Roman Reigns is ready to SMASH ‘em all at WrestleMania | Raw Recap

Summary

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WWE Now: Roman Reigns is ready to SMASH ‘em all at WrestleMania | Raw Recap

Podcast: WWE Now (WWE x Fanatics Podcasts)
Date: March 24, 2026
Hosts: Sam Roberts, Megan Morant
Guest: Big E

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the latest explosive Monday Night Raw on the road to WrestleMania 42. Sam Roberts and Megan Morant are joined by Big E to break down Roman Reigns’ dramatic return to form, CM Punk’s mind games, the burgeoning threat of Obafemi to Brock Lesnar, and the increasingly personal feuds lighting up the WWE. They unpack the long-running Bloodline saga, analyze key women’s division developments, and speculate about what’s in store as WrestleMania approaches.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Roman Reigns, The Bloodline, and WrestleMania’s Main Event Arc

Timestamps: [00:55]–[22:20]

• Raw’s Finale: Roman Wakes Up the “Hibernating Bear”

  • Sam & Megan relive Roman Reigns’ physical confrontation with CM Punk. Jay Uso’s plea—“You know what to do. Smash them all.”—triggered classic ruthless Roman.
  • Memorable quote (Sam, 08:30):
    “Roman Reigns woke up from this slumber… Why is there an argument about who should and shouldn't be champion? … This is his ring, this is his camera, those are his seats. It's his show. Smash them all.”
  • The hosts analyze how this callback to the Bloodline’s origins, and Jay’s emotionality, reignited Roman’s edge.
  • Discussion of how the Bloodline storyline remains generational, with Sam calling it, “one of the most special periods of time that I've ever been a wrestling fan to watch this story play out.” [04:15]

• CM Punk’s Tactics and the Family Dynamic

  • Punk delights in stirring tension. Megan notes Punk is “amused by the fact that Jey Uso is crashing out.” [06:50]
  • Jimmy Uso acts as the calming presence, but Jay’s passion brings Roman back to his old self.
  • Notable exchange (Sam & Megan, 07:58–08:30):
    Megan: “That's the connection you feel.”
    Sam: “And when Jay is telling Roman Reigns you know what to do. Smash them all. That's the beginning of the bloodline... That's the lesson that Roman was teaching Jey Uso from the very beginning.”

• Historical Symbolism: The Shield Callback

  • Roman’s actions mirrored Shield history; the powerbomb through the announce table referenced their initial alliance with Punk. Sam observes:
    “Roman goes—no, this is the guy that I am now... Now I do it to you.” [10:49]

2. Roman vs. Punk: Is the Bloodline a Crutch?

Timestamps: [33:01]–[37:13]

• Big E’s Perspective: Wonders if Jay reverting to old patterns is regression now that Jay’s been a world champion.
• Sam Roberts counters: No regression—Bloodline is “peak,” domination is the family’s birthright.
• Big E challenges: “CM Punk is someone who is very much a lone wolf... I want to see Roman stand on his own two feet.” [34:58]
• Lively debate: Is Roman diminished without his family at ringside, or is this simply what makes him, him?

3. Obafemi's Meteoric Rise and WrestleMania Collision with Brock Lesnar

Timestamps: [22:44]–[45:26]

• Oba’s Aura:

  • Recap of Oba facing off with Brock, with crowd chanting and everyone, even adults, mimicking his signature walk.
    “You have to. When the music hits, you have to. It's contagious. You feel invincible.” [26:43]
  • Sam: “I've never seen anybody so quickly... three months ago, he was still an NXT superstar.” [25:13]
  • Discussion of how the match is presented as two equals, not a rookie’s shot.

• Big E’s Analysis:

  • Praises Oba’s poise, notes 90–10 crowd split is rare against Brock.
  • Oba shows no doubt; Brock’s respect “gives Oba a bit of an edge.” [43:03]
  • Oba’s extra NXT seasoning likened to Bron Breakker and Trick Williams; young talents benefit from time to “marinate” before hitting WWE’s main stage.

• High Stakes:

  • “If he doesn't get it done at WrestleMania, it's kind of all for not.” (Big E, 41:03)

4. Paul Heyman’s Complicated Night

Timestamps: [22:20]–[55:12]

• Heyman’s Master's Plan?
  • Raw opens with a rejuvenated Heyman beside Lesnar—dapper and confident after last week’s beatdown.
  • Heyman’s mind games extend to Seth Rollins, ending with Rollins getting arrested after Heyman makes disparaging personal remarks about his wife and daughter.
    Memorable moment (Sam, 49:39):
    “And then your child is going to be put up for adoption, and I am going to adopt your daughter Rue. And Seth Rollins beelines to the ring.”
  • Despite setbacks, Heyman appears to be (secretly) winning by manipulating circumstances—Vision has a tag title match, Rollins is detained.
  • Big E highlights that Heyman’s greatest manipulations rely on deep, old rivalries, and that may not work on a “fresh” threat like Obafemi.

5. WWE Women’s Division: Becky Lynch vs. AJ Lee, Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vacair

Timestamps: [57:09]–[70:45]

• Becky Lynch/AJ Lee Set for WrestleMania IC Title

  • Official announcement: Becky Lynch versus AJ Lee for Women’s Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania 42.
  • Megan staunchly defends Becky, calling out Sam’s “hater” remarks and fans’ lack of appreciation as a motivator for Becky’s comeback.
    “Becky did take a break... because you people, you guys didn't appreciate her.” [58:30]
  • Big E acknowledges Becky’s legacy, questions whether AJ Lee—returning after a decade—can perform at the current division’s elite level.
    • “I saw, and I'm not saying it's doubt, but I saw a little bit within AJ of am I as good as I know as I think I am? Am I worthy of this stage?” [62:14]
  • Sam highlights Becky’s killer promo:
    “AJ Lee mastered the Divas era and I murdered it.” [63:51]
  • Big E credits AJ as a catalyst for the division’s evolution, but focuses on the here and now: “It’s not a question of your era against my era. It'll be…Who is the better woman.” [66:05]

• Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vacair:

  • Feud is now deeply personal; Liv’s aggression on Raw signals a new level.
  • Big E: “This is one of the most determined individuals in our industry…her aggression, like this Liv Morgan…I think now that's what we're seeing, and that's what I love seeing.” [68:32]
  • Stephanie must be “gritty” and determine how far she’s willing to go to match Liv’s intensity.

6. Danhausen’s Curse: Comic Relief and Running Gag

Timestamps: [71:17]–[73:50]

• Danhausen’s “curse” storyline continues impacting results, now directed at IShowSpeed.
• Big E (tongue-in-cheek):
  “The curse is real... I don't mess around with curses or spirits or ghouls. I take all that serious. Hoodoo, voodoo, all the above.” [72:21]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sam, [04:55]: “The backstage Bloodline segments, they were everything…”
• Sam, [08:30]: “Roman Reigns woke up from this slumber.”
• Big E, [43:03]: “With Brock, you can tell when he respects someone he’s in the ring with and when he doesn’t… I see a more calculating Brock.”
• Megan, [58:30]: “Becky did take a break... because you people, you guys didn’t appreciate her.”
• Becky promo via Sam, [63:51]: “AJ Lee mastered the Divas era and I murdered it.”
• Big E, [68:32]: “This is one of the most determined individuals in our industry... when I watch Raw, I saw a woman, the way she clawed at Stephanie, the way she was there to make a statement... I think Liv is willing and ready to [do anything].”

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Structural Recap by Segments & Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamps | Key Focus | |------------------------------------------------|-------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | Bloodline/Roman Reigns Main Event | 00:55–22:20 | Roman’s raw dominance, Bloodline history, Punk’s button-pushing | | Roman–Punk Family Dynamics (with Big E) | 33:01–37:13 | Is Bloodline help a weakness? Expectation of 1-on-1 confrontation | | Obafemi vs. Brock Lesnar | 22:44–45:26 | Oba’s rise, crowd reaction, Lesnar’s respect | | Paul Heyman’s Night & Master Plans | 22:20–55:12 | Heyman’s schemes, Rollins feud, tag match implications | | Women’s Division Developments | 57:09–70:45 | Becky vs. AJ, Liv vs. Stephanie, division’s evolution | | Danhausen’s Curse Gags | 71:17–73:50 | Comedy segment, curses and their “impact” |

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Conclusion

The episode is packed with authentic fan emotion, backstage perspectives, and high-level storyline dissection as WrestleMania looms. From Roman reclaiming his “smash them all” legacy, to Obafemi’s awe-inspiring rise, to the icons and new blood of the women’s division being tested, the hosts—especially with Big E bringing his locker room wisdom—capture the stakes, nostalgia, and drama of WWE’s hottest season.

Stay tuned for next week’s Madison Square Garden Raw recap!

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Transcript

[Sam Roberts]

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[Big E]

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[Sam Roberts]

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[Big E]

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[Sam Roberts]

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[Big E]

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[Sam Roberts]

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[Big E]

Call 1-800-GRAINGER visit grainger.com or just stop

[Sam Roberts]

by Granger for the ones who get it done. Roman Reigns and CM Punk get physical on the road to WrestleMania Paul Heyman has what has to be one of the worst nights in his professional life. I think we know where we're going with the Women's Intercontinental Championship for WrestleMania and so much more. This is the Raw recap on WWE now at WWE and Fanatics original production.

