CM Punk & LA Knight go from partners to opponents at Clash in Paris: Raw Recap, August 11, 2025

Summary

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Raw Recap with Sam Roberts & Megan Morant

Episode Title: CM Punk & LA Knight go from partners to opponents at Clash in Paris: Raw Recap, August 11, 2025
Release Date: August 12, 2025
Podcast: WWE x Fanatics Podcasts

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode dives deep into the aftermath of a jam-packed episode of WWE Monday Night Raw on Netflix, focusing on the evolving dynamics among top contenders for the World Heavyweight Championship ahead of Clash in Paris. Sam Roberts and Megan Morant break down pivotal moments—especially CM Punk and LA Knight's journey from uneasy allies to fierce rivals—feature exclusive interviews with Raw GM Adam Pearce and Big E, and offer sharp, personality-filled analysis on everything from chaotic main events to the surging women's division.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Crowded Road to Clash in Paris

• Opening Chaos: Raw’s main event scene is more jam-packed than ever, with CM Punk, LA Knight, and Jey Uso all vying for a crack at Seth Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship. (00:31–01:47)

• Roberts sums up the confusion:
  “We’ve talked about how crowded this world heavyweight title scene is, but now…you’ve got Superstars arguing as to who gets the first opportunity, and at the end of the night, it’s everybody.” (01:41)

• Cooperation Turned Rivalry:
  The tenuous alliance between Punk, Knight, and Uso—driven by their common hatred of Seth Rollins—frays as soon as their mutual opportunity becomes official.

2. Adam Pearce Interview: Controlled Chaos & Emotional Leadership

• Emotional GM: Adam Pearce defends his emotionally driven management style, citing his 30 years in the business and personal connections with Raw talent.
  Sam Roberts: “Ever since SummerSlam, it feels like you’ve been leading very emotionally...” (04:44)
  Adam Pearce: “You’re damn right I lead with emotion. I wear my heart on my sleeve every day of my life because I love what I do and I love the people I do it with. So do not insult me, Sam Roberts.” (04:51)

• On Rollins’ Four-Challenger Fate:
  Pearce frames the upcoming Fatal Four Way as both opportunity and a deserved challenge for Rollins after Rollins’ deception about his injury.
  Pearce: “Seth Rollins…lied to the entire world…You stole...the World Heavyweight Championship. At Clash in Paris, we find out if Seth freakin’ Rollins is the World Heavyweight freakin’ Champion.” (06:00)

• Raw vs. SmackDown Chaos:
  Pearce embraces Raw’s “controlled chaos,” contrasting it to SmackDown’s order.
  Pearce: “Monday Night Raw is controlled chaos. We see it week in and week out. I embrace it for what it is.” (07:05)

• Let Them Fight:
  Pearce says his philosophy is giving the people what they want: “Let them fight.” He’s happy to let Superstars brawl, reflecting the audience’s chant. (07:16–07:35)

• New Day Rematch Drama:
  Pearce refuses immediate rematch to New Day: they have to earn it.
  Pearce: “They want a World Tag Team Title match, they’re going to earn it…what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. You get what you give in our business.” (09:17–09:59)

• Heyman and The “Nightmare” Faction:
  Discusses the power of Paul Heyman, now managing Rollins, Bron Breaker, and Bronson Reed—calling it “a nightmare on top of nightmare”.
  Pearce: “This is a nightmare on top of a nightmare. Egos run wild. Bron Breaker, the future of our industry…Big Bronson Reed wrecks everything in his path…Now has a Hall of Famer guiding him and Seth freakin’ Rollins.” (11:03)

• On SmackDown’s Intrusion:
  Pearce is frustrated by SmackDown’s stars crossing over, further fueling Raw’s chaos. (14:41–15:29)

3. Fatal Four Way Breakdown: Who Benefits?

• Motivations and Tension:
  Sam and Megan disagree whether the match is more about giving opportunities or punishing Rollins for his deception and arrogance.
  Megan: “This was sort of payback, right? …he’s punishing Seth Rollins for lying.” (23:15)
  Sam: “No Champions Advantage and three of the best in the industry...while there is no Champions Advantage in a Fatal Four Way, there’s also no DQ...Braun Breaker and Bronson Reed become huge assets to Seth Rollins.” (24:44)

• LA Knight’s Trajectory:
  LA Knight appears to be “next in line” but only after fighting off claims by Punk and Uso.
  Sam: “LA Knight does shake Punk’s hand...something very compelling about LA Knight and CM Punk together.” (29:02–30:12)

• Punk vs. Knight Parallels:
  Exploration of how LA Knight’s current popularity and underdog rise mirrors CM Punk’s own journey a decade ago.
  Sam: “There is a lot of CM Punk in LA Knight…they had to fight for everything.” (31:00)

• Underlying Rivalries & Fresh Tensions:
  While all three challengers briefly unite versus Rollins, their own egos and desperation for the title mean cooperation won’t last.

4. Backstage Storylines & Segments

• Grande Americano & Dominic Mysterio:
  Unexpected alliance between Grande Americano and the “King of the Luchadors,” Dominic Mysterio, who is now positioned to become a “champ-champ.”
  Sam: “Dominic Mysterio is the greatest Mysterio of all time.” (41:22)
  Megan: “To watch his rise…at the point where not only is he the Intercontinental Champion…Dominic Mysterio could be a double champion.” (44:51)

• On Roxanne Perez’s Big Win:
  Perez pins Io Sky (a rare feat even Rhea Ripley hasn’t accomplished).
  Big E: “She is so young to have accomplished something…her place in the Judgment Day doesn’t define who she is as a wrestler. I think she is such an incredible talent and someone who is very hungry.” (55:52)
  Megan: “She pinned Io! Even Rhea Ripley has not done that yet!” (55:34)

• Bailey’s Crossroads:
  Discussion about Bayley’s self-doubt and “cackling” at the end of her Raw promo—hinting at a new iteration.
  Big E: “I think Bayley’s at a bit of a crossroads in her career...She clearly has so much to give, so much to offer.” (52:28)

5. Women’s Division: Opportunities & Evolving Landscape

• Maxine Dupree shines in defeat:
  Sam: “Maxine is one that steps up to the plate when it’s time…before we got the Dis-Arm-Her, we got some very close rollups…a good overall showing for Maxine, even in defeat.” (61:56)

• Natty’s Gritty Edge:
  Praise for “Bloodsport Natty” as Megan and Big E say they want to see that more unbridled side in main roster action.
  Big E: “Don’t let Natty put on that black singlet. Problem.” (63:39)

6. Comedy & Notable Banter

• The Great Hat Debate:
  New Day’s $12,000+ hats become a running joke, positioning Xavier Woods’ hat as a fashion icon—or disaster.
  Pearce: “I can’t believe that any person would pay 12 grand for that thing.” (09:59)
  Sam: “I think it’s $12,000 hats designed to look like $15 hats…that’s probably more accurate.” (21:07)

• Dominic Mysterio’s “Dirty Dom” Era:
  Sam and Megan joke about Sam being a “day one” Dom supporter despite Dom’s heel tactics and whether the irony in Dom’s self-confidence is starting to disappear as he stacks up gold.
  Sam: “There was an irony to that…the irony, the ego and the hubris, has not gone away. Except the irony is slowly starting to slip away.” (45:09)

7. Big E’s Perspective

• Big E gives insight into Bayley’s mindset, Roxanne Perez’s breakthrough, and the culture of never feeling “safe” in WWE, highlighting how quickly the women’s division has evolved. (50:44–54:23)

• On Bronson Reed’s Sneaker Thefts:
  Big E: “To the victor goes the spoils…I think the Shula Fala is evidence that they’re not worried about decorum by any means.” (65:36)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | Context | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|------------------------------------| | 04:51 | “You’re damn right I lead with emotion. I wear my heart on my sleeve every day of my life because I love what I do and I love the people I do it with…” | Adam Pearce | On being an emotional general manager | | 06:00 | “At Clash in Paris, we find out if Seth freakin' Rollins is the World Heavyweight freakin' Champion.” | Adam Pearce | Making the Fatal Four Way official | | 09:59 | “I can’t believe that any person would pay 12 grand for that thing.” | Adam Pearce | Roasting Xavier Woods’ costly hat | | 23:20 | “This was sort of payback, right? …he’s punishing Seth Rollins for lying and…” | Megan Morant | On the real motivation behind the four-way | | 29:02 | “LA Knight does shake Punk’s hand...something very compelling about LA Knight and CM Punk together.” | Sam Roberts | On parallels between Punk and Knight | | 41:22 | “Dominic Mysterio is the greatest Mysterio of all time.” | Sam Roberts | Praising Dom’s potential double championship status | | 55:52 | “She is so young to have accomplished something that…Rhea is going to be a Hall of Famer…this win for Roxanne is massively important.” | Big E | On Roxanne Perez’s huge Raw victory | | 65:36 | “To the victor goes the spoils...the Shula Fala is evidence that they’re not worried about decorum by any means.” | Big E | On Bronson Reed’s shoe thefts |

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Important Timestamps

• [02:37–14:28]: Adam Pearce interview—Fatal 4-Way fallout, chaos on Raw, managing with emotion, New Day’s tag title requests.
• [29:02–38:19]: Sam and Megan analyze Punk vs. LA Knight, compare the Superstars’ career journeys, explore the real stakes in the Paris Fatal 4-Way.
• [49:27–69:37]: Big E interview—Bayley’s crossroads, Roxanne Perez’s emergence, Maxine’s progress, Bronson Reed’s sneaky shoe robberies.
• [41:22–47:04]: The Dominic Mysterio discussion—double champion aspirations, crowd reactions, shifting perceptions.

