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- [00:01]
A
Guys, guys, guys. Welcome to a special edition of the Raw recap podcast. Only this podcast is no recap podcast. No, this is a preview podcast. A preview of the massive premium live event coming up this Saturday on the ESPN app. I'm talking about the first ever WWE Wrestle Palooza. It is a loaded card. I thought we would come here, we would break it all down. I am Sam Roberts. With me as always, Megan Morant. Here to help us with all these, these matches is the incredible Big E. E, are you excited?
- [00:38]
B
I am. Look, this is a big one. This is our first time on the worldwide leader on espn. This is a big one. Our very first Russell Palooza as well. And like you said, the card really is stacked. So I, I can't wait to get into this to dive in.
- [00:51]
A
Yeah, yeah. Massive, massive card. And just saying this, right? Let's talk about this tag team match. I'm talking about Braun Breaker and Bronson Reed versus the Usos. I mean, who would have thought in 2025 we've got the Usos back together and really the, the, the irony of this USO's team is that two, three weeks ago when we first saw Jimmy and Jay back in the ring together and Jimmy came out to save Jay, we had the conversation. Megan, I looked at this and said like, this version of the Usos is so cool to see because now they've become a super team. They're two single stars that have become this super team, but this match has become it. Like that's, that's, that's. That point is. So three weeks ago, with the complications that have gone into this match with the fact that Jay has. Is going through a complete. I don't know if it's an identity crisis, but it's certainly a shift in personality. The fact that Jimmy and Jay have not been on the same page, I don't think at all in the build up to this match. And it seems like old Bronnie Bronnie is as much on the same page as ever.
- [02:06]
C
They look like a well oiled machine.
- [02:08]
A
Yeah, I mean, listen, on Raw, Bronson Reed pinned Jimmy uso, what do you, I mean E, what do you make of the fact that this, like that this USO's coming back together, which should be a real simple, feel good, formulaic moment that would just work. And the audience cheers has become way more complicated than that.
- [02:32]
B
No, absolutely. I, I think your analysis is spot on. I see in the bronze, I see two guys who are completely on the same page. They've Been aligned by Seth Rollins, by Paul Heyman. I see two guys who are young and, and hungry and they're still making their climb. They're still, you know, adding scouts to their resume. They, this is such a huge match for them, beating the Usos, who I would argue is the greatest tag team of this generation of the past 10, 15 years and is on the Mount Rushmore of WWE tag teams and tag teams in general. But this match is so much about cohesiveness. Tag team wrestling is about being on the same page. It's about knowing where your partner is and, and naturally the Usos have that advantage as twins, as two guys have who have been doing this forever. Since birth, they've been together, they've been aligned, they know where each other is. They speak their own language. But right now we're not seeing that. We're not seeing two guys who are aligned. Even you know, we can talk back to the backstage segments on Raw and you, you see the division there. But not just that. Seeing La Knight hit Jay USO with the BFT and leave and there's no retaliation from Jimmy. There's. There's no real reaction from Jimmy. He just looks at him. So to see your twin brother who you're about to go into battle and one of the most important matches, those two finally back together, like you said, the story really should be the USO's are back. Yay. All things are, we're so excited the USOs are finally back. But no, it's about this tension. It's about this division. And if you go into a match like this against two absolute killers in Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, and if your head is not on a swivel, if you two are not united in battle, you are not going to win. In fact, you are going to get obliterated. So that is my biggest concern. How do the USO's turn this around in less than a week? They only got a few days to get on the same page.
- [04:30]
C
We've seen a lot of subtle jabs that jab pretty deep, right? I mean, we've been hearing Jimmy USO tell Jay that he's acting like the tribal chief, that he sounds a lot like Roman Reigns. And all of those things bring up a lot from the past and what Jay has been through with the bloodline. And we are seeing a lot of that frustration really pour out in Jay and it's a completely different side of Jay uso. It's not a Jay USO that's entering with A smile that has his hands up. Yeeting. He's very serious now.
