John Cena comes home to Springfield: Raw Recap, September 15, 2025

Summary

Podcast Summary: “John Cena Comes Home to Springfield: Raw Recap, September 15, 2025”

Podcast: Raw Recap with Sam Roberts and Megan Morant
Host: WWE x Fanatics Podcasts
Date: September 16, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers an energetic rundown of the September 15th Monday Night Raw—“the go-home Raw” before Wrestle Palooza. Hosts Sam Roberts and Megan Morant unpack the dramatic angles around the Usos, John Cena’s homecoming, major plotlines like CM Punk & AJ Lee’s return and Dominik Mysterio’s rise, plus chaotic backstage twists. With a blend of informed wrestling analysis and insider banter, Sam and Megan are joined by Big E to break down “the wildest Raw in ages” and look ahead to Saturday’s big event.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jey Uso vs. L.A. Knight: Fractured Alliances

• Tension within The Usos: After a brief reunion, Jey and Jimmy Uso’s alliance is quickly falling apart. Jimmy refuses to tag with L.A. Knight, which Jey takes as a personal affront.
• Adam Pearce’s Intervention: Adam Pearce threatens to dock Superstars’ pay, leading to accusations of abuse of power.
  • “I’ve never watched an episode of Monday Night Raw where I’m like, oh, the priority for Adam Pearce is keeping his Superstars under control.” (Sam, 03:03)
• Match & Fallout: Jey attempts to help Jimmy during a beatdown. Tension erupts ringside between Jey and L.A. Knight, with Knight teasing a chair shot before embracing Jey—then blindsiding him with a BFT.
  • “L.A. Knight from behind grabs Jey Uso, BFT to the canvas. Jey’s face… And you have to wonder, when Jimmy looks on and realizes what has happened, is he thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, maybe Jey was right. These guys don’t have our backs at all?’” (Sam, 06:10)
• Trust Issues: Megan and Sam debate whether Jey was justified in not trusting anyone outside the family.
  • “Are we show friends or are we show business?” (Megan, 09:20)

[07:10] Jey Uso’s mysterious phone call—possible family, Roman, or Heyman involvement—raises more Bloodline intrigue.

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John Cena’s Springfield Return & No-Politics Promo

• Homecoming Moment: Cena gets a hero’s welcome in Springfield, his football roots highlighted with his old number 54 and a custom entrance.
  • “It was packed out. They brought in the small screens…to see John Cena, who had apparently played football just down the road.” (Sam, 15:59)
• Promo Substance: Cena addresses rumors about “politicking,” saying he could have backed out of the Lesnar match but lives for big moments and won’t hide.
  • “He said he doesn’t play politics in the back…He said, yeah, he’s afraid, but he’s not going to back down.” (Sam, 17:17/20:57)
• Cena vs. Lesnar Legacy: Discussion highlights their careers’ intertwined paths and how Lesnar’s unpredictability—and past brutal wins—make outcome at Wrestle Palooza anything but certain.
  • “Brock Lesnar destroyed John Cena. And we’ve seen this in…WrestleMania 34…That’s the story of Brock. So there is this version here where, like, in my mind, I’m going, yeah, John Cena’s got to win this…Oh, wait, it’s Brock.” (Sam, 24:36)

[16:08] Cena’s Springfield tribute and promo

[20:34] Sam and Megan relive Lesnar’s historic victories over Cena

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The Bloodline: Trauma, Trust, and Transformation

• “Hurt people hurt people. Is Jey exercising trauma deep down that we saw in his eyes when we were going through the tribal court?” (Sam, 11:27)
• Sam asks whether Jay’s time as world champion addressed or just masked the old “Roman trauma,” and whether distrust/alienation is re-emerging.
• Megan and Sam dissect family accusations, label-slinging (“You sound like Roman!”), and whether old wounds are surfacing.
  • “When Jimmy looks at Jay and he says, ‘I don’t see an oola fala around your neck’…it’s stuff only family could say.” (Sam & Megan, 10:16)

[13:37] Jey's mysterious phone call—speculation: Roman, Heyman, or Solo?

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CM Punk & AJ Lee Return: The Mixed Tag “Nobody Saw Coming”

• Hype and Surprise: The mixed tag of Punk & AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch is called “the match nobody saw coming.” Punk and AJ present a united, functional couple, contrasted against Seth & Becky’s champion chemistry.
  • “AJ Lee comes back to light it up. And we saw the face to face tonight. Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch dressed like the Elvis 68 comeback special.” (Sam, 27:57)
• Verbal Warfare: The segment’s highlight comes as Seth Rollins cuts deep on CM Punk’s history of walking away and AJ’s long layoff.
  • “CM Punk gets up and leaves when he feels like things have let him down…so you better pray that when [Becky] beats you, he doesn’t leave you, too.” (Seth Rollins, summarized by Sam, 33:18)
• Ring rust, vulnerabilities & emotion: Megan notes Becky’s strategy of reading opponents’ autobiographies and using AJ’s neck injury; concern over Punk’s emotion clouding judgment.
  • “She’s going to read up on her opponent. She’s not one to overlook any opponent, even though she is the greatest female wrestler of all time.” (Megan, 29:18)
• Segment finishes with Seth & Becky outsmarting Punk & AJ, then sharing a show-stealing kiss.
  • “The best part of Monday Night Raw. Becky and Seth just…kissing, macking on each other…Didn’t that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?” (Megan, 35:18)
  • “It made me feel like my parents were kissing and it was like, what are you guys doing?” (Sam, 35:54)

[27:31] Mixed Tag confrontation

[32:40] Seth cuts deep on Punk

[34:58] Becky unleashes a barrage of slaps, followed by “the smooch”

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Dominik Mysterio: Double Champ, Judgment Day Fractures, and Nuggies

• Dominik’s Momentum: Dominik wins the “Mega Intercontinental Championship” and faces jealousy from Finn Balor.
• Hosts grill Big E: Do you respect Dominik now?
  • “For you to paint me as someone who has just continued to deny Dom and his ability, that—that is highly incorrect. Can it not just be your side and my side? God forbid we have conversations with layers.” (Big E, 47:55)
• Nuggetgate: Finn spills champagne on Dom’s chicken nuggets, leading to visible rage, providing comic relief but also showing Judgment Day’s internal cracks.
  • “He was furious when he saw that champagne hit the nugs…Stared right at him. I thought he was going to turn into Cyclops from the X Men.” (Sam, 48:42)

[46:55] Big E on Dominik’s success

[48:33] The nugget-spilling incident

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Women’s Division: Bailey’s Return and Multiple Faces

• Bailey’s Split Personality: Bailey returns after weeks of odd vignettes. She swings between classic “hugger” and unpredictable, volatile.
  • “We got to see the hugger, and we got to see the…call everybody idiot version of Bailey.” (Sam, 41:44)
  • “Is this some kind of split personality? Is she playing mind games here?” (Big E, 41:44)
• Locker Room Segments: Bailey gets her own locker room, shouts at “herself,” perplexes Lyra, and acts out unpredictably during and after her segment.
  • “I was a little taken aback to see that she not only has her own room…there was a lot of yelling in there, but it was just Bailey.” (Big E, 44:44)

[41:05] Big E analyzes Bailey’s mindset

[43:20] Lyra & Bailey’s uneasy truce

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Women’s World Championship Build: Iyo Sky, Asuka, Kairi Sane & Stephanie Vacair

• Dissension Inside Damage CTRL: Iyo’s title push causes tension with her former friends Asuka and Kairi. Asuka’s possessiveness grows, mirroring real-life friend groups irked by another’s rising star.
  • “It’s very easy when you have a trio…and now one member is…the one that’s on the posters. Where are we?” (Big E, 52:55)
• Rhea Ripley Loitering: Rhea makes it clear she’s gunning for whomever emerges as champ. Stephanie Vacair’s late arrival to the contract signing fuels speculation.
• Host Banter: Sam and Megan compare Asuka’s controlling ways to Sam yelling at Megan to finish backstage conversations.
  • “Just from down the hall, I’ll go, ‘Megan!’ and Megan will get startled and have to come and walk away.” (Sam, 55:17)