[Big E]

Check this out.

[Sam Roberts]

Wow. You know, it's WrestleMania season. Not just because that sign is above our head, Megan.

[Megan Morant]

Look at that sign.

[Sam Roberts]

But because we, we, we meet on another Monday night trying to figure out where to begin with so much going on in the world of the WWE on this road to WrestleMania. But like we do so often, I vote that we start where we ended with Roman Reigns and CM Punk.

[Megan Morant]

As soon as he hit that spear, it was like music to your ears. Music to all of our ears. But you stood up and expressed an emotion. I haven't seen you express towards Roman Reigns in a long time.

[Sam Roberts]

I felt it immediately, you know, I

[Megan Morant]

mean, I sprung out of your chair.

[Sam Roberts]

I cannot tell you how I felt when Jay started yelling because Jay is the Crash Out. Jay is the hero of all of this. The hero that I didn't know that we needed. When Crash Out J is yelling to Roman Reigns because Jimmy has been while he's been trying to play both sides of the fence. Quite frankly, he's really been the voice of reason for Jay, the voice of reason for everybody. But it's like, bro, listen, let me tell you how the Roberts do business, okay? When you start talking about other Roberts members and then you start telling me how to handle people that talk about Other Roberts members. It's not going to work out when you have l A Knight going, hey, you know, I don't know, Jay, you shouldn't be talking like Roman. Hey, first of all, don't tell me how to act ever. And second of all, get my cousin's name out your mouth. I'm crash out Jey USO right now. Okay, this is where I'm feeling. And Jimmy has been trying to somehow maintain these friendships and relationships that they have. All the while the family is being threatened. Because here's what happened and here is why. You're right. I didn't know if you noticed that or not, but you're right. I had an out of body experience. We were sitting in the other room.

[Megan Morant]

The second the spear connected, I was like, oh, it's. You became a different person.

[Sam Roberts]

Because we're back. Because we're back. And we've needed to be back for so long. Because here's what happened somewhere along the way. And I don't know if it was towards the end of Roman Reigns title run or if it was right after Roman Reigns title run. I don't know if it was when a new bloodline came out. Now we're fighting over Olafalas. I don't know if it's when, when, when Roman started defending the title less and people started to say, oh, maybe it's time for somebody new. Why? How long can you keep the title on Roman Reigns? I don't know exactly when it happened, but at some point they forgot. At some point everyone forgot. And you know what happened? This is true. This happens with fans. This has happened with everybody. Not we. They took Roman and what he did with the bloodline for granted. What we got with the bloodline is the type of storytelling that is. I mean, forget about once in a generation, once in multiple generations. It was one of the most special periods of time that I've ever been a wrestling fan to watch this story play out.

[Megan Morant]

It was.

[Sam Roberts]

And this ain't shilling. You could go back years and listen to the way I talked about it when it was really happening. I'm obsessed. And you know this.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. The backstage bloodline segments, they were everything.

[Sam Roberts]

Listen.

[Megan Morant]

And it went on for over two years.

[Sam Roberts]

It went on for four years. Okay. And it should have gone on even longer. Because instead of coming off the bloodline and going, there's Roman Reigns. Anytime he blesses us with his presence, we remember what that guy did. We remember the story that guy and that guy's family told. And anytime the USO's are on the screen. We remember what they did and the story that they told and what they did for the tag team division and the fact that they brought the WWE Tag Team Championship to the main event of WrestleMania. And anytime solo Sikoa is on on screen, we remember what he did and we remember how he became the threat. We remember how he beat John Cena with multiple Samoan spikes.

[Megan Morant]

When Sami Zayn is on our screen.

[Sam Roberts]

When Sami Zayn, Absolutely.

[Megan Morant]

When Sami Zayn brought back to Montreal,

[Sam Roberts]

go to Montreal, go to the bloodline trial, go to Royal Rumble, go to everything before that when everybody just thought it was fun and a joke, but it just elevated and elevated and elevated. Go back to all of it because everything counts, okay? And I feel like people have these short term memories and I'm turning on smackdown and Toma Tonga is going, oh, Solo, you're starting to sound like Roman. I wish people sounded like Roman Reigns. If anybody ever came to me and said, sam, you're starting to sound like Roman, good. I go, you know, will you marry me? That's the greatest compliment I've ever heard in my entire life. The tribal chief. Yeah, that's exactly who everybody should pray to God that they sound like, okay? Especially in wrestling. And they're in the ring and there've been all these words going back and forth and CM Punk, and this is what he does. Pushing buttons every week and pushing buttons every week and pushing buttons every week and there's nobody. But listen, before I was a Bloodline fan, I was a CM Punk fan, okay? I was there in 2011. I was there before 2011.

[Megan Morant]

CM Punk was very amused and has been amused by the fact that Jey USO is crashing out.

[Sam Roberts]

Of course he is being.

[Megan Morant]

And Jey USO is still steam coming out of his ears. He's pacing back and forth and CM

[Sam Roberts]

Punk has eaten it up and Jimmy's trying to calm him down and it's all going. There's this. It's just an emotional outpouring. And now Roman Reigns shows up and Roman Reigns tells him to go. But it was when, when, when Roman told him to go. And then Jay went after Punk anyway and then Roman had to take down Punk and it was disorganized, right? And it was when Jay looked at Roman and said, you know what to do. Smash them all. Smash them all. That's what they said. This, this moment right here. You know what to do. Jimmy is trying to get him to stop because Jimmy has had this built in from the beginning of the bloodline. Jimmy doesn't like this tension. Jimmy doesn't like this fighting. Jimmy's a get along guy, you know what I mean? I'm gonna go in the ring, I'm gonna do my business. I'm gonna be one of the best to ever do it. But I don't need all this conflict in my life. Jay is all emotion. That was what made Jay a world champion. That's what got Jay popular. And that's where Jay is right now.

[Megan Morant]

That's what had Arenas running it back

[Sam Roberts]

1000% pure and utter emotion. Whether it's negative, whether it's positive, whether it's love, whether it's anger, emotion. And you love that about Jay. That's the connection you feel. Yes, exactly. And when Jay is telling Roman Reigns you know what to do. Smash them all. That's the beginning of the bloodline that's going way back. That's the lesson that Roman was teaching Jey uso from the very beginning of this thing.

[Megan Morant]

And that's all it took in an instant.

[Sam Roberts]

Roman Reigns woke up from this slumber.

[Megan Morant]

Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

Jay woke up this hibernating bear. Roman said, that's right. Why is there an argument about who should and shouldn't be champion? Why is there an argument argument about who should and shouldn't be in the main event and, and, and, and who is bringing who to the main event and who's who's young boy and, and, and who should be respecting who. Roman went right back to that guy that this is his ring, this is his camera, those are his seats. It's his show. Smash them all. It goes back to like rest. That's when you start going all the way back, Pat. So this is WrestleMania 37, when we're stacking them to, to, to, to 2020. Smash them all. And that's what Roman did. What are we playing games here? Who's proving to who? Oh, I'm in your head. No, I'm in your head. No, forget it. Smash them all and leave. They would. They literally put it on a T shirt.

[Megan Morant]

Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

Beginning of the bloodline. When Paul Heyman first showed up and it was like, what makes Roman different? He says he's going to smash them all and then he spends the next three and a half years smashing m all. And so the fact that Roman did that and then in a very brief period of time, I mean, he gave us a Roman Reigns history lesson because he started with that spear. That's the smash them all spear. That's going back to the beginning of the bloodline that's ever That's Roman's move. The spear practically take CM Punk out of his shoes. But then to me, this history lesson really clicks in when they're on the outside of the ring and Roman Reigns picks CM Punk in that power bomb, that powerbomb that was first used by Roman Reigns to protect CM Punk. The shield showed up in WWE to protect CM Punk. The shield mastered that powerbomb. The position that Roman was in was when the other SHIELD members would be on the side and it would be that triple powerbomb that put somebody through a table. And they did it to defend CM Punk. And CM Punk, I don't know if he's forgotten or I don't know if this is part of some master plan that he thinks that he has. But now, finally, after, you know, over a decade, the chickens come home to roost. And Roman goes, no, this is the guy that I am now. This is the guy. This, this thing that we did for you. No, no, no, no, no. Now I do it to you. And he gave CM Punk a single, not a triple, A single shield powerbomb through that table and just picked him right up by his shirt to remind him who he is.

[Megan Morant]

I absolutely loved this with Roman because we've talked a lot since Roman's been back. How it's always the nuances with Roman, right? His ability to tell a story with his face, the aura, if you will, the cinema when it comes to Roman Reigns. But cinema, Cinema, that's it, Cinema. But we haven't seen the smash' em Roman Reigns in a long time.

[Sam Roberts]

Because he hasn't had to. Right? Because it's like, we know.

