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Sam Roberts
so close you can almost taste it. What, you're just gonna walk away?
Jacob Fatu
Time to bring the juice.
Sam Roberts
Never leave a fit behind Rip it, rip it and bring the juice.
Jacob Fatu
That flavor is just out of reach Drop the leg O and bring the juice.
Sam Roberts
With only days before WrestleMania, CM Punk and Roman Reigns get real. Obafemi and Brock Lesnar sign their contract. But separately, Liv Morgan loses her mind on Stephanie Vikair. Gunther answers the question why? And so much more. This is the WWE Now Raw recap of WWE and Fanatics original production. Well, now we've seen it. The very last Monday Night Raw before WrestleMania 42, the showcase of the Immortals is now only days away and we've only got one more show. We've only got smackdown before we are officially there. Megan, I've got to tell you where we started tonight and where we ended tonight. I felt like we're two very separate places.
Megan
Oh yeah. I mean, we started the night with that Roman Reigns cold open and boy, did the OTC look great.
Sam Roberts
He looked amazing. He always looks amazing.
Megan
But what was interesting to me is he called out CM Punk for being a hypocrite. And then in that package we saw all of the moments that CM Punk was a hypocrite.
Sam Roberts
It was a very well put together piece. But I've got to say that, you know, everything counts. Everything. And I'm, I'm. I'm watching Roman Reigns address the WWE audience at the beginning of Raw. And he is. He's using all that video to show when Punk said he didn't need a wise man. Here's Punk with the wise man. When Punk said he didn't need yes Man. Here's the straight Edge society when Punk said he was treated like a dog. Here's Punk in the middle of his 400 plus day WWE Championship title reign.
Megan
When Punk said I'm just here to make money.
Sam Roberts
Yeah, all of it is part of it. But to me there was one extremely valuable part. It's not the first time we've seen Roman Reigns in that environment. It's not the first time we've seen Roman Reigns at a table like that. It's not the first time we've seen Roman Reigns in a position like that where he addressed the WWE audience pre taped almost in a cinematic fashion. But Roman Reigns was sitting at that table alone. That table always has Paul Heyman over his shoulder or the Usos behind him, or Solo Soa as the enforcer with that glove. Even Sami Zayn in the bloodline days. But Roman Reigns sat at that table. And he sat at that table by himself and stated his case. By himself. Even addressing the Pat McAfee situation, which was a big part of what CM Punk said. But Roman Reigns being the the artist that he is, instead of commenting on anything Pat McAfee said, he brought it right back to CM Punk and said, look, I like Pat, I really do, but a punter has never ran his mouth on me. And now it's right back to CM Punk. Roman is saying, like, wherever. Whatever's going on around my eye is not going off the ball. And I feel like that's what set it up. But to me, seeing him state his case and seeing him state at the very beginning of the show, no more I am here, I'd like to address what was said. But he did it alone. And I found that to be. I mean, it stayed with me for the rest of the show that Roman sat at that table by himself.
Megan
Well, because that's the thing that everybody says about Roman Reigns, right? He can't do it by himself.
Sam Roberts
Not everybody says that a lot. I can think of at least one person that has never.
Megan
Okay, you have never said that, but a lot of people say that that about Roman Reigns.
Sam Roberts
CM Punk said it.
Megan
Exactly. And CM Punk said it because when Roman Reigns put him through the announce table, who was there to help? Roman Reigns.
Sam Roberts
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You know how this happened? When you brought it up with Biggie
Megan
last week, you got very upset.
Sam Roberts
CM Punk manipulated the situation so the USO's had no choice but to come out. And then once they came out, CM Punk made it seem like they came out because Roman Reigns wanted them out there. But in reality, it was because CM Punk knew that Jay was hanging on by a thread and he specifically insulted Jay uso. So of course Jay USO came out and then to defend Jay. And then once Roman came out because he was booked to come out, Punk said, look, they're here to Defend you. They weren't.
Megan
CM Punk has a way of pushing buttons. CM Punk is a way of getting under people's skin. And he did that tonight when he decided to take his time and make Roman Reigns wait for him to enter. All the way through the top of the nosebleeds of the crowd.
Sam Roberts
Oh, yeah. He was in section 304.
Megan
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
Deciding to come down. Roman Reigns comes out. And I mean, no matter how many times it happens, that music hits and the walls turn blue and Roman just stops and smells the air. Just feels the. The. The essence of that room filled with thousands of fans that have paid their hard earned money for a chance to get a glimpse in person of the otc. And he knows that.
Megan
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
And he said. And he takes it all in because you know what I mean? Life is life. Who knows how many opportunities you'll have to take in a moment like that? Roman, every time he shows up, it's a moment. But every time he takes ownership of the moment, Roman gets in the ring, he has Sacramento to acknowledge him. Sacramento obliges, as they should. And then once again, he's interrupted by CM Punk.
Megan
And he's looking up the ramp. He's looking at the Tron, waiting for CM Punk to show up.
Sam Roberts
Mm.
Megan
No CM Punk there. We get a camera shot over Roman Reigns shoulder back by the announce table. I'm thinking, is this gonna be a sneak attack by CM Punk? Are we just gonna go straight to physicality? No CM Punk there. The camera then tilts up all the way to section 304, as you put it.
Sam Roberts
Hit that zoom.
Megan
And there's CM Punk, jacket and all, taking his sweet time.
Sam Roberts
Yep.
Megan
Embracing with the fans as Roman waits for him in the ring.
Sam Roberts
And I was really happy that this was a more focused CM Punk on the task at hand. Because CM Punk vs Roman Reigns is a forever match.
Megan
It's as big as it gets.
Sam Roberts
CM Punk vs Roman Reigns is a match. We've been waiting for this match, specifically in this scenario, since the night after the Royal Rumble. But the reality is that when CM Punk came back about two and a half years ago, his first promo was that I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to make money promo. But the second promo was the one where he started mentioning people by name, and he mentioned Roman Reigns by name. What was that? November of 2023?
Megan
Yes, 23.
Sam Roberts
And literally in that moment, everybody was like, oh, my God, we could get that now. We. This Roman Reigns versus that CM Punk. We could get that now. And here we are finally on the precipice of it happening. And tonight, it was not only was it not about outside forces, both in the sense of stories that don't apply to Punk or Roman, that are somebody else's stories and wrestlers that aren't in the match. None of that was around. And I also feel like bravado was stripped down. I feel like devices, excuses, all of it was stripped down. And it just became. It was this awareness of two of the people that are at the peak of professional wrestling realizing almost as. As Paul Heyman said at the beginning of the show, it's fight week.
Megan
Yes.
Sam Roberts
Like, we done it. We've done it.
Megan
Yeah. And it felt like it was brought all the way back to the beginning today. And then the remarks that CM Punk and Roman Reigns shared with each other. And CM Punk comes out and he grabs the mic and Roman tells him, if you come in the ring, you're not going to need them. We're not going to need these microphones. And so CM Punk stays on the apron, right? As close to the. To being in the ring as he can get.
Sam Roberts
And I think that was Punk being more respectful than scared.
Megan
Yeah, right. He didn't come off as scared. But then he goes on to tell the truth, Right. And he brings up all of these different things. He tells Roman to let him know when he hears a lie. And he talks about how he's envious of Roman Reigns for all of these different things that CM Punk did not have.
Sam Roberts
I thought it was big of CM Punk to admit a couple of things. CM Punk has done a couple of Tell me When I'm telling lies promos in the past.
Megan
Yes.
Sam Roberts
As this is. This is a staple of CM Punk, and usually again, a pipe bomb is a pipe bomb. And tell me when I'm telling lies. Is it, Tell me what I'm telling lies. These are. These are staples and they're always good. But Punk, I think at first it was I hate you, which right away it's like, oh, we're going back to the beginning. Well, not only are we going back to the beginning, but this is Punk taking away all the games, all the whatever. Because Punk's whole thing leading up to this was, you hate me. I don't care. I have the advantage because you're thinking about me so much. I'm not thinking about you like that, Punk. It was like, okay, now it's time to get honest. We're here and I hate you. But, but, but Punk's hatred towards Roman and I can believe this. I think there was a lot of truth in what CM Punk was saying is based on Punk's own feelings. He hates what Roman Reigns makes him feel. And I don't care what industry you're in, we've all dealt with that. Looking at somebody who maybe you shouldn't be feeling competitive with, but whatever it is, there's something that they have or there's a way that they do it that you know you can't, no matter how hard you try. And, you know they're really good at it, and it makes you what makes you envious of them. And then you hate that that's how you feel, but it is how you feel. And that CM Punk looking at Roman Reigns talking about that, all CM Punk has ever wanted, all this is this. This. This is CM Punk's dream from when he was a kid and it was
Megan
handed to Roman Reigns.
