Roman Reigns’ SHOCKING return ahead of SummerSlam: Raw Recap

Summary

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Raw Recap with Sam Roberts & Megan Morant

Episode: Roman Reigns’ SHOCKING return ahead of SummerSlam

Date: July 15, 2025
Podcast: WWE x Fanatics Podcasts

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Overview & Main Theme

This episode revolves around the stunning return of Roman Reigns on Monday Night Raw just ahead of SummerSlam. Hosts Sam Roberts and Megan Morant provide an in-depth, passionate breakdown of this week’s explosive Raw on Netflix, including on-site reactions, dissecting the new twists heading towards SummerSlam, and capturing candid moments with Superstars—most notably, a heartfelt interview with Nikki Bella about her singles return after seven years.

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Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Roman Reigns’ Electrifying Return & Shifting Raw Landscape

Timestamps: 01:20, 14:41, 65:03

• Immediate Reaction: Both Sam and Megan describe Roman’s return as a jaw-dropping moment that “changes everything.”
  • Sam (01:20): "We were standing up in our viewing suite slash my living room watching as this all goes down... Roman Reigns is going to come back."
• Impact on SummerSlam Card: With SummerSlam looming, Roman’s presence reshuffles Raw’s top scene.
  • The “OTC” (One True Chief) moniker is introduced, symbolizing his new era post-Bloodline.
  • Sam (03:37): “Roman Reigns reminds you like, no, no, no, no, no. Just because I'm not here doesn't mean I'm not here. This is still my house. This is still my table.”
• Interactions & Dynamics:
  • Pausing on Roman and Jey Uso’s interaction since Jey became World Heavyweight Champion, noting an evolution in their dynamic from tense to one of “almost equals.”
  • Discussion of Paul Heyman calling Bron Breakker "Big Dog" (04:24), with the hosts reacting to the retirement of the nickname for anyone but Roman.

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2. SummerSlam Picture—Mega Matches & Wild Speculation

Timestamps: 10:18, 13:14, 52:07

• Confirmed/Anticipated Matches:
  • Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena, CM Punk vs. Gunther, a Women’s Triple Threat (Naomi vs. Rhea Ripley vs. IYO SKY), and more.
  • Sam (13:14): “Can you imagine a stadium full of people in New Jersey losing their minds when CM Punk wins the World Heavyweight title?... Except it’s Gunther.”
• Fantasy vs. Reality:
  • Playful tension between thinking "of course CM Punk will win," yet Gunther remains a daunting champion.
  • Megan (13:41): “And reality is Gunther.”
• Wild Speculation:
  • The hosts enjoy indulging in “where could Roman fit, who challenges next, what about Heyman’s stable…,” keeping the tone light and speculative.

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3. Spotlight: Bron Breakker, Gunther, and the New Generation

Timestamps: 08:42, 11:39, 67:21

• Gauntlet Match Praise:

  • Sam applauds Bron Breakker for his stamina and ability to shine in long matches, comparing him to classic “Goldberg-style” monsters but with superior endurance.
  • Sam (11:39): “This is one of the reasons why Bron Breakker is so special... he’s got the athleticism and the gas... that allows him to just keep going and going... remarkable.”

• Dynamics with Heyman:

  • Noting the seeds of potential feuds: Bron vs. Gunther; question marks about Seth Rollins’ future and Heyman’s loyalties.

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4. Nikki Bella’s Emotional Singles Return – Exclusive Interview

Full Section: 23:34–44:52

Key Moments:

• On Returning After 7 Years:

  • Nikki shares open vulnerability and pride, recalling her nerves, ring rust, and the shock of nearly attempting her old “Rack Attack” finisher—the move that broke her neck.
    • Nikki (25:54): “It was like riding such an old bike that I went and put Chelsea up in my old Rack Attack. That broke my neck... What am I doing?”
  • Admits being “blown up” (winded) and the difference in wrestling conditioning post-motherhood.

• On Accepting Imperfection & Building Anew:

  • Nikki (31:26): “This era... is to give myself a lot of grace... even if I fall on my face, at least I know where I’m going to start and I know where I want to go.”
  • Will not shortcut her way to a title: “I want to earn that spot... I’m not there yet. So I’m going to build.”

• Women’s Evolution Reflections:

  • Both hosts and Nikki marvel at how the division has grown—Nikki isn’t guaranteed top spots anymore and welcomes working her way up among extremely talented newer stars (Bailey, Lyra, Raquel, Stephanie, Naomi).

• Motherhood Motivation:

  • Like Trish Stratus, Nikki is inspired to show her son Mateo “what made mommy” and says her dream is for him to one day watch her ringside.
  • Nikki (37:34): “He will always be first more than anything. But… to see me in the ring… that will be the highlight of my entire career.”

• On Competitors Chelsea Green & Piper Niven:

  • Nikki relishes eliminating Green and her crew, points out there’s unfinished business, and laughs with Megan about Megan’s Chelsea Green fandom.
    • Nikki (41:10): “She started to get under my skin when she kept calling me out on Twitter... I couldn’t get rid of her and her crew... tonight was just the beginning—it’s not over with Chelsea Green.”

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5. Raw Women’s Division – New Energy, Fresh Matchups

Timestamps: 49:03, 56:19, 63:18

• Naomi as Women’s World Champion:

  • Newly crowned, Naomi asserts her authority, calling out the “Raggedy Heifers of the Raw roster.”
    • Sam (49:03): “She did send a direct message to what she called... the Raggedy Heifers of the Raw roster. Making sure that the Raggedy Heifers proceed with caution.”
  • Ready-made tension with Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY, who also challenge her position.

• Triple Threat Announcement:

  • Sam (52:07): “At SummerSlam, we’re getting the Triple Threat Women’s World Championship on the line: Naomi, Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY.”

• First Hour of Raw:

  • Mega emphasis placed on women—“whole first hour, 90 minutes, however long it was, was all women.” (56:44)

• Fresh Talent & Generational Shifts (w/ guest Big E):

  • Lyra Valkyria, Raquel Rodriguez, and tag teams praised for evolving styles and responding to veteran advice (notably, Kevin Nash’s to Raquel).
  • Big E credits the women for pushing creative boundaries, urging the men’s division to step up (61:21).

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6. Memorable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |---|---|---| | 03:37 | “This is still my house. This is still my table. I’m still the one who puts the food on it.” | Sam Roberts (on Roman’s return) | | 06:33 | “Seeing Roman Reigns, the respect and the way he’s looking at Jay—and Jay not looking back in awe, but looking back like, ‘yes, you got it, because that is who I am.’” | Megan Morant | | 14:44 | “And then you see him and it’s better than you expected it to be.” | Megan Morant (on Roman’s entrance) | | 25:54 | “I went and put Chelsea up in my old Rack Attack. That broke my neck. What am I doing?” | Nikki Bella | | 31:26 | “This era…is to give myself a lot of grace.” | Nikki Bella | | 49:03 | “She did send a direct message to…the Raggedy Heifers of the Raw roster.” | Sam Roberts (on Naomi) | | 61:21 | “Truly think the women are setting the bar right now…Men, I’m telling you, let’s huddle up and let’s step up because the women are really leading this thing.” | Big E | | 65:03 | “Roman Reigns returns…still when Roman Reigns stands in that ring, like a hush falls over everything else and…time stands still.” | Sam Roberts |

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7. Insider Banter, Merch Mania & New Announcements

Timestamps: 17:07, 45:22, 47:23

• Hosts riff on the new OTC1 Roman Reigns merchandise line, the ever-evolving WWE Shop tee selection (including Solo Sikoa and Dominic Mysterio), and urge Craig (presumably a producer) to send over samples and belts.

• Sam (45:22): "There's a championship belt with Roman's face on it."

• Naomi’s Money in the Bank cash-in trading card (Topps Now) revealed to include actual caution tape, creating collector frenzy.

• Logan Paul’s "Impaulsive" joins the WWE/Fanatics podcast family.

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Guest Spotlights

Nikki Bella (23:34–44:52)

• Candidly reflects on physical/emotional challenges of her return, motivation as a mother, the evolution of women’s wrestling, and her desire to build from the ground up as an underdog.

Big E (53:22–70:08)

• Provides colorful analysis on Naomi’s confidence, the freshness of the women’s division, SummerSlam’s build, Roman Reigns’ return, and the significance of Bron Breakker’s star-making gauntlet match.

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Notable Timestamps

• 01:20 – Roman Reigns' return: hosts' live react
• 04:24 – Paul Heyman calls Bron Breakker "Big Dog"
• 06:33 – Roman-Jey Uso staredown
• 11:39 – Bron Breakker in the Gauntlet
• 13:14 – SummerSlam main event talk, Punk vs. Gunther fantasy vs. reality
• 23:34–44:52 – Nikki Bella interview: emotional, insightful, must-listen
• 49:03 – Naomi addresses “Raggedy Heifers” on Raw
• 52:07 – Triple threat women's title match officially made
• 56:44 – Big E on the loaded women’s first hour of Raw, rising stars
• 61:21 – Big E on women setting the bar, calling out the men’s division
• 65:03 – Roman Reigns' unmatched star power
• 67:21 – Bron Breakker’s star-making performance

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Episode Tone & Style

• Energetic, reverential, slightly irreverent, with athletic admiration and plenty of warm banter between the hosts and guests.
• The episode is fan-inclusive, high-energy, and unafraid to be emotionally raw—highlighting WWE’s current “fresh era” and the unpredictability of the post-Evolution landscape.

