to help the youngers, the younger wrestlers. And she wants them to be better.
- [68:22]
Big E
But you know what?
- [68:23]
Megan
And then Lyra makes one mistake. Mistake. And Becky says, screw you, I'm gonna beat you up. That's not the Becky Lynch I know.
- [68:30]
Big E
You know what the Becky lynch that you know is, is a person who doesn't want to lose championships.
- [68:35]
Megan
This is true. She doesn't.
- [68:36]
Big E
I mean, that's what makes her the man. Becky lynch ascended to this level in pro wrestling. That she doesn't go out there with one day title reigns. She doesn't return after all the time that she's been gone with rumors banding about. I know you like to read the Internet, so you read them too. Hey, I know you do.
- [68:53]
Sam
I mean, yeah, guilty of. Yeah, guilty as charged.
- [68:56]
Big E
But you know, they were saying Becky might not ever come back. Becky's doing improv comedy shows. Becky's doing this, Becky's doing that. She comes back, she wins the tag team championship at WrestleMania. She loses the tag team championship the night after WrestleMania. And I mean, Meg, you're not wrong in the sense that like, she maybe should have a little more patience for the fact that if you're trying to bring somebody up with you, you have to give them the opportunity to come up with you. But Lyra is the one that lost the match.
- [69:25]
Megan
Look, I get it. Becky has a high standard. But did she have to continuously attack Lyra? I mean, people pulled her off.
- [69:34]
Big E
She did a lot. And by the way, that's another one. Fans were cheering fan. The thing about Becky lynch, fans love an aggressive Becky Lynch.
- [69:41]
Sam
They do, they do. And look, Becky is one of my closest friends, someone I've known for some time. We're good. Okay. All right. I think so.
- [69:49]
Big E
I'm just saying watch out.
- [69:50]
Sam
But, but. And she is someone who I think is very interested in giving back on bringing up the younger women. But to your point as well, I think she's also one of the most driven people I have ever met. She is someone who is not going to be okay with mediocrity. And if she sees that potentially with. With Lyra. Look, you. You held this title didn't even make it a, what, a fortnight. You know what I mean? Right. It didn't last long at all. That is not her standard of excellence. That is not her standard of winning. And if you can't keep up with her, I think she's often just. Just ready to jettison you, just ready to move on because she is not done building her legacy of being the very best to ever do it in the women's division. I. I think she is someone who wants to continue to build upon that legacy. And if you can't keep up with her, sayonara. That's. That is the perspective. She is a perfectionist. She is someone who demands the most out of herself, and she demands the most out of everyone around her as well.
- [70:44]
Megan
I wonder if Lyra's thinking, maybe I should have called someone else to help me out at WrestleMania because she's the one who called Becky lynch to bring her back.
- [70:51]
Big E
Better to be tag team champions for a day than never be tag team champions at all.
- [70:56]
Megan
That's what I always say.
- [70:57]
Big E
I know you said.
- [70:58]
Megan
I always say every day.
- [70:59]
Big E
I've heard it before. She did. They did get a WrestleMania moment. But, I mean, now it seems like it's one thing to have a spotlight on you because you're tag team partners with Becky Lynch. I think that going forward, I'm anxious to see the Lyra Valkyria Becky lynch match. And I think that's where you see to what level Lyra Valkyria can keep up with someone who is the best of the best. The idea that you're going to get in the ring and actually compete with.
- [71:29]
Megan
Becky Lynch, I mean, can you imagine how Lyra Valkyria is feeling right now? You go from the highest of highs of literally living out your dream. You're a tag team champion. You're a double champion with your hero. And 24 hours later, I mean, we're gonna. We're. I would imagine we're gonna see something come out of Lyra. And whatever that something is, I'm looking.
- [71:51]
Sam
Forward to it same as well. And I think ultimately this could be a great thing for Lyra. She is so talented in the ring. She is so, so good. But I think having an extra edge, having a little extra angst can be a really good thing for her. I think that can help take her to another level. And obviously, having someone that you looked up to, who has meant so much to your career, a fellow Irish woman who has just broken through all the glass ceilings, I think that pairing has been, like, really Good for her. But I think her stepping out on her own, her having a little bit more grit to her as well, I think could be a really great thing for her career. And also, you know, going back to Becky, she. Online has. I guess, apparently I am online. I'll work on it. My phone time, my screen time is way too high.
