Tyrese Haliburton makes his pick for Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul at SNME: Raw Recap

Summary

Raw Recap with Sam Roberts and Megan Morant: Episode Summary

Title: Tyrese Haliburton Makes His Pick for Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul at SNME: Raw Recap
Host/Authors: Sam Roberts and Megan Morant
Release Date: May 20, 2025
Sponsored by: Fanatics

---

1. Introduction to the Chaotic World Heavyweight Championship Scene

Sam Roberts opens the discussion by highlighting the unprecedented chaos surrounding the World Heavyweight Championship on WWE RAW. He remarks on the crowded title picture, emphasizing the high level of competition and the influx of formidable challengers.

Sam Roberts [01:55]: "Around the World Heavyweight Championship. Like I don't really recall another time in recent memory when there has been a declared line for the World Heavyweight."

Megan Morant concurs, noting the competitive nature of the title scene and the pressure on Jey Uso to uphold the prestigious championship.

Megan Morant [02:10]: "His World Heavyweight title. And it's one of the most competitive title pictures that we've ever seen."

2. The Rise and Resilience of Jey Uso

The hosts delve into Jey Uso's journey as the World Heavyweight Champion, discussing his intense performances and unwavering determination. They acknowledge the mounting challenges Jey faces from top-tier competitors.

Sam Roberts [03:11]: "ALL CAPS, 50% of whom have held the World Heavyweight title. That's what the title is. These are all people who are hungry for that gold."

Megan praises Jey's evolution, emphasizing his increased intensity and ability to rise above expectations.

Megan Morant [08:59]: "What happened? I mean, he's... he's delivering. He's stepping up to the plate, right? He's showing that he belongs."

3. Logan Paul’s Ascendancy and Potential Championship Run

A significant portion of the conversation centers on Logan Paul’s trajectory towards the World Heavyweight Championship. The hosts analyze his recent performances, strategic alliances, and the skepticism surrounding his legitimacy as a full-time wrestler.

Sam Roberts [05:07]: "Logan Paul's not on that list anymore. Triple H said to us, Logan Paul is on the roster list, not on the celebrity roster list."

Tyrese Halliburton, the guest, shares his insights on Logan Paul's aspirations and the implications of his potential championship win.

Tyrese Halliburton [31:10]: "I met Jay at Fast Lane. Everybody remembers the notorious him and Cody Presser moment. ... it's super cool to see him doing what he's doing."

4. Interview with Tyrese Halliburton: Balancing Basketball and Wrestling Fandom

Tyrese Halliburton joins the show, bringing a unique perspective as a professional basketball player and a dedicated WWE fan. He discusses his passion for wrestling, his experiences attending events, and his predictions for upcoming matches.

Tyrese Halliburton [21:14]: "I just play the same stuff. I'm still who I am. ... but if I could just be involved in something else, that always helps me."

The conversation touches upon Tyrese's favorite WWE moments, his collaborations with WWE brands, and his admiration for superstars like Jey Uso and Logan Paul.

Tyrese Halliburton [32:23]: "Roxanne Perez is standing outside telling Natalia that she wants to be a diva, and it's the only thing she ever sees herself doing. ... she's going toe to toe with Natalia and the man."

5. Predictions for Saturday Night’s Main Event

As the episode progresses, Sam and Megan engage in lively banter, sharing their predictions for the upcoming Saturday Night Main Event. They debate potential outcomes of key matches, the interplay between characters, and the future direction of the World Heavyweight Championship.

Sam Roberts [65:00]: "Logan Paul will be the World Heavyweight Champion. Is Saturday inevitable?"

Megan Morant [68:47]: "There's a part of me, and this is just getting out all my feelings is a part of me that says, there's no way that Jay USO can lose the World Heavyweight Championship."

6. Fan Engagement and Merchandise Highlights

Towards the end of the episode, the hosts shift focus to upcoming WWE events like Fanatics Fest and highlight exclusive merchandise available through WWE Shop. They encourage listeners to participate in these events and showcase the latest collaborations, including Tyrese’s WWE-themed apparel.

Sam Roberts [54:10]: "Fanatics Fest is going to be in New York City June 20th through the 22nd at the Jacob Javits Center. ... we keep hearing about this going like, we got time. We got time."

7. Closing Thoughts and Future Outlook

In their concluding remarks, Sam and Megan reflect on the dynamic nature of WWE RAW, the evolving storylines, and the anticipation for future episodes. They reiterate the importance of fan support and tease upcoming content for the next recap episode.

Sam Roberts [61:05]: "Guys, I don't have to tell you that it's getting warmer outside and that can. That can be a problem for some of us."

Megan Morant [61:05]: "And you're done."

---

Notable Quotes:

• Sam Roberts [01:55]: "There is no way Sami Zayn has said, I want to be the World Heavyweight Champion."
• Megan Morant [08:59]: "He's showing that he belongs."
• Tyrese Halliburton [21:14]: "I just play the same stuff. I'm still who I am."
• Sam Roberts [65:00]: "Logan Paul will be the World Heavyweight Champion. Is Saturday inevitable?"

---

Conclusion

This episode of Raw Recap offers an in-depth analysis of the current WWE RAW landscape, spotlighting the intense competition for the World Heavyweight Championship. With insightful commentary from Sam Roberts, Megan Morant, and guest Tyrese Halliburton, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the key players, emerging storylines, and the potential outcomes shaping the future of WWE.

Transcript

[Sam Roberts]

This episode is brought to you by Lifelock. Not everyone is careful with your personal information, which might explain why there's a victim of identity theft every five seconds in the U.S. fortunately, there's LifeLock. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats to your identity. If your identity is stolen, a US based restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year by visiting lifelock.com podcast terms apply.

[Megan Morant]

This episode is brought to you by Factor Optimize your nutrition this year with Factor America's number one ready to eat meal service. Factor's fresh never frozen meals are dietitian approved. Ready to Eat in just two minutes, choose from 40 weekly options across eight dietary preferences like calorie smart, protein plus and keto. Eat [e-mail] Listen50 and use code Listen50 for 50% off plus free shipping on your first box. FactorMeals.com Listen50 Code Listen50 Please apply from the Indiana Pacers.

[Sam Roberts]

Tyrese Halliburton is on the show. Is there a new member of the Judgment Day? The women's money in the bank ladder match is filling out and the world title scene is an absolute madhouse. Welcome to WWE RAW recap brought to you by fanatics. My, my, my. It is champ season. Of course. As I just said a moment ago, Megan, before he and his Indiana Pacers go to the Eastern Conference finals, Tyrese Halliburton is going to be on Raw recap. But before we talk to Tyrese, we've got to talk about championships in the WWE and the fact that like there is so much chaos and crowdedness.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

Around the World Heavyweight Championship. Like I don't really recall another time in recent memory when there has been a declared line for the World Heavyweight.

[Megan Morant]

Title or J. Uso. Right.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, is what he asked for earns.

[Megan Morant]

His World Heavyweight title. And it's one of the most competitive title pictures that we've ever seen.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, but that's what you get for being the World Heavyweight Champion.

[Megan Morant]

You know, timing is everything.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. And they said, and they said from the beginning of this, of this title being in existence that this was going to be the working man's championship. This was going to be the workhorse championship. This was the championship that you'd see get defended on every ple that you'd see get defended on television. And Jey USO is the one that has to live up to it. So no. Poor Jay uso, as far as I'm concerned, as far as I'm concerned Sometimes we forget as fans, but these are monsters. Listen, they're all.

[Megan Morant]

This isn't just. I know whenever you have a title, and especially the World Heavyweight title, everybody's coming after you. But this is not just anyone. This is Seth Rollins. This is Bron Breaker. This is Logan Paul. This is Guenter in ALL CAPS.

[Sam Roberts]

ALL CAPS, 50% of whom have held the World Heavyweight title. That's what the title is. These are all people who are hungry for that gold. I mean, when you are the top champion on Monday Night Raw, this is what's going to happen. And I think sometimes, like, as fans, you can get tied up in the moment of Jay winning.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, it was great.

[Sam Roberts]

Right, right.

[Megan Morant]

Because I get tied up in it every time he makes an entrance.

[Sam Roberts]

Of course you do, because it's the entrance.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, it's awesome.