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Flow & Tone

• Authentic, Playful, and Engaged: The hosts bring a deep knowledge of wrestling, trademark wit, and a genuine appreciation for character development.
• Candid Insight from Guests: Adam Pearce bristles at criticism, unapologetic about leading with passion; Big E provides grounding perspective from a performer’s vantage point.
• Energetic, Banter-driven: Running jokes—like the “$12,087 plus shipping” hat—punctuate solid analysis.

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Summary

This episode of "Raw Recap" captures the wild energy and emotional stakes fueling the road to Clash in Paris. As CM Punk, LA Knight, and Jey Uso circle Seth Rollins (and each other) for the World Heavyweight Title, hidden grudges and uncertain alliances create a “controlled chaos” that Raw GM Adam Pearce both laments and celebrates. The women’s division continues to surprise with Roxanne Perez’s star-making win and hints of a reinvented Bayley. Meanwhile, the show thrives on colorful characters—not just in the ring but backstage and on the mic, from Dominic Mysterio’s unlikely heroism to Bronson Reed’s gleeful sneaker heists.

For anyone who missed Raw or needs context before Paris, this episode delivers an irreverent, thorough, and sharp-witted guide to all the moving pieces heading into WWE’s next major showdown.

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Transcript

[A]

David. Yes.

[B]

Have you ever noticed that the way we use our phones is ironic? Phones are for connection, but we look.

[A]

At them more than we look at each other.

[B]

That's ironic. 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.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

A phone company wanting people to use their phones, less ironic.

[A]

A phone company wanting people to use their phones, less ironic.

[B]

But let's find US again with US mode from US Cellular. Visit us cellular.com/built for us to get started. What are the other things that are ironic? Seth Rollins was just given not one, not two, but three opponents for Clash in Paris. Roxanne Perez gets a victory over Sky. Becky lynch winds up on top again. We've got Big E on the show, we've got Raw general manager Adam Pierce on the show, and so much more. This is WWE Raw recap, a WWE and Fanatics original production. Megan Morant. What an episode of Monday Night Raw on a show where we were sitting here trying to figure out who's in what line and what the order of that line is. First between LA Knight and CM Punk, and then LA Knight and CM Punk and Jay uso. I mean, we've talked about how crowded this world heavyweight title scene is, but now we're at the point where you've got superstars that are arguing as to who gets that first opportunity, and at the end of the night, it's everybody.

[C]

And we saw CM Punk working together with La Knight working together with Jay uso, because as Corey Graves put it, my friend of my enemy.

[B]

No, my.

[C]

My enemy. I'm going to screw this up.

[B]

No, my. My enemy's enemy is my friend. Are you sure? Positive.

[C]

The enemy of my friend is my.

[B]

No. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Why would the enemy of your friend be your friend?

[C]

All right, this is very confusing to me, but we saw all of these guys working together.

[B]

We have a special guest here to shed some light on what's going on. Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time on Raw recap, you the general manager of Monday Night Raw, coming off of yet another, by the way, chaotic ending to an episode of Raw, Adam Pierce. Adam, what's in the bottle?

[D]

This would be agua H2O. This is the nectar of the gods. And, yes, I do need a drink. Thankfully, I got one. It's the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[C]

Thank you so much. I mean, were you just as confused as I was watching what transpired tonight? At the end of Monday Night Raw.

[D]

Confused in what way?

[C]

I mean, the World Heavyweight title pitcher is awfully crowded. We saw, you know, different superstars working together that I personally never thought that we would see operating on the same page. I mean, especially after last week on Monday Night Raw. I thought CM Punk and La Knight had problems. Apparently they don't. But they're both after the same thing.

[D]

You know, the thing about what we saw tonight, at least if you're looking through my eyes, granted, I'm not wearing my glasses now, is I saw opportunity. Seth Rollins lied for weeks on end and had the entire world believing, including his child, believing that he was injured, in need of surgical repair, and was on the shelf. And now we're a couple weeks removed from the biggest ruse that he has pulled over anyone's eyes. I have known that man for 20 years. He looked me dead in the eye week after week after week and lied. He lied. So now he has a chance to look everyone else in the eye and prove. Prove that he belongs in the upper echelon. Prove to the world that he is what he indeed says he is. The World Heavyweight Champion in that Clash of Paris. We are going to find out because it's going to get down to the. Get down in Perry.

[B]

Everything that you're saying is true, and I can't wait as a spectator for this Fatal Four Way. And ultimately, that is your job, to put on the best matches for the audience. But at the same time, ever since SummerSlam specifically, it feels like you've been leading very emotionally, and it doesn't feel like the general manager of a show, generally speaking, should be leading with emotion.

[D]

And whose opinion is that? That's your opinion.

[B]

My opinion?

[D]

Your opinion. Well, your opinion don't be squat to me. How's that sound?

[A]

Okay.

[B]

All right.

[D]

I lead with emotion for a simple reason, right? 30 years I have spent in this industry at every level, and every person that I encounter on Monday Night Raw has either worked with me or for me before we set foot in wwe. So I have an intimate knowledge of all of these men. I have seen them at their low, and. And here we all sit at the top. So you're damn right I lead with emotion. I wear my heart on my sleeve every day of my life because I love what I do and I love the people I do it with. So do not insult me, Sam Roberts. I. I don't feel my size thirteens, brother.

[B]

It's the last thing I want. I do not mean to insult you. What I ask is, is your Making this match, this fatal four way match. Are you making this match because CM Punk, Jay USO and La Knight are equally entitled to this opportunity? Are you making this match to punish Seth Rollins?

[D]

Opportunity is the opportune word. And if Seth Rollins feels like he's being punished. Oh, Paul Braceleto. Seth Rollins, you lied to the entire world. You looked into the eyes of your daughter and lied. You told the WWE Universe by virtue of your action that you were on the shelf. You carried the money in the bank briefcase. And I will extend this bit of congratulations in pulling off the greatest ruse of the modern era. And you walked in and stole, and I use the word, you stole, the World Heavyweight Champion. And now you will prove that you are worthy of calling yourself the World Heavyweight Champion. If that sounds emotional, it's because it's filled with emotion. Clash in Paris, we find out if Seth freakin Rollins is the World Heavyweight freakin Champion.

[B]

It seems like Raw is. Is one of the things that makes Raw. Raw is the amount of chaos that you have on your show, even unique from smackdown. Smackdown has its share of chaos, but there is nothing like the chaos that happens week in and week out on Monday Night Raw. Is that something that you try to harbor or is that something that is out of your control?

[D]

There's a fine line right between control and chaos. I love to say that Monday Night Raw is controlled chaos. We see it week in and week out. I embrace it for what it is.

[B]

The world.

[D]

What do they do when something happens like happened tonight? You heard it as well as I do. What do they chant when my referees and my security run out there every single time? What do they chant? Let them fight.

[B]

That's true.

[D]

Let them fight.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

It doesn't matter what city, what country, what continent we're on. That is a constant that remains. Let them fight. Adam Pierce lets them fight so we can second guess. And Monday morning quarterback after the fact. All we want. I am giving the people what they want. I'm giving the Superstars what they want. And the chips fall where they may. Period, point blank.

[C]

Well, two superstars that haven't exactly gotten what they've wanted from you are the new day. They've been asking for a rematch to get back the tag team championships. I saw today on social media Xavier woods requesting that you refund the $12,087 plus shipping for his designer hat. And you know you are headed to Clash in Paris. It's. It's a. A culture that really revolves around fashion. How do you, how do you feel about disrespecting? Xavier woods the way you did and. And not granting the new Day a title match.

[D]

Did you see the sombrero he wore last week?

[C]

I don't. I don't think. I don't think it's appropriate to refer to that as a sombrero.

[D]

And let's see the contraption that sat upon his head last week.

[B]

You. If I remember correctly, Megan, you said it was a trampoline.

[C]

It looked similar to the chandelier.

[D]

The man. The man wore a trampoline, in your words, on his head and is talking about anyone disrespecting him. No, the mirror. And anyone with two eyes that can see would say that he disrespects himself. Now, I'll ask you this. And listen, I'm not taking anything away from the new Day, Their acumen, what they've done. They are the most decorated tag team in WWE history. Right?

[C]

This is true.

[B]

Am I right? Yes, yes, yes.

[D]

They've earned the accolades. Did they grant a rematch when they were their last grasp on the world tag team title? Did they want to give a rematch to anybody? Did they want to give an opportunity? I played ball with them. I didn't force them into situations. But now the shoes on the other foot. They lost the gold and they want it back. Great. I want them to be hungry. I want all my superstars to be hungry. But they're not going to come in and demand rematches because the goose, dude. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. You get what you give in our business, period. They want a world tag team title match, they're going to earn it. That's the only. What's going to happen, Sombrero, trampoline or not. And I can't believe that any person would pay 12 grand for that thing.

