Loading summary
Transcript439 lines
- [00:01]
A
I honestly can't believe that we are here. It is Royal Rumble time. And that's why we are here on the podcast, myself, Sam Roberts and Megan Morant to preview the 2026 Royal Rumble. We are days away from finding out who will the first two superstars be that get WWE Championship matches at WrestleMania to. Does it feel like it's Royal Rumble? Not season weekend?
- [00:32]
B
Not entirely, but it certainly will on Saturday. And I mean, gosh, there's. I feel like this year, specifically, Sam, there are so many cases to be made for who could win the Rumble and what that sets in motion as we make our way to WrestleMania.
- [00:48]
A
Yeah. So I think my. One of my favorite things about this year and the Royal Rumble and this season and everything that's happening already is that, like, the title picture is so up in the air, even without the Rumble. The idea that Drew McIntyre beat Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship before the.
- [01:06]
B
Royal Rumble, expect the unexpected.
- [01:08]
A
The idea that already this year, CM Punk's defended the World Heavyweight Championship three different times. He defended against Braun Breaker, he defended against Finn Balor, and he defended against A.J. styles. And if he keeps defending it at that level, there's no way you can sit there and guarantee that Punk will even be the World Heavyweight champion going into WrestleMania. I mean, and. And so then you start looking at all the people that are in both the. And. And you look at. On the women's side, right. Jay Cargill's been dominating everybody on smackdown, but over on Raw, Raquel Rodriguez and Stephanie Vacair have been at each other's throats for weeks. So you look at the feels in both of these Rumble matches and. And then you look at the reality of the title picture and you realize that, like, this is one of the rare rumbles as much as every rumble. Sure, anything could happen. Where you're looking at this going, anything could happen.
- [02:05]
B
Yeah. I could see so many different scenarios playing out. And also, who's to say that the titles don't switch again before WrestleMania?
- [02:13]
A
Exactly. Right. And how the. The context of the winner of the Royal Rumble might relate to a champion that we don't even know will be the champion by the time we get to WrestleMania? It's always fun, right? Because there are some years I talk wrestling with people. I don't know if you know that.
- [02:28]
B
You do.
- [02:28]
A
I do, I do. From time to time it comes. I like to talk about wrestling. I do, I do. I do. Microphones, personal life, phones, texting, whatever it is, we talk about wrestling. And there are some years where it's like, who do you think is going to win the Royal Rumble? This guy. Who do you think? Yeah, it's this guy. Yeah, it's that guy. Yeah, it's this guy. It's always. It's. It's like, we know years.
- [02:47]
B
It's like a unanimous. Every wrestling fan sees that it's whatever guy's turn to win the Rumble or.
- [02:52]
A
Other years, it's like two superstars. It's either this one or it's that one.
- [02:56]
B
I could see both.
- [02:57]
A
And I think this year, in both the men's and the women's Royal Rumbles, every time I have this conversation with somebody, you're finding different theories, different ideas, different. Well, this person could win because then they would do that, which would lead to this. It's really, really fun.
- [03:11]
B
I mean, it's crazy, too. You bring up Raquel Rodriguez and Stephanie Vacair, and they've been at each other's throats, but there's so many different women that in an instant could immediately be in that world title picture. Liv Morgan is one of those. Rhea Ripley. EO Sky. Tiffany Stratton. Yeah, Charlotte. I mean, the list goes on and on and on of a woman that just needs a moment to be back in that world title picture.
- [03:34]
A
And it's always fun. You know, at the Royal Rumble, there are. Because so much focus is on the two Royal Rumble matches. Cause they're maybe the funnest matches of the entire year. I think it's the best time to start being a wrestling fan. I think it's the best sort of snapshot of what the WWE looks like in that specific era. Like, I just. I just love them so much.
- [03:56]
B
It's crazy because before I got hired with wwe.
- [03:59]
A
Yeah.
- [03:59]
B
I had a call with Michael Cole, and he said, okay, I want you to start watching wrestling this weekend. And there's this pay per view on called the Royal Rumble. I think you're really going to like it.
- [04:08]
A
Really.
- [04:09]
B
So for me, the Royal Rumble marks. When I became a wrestling fan.
- [04:13]
A
That's it. Marks when you marked.
- [04:15]
B
That's right.
- [04:18]
A
When you became. That was the mark of you becoming a mark.
- [04:20]
B
And I fell right in.
- [04:21]
A
That's amazing.
- [04:22]
B
Yeah, that's the best, though.
- [04:24]
A
You know what? I got to call my assistant, make sure she's watching the Royal Rumble because we're going to lock her in. We're going to lock her in. Like, I think everybody's going to get locked in. However, okay, you look at these Royal Rumbles, right? And so much attention goes onto this match. But Then there are. There are some Royal Rumbles where the matches on the ple that are not the Rumble match are just as kind of noteworthy, memorable. And I think looking ahead at the Royal Rumble this year, you've got two massive singles matches with ridiculous implications. So let's start there. Let's start. And this is cra. This is how you know you have an insane card for a show. Let's start with the WWE Championship match. Let's start with Drew McIntyre versus a guy who had to win a singles match on smackdown that got him into a fatal four way at Saturday night's main event that gets him to this title match at the Royal Rumble. Sami Zayn, who has been hell bent on getting that one championship that he's.
- [05:28]
B
Never had and also us, the fans have been waiting for Sami to have this moment. Sami Zayn almost had the moment in Montreal couple years ago when he faced Roman Reigns.
- [05:38]
A
I don't think Roman would say he almost had it.
- [05:40]
B
Well, we had hope.
- [05:42]
A
We had hope. We had.
- [05:43]
B
We had hope that this was Sammy's chance and Sammy hasn't given up. And Sammy made it clear that when the year began, when the calendar turned 20, 26 set for him, this is the year. So we look at the Royal Rumble and we're coming up with these scenarios. Are they going to go after Punk? Are they going to go after Drew? What about Sammy and Sammy and Riyadh?
- [06:01]
A
Well, yeah, that's another big thing that the Royal Rumble is taking place in Riyadh in a. In a stadium that was built for the Royal Rumble. I have been really enjoying seeing all the superstars posting on Instagram. I saw Matt Cardona as soon as his plane touched down, he went right to Six Flags.
- [06:20]
B
Yeah, too.
- [06:20]
A
I saw Liv Morgan went right to Sneaker con Riyadh. Like, it's like everybody found the thing that is exactly right for them.
- [06:29]
B
Riyadh season, baby. It's got something for everybody.
- [06:31]
A
Really does, doesn't it?
- [06:32]
B
It does.
- [06:34]
A
So. So. But you're right about the location being Riyadh being so important because we know how much the fans there love Sammy.
- [06:43]
B
Zane and we know how important it is for Sammy to wrestle in Riyadh.
- [06:46]
A
And the fact that he gets the opportunity, he becomes the number one contender in Montreal. The city where he had the match with Roman Reigns, the city where he was born and raised for the title match in Riyadh is absolutely nuts. It's poetic. It's a beautiful story. But you talk about moments and, and, and you're right. Fans have been Waiting for the Sami Zayn moment for a long time. And Sammy has been waiting for the Sami Zayn moment for a long time. And Sammy told that story on smackdown about sitting ringside for John Cena's final match and his son asking him, well, why? Why haven't you ever won?
- [07:24]
B
Oh, and then Drew McIntyre coming out on Smack Smackdown and just calling, you know, Sammy's son's father, who is Sammy, a loser.
- [07:33]
A
But he did lose the title match. Well, you know, you got. The kids got to learn sometime.
