CM Punk UNLEASHES another Pipe Bomb | Raw Recap

Summary

WWE Now – Raw Recap: “CM Punk UNLEASHES another Pipe Bomb”
Date: April 7, 2026
Hosts: Sam Roberts & Megan Morant
Guest: Big E

---

Episode Overview

This episode delivers an in-depth recap of a pivotal Monday Night Raw, less than two weeks before WrestleMania 42. Sam Roberts and Megan Morant break down the night’s biggest talking points, including CM Punk’s incendiary promo, the escalating tensions between major superstars, the intricate Paul Heyman-Gunther dynamic, and key storylines featuring Rhea Ripley, Obafemi, Brock Lesnar, and the women’s division. Big E joins to lend expert analysis, especially on the impending generational WrestleMania matchups.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The CM Punk “Pipe Bomb” Promo

• Setting the Stage (02:27–03:30)
  • CM Punk opens Raw with a trademark unscripted, emotionally-charged promo, addressing the crowd in Houston, a city with wrestling history he reveres.
  • “There’s just something different when CM Punk has something to get off his chest… When he sits down crisscross applesauce… you feel like something’s coming.” – Sam Roberts (03:10)
• Calling Out Roman Reigns & Nepotism (06:26–09:38)
  • Punk contrasts his self-made status with Roman’s legacy, invokes “old timers,” and explicitly calls Reigns a “plastic” champion.
  • “Punk obviously not a fan of the Nepo, baby… He was throwing that nepotism word around.” – Sam (08:51)
• Roman’s Struggle and Legacy (10:51–12:44)
  • The hosts discuss the validity of Punk’s point but also acknowledge the unique pressures Reigns faced as WWE’s chosen one.
  • “There’s a struggle in that as well. From Roman Reigns to go from being booed while being the chosen one to finding his way to becoming the tribal chief.” – Megan (11:29)
• Taking Shots at The Rock, Pat McAfee, and WWE’s Reality (13:25–18:23)
  • Punk targets The Rock and Pat McAfee. He blurs lines between reality and kayfabe, especially when confronting McAfee for disparaging the current product.
  • “He started bringing up business the same way Pat was bringing up business that felt like the type of business that maybe you don’t bring up as part of a storyline. CM Punk said, okay, if that’s the game we’re gonna play, then I’ll play that game too.” – Sam (16:23)
  • “When CM Punk has a live mic in his hand, there’s always part of you that goes, what’s he gonna do?” – Megan (18:11)

2. WrestleMania 42: Stories at a Boil

• Raw/Smackdown Main Event Competition (03:58–05:59)
  • The hosts reflect on the shifting focus between Smackdown’s WWE Title match and Raw’s World Heavyweight Title, and how Punk is “pulling the conversation back to him.”
  • “There was a competition about which main event of WrestleMania was going to dominate the conversation…” – Sam (03:58)
• Roman Reigns Record & WWE’s Growth (19:17–21:17)
  • Sam and Megan highlight Roman’s unprecedented 11 WrestleMania main events and note his contributions to WWE’s massive business growth, linking it to the Bloodline storyline’s success.

3. Women’s Division: Rhea Ripley, Jade Cargill & Betrayals

• Alliances Shift, Emotions Run High (23:45–27:01)
  • Recap of the tag team match with Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, B-Fab, Meechin, and Jade Cargill.
  • Pry into the emotional stakes for Rhea Ripley, suggesting she needs to “leave all friends behind” and summon the “Eradicator” to reclaim the championship at WrestleMania.
  • “Jade is in Rhea’s kitchen right now. Okay. Jade is in there and figured out that Rhea has this weakness. We don’t want sweetheart Rhea Ripley. We need the Eradicator.” – Sam (26:46)

4. Gunther, Seth Rollins & the Paul Heyman Factor

• Contract Signing & Heyman’s Risky Play (27:19–36:00)
  • Seth Rollins returns, seeking to “kill the Vision” and reclaim the World Heavyweight Title. Confrontation with Gunther after Gunther’s attack last week.
  • Intrigue around Gunther possibly leveraging Paul Heyman, reminiscent of Heyman’s historic alliances.
  • “For the first time… I look at the way Gunther looks at Paul Heyman, and for the first time, you’ve got somebody that has the ability to be in complete control of what is a lethal weapon in the brain of Paul Heyman.” – Sam (34:02)

5. Obafemi vs Brock Lesnar: Generational Collision

• Big E’s Perspective on Oba’s Meteoric Rise (43:27–54:56)
  • Big E admires the crowd’s embrace of Obafemi and forecasts him as WWE’s next breakout star, comparing his rise to Brock Lesnar’s 2002 ascension.
  • “He’s not lost in the moment. He’s not intimidated by it… Obafemi has that awareness of not letting one single minuscule moment go to waste.” – Sam (46:05, 47:52)
  • “He has hit every single beat… I can’t think of the last time I ever saw that, if ever. It feels very 50/50 right now, but it might be 51/49 Obafemi.” – Big E (43:53)
• Stakes for the Future (50:40–52:41)
  • If Obafemi wins or even hangs evenly with Lesnar, “do we see a guy who is indeed going to be a world champion… Not down the line, but very, very soon?” – Big E (50:41)

6. Other Key Segments

• Pat McAfee’s Comments Stir Debates (56:35–60:53)
  • Discussion about McAfee criticizing current wrestling. Big E respects his platform but empathizes with Punk’s defensive reaction as someone who “bled for this.”
  • “So many of us… have bled and who have given their all for this, who love this more than anything…” – Big E (59:28)
• Finn Balor’s “Demon” Returns? (60:55–64:47)
  • The panel anticipates a return of Demon Finn for WrestleMania, with Big E warning: “Demon Finn going to do something real terrible to that man [Dominik Mysterio].” (61:51)
  • Commentary on Judgment Day’s internal drama, Roxanne Perez’s injury scare.
• AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch: Generational Respect, Not Rivalry (66:03–71:17)
  • Subtle, simmering confrontation between AJ Lee and Becky Lynch, with AJ’s “I’m proud of you” perceived as patronizing.
  • “It’s a pet peeve of mine… when people who I don’t feel like are in a position to tell me they’re proud of me…” – Sam (66:22, 71:40)
  • Big E recognizes AJ Lee as a “foremother” of the division who broke ground for the likes of Becky Lynch.
  • “I loved how much this thing was kind of simmering right under the skin… This thing, I think, has really taken an interesting turn.” – Big E (67:59–69:31)

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• CM Punk on Nepotism: “Roman was hand delivered the tools that CM Punk had to earn.” – Sam (09:23)
• Sam on wrestling’s real vs. storyline blur: “We’re back at another WrestleMania where we don’t know what is entertainment and what is real life.” (14:19)
• Big E on Obafemi: “He has not blinked whatsoever… He’s not a sloppy brawler… He’s the guy right now… Don’t be surprised if this man is a world champion before 2026 is over.” (48:32–50:40)
• On AJ Lee and Becky Lynch: “In many ways, is a… foremother of the women’s revolution… she was here in WWE beforehand.” – Big E (67:59)
• On being told “I’m proud of you”: “It’s a little condescending … It really is a major pet peeve of Sam’s to be told I’m proud of you.” – Megan (71:35)
• Big E (joke): “If Oba does what I think he’s capable of doing, I will be incontinent.” (54:41)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:30 — CM Punk begins his promo in Houston
• 08:51 — Punk takes a direct shot at Roman’s legacy: “Plastic”
• 13:25 — Punk calls out The Rock and Pat McAfee
• 16:23 — Hosts debate “business” and realism in wrestling storylines
• 27:30 — Seth Rollins returns, confronts Gunther, Heyman entanglement
• 34:02 — Analysis of Gunther potentially controlling Paul Heyman
• 43:27 — Big E analyzes Obafemi vs. Lesnar
• 50:40 — Stakes of Obafemi’s match for WWE’s future
• 56:35 — Reactions to Pat McAfee’s comments
• 66:03 — AJ Lee tells Becky Lynch “I’m proud of you,” sparks heated discussion
• 67:59 — Big E’s reflection on the quiet emotional intensity between AJ and Becky

---

Engaging Summary & Flow

The panel expertly walks through the night’s unforgettable moments, especially the boundary-pushing CM Punk promo, giving new context to the real-life emotions that bleed into WWE’s stories at WrestleMania. Insightful analogies and personal reflections make the breakdown feel both analytical and passionate, with Big E’s contributions deepening the analysis around rising stars like Obafemi and the women’s division’s genesis. The playful banter (especially about Sam’s pet peeves) and controversial media comments reinforce the sense of authenticity and fun that make “WWE Now” an essential listen in the road to WrestleMania.