Sam Roberts
Yes. And there are people who can relate to that. I mean, I don't think that that's how Roman Reigns sees it, but, I mean, there are a lot of wrestlers in high positions that didn't have that dream. And it's difficult for people that did to look at that and say, well, this has driven me my entire life. Why do you just get it? And the answer is, because this is a meritocracy, and you having this dream doesn't make you a better wrestler.
Megan
But then CM Punk goes on to say that he hates that Roman worked his ass off to get here, which
Sam Roberts
I think is an important thing to say, if you're being truthful, because he
Megan
also acknowledges what we've been talking about here on this podcast. There's different roads to get there. Yes, Roman was handed, if you will, this road, but it doesn't mean he didn't work hard to become the tribal chief. And CM Punk recognizes that.
Sam Roberts
Yes, yes. And talking about that, he hates the number 13, 16. 13, 16 days. The number of days that Roman Reigns was champion. And that's. But. But I think it goes beyond Roman Reigns holding the title for a number of days. I think that the fact is that CM Punk probably, and I'm just assuming this based on what we saw on television, that CM Punk probably took some comfort in looking at Roman Reigns and resenting him for what he thought came easy to him. Going through Those first several WrestleMania main events, being the chosen one from the company. He was probably very resentful of that. But what made him able to sleep at night was that he knew he was better than Roman Reigns. You know, sometimes, no matter how many opportunities somebody gets, if you Know you're better. It's the one thing that allows you to sleep at night. Except what happens when Roman learns how to do it? What happens when Happy Gilmore learns how to putt?
Megan
He goes on a run for 13, 16 days and changes the industry.
Sam Roberts
And you're looking at that. And I don't care how he got there. Nobody can hand that to anyone. The tribal chief run that Roman Reigns has been on since 20.
Megan
The pandemic.
Sam Roberts
Yeah, 2020.
Megan
Yeah, since August of 2020 when Paul Heyman showed up.
Sam Roberts
I give him SummerSlam.
Megan
Oh, wow.
Sam Roberts
I give him Roman throwing spears.
Megan
Okay.
Sam Roberts
I give him SummerSlam. But since then, you don't. That's not something you can hand somebody. You can't. Being able to maintain that position for 1,316 days, you can't give that to somebody. I don't care what base you were born on, you rounded them over and over and over again. And like a wise man once said, you never even left the third inning. I think that that, and I think that that's something that CM Punk knew. I thought it was really interesting when CM Punk said Sika was a great man and a great wrestler, and I hate that I used his name in vain because of how I hate you. And I sincerely apologize. And it was like, oh, no qualifications. No, but no, because no trying to
Megan
get in your head, right? This is man to man. I went there, right. I apologize.
Sam Roberts
No, I apologize. I apologize that he's got a son like you. Nothing.
Megan
Nothing like that.
Progressive Insurance Announcer
Nothing.
Sam Roberts
Just like, yeah, that wasn't me. I shouldn't have said that. And you're like, okay, but at the end of the day, and I love that this became simply about what's at the end of the day. At the end of the day, it's about whose hand is raised with the World Heavyweight Championship. Tonight. It was like Roman and Punk were two men that cleared the field of everything else. This is the story that we told to get here. It's been a compelling story, but now it's. It's fight week. We're six days removed from Sunday now. It's simply about who has their hand raised as World Heavyweight champion. And I think in an environment where there are other big matches that have become very complicated and confusing, stripping everything away and going, we're the best two in the industry. One of us leaves with the title. I said, that's the most beautiful wrestling story. Even Roman saying, I envy you, Punk. I envy the relationship that you have with these fans.
Megan
He said, I hope if I ever leave for 10 years, when I leave for 10 years that they chant my
Sam Roberts
name for a decade. Because, you know, that's something that haunts Roman Reigns. I'm sure that Roman Reigns, as he was getting main events that CM Punk wasn't happy with, Roman was wondering why when I'm getting these main events, are they chanting CM Punk? He doesn't even wrestle here or anywhere else anymore. What can I do to connect like that? And I would argue that he did. I would argue that he figured it out.
Megan
Yeah, of course he did. I see those ones shot shoot up to the sky everywhere. Of course he figured it out everywhere. Yeah. But I also did love CM Punk. Talking about the fact that he was envious that he didn't grow up in a wrestling royal family. He. He wasn't born on third base with a silver spoon, but he brings up the old timers. He brings up the fans in the streets of Sacramento. He brings up the indies going to the independents, going to VFW halls and building his family through wrestling.
Sam Roberts
Yes, yes. And then it becomes, well, there's two people whose family is in wrestling. One he was born into, one was created. But ultimately none of it matters. What matters is the result. We're not sitting here. When you watch a cooking show, you don't watch, you know the recipe doesn't win. No, it's the bite. It's when the chef takes. When Gordon Ramsay takes a bite. This one is better than this one. And I don't care which one has more passion. I don't care which one had more love. I don't care which one was the son of a chef and which one was somebody who had to teach himself by finding scraps of cooking cookbooks along the way from state to state. It doesn't matter. Chef takes a bite of this one and takes a bite of that one. And the answer is, who made the better dish.
Megan
We've let them cook.
Sam Roberts
That's it.
Megan
Now let's see what it is. Right.
Sam Roberts
I was wondering why you were smiling. You thought of that?
Megan
Well, I thought it was just amazing. Because I think every week we've come in here right after a Roman Reigns or CM Punk promo battle or whatever it may be. Ever since the Royal Rumble, and it's like, okay, now Roman has the upper hand? No, after this week. Now CM Punk has the upper hand? No, now I think Roman even the score right now, after all of this is said, the scoreboard is clean.
Sam Roberts
Yes.
Megan
It's fight week, baby.
Sam Roberts
Yes. I would agree with you 100%. And the reason the scoreboard is clean. Is because it's not a promo competition. No, it's a wrestling match.
Megan
That's right.
Sam Roberts
And it's the main event of WrestleMania 42. And it left me. And once again, by the way, but for a totally separate reason. I felt like everything that went down with Roman Reigns and CM Punk was separate from everything else on the show. Yes, there's everything else on the show and then there's this.
Megan
It started with it and it ended with it.
Sam Roberts
Yes. Yes. I couldn't agree more. One thing I noticed though, while I was watching Raw tonight was Club wwe.
Megan
You know, Club Dub.
Sam Roberts
Oh, Club Dub. Everybody's getting real excited about Club Dubbed. WWE just announced the waitlist launch of Club wwe, the ultimate insider membership designed to bring fans closer to WWE than ever before. With Club wwe, you'll get early access to tickets, exclusive merch drops, rewards, members only content, and a community built for the WWE Universe. Join the wait list now@wwe.com ClubWWE that's WWE.com ClubWWE for the opportunity to become a founding member and be the first to access everything Club wwe. Get in early and join the wait list now.
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Sam Roberts
Very, very exciting stuff. Very, very exciting times. And I'll tell you what was very, very exciting on Raw was another thing that kind of bookended, maybe not the very beginning and the very end, but in the first hour and more towards the third was the separate contract signing. And I don't know how often that's ever happened before in wrestling where you have a main event or a match that is being described as a main event that is so explosive that the two athletes have to sign the contract in two completely separate segments.
Megan
I mean, Triple H has been involved in this. Adam Pierce has been trying to make sure that this main event of Wrestlemania can't be jeopardized whatsoever.
Sam Roberts
That's right. That's right. I mean, I think I Think how
Megan
often do we see Triple H get involved?
Sam Roberts
Well, that's the point that's had to do this. That's the point that. That's one of the things that really
Megan
elevates last week after the chair was thrown.
Sam Roberts
Oh, yeah. Well, you don't throw a chair at a shot putter.
Megan
No.
Sam Roberts
That's a ridiculous thing to do. You don't throw a chair at somebody who throws things. It's the best sport there is, shot putting.
Megan
You think about shot putting a lot.
Sam Roberts
A lot. It's like, you know, in terms of who is the better human.
Megan
Superior.
Sam Roberts
Yeah, Superior human being physically. It's like, who could throw the farthest, you know?
Megan
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
When you're six years old, you come home from school going, guess who I could throw farther than that doesn't go away. No, that's human instinct.
Megan
Yeah. It's like, run the fastest, throw the farthest.
Sam Roberts
You're a competitive person.
Megan
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
If you weren't a runner, you'd probably be a shot putter. You know what I mean?