[C]

I think it was 12,087 plus shipping.

[B]

I mean, when you're as decorated as the New Day, you got a pretty significant hat budget. They've done very well for themselves, obviously.

[D]

His hat tonight, by the way.

[B]

Oh, I saw a picture of it. Yeah, I guess it was your. It was very small, very.

[D]

I'm gonna date myself. But did you watch Popeye when you were a kid?

[B]

Absolutely.

[D]

Had the little time. That was what brother had on his head tonight.

[B]

That's exactly right. What are we doing?

[D]

How much does that thing cost, Megan?

[C]

I'll have to check social media. I. I haven't seen that one yet.

[D]

Tell Twitter I said hi.

[B]

What? What did you. I mean, listen, clearly you've taken a lot of what Seth Rollins has done personally, and that's not a shot. I don't blame you for it. What is it like now that Paul Heyman and Seth Rollins are on the same team? Do you. Dealing with Superstars is one thing, but dealing with Superstars representatives is another thing. How is it dealing with Paul Heyman in trying to deal with people like Seth Rollins, Bron Breaker, Brunson Reed?

[D]

Paul Heyman is a bona fide hall of Famer. We know this. He's a genius at what we do and has been for decades on top of decades. This is a nightmare on top of a nightmare. Egos run wild. Bron Breaker, the future of our industry. A pedigree that is perhaps unmatched and hasn't even scratched the surface. Big Bronson Reed wrecks everything in his path. Has yet to be stopped. Now has a Hall of Famer guiding him and Seth freakin Rollins. I said everything I wanted to say about Seth earlier. Multiply it by a thousand when you. When you add the Oracle. Is that what we're calling him now? The Oracle?

[B]

I believe he referred to himself earlier tonight as the adorable Oracle.

[D]

Good God almighty. Somebody get me a little something stronger than this, please. It's Nightmare. On top of Nightmare, there's four of them. They run roughshod. I don't know if there's any force in our universe, in the WWE Universe or in the Milky Way galaxy that's going to stop him. Someone needs to step up. There is a grand opportunity at Paris and one of those four men is going to walk out of the ring with the World Heavyweight Championship. And if it's Seth Rollins, I will look him in the eye and I will shake his hand. And I will say, you have proved me wrong and you are the World Heavyweight Champion. We'll find out what happens in Paris.

[B]

I believe that you'll do that. It doesn't seem like that's something you specifically want to do. It feels like you would prefer if maybe one of the other superstars were to win that championship. When you're standing there at ringside and you come out and you've made your decision, you're going to let Seth know, okay, you've lied again. Cause he said he had gone home. He's lied again. He's ruined the main event for your show. Now he's trying to injure Superstars. He comes out there and you go, good. Well, guess what? You've got now. A fatal four way. You've got no champions advantage. You've got three opponents now at clash. But Immediately. I mean, immediately following that announcement, Seth and Bronson and Braun. Annihilate isn't the word. All three opponents, they annihilate Jay uso, they annihilate CM Punk. Bronson Reed was fish hooking his mouth before he got stomped. And they annihilate L A Knight. When you're standing there at ringside realizing even after that announcement was made that you're looking at these three men, do what they've been doing and just kind of, I mean, for lack of a better term, take the law into their own hands, what goes on in your head?

[D]

It's an uphill battle for anybody that's going to set foot in line with those guys, okay? And I just handed the greatest opportunity in the world to Jey uso, to LA Knight and to CM Punk. Men I have known for years, okay? They all have the common enemy. It's Seth freakin Rollins. And they know what they're up against, okay? Bottom line is I can make the match official all I want. We still have to get to Paris. Who's going to pull up their their boots and lace them as tight as they can? Who is going to measure themselves against the very tippy top of our industry today? And that's a freaking Rollins. Which one of those men is going to look him in the eye and take the gold? Because that's what it's going to take. And as I said, if Seth somehow, some way weathers that storm at Clash in Paris and holds that gold over his head, I will be the first one to congratulate him, period.

[B]

Before we. Before we let you go, there's another group that has caused chaos, generally not on. On Raw, but over on smackdown. That was on your show tonight. What was solo? What were solo.

[D]

So, yeah, why is all this not sitting here?

[B]

Okay, right.

[D]

So I called the man, right? He brings up. Well, Sammy was on Smackdown last week. Yeah, we talked about Sammy being on smackdown last week.

[A]

All this is the one that put.

[D]

Him in a match.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

There's nothing to do with me. That's one Sami Zayn. I got the MFT here showing up unannounced, right? You tell me all this. Didn't know anything about it. He sure acted like he didn't.

[B]

I don't buy that.

[D]

Not one bit. So, no, I don't like surprises. I have enough chaos, as you said so eloquently earlier on Mondays. I don't need the mfts sticking their nose in here. And since then, oddly enough. Have I called all this back? He doesn't answer. I wonder why that is.

[C]

Oh, it's weird.

[A]

Is it weird?

[B]

It's strange. That is strange. I mean, it's a big incident involving his Superstars. It's strange that he wouldn't pick up the phone.

[D]

Yeah, Control, when was the last time you saw my RAW Superstars running a rough shot on somebody else's show? Don't answer that.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, I won't, I won't, I won't.

[C]

Even with all the chaos, though, you have on Ron raw, how thankful are you that you do not have to deal with Chelsea Green every single week?

[D]

You just. You are batting a thousand tonight. Megan.

[B]

Did you see.

[D]

Did you watch the program tonight? I know the answer is yes. It's rhetorical. I know you watched it. Then you bring up, literally, the. The name. Are you old enough to have gone to school when there were blackboards in the room?

[C]

Of course.

[B]

Chalkboards. Remember those?

[C]

Yes.

[D]

So you know the sound when the teacher perhaps would screech her fingernails across the chalkboard. Do you remember what that sounds like?

[C]

I do.

[D]

That's what you've just done to me.

[B]

Why'd you do that?

[D]

I need a drink, and I'm gonna go get one. Good night, and God bless.

[B]

Thank you, Adam Pierce. You're welcome. Yeah, you didn't have to ruin that again. You ruin all our interviews.

[C]

I was trying to put a positive spin. He was saying, you know how chaotic RAW is. I'm like, well, at least you don't have to deal with Chelsea Green.

[B]

Guys, we will get back to it momentarily, but I have got to tell you about Surf Shark vpn. You know, I'm on the Internet constantly, and I'm. I'm looking for stuff. I'm watching things, and I don't know how I could get it all done without Surf Shark. See, Surf Shark lets me look at all the content that I want to look at. No more geo blocking. This country, this city, this state, can have this show, but not that show. No more. I use my Surf Shark, and I get to watch what I want, when I want, where I want. I also have the confidence of online security and privacy, knowing that I'm not being tracked, I'm not being followed. I. I'm not being watched. I'm using my Internet for me, the way I want to use it. Surf Shark is unique in the sense that it lets you go on unlimited devices. My whole household is protected by Surf Shark. And when I say protected by Surf Shark, I also mean we use Surf Shark Search. Say that five times fast. Surf Shark Search is the innovative tool that lets you browse the web without being tracked and bombarded by ads. You can say goodbye to those pesky targeted ads and hello to a clean, private search experience. Listen, it's time to take control of your online security. Try Surfshark today and enjoy their 30 day money back guarantee. Secure your digital world. Now visit the link below and start surfing securely. Go to surf shark.com raw recap or use code RAW recap at checkout to get four extra months of Surf Shark vpn. I love summer. We're smack dab in the middle of it. And for me, there's nothing better in the summer than one of those long days at the beach that turns into an evening. You're at the bonfire, you're with your friend, you're having a beverage, you're telling stories, and you got that same outfit on that you were wearing all day in the sun. Now on that breezy evening. And you gotta look right, it's gotta fit right, but it's gotta feel good too. That's where Mack Welding comes in. Listen, Mack Weldon and their Tech linen line. It's unbelievable. Here's why. It's great because it fits perfectly, but it's also comfortable. I love the shorts, the, the polos. Oh, you wear these polos, you can wear them all day long. They actually look good all day long. The sweatpants are great to like wake up in the morning, make your bacon, egg and cheese in. It's, it's fantastic. It just feels like you're in your second skin. They're designed to fit your style and the demands of, of modern life. They look like regular clothes, but, but they feel the feel is just the height of modern comfort. For over 10 years, Mack Weldon has designed timeless, innovative menswear to help you move through the day with confidence. Even if you're just. Well, even if you're just hanging around in your underpants, you're still going to look great. You're still going to feel great. Why? Because of Mac Weldon. Get breathable clothes that you can feel comfortable in all summer. Go to Mac weldon.com and get 25% off your first order of $125 or more with promo code RAW recap. That's M A C K W-E-L--O-N.com promo code RAW RECAP. Were you satisfied with the, with the answers that we got from general manager Adam Pierce about that? And by the way, by the way, you became so pro hat all of a sudden like last week. You were not pro hat. You said chandelier. You said trampoline. You had a lot of very hilarious hat references last week. And then this week, all of a sudden, you were like, it was a very fashionable hat, and you owe him $12,000. Well, where did this come from?