[52:55] Big E on trios and jealousy

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Are we show friends or we show business?” (Megan, 09:20)
• “Hurt people hurt people. Is Jey exercising trauma deep down…?” (Sam, 11:27)
• “Brock Lesnar destroyed John Cena. And we’ve seen this in…That’s the story of Brock.” (Sam, 24:36)
• “CM Punk gets up and leaves when he feels like things have let him down…you better pray that when [Becky] beats you, he doesn’t leave you, too.” (Seth, paraphrased by Sam, 33:18)
• “I love how she doesn’t just deliver one slap. She always does multiple.” (Megan on Becky, 35:02)
• “For you to paint me as someone who has just continued to deny Dom and his ability, that—that is highly incorrect.” (Big E, 47:55)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:01–13:37] Usos/L.A. Knight/Bloodline fallout, Jey’s phone call
• [15:52–22:13] John Cena homecoming promo & Lesnar rivalry history
• [27:31–36:53] CM Punk & AJ Lee segment, Mixed Tag build, major slaps & kiss
• [41:05–47:55] Big E on Bailey’s return, mental wear and personalities
• [46:55–50:00] Dominik’s ascension & “Nuggetgate”
• [52:55–55:00] Iyo Sky, Asuka/Kairi tension over title shot; team dynamics

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Episode Tone & Style

Sam and Megan maintain witty, self-deprecating humor, lean into insider references, and keep their wrestling analysis fan-accessible but thoughtful. Frequent “hot takes” are exchanged amid backstage stories and rapid-fire jokes. Big E brings a performer’s insight, deepening the analysis with empathy and comic honesty.

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Final Takeaways

This packed Raw Recap showcases all the seething tension, painful betrayals, and high-caliber nostalgia that set the stage for Wrestle Palooza. From Cena’s heartfelt Springfield return to the fractured Usos and the unexpected mixed tag, Sam and Megan keep the pace electric. The return of Bailey, the rise of Dominik, and the bickering inside Damage CTRL add emotional punch. As the hosts tease the Wrestle Palooza preview, anticipation for WWE’s next chapter is at a fever pitch.

Stay tuned for the upcoming Wrestle Palooza preview episode with Sam, Megan, and Big E!

Transcript

[Sam Roberts]

John Cena says no to politics. Yes to Brock Lesnar. What is going on with Jay USO after he catches a bft? CM Punk and AJ Lee are had. Dominik Mysterio is a double champ. This is Raw recap of WWE and fanatics original production. Oh, my goodness, Megan. What a show. What a night on the go home Monday Night Raw before Wrestle Palooza. Only a few days left until Wrestle Palooza. And this is where we end with Jey USO having his face shoved into the mat by La Knight. I tell you, Megan, I thought that when we saw these USO's getting back together. When Jimmy and Jay reunited and they were staring down Braun, Braun, I said this is the story. This is what we've got in front of us. But it has become something completely different.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, there's a lot of questions about Jey uso. Yeah, what's going on? There's a lot of questions about L A Knight after what happened tonight. But closing last week by spearing La Knight left a lot of people on the Internet talking about what the future looks like for Jay uso. And I think we have an equal amount of questions tonight after Monday Night Raw.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, yeah, but now it's not just like about Jay uso, it's about L. A Night as well. Here's the question that I have, and mine is not just reserved for the Internet. You could ask this question in real life too. Was Jay uso right? Was Jay uso right? Jay uso? You know, these accusations have been hurled towards Jay uso. These accusations. All of a sudden it's so, you know, there's no honeymoon period whatsoever for, for Jimmy and Jay uso. They were together for literally one show. One show. They end the show together. Jay says, I can't do it alone. I need you. Jimmy says, I'm here. And by the next show, they're already bickering about whether. Whether Jay is. Is too much ingrained in their family, whether Jay wants to be a champion or Jay wants to be like Roman Reigns. But it gets to a point where. Where Jay is telling Jimmy the only people to trust are our family. And Jimmy's telling Jay, look, that's what got us into this mess in the first place. Now you're sounding like Roman Reigns, whose thumb we just got out from under. Except. Except everybody's throwing the word receipt around. Jay USO goes, yeah, okay, let bygones be bygones. Maybe it was too much. Right from the beginning of the show, Jay USO and La Knight are at each other's throats. All of a sudden, Adam Pierce is interested in keeping his Superstars under control.

[Megan Morant]

All of these shots that you have.

[Sam Roberts]

At Adam Pierce, I just never seen it before. Now he's trying to keep stars under control. I've never watched an episode of Monday Night Raw where I'm like, oh, the priority for Adam Pierce is keeping his Superstars under control.

[Megan Morant]

Well. And he just started throwing around people's salaries. Right.

[Sam Roberts]

For no reason. Oh, I'll. I'll start docking you pay. I'll start docking you for what? I mean, anyway, so they're like, well, we don't want our pay, doc. I felt like it was a. It was a threat. That was not. He seems it was a little bit of an abuse of power is how it felt to me felt. But so they get it, whatever, you know, L. A. Knights got to go find a partner. He finds Jimmy. Jay's a little too. Jimmy says no at first. Jay's a little too. I'm the one calling the shots here. You have to say no. Which Jimmy was already going to say no, but Jay basically said, you have to say no because I said so.

[Megan Morant]

He doesn't like being told what to do.

[Sam Roberts]

No. And I get that. I'm the same.

[Megan Morant]

Family's complicated.

[Sam Roberts]

It's very complicated. Like, I'll be ready to. I'm 100% going to do something. If my brother came to me and said, like, you have to do this. I go, well, I'm not doing it now. It's not getting done. And it could be something I really wanted to do. Like, I'm going to Disney World. My brother goes, you have to go to Disney World. I go, I'm not going to. I'm not going to Disney World now.

[Megan Morant]

And that's exactly what we saw tonight with Jay and Jimmy uso a little bit different than Disney World teaming with L. A Night.

[Sam Roberts]

I don't know. Both are magical.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, both are a dream come true when you think about it. I would love to have a tag team with L. A Knight.

[Megan Morant]

It'd be fun. Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. So Jimmy goes. Jimmy goes, you know what?

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

I will be your partner. And I think maybe, maybe, maybe Jay saw all this happen, and he goes, okay, maybe I was a little too harsh. Maybe, you know, maybe Roman was rubbing off. I mean, maybe the things they're saying are true. So he goes out to ringside. He helps his brother Jimmy, who's getting beat down. LA Knight gets back in the ring. LA. Knight is about to hit Jay with a chair.

[Megan Morant]

There's a lot of tension between these two. Very much rightfully so, though.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, they've both wronged correct, depending on whose perspective you look at it. But La Knight is behind Jay USO with that steel chair, contemplating. I have it. I could just do it right now. Jay turns around. He felt it. He turns around and he's going, like, what are we doing? What are we doing?

[Megan Morant]

We're cool.

[Sam Roberts]

And La Knight goes, okay. He throws the chair down. And to me, I go, okay. Jay goes, that was your receipt almost hitting me with the chair. I can accept most of the time. If I turn around and Megan, you're sitting there with a steel chair. I'm not cool with you because you were about to hit me with that chair. Like, that's the least cool thing ever.

[Megan Morant]

But if I put the chair down, can you forget about it?

[Sam Roberts]

Not in the moment, no. I'd still be. I'd be furious. I'd be fuming. But Jay goes, you know, now, now, had I speared you the week before, maybe I would have had the emotional intelligence and maturity like Jay did tonight to go, you know what? I could see why he's wanted to hit me with a chair. It's cool. They embrace. They. They. They press the flesh.

[Megan Morant]

They dap up.