[Sam Roberts]

And you forget there's, like, people who. The whole point of the show is that there's somebody waiting to just destroy your dream of Jey USO continuing to do this entrance with a World Heavyweight title around his waist. You, You. You picture this moment of jay being at WrestleMania and making Gunther tap out as a culmination, when in reality, that's the beginning of the next thing. And the next thing is a chapter that it's being questioned. It's still, which is kind of surprising to me, being questioned as to whether or not it's too big. So first, let's break down this line that we have right now. Okay. These are just declared. You've got Logan Paul on Saturday.

[Megan Morant]

Correct.

[Sam Roberts]

You've got Gunther on June 9, which is. I don't know. It's a Monday. I don't know if it's two weeks, three weeks. Arithmetic's not my thing. But Gunther after Logan Paul for whoever the champion is.

[Megan Morant]

Okay?

[Sam Roberts]

Seth Rollins after Gunther for whoever the champion is. And those are just the people that are stepping up. I'm telling you right now, there's no way Sami Zayn has said, I want to be the World Heavyweight Champion.

[Megan Morant]

Oh, and what about CM Punk?

[Sam Roberts]

CM Punk has said, I want to be the World Heavyweight Champion.

[Megan Morant]

They might not have a day yet.

[Sam Roberts]

Because it's not polite, because they're friends with this. With this J strategy. That's right. Who knows? These are wrestlers we're talking about here, okay? You can't trust them.

[Megan Morant]

No.

[Sam Roberts]

So Ross starts, though, with Logan Paul hitting facts, fact, fact, fact, fact. First, he says he will return next week on Monday Night RAW with the World Heavyweight Championship fact.

[Megan Morant]

Well, he told us right here in the RAW recap that he's a full timer.

[Sam Roberts]

Which surprised me because I thought there's two things there. Number one, that you'll be world heavyweight champion. Number two, that you'll actually be on Raw next week. But apparently, fact, Logan has dropped two facts on us right there. That he's back. And he did say that. He did say that, because I think that was a criticism, that he was running around saying, I'm a full timer and people like me. And you were like, you're not. Like, we would know. And he said, book me. He said it on the pod. And I was like, okay.

[Megan Morant]

I don't think he's missed the show since.

[Sam Roberts]

He's been around a lot.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

And I think that that's very showing. And it's also like, if you listen to Triple H in the press conference after backlash, one of the wrestling journalists, they said, how do you make the call on when to use celebrity talent like Pat McAfee, Logan Paul, bad Bunny? And Triple H said, let me stop you right there. Pat McAfee, Bad Bunny, where it makes sense, blah, blah, blah. But Logan Paul's not on that list anymore. Triple H said to us, logan Paul is on the roster list, not on the celebrity roster list. Which is. I. No disrespect to anybody, but just a different categorization for Logan Paul than what was there before. So.

[Megan Morant]

And you got to think about that as a guy who's vying for the World Heavyweight championship.

[Sam Roberts]

That's right.

[Megan Morant]

Is he going to be around? And what does that look like?

[Sam Roberts]

That's right. So then you have Logan Paul saying, and I. This is what struck me that Jay can't cut it as champion. Logan Paul still singing that song that I've heard before of Jay USO not being capable of holding the title. And it's still a song that you hear on television. It's still a song that you hear on the Internet from wrestling fans that are, you know, pessimistic. It's still something that is there. But I. I don't think. I think that that was a song that was sung in late February.

[Megan Morant]

It's overplayed, and it's not even accurate anymore. Listen, I was rocking out to Pink Pony Club for a while, and it's overplayed.

[Sam Roberts]

You've heard it. You know every note.

[Megan Morant]

I jammed out to it for a.

[Sam Roberts]

While, and it was great.

[Megan Morant]

It was fun.

[Sam Roberts]

It was fantastic.

[Megan Morant]

Good song.

[Sam Roberts]

But it doesn't apply to your life anymore.

[Megan Morant]

No.

[Sam Roberts]

Right. You're in a different phase in life now.

[Megan Morant]

I've moved on.

[Sam Roberts]

Okay. Don't worry, Mom. I'm headed back to Tennessee. Okay. You don't have to scream anymore. And that's where Jay uso's at. I feel like every time ever since he's made Gunther tap and you've brought it up on the show, like, every time we see Jay uso, he's more intense than he was before. He's fighting harder than he was before. He's having these matches, like the world title match that he had with Seth Rollins, like, the match that he had tonight with Bron Breaker. Like, I don't. I don't see that in Jay anymore. I don't see that weight of the world on his shoulders. I see that the weight of the world is on his shoulders, but it's.

[Megan Morant]

Not getting to him.

[Sam Roberts]

No, I don't.

[Megan Morant]

Was before.

[Sam Roberts]

I don't see him as a guy that's crumbling under the weight now that the weight is here. I saw him as a guy that was crumbling under the potential weight, if that makes sense. But once the weight arrived, I mean, Cole said it when he came out and he jumped over the barricade and, like, Cole was like, he looked good with the championship around his waist.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, you said this a lot in the build to Cody becoming the undisputed WWE Champion. What. What happened to the boy who got everything he ever wanted, right? And that's what we're seeing with Jay uso. What happened? I mean, he's. He's delivering. He's stepping up to the plate, right? He's showing that he belongs.

[Sam Roberts]

But I think somebody like Logan Paul probably wants to bring some of that vulnerability back, right?

[Megan Morant]

Of course. I think he's always trying to attack someone's weaknesses.

[Sam Roberts]

But then Gunther comes out, and he, like, kind of like, gets Logan Paul into a flattery trap, right? Where he's like, look at you, Mr. Businessman. And Logan Paul's like, I am a businessman, aren't I? Gunther's like, do you have any idea how badly I'm gonna hurt you? Like, you don't want to win the title?

[Megan Morant]

And Gunter's like, look, I get this is business for you, Logan, right? For me, this is personal.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. And I'm gonna eat you alive.

[Megan Morant]

Ask Pat, right?

[Sam Roberts]

Pat's like, honestly, yeah, no, no, he's right. He's right. And Cole's like, no, no, he's right. Yeah. No, I wouldn't mess with him. And Gunther referring to Logan Paul still as an outsider, like, still kind of putting him in that category as outsider. And I think that the same way it might get Under Jay uso's skin that people would go, yeah, this, this ain't for you. Is the same way it might get under Logan Paul skin when people go, you're an outsider. Like when you, I think, called him a YouTuber on the show and he was like, don't call me that. I'm not a YouTuber. It gets under his skin because he.

[Megan Morant]

Wants to be a wrestler. As an outsider, though, because he's still.

[Sam Roberts]

New to this wrestling thing because he's had some big high profile matches. He's really good at it, but he's on impulsive. He's got, you know, he's got all these other outside interests. You know, he's on the. He's got a reality show. It's not a wrestling reality show. It's a we're a family of stars reality show. Can you imagine Gunther's reality show? I mean, it would be like watching paint dry. It would be just nothing to. Because Gunther would just be sitting until his next match.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

You know, he's like, I'm not here to entertain. I'm not juggling for you. I'm a wrestler. Yeah, right.

[Megan Morant]

That's exactly right.

[Sam Roberts]

I'm not doing like flame throwing. I'm a wrestler. So it's time to wrestle. I'll wrestle. And when I'm not wrestling, I'm just gonna sit, have a meal.

[Megan Morant]

I don't want to make you watch me wrestle.

[Sam Roberts]

Wrestle.

[Megan Morant]

Because that is the thing I do better than any anybody else.

[Sam Roberts]

Right, right. And then of course, Seth coming up to Gunther and going like, hey, if you get the title from either Jay or Logan. And then Seth also went up to Jay and went up to Logan. Seth going up to Logan was interesting because I, I still smell fishiness there. Look, I'm just going to say this. Okay.

[Megan Morant]

All right, let's hear it.

[Sam Roberts]

I'm just going to tell you what I saw on Raw because I watch what word was Logan Paul saying over and over again. We just said it at the beginning of Monday Night Raw. F, A, C, T. Fact. He kept saying fact. Who else said fact multiple times in the first hour of Monday Night Raw?

[Megan Morant]

Paul Heyman.