- [07:37]
B
Would you like it if someone looked your son in the eye and said, your father is a loser?
- [07:41]
A
No, because they'd be lying.
- [07:43]
B
So, anyway, all right, moving on.
- [07:48]
A
So there's another moment, though, that Drew McIntyre has been waiting for since this event six years ago, since the 2020 Royal Rumble. Drew McIntyre felt like his moment got robbed because he won the 2020 Royal Rumble and had the whole world at his fingertips and headed into WrestleMania to face Brock Lesnar, and the world shut down. And his moment, quote, unquote, happened in front of nobody. It was a fan on the ceiling. It was nothing. I mean, everybody was locked down after.
- [08:24]
B
One of the greatest Royal Rumbles of all time.
- [08:26]
A
My favorite, My favorite RO so far. We'll see how. We'll see how this weekend goes. But that moment that we saw on Smackdown, and look, it's a different Drew McIntyre now. Oh, yeah, he's a villain, Drew. He was. It was as heroic, as heroic as anyone has ever been in 2020, in 2026, he's a villain. But regardless, Drew McIntyre walking out of that cage in the three stages of hell was a moment that he had been waiting for, for all those years. And I think that you, you, you, you. You can't discount the fact that this whole run that Drew is on, to ignore that and say, well, Sammy deserves his moment at the cost of Drew's moment would be the way that Drew looked at it like, this is. I've been owed this for years now. I understand Sammy wants a moment, but bad timing for Sami Zayn, I think, is how Drew McIntyre would look at it. And, I mean, I, I have to imagine, look, there are a lot of people who wonder, you know, how long is Drew actually gonna hold the title for? Kind of want it out of nowhere. Is he gonna lose it outta nowhere, too? You know, is this scenario, like, too perfect? If we're gonna be trading the title around leading up to WrestleMania, wouldn't it be perfect for Sami Zayn to win in Riyadh?
- [09:43]
B
Yeah, it's kind of Wild because you think about who's held the title before, Right? And it's. It's Roman Reigns, that specific title. Yes, it's Roman Reigns is John Cena, it's Cody RHODES, It's Drew McIntyre. And so when we look at these title reigns, especially Roman Reigns is title reign and Cody Rhodes title. Those were long title reigns.
- [10:00]
A
Yeah.
- [10:01]
B
Does every title reign have to be that long?
- [10:04]
A
No. I mean, Cody's second clearly wasn't. No, wasn't that long. John's was. Wasn't that long. And I think that that's a reality of wwe, that sometimes they're long and sometimes they go quick, especially if you take your eye off the ball at any point in time. And that's definitely something that Sami Zayn's going to be looking at. What about Sami Zayn slapping Drew McIntyre in the face on the Smackdown, last week's Smackdown, before Saturday night's main event, I mean, Sami Zayn just wound up and slapped Drew McIntyre across the face. I would imagine that there's a receipt coming for Sami Zayn, but at the same time, could be that bully thing. Could be that thing of, like, sometimes when you hit him back, they're never the same again. You know, I wonder how that affects Drew McIntyre and the fact that not only did Sami Zayn slap him right across the face, and at the time that we're recording this, we haven't seen Smackdown yet, so we don't know what happens there, but Sami Zayn slapped Drew McIntyre across the face. The next night on Saturday night's main event, Drew McIntyre tries to attack Sami Zayn, unsuccessful. Is that rage something that's going to fuel Drew McIntyre or is that rage something that is going to do exactly what I just said, which is have Drew take his eye off the ball.
- [11:15]
B
Yeah. And we saw, as you mentioned, Saturday night's main event, Drew getting involved in a match that he really wasn't supposed to be involved with.
- [11:22]
A
He wasn't even on the show. No, he wasn't on the card.
- [11:24]
B
So don't you think, like, as the champion, you finally get this moment, you finally get this championship?
- [11:28]
A
Are you talking about the Cody and Jacob match?
- [11:30]
B
Yes. Why all of a sudden is Drew McIntyre. He already. He already beat Cody Rose.
- [11:34]
A
No, you're right, you're right.
- [11:37]
B
And he has to defend the title.
- [11:39]
A
I know, but honestly, like, when Drew explained why, you can ask why, But Drew explained why. And when he did that promo that he cut on Saturday night's main event, it was on. If I'm being honest, it was the first time I was like, oh, he might be in it for the long haul. This might not be one of those quick things. When he took that microphone and he did not give Kathy Kelly room to breathe, he took that microphone from her and said, I'm the champion. If you have my name in your mouth, I'm gonna come out here and I'm. I'm. I'm gonna beat you up. I'm gonna punish you for it. I'm the guy running smackdown. Now, there's no sort of, oh, well, you know, Drew's the champion, but Cody's still the guy. No, I'm the guy. And if you have something to say about me, I'm. I'm going to show up, and it's going to cost you. Now, with that as his mentality, I think Sami Zayn would beg to differ. I slapped you right across the face. You haven't done anything. Drew.
- [12:31]
B
Do you think Drew, in a way, feels like a underdog champion?
- [12:35]
A
100%? 110%, 150%? Yes. How many times did he step up for the world title and not get it? Yes, of course I do. Why do you think we all. I got the siren out when Drew McIntyre won the title. Why? Because nobody expected it. Even if you expected it, you didn't expect it. Of course he views him, I believe, 100% he views himself as an underdog champion. And I think character, real life, unreal, real, however you want to call it. I think that Drew McIntyre is in a position right now where, regardless of what anybody's plan is, he's the one holding the WWE Championship, and you're going to have to peel it from his cold, dead hands.
- [13:15]
B
Do something about it.
- [13:16]
A
Do something about it. That's exactly right. If you don't want me to be the champion, do something about it.
- [13:23]
B
And that's what I think for Sami Zayn could be a problem in Riyadh. Right. You just laid it out. He wins the opportunity in Montreal, in his hometown.
- [13:33]
A
Yes.
- [13:34]
B
He's going to Riyadh. Right. The story writes itself. Sammy loves to wrestle in Riyadh. It means so much to Riyadh that he's there. The crowd absolutely loves him. But is Sammy running into Drew McIntyre at the wrong time?
- [13:47]
A
I think so.
- [13:47]
B
I do, too.
- [13:48]
A
I think it, like, I. I think, yeah, I think there's a worst time to run into Drew McIntyre. Drew McIntyre is a guy right now. That's like all that nonsense that I was spewing about myself being so great. As it turns out, it was True.
- [13:59]
B
Because I got this champion.
- [14:00]
A
I got the championship. I'm. I. Everybody else, look at the other guys.
- [14:04]
B
Who have held this championship. John Cena, Roman Reigns, Cody rhodes, and Drew McIntyre.
- [14:09]
A
Dog, it's a Mount Rushmore.
- [14:11]
B
I know. And you don't even like Mount Rushmore.
- [14:14]
A
No, but I gotta say, I would visit that one. You know, I mean, it literally is. And he's like, you know, this doesn't happen by mistake.
- [14:21]
B
Yep.
- [14:22]
A
And so we'll see, though. This is like his first title. Big title defense on a ple. He's got to come across as champion. He's got to make people believe he's champion, and he's got to beat a guy like Sami Zayn in Riyadh to stay champion. My pick. I think Drew's breaking hearts. I don't think Sami Zayn's getting that title at the Royal.
- [14:46]
B
You know, it's funny because walking down the stairs into this basement, I'm like, you know, I think Sammy might do it. New champion, switch things up in wwe. Now we've had this conversation, and I'm right, and you're right. I'm going, oh, my gosh. Who's going to beat Drew right now?
