Gunther makes Jimmy Uso SUFFER while Jey Uso watches, Finn Balor gains momentum | Raw Recap

Summary

Raw Recap with Sam Roberts and Megan Morant
Episode: Gunther makes Jimmy Uso SUFFER while Jey Uso watches, Finn Balor gains momentum
Release Date: April 1, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of Raw Recap with Sam Roberts and Megan Morant, hosts Sam Roberts and Megan Morant delve deep into the latest happenings on Monday Night Raw, focusing on intense rivalries, standout performances, and significant storyline developments ahead of WrestleMania 41. The episode, sponsored by Fanatics, provides listeners with comprehensive analysis, notable quotes, and insider insights to keep fans informed and engaged.

John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes: A Heated Rivalry

The episode opens with a passionate discussion about the escalating feud between John Cena and Cody Rhodes. The hosts dissect Cena's controversial heel turn and its implications for WWE's narrative.

• Sam Roberts highlights the fan backlash towards Cena's new persona:

  “There have been a lot of people who have sat there and said, I don't understand the John Cena heel turn. I don't understand why he's doing this.” ([04:03])

• Cody Rhodes responds by emphasizing his role as the WWE Champion challenging Cena's authority:

  “I'm the WWE Champion. John Cena wants to ruin wrestling, and I'm here to stop him.” ([05:30])

The discussion touches on Cena's strategy of attacking Rhodes both verbally and physically, drawing parallels to past rivalries and questioning Cena's authenticity.

• Sam Roberts observes:

  “This is the first WrestleMania that John Cena has main evented since he beat The Rock at 29.” ([15:01])

• Cody Rhodes counters with a direct challenge:

  “Confidence is not your problem. There's nothing you can do to take this title off of me.” ([40:48])

The hosts emphasize the high stakes of their upcoming WrestleMania match, with Rhodes boasting an impressive resume: multiple Royal Rumble wins, victories over top stars like Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar, setting the stage for a potentially monumental showdown.

Finn Balor's Rising Momentum

Finn Balor joins as a guest from London, bringing fresh energy and updates on his quest for the Intercontinental Championship. Balor shares his excitement about recent victories and his determination to dominate the division.

• Finn Balor proudly states:

  “I've got a little bit of steam, I got a little bit of momentum, and it's at the right time of the year.” ([19:42])

Sam and Cody probe into Balor's interactions with Dominik Mysterio and his role within the Judgment Day faction.

• Sam Roberts asks:

  “What makes now different than maybe times that you weren't able to normally touch things the way that you think that you should?” ([24:19])

• Finn Balor responds confidently:

  “Anything that I touch normally is relevant, normally is important, normally has substance.” ([23:24])

The conversation underscores Balor's strategic approach within the faction, his leadership qualities, and his aspirations heading into WrestleMania.

Women's Division Turmoil: Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, and Bianca Belair

The hosts shift focus to the chaotic developments in the women's division, particularly the fraught relationships between Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, and Bianca Belair.

• Sam Roberts comments on Ripley's emotional state:

  “Rhea Ripley is clutching the Women's World Champion as if it’s her birthright.” ([49:35])

• Cody Rhodes criticizes the booking decisions:

  “Overlooking Iyo Sky and screwing Rhea to give Iyo the opportunity because it's an easier opponent.” ([52:09])

They analyze Ripley's confrontational behavior and its impact on her storyline, questioning whether it serves her character's progression or detracts from her legitimacy as a champion.

Funko Fridays and Fan Engagement

In a lighter segment, Sam and Cody celebrate Funko Fridays, highlighting exclusive WWE Funko Pop releases. They showcase memorabilia, including plaques and themed apparel, encouraging fans to collect and celebrate their favorite superstars.

• Sam Roberts exclaims:

  “Get your Dudley Boys now at WWE Shop. Thanks to Fanatics and Funko Friday.” ([44:46])

This segment serves as both a nod to WWE's rich history and a promotion for fan merchandise, blending nostalgia with current fan engagement strategies.

Upcoming WrestleMania 41 Highlights

Looking ahead to WrestleMania 41, the hosts discuss anticipated matches and storylines, including potential showdowns involving AJ Styles, Logan Paul, and the ongoing influence of Seth Rollins.

• Sam Roberts shares breaking news:

  “We're getting AJ Styles versus Logan Paul at WrestleMania.” ([56:34])

• Cody Rhodes humorously remarks on Logan Paul's reputation:

  “No, none bigger than Logan Paul. None.” ([57:59])

They express excitement for the unpredictable nature of WrestleMania, speculating on match outcomes and the dynamic interactions between veteran superstars and newer entrants.

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with a vibrant recap of the discussions, emphasizing the intense rivalries, standout performances, and the electric build-up to WrestleMania 41. Sam and Cody encourage listeners to stay tuned for further episodes, promising more in-depth analyses and exclusive insights into the world of WWE.

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Notable Quotes:

• Sam Roberts: “I think we refer to it as letting them cook.” ([04:35])
• Cody Rhodes: “That is exactly what we refer to it here. And we got hands.” ([04:46])
• Finn Balor: “I'm not playing checkers. I'm playing chess.” ([27:50])
• Cody Rhodes: “I am Rhea Ripley, and the title belongs to me.” ([49:52])
• Sam Roberts: “Gunther is this guy who's like, no, I'm just going to the ring to beat somebody.” ([41:38])

This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting the critical discussions, character analyses, and future predictions that make Raw Recap with Sam Roberts and Megan Morant a must-listen for WWE enthusiasts.

Transcript

[Sam Roberts]

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[Megan Morant]

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[Sam Roberts]

Terms apply. Lounge access is subject to change. See capitalone.com for details. Hey guys, I just want to take a second to tell you guys about NordVPN. Now. I love NordVPN because it opens up the Internet for me completely. It allows me to stream whatever I want whenever I want, regardless of my location. See, I just set the virtual location to wherever I want the Internet to read that I'm from, and it will allow me to watch whatever content is available here, is available there, is available absolutely anywhere. And it's all thanks to NordVPN. Of course, they do a ton of other stuff beyond just opening up your streaming options. They'll protect your cybersecurity by masking your IP address and where you're coming from. It'll It'll stop online threats from getting in. It allows the Internet to be a tool that is purely yours to you to use exactly how you want to use it. The NORDVPN threat protection feature protects you from viruses, malicious malware, phishing sites. The Internet is full of threats these days, so not only do you eliminate all those, but you get to do whatever you want with it. You get to watch Netflix from any location in the world. You get to book plane tickets the way you want to book plane tickets, book hotels the way you want to book hotels. Sometimes you can get a better deal if you're coming from a different location. NORDVPN allows for all of that. It's the fastest VPN in the world. There's no buffering, there's no lagging while streaming, and it'll stop your ISP bandwidth throttling. It really is something special. And if you use our link, which is NordVPN.com raw recap, it's going to give you four extra months on the two year plan. It's the best discount that you're going to get. That's nordvpn.com rawrecap there's no risk with Nord's 30 day money back guarantee. The link is in the podcast description box below. John Cena and Cody Rhodes had the war of words that we have been looking for. Gunther leaves Jimmy USO a bloody mess in front of Jay. Finn Balor is on the show. Rhea Ripley still doesn't have a Wrestlemania ticket. Welcome to the Raw recap brought to you by fanatics. Oh, baby. As if there was any better way to end this UK tour. We got one more UK crowd. Cody. Cody Rhodes.

[Cody Rhodes]

Cody. Cody Rhodes. I love it. I love it.

[Sam Roberts]

I would never want to stop you from singing. I mean, you're a soccer hooligan at heart.

[Cody Rhodes]

Oh, everybody knows that about me.