[Megan Morant]

Yes. But then tonight, not only do we get the aura, not only do we have the cinema, not only do we have all of the feelings that come with Roman Reigns because he's been back for a little while now. Quickly, the switch turns, the spear hits, and we're back.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, because all of a sudden it's like we go from like, ooh, well, he hit me this week, so I guess I'm in control. And then he hit me that week, so I guess then it's like, no, no, no, no, no. I'm in control. Because I'm going to leave you in a position where you can't walk out of here. That's what puts me in control. Don't test me.

[Megan Morant]

And Punk was laughing about it.

[Sam Roberts]

I don't know if CM Punk thinks that he's the Joker, if he's got this, this, this. This maniacal death wish where he thinks the further that Roman Reigns goes, the easier it's going to be for CM Punk to beat Roman Reigns.

[Megan Morant]

See, I think the opposite.

[Sam Roberts]

100. I couldn't agree with you more. Big surprise, Megan. I couldn't agree with you more.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, I think the more you mess with Roman, the more you get Roman to go to the place he went to tonight, the more trouble you're in. I mean, we saw it for four years.

[Sam Roberts]

That's what I was about to ask you. You said you hadn't seen Roman Reigns in this state in a long time. When would you say it was the last time you saw him in this state?

[Megan Morant]

Probably before WrestleMania 40.

[Sam Roberts]

And what was he doing before WrestleMania 40? Was he. Was he losing very often?

[Megan Morant]

Never.

[Sam Roberts]

That's right. Never.

[Megan Morant]

Was he never losing?

[Sam Roberts]

Never. And everybody thought they had this. Like, there's so many people, oh, no, I got this plan. Oh, you got a plan?

[Big E]

You got a plan? It gets Romeo. Oh, you got a plan? Oh, okay.

[Sam Roberts]

No, no, I'm gonna play. I'm gonna play 3D chess.

[Big E]

Oh, you are? Oh, okay.

[Megan Morant]

It is crazy because we do forget how significant Roman in the bloodline and, you know, generational, you said, you know, once in several generations, something like this will happen. It was so much to the point where I was standing with you on the floor at WrestleMania 40, and as Roman's making his entrance, we look at each other and I go, I don't. I don't know if I'm ready.

[Sam Roberts]

Me, you, and Lars from rancid all sitting there going, we're not ready. I'm not ready for this to end.

[Megan Morant]

I'm not.

[Sam Roberts]

I'm not ready for this to end. I mean, Cody's got to finish the story, but I'm not ready for this to end. No. And I've been sitting there, and I think that that's what it was. I think that that's why I got out of my chair tonight. I think that that's why I approached the television like I was watching the super Bowl. You know what I mean? I think that, like, I had money on. I. I approached that television like I had money on this game.

[Megan Morant]

It's like me and March Madness.

[Sam Roberts]

Yes.

[Megan Morant]

You know?

[Big E]

Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

For. To all accounts. Yes. But, like, I think it's because I hadn't. When it was. It was that it was almost Pavlovian Jay saying, you know what you have to do. And he called him by his government name, too, which I'm not gonna say, because it may be disrespectful to the tribal chief, but Jay is family. Jay can call him by his government name, but he called him by his government name. He said, you know what you have to do. Government name. Smash him. Smash them all. And Jimmy knew, but Jimmy didn't want to go there. Jimmy doesn't want to awaken that giant. Jimmy sees, you know, Jimmy is able to keep those emotions in check. Cooler heads prevail. Cooler headed Jimmy, so which you always

[Megan Morant]

need a cool headed family.

[Sam Roberts]

You need that always. But to the point where Jimmy's saying, let's go worry about the tag team championships. And Jay said he doesn't care about the tag title. I don't care about tag titles right now.

[Megan Morant]

Which is crazy because he has to defend them against the vision. And WrestleMania is right around the corner.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, it's real good news for the Vision, I guess. So Vision's got to hope that this keeps on going forever. You or Jimmy said, oh, I don't know about what Punk said, like, keep his mind on this, on what's going on over there, because it looks good. But I mean, that level of, of honesty, you know what I mean? Like, you don't hear that in wrestling promos. You don't hear that in wwe. They're like, oh, no, you gotta, you gotta respect that. This and you gotta. There are rules that you play by and everything. And it's like, no, not when it's raw emotion. Not when it's pure and utter emotion. So CM Punk comes out at the beginning of this thing and he's met by Jimmy USO in gorilla position. And Jimmy says, hey, man, watch what you say. My brother's on the warpath. And music to CM Punk's ears. It's exactly what he wants to hear.

[Megan Morant]

CM Punk took that as an invitation to push buttons.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, fantastic. All good. Great, good. I had a plan going out there, but now it's a totally different plan now. Oh, that's fantastic.

[Megan Morant]

Wonderful.

[Sam Roberts]

I'm glad you guys stuck around for this.

[Megan Morant]

And I love getting under Jay uso's skin special.

[Sam Roberts]

And that's. I mean, it's a little bullying.

[Megan Morant]

Punk doesn't care.

[Sam Roberts]

No, he doesn't. You know he doesn't. They're bigger. They're bigger fish to fry. He says, nobody, nobody in this Samoan family can do it by themselves. Roman can't do it by his himself. The cousins can't do it by themselves. Nobody can. He said. He said none of the Samoans have approached him even after Roman said, you all have to do what you all have to do. He said, zero, donut he said that it wasn't being called old that bothered him last week. It was. Who was calling him old.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, he's proud of being old.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, that's right.

[Megan Morant]

I thought of you because I was like, you're pretty proud to be bald. So in a way, you and Punk.

[Sam Roberts]

Some people say it's a glow up.

[Megan Morant]

The Bellas did say that to you.

[Sam Roberts]

Okay, so. Exactly. Well, you got to say you're proud.

[Megan Morant]

You're proud of it.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, I was proud. I was after that.

[Megan Morant]

You're proud. Punk's proud to be old, you're proud to be bald.

[Sam Roberts]

I'd be. You'd be proud to be bald, too, if you had my hairline.

[Megan Morant]

If the Bellas told me that I got a glow up, I would be like, yeah, you know what? Change it all.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly.

[Megan Morant]

Take it.

[Sam Roberts]

I've been told I look brolic now, but it's neither here nor there. That's not what we're talking about. But you're right. I also, you know, like CM Punk. I don't. I don't use any of the beard dye.

[Megan Morant]

No, just for men.

[Sam Roberts]

For you, not for me. CM Punk accused Roman Reigns of using it. I don't think that's true.

[Megan Morant]

He had some. He had some grays popping out tonight.

[Sam Roberts]

So Roman, they look good.

[Megan Morant]

They look good.

[Sam Roberts]

He's zaddies. You know what I mean?

[Megan Morant]

Just stressful time of the year, you

[Sam Roberts]

know, so why not for. Not. Not when you're smashing them. Not when you're smashing them all. No stress. But he says it's not being called old. It's who called him old. He's not going to be disrespected by his young boy, he said. And again, throwing that young boy around like, it's like, let's pump the brakes on that. Easy, easy. He knows what he's doing, though. And then he starts getting into the cousins, everything. That's what draws Jay out. He says, this guy couldn't beat me. That guy couldn't beat me. Jay USO couldn't beat me one on one. I'm sure it helped that Jimmy had mentioned Jay right before he came out there. Now Jay comes out and Jay's ready to fight Punk right now. You want to do this right now? We'll do this right now. We'll do this right now. Jimmy says, let's focus on tag titles. That's when Jay utters the thing about the tag titles. Not he doesn't care about them right now. Jay's talking about how Punk keeps running his mouth. He's still running in his mouth about our family. And he is. You can't let people talk about your family like this. Running his mouth about our families. I mean, Jay is ready to snap.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. And CM Punk's a fighting champion. So he throws the belt down and he says, all right, let's go. I'm a fighting champion. Your cousin's not even here.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, first of all, he knew Roman was there. Second of all, CM Punk was not getting ready to wrestle anybody. He was playing his mind games. He was playing his CM Punk games. Roman Reigns comes out, and right when

[Megan Morant]

his entrance music hits, CM Punk is doing these little finger dances. Mock Roman Reigns.

[Sam Roberts]

Not taking any of it seriously at all. At all.

[Megan Morant]

Nope.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, laughing as Jay is going through it, as Roman is furious, CM Punk is giggling. Look what I did. Look what I've done.

[Megan Morant]

In complete control at this point, he thinks.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, listen, if getting. If getting my ass beat was my goal, I could also be in complete control of the situation. I think I could pull that off myself.

[Megan Morant]

You're right.

[Sam Roberts]

You know, I don't know where I take it from there, but I think I could get it done. So he calls out. So Roman Reigns finally comes out, and that's when he tells the uso's, get out of here. Beat it. Respectfully, I'm say this as respectfully as I can. Get out of my ring.

[Megan Morant]

Take your brother with you.

[Sam Roberts]

Oof. That's when Jay's like, nah. And goes after Punk and the whole thing goes down. But, I mean, you know, I'm an everything counts guy.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, of course.

[Sam Roberts]

It's my phrase. You know, I love going deep into all this.