- [15:03]
A
That's what happens in this basement. Yeah, everybody. Just like, whatever Sam says.
- [15:08]
B
No, but seriously, I was thinking of a world if. If Sammy won the championship.
- [15:13]
A
I think it's. I think Sami Zayn winning is more possible than people think.
- [15:18]
B
Of course.
- [15:20]
A
And, like, I think we're in a space. I mean, you look at the Royal Rumble like the men's Royal Rumble, for example. They've barely announced anybody in this thing, but it's full. Well, Adam Pierce said it was full.
- [15:31]
B
Full.
- [15:31]
A
Adam Pierce said it's full. Which leads me to believe they got a lot of plans. I saw Triple H on first take talking about all the surprises going on at the Royal Rumble, which is crazy.
- [15:39]
B
Because it's hard to surprise people when you're flying into Riyadh.
- [15:44]
A
But guess what? I can't fill this. This 30 minute. And I. But I say all that to say if that's the vibe that we're going for and that. And that. And that maybe this first quarter of 2026 is going to be all about maybe expecting the unexpected. Sami Zayn winning the title would be unexpected for me. I don't think it's going to happen. I think Drew. I think. I think Drew retains. You think you agree with me?
- [16:08]
B
I do.
- [16:08]
A
That's. I'm talking about. Okay, now we got another singles match before we get into These rumbles. And before we do that, everybody getting together celebrating the Royal Rumble. This is a very celebratory thing.
- [16:19]
B
Royal Rumble parties are the best.
- [16:21]
A
They're literally the best.
- [16:22]
B
Yeah.
- [16:22]
A
You get out your numbers.
- [16:23]
B
Are you in any pools?
- [16:25]
A
All the pools? I'm in every single pool. All of them. I'm soaking wet from all the pools that I'm in. It's incredible. But you also got to come correct when you go to these Royal Rumble parties, and that means getting decked out in Royal Rumble gear. You can get your Royal Rumble gear right now at Fanatics and at WWE Shop, celebrate WWE's most unpredictable event. This one, maybe more so than any, with official Royal Rumble merchandise and superstar gear for from WWE Shop and Fanatics. Shop now and be ready for the chaos. And I wonder what kind of chaos we get in the Gunther vs. AJ Styles match.
- [17:09]
B
I don't even want to talk about.
- [17:10]
A
This match where AJ Styles career is on the line.
- [17:14]
B
Do you think this is it for AJ Styles?
- [17:16]
A
That's a hard question to ask me.
- [17:18]
B
I, I'll be honest with you. I do. I think it's AJ Styles. And that's why I don't want to talk about this match, because I, I. It feels more real as the Rumble gets closer. When we saw AJ Styles agree to put his career on the line against Gunter after he talked to his wife, we recorded a podcast and I said, why is AJ's doing this? He can't do this. He can't do this. But then I woke up in the morning, I was like, no, something's gonna happen. Someone's gonna get involved with the match, and AJ's still gonna have a career. It's okay. We're gonna get to celebrate AJ throughout 2026.
- [17:53]
A
You're actually on a rare occasion, hoping for some kind of schmazzi non finish.
- [18:00]
B
Because I don't want AJ Styles to be done wrestling. I'm not ready for it.
- [18:04]
A
I'm not ready for that reality.
- [18:06]
B
And then I turn on smackdown. AJ Styles backstage with Nick Aldis, and they make a match with Shinsuke Nakamura official for the next night at Saturday night's main event. And I go, oh. And then I turn on Saturday night's main event, and I watch Shinsuke Nakamura's entrance old school with the mask. I see AJ Styles and Josh Armband, and I go, oh, this is getting real. And then I watch Monday Night Raw and I learned that the world heavyweight title is on the line. And who is CM Punk defending the title against AJ Styles? And I go, oh, Sam, we're doing.
- [18:49]
A
A three day retirement tour.
- [18:51]
B
I feel like this could be it for AJ Styles. And how can you argue any other way when it's Gunter that he's getting in the ring with?
- [18:57]
A
You've been consistent about that too. More so than a lot of people. You, and you're a pragmatic person, I guess.
- [19:04]
B
Yeah.
- [19:04]
A
Where you just like, we have to deal with the reality that's in front of us. And, and you, I feel like, I don't know, maybe since Goldberg, I don't know when, maybe since he, he came back from injury. I, I, I, I don't remember exactly when it clicked for you, but you started bringing this up all the time. Well, like in a frustrated way, you didn't, weren't happy about it, but, but every time Gunther has stepped in there with somebody, I go, what do you think's going to happen? You go, Gunther, he's inevitable.
- [19:34]
B
Yeah.
- [19:36]
A
I have been on the radio all week and I tell you, no, there is no topic people want to talk about more than this. And everybody has figured out a different way this match can go that does not involve AJ Styles retiring. You know why I think that is?
- [19:51]
B
Because they don't want to face the reality that this could be it.
- [19:54]
A
They don't want him to retire like he told us he would. Remember, he was on the podcast with us. I think, building to the John Cena match. I think it was the Saturday night's main event, either the Raw or the Pre. Whatever we did, we did a podcast with AJ Styles before the Saturday night's main event show.
- [20:09]
B
Yep, I remember it.
- [20:10]
A
And he said, my last year is going to be 2026. And he said that in multiple interviews. Nobody on the planet has ever been like, my last year is 2026. So like, oh, what are you doing in February? No, I'll be done before then. 1 month, 1 dash 26. When I tell you, when I ask you what happened in 2025, you don't even think about January.
- [20:32]
B
No.
- [20:33]
A
You're barely getting the wheels moving. No, we're not in 2026 yet. We're kind of, it's still runoff.
- [20:38]
B
We're just warming up.
- [20:39]
A
The 90s didn't start January 1, 1990. We had to get some, we had to get the wheels moving a little bit.
- [20:44]
B
Mid March is really when the year.
- [20:46]
A
That's right.
- [20:47]
B
You know?
- [20:47]
A
That's right. The Royal Rumble kind of starts the motion of like, okay, let's get ready. We're moving forward with the year. Not like this happened. That's the end of that for this year. I mean, can you imagine if we're. If, if, if. If AJ Styles retires at the Royal Rumble because of Gunther? We sit there and we go, let's go to the year in review in December of this year. The year in review. Oh, yeah, I guess that was AJ Styles last year. He wrestled like three matches in the year and was gone before Valentine's Day.
- [21:15]
B
Well, and especially because he had the match with Cena in 2025. Yeah, when you kind of link those two together, because that's. I mean, the Cena match will be closer than December of 26.
- [21:25]
A
For sure. For sure. I mean, look, I'm with you. I've said more than anybody that, like, Gunther is unstoppable, unbeatable. And like, this whole romantic idea that I'm spewing about AJ Styles and having this year and all this stuff, like, Gunther is The whole. Everything about Gunther is, no, you're not getting it. Because me, like, in my mind, I go, like, Vegas is an arm's length. Let's just get to WrestleMania. We don't have to go any further than that. Just get to WrestleMania.
- [22:03]
B
Can we just have one more WrestleMania with AJ Styles?
- [22:05]
A
Just one WrestleMania?
- [22:06]
B
Probably not because of Gunther.
- [22:07]
A
And then Gunther's like, when we just end it here and then I'm end Michael Cole and I go, relax, Gunther, relax, dude.
- [22:13]
B
I mean, and this is like, this is going to be a classic Gunter match where halfway through, you're enjoying the match. Wow. Styles clash. You know, AJ's getting in some offense.
- [22:26]
A
You think AJ is going to be able to Styles clash? Gunther. Gunther's a big fella.