[Sam Roberts]

But the UK got a show tonight, so let's start. We're going to talk about all of this. As I said, Finn Balor is going to be here. This is going to be a great show, but can't wait. I mean, when you talk about feelings and the stuff that had us going, I mean, the sounds, the, that were coming out of our mouths as we watch John Cena and Cody Rhodes have this war of words to start Raw. So look, the criticisms have been there. There have been a lot of people who have sat there and said, I don't understand the John Cena heel turn. I don't understand why he's doing this. I don't understand why now he's doing this. I don't get it. And there have been a lot of people as well that have said, why hasn't Cody Rhodes just knocked out John Cena after what John Cena did to Cody Rhodes at the Elimination Chamber, why have I now seen two weeks straight Cody Rhodes has not put hands on John Cena? And then all of a sudden, you wait and you wait and you wait. I think we refer to it as letting them cook.

[Cody Rhodes]

That is exactly what we refer to it here. And we got hands.

[Sam Roberts]

We got hands. We got words back. We got specifics. We got a lot still questions. Still questions.

[Cody Rhodes]

Lots of them. Lots of feelings as well. This is what we have been waiting for, as you said. And you know, heading into Raw tonight, it was pretty clear like Cena had turned on the WWE Universe. Right? He turned on the fans. He blamed this all on the fans. It's like, okay, but where does Cody come into the mix?

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, that's the right question. I mean, that's. That was my question. You Know, I had got to get your, your Raw thing back behind you again. If there it is, I, I'm on not saying wrestling. I was talking about this, that like, I was fine with it. But to me, the story had been John Cena wants to hurt the WWE.

[Cody Rhodes]

Fans and he wants to ruin wrestling.

[Sam Roberts]

He wants to ruin wrestling, but he wants to hurt them.

[Cody Rhodes]

Oh, yeah. And then he has a match with Cody Rhodes.

[Sam Roberts]

The way that he felt hurt and the way he's going to hurt them the most is to become the WWE Champion and retire with that title. Cody Rhodes just happens to be the person that's going to feel this. Cody Rhodes happens to be the person that's holding the title at the wrong time. It's kind of how I felt up until tonight, when tonight the rivalry shifts and it becomes way more. And part of that is because Cody Rhodes is like, hey, I'm not an accessory to your little game with the WWE Universe or whatever it is that you're talking about. I'm not like, like, like an excess point here. I'm the, as he puts it, WWE Champion. Okay.

[Cody Rhodes]

I do love when he says champion like that.

[Sam Roberts]

I do too. And he came out in his thick bronze pinstripes. He didn't let John Cena get one word. That's when it was like, okay, we're getting real Cody.

[Cody Rhodes]

Well, I love the strategy too. He's like, all right, I know we're going to go to war here with our words, but before we do, let me just point out all of the cheap shots. My lisp, you know, we could talk about my arm tattoo that's on my neck, you know, and he all of a sudden is just like, I'm going to throw out all of the, the easy, easy stuff, the low hanging fruit, right?

[Sam Roberts]

To get it out of the way.

[Cody Rhodes]

Out of the way. Now, what would you like to talk about? I love. It's a great strategy. You can't make fun of me for.

[Sam Roberts]

These things because 8 mile strategy, right?

[Cody Rhodes]

I'm calling it out. Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

So be rabbit. Do it in Detroit. Papa Doc didn't know what to do. But this isn't Papa Doc. This isn't Captain America. This is John Cena. Okay? And I think that it was, it was really cool to see Cody interrupt John because we've seen the same cycle two weeks in a row where John Cena speaks his piece and here comes Cody Rhodes. This time Cody's like, I don't need it.

[Cody Rhodes]

Because Cody's polite and a professional, but.

[Sam Roberts]

He comes out and he's like, it's done. Because he's also a messy king and he's made it clear he's also a bit of a messy king. And tonight we got messy King Cody. And you know, that's my Cody. I love Messi King.

[Cody Rhodes]

We got buttons popping.

[Sam Roberts]

I like when the buttons start popping. I like messy King. I like when he curses. I like Cody curses. It's fun for me. So you're right. So John Cena has this history, modern day John Cena, when he comes in to try to. Because he carries such a spotlight with him. John Cena always. And there have been multiple years and multiple wrestlemanias where John Cena has come in to be like, hey, I'm going to lend my spotlight to a younger talent. However, you're going to have to earn it. And he's right. You go back and quite frankly, you look at the first match in the build to that match that John Cena had with Roman Reigns, you look at the match that John Cena had with Austin Theory and you look at the promos that led to those matches. And every time John Cena is going out there and going, I'm going to eat your lunch and if you don't stop me, this isn't going to work out for you. Cody knew that going in. He tried to get in front of it. John Cena still had more because he's got a lot left in the tank. But then Cody, Cody was like, you don't think I'm ready to tell the world exactly what I think of you? You don't think I see all of your, your flaws? Let's talk about that. Because I know your game, John. I mean, just incredible.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yeah, I love the, the blows back and forth. Cody saying they chose me and then also saying to Cena, if anyone is a company creation, it's you, not me.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. And I mean, that's an easy one.

[Cody Rhodes]

To argue without questioning.

[Sam Roberts]

That's a real easy one to argue. And look, here's the thing. It's all about perspective. I've interviewed John Cena before. You talk to John Cena and he will explain to you. You don't understand. I was on the precipice of being fired from wwe. I failed. He has said that so many times. He said that to my face. It is clear and you can see it in his eyes. It is clearly something that he carries with. That he carries with him. And I think that when people say you're a company creation, you're a WWE guy, you were just the guy that they put in that place that affects him because he goes, no, I was on the chopping block and I worked. I did everything. As a matter of fact, I thought John Cena's. One of his best lines was when he said, whatever junk they gave him, he made something out of. And when they gave Cody junk, he left.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

And it was like, whoosh, whoosh. That's when it started getting real well.

[Cody Rhodes]

And Cody's saying, john, they chose me. They didn't choose you.

[Sam Roberts]

Meaning the fans.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

Right.

[Cody Rhodes]

But then Cena coming back and saying, yeah, but that was after you left, right?

[Sam Roberts]

Right. I mean, you had to leave. And it's interesting because that's the first time I think, that anybody has ever tried to turn the Cody left became, you know, changed wrestling and then came back and really earned his stripes as the top WWE guy. I think John Cena putting it into that perspective where it's like, yeah, you left because you didn't have the right opportunities. Except when I was given garbage, I shined it up to make it as shiny gold as I possibly could. I mean, Cody leaving, looking at John in the face and saying, do you really think that you left WWE better than it was before you got here? Because you didn't. Cody's saying, yeah, I had to leave because then I had to come back and clean up your mess. That's why I was able to be successful, because of how bad you made this place. I mean, it was so nuts to watch these two just go after each other.

[Cody Rhodes]

I mean, it seemed like there was another moment. Obviously, you pointed it out that it's impacted John Cena that he. He was. He was on the chopping block, that he was somebody that was. Was failed, and he had to turn it all around. But there was another moment in the promo that it seemed like really hit Cena to heart, and that was at the end when Cody said to him, they've never chanted you can't wrestle.

[Sam Roberts]

Because they didn't. You couldn't chant that at Cody. No, we used. We used to chant it at John Cena all the time. It was one of the thrills of going to an event. It was a terrible thing to do.

[Cody Rhodes]

But it seemed like it really hit.