[Megan Morant]

All right, so where are we going?

[Sam Roberts]

Just the idea of taking it back to where we started this conversation, that when the bloodline started, it was Jey USO versus Roman Reigns. It was Jey USO not appreciating what Roman Reigns was doing. And Roman Reigns threw a series of matches where he beat Jay and was not kind in the way that he beat Jay. I think trying to draw the best out of Jay. I think that there were a lot of people, especially going up to that. SummerSlam. We have a poster of somewhere in here where Roman and Jay headlined the thing. There were a lot of people that said this bloodline story was just as much a Jey USO story as it was a Roman Reigns story.

[Megan Morant]

And we talked about that a lot last year when Jey Uso had his world heavyweight title match, 100%.

[Sam Roberts]

But the fact that you can go and say at the beginning of the bloodline, it was Jay that was trying to shake Roman out of whatever fog he was in.

[Megan Morant]

So Jay thought it was Roman trying to awaken Jay. And tonight it was Jay awakening Roman.

[Sam Roberts]

Here we are all these years later, and Jay is going, remember where we started. Come on, come on, cinema. Everything counts. Jay's the one who's now going, roman, remember where we started. Let's go back. And Roman said, Jay, you're 100% right. Boom, boom. I mean, I, I, I adored it. Clearly.

[Megan Morant]

It was great. Full circle.

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, so much history there. So much history. But I tell you, speaking of the bloodline, you know who just had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad night?

[Megan Morant]

Was it Paul Heyman?

[Sam Roberts]

It was Paul Heyman. But at the same time, Paul Heyman was laughing the same way punk was. Ultimately, I mean, if you look at this, did Paul Heyman have a good night? On paper, maybe, no. But the results of everything seem to kind of work in his favor.

[Megan Morant]

It's interesting how Paul Heyman always has the ability to do that.

[Sam Roberts]

It really does. It really is. Because if we look at this right, we start Monday Night Raw tonight with a promo from the Beast.

[Megan Morant]

Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman looked like a million bucks compared to last week.

[Sam Roberts]

He looked like a different human being.

[Megan Morant]

We talk about glow ups, where he went in the last week.

[Sam Roberts]

I don't know. I got to go there.

[Megan Morant]

That's right.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

And he comes out with his pinstripes. Obviously, we know he's wearing a Yankees tie. He's in Boston.

[Sam Roberts]

He knows where he is.

[Megan Morant]

He knows exactly what he's doing. But I do have to say I love when Heyman wears the pinstripes, just in general.

[Sam Roberts]

That's right.

[Megan Morant]

It's a good look on him.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, that's why the Yankees did it. You know, best looking uniform in baseball.

[Megan Morant]

But anyways, I mean, he's, he's made a full turnaround transformation from last week.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, eyes are not puffed up. He's tanned, slicked, rested, rejuvenated. Rejuvenated. And Heyman is in there with Brock Lesnar, and he's talking about the Brock Lesnar being the true main event of WrestleMania. And he starts talking about how the only reason that Oba, who he refers to as being very overhyped, the only reason that overhyped Obafemi was able to do what he did to Brock Lesnar last week was because Brock had to go after, like, 20 masked men and as well, was distracted by Seth Rollins.

[Megan Morant]

He also said that Oba is just a part of the WWE hype machine.

[Sam Roberts]

Yes. Yes. Yeah, he mentioned a lot of names, tons of names. On Monday Night Raw, he went through. These are the names he said on television. Goldberg, Braun, Strowman, Dean Ambrose, Lashley, aj, Styles, John Cena. He said all those names on television, and all those names have gone down to the Beast, Brock Lesnar. And he's saying, Oba's no different. He's just going to get added to that elephant graveyard of absolute legends that were destroyed by Brock Lesnar until that music hits. And, man, I mean, we knew the audience was on Oba's side, and we knew that as a fan base, we're very excited for the fact that Obafemi is finally here. But, like, I mean, I don't know that I've ever seen anybody so quickly. I mean, we interviewed him three months ago.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. In December.

[Sam Roberts]

In December, he was still an NXT superstar. And we sat there going, gee, I wonder when he'll get to the main roster. That was only three months ago. And now he's going into WrestleMania. And when you look at this and you look at this Brock Lesnar match and the way it's been built as one of the big WrestleMania matches, it doesn't feel like, oh, this rookie is getting a shot.

[Megan Morant]

Not at all.

[Sam Roberts]

It feels like he's half of the equation of what's making this a huge match.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. And also the reaction to Oba. As soon as Brock gets in there and everybody's chanting Oba's name. When Oba's music hits, there's a new little wrinkle. Okay. The drums play and there's this pregnant pause, and it builds anticipation. And then all of a sudden, you see Oba, the lights flash, and then he starts doing the walk. It could not be more perfect.

[Sam Roberts]

The walk.

[Megan Morant]

I'm doing the walk. This is good. Radio. Dun dun. Oh, it's so good.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, it really is.

[Megan Morant]

Everybody in Boston was children, all ages, adults. Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

Everybody's doing the oboe walk.

[Sam Roberts]

Isn't it amazing that he does? I mean, this is a ridiculous walk for anybody besides Obafemi. And he makes adults feel comfortable doing it. Of course, like, as a grown man, I would 100%, if I had been in the TD Bank center tonight, I would have been doing the oboe walk

[Megan Morant]

when the music hits. You have to.

[Sam Roberts]

You have to. I mean, we'll probably be in Madison Square Garden next week if he's there. I'll be doing the Oba walk.

[Megan Morant]

I'll be Doing it.

[Sam Roberts]

You have to.

[Megan Morant]

There's no question you have to.

[Sam Roberts]

It's contagious. You feel invincible, and that's an Oba. And maybe the reason you feel invincible is because you're looking at the person who's doing this thing, and it's Obafemi, who now, I mean, walks to the ring after being challenged to basically say, okay, no Seth Rollins, no masked men. If you're so great, do it again. I feel like if I got Brock Lesnar up for a powerbomb and slammed him down, I'd probably retire. You know what I mean? I go, no, you saw what he

[Megan Morant]

did to all those masked men, right? I don't know if any of all of them are still with us.

[Sam Roberts]

I don't think they are. Most of them not, yeah, I'd be done. I'd be done. But they go face to face again. No distractions. Brock Lesnar picks up obafemi in that F5. And you could see, man, Brock's legs getting shaky, Brock struggling to get him up, Obama, Oba escaping it, and Oba clotheslining Brock Lesnar over the top rope, eliminating every excuse that Paul Heyman had just created. I mean, three minutes before Oba was in there, it was insane. Again, the. You talked about aura before. The aura, the vibes radiating off of that ring when these two are in it. Unbelievable.

[Megan Morant]

Yes. And for me, it was the moment that happened right after Oba threw Brock out of the ring, which was what? And it was the look that Brock Lesnar was giving Obafemi.

[Sam Roberts]

Like what? Yeah, there it is. There's the look.

[Megan Morant]

Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. Like what? What is this?

[Megan Morant]

It's almost like this moment of realization for Brock.

[Sam Roberts]

And this is a Brock Lesnar. We're looking at this look right now on the YouTube, if you're watching along with us. And it's this look of Brock Lesnar. He's been wrestling since 2002. That's a look of like, what is this? Brock Lesnar debuted in the WWE in 2002. He was already an NCAA champion, so he had seen everything the NCAA has to offer. He went in and he had his run in O2. He leaves WWE, he becomes UFC Heavyweight champion. He has a run with the UFC championship, which means he sees everything the UFC has to offer. I mean, all of Frank me up and down the card comes back into WWE in, I think, around 2012, ish, maybe, and sees everybody that WWE has to offer. Then, you know, sees the John Cena's and the Triple H's and the Undertakers and Everybody that Paul Heyman mentioned tonight and more and still now in mid-2026 is looking up at the ring going, what is that?

[Megan Morant]

And I don't think Brock's seen anything like that ever.

[Sam Roberts]

That's. Yes, yes. And Brock has. I mean, seen more than anybody. What is the. Brock's the guy. Brock's the guy. You look at going, like, that's not a person.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. And tonight when he was thrown over the ring by over the top rope by Oba Femi, you're thinking back to all those names that Paul Heyman listed off and Brock's realizing, I don't know if Oba's one of those guys.

[Sam Roberts]

I haven't seen anything like this before. So nuts.

[Megan Morant]

Oba's different.

[Sam Roberts]

So nuts. Before we get to the rest of Paul Heyman's night, I do want to tell you that we got some new T shirts available and I want you to see these T shirts. First of all, Roman Reigns has a whole new line of shirts. The OTC is back. The newest Roman Reigns apparel has officially dropped on WWE Shop and Fanatics. Featuring fresh designs fit for the head of the table, you can rep our tribal chief chief with bold championship worthy gear built for true fans. Look, it's WrestleMania season. You want to roll into WrestleMania or WrestleMania parties or wherever you're going to watch this show roll in with this new Roman gear so people know you're ready for the crowning of the tribal chief. I mean, speaking of WrestleMania, while you get ready for WrestleMania 42, you could do it with the latest apparel and merchandise that's also available now on WWE Shop and Fanatics. From event ready tees to must have collectibles, all of it brings the energy of the grandest stage. Wherever you go. Jackets, jerseys, hats, whatever you need, it's all available now on WWE Shop and Fanatics.