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Summary for the Uninitiated

This episode is a must for anyone invested in the road to SummerSlam and the modern evolution of WWE, especially the women’s division. It blends breaking analysis of Roman Reigns’ return, the elevation of Nikki Bella’s comeback, behind-the-scenes reflections on SummerSlam’s top matches, and unfiltered insights from current and past Superstars. The podcast is as much about change and reinvention (for both wrestlers and WWE's storytelling) as about nostalgia, hype, and the electric present of pro wrestling.

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Skip the ads, grab your merchandise, and get ready—the One True Chief is back, the women’s division is on fire, and SummerSlam is primed to be unforgettable.

Transcript

[Biggie]

David. Yes?

[Sam Roberts]

Have you ever noticed that the way we use our phones is ironic? Phones are for connection, but we look.

[Biggie]

At them more than we look at each other.

[Sam Roberts]

That's ironic. Griffin, it's like rain on your wedding day. Listen. That's ironic. So U.S. cellular created U.S. mode to help us reconnect, you and I.

[Biggie]

That's right.

[Sam Roberts]

A phone company wanting people to use their phones, less ironic. A phone company wanting people to use their phones, less ironic. But let's find US again with US mode from US Cellular. Visit uscellular.com built for us to get started. What are the other things that are ironic? The SummerSlam card is working itself out in front of our faces. We know so many title matches. And guess what? Roman Reigns is back. The OTC has returned, and we are here to recap it all. Welcome to the WWE Raw Recap A WWE and Fanatics original production. Oh, ones up, ones up.

[Megan]

Put them up, baby.

[Sam Roberts]

The OTC has returned. Monday Night Raw and Bum Bum Bum Bum. Oh, my God, bro. I mean, we were standing up in our viewing suite slash my living room watching as this all goes down. At the end of this gauntlet match, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed have CM Punk and Jey USO piled up, ready for a tsunami, and what happens? You know the rumors they've been buzzing, Roman Reigns going to come back. Roman Reigns going to come back. We're looking at the calendar. You don't even need to pay attention to the rumors. SummerSlam is on the horizon. Roman Reigns going to come back. But the question, and I've been asking this question on every show that I do. Where does he fit in? Where's he going to go? Who's he going to see Roman Reigns back? I mean, you know how he's my favorite wrestler? For Roman Reigns to come back and just wreck house again, and I'm all the. I'm going to tell you something about Roman Reigns.

[Nikki Bella]

Okay?

[Megan]

Tell me.

[Sam Roberts]

You've got Jay uso.

[Megan]

Yeet, yeet.

[Sam Roberts]

Exactly as popular as it gets. Figures out a way in a gauntlet match to still get his entrance run back. Okay. Unbelievable. CM Punk, one of the most popular superstars of all time, a connection with the fan base unlike anyone else. But what happens when Roman Reigns is in the ring?

[Megan]

It's Roman show, baby.

[Sam Roberts]

It's Roman Show. All the attention is on the OTC or the OTC one. I'm sure that that shirt, if it's not up already, should be on WWE Shop at Fanatics.

[Megan]

It's got to be.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, I I. To say I'm excited is an understatement. Last time we saw Roman was the Monday after Wrestlemania. He got laid out by the Rollins crew. Seth Rollins is out. Paul Heyman doesn't even want to talk about it. He says Seth has Irrelevant. Irrelevant because he says Seth has until June, next June, to cash in the briefcase. Except maybe it's more relevant than he thinks, because say his name and he appears. I believe in Roman Reigns after all these.

[Megan]

That's not how I think.

[Sam Roberts]

That's how it goes. After all the weeks of Paul Heyman honoring that name. As if you could just take his name in vain. Roman Reigns reminds you like, no, no, no, no, no. Just because I'm not here doesn't mean I'm not here. This is still my house. This is still my table. I'm still the one who puts the food on it.

[Megan]

It was such an interesting night for Paul Heyman, Bron Breaker, and Bronson Reed because we saw the backstage interaction. We've had questions about Seth Rollins all weekend long. The Internet is swirling with all kinds of rumors. Who knows what is going on? Who knows what is true?

[Sam Roberts]

Wild speculation is what it is.

[Megan]

That's correct. We love wild speculation.

[Sam Roberts]

We love wild speculation.

[Megan]

We're big fans of that. But Paul Heyman calling Bron Breaker Big Dog. Earlier in the night, we both looked.

[Sam Roberts]

At each other when he was like, bron Breaker is the Big Dog. We went, whoa. First of all, you don't use that nickname.

[Megan]

It's like whenever he. He says things like that, it's like nails on top.

[Sam Roberts]

Right, Right? Yeah.

[Megan]

Stop what you're doing. You go, what did he say?

[Sam Roberts]

You don't call Roman Reigns Big Dog anymore, but you don't call anyone else Big Dog. No, you know what I mean?

[Biggie]

Like, that's.

[Sam Roberts]

Once Roman is done with it, that's retired. He comes out with the shirt. I read it as OTC1. The Roman logo, then the T and the C and the one. Now, this is. I mean, this is an evolution that we're seeing in front of our faces. Like, you know, and we had this conversation about Roman coming off of the bloodline. What does he look like without the bloodline? Dealing with maybe all the people who still had resentments towards him. Now we're moving even further. But, Megan, I mean, we haven't seen the consequences of Paul Heyman's actions. We haven't seen the consequences of the actions of this Heyman group. We haven't seen any of it. We haven't heard from the otc. We Haven't. You know, this literally changes everything.

[Megan]

And then we also haven't seen Roman and Jay interact since Jay became World Heavy Heavyweight champion.

[Sam Roberts]

I'm so glad you brought that up. This moment when Roman kind of and Jay put their hands together, it was. And it was maybe the first time, you know, like I thought, when the bloodline was together at War Games, there was this respect towards Jay. But don't forget, like, Jay was the holdout. Roman had to. Roman wasn't sure that he wanted to put that kind of work in for it. When we saw Roman and Jay and the way they looked at each other, both Roman and Jay had a different expression than what that relationship is built on. It was an expression almost of equals.

[Megan]

Yeah. And that's changed so much because I remember heading in to War Games, Jay, that was a moment for him getting that entrance.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan]

But there was a lot of tension between Roman and Jay leading into that. And I mean, Jey uso has come so far. You pointed out how, how he got to run back his entrance during the Gauntlet match tonight. I think that showcases it. But then seeing Roman Reigns, the respect and the way he's looking at Jay and Jay not looking back in awe, but looking back like, yes, you got it. Because that is who I am.

[Sam Roberts]

You got it. That to me, I'm feel the exact same way. That, to me was almost like, bigger, right. That not only do you have Roman going, like, I see you, but Jay has broken free of that. That thing that would. That was like. It looked like every time Jay looked at Roman Reigns, the weight of the world was on his shoulders. But Jay now looks at Roman Reigns like, if we're cool, we're cool, but if we're not, just say so. Like, I'm, I'm Jey Uso. I won the world title at WrestleMania. Like, I, I, I've, I've done that. I'm in and now.

[Megan]

And I did that.

[Sam Roberts]

Right. And I did that by myself. And whether I have the championship right now or not, I'm now in that conversation, and I'm, I'm staying in that conversation. Like, he has, he has. He's leveled up. And Roman sees it, and Jay is aware of it, by the way, still.

[Megan]

Levels up without the title.

[Sam Roberts]

100%. That's what I mean. Like, you're now, you're in the club.

[Megan]

Yeah. So for all the people. Oh, Jay lost the title.

[Sam Roberts]

No, no, no, no, no, no. Look at that. You're in the club. You're in the club. And you see it when you see a moment like that, I mean, Heyman looking like he had seen a ghost. I thought. To tell you the truth, I thought Breaker was going all the way in the Gauntlet.

[Megan]

I know you were saying that we were watching it, and you kind of had me convinced a little bit. Like, heading into the night, I was like, oh, it's got to be Punk. Right?

[Sam Roberts]

I do that. And then I tell you you're wrong and I'm right, and here's why. And then you believe me. And as it turns out, you were right and I was wrong. That's usually the way it works.

[Megan]

Start believing in myself. But, yeah, Bron Breaker, I mean, he was very convincing. And I think a lot of the hype leading into it, and we talked about that. That backstage where Heyman referred to him as Big Dog, and. And all of that, it had me sold, and it kind of had me wanting to see Bron Breaker against Gunter. Dangled it in front of us.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. And that's not to say it's going away. I'm all about the dynamics, though. And by the way, there are interesting dynamics, obviously, with CM Punk versus Gunther. That's a mega match, number one.

[Megan]

And we talked to Gunther a little bit about CM Punk.

[Sam Roberts]

Right.

[Megan]

He said, that's not going away.

[Sam Roberts]

He said, that's not going away. But he really was unfazed by it. Yeah, he really was. Once talking, once you retire Bill Goldberg, like, it doesn't seem like. He says he doesn't know what the issue is. He's in a great mood.