[Sam Roberts]

Him because imagine being in the main event, being the guy. And look, to be fair to what John Cena has done, the reason John Cena's legacy realistically stands out the way it does, the reason people like me have this level of appreciation for John Cena before he decided we were all awful, terrible human beings, the reason he got the adulation that he got when he returned and said, I'm coming back for a year. The reason everybody's ready to appreciate him in 2024 and 2025 is because the reality is set in that when John Cena was the top guy in the wwe, it was not an easy time to be the top guy. And you could argue better or worse, you could argue any of it, but the fact is that this place not only stayed in business, but stayed in business in a highly profitable way. And if you don't have a top guy that can handle all this, you don't stay in business. And that's what John Cena. That's what John Cena did. I mean, John Cena. And it's really interesting because. Because John Cena now pointed out what he perceives as Cody Rhodes inauthenticity. And I've always felt like what connects Cody to the audience so well is his authenticity. That the journey that Cody had to go on to get to that spot and the fact that he was never destined for that spot is that journey that all of us can relate to. Not the chosen few, but those of us that are struggling and trying to figure out how to make it in whatever path of life that we're on. We look at Cody and go, yeah, if you just keep working and you keep working hard, you can get there. But then John Cena hits him with, you're an amalgamation of every superstar and television show that you grew up watching. And I went, oh, my God. I see it from the way he holds the title to the way he carries himself to the weight like Cody really does. And part of that is because he respects everything that came before him. But like any of us that are of a certain age, television was. I mean, it is our foundation, and we become that sort of. We don't even know half the times when we're speaking in references to TV shows and movies that we watched. And the idea that John Cena is pointing out, like, you know, there's. There's one John Cena. I don't dress like you, I don't work like you. I don't speak like you, but you. We've seen it before. And for Cena to say that to somebody else, it's like, I didn't see it coming.

[Cody Rhodes]

WrestleMania. So much is on the line when these two go at it. Not just the title, but also 17.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Cody Rhodes]

And then you think about Cody since his return, if he's able to beat Cena, the resume is just unbelievable. Since he came back to wwe, three straight wins against Seth. You have the rivalry with Brock, two Royal Rumble wins, ends Roman's title reign.

[Sam Roberts]

Don't even bring it up.

[Cody Rhodes]

And then potentially beats John Cena.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, that's actually, that was, that was an exercise we were also doing on the podcast. The, the, the repeat main events and the impressiveness of it. You know, John Cena was able to beat Shawn Michaels and Triple H in consecutive wrestlemanias. Roman Reigns was able to win the Triple threat match at 37. He was able to beat Brock and he was able to beat Cody. Consecutive wrestlemanias. Not to mention earlier than that, he beat Triple H and undertaker at consecutive WrestleManias. But that's a rare thing. And Cody has the opportunity to beat Roman Reigns. And this is bloodline. Roman Reigns, yes. And John Cena at consecutive WrestleManias. This is, by the way, the first WrestleMania that John Cena has main evented since he beat the rock at 29. He didn't main event after that, you know, and maybe that was because it was time to give back. Maybe that was because he couldn't find his way there. Who knows? But this is the first time John Cena's made his way back to that main event. And of all the main events, it's the first time that he's shown up in a space where he refuses to lose. I mean, I mean, the way he was painting Cody Rhodes, right? When you, when you ascend to a certain level, you want people to see you at that level. John Cena has been here. And for John Cena to show up and go, you're my driver. You're my chauffeur. I taught you.

[Cody Rhodes]

You're a Nepo, baby.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, he said, napo, baby. That's tough. His name is Rhodes. Wrestling is more than one royal family. But when he says, like, look, all this is you trying to be the next John Cena. And you're literally following the blueprint that I gave you. And I mean, can you tell me that Cody hasn't been compared to John Cena in terms of that top guy space? No, it was just a wild thing. But to see, I think, I think importantly to see Cody be able to stand there and know. Because, I mean, everybody learns it from some somebody, right? Yeah, John. Cody learned this from John. He watched John do it to multiple people. John goes, and this is his philosophy too. I think he's being very truthful. Everybody says, I bury everybody. I'm going to bury you, Cody. He goes, I don't bury talent. I am talent.

[Cody Rhodes]

From his perspective, bury mediocrity Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

I bury mediocrity. That's a great line, because from his perspective, I'm going to come at you with everything that I've got. And I'm John Cena, so that's a lot. And if you can't hang, you don't belong. But you know why John Cena does that? Because it was done to Cena. You know who did it to John Cena? The Rock. The Rock did it to John Cena. John Cena was sitting there trying to be the top guy in his era, and then all of a sudden, the Rock shows up and we start building to WrestleMania 28, and the Rock spends a year trashing John Cena, breaking down everything that John Cena was doing, poking holes in everything, pulling the curtain back on everything. Hurt people. Hurt people.

[Cody Rhodes]

That's right.

[Sam Roberts]

John Cena experienced it. Then it's moving on. And how fitting is it. How fitting is it that as John Cena is trying to do to Cody Rhodes what. What. What the Rock did to John Cena, It's Cody Rhodes who says, between the two of us, you're the only one who sold out to the Rock. Everything is interconnected here. Nothing goes away. The past is never done.

[Cody Rhodes]

You tell me everything counts.

[Sam Roberts]

Everything counts. And it is a wild, wild scene. Megan, we could do this all night long. I could talk about Cody and Cena and that interaction continuously. I barely scratched the surface. But we have a guest from London. Let's get to our first guest on Raw recap, all the way from London, England. Thank you for making time for Raw recap. Finn Balor. And Finn, tonight you did something that I think a lot of people did not expect you to do. Number one, you got a pinfall victory in a tag team match, and you got it against Penta. Is there something, as somebody who understands what it's like? Go ahead.

[Finn Balor]

Sounds like you're doubting me, Sam.

[Sam Roberts]

Look, I'm a statistic.

[Finn Balor]

You sound a little bit like Liv Morgan.

[Sam Roberts]

No, I don't. I. I'm a statistics guy. That's all. I'm looking at the numbers, I'm looking at the statistics and where we're at, but the point is we're at a victory. And I wonder if when you pin, statistics are.

[Finn Balor]

Yeah, Beings on a roll. I pinned penta 1, 2, 3 in the middle of the ring tonight. I've gotten the better a Bron breaker two weeks in a row now. I've got a little bit of steam, I got a little bit of momentum, and it's at the right Time of the year, right? Smack bomb in the middle of WrestleMania season. So things are looking real good.

[Sam Roberts]

Things are looking good. And there's two things that you know about. You know about being the intercontinental champion at WrestleMania and you know about being that international star that's come to the WWE with all this buzz. Does it make you feel good as somebody who's been that international star, to get to take that away from this next generation, to get to stop Penta in his tracks at the benefit of yourself?

[Finn Balor]

Of course it feels good. But it's not just stopping Penta, it's stopping Brian on Breaker. It's stopping anybody. The War Raiders, Whoever steps in the ring with me, I want to go toe to toe. And I've been proven that for 20 plus years. And it's not going to stop anytime soon.

[Cody Rhodes]

Finn, I know winning sort of cures all, but we've been paying close attention here, and it seems like there's been some tension building between you and Dominic Mysterio after you won tonight. Is. Is that all behind you? What's going on with you and Dominic?

[Finn Balor]

Look, me and Dom are brothers. And anyone in the world who has a brother knows that eventually you get in an argument with your brother, you duke it out, you have a bit of pushing and shoving, a little bit of play acting, but at the end of the day, you're always brothers. And regardless of how much you fight, regardless of how much you bicker, you're still family. And me and Dom are still family. And we know that. And I know that Dom's got my back, and Dom knows that I've got his back.

[Cody Rhodes]

You threw a little bit of shade at Liv Morgan earlier on when Sam was doubting you.

[Sam Roberts]

Is.

[Cody Rhodes]

Is Liv considered family as well? I mean, you guys are in the Judgment Day together.

[Finn Balor]

You know, Liv's been a little bit of a tricky situation since she kind of showed up, but we have an understanding, albeit a very delicate, fragile understanding, but I feel like we definitely have an understanding of doing what's best for the Judgment Day. And that's maybe sometimes where we clash, is that I have my opinions, which I feel I'm entitled to. 20 plus years in the game. Liv has her experience and her opinions, and her experience isn't even close to mine. So, no, sometimes you got to put those people in their place, you know?