[Sam Roberts]

Yes. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. Now look, there is a conflict of interest there because Paul Heyman. Paul Heyman said fact, fact, fact. I said, that sounds familiar already. Okay, okay. But also, Paul Heyman made it clear that the long term plan is for Seth Rollins to be the World Heavyweight Champion. That's the whole idea. Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

So there's a conflict right there.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. If is there, I guess Logan Paul.

[Megan Morant]

Wants to be World Heavyweight Champion, then.

[Sam Roberts]

That would be a conflict.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, we'd have to ask Tyrese. There's only one ball, you know, you can't have.

[Sam Roberts]

That's right.

[Megan Morant]

There's only one belt.

[Sam Roberts]

That's right. That's 100% right. This. This. I'm like that. This is not a team sport.

[Megan Morant]

No.

[Sam Roberts]

Unless it is a team sport. Because you would think that Bron Breaker wanted to be World Heavyweight Champion, but he's figured out a way to, as another superstar would put it, get in where he fits in.

[Megan Morant]

That's right. But he also. And that's. That's exactly what he's. He's doing right now. He realizes being. Yes. Being by Paul Heyman and being by Seth Rollins is helping elevate him towards.

[Sam Roberts]

A better future right now. You said I still see Logan Paul as an outsider.

[Megan Morant]

I do.

[Sam Roberts]

I'm just saying, what if Logan Paul's priority was to first make it so that he no longer appeared like an outsider by associating. I'm just saying there's a lot going on in my head right now.

[Megan Morant]

I get that. I did.

[Sam Roberts]

Like, at the same time, Logan is not a great team player. No, historically, he's not a great team player. He's in the Logan Paul business. That's what Gunther's whole thing was about. Logan Paul's in the.

[Megan Morant]

Logan Paul about what the. What the future is going to look like for Logan Paul if he really is a full timer. What does that look like if he becomes World Heavyweight Champion? What does it look like?

[Sam Roberts]

Right.

[Megan Morant]

You know, all of these things that you're sort of talking about. I don't know what it. What does the future look like for Logan Paul?

[Sam Roberts]

And we were having conversations watching RAW now because it really complicates things. When you're putting in at the end of Monday Night Raw, we see once again, CM Punk is actually in the building, which I had no idea. CM Punk and Sami Zayn going after Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker. But as we end on Jey uso, who has survived, I would use the word survive, this match with Bron Breaker that ended in the disqualification because of the Seth Rollins interference. Jay USO is standing in the ring with the World Heavyweight title and Logan Paul knocks him out again. And that's been the story of Logan Paul. You could talk about the move set, you could talk about the athleticism, you.

[Megan Morant]

Could talk about the brass knuckles.

[Sam Roberts]

Right. Ultimately, it's one lucky punch right at the right time. Listen William Regal is one of the greatest wrestlers that has ever been in a wrestling ring. You know what? William Regal loved brass knuckles. Whatever's going to win you the match ultimately is what you use. I find it so fascinating, though, because usually you go, as a fan, you go into a World Heavyweight Championship match and you just go, well, who do I think is going to be the World Heavyweight Champion after this match? That. And then that's how you kind of make your prediction.

[Megan Morant]

You're thinking about going into this match at all, right? Because there's a. There's a total ripple effect, right?

[Sam Roberts]

Exactly, exactly. It's like, well, if he wins this, but then he would fight Gunther, and then Gunther might be him, but he could. I see. I couldn't see.

[Megan Morant]

And then we.

[Sam Roberts]

Gunther being champion again. And would Jay. How could Jay beat Gunther again?

[Megan Morant]

I mean, he's one in three. He tapped him out.

[Sam Roberts]

But, like, what did you really see Jay beat Gunther again?

[Megan Morant]

I don't know.

[Sam Roberts]

I wouldn't think so either. Like, we.

[Megan Morant]

Then. Is Logan Paul really going to be.

[Sam Roberts]

Jay only for Gunther to beat Logan Paul, or would Logan Paul be Gunther?

[Megan Morant]

And then are we going to run back.

[Sam Roberts]

Who does Seth Rollins fight ultimately? You see what I'm saying? Like, yeah, you. You would go, who does Seth Rollins ultimately fight? And then how do we do backwards arithmetic to get through Logan Paul and Gunther to get to Seth? It's a wild puzzle to figure out. It's a Rubik's Cube. I'm just spinning sides. All of a sudden. I'm looking down. I got green. Yes. I got one side. The other sides are a mess. I got to screw up my green to get the other sides.

[Megan Morant]

I did. Like how when we saw Gunter and Seth backstage, Seth approached Guenther with respect and was sort of like, look, I. I admire your work.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

I'm a fan of what you did with my title. And that's when things sort of took a turn.

[Sam Roberts]

Who do you. Okay. Who do you associate that championship with? I think every. When you go through historically, you. I associate championships with people.

[Megan Morant]

So for me, it's different than it is for you because I'm newer to. So for me, the Intercontinental title.

[Sam Roberts]

Right.

[Megan Morant]

Is Gunter. Interesting, because he's held at the longest.

[Sam Roberts]

For me, it's Bret Hart.

[Megan Morant]

Exactly.

[Sam Roberts]

Right. Because that's what I grew up with it.

[Megan Morant]

For me, the World Heavyweight Championship is Seth Rollins, because they introduced the World Heavyweight Championship and Seth Rollins was the first World Heavyweight Champion.

[Sam Roberts]

And so now when he says, that's my title, I. Part of. Right. Part of you goes, that's disrespectful. You don't want to say that to Gunther. But the other party goes, that doesn't mean it's false.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. And I, yeah, sure do I associate Guenther with a World Heavyweight Championship. Yes. Because he's Guenther and he's so dominant. But if I have to say what title defines Gunter, I'm saying Intercontinental.

[Sam Roberts]

Interesting. Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, he holds the record 100%.

[Sam Roberts]

100%. And if I, I might associate that version, honestly, now you get into like real belt geek stuff. But that version of the Intercontinental title, like, meaning the aesthetic, I'd probably associate with Gunther too. I keep. It keeps giving me Sami Zayn vibes for whatever reason as I'm picturing it. But I think it's fair to say Gunther. But yeah, I generally see like Bret Hart, Intercontinental Champion. I see the Winged Eagle, probably with Hogan. You know what I mean? Maybe, you know, you could, I could see Brad, I could see Sean, but probably with Hogan. I see that big Eagle, like, attitude ERA belt probably with Triple H. You know, I, I see the more modern day WWE Championship still. I see it with Roman.

[Megan Morant]

I see it with Roman as well.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, look, Cody's the man, but 1,316 days is 1,316 days. And I don't care. John Cena, I don't see it with you. Okay. I see it with Roman Reigns. We could talk about Cody Rhodes. I don't see it with the guy who wants to ruin wrestling. And I don't think it's cute that people cheering. But that's regardless, because we're here to talk about Raw. We do need to bring in a guest. Megan Morant, a very special guest here on Raw. Recap. This is very, very exciting because he's going to be part of the next DLC pack for WWE 2K25. But he's also got some, some basketball games coming up.

[Megan Morant]

And this is big for you because you're a big basketball guy.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, let's. I mean, made on his team, but I'm, I'm, I'm watching. Oh, baby. Memorial Day is around the corner. And if you're going to do Memorial Day, you got to do Memorial Day, right? If you're going to step up to that grill, you got to step up to the grill, correct? You don't just, you can't just be a grill master. You have to start with the quality ingredients. You have to have the best meats, the best cuts, the best burgers, the best everything. And who's going to hook that up for you? You're not going to be able to go to a store and buy it. No, you got to get it from Omaha Steaks. Our. Our friends at Omaha Steaks will deliver it right to your door. I'm talking heartland quality food straight up to your house, ready for you to plunk down on that grill and impress all of your friends. This is five generations of uncompromising quality. There is nothing on the planet like Omaha Steaks. And it has convinced the world that I am one of the supreme grillers of all time. That's our secret. Me and you. It's thanks to Omaha Steaks. Bring home the world's best steak experience with Omaha steaks. Visit Omaha steaks.com for 50% off site wide to during their Memorial Day sale and get an extra $35 off. Use promo code WWE at checkout to get that discount. That's Omaha Steaks.com promo code WWE. See site for details before he gets to the Eastern Conference finals. Welcome to Raw recap from the Indiana Pacers, Tyrese Halliburton. Tyrese, what's going on, man?