[Sam Roberts]

That's right. And then l. A Knight from behind grabs Jay uso, BFT to the canvas. Jay's face. And now you're talking about. Right. And talk about losing perspective. Days before the Usos team up for the first time and God only knows how long to go to Wrestle Palooza, the first Premium Live event on the ESPN app, this Premium Live event that WWE is holding up on a massive pedestal. Cena and Lesnar, Cody and Drew the biggest mixed tag maybe ever. And the USO's are finally back together. And what's happening days before this? On one end, you got Bronson Reed pinning Jimmy uso, and on the other end, Jay is now eating canvas after a. After a bft. And. And. And you have to wonder, when Jimmy looks on and realizes what has happened, is he thinking, oh, my gosh, Jay was right. These guys don't have our backs at all?

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. And then you have to wonder about the tension between all of them. Is Jay gonna point the finger at Jimmy and say, hey, I told you not to get us into this mess?

[Sam Roberts]

I.

[Megan Morant]

And then there's the question of who the heck was Jay on the phone with?

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, I didn't want to get into that. That seemed like family business. It did. That seemed. I mean, talk about tension. Okay, before we get to the phone. Well, now we have to. You've opened that can of worms, Megan Moran.

[Megan Morant]

But also, I just want to point out, anytime, like tribal chief, or you sound like Big Goose, or you sound like Roman. Feels like all of the air is completely let out of the building.

[Sam Roberts]

Everybody goes, don't say the thing. Don't say it out loud. Stop. So, okay, so before we get there, do you think. Do you think Jay was right?

[Megan Morant]

Do I think Jay was based on.

[Sam Roberts]

The fact that he ate that canvas? Based on the fact that he got BFT to end this show, that L A Knight took his handshake and spat on it? Do you think Jey USO was right?

[Megan Morant]

Do I think Jay USO deserved it? Do I think he was right to tell Jimmy? What? What?

[Sam Roberts]

Okay, good. I'll clarify. Do you think Jay USO was right about not trusting any of these? And I'll just say it. Fools. He didn't say fools, but that was the vibe.

[Megan Morant]

I do think Jay USO is right not to trust anybody.

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, you're big, huh?

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. I just think when you're in the World Heavyweight Championship picture, it changes everything. Right? And.

[Sam Roberts]

But technically, like, they're in that sphere, but that's not. You're saying, just being a contender in the division. Because this is not about the World Heavyweight Championship at the moment. No, it could get. It's one step away. Removed, maybe.

[Megan Morant]

Well, the issues between La Knight and Jay USO kind of all began.

[Sam Roberts]

Spawned from.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, spawned from that fatal four way match.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

But I think if Jay USO wants to win the World Heavyweight Championship again, he needs to take his cousin's advice, which is to stop making friends outside of the family.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, I think Jay has no problem with that, but it's Jimmy. I think that is like, whoa, that sounds like what we used to do. And I didn't know we were doing that anymore. What do you think of this idea that just in general, just for success in the wwe, that Jay and Jimmy should isolate themselves and stick to, for lack of a better term, bloodline?

[Megan Morant]

Are we show friends or we show business?

[Sam Roberts]

Wow. You are bloodline through and through. And I love it. I love it. Okay, but now. Okay, now to get back to your other two points. I mean, you talk about a line that cut. You know what I mean? Like, sometimes it's like, oh, when Jimmy looks at Jay and he says, I don't see an oola fala around your neck. I was like, don't say it. Don't say things. We can't take back. I'm like, what's going on? And it's. You know why it's tense? Because I thought we had worked through all this. Like, I thought we had kind of come to a good place. I thought we were on the other side of it where Jay has had experience now as world heavyweight champion. Jimmy had kind of found his own lane on smackdown over there. Roman has kind of more embraced where he's at and embraced the fans. And then Jimmy starts saying, you're acting like Roman now.

[Megan Morant]

This is stuff that only family could say.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. But it is also the type of stuff that, like, when family says that they don't talk to each other for six years. You know what I mean? One of those weird family fights that just happened one night.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

And, like, you spend a generation and.

[Megan Morant]

Then you eventually kind of forget why you're even fighting in the first place.

[Sam Roberts]

Very Hatfields and McCoys, like, not good. I mean. I mean, yes, I gasped. I clutched my pearls when he said that. So do you think. Do you think Roman and the world heavyweight title corrupted Jay uso? I asked you that a few weeks ago, remember? And you were like, nah, I think you said, nah, I think, nah.

[Megan Morant]

But just like that. No, no, no.

[Sam Roberts]

But I think as you look at it now, right. It's like there's been a change. And I kind of wonder. And I know, but you know how I've been. I mean, the fact that we're even dipping our toes in Bloodline Story, there is, I mean, hours and hours of footage to back up my claim. If there's anything I've done in my life, it's overanalyzed every second of Bloodline Story ever told. Okay, can you give me that?

[Megan Morant]

I can give you that.

[Sam Roberts]

Okay. So now that we're back in it, I'm going, is Jay changing or is the trauma that Jay suffered while. Hey, listen, is the trauma that Jay suffered under Roman Reigns showing itself now that Jay has found a level of independence and success as a world champion of his own? That's a trauma that doesn't go away. Hurt people. Hurt people. Is Jay exercising trauma deep down that we saw in his eyes when we were going through the tribal court of Sami Zayn, when we were going through everything that we were going through? Which one are you? All of that. Was that ever really worked through, or did we mask it with success? And now on the other side of that success is. Is that trauma showing itself when you first started by mimicking Roman Reigns himself?

[Megan Morant]

Well, when you first started talking about trauma, and all of this, I'm like, oh, gosh, here he goes again. Sam's lost it. He's overanalyzing. But when you really bring it up and you paint the picture the way that you just did right now.

[Sam Roberts]

Is there something?

[Megan Morant]

There might be something.

[Sam Roberts]

Is there more than nothing.

[Megan Morant]

It's very fun to yeet and dance and sing with Jey uso.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

But the Jey uso we've seen over the last few weeks show us a different side to Jay.

[Sam Roberts]

He's not having fun.

[Megan Morant]

He's not. And it gives me pause because I like my Jey uso to have fun.

[Sam Roberts]

Me too. So does the audience. Did you hear the audience when it went oo so did you hear them go nuts and they all yeeted? He doesn't even wear the yeet shirt right now. I know he wears the MJ night shirt, which you got to have in your collection as well. But I mean, I think there's a lot here.

[Megan Morant]

And I don't know if he has worked through all of the bloodline stuff. It was a lot.

[Sam Roberts]

A lot. Years.

[Megan Morant]

What, a four year period? Fiveyear period.

[Sam Roberts]

Years. Now, who is he on the phone with? Who was he on the phone with? Because let me tell you something. Whenever you're around a friend and they're saying something on the phone, oh, who is that? No, no, no. You don't even need to worry about that.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, my first guess was Roman Reigns, to the point where I even thought Roman Reigns may show up tonight at the end of Monday Night Raw.

[Sam Roberts]

Because it seemed like he was on the phone with Roman Reigns. But what it listen.

[Megan Morant]

And then I thought, well, maybe it was Paul Heyman. Then I'm thinking, why the heck would Jay USO be on the phone with Paul Heyman? And then I was like, who else would be on the phone with Solo soa? That doesn't seem right.

[Sam Roberts]

That doesn't seem right. It seemed like he was getting guidance from somebody. And Paul Heymon, last I checked, had a broken larynx.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, you can't give guidance.

[Sam Roberts]

So he's probably not on the phone with a broken larynx. But I mean, I don't know, man. And again, going back to the bloodline, there's been so much with that phone. Right. Remember Roman called, the phone was disconnected. Remember, remember Paul Heyman had to pick up the other phone? Like there's always. There's always phones involved. But I'm dying to know. It's just this little thing, this little thing that flew under the radar. Maybe for some.

[Megan Morant]

And then I was like, maybe it's Sami Zayn. Oh, it can't be Sami Zayn. He's busy with the United States Championship. Who could it be?