Megan
Not a good one, but.
Sam Roberts
No, no, no. But that's. You're okay, because you could run faster than most people, right?
Megan
Just for a long time.
Sam Roberts
Yeah. Yeah. You could run.
Progressive Insurance Announcer
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
I mean. I mean, other people. For me, I never brought this up. I just, you know, I'm working on qualifying for the Olympic trials for shot put.
Megan
Shot put.
Sam Roberts
I haven't brought it up.
Megan
You and Obafemi.
Sam Roberts
Yes, me and Obafemi. That's why we have a similar build. But you saw the photo of the two of us sitting next to each other.
Megan
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
We look like different species.
Megan
Yeah. I mean, don't give up.
Sam Roberts
You know, it's insane. So Brock Lesnar comes out and signs the contract. And it's interesting because Brock comes out for this segment with Paul Heyman, of course, and. And. And Paul is. Is. Is hyping up Brock. And Paul's the one who brings Fight Week to the table, which is for them, this idea that you're not going to see Brock and Oba put their hands on each other tonight, which is interesting because now we're. This is the last Monday night Raw, and I would argue that on the Entire Road to WrestleMania, on every Monday night Raw, the Brock and Oba had a confrontation, and it was several of them. Brock never really physically got the best of Oba.
Megan
No, he didn't. No, we didn't.
Sam Roberts
I was kind of waiting for there to be at least one instance of it.
Megan
I thought so, too. I thought heading into WrestleMania, there would be one moment Where Brock Lesnar stood tall, if you will. And then Paul Heyman today refers to this as a Nigerian death sentence.
Sam Roberts
Yes. Yes. I mean, yeah. I mean, but Paul Heyman is doing his job.
Megan
Of course. That's what he has to do.
Sam Roberts
Hyping and putting confidence in Brock Lesnar. But I thought the best part was I. When Brock grabbed the mic, because it just felt. When Brock does that, it feels emotional. It feels like instinct. Brock Lesnar grabbing the mic and saying, you're not even going to remember his name after this weekend. And you're like, let's go, let's go. I mean, I do think that. That. That you have to take into account that this is Brock Lesnar. Of course, you know, this isn't a party for Obafemi.
Megan
No, I mean, Brock Lesnar. It was brought up when Obafemi did his version of the contract signing later in the show.
Sam Roberts
I mean, so this was. Again, remember, you know, we've been saying the Oba does not let any moments pass every test. Not only does Oba pass the test, but he gets aces.
Megan
Yeah. And this was really the first time we heard Obafemi cut a longer promo on the mic.
Sam Roberts
Yeah, this was. Yeah, this was the first time Oba on the main roster that Obafemi took the mic and had to sell you on himself without physically doing something.
Megan
Yeah, like.
Sam Roberts
And really sell, you know. Obafemi signs the contract, shakes Triple H's hand again. Standing face to face with Triple H. There's no, like, oh, I'm a rookie. It's really great to see you, Triple H. It's like, no, you're lucky to have me. I'm Obafemi. I'm the ruler. And Paul Heyman comes out. You know, he's playing his Paul Heyman games. He talks about how impressive Oba is. He says, oba is the most athletically impressive person since Brock Lesnar. The person who's connected with the audience or the person that has been perceived by the audience as the biggest star that quickly.
Megan
Since Brock Lesnar.
Sam Roberts
Since Brock Lesnar. I was like, I know. I told you, 02 Brock. That's what we're looking at. And then he said, and don't worry, after WrestleMania, when Brock Lesnar beats you, my door will be open.
Megan
The businessman that Paul Heyman is, Of course.
Sam Roberts
Of course. But Oba then gets that microphone. I just explains to Paul Heyman exactly what's going to happen. And, I mean, takes his time. It built and built to a crescendo to the point where he delivered a message that made you go, I 100% agree with this guy. There's no disagreeing with him. When he looked at Paul Heyman and said, I'm the one, I've always been the one, you're like, oh, my God, he's the one. Oh, my God, he's the one. I'm the ruler.
Megan
He's like, and after this weekend, you will know that I am the one.
Sam Roberts
And I know it, and they know it. And after this weekend, you will know that I'm the one. And it's like, oh, my God. Like, when you looked into his eyes, when you. And it was a nice, tight camera shot on that face when you looked into his eyes. There's no doubt that this is a guy who believes what he is telling you. He is only selling it to you because he truly believes it. He's not just the president, he's also a client. He is over here knowing that he is the one and he would love it if you don't believe him.
Megan
This is exactly what I wanted to see from OPA tonight, because we've seen him knowing that in the way he carries himself in his entrance, in the way he carried himself last week in the contract signing, with the physicality, in the way that he's looked at Brock Lesnar after throwing him over the top rope. But hearing him say it on the mic in this way brought it to a whole nother level for me.
Sam Roberts
Do you remember when we interviewed him at Saturday night?
Megan
I never forget. I will never forget.
Sam Roberts
Did he. Were you struck by him in that moment?
Megan
Yeah, of course.
Sam Roberts
Were you? I remember specifically being struck at his. Not his presence, but his ability to be present. I mean, I think he said something in that interview. This was back in December. This was before it was an exhibition match on the John Cena Show. This is like when it was like, oh, Oba's going to interact with Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes. And he was talking then about clearing out the roster. Yeah, he was talking then about being there to take it all.
Megan
I mean, there was part of me standing on the floor watching it, thinking, we're gonna go back there and interview Oba. And I mean, this is the biggest night of his career. He's gonna be so happy to be here. And that's not what we got from Oba at all.
Jacob Fatu
No.
Megan
It was a sense of belonging.
Sam Roberts
I'm just starting. Why would I. What do you mean? Like, biggest night of my career is the beginning of it. It's my year. You're.
Megan
You're one.
Sam Roberts
You're interviewing me after the first lap. I'm about to finish. See this pace? I said, yeah, it's going to get shorter and shorter and shorter as we go. Like, this is what I'm here to do. Did you guys not know? And you go, yeah. And every day since then, every appearance that he's had, it's been like, yeah, he was right. He was 100% right. It's remarkable.
Megan
Big test this weekend, though.
Sam Roberts
Huge. Huge. But I tell you, man, I tell you, you got to win these things. It's all about the little victories, I think, you know, you know, we're going to get back to Raw, but we have to talk about the main events that happen in your own home, you know, all the time. Look, Life is basically WrestleMania every single day. A high stakes gauntlet where the responsibilities just keep coming and coming. It feels like you're constantly making trade offs between the things that you have to do and the things you actually love. That's why we're celebrating those moments where you refuse to tap out. It's time for the Minute Made Juice break where we highlight those everyday wins that deserve a massive pop. For instance, this weekend, my wife had told me, when you leave the garbage, it's overflowing. You should take the garbage out sooner. And there's something in me that like, you shouldn't leave it full. And there's something in me that goes, I don't want to take the garbage out. I don't want to take the garbage out. But I fought that urge. And the next time that the garbage was like that on Sunday, the next day it was full. And I didn't leave the garbage in the can. No, I took the bag out, I tied it up and I put it next to the door so that somebody, I don't know who, would take it out to the trash can. Somebody's gonna take it out to the trash can. But the point is, I took the garbage out of the can. I even replaced the bag.
Megan
So you get a pop for that.
Sam Roberts
I think I deserve one.
Megan
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
It's the little victories.
Megan
Well, it was a small victory for me, but I, I qualify for the Olympic Trials marathon. So just celebrating the small stuff, you know?
Sam Roberts
Yeah. Minute made in WWE are tag teaming your daily grind, bringing main event energy to life's everyday matches.
Megan
The Olympic Trials marathon.
Sam Roberts
How, how long is that?
Megan
26.2 miles.
Sam Roberts
Together we're, we're turning the toughest rounds into moments worth cheering for.
Megan
Yeah. From the ring to real life, Minute Maid and WWE are here to help you Bring the juice. When the day tries to tap you
Sam Roberts
out, Never tap out on taste. Bring the juice. Congrats on the marathon.
Megan
Thanks so much. You nailed that one. Listen, good job in the trash. Basura.
Sam Roberts
Basura.
Megan
Speaking of trash, Liv Morgan called Stephanie Vacair's mom a piece of trash again today.
Sam Roberts
Again. Liv Morgan was on one today.
Megan
You see that music video?