- [22:29]
B
Maybe we got to see at least one more Styles clash if this is really it, right?
- [22:33]
A
Oh, my God. If he lost without doing a Styles clash that we've seen the last one. That's crazy.
- [22:38]
B
Like, this is getting emotional. What? I mean, AJ Styles is going to get some offense in, and then about 3/4 of the way through the match, me and everybody else is going to realize who he's in the ring with and how this ends, and I'm going to have to walk out of the room.
- [22:55]
A
What if AJ squeaks one by? What if he squeaks one by and then, you know, Gunther's rebuilds after that. AJ squeaks one by. What if Gunther. Okay, what about this? Remember, Remember when Gunther tricked the official by tapping on AJ's leg that the referee wasn't looking at?
- [23:09]
B
Yeah, but what does it go down in the record book as?
- [23:11]
A
Oh, it's a big Dub for Gunther.
- [23:13]
B
That's right. And what does it mean if Gunther gets another big dub?
- [23:16]
A
It's the end of AJ Styles, but I'm trying to get past that. What if bad news. What if Gunther tries a trick like that again but Rob Zapata or whoever it is is looking? What if Gunther thinks he's out of the referee's eye shot, but the referee sees it and he sees the tap this time and it's just. Gunther just screwed up. So. So now we've got to continue on. But. But then AJ Styles gets to continue on.
- [23:42]
B
Look, you can present every single case that you want and the argument that I will have back is but is Gunter.
- [23:48]
A
I hate that argument.
- [23:50]
B
But it's legitimate.
- [23:51]
A
So you've resigned yourself.
- [23:53]
B
Yeah, I'm just preparing for the worst.
- [23:55]
A
You do do that sometimes.
- [23:57]
B
I'm getting emotionally ready to be upset.
- [24:00]
A
You're still going to be upset, but at least you won't have high expectations that won't be met.
- [24:05]
B
I'm prepared for it. But I learned. I learned from Saturday night's main event.
- [24:10]
A
John scene like in December.
- [24:11]
B
I learned from that.
- [24:13]
A
Wow. It made you cold. It made you cold and broken.
- [24:17]
B
Look what Gunther did to all of us. I mean, you heard those fans in the post show.
- [24:21]
A
You know what Gunther did in December of 2025?
- [24:24]
B
What did he do?
- [24:25]
A
He took away my childhood. I'll never. Now when I grow up to be a grownup, I'll always remember that as a kid watching Gunther make John Cena tap out.
- [24:36]
B
You've really grown up so fast.
- [24:37]
A
I can't believe.
- [24:38]
B
In front of all of our eyes.
- [24:39]
A
I can't believe it. I don't even want to pick that. Okay, you have your prediction. I'm not doing a prediction because I don't. I'm not dan to do it. I don't want to talk about it.
- [24:47]
B
Okay.
- [24:48]
A
Okay.
- [24:48]
B
I'm good with that.
- [24:49]
A
Well, listen, regardless, I'm hoping we get AJ Styles involved with Topps Universe WWE because it's making its hobby debut. It's a bold, comic inspired take on WWE collecting. It features a massive 300 base card set, hall of Famers, current champions and rising prospects. Even if it has to be a legend in the set, put AJ Styles in there. Stunning galactic patterns, vibrant color parallels bring every superstar to life. Every box guarantees two autographs and one relic. They're going to be big hits in every single rip chase. Short printed inserts highlighting iconic storylines, rivalries and unforgettable WWE moments. Whether you're hunting grails or Building a Rainbow Topps Universe is your ringside seat to the hobby's next heavyweight release. Find Topps universe WWE on tops.com and in stores. Well, January 30th, which I believe at the time that you're watching, this might be right now or yesterday. So check that out and. And get involved in the hobby now. Let's talk turkey here. Okay?
- [25:55]
B
All right. Let's switch the vibe up.
- [25:57]
A
We're going to switch the vibe up. Get into the women's Royal Rumble match. So many women in this match, of course, the winner of the Women's Royal Rumble goes on to WrestleMania to either face the WWE Women's Champion or the Women's World Champion. Up to them right now, Stephanie Ver or Jade Cargill.
- [26:16]
B
Which, if we learned anything from last year, the championship could change on the way to WrestleMania. It did last year when sky beat Rhea Ripley and won the championship.
- [26:26]
A
It's a great call we've got. I mean, just to name a few, right? Rhea Ripley is in the Royal Rumble. EO sky is in the Royal Rumble. Liv Morgan is in the Royal Rumble. Bailey's in the Royal Rumble. Roxanne Perez is in the Royal Rumble. Raquel Rodriguez is in the Royal Rumble. Lyra Valkyria, Oscar Kyrie, Charlotte, Alexa Bliss, Legend, Nia Jax. I mean, it's. It's absolutely loaded. As well as you. You have to believe, because we don't have anywhere near 30 women announced for this match yet. You gotta believe that the surprises that Triple H is talking about are not limited to one Rumble match. You know, it's the best part of the Rumble. You really never know who's coming out when that buzzer hits. Because of the surprises. Because, I mean, we've had TNA champions in the Royal Rumble. We've had nxt, Superstars in the Royal Rumble. We've had legends, lots of legends in the Royal Rumble. I mean, I saw Trish Stratus was just on Stephanie McMahon's podcast.
- [27:26]
B
Yeah.
- [27:27]
A
And she posted a little social video. And it was like that she was walking through WWE HQ and going through the Wall of Champions, and she looked at Stephanie Vacair and said, maybe I need to get back into this. Somebody like Trish Stratus has the itch. I can't imagine that she doesn't have Triple H on speed dial.
- [27:46]
B
Of course she does.
- [27:47]
A
And go, look, I need to scratch this itch. Who knows? Who knows? I'm. But I like when it's Royal Rumble season, you're looking at everything, and it's all a possibility. So okay. Do you think we have a powerhouse in this thing? Meaning one person in this match that is just going to stand out from the rest, is somebody who. Whether it's because they get a ton of eliminations, whether it's because they beat down a lot of women, whatever it is, do you think there's one person that people are going to go and be like, man, that woman put on this. This. This unbelievably powerful performance?
- [28:25]
B
Well, you say powerful, you say power. And I look at who's in the Rumble, and you can't not talk about Nia Jackson. Lash Legend.
- [28:31]
A
That's where you're going.
- [28:32]
B
And I am so excited to see this because I think the. At the. I think it was at Evolution, right? We had a women's battle Royal.
- [28:40]
A
Yeah, I think so.
- [28:41]
B
And last Legend was so definitely that was in that. And she's been. She's leveled up ever since she got to the main roster. And I'm really looking forward to seeing what she's capable of. And just her size alone gives her such an advantage in this match. And then combine that with, you know, being friends with Nia Jax now, there's no friends once you get into the Royal Rumble at some point. It's not what the vision says, but you look at the size of those two and the strength and power they have experience of. Nia.
- [29:12]
A
If they work together, Nia, Jack's been a men's Royal Rumble.
- [29:15]
B
Yeah.
- [29:15]
A
If they work together, who's stopping them? I can't imagine if they are on the same page. Now, look, here's the other fun thing about the Royal Rumble. They could plan all they want to work together when they, you know, go and get, as our truth would put it, Nick Aldis's balls to find out what number they are in the Royal Rumble. If lash Legend draws four and Nia Jax draws 27, that's tough. It's gonna be a real tough thing to work together.
- [29:43]
B
Yeah.
- [29:43]
A
Lash Legend is gonna have to pull Iron Woman duty.
- [29:46]
B
Yeah.
- [29:46]
A
To last until 27.