[Sam Roberts]

Roman and Paul Heyman are the two names that popped up to me.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

Because those are the two names that he. I would imagine Jay would go to for guidance. Unless. Unless it was a chief even higher than. I don't even want to say. I don't even want to put that in the universe right now.

[Megan Morant]

I know.

[Sam Roberts]

Like a.

[Megan Morant]

Like a fine.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, like a. Like a. Like a.

[Megan Morant]

Like a really big boss.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, you never know.

[Sam Roberts]

Who knows? We'll finally find out at some point. So, I mean, there's a lot. There's a lot. And we go crazy, and it's a lot of fun. I mean, so much to break down at the end of that episode. I'm going through. And I'm like, man, we got to talk about Jay uso. We got to talk about the CM Punk and AJ Lee stuff. We got to talk about all that drama with Double Champ, the Mega Intercontinental Champion, Dominic Mysterio, and the Judgment Day and the jealousy that Finn Balor was showing. And then I was like, bailey coming back. And then I was like, wait a minute. What about the fact that we opened Monday Night Raw in Springfield, Massachusetts, with John Cena?

[Megan Morant]

What about the fact that Monday Night Raw was in Springfield, Massachusetts?

[Sam Roberts]

Right.

[Megan Morant]

And it was never in Springfield, Massachusetts.

[Sam Roberts]

Hasn't been in a while. And it was packed out. They brought in the small screens. They could bring as many people in to see John Cena, who had apparently played football just down the road.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, I love that on the Tron, they had his number 54.

[Sam Roberts]

So cool.

[Megan Morant]

Very cool.

[Sam Roberts]

So cool.

[Megan Morant]

Good offensive lineman, which John Cena told everybody that prepared him for life in.

[Sam Roberts]

WWE and how great is it? And he was talking about his entrance because, you know, there have been people who have, like, called into my radio show and been like, don't you think his entrance should be different now that he's, like, a good guy, now that fans are cheering for him? Wasn't that, like, an obnoxious entrance? And I said, no, I love the entrance.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, it's the best.

[Sam Roberts]

And he addressed why. He said, it gives us a reason to celebrate. It gives us a reason to make noise, to get that energy out there.

[Megan Morant]

I was excited to hear Alicia Taylor do the announcement.

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, she was great. She was great. And John Cena loved it, too. But I'm sitting there going, like, I wonder what this is going to be about. It's just about this match with Brock Lesnar, and I kind of love that. It was just about this match with Brock Lesnar and how big this match with Brock Lesnar is going to be. You know, he was saying that, that, that he. John could say no. He could have said no. He still could, I suppose, say no.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, he could go to the back and politic his way out of this thing.

[Sam Roberts]

He said he doesn't politic. He said he doesn't play politics in the back. He said he doesn't think anybody, except maybe Brock Lesnar would be upset. If he said no, I'd be upset. I want to see John Cena vs Brock Lesn. Not. And I, I, you know, but I mean, I remember. I remember. So I, I thought they did a great job on smackdown.

[Megan Morant]

Oh, I loved that package.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. Like, showing the sort of parallels that I never thought of.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. In OVW.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. In the early 2000s with both of them coming in and this realization that really, like, we think about John Cena's success, but the reality is that at WrestleMania 20, Brock Lesnar's first run in WWE was coming to an end. He had already beaten the Rock. He had already been world champion. He had already main evented WrestleMania with Kurt Angle. Like, he had already done all this stuff and John Cena was just finally finding himself at WrestleMania 20. But to see that parallel then leap and you go to like the Monday Night Raw after, I think it was WrestleMania 28, when Brock Lesnar first came back from UFC and, And. And confronted John Cena. And like, it was mind melting when that happened. We had all come to terms with the fact that Brock Lesnar was never going to be in professional wrestling again. So when that Brock music played that night, it was. I mean, of all the Brock returns, that to me is the one where I was like, this can't be. This can't. This is. Can't be happening. Right.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, I was standing next to you when he returned at SummerSlam. So if 28 was bigger than that, I can't even imagine. I think young Sam Roberts was not that young.

[Sam Roberts]

But I can't. I can't even. I can't even tell you. But then, so there's like that era. But then there's also like. I mean, I would really recommend everybody go back and watch the John Cena Brock lesnar match from SummerSlam. That happened after WrestleMania 30 after. After Brock Lesnar beat the Streak. The SummerSlam match was John Cena versus Brock Lesnar, and it was like, so, like, I mean, John Cena referenced it and talked about how he is the founder of Suplex City. Right. And he doesn't care how many suplexes Brock Lesnar had. But that's true. The whole Suplex City thing was started in this John Cena match. And I remember being in Los Angeles for that SummerSlam and watching that John Cena, Brock Lesnar match happened. And I mean, Brock Lesnar beat John Cena so bad that even as, like, a member of a pro wrestling audience who's aware of what I'm watching and the story and all this stuff, it's an uncomfortable thing to watch.

[Megan Morant]

Like, that's Brock Lesnar.

[Sam Roberts]

Like, that's how badly he beat him. And really, like the Brock beating Undertaker at WrestleMania 30 and then the SummerSlam match, those two things combined are what creates this modern version of Brock Lesnar, where to your point, it is. You say that's Brock Lesnar. That's right. It's an uncomfortable thing now.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, you watch just the entrance on smackdown.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

And I'm nervous.

[Sam Roberts]

I know. And then he's frowning and you're nervous, and then he starts laughing, and you're like, this is much scarier.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. And then he rips his pants, and I'm still nervous.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. Yeah. And you're going. And you're worried about Stu.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

Because he's yelling at him and everything. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. That, you know, Cena fully confessed. And it's interesting. It's the same thing Rey Mysterio said on this show last week that he realized he was afraid of Brock Lesnar when he was in the ring with him.

[Megan Morant]

Tough time.

[Sam Roberts]

And John Cena, that's the worst time to realize that. But John Cena said, yeah, he's afraid, and, yeah, he might fail, but. But he pulled out. He went full Tom Petty. He said he's not going to back down, and he won't back down. That's right. That's what he said. That's what he said. And I do love that he cited the sign that was in the crowd where he said his jorts are stronger than Brock Lesnar's jeans. Unfortunately for him, Brock Lesnar wrestles in MMA shorts. He does not wrestle in jeans. So I don't know if that will be as helpful as John Cena thinks it is, but I do think that tonight, John Cena did a great job of kind of just sharing a moment in Springfield again, like, one last time, but also getting across the gravity of what John Cena vs Brock Lesnar on ESPN in 2025. Really and truly is.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. And that. That there's been a lot of questions. It's like, brock Lesnar returns at SummerSlam. It's like, well, why does. Why did he return? Why do we get that match? And I think between Friday and the package that they played telling the history and Cena's promo tonight, we have a better understanding now of what this means and just how important it is.

[Sam Roberts]

We have a definitely have a better understanding of what it means to John Cena. I still want to know is, like, Brock just, like full thanos here? Like, I'm just doing this because it needs to be done. I'm doing this because I can. I'm doing this because John Cena's retirement run should end now. Or is there a deeper meaning? Like, why has. So far. Here's what we've gotten. Brock Lesnar asks where John Cena is. Option one, somebody tells him, and he F5 John Cena. Option two, the person says, I don't know where John Cena is. And he F5 the person. Somebody's getting F5. So I'm interested to find out. You know, I don't know if Brock Lesnar will be on smackdown or not, but if he is, I hope to. I want to hear from Brock. I want to hear why, why, why now has he decided this has to end, this retirement run has to end. And it's like, man, here's the thing about Brock as well is Brock has been in so many situations where you go, yeah, but Brock's going to lose wrestle. I mean, I've WrestleMania 30. Everybody was like, yes, Brock Lesnar is here to be a credible opponent for the Undertaker to beat. That's what it was. That's why that reaction happened. Everybody going in goes, brock Lesnar is here. So that we go, oh, he'd be tough to beat. But of course the Undertaker is going to win. And then Brock Lesnar wins, and then he goes on to SummerSlam and you go, oh, Brock Lesnar beat the Undertaker so that John Cena can look like a million bucks when he beats Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. And then, as I said, it was an uncomfortable shellacking that John Cena took. Brock Lesnar destroyed John Cena. And we've seen this in. I mean, go to WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans. Oh, they go like this. This is what they said at that time. They go, I don't want to see Roman Reigns win the title again. And you know, it's Roman and Brock just so Roman can Win the title. That's why. And then Brock Lesnar beats Roman Reigns. I mean, that's the story of Brock. So there is this version here where, like, in my mind, I'm going, yeah, John Cena's got to win this.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, he has six appearances left. It's his retirement tour.