---

Summary prepared for those who missed the episode or want to relive its biggest insights and moments.

Transcript

[A]

When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery so you can keep your facility stocked, safe, and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[B]

If you work in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need all in one place, from H Vac and plumbing supplies to lighting and more. And all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock. So your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-granger. Visit granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[C]

CM Punk gets his hands on a microphone and leaves the whole world talking again. We try to get some clarification on why Gunther attacked Seth Rollins. Ishowspeed is going to WrestleMania. More from Becky lynch and AJ Lee. Oh, and Brock Lesnar and Obafemi almost tear down an entire arena. This is the Raw recap on WWE now at WWE and fanatics. Original production. Oh, Megan. Less than two weeks away somehow, if you can believe that, from the show of shows, WrestleMania 42. And here we are with so much happening all at once. Can you believe we're here?

[D]

I can't. I can't. We have one more Raw before Wrestlemania. That's it. That's it.

[E]

Wow.

[C]

And on some levels, it's like you can't believe that there's only one more Raw until Wrestlemania. But on in other ways, what are they gonna do with another RAW before WrestleMania? With everything already kind of at that boiling point, how are they going to contain this for another week, especially when

[D]

it comes to people like Obafemi and Brock Lesnar? All of Houston couldn't contain those two men.

[C]

They don't even have a contract. They have a graphic for the match, but they have no contract. We'll get there. But in terms of. Of. Of containing superstars that are going to be on WrestleMania. I think that the WWE, they, they gambled, and it's fitting that WrestleMania is going to go to Las Vegas once again because they rolled the dice tonight and they said, cm Punk, how would you like a live microphone? And CM Punk said, well, I'd love a live microphone.

[D]

He said, bet, bet.

[C]

That's exactly what he said.

[D]

That's right.

[C]

In honor of WrestleMania Las Vegas. And he shows up there with no Roman Reigns in the house and decided to let everybody know exactly what was on his mind. And Megan, there's just something different when CM Punk has something to get off his chest, sometimes more than one thing. When he starts by sitting crisscross applesauce in the middle of that ring, holding that mic, you feel like something's coming.

[D]

You know you're in for something special, right?

[C]

Absolutely.

[D]

I mean, especially the way that all of wrestling fans have been talking over the weekend. You knew that CM Punk was going to address Roman Reigns, but was there any thought of from you? Like, is he gonna go there tonight?

[C]

Go there, go there? You mean go to the place that he went to?

[D]

That's right.

[C]

So, no, there wasn't necessarily a place of that. But I was thinking, like, with everything the, the. The whole wrestling world is talking about Pat McAfee.

[D]

That's right.

[C]

And his involvement in Cody Rhods and Randy Orton. Not all of it in the most glowing of terms, sure. But a big part of it for me is like from the beginning and we had these conversations here on this show that there was a competition about which main event of WrestleMania was going to dominate the conversation between the SmackDown WWE Championship match and the Raw World Heavyweight title match. And that story really started to be told the Monday after the Royal Rumble.

[D]

Yeah, and it sort of ping pong back and forth because right after the Royal Rumble, when Roman said I hate you and you know, things like the podcast were brought up and we thought, how could any other rivalry top this

[C]

going into WrestleMania also, they specifically said, we are on the biggest show. Netflix is the biggest platform. Monday Night Raw is the biggest show. CM Punk is the most important champion.

[D]

They disrespected Drew McIntyre, who at the time was the WWE Champion, and in

[C]

turn disrespected smackdown and the WWE title itself. And I feel like from that point on, it's been about who holds that conversation. And again, whether it was good or bad, the WWE Championship match held the conversation all weekend. So did I think it would be directly addressed? I wasn't sure. Especially from CM Punk, who's not involved in Pat McAfee or Cody or Randy. But I did think that there was gonna be something on CM Punk's chest that he had to get off and that CM Punk knew that he had to take control of the narrative, that he had to take control of the conversation. That's something CM Punk has always been very good about. Is bringing the conversation back to him and reminding fans why they care about the story that he is telling. So I thought that that would be a big part of it. And I thought that's what we got at least in the, in the first, you know, first two parts of this three part promo.

[D]

Yeah. He sits down and he talks about how Houston is a wrestling town.

[C]

Right.

[D]

And how there's been so many moments that have been made in Houston.

[C]

Shout out to Paul Bosch.

[D]

That's right. And so many moments that maybe were supposed to be made in Houston but weren't made in Houston. And he talked, he starts talking about all of the great, the best to ever do it. And he talks how, you know, he has dreams about what the old timers would say or do.

[C]

So he's establishing this like foundation of wrestling and pride in the wrestling business and the history of the wrestling industry. And you know, I mean, part of that thing, part of the thing with these, with the old timers was that in order to be at the top of the industry and to stay at the top, you had to be the type of person that CM Punk was describing himself as. The type of person that was able to be self made, the type of person that would fight for it. The type of person who sharpened their tools through all the experiences that they had to go through. And maybe a lot of it was spite and maybe a lot of it was done because they had no other choice to do it. But however they got there, they got there. The sacrifices, the sacrifices that were made, 100%, but that's how CM Punk is, is, is, is talking about what makes Punk Punk and what, what builds that connection. And the fact that, you know, interestingly enough, a lot of superstars, when CM Punk came back, voiced their displeasure for CM Punk because of the fact that for 10 years they were trying to tell the stories that they were trying to tell, but they were still hearing CM Punk, CM Punk. And now we have CM Punk on Monday Night Raw who is feeling the effects of Roman Reigns not being there. And. But CM Punk's type of guy that's going to be vocal about it. Yeah, CM Punk's the type of guy that's going to tell you. And now you're booing me because Roman didn't come to work because Roman's not here. And then CM Punk starts talking about his own career that he's having in the entertainment industry. The movies, the TV show, but you

[D]

can still show up to work.

[C]

Well, that's what he says. That's what he says. He doesn't use it as an excuse. He doesn't use it. Now, Roman has made it clear, he said on this road to WrestleMania that it's not just about having other jobs. It's about the fact that he's a full time husband, he's a full time father, and nothing's going to get in the way of that.

[D]

Well, and because he paid his dues, because he wants to be there for his family and the way that maybe his family wasn't there for him when

[C]

he was growing up, he felt that, yes, coming from a generational family, but again, you bring up that generational family

[D]

and Punk had a lot to say about that.

[C]

Well, Punk obviously not a fan of the Nepo, baby. No, you know, Punk obviously. I mean, throwing, throwing that nepotism word around. Yeah, that's a sensitive subject for somebody who maybe does have lineage in professional wrestling, but was still, is still undeniable. Roman Reigns is undeniable. I mean, go back to last week's show and the way I was talking about Roman Reigns. You all know how I feel about Roman Reigns, but I'm sure, I'm sure that the idea of bringing up nepotism is a sensitive topic to him because as hard as he had to fight, look, CM Punk starts talking about Roman as somebody who was hand delivered the tools that CM Punk had to earn.

[D]

Plastic. That's the word that he used.

[C]

And he said that they were plastic. And he said that Roman himself, himself was plastic. He said that's why Roman was on, you know, the Jimmy Fallon show.

[D]

Because he's safe.

[C]

Because he's safe. Which I don't think is accurate, but that's, that's the way CM Punk sees it. And I respect CM Punk's opinion on the matter, but I also think that, and I've made this point before, that there's not one way to do this thing and there's not one struggle. And the fact is that, yes, I mean, at a point when Roman Reigns is specifically taking pride in the fact that this will be his 11th WrestleMania main event, it's more than Hogan, okay? Nobody's done that. You can't get there by mistake for CM Punk to go. Yeah, but the first eight of them were Kaka. It's like, first of all, I don't know if it was eight. Eight is a little bit of a high number. And I understand that there were growing pains in there. But I also think that as much as being that self made guy is a struggle and being the guy who gets to the top Even though he was never, never positioned to be the guy to get to the top, never was the chosen one by anybody, the fact that he gets there, that's a struggle. But there's another struggle where there's a vision that a company has for you and they're pushing you to get to the top under this vision, and it's not you.

[D]

I mean, Sam, you were one of the fans who was in the stands who was booing.

[C]

Booing. You don't understand how inauthentic the whole thing felt. I was there booing Roman Reigns the same level that I cheer him now.