- [05:04]
A
Well, I mean, e. Let me ask you this. You're a guy who was a tag team wrestler. You're a guy who won the WWE Championship and then lost the WWE Championship and had to have a life after losing the WWE Championship and still had a lot of successful time with like, you know, is it a more difficult thing than we realize for Jay to go back to being a tag team wrestler? Jack, can. Can. Let me ask you this. More, more can the championship corrupt you?
- [05:39]
B
I. I wouldn't say corrupt. I think the title can make you lose focus of who you were before. I think the title can make you think, this is who I am. I am putting the tag team division behind me. I am. I'm a singles guy now. This is. This is who I am. I don't need to go back. I think a lot of times people who have made it to that point can say that's. That's a step back. I don't need that life anymore. And you think my partner who hasn't held the world title, they don't get it. They're. They're not quite on this level. And I wonder if that's going through Jay's mind right now is thinking, I'm above this. I'm above Jimmy. Jimmy. Jimmy doesn't know what it's like to hold this title. Jimmy hasn't main evented singles matches on on ples. Jimmy hasn't done that before. I'm Jay uso. I'm doing the commercials. I main event Jay uso. I call the shots. They're eating for me. It's not about Jimmy. Like, Jimmy is a thing of the past. Like, I'm above Jimmy and I'm not saying that's his mentality per se, but I wonder if that starts to creep in because you think I've been the man on my own for so long.
- [06:52]
C
Who.
- [06:52]
B
Who is this dude? Like this. This dude that was a thing in the past and that's my fear is that Jay is going in with this mentality that that's the thing of the past. I'm. I'm stepping backwards by teaming with my brother. And that is my concern because if he sees this match and teaming with Jimmy as beneath him, he's in trouble.
- [07:16]
C
Now we know that Paul Heymon is out with a broken larynx is what's been reported.
- [07:21]
A
Damaged.
- [07:21]
C
Damaged lar. That's been reported. I've been quite impressed by what we've seen from the bronze without Paul Heymon. Because it seemed like before Paul Heyman was taken out of action, if you will, he really was the leader of Bronson Reed and Bron Breaker. And now these two have been without Paul Heyman for weeks, and they haven't missed a beat, and they're just destroying everybody in their path.
- [07:48]
B
Yeah, it's. It's a bit like seeing two pit bulls off the leash. Like, it's. They're scary enough when the owner is there and, you know, like, all right, I still won't get close, but he's on the leash. He's. They're both on the leash. It's okay. I'll just walk around. But when they're roaming the neighborhood and there's no guidance, you know, you know, it's like a wild, bad child with no parental supervision. That's what we're seeing. We're seeing two pit bulls roaming the streets. And in many ways, I wonder if they're more scary now. I wonder if they're. They're more of a threat now because there's no one to say, oh, boy, hold on now. Let's back down. Those two are trying to prove a point. And I think on Saturday we might see tsunami after tsunami after tsunami like we've seen before. We might see a Jimmy and Jay who are on the shelf for quite some time because there is no one right now. Seth is off doing his own thing. Those two, left to their own devices, are very scary individuals. And once again, those two are aligned. I see no division. I see no infighting. I see no grappling for power. Those two are hungry and they are together and they are aligned. Coming into Russell Palooza.
- [08:58]
A
Yeah. And they're both fighting for stated goals of. Of being on board with Seth Rollins Vision. I did want to say before we move on, that description that you just had of what could potentially go wrong with Jay uso, I'm above it. It's me. I've been running this. That sounds not for nothing. I mean, exactly like Roman Reigns. However, we move on. That's not the only tag team match on the show on Saturday. The mixed tag team match that Joe Test described as the one that nobody saw coming. Seth Rollins and Becky lynch versus CM Punk. And after ten and a half years in a WWE ring, AJ Lee E. You're close with aj. You've been close with AJ to, to the. The idea that we're going to sit here and you are going to see A.J. lee compete again. How does it feel?