[Sam Roberts]

Retirement tour.

[Megan Morant]

Cena, Brock. But obviously Cena's going to win. And then you point out all these examples and I go, shoot, right?

[Sam Roberts]

Because you're not looking at Brock going like, man, if somebody would just pass the torch to him like it's his torch whenever he wants it. Nobody passes anything to Brock. He takes what he wants. And you go, yeah. So in that case, well, clearly John Cena is going to win. And you go, oh, wait, it's Brock. There is no clear.

[Megan Morant]

I hope we hear from Brock on smackdown.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. Or if he doesn't want to, that's fine, too. Brock. That's fine. Whatever you want. Whatever you want. Look, I got to tell you, John showing up in Springfield in his new in his Springfield colors with a shirt just for tonight is something that I've loved about the John Cena retirement Tour. Of course, you can grab the whole Springfield collection right now at WWE Shop and Fanatics. I think this is actually an especially special set of merchandise because Springfield is so near and dear to John Cena. It's got, you know, the. The. The tees, the hats, the sweatbands, the towels and more available now at WWE Shop. Of course, we're going to get another set for Russell Palooza as well, so make sure you have that. There's also new Superstar tees up on WWE Shop. Oh, wait. I mean, this one you need brand new Kabuki warriors collection.

[Megan Morant]

Oh, I do need that.

[Sam Roberts]

Just dropped on Monday.

[Megan Morant]

They are becoming my favorite part of Monday Night Raw.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, they're the best. Of course, you know, you got the CM Punk shirts, AJ Lee and Wrestle Palooza is this Saturday. Whether you're going to be in Indianapolis, whether you're watching at home, whether you're watching with friends, whether you're watching alone, maybe you're streaming. Ooh, you gotta. You gotta. You gotta come correct. You gotta gear up at WWE Shop and Fanatics with official event merchandise and Superstar gear for the big night at Wrestle Palooza.

[Big E]

The world is full of tours, but you don't choose a Toyota truck to.

[Sam Roberts]

Follow the beaten path. You choose it to find the places in between.

[Big E]

The detours where each adventure pulls you toward the next.

[Sam Roberts]

And wrong turns turn out right. So why would you ever take a Tour when you could take a detour. Toyota trucks. It's going to be fantastic. And, you know, one of the big matches that we haven't spoken about in terms of tonight's Monday Night Raw is of course, the mixed tag team match. CM Punk and AJ Lee. AJ Lee back competing in a WWE ring for the first time in well over 10 years versus Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. I think Joe Test referred to it as the mixed tag that nobody saw coming. And I would say that that is a fair statement. Up until the Fatal Four Way at Clash in Paris. That's when people went, wait a minute.

[Megan Morant]

When Becky came out at the end.

[Sam Roberts]

And I believe, if I'm not mistaken, even on the. On the Clash in Paris recap podcast that. That we did, you said, could we get A.J. lee? And I was almost like, I don't know about that. I don't know.

[Megan Morant]

And then it was the post show.

[Sam Roberts]

Right, where the poster came up.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

And we're like, now we're talking. And we had two weeks of wild speculation and boom.

[Megan Morant]

And there was a minute there where we thought it was going to be real. Ripley.

[Sam Roberts]

Right?

[Megan Morant]

And nope. AJ Lee.

[Sam Roberts]

That's right. AJ Lee comes back to light it up. And we saw the face to face tonight. Seth Rollins, Becky lynch dressed like the Elvis 68 comeback special.

[Megan Morant]

It looks great.

[Sam Roberts]

Black leather, head to toe. CM Punk and AJ Lee come out both rocking AJ Lee T shirts.

[Megan Morant]

Now, first, I do like the couple coordination.

[Sam Roberts]

You like that?

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. And I think it both. Like, last week, we talked about how these are both very functional couples having each other back. Having each other's backs. And I think that was. That was shown right from the fact that they. They came. They came, right?

[Sam Roberts]

I think that's right. I think that's right. Do you give any credence to the fact that CM Punk pointed out that AJ Lee and Punk were able to agree on the fact that they would both light it up and come out to AJ Lee's music? However, Seth needed his own moment and Becky got her own moment.

[Megan Morant]

Well, they're both champions. Champions in a moment, man.

[Sam Roberts]

Morant, you are quick. It's a good. It's a very solid argument.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, champions always get their own music played, right?

[Sam Roberts]

Of course they do. They're champions. They're representing the brand, and they're both. They both have titles on the highest possible level. Yeah, no, it's a great point. That's a great point. Okay, so it's pointed out astutely that AJ Lee has a bad neck, by the way, I think Becky is very smart for reading A.J. lee's book.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. That's the type of competitor she is.

[Sam Roberts]

Preparation.

[Megan Morant]

She's going to read up on her opponent.

[Sam Roberts]

That's a very Megan Morant thing to do. You would be like, reading autobiographies and stuff, like. And it's like, did you know where they went to elementary school? And I'd be like, I don't see how that applies to your match.

[Megan Morant]

I'd be like, well, I read their book, so I'm just going to drop my little nuggets of knowledge here, just like Big Time Beck did. She's studying up on the opponent. She's not one to overlook any opponent, even though she is the greatest female wrestler of all time.

[Sam Roberts]

Says who?

[Megan Morant]

Not. Not just Megan Morant? No, not just Becky. Other people, too?

[Sam Roberts]

No.

[Megan Morant]

Sports Illustrated.

[Sam Roberts]

Really?

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, Sports Illustrated is saying it. ESPN is saying it.

[Sam Roberts]

Really?

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

Wow. That's pretty impressive, actually. But it is pointed out that she found it in the book, which AJ has not read. Becky's book. I love that we have authors, too. This is very, very, very highbrow production. AJ Lee has a bad neck, and Becky, you know, is talking about, you know, it's Seth, you know, that's a vulnerability. And what's it going to be like? Listen, and that's true. You know, what's it going to be like to get back in the ring and see how after 10 and a half years, that neck, you know, responds to professional wrestling again? AJ Lee feeling confident?

[Megan Morant]

Well, and I love how Becky brings up to Punk. She's like, listen, just a bracelet with AJ's name on it sent you into a blood feud with Drew McIntyre. What's it going to look like when I'm beating her face in?

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, yeah. And it wasn't. It was a big visual, and it did make. It did make CM Punk upset, even in that moment. But that's true. I mean, and I think that they're preying on that. And I think that Rollins hit on it when he said, look, aj, you may be unpredictable, but I can read your husband like a book. Another. Another reading.

[Megan Morant]

Yep, there we go. Lots of authors.

[Sam Roberts]

But, you know, the fact that, like, there is this sort of attention being brought to. Is CM Punk going to get emotional? We've seen how happy he is that AJ's back. Does that. Is that emotion that could come and haunt him in this match?

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. And then there's also the fact that AJ's been out of the ring for 10 years. Is ring rust a thing? Is that A factor is the neck. Okay, is CM Punk going to spend parts of the match looking out for AJ Whereas Becky and Seth, both champions, both not having any ring rust at the moment that I can see.