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, experience wise, it's pretty clear. Again, you look at the numbers, you look at the statistics, there's no arguing, Right? Right. There's no arguing that. Did you think right when. When you think about the Judgment Day. And you think about you first joining that Judgment Day and the version of the group that looks nothing like the version of the group that we see in front of our faces today. Could you have imagined at all that here in 2025, on the cusp of WrestleMania 41, that the judgment Day would not only still be where you call home, but would be as relevant as the group is?

[Finn Balor]

I feel like anything that I touch normally is relevant, normally is important, normally has substance. And the one factor that's been consistent since I joined a Judgment Day is me. Finn Rhea's gone. Damien's gone. Edge is gone. The only person left standing is Finn. And throughout my career, I've seen people come and go and come and go and come and go, no matter where I went. And it's going to be the same in the Judgment Day. People are going to come and people are gonna go, but this guy is always gonna stick around.

[Sam Roberts]

When you talk about, like, two things there, you said that I thought were very interesting, you said that when you touch things, normally, they become relevant. Normally, you're able to do what you're able to do because of how good you are at this. Number one, what makes now different than maybe times that you weren't able to normally touch things the way that you think that you should? And number two, where does the Judgment Day rank in regards to the other factions that you've been with throughout your entire career?

[Finn Balor]

Well, Sam, number one is normally I'm making decisions for one person, me. But right now, as a part of the Judgment Day family, I gotta make decisions for the whole group. So sometimes I need to bend a little bit. I need to give a little bit. I need to maybe not fully commit to my own ideas, because I know what's best for the group is what's most important. The second question is, where does this rank with regards factions that I've put together or been a part of? I think, without question, the Judgment Day is at the top of the list.

[Sam Roberts]

Wow. Wow. That is. That's major. What's Dominic really like? Is Dominic really as great as he seems? I love this Dominic Mysterio. Is he really as cool as he seems like he is? Because he comes across amazingly.

[Cody Rhodes]

Then you don't have to answer this.

[Sam Roberts]

He should. He should.

[Finn Balor]

He's a nice kid. He's a good kid. He's still learning. He's still growing, still kind of figuring out who he is in the ring, still figuring out who he is in the locker room, but he's got plenty of Years ahead of him, and he's gonna be fine, but he just needs to be kind of controlled and pushed in the right direction a little bit.

[Sam Roberts]

You are a very deliberate. I feel like the things that you do, you put a lot of thought into the way you present yourself. You put a lot of thought into. When we go back week after week and we look at the Judgment Day clubhouse and what is going on in the full room, not just what's being said, but everything you see from the. You know, the video game screen over here, but all the stuff that's around that room. Is everything intentional? Is everything placed there for a specific reason?

[Finn Balor]

You know, there's a reason for everything. And, you know, sometimes you can go one way, and sometimes you can go another way. I think it's very important to keep your options open. So having multiple choices, answers to very tricky problems is always advantageous for me. So I've said it before. I'm not playing checkers. I'm playing chess. And what some people may feel that this is the direction Finn's going. Sometimes that's not always the case.

[Cody Rhodes]

Finn, I've been wanting to ask you this for. For months. And now that we got some of the. The icebreakers out of the way, I figure. I don't know when we're gonna have the opportunity to ask you again. So I just have to know, what did you ever do with that key card?

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, not the key card.

[Finn Balor]

I gave it back to Dom.

[Sam Roberts]

Oh.

[Cody Rhodes]

Oh.

[Finn Balor]

Simple as. And I get asked that all the time.

[Cody Rhodes]

All right. I just had to get it on the record.

[Sam Roberts]

I was basically taking the weapon, removing.

[Finn Balor]

The bullets, and making sure that everyone was safe. And when everyone was calm, I approached Dom and the key card was returned.

[Cody Rhodes]

See, we never saw that part. So I. I just had to get clarification.

[Sam Roberts]

That's the experience.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yeah. Well, it's a good brother of you sometimes.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Finn Balor]

A good big brother, a good role model, a good leader.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. Have things changed?

[Finn Balor]

Let's not even start talking.

[Sam Roberts]

I remember way back, right when this new Judgment Day was first forming. There were Easter eggs as far as the eye could see. There were little things happening behind everything that was going on. It's one of the things that I love about watching Raw right now is that there's just things happening everywhere. And I think you guys were kind of at the forefront of that. There was this whole story building behind and beneath the stories that you thought you were actually looking at. And one of those moments, it looked like you and Liv were getting out of the same Car. What, did you guys travel together for a period of time or what was that?

[Finn Balor]

No, we were just discussing family business. The judgment day sometimes needs to discuss things in private. And, you know, there's a lot of ears around here. There's a lot of phones, there's a lot of cameras. You can't really trust anybody. When you need some space, sometimes you gotta go outside, get in the car, hash it out, figure things out, and make sure we're both clear. And that's what me and Liv did that day. And, you know, talking about Easter eggs, what's the biggest Easter egg? Easter Sunday. And that's WrestleMania, mate.

[Sam Roberts]

Man, you really are a professional. You really are a professional. What is your ideal circumstance? Wrestlemania. You smell it? You want to be there. I would think the Intercontinental championship is calling your name. Is this a scenario where you want a. A one on one contest where you could put Braun Breaker out? Do you want multiple opponents? What? Where do you think Finn Balor shines the brightest on this year's WrestleMania card?

[Finn Balor]

Finn Balor will shine the brightest at any point of Wrestlemania that he's plugged in.

[Sam Roberts]

But.

[Finn Balor]

But for me, like I said earlier, It's WrestleMania season. I got some momentum, I got some steam. I'm on a roll. I pinpointed tonight, I got the better Braun Breaker. Two weeks in a row, I'm feeling good. And whether it's Bron Breaker, whether it's a triple threat, whether it's a tag match, I just want to be involved in WrestleMania. And if it's me and Dom in a rematch against Bron Breaker and Penta, so be it.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, I hope we get to see, because there's two things I want to see at WrestleMania. It's Finn Balor, and it is also Dominik Mysterio. I want to see something for Dom at WrestleMania too. I'm a big Dom guy.

[Cody Rhodes]

He. He loves him. It's a little creepy, no?

[Finn Balor]

Yeah, me too.

[Sam Roberts]

Me too.

[Cody Rhodes]

I love doms.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Finn Balor]

But I'm always going to look out for him. I'm always going to have.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yeah, it's creepy.

[Sam Roberts]

Me and Finn, me and. No, we get it.

[Cody Rhodes]

Makes sense. Yours is an obsession.

[Sam Roberts]

Close your window and just go to a T shop. Well, Finn Balor, we appreciate your time. Thank you for making time for us. While you're out there in London on a night when you. When you got to experience the thrills of victory at the expense of someone like Penta, that. That. That cannot be overstated. So go out, celebrate. Maybe a little ranch, maybe a little chicken. Tendies, maybe. However you guys get down, you guys deserve to get down tonight. Congrats.

[Finn Balor]

Thank you, Sam. Dom just told me he's got a big bunch of chicken tendies and he wants me to help him eat some of them. So I think it's a night for celebrations.

[Sam Roberts]

I knew that's how you got that body. Chicken tendies. I. I knew it. I'm working on the same thing.

[Cody Rhodes]

Thank you so much, Finn.

[Sam Roberts]

That. That was awesome.

[Cody Rhodes]

We covered a lot of ground.

[Sam Roberts]

We covered a lot of ground. Let me tell you what got me excited. Aside from Dominic. Don't even. We did it. Okay, but you did it. I think you had some dominant questions in there.

[Cody Rhodes]

No, I had one.

[Sam Roberts]

See, we all want to know. But anyway, regardless, Finn Balor explaining that everything is done to give options, that they're. Everything's intentional. I mean, we all know what we've seen in that Judgment Day clip. Clubhouse. Oh, that got me so excited.