- [09:52]
B
It's. It's kind of Mind boggling. Yeah, I, for the longest time I thought she was completely done much, you know, much in the same way I thought of CM Punk, but probably even to a greater degree, I thought she's been so involved. One being an advocate for mental health. She's been very involved in that. She's an actor, she's writing, she's producing, she's doing things out there. She has a very full life. And I thought because of her neck, honestly because of her past issues with management in wwe, I thought this was a woman who was never going to do a signing in wwe, not going to do a meet and greet, not going to do away from the crowd, let alone return to the ring. And we saw online this is not supposed to be a two month run. She's here permanently. She signed a long term deal from everything that's being reported right now. So to see AJ Lee back, someone who almost 13 years ago, she was the one who called me up to the main roster. That was my very first appearance. She's someone I've known. The first day I stepped into FCW in the summer of 2009, she was there in a very small, tight knit group of people all trying to make it so. This is a woman who I have known essentially my entire adult life. And to see the reaction, to see social media go crazy, the amount of videos I've seen from fans who are weeping because their idol is back. Not just that, but the way she's influenced this generation of women's wrestlers, so many people, Roxanne Perez credits her. She's the reason she's here. So many women on the independent scene in wwe, in nxt, the reason they got into this industry is because of AJ Lee. Her impact is undeniable. And to see her come back, and I will say looks to be in phenomenal shape. Her, her same like biting wit is still there. Her same ability on the mic, her same charisma. And now getting to have this chapter with her husband against arguably the greatest wrestling couple of all time. Those four together in a ring with mics in hand are magic. Everything they've done, I've seen some of these segments that seem to go about 20 minutes. I'm like, give them the rest of the hour. They can do an hour. And because I see two couples who are coming alive when they're together, I think this is truly bringing the best out of all four involved. I can't tell you how excited I am for this match. I can't wait to see what kind of shape AJ's in. Obviously, we got to see for anyone who watches heels, she got to do a little bit on tv. Getting to wrestle a few years ago. I think this woman is determined. I think there are so many wrongs from her past. Not that she's committed, but I think just knowing her, she's someone who had to fight for so much of just the smallest opportunities and the smallest things. And to be able to come back with this amount of momentum, this amount of love, this amount of just the ability to kind of steer her career in the way she wants to. Man, I can't tell you enough how excited I am. And we're just Talking about the A.J. lee of it all. Seeing Punk light up with his wife. I'm telling you, as someone who is now in love, who is soon to be married, I know what it's like to have a partner who brings the best out of you, who makes you more excited to go after your goals. And now that they're getting to do this together, I think we're going to see the very best CM Punk. The very best AJ Lee. And I think the same of Seth Rollins, of Becky lynch as well. Seeing, seeing Becky, she is so. She is so crafty, she is so smart. Seeing her bicker with her husband, thinking, oh, are they not on the same page? Little did we know it was all a ruse so that we forget about her when she leaves the ring. And there she is to attack AJ Lee. Leave her lane as Seth Rollins does the same to CM Punk. Those two, I'm telling you, they're. They're smart. Their wrestling IQ is as good as it gets. And this match, man, I. I'm gonna be on, on. I'm gonna have a bag of popcorn. My full attention on the. Creating the memes on. On everything. This, this match, I'm telling you, is gonna be a very, very special one.
- [14:31]
A
Yeah, we've all seen the meme. We know exactly what you're going to look like watching this match.
- [14:36]
B
I appreciate that. I appreciate it. Pretty good popcorn.
- [14:39]
A
It's great.
- [14:40]
C
Would you describe Becky lynch right now in the way she's operating as slick?
- [14:44]
B
Very slick.
- [14:47]
C
Thank you so much.
- [14:48]
B
Wait, that's a backstory I'm missing here, isn't it?
- [14:51]
A
Well, Becky, because at one point, Becky called her finish slick. And then since she called her finish.
- [15:00]
C
Slick, it was at Evolution, Megan.
- [15:02]
B
Yeah, that's right.
- [15:03]
A
It was the slick pin at Evolution. And then, and ever since then, anytime Becky does anything remotely sneaky, Megan has to point out that she's. She's once Again, she's very, very slick.
- [15:14]
C
That was the slickest manhandle slam I've ever seen Becky deliver on Ra.
- [15:19]
B
It wasn't. Was indeed.
- [15:21]
C
Thank you.