[Megan]

That was so awesome.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, I don't understand why do you. What's wrong with you guys? I'm in a great mood.

[Megan]

And I love how when Gunter says he's in a great mood, just kind of, like, with a scowl.

[Sam Roberts]

Right, right, right. And then. But then when Bron Breaker.

[Megan]

A great mood for him. Looks like.

[Sam Roberts]

It does. It does. It's a stoic. There's. There's a stoicism to his great moods. And then when Paul Heyman goes my name and he goes, I. I know. I know what your name is. I'm gonna leave. But they stuck around, and we. And we started to plant the seeds. That. That's a. That was part of it. Right. Like, first of all, the dynamic of, I don't know, let's say Seth Rollins comes back, and Braun Breaker is now leveled up, and Bron Breaker is the one that's challenging Gunther for the championship. What does that look like? I'm interested in that dynamic.

[Megan]

Yeah, I'm interested also. Like how Seth would feel about Paul Heyman saying, like, you know, Bron Breaker is going to be the next World Heavyweight Champion and he's going to have a long reign.

[Sam Roberts]

And what if it's now? What if it's not in the future? What if now is the future? I'm interested in that. At the same time, I'm interested in the fact that, like, there's a bigger story that's happening right now. This idea. And then Bron Breakker going through, almost going through the entire match, only losing at the very end. People generally in pro wrestling that are built like Bron Breaker, that move like Bron Breaker, that compete like Bron Breaker, those are human beings that are built for Goldberg style matches. They wrestle for three minutes, they wrestle for five minutes. That level of intensity, to watch Bron Breaker just take that entire last, however long it was and just go through the top names that WWE has. This is. This is one of the reasons why Braun Breaker is so special, because not only does he have that sort of, you know, the intensity of that classic wrestling monster, but he's got the athleticism and the gas, you know, the. The air in his. In his lungs that allows him to just keep going and going and going and going. It's. It's. It's remarkable.

[Megan]

And think about the last week for Breaker, too. I mean, like last week on Raw, he. He takes the mic. We all thought we were going to hear from Seth.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan]

It's like, is this okay?

[Sam Roberts]

Right?

[Megan]

What's.

[Sam Roberts]

And it was like, okay, okay.

[Megan]

And then a week later, the performance in the Gauntlet match, hearing the words.

[Sam Roberts]

From Paul Heyman, I mean, he really strikes me as the type that, that when he gets put on a. On a stage to perform, he takes full advantage of it. Like, there is no moment too big for Bron Breaker. I don't think it's just a matter of right place, right time, and boom, we're off to the races. CM Punk, though, is a guy who has been back. Now it'll be. What will it be? Three years at Survivor Series? Two years or three? Three.

[Megan]

No, two.

[Sam Roberts]

Two.

[Megan]

Two.

[Sam Roberts]

Two year. Two years. Yes.

[Megan]

Yes, it's two.

[Sam Roberts]

Two. But he hasn't. He hasn't won the world title. He hasn't been the WWE Champion. And this idea that now it's like, okay, we go to SummerSlam. First of all, seeing CM Punk wrestle on Monday Night Raw is still a big deal. He beats Bron Breakker. We're now going to SummerSlam with Gunther versus CM Punk. And this is the Classic story, man. I've been. I've been talking about Gunther. And of course we're doing it again. I can already feel it. We're going into SummerSlam. And what are we saying? Of course CM Punk's gonna win, right? Like, of course. Like, he's the goodest of. Like, he's the best. Good guy. Everybody cheers for him. We all love CM Punk.

[Biggie]

He's.

[Sam Roberts]

It's going to be a moment. I mean, can you imagine a stadium full of people in New Jersey losing their minds when CM Punk wins the World Heavyweight title? If I ever heard of a stadium main event. That sounds like one, except it's Gunther.

[Megan]

I hate that you're bringing this up, because you are. Right?

[Sam Roberts]

Because what. Because what is the story that you're telling yourself? It's a fantasy.

[Megan]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

And it's a fun fantasy.

[Megan]

And it's what we want.

[Sam Roberts]

And I'm with you.

[Megan]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

But then there's reality.

[Megan]

And reality is Gunter.

[Sam Roberts]

Right? Right. And that, to me, is the compelling thing. But now you've got. Right, you've got. We know our women's championship matches, which we'll get into later. You got Cody Rhodes and John Cena, you have CM Punk and Gunther, you have Jelly Roll, who I'm assuming will be putting on a singlet. He's going to be wrestling.

[Megan]

I hope it's a singlet.

[Sam Roberts]

And now the OTC is back. Roman Reigns is back. All of a sudden, this show just became this massive thing, like, right under our noses. It's just like, look at all the pieces as they're laid out. Oh, and here comes Roman Reigns there, man. It just. It almost transports you when that music comes on and you're like, oh, my God, we're gonna see him. Don't you feel that way? A hundred percent, yes. Oh, my God. We're gonna.

[Biggie]

He's gonna.

[Sam Roberts]

No, we're not gonna. He's not gonna grace us with his presence, is he?

[Megan]

And then you see him and it's better than you expected it to be.

[Sam Roberts]

Always is.

[Megan]

And then he gets in the ring, and when he does the ooh.

[Sam Roberts]

Right.

[Megan]

It just feels right.

[Sam Roberts]

Cause you go, he couldn't still have all that aura. There's no way he could still have all that aura. He couldn't have taken the. He's got more aura.

[Megan]

And there's part of me, like Bron Breakers, Spears have really been stealing all of our attention.

[Sam Roberts]

You. By the way, I remember back in the days of the Bump. If anybody remembers that little show.

[Megan]

I remember it.

[Sam Roberts]

You would tell me That I remember back in those days, you were telling me Bron Breaker had the best spear in the business.

[Megan]

I mean, he claimed he did.

[Sam Roberts]

But what happens? Braun does. Braun. Braun has the fastest spirit in the business. Bronze.

[Megan]

I show speed.

[Sam Roberts]

Exactly right. Bronze spears look like they'll cut you in half. Bronze spears come out of nowhere. But what about the aura?

[Megan]

No one is better than Roman Reigns when it comes to aura.

[Sam Roberts]

You're.

[Megan]

You're right.

[Sam Roberts]

It's our tribal chief, our OTC one.

[Megan]

I'm glad he's back. It felt good. It felt really good.

[Sam Roberts]

I hope he's sticking around for a while.

[Megan]

I mean, I was still riding on the high of the surprise of Naomi cashing in last night.

[Sam Roberts]

I know.

[Megan]

To get another surprise. I mean, this is different because I. I want to say, like, no one saw it coming. We all knew Roman was going to come back, right?

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, at some point, maybe. At some point. I believe there was a scenario where he doesn't come back and then surprises us at SummerSlam. That's happened before.

[Megan]

Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

But to just be like, oh, what's on Raw tonight?

[Biggie]

Bum, bum, bum.

[Sam Roberts]

And you're like, yeah, here we go. Welcome to the summer. And Triple H said it at the press conference last night after Evolution, we're starting some new stuff tomorrow. Like, I can't wait for the rest of the summer. He said, I can't wait for the fall. Roman Reigns, his face is on those. I've seen the Survivor Series tickets. San Diego for Survivor Series. I've seen the posters. Roman Reigns on that poster. Is Roman Reigns sticking around for a little while? Because if so, buckle up. Oh, I'm locked in. I am so locked in. But we had another. And by the way, by the way, I do want to say before we get to another very special moment that I was talking about the. The OTC one.

[Megan]

Yeah, the shirt T shirt.

[Sam Roberts]

Hopefully that's up. You know, obviously I didn't get a chance to go to WWE shop before we start. Cause I've just been in a Roman Reigns tizzy. My little emotions are in a tornado right now. Hopefully that's up. I do know that if you go over to WWE shop right now, you can check out all the new Superstar T shirts that have just dropped. Dominic Mysterio. He was wearing it around his waist. Have you seen it? The rib cage championship T shirt. It's like his ribs. Which by the way, even the X Ray looks good with the Intercontinental Championship on the shirt.

[Megan]

The doctor doesn't think the X Ray looks good because he's apparently not medically cleared.

[Sam Roberts]

He's not medically cleared.

[Megan]

Looked ready to go tonight.