[C]

You know what gets me every single Monday? What the thank God for the New Day Instagram post.

[B]

You like that?

[C]

I'm obsessed with.

[B]

Even though they're very rude on this show, they're, like, extremely rude. Not to me, I guess that's a good point.

[C]

Not to me. No. I love the thank God for the New Day. I loved Xavier Woods's post, and I. I guess I. I underestimated this new fashion trend.

[B]

It's not a trend. I haven't seen the hat on one other person. That's why we had to stop everything and talk about the hat last week.

[C]

Maybe the hipster. That's the people.

[B]

You think they're in Brooklyn wearing. Wearing $12,000 hats.

[C]

They definitely. People wearing $12,000 hats now. Hats that look like that, right? $12,000. Don't know.

[B]

I think it's $12,000 hats that are designed to look like $15 hats.

[C]

That's right.

[B]

But they actually cost $12,000. That's probably more accurate. But yeah, we did see. I mean, you know that they're all three of them now have this beef with Penta because I guess Pento disrespected the hat. So, I mean, the new day. Like what? I don't know what they're doing. The New Day have gone from mourning the tag team championship.

[C]

I think they're still mourning.

[B]

I think so too. But they've completely. I mean, they've lost focus because now they're going, you know what our real beef is with the guy who disrespected the hat. I hope they didn't see last week's show because they would hate. You know what? Both of us, you included, no matter how much you want to rewrite history, said about that hat. But I am glad you brought it up with. With Adam Pierce. And I noticed you didn't do any ball jokes because he seemed like he was not in a great mood.

[C]

I thought about the ball jokes, but then when I messed up, that friend, a friend of Enemy, you know, that I got off to a bad start. So I was like, you know, I'm going to. I'm going to save those ball jokes for another day because I could get a blonde joke.

[B]

That's true. He could hit you right back, and you're not ready for that. No, no, no, you can't. You can't handle that. Look, I mean, I do think that, you know, I don't know if being a general manager like Nick Aldis on Smackdown, he doesn't lead with emotion. He's almost got. There's almost a stoicism to Nick Aldis. There's almost something paternal about Nick Aldis. Whereas, like, you know, Adam Pierce is more of a, like, uncle who comes into town, like a whirlwind. You know what I mean? And I'm listening to both of them, like Uncle Buck. I don't know if it's Uncle Buck or maybe it's. It's the uncle from Christmas vacation who has. He's in the RV outside the house. Yeah. With the. With the hat and the robe on. You know, it's full. So I don't know. I don't know. But it's just two different styles of leading and. Yeah, I mean, it seems like. I mean, maybe Adam Pierce is just a far more emotional guy because he was emotional right there. But I do not believe that in any way, shape or form does. I think the match is being made because he does not want Seth Rollins to be the World Heavyweight Champion.

[C]

Yeah, it seemed like this was sort of payback, right?

[B]

He.

[C]

He's punishing Seth Rollins for lying and.

[B]

You go, are you punishing Seth for lying on the show? Are you punishing because he said, I've known Seth for 20 years. I've known. Are you punishing Seth for his behavior on the brand, or are you punishing because you were lying to me? Because that's totally personal.

[C]

Or is this about everybody else in the locker room?

[B]

And I wasn't going to bring it up because he seemed like he's a bad mood, but what you do in a fatal four way now is technically, yes, you've got Seth looking right down the barrel with no Champions advantage at three of the best in the industry. Two, Technically, two former World Heavyweight Champions. Even though Punk was only five minutes, he still counts. And one guy who fans have been waiting to have the World Heavyweight title on for. It feels like a year now. They've been asking to give LA Knight a run with this championship, and those are the three people that Seth Rollins is looking at. However, while there is no Champions advantage in a fatal four way, one of the reasons for that is because there's no disqualification in a fatal four way, which means Braun Breaker and Bronson Reed become huge assets to Seth Rollins in a match like this. And also it makes it so that when we start talking about, like, what could happen in this championship match at Clash in Paris, that has to be part of the conversation.

[C]

I mean, you can't have the conversation of Seth Rollins defending his title in a no DQ match without talking about Paul Heyman, without talking about Bron Bronze. You just can't, can't. You can't. But, you know, this is punishing Seth Rollins. Who do you think benefits from this? Because to me, it seems like L A Knight does.

[B]

Well, how so?

[C]

LA Knight had a World Heavyweight Championship match last week.

[B]

Right.

[C]

That he deserved because of what happened at Saturday night's main event.

[B]

He did deserve it. I also think it was made because Adam Pierce was mad at Seth Rollins, but he did not. It's not to say he didn't deserve the match, but the match was made in that moment because Anna Pierce is really mad at Seth Rollins.

[C]

Punk comes in, interferes in the match.

[B]

Ruins it for LA Knight.

[C]

Correct. We think there's.

[B]

Although Punk. And Punk saying, I was going to. That your head was going to get smashed in the concrete.

[C]

Not wrong.

[B]

You know what I mean? He probably wouldn't have won after that, but regardless, wouldn't have, couldn't have. These are all hypotheticals until they actually happen.

[C]

To me, though, it seemed like LA Knight wasn't going to get an opportunity for a little while.

[B]

I don't know. I mean, look, it's possible you're possibly right, but the argument amongst all of those guys, Jey uso, that kind of came out of nowhere. Jay uso wasn't even on. I didn't know that this was what he was after. Jay USO wasn't on Raw last week, and all of a sudden, like, LA Knight is patrolling this building. And maybe that's why you were like, oh, maybe because he's too worried about it. You think that he's the one who's most likely to lose his spot in line? Because that's what it was all about for two and a half hours. Louisiana. Knight going door to door across this locker room, making sure everybody knew that he was next in line. Except both Jay USO and CM Punk were like, no, no, I'm going to go next. I'm not going to. No, I'm not lining up behind you.

[C]

And when CM Punk and Jey USO say that, I.

[B]

So you're saying. You're saying. Because, Jay, why do you say that LA Knight would not have been successful in getting his spot at the top of the line? Because he's not a former champion Partially, yes, because he got his match most recently. So it's almost like, okay, well, we'll get back. We will get back to it.

[C]

He just had the match at Saturday night's main event. He just had the match at Monday Night Raw. Now, obviously, both of those endings.

[B]

Wonky car.

[C]

Correct. But he had two chances.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So at some point you say, I'm sorry, but you had two chances.

[B]

We'll get back to it.

[C]

That's right.

[B]

I understand this didn't go how you.

[C]

Wanted it to go, but there's many other people.

[B]

Except then, does LA Knight then turn around? Like, let's say they had gone. Now we're going into hypothetical lane. But let's say they do go. Okay, well, then CM Punk, you're going to get it. Does LA Knight go, Cool, I'm going to ruin that one then.

[C]

Probably.

[B]

Probably. Right?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And it was, you know, I mean, it's interesting because you said, when you're talking about with Adam Pierce, you said, I thought they might have a problem with each other, but apparently they don't because they get in the ring together. Right. And Ross starts first. Ross starts with the announcement about Naomi, which we'll. We'll get into, but that's still kind of a mystery. You know, Stephanie Vacair even made reference to it. And we don't know where that's going to go, but CM Punk gets in the ring and says he has a Seth Rollins problem. And, you know, to be fair, CM Punk has a pretty solid argument at going, like, yeah, I deserve, like, a legitimate World Heavyweight Championship match. I won that title at SummerSlam.

[C]

And CM Punk is really, if you really want to dive into it, he's had a Seth Rollins problem since he returned to WWE.

[B]

100%, he has.

[C]

I mean, Seth Rollins said long ago that he would make sure that CM Punk never holds a championship.

[B]

Maybe he meant for longer than five minutes.

[C]

Yeah. While he's in wwe. And then all of a sudden, he's holding the championship and here comes Seth Rollins.

[B]

That's true. But that's to say maybe, you know, not only did Seth call his shot and execute on it, but that money in the bank. I know everybody thought Seth had a knee injury, and everybody was like, well, Seth's not going to be here at SummerSlam. But there's not that many people who know the Money in the bank rules better than CM Punk.

[C]

That's true.

[B]

Twice. Yeah, twice. He was able to pull it off, but he didn't fake an injury to pull it off. So I guess that would be the difference. But he says he's going to get his title back, but then he's also going to break Seth's legs for real. That's what he says he's going to do. Now LA Knight interrupts. And I feel like, you know, LA Knight does shake CM Punk's hand. LA Knight does go face to face with CM Punk. And I've got to tell you, there's something very compelling about LA Knight and CM Punk together. I feel like there is a lot of CM Punk in LA Knight in terms of being that guy that maybe wasn't positioned to be top of the card guy the same way Punk wasn't positioned to be top of the card guy. But the fans reacted in a certain way, demanded things in a certain way, and he went out and proved through his performances that this is exactly whether. Whether you have me penciled in here or not, this is where I'm going to go. And so I think that there is a similarity there in the ascension of LA Knight now and CM Punk, you know, 10, 12 years ago.