[D]

I mean, and there's a struggle in that as well. From Roman Reigns to go from being booed while being the chosen one to finding his way to becoming the tribal chief. I struggle in that.

[C]

If somebody comes to you, and I think Jade Cargill was bringing up this point on the Joe Budden podcast. If somebody comes to you and offers you the world before you're ready for it, what are you gonna say? No. You say, no, thank you. If you're Roman reigns in 2016 and they go, we're gonna make you the guy, what are you gonna. No. Give it to somebody else? What. What industry are we in? Why would. No, no, no, no. Not me. Not me. No. Now you have to learn. With the biggest spotlight in the world on you, now you have to figure out how to cut a promo on the highest level while John Cena is in the ring with you, embarrassing you on live television because it happened.

[D]

And if you say no, that opportunity doesn't come back around.

[C]

Of course it doesn't.

[D]

It's gone and it's never coming back.

[C]

And the fact that even with all that and with all that baggage and with the fact that all of that was done in the most visible way, Roman was still able to become the Roman that he is now.

[D]

And that's a lot to overcome.

[C]

100%. That's. That's a different struggle. It's. To me, it's not as simple as one guy had to work hard and the other guy got everything handed to him. I see two very different struggles from two people who maybe don't relate to each other's struggles at all. And this is coming from somebody who's been a super fan of both guys throughout their careers. You know, I'm sure, you know, Roman doesn't want to be reminded of eating dog food.

[D]

No, I don't think he wants to be reminded that he sucked at football.

[C]

Well, I don't know if he sucked at football.

[D]

Well, Punk. Punk said to me that he sucked at football.

[C]

Yes, he did. He was pushing buttons. CM Punk was taking shots at everybody. He was taking shots at Roman Reigns. He's taking shots at the Rock. He was taking shots at everybody. Talking about, you know, comparing, you know, the Rock, acting like a Hollywood star. Roman walking around with his chest out and everything. He was in rare form, and I thought that he had kind of hit the pinnacle, and it felt like he had hit that sweet spot. There was even like an outline. Not like an outline, but like an outline where it's like, that's the line I'm gonna go out on.

[D]

I was ready for CM Punk's music to hit, and that's be it.

[C]

And then he goes, no, no, no, no, no. I haven't even lit this pipe bomb yet because Pat McAfee, I got something to say to you.

[D]

And he's out of the ring. And he looks straight at the camera, right? Walking towards the camera.

[C]

And again, this is when you get into what is entertainment and what is real life. And we're back at another WrestleMania where we don't know. No idea what is entertainment and what is real life. We were just getting over the fact that CM Punk said that Roman Reigns ate dog food for a weird old man. And I'm already like, what? Did he.

[E]

What?

[C]

Okay, let me process this. And then he starts talking about Pat McAfee. And look, I'm glad that he did, because as a wrestling fan, I love Pat. As a wrestling fan, the reason we do this show, this show, the recap, is because we enjoy watching the product.

[D]

That's right.

[C]

If I didn't like watching the product, if you didn't like watching the product, we couldn't do this show.

[D]

No. We would have no show to do.

[C]

Right. Because we wouldn't have this kind of emotion over it. So when somebody who is from the outside, even though he's been a commentator, even though he's been in NXT, even though he's been. He's at a WrestleMania match. He had two WrestleMania matches.

[D]

When he says the product sucks, I

[C]

go, no, it doesn't.

[D]

Dude, are you watching? Come on.

[C]

I don't think so. I don't think so. You know, everything needs to change. No, it doesn't.

[E]

It doesn't.

[C]

You know, and I'm sitting there going, like. He's going, you know, we need to bring it back to the attitude era. And guess what? The whole point of the attitude era was doing new things. Nobody in the attitude era was saying, you know what? We need to do. We need to do what we did 20 years ago, 30 years ago, it was, we need to get away from what happened before and do new, which is the antithesis of showing up in 2026 and saying, like, no, we need to make this, like, 97. No, we don't. That's real Boomer stuff. We don't need to do it.

[D]

And it stung even more, because up until this point, you know, Pat McAfee, whether he's on his ESPN show or he's doing commentary with Michael Cole or he's entering the Royal Rumble or He has his WrestleMania match at WrestleMania 38, Pac McAfee is cool. So when Pat McAfee says, this sucks, right?

[C]

And I think. And listen, he didn't say, I don't like Cody. He didn't say, I don't like that person. He said, it's the business. And so somebody like CM Punk, who clearly, you know, isn't tethered to anything, is going to be the one to say, hey, that's my business. I'm one of the top guys right now, okay? I'm one of the ones guiding this product. So I'm gonna take that personally. I'm gonna take that as you talking about me. And he said, straight up, you've got a receipt coming. And it felt like he took it personally. And he started bringing up business the same way Pat was bringing up business that felt like the type of business that maybe you don't bring up as part of a storyline. CM Punk said, okay, if that's the game we're gonna play, then I'll play that game too. And. And CM Punk's real good at playing that game. And he did it again, and it. And it left people going, oh, and you feel those. Those feelings of, I don't know where real life ends and the show begins, or the show ends and real life begins, and maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's the fact that, like, hey, dude, like, it's WrestleMania season and you're not gonna come and disrupt while we're doing what we've been doing for months and months and months to build up to it. I mean, you saw the fans in the audience that. I don't think anybody. Because you asked me at the beginning did I think that CM Punk was gonna go there? I don't think anybody thought CM Punk was gonna go there to where he took it.

[D]

Yeah, I was wondering if he was going to bring up Pat McAfee, but I didn't think he was gonna take it as far as to bring up the type of business that he brought up.

[C]

Exactly. I mean, it was a Wild wildlaw

[D]

was on the floor. But again, I mean, CM Punk said it at the beginning, like, roman Reigns is on Jimmy Fallon because he's safe. When CM Punk has a live mic in his hand, there's always part of you that goes, what's he gonna do?

[C]

Yeah. And this is why. And every now and then, look. And that's enough. Usually the he might do something, what's he gonna do? That energy is enough. But every now and then he's got to do a thing and it makes you go. That's why we worry about it. Yeah, that's why. That's it. That's why this is. We're worried that this is going to happen. And tonight was one of those nights where we got the this is going to happen. Because, I mean, now it's like between Cody and Punk executives that go far beyond WWE getting heavily referenced on television. And I'm going, like, what kind of civil war is happening on my television set right now? And what is. And then it does lead you to what is the story that we're getting going into this WrestleMania? Because it's gotten over the, like, four days.

[D]

Because it's so much deeper than.

[C]

It's gotten insane.

[D]

Yeah, it's so much deeper than Cody, Randy and Punk Roman.

[C]

And then you start reading, you know, all the. All the. All the reports on the Internet, maybe this is happening. Maybe that's happening. And here's this rumor, and here's what I heard, and I can only imagine as we're taping this show that the rumor mill is just on fire again and again and again. And like, you know, I almost wonder, like, when Roman comes back next week on Raw, what does he tackle first? Because who cherishes this business more than Roman Reigns? Who takes pride in this business more than Roman Reigns?

[D]

Roman Reigns and his family.

[C]

Right, right, right. At the same time, I think Punk trying to discredit Roman Reigns and what he's done is first order of business, right? Absolutely. Because regardless of how you feel about the product, from the stance of where we're at, Roman Reigns has been very public over the fact that WWE has been a part of some un. Unprecedented business moves in the last, you know, two, three years.

[D]

And Roman Reigns feels that he is in large part responsible for taking WWE to the heights that it's at now.

[C]

And if you're talking about the creative, if you're talking about the stories and the storytelling and the big matches and the attractions. It's hard to argue that the bloodline didn't have a tremendous amount to do with it. I mean, it's hard to argue that storytelling, you know, wasn't forever changed by the level of storytelling that went on during that whole three and a half year bloodline arc.

[D]

But then I do remember that interview that Roman Reigns did on Pat McAfee's show before the Royal Rumble and it was tense.

[C]

It was tense. And it's only gotten more tense.

[D]

Oh boy.

[C]

It's a wild, wild time.

[D]

But look, I'm gonna watch that interview back.

[C]

I'm gonna watch that. I'm gonna watch that CM Punk promo about four times.

[D]

You have to.

[C]

Tonight. Yes, tonight. Because there were words in there. Words on words on words. But I know that Roman Reigns values the fact that he has main evented WrestleMania as of weekend after next 11 times. Because as of WrestleMania 42, Roman Reigns holds the record for participating in the most WrestleMania main events with an astounding 11. You can now acknowledge an unprecedented achievement befitting the one and only OTC by grabbing this Roman Reigns 11 WrestleMania main events T shirt now at WWE Shop and Fanatics. And I don't know if you saw they got Oola Fallas now they got ula falas.