[Tyrese Halliburton]

How are we doing? I appreciate you guys having. Megan. I like the jersey. I mean, I see you. It looks great. It looks great.

[Megan Morant]

Tyrese, I. I actually just happened to be wearing this. I didn't even know that you were going to be joining us. But Sam is a New Yorker.

[Sam Roberts]

I'm a New Yorker.

[Megan Morant]

And you also don't really roll out the red carpet for our guests. Becky lynch had some problems with you last time. I mean, Penta, he had some issues with you. So I'm just trying to make Tyrese feel welcome.

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, good.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

I appreciate that. I appreciate that very much.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, what. So, I mean, what's in your head right now? Right, because you're here. We kind of, as we were talking, couldn't believe you're doing the pod. We know how big of a WWE fan you are, but realistically, the Eastern Conference finals are in, like, two days, and you're just kind of your whole vibe right now is very chilling. Like, what is your mind state at the moment?

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Yeah, I'm excited to compete. You know, we've had, like, a week, you know, to get prepared, so I'm just waiting for the. For the time to get on the flight and get to. Get to New York and get to game one. But I mean, mentally, I do all the same stuff. You know, I'm in here watching wwe, playing video games. This is kind of. You're. You're Seeing my game room right now, this is really my sanctuary. So this is where I spend a lot of my time. But yeah, nothing really changes as far as my day to day. I'm still who I am. I just. When, you know, when those nights come to, to win a playoff game, you know, that's when I get. Get really serious, get in my lock in mode.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, that's what always trips me out about elite athletes. Because I feel like most of us, if we knew that something big was looming, like, you know, any of us, if the, if the most remote thing is in like, you know, two weeks from now, we're just kind of thinking like, oh, I got a dentist appointment in two weeks. I got to make sure to remember that dentist appointment. Are you able to just like on a Monday night, sit down, watch Raw and not have any voice in your head tell you, hey, get ready for that thing that's coming up?

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Well, it's always in my head. Yeah, I'd be lying if I said that that wasn't the case. You know, I can't even open my phone without, you know, a text from a family member about the game or like, everything I'm thinking about the game 24 7. I'm thinking already about what game one's going to look like, matchups, all those things all the time. But at the same time, I think it's important for my mental that I get a little bit of a release. And if I'm sitting there, basketball, basketball, basketball, I feel like my mind will get overwhelmed. So it's important for me, you know, to be doing other things, whether it's playing games with my brother, watching wwe, watching movies, whatever the case is just getting, you know, in a different headspace for just a little bit. Obviously, my head is still thinking about the game a little bit, but if I could just be involved in something else, that. That always helps me.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, I, I will tell you, as a wrestling fan, I'm more excited about a conference final than I've ever been because it feels like the payoff to a WWE storyline. And then I think about you, who I knew grew up a WWE fan and also with a dream, I'm sure, to play professional basketball. Those two things are colliding right in my mind. I go back 10 months to smackdown and you and Jalen having your confrontation. First of all, is there any, and this is a stupid question, but is there any part of you as a wrestling fan that can get there and go, this is kind of a payoff due WWE story? And second, when that confrontation happened. I know it's a Madison Square Garden, but how did you feel about the fact that you finally get this opportunity and you're booked as the heel?

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Well, okay, it's two part question. The first part is, yeah, I am fully understanding that we are going into the Garden and I am a full heel. Like, there's no. There's no play in the middle. There's none of that. I am the heel, and I'm leaning into it. It's a lot of fun for me when I go to the Garden or just play anywhere to, you know, to have that. That reputation or whatever. It's a lot of fun. I really. I view basketball as that. Sometimes when I play at home, I'm more of a face. I'm on the road to meals. I like this. And I think that I was. I was really about getting to play the heel in the Garden because I've always wanted to do something with wwe. It's always been a dream of mine. I would love to take a bump or something, but obviously the league is not going for that. The Pacers are not letting that happen. So Triple H called me up and he was like, hey, we want you to, you know, come to smackdown. And I was like, no question. Like, they're like, want you to be the bad guy. I was like, oh, no, I'm all in. I was so excited for that. As a kid, I always imagined if I was a wrestler, I'd be the bad guy because I'm like the skinny guy who can talk. Talk trash to people and then, you know, figure it out in the ring. I always imagined myself as like the mouthpiece of a stable. Like, I always felt like that was supposed to be me, so it fit well. And then I honestly didn't even know Jalen was going to be there until like the day before or like the day of. So we got there, and me and Jalen are cool. So I was like, are you coming? He's like, yeah. And then all these things, you know, we're figuring it out and this is what it's going to be. Was just a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun doing it. And yeah, I'm really appreciative of. Of WWE for letting me do that. And hopefully there's many more opportunities to me for me to get involved in the future.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, I think. I think the league probably changed their whole opinion about players and participation in wrestling when Dennis Rodman started skipping practice. So he go to Nitro. Yeah, that's probably.

[Megan Morant]

Well, you brought up the 90s. And, you know, we're all familiar with the Pacers and the Knicks rivalry back in the 90s. I mean, I haven't stopped watching that clip of Spike Lee and Reggie Miller. But now that this is. This is reignited, this Pacers Knicks rivalry, if you had to pick a WWE rivalry. I keep saying the word rivalry, but oh, my goodness, if you had to pick one that it was most similar to, which one stands out to you?

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Oh, that's a great question. Here's the thing is we are two young teams who haven't won in a very long time, right? So for me, it feels like it's more like the NXT rivalry or like, like Intercontinental Championship bout, because it's two guys who haven't really proven that it can be a top guy yet. So that, to me, kind of makes me feel like it's like nxt. I'm thinking like Bron Breaker, Carmelo Hayes. That's kind of where my mind is going. But I'm definitely thinking younger guys that want to get to the mountaintop because, like, they haven't won a championship since the 70s. Pacers have never won an NBA championship. So, you know, I don't want to say there's like a changing of the guard in our league right now, but the four teams that are left, there are a lot of young players, and so that's exciting time for our league. So I like to think more that route than I would tell you, like, Cody Roman. Because if I thought like Cody Roman, I'm thinking like Steph lebron. Like, I'm thinking like, you know, the guys who are established and doing it. I'm thinking more of the not established guys yet, you know, coming into their own. So that's kind of where my mind goes right now on the spot. But let me think on that a little bit more. I'll get you a better answer.

[Sam Roberts]

That's such a. I mean, I actually think that's such a great answer. Right. Because first of all, I, like, I was just looking at the graphic before you came on that I don't know if who made it, but it was like, it was like you and Jalen, and then in the shadows of you guys were Reggie and Patrick Ewing, and just like, you know the. The history of this rivalry. But I was also like, this morning I'm watching First Take, and Stephen A. Is talking about you and Jalen and this debate as to whether or not you guys are actually superstars yet, and. And you being overrated earlier in the season and all this stuff. And I feel like, for me as like the wrestling historian and tell me if you're familiar with it, I feel like when it's like a. It's almost like a Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels intercontinental title era, right? Where you guys are in the land of the giants, but you both are like, no, we're the. We're the future of the league. And now this is the series where we get to prove this is what you guys are going to be watching for the next 10, 15, 20 years.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Right? For sure.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

As long as I get to come out to sexy boy.

[Sam Roberts]

You would be Sean.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

That's part of it. I'm all for it.

[Megan Morant]

Well, you know, speaking of entrance music, you talk about how you got to get in that mindset for game day. Right now you're just chilling, but you're thinking about the game on your pregame pump up playlist. Is there any WWE music?

[Tyrese Halliburton]

That's it. You know what? We actually were just talking about this in the massage room today, because I don't know if it's as much theme songs as it is, like, pay per view, like, promo package theme songs. You know what I'm saying? Like, we always think back to, like, we. We literally. I forgot what Hero by Skillet was like The Royal Rumble 2010 10. And me. Me and TJ McConnell were talking about that today. You guys have seen the. Everybody's taken the Me and Brunson moment and putting Limp Bizkit.