[C]

I love that you're pointing that out, because I always thought the similarity was closer between Seth and CM Punk, but didn't draw it between LA Knight.

[B]

Yeah, I think so.

[C]

I like that.

[B]

Yeah. Cause I think that Seth was a. Because of his involvement in the Shield was a little bit more. Yeah, he's got the potential to be a main event guy, Whereas they didn't say that for CM Punk when he first.

[C]

Definitely didn't say it about LA Knight.

[B]

He didn't say it about LA Knight. He's going to be a manager. And he had to prove him wrong. And the audience had to. Had to say, hey, we agree with LA Knight on this one. That's what we want at the top. And he had to kind of fight for everything, the same way CM Punk had to fight for everything. They look different, they dress different, they sound different, they wrestle different. But the spirit, there's a similarity there. So that's why I find it very fascinating when you see these guys kind of head to head like this. And LA Knight is in there in deep waters, and I love that. I mean, that's the best when somebody goes, I deserve to be in this spot. And it's like, okay, let's see you in this spot then. And it's like it's a sink or swim. You're going mic for mic in the middle of the ring in Canada with a hot crowd. That crowd was electric all night. And you've got to go now, mic For Mike, with the best guy on that microphone, the guy who made the pipe, he named the pipe Bomb. It's like, you know, the same way Chris Rock coined the mic drop, CM Punk coined the pipe Bomb. And it's like, now you got to go face to face. Now you're in deep waters. You show me what you got. And if you can have the audience believing that you should be the one to get that World Heavyweight Championship match, then you've done it. That's the way wrestling works for me. You Know what I mean? And so. So I liked seeing that back and forth. I was surprised that L A Knight was not more aggressive with Punk, that he said, I don't want to have a problem.

[C]

He shook his hand, and he continued to say it throughout his exchange with Punk.

[B]

Right?

[C]

We don't have a problem.

[B]

We don't have a problem yet. We don't have a problem yet. You did this at the wrong place in the wrong time. And it's almost like coming off of Raw last week, I didn't think L A Knight would let Punk off with a warning, but at least he did at the beginning of the show, I think. I think there's a big difference between the beginning of the show and the end of the show. At the beginning of the show, he let Punk off with a warning, it felt like. But at the same time, I don't know, the Punk was taking his request seriously. You know, LA Knight was saying, like, look, I'm next in line, but don't worry, I'm going to beat Seth Rollins. You're going to get the first shot. And I don't think Punk was taking that seriously at all. Now, it didn't seem like LA Knight did say, there's levels to this and you're not on my level. Which I was like, that's a. That's a bold move. That's a bold strategy. Let's see if this. Let's see.

[C]

I mean, talking to CM Punk, of.

[B]

All people, I love that. I love that. And before we could really get to the bottom of it, of course, ladies and gentlemen. And Punk just goes, I wasn't finished. I wasn't done yet. Here comes. This is where Paul Heyman.

[C]

But we should also mention, though, in the exchange between LA Knight and CM Punk, a lot of talk about favors.

[B]

And I'm glad that Paul Heyman reference, that's the last person you want to talk to about favors, because CM Punk's favors will ruin your life. Because the end, by the end, you and I both reference this While we watch in the show. But, like, listening to Paul Heyman talk about what he's lost, he's standing right next to Bronson Reed and Bron Breaker.

[C]

Bronson Reed is wearing the Shula fala.

[B]

Right. Right. Which Kathy Kelly claims ownership of, being the first person to think of that. I don't think she was, but I don't think so. But she's mad that I won't say that she was, but I don't think she was. But. But maybe she was. I don't think so, but Bronson's now got both pairs of sneakers around his neck. He's having a great time. Bron Breaker is having a great time. And all of a sudden, Paul Heyman is talking about what he lost. Paul Heyman is talking about what CM Punk's favor because it goes back to War Games last year and the slow disintegration of the relationship between Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns, where Paul Heyman finally got to WrestleMania this year and felt that he only had one choice because he had lost everything else because of this favor that he owed CM Punk that he promised him at Survivor Series War Games. But the way he was talking about losing his tribal chief, losing years of his life, losing his career, it was almost like when you're hanging with your girlfriend, your wife, and she starts talking about how painful her breakup was right before you, and you're like, is that painful? You know what I mean? Like, you still kind of. You still kind of hurt by this. Did I know? Did I know how much this was affecting you? Still? I feel very uncomfortable with this.

[C]

I thought we were talking about the future of the industry. Right.

[B]

But you're okay now, right? Like, you're happy now? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[C]

I'm glad you made that decision. No regrets, right?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No regrets. No regrets. I was like, wait a sec. There's a little bit of a jilted lover in there.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, I mean, awfully bold, too, when big Bronson Reed with the Shula follow around his neck and Braun Breaker are standing right next to you.

[B]

But I do think that Bronson Reed, the satisfaction of stealing two pairs of sneakers from Roman Reigns has probably made him deaf to any sort of negativity or criticism. You know what I mean? Like, look at the positive energy, just radiant radiating off of Bronson Reed. He literally said, tonight, I'm not going. I'm going to keep stealing your shoes. Like, he told.

[C]

I was like, sam might have to, you know, like, give him some tips on collecting shoes. I mean, this entire basement that we're sitting in has boxes and boxes of shoes.

[B]

This is a professional studio. I mean, that might be over there, but you know, you're, you're not wrong. I'm going to have to send him.

[A]

Some of these boxes.

[B]

You are to store them because there's no way he's going to carry him around his neck. He said until Roman Reigns acknowledges him as the Tribal Thief, he's going to take. Keep taking. Roman Reigns sneakers.

[C]

I saw a lot of memes this week of him, Bronson Reed just in a massive shoe collection.

[B]

And they're not his.

[C]

No, no.

[B]

I mean, it's crazy the way it's all going down. Um, but yeah, I thought all that was interesting. Now, Paul Heyman, who this is where he calls himself the Adorable Oracle, which clearly Adam Pierce did not take kindly to, creates the tag match. And then Punk accepts the tag match. And then La Knight says, you can't speak for me, but I also except the tag match. And by the end of it. By the. By the end of it. And the announcement is now made that the four way match is happening at Clash in Paris by General manager Adam Pearce. That's when it's like, it's almost like Punk and La Knight don't have to pretend to like each other anymore.

[C]

Yeah, because I thought our business here is done, right.

[B]

I don't have to convince you that I'm next in line and you don't have to convince me that you're next in line. We're both next in line. Now I'm going to punch you in the face. And that's when they immediately went to blows. Now, I do think that it works in Seth's favor that in this case you've got a situation where the danger would be that the three all have this common enemy and the enemy of.

[C]

My enemy is my friend.

[B]

Nailed it. Nailed it, nailed it. Which is, by the way, what I said. But. But yeah, that you would think they go like, okay, let's take Seth out and then we'll figure things out. But I think there's so much animosity between these three already that there's no. That strategy is not going to work.

[C]

And I think they all want the World Heavyweight Championship so badly that they're unwilling to work together.

[B]

I think you're right. I think you're right. And look, maybe the reason that Bronson Bron Breaker was not, you know, terribly affected at Paul Heyman, who was being terribly affected, is because he got a new T shirt. Have you seen the New Braun Breaker T shirt.

[C]

I have not.

[B]

Badass Bron Breaker. Ooh, has a new authentic tee at WWE Shop and Fanatics available right now if you want to go. If you're going to celebrate Clash in Paris, if you're going to be at Raw in Philly next week, whatever you're going to do, if you just want to roll up and let your friends know who you who you support that New Braun Breaker, the Badass Braun Breaker shirt is available when you head to WWE Shop. Check out all the new Superstar Te's Logan Paul's humble T shirt is available right now. You got the Roman Reigns OTC1, you got the Stephanie Vacair La Primera. All of it available right now at WWE Shop and Fanatics.

[D]

The world is full of tours.

[B]

But.

[D]

You don't choose a Toyota truck to follow the beaten path. You choose it to find the places.

[B]

In between.

[D]

The detours, where each adventure pulls you toward the next. And wrong turns turn out right. So why would you ever take a tour when you could take a detour? Toyota trucks.

[B]

Very, very exciting stuff going on. But you know, very, very exciting stuff going on throughout the WWE right now. I'll tell you. Speaking of four way matches, speaking of, you know, multi person and getting along, I was fascinated by the chemistry between El Grande Americano and the King of the Luchadors, Dominic Mysterio. And the reason I was fascinated is not because it did. It doesn't surprise me that there's a great deal of respect from Grande Americano seeing, you know, the king of the luchadors, Dominic Mysterio. It does surprise me that these two are both part of this fatal four way match at Triple Mania, which is on Saturday. And, and that the Triple A Mega Championship is on the line. To see them completely on the same page on Monday Night Raw tonight was kind of, kind of startling.

[C]

And Dominic Mysterio once again outsmarting AJ Styles.

[B]

That's not that surprising. Shout out to Dominic Mysterio. I mean, he's a smart cookie. He's a big brain guy.

[C]

Wasn't smart, but I'm. We're talking about A.J.