[Sam Roberts]

I can't. I couldn't imagine. I mean, where would the Rusk collect? Too active. That's right, too active.

[Megan Morant]

So they're not going to spend time worrying about each other, and they're probably.

[Sam Roberts]

Going to plan accordingly, just like we saw tonight. I mean, a master class. They got you, too. I saw you. I was watching you. I know they got you. You were trying to. You were trying to figure out how you're going to bring this into the spins.

[Megan Morant]

I was. You're like, oh, my God, already trying to spin it. And then just like that, when I thought that Becky and Seth couldn't get on the same page, the man comes in and delivers probably the slickest manhandle slam that I've ever seen.

[Sam Roberts]

Slickest.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, it's definitely top four, and it ain't four.

[Sam Roberts]

Wow. Yeah. I mean, she's a pretty slick character that Becky lynch, but yet we see this moment where, like, AJ Lee slaps Seth Rollins in the face, you know, because Seth. Oh, speaking of lines that were absolutely cutting and you knew where he was going. You know, we talked about that ula follow line. That was like a punch to the gut. This was like a stab to the gut.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

And you know where he's going? Where. Where the. And the crowd is chanting, and Seth is now just ignoring the crowd from chanting.

[Megan Morant]

The crowd had some good ones during this one. What else did they chant?

[Sam Roberts]

Well, they chanted a lot of different things. Yeah, I mean, they chanted, constipated at one point.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, that was the one.

[Sam Roberts]

That was the one which Seth Rollins said that was too far. That was too far. And I don't know that to be true. Is that brought up in Becky's book or.

[Megan Morant]

She. She did not talk about constipation.

[Sam Roberts]

Okay, all right, next one. I don't know if that's true at all, but it's possible. We just don't know one way or the other, and we can't talk about that.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, but can't speculate on that.

[Big E]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Sam Roberts]

It's too personal. But, yeah, Seth looking at AJ going, you know, CM Punk gets up and leaves when he feels like things have let him down, and he says it nice and slow, and I go, oh, I know. No, no, no, no, no. So you better pray that when she beats you within an inch of your life, he doesn't leave you, too. And it's like, oh. And that's how he gets the slap across the face.

[Megan Morant]

He deserved it.

[Sam Roberts]

And then why he was looking for it. It was all part of the plan. Because then he goes like. He uses the punk line. I would never put my hands on a woman, but luckily, I know someone who will. And Becky's like, not me. I'm not doing that. Like, you got me into this. I'm not doing that. And that's when. And I. And I was like, ooh, this looks bad. And then you're sitting there going, like, how do I get on a podcast and pretend that this is a good news? It's terrible news.

[Megan Morant]

I was. I mean, the wheels were spinning.

[Big E]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

I don't even know how I can get this into the morant.

[Megan Morant]

I was about to start saying, like, Becky was right. Seth put her in a bad spot spot. I mean, defend Becky at all costs.

[Sam Roberts]

It would have been one of those frustrating ones where I was looking at you going, you don't believe what you're saying. Why are you saying it?

[Megan Morant]

But.

[Sam Roberts]

But you didn't have to say it.

[Megan Morant]

Didn't.

[Sam Roberts]

Didn't have to say it because. And I thought it was so good, man. I thought it was so good because all of a sudden, like, now Becky's out of the ring, and Seth face mushes CM Punk. And then CM Punk goes after Seth. They go for a chase. Now Becky gets in the ring and takes out AJ Lee. And then Punk dives in to help. And then. Oh, Becky just starts slapping him and slapping him and slapping him.

[Megan Morant]

I love how she doesn't just deliver one slap. She always does multiple.

[Sam Roberts]

And she hits hard, dude. Yeah, she hits hard, but she's slapping him, and it's like. And not only is he getting slapped in the face again by the intercontinental champion, but he also knows, like, they made him. They made that. They made them look like fools. They completely tricked them.

[Megan Morant]

And then the icing on the cake, the cherry on top, perhaps. I mean, it's up there with the kabuki warriors, backstage segments. The best part of Monday Night Raw. Becky and Seth just. Just. Just kissing, macking on each other. I don't want to end the show.

[Sam Roberts]

First of all, it wasn't the end of the show.

[Megan Morant]

Well, that was the end of this segment. There was a whole hour of it. Might as well have been, you know, dip to black.

[Sam Roberts]

There's like, an hour and a half of Raw after that. What do you mean, end the show? And second of all, this Smooch was not the best part of Monday Night Raw.

[Megan Morant]

It's up there. Didn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?

[Big E]

No.

[Sam Roberts]

Maybe it was real uncomfortable, weird. It made me feel like my parents were kissing and it was like, what are you guys doing? What are you doing?

[Megan Morant]

I was fired up. I was happy for them. I love love, and that's. It's good to see people loving one another again.

[Sam Roberts]

These are these healthy couples that are. They're on the same wavelength, whether you agree with the wavelength or not. Like, maybe you wouldn't. You don't agree with the morality behind what Seth and Becky did, but they're on the same page. Right.

[Megan Morant]

To see it, maybe you operating as a unit.

[Sam Roberts]

Right. And AJ Lee and CM Punk are on the same page. Everybody's on the same page. It's just. Which page is victorious at Wrestle Palooza?

[Megan Morant]

I will say I'm very excited to see AJ Lee wrestle.

[Sam Roberts]

It's wild. It's so surreal.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, you just, you look at the roster up and I mean, we had this incredible match tonight between Lyra and Roxanne Perez and you see the influence of AJ Lee all over that match 100%. And now we get to see AJ back a decade later. Yeah, it's going to be amazing.

[Sam Roberts]

It's going to be amazing.

[Megan Morant]

As much as I love Becky lynch and I said this on your radio show, I'm having a hard time not cheering for aj.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. And hopefully you get the opportunity at some point that maybe AJ's not fighting Becky lynch. So you can just. Oh, okay. She's awesome. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you would say that that moment was the finest moment of WWE RAW tonight.

[Megan Morant]

It's up there.

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, that's weird. Because WWE Tops. Finest is this big. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's. It's finally, finally, Finest. WWE has come back to the hobby. That's right. Tops Finest. WWE is back. Releasing on September 26th, this set is a high energy tribute to sports entertainment. Built for collectors who crave vibrant designs. Premium tech chase worthy polls. Some of the. Some of the. Some of the case hits in this. I mean, my. Wait, I'll tell you about them. Okay. Every box delivers a thrilling mix of content. Two autographs per box. Okay. A full spectrum of base and parallel cards, rare refractors and inserts that highlight the biggest names and moments in WWE today. It's a 300 card base set. Is a. Is a collector's challenge. Is packed with common, uncommon and rare tiers. Each available AC across a rainbow of parallels plus each case case of boxes guarantees one major case hit. There's dark energy, there's double exposure. This is the one I'm excited for. This is what I want to find. Case hit Ulala cards. Oh, and they look so cool. Whether you're chasing your favorite Superstar, prospecting new talent, or going for The Full Rainbow 2025 Finest WWE brings the action. I can't wait to. To. To. To rip some of those packs.

[Megan Morant]

Was your knife. I mean, you're gonna use this?

[Sam Roberts]

I'll probably use. Yeah, I'll probably use the sword here in the basement. Don't tell my mom. It's down here. Megan, I think it's time for us to bring our first guest onto the WWE Raw recap. Of course, one of the.

[Megan Morant]

The.

[Sam Roberts]

The greatest analysts that we could possibly have. Friend of the show here on the Raw recap. Big E is back. And Big E, we start with one question and one question alone. What do you think of the Mexican Destroyer?

[Big E]

I love it. I. I need more Mexican Destroyers. Canadian Destroyers. I need destroyers from every country and every region in the world. I think they should be implemented more often. I am very pro destroyer of any and all type, honestly. Just give me more. Just give me more.

[Megan Morant]

Wow. Even after what we saw it did to your old pal Xavier Woods? I mean, he had surgery last week.