[Sam Roberts]

Yes.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

So that's cool to see. Those songs have, like, started to just pop up when I'm in the car. Like, it's just in my head, so I just play it in the moment. So those are more what's getting played than anything. But if I had to pick a theme song that I would really put in my rotation, honestly speaking, it's probably Mark Henry because that makes me. That. That's the song that makes me feel the most. Like, okay, like, let's. Like, somebody's gonna get the ass kicked. Like, I like. I like that line. So I like. It's probably Mark Henry. That's probably what is on top of my head.

[Sam Roberts]

And I think that's a great answer because you're a cool guy. Mark's a cool guy. But there's something about that song coming on. You remember that era of Mark Henry where it was like, nope, I've been here for too long, and I've been too nice to too many people. I'm gonna go squash everybody.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Yeah, yeah. It's. That's probably my number one Pick for sure.

[Sam Roberts]

I also love the idea of the pay per view theme because it really does go back that. That's what puts you in that battle mode. That's where you start thinking about like the, the, the main events and the matches and stuff like that.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Yeah, yeah. And it's like, it's not even. Sometimes when I'm like, really, like, all right, I want to. WWE's on my mind. Sometimes I'll. There's like Spotify playlists that will have like songs from WWE video games that like, I don't remember or like, I don't. I don't know why I would know that song, but it's only because I used to play WWE video games my whole life. It's like I'm hitting shuffle and I'm getting like the most random songs to pop up, like Red Hot Chili Peppers or whatever the case is. And I'm like, I like this song. And everybody's like, how do you know it? I'm like, wwe.

[Sam Roberts]

Hey, what do you think while we got you here, I mean, totally off topic of, of what you're doing in the NBA right now. What do you think of Jay USO as champion?

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Oh, man, it's amazing to see. It's amazing to see. I met Jay at Fast Lane. Everybody remembers the notorious him and Cody Presser moment. I was in the room. I was there. I was in the room. That was my first time meeting Jay and Cody and those guys. We talked in the back for a while. They were super cool. So it's super cool to see this happening for Jay. You know, I, I have a long term plan to get him in some pumas. I know he wears sneakers when he wrestles, so I've been plotting on that to make that happen. But yeah, it's, it's really cool to see him doing what he's doing. And it's so fun because like I went to Royal Rumble, I brought a couple teammates, I brought my brother and like seeing the crowd energy for him and like explaining to people who don't necessarily know wrestling, they're like, I can get behind that guy because everybody's behind that guy. You know, that's why it's so, it's so cool to see. So he's, he's facing Logan at Saturday night event and obviously I was with Logan at smackdown, so I'm a little torn there because those are both my guys. But my heart tells me that I'm with Jey uso. So I think that's, I think that's where it's leading.

[Megan Morant]

Well, you did a Puma collab with wwe, right? I saw you had some DX shoes on.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Oh, yeah, I did do a couple pe, so I did a P for my All Pro. I did a dx, which I wore against the Bucks. I had a game winner in those shoes. So Triple H was very excited about that. Good for the brand. And then I wore an Undertaker pair that I did in the closeout game against the Bucks in the playoffs. So, yeah, I've been fortunate enough to do some things with WWE and hopefully there's many more things moving forward.

[Sam Roberts]

I don't know if you saw. I mean, you talk about crowd energy, right? And you tried to throw me under the bus for being a New Yorker. Like you don't live in Connecticut. Like you didn't drive right here from the Midwest.

[Megan Morant]

And listen, I came dressed for the occasion. You didn't.

[Sam Roberts]

Wow. You didn't want to see the jersey that I was going to wear. But everybody in New York is losing their minds right now. You can't go anywhere without the excitement about this, about this game, about this series coming up. They tore the city down. They went outside of Madison Square Garden. I'm sure you saw those videos. You know how Knicks fans feel about the fact that we are finally making it in to the conference finals.

[Megan Morant]

Oh, you're a we guy now.

[Sam Roberts]

If that. We.

[Megan Morant]

You're part of the team.

[Sam Roberts]

We. Okay. We. We respect it.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

I respect it.

[Sam Roberts]

I appreciate that. I thought I was hoping you would. If there is a message though, that you could send to all of us that were out there feeling that spirit. I wasn't actually outside of Madison Square Garden, but I was watching on Twitter, so I feel like I was there. If you could send a message to the guy that was sitting on top of a billboard with his slides on. If you could send a message to the guy doing pull ups on the street lamp, what would you say to those Knicks fans?

[Tyrese Halliburton]

It's a great question. It's almost a lob for a setup right there. I think I would. Congratulations. Exciting time to be a basketball fan right now. Congratulations. And then I would reach out for the handshake. Cena Orton and I would say, you know, like, we'll see. We're excited to play. You got good luck this round and then it is what it is. From there, it's ready to go. So it's an exciting time to be a basketball fan. Excited time to be a Knicks fan. Excited time to be a Pacers fan. So looking forward to it.

[Sam Roberts]

What a diplomatic answer. But I know that once you get on the court, you'll be doing. Metaphorically, you'll be shoving the thumb in Orton's eye the same way.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, he's going full heel.

[Sam Roberts]

Of course he is. You know, he. Once he's out there, I've seen what he does with his hands. Of course he's going to go full heel. Speaking of Knicks fans, and speaking of that episode of Smackdown and Jalen Brunson, you both ended up with T shirts on WWE Shop, which again, all right, like, right, like, just being a fan, having your own WWE T shirt, I'm sure is nuts. Who do you think is going to sell more T shirts? Speaking of lobs, who do you think is going to sell more T shirts? You on WWE Shop, you or Jalen Brunson?

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Okay, well, the markets we play in are a little. Are a little different in size, so there happens to be more people in New York than Indy. So I'm a math guy. Analytically, right? By the numbers wise, it would. It would say Jalen. It would probably say Jalen. But that's okay because I know people are still going to buy my shirt. I got a bobblehead with the shirt.

[Sam Roberts]

With the title too.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Yeah, they had the title. It's really cool, though, because I always wanted to do things with wwe and this shirt obviously inspired by Stone Cold. And that's why when I went to the Garden, I wore jean shorts. I haven't worn jean shorts in so long. I went and found some jorts just to be. I was like, I wanted to get. And I wore boots. Like, I, I could have wore, like, sneakers. I was like, no, I'm leaning in. I'm going. Boots, jorts. I couldn't find any knee braces. I was gonna lean completely into it, but it was a lot of fun to do that. And so I tried to, like, make my shirt as inspired by Stone Cold as I could. And like, even the back, the little. The zero with the flames coming out, I was thinking about Stone Cold with the flames coming out of the eyes. Right. So I went all in. And so I really appreciate WWE for what they did. They took my. My vision and brought it to life. So Jalen by analytics, Jalen will probably sell more, and that's okay, right? I know there's going to be people out there by now.

[Megan Morant]

There's a lot of people saying that analytics are actually ruining the game of basketball. So I think that. And then also, I mean, you are a real die hard WWE fan and that shows. So I think you should Give yourself more credit, because people connect with authenticity, and you're an authentic fan.

[Sam Roberts]

I also think you're going to get some points because I swear, I'm so glad you said that. It's been 10 months that I've been wondering myself. Is. Is he trying to bring back Jorge? Is Tyrese Halliburton trying to bring.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

I haven't. I genuinely. I don't think I've worn Jordan since then. And I don't remember last time we're jorts before then. I was like, we gotta go full stone cold. I'm wearing black boots. I'm wearing the jorts. I. I had a watch on. That's not necessarily stone cold, but I tried to lean in as much as I could. I thought I did a decent job.

[Sam Roberts]

We gotta. Before we let you go, to get into the mind frame not only for what's to come, but what's happened on Monday Night Raw and everything. I gotta. I gotta ask you, because you are. And I love. I love people like you who are so successful in what they do, but never stop being a fan of what they've always been a fan of. Is there. And I'm sure you have access to it by now, but if there was one, call it a celebrity, could be a wrestler, could be an athlete, whatever it is that you could get their autograph. Who would that human be and what would the item be that you would have them sign?

[Tyrese Halliburton]

It's not even close. Hold on.

[Sam Roberts]

Okay. Okay. By the way, it's a sweet game room.

[Megan Morant]

This is gonna be good.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Okay, so. So here, you see, I have the replica, right?