[Cody Rhodes]

We've seen.

[Sam Roberts]

That got me. We all know. We all. If you have go back. Okay, get on the Internet already. Figure it out. It got me so excited that he addressed it that way. And I really am enjoying the way this Intercontinental Championship scene is flushing its way out with the. With the what? You pointed out the tension between Dominic and Finn Balor Penta involved. Braun Breaker with the title. Listen, I'm just saying all four of those names are names I would love to see in an Intercontinental Championship match. Yeah.

[Cody Rhodes]

And Ludwig Kaiser is another one who's been in and around the Intercontinental Championship as well.

[Sam Roberts]

He has. He has.

[Cody Rhodes]

So.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, yeah, I mean, look, it's all good. It's all. I mean, throw. Get as many people in there as you want, right? The idea that Dominic Mysterio could leave with the. Well, regardless, speaking of Ludwig Kai, only you.

[Cody Rhodes]

I mean, the interviews with Finn, you make it all about Dom. It's fine.

[Sam Roberts]

It's his brother.

[Cody Rhodes]

He did say that.

[Sam Roberts]

If I was interviewing. When we interviewed Jay USO last week, we talked a little about Jimmy. These things happen. You know, you bring it up, but we're professionals. Speaking of the USO's, I mean, this was nuts, right? I feel like, again, you're talking about. I. I think something happens when WrestleMania gets close. And I think as fans, we feel it. And you read about it on the Internet and everything where you go, I don't know about this build. I don't know about this build. Because you're getting impatient, right? You want it all.

[Cody Rhodes]

Especially this year. I mean, WrestleMania is later, so the build's been longer. And want to get there.

[Sam Roberts]

And there's so much.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

There's so much meat on the bone. And it all starts to click in as we get here. What are we, three shows away from WrestleMania, including tonight. There's all this talking. We talked about it last week with Jay about WrestleMania for Jey Uso being a story about him finding that perseverance again going back to not Sam like I thought. The same way John Cena's battle was with the audience. Jey uso's battle was becoming with the audience that it wasn't so much that.

[Cody Rhodes]

And not the audience in the arena, because the audience in the arena has had Jay's pack, but the greater audience.

[Sam Roberts]

That'S watching and that's vocal about their doubt as to whether or not Jay can hang. And then I think Gunther realized that the conversation was shifting from. You think Jey uso's biggest problem is confidence? You think Jey uso's biggest problem at WrestleMania is confidence? Oh, I'm sorry. Did you think that his inner voice, his inner child was gonna make his life a living hell from now to WrestleMania? No, that wasn't the inner. That was me. That's me. That was going to make his life. Jey uso's biggest problem has nothing to do. You could. Jey uso could be in the greatest mental health space humanly possible. He's still got to fight Gunther.

[Cody Rhodes]

He's like, how dare you think all this guy. All this guy is missing is confidence. And then he can. He can defeat me and he can be world heavyweight champion. How dare you think that. I will show you. He needs a whole lot more than confidence to win this title.

[Sam Roberts]

And I swear, right, I'm watching Jimmy and Jay have their conversation before the match, and Jimmy's like, he's not the ring general. He's just a man and he's beatable. And I'm going to beat him. And then you're going to beat him. And I'm like, yeah, you guys are both going to be.

[Cody Rhodes]

Let's go.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. You know all the cool words. You got cool haircuts. You guys are going to beat Gunther. Let's go. And then Gunther's like, have you not been watching the product? I'm the cold, unforgiving hand of reality here to squash you to bits. I mean, Jimmy couldn't have gone into the match more confidently. Jimmy is just good vibes all the time.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

And he couldn't have gone in more confidently, more self assured, with a. With a healthier headspace going this Is just a human. I'm just a human. I'm very skilled at what I do, you know, any given Sunday type of mentality. And Gunther's like, not this one, though. No, we're not the same. I'm built different. I'm a complete beast.

[Cody Rhodes]

Well, you saw it play out in the match. There was a moment when Gunther could have put Jimmy away, right? And he decided, nope, I'm going to not let the three count happen. And I'm going to torture Jimmy even more because I know Jay's watching. And then Jay decides to come out to the ring, and Gunter promises to make sure Jay knows that was a mistake by zip tying him and watching him torture his brother.

[Sam Roberts]

I believe that we had a conversation, it might have been before you brought a life onto this planet, where I said, you know, I think Jay is getting into Gunther's head. And you were like, yeah, he's totally getting into Gunther's head. And we both agreed. I wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Bad. Bad thing. Not good thing at all. Michael Cole was furious at commentary. He's going, you know, this guy's a hypocrite. This guy's. Look, Gunther exists on this planet to do a job and to do the job well. Except if you offend him and you cause him to feel. Gunther I did not perceive as being a guy who likes to feel feelings. When you make Gunther feel feelings, oh, does that come back on you tenfold? I mean, he likes to inflict pain, right? And, you know, there's one thing where it's like, we're all having a good time. We're telling stories, we're having fun with it.

[Cody Rhodes]

This guy's gonna do that dancing. We're speculating wildly.

[Sam Roberts]

And then when you watch Jey uso legit zip tied to the ropes where he is, I mean, he's putting his weight on it and it ain't snapping. And you see Gunther, I mean, Gunther, the things that he did to this Jimmy uso. It was one thing in the match to kind of lift the shoulders up so he could inflict more damage, teach a lesson, send a message. I don't have any problem with that.

[Cody Rhodes]

No.

[Sam Roberts]

But I mean, to zip tie his brother to the ropes, beat that man into oblivion to the point that you drag him back into the ring and he is so. He's bleeding so profusely that, I mean, Gunther starts to put the blood on his chest, and it looks like Gunther is covered in blood. There's so much blood loss from this.

[Cody Rhodes]

Jimmy proudly putting it on his chest.

[Sam Roberts]

And look, he's challenging as Jey uso is zip tied to the ropes.

[Cody Rhodes]

Nothing Jay can do, challenging him.

[Sam Roberts]

Just touch the title. Just touch the title. And you know what Gunther's doing here? Gunther's not just zip tying Jey uso to the ropes. Gunther is creating a metaphor, a visual metaphor. Metaphor. Because he goes, the zip ties aren't your problem. The zip ties aren't what's stopping you from touching this title. Understand? I am the zip ties. I'm the one holding this title. And no matter how much you want, you feel that in your soul. You feel how much you want to touch that title, but you can't. Why? Because you're zip tied to the rope. But in reality, when we're done here and we go to WrestleMania, you're still going to have that desire to touch the title. But I'm the human zip tie. I got you all trapped up. I'm Gunther. I'm the ring general, in case you forgot. You still can't touch this title. And I'm going to bloody up your brother.

[Cody Rhodes]

I wasn't expecting a zip tie promo from you today on the Raw recap show, but we just got it.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, look at this.

[Cody Rhodes]

I know.

[Sam Roberts]

Look at this. That's a tougher ending scene than the Titanic. Jay is just. I mean, and he's making eye contact. His brother is still conscious, but he can't. His arms are just down. Gunther is like, why wouldn't you have just listened to me? Why'd you get yourself in this mess?

[Cody Rhodes]

And Gunther is saying here, if you think confidence is your problem, you're wrong.

[Sam Roberts]

Right?

[Cody Rhodes]

Confidence is not your problem. There's nothing you can do. You can't get confident enough to beat me at WrestleMania.

[Sam Roberts]

And, you know, with these pep talks from Jimmy, it's like, okay, I'm feeling confident. We had him on the Raw recap last week. He took his glasses off. He's like, nobody can shake buildings. Like I can shake buildings. It was a great interview if you didn't listen to it. But at the end of the day, Gunther's like, you have no reason to be confident. This moment, what we're looking at, with a bloody face and just staring at your brother, your legitimate twin brother. You grew up with this person. And he's staring at him going, there's nothing I can do. And Gunther's looking back going, there is no reason, no matter what anyone tells you, Jay don't feel confident. You have no reason to.