[Megan Morant]

Hi, my name is Mira Potassan. I'm an author and I'm an activist and GoFundMe is my go to platform for fundraising. The first GoFundMe I did was to raise money for a chat book or a collection of poetry and essays and short stories. So we started a GoFundMe and our goal was 7,000. What I've learned that is so special about GoFundMe is that it's a whole collection of people offering anything from like $4 to $400. And each time you get a ping that someone donated, even if it is just $4, it's so exciting. So if you have a goal and you get there, you can keep making it bigger and bigger and bigger. We did go past our goal. It was amazing. GoFundMe is the world's number one fundraising

[Sam Roberts]

platform, trusted by over 200 million people. Start your GoFundMe today at gofundme.com that's gofundme.com gofundme.com and I feel like as we, as we go down the road of what a terrible night or complicated night, I should say.

[Megan Morant]

Layered.

[Sam Roberts]

Layered night Paul Heyman had. We should bring in our guest today. Tonight, whenever you're watching this, to RAW recap, our beloved big E is here to help us analyze everything that went on tonight. On Monday night, raw. E, how are you?

[Big E]

I am swell. I am swell. How are you?

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, we're great. We're great. I mean, we've been sitting here, we've been talking about Roman Reigns. We've been talking about smash Them all. We've been talking about Jay bringing back those bloodline vibes. And E, if anybody, you know how much I love these bloodline vibes.

[Big E]

That I do. I do know that about you. But, you know, in many ways, I, I wonder, is, is Jay past that? As someone who has now been a world champion, is this. Is this a regression at all?

[Sam Roberts]

No. No, no, no. And this is why sometimes you got to come back and smash them all. There is no regression. The bloodline is peak. There is. There is no. There is no regression. I can't imagine, they say, is it a regression to go back to the bloodline? Maybe the greatest thing that's ever happened? No, there is no regression. This is when one family dominated the sport. The entire sport was run by one family. Okay, that.

[Big E]

Well, here's my argument. Like, CM Punk is someone who is very much a lone wolf, says, I'm doing this on my own. Is saying you can't do this on your own. You, your family always has. There's always someone trailing. There's always a group to worry about. And now they're kind of proving his point. Not kind of. They are proving his point in that Roman Reigns, when Roman is asked to stand on his own, just be Roman. No Paul Heyman, no bloodline. Is he going to do it? I'm not. Roman obviously can, but. But the reliance on. On the twins, on the cousins, on the family members, that is, I, I want to see Roman Reigns and CM Punk. I want to see that man versus that other man. I don't want to see any other. I want to see those two. If you're at the top of your game, if you're if you're the man you claim to be, if you're. If you're the one who we all acknowledge as one of the greatest to ever do it, I want to see Roman stand on his own two feet. God forbid.

[Megan Morant]

Huh?

[Sam Roberts]

First of all. First of all, he puts food on your table, okay? So a little more respect.

[Megan Morant]

Did he have any help putting CM Punk through the announce table? Did Roman have any help putting CM Punk through the announce table?

[Big E]

You could argue that there were distractions. There were cousins. Distracting.

[Sam Roberts]

Listen.

[Big E]

You could argue that.

[Sam Roberts]

Listen, first of all, it was CM Punk that drew the cousins out tonight, okay? CM Punk is the one that drew them out. He did it on purpose. He's pushing buttons. He's very good at it, and he did it on purpose. Second of all, even if he. Even if that is the. His point. Well, gee, aren't you kind of making his point with your cousins out here? CM Punk can have his point, and Roman will have the World Heavyweight title, and then we'll call it a day. Okay? And then CM Punk can tell the world about his point. But I was right, though, right? Good. Okay. When you don't have the world Heavyweight title, nobody cares if you were right.

[Big E]

Oh, okay. All right. So. All right, that you make a point as far as being a world champion. But if we're talking about legacy, legacy is not just about how many world titles you've had, but it's also about how. How strong you are on the mic. It's about your ability to stand on your. On your own. I think. I think if Roman can't do this without the cousins, without the bloodline, I am not saying his. His legacy takes a hit, but I'm saying maybe we start to question it because a lot of CM Punk, okay, you could argue a lot of his. The Summer of Punk, that was a lot of Paul Heyman. The 400 plus day world title run from over a decade ago. Paul Heyman was there for that. But much of Punk's career, he stood on his own two feet. And I think that's a lot of what his argument is, is, look, I'm calling out Roman. You claim to be the greatest to ever do it. You claim to deserve to be on the Mount Rushmore. I want to see you mano a mano. And until we see that, that's. That's what I was looking forward to. And that's what I. That's what I want to see. I hope at some point on this road to wrestlemania, at one of these raws, we don't get any shenanigans, no bs. We get these two gentlemen, these two titans standing face to face. I let leave all the cousins. Look, we know there's 30, 40, 50 cousins. Leave them all in the back. That's what I would like to see as a fan.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, let me tell you what. If Roman Reigns had the title but his cousins had pancakes at ringside, then would that be okay?

[Big E]

Oh, Sam, you kept. You came out swinging today.

[Sam Roberts]

I know.

[Big E]

I'm sorry.

[Sam Roberts]

Really. I took it personally. I took it personally. I took it personally.

[Big E]

There were several time zones away from each other and I feel like if the proximity was different, I feel like the tenor of this conversation would also be different.

[Sam Roberts]

You know what?

[Megan Morant]

I feel like I'm going to be. Have to be your Jimmy uso.

[Sam Roberts]

I did, I did tell Megan before you got on that if, if at one point my goal was to have my ass beat, then I would be able to accomplish that goal. And I think I've proven that.

[Megan Morant]

You did.

[Sam Roberts]

I think I have. I think I have proven that. I think I have proven that. Well, we're talking about. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it. And I didn't. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it. Well, we're talking about the bloodline, though. We were talking about Paul Heymon and Paul Haven not having the greatest night in the world where just a moment ago we were talking about Obafemi and Brock Lesnar. First of all, before we move on from Oba, I mean, I got to hear. I got to hear how you're feeling about the idea of not only just the idea of this match, of seeing Oba and Brock at wrestlemania, but. But what Oba has done the last two weeks on Monday night Raw.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, Biggie, you're a known Oba feminist. You have to be. You got to be massive right now.

[Big E]

Massive. Oboefeminist. I almost soiled my couch last week when I saw the ease in which this man Obofemi powerbombed Brock Lesnar. And then to see what he just did on raw. Again, I am telling you, this WrestleMania, this match is for me. It is for me. And I will say, man, not just the ease in which Oba handles Brock. You see those two face to face. Look at the tail of the tape and see Oba's a little bit taller, a little bit heavier, just the way he moves. But one of the things that really stuck out for me is the reception. The fan reception has really kind of blown me away. I thought for me, a win for Oba, as far as having the people in the palm of his hands, would be a. A 50, 50 split reaction. I thought, you know, if you asked me two months prior if Oba, if it was half Oba and half Brock, I'm like, man, that's amazing for oba, it might be 90, 10 or more for Oba, the way that fans have taken to him. I love the crowd shots of the little kids of the other fans doing the Oba bounce to the ring. I love it. And. And in a very short amount of time, this man has gotten very over with this crowd. I love what Obra brings to the table. And more than anything, I spent a lot of time. When Oba comes to the ring and he's about to face Brock, it's not just I'm looking at his eyes, I'm looking at a lot of things, but I'm looking at his eyes. I'm seeing if there is even an iota of doubt, of fear of this moment is too big for me. I'm in the ring with one of the greatest to ever do it, and I don't see that. And maybe it's something he's dealing with internally that we don't see, but this man has handled this stage with so much aplomb, with so much grace. For me, there are a lot of matches that we're going to be excited about on the build to WrestleMania, on this road to WrestleMania, but for me, it's hard not to put this up there. Man, I can't wait to see what these two do. And it's really going to be. It's the biggest test of Oba's career, bar none. Obviously, he's been in the ring with Cody Rhodes, our current world champion face of the company, but there is no one on this planet quite like Brock Lesnar. And I'm really excited to see if. If OPA can get it done, because, look, powerbombing Brock, clotheslining him out of the ring, those are all important things. But if he doesn't get it done at WrestleMania, it's kind of all for not.

[Megan Morant]

That's true.

[Sam Roberts]

It's a great point, though, about his eyes and about. About the way he looks at Brock and the way he looks just looking at the audience. You know, Oba talked about going back to Saturday night's main event. You know, this being his time and owning this moment. I feel like ever since he came back to NXT and kind of during his second title run as NXT champion, like something it was A storyline that. That. That there was something different about Oba, But I feel like something actually was different about Oba. Like something clicked in that was different for Oba. Because when you say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, this is my time. I refuse to accept otherwise. And I'm going to take from anybody who says it's theirs. You're now three months in being given the ultimate test of whether or not you actually believe that, whether or not that's actually true by saying, okay, okay, well, that. Take it from that guy, then. And to your Point, E, you're 100% right that it looks like he's not only to your points, not only does it look like he's 100% there and completely willing in a very real way to live up to this moment and to take the moment from Brock, but also when you talk about that 9010 split, what to me is remarkable is not only is that right, but it's 0% silent.