[B]

Styles. A.J. styles is great. Dominic's a big brain guy.

[C]

Okay?

[B]

You know, AJ Styles is one of the best wrestlers of all time, but.

[C]

Not a big brain guy.

[B]

Dominic Mysterious is one of the smartest guys ever. Like he knows this business.

[C]

No disrespect to aj, not at all.

[B]

It's a. Dominic Mysterio is the greatest Mysterio of all time.

[C]

I was just checking, but yes, I'm with you, it was interesting to see these two on the same page. You know, Dominic, we've seen El Grande kind of lurking around a little bit. Near Dominic.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Near the Judgment Day.

[B]

Right, right.

[C]

Didn't know they were quite on that level.

[B]

No. As a matter of fact, the Judgment Day was kind of taken aback the Grande Americano was in their clubhouse at all. Yeah, they were kind of like, what are you bringing people in here for? Which, by the way, the same questions were asked when.

[C]

Yeah, I mean, Finn just brought Roxanne in.

[B]

Yeah, that's right. That's 100% right. But, you know, I think Finn had his reasons for doing that, and they were questioning Dom's. But listen, if Dom can bring the Triple A Mega Championship back into the Judgment Day clubhouse.

[C]

More gold, baby.

[B]

Not only is it more gold, that's a. That's a top level championship to have in there. That's massive. Massive.

[C]

And then Dominic would become a double champion.

[B]

A champ. Champ, Dominic, two belts. Are you ready for that? You've been hater of the century with this guy for so long. I mean, I don't know that day, going back to raw talk days. Hater of the century.

[C]

I don't think I'm a hater of Dom. I respect what he's done. It's when. It's just your adoration for him is a bit overwhelming at times.

[B]

Okay, okay. I can accept that. You know, I wear my heart on my sleeve. Me and Anna Pierce were emotional guys, but honestly, like, most of the stuff that I've said about Dom has ended up being true.

[C]

You're wearing your Judgment Day flannel right now.

[B]

Oh, is this the same. Is this the same color as Judgment Day? I had no idea. Is this like when I wore yellow plaid to meet Alicia Silverstone? I had no idea. I had no idea that Alicia Silverstone would notice I was wearing yellow plaid. I didn't know that. You think. You think Judgment Day will see this? I had no idea. You wear purple and black also.

[C]

You bought that because it's Judgment Day colors.

[B]

Oh, I just noticed that it was. I had no idea. Oh, I'm so embarrassed. I'm so. Anyway, I guess we got to keep going with the pod. But I'm so embarrassed. I mean, based on. And I know, like, you know, you're.

[A]

You're.

[B]

You're just kind of starting to get into the Triple A world, you know, I think Mr. Iguana is the gateway for a lot of people.

[C]

I'm in.

[B]

But what do you think the odds are? I Think there's a pretty. Did you see when Dom showed up at aaa? Did you see the reaction that he got?

[C]

Was out of this world.

[B]

I mean, there's a real chance that he's going to be the Triple A Mega Champion by the time we get to RAW next week.

[C]

Yeah. I don't think.

[B]

Which is nuts.

[C]

It's not a long shot chance either.

[B]

It's not a long shot. It's. He's not in it. This isn't an ironic.

[C]

No thing.

[B]

This is like a real, like. Well, I mean, obviously Vikingo could retain here. Vikingo is one of the best in the world. Obviously, Dragon League could win this thing. Obviously. Grande Americano has been building his reputation across Lucha for decades at this point. I wonder if Chad Gable is going to be watching Triple Mania.

[C]

I'm sure he's going to be watching. He's a student of the game. I mean, you were talking about it. You guys probably traded.

[B]

Yeah, we probably. I mean, yeah, we've probably traded copies of very old versions of Triple Mania.

[C]

Yeah. So obviously he would be watching. I don't know why you said that with.

[B]

No, you're right.

[C]

You're 100 sarcasm.

[B]

100% right.

[C]

No, but really, I mean, all jokes aside about Dominic Mysterio, to watch his rise.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I mean, and now at the point where not only is he the intercontinental champion, even though he hasn't defended the title all that often. I'll give it to him. SummerSlam. Not long ago.

[B]

When he does defend it, he wins.

[C]

That's right. The fact that we're looking at a scenario where Dominic Mysterio could be a double champion.

[B]

Yeah. Do you think. When do we get to the point. Right. Where for the longest time, the conversation about Dominic Mysterio, and this is not like me doing my thing. This is a real question. When do we get to the point where the thing about Dominic Mysterio that was the hubris was ironic? The fact that he thought he was the best in the world. There was an irony to that. That irony, the. The ego and the hubris. I like that word. Has not gone away. Except the irony is slowly starting to slip away. Like, when do you get to the point where these things that he says about himself, you go, yeah, they might be obnoxious, but they're actually kind of true.

[C]

It's tough because one of his biggest claims is that he's the greatest Mysterio of all time.

[B]

Right.

[C]

And his father is Rey Mysterio.

[B]

But I don't tough.

[C]

And I'm not saying that Dominic can't get to that level.

[B]

Rey Mysterio never won the Triple A Mega Championship.

[C]

That's true. It is true.

[B]

Dominic has not won the WWE Championship.

[C]

You heard the crowd tonight. They were electric.

[B]

Dirty, dirty Dom.

[C]

Dirty, dirty Dom. We're watching it upstairs. Your son says, dad, is he a good guy?

[B]

And I go in this house, son, of course he's always been a good guy.

[C]

No, you said he's doing the same thing he's always done, but the crowd loves him.

[B]

That's 100% what I said. I'm teaching myself.

[C]

And that's exactly what's happened.

[B]

100%. Don't change anything. Let the crowd realize that you were right the whole time.

[C]

And I got a little nervous when Dom won the intercontinental championship at WrestleMania and everybody cheered because I loved when Dom could not speak into the mic because everybody was booing. And I got nervous that because everybody was cheering him, that something about Dominik Mysterio was going to change.

[B]

Right.

[C]

But nothing has changed about Dominic Mysterio. Our. Our reaction has changed. Yours has not.

[B]

Yours was mine. Yeah.

[C]

My reaction.

[B]

I'm glad I was a day one. And it is funny, though, when you. When you interact with him in person, you. You do find it. Still find it difficult to be supportive because he makes it tough for you.

[C]

I was just trying to ask him a question about A.J. styles.

[B]

I know, I know you were.

[C]

That's it.

[B]

How genius was it, though, that you're like, I wonder why he's wearing the mask today. Sometimes he wears it at the big, you know, ple matches. But why is he walking into Raw with that mask on? Boom. He's got all these tricks up his sleeve.

[C]

Always has a plan, Always all these.

[B]

Tricks up his sleeve. It's like he lies, he cheats, he steals. It's. I wonder where he got that from. Maybe it's genetic. Speaking of undeniable Jelly Roll. Undeniably great at SummerSlam, I think. Very, very impressive. We talked a little bit about this last week, fresh off of SummerSlam. Jelly Roll sign the pair of, you know, remember the match Sabrinas. Yeah, the Sabrina twos. And now Sabrina signed them as well as Jelly Roll. Thanks to fanatics, the leader in authentic memorabilia. You can bid on these one of one sneakers with proceeds going to both Sabrina and Jelly Rolls charities. So not only are you getting the sneakers that Jelly wore in his debut match at SummerSlam, but they're also signed and signed by Sabrina as well, which is massive. Just a massive collectible. You can click the link in the show notes for the, for the official auction. Bidding is open right now. It ends on August 15th. So bid now, bid early, bid often. This, I mean, you say one of one and that, that gets thrown around a lot, but this is like as much a one on one, a one of one collectible as you're ever going to get. It's a piece of, of, of basketball history. It's a piece of music history. It's a piece of WWE history. Match you Sneakers by Jelly Roll. So check those out. And Megan, we love the analysis here. And we've got another guest to help us out with the analysis. Let's bring in our next guest, of course, Megan. I'm talking about our favorite, the one, the only, Biggie is back. Biggie, how are we?

[A]

I am well. I am quite well, thank you for asking, Samuel.

[B]

Of course, of course. I, I'm glad that you're here because I would love your insight, your, your wisdom on something that I think Megan and I might be able to opine on and assume knowledge on. But only you out of the three of us would have firsthand knowledge of what is going on with this new Bailey that we saw on Raw. And I think that it's very interesting to me because there is in a very real way this idea that I think a lot of us as fans look at Bailey and go, well, when you get to a place that you've accomplished as much as Bailey, it's almost like, I don't want to say take for granted because that's a very negative way of saying it, but it's almost like we expect performers to be like, well, you've done it. So now you're on cruise control and you just get to be Bailey for the rest of your career. But you saw, and what I think was very real in terms of Bailey saying that she has very little to be proud of in what she's accomplished this year and that she feels lost. Is that something that you found surprising? Is that something that maybe more prevalent in performers than we realize?