Sam Roberts
Yeah, I saw the music video. She is trouble. She is trouble. We're gonna get to live Morgan in a moment. But first, first big special interview today on WWE. Now, on this road to WrestleMania, one of the biggest matches that we're going to get is Drew McIntyre versus Jacob Fatou. That is the match that will be on ESPN on night one of WrestleMania on ESPN2, the first hour airs and it'll be Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu. Undisputed. I mean, not undisputed, Unsanctioned. I mean, the winner will be undisputed because the match is unsanctioned. But when WWE 2K26 held Creator Fest here in WWE HQ, Megan and I could not stop ourselves. We had to take advantage of the fact that Jacob Fatu was here.
Megan
Yes.
Sam Roberts
And bring him into the studio and talk about everything that's been going on with him. I love this conversation. Glad to share it with you here on the Raw recap, taking in the sights and scenes of the studio. Jacob Fatoumata is with us. What's going on, man? How are you?
Jacob Fatu
I'm happy to be up in here. It's cool, man. Right back in motion with it out here for the 2K tapping in, you know, there's a lot of big things. See sister down there busy. I mean, looking beautiful as always.
Megan
Thank you.
Jacob Fatu
I mean, no, but, man, we over here at the headquarters, baby, you don't get no better.
Sam Roberts
You know, something I noticed about you, speaking to you doing media is that you have the ability to turn on the charm. You know what I mean? Be very jovial. Have a great time.
Jacob Fatu
So.
Sam Roberts
But then I watch you on television and you have the ability to completely turn it off and go like, no, no, no, no. I've watched a lot of wrestling, but that's somebody that I don't want to say the wrong thing around. That's a real. Yeah, that's a real human interacting there. Is there a. Is there. Is there. Is there a switch? Is there something that you do?
Jacob Fatu
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. There's a switch. Let's go time. Let's go time, man. Man, that switch turns on as soon as I walk out. You know, my door to go to work. And the switch been on ever since this morning, you know, flew out, got here this morning. What, at the air? What? My day Woke up at 4. 45. Yeah, that switch is on. Cool, man. So we still here now grinding, you know, so. Yeah, man, we live and direct. I'm happy to be up in here, though. I almost. Almost walked out, though. Almost walked out. Yeah. I'm glad I didn't. The brother came in there and double backed on me, so, man, I'm happy we over here. See, you got Alpha and Seeker, man. Of course, High Chief Jay uso. You know what I mean? Of course. Got the vhs, man. Yeah, yeah. Before there was Netflix and all that, right? Yeah, yeah. Sometimes you gotta go like this. You remember? Hey, sometimes you gotta open this thing up and rewind it a little. Yeah. I mean, put it in like that.
Sam Roberts
Do you ever have to get a piece of Scotch tape.
Jacob Fatu
Come on.
Sam Roberts
To fix it, because the VCR ripped the tape.
Jacob Fatu
And then you had to put in a piece over here just to record over 100.
Sam Roberts
You put the tape over the little piece of tape over the box.
Jacob Fatu
This is crazy. I hope y' all got a lot of these saved, man. That's hard, bro. You got the no mercy one?
Sam Roberts
Of course. Of course we do. You came back and you look like you might be in the best shape of your life. People are pointing out you're walking in the ring, no shirt, showing everybody the shape that you're in. What did you do while you were gone that got you into that shape, man?
Jacob Fatu
You know what? First off, shout out to AJ Styles, man. AJ is the one that see me backstage, and, you know, I cut up my shirts, I threw it on, and AJ was just like, man, what the freak? Like, man, you about to. Man, it's six pack, dude. I mean, it ain't no six pack. A little bit of abs, though. Yeah, just a little bit. But, you know, if it wasn't for og, I mean, man, he's the phenomenal one. So you. You gotta listen, man, when he speaks up. So, man, shout out to AJ Styles, man, for making that happen. But, man, the process, it was different than when I debuted, you know, I missed out on a lot of opportunities. I don't know that. But, you know, things happen in wrestling, they say timing and as if it's everything, you know? But at the end of the day, with me missing out on a lot of stuff, I missed out on War Chambers. I probably would have missed out. I don't know. I probably would have. That would have been cool to do something with Cena. Not saying it happened. I never heard it at all. But it was a lot of stuff. But, man, things happen to show. Must go on, you know?
Sam Roberts
Yeah. When you see that, right, that's actually a great point. You're talking about War Games. And I remember seeing that, like it popped up on Unreal. Yeah, like you could. You could try to think about all you want, but it said when you looked at that whiteboard on the Unreal
Jacob Fatu
show, I've seen that your name is
Sam Roberts
on the War Games lineup. Does that kind of mess with you?
Jacob Fatu
I mean, it, man. It does. It was California, San Diego. I mean, that setup was beautiful. I mean, you know, to go back, let's be real downtown. It was a setup, you know, that's where the great luchador Rey Mysterio dom, you know, Nia, Jax, you know, they all from around that way. But you know what? It is what it is. So instead of being home moping and dwelling on stuff, you know, I really had to get right. I feel like this time was the perfect time for me to get right. You know, I ain't gonna sugarcoat none. Yeah, I got comfortable. Yeah, I got way too comfortable. That's why when it's time for me, it was time to get out, you know, it was the perfect timing. It was. It was time for me to really regroup. I ain't even been here that long. I'm not gonna act like I've been in the game for. I was there, had a five year run. No, no, no. I got comfortable. That's what it was. Now when Jacob had to come back, I had to double back on a lot, you know, I had to remember who the small werewolf was. I had to remember who I was his. You guys have seen that. Okay. Happy to be here, Jacob. Yeah. That's ass. Oh, that's ass, man. I'm back full motion and I'm not here. This isn't me. Oh, new year, new me, new championship, man. Been there, done that. Nah, we ain't doing that. This is. You gonna get what you get. And I think that's exactly why I'm here, because I gravitate towards people, because I'm myself, you know. So, yeah, when I came back, yeah, it was different. And I feel different. And, and, and to keep it so 100, you know, I feel like I'm more dangerous. And see, bro, there's a difference between being cocky and confident. My confidence is up. I'm never cocky. Because, man, we don't knock and slap cocky people our whole Life? Nah, I'm confident now. So yeah, when I come back, I'm feeling a little different. I'm feeling a little motion. No, same thing with Michael Hayes says when you think you're over, you're not over. I'm not saying I thought that, but you know, I don't ever think that, but you know, it's a whole nother full throttle with me. I feel like I'm here when I came back. Mind you, I ain't been in the WWE for nothing. For about two years I've been here. I feel like I'm right here and I'm climbing to the top and that's fine, you know, it's just giving me more motivation and more fire underneath my ass to push. You know where I need to be, especially after what happened last week.
Megan
Yeah, when you talk about that motivation is Jacob Fatu. The Jacob Fatu that returned, the Jacob Fatu that really all of us were have been waiting to see. Is this Jacob Vatu revenge driven or championship driven?
Jacob Fatu
You know what it is? It's more revenge. I'm not gonna lie. The belt never even thought about the title. I'm sorry, the title, you know what I mean? Let's show that more respect though, you know, because that needs to be more respected than what it is. So yeah, I wasn't thinking about the title. Now can you get me wrong from thinking about it after last week? I mean, man, if you think about elimination chamber, I mean man, my name should be coming up. I mean, let's think about it. I mean, if this was the year to see Jake of i2 in the elimination chamber, it's short in the hell would have been at the end of this month, you know, but then I got my mind changing, you know, like what you said it wasn't title driven, but now it is, now it's different. You know, Drew did what Drew was supposed to do, I didn't did what I was supposed to do. I should have expected Drew to come in me knowing where I come from, how I do things and how things go around. I should have known he was doing with me coming in whipping his ass. I should have known. But at the end of the day, I'm not gonna sit here and moan, complain and about it. No, I'm just gonna keep moving forward, keep grinding, you know, and that was a good question though sis, you know, because it, it was going in more revenge. But then it took another turn after
Sam Roberts
last week and I think too that like, and that's probably what that new energy is from the return is that. I'm sure you heard it right. All the people saying Jacob Fatu, future main eventer from the time that you showed up, like, talking about you in the title picture and the fact that you're back on television and immediately. Immediately in the WWE Championship picture, I think. I think speaks to a lot of that. But you also said, like, you were just talking about where you came from, and I was thinking about this last night. I think it's really interesting that people who have followed you for a long time, like, you know, I have. Yes, there was a narrative that was, man, Jacob Fatu is great, but because of his past, he's not going to get to know him. He can't come in because of his past. And I. And I was thinking about it, and I said, man, it is amazing that that narrative existed for so long. And now that story, your past is the story that has put you in the title picture. You coming from where you came from is what makes you.
Jacob Fatu
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
A main event guy in wwe for sure.