[D]

You can buy them at WWE Shop.

[C]

Yes, yes, but I do think.

[E]

I don't.

[C]

They're not going to check. But really, families should only get one Ulafawa because there has to only.

[D]

Is that how the Roberts family is gonna operate?

[C]

There'll be one tribal chief. Okay. And I will wear that ulafalla until my son is able to physically remove it from me. Okay. Cuz I'm the one who puts food on the Roberts table. So I will be wearing the Robert's Ulafala. And right now he's nine. So I think I got at least three years. Yes, at least three years before he's coming for it. Okay. And it's gonna be a good three years. We're gonna prosper. Okay? I will also tell you that the you can showcase the intensity and dominance of Rhea Ripley, the eradicator, one of WWE's most electrifying superstars and a former two time women's world champion. With all of Ria's new arrivals shop her new collection now at WWE Shop and Fanatics. The perfect gear you want heading into WrestleMania weekend where she is going to be facing Jade Cargill for the WWE Women's Championship.

[B]

If you work in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Granger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need all in one place, from H VAC and plumbing supplies to lighting and more. And all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock. So your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRAINGER visit grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[C]

Which we did see unfold a little bit tonight. We saw it was EO and Ria versus B. Fab and Meechen, who out of the blue, I mean, these two,

[D]

they hated Jade Cargill. Hated her for months and months and months. And then all of a sudden, a couple weeks ago on smackdown, it looked like they were coming after Jade Cargill and nope, siding with Jade.

[C]

It was a very if you can't beat him, join them moment. And kind of smart, really. Like, it's like you do get to a point where it's like, Jade's not going down.

[D]

No.

[C]

So it's like if she's in the position where she's going to be like, okay, what if. What if you guys get my back? Yeah. If you're smart, if you're not thinking emotionally, you're going to take that deal.

[D]

And this is Rio Ripley we're talking about.

[C]

Right? Right. So Rio's got friends.

[D]

Jay didn't have many until B Fab and Meachin showed up.

[C]

And it's paid off because even though Rio wins the match tonight and that I it was IO who got the pin. IO was in the ring alone in that moment. And while she was in the ring, Jay Cargill comes in, she starts getting a beat down. Then B. Fab and Meechen hold Rhea back and force her to watch as Jade Cargill takes that kindo stick and gives Iyo Sky a beating right in front of her friend Rhea Ripley.

[D]

And this is emotional for Rhea Ripley because we know how much that IYO sky means to her.

[C]

Of course.

[D]

I mean, she's been wearing a necklace that says IYO on it. She's been always bringing up IYO and how much IYO means to her and how much them as a tag team meant to her.

[C]

I mean, listen, I think this has got to be a no friends Rhea Ripley going into Wrestlemania. I think this is a Ria. Listen, Ria should be at the top of this division. That's her place. There's no denying it. When Ria comes to the ring, it's like there's something different going on here. It could be a multi person match. She gets her own Entrance. And it's like, there's Rhea bloody Ripley.

[D]

Yep.

[C]

The whole mood has changed. To borrow a phrase from a former superstar himself, Rhea Ripley shows up. And it's just a different scene. It's a different energy. It's a different vibe. But that only happens when she's just there fighting for Rhea Ripley. Eos Guy is going to be able to take care of Eos Guy in her own time. And we know this to be a fact because Last year at WrestleMania, Iyo, sky took the women's championship from Rhea Ripley on the road there. Iyo's going to be fine.

[D]

And then she defended her title at WrestleMania.

[C]

And by the way, Ria hasn't seen a single championship since then.

[D]

Nope.

[C]

Ria's got to leave all this behind

[D]

because right now, all friends behind. She's got to leave all emotions behind. She's got to focus on getting that

[C]

title back because Jade. Let me just. Jade is in Ria's kitchen right now. Okay. Jade is. Jade is in there and figured out that Ria has this weakness. We don't want sweetheart Rhea Ripley. Rhea Ripley can be a sweetheart.

[D]

We need the Eradicator.

[C]

Eradicator. Eradicator. And hopefully that gets awakened now. I do. Before we get in to a contract signing that was meant to be a contract signing, but did not turn out to be a contract signing.

[D]

No. There was no pens put to paper tonight at all.

[C]

Paul Heyman had another busy night on Monday Night Raw. Before that contract signing started, we had Seth freaking Rollins hit the ring.

[D]

Coming out to the ring looking like John Wick.

[C]

Of course he did, because he's seeking revenge.

[D]

He's got that trench coat on, tie.

[C]

Oh, yeah. Looking like a million bucks.

[D]

No fancy boots.

[C]

Nope. And did you notice, we always paid attention that the Tron behind him would change colors based on whatever outfit that he was wearing. Black and silver. I would even call it black and gunmetal. Like it's all business, just strictly revenge. And Seth Rollins set it up. First of all, he had a different level of excitement.

[D]

Yeah. I didn't realize it's been like six months since he made an entrance like that, where everybody sang a song in that way.

[C]

And since he's been cleared.

[D]

Yes.

[C]

We found out last week he was cleared. I think that's where all that energy came from. That now it's real that Seth Rollins is cleared for competition. We found out last week when he hit Paul Heyman with the chair and it was snatched out of the ring by Gunther. But Seth Rollins is officially back, and Seth Came out and he was talking about his plan, his two part plan. There are two things that he wants to do. One, kill the Vision and two, get his World Heavyweight Championship back right now.

[D]

He never lost.

[C]

He never lost it.

[D]

Nope.

[E]

No.

[C]

But listen, he wasn't there to defend it. You know what I mean?

[D]

Yeah, it's true.

[C]

It is what it is. He said that he's been on a mission on this process of killing the Vision leading up to WrestleMania by watching Logan, Paul and Austin Theory had their problems with the Usos by, as he put it, serving Brock Lesnar up on a silver platter to Oba Femi.

[D]

Yeah, and I like that he brought that up because I had some questions about Seth's involvement in that because we brought it up right here on this show how when Oba made his entrance, Seth was still in the ring and he was standing there as if he was in complete control of what was going on, smiling. Yeah.

[C]

You know, realizing like, yep, this is. This is exactly what I meant to happen. At no point was he thinking, I'm going to take out Brock Lesnar. No.

[D]

He was like, this is the hand I'm playing.

[C]

I'm going to put him right in the position because I know who's coming out. And he kind of. And he did. He acknowledged it tonight. But then he said that he's sitting there and he said, and Bron Breaker's on the shelf and Bronson Reed is on the shelf, but out comes Gunther. And Seth said, based on what Gunther did, based on the fact that they have no personal problems to Seth's knowledge, that Gunther must have some kind of business deal with Paul Heyman. And I think that that's one of those things that we've been talking about over the last week. That was my first thought, right, that what is the connection? Because that wasn't explained at all. Gunther just kind of comes out of nowhere and put Seth Rollins to sleep last week in Madison Square Garden. We talked about it on the recap. But then Gunther shows up behind Seth and Seth sees him coming. I think he put a little extra grease in that hair, slid right out of that sleeper hold and locked up Gunther from behind. They're going back and forth. Gunther was able to get the best of Seth Rollins eventually, but he didn't put him to sleep this time.

[D]

No.

[C]

However, very interestingly, as Gunther leaves the ring, Paul Heyman is there backstage and he goes, look, I don't know what your business is. I don't know if there is anything between you and Seth Rollins. But you helped me greatly. And I was surprised by this move, cuz I thought last week Paul Heyman might have known Gunther was coming.

[D]

I did, too.

[C]

But Paul Heyman said straight up. And Paul Heyman would never lie.

[D]

Never. No, never.

[C]

But he said straight up, I don't know what you were doing out there, but I have to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. And I believed that Paul Heyman, in that moment, was being sincere. And Gunther shakes his hand and still doesn't exactly say why he did what he did. But he pulls Paul Heyman in tighter and he goes, you owe me a lot more than a thank you.

[D]

And we all remember what happened the last time Paul Heyman owed somebody a favor.

[C]

It literally put Paul Heyman. I mean, it brought Paul Heyman to where he's at now. It all came to a head a year ago at WrestleMania.

[D]

That one, he lost his best friend in the world and he lost his tribal chief.