[A]

Yeah, I definitely think this is something that a lot of us go through. It is very much a, what have you done for me lately? Business. And we, as we, as, as wrestlers, as superstars, you don't spend a lot of time thinking about your legacy. At least I didn't. It's always, how do I stay relevant? What's next? And when we talk about Bailey, so many of her accomplishments, we talk about what she did in nxt, we talk about what she did years ago, but honestly, her last six months or so. And a lot of this is no fault of her own, but being taken out of WrestleMania by Becky, losing that opportunity. And also, you know, in this division, we talk so much about the health and the strength of the women's division on the main roster in NXT as well. And it's just, man, it is seeing so many of these women rapidly cycle. Look, a year ago, we weren't talking about Stephanie. Now we're talking about her as one of the biggest names in the industry, and there's so many people who are. Who are moving up the ladder and getting title opportunities, and it's very easy to be forgotten about. And when you've done as much as Bailey has, I think oftentimes as fans, we talk about her resume, we talk about her legacy, but she's not someone who is willing to go quietly into that good night. She's not at that stage of her life or career where she just wants to coast or just be there. So seeing her kind of deal with this emotional turmoil, trying to figure out her place in her career and in the locker room, I thought was really interesting. I don't know which way this is going. I don't know what this direction this is going, but I'm intrigued and I'm definitely paying attention. Also, I don't know what it means. I don't know if it's anything but that kind of weird, mysterious laugh at the end.

[B]

The cackle. I'll call it a cackle. Can I go so far as to say cackle?

[A]

You know what, Sam? Yeah, Spot on.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

A cackle is perfect. I didn't know what to make of it. It didn't sound warm and gentle. It didn't remind me of the Bailey we typically know. I wasn't sure if it was her. I didn't know what it meant. But I'm really intrigued to say to see this evolution of Bailey, to see how this progresses, because I do think she is at a bit of a crossroads in her career. She hasn't held a major title in quite some time. Not being figured in. In WrestleMania, seeing so many of the women who have, you know, who are kind of a few years behind her, who are younger, seeing them flourish. She still has so much to give, so much to offer. She clearly. I loved her match with Lyra, the two out of three falls match. This woman clearly is not done. So let's not count her out. But I definitely think a lot of fans don't realize just one. A lot of us deal with this insecurity and this imposter syndrome. Is my time up? Is someone going to replace me? What's next for me? And I think Bailey's kind of ruminating on a lot of those thoughts right now.

[B]

And I wonder, too, because we've talked about this before, about the idea of this being the potential other side of the coin. When we talk about how stacked the women's division is, and we talked about that a little bit, too, with, like, Charlotte and Alexa Bliss and stuff like that. When you go, like, look at, you know, when NXT is going, we've got the best women's division in wrestling. And we're going like, yeah, look, you got this, you got that, you got this, you got that.

[A]

And.

[B]

And you wonder if some of the women that have been here for a minute and have defined what the division even is and what the standard of that division is, but are certainly not done by a long shot if they're sitting there going, like, cool. Yeah. No, no, no. All these new people are great, but, like, we're. We're here and we're not. It's not like we paved the road and now we're just done. We're paved. We're. We're still paving.

[C]

And it was interesting to hear Bailey talk about the role model, right? Because she was saying she didn't even really realize she was a role model. And we've seen her down in NXT a lot, like, working with some of the younger talent, and we've seen a lot of those talent level up because Bailey has been there helping them. One of them tonight had a match on Monday Night Raw. Roxanne Perez taking on Eos guy. And I don't know if we are giving this enough attention, but Roxanne Perez pick pinned Eosky. This is something that even Rhea Ripley has not done yet. So what did you make of Roxanne pinning?

[B]

Before you say anything, Biggie, I wanted to say that as far as that NXT talent goes, I wouldn't say they leveled up. I would say they evolved.

[C]

Oh, my gosh, Sam.

[B]

See what I did there? You see? I just didn't want to lose it. I didn't want to lose the. There was a pocket to get it in, huh?

[A]

You could go derailing us. Thank you.

[C]

Thank you so much. Now, let's talk about, in my opinion, the biggest accomplishment that any superstar had tonight on Monday Night. Rob.

[B]

Whoa.

[C]

We're not giving her enough attention. She pinned Eos guy. Even real.

[B]

I mean, there was help. Sure, there was help, but there was.

[C]

An asterisk still Has Rhea Ripley ever pendyo sky?

[B]

I didn't know this was throw shade at Rhea Ripley Day. Didn't really, I didn't check my calendar before we started.

[C]

Well, on my calendar it says celebrate Roxanne Perez day. So he Go ahead, take it away.

[A]

You're spot on. This woman is 23 years old.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

She is so young to have accomplished something that we, we talk about Rhea as I think she's a clear future hall of Famer. She's going to be considered one of the best to ever do it when her career is over. But this win for Roxanne is massively important. And wondering kind of what Roxanne's place is now that she doesn't hold the tag team titles with Raquel anymore. Kind of wonder, like, what is her direction? Where is she going here? Also wondering, like, what happens when Liv comes back. But Roxanne has made it very clear that her place in the Judgment Day doesn't define who she is as a wrestler. It doesn't define her career. I think with or without the Judgment Day, she's such an incredible talent and someone who is very hungry. It shows in the way she is in the ring and she has, she carries herself with a certain moxie and a presence where she doesn't look overwhelmed by the moment by any means. She doesn't look like someone who cowers in fear because she's in the ring with someone who is truly one of the best to do it, male or female in eo. And yeah, I, I, I think that Roxanne is going to continue to prove to people now she's picked up a lot of losses along the way, but when you're swimming with sharks, that's, that's, that's going to happen. But already has won titles on the main roster and beating IO is such a huge fight, feather in her cap. And I think it's just going to continue. Not that she was really suffering for confidence, but I think that's going to continue to build that momentum for her moving forward. But like, whether it comes with an asterisk or not, it's, it's a huge, massive win and something she can can brag about and build upon for, you know, months to come.

[B]

And I will say too, something that you said there that I really agree with and I think is like something to really point out with a Roxanne Perez is the idea of the moment never being too big. Like the idea that like, and look, I would imagine that this match did not come with a lot of advance notice. We all found out that Naomi was not medically cleared. And I can't tell you how much I hope that whatever's going on, she's medically cleared quickly and by next week, because, I mean, Naomi versus Stephanie Vacair is not something I'm really willing to give up right now. But the idea that Roxanne Perez even walks into that match and has. You could see it in the eyes. You could see it in the posture. You can see the fact that she. There's nothing about this moment that she feels, or at least appears to feel is too big for her. Any. Any. Anytime you've seen Roxanne Perez in these big spots, it's almost as if she knows, no, this is exactly where I'm supposed to be. And I think that that's not something you can. You can take for granted. I think that that's something that is very difficult for some people to achieve.

[A]

No, absolutely. And I also think that's because, look, this is not a shot. I was also an athlete who came in with no experience, so I don't want to take a shot at a lot of the locker room, like, you know, people like Tiffany and others who. Who kind of had to find a love for this a little bit later. But we're talking about someone who has been a lifelong fan of wwe, has been a lifelong fan of pro wrestling, someone who has wanted this for a long time, who started training as a teenager. This is in her blood. This is something that means so much to her. And I think because of that lifelong fandom, I think her passion for this is a huge reason. I think she's someone, I would imagine, who projected herself in this moment, being in the ring with these women years ago, well before she probably had a driver's license. You know, someone who has wanted this for. For quite some time. And I think because of that, because of that innate passion, I think she. She is just. She's arrived, and she arrived even before she actually got to this stage. I think she's someone who just realized, this is where I belong and this is where I want to be.

[C]

She. Pendyl. Do you guys think she deserves a title opportunity?

[B]

I mean, there's a lot of people arguing about title opportunities right now. And, I mean, Adam Pearce, Adam Pierce has a lot on his plate. I mean, does she deserve.

[C]

I mean, she pinned eo.

[B]

She pinned eo. Yes. I think that, like, she deserves to be looked at.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

You know, do I go, okay, next week, title opportunity for sure? No, I mean, like I said, Asterisks, lot going on. Kabuki warriors, the whole thing.

[D]

The whole thing.

[A]

It's interesting that you, you keep bringing up the asterisk, but you never do that with Dom.

[C]

I know, thank you for calling him out on that.

[A]

His wins are filled with asterisks all the time.

[B]

What when was filled with an asterisk? I mean, if anything, it seemed like at SummerSlam, AJ Styles was trying to cheat and like. And Dom had to do everything that he could to be like, I gotta, I gotta figure out something here. And then what? Because tonight he decides to uphold the traditions of Lucha libre in that match. I don't think that's cheating. I think that's cultural heritage if nothing else.

[A]

You're quite the way with words and spinning them.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Well done.

[B]

Thank you very, very much. Thank you very, very much. I appreciate that. I mean, we saw Becky Lynch.

[C]

Yeah, we did.

[B]

We saw Maxine Dupree speaking of somebody who had a big opportunity.

[C]

Sweet cheeks.