[Cody Rhodes]

I mean, he's showing him right now. There's nothing you can do at WrestleMania to take this title off of me.

[Sam Roberts]

So don't start thinking you can. He's a beast, dude. This Gunther is a beast.

[Cody Rhodes]

And why would Jay think anything different after tonight?

[Sam Roberts]

It's so interesting. After tonight, you're 100% right. Yeah, because it's so interesting, because Gunther is. He's not like the other beasts and animals and natural disasters hall of Famers, by the way, that we've had in the wwe, where they just come out and they just destroy everybody. Earthquake's first day, he broke Hulk Hogan's ribs. Okay, Gunther is this guy who's like, no, I'm just going to the ring to beat somebody. And then I'm leaving. I'm winning, but I'm leaving. Now we've got this version of Gunther that's like, do I really need to prove it to you? Because you do not want me to prove it to you. And that's what he did. And I mean, I just don't, I don't know how anybody comes back from that.

[Cody Rhodes]

He said that he was going to make Jay's life a living hell, but.

[Sam Roberts]

I didn't think, like, I mean, that.

[Cody Rhodes]

Looks like truly a living hell.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, Yeah. I, I, I, I don't know how Jay comes back from that. I mean, he will. He's Jey uso, but that's. Now we know what separates Jay USO from us is that I'm not coming back from that.

[Cody Rhodes]

No, I'm not even showing up at WrestleMania.

[Sam Roberts]

Now if I'm zip tied and he's got my brother all bloody and passed out next to me, I'm like, hey, bro.

[Cody Rhodes]

Although, you know what might.

[Sam Roberts]

Sorry you had to eat that one. But, like, that's on you.

[Cody Rhodes]

You know what could help him?

[Sam Roberts]

What?

[Cody Rhodes]

I mean, last week we asked Jay USO about his entrances and who was going to enter with him at WrestleMania. And Sexyy Red replied.

[Sam Roberts]

Sexy Red was on Twitter. Sexy Red. That was a great question on your part.

[Cody Rhodes]

Thank you.

[Sam Roberts]

That was also great. Asking him who he would like to usher him to the ring. He said Sexy Red was one of the options that he put out there. But after what we saw, after the red that we saw on Raw, I'm not trying to bring Sexy Red to WrestleMania to see me have to get in the ring with Gunther. I'm not. That's all I'm saying. No, I don't want to doubt anybody else. I've already been accused of being a doubter slash hater by Finn Balor I'm not trying to doubt anybody else, but when we talk about the USO's, okay, greatest tag team of all time, many would say. But there are others that would say differently. For instance, Bubba Ray Dudley. If I said to Bubba Ray, greatest tag team of all time, the USO's, he'd go, maybe second greatest. The greatest tag team of all time, he would say, is clearly the Dudley Boys. And he'd have a strong argument. Well, we've been celebrating Funko Fridays all throughout March.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yes, we have.

[Sam Roberts]

And the last Friday in March just passed one more Funko Friday. You know, the Funko Fridays are when we get Funko Pops that are exclusive to WWE Shop. Thanks to Fanatics. We got our LA Knight, we got our Bronze Roman Reigns. We got our hall of Fame. Rowdy Roddy Piper. Wow. For the final Funko Friday, we're dipping back into the hall of Fame. Megan, get the Funkos. The Dudley boys are here. Bubba Ray D. Von Dudley hall of Fame packaging two pack. Since their hall of Fame, they come with the little plaque with the hall of Fame plaques. They have their title history back behind them. I mean, nine time World Tag Team Champions, Bubba Ray Dudley eight time Hardcore Champion hall of Fame Induction 2018.

[Cody Rhodes]

The box itself is cool.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, you're talking about. Of course, it's great. You're. I'm letting them breathe. But you can leave them packaged. You're talking about WWE Legends, ECW Legends, TNA Legends. I mean, these guys have done it all. They're in there. Some of my favorite gear, early WWE gear, the red, gray and black camo. Devon Dudley has the Dudley 3D death drop T shirt that I 100% owned in 1999. You bet your bottom dollar that that's true.

[Cody Rhodes]

You still have it somewhere.

[Sam Roberts]

Absolutely still have it somewhere would be my mom's house. And of course, they each. Since this is the two pack of the Dudley boys. We've got the Bubba Ray and Devon Dudley plaques. The little Funko hall of Fame plaques with the Funko pop on the plaque. Get your Dudley boys now at WWE Shop. Thanks to fanatics and Funko Friday. What a great month it was for Funko Friday. That was the month of March. Of course, the month of March leads to the month of April, which is WrestleMania season. And it has been no more clear that it's WrestleMania season than by looking at what is going on with the Women's World Championship. I mean, this thing has been utter chaos. It was so clear and it's so funny, right? It was so clear at the elimination chamber. Bianca wins and you go cool. Cut and dry. Rhea Ripley versus Bianca Belair. See you there. See you in Vegas.

[Cody Rhodes]

Can't wait. It's going to be great.

[Sam Roberts]

It's been absolute chaos.

[Cody Rhodes]

Well, and it was immediately after Bianca won, Ria came out. And then all of it's like, oh, yeah, there's our man. Wait, there's Iyo. Oh, those two have a match. Rhea and Iyo have a match on Monday Night Raw. And I just thought that Rio would retain.

[Sam Roberts]

Of course we were here for.

[Cody Rhodes]

Because like Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley, we all overlooked Iyo sky.

[Sam Roberts]

And who knew that that would be thematic of what was going on between Rhea, Iyo and Bianca, that consistently Iyo sky would get looked over by the other two. Rhea Ripley, who has been on a bloodthirsty quest to get the women's championship back. She was out on Raw. She got her rematch. Now. It's amazing talking to Rhea Ripley. If you go back a couple weeks, she was on the Raw recap and I was talking to her about this. Like, I mean, just sheer, utter violence. There's nothing fair or good about what she's doing. And it's amazing when you talk to Rhea Ripley because she's so down to earth and rational about the fact that, look, I'm emotional right now. This is how I. This is how I react, and this is what it is. And I. And it's almost. When you hear her say it, it's almost understandable. And then when you see what it is acted out in front of in a WWE ring or backstage at a WWE arena when she's confronting her opponents, then you go, oh, this is what it is. This is violent.

[Cody Rhodes]

It's emotion, rage. I mean, the reason that she's in this situation is because Ria was the one who granted Iyo sky the championship match because she cost. That's Iyo Sky a spot in the elimination chamber.

[Sam Roberts]

Right.

[Cody Rhodes]

Rhea didn't have to give Iyo a championship match. She chose to give Iyo a championship match because she cost her earlier on. This wasn't something Adam Pierce came down and said, but need to give this to her.

[Sam Roberts]

But if you go back a step further, it's also the first evidence of Rhea letting her emotions get the best.

[Cody Rhodes]

Of her with the Eos guy.

[Sam Roberts]

And in that match, accidentally interfered. So it's like. It's like you want to just sit her down and go, rhea, these emotions are sending you all on the wrong road. When you were cool, calm, and collected, you would. You would. You would Put everything in the right direction you were going. And winning Women's World Championships was thinking things through. Right. And then acting big matches at WrestleMania 40, winning the title back at the Netflix Raw premiere, I mean, these are. These are big pinnacle moments for Rhea Ripley. And now she seems so far removed from that version of Rhea Ripley. So Adam Pearce, though, did say, you can have your rematch. We got it. Tonight on the main event of Raw, Bianca Belair, of course, was very unhappy with the rematch. So she said. Or he said. Adam Pierce said, okay, we'll make you. The referee said, I don't know how to referee. I mean, look at Rhea Ripley. When you look at her, she's not. Not only is she not the Women's World Champion, she still doesn't have a Road to WrestleMania. But as Raw goes off, she's clutching the Women's World Champion.