Jacob Fatu
Yeah. I mean, man, listen, everybody get a chance. Oh, I would have changed this. I would have changed that. I wouldn't have changed anything. I really. I truly stand on that because I feel like everything that I've been through, it helped me to get here. I'm not saying I had the worst life out of everybody on the roster. No, I had some trouble. I had. I was young, man. Come on, bro. I'm not saying my parents were bad. I came from a bad family. No, I come from 11 and a great, big, huge family. You know, I just didn't realize I was good at wrestling, you know, but once the passion was different. It's always been around. But, man, I'm. I'm not saying this goes back to being confident and not cocky, but, man, you can't deny this. You can't deny this when you see this. I mean, this ain't even just saying. It's just to say it. But, man, when I walk through the doors, yeah, I' ma change the mood in the room. I could change the mood in the room. And you know what? I'm doing it. I'm doing it for myself. I talk about my kids and my wife and all that, my family, but I can't even help them if I'm not helping myself. You know what I'm saying? So now. So what Jacob got to do. Jacob got to get back on the grind. On another note, y' all need to stop believing everything on the Internet. Don't believe any. The Internet's fake. Don't believe what people say. So what, bro? They called me all type of things. They called me this, they called me that. They told me I was.
Sam Roberts
But.
Jacob Fatu
But what's happening? Yeah, we locked in now. Now we on the Sam Roberts show. You know what I mean? Tap in with that. Your ass is trash. How about that? You know what I mean? Yeah, man, We. We live and direct with it. But the past. Absolutely. The past was just a motivation. The past was just another stepping stone just to get here where we are at now. And then, if you guys seen the promo that I did with Cody.
Sam Roberts
Yeah.
Jacob Fatu
You know, I mean, the promo. I'm sorry, The. The. The. The. The back meeting or whatever. Yeah. When you. When you. I really meant all that.
Sam Roberts
Yeah.
Jacob Fatu
I really meant the choices I made. Obviously, it got me here. I fixed them. Them choices, you know, obviously got me here sitting in front of Cody. You know, I was hot. I was fired before I almost got hired. Like, oh, that's not rhyming. That's not bars. Like this. This is. This is for real. Like, if y' all want to know in wrestling terms, for. Shoot. Yeah, this is for real. All right. This ain't no gimmick. This ain't me trying to play another coat. No, this ain't none of that. And I. And I guarantee, I know half these. I know half of them wouldn't even say that to me. But you know what? I ain't that tough guy no more. On the streets, you can say what you want, man. Brother, the most gangster thing I could do right now is stay out the way, do my job, beat people up legally, get paid for it. Yeah. I mean, and take care of my kids and my wife, man.
Sam Roberts
But there was. I mean, bro, you walking to the ring, shouting, I went from ebt.
Jacob Fatu
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
Wwe, you know, I.
Jacob Fatu
For real, give it up, right? I mean. Yeah, yeah, we gonna give it up for that.
Sam Roberts
And I heard you on the Breakfast Club, too. You said that before you wanted to be a wrestler, you thought you were gonna be a rapper. And now you're on TV with these bars that, like, are resonating.
Jacob Fatu
I mean, you're doing it all, man. My brother, man, thanks for recognizing that. Hey, but you know what? When I say that, you know that once again, that has to do with something. I pass. I mean, I'm getting goosebumps because I remember seeing that in those offices. I remember meeting up with those workers, with my wife. You know, I remember them saying, oh, on the Internet, it says that you're a professional wrestler to where we wouldn't even amount to get, you know, Mind you, I was only getting food stamps. I wouldn't even get in the cash part. And that's cool. I wrestled every weekend, but I said that proudly. That wasn't nothing to be ashamed of for me. No. Like, I'm gonna let y' all know. Anything is possible you can do. Trust me, man. And you know what to come to. Go on. Another note, I didn't even know I was doing a walk and talk until five minutes before that. I didn't know what I was gonna say. I didn't know what I was gonna say. I knew we were in Montreal. I was about to say something, but then I just went blank. So when I said that, wwe, ebt, it was just. I went from. Yeah, I mean, so that's why it was a pause. When you go back and watch it, you know, all this is. All this is kind. This is on the fly. Yeah. You know, this isn't. Get a script. Okay. Say this, say this. No, it's not that. You know, Hunter said that, too. You know, Michael Hayes, Hunter. Bobby Road in the Helms, you know, Hurricane. Hey, man, we ain't here to change you. You know, you be you for who you are. So everybody's saying when you come to WWE and you get switched and your name and all that. Okay, man, that's ass. Nah. No. All right. You come and be you. Something that I always tell my kids, they gonna accept you for who you are, not for who you trying to be, you know? I mean, so, man, yeah, be yourself at the end of the day. Yeah.
Sam Roberts
I mean, motivation.
Jacob Fatu
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
From Jacob Fatu.
Jacob Fatu
Come on.
Sam Roberts
I mean, Meghan's had to deal with it more than anybody. I probably spent three weeks after that Cody confrontation, yelling. They don't make them like.
Jacob Fatu
They don't make them like. Hell, they never made him like me. You know what I mean?
Sam Roberts
Yeah, I do.
Megan
I think Sam cuts that promo to himself every single morning in the bathroom mirror. Like, I'm not kidding. You think I'm joking? But, like, I think every morning before Sam does his. His radio show, that's what he says
Jacob Fatu
before he walks in here.
Sam Roberts
That's right.
Megan
That's right.
Sam Roberts
The shows are good.
Jacob Fatu
Yeah. Come on. They don't make him like this no more. They never made him like this.
Sam Roberts
That's exactly right. Woody, I want to ask you a question. I've been meaning to ask you forever about your debut coming into wwe. All these rumors. I remember Megan and I were texting back and forth. Megan's like, is he coming this.
Jacob Fatu
I don't know.
Sam Roberts
He's coming. This. We got to know. But I swear. And I don't know if we have to cut this out or not, but I swear, walking around WrestleMania 40 in Philly, I swear I saw you there.
Jacob Fatu
I was there.
Sam Roberts
I saw you there. And I remember thinking, oh, my God. I didn't even. I didn't say anything to Megan. I don't. I was like, oh, my God.
Jacob Fatu
I was tucked off. That's Jacob.
Sam Roberts
That's Jacob.
Jacob Fatu
I was tucked off wearing, like a
Sam Roberts
49ers hat or something like that. Yeah, like.
Jacob Fatu
Like that was on the second day. Yeah.
Sam Roberts
Yes.
Jacob Fatu
Yeah. That's when I. It was horrible, man. I showed up at camo shorts. It was bad, bro. It was bad, bro. I gotta get, you know, dressed up, wrestling together. But, yeah, I was there. WrestleMania 40. WrestleMania 40, man. Pulled up. A lot of people don't know. A lot of my independent career took off in Philadelphia. So to be there at WrestleMania during that time, it was something special. I got there at wrestlemania. Still didn't know I was signed already. I just got signed, but I didn't know when I was coming. You know, day after WrestleMania 40, you know, met everybody said, what's up? We were in the hall of Fame. I was sitting in gorilla, nobody could see me. I was hoodied up. I was took out. Everybody walking by and I was tripping out. You know, I see my brother solo. I seen my brother Big Jim. Yeah. I mean, see Mr. Yeet, man. Seen all of them. And I was in there with Roman, you know, the tribal chief, and, you know, oh, gee, excuse me, OG Paul Heyman. So to go out there, to be a part of that was off the rip. To see the match, the pre match, that. The stuff that Roman goes through, you know, man, it just. It was just mind blowing. And I just remember when Roman seen me when I left, he said, jacob, do whatever you gotta do. But when you come back, look different. Like, I was already looking different at that time. But, you know, two more. Two more months, man. Came in and got it rolling.
Sam Roberts
Yeah.
Jacob Fatu
The day after WrestleMania 42, seen Tama Tamatonga come over there. Tamatonga's a beast, a workhorse, a dog. You know what I mean? Seen him, man. Okay. Didn't know they was coming. Backlash, France. Seen Tangaloa pop up. Yeah. I mean, I'm like, man, okay. I had a call, brother, and them like, hey, man, I still got a job over there. I ain't know what was going on, but, man, it all fell together. It all came. It all came together. I was supposed to debut at Money in the Bank. Next thing you know, they called, man, a couple days and was like, we're doing it on Smackdown.
Megan
Wow.
Jacob Fatu
Nobody's seen it coming.
Megan
No.
Sam Roberts
You remember what I told you?