[Sam Roberts]

Open head.

[Big E]

He did have surgery.

[Sam Roberts]

Open head surgery.

[Big E]

That is not why.

[Megan Morant]

Oh, I don't know.

[Big E]

Social media told me for a while.

[Sam Roberts]

What?

[Big E]

Your hands. I. Look, when you spend a decade around someone, I have known about this growth in his head for years. All right, this is not because of the Canadian Destroyer. Oh, look, I don't want to get into how intimately I know the bodies in the locker room, but trust me, if there's a body, I know it's Xavier Woods.

[Megan Morant]

That thing is nasty.

[Sam Roberts]

But by the way, by the way, trust me, if there's a body, I know it's Xavier Woods. We've also heard that about Chad Gable. We've also heard that. We've heard that about quite a few bodies. It's becoming thematic, actually, on Raw recap.

[Big E]

Look, I mean, what do you. What do you think happens when. When guys are done with their matches, they go to the back, people get naked. I'm sorry, it's just true. People go into the locker room, they get naked. I don't go out of my way to look. I'm not trying to look, but that's what happens in a locker room. All right?

[Sam Roberts]

And.

[Big E]

And when you see that every day. Look, when I first started on the road, we would do five shows a day. Five shows a week, every single week. That's a lot of opportunities to look at naked men. Opportunities I didn't ask for, but opportunities I got nonetheless.

[Sam Roberts]

I think that's totally fair. I think that's. I.

[Megan Morant]

And you are one to always capitalize on your opportunities. We know that about you.

[Big E]

So you have to.

[Sam Roberts]

You got to do you absolutely do. You absolutely do. Hey, speaking of somebody that capitalized on an opportunity tonight, how about we finally get it after all these vignettes that we've been seeing, and I think vignettes that have been ones that people have talked about a lot, there's a lot of anticipation, a lot of wild speculation as to what Bailey would be doing, what the plan was here, and we got the return to television. Bailey is back tonight, and already on one show, not only did we see multiple potential arguments with herself, but we got to see the hugger, and we got to see the. I mean, and call everybody idiot version of Bailey.

[Big E]

Yeah, you know what? I was excited to see the version that came out and saved Lyra. And, you know, see, obviously, hugger Bailey is so Bailey we grew to love. So I think seeing sprinklings of that was pretty cool. But then seeing a very different version in the locker room makes me question where all of this is headed. Is this some kind of split personality? Is she playing mind games here? I'm not sure what's going on. And I think that same confusion that I had sitting at home is. Is the confusion that I saw on Lyra's face as well. So I'm not sure what to make of this version of Bailey. And I thought that the last several weeks, the last month or so that we've seen these vignettes of Bailey, you don't know whether she's coming or going. You don't know whose side she's on. You don't know where her mind is at. But what I do love is that we're seeing a very interesting Bailey. It makes me want to tune into everything she says and does, because I have no idea where this is going.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. And I think, too, Megan, I think we were talking about this while we were watching the show that, like, if it is a mind game, and I'm not sure that it is a mind game, it also. It's either a mind game or it's one of those things where after being a. On the road, every show like that, like one of those sort of fully reliable performers for the amount of years that Bailey has Could have also taken a toll on her brain. But. But something happened where she went from Lyra, I want you out of my life, or no Lyra saying, bailey, I want you out of my life.

[Megan Morant]

Stay the hell away from me to now.

[Sam Roberts]

Tonight, Lyra going into Bailey's locker room and saying thank you. I'm sorry. Like in an instant. Just. Just Bailey being completely unpredictable because beating down both Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez, then jumping on Joe Test. I think she thought Joe Test was Michael Cole. Cause she said hey and started giving him hugs, started kissing Corey Graves on the forehead, running around hugging people in the crowd. Now she's backstage. I think Lyra was just thrown for such a loop that she forgot that this whole sort of tension is based on the fact that Lyra was fed up with Bailey, not the other way around. Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

And don't forget this all started back at WrestleMania too, when Lyra called Becky lynch to replace Bailey.

[Sam Roberts]

Right, right.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, Bailey's been through a lot this year.

[Big E]

Yeah, she has. She has. Poor woman had her WrestleMania spot taken from her by Becky. She's been through, through a lot. And, and I think it shows. I think she is ready to snap. And to your point, spending as much time as you do on the road can, can definitely wear on your. Your mental health. So, yeah, I, I don't know what to make of this version of Bailey, but she, she's been pushed too far, clearly.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, she has her own locker room, which is kind of wild.

[Sam Roberts]

She does have. And it was a pretty, it was a pretty nice room too.

[Megan Morant]

It was good for Bailey.

[Sam Roberts]

She's earned it.

[Big E]

Yeah, well, I mean, you hear all these stories about how Bailey is so good for the locker room and she's, she's always there. I was, I was a little taken aback to see that she not only has her own room, but, you know, oftentimes when people have their own room, they'll invite others in. It was, it was just her and there was a lot of yelling in there, but it was just Bailey. And I found that curious from God.

[Sam Roberts]

I. They also, you know, they're always, you know, you see these docs and these old timer wrestlers will always say, you know, I forgot where the wrestler ended and the person began. So I come home after being on the road for all this time, and I, I don't know how to be dad anymore because I'm so used to being this guy that now I want to get back on the road. Does it ever kick in where you're like, well, I'VE been so many different versions of myself over the last, you know, however, 10 years or so that I don't even know exactly who I am anymore.

[Big E]

Yeah, it definitely can. I didn't really evolve, you know, I just kind of stay my same goofy self.

[Sam Roberts]

So what about the five?

[Big E]

What about the five? That is true, you know, but that was a long time ago.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Big E]

So if you. If you just decide like, this is who I am and I'm not going to change for anyone, you'll be fine. But Bailey has. She's done a lot over the last couple years to evolve, to tweak herself. So it is, I think it is very easy to get lost in those different iterations of. Of who you are. But, yeah, I know she's someone who is a fundamental, fundamentally important figure in women's wrestling, and I just want to see her more involved. I want to see her in the title picture again. So if this is what sparks her to kind of get her groove back or to be, you know, shuttled back to the top of the car, then I'm all about it.

[Sam Roberts]

I'm actually really glad that you're here, Biggie, because it's just. You have a perspective on. On this that I think I could. Certainly couldn't speak to. But do you feel any type of way after, you know, not supporting Dominik Mysterio for as long as you haven't supported him for to then see like this all come to fruition. Everything that he said come true. See this guy become the first Mega Intercontinental Champion. Even watching his own teammates like Finn Balor be jealous of his success, I mean, that's gotta be a crazy position.

[Big E]

For you to be in, I don't think. I think you're mischaracterizing me. For one. I don't think I've been someone who has taking jabs at Dom's talent. I'm saying I don't think he's someone who is of the highest moral character. I think he's someone who is a bit reprehensible in ways. But that doesn't mean the man isn't talented. Look, anytime he appears in aaa, it. Look, it seems like the roof is about to blow off the place. And not just in aaa. Look, he gets an incredible reception. And I'll always go back to that WrestleMania post show. The love he got is incredible. This dude is truly a star. Seeing the heights of his career, seeing how much he has grown, it's undeniable. But for you to paint me as someone who has just continued to deny Dom and his ability, that. That is highly incorrect. I just want to have some perspective. Can we have some balance for once in the media? Can we have some nuanced perspective? Can it not just be your side and my side? God forbid that we have conversations with layers.

[Sam Roberts]

Samuel. I don't know. That's just how I have always taken it. I feel like I've kind of supported Dom and you've been a huge naysayer, and it's kind of, you know, shown itself to be what it is. That's all. That's how I. That's my perspective. That's all.

[Big E]

Megan, is this man accurate?

[Megan Morant]

He did the same thing to me last week. Claimed that I was a big Dominic naysayer, that I was a Dominic hater as well. Sam also likes to remind everybody that there's plenty of room on the Dominic bandwagon. But then when you go to get on the bandwagon, he'll remind you that you weren't on it in the beginning.