[Sam Roberts]

I have the replica spinner belt.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

But. But my dad recently found my childhood toy belt that I wrote my name on the bottom.

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, my gosh.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

In Sharpie.

[Sam Roberts]

It says Tyrese on the nameplate.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Yes, this is my childhood belt. It's falling apart. But I keep it because that if I get anything signed, it'll be this by John himself. Oh.

[Megan Morant]

Oh, my God.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

That would be number one. And the rumble was. I went to rumble. A little crazy.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

I had this belt in my. But I didn't bring it in. And so I didn't even. I. We remember we played a game that day. So I came in just for the rumble and then left. John lost. Unfortunately, we left. I didn't get to see him, so it wouldn't matter if I had the belt, but that would be number one, definitely. John Cena to sign that belt.

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, my God.

[Megan Morant]

I love that you're walking around with your childhood belt. You never know the opportunity is going to come up.

[Sam Roberts]

It's awesome. It's awesome. Well, then you got to get to one of these dates. As he's counting down, you got to get to one of these dates.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

I know we're a little busy right now.

[Sam Roberts]

That's right. I heard about that.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

When this is done, there will be. I'm gonna get to another Cena retirement tour. I just don't know which one. But I'm gonna go to something. I don't know what it is yet, but I will. I will definitely be there. As much as I can.

[Megan Morant]

I can see it right now. You, John Cena, the Larry o' Brien and your childhood belts. The spinner belt side. I can pass out.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

If that happened, I'd probably pass out. That would be the best. The best. The best thing ever.

[Sam Roberts]

That's amazing. Well, man, thank you so much for making the time for us in the busiest set of weeks that you could possibly have. We appreciate it. I say is human to human and because I feel like we're getting on. Good luck to you.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Appreciate that person to hurts to say it does hurt. I appreciate it.

[Megan Morant]

Good luck, Tyrese. We're cheering for you.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Sam Roberts]

Guys. I don't have to tell you that it's getting warmer outside and that can. That can be a problem for some of us. Luckily, there is Mando from the founders of Lumi. Mando is the whole body deodorant that is helping men like yours truly conquer their odor in a brand new way. It's formulated with mandelic acid. Mando has long lasting 72 hour odor control that actually stops odor before it even starts. The best part is you can put Mando everywhere. I'm talking your pits, I'm talking your package. I'm talking your feet, skin, windfalls, back, knees, everywhere. Any nook and cranny that stinks, Mando is there to help. To top it off, Mando's cologne quality scents were created with men like us in mind. Pro tip Try their best selling bourbon leather. It's a game changer. New customers. Right now you can get $5 off a starter pack with our exclusive code and link. Use code raw [e-mail] to get $5 off a smarter a starter pack. But it is also a smarter pack that shopmando.coms h o p m a n d o dot com I mean, amazing. Tyrese Halliburton makes time for us. And this is another one where I would love to come in with my. With my New York bias But, man, if he isn't a charming guy, what a great guy, huh?

[Megan Morant]

He's the best.

[Sam Roberts]

And did you see what he did on Pat's show to help the Pacers fan that got.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, you Knicks fans, listen, we get excited.

[Sam Roberts]

We don't get this happening to us all that often. Okay? We get excited. What can I tell you?

[Megan Morant]

That was rude.

[Sam Roberts]

He was. He was overzealous, but I will give you overzealous.

[Megan Morant]

But he's nice. I mean, Tyree is doing this on his own. He's flying the fan out. You know, the whole team's gonna meet him. A dream come true.

[Sam Roberts]

I don't have confirmat he'll be wearing the jorts in 2k25, but I am very glad that we finally got some confirmation on the Jordan, because I was literally, I was rewatching, you know, in WWE, YouTube, they posted the Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Halliburton interaction from Smackdown from last summer.

[Megan Morant]

Which, by the way, why didn't we put a future on that?

[Sam Roberts]

I know.

[Megan Morant]

I was like, what were the odds on it?

[Sam Roberts]

I know, I know. But I was watching it again, going like, I thought I found it kind of wholesome that I'm like, he just wears shorts like that. Like, he's just wearing jean shorts. Like, that's. That's what Tyrese Halliburton wears. And then to find out it was a. It was a low key, stone cold reference. I was like, okay, I appreciate it.

[Megan Morant]

I wonder if during the series if he'll do his little arrive at the arena shot in some sort of wrestling gear.

[Sam Roberts]

Who knows? Maybe It'll be the Tyrese 317. You can get that on WWE Shop. Obviously somebody that's been making a major splash. Oh, yeah, on WWE Shop is, I'll say friend of the show, Carrion Cross, who actually posted a very interesting video this week on social media. How do we make this happen? Like, what does that look like? They're like, we'll get back to you. And they got back to me relatively quickly, actually. So bringing it to your attention, moving forward, from my understanding, starting this Monday night at Raw, my shirts will be available in the arena. So it feels awesome. I want to say thank you to everybody. You guys actually made that happen completely. I don't think I would have had a case. You know, they're doing all right online. So they see you and they hear you. Yeah. Really cool to see this all happen for Karrion Kross. If you go to WWE Shop, you've seen that shirt. Be in the. In the top tier and then it's yet. Well, I saw on social media that it did happen tonight on Raw at the merch stands. The carrying cross T shirt was there. So if you were in the arena, you got a chance to get it. If you are not in the arena and have to get that shirt because it's what everybody's talking about right now, you can go to WWE Shop. You can get the carrying cross shirt. Our pals of fanatics also, of course, have all the John Cena farewell gear for Saturday night's main event. John Cena is on his way to Tampa. You can get all the John Cena farewell Tampa exclusive merch right now at WWE Shop. Once it's gone, it's gone. So fanatics is hooking it up. And for everybody excited about Saturday night's main event and you don't need a John Cena shirt or you already have your John Cena shirt. Want to support the other superstars that are part of Saturday night's main event. Everybody's represented. CM Punk and Jay USO are going to be at Saturday night's main event. You can get those shirts at WWE Shop.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

All.

[Sam Roberts]

All the stars that you will see this weekend. And we're going to be predicting the whole card in just a few minutes. So if you. If you hear those names and you're like, yeah, I want to rep those superstars, WWE Shop is your spot. Fanatics has it all hooked up and we thank them very, very much. We will get to Saturday night's main event. However, that's not the only big event that everybody's talking about right now. Of course, after Saturday night's main event is going to be the Money in the bank premium live event where we'll see the women's Money in the bank ladder match.

[Megan Morant]

One of my favorites.

[Sam Roberts]

It's the best. It's so fun. The men's Money in the bank ladder match. And we really started to get a picture of what the women's Money in the bank ladder match is going to look like. It's nuts. Huh?

[Megan Morant]

Already.

[Sam Roberts]

Yes.

[Megan Morant]

Roxanne Perez, right? Who is having a better year than just about anyone.

[Sam Roberts]

Literally starting from the Royal Rumble.

[Megan Morant]

Yes. Record in the Royal Rumble.

[Sam Roberts]

Yep.

[Megan Morant]

Finishing the runner up.

[Sam Roberts]

Right.

[Megan Morant]

Signing with Raw.

[Sam Roberts]

We're having those night and having several breakout performances on the way to her Monday night Raw signing. You know, we're talking Raw after Wrestlemania. We're talking the tag teamwork she was doing with Julia. But after Julia gets signed to smackdown, Adam Pierce says, hold my Beer. We just had our own signing. Roxanne Perez officially a member of the Raw Roster. And on her first night as an official member of the Raw Roster, she gets into a Triple Threat match, qualifies in the money, and will be a part of the Money in the bank ladder match, which means she's in that field. She could climb that ladder, get the briefcase. And all of a sudden, and this is why it's such a fun match, because all of a sudden, you're looking at a future where every conversation that we have about Roxanne Perez or about the Women's World Championship or the women's WWE Championship, they all combine. They all have to do with each other now. They are all part of that same world until Roxanne decides to cash it in. If she gets it.

[Megan Morant]

Roxanne Perez going up against Natalia and Becky Lynch.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, we all saw the clip of Total Divas, Roxanne Perez standing outside telling Natalia that she wants to be a diva, and it's the only thing she ever sees herself doing. And here she is, she's, you know, going toe to toe with Natalia and the man.