Megan
Well, it was funny because there were rumors circulating on the Internet that Jacob Fatu is coming. And it was tama Tonga comes, Tanga Loa comes. And I wasn't familiar with your work on the Indies. And so every single time that a Samoan or Tongan or Tongan would appear,
Sam Roberts
Jacob I would literally text me every
Megan
week, I would literally text Sam and I say, is that Jacob Fatu? And he told me, you will know when Jacob Fatu comes. And the second you appeared on my screen, I knew because it goes back to what you talked about before. You have this connection and I think it has to do with a lot of your authenticity.
Sam Roberts
It all changed.
Jacob Fatu
It's a little different. We, the process for the debut was, was awesome. And I forever remember this process, man. I couldn't even sleep the night before. Stayed up, cleaned up my whole apartment. I mean, cleaned up, everything wiped out. I was up, she was like, oh, man, here you go. Like, no, baby, I'm just, I mean, nervous. But instead of flying to Chicago, me and Solo flew to Milwaukee, took that drive, hopped on the bus and just stayed on there. Yeah, I mean it, man. I just remember being underneath the ring and man, just couldn't even feel my body, couldn't feel myself. Shout out to Nick, man. Nick, underneath the ring. He was underneath the ring with me. I just remember, man, just saying a prayer, just doing a couple push ups what I can to get warmed up underneath the ring. And next thing you know, man, next thing you know, that's exactly what I did. I took a breath. Next thing you know, just, man, stand by. Three, two, one, go, man. Bro, I just remember when I came out, I couldn't hear nothing, I couldn't see nobody. I just seen Solo and I just seen the referee and now that was it. And man slid out. Everything was history, man. I mean, that was a far jump.
Sam Roberts
And those photos from that day are still like the iconic. Like that one where you got that like Samoan like, like that, like it's different swiped over and everything.
Jacob Fatu
Yeah, it's different, man. And shout out to Chicago though, too, man. Chicago, Philly, these are other big cities, man. That's been a big part of my upcoming in New York as well. You know, I'm from the west coast. I'm from Sacramento, California. But our independence out there is trash, you know? I mean. I mean, not now. Shout out to everybody now. Because that's where I come from, you know? I mean. But otherwise than that, though. But, man, yeah, the debut, June 21st, man, we was locked in, baby.
Sam Roberts
I mean, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And I remember who. What? I love you, Solo. Was that first, man. Was that just something that occurred to you?
Jacob Fatu
Was that something just came up? Yeah, it just came up right before we walked out. The funny story about that, it was Road Dog. I seen him in catering the next day. I love you. I love you. And I'm thinking, man, he messing with me. Yeah. I mean, but at the same time, I'm sitting there eating, and he walks up just, hey, man, I don't know what it was about that, man. It just stuck with me. I love you. Solo walks away. But you know me just. Man, instead of thinking, he messing with me. Oh, okay, man, I'm gonna stick to it. I just kept saying it and kept saying it, and next thing you know, you know, man, when the crowd start coming with it was pretty good. Yeah.
Sam Roberts
Now you look ahead and. I mean, you talked about being at WrestleMania 40.
Jacob Fatu
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
Two years later, going into WrestleMania 42.
Jacob Fatu
The crazy thing about this, it's on my Twitter somewhere.
Sam Roberts
Yeah.
Jacob Fatu
WrestleMania 39 in LA. Yeah. Yeah, I believe so. Yeah. 39 in LA. Yes. When I seen Solo walk out, man. Bro, y' all don't understand, bro. That put. That put, like, man, we. That brought tears of joy to us. You know what I mean? We were so happy to see my brother walk out. He got kicked out, but came back for the finish when he spiked Cody ass. You know what I mean? But I put WM42, and I didn't even have no talks, though, with the company. I didn't know if I was gonna be here. I didn't know. I was just on Twitter looking for it the other day. I mean, but it got too long. I just gave up. But wrestling, I put capital W, capital M42. And now look.
Sam Roberts
Yeah.
Jacob Fatu
I mean, and I never. I was still signed. I. I was never. I was still signed with the other company. I was. I was just. It was just me. But, man, my brother Solo, they motivated me, the usos Roman. But seeing Solo walk out was like, man, come on with it, you know? I mean, come on with it.
Sam Roberts
You know what's the best part of that? It didn't. It didn't click in until a year and change later. And even that, like, before, you really are on Your own. The guy. Yeah, you're exactly lined up. But I mean, I think that that's just an important thing for people to realize. Like three years. Like, everybody wants to get in in three months.
Jacob Fatu
No, it ain't going to happen. It ain't going to happen overnight. It took me on Independent 12 years. So everybody complaining and bitching and complaining about this and that or what? Can I make it up, man? Stop, stop. Okay, all right. When I hear people complain about the plane being delayed, man, come on. All right. Remember when your ass didn't have a job here? All right, Remember we was in no video games? Remember nobody came to see you. You know, people. People might come see the wrestlers more than on the WWE than they did on the Independence, you know, I mean, and nothing against the workers. Who has. Who has not been on Independence. Okay, that's okay. That's good. I don't want nobody to have to go through it if they don't have to. I see. I had to go through it, so I was grateful for the grind. All right, if you didn't have to go through the Independence, okay, that's cool. That's another thing. But, man. Bruh, just keep pushing, keep pushing, keep going. People will say a lot nowadays, man, you know what I mean? You just gotta kill it with a smile, man, and keep moving. Yeah, I mean, that's it. Kill them with a smile. They want to see us mad, they want to see us sad, they want to see us down. That's it, man. Just kill him with a smile and be happy to be on the Sam Roberts show right now.
Sam Roberts
That's it. Well, listen, Jacob, you can kill him with a smile.
Jacob Fatu
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
I mean, you can kill him with a lot more, but you choose to kill him. And we appreciate you being so generous with your time hanging out with us peoples. You're the man,
Jacob Fatu
too, out there. I seen sis, man. She was busy. I mean, I was walking by at the time to say hello real quick.
Sam Roberts
That's awesome.
Jacob Fatu
And then she even told, oh, no, man, we finished. I was like, okay, for sure. Let's go. So, man, shout out to. What's the gentleman who came and got me?
Sam Roberts
I think that was Charles.
Jacob Fatu
Charles, if you're back there. Thank you, Charles.
Sam Roberts
I love that. Shout out to Charles Nick under the ring. Everybody's appreciative.
Jacob Fatu
Come on. Thank you though, bro. Appreciate it having me though, brother.
Sam Roberts
Appreciate it, dude.
Megan
Thank you to Jacob Fatu for sitting down and doing that interview with us. You know, earlier in the day, he had this amazing purple sweatshirt on that was. Was just fantastic. You always got to be looking fresh. Jacob Fatou does. And I'm gonna be looking fresh this weekend at WrestleMania with my where by Erin Andrews and Darius Rucker Collection. Step up your WWE style with new arrivals from where by Aaron Andrews and the Darius Rucker Collection. Where fashion meets fandom. Don't miss your chance to rep your favorite superstars with elevated looks. And Stephanie McMahon is celebrating the legacy of her hall of Fame career and signature series title belts to honor Steph's impact both in and out of the ring. This belt features a distinct commemorative design and premium materials. You can get yours now at WWE Shop and fanatics. And don't forget to check out her podcast. What's your story? I believe they had Logan Paul on last week. Love that great episode. And Triple h and Stephanie McMahon this week switching roles.
Sam Roberts
That's right. Stephanie goes into the hall of Fame this week.
Megan
That's right.
Sam Roberts
Big week for Stephanie McMahon.
Megan
But also, triple H is interviewing Steph.
Sam Roberts
I love that on the podcast. I love that. I mean, listen, I lived through the McMahon Helmsley regime, okay. To see that explode onto a podcast. It's part of the great network that we're privileged enough to be a part of. That's an exciting, exciting thing. You know what else was exciting?
Megan
What's up?
Sam Roberts
That they don't make them like me anymore.
Jacob Fatu
Hell, they never made him like me.
Sam Roberts
We got to do it together.
Megan
I didn't know where you were going with this.
Sam Roberts
Yeah, we got to do it together.
Megan
You're just hyped for that.
Sam Roberts
Oh. Oh. It made me feel so good.
Megan
I agree. That finally now this interview is.
Sam Roberts
Everybody could see.
Megan
Yeah, we did it a while ago.
Sam Roberts
Yeah. Yeah. That. Yeah. Jacob and I think we're like that. Jacob loves you, too.
Megan
Yeah. But you guys have a very special bond.
Sam Roberts
We do have a special.
Megan
But he kept calling me the sister, so I think I'm cool with that.
Sam Roberts
You're. I mean, you.