- [29:48]
B
Well, I'm looking forward to seeing what Lash is capable of. I feel like this could be an introduction to Lash Legend and what she's capable of that maybe people who didn't watch NXT haven't been exposed to yet.
- [30:02]
A
I also think that the Royal Rumble does a wonderful thing for both male and female superstars in the sense that there's a lot of people, everyone in the Royal Rumble, you look at in the context of WrestleMania. The Royal Rumble is cosmically linked to WrestleMania and the main event of WrestleMania.
- [30:21]
B
It'S sign point in season.
- [30:22]
A
That's it. So all of a sudden, if you do have that moment when you're watching the Royal Rumble and. And you do go, imagine if Lash Legend wins. Now, all of a sudden you're thinking about, who would Lash legend face at WrestleMania? What would that match look like? Would that match Main event, one of the nights. And now you have that in your brain, the idea that Lash Legend, whether it's this year, whether it's another year, could be a WrestleMania main eventer.
- [30:47]
B
Well, and then you talk about working together in the Rumble, and I think of the women's tag team division, which is just so deep right now.
- [30:54]
A
Yep.
- [30:55]
B
Lyra Valkyria and Bailey.
- [30:57]
A
Yep.
- [30:57]
B
Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. EO sky and Rhea Ripley. How are all.
- [31:03]
A
Kyrie.
- [31:04]
B
Kyrie, Zane and Oscar.
- [31:05]
A
Yeah.
- [31:06]
B
How are all of these teams going to work together, if you will? Are they going to work together? What's the dynamic going to be like when they're in the Royal Rumble?
- [31:15]
A
Well, it's like. Yeah, I mean, right? Like, does Lyra. Because Lyra has had to figure out how to wake up the psychopath in Bailey multiple times. Does Lyra want that psychopath woken up?
- [31:25]
B
Maybe not.
- [31:26]
A
Does it make sense for the. Or would it be better if it's like, well, what if we just eliminate Bailey before that psycho wakes up? Do I think. I think the Kabuki warriors are in a really good spot because they've figured out what their roles are. Kyrie is there to help Asuka win, and. And Kyrie is. Is fine with her plight in life, I suppose, but I think that that dynamic is going to be fine. Liv and Roxanne, they were on our show a couple weeks ago, and Liv said that Roxanne was her young. That she was like a mentor, and to Roxanne. She was. She was.
- [32:02]
B
Yes. Well, she didn't really like you calling her.
- [32:05]
A
Oh, that's my mistake.
- [32:06]
B
But last year, those were two of the final three contestants in the Royal Rumble.
- [32:09]
A
So my thing is, I don't even remotely trust that Roxanne Perez is going to stay. I trust Roxanne Perez less than I trust liv Morgan.
- [32:20]
B
Really?
- [32:21]
A
100%.
- [32:22]
B
Wow.
- [32:23]
A
I think Roxanne's ready for it now. I don't think she's. I don't think she's wanting to sit under a learning tree, so I don't think that that's helpful. I think Ria Ripley and EO sky is really, really interesting because I think that they have a love and respect for each other and admiration and all of it.
- [32:41]
B
But Ria knows, and every night before she goes to bed, she probably thinks about the fact that she has never pinned EOS Guy every night. You think? Probably.
- [32:49]
A
I think you might. I mean, look, here's what I think. You could be right. She shouldn't. It's not healthy, but it's probably. Could be true. I don't think they're even going to pretend to be on each other's side. I think they're going to be like, look, we're cool. I respect you, you respect me. But we both are competitors. We're the best. Sorry. Eos Guy and Rhea Ripley are the best.
- [33:09]
B
We'll talk later.
- [33:10]
A
Yeah, we're the best in the women's division. I'm in this to go to WrestleMania. I'm assuming you are, too. See you at the end of this thing. I think that that. That strikes me as how those two Rio would go in there. I'm very curious to see Charlotte and Alexa Bliss. I know, because it's like we keep getting told we're not friends, we're associates, we're allies, we're whatever.
- [33:36]
B
I don't know. Making that heart symbol.
- [33:38]
A
I know. Is this the match where it's like, no, seriously, we're not friends. Right. I mean, both of them have had returns in Royal Rumble matches. Charlotte, I think, has not been. You know, maybe Charlotte is great being in this tag team, or maybe she. Once she gets in that Royal Rumble, she starts smelling that WrestleMania air. She's been in the main event of WrestleMania.
- [34:02]
B
Yeah, she has.
- [34:03]
A
She want. She was. She was the. WrestleMania. WrestleMania 32. She's the one who won the match that made the Divas title the WWE Women's Championship. Charlotte Flair is a WrestleMania wrestler. Is she going to look up at that sign and become intoxicated with it and forget about whatever her and Alexa Bliss have been building at the same time? Did Alexa Bliss come back to be in this incredible tag team with Charlotte? Did she come back to main event WrestleMania? I think that all of that is going to play a part. Do you?
- [34:37]
B
You know who I think has a leg up in this?
- [34:39]
A
Who?
- [34:39]
B
Becky Lynch.
- [34:41]
A
I forgot she even declared.
- [34:42]
B
Oh, my gosh. Of course you did. That's classic you. You know why Becky lynch has a leg up? She doesn't have any friends.
- [34:50]
A
That's a great point. Everybody kind of really dislikes her now.
- [34:54]
B
And she doesn't care.
- [34:55]
A
I think she cares.
- [34:56]
B
No, she doesn't. You know what she cares about?
- [34:58]
A
What?
- [34:59]
B
Championships, gold medal making History. Being the best to ever do it.
- [35:03]
A
And making my life miserable. Tweeting me non stop. She cares about championship. She cares about winning matches. She cares about trying to get me fired from jobs.
- [35:10]
B
Yes, because she cares about stopping misinformation from being spread.
- [35:15]
A
Okay, so you think.
- [35:16]
B
Which is what you're doing right now on this platform.
- [35:18]
A
I don't think I am.
- [35:19]
B
You said a lot of people don't like her.
- [35:20]
A
Which you said people don't.
- [35:22]
B
I like her.
- [35:22]
A
Oh, I forgot.
- [35:23]
B
I like her a lot. It's not just me.
- [35:25]
A
I know it's not just you. I could tell.
- [35:27]
B
I Bleacher report.
- [35:29]
A
I can tell how much like Becky lynch by your Chelsea Green T shirt.
- [35:32]
B
I almost wore a Becky Lynch T shirt today. But I did elect to wear a Chelsea Green T shirt because, you know, Chelsea Green also has a lot of haters, but she does have those who she keeps close to her. Her Secret Service.
- [35:45]
A
I forgot. Have you auditioned to be.
- [35:48]
B
I did submit a video to be her tag team partner, like, years ago.
- [35:51]
A
Oh, cool. Cool, cool, cool.
- [35:52]
B
Yeah, she didn't pick me.
- [35:53]
A
That's too bad. But, you know, I hate to hear that.
- [35:55]
B
It's all right. We're still cool.
- [35:56]
A
You are? Yeah.
- [35:57]
B
I didn't take it personal like you take Becky Lynch's attacks personally.
- [36:00]
A
Well, she. I'm not getting into it. So if Becky lynch were to win as Intercontinental Champion, we could have another.
- [36:07]
B
Situation where she's Becky. Two belts.
- [36:09]
A
Wow, that'd be so horrible right now.
- [36:12]
B
Oh, stop it. It'd be great.
- [36:14]
A
Becky Lynch. It could be Becky lynch and Stephanie if I care la. I mean, you had a WrestleMania headline by Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior where Hogan was WWE Champion. Warrior was ic.