[C]

And then he gained the vision. But then the vision changed. I mean, the whole thing went topsy turvy, all because of that one favor. Because Paul Heyman plays a very risky game. Paul Heyman plays a game where he either wins big or. Or loses catastrophically. But he's really good at figuring out how to turn any situation into a win. But this look on Paul Heyman's face when Gunther says, you owe me a lot more than a thank you. It's a rarity on Paul Heyman. But I said, you remember when Paul Heyman. And he brought it up tonight. Whether he's in Oracle or an advocate or a wise man or a manager, Paul Heyman. There was a thing called being a Paul Heyman guy. Of course, when Paul Heyman represented somebody under any of those titles, it was that person became a Paul Heyman guy.

[D]

CM Punk, the original Paul Heyman guy,

[C]

he's the one who popularized the phrase. But that was turned on its head, in my opinion, by Roman Reigns and the whole tribal chief, wise man relationship. Where even in the vision, Paul Heyman had a degree of control. Not as much as he wanted around Seth Rollins, but quite a bit more with the younger members of the division. With the Bron Breaker, with Bronson Reed, with Logan, Paul with Austin Theory, even, you know, the way he talks to Ishowspeed.

[E]

Yeah.

[C]

But the way he looked at Gunther, it brought me back to the way he looked at Roman Reigns. Not with the hero worship, not with the. Yes, my tribal chief. I love you, my tribal chief. Not that. The fact that for me, Roman Reigns broke the Mold. Because Paul Heyman was a Roman Reigns guy.

[D]

That's right.

[C]

Not the other way around.

[D]

Yet Roman Reigns was completely in charge.

[C]

Yes. And Paul Heyman was there to be of service.

[D]

And Paul Heyman, in a way, was navigating.

[C]

Sure. But only because Roman let him.

[D]

That's right.

[C]

Roman was the one calling the shots. And I feel like here, for the first time, maybe since then, I look at the way Gunther looks at Paul Heyman, and for the first time, you've got somebody that has the ability to be in complete control of what is a lethal weapon in the brain of Paul Heyman. But, you know, I mean, Paul Heyman likes to be around winners.

[D]

Who doesn't?

[C]

Paul Heyman likes to work with people who will inevitably be even bigger winners. And Gunther fits into that category to a tee, maybe more than anybody else. You're talking about the guy who retired AJ Styles, John Cena, and Bill Goldberg all within months of each other. So Gunther, the most dangerous part of him is he realizes he's got all the cards here. And now that Paul Heyman has kind of acknowledged the thanks that he owes Gunther, Gunther is taking that and being like, no, no, no. It's much more. And I am. I'm. I'm intrigued at the Paul Heyman Gunther dynamic. It's not something that I necessarily saw coming. I still don't know what Gunther's motivation is going into WrestleMania. I can't really pin that down. But I love the idea of there being another superstar that is dangerous enough that they're in control of what Paul Heyman is capable of.

[D]

I mean, I'm not going to lie. You just got me so excited because I loved. One of the things that made the bloodline for me was the dynamic between Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. And it was different in the Vision. Right. It didn't always seem like Seth was sharing everything with Paul Heyman.

[C]

No. But also it was, here's what you need to do, Seth. Whereas with Gunther, it would be more like, Paul, get this done with Roman, wise man. Get this done. That's the shift in dynamic that I see here. Gunther is not going to be of service to anybody. That's not how Gunther exists, nor should he. He retired John Cena, for God's sake. Everybody knows that, but Paul Heyman especially. So I am very interested to see if this becomes something where Paul Heyman is somehow involved in this Seth Rollins versus Gunther match.

[D]

Well, you talk about being involved, and we are going to be heavily involved

[C]

in Seth Rollins and Gunther.

[D]

I'm not that. No.

[C]

Thank God.

[D]

No. We have time for what we're going to be involved in. We are going to be involved in w WWE World because it's taking over the Las Vegas Convention Center April 16th through the 20th. And it is. It's the ultimate fan experience. So catch your breath because it's happening during WrestleMania week. This is your chance to get closer than ever to wwe. You can meet superstars and legends, step inside immersives, exhibits, and experience moments you won't find anywhere else.

[C]

And I'll tell you, too, a lot of times, the powers that be here in WWE will not let me get close to a lot of superstars.

[D]

Well, that's for good reason, because they

[C]

say like this, you get weird. You know what I mean? And I don't know what that means, but I'm gonna tell you right now, I've already started buying autograph photopasses, so try to stop me now. Okay? WWE World, baby. I can't wait.

[D]

You're gonna see names like Cody Rhodes.

[C]

I know.

[D]

Stone Cold Steve Austin. You're gonna get really weird for that one.

[C]

Really weird.

[D]

AJ Lee.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

CM Punk amongst Stephanie McMahon and so many more all in one place. Catch live matches, check out panels, live podcasts, including Six Feet under with Undertaker featuring John Cena. You made his life one, Sam.

[C]

Oh, I can't wait for that.

[D]

And explore WrestleMania Superstore packed with exclusive merch. I know that you're gonna be first in line for that. So tickets, they're on sale [e-mail] use code WWENOW10 to save 10% off.

[C]

And by the way, my wife has given me double allowance for WrestleMania. Oh, I'm gonna be able to buy whatever I want.

[D]

Look at that.

[C]

WWE World. It's gonna be very, very exciting. I can't wait. I can't wait to be there with you, Megan. But before we get there, there's so much more to break down. And to help us, why don't we bring in our guest tonight? Of course, the one and the only one of the great analyst that's ever existed. Big E. Welcome to wwe. Now Raw recap.

[E]

Thank you very much. I know we're very prone to hyperbole in our industry, but let's. Let's bring it down a notch, all right? I. I'm working on being an adequate analyst, so thank you very much.

[D]

Well, Biggie, I mean, he had to compliment you because you did get in his head and buy property the last time that you were on this show. He was so upset with what you had to say about Roman Reigns. Usually Sam says when they go, we go high. But you caught him. He also went low. He made that pancake jab at you. And then he brought it up a week later he was like, I'm still frustrated with what Big E said. So. So you did get in his head. And now he's overcompensating.

[C]

I'm glad because I am still upset about that because you said, you said that Roman Reigns when, when it, when, when the USO's were out there, when the cousins were out there, you said that it was making it seem like what CM Punk said was true, that Roman needed his family. However. However, once again, I will reiterate that CM Punk manipulated the entire situation by putting the USO's in a situation where they had to respond Jay specifically. He's trash talking Jay, knowing that Jay is already hot under the collar about it. He knows Jay's gonna come out. He knows that that's gonna happen. And then when it does, he goes, oh well, you got here to protect Roman. As if he hadn't been trash talking Jay. And then the next week, by the way, when he powerbombs Roman Reigns through a table, which I did not love, he isn't by himself. There's security out there that's stopping Roman Reigns from doing his moves. Petey Williams ends up getting speared in half because Roman is just like, let me get my hands on CM Punk. And while Roman is fighting off WWE's great producers, that's when CM Punk is able to grab Roman and powerbombing through a table. And then tonight he says he does it all by himself.

[D]

Are you gonna be okay?

[E]

Here's my only point. Media literacy, as you're well aware, at an all time low. My only point was I want to see these two Titans, these two goats, these two Legends. I just want to see Mano and man. That was my only point. We know Jay's a hot head. Look, I. I don't know if anyone has more respect for the USO's as a tag team than I do. I've shared the ring with them. I think they're incredible. Put them on the Mount Rushmore of tag teams, if not number one in the history of WWE tag team. It's all debatable, but they're incredible. I'm just saying we're talking about a match with such immense stakes. We talked about one of the most anticipated WrestleMania matches of all time. My point is, I just want to see Punk and Roman. I don't want to see anyone else from the locker room. And people had the, you know, some people tweeted me, talked about my career. Look, in this instance, I wouldn't want to see if Kofi and Woods and I were all still cool. I wouldn't want them there either. My whole point was these guys are supposed to be the very best, and I believe they're the very best. I believe that Roman is one of the very best of his era of all time. My only point is I just want to see those two face to face and look after what Punk said tonight, I can't wait to see how Roman responds. I don't want to see how the USO's respond. I love the USO's. I don't want to see how they respond. I don't want to see how any of the cousins respond. I want to see Roman next week. And hopefully we, we get, we are blessed with Roman's presence to respond to what was said. The very. I don't know if inflammatory is even the right word, but hell of a promo from Punk tonight, but it had a lot of people talking.