- [15:21]
B
Very, very slick. Yeah, I think. I think all four of these individuals at the top are at the top of their game. So, yeah, just the combination of seeing them together this. Honestly, we're getting a WrestleMania main event caliber match at Russell Palooza. Truly. Like, I thought. I thought if we did get this match, it would be at WrestleMania and it would be in a huge spot. So to get it at Russell Palooza, we are all very blessed to. To see this match.
- [15:47]
A
Yeah, there's so many dynamics of it, too, because number one, when you look at these two couples, like in any other there, there is no couple that has the star power enough to match Seth Rollins and Becky lynch, except for maybe CM Punk and AJ Lee. And there is no couple that has the star power to match CM Punk and AJ Lee, except maybe Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. And to go back to what you were saying about, you know, these married couples who are prideful of their partner and how brilliant that is to see. We were talking about that a couple of weeks ago about how this is, like, maybe the healthiest mixed tag team match in the history of WWE because they're two sides of the same coin. This feels very much to me like it's the prom king and queen in Seth and Becky versus the kids that. That hung out under the bleachers in Punk and aj. But there are still those two couples in the completely different cliques in high school that were totally inseparable.
- [16:44]
D
The world is full of tours.
- [16:49]
B
But.
- [16:49]
D
You don't choose a Toyota truck to follow the beat path. You choose it to find the places in between the detours where each adventure pulls you toward the next. And wrong turns turn out right. So why would you ever take a tour when you could take a detour? Toyota trucks.
- [17:15]
A
But we're talking about championships. We got two champions in this match. No titles on the line, obviously, but we have a vacate, a vacant championship as of now that will be decided on Saturday. Stephanie Vacair and EO sky meet to determine who will be the Women's World Champion. And I love matches like this where the title's been vacated because we know we're getting a new champion on the other side of this thing. We know that when we look at it right there, either Iyo sky gets to kind of restart that reign as women's World Champion, which came earlier this year, and nobody saw it coming. In and it. It was this reign that did exactly what a championship reign should do for somebody and put her on another level. It brought her into a different stratosphere. At the same time, there's a just as good chance that Stephanie Vacair, who not that long ago was in nxt, steps right up and immediately hits the top of the totem pole as far as the Raw women's division goes and.
- [18:25]
C
Not only steps up, but, you know, belongs.
- [18:28]
A
Not yet belongs and leads.
- [18:30]
C
Yes. Belongs in this women's championship conversation and not just the conversation.
- [18:36]
A
Deserves the center.
- [18:38]
C
Yes.
- [18:39]
B
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I think Stephanie is just like we said time and time again, she's been on a rocket ship since joining the main roster. It's been beautiful to see the way the fans take to her. But I also have to think, you know, she was supposed to have that opportunity at Clash in Paris for this title. She has to be someone who is really championing at the bit to get this opportunity. This is such a massive, massive opportunity for her. And I also think, like, for me, if we're just talking about technical ability, this is it. This is the match that I am most looking forward to. This is the match that I think is going to be truly a barn burner. I Hope we get 30 minutes out of this one. From bell to bell, these two women are going to put on a clinic. But yeah, you're right. I really think this is such a great opportunity for Iyo to really, like we talk about many times or like I've talked about, I think winning a World Championship really gets you noticed. But. But what starts to put you in that elite class is winning multiple world Championships. It's reclaiming it. That's the true measure of a real champion is, hey, I can deal with the setback and I can get back to the top. So I think for Iyo, I think it's such a great opportunity for her to really add to her legacy by reclaiming something that she was an incredible champion, Truly an incredible champion. And for her to get back a title that means so much in a division that is absolutely stacked, I'm really excited for her. But I think Stephanie is someone who's battle tested. She's traveled the world before even getting to wwe. She's on this meteoric rise. And technically we're seeing two of the most skilled performers, bar none in our industry, go at it. So I am from a technical in ring aspect, this is the match that I am so keenly excited for.
- [20:24]
A
I always, you know, I always think about the and Then what? When you've got a match, any man, any match, any promo, any story, it's wrestling. And then what?
- [20:34]
C
Did that backstage interaction between Stephanie and Rhea get you excited?