[Cody Rhodes]

She's standing, holding the championship over Iyo, sky, and Bianca Belair, as if.

[Sam Roberts]

As if it's her birthright, as if it is hers, because she is her. She is her, and therefore, that title belongs to her.

[Cody Rhodes]

I am Rhea Ripley, and the title belongs to me. So I should have a spot at.

[Sam Roberts]

WrestleMania because I'm the champion. And he was like, you're not the champion. I beat you. You made a mistake, and I beat you.

[Cody Rhodes]

And you're gonna have to figure that out. But again, we're seeing this emotional Rhea Ripley.

[Sam Roberts]

Okay, speaking of emotions, did you. Did you find it petty? Do you think Bianca learned how to referee? She told Adam Pierce, I don't know how to referee. Remember that last week, she came out, she had a referee outfit.

[Cody Rhodes]

She made it herself. I mean, she's. She put on the Internet that there was no sewing machine in London. So I'm imagining her in there with her thimble.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, she got great referee advice from referee Bennett.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yep.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, Bennett's one of the top referees there ever has been. I feel like number one. Some of those counts were slow. Look, it's her first night, but unfortunately, you know, like the kids on lfg, CM Punk is telling them, unfortunately, you got to do your first promo on national television. It is what it is. You know, unfortunately, Bianca Belair's got a referee. Her first match on Monday Night Raw and Netflix, it is what it is.

[Cody Rhodes]

Huge implications.

[Sam Roberts]

Huge implications. But I do think counts were a little slow, and I think she got a little emotional because she's got rage. All three of these women have rage towards each other. And to end a. First of all, I think the fact that EO won The match against Rhea, Ripley made it. So as I was watching the Ria Iyo rematch, I said, there is a world where Rio wins this title back. Like, things have been so unpredictable that I can't sit there and go, what are you talking about? WrestleMania is three weeks away. We already know what we're doing. Like, there is a world where Rio wins the title tonight. And I said that that could happen. What I didn't see happening was Bianca Belair calling it a double disqualification.

[Cody Rhodes]

I think she got overwhelmed.

[Sam Roberts]

Bianca, it's a title match.

[Cody Rhodes]

I think she was overwhelmed. I don't want to say because obviously there are issues between Bianca and Rhea, but Iyo sky is not an easier opponent by any stretch of the imagination, you know.

[Sam Roberts]

You know what's evidence that EOS guy's not an easier opponent?

[Cody Rhodes]

She beat Rhea Ripley.

[Sam Roberts]

She won the championship already. She's the champion. So I think she's the best one.

[Cody Rhodes]

Like overlooking Iyo sky and screwing Rhea to give Iyo the opportunity because it's a, you know, easier opponent. I think that's a massive mistake, and Bianca didn't do that. But to your point about emotions, she did get overwhelmed and said, I'm just calling this match.

[Sam Roberts]

I want you to tell you. You stay right there because I'm. Get out of my seat.

[Cody Rhodes]

Oh, gosh, I'm nervous.

[Sam Roberts]

You tell me, is there a way for Ria Ripley to get to WrestleMania after tonight? Is there any way for her to do it?

[Cody Rhodes]

I mean, before, what did you tell Finn Balor? That you were just a numbers guy. You were looking at the numbers. I mean, if I'm just looking at the numbers statistics, there's no way right now.

[Sam Roberts]

Whoa.

[Cody Rhodes]

For Rio Ripley to get to WrestleMania if I'm just looking at the numbers statistics.

[Sam Roberts]

You're not saying deserves. You're not saying anything. You're just like. I mean, I'm gonna say something about this Megan Morant. She's a rule follower. Okay. And you're saying the rules are the rules. It is what it is. Well, these wonderful human beings at fanatics, they have emotion towards you, but it's not rage. It's more love.

[Cody Rhodes]

Okay, you remember last week, I got flowers.

[Sam Roberts]

There's more love. Oh, this is from. I would love to take credits.

[Cody Rhodes]

I keep getting presents.

[Sam Roberts]

I'll tell you, if they hadn't put their logo on the top of this box, I would have put a not Sam sticker on the top and say.

[Cody Rhodes]

This segment in our show, Megan gets presents.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, but can I. Yeah. This is my gift to you.

[Cody Rhodes]

Oh, this is.

[Sam Roberts]

This is for me and my friends at Fanatic.

[Cody Rhodes]

Oh, thank you. This is a great box. Oh, we got pink in the. Oh, look at this. Little ones. WWE Onesies. Champ in the making.

[Sam Roberts]

Unbelievable.

[Cody Rhodes]

You guys, if you have kids, you need to head over to Fanatics. Get these right now, because your kid is going to be a WWE Champion in the making. The next WWE Superstar. I love these.

[Sam Roberts]

What I love about it is.

[Cody Rhodes]

All right, let me show you.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I want to see what you got in there. Look at that. Champ in the making.

[Cody Rhodes]

Look at this.

[Sam Roberts]

Guess what? From a young age, we're letting you know you're not just going to get in the ring. You're going to be a champion. A superstar in training.

[Cody Rhodes]

That's great.

[Sam Roberts]

I could bring her over here and teach her a couple bumps. The next WWE Superstar. The next one.

[Cody Rhodes]

The next one. And this one has pants.

[Sam Roberts]

Those little WWE pants.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

We're gonna be this Performance center issue.

[Cody Rhodes]

We're going to be dressing in this for years. And then a pink one.

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, beautiful.

[Cody Rhodes]

You have to have the pink.

[Sam Roberts]

You got to. You got to.

[Cody Rhodes]

Thank you so much. Fanatics. If you guys have kids, head over to Fanatics. We can all match.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. Yeah. As a matter of fact, you know when we should all match? We are. We're going to be on the scene at WrestleMania 41. We're still figuring everything out, right?

[Cody Rhodes]

Ironing out the details, but we'll be there.

[Sam Roberts]

We'll be there. We'll be in our WrestleMania 41 gear. If you need WrestleMania 41 gear, because here's what you want to do. It's a. It's a fun thing to go to WrestleMania. All right? The greatest thing is getting to the airport and realizing, like, oh, that's one of what. That's one of my people over there. That's one of my people over there. And you know what the best.

[Cody Rhodes]

You give them, like, a little mark nod, right?

[Sam Roberts]

You give them a nod. The mark nod. Yeah. It's like the Jeep wave. Yeah, that's right. That's exactly what you do. And the way to do that is what you do when you're given the mark nod is you look for somebody who's already wearing WrestleMania 41 gear. It's my favorite thing you can do while you're still in your own state. Before you even get to Nevada, you've already got the gear. If you're looking for the WrestleMania 41 gear right now, scoop it up over on WWE Shop Fanatics. As you all hooked up, of course, at WWE World. There'll be a ton of gear there. So be more gear to get once you get there, but you can get it in advance right now. Check out all the WrestleMania 41 gear on sale right now. I saw they put that big gold WrestleMania belt this year. It already. I mean, it sold that five seconds, it was gone. Gone.

[Cody Rhodes]

Fanatics got a shout out today during the Cena Cody Rhodes promo, and it.

[Sam Roberts]

Made me think, Alexina's not wrong. I am going over and getting some gear from fanatics. I got to show it to WrestleMania 41. Correct. So get the gear. Get the gear. It's going to be great. Because another match that apparently we are seeing at WrestleMania 41. This is Breaking news. Adam Pearce has gone on Twitter and there. I checked, and there is no community notes under. No community notes under the tweet, the X.

[Cody Rhodes]

You always have to check for the community notes.