- [72:37]
Big E
That's where people get podcasts. We love the Internet.
- [72:39]
Megan
Sam's new year's resolution was more screen time.
- [72:42]
Big E
You're sick. More screen. There's more. Less cold plunges. More screen time.
- [72:47]
Sam
But look, I feel like there's a lot of the narrative around Becky online is that she is either someone who really gives back and is always trying. She's going down to. To bring people up. She's always trying to help the women's division rise and grow. And then she's also by. By some of her critics, a lot of her critics have referred to her as Becky Hogan, and not for some of the reasons that you might think, but. But because. Because there's this idea that all she cares about is being on top. She is not here to bring people up. She is, in fact, here to step on them, to continue to climb higher and higher. So I. I feel like a lot of her detractors will say that she is indeed this Becky Hogan who is only there, who under the guise of. Of lifting people up, is there to step on them. I don't know what's true. I don't know what's not. But what we saw here tonight is not the best indicator that she's not the person that her critics say she is.
- [73:38]
Megan
Well, I won't believe her.
- [73:40]
Big E
I mean, it's possible. Becky going, saying, it doesn't work for me, brother. Listen, listen. A lot of big moments happened at WrestleMania, and those moments are being encapsulated forever thanks to Tops Now. You know about Topps now. We've been talking about it. If they make cards available for a very short window that are event specific. So we were talking about the Jey USO card. That is a Tops Now Jey USO card that is just centered around the moment of him winning the World heavyweight championship at WrestleMania. You go on tops now you order the Jey Uso card. 1. One of the people who order a card will get it autographed by Ju. So the same way we were talking about with Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman, they made a card. Paul Heyman raising Seth Rollins hand for the first time. You go online, you order the card. One person who orders that card will get the card that is signed by both Seth and Paul Heyman. We can also tell you Tiffany Stratton still the women's WWE Champion is getting a Tops now card. And I can tell you that I will be officially ordering from Tops now because we are getting a Dominic Mysterio Intercontinental Championship Title Win Topps now card. I'm going to order about 150, hoping I get the autograph dominant card. I'm going to try for it.
- [75:12]
Sam
Good luck.
- [75:13]
Big E
It's a one of one. I figure if I get 150, hopefully, hopefully I grab it. And of course there's going to be a John Cena's historic 17th championship win Topps now card. As a reminder, lucky fans who order the base cards, they could get rare serial numbered parallels as well as the autograph card. You can check topps.com for more details or scan the QR code below in the description. Speaking of Dominic, big night for Dominic.
- [75:43]
Megan
You're always speaking of Dominic.
- [75:45]
Big E
I'm a Dominic guy and I get it.
- [75:47]
Sam
I get it. We had Dominic on the poster.
- [75:50]
Megan
I just bummed that, like, I love when the crowd boos so loud that Dom can't even speak. That is my favorite.
- [75:57]
Big E
That's negative.
- [75:58]
Megan
But it's awesome.
- [75:59]
Big E
It's not awesome. It's misplaced is what it is.
- [76:03]
Sam
Somewhere along the way. And maybe it was just this weekend here in Vegas. We'll see how crowds react over and over. I have a sneaky suspicion that this is not just here in Vegas, but man, beloved. We had him on the, the post show after WrestleMania last night. And I got chills. I got chills now just thinking about. I had chills then. We had, we had still like after people were emptying out, we had quite the crowd behind us. It looked like maybe at least a couple thousand people, if not more packed. And when people saw this man start to make his way towards the desk, felt like Prince was in the building, you know, I mean, like, it was like, like, I'm telling you, man, the reaction was crazy.
- [76:42]
Big E
I get it.
- [76:43]
Sam
He's. It felt like he's their guy.