[Megan Morant]

Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

Meaning it's like. It's not like 9010 and then 20% of the fans going like, oh, I don't know these guys, but this is kind of fun. And it's like 90% of the audience total, if not more, is behind this dude.

[Megan Morant]

And I love that you say looking at his eyes, too, because it's, you know, saying it's like, fake it till you make it. When you're looking at a guy like Brock Lesnar, if you have any ounce of doubt in your eyes, that will certainly show. And when you look deep into Obafemi's eyes, there's none of that, not even an ounce at all. And with Brock Lesnar, I think that's saying a lot.

[Big E]

It really is. And I think also with Brock, you can tell when he respects someone he's in the ring with and when he doesn't. And there are guys, a lot of great talent that he's been in the ring with, and you could see he. And I think Brock is one of those guys where if he doesn't respect you, that's bad news for you. A lot of times, you know, guys are like, hey, if they. If they're overlooked, they have a chance in this match. I think Brock's one of those guys where if he respects you, he is. I don't know. I'm not saying it's nerves, but I think that gives Oba a bit of an edge because Brock isn't. Isn't seeing someone that he can just run over. He is like, okay, I see a more calculating Brock in that Usually he picks someone up for an F5. That's it, it's over. You get off the ground, your feet are off the ground and you are done. Not with Oba. It's a different animal. And I don't think Brock has really been in the ring in quite some time with anyone like Oba. I don't know if we've seen anyone quite like Oba. To be his size, to move the way he does, he's got really an arsenal, too. He really has, as the kids say, he has a bag. The dude really has a bag of great weapons to pull from in his arsenal. And I think at WrestleMania he's really going to show out. And if you haven't had the pleasure of seeing him wrestle in nxt, and he's not just a big dude who is an athlete, he puts on some really stellar, stellar matches. And you, you pointed to his time in nxt. I think oftentimes when you're a younger talent and you feel like you're on the cusp and people are getting behind you, you could have argued that Oba could have been called up a year ago and I would have said, yeah, call him up. But I think sometimes that extra time to marinate, to work on your craft, to, to really hone your skills, I don't know if a year ago, if Oboe was in this position, I don't know if he's ready for Brock. And in fact, I'd say there's all the athletic ability and everything could be there, but it really is the mental. It is knowing I have all the skills, I have the craft, it's all there and it's tested over time. I've had title matches after title matches after title matches. So I think for a lot of young talent, I understand the desire to get up, to go on the road, to be on the main roster. But I think that extra bit of seasoning for Oba, being NXT champion, being North American champion, I think it really helped him get to this point where he's so poised when he's in the ring with Brock.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. And I think that extra marination in NXT is something that you also saw with Bron Breaker and I think it's something you also saw with Trick Williams that I feel like is. Is effective. And to your point about not seeing somebody like this before, to me, and I said this to you last week, Megan, I think the last time we saw anybody even remotely like obafemi was in 2002 and that guy was Brock Lesnar. So it's it's, it's ironic seeing this all come together, but we were talking about that being step one of, of a difficult of a complicated night for Paul Haim. And of course step two came right after that even though Paul Heyman wasn't at ringside cause he was tending to Brock Lesnar. We saw the vision come out for their non title match against the Usos. I mean lots of complications. Austin theory presumably by mistake rips a turnbuckle cover off at one point in the match. All kinds of chicanery. J USO ends up going down on the exposed turnbuckle. Logan Paul ends up getting the brass knuckles on. La Knight ends up coming to ringside taking the brass knuckles from Logan Paul, throwing them to Jay uso and Jay USO in full crash out. J mode does not care, cannot be bothered to do it with any kind of secrecy. Just right in front of the referee's face says okay, puts on the brass knuckles and boom. Uses them. The USO's lose. I mean, yeah, the USO's lose. Disqualification by disqualification. But Paul Heyman has a couple of clients that end up getting knocked out with a pair of brass knuckles.

[Big E]

It's, it's a tough time for Paul. It really is like to, to have to have the vision falling apart with injuries. And now with the results of what happened on Raw with what's going on with, with Brock as well. And he had to know, look, you can talk about a lot of things. Don't bring up Ru. Don't, don't bring up, don't bring up their lovely child. That's. You cross the line that you can't touch that line at all. You know, I'm so intrigued to see because I felt like the pieces were coming together for Seth Rollins against Bron Breakker or Bronson Reed. But with those two out, I really don't know where the puzzle pieces come together for Seth at Wrestlemania. We know Seth Rollins is going to be there. I would be shocked if Seth Rollins doesn't have a WrestleMania match. But, but now it's hard to see with who where that goes. Obviously, you know, he's got to worry about. I don't know if someone's going to bail him out. You know, Betty got plenty of money. Hopefully she'll be there for him. So he's got that to worry about as well. But yeah, you know, it's an interesting time. But you know, we, it's also interesting. We saw no other masked men. We saw Seth Rollins stand on his own two feet like Some other SHIELD Former SHIELD members can't seem to currently. But. But we saw Seth out there alone. But yes, Paul. Paul Heyman is he. He's in a very rough way. And the Paul Heyman we saw last week, that man, his eyes bloodshot. It's, it's, it's a mess. It's a real mess.

[Sam Roberts]

But, you know, I mean, again, going back to CM Punk at the end of Monday Night Raw, laughing even though he was SHIELD Power bombed solo. SHIELD Power bombed through a commentary table. I would say between. If I'm sitting there going like, who would I rather leave Raw looking like Roman Reigns destroying CM Punk or Paul Heyman being taken. I'm sorry, Seth Rollins being taken out in handcuffs by Boston's finest. I probably go Roman Reigns. But. But Paul Heyman seemed to have this master plan, saying, I'm gonna, I'm. We're gonna settle this like men. WWE isn't big enough for the both of us. I know you don't think so, but. Calls out Seth Rollins. Seth Rollins finally comes out. And look at him. I mean, Paul Heyman, you know, clearly was searching what's going to be the thing? What's going to be the thing? As Seth Rollins is peacefully and cooperatively being led out by the police out of the arena.

[Megan Morant]

And he kept taking jabs, too.

[Sam Roberts]

He says, you're going to go to jail. He says you're going to get divorced.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. Because your wife is going to sleep with everyone while you're in jail. I mean, and then we're going to have to get Child Protective Services involved. And then your child is going to be put up for adoption, and I am going to adopt your daughter, Rue. And Seth Rollins beelines to the ring.

[Big E]

Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, I don't blame him for a second. He had to.

[Sam Roberts]

You can't be. You can't be offended by that. By that pancakes reference that I made with the type of hostility that we've seen on Monday Night Raw tonight.

[Big E]

Look, it was very tame. That. The pancake comment is very tame compared. Compared to what happened. But look, Paul. Paul knows what he's doing. Paul knows exactly what he's doing. He is a mastermind. But at the end of the day, ultimately, someone else has to line up in that ring against Seth Rollins. And that's what I'm trying to figure out is what. What this master plan is. We already know it's Brock and Oba, so we know it's not Brock. Is there someone else out there? Is it Logan that steps up is. Or do we see A returning Bron breaker. I mean, that. Look, if Bron Breakker is able to come back in time, I'm. I'm also. I'm soiling my couch again. I'm going to need to put plastic down on that couch because it's just going to be perpetually soiled. But that's. That's what I'm trying to figure out is what the end game is for Paul Heyman. Because it's clear he has a plan. And Paul always has a plan. There's a plan, A, B and C. And he's someone who is, I think, the best politicker probably in the history of our industry. And there are levels that we as performers know that fans don't even know. There's so many levels of intricacies when it comes to Paul Heyman. But clearly he has gotten under Seth's skin, and he knows how to do that very expertly.

[Megan Morant]

Well, one thing that you always say is that everything counts. And I don't want to forget about last week when Seth Rollins was the one who stepped up. I mean, with a million other masked men, when Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar were in the ring, well, it was Seth Rollins. And then F a f o f a f 5, Brock Lesnar comes out, Obafemi appears. And I couldn't help but notice that Seth Rollins had this reaction that he was in control of the entire thing. He wasn't emotional whatsoever. And then later, he puts on social media a post referencing Obafemi. I don't know what's going to happen, but I just don't want to forget that detail.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, I don't think Seth's going to get himself involved in that.

[Megan Morant]

I don't think he'll get himself involved

[Sam Roberts]

in that, but I think it's part of it.

[Megan Morant]

But I think it's part of what Seth is up to.

[Sam Roberts]

Yes.