[C]

Yeah. And I want to get back to that for sure. And lucky for, I think for you, and I agree with you there, I'm glad that the USO's now have the vision Slash Ishowspeed situation to deal with over here so that Roman and Punk can be about Roman and Punk because I don't disagree with anything that you said there and I want to get back to CM Punk. But when you talk about forces, individual mano a mano forces, I think every single week for the last three or four weeks now, Obafemi and Brock Lesnar has dominated the show, has dominated our conversation tonight. First of all, Paul Heyman going out on television and referring to Obafemi versus Brock Lesnar as one of the most anticipated WrestleMania matches in decades. That may be some of that Heyman hyperbole, as you put it earlier. I mean, you said you're talking about hyperbole earlier, but I will say that with as much as is going on right now, you could absolutely make an argument that Obafemi vs Brock Lesnar is the most anticipated match at this year's WrestleMania.

[E]

Look, I'm biased. We all know where my wrestling tastes align, okay? This is like this was booked for me. It's like they made it for me. Look, I, I'm telling you, I knew Obofemi when I, when I saw Obofemi, when I met him for the first time, I knew this guy was. He had Something. I got to watch him at a tryout at IMG in Central Florida, and, like, presence had it. Then I watched him on nxt, and I thought, yeah, this guy can go. Then I got to watch him more and more and more. I thought, he's the future. But I will say I'm still a little surprised at how quickly fans have taken to him. Not because I didn't think he had it or anything, but, you know, oftentimes, especially with an established star like Brock, oftentimes people are going to go with the name they know and trust. But I am telling you, the way in which this man's name is chanted well before he gets into the arena, the build, the anticipation. He doesn't blink when he's in the ring. This man, I'm telling you, Brock Lesnar in a scuffle. I have been in one of these Brock scuffles. Terrifying. He is throwing. He doesn't care if he throws you on your head, on your neck. He doesn't care if he's throwing a chair right at your eyeball. It doesn't matter. The way he went to suplex Oba, but Oba landed on top of him. This man, Obafemi, did not blink. He did not back down. I didn't see a moment of trepidation. I saw a man who is ready to take the torch, and what he does at WrestleMania is going to be so critical. His build, what he has done during this build has been so impressive. He has hit every single beat. He has not blinked whatsoever. He has not taken a step backwards. What I am really excited to see is how does he respond when we're at WrestleMania? It's Las Vegas. The lights are as bright as they ever will be. This is the biggest moment. But, you know, he's a guy who I don't think will have one moment of trepidation, of fear. I have loved seeing Obafemi take the bull by the horns. I've loved his approach to being on the main roster. He is someone who is not backing down. The fans have absolutely taken to him. It is. It has been kind of incredible to see someone who feels like he has the advantage over Brock Lesnar. I can't think of the last time I ever saw that, if ever. It feels very 50, 50 right now, but it might be 5149. Obofemi. It might be 55. 45. Oba. I. I got. I think Oba's got a little bit more momentum right now, but, man, what, what. What A battle of two absolute you talk about Titans. These men are Titans.

[C]

Well, we're looking at a, at a photo right now, and you could see all over his face. He's not lost in the moment. He's not intimidated by it. And I think that, to your point, e, part of it is understanding the moments that are in front of you. And I think that, that, that I can only judge as somebody that's watched superstars participate and create moments for, for years and years and years and years. But I, I'm. I'm. I'm sure that you become aware the further into this game that you get of all these little opportunities for moments that you have. And for me, it's been amazing that Oba is somehow has that awareness of not letting one single minuscule moment go to waste. For example, like, you know, Megan and I are watching the show, and if I'm not mistaken, Obafemi was a quite a shot putter before he was in the wwe, right? And I'm sitting there and I'm watching this scuffle go down and Brock throws this massive desk chair at Obafemi. Wheels first, right? That goes to your point, E. About not being protective whatsoever about it, not caring where that thing lands in my head, I go, okay, real life scenario, if I'm looking face to face with a shot putter, I'm not throwing anything at him. He throws things. That's what he does. And the fact that Oba, as I'm thinking that, also had that thought and bends down, picks up the chair and throws it twice as hard back at Brock as Oba threw it at him, as Brock threw it at Oba, I think that's exactly the type of thing that you're talking about when it comes to Oba just, just being present and controlling those moments every single time.

[D]

Oba just seems so incredibly locked in. I mean, to be in a match like this at WrestleMania with the Titan, that is Brock Lesnar. I mean, this is the guy who ended the Undertaker streak. This is a guy that's. I mean, yes, Oba has been in the ring with Cody Rhodes before, but at WrestleMania against Brock Lesnar. And to me, each and every time that he appears, there's no, oh, welcome to the main roster. Oh, welcome up from nxt. He's just locked in and he has this understanding of the moment and lives up to that as well.

[E]

He absolutely has. And look, a lot of people, if you haven't seen Obofemi wrestle in nxt, he's not just a big guy who can have these moments with Brock who can brawl. He's also a guy who can put on incredible matches. His movement, the way he. He can fly around the ring, just to me, just a perfect blend of power, of speed, of strength, of technique as well. He's not, he's not a sloppy brawler. When he's out there. You talk about the future of wwe. He's the present. He's the guy right now. He's someone who, if he's in a world title match at SummerSlam, don't be surprised if he's winning a world championship at SummerSlam or at Survivor Series later this year. Don't be surprised if this man is a world champion before 2026 is over. But this is the biggest test of his career, bar none. It's not even close. Look, I know he had the match with Cody at Saturday night's mind event. That's not to take away from Cody at all. But Brock Lesnar, as we all know, is a whole different animal. He is someone who, if. If you're not. If you're not psychologically sharp, if you're not mentally prepared, he will absolutely eat your lunch. He is someone who, who can run through you. If you. If you even show a moment, a moment of weakness or of hesitation, he's going to run you over. So for me, that, that for me is the real big test, I think. I'm not saying that if OBO loses at WrestleMania that he can't become a world champion, but to me, it really is a harbinger for the direction of his career. Is he a guy that we can say, oh yeah, Oba family will be a world champion within five years? If, if he has a poor performance against Brock, if he gets steamrolled, it might be clear. Yeah, all right. We. We thought he was ready, but the, the lights were really bright and they were a little too bright for him. He might be a guy who. All right, he needs a little bit more seasoning. Let's put him back in the oven. Let's let him cook. We. We need to really drop him down a little bit. Let's have him in the ring with, with lesser superstars. Or do we see it WrestleMania? Do we see a guy who is exactly who we think he is? Do we see a guy who is indeed going to be a world champion? Not down the line, not in the future, but very, very soon? Is he going to be a guy who's going to be the face of the company? Who, who is going to be the one that you see headlining WrestleManias like we. Punk talked about Roman what? Headlining WrestleManias 8 times WrestleMania. 8 times. 11.

[C]

11.

[E]

Incredible. 11. That's incredible. 11 times is insane. Is. Is Obafemi going to be one of those guys we talk about as a repeat WrestleMania main eventer? I think a lot of that conversation will start and end with how this match ends, with how. How over performs and what the result is after he's in the ring with Brock Lesnar.

[C]

Yeah, and I think too, I mean, let's not forget he. Yeah, he had a match on Saturday night's main event against Cody Rhodes. It was advertised as an exhibition match. You know, it was just a display for, hey, here's a superstar that we have on nxt. This is the advertised Brock Lesnar match. The Brock Lesnar match that was set up as. This is on the level of what the Undertaker match used to be. This is in argument for what the main event of WrestleMania truly is. It's a contract signing that Triple H is in the ring for. When was the last time that Triple H was involved in the ring as part of a story? It doesn't happen anymore. That's how elevated this whole thing is. And I think that you're right. I mean, it goes back to what we have talked about, Megan, on this show, that I think that we are going to see a rise of Obafemi with a speed the likes of which we haven't seen in a very long time. And I think the only thing even remotely comparable happened in 2002 to a collegiate wrestler named Brock Lesnar. And I think that that's what we've got. Imagine if brock Lesnar after WrestleMania 20 had not left WWE. Imagine if all those years that Brock Lesnar was in UFC and was and was and was doing stuff in football. Imagine if that whole time Brock had remained in wwe, just getting W after W after W. That is, to your point, e what we may have with Obafeme.