- [36:26]
B
A lot of people link Becky and. And Hogan.
- [36:30]
A
Oh, yeah, a lot of people. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Drew was doing that to Sammy on Twitter.
- [36:36]
B
Terrible.
- [36:36]
A
Not that nice. So. So we love Hogan. He's a legend. But who's winning the Women's Royal Rumble? Even though I know Becky has a leg up.
- [36:51]
B
Who is winning the Women's Royal Rumble? I'm going to go with Liv Morgan.
- [37:01]
A
Whoa. Becky's gonna be furious. I know she's really gonna be disappointed in that.
- [37:09]
B
I just made my case for her, though.
- [37:11]
A
Yeah, but then you said she's not gonna win. What kind of case is that? You'd be a horrible lawyer.
- [37:16]
B
Well, you know, Becky does have a lot of people coming after her because she doesn't have friends. Imagine if you were harder for her.
- [37:22]
A
But imagine if you were a lawyer who went to the Judge. And you're like, here's all the reasons why my client might not have done this. And then the judge goes, okay. And then you're like, by the way, he is guilty.
- [37:30]
B
Listen, I'm not her lawyer. Because she has the biggest lawyers.
- [37:34]
A
Is that the bulldog?
- [37:35]
B
The bulldog or the bull shark? Both. Oh, she has both of them. And the biggest wigs. Fine. I'm not her lawyer.
- [37:41]
A
Good. Thank God.
- [37:42]
B
Listen, for the integrity of this podcast, I have to give you who I legitimately think is going to win the women's Royal Rumble. And I think it's going to be love Morgan.
- [37:48]
A
That's my pick too. I really think Liv Morgan's winning this.
- [37:51]
B
And you know, it's kind of crazy because Liv Morgan, she. She didn't do like, she wasn't out. She didn't wrestle at WrestleMania last year. Right? Was that two years ago? Two years ago, two years ago, nothing ever.
- [38:03]
A
WrestleMania. Yeah, yeah, yeah, because. Yeah, because it was the. It was the beginning of the live Morgan revenge tour.
- [38:09]
B
That's right.
- [38:09]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [38:11]
B
I'm excited. I think, like Liv Morgan having a big WrestleMania moment. 2026 is the year.
- [38:17]
A
Could be massive. But I'll tell you what I know is going to be massive and where Becky lynch will be as well. Fanatics Fest. You heard about Fanatics Fest?
- [38:25]
B
I have.
- [38:25]
A
It's the number one spot for WWE fans and sports fans in general.
- [38:28]
B
It's the worst four days this year.
- [38:30]
A
I mean, unbelievable. It's the world's number one sports fan festival. It's Fanatics Fest and it's making its return to New York City. Fanatics is bringing you closer to the league's team Superstars and and athletes you love. Across four action packed days in July, you can meet your favorite WWE Superstars. You talk about a Royal Rumble. How about this one? Cody Rhodes, Ria Ripley, EO Sky, Liv Morgan, Jay uso, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Randy Orton, Stephanie Ver, Tiffany Stratton and Bianca Belair will be in attendance. As well as big names across sports like WWE Super Fan Cam sco. You'll also be able to get your hands on exclusive merch you can catch. Live podcast tickets are on sale now. And Raw recap fans, Royal Rumble preview fans, you can get 10% off by using code RAW recap10 at checkout. Go do it. It'll be great. Now it's time to talk about the men's Royal Rumble match.
- [39:29]
B
Can I give you my list of potential winners? I have it written down.
- [39:32]
A
You had to write down the list.
- [39:33]
B
I did. There's so many.
- [39:34]
A
Wow. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [39:36]
B
Cody.
- [39:37]
A
Okay.
- [39:37]
B
Braun.
- [39:38]
A
Right.
- [39:38]
B
Brock Lesnar.
- [39:40]
A
Whoa. I forget you had a Pat McAfee.
- [39:41]
B
I know. Gunter doing double duty.
- [39:43]
A
Double duty.
- [39:44]
B
Roman Reigns. Jacob Fatu. Oh, and this one would be a surprise. If he's in the Royal Rumble. He's not declared. La Knight.
- [39:55]
A
Yeah.
- [39:56]
B
Hahaha.
- [39:57]
A
He hasn't declared.
- [39:58]
B
Also could be a case for Logan Paul.
- [40:04]
A
Logan Paul said he's not going to work against the Vision.
- [40:05]
B
He said that? Is he?
- [40:08]
A
Does he mean it?
- [40:09]
B
Known for being a trustworthy guy, man.
- [40:11]
A
And La Knight could be one of those surprises. I know that you're looking at and I would love to see it. But what happens when La Knight goes face to face with.
- [40:20]
B
I mean, what happens when anybody goes to face to face with this version of.
- [40:28]
A
I mean, bad news is what happened. You're talking about the guy who went from EBT to wwe.
- [40:32]
B
What did he say?
- [40:33]
A
I'm gonna tell something right now about Jacob Fat too. They don't make them like him anymore. Hell, they never made him like him. That's what I think about Jacob Fatu.
- [40:46]
B
You're gonna keep going.
- [40:47]
A
I won't. I'll, I'll. No.
- [40:49]
B
Every morning when you wake up, you cut the promo in the mirror.
- [40:52]
A
Yes I do. Yes I do. Yes I do. And I talk about, you know, all my seven kids and I talk about sleeping on a mattress. I talk the whole thing. Because it's a mentality. You know what I'm saying? It's a mentality. And I'm there with Jacob Fatu and I have, I'm the day one Jacob Fatu guy. But this rumble match is so loaded. Last year we were having the conversations about how star studded the Royal Rumble was. I would argue this year is even more so. And the field, I, I, I get why you had to write that down. Because the field is so wide and.
- [41:28]
B
There'S a path and a scenario for every single superstar that I mentioned.
- [41:32]
A
100% and probably more. What about this? He's not even on your list. We're watching Monday Night Raw. On Monday, right before the main event, a little graphic comes up. Obafemi. Oh yeah, Is in the Royal Rumble.
- [41:46]
B
Yeah. That was Big E's pick.
- [41:47]
A
I mean, follow me on this. We've seen Obafemi on the main roster once. Exhibition match. Saturday night's main event, Oba versus Cody. Which means there's a world where Cody locks eyes with Oba Femi. And let me tell you something. Oba handled Cody Rhodes. What does Cody think when he Sees Oba Femi for the first time since December, walking into the Royal Rumble and realizing this is a main roster guy now and he's going nowhere.
- [42:16]
B
He's going, oh.
- [42:18]
A
Moreover, that's exactly what he's going to. Moreover. At Saturday night's main event, obafemi shoved Drew McIntyre to the floor. And Drew McIntyre looked up at him in absolute disbelief, feeling that power. You mean to tell me there's not a world where Obafemi enters this thing? His first official match, non exhibition official match on the main roster wins the whole Royal Rumble. And the payoff to that Drew McIntyre Obafemi interaction is Drew McIntyre defending the WWE Championship at WrestleMania against Obafemi.
- [42:55]
B
I'm here for it, man. I am here for it a hundred percent.
- [42:58]
A
At the same time, it may not even be Drew McIntyre. What if Sami Zayn wins this thing? What if. What if Roman, meaning the WWE Championship.
- [43:10]
B
And then Roman wins the Royal Rumble?
- [43:11]
A
What if Roman wins the Rumble and Roman goes. That's my belt. And Roman versus Sammy, with Sammy defending the title is your mania. Main event.
- [43:21]
B
I love it. I love it.