[Megan Morant]

I don't know exactly what Seth is up to. I mean, right now it's in jail, but he's up to something.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, he. Well, I think here's the thing. When you look at everything that happened to Paul Heyman tonight, I think he's been in. He's in control again. I don't know if he was last week, but I think that everything that happened to him is shaped to make him look like he's losing, when in reality, I think he's invisibly winning. Right. Because if you look at the Oba and Brock thing, we've still got multiple more weeks to go until WrestleMania. And I don't Think that, that while we may go, oba's never dealt with somebody who looks and feels and fights like Brock Lesnar, he's also never been on the, on the, on the other side of Paul Heyman. I think if you look at the tag team match and you look at the fact that the Vision went down, the real outcome of that is because of the way the match ended, the

[Megan Morant]

vision of a title match.

[Sam Roberts]

They have a title match at Madison Square Garden next week. And yeah, he got punched in the face by Seth Rollins, but ultimately he got Seth Rollins locked up, which is everything that he wanted to do. So I think that, I think that there does have to be something. I mean, you know, on one end you have the vision with a tag team title match on Madison Square Garden Raw next week. On the other end, you had Jay uso, who in the last segment of the show said he doesn't care about the tag titles right now.

[Megan Morant]

So Paul Heyman has everyone right where he wants.

[Sam Roberts]

Should. Yeah. And should the Vision get the tag team Championship at Madison Square Garden Raw

[Megan Morant]

next week, then they have leverage.

[Sam Roberts]

And what does that say for what they're, what they're doing at WrestleMania now? What's the tag team that goes to WrestleMania? I don't know.

[Big E]

No, that's a great question. But, you know, one of the things I was thinking about is, so I think Paul does his best work with opponents that he has history with. You know, there's so much he knows about Seth Rollins, there is so much history with Punk. But one of the things I find intriguing is we don't really know a ton about Oba's backstory. There aren't past entanglements. He's coming in fresh. So I don't know if that same mind game playing is something that's really going to work against Obofemi. There's no history from 15, 20 years ago. There's no fake friendships that, that have lasted a lifetime for, for Paul Heymon to pull these strings at. So I, I think a lot of Paul's puppetry, a lot of his game playing is going to work with a lot of the roster. I think it can work with Seth, it clearly worked with Seth Rollins. It could work with the USO's, it could work with so many members of the roster. But with Obafemi, there, there's none of that. So I, I don't know exactly how Brock gets the advantage there, but I, I do agree with you in the fact that Paul has a plan. We don't know what it is. It's hard for me to really figure out how he comes out of this hole right now because it feels like he's down. At least, you know, he's 02 right now on, on the Oba Brock stuff, on. On the Vision stuff. You know, although the Vision has their title match, but it's. It's been a bit of a rough road for Paul, but he, he has a few more weeks to. To have this plan unravel, so I'm intrigued to see how that all goes.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, I've got to tell you, we actually have some huge news. This is for the WWE Universe. Your favorite WWE podcasts are recording live at Fanatics Fest NYC this July 16th through the 19th at the Javit Center. That's right. You can catch live episodes of Six Feet under with the Undertaker. What do you want to talk about? With Cody Rhodes? Impulsive. With Logan Paul, and of course, WWE now with Megan and myself. And that's not all. WWE Superstars will be in the building all weekend, signing autographs, taking photos, making surprise appearances. Tickets are now on sale@fanatics fest.com so grab yours today and we will see you there. Now that's July 16th through the 19th. You gotta be there for it. Even sooner than that is April 16th through the 20th. It's less than a month away now, and that's WWE World. WWE World returning to Las Vegas this April 16th through the 20th. And it's the can't miss destination during WrestleMania week. Of course, WWE World brings the WWE Universe closer than ever to the Superstars, legends and iconic moments that define the wwe. With immersive exhibits, exclusive merchandise, and experiences that you won't find anywhere else. You can see Superstars like Drew McIntyre, Liv Morgan, Jay Uso, Dominic Mysterio, Tiffany Stratton, and many, many more and even more appearances that are still to come. Tickets are now on [e-mail] and you can save 10% with promo code WWE NOW10. I highly suggest that you take advantage of it now. E, you were just talking about opponents that have real history. Uh, we were talking about members of Seth Rollins family. And this fits both those things. The graphic is out. I just saw it on Triple H's Instagram.

[Megan Morant]

That means it's official.

[Sam Roberts]

It is official. WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship on the line. Becky lynch challenges AJ Lee at WrestleMania 42. Becky lynch gets her rematch. And listen, I will tell you the one thing that I found compelling. One, just one, the only one singular thing that I found compelling about what Becky said on Monday Night Raw tonight Most of the other stuff was gibberish. But she did say that WrestleMania is her show. And as somebody that likes to know, you know, my little facts and figures, historically, she is not lying. WrestleMania is a show where Becky has made history multiple, multiple times for multiple reasons. And it is also the show that, that, that was kind of AJ Lee's last hurrah in the wwe. You know, there was the one more raw match after it, you know, 10 plus years ago, then that was it for A.J. lee. So I, I, I wonder, I wonder if, if AJ Lee is fully aware of how bright those lights get at WrestleMania in a Becky lynch match.

[Megan Morant]

I have to tell you, I was sitting back in my chair watching Becky with this promo and I could not wait to get on the mic with both of you because both of you haters, no, you two haters have had so much to say about Becky and it's going to be hard to say anything negative about her today. But I just have to call you out because Becky did take a break, a 10 month break. And it was because you people, you people, you guys didn't appreciate her. I saw it. People like you, Sam Roberts, we're calling her Becky Hogan. Oh, Becky Hogan. We interviewed her and you even brought it up, Becky Hogan. You did.

[Sam Roberts]

I brought it up because it was worthwhile to bring up. That doesn't mean I was saying it. I brought it up because it was an appropriate question. I do a great job.

[Megan Morant]

You know, you talked about earlier in the show, Roman reminding people of what he's capable of. I thought tonight on the mic, Becky lynch, all the doubters, all the haters, she reminded them all exactly why she is the man. And I could not be more excited for this match.

[Sam Roberts]

You're not wrong. I just wish you would make it more palatable. Do you align with, with Megan Morant and her take behind this promo is

[Big E]

I to a degree. Look, I, first of all, I am someone who has never taken anything away from Becky. Her place in history, her ability on the microphone, her ability in the ring, her ability. I, I am someone who just tries to have a, A, a balanced look at some of the things that come out of her mouth. And sometimes they're a little ridiculous, sometimes they are not moored, in fact, they are not rooted in truth. But I, I, I think Becky did have a great night. I will say one of the things I think, I think your point, Sam, about A.J. her, her swan song essentially was WrestleMania a decade ago. And I saw a point think, you know, speaking of eyes, again, I saw an aj who I think was gotten to a little bit. I think someone who thought about the stage, who thought about this moment. And, and, and I agree, Megan. Like, I think that a Becky Lynch WrestleMania match there is a certain. And WrestleMania obviously has. Has a certain grandeur of its own, but it's elevated with Becky. It feels like more of a spectacle. It has more, More pressure on it. She has had some. Some classics at WrestleMania. She's had some incredible, incredible matches at WrestleMania. And I think for AJ, I still wonder how much. Okay, you're coming in as champion, but do you worry about. Look, also, the landscape of the women's division is so different in that when she was having WrestleMania matches a decade ago, they weren't necessarily. The women weren't getting the grand stage. They weren't getting the opportunities to be out there for 20, 30 minutes, to have these grand entrances to really allow people to sink their teeth into it.

[Megan Morant]

There was an intercontinental title.

[Big E]

No, the title didn't exist. No, it wasn't a thing. And now the bar is so high for women's wrestling. That's what I wonder with AJ is I wonder if she believes within herself. Yeah, I got it. Not only I was putting on great matches in my heyday, but now that the women's division has accelerated so much, can I live up to the bar of those incredible Becky lynch matches? Can I beat Becky when she's at her best, when she's at her most crafty, when she's at her most thoughtful, as far as all the ways she can take advantage of aj? So I think there's a lot of excitement for this match. I think there's a lot of pressure on AJ as well. We already know who Becky lynch is in this era. We already know what she can do. She's done it time and time again. And look, AJ has the people in her palm. She has so much love and so much excitement for her return. But this is. This is a big deal. This, if you. If you don't live up to that standard, win, lose or draw, it's like people are expecting this match to be as good as. As so many of the great women's matches we've seen over the last several years. So I saw, and I'm not saying it's doubt, but I saw a little, a little bit within AJ of am I. Am I as good as I know as I think I am? Am I worthy of this stage? So I'm really intrigued to see if she can really deliver at WrestleMania like I know she can.

[Megan Morant]

To me, she seemed a little bit apprehensive and you know, I love to have fun. And as we all know, I'm a Becky lynch apologist. I love everything that she's been doing. But I do think tonight things got more serious with Becky lynch. And it is the time of year, it is WrestleMania. We know how significant WrestleMania is to everybody on the roster, but especially to Becky lynch and the history that she's made there. Now she has an opportunity to make more history with the Intercontinental title, a title that really she's done so much for. I think it's inarguable that she's been the greatest women's Intercontinental Champion and now she can defend it. I mean, not defend it. She's going to. To try and get that title back off of AJ la.

[Sam Roberts]

I know what you wanted is that you're really trying to be a professional. You wanted to say she's gonna win it.