[E]

I agree. And who knows to what degree we see John Cena become John Cena. If Brock had stuck around, you know, he's the kind of guy who could have been the Main event at WrestleMania every single year for a very, very long time. Look, this man's in his, what, mid to late 40s? Doesn't look like he's lost a step at all. He's someone who is. He's just built very different. But you're right. I was actually. I was sitting down watching the show, thinking, when's the last time you've seen someone skyrocket like this? I think of Rusev having that year of being undefeated on the way to having the WrestleMania match. Coming out in a tank against John Cena, but ultimately he ends up losing to Cena. I think about Sheamus having an incredible rise on the main roster. Became a world champion very quickly. And not to take away, you know, he was someone who had a year of devastation. Mind you, this is what, 15, 16 years ago. And that run, honestly, I don't even think is comparable to what Oba can do. I think you're right. I think it is. Truly looking back to Brock's rookie year, thinking about what kind of run the way. Again, we're very early in this overrun, but that's the way it's felt so far is it felt like 2002 again and Oba's gonna have to back that up. There's a lot of people who are very, very excited about his future, about his career. But this, this match with Brock is so important, it is so critical. I. And that's why I'm so excited. Because I think there's, there's a route where he can lose this match and still keep a lot of his momentum. But it, it's going to be difficult. And, and I think beating Brock, especially if he beats Brock decisively. If we see a man who runs through Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania in much the way he's kind of run through him during a lot of this, this build up, if we see him finish this thing off the way we think he can, if it's demonstrative. I. Boy, I. Last time I was on this program, I think I talked about soiling couches and soiling myself. You definitely will bring to the Depends. I will double up on the Depends because if Oba does what I think he's capable of doing, I will be incontinent. I'm just telling you, I'm being honest with you.

[C]

And you'll be doing the post show. They're at the stadium so they're going to have to bring extra stools for you guys. And I don't.

[E]

Right, right. It is. Thankfully the shot is typically like navel up.

[C]

Yeah.

[E]

So they can't really see what's going on. But yeah, there are usually people behind me. I'll just. I'll have to put down some kind of a wall maybe or something to block that. But yeah, yeah, I'm ready. I'm just saying I'm prepared.

[D]

Dark colored pants.

[C]

Smart. Dark colored pants is the way to go. I've got to tell you. There's a lot of excitement surrounding WrestleMania. For instance, road to gold. It's the latest WWE exclusive from Fnatic's Casino. The game brings the path to WrestleMania to you. With the most star studded casino game ever built. You can step into the action with 20 WWE Superstars from Cody Rhodes to Rhea, Ripley, John Cena and more. Battle for wins through the Royal Rumble, the elimination chamber. And cash in on bonus spins and cash collect moments. And for the first time ever in an online casino game, you'll hear the voice of WWE himself, Michael Cole. This is WrestleMania Road to Gold. And it only lives at Fanatics casino. Now E, we started Raw, we were talking about. Megan and I were talking about the CM Punk pipe bomb that started Monday night Raw. Massive, massive moment for CM Punk for a lot of reasons. Yeah, we were thinking the same thing. But first question before we get there. What did you think of Pat McAfee's declarative statements on Smackdown on Friday?

[E]

Oh, that is, that's a, that is a long conversation. Where to start? Pat, I think made a lot of comments about what the IWC wants, what the Internet wrestling community is looking for. As far as I'm concerned. I feel like we were all behind Randy. I feel like a lot of people. You, you listen to the sound in the building and when, when Randy Orton is doing diabolical things to Cody Rhodes. I don't hear boos, I don't hear people upset. I open up my phone, I see people loving this version of Randy Orton. Where has this version of Randy Orton been? So I. Look, if this is what Randy needs to get his head in the right spot to. If it gives him a little bit more security, hey, you know, do you. I just think this is not a Randy Orton who needs assistance. I don't think he needs. Look, I, I know Pat is one of the biggest voices in sports and entertainment. I don't think he needs it. Look, Randy orton is what, 6, 5, 275 pounds in incredible shape. He is laser focused. I think Pat's insertion into this I think might be what distracts Cody. It might be something that, that keeps him from being focused. And if it does work in favor of Randy, then hey, it worked. I don't think Randy needs this. I don't think this. Again, like I'm someone when you're talking about two greats in the ring, two guys with so much history. This is not even a Pat thing. This isn't any. I don't want to see anyone. I want to see Cody Rhodes. I want to see Randy Orton. I want to see them lean into their history. The fact that they are, are both come from a wrestling lineage. The fact that they are two men who grew up in this business, who, who love this thing, who bleed this thing. Look, Randy Orton was someone who didn't know if he was ever going to step foot into a WWE ring again. I remember going down to the PC when he had his back was still really tight. He was just coming off a surgery and spine surgeries. Anything with your spine, I'm telling you, is so serious. So for him to come back in the shape he has with the focus he has, I don't think this thing, for me, it was already red hot. I was already really just really revved up and excited to see these two go at it. This whole Pat thing, it's interesting because it's caused a lot of discussion. Obviously Punk felt the need to talk about it. It's. Of all the people, I will say, of all the people I had in my mind, I thought maybe Randy was talking to his dad, maybe he was calling in Dwayne because of his. His history with Cody. At no point, at not a single point did I think that Pat McAfee was going to be the one to be on the other end of. Of that phone. But look, there's been a lot of discussion about it and I know there will be a lot of eyes on this match on. On WrestleMania weekend.

[C]

What did you think of Pat's choice as an outsider to come in and criticize the industry and describe the product as excrement?

[E]

Look, it is. Look, I don't have nearly the platform that Pat does, and honestly, who does amongst any of us? So he has been tasked by TKO to spread the gospel to speak. He is someone who has built his media empire speaking his mind. So hey, they have given him a lane and a platform to do just that, to speak his mind, to say what he has to say. But I can also understand where Punk's coming from. So many of us. Look, and I don't know if I have the right to include myself in this. I started in the business in 2009, but there are so many guys. Look, Cody grew up in this thing. Punk was doing this well before I was. I think there are so many other people who have bled and who have given their all for this, who love this more than anything, who will. Will pass this on to their kids, if they have kids, who will continue this tradition, who will. Who will. Who live and breathe this thing. So again, it's Pat's right to say whatever he wants. He. He has the. The megaphone right now. Pat has the megaphone with what he's doing with his channel with espn. So who. Who's to stop him from. From speaking his mind?

[C]

Don't ever forget for a second you're a former WWE Champion that gave your body to this thing, all right?

[E]

We.

[C]

We love your humility, but don't you ever, ever, for a second, let anyone forget that you're a former WWE Champion that gave your body to this thing, okay?

[D]

That's right.

[E]

I appreciate it. Thank you.

[C]

Of course, you know, moving on to other matches, Finn Balor, he talks to the camera. We see a different side. Of course. He catches a beating from Dominic Mysterio and J.D. mcDonough earlier in the night. And it says it awoken. It awakened. It woke up a different side of Finn Balor. A side in Finn Balor that he hasn't. He hasn't been in touch with in a very, very long time.

[D]

A side he thought was gone forever.

[C]

A side he thought was gone forever. Megan, we saw the eyes darken and everything when he said it. What do you think it's going to be like when fans finally get to see this side of Finn Balor again, except he still loses to Dominic Mysterio? I mean, is that going to be.

[D]

Oh, stop. I knew you had to be going somewhere with this.

[C]

Is that going to be tough, do you think, for everybody? Is it a tough pill to swallow, sir?

[E]

How dare you. I don't know how big of a Drew Ski fan that you two are, but there's. There's a skit where he's. He's getting out of jail, and he says, demon home. Demons home. He just keeps. I believe. I am guessing that our demon is coming home. You don't want to see Demon Finn at Wrestlemania. Did you see Demon Finn powerbomb Bobby Lashley like he was nothing? Do you know what. Do you know what Demon Finn is capable of? I'll never forget that. I saw him hook Bobby Lashley and powerbomb this man like he wasn't double his size. That's what y' all are in store for. You better. You better tell Dom to get his will in order. You better tell him to kiss his loved ones to make sure that he has all his affairs in order. Because I'm telling you, Demon Finn going to do something real terrible to that man. If we're getting what I think we're getting, I'm telling you. I don't know if you are a praying man, Sam, but you might want to get down on bended knees and pray for your boy Dom, because I am concerned for his health, his safety and his well being.

[D]

Well, I just want to know where the rest of the Judgment Day fits into this as well, because we did see that. That backstage interaction in the Judgment Day clubhouse where Liv Morgan had pulled aside Roxanne Perez and wanted to talk to her about Finn Balor and how Finn Balor brought her into the Judgment Day. And. And we never got really a resolution to that conversation because Stephanie Vacair got herself involved and it all ended in chaos. So. So I'm just curious where if the

[C]

whole Judgment Day you think Roxanne Perez is not on board?