[Sam Roberts]

The Twix. Yeah, I checked. I checked it. Community notes. No community notes. That means it's true. It is official. We're getting AJ Styles versus Logan Paul at WrestleMania. We saw the confrontation happen in the ring tonight. This time, AJ called out Logan Paul. I thought it was a beautiful thing because it was evidence that not only does AJ Styles carry with him the respect from the entire WWE universe, but, I mean, Logan Paul is just globally loathed. You just. No matter where you go in the world, everybody hates this guy. You know, to the point where AJ Styles, who has been in this business for a hot minute, he's seen them all, he's wrestled them all, and he bestowed upon Logan Paul the honor of being the biggest douchebag to ever step foot in a WWE ring. And, you know, I'm a historian, and.

[Cody Rhodes]

I love the way he delivered it because he said, logan, I just. I want you to know that I forgive you. Like, that's so nice. It's so nice of Aiden for what? For being the biggest D bag.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was like a toll booth Willie sketch. Logan Paul. And I was sitting there, right? And I go, of all the, as you put it, D bags who have been a part of WWE in all these years, I go, I can think of a bunch.

[Cody Rhodes]

None.

[Sam Roberts]

None bigger than Logan Paul. None bigger.

[Cody Rhodes]

No.

[Sam Roberts]

And I go, wait. A way to hit it out of the park with that one. AJ Styles, you nailed it. So.

[Cody Rhodes]

But he also did do a little tip of the cap. Say you have all the talent in the world, which is something that we've all seen out of Logan Paul.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Cody Rhodes]

In every match that he's been in Talented guy. Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

Doesn't mean he's cool. So. So we get AJ Styles getting the best of him physically until. And this is where Logan's smart. He's figured out already. See, this is Logan. This is whole mo. I think that Logan Paul figures out what's the quickest way to win. Integrity.

[Cody Rhodes]

Work smarter, not harder.

[Sam Roberts]

Right?

[Cody Rhodes]

Right.

[Sam Roberts]

Who needs to do what the right way, the wrong way? What are we talking?

[Cody Rhodes]

Rules? We don't need those. I'm a rule follower. Logan Paul, opposite.

[Sam Roberts]

You take the long road.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

And I respect you for it.

[Cody Rhodes]

Thank you.

[Sam Roberts]

That's integrity. Logan Paul, he likes a nice, direct route. He likes to take the express.

[Cody Rhodes]

I think he likes to cut corners.

[Sam Roberts]

I think he might like to. Yeah. I think a couple corners we can cut. He says this straight line is always.

[Cody Rhodes]

The fastest way to any big A.

[Sam Roberts]

Squared, B squared, you know, Pythagorean theory, theorem.

[Cody Rhodes]

He's big into the Pythagorean theory.

[Sam Roberts]

I think he is, too. I heard he's got a real big iq, but he said he doesn't fight for free. He gets the best of AJ Styles by going for the low blow and then hitting him with the Pulverizer, which is a hell of a name for a finisher, I will give him that. That's a hell of a name for a finisher. But we're getting the match. We're getting AJ Styles versus Logan Paul. And it's interesting because AJ Styles was our first guest on the premiere episode of Raw recap. And he was talking about how, like, Logan Paul maybe doesn't have, like, there's a respect. And you hear this, right? Whenever you hear wrestlers get interviewed and they talk about Logan Paul, there's this thing where, like, I respect his ability. I respect his athleticism. I don't know that I like him. I don't know that I need his entourage around all the time. I don't know that, you know, he's getting special treatment, you know, And AJ Styles kind of hinted at that, like, look, you have to earn respect around here, and Logan hasn't done that. I wonder. Win or lose, I don't know if AJ Styles walks out of WrestleMania with respect for Logan Paul. That's a tall order. He's the biggest douchebag that ever stepped foot in a WWE ring, and almost.

[Cody Rhodes]

Everybody hates him everywhere. Everywhere you go.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. By the way, Seth Rollins was actually the first guest on Raw. Recap. AJ Styles was weak, too, man. We've been doing a lot of shows, a lot of shows, but. But all of them have WrestleMania implications. But, yeah, I think. I think Logan Paul has an uphill battle because not only he's a full.

[Cody Rhodes]

Timer now, so he says, I'm glad he showed up in London. It's a long flight.

[Sam Roberts]

You believe he's a full timer?

[Cody Rhodes]

He says it. I don't believe it. I don't believe it. But he continuously says that he's a full timer.

[Sam Roberts]

Wow. We got a big Raw next week. Back stateside. We got two more RAWs before WrestleMania, right? Oh, my God. Two more RAWs next week. Seth Rollins is in the house. Seth Rollins has a microphone in the ring and he's got a WrestleMania main event set up. We know it's the main event. We know what's going on last CM Punk. And I actually just posted a clip. I interviewed CM Punk before WrestleMania 29.

[Cody Rhodes]

What year was that?

[Sam Roberts]

That would have been, you know, 11, 12 years ago. So whatever. 1984. And he was having. That was the WrestleMania where he was having his match with the Undertaker.

[Cody Rhodes]

Like, you're like 11 years. I'm like, I can do the math. Like, no, no, we'll just go with 1984.

[Sam Roberts]

Sounds right.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

But he said then in this interview all the way back then that he puts too much pressure on himself, and all he wants is to main event WrestleMania. And he said that people will tell you that wrestling the Undertaker is a big deal. Doing this, doing that. But he said he's been conditioned to believe that he has to go on last. He has to main event WrestleMania. This was before WrestleMania 29. It's WrestleMania 41, and he's finally doing it. To me, the ultimate irony is that as much as Seth Rollins spent the last, I don't know, months, several months trying to do everything in his power to make sure that CM Punk could not get to the main event of WrestleMania. Doing that, doing that exact act, has brought CM Punk to the main event of WrestleMania.

[Cody Rhodes]

He got there kind of thanks to.

[Sam Roberts]

Seth, not kind of 1000% thanks to Seth. This doesn't happen without Seth fighting so hard.

[Cody Rhodes]

He got in his own way.

[Sam Roberts]

Seth gave CM Punk the main event of WrestleMania. You could say it was Paul Heyman. You could say it was Roman Reigns. CM Punk's inclusion in all this, Seth gave it to him. And I am so keyed up to find out next week what Seth Rollins says in response. Because this isn't just let me hype up a match. This isn't just let me hype up the fact that I'm main eventing WrestleMania. You, Seth Rollins, have to answer for the fact that CM Punk is not is main eventing WrestleMania and that your worst dream came true.

[Cody Rhodes]

I think Rollins would call it a nightmare. Rollins would have been okay with not being on the WrestleMania card so long as CM Punk is not in the main event. He WrestleMania. He felt that was his sole purpose.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, it didn't feel like he was motivated at all to get himself to Mania. It was to keep CM Punk out of it. So I'm sure we'll have a lot to say about that next week. We're also going to get another appearance from El Grande Americano.

[Cody Rhodes]

Very excited about that. I'm a little sad for Chad Gable though. I mean, I hope he feels better because it's going to be in Minneapolis.

[Sam Roberts]

It's his hometown.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yeah, yeah, it's tough.

[Sam Roberts]

It is tough. I don't think the doctor's note should extend past this week. I also am not 100% sure why the doctor's note had WWE logo on it. But you know, I don't know. I don't write doctor's notes. I'm not a doctor. And then of course, Intercontinental championship match Bailey vs Lyra Valkyria, Bailey Pinder, once Bailey winning the Inter Bailey doesn't talk about people who you would think should but don't have a clear path to WrestleMania. Bailey doesn't have one. Winning the Intercontinental title would do that for her.

[Cody Rhodes]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

So we'll see. We'll see. Megan, this has been absolutely fantastic. We've been breaking down all of it. Don't forget to if you're watching this on YouTube, like and subscribe Leave a Comment Listen also on all audio platforms Apple Spotify Rate Review subscribe and we will see you next week after Raw for another WWE RAW recap brought to you by fanatics.

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