[Megan Morant]

Well, I think I have actually convinced myself that Becky never lost the title because I just def offend her so much. So every now and then I have a slip up. But in all seriousness, I do think something changed within Becky tonight. And while the vlogs are fun and her tweeting in all caps has been hilarious, not really. I think tonight things got serious.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. And I think too. Well, look, I think we also should mention the fact that hopefully AJ remembers, as I remember you seeing that she has beaten Becky lynch in a tag team match, in a war games match, and in a ple. Singles match. So this isn't completely foreign territory, but there was, you know, I said I would give Becky lynch credit for the one thing I have to give her credit for another line. When Becky lynch said into the microphone, AJ Lee mastered the Divas era and I murdered it, I went, I mean, again, as the children would say, bars. I mean, this was, it was like. Yeah, and, and, and to go to the apprehension that you were just talking about Megan, to go to that look in the eyes that you were talking about Biggie. I mean, that line might kind of sum it up. It's like, do you really think. I know you. I know you think that you're the best of your generation. It'd be hard to argue that A.J. lee wasn't. But do you really think you're the best of this one as well? And if you are, can you prove it against Becky lynch at WrestleMania?

[Big E]

It's, it's a great point. Although it's a great bar. But sometimes when you peel back the truth behind the bar, the bar can fall Apart a little bit, I would say. Aj, I think is hugely responsible for the divas era giving way to this current era. I think without her, I'm not sure, I'm sure it eventually happens. The speed in which it happens I don't think is, you know, it happens at a different time a little bit later. I would also argue that there are a lot of other very talented women. We look at the four horsewomen who help break down that barrier. But, but ultimately the point I think that, that I, we should focus on is can you go in this era? Is, is this your era as well? And I think that's a question that's been asked of Nikki Bella as well with a lot of the women who had their heyday a decade ago who are still in WWE or who are coming back to wwe because we talk time and time again about how the stakes have been raised so much with this women's division. But ultimately it's not a question of your era. Against my era. It'll be in April, mid April in Las Vegas. Who is the better woman. So, you know, it's a great line and Becky is one of the best to ever do it, male or female, on the mic. But ultimately, like when talking season, this is, we're in talking season right now. It's a line they use sometimes in football where we're just talking, talking and that's where we're at right now. But at some point very soon, in a few weeks, talking season will be over and it'll be go time.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, talking season might be over for Liv Morgan and Stephanie Vacair because I mean, that got personal. I can't believe how quickly that got personal. Like, I can't believe how quickly I became fully invested in that story.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, it was all that sit down interview where Morgan cried.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. Between the two of them. And now you're getting to the point where it's like we had a segment on Monday Night Raw that Stephanie Vacair wasn't even involved with. This was Liv Morgan coming to the ring with Dominic Mysterio, which she had the great privilege of getting to do tonight. And Stephanie Vacair not only interrupting it, but that brawl breaking out. And it was quick, but it was impactful. That brawl breaking out that ends up with the two of them in the entryway, fighting, getting thrown into the big screen in gorilla position, brawling in gorilla position. Just, I mean a major, major spectacle. But I think it, it all goes to how big that Women's World Championship match has become and how quickly that. That's happened.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. I spent some time over the weekend actually going back and watching the WWE documentary that was done on Liv Morgan. And it followed, you know, her journey when she was with the Riot Squad and then kind of going off on her own and, you know, being just moments away from walking out of the curtain at Gorilla and finding out that her match was no longer happening. And Liv really had to scratch and claw to get to this point. And I think it did a really nice job of illustrating, you know, all of that history. And it's like you see Liv Morgan right now on our TV screen, and it's almost hard to believe that she was in that situation before, because she has come so so far. But her journey always had those sink or swim moments, right, where, like, that's one of the things about coming in with wwe. Yes, she had access to the best tr. Yes, she had access to the best facilities, but also, if you sink, you're not getting out.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, that's right.

[Big E]

Not at all. I think a lot of people have made the mistake of kind of getting lost in the veneer of Liv Morgan of the Dominic Mysterio of the cackle red carpets, all those things, put all those things to the side. This is one of the most determined individuals in our industry. This is a woman who puts the work in, who will spend time when she's not on the road, who will be in that ring training time and time again. She's dealt with injuries, multiple injuries. She's pushed through so much. She was not. When she came up on the main roster, she was not a focal point by any means when she was with the Riot Squad. Not a focal point by any means. She is someone who had to learn, who had to kind of, in many ways, do it on her own, who had to put in the extra work on her own to get there. And I feel like you see that now. And when I watch Raw, I saw a woman, the way she clawed at Stephanie, the way she was there to make a statement, her aggression, like this Liv Morgan. I think now that's what we're seeing, and that's what I love seeing, is we're not talking about her relationship. We're not talking about all the things that don't matter when we wipe all that away. We see a very determined woman. And look, I think the world of Stephanie as a. A talent, but she is. She's going to have to. To bring all of her grit, not just her technical ability, not just her skills, not just her. Her in all those things are Great. She's going to have to bring those. But ultimately, Stephanie is going to have to be gritty. She is going to have to dig deep. She might have to gouge out an eyeball. Because I, I, I'll tell you, I think Liv is willing and ready to do that. I think Stephanie needs to be able to look herself in the mirror and understand, like, where, where is my line? What line is it that I am unwilling to cross? And find out who you are very early. Before you go into this match with Liv Morgan, understand what you're willing to go to, what depths you're willing to dig down inside of yourself to go to, to beat Liv. Because I think we're gonna see a vicious, a nasty, a malicious, a determined liv Morgan come WrestleMania time.

[Sam Roberts]

I think that's 100% right. I'm glad that you're here to add analysis. Cause I need your opinion on this. We all know, I mean, you brought up Dominic Mysterio. We all know what happened to Dominic Mysterio in the intercontinental title. He lost it due to a curse that was placed on him by Dan Housen this week. We saw that curse rear its ugly head when it resulted in Grayson Waller, who was cursed last week at the hands of Kofi Kingston, pushed him, of course, Grace Waller losing to Javon Evans due to the curse.

[Megan Morant]

That Danhausen about the curse.

[Sam Roberts]

But, yeah, that's why he lost.

[Megan Morant]

I thought it was the, I thought it was the, the, the Super Cutter.

[Sam Roberts]

The OG Cutter. No, this time it was the curse. Do you e, in your professional opinion, are you worried about Ishow Speed? I show. Speed was cursed earlier tonight by Danhausen because he would not give Danhausen his login. Dan has actually, I think, had a pretty good idea, which was give me your login, and we could kind of do a co type of thing. And Ishowspeed turned him down, resulting in a curse. We've seen how ugly this can get, how bad it can get. Are you concerned for, for Ishowspeed safety?

[Big E]

Yes, Gravely. Gravely, the curse is real. I mean, you can, you can laugh, you can giggle, you can tee hee. All those things. We've seen the results, and you, you ran down many of them. I think Speed, if he shows up next week, I think he should be, he should be surrounded by security. I think he should have a, like a bubble boy kind of suit.

[Sam Roberts]

Smart.

[Big E]

I would, I would have a lot of protective devices around me just in case. But, yeah, I would be worried about Speed as, as you should, Danhausen. You know, people had certain things there was certain discussions online when he debuted, and I feel like those very quickly changed. Oh, yeah, we saw him on Raw. We saw the way he's been utilized on TV lately. I think Danhausen is someone I would not mess with. Whether it's Raw or smackdown, the curse is real. I don't mess around with curses or spirits or ghouls. I take all that serious. Hoodoo, voodoo, all the above. Yeah, I take them very seriously. So if I'm speed, I'm probably getting a vial of holy water around my neck and maybe. Maybe some garlic and a steak just in case. I don't know if Danhausen is an actual vampire, but it just. It couldn't hurt. Just be prepared for.

[Megan Morant]

Original Americano also was cursed.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, yeah. Grande original.

[Megan Morant]

Don't forget, there was Ryo and Bravo. They were hanging out back there, too.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, they. That would be part of the curse, I would imagine. Yeah, yeah, he was cursed and he lost. So, yeah, that's. The evidence is. The evidence is clear. So you're saying, like, if you were Candice Lerae, you wouldn't even try to get the $20 back that he took from her at smackdown? Remember, he was. He was offering to help Johnny. He asked for $20, and he disappeared. That $20 is gone.

[Big E]

It's gone. Don't worry about it. Don't. Don't harass him about it. It's a gift. Early birthday gift, I'd say.

[Sam Roberts]

That's it. Yeah, that's it. That's pretty smart. Well, Piggy, we truly value your professional opinion here, so we appreciate you being a part of wwe. Now Raw recap Once again, I cannot wait until next week. It's a Madison Square Garden Raw on the road to Wrestlemania. It can't get any bigger. We will be here to recap all of it. Make sure you're subscribed, make sure you're hitting, like, leaving comments, and we'll see you next week here on wwe. Now Raw recap. Support is available 247 with VRBoCare. We're here day or night, ready whenever you need help. Because a great trip starts with the right support. When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery, so you can keep your facility stocked, safe, and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.