- [20:38]
A
And then what? There's gotta be a reason that on raw, Ria making it clear that she was what was on the other side of this thing went to Stephanie Vacair. Because all of a sudden, not just like we're seeing this story of, of maybe Rhea going, hey, you're the one who, who needs to know I'm on the other side of this. But all of a sudden, what that does is it puts in. In my mind, in the fans mind, we now start visualizing what that match might look like, and we start looking at Stephanie Vacair not only in a situation like, like this with EO sky, which is already, in my mind, a dream match that three months ago we didn't see coming, but now to go like, oh, and if she wins the title, she's defending against Ria or people like Ria, and all of a sudden, to me, the whole landscape of the division changes.
- [21:31]
B
And I also think it's a reminder that winning the title isn't where it ends, it's where it begins. Like, it's like, okay, I won the title. That's great. Oh, here I'm in a pool of sharks. There's another incredible future hall of Famer lined up. So that's what I love is this. There's so much iron sharpening iron in this division, so many incredible women. And, you know, okay, this is an incredible moment. I've won the Women's World Championship at Russell Palooza. Oh, no, there's. There's maybe the most impressive, most dominant woman in all of wwe who is right over my shoulder saying, my, my time is now. I'm coming. So I. I'm really, really excited for. For this, for this match and, and.
- [22:16]
A
Not to get too far ahead of this match, because I do want to stay in the moment, but it just occurred to me, Rhea Ripley making her intentions down. Let's say Stephanie Vicare were to win. Where's the next Premium Live event?
- [22:28]
C
Australia?
- [22:28]
A
Perth. Oh, yeah. Oh, my gosh. And by the way, same for eo. If EO were to win all of a sudden, if Ria is up next, the idea that, okay, how about either somebody. What if it's somebody that Ria has never beaten before and now she's got to go to Perth to try to get it done? I mean, there's a lot that goes into this.
- [22:48]
B
The.
- [22:48]
A
And then what of this match, to me, might be the most fascinating of all, but maybe not because we've got a WWE Championship match. On Saturday, we saw the surprise return of Cody Rhodes just on Friday on smackdown. Shows up at the end of the show, immediately challenges Drew McIntyre. After Drew beat Randy Orton, by the way, Cody shows up, stops Drew McIntyre from the post match beat down, and then lets him know it's on at Wrestle Palooza. But now we've got Drew McIntyre versus Cody Rhodes. @ this show of all shows, this show that the world is going to have eyes on, this show that executives are going to have eyes on. I think that there is a far better chance than anybody is admitting that Drew McIntyre leaves Indianapolis with the WWE Championship. Wow.
- [23:49]
B
I couldn't agree more.
- [23:50]
C
Oh, my God.
- [23:50]
B
Since the Punk feud, I've thought Drew McIntyre is going to be a world Champion again. And honestly, I'm a little surprised it's taken this long to get another opportunity of this level. Drew's ready. Man, Drew is hungry. Seeing this dude who is enormous, he is enormous. He's incredible. In incredible shape right now. And I see a hunger in him that I think hasn't died down. I think knowing Drew, I think he's someone the last several months who has thought a lot of what I'm doing is kind of beneath me. I belong at the top of the card. I belong as WWE Champion again. And I think a lot of his motivation comes from feeling like he doesn't get respected. Going back to about four to five years ago as the man who held that title during the Pandemic, a world champion during the Pandemic, he won it with no fans, with no fanfare, with no acclaim. And he was there every single week doing it without fans. And I know hearing him talk, I know from listening to him, from. From knowing Drew, I know that's something that still sticks in his crawl. And then to get to win a World Championship again for about two or three minutes before CM Punk takes it away from him. He's held this title, but he's never been able to do it the way he's wanted to do it. To have the kind of run, he's wanted to do it in front of fans. And I think that's a big part of what fuels him, is feeling like I deserve to be the guy. And all the times I got the ball, I never really got the ball the way I was supposed to. And we've seen a Drew that can be a bit unstable, someone that I think it's him taking out a lot of that angst on the people he's in the ring with. And on the other side of this equation, I look at Cody Rhodes, a guy who has truly just been the spokesman that we need. He's been the champion that we need here in wwe. But you also start to wonder where his focus is as someone who is doing a thousand things, who I believe just. I don't know if he's done shooting Street Fighter, but obviously we know he was busy doing that. So you start to wonder as someone who is trying to be the man who carries the company, who does all the meet and greets, who does everything it takes to be the face of the company. When will enough be enough? When will it finally be too much? When will it exhaust him? And I think just knowing those two things are in play as Drew feeling like he deserves to be the guy that, that does all the interviews, that represents the company that flies around the world, gets the big movie opportunities, and here's Cody, everything that he's been yearning for. That, to me, is what really intrigues me in this matchup.