- [43:23]
A
I mean, what if, Same scenario, Cody wins and then he's got to choose, am I going after Punk or am I going after Sami Zayn? We could see Cody versus Sam. What about this one? Okay. Brock Lesnar facetimes into the Pat McAfee Show. What are you doing, dude? I'm going to Saudi Arabia. I'm going to win the Royal Rumble. And by the way, here's the thing about Brock Lesnar. You were talking about Gunther earlier. When Brock Lesnar is in a match, there's a greater than 50% chance that he's winning the match.
- [43:58]
B
Yep.
- [43:59]
A
No matter what the match is. And, and, and I think Paul Heymon looked very uneasy when the entire vision was put into the Royal Rumble. He was okay with Bron Breaker, but he looked very uneasy when Logan, Paul Bronson, Reed and. And. And Austin Theory were all added to the Royal Rumble match.
- [44:21]
B
Well, Paul Heyman has a deep history with Brock Lesnar, and I don't think that Brock Lesnar is the type of guy that likes to share.
- [44:27]
A
No, you're probably right. You're probably right. If Brock Lesnar's in that match and Paul Heyman is ringside, Brock is probably assuming that Paul has a vested interest in making sure Brock Lesnar wins. Unfortunately, there's four men who have been running Monday Night Raw that probably feel the same way, which is going to put Paul Heyman in an interesting scenario. But let's say they get Past that scenario, let's say Brock Lesnar wins the royal rumble, okay? WrestleMania 36. Drew McIntyre beat Brock Lesnar to win the WWE championship. Now Drew McIntyre holds the WWE Championship. What if Brock says, yeah, I think I'm. I'm going to go ahead take my win back? Yeah, I think. I think. I think this is the year they get my win back. You know, everybody's talking about the Brock Lesnar, you know, how long is it, his career and everything? What if he decides, like, enough with all that noise. I'm not on some cena tour. I'm gonna go win the belt. Like, stop.
- [45:30]
B
I mean, he could break a record in 2020. He eliminated what, 12 or 13 people, something like that?
- [45:36]
A
He could absolutely do that. And see. And by the way, Brock Lesnar versus CM Punk is another one. You. You don't want to talk about Paul Heyman complications. What if Brock goes. You know what? Nah, I don't need. I don't need. I don't need. I don't need Drew. I need the guy who used to think that Paul Heyman was his best friend. And we go to Brock Lesnar versus CM Punk. I mean, listen, CM Punk was in the WWE for like three days before he dropped Roman Reigns name in a promo. What if Roman wins the thing and he goes, drew, I. I beat you, Punk. Roman, punk, Roman versus punk.
- [46:17]
B
Amazing.
- [46:17]
A
All of a sudden happens at WrestleMania now. I mean, there are so many different.
- [46:21]
B
And what if, though, Bron Breaker wins and then we have Bron Breaker, Paul Heyman in the Vision. I mean, it would be Bron Breaker and Paul Heyman against CM Punk.
- [46:30]
A
Yeah. Or he goes, no, I want that one that Megan and Sam just said was Mount Rushmore. I want Drew's belt. Right?
- [46:37]
B
Yeah.
- [46:39]
A
Maybe he wants revenge against Sami Zayn. Maybe Sami Zayn's the WWE Champion and Bron Breaker wants to take him out. You know, there's a. There's, there's, there's a million different possibilities.
- [46:50]
B
And we have to talk about. You know, they say there's going to be surprises. Is Seth Rollins going to be ready?
- [46:54]
A
He. I feel bad for Seth Rollins because he keeps saying no. Like, he literally went on ESPN and he's like, hey, Ryan Clark, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not in the Royal Rumble. I'm talking to you from my house right now. I'm not in the match. I'm talking about. You know, I'm, I'm busy right now. I'm, I'm, I'm doing Commentary about dudes climbing up Taipei skyscrapers.
- [47:16]
B
Unbelievable.
- [47:17]
A
Unbelievable. I'm. I'm doing some sports journalism. I'm not in this Royal Rumble and all of us wrestling.
- [47:25]
B
And I mean, Seth is very truthful.
- [47:27]
A
All the problem.
- [47:27]
B
He's never deceived us once.
- [47:29]
A
I feel bad for him because we all just watched. Unreal.
- [47:32]
B
He's the boy who cried wolf.
- [47:33]
A
Yeah. We just saw you just. You. You wanted your kid to lie to her teacher. We saw it. Like, what are you talking about?
- [47:39]
B
Ms. Joy.
- [47:40]
A
Ms. Joy. God. You know, good thing she wasn't leaking to the sheets.
- [47:44]
B
You know, it'd be great if she had.
- [47:46]
A
Who's the leak? It's hiding Ms. Joy. But, yeah, I mean, listen. I mean, that's kind of the fun of this, that anybody on the injured list right now is like, right front and center. Like, I don't care what that dude says. He's fine. He's there.
- [48:01]
B
Get him in there.
- [48:02]
A
Yeah. Yeah. But it's a hundred percent something that's in people's minds as they're looking.
- [48:09]
B
Until all 30 participants enter, you never know.
- [48:12]
A
You never know. You look at everybody on the injured list is possible. Anybody that anybody on the Internet even hints at being unsigned is possible. Yeah, everyone. And it's. And it's like, yeah, it could go. There's like. Like you just said seven, eight, six. Seven different potential.
- [48:29]
B
Is that still cool?
- [48:31]
A
No, actually, I just found out last night it wasn't.
- [48:33]
B
It's not.
- [48:33]
A
No. My kid was like, that's old.
- [48:36]
B
Oh, wow.
- [48:36]
A
It's over.
- [48:37]
B
You better stop.
- [48:38]
A
I don't know. Maybe I can bring it back. I'm hoping it's nostalgic at this point.
- [48:43]
B
Okay.
- [48:44]
A
Boomer, any. Any of those that you just read as well as others could win this thing, or it could go in a completely different direction that we haven't even seen. I mean, the fact that Obafemi is not a surprise. Brock Lesnar is not a surprise. These are announced participants. I can only imagine who the surprises in this Royal Rumble match are going to be. But you know who. One guy that every single person is looking past is. Jey uso.
- [49:08]
B
That's right.
- [49:09]
A
And you know, when the last time everybody looked past him last year, and what happened?
- [49:12]
B
He won.
- [49:13]
A
He eliminated John Cena, for God's sake. Yeah. I mean, what if somebody. What if you're watching, you know? And that's again, the Royal Rumble thing. Like, if I'm watching and I go, wouldn't it be cool of penta one?
- [49:25]
B
It would be sweet, right?
- [49:26]
A
And all Of a sudden you're like, okay, they could do that.
- [49:28]
B
Yeah.
- [49:30]
A
Look, here's my thing. I'm gonna give you my, my, my prediction on this rumble. My brain. I've been. I've been all Braun breaker all the time. Okay. I really think Braun breaker, but I'm also trying to put myself in the shoes that I'll be wearing on Saturday. Where we will be right after Royal Rumble, by the way, instantly reacting. I think they're gonna have cameras on us while we're watching the show. It's gonna be. Well, it's gonna be a mess if I can be a hundred percent, honestly, because I am a messy Royal Rumble viewer. But I really think that the only reason that I think Bron Breakker is going to win the Royal Rumble is because I haven't seen my tribal chief since War Games. And I believe. No, I try to be self aware and I believe knowing myself the way I know myself, which is intimately. I believe that the minute that I see Bron Break. The minute that I see Roman Reigns, I'm gonna go, no, that's my guy. That's.
- [50:33]
B
You are.