[D]

Well, last week she seemed on board when she helped out Live Morgan making her return at Madison Square Garden.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

Just pointing out what happened in the clubhouse.

[C]

No, you're right.

[D]

You're right for observation, you know, Right

[C]

to point it out. I think the Judgment Day is on board. And I. But I do think. I do think we're all forgetting that the demon, if it is what we're going to get at Wrestlemania, that he may have a lot of tricks and everything, but what if Dom loosens his boot? The boot falls off. Even the demon can't handle that loot.

[E]

Do you think a demon. Do you think a demon is worried about a little hammer that might be in Dom's boot? A demon. Have you seen. Do you remember? Demon. Finn, it's been a minute. I know it's been a minute. And you were asking about the Judgment Day. I'll tell you what the Judgment Day should do. They should. Just in case, they should bring some steaks. And not the kind you eat. They should bring some holy water. They should. They need to watch sinners watch From Dusk Till Dawn. Watch every vampire movie, just in case. I know demons are vampires. Not quite the same thing. Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but get all the notes that you can. Compile it, because I'm concerned. Speaking of concern.

[C]

Yeah. Are we.

[E]

Are we sure that Roxanne is okay? The way in which her head collided with live. Gosh, I wanted to call someone to make sure she was okay because the last we saw of her, she was on. I hope she's okay, because that was legitimately a terrifying moment for me.

[D]

It made a big thud.

[C]

Yeah. It sounded like two. Two heads.

[D]

Yes.

[C]

Smacking together. But it didn't slow down Stephanie Vicare.

[D]

No.

[E]

Not one bit.

[C]

Not one bit. Yeah, no, it was. It was a lot. And maybe when they're trying to get tips on how to kill demons and Vampires. Danhausen might be the guy to go to for that. I think for a couple bucks, Danhausen probably get. No, that's Danhausen.

[D]

Oh, okay.

[C]

No, you got confused. A lot of people. A lot of people got confused. Hey, I do want to tell you that the all new WrestleMania box in WWE slammed by tops is loaded with must have hits. Featuring stunning inserts like Titans, Big city Superstars, Vegas at night, and more. From larger than life legends to today's biggest superstars, this release captures the spectacle, energy and grandeur of sports entertainment's biggest stage. Don't miss your shot to rip into one of the most electrifying products of the year. Download WWE Slam by Tops now in the App store and Google Play.

[D]

I. I do want to tell you something.

[C]

What?

[D]

I'm really proud of you.

[C]

Thank you. It's about time.

[D]

I know you love when people tell you that they're proud of you. I mean, one of your favorite things

[C]

in life, it's a little condescending.

[D]

Well, you know, that's what AJ Lee was today to Becky Lynch.

[E]

Wow.

[C]

Wow. You do know that I feel that way, General. I do. That is a thing with me. When people who I don't feel like are in a position to tell me they're proud of me tell me they're proud of me, I feel like they're condescending to me. I don't like it. It's a pet peeve of mine. I really. I don't like that. And you twisted it around so now Becky and I are on the same.

[D]

Because as soon as AJ Lee said it, I wrote it down because I know. I know that you hate when people tell you they're proud of you.

[C]

I do hate.

[D]

And so AJ Lee says it, and I'm like, this is one for Megan.

[C]

Well, you didn't even mention that. We're watching this show in the other room. You didn't mention it once.

[D]

I got to keep some secrets to myself, you know?

[C]

Rat. You rat.

[D]

Yeah, but now, I mean, you could relate. You could relate to Becky being disrespected by someone telling them they're proud of you.

[C]

It might have bothered me if I was told. If somebody told me.

[D]

Of course it would bother you.

[C]

Proud of me? I'm proud of you to be proud of me.

[D]

You think Becky lynch has become the man who has made history in the industry all because she wants people to be proud of her?

[C]

I mean, E, if I said. If I said I was proud of you, wouldn't you be like Sam? I mean, I. I appreciate the sentiment. But who do you think you are?

[E]

No, no, I, I, I wouldn't take it as disrespect.

[D]

First of all, see, you're a better person than Sam.

[E]

The bar is low. The bar is on the floor.

[C]

You know, how dare you.

[E]

But look, let's, let's not act like AJ didn't. Look, Becky Lynch. Incredible. One of the greatest ever do it. Maybe the greatest ever do it. I think she is someone who, I'm not saying she started wrestling because of A.J. lee. That's not the case. I've read her book.

[D]

I know her well.

[E]

That's not the reason. But yes, there you go. Mick is obviously very influential on a lot of our careers, but a little weird. I think AJ makes some solid points about the doors that were open to her. So I think the relationship is different when she's someone who in many ways is a forebearer. Even despite I looked it up, AJ is actually two months younger than Becky. But she, she was here in WWE beforehand. In many ways, is, is a, a foremother. Is that a term instead of forefather? A foremother of, of the women's revolution, you know, So I think, I think AJ has approached it from that perspective of someone who fought so hard to make sure the women had more time. And here Becky lynch is, many Years later, headlining WrestleManias, doing incredible things. So I think she has a very good point in arguing that if it wasn't for her making some noise, being a pioneer, that Becky wouldn't necessarily have the same opportunities. And all that being said, Becky has. I, I was there when she turned on Charlotte many years ago at SummerSlam when she kickstarted the whole man thing. This woman has taken so much of her career by the horn. She has done it herself. She has not laid back and waited for opportunities. But I think AJ comes from a very real perspective. I think in many ways, this whole locker room benefits from her being who she was a decade ago. A decade plus ago. Also, one of the points that really stuck out for me with this promo was how quiet it was in the best of ways. We're always used to so much animus and anger and loud. It's ever loud. But I loved how much this thing was kind of like simmering, like right under the skin. This thing was like coming to a boil. I love the way in which they approached this differently and made their points without yelling, without being overly demonstrative. And you could see, I think, calm AJ was not what Becky was prepared for. I think in many Ways it, like, burned her up more than if AJ was loud and bombastic and was throwing things. I think that element of making her point but doing it while being emotionally regulated, you know, therapy works. Therapy does indeed work. Taking her time to compose herself. This thing, I think, has really taken an interesting turn, and I can't wait to see what these two. These two incredible, I think, pioneers in their own regards do at WrestleMania. Yeah.

[D]

And to your point about the.

[C]

The.

[D]

The tone of it. Right. Coming to a simmer. I think AJ got Becky to a place of an emotional state that we haven't seen her get. And this rivalry, bringing up her daughter, and it almost seemed like the end. Becky was. Was taken aback and didn't have words, which for this version of Becky lynch is something we haven't.

[C]

Relief for some.

[D]

But it's something we haven't seen out of this version of Becky lynch in quite some time.

[E]

No, you're spot on. And, Sam, if you keep it up, you're going to get many more awards from Becky that you won't want.

[C]

No, I won't.

[D]

And also, she was talking to Danhausen backstage. I saw this on social media, and she was trying to get some people cursed.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

So you better watch yourself, because you

[C]

would do that to me.

[D]

I don't think anybody's safe. I mean, you saw what happened on Friday Night Smackdown, right, Lefty? Left.

[C]

Yeah, Lefty. No, you're right.

[D]

Safe from the curse.

[C]

You think it makes me a bad person if when people tell me, oh, I'm proud of you, I, like, my first thought is, like, you really need to work about what you got going on, don't you? You don't need to worry about being proud of me.

[D]

It really is a major pet peeve of Sam's to be told. I'm, you know, I'm proud of you.

[C]

Yeah. I think to myself, you work on. You don't worry about being proud of me.

[D]

So anytime. Anytime you see Sam and you want to get under his skin, just tell him that you're proud of him.

[E]

Good to know. Even from me. That would bother you if I said I.

[C]

If. No, I. If you said it from a place of expertise. You have a level of expertise in this industry that if it related to what you were proud of me for, then I would take that in a positive way. But if it were like, something where it's like, you're really in no place to be proud of me, for which I feel a lot, I'd go like, okay. Okay, E. Okay. Thanks. Thanks.

[E]

I guess I get that as a broadcaster, I'm a baby. I have no place as a broadcaster to do that. So maybe, maybe, maybe I will tell you, as a broadcaster, I'm proud of you. At some point, I'd love to watch you squirm.

[C]

You are. You are the best. We love having you on. Thank you for all your help tonight. Don't forget, everybody, to subscribe across all audio platforms, like comment on YouTube and we will see you next week with one week to go before Wrestlemania. We'll see you then.

[D]

I'm proud of you. Leave that in.