- [26:44]
A
However, I think just as intriguing is this idea that you kind of got a sense of it when you watch WWE unreal, but you really get a sense of it if you watch the Cody Rhodes podcast that he did with Bruce Pritchard. The idea that Cody Rhodes has always wanted to be the guy, only wants to be the guy. And there has always been people even like we were with him, everybody was with him on his journey to finish the story. But ever since WrestleMania 40, those whispers of doubt have followed him every step of the way. And I think if you really ask Cody, maybe in his moment where he wasn't putting on a happy face, maybe in his moment where he wasn't being optimistic and being a chin up guy, he would tell you, look, when do I get to be the guy? Not like one of the guys, not Roman is the guy, but you're the champion. When do I get to be the guy? And how come now that I'm the champion, every time I step up, there are people doubting that I'm going to get it done. There are people doubting that I can have this much on my plate and, and it's natural. But I think, I think Cody has that fire still in him because I don't think, I think there are a lot of loud people, and I don't think it's the majority, but I think there are a lot of loud people that have not allowed him to settle in as the guy the way he thought that he would be able to. And I think that's something that Cody still fights for.
- [28:10]
B
No, I think you're right there. And I think beating Drew at Russell Palooza will be a big part of kind of silencing a lot of that narrative. It's really kind of the mark of being the guy or having a great reign is who have you beat? And, you know, obviously, you know, I think the, the, the program with Kevin Owens was, was huge for, for Cody getting past Kevin. And now you start, you need to really rack up those big names, rack up Kevin Owens, a former world champion. Drew McIntyre, a former world champion. Once you start really building that resume, it's going to be undeniable that you.
- [28:45]
A
Are indeed the guy and somebody else's name who's on that list that Cody beat is John Cena. And Cody beat John Cena. When John Cena did one of the best matches of his entire career. Cody beat the real John Cena. And the real John Cena shows up on Saturday to fight Brock Lesnar. And I think that of all the matches that we thought we were going to get on the Cena retirement tour, Brock just, I mean, it's one that I think makes more sense than maybe any other match, but I also think it's one that just a lot of people weren't predicting. They didn't think we were going to get another Cena Brock Lesnar match. And here we are. I mean, I, I, I said this, Ian, and, and, and you probably know about it. I was talking to Megan about it on the Raw recap podcast, about how when Brock Lesnar and John Cena had their match on the SummerSlam, that was after WrestleMania 30, that it was uncomfortable to watch and not just like, you know, wrestling analyst painting a picture. I mean, as a fan, like, we really hadn't experienced seeing somebody on the level of John Cena just getting beat that badly in a match with just a suplex over and over and over again to the point that the audience was uncomfortable. And I think it launched Brock Lesnar into this new era where he has these uncomfortable moments where, you know, honestly, when he beat Kofi, it was an uncomfortable thing to see. It was like, this is not what we wanted. This is uncomfortable. I mean, you know, when he took your title, it was not what we wanted to see. It was uncomfortable. It didn't feel like wrestling anymore. It felt like this feels bad. You know what I mean? But that, I honestly think, is that unique factor in Brock Lesnar. And why, when you go into a match like this. When you go, okay, John Cena's got five appearances after this match. He's got to win this one. And if it were anyone other than Brock Lesnar, you'd go, is going to be a fun one to watch. But then John Cena wins and we're all happy. Except because it's Brock Lesnar and because he does these things that are just, you know, these matches are uncomfortable, he could easily win this match.