Megan
Yeah, that's cool.
Sam Roberts
Yeah. Yeah.
Megan
But you guys are. You guys are boys.
Sam Roberts
Yeah. You know what he calls me? That's true.
Megan
I think you are part. Part us. I mean, you did say it. 1. One Ula Fala for per family, so that's true. And yours, you're wearing the Ulafala.
Sam Roberts
I'm definitely the Roberts tribal chief. But speaking of the. Of. Of chiefs and people who wear the item that signifies that they are in charge. We're talking about the women's World Championship and the fact that Stephanie Vacair comes out to talk to old, poor Kathy Kelly, who found herself in the line of fire.
Megan
Thankfully, we got that medical update. She's all right.
Sam Roberts
She's okay.
Megan
I think I was worried about Wrestlemania, you know?
Jacob Fatu
Why?
Sam Roberts
With Kathy.
Megan
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
Who's gonna do the interview?
Megan
Who's gonna do the reporting?
Sam Roberts
That's a good point. That's a good point. We need to get them scoops.
Megan
Big journalist.
Sam Roberts
But I will tell you.
Megan
Oh, my gosh. Poor Kathy. Look at her. Look at Danilo's cheap ass.
Sam Roberts
That's right. Danilo. Well, he's very thrifty as Danilo. However, it was good that he was there to help Kathy. I heard he was going through her pocketbook when he went. When. When Kathy was in. He was trying to get a couple bucks on the side. Yeah, that's right. But. But. But Live Morgan just rampaging. And I would have thought she literally dropped a single today. Yeah, her music video came out today. I thought it'd be a happy day.
Megan
I mean, did you see the picture of her on social media last week with that mess?
Sam Roberts
I've seen every. Yes, I did. Yes, I did.
Megan
I mean, Liv Morgan was a whole nother level of crazy tonight in San.
Sam Roberts
Like, the swelling, like, under eyes and everything.
Megan
Yes.
Sam Roberts
Look at that. Look at that. That's what's inside. That's Liv Morgan. That's what's waiting for you.
Megan
Wearing a T shirt that says, I heart trouble.
Sam Roberts
That's right.
Megan
This has gone to a place where Liv Morgan feels totally in control because she thrives in this chaos.
Sam Roberts
She loves this chaos. Yes, yes, yes. Live. Coming out. And I mean, not taking no for an answer. Begging. Stephanie Vacair. Who? Stephanie Vacair has traveled the world beating people up to become a decorated professional wrestler. And Liv Morgan is unimpressed. I don't know. Putting that welt on Liv Morgan's head did something to Live Morgan. Where now it's on. It is on. There was not one question asked in that interview before Liv Morgan came out, made her presence known. And I mean, I don't know. I think Stephanie Vacair was almost kind of reassessing everything that was going on in terms of her rivalry with Liv Morgan. Cause this is a completely different live. This is not a live. Having a fun time in the judgment day clubhouse. This was not about Liv and Dom. This is not about anything except Liv Morgan now not only wanting to take Stephanie Vacair's championship, but wanting to tear her limb from limb.
Megan
If you run into Liv Morgan, be careful, because if you're in her way, you are in trouble.
Sam Roberts
Trouble's. The word, isn't it?
Megan
100% in trouble. I think you brought this up when we interviewed live pretty recently, how something happens to Live Morgan when she returns from injury. We remember the Liv Morgan revenge tour. We remember Liv Morgan coming back this time when she. She did the John Cena.
Sam Roberts
Yes, yes, we.
Megan
We remember that. And. And she just has this whole different vibe to her. And the fact that Stephanie Vacair last week, just a week before WrestleMania, puts Liv Morgan in a situation where she has this massive goose egg on her head potentially. Right.
Sam Roberts
What's the Internet saying? Is she gonna make it to WrestleMania?
Megan
She gonna make it. And Liv Morgan, like, something just clicks. It awoken within her.
Sam Roberts
Yep.
Megan
And she's on that level of crazy.
Sam Roberts
I think it's a great point you just made. I think you're on to something there. I think that something happens where. Look, Liv Morgan and how much she has done to get into the position that she's in in the WWE right now has been very well documented. Her position as one of the top women in. On. On the roster was not something that was handed to her. It was not something that she was kind of put in place for. It happened because she made it happen. And there have been so many times where she has not been prioritized, where she has had to kind of struggle to find her place on the roster, that I think there may be something to. That I think that there may be something in her head where the minute she realizes that somebody is trying to stop her when she has momentum and trust me, Liv Morgan has momentum a lot. When she has momentum. And she. She even gets a sniff that somebody is trying to stop that momentum, I think she snaps. It's one of those, like, just let me prosper. Let me prosper. Because if you don't, then you are getting in my way, and I can't have it, and I won't have it. And that's when it's like.
Megan
And that's when she takes poor Kathy Kelly out.
Sam Roberts
It's when she was a werewolf. You know what I mean? That. Like. Like something. You're right. Something happens.
Megan
It's almost like I can't be responsible for what happens next.
Sam Roberts
No, no. And it'd be one thing if this was. If this was going down, like, two weeks ago. When you're six days out, five days
Megan
out, you try to take me out where I have a big goose egg on my head.
Sam Roberts
Let's go. Go. Let's go right now. Liv Morgan was on a different level tonight, and I I enjoyed it. Speaking of being on a different level, tops, chrome is back. Tops chrome on a very different level. Tops chrome, WWE. It's back for 2026. I was seeing some of the rips that people were getting Saul Ruka's debut patches in this. I mean, it's crazy. It's bringing the signature Chrome shine to the larger than life Personas that we see in the ring every week. This isn't just a card set. It's a dynamic checklist that covers everyone from today's heavy hitters and emerging talent to the icons who defined the business. We're talking about main roster debut patch autograph cards, which are one of one autograph cards that feature the patch worn by a Superstar in their main roster debut. So these patches are, are, are on, you know, the Superstar as they're debuting and you get the entire patch on a card. As well as the autograph Superstars to look for include Stephanie Vacair, Sol Ruca, Roxanne Perez Julia, and J.C. mateo. We're also talking massive milestones. 30th anniversary cards celebrating the NWO, the Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin. And for the serious collectors out there, you gotta hunt for the alternate Persona autographs. These are rare signatures featuring the legendary alter egos and different eras of your favorite Superstars. I saw one Ringmaster signed by Stone Cold Steve Austin as the Ringmaster. I've never seen him sign as the Ringmaster before. Whether you're chasing the full rainbow of refractor parallels from those classic colors or to the Extra or to the ultra low ultra rare low numbered editions, or looking for fan favorite inserts like Helix and Feel the Pop, this set has it all. Plus, keep an eye out for brand new debuts like Signals and gamut, Topps Chrome WWE 2026, available in your local hobby shops. I'll tell you, coming up on WrestleMania, we got an answer that we've been looking for for a while from Gunther tonight.
Megan
We did.
Sam Roberts
We did Seth Rollins. Well, Gunther comes out. Seth Rollins sneaks, attacks him this time the way Gunther did to Seth last week. But then we get words from the two of them. Seth is convinced that this is an inside job. Seth is convinced that Paul Heyman has something to do with this. And Gunther decides to get in the ring and tell him straight up, it's not because Paul Heyman put me up to this. It has to do with the fact that Paul Heyman put you in the position that he put you in and turned you into, as Gunther put it, a useful idiot. I love that phrase by the way, just in general.
Megan
Useful idiot.
Sam Roberts
He's a useful idiot. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's one of the great things.
Megan
It's kind of a backhanded compliment. Right. That you're useful, which is a good thing.
Sam Roberts
Right.
Megan
But you're also an idiot.
Sam Roberts
Right. Well, if I was an idiot, why'd you have me around? You're a useful idiot. You know what? That's actually a backhanded insult. It's double bad. But if you're an idiot, you'd be like, oh, at least I'm useful. It's more like you could say it to somebody.
Megan
Or if you're an optimist. Right, I'm an optimist. So if you called me a useful idiot, well, it's better than.
Sam Roberts
Yeah, because, I mean, I heard that other person's just an idiot. No, that's a good point. That's a good point. He said that his problem with Seth is that. And it goes back to being in the vision that Seth is the center point of the vision, that Seth, it's all agreed upon, is the guy that the industry is about going forward because Seth Rollins is the best wrestler. And Gunther says, I can wrestle circles around you.
Megan
And then when Gunther said to Seth, you're pissing me off, I went, oh, yeah, yeah.
Sam Roberts
And now.
Megan
And this because we've seen what Gunther has done to people who haven't pissed him off yet.