[Sam Roberts]

That he explained that that was adrenaline. But what I'm saying is the shirt that he had, you could get the shirt. I'm talking about the. Wait, have you seen Solos new the mft. You got to get the MFT T shirt. I need it with the faces on it and it says my. It says MFT on the bottom of it. I mean, we saw, we got to see. Oh, and I am getting word OTC1 is available right now. Go to WWE Shop and Fanatics OTC1. By the way, somebody tell Craig to have them send me that OTC1T shirt stat. And if there's a hoodie, I want the hoodie too. I want the whole OTC1 line. Craig, get on it, get on it, get on it. Craig. Of course, the carrying Cross and Scarlet T shirt we saw carrying Cross and Scarlet today. Blake Monroe and the crew. Craig wants the shirts too. Everybody wants OTC1 shirt. Everybody who's working on raw recap. OK, if I'm going to put my name behind this show, I want everybody take that in OTC1 shirts and Blake Monroe. Blake Monroe has a new shirt which I probably. Jordan Grace doesn't. Isn't invested in, but maybe you're invested in WWE Shop and Fanatics. And while we're talking about Fanatics, we have a new member of the family. Logan Paul is a member of the WWE Fanatics original production family. It was announced today that Logan Paul's Impulsive has officially joined the WWE and Fanatics podcast family. I mean, this is one of the biggest podcasts in the world. So many memorable episodes. Lots of WWE Superstars have been on that show, but also people who aren't WWE Superstars. It's, it's, it's a, it's a big deal. You can still subscribe to impulsive on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. Wherever you get your podcast, stay on the impulsive YouTube channel. You know, it's not going to get complicated like that, but it's now joining us in the family. You can actually check out a brand new episode right now with guest Kane Brown. Kane Brown is on the show right now. Not Kane. Undertaker's brother Kane. Kane Brown is on Logan Paul's Impulsive right now. And welcome Logan Paul to the family. You know, after he taught me here on Raw recap how to spread tomato sauce on a pizza with a piece of pepperoni, I thought I felt like that was at least, at least a cousin thing to do. You know what I mean? Like, I started to feel like there was a familial bond being built.

[Megan]

He does seem like the cousin that your parents are like, you know, maybe, maybe we don't hang out with him too much.

[Sam Roberts]

He's a bad influence. Yeah, like, like your mom calls. Like your mom has to call your aunt to be like, you can't leave the kids alone.

[Megan]

But mommy's so cool.

[Sam Roberts]

He's so cool. He's got all the cool jackets. Mom. Anyway, check out impulsive, very cool moment on RAW tonight, Nikki Bella's first singles match in, I think it was almost seven years. And what? She's joining us. Oh. Here on Raw Recap. If you gimme a minute, folks, I'd like to talk to you about. About aging. Look, it freaks me out too. I don't like feeling the symptoms of aging, whether it's you. You notice your sleep is getting a little worse, you got a lack of energy, stiff joints, you're just not moving like you used to. Maybe get abnormal blood work. It's not great news. And look, we can't do anything about aging. We're all going to age. But we can age in a healthy way. Healthy aging has become something that I'm very focused on. And thanks to C15 from Fatty 15, they're making it easy, right? C15 from Fatty 15 is the first emerging essential fatty acid to be discovered in more than 90 years. It's an incredible scientific breakthrough to support our long term health and wellness. And you guessed it, what are we talking about here? Healthy aging. Listen. Based on over 100 studies, we now know that C15 strengthens our cells and is a key healthy aging nutrient which helps to slow biological aging at the cellular level. In fact, when our cells don't have enough C15, they become fragile and they age faster. And when our cells age, guess what else ages our bodies? Everybody sees it. We feel it. It's the worst. That's why fatty 15 is gonna get you that C15 you need. Best of all, fatty 15 comes in gorgeous, reusable. It's like a glass bamboo jar. And refills, they're shipped right to your door. Fatty 15 is on a mission to to optimize your C15 levels to help support your long term health and wellness, especially as you age. You can get an additional 15% off their 90 day subscription starter kit by going to fatty15.com RAW recap and using code RAW recap at checkout. That's fatty5.com RAW recap use code RAW Recap the World is full of tours, but you don't choose a Toyota truck to follow the beaten path. You choose it to find the places in between the detours, where each adventure pulls you toward the next. And wrong turns turn out right. So why would you ever take a tour when you could take a detour? Toyota trucks. Well, let's welcome in our first guest tonight on the Raw recap who made her return to Monday Night Raw in a singles match for the first time, I think they said, in almost seven years, Nikki Bella. Welcome, Nikki, how are you?

[Nikki Bella]

Oh, I'm good. I think I'm still blown up. So hopefully, you know, people, you know, understand that I was gone for seven years, but, wow, I'm feeling a lot of emotions right now. A lot.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, what. Yeah, what are those emotions? I'm sure that, like, I mean, we've never been in the ring, but I'm sure that there is a stark difference between coming back and wrestling in a battle royal at Evolution and then going in and not for a short period of time for. For a lengthy match, having a singles match on raw. How did it feel and how do you feel?

[Nikki Bella]

So, overall, it truly felt amazing. The crowd was incredible. I mean, my Bella army is truly one of the greatest fandoms in history in the world. And our fans, our W Universe, are what make matches so great. So the energy in that arena was absolutely amazing. You know, this is where I love. Where I'm at in life is the old me. I've always been very competitive. I've been born and raised an athlete. I was a competitive soccer player, and then I got into wrestling from that. And I've done sports my whole life. And one thing where I've been successful is I put a lot of pressure on myself. And at times I could be hard on myself. But where I'm at now is I knew I wasn't going to go in tonight and be perfect. I knew I wasn't going to be an EO Sky, I wasn't going to be a Rhea Ripley. I wasn't going to be a Bailey. I wasn't even going to be a Chelsea Green. But what I did know going in there is, was give it your best. It's been seven years. You've had a baby, you haven't been in that ring. And, you know, people don't understand how hard it is to be in there. I mean, one wrestling conditioning is different than anything. Even if you're going to train for the Olympics, there is something different in what we do. So I was very blown up But I gave it my all. And what's crazy is everyone kept telling me backstage, it's going to be like riding an old bike. Well, yeah, it was like riding such an old bike that I went and put Chelsea up in my old Rack Attack. That broke my neck. And what was weird is I haven't hit that since 2016. So it was weird that I naturally turned her and put her up in the slight second I go, this is what broke my neck. What am I doing?

[Sam Roberts]

Wow.

[Megan]

Yes.

[Nikki Bella]

And I have not done. Even when I came back from my broken neck, I never did that. I never once did that. So tonight it was very weird to me how so quickly naturally Spender and she said she just was like, are you okay? But that was very wild to me and also is pissed me off.

[Sam Roberts]

But, yeah, that muscle memory kicks in. But I think too, like, that's the thing about you coming back after all this time that I think we have a tendency of, like, when we're just quickly thinking back on your career, we just think of highlight, highlight, highlight. I don't even know if people remember that you were away with a broken neck and. And that that move was such a part of you, but something that you had to completely alter.

[Nikki Bella]

Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

When you got back. So you're saying that the muscle memory just kind of kicked in, and you're sitting there mid match on Netflix in front of 10,000 people, and you're like, I'm gonna break my neck again. Because I'm just caught up in the moment.

[Nikki Bella]

I totally. And it's crazy because at the Battle Royale, I hit Chelsea with the Rack Attack 2.0. But tonight, it was weird being in that singles form, that feeling of like, I'm going to win this. And it took me back to the Rack Attack, the OG and when I had that slight thing of this is what broke my neck. I can't believe this for a second. I go, but you might be fine if you just hit it this way. And then I'm really happy that I didn't. And things. You know what? We. We are sports entertainment. Just like in football, in soccer, and whatever it may be, we have these moments where we're not perfect. And so I still got the victory, and that is what counts. And I'm very happy for that. And, hey, now I know I now I have a foundation of where I'm at right now. And the greatest thing is I'm just going to be building from there. I'm going to be here for a while, and now I have somewhere to go. And I. I'm going to. I'm going to build.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, there's. There's two questions I have coming off of that, and one is that yet this does. Because they said, look, Nikki Bell is back. She's having the singles match with Chelsea Green. It wasn't like, hey, we have this specialty thing here. It was almost like, oh, now we get to. Now we get to kind of watch the rebuild as you. As. As we look at what a real run might look like in 2025. But also, I mean, just the way you described what you just described. Just the fact that. And I think that a lot of people don't, especially in. In our position where we're fans and we're watching, we don't factor in this idea that, like, your adrenaline is kicked up to a thousand. You've just got your wind back, right? Because you're blown up for this whole time. There's everybody in the world watching you, and you have to now realize, well, I'm in a position I don't want to be in. I have to make the split second decision either maybe I'm going to break my neck, or maybe I'm going to get embarrassed. And you have to decide in that moment what. What's. What's going to hurt worse, longer, Totally.

[Nikki Bella]

And it's crazy that, you know, this has been. What's such a beauty about being a mom is Mateo's over everything. So it's like, I'm not going to chance this. I. I'm gonna just get embarrassed. And I chose that. And I was like, those moments are so embarrassing. And they just are like, ah. Like, I had to prove a point tonight. And sometimes just those little things can take away everything that you just did. Thankfully, there was more of a woman of the hour, Stephanie, that came in and saved me. So I was like, okay, just got my butt kicked. But I'm so happy that someone's here. If it's not Bre, there's no one else I'd want than another fellow Latina, Stephanie. So. But yeah, it's. I'm going to be thinking about it all week. I'm going to probably have to do breath work, call my life coach, get through this. But also, I. Now I know where I'm at. We can go train in the dungeon with Natalia and all these people, and we could train, but you never know where you're really at until you get in that ring and you have an opponent. And by the way, Chelsea's a tough opponent. Now. We've seen her a Different life. But she's a great wrestler and so. And she's too badass woman on the side, so it's not easy. And then like you said, with nerves and adrenaline, that is just like an immediate cotton mouth that you're like, I'm so hydrated, but how do I not feel like I haven't had water in weeks?