[B]

Sweet cheeks, as she was referred to last week. Maxine Dupree getting the match with Becky Lynch. And I'll tell you, I mean, I think that Maxine Dupree is one that people sleep on, but I think that Maxine Dupree is one that steps up to the plate when it's time to step up to the plate. I think that there were multiple. I very much enjoyed, I very much enjoyed the arm drag, you know, that came when Becky was holding the rope open and the takeover there. I thought that I liked that. Before we got the disarm her, we got some very close roll ups, you know what I mean? Just enough to keep it competitive. Of course Becky lynch ends up on top, but I mean, I thought it was a good, a good overall moment for Maxine still, even in defeat.

[A]

I agree. And, and I'd like to see more from Maxine. I think her growth has been really beautiful to see and. And she just has a likability that I think is very much undeniable. And I hope she gets more of these opportunities. I don't think we see her in the ring enough, but someone when I feel like every time we see her in the ring, you see the progress, you see someone who really has a passion for this. And obviously, you know, there are a lot of women who've been training 10, 20 years who are so far ahead of her, but it's clear that she wants to get better, it's clear she wants to improve. And look, there's still quite a ways to go for her. But I agree with you. I think she had a great showing tonight. She's in the ring with arguably. I don't know if there's much of an argument for being the greatest of all time. Becky will remind you, but Sports Illustrated names of all time. But, yeah, when you, when you're in the ring with one of the best to ever do it, it's. It's going to be an uphill challenge. But I think she impressed a lot of people and, And I would love to see her in the ring more often.

[C]

Hey, I love the social media interactions all week. I loved Becky at the beach with the beach towel getting ready. I liked Maxine prepping for the match. I listened to pro wrestling 24 7. I heard Natty talking about Becky giving Maxine this opportunity and, and really leveling up. But I, but I do have to say, I mean, Natty did disrespect Becky at the end of the match. And Natty, you know, she's lucky that, that Becky didn't take her Louboutins, because the man, when the man comes around, she takes what she wants.

[B]

Yeah, I'd be a little careful. I'd be a little careful. I think that ever since popping into a bloodsport ring, we've seen a different side of Natty. I'd be a little careful with Natalia at this moment.

[A]

Don't. Don't let Natty put on that black singlet problem. Yeah, you take those ropes off the ring is, I love bloodsport Natty. I want to. I would love to see that version in the ring with Becky as well. She showed an intensity that a lot of people didn't realize she had. And it's crazy to think someone who has been on the main roster for just about 20 years hasn't really missed much time at all in her career. She has been a consistent mainstay of this division and, and further, for her to still add wrinkles to her game and show different dimensions. And although we've seen a lot of that outside of wwe, I would love to see elements of that here as well. But, yeah, it's. I'm intrigued to see if things progress with Natty and with Becky.

[C]

I love the contrast. Right. We have bloodsport Natty, and then tonight we have Natalia wearing the Louboutin.

[B]

Yeah. And I was just going to say, yeah, wouldn't it be great if we got that match right? We have. It's Natalia versus Becky. And then all of a sudden, instead of, like, you know, the Heart foundation music kicking in, it was like the old, like, brawl for all music or something like that. And here comes, Here comes Natty instead of Natalia with the cornrows and the black singlet and everything. Oh, I would love it. And I think that there is, I think that there is a place for it and I think that there's such a. There's an inherent respect for Natty slash Natalia. I think fans would really get a kick out of that sort of ass kicking version of Natty.

[C]

And Becky would still tell her that she's the goat.

[B]

Becky would probably think that of herself. I believe that that's true.

[A]

But I need, I need, I need Natty cussing too.

[B]

Oh yeah. What do you think of this? Speaking of absolute savagery, what do you think of the, of the, of the. The absolute, I mean, despicable nature of Bronson Reed walking around with a shoe collection around his neck?

[A]

Look, I mean, to the victor goes the spoils. And if the man is able to rip the shoes off of Roman Reigns, I say, why not? I think as soon as I heard Shula Falla, I was in. That's all I needed. You have a catchy nickname and I'm in. But I think it also demonstrates that I think seeing Bronson Reed, I think when he first came on the main roster was clearly he was very talented. I also remember the matches with Braun Strowman. They were a lot of fun. Seeing his performance in that WarGames match, which unfortunately he got injured. I'm seeing someone who, I think there was a lot of. It felt like there was a lot of untapped potential with him when he first came up. But he's had big showing after big showing after big showing. And now being aligned with Paul Heyman, this is such a great opportunity to. For him to show like, I have no fear of anyone here on this roster. I'm not worried about being polite about, yes, sir, no, sir, waiting in line, waiting my turn. Any of those things I want to see from the Bronze, I want to see two people who aren't worried about seniority. They're not worried about any of those things. And I think the Shula Fala is evidence of that. They're not worried about decorum by any means. And that's very clear.

[B]

No, bro. He cut a whole promo about, I'm going to keep taking your shoes. I'm not going to stop taking the. You better show up in nothing but socks because anything you put on your feet is going home with me every time.

[A]

Yeah. Although I will say so, I'm not a sneaker head, but Kaz did say, apparently these are not top shelf shoes.

[B]

He's 100% right, Kaz. Nailed it. And I brought this up. I do wonder, and I've got a question. I would question Roman the same way if maybe there is some trepidation in Roman Reigns if he's showing up going, oh, Bronson Reed is here. Maybe I'll wear my Spizzikes this week. Maybe I'll wear my Mids this week. Cause he's not, you know, there's no Travis Scott's around Bronson's neck. There's no. Oh, there's not even any. These aren't OG ones around Bronson's neck. And by the way, Bronson knows that as well because Bronson is a sneaker head. He knows. And I almost feel like that that's, that's motivating him even further. Once I see you with some like, meh on your feet. I mean, when Roman wears it, everything shines. But once I see what's a Met, that's. That means, you know, I'm going to take him. And guess what? That means I'm taking them.

[C]

We'll know if the OTC start showing up in like Crocs or something. He's really scared.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So you're accusing Roman of purposely wearing his beaters because he knows that he's going to get jumped and get his shoes taken.

[B]

I'm saying, I'm saying that if I were wearing those sneakers and a bully took them from me, I could come home and say, I don't even care. Those weren't even my best ones. That would be me. That would not be the tribal chief. That would be me, though.

[A]

You might be onto something. As soon as I. We need. Okay. I need, we need like a sneaker watch. And someone needs to inform me when Roman is wearing some heat because now, now, now I'm paying attention. Like, what, What's. Yeah, right. Willing to let them go.

[B]

Yeah, like, oh, no, not the Concords. Not the concords. No. That's 100%. That's 100% right. And I'm, I'm anxious to see where this goes. I mean, I think the most offensive thing is even now saying I'm going to steal more shoes is like, this is now. I mean, it's almost. It moved from schoolyard bullying to like prison bullying. Like something has to be done here.

[A]

I mean, the one time is. I mean, that's, that's enough to. Twice.

[B]

Twice is tough.

[A]

Right? If there's a third time, I don't know how Roman Responds, I don't know. You come back from that.

[B]

No, no. I mean, if anybody could pull it off, it might be Roman Reigns.

[D]

But.

[B]

But I'm with you, man. I'm. I'm 100% with you. Well, Biggie, we always appreciate your insight here on all things pro wrestling as well as sneaker stealing. It's all very, very important and valuable to us and I can't wait to have you back on the show.

[A]

I appreciate it. Thank you guys for sure.

[B]

Thank you very much. Biggie and Megan, I do want to tell you.

[C]

Let's Hear it.

[B]

About Fanatics 1. Have you heard about Fanatics 1?

[C]

I have not heard this.

[B]

Fanatics 1 tell me. Oh, it's brand new. That's why you haven't heard about it. I'm introducing it. Fanatics One for all you give to the game. Now there's a loyalty program that'll give back to you. Yes, because being a fan deserves to be rewarded. Only Fanatics 1 members earn fan cash and all that and everything that comes with the fan cash, right? Exclusive apparel, iconic experiences, rewards tailored to your fandom. It's better than anyone else in the game. Join now on the Fanatics app and enjoy exclusive member benefits from day one. I'm talking free shipping and returns. I'm talking exclusive access to product drops and the ability to earn and redeem fan cash whenever you shop and play with Fanatics. So go over to that Fanatics app, sign up, be a member of Fanatics 1, because otherwise you and I don't have much to talk about. I. That literally is a prerequisite these days with relationships that I have. I go, what's your Fanatics1 username? They go, I don't have one. I go, well, we're done. Let me know when you do because we don't have a lot in common otherwise. That's where I'm at.

[C]

Cutthroat.

[B]

Well, you have to be. Society has made it that way and Fanatics One has done the same. Luckily, it's very easy to sign up, so it shouldn't be any trouble, I don't think.

[C]

Yeah, I think a lot of people are going to be signing up just so they can continue a friendship with you.

[B]

I mean, I don't know what other motivation that you could possibly have. We appreciate all you guys hanging out. If you're not already, make sure you're subscribed across all audio platforms. We're on Apple, we're on Spotify. Check out all the other great WWE and Fanatics original production podcast. Stephanie McMahon, Cody Rhodes, Undertaker, the whole Logan Paul even. And of course, if you're watching on YouTube, make sure you hit, like, make sure you leave a comment. Tell all your friends. Raw recap is the place to be. And we'll see you next week live in Philly. Maybe. Raw recap returns in a week. See? See you then.