- [50:34]
A
That's my guy. I gotta pick Roman Reigns and I'll tell you why. Because I know the minute I see him, I'm like, that's the guy. That's the. I'm already hearing rumors that he might have a new glove. And I'm losing my mind. Okay. I go, that's my guy. Because we've seen a Roman Reigns for a year and a half. Coming off of WrestleMania 40 in kind of recovery mode, kind of finding myself.
- [50:56]
B
He got taken out on a stretcher.
- [50:57]
A
Yeah. Let me put my family get back together. Let me get revenge on. On the new bloodline. Let me get revenge on Heyman and his group. There have been all these distractions, and what I want more than anything is for Roman Reigns to go back to smashing them and stacking them. What I want more than anything. I mean, I went back and watched some of the old, old Roman stuff. Like when you first. First came back, when Haymon was revealed on the couch next to him, when he just decided like every, like enough of the foolishness, enough of the storytelling, enough of the cooperating. This is my show. This is my company, my ring, my people. Reason we're here is because of me. They built a stadium in Riyadh for me. That's what is the reality of what is happening. And the reason that WrestleMania is going back to Las Vegas, because Las Vegas wants it so badly, because they want me. That's The Roman Reigns that I want back, that's the Roman Reigns that I want to see in the Royal Rumble. I want Roman reigns to get 29 eliminations. I want Roman Reigns to just be complete return to form. I want more Roman Reigns this year than we got last year. I want him to start going through people. I want him to remind everybody. I want. I want him to be in a position where the bloodline is not a memory, but something he just needs to unlock. And I want him to open Pandora's Box. I want him to beat everybody in the Rumble. I want him to beat everybody that steps up to him. I want him to beat Bronson Reed. I want him to beat Braun Breaker. I wanted to beat everybody. And then I want him to go to Wrestlemania. I don't want him to win the belt. I don't want him to hold the belt, you know, how long?
- [52:43]
B
Forever.
- [52:44]
A
At least 3 1/4 years. I want Roman Reigns reign to be beat by Roman Reigns. That's what I want. That's my predict. That's what I want for the Royal Rumble.
- [52:53]
B
Well, I have a prediction. It's not necessarily what I want to happen.
- [52:57]
A
Same.
- [52:58]
B
I like your scenario better when than what I'm about to present.
- [53:01]
A
What ra.
- [53:02]
B
Because I don't like what I'm about to say, but unfortunately, this is, I think, the world that we live in right now in wwe. There is nobody right now that can stop Gunter.
- [53:17]
A
Oh, my God, not again.
- [53:18]
B
No, there is no one that can stop Gunter and his maniacal laugh and what he's capable of.
- [53:25]
A
Not even Michael Cole.
- [53:27]
B
Not Michael Cole. Not Roman Reigns. What?
- [53:30]
A
Don't say no. Don't be saying that. Don't come down in basement. Say that. Look, you think he's going to retire AJ Styles and then win the Royal Rumble?
- [53:38]
B
I think that's a real possibility.
- [53:40]
A
How do you expect Biggie to do a post show after that? Just could be booze. And it's not Gunther's concern, is it?
- [53:47]
B
No. You know what Gunther thinks about those booze?
- [53:49]
A
What does he think?
- [53:50]
B
Loves them.
- [53:50]
A
Amusing.
- [53:51]
B
Yes.
- [53:51]
A
Wow.
- [53:52]
B
He loves antagonizing people. You didn't get what you want. Good.
- [53:57]
A
I know. He told Stephen A. He said on first take, he just goes up, he goes, I really like to antagonize people. It's great. I was like, what? And you can. You have the ability to. It can't be Gunther.
- [54:12]
B
Why?
- [54:13]
A
That's a great question.
- [54:14]
B
Why can't it be Gunter?
- [54:16]
A
I mean, it can. I want it to be Roman.
- [54:19]
B
We don't want it to be Gunter, but that doesn't really matter.
- [54:24]
A
Oh my God. And if Gunther wins, you know who's the last guy that beat Gunther?
- [54:32]
B
Who is it?
- [54:32]
A
CM Punk for the world title. CM Punk beat Gunther at SummerSlam for the world heavyweight title. And CM Punk has been has said since then, I don't even think I beat Gunther. I think I survived him. It's a different Gunther now.
- [54:46]
B
Yeah.
- [54:47]
A
So Gunther wins the Rumble and go. Does he go? And does he go?
- [54:51]
B
Well, think about this, right?
- [54:52]
A
Oh my God. Who beat Gunther for the intercontinental title? Sami Zayn beat Gunther.
- [54:59]
B
That's right.
- [55:00]
A
What if Sami. So if Sami Zayn beats Drew McIntyre, Gunther looks at CM Punk and Sami Zayn and just takes his pick and just ruins it. Because we'll be so happy to see c. CM Punk as champion. We'll be so happy to see Sami Zayn as champion. And Gunther goes. Which one is mine? Which one are you two?
- [55:17]
B
You guys want to fight over it?
- [55:18]
A
Wow.
- [55:18]
B
It doesn't matter to Gunther.
- [55:20]
A
Wow. Yeah. Yeah.
- [55:21]
B
Doesn't matter.
- [55:22]
A
Either one for me. Either one. I owe both of you one.
- [55:25]
B
You have to think after making John Cena quit, retiring Bill Goldberg.
- [55:29]
A
Well, he didn't just make him quit. He made him tap out like a.
- [55:32]
B
B. Yeah, that's what Joe Test says. Tap like a B.
- [55:35]
A
That's what he did.
- [55:36]
B
Makes him tap like a B. B Retires Bill Goldberg, retires AJ Styles.
- [55:42]
A
What? Now you're going?
- [55:44]
B
If you have to think, next thing on his list is getting that world title back. How do you get the world title back? You win the Royal Rumble.
- [55:53]
A
You're really walking into a no fun Royal Rumble. I want Roman Reigns eliminate 29 other guys, win the belt at WrestleMania.
- [56:00]
B
I told you I like your scenario better than mine.
- [56:03]
A
Well, hopefully mine's the one that happens.
- [56:04]
B
Yeah. I mean, all of our sake.
- [56:06]
A
Yeah. Roman comes in at number one, eliminates everyone.
- [56:10]
B
It would be so much more fun.
- [56:11]
A
It'd be the best. And look, it's going to be the best. We will be there. Good, bad, ugly, beautiful. We'll be there to break it all down after the Royal Rumble on Saturday. Coming to you from RAD on ESPN or Netflix internationally. I cannot wait for this show. I cannot wait to recap it right here on the podcast feed. So make sure you're subscribed to this podcast feed across all audio platforms. Make sure you're watching on YouTube, leaving comments, hitting like on the WWE's YouTube channel. And we'll see you after the rumble. Most people know American Express for our iconic personal cards. Some know us for our business cards.
- [56:53]
B
To help entrepreneurs grow.
- [56:55]
A
But American Express also offers something built.
- [56:57]
B
For companies at school. The American Express Corporate Program.
- [57:01]
A
With the Corporate program, you can apply.
- [57:03]
B
For employee cards tailored to their needs, issue virtual cards to your team and.
- [57:07]
A
Suppliers, and even automate accounts payable with American Express OneAP. Along the way, your company can earn.
- [57:14]
B
Rewards or cash back as a statement.
- [57:15]
A
Credit to reinvest where it matters most. And because it's all backed by American Express, you get the service, insights and flexibility to help keep your business moving forward. The American Express Corporate Program designed to help companies grow with confidence. Terms apply, enrollment required and fees may apply, including an auto renewing monthly platform access fee. Suppliers must be enrolled and located in the United States.