[Megan]

Yeah, well, Nikki, you've been really on, like, such a roller coaster, you know, coming back to wwe, coming off of Evolution, you had a huge media tour last week, and then tonight everything kind of hits you and you're just being so raw and authentic with us. And I love how you come here and you just. You call it what it is. You're. You're not gloating over the victory.

[Sam Roberts]

You're just little gloating, little gloating. Still got the dub.

[Megan]

Still got the dub, which is very important. But, you know, I love how real you're being right now because it just shows the competitive nature. I mean, you're Nikki Bella. You've accomplished everything there is to accomplish in this industry. People like, fans like me, and then even Stephanie Vauquere, I mean, she grew up idolizing and watching you, and tonight you're walking away not happy and not satisfied. So how do you move forward?

[Nikki Bella]

You know, I told myself in this era of Nikki and in that ring and outside the ring is to give myself a lot of grace. You know, life goes by fast and we really have to look at these moments. And I appreciate it. I appreciate the fact that I still have it at the point that I can have a match on Monday Night Raw. And I. And. And maybe it's now being older and wiser that it's like the old me would have just been so upset for so long about it. But now I'm like, okay, now I know where I'm at. I've kind of been eager for that since I came back at the Royal Rumble. I've been waiting for opportunities to really see where I'm at. And, you know, I got offered this match after the battle royal last night, and I was like, I'm going to take it. I'm going to take this opportunity because I want to know where I'm at. And, you know, even if I fall on my face, at least I know where I'm going to start and I know where I want to go. And I'm just going to remind myself. I mean, I know I'm going to have some low moments and I'm going to have to either call Brie and Be like, okay, Barisa, tell me good things about myself real quick. But I'm kind of now excited to know where I'm going, where I'm. Where I need to start, what I need to work on. I knew, like, I really wanted to win at Evolution. I wanted to win that Battle Royal. But Stephanie wanted. She's in championship shape. She is ready to go take that championship. I am a Hall of Famer. I have had an incredible career, but I haven't been in that ring in seven years. I am not in championship. I want to get there, and I'm going to work there. I'm going to earn that spot. Because the day I finally get a title shot, an opportunity is because I've earned it and I'm ready and I'm going to win it. And I'm not there yet. So I'm going to build. And that's the beauty of our business. This division is so incredible. But how fun for fans that some of us that come in and we got to build. We're the underdogs. And I'm. I haven't been an underdog in so long, but I'm an underdog now, and I'm ready to have my behind me and get a title opportunity at some point, but it's not now.

[Sam Roberts]

And I think, too, that, I mean, it really showcases what's going on in this division, that there was a time when a legend comes back and it's like, clear the field, give the legend whatever they want. But, like, like you said, fans get to see you work for everything that you get now and work in this environment that we haven't seen you in before. Because just because the division has changed so much in just the last five years. You know, I've said before, I always love when somebody who's like a Hall of Famer comes back, except it goes beyond just coming back for a match or a wave or just like a dose of nostalgia. I think it's really cool when a Hall of Famer comes back to start another chapter. Like this thing that we didn't know that we were getting. It's like the story. You thought the story was over, but the story's not over. Do you feel like, is that what we're getting with. With Nikki Bella? Is there another chapter that we're starting?

[Nikki Bella]

Yes. Thank you, Sam, also for those words. And, yeah, that's exactly what you're getting. That's. I didn't want this comeback to just be a moment. That's a highlight reel for night. And then I'm gone. I truly came back here to get out of my comfort zone, to test myself and to see what I have in a brand new division, how I can prove myself, prove something to myself of how can I hang in this division? How far can I go? What can I do? I've been a professional athlete since 2007. And the thing about professional wrestling, I don't even know why we use the word retirement, because none of us ever retire. None of us men, women, it's just. It's wrestling never dies inside of us. The passion is always there. And since Liv came at me over a month ago, that fire just started burning. And I'm like, my soul is telling me we're not done here yet. And being an athlete, I want to gain respect. I don't want anything to be handed to me. I want it earned. My career, I earned it being an entrepreneur and where I'm at as a businesswoman, I earned everything. I've never been handed anything as a mom. I am hands on. And everything I do, I don't have help. I do it all. And I want to do that on this run. I really want to prove myself. I want to earn my spot. I want the people behind me because they've seen the work put in and they see what I can do. I don't. I. Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan]

I feel like we were all so empowered after this weekend. And then, you know, kicking off Monday Night Raw tonight, it was over the first hour, and Sam and I look at each other and we're like, man, it's been all women's matches.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan]

Which is incredible. One of the themes, really, of the weekend, I talked to Trish Stratus for a little while, and she was telling me about how amazing it would be, you know, to win a singles championship in front of her daughter. And really she wanted to make a statement to her daughter. You don't have to be fit into one box. You can always reinvent yourself. And so now your son Mateo gets to watch his mom wrestle. Does that add anything to this version of Nikki Bella knowing that Mateo's at home watching?

[Nikki Bella]

Oh, my gosh. He's. He's honestly the main reason why I've wanted to come back. Because just like Trish, some of us who've been in this business for a long time and have pretty much done it majority of our life, when we have our children and they start to grow and gain these personalities and start to realize who they are, you want to share what made you you. I want my son to be ringside and see what Mommy's made of, what mommy's done her entire life. I want to have those moments with him, and he is such a big reason of why I'm here. And it's cute because he tunes in. Now. I haven't brought him in person because I'm waiting for that moment where I want him to be ringside and. And see me, and I want to be proud of that. And. And, you know, I want that with Bri one day, too, because, I mean, we call our boys pretty much spiritual twins. We had them 22 hours apart.

[Sam Roberts]

Wow.

[Nikki Bella]

We both always talked about these dreams of, like, seeing our boys sitting there watching us two together, like, it's incredible. And there's nothing like being a mom. He will always be first more than anything. But my goodness, to sit there and look at him see me in the ring, that will be the highlight of my entire career for my entire life.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, that's. That's one thing that not a lot of people get to experience. Another thing that many have never experienced is you almost experienced the Devil's Kiss. Oh. Last night in the battle royal. I mean, you escaped it, but, like, there was a moment where we thought it was going down, and we were sitting in the audience going like, oh, my God, this is going to happen to Nikki.

[Megan]

We're big fans of the Devil's Kiss here on this show.

[Sam Roberts]

We are, we are. But, I don't know, I like it when you're locked in that thing.

[Nikki Bella]

You're locked in. There's nowhere to go.

[Sam Roberts]

Is that right?

[Nikki Bella]

Yeah, it's like. It's crazy, the feeling. The minute, like, she jumps up from behind you and locks you in, you're like, oh, my gosh. It's like getting caught in a web. And you're like, I can't get out. And, yeah, I thought that was it. And, you know, there was a second that went in my head. I'm like, see, she came on our podcast, and my sister manifested this because Bri said to her, oh, I hope one day you put the Devil's Kiss on Nikki. Yes. So I was like, thanks, brief, for manifesting that. And, like, even though Chelsea right now is, like, my nemesis, but somehow she broke that, I think for her own selfish reasons. But, yeah, that was. That was crazy.

[Sam Roberts]

What was it? What's it? What's it like? I don't know if mentally or physically, it hurts more when, like, you win your first match back. It's all happening right now. You're still in the ring. It's over. You go through what you go through. You're catching your wind. And then a giant truck named Piper Niven runs over you. Immediately. Like, it really legit. Look like you turned around, didn't see it coming, and it was just human contact. You're on the ground.

[Nikki Bella]

It's like someone kicking you in the guts. And you get winded, and for some reason, you're forced to get up. And then you get taken out even harder. It's like, can I just catch my breath? At that point, I had no breath to get. I was feeling a lot of emotions because of my finisher. So I can't. I hear. I'm loss of breath, and I'm having, like, an emotional part. Like, I'm so excited for my win, but I want it, you know, like, why did I do that? And then you get taken out. And then not just taken out. I'm like, can I. Like, why are they kicking my ass so bad? How did I. Like, I need someone. Yeah. I had no. Nothing left in me to breathe. There was, like, no breath at all that whole time.

[Megan]

You sang her praises earlier, but as Chelsea Green. I mean, you've only been back for a little while, but has she really started to get under your skin and annoyed you the way she annoys everybody?

[Sam Roberts]

What do you mean? What do. What do you mean everybody? Nikki, did you see the T shirt that Megan is literally wearing right now? Well, I just.

[Megan]

I saw she had a match, and, you know, I do.

[Sam Roberts]

Like, it's literally a Chelsea Green T shirt. I don't know what, like. Well, you know, she's like, what are you talking about?

[Nikki Bella]

She annoys you, right?

[Megan]

But, you know, it's clean. I just got back from Atlanta, and.

[Sam Roberts]

That was just the one clean shirt.

[Megan]

I didn't have enough laundry.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, you didn't have your Bella shirt. Fearless.

[Megan]

I wore it this weekend. It wasn't clean.

[Sam Roberts]

And we don't believe you. We do not believe you.

[Nikki Bella]

Don't believe.

[Sam Roberts]

We don't believe you.