[Sam Roberts]

And she pinned Natalia exactly when the.

[Megan Morant]

Match and didn't look like, oh, I'm just happy to be there now.

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, that's not Roxanne anymore.

[Megan Morant]

Not anymore.

[Sam Roberts]

She's come a long way since reality.

[Megan Morant]

Television, and I love that.

[Sam Roberts]

That. What about your girl Lyra getting them wangs out? We didn't even notice. She snuck out of the crowd. She said, okay, Becky, you got things to say. I'm going to make sure you're not in that ladder match. I like that. Lyra Valkyria has a little bit of a mean streak, you know, Lyra Valkyria is a powerful, powerful human being. I like that.

[Megan Morant]

I mean, she saw what Becky Lynch. I mean, she experienced what Becky lynch did to her firsthand.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. Losing.

[Megan Morant]

Broken nose. Oh. Oh.

[Sam Roberts]

She had a broken nose. And the Intercontinental Championship. I'll take it. I'll take it. I'll take the broken nose if I can.

[Megan Morant]

She's messing with the man. It's not a good spot to be.

[Sam Roberts]

Listen, she's the Intercontinental Champion for a reason.

[Megan Morant]

For now.

[Sam Roberts]

She had a match with Becky Lynch. She won the match.

[Megan Morant]

She got beat up.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

Oh, I got beat up.

[Sam Roberts]

That's the name of the game.

[Megan Morant]

I don't know.

[Sam Roberts]

Okay.

[Megan Morant]

She didn't look thrilled.

[Sam Roberts]

This ain't ballet. Well, no, you're not gonna be thrilled about it, but ultimately. HE LAUGHS LAST loudest yes. She had no championship.

[Megan Morant]

She's I mean she just keeps up in the ante.

[Sam Roberts]

Also she's not in the money in the bank ladder match.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, but she's getting. I don't know why I'm so sick of this week.

[Sam Roberts]

You fire your fire. You come on here every week after a Becky lynch loss.

[Megan Morant]

You're disrespectful to Becky lynch. That's all.

[Sam Roberts]

Because it's crazy what you do. You come on here.

[Megan Morant]

See what I do?

[Sam Roberts]

Nuts. You come on here and you talk about how great things are for Becky lynch after every time she loses a big match, she comes in, she loses a big match. You go oh, everybody's escape afraid of Becky Lynch.

[Megan Morant]

They should be afraid of Becky Lynch.

[Sam Roberts]

Sure she's great. But like you can't go. Everything's coming up Becky right now. She's not in the ladder match. She's not in that. Roxanne Perez is not her. Lyra, big deal.

[Megan Morant]

Lyra ruined it. So watch out Lyra, you're going to get it again.

[Sam Roberts]

What again? She's. Lyra's still broken nose. Lyra's still the champion.

[Megan Morant]

Wangs will be broken. I don't.

[Sam Roberts]

You can't mess with those wangs. Everybody's trying to get them out right now.

[Megan Morant]

People are putting their wings up.

[Sam Roberts]

You really do act like Becky lynch won the match against Lyra Valkyria. That's what's nuts to me.

[Megan Morant]

It's funny because I feel like you did this with Dominic Mysterio for a while.

[Sam Roberts]

Dominic Mysterio's eater got now champion eventually.

[Megan Morant]

Willed him to becoming a champion. That's not how listen Becky is. I mean she's held so many titles I don't need to will her to win another. But all I'm saying is I think so now. I think she's going to come up big here.

[Sam Roberts]

Now you're telling me, I don't know what self help books you've been reading but now you're telling me that the reason that Dom, the sole reason, only reason, because you will that Dominic Mysterio is the intercontinental champion is because I single handedly manifested it.

[Megan Morant]

Well, you got everybody on board and that's why people are cheering him now and not booing him. I mean this is just like. Look, look, this is what's great about wrestling is the fans matter. But the fans are buying carrying Cross's T shirt. The fans are cheering for Dominic.

[Sam Roberts]

So you're saying that when a stadium full of fans were cheering for Dominic you turned into Chris Farley and Tommy boy looking at me Going what you do?

[Megan Morant]

That's exactly it.

[Sam Roberts]

Wow.

[Megan Morant]

You were the first person on the Dominic Mysterio fan.

[Sam Roberts]

I'll take it. I was very public with my support. And by the way, I'm still feeling the ramifications of that. Go ahead and watch the Penta interview. It really was frightening for some of us. Not you.

[Megan Morant]

No, not me at all. You rub a lot of our guests the wrong way.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, that I'll say is true. And I don't know, I feel like I'm being gaslit because I feel like you're the one who says nuts things. And then I.

[Megan Morant]

Well, I'm just saying, I don't think this was smart of life.

[Sam Roberts]

I think Tyrese liked you better than me.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, he did.

[Sam Roberts]

I think Becky liked you better than me.

[Megan Morant]

Without a doubt.

[Sam Roberts]

Penta, for sure.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

New day.

[Megan Morant]

Oh.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, they even took shots at you, but not nearly like they did at me.

[Megan Morant]

No, they made fun of you.

[Sam Roberts]

Dominic likes me better than you.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. But I think he might actually like Roxanne Perez better than both of us because we were just talking about Roxanne Perez.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. And she.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, look, and seeing her, you know, her with Balor, it's really interesting.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. And you talk. I mean, she's busy. Not only did she. Tonight. Tonight, Roxanne Perez signed to Monday Night Raw, then qualified for money in the bank, then was introduced as not a full member, but a friend of the Judgment Day by Finn Balor. And I was just on Not Sam wrestling podcast going like, hey, somebody needs to explain to me what's going on with Finn Balor and Roxanne Perez, because I've been seeing it in the background. And once again, not Sam Stradamus hit the nail on the head.

[Megan Morant]

I do like that Roxanne Perez showed up with presents for everybody. You never walk into someone's house empty handed. So she wasn't going to walk into the Judgment Day clubhouse empty handed. She had a box of chicken tendies. And I think there may have been a little sparkle in Dominic's eye.

[Sam Roberts]

Those were. Those, by the way, those were nugs.

[Megan Morant]

Different than tendies.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, barely in the same family. So different. However, he was still. You were right about the sparkle. You're right about the happiness. I just wanted to not put out a podcast where we called chicken nuggets chicken tendies.

[Megan Morant]

Oh, my apologies.

[Sam Roberts]

Thank you. Thank you. I'm trying to be professional. Do you. And she gave Carlito some apples. Some apples. Because those are cool.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

So I don't know. I Took it as manipulative. If somebody starts giving me, like, if somebody knows me too well and, like, give, like, I don't really know you like that, but you gave me, like, a gift that I really, really like. Part of me is like, I'm definitely keeping this gift. This is actually very nice. And then another part of me is like, why are you trying so hard?

[Megan Morant]

Well, if. If my. Like, if another woman gave my husband a gift.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

I would be very upset.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, sure.

[Megan Morant]

So Liv Morgan has to be very upset watching this happen, especially since.

[Sam Roberts]

Well, I mean, look, this is what ha. I mean, you go do movies.

[Megan Morant]

Dominic is a beautiful man.

[Sam Roberts]

Gorgeous. Like, hello. You gotta understand, like, what you jumped on board for, right? Like, you gotta understand. You got basically, journalism in the Preakness. Okay. You got the number one horse in that locker room. Okay. You watch Preakness. It was great.

[Megan Morant]

Of course.

[Sam Roberts]

So Liv is watching tricks that Liv pulled on Dom when Rio was around once again, be pulled on Dom now that Liv is around. And I do. I think you might be right about that. I wouldn't, because Liv used to give Dom tendies and nugs when Ria would be like, hey, what's going on? I'm just hungry, dude. Just having something to eat, right? Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

No problem at all.

[Sam Roberts]

Learning about Cuba, eating some food.

[Megan Morant]

But before Liv started treating Dom to Tendies and Nuggs, she was spotted with Finn Balor. So maybe Finn Balor split the pot.

[Sam Roberts]

Yes. Because who was Roxanne spotted with before.

[Megan Morant]

She gave Finn Balor?

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, my God. History's repeating itself. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. What would we call them instead of live? Dom? Rox. Dom. Dom Rocks. Dom rocks. Dom Rocks.