- [31:03]
B
Agreed. Look, look, when he rained down those elbows on Randy Orton's face and had his head spurting blood. Talk about uncomfortable. Honestly, when I, when I think about all the uncomfortable moments in wrestling, also him breaking the undertaker streak, it's, it's all Brock Lesnar. It's all Brock. He is a scary, scary individual. As someone who has been in the ring with him a few times, that blend of power, of speed, and you always start to, when you look at athletes who, who are at a certain age, you start to wonder, when does it decline? I, I, I don't know what this man is made of, because I see no decline. I don't think a decline is even on the horizon. This match is going to be brutal. It is going to be physical, it is going to be uncomfortable. Uncomfortable is honestly the best way to put it. And you look at John Cena and I think of this farewell tour, it very easily could be, let's have friendly, fun exhibitions and let's go on about our way. There is none of that with Brock Lesnar. You are going to be in for the fight of your life. If you're a big Cena fan, you might need to say a prayer. Honestly, I don't know how Cena gets out of this match with the W. It's possible. I'm not going to count him out. If anyone can, it's John Cena. But we're seeing, you know, oftentimes when someone's been out for a while, you, you wonder, is it rest or is it rust? And I think with Brock Lesnar, I never see rust on this man. I think he's well rested, I think he's focused, and I think he's ready. So we're going to have to see the very best version of John Cena. But I will say, even though he lost, as you mentioned, his match at WrestleMania against Cody Rhodes makes me think the very best version of John Cena is still here, and he's going to need to tap into that and, and then some if he's going to be Brock. I wrestle palooza.
- [32:50]
A
Yeah, I mean, what kind of match do you see happening, Megan? Is this going to be like one of these one sided Brock fest that just leave you feeling depleted as a fan going, I, I can't believe it.
- [33:02]
B
Or, or.
- [33:02]
A
Because. Because he's right. That there is that thing about Cena, right? We where. Where it's either his match with Cody at SummerSlam, it's the, the match with Logan. Paul was incredible. Like he's had the match with Sammy. I was just about to say Sammy Zane incredible. Except that's not the type of match that anyone has with Brock Lesnar.
- [33:24]
C
Yes. But we also have been on this retirement tour with Cena and we just started to get the real Cena back. I want to see John Cena continue. But everything you're saying, you take one look at Brock Lesnar in the entrance and you know, it's different. It feels different, it looks different, it sounds different. I mean, I think you use the word aura to describe him on your Not Sam podcast. I mean, Brock Lesnar is truly a different beast. But if this is Cena's last rodeo, perhaps it invokes something as well.
- [33:58]
A
It's true. But everybody's talking about Cena's retirement tour, Cena's last rodeo. Big E, you know better than anyone, everyone's got a plan. And then Brock Lesnar gets put into it.
- [34:12]
B
Absolutely. He will destroy your plan very, very quickly. This. This man is a monster. Truly is a monster.
- [34:19]
A
Do you have a match? Out of all five that have been announced, do you have a match that you're looking forward to more than any other?
- [34:26]
C
It's popcorn match.
- [34:29]
B
Come on, Sam. There's so much sentiment. I could go on and on. I know all four of these individuals so well. I've known them all for 15 years or more. Man, the passion, the love they have for each other as couples, the excitement for AJ's return, the craftiness of Seth and Becky, who are at their very best, both coming in as champions. Seeing what Becky has done to elevate the intercontinental title, seeing AJ come back with so much love and adoration, I know that's going to fuel her son. Seeing Punk be there with his wife, a woman that he loves so dearly. This. This is. This is the one. There's so many incredible matches on this card, but. But this is my match.
- [35:07]
C
As soon as it happens, I'm tweeting out that popcorn meme because I'm the entire time.
- [35:11]
A
We're gonna know. We're gonna know. Well, E will be a part, of course, of the countdown on Saturday. To Wrestle Palooza as well as the post show. Megan, you and I will be in Indianapolis to do the Wrestle Palooza recap podcast that'll will be here on the recap podcast feed as well as on WWE's YouTube channel. Make sure you scoop up the ESPN app stateside. Make sure you're watching on Netflix internationally. I cannot wait for this show and I can't wait to recap it with you. E. Thank you as always. We will see you out there.
- [35:42]
B
Thank you guys.