[Nikki Bella]

She really is in trouble, Sam. She started to get under my skin skin when she kept calling me out on Twitter and Instagram.

[Megan]

Oh, she does that.

[Nikki Bella]

And it's like one of those things, like, are you just gonna keep DMing someone? Like, you're not getting a response.

[Sam Roberts]

Let's move on.

[Nikki Bella]

And she wouldn't stop talking about me. And then being in the battle royal with her last night, I'm like, I just couldn't get rid of her and her crew. I'm like, oh, my gosh. Like, I just want to win this thing. And so I'm actually very proud that I eliminated all of them. Of course, with Piper, I had helped with Stephanie, but when you. If you look back, I eliminated them all. So to be in my place tonight and then how everything went down, I'm, like, so annoyed at her, and I'm like, this isn't over. Like, tonight was just the beginning, but it's not over with Chelsea Green. I'm not ending a match with someone like that. No, no, no. She got lucky. Still lost, still, but still, it's just the beginning. Like, she. I mean, if she stops showing up here, well, I'm gonna have to show up to smackdown. But knowing, like, how you said how annoying they are, I'm sure they're going to keep showing up to her. I mean, anywhere. I mean, I should actually probably get. I don't know. She'll probably end up showing up at a winery in Napa.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. It's relentless. It's relentless is what it is. Listen, Nikki, thank you so much for joining us. I mean, I love that not only are you back, not only are we going forward with it, not only are we writing this chapter, but we're starting to see something. I'm. I'm. I'm smell. I see multiple women on one side of the table, I see, all of a sudden, Stephanie Vicara, Nikki Bella over here. On the other side of the table, I see big, big premium live events in our future. I just. There's so much potential.

[Nikki Bella]

There is.

[Sam Roberts]

I don't want to get ahead of myself.

[Nikki Bella]

You know, the. The road ahead is looking very, very good. And, you know, I think that's kind of great for the women's division right now is some fresh stuff.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Nikki Bella]

Like, evolution gave some things some buttons, and I think it's time to move on. And now it's time to see people squaring off to others. And I loved seeing Naomi here tonight, no matter how much chaos she causes. And I will always proceed with caution, but Naomi will always be one of my girls. That is my OG Total diva. She's been around even before Total divas. We've been there together, so it was fun to see your show tonight. I'm so excited for that triple threat summer slam. I mean, it's going to be amazing. And that Bailey and Lyra match, oh, so good. I mean, I was looking going, wait, I have to follow this. I haven't wrestled for seven years, and I don't follow this. I was, like, thinking I was getting ripped. I'm like, I'm for sure getting Ripped this. It had to be a full on rib. They put every single badass Raw woman on the card tonight.

[Sam Roberts]

Yep.

[Nikki Bella]

All were incredible. And I had to go after all of them. I mean, I should have been the opener. What the heck? Sitting there like. And I'm like, don't get in your head. But why am I going last?

[Megan]

Well, you've gotten in Sam Roberts head after you told me he. He got a glow up. He has not stop talking.

[Sam Roberts]

I told everybody. Just so you know, I told everybody.

[Nikki Bella]

That Sam Roberts got a clue up. Those were the exact words I've told it.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, everybody.

[Megan]

I think Sam clipped it off and plays it every morning.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. Just to myself. Just. Yeah. It's my words of affirmation.

[Megan]

You know what?

[Nikki Bella]

I love that affirmations are very important. I'm going to have a lot more the next time I compete.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. Well, I can't wait to see it. Nikki, thank you so much.

[Nikki Bella]

Thank you guys so much. Bye.

[Sam Roberts]

Amazing having Nikki Bella on, especially that candid and talking about everything that's going on. Really, really cool. And I really can't wait to see what that next chapter is in the career of Nikki Bella. But also, like, I'm glad you took a couple of the questions there because I got very, very distracted while. It's not my fault. Well, it's not my fault. While we were doing it was Alex Metz. While we were doing it, he texted me a picture of the OTC1 line.

[Megan]

Alex, we're trying to work here.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, I wasn't able to go to WWE Shop because I was talking to Nikki Bella, but there's a belt too. There's a championship belt with Roman's face on it. Oh, like it's not even like they just changed the strap. Like there's a whole face on it. I'm just saying, like, of course you can go to WWE Shop and Fanatics to get all this stuff, but also like, this is a fanatics studio at this point.

[Megan]

Where you going to put the belt?

[Sam Roberts]

They got to send me a belt. We need a belt here. We need a Roman Reigns belt and probably the gloves too. Probably the gloves.

[Megan]

All of it.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, we need the whole thing.

[Megan]

Craig, get.

[Sam Roberts]

What are you waiting for? Craig?

[Megan]

Check out the studio. Yeah. Enough stuff around here.

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, I hope. I wonder if they'll do a top snail card for Roman Reigns. You know, these tops now card. We do. I didn't even want to tell you this off the air because you're going to be. You're going to be so excited when I Tell you, I saw it earlier today what Tops now is doing with some of the stuff going on at Evolution. So, you know, we talk. We've talked about. We talk about the Tops now cards all the time. Whenever there's a big moment, Topps makes a card for a trading card for it that's only available for a few days. You get it. You get it. If it's after a few days, you'll. You'll never see it again. They print it. It's made to order, and it's done. But they also make limited edition, if you're lucky, parallels, different colors. Sometimes they're autographed. Sometimes. So we were talking about this. Lots of different moments happening at Saturday night's main event and at Evolution. Goldberg is getting a Tops now card.

[Megan]

I think Bill Goldberg.

[Sam Roberts]

Bill Goldberg is getting a Tops now card. I think we're talking about that on the Evolution recap. But the card will have a short print chase that features his final spear. So if you order the Goldberg card, a few people who order that card will be the lucky ones that get the super limited edition with a different picture on it, which would be the picture of him spearing Gunther. Now we know, and we speculated upon this wildly. Naomi is 100% getting her tops now cash in.

[Megan]

I got to get this one.

[Sam Roberts]

Okay. You're going to have to get more than one, because the deal is like, the more you get them, hopefully more likely you are to get one of these limited edition ones. And I don't even want to say this on the show because I don't want people finding out about it because I want to have better odds. But I. I gotta say it. The Naomi limited card is a one of one. It's autographed. It's Naomi signed. Also has a piece of her caution tape in the card. The card itself will have a piece of the caution tape from the briefcase. Cash in.

[Megan]

So you literally get a piece of history.

[Sam Roberts]

It'll be in the card with the signature. And it would just be one lucky person who orders this Naomi card will get that version of the card you got. I mean, check it out for yourself. Head to tops.com to grab these cards that are only available for a short window of time and follow at Tops on social to stay up to date on all WWE product release. It's really, really cool. Really, really cool. But Naomi started Monday Night Raw. Tonight. We had a great interview with Naomi on the Evolution recap podcast. If you missed that, for whatever reason, once we're done here, go back and listen to that or watch that. But we talked to her about the fact that with this world Championship win, she's now on the Raw roster and she shows up and, I mean, she makes her mission clear. She's done as she told us. She's done with. With Jade Cargill. She's done with Bianca Belair. As far as those two go, they can have each other. She said she's leaving the foolishness on smackdown.

[Megan]

Yeah, she said she didn't betray them. She outgr Bianca and Jade.

[Sam Roberts]

She's too mature. That's foolishness. She doesn't have time for it. But she did send a direct message to what she called, well, the Raggedy Heifers of the Raw roster. Making sure that the Raggedy Heifers proceed with caution. Because then I didn't know this until Raw tonight, and the women's World Champion just has no tolerance for Raggedy Heifers. And I'm kind of, you know, I never thought about it, but I'm kind of the same way. Have I encounter. I didn't real. I've never felt that when I'm watching Raw, I'm not like, oh, well, that's a Raggedy Heifer if I've ever seen one. But I will say that in public when I've encountered one before. I go, that's not anybody I want anything to do with. So I get it. I get where she's coming from.

[Megan]

That line really spoke to you, huh?

[Sam Roberts]

The Raggedy Heifers. Yeah. Yeah, it really, really did. Not that. Not that she was answering the call, the Raggedy Africa, but Rhea Ripley and EO sky both come out, interrupt Naomi and Naomi, I mean, she's so nuts. Like, Rhea Ripley has this presence about it. We were talking about aura. We were talking about Roman Reigns earlier. And Rhea Ripley has that presence. She has that aura. And Naomi just pays it no mind. Naomi couldn't have been less impressed. Like, Naomi is so sure of herself and by the way, has every reason to be sure of herself that Rhea Ripley could be in the ring. Eos Guy can be in the ring. And she doesn't understand, like, ladies, this is my show. Get to the back of the line.

[Megan]

And she's been a champion for less than 24 hours already, you know, But I also love the confidence out of Eo Sky. Right. Rhea is the one that we went into evolution thinking, oh, we're going to walk out of evolution and mommy's going to be back on top. We were all surprised because Naomi cashed in.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan]

And shows up on Raw confident as Ever. But then Iyo sky comes out, and she's like, rhea, that's actually my title. And you've actually still never beaten me, so I don't know why you're here.