[Sam Roberts]

So, I mean, there's sections of the. The bandwagon is divided into sections.

[Megan Morant]

I'm just.

[Sam Roberts]

There's a hierarchy.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, I'm just disappointed that Finn Balor spilled champagne over the nuggets.

[Sam Roberts]

Did you see. I don't know if they were nuggets or tenders. I would definitely need to take a closer look. You may be right.

[Megan Morant]

I think they're nuggets.

[Sam Roberts]

But did you see Dom's face? I mean, he was furious when he saw that champagne hit the nugs. I mean, furious. Stared right at him. I thought he was going to turn into Cyclops from the X Men. Just burn a hole right through him.

[Big E]

The man is very serious about his tendies and his nuggies and. And for those out there who wonder if this is just something he does on tv, it's very real. This man lives the life. But also, interestingly, much like woods. Woods. I don't know if you know this about woods, but he's also someone. He doesn't eat vegetables at all. If there's any piece of lettuce, any kind of broccoli, even chives, I've seen him send back something that just had chives because it's too close to a vegetable. And I wonder, in five to 10 years, what I. I need some kind of a MRI or some kind of interior scan of. Look, Dom and Woods, on the surface, they're muscular, they're in shape, all that. But the rot, the rot that has to be going on inside their bodies because they refuse to put Proper nutrition in it. I have concerns. I have very, very strong concerns.

[Sam Roberts]

Wait, wait, wait. He's not even.

[Megan Morant]

Like you're being attacked because. Because you could also be thrown in this category as well.

[Sam Roberts]

No, I'm not the biggest vegetable fan, but I will. I will pick out. I would never send something back because it had chives in it. That's a wild thing to do.

[Big E]

So my. My thing is I. I don't want to get a sidetrack, but does this extend to the way you raise your child? Do you allow your child to also not have vegetables? No.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, I mean, I don't. So my wife is a very nutritious eater. So, I mean, literally, like, it'll. It'll be my wife having something that's very good for her. The children will even be eating sushi. And I'm sitting there, you know, with tenders and no side. And. And there have been many times where at the end of dinner, you know, my wife will fix a great plate and the children are finishing their food, and she's finishing her food. And you will see a plate left behind. And all that's left on the plate is. Is leafy greens. And I go, well, all done. All done. Because I look at it as like a decoration, almost the. I. I'll leave the accoutrement where it was and I'll eat the food. Thank you very much. I think that's.

[Big E]

You got to do better. You're too old.

[Sam Roberts]

What are you talking about?

[Big E]

You're too old.

[Sam Roberts]

You think so? I mean, I've made it. I mean, so far I'm fine. I've already lost my hair.

[Megan Morant]

So what's, you know, so Dominic's body, Sam's body, and Wood's body. We need a. We need a MRI on to see.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, I don't know if I could pull off. I don't know if I could pull off suspenders and no shirt way. Woods can, though.

[Megan Morant]

Please don't.

[Sam Roberts]

Maybe I don't even think I look. No, no, no, it's probably not. It's probably not. We all have our own thing. What about the sort of complications, I'll say in the story that we see of. Of IO sky and Stephanie Vacair as we head to wrestle Palooza and this. This match to determine the vacated Women's World championship. So like last week, we didn't even get that contract signing. We didn't even see Stephanie Vacar and it. And it got a lot of fans yap, yap, yapping about what was really going on. Then we See Stephanie on Tuesday on nxt and she's going to be on Homecoming, as a matter of fact, this week on nxt. But the fact that on one end you have Rhea Ripley already putting it out there, approaching Stephanie Vacair right away and going, hey, just so you know, there's no mystery as to what's on the other side of this thing. I'm the thing that's on the other side of this thing. And then on the other side of the match, you've got Iyo sky, who's dealing with Oscar and Kyrie sane. And you know, even when the new day was at their, their absolute friendliest, it never seemed like you guys didn't allow each other to be friends with other people. But, but, but the possessiveness of Asuka and Kyrie saying, Oscar and Kyrie saying, and really it's, it's Asuka, it really seems like Oscar might be the issue here is a wild thing. I mean, I guess what, what started as a match between two women who both had title matches coming up so it seemed like they were the best picks for contenders has become this sort of tree that's branched out in ways that, that I didn't necessarily see.

[Big E]

Well, I think it's very easy when you have a trio and you're all coming up together and you're all fighting for the same thing, but then you see someone in Iyo sky get opportunity after well deserved opportunities, win world titles, get the spotlight. And look, Asuka is a legend in and of herself. Same like Kyrie as well. Their careers are undeniable. But I think it's very easy when you see you guys were all in it together. And look, even I go back to my own experiences seeing Kofi win the title. It's very easy to think, man, it was always about us as a trio. We were always on the same plane. And, and now one member is getting the spotlight. One member is doing all the interviews alone, one member is the one that's on the posters. Where are we? How do we figure these things? So I think Asuka and maybe to a smaller degree Kyrie as well, they're trying to figure out like, what is our role in this scenario. It feels in many ways like Iyo has gone on to bigger and to better things, but how do we fit into this? So I think a lot of that is where Asuka's frustration stem from. And I can't necessarily agree with the way that it's being expressed, but I think I can understand some of that sentiment as well because those Three have been in it together for so long, and now, like, Iyo has really propelled herself over the last year or so as. As a real star, a true capital S star in wwe. And I love seeing the reception that she's gotten over the last year or so. The fans have really taken to her. I love seeing the. The emote take off as well. She. You got to do it. You just got to do it. But, man, she. I think EO in many ways has really separated herself from the field. And I think it's. It's very easy to have some divisiveness in your group and your friend group creep in when that happens.

[Megan Morant]

And then there's also, you know, Asuka. She's the veteran in that group. Right. I'm sure she may feel like she's mentored these women and she sees Iyo going off and. And making friends, and maybe Oscar has the experience where she wants to still have some sort of control.

[Sam Roberts]

And sometimes when you have that experience, you do have to act that way. Like, a lot of people don't know around here. Like, a lot of times if Megan and I get stopped by somebody, we'll have a little conversation. I'll keep moving. Megan will still be in the conversation, and just from down the hall, I'll go, Meghan and Megan will get startled and have to come and walk away.

[Megan Morant]

It does happen. Yeah. I was wondering where you're going with that. But that does happen.

[Sam Roberts]

Yes, that's true. Biggie, I don't want you to go just yet, but I do have to tell everybody about Fanatics 1. Yes. I don't know if you've heard about this, but introducing Fanatics 1. It's Fanatics 1 is for all you give to the game. Now there's a loyalty program that gives back to you. Yes. Because being a fan deserves to be rewarded. Only Fanatics One members earn fan cash and all that comes with it. Exclusive apparel, iconic experiences and rewards tailored to your fandom better than anyone else in the game. Join now on the Fanatics app and enjoy member benefits from day one. Free shipping and returns, exclusive access to product drops, and the ability to earn and redeem fan cash whenever you shop and play with Fanatics. Get on that app. Join Fanatics 1 and E. There is so much that I want to talk to you about when it comes to what we can expect at Wrestle Palooza, but I'll tell you what we have. Usually we say goodbye now and we don't see you guys for another week. Two more recap podcasts before we get to the next raw recap. Of course, we're going to have the Wrestle Palooza recap podcast that'll be out right after Wrestle Palooza will be on the scene in Indianapolis for that one. But E, we would like for you to join us before Wrestle Palooza to put out a Wrestle Palooza preview. Non recap. However, on the recap feed podcast, it's a preview. All right, so we'll do that. We will see you right before Wrestle Palooza, maybe around Thursday. We're hoping that it'll drop and it'll be me and it'll be Megan and it'll be Biggie breaking down wrestlepalooza. Thank you, guys. Make sure you're subscribed. We will see you then. Have a good one.