Sam Roberts
Right. Just to set an example.
Megan
Just to do.
Sam Roberts
But now we're watching Gunther drive that forehead into Seth Rollins's. And Seth, it's almost like, whoa, where did this come from? I think this is going to be an incredibly physical match at WrestleMania. I think. I think the fact that Gunther has called this one personal, because Gunther has been saying this entire time, it's business.
Megan
Yeah. Nothing really gets personal.
Sam Roberts
Right. I'm gonna go retire John Cena. It's business. Hey, aj. Styles, why would I wrestle? You already beat you once. Like I don't care. Put your career on the line. I'll retire you. It's business. Bill Goldberg business. Seth, personal. Personal. I have to do this because I'm. I'm. I'm the best wrestler. And you walking around here acting like you're even in the conversation, it's insulting to me.
Megan
But I did like to see that Seth Rollins got the upper hand tonight.
Sam Roberts
He did. Tonight. Tonight.
Megan
I think Seth needed that going into WrestleMania.
Sam Roberts
I think so, too.
Megan
I mean, he was put to sleep by Gunter just a couple weeks ago.
Jacob Fatu
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
And I would say Gunther got the upper hand last week as well, so. No, I think so too. The idea that, I mean, Seth almost stomped Gunther on the steel stairs before Gunther was able to escape and get over the barricade and get the hell out of there. But ultimately, this is going to be a tough one. This is going to be a tough one because it's two guys that you would have assumed this year are getting WrestleMania victories and only one of them
Megan
can get it, which is just crazy.
Sam Roberts
Absolutely crazy. WrestleMania is going to be huge this weekend. Megan and I will be back on Friday for a WrestleMania preview podcast, going over all of the matches and, and, and, and giving our predictions and stuff. Saturday is a biggie, of course. We were just talking about Rollins versus Gunther. Jacob Fatu was on the show earlier talking about where he's at and everything. He's going to be on ESPN too. Got to see I show speed.
Megan
Yeah.
Sam Roberts
With a single training session before WrestleMania.
Megan
Talented guy.
Sam Roberts
You know, I hope he's really talented. And of course, that Cody Rhodes Randy Orton match and you see Pat McAfee's mug over Randy Orton shoulder, just really, I mean, I mean just a, just a, just a thorn in the side of wrestling fans everywhere. But I'm telling you, Megan, it is fueling me this main event for WrestleMania Sunday. And I think both shows are going to be tremendous, But I think CM Punk vs Roman Reigns is going to be one for the ages. I think CM Punk and Roman Reigns understand the assignment and they are going to close out this coming weekend with an absolutely epic WrestleMania main event. Of course you're going to have Obafemi vs Brock Lesnar starting the show. And then I do think, you know, we heard Dominic talking to Adam Pearce earlier. It is a little unfair.
Megan
What do you mean unfair?
Sam Roberts
Finn Balor did say the demon was dead, you know, so the idea that Adam Pearce would say that you deserve to have to face the demon, it's
Megan
really interesting that you would bringing bring up fairness when it comes to a guy like Dominik Mysterio, who's won a lot of his matches, not exactly the fair way.
Sam Roberts
What do you mean?
Megan
He hasn't always played by the rules.
Sam Roberts
And why didn't the referee disqualify him?
Megan
Because it's Dom. I mean, he has a way of putting things in his boot, you know, using the hammer when the referee isn't looking.
Sam Roberts
I believe the Jesse the Body Ventura once said, if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying. And Dominic Mysterio is done.
Megan
Well, I hope you're not cheating on any casinos or tables this Weekend in Vegas because you'll definitely be in trouble. WrestleMania Road to Gold is the latest WWE exclusive from Fanatics Casino. The game brings the path to WrestleMania to you. With the most star studded casino game ever built. Step in the action with 20 WWE Superstars from Cody Rose to Rhea, Ripley, John Cena and more. Battle for wins through the Royal Rumble. The elimination chamber. And cash in on bonus spins and cash collect moments. And for the first time ever in an online casino game. You're going to like this, Sam.
Sam Roberts
I love you.
Megan
Will hear the voice of WWE himself, Michael Cole. This is WrestleMania Road to Gold. And it lives only at Fanatics Casino.
Sam Roberts
That's cool for Michael Cole.
Megan
I'm pumped for him.
Sam Roberts
I thought she's gonna go in a different. You know what I did see.
Megan
Maybe next year, you know, keep working.
Jacob Fatu
You never know.
Sam Roberts
I just said the voice of WWE digital. You know what I did? You know what I did see? Then it would be you. Anyway, I did see. I came to a realization tonight watching Raw. It's made me extremely excited for Wrestlemania. Do you have one match that you're most excited about for Wrestlemania?
Megan
Becky lynch getting back her intercontinental title. That's it. Yep.
Sam Roberts
That's far from a guarantee. But I realized that there's a moment that I think we're really getting at Wrestlemania.
Megan
Danhausen.
Jacob Fatu
Yes.
Sam Roberts
I think Danhausen and John Cena are going to have an interaction.
Megan
Oh, I hope so.
Sam Roberts
I think Dan Housing's.
Megan
Are we getting a blimp?
Sam Roberts
Are we getting a. I'm going to go. You know what? Hall of fame blimp truck. John Cena. That's my prediction. Hall of fame blimp truck. John Cena. Yes. Yes. I think we're going to get all of it. But I really do. After that interaction, I was like, oh, my God. John Cena and Danhausen are going to have an interaction. Danhausen has been on John Cena's Instagram. John Cena watches the product. He knows what's going on.
Megan
Of course he does. Who doesn't know what's going on with Dan House?
Sam Roberts
Everybody knows.
Megan
Everybody also has to be careful because the curse.
Sam Roberts
Kit Wilson. Kit Wilson felt it firsthand. They tried on commentary to say that that was a pyro malfunction. I don't think so. That was a curse.
Megan
I mean, look at all the people who've been cursed. Things aren't going so well for them.
Sam Roberts
Poorly. Maybe that's what happened to Dom.
Megan
Well, he did get cursed.
Sam Roberts
Maybe it's not Adam. Maybe I shouldn't have blamed Adam. Pierce for that. Maybe it's curse related. Do you think the curse woke up the demon?
Megan
A lot of people aren't talking about that.
Sam Roberts
I bet they will now. Fingers on the pulse. We cannot wait. WrestleMania is this weekend. Megan and I will be all over it from the stadium on on on Saturday and on Sunday we'll be at WWE World. It's gonna be such a fun weekend and we will be there with you all the way. Make sure you subscribe, comment and like on the YouTube and we'll see you at right Mania, baby.
Megan
Yeah, let's make the place where we
Sam Roberts
had it Vegas, baby.
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Hosts: Sam Roberts & Megan Morant
Special Guest: Jacob Fatu
On the final Raw before WrestleMania 42, Sam Roberts and Megan Morant break down the night's explosive action and pivotal promos, giving fans an inside look at the hottest feuds just days away from WWE’s biggest event. The show dives deep into the personal rivalry between CM Punk and Roman Reigns, a unique double contract signing between Brock Lesnar and Obafemi, Liv Morgan’s unhinged crusade against Stephanie Vacair, and a reveal-all interview with rising star Jacob Fatu. Major stories, athlete mindsets, and a glimpse at what to expect on the grandest stage make this episode a can't-miss for any WWE fan.
[01:02 – 19:05]
Opening Segment Assessment
Punk's Provocations
Merit vs. Destiny
Mutual Respect and Raw Vulnerability
Culmination
[20:44 – 29:03]
Unprecedented Segmentation
Verbal Sparring
[32:39 – 54:51]
Charisma, Authenticity & Rivalry
Personal Motivation
On WWE Debut & Family
Grind & Gratitude
[57:36 – 62:23]
[64:49 – 67:34]
Gunther’s Motivation
Seth Strikes Back
[68:02 – 72:47]
Quick Previews:
Fan culture, collectibles shoutouts (Topps Chrome WWE 2026), and hosts’ banter seamlessly interwoven.
Sam and Megan maintain an energized, insightful, and occasionally irreverent tone, balancing deep analysis with playful banter. The episode captures the visceral anticipation for WrestleMania 42, emphasizing the raw human motivations—envy, legacy, vengeance—driving the major storylines. With lively interviews, bold predictions, and a spotlight on Liv Morgan’s metamorphosis, this recap is both a hype machine and a thoughtful meditation on what makes WWE’s biggest moments resonate.
If you missed Raw, this episode gives you the emotional beats, the historical context, and all the fire to get you ready for WrestleMania.