- [76:45]
Big E
I think people have not picked up. They think I'm joking. People have not picked up on what has been bubbling with this Dominic Mysterio. I cannot tell you how many times that guy right over there, Gavin, when we were doing the old Raw talk show, would just have to take the show off the air because I wouldn't stop rambling on about Dominic Mysterio. And he'd go, guys, five, four. Megan, poor Megan is over here trying to Close the show. And I'm like, I'm not done talking about Dominic yet. Show's just over. Well, regardless, history is shining on that opinion because Dominik Mysterio has. You know, he's gotten booed, which you love.
- [77:22]
Megan
It's just fun. But I think to your point where you're talking about Dominic, like, he is right in front of our eyes, completely transformed as a WWE Superstar. And he's at the point now where I think he's. He's. I mean, he'll. He's an Intercontinental Champion, but Dom before was someone who was often overlooked, and now he's so good.
- [77:44]
Sam
He really is. Yeah, he's. He's grown so much. And we talked about it, too. I remember him in the Pandemic. And again, like, I've. And I said this on. On the post show is I've had friends who reached out and like, why is this guy even on the roster? He should be fired. Nepo, baby, this and that.
- [77:58]
Big E
Are they not your friends anymore?
- [78:00]
Sam
I mean, they're still my friends, but their opinions have all changed because he's grown so much, and he has this just magnetism and this charisma. And you know what? I think in many ways, he is a reflection of our culture, this man who is. He's dirty, he's got multiple women. He's unapologetic. He really has no integrity. You know, he does whatever he wants with a smile on his face.
- [78:23]
Big E
I mean, he.
- [78:24]
Sam
He doesn't worry about repercussions.
- [78:25]
Big E
No.
- [78:25]
Sam
He doesn't worry about what people think about him. He just.
- [78:28]
Megan
He's.
- [78:28]
Sam
He's a hedonist. That's what he is.
- [78:30]
Big E
He is.
- [78:32]
Sam
He doesn't have a balanced diet.
- [78:34]
Big E
No, he doesn't.
- [78:35]
Sam
Yeah. Yeah. No, he doesn't. We say, oh, how are you gonna celebrate? Chicken nuggets? Chicken nuggies. Yeah. Let me tell you, like a child. He's not a. He's a man child. And people love that. It's kind of sick. Yeah. It is really a reflection of this dirty, disgusting country we live in. In many ways of our culture. Yes, it is. Where people don't care about doing the right thing. They do what makes them feel good, and they get applauded for it. That's who Dom is.
- [78:55]
Big E
Damned. The consequences be damned.
- [78:57]
Sam
Exactly.
- [78:58]
Megan
I love the Latino cheat T shirt.
- [79:01]
Big E
That he had on. As long as you win. As long as you win. But look, he keeps winning.
- [79:06]
Sam
He's successful.
- [79:07]
Big E
I don't understand how you can be critical of this strategy. Also, they call him dirty but he told me he washes and conditions his hair every single day. That's how it gets so luscious. You know what he did?
- [79:18]
Sam
What's that?
- [79:19]
Big E
On Thursday, I did a live Nazi I'm wrestling podcast here in Vegas. And he was my guest. He was my guest. Well, I requested them. He was my guest. And he showed up on stage. You know, you pro wrestlers, you hydrate with waters. You have very clean diets because, you know, your physiques are on display. And he showed up on stage drinking a Capri Sun.
- [79:40]
Megan
Capri.
- [79:41]
Sam
A child. I thought it was Capri. Capri, Capri.
- [79:44]
Big E
I think I grew. That's from growing up in the uk.
- [79:46]
Sam
Oh, that's what it is. Yeah.
- [79:48]
Big E
Okay.
- [79:48]
Sam
Okay.
- [79:48]
Megan
You really call it Capri?
- [79:50]
Big E
Well, I don't call it anything anymore. I'm a man of a certain age. I'm not drinking juice boxes.
- [79:55]
Sam
Yeah, we all. I stopped drinking them around 10, I think, nine or 10 years old. Yes.
- [79:59]
Big E
He was hanging out of his mouth.