[Sam Roberts]

Which is the story of IO. It's literally what you and I have been talking about. I feel like since. What was it? February is before WrestleMania, like, this idea, and even leading all the way to WrestleMania, this idea that, like, everybody want to talk like they got something to say, but nothing comes out when they move their lips. Just a bunch of gibberish because they forgot about IO.

[Megan]

Wow. Did you just come up with that?

[Sam Roberts]

Just off the top of my head just now. I forgot about Iyo. Everybody forgets about Ioo and it's not a right. It's not a right thing. EO Sky, I think, has realized that, like, not only does she think she's probably the best women's wrestler in the world, but a lot of the audience has realized that, yeah, she is the best women's wrestler in the world, and she should be treated that way. But the match is made. It's made official by Adam Pierce himself, with a lot of gusto, too, that at SummerSlam, we're getting the Triple Threat Women's World Championship on the line. Naomi, Rhea, Ripley, Eos, Sky.

[Megan]

It's amazing. Cause, like, as. As much as I would love to see Mommy back on top of I. I'm even more excited to see Naomi's reign as champion.

[Sam Roberts]

So am I. And it feels like. It feels like half this, like, really justified, wonderful thing for somebody who's worked so hard to get it. And the other half feels like a social experiment, you know what I mean? Because she's so crazy right now.

[Megan]

Yeah.

[Biggie]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

And I'm enjoying every bit of it. I'm not ready for it to end, and I'm not saying that it will either. I don't think Naomi's ready for it to end. But it's a match that 48 hours ago, I don't think it would be in either of our Rolodexes. And now, all of a sudden, it's another mega match that's going down at SummerSlam. We got so much to analyze tonight on the Raw recap that. That. That we thought we should bring in one more guest to the show. Of course. Let's welcome back our favorite. A family member, much like Logan Paul is of the Raw recap. He's part of Logan Paul and Impaulsive is a. Is a family member. Now they're part of the podcast network. Yeah, yeah.

[Megan]

Yeah, but earlier I said Logan Paul is the cousin that's a bad influence. I think Biggie is the cousin that you know.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. What are you guys. Why don't you guys hang out with E. Moore? Stop hanging out with that Logan.

[Megan]

Biggie, I'm. I'm so glad you're here for a lot of different reasons, but I know you, woods and Kofi, you're not great right now, but can you. When we get off of this, can you share their number with me? Because I think they. They have those two pays, and I want to get one for Sam.

[Sam Roberts]

Why would you say that's not funny? Why are you laughing like that? That's not funny.

[Megan]

I mean, I know you can't text him right now, but I think I could.

[Biggie]

Yeah, you probably could. I just didn't know that was the route that Megan was going. That's all. That's all Sam.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. I mean, it just. It just seems like, what could possibly turn this into a smile? You bring up my two worst enemies. Oh, it's Sam's bald joke. I can get behind that.

[Megan]

You look great. One of those two pairs.

[Sam Roberts]

You think so?

[Biggie]

Yeah, I'd like to see it. You'll find it flowing. Blonde pays.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, I should show up with it one week and just say I grew it out.

[Megan]

Well, last time we had Kofi and Woods on the show, they said, who has hair? Not Sam. So then you could be like, hey, guys, joke's on you.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, that's right. That's right. Now I do. It felt very. Hey, why are you bald? But listen, that's neither here nor there, E. We were talking about this massive triple threat match that has been made for SummerSlam and Naomi kind of making her debut on RAW as raw's world champion. What was your takeaway on. Not necessarily the shock of. Of last night and realizing this is a reality, but now, like, sitting in it and seeing like, oh, this is what this thing that we had no idea is happening. This is what this looks like.

[Biggie]

I love it. There are just so many fresh matchups. And look, I signed me up for Iyo and Ria several more times, but I love now with Naomi being the champion on raw, I love that, the possibilities, and there's so many different talent. She talked, I think, with you guys, she talked about really not having that many great moments on RAW during her career. And I thought back to it, and she's right. You know, her biggest moments, I think, are on smackdown. And I'm really excited, obviously, with the excitement of the move to Netflix the new eyes, new opponents. I'm not sure we've ever seen Naomi and Rhea. I don't recall seeing Iyo and Naomi and I'm excited because I think she's going to have some real barn burners. So just the fresh matchups alone and this version of Naomi as well, her confidence, I love the way she handled the presser. I love the way she handled the interview with you guys. She is really coming into her own. And you mentioned the fact that Naomi is non plussed by Ria. Look, when I think about the math, Naomi started in this company when Ria was 12 years old.

[Sam Roberts]

Wow.

[Biggie]

She's been doing this for a very, very long time.

[Nikki Bella]

So.

[Biggie]

So why should she, why should she be worried? Why should you be scared? Obviously Rhea is a force. Iyo has has a great argument for not just being the best women's wrestler in the world, but for being the best wrestler in the world, period. And I can't speak glowingly enough about what they did at Evolution, but I'm just excited for the fresh matchups for Naomi on Raw.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, you know, Megan brought this up. We had Nikki Bella on the show earlier and Megan brought up. And you brought it up too as we were watching upstairs that like, I mean that whole first hour, 90 minutes, however long it was, was all women, even on Raw. And it was, it was remarkable because it didn't feel like, oh, that's because this is the Raw after Evolution. Like the Raw after Evolution is not a thing. Like you didn't even really notice it unless you kind of went, huh, that's weird because they were all like the segments and the matches that we wanted to see that we were looking forward to. I mean that, that dude, that two out of three falls, Bailey and Lyra. Bailey and Lyra match.

[Biggie]

Incredible.

[Sam Roberts]

Incredible.

[Biggie]

Yeah. And I'm so glad you touched on that because I wanted to talk about that as well. And I think coming off the heels of Evolution, I feel like that was the right call. I love the fact that we opened the show with Naomi. It just felt fresh. We had this new burst of energy. It made me excited for what's to come. And can we please give Bailey her flowers? Many times over. My goodness. The. The creativity. It's not just her athleticism, it's not her, her in ring technical ability. It's her creativity. And Lyra is there with her step for step. I love that match. Bailey's just doing some of her best work. I really expected to see Bailey and Becky at SummerSlam. I was a little bit surprised that Lyra ended up winning that match, but credit to her, she has truly been stellar. And also, I have to give so much credit. I saw. I don't know if you guys have seen this on Twitter, but Raquel mentioned a note from Kevin Nash where Kevin, Yes. I thought essentially, hey, you need to work bigger. And that's something that I've heard in my career. And sometimes people can take that, especially from, you know, guys who aren't in the locker room anymore. It's like she could have said, you don't know how things are, or she could have been hurt. But the way she approached it and said, if this is coming from Kevin Nash, someone I respect, I'm going to take that note. And it is evident to me that she has taken that note. The work that she has done. Night of Champions, I thought was. That was my favorite Raquel match on the main roster.

[Sam Roberts]

I agree.

[Biggie]

The work she did tonight, you see her working big. You see her, you see the power, you see. And I love now, especially now that she's tagging with Rox, I love the dynamic now that she's working to her size, now that she is really leaning on her power and her strength, it really just adds such a great dichotomy to that tag team as well. So I think people have been critical of Raquel in the ring, and, you know, there's times in NXT where she was pitted with Bianca, with Rhea, and you were waiting for the time she started to really come up to that level. And I feel like the rise is there now. I see her coming up to that level. So I'm really excited to see what Raquel is going to continue to do. I got a chance just to tell her kind of like, I'm really proud of the work you've done. When I saw her on Sunday, but I'm. I'm really. I'm happy for her, and I'm just really impressed with the way she took that note, wasn't offended, handled it with grace, and now you see what, like that advice, you see the growth.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Biggie]

Out the gate. Just. It's. It's there. It's not taking months and months for her to figure it out. It's there already and I love it.

[Megan]

It's so interesting. Like, I saw that this morning on Twitter with Raquel, and I think we sat down here after Night of Champions and it was like, wow. Sometimes, like, you forget how big Raquel is.

[Sam Roberts]

Right.

[Megan]

They call our big mommy cool for a reason, because Rhea, she's massive. And then all of A sudden night of champions match, like, you see Raquel, and she's even bigger.

[Sam Roberts]

That, I think, is why working big is so important, because sometimes you do have. Regardless of what you're capable of, you do have to remind an audience of, like, this amazing skill set that you have. I feel the same way somewhat about Lyra Valkyria. I feel like Lyra Valkyria is, like, so strong and has such a strong base and is so powerful, but has spent so long, you know, like, flying, that people don't realize how strong this woman is. And I feel like she's also starting to operate from that place of being, like, yeah, I have these. Like, I mean, she gets a big quads on her, like. Like, this is. This is. This is a woman who. Who trains for this. And. And it is. It is really cool to. To watch people evolve in real time. But you're right e. To. To be able to take that advice and go, yeah, I can. I can listen to a veteran and go, yeah, maybe I. Maybe I haven't learned everything. Maybe I can still do better.