- [80:00]
Sam
And I stopped subsisting on chicken nuggies. Around the same age as well. Again, a man child, but somehow hedonistic man. Hedonistic manchild somehow has some of the most beautiful women by his side. Now he's intercontinental champion. He's got. He's got it all. He's got it all doing things his way.
- [80:18]
Megan
But today we saw him tie Penta's mask to the ropes and the crowd just cheered.
- [80:26]
Big E
It's a very logical thing to do. He's got ribbons hanging off the back of his mask. Anything you can use on gear that can. You can use to control your opponent, you're going to use it.
- [80:37]
Megan
I give Dom all the respect in the world because he has developed and grown in front of our eyes. I just do think he is very fun to boo.
- [80:45]
Sam
And now people are having a lot of fun cheering him.
- [80:47]
Big E
Yeah, they are.
- [80:48]
Sam
They really are. I think he has really arrived and he's grown so much in the ring. I think the pairing with him and Liv has been incredible for both. They both have just risen and grown so much. And in many ways, I don't know if he's above the Judgment Day. I don't want to be disrespectful to the rest of the members, but if the Judgment Day were to. To all fall apart, I don't think he's going to be in a bad position by any means. That's how beloved he is. That's how, like, incredible he's doing right now. And obviously, like, having the help from the other members Definitely helps him get to where he needs to be. But, man, he. He's a. He's a true star in and of himself right now.
- [81:28]
Megan
I thought we were gonna see the Judgment Day fall apart, but then Finn said, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
- [81:32]
Big E
Right.
- [81:33]
Sam
But you had separation, though. You saw how Finn. Finn was not.
- [81:36]
Big E
First of all, you're being negative again about the Judgment Day.
- [81:39]
Megan
I'm being honest. I thought that. I thought that they were gonna break up.
- [81:43]
Big E
That's negative. It is negative.
- [81:44]
Megan
Well, it was because Dominic pinned Finn.
- [81:46]
Big E
But look, there was that. There was that. There was something there with Finn Balor. Finn Balor wasn't. Because, like you said, everyone was thrilled to see J.D.
- [81:56]
Megan
Mcdonagh come back.
- [81:57]
Big E
Dominik Mysterio has J.D. mcDonough returns, and people. You know, I think people have a newfound respect for J.D. mcDonough after everything he went through. But J.D. mcDonough, Liv, Morgan, Raquel, everybody was right on Dominic's side, because I think that they realize we have a winner here. He's on the rise. This is good for the group. Carlito, everybody is there on his side. Except I think Finn Balor is a little uncomfortable with the way the dynamic is starting to shift.
- [82:25]
Sam
I mean, can you blame him? Sometimes I think we forget who Finn Balor is and what he's done in his career. The very first universal champion, all the accolades in Japan, for him to come back to a group, especially, like, he was the leader of. Of one of the most important factions in wrestling in the Bullet Club. Yes. And for him to come back as a guy who is just now seeing this younger guy kind of supplant him in many ways, how could he be comfortable with that? Especially because they were in the same match together and there was no cohesion. They turned on each other in that match, and you're expecting, you know, your guy. I saw Finn for so long as the leader of the Judgment Day, and now it feels like that dynamic is changing, and Finn is. Is kind of dropping as Dom is rising. And to expect Finn just to be okay with that is nonsense. Knowing who Finn Balor is, the caliber of talent that he is, he's not going to just be okay with any of that.
- [83:21]
Big E
Well, an amazing. An amazing Raw after Wrestlemania. So much refresh set, so many young stars. Dominic Mysterio, Braum Breaker, Lyra Valkyria that now have, like, new spotlights put on them. Biggie, thank you for being so gracious with your time, for joining us here backstage at the T Mobile arena in Las Vegas to break down this episode of Raw. You are the man, Megan. It is always an absolute pleasure.
- [83:47]
Megan
It's the best, Sam.
- [83:48]
Big E
And we will see you again in one week's time. Make sure that you subscribed across all audio platforms. Make sure that you're leaving comments and hitting, like on YouTube, and we'll see you again for another Raw recap.