[Biggie]

Absolutely. And just in general, seeing I'm still, like, fired up off of Sunday, that ple was incredible. And I truly think the women are setting the bar right now. They're the ones that I'm most interested in. I think they're bringing a creativity to the ring that, honestly, like, the men need. Like, we need to might have. Let's huddle up in the locker room and say, like, how do we. How do we set that bar? How do we keep up? Because I think it's very easy, especially when you get to a point where you're really over with the crowd and they love you, where you kind of just play the hits, where you know what works. You kind of keep doing the same thing, and I feel like you're not seeing that on the women's side. Even from people who have been on the main roster for. We saw Becky just celebrate. She's been on the main roster now for 10 years, just hit her anniversary, and she is still adding new elements that backslide to win on Sunday. Yeah, that was one of the coolest pinning combinations I have ever seen. She's still adding at this deep into her career. She's still adding wrinkles to her game. Same thing with Bailey. She's still finding new layers, and that's what excites me about the women's division is I don't see complacency. I see a fire lit under them. I think they're excited to continue to grow and it's just such an exciting time to see where the women's division is at because it's not just one crop of women or one generation of women that we're relying on on. And we're also seeing Nikki come back and have great performances. We're seeing Trish. Some people have said, hey, is this the best that Trish has ever wrestled? You know, and like, I think they have, that has some merit.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Biggie]

So that's what I love, is we have so many tears, so many generations of these women and they're all bringing something new, something unique to the game and that's really exciting. So men, I'm telling you, like, let's huddle up and let's step up because the women are really leading this thing right now.

[Megan]

And it was so apparent to me. And that tag team match, like you look across and you see so many different types of women and different types of wrestling.

[Sam Roberts]

You mean that evolution at Evolution, the four way tag. I agree. Wow.

[Megan]

This represents so many different things.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan]

And I think for like young fans watching at home or even older fans, it's like you're just, there's, there's something for everybody to connect with.

[Biggie]

Absolutely. And I think the great thing too, one thing I love about Evolution as well, is we're getting to see what it's like to see Sol Ruka in the ring with, you know, the people who've been on the main roster for a very long time. And I think that's exciting too, is not only do we have such an amazing crop, we haven't talked about Stephanie Vacair, who is one of the most over Superstars already in wwe, but the crop behind her in NXT is coming as well. So it's, it really is just a very, very exciting time for women's wrestling.

[Sam Roberts]

And it's remarkable too that all this is getting done on this roster at a time when like, there are distractions, like Dominic Mysterio, for example, just being there. And it's like they're still able to like focus on the work and not on the fact that, you know, Dominic Mysterio is there.

[Biggie]

That's right. The very handsome man that you seem to have a bit of a crush on.

[Sam Roberts]

No, no, no, no, no. I should surprise. Like we're here to analyze and recap, you know what I mean? That's so. That's kind of, is more of the recap of that. That's not a, that's not a crush.

[Biggie]

But just to touch on that point as well. One thing I Do really love is. I feel like there's. You talk about distractions. Yeah. And I think also, I know we're talking about Raw, but going back to. To Sunday as well, I think there was so much narrative around that ple and, you know, Beyonce concert and there's a bunch of shows and credit to the women for putting all that aside and showing out because there are a lot of different things being talked about. But as soon as that first bell rang, we got one hell of an event.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, there was one man who made quite the impression on Monday night Raw tonight. Biggie, your mine. Megan's OTC has returned to his rightful place. He stepped in that ring and I said it at the top of the show. I was just marveling at the fact that Roman Reigns returns. He steps into a ring with Jey uso, who just gets more and more popular every single week with CM Punk, who is maybe the most connected to the audience superstar maybe ever. I mean, the way the passion that this audience has for that guy and still when Roman Reigns stands in that ring, like a hush falls over everything else and like, I don't know how he does it. Time stands still.

[Biggie]

Yeah, man, he. He is clearly a megastar. And that nuclear pop, man, that was something. And we're ready for it. They're excited for it. And I'm excited going into SummerSlam. We're just a few weeks away and having Roman being involved again, I'm really intrigued to see not this dynamic with Punk too. I love like, yo, it seems that he and Jay are thick as thieves, but how does Roman figure in with Punk? What do things look like with Paul Heyman and his guys? With Braun and Bronson, it is now with Roman, that chess piece being back in place, I feel like there's so many new things that come out of that. So many different ways to go, so many different potential feuds. That's really exciting as well. And obviously condolences to Seth and I hope he heals quickly. But you know that you really wondered, okay, now that Seth, who like Raw, has really revolved around the last couple of months, now that he's not around, what is Raw on the men's side? What is that going to look like? And Roman comes in, breathes new life into this thing. And look, we're. We're humping on the way to SummerSlam now.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, we are. Yeah, we are. And also, also, I think Bron Breaker stepped up big like Bron Breaker. Is that it? It felt like the minute there was an opening, Braun was like yeah, I'll be the guy then. Oh, you don't have a guy? I'll be the guy.

[Biggie]

Yeah. And what I love about those gauntlets too is it really is. It's a test in many ways. In many ways it's a test from the people in the back to say, all right, you young guy, that you got some really great momentum, you've had some great matches. Deal with this deal with four of the best talent in the industry. Who are you? Can you keep up? Do you have the lungs? Do you have the intensity? Do you have the will? Are you gonna fold? Are you. Are. You know, all those things? And he handled it beautifully. He didn't get the job done at the end. Obviously Punk ended up getting the win. But I think this was a very big test for Braun to see if he could hang with the other big dogs, with the big dogs who've been doing this for a long time. And, and I think he passed with flying colors. I'm really excited for his future again. I, I see multi time world champion written all over that man. His time is not right now, but it's coming.

[Sam Roberts]

And I tell you too, I mean, that's a great point that you just put into my head. Cause you brought up what a gauntlet match can do and how fans look at a gauntlet match. But also the company is looking at a gauntlet match. I mean, let's be honest, there was a certain WrestleMania that was extremely special for you and two men that were friends of yours at that time. And it's because, I mean, the, the, the short term of the long term story is one thing, but that short road started with Kofi's performance in a gauntlet match.

[Biggie]

No, absolutely. And that catapulted him obviously to, to WrestleMania. And woods and I obviously went through a gauntlet as well. But it really is, it's sink or swim time when you're in a gauntlet. And a lot of people can have a very competitive great match in 10 minutes. A lot of people can rack up wins and a 10 minute match. But when you have a fresh guy and not just a guy, but you have penta thrown at you, when you have Jey USO thrown at you, CM Punk thrown at you, when you have some of the very best to do it right now. And legends, future hall of famers, I think all of them future hall of famers, who are you? And we saw a Bron that was ready for that test. Obviously, you know, he, he that that match and that match style will take something out of you, regardless of who you are. But I was really impressed with his performance tonight.

[Megan]

He's been doing this for what, four years, Brian?

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, I mean, it hasn't been long. It's. It's pretty remarkable. E, we appreciate your time, ma'. Am. We appreciate your insight, your brain and are there is the raggedy heifers problem on Monday Night Raw as big? Like, was it that big for you, you know, when you were sharing a locker room with some of the people?

[Biggie]

No, it's clearly gotten worse that Naomi is actually addressing it. It was something that I had not really paid enough attention to. The raggedy heifers problem. Yeah. But I'm glad it's finally being addressed.

[Sam Roberts]

So.

[Biggie]

Yeah, tip of the captain, Naomi, for that.

[Sam Roberts]

Excellent, excellent. Biggie, you're the best. Thank you, my friend.

[Biggie]

Thank you guys.

[Sam Roberts]

You're the best. I've got to tell you, you know, we're talking about SummerSlam and everything that SummerSlam entails. Roman Reigns, all this stuff. But even after SummerSlam, it's going to be super fight season. I'm talking about the fact that Canelo Crawford is happening. Yes. The undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez faces undefeated three division king Terence Bud Crawford in a historic clash that transcends titles. It's going down on Saturday, September 13th at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is a once in a lifetime event that marks the beginning of a bold new era in boxing. Register for access to pre sale tickets before they go on sale to the general [e-mail] boxing that's wwe.com/boxing. Megan, so much tonight. Such great insight from Biggie. Such a great conversation with Nikki Bella. A preview, sort of real roadmap. Yeah.

[Megan]

And I learned something new tonight on Monday Night Raw. I didn't know and I don't think you knew either, that in Canadian Chelsea Green means winner.

[Sam Roberts]

Yes, yes. And I didn't realize that Stephanie Vacair is known as the primavera.

[Megan]

I thought there was a pasta.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, I thought it was primera.

[Megan]

Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

But apparently it's primavera.

[Megan]

I mean, Chelsea couldn't have gotten that wrong.

[Sam Roberts]

No, there's no way she. No, no. Chelsea wouldn't have gotten that wrong.

[Megan]

So I didn't. I mean, I didn't.

[Sam Roberts]

She's got the whole secret harvest behind her. They would have let her know if she did say I. I don't think so. I don't think so.

[Megan]

Crazy. Chelsea Green and Canadians winner.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, well, look, those Canadians, they have a language all their own. But we appreciate the fact that many of them, as well as everybody else listens to and watches Raw recap every week. Make sure you're subscribed across all audio platforms. Apple, Spotify, everywhere. You get podcasts. If you're watching on YouTube, leave comments, hit like and we will see you next time. Next week. The OTC is back, baby.

[Biggie]

Yes.