[Megan Morant]

Yes.

[Sam Roberts]

Are we seeing the birth of Dom Rocks? Don't let Liv Morgan see this podcast.

[Megan Morant]

Oh, no.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, Dom is not a difficult guy to charm. Like, you just give him some chicken tennies and some 2K and, like, you're kind of set. Yeah, he literally did.

[Megan Morant]

My whole face lit up when he saw those.

[Sam Roberts]

He did my live podcast in Vegas for one pouch of Capri Sun.

[Megan Morant]

Capri.

[Sam Roberts]

Capri Sun. Capri Sun. One pouch is all it took. And he did the pot. He was like, yeah, it was great pot. Yeah. I'm having a great time, so. Wow. I didn't even put two and two together.

[Megan Morant]

I think Finn may be stirring the pot here.

[Sam Roberts]

Finn to Liv to Tendies to Dom. Finn to Roxanne to Tendies, or Nuggs to Dom. It's the same path Liv must be. Seething how's she gonna be in this movie?

[Megan Morant]

So Liv wasn't really the homewrecker. Finn was a homewrecker.

[Sam Roberts]

Wow. He just realized, look, this is a winning strategy. It's going to work every single time.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

Finn isn't a homewrecker. He's a homewrecking coach.

[Megan Morant]

It's a good strategy.

[Sam Roberts]

Like, he finds himself a quarterback to make the throw, but he's gonna. He's the one that's orchestrating all the plays.

[Megan Morant]

And I like the way he's doing it because he's doing it all wearing a Dominic Mysterio T shirt. Right. I mean, that's his brother, his friend.

[Sam Roberts]

I mean, look, he's not doing Dominic a disservice. It doesn't sound like.

[Megan Morant]

To tell you the truth, Dominic is winning.

[Sam Roberts]

Dominic is winning across the board because.

[Megan Morant]

Either way, he gets nugs, tendies, and companionship.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, companionship from beautiful women. Honestly, the life we should all aspire for.

[Megan Morant]

And a championship.

[Sam Roberts]

And don't forget, he's the Intercontinental Champion. And everyone's going to be able to meet Dominic Mysterio. Did you know about that?

[Megan Morant]

No, I didn't.

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, yeah. New York City, baby. Fanatics Fest is coming back. Listen to this lineup. Okay, I'm just going to read it. Okay, forget listen. Because they. They added, I think, four new names this week, but this is who's coming. Fanatics Fest is going to be in New York City June 20th through the 22nd at the Jacob Javits Center. Right. And so all the tickets are available. Get them right now. Go to Fanatics Fest. We'll be there. It's going to be amazing. Listen to who's going to be there. John Cena, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Alexa Blitz. I think she lost.

[Megan Morant]

Okay.

[Sam Roberts]

Alexa Bliss, Dominic Mysterio. All of those get added to the list that already included Cody Rhodes, Ria Ripley, the Undertaker, Jay uso, Trish Stratus, Liv Morgan. All of them confirmed for Fanatics Fest. Epic meet and greets, photo ops, autograph sessions, immersive WWE activations that you've got to see to believe. I'm sure you'll be able to create an entrance. I'm sure you'll be able to do a ton of stuff. There's going to be podcast tapings. There's going to be panel talks, there's going to be collectibles. There's going to be box breaks and pack rips and everything galore. You got to be there. June 20th through the 22nd at the Jacob Javits center in New York City. We're a month away, basically. We're a month. We are a month away. That came quick. We are a month away from Fanatics Fest. We keep hearing about this going like, we got time. We got time. We don't got time. We're a month away. It's going down. You're going to want to be there. It was awesome last year. It looks so much bigger this year. Unbelievable. Before we get to Saturday night's main event, let's also mention the other Money in the bank qualifier. We spent all that time on Roxanne Perez. We didn't even mention that joining Alexa Bliss and Roxanne in the Money in the bank match, Rhea Ripley, like, that threw me for a loop because I always go, like, I look at, I. Part of me wants to wonders, is it kind of going to be a themed Money in the bank ladder match? Right? Like, is it going to be like all. All kind of newcomers, all up and comers, and then, boom, Mommy shows up. Rhea Ripley wins the qualifier. Zoe Stark, who we all hope is okay, or as close to okay as humanly possible, took a nasty, nasty bump. Hope that, that she gets better as quickly as humanly possible because you hate to see any of that stuff in any context. But she gets taken out of the match. It's down to Rhea Ripley and Kyrie Sane making a return to Monday Night Raw. These two tore the house down. Rhea Ripley comes out on top, as mommy usually is, and she goes in to the Money in the bank ladder match. And this to me felt like one of those, like, where the whole landscape for what this is changes. I think that when. If Alexa Bliss wins Money in the bank, it's almost like, oh, there's still a lot of mystery as to what Alexa Bliss is up to. If Roxanne Perez wins Money in the bank, it's almost like, oh, this one gets skyrocketed. Now she's going to make the call for almost like Tiffany Stratton.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

Similar scenario if Rhea Ripley wins the Money in the bank ladder match.

[Megan Morant]

We know what she's after.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. Yes. But it's. The difference is that when Rhea Ripley wins the Money in the bank ladder match, unlike anyone else, it puts the champion on notice. It makes it so whoever is holding a women's championship, and all due respect to everybody on the roster, whoever is holding a championship is going, please don't let it be me. Please don't let it be me. Please don't let it be me.

[Megan Morant]

You're having nightmares every single night. Of I eat, sleep.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

Entrance music. Yeah, Right.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. Night terrors for sure. Yes, for sure. And it's hard to take any type of match, money in the bank, ladder match or otherwise, that Rio wouldn't win, right?

[Megan Morant]

Oh, what a terrible feeling, right? To be defending your title and knowing that that music could hit at any moment.

[Sam Roberts]

Please don't let that music hit. Please don't let that music.

[Megan Morant]

And you're done.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah. You're just watching the other champion wrestle, hoping that Rhea cashes in on her so you don't have to worry about it anymore.

[Megan Morant]

Right?

[Sam Roberts]

Guys, I've got good news. I've got some science in front of me that's going to help all of us that are worried about aging. You know, you start to feel those symptoms, your sleep pattern is off, the quality is not as good. You're waking up with aches and pains. You're, you're, you got less energy than you used to. Well, fatty 15, our pals have discovered C15, the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in more than 90 years. Okay? It's an incredible scientific breakthrough to support our long term health and wellness and you guessed it, aging and longevity. This is going to help at a cellular level. C15 gets in there and slows down that biological process. And it's all thanks to fatty 15. Fatty 15 has three times more cellular benefits than omega 3 or fish oil. Fatty 15 is clinically proven to raise C15 levels resulting in lower cholesterol levels, healthier liver function, improved gut microbiome health and improved red blood cell health. Within three weeks, if that isn't convenient enough, they'll bring it right to your door. They put this, this fatty 15 in this beautiful glass container. You can keep it. And then they ship the refills to you, right to your home. Okay? Fatty 15 is on a mission to optimize your C15 levels to help you live healthier longer. You can get an additional 15 off their 90 day subscription starter kit by going to fatty15.com rawrecap and using code RAW recap at checkout. That's fatty15.com rawrecap use code RAW recap at checkout. It'll be interesting to see. Well, we've got Saturday night's main event coming up on Saturday. Okay, we've got as I was talking about on Nazi. I'm wrestling again this week. I feel like a sneaky, low key, unbelievable card.

[Megan Morant]

It is.

[Sam Roberts]

Okay, so we've got our four matches announced, I guess. Let's start. Let's start with the battle of the man who claims to be fighting his childhood hero, which, by the way, John Cena did a convention over the weekend or something like that. But I saw a clip of him and somebody in the crowd asked about, you know, why would you put your childhood. The person who considers you his childhood hero through a table? And John Cena, rightfully so. And I won't defend John Cena very often. He's trying to ruin wrestling. I don't like it. But he did say, what in this. How in the space time continuum could I be R. Truth's childhood hero?

[Megan Morant]

I don't know. I think Truth and Dom are gonna have to get together and figure out time zones.

[Sam Roberts]

Okay. Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

It seems to be a bit of an issue for both of them, but JD could help. This is not the John Cena that R. Truth knows. This is not the John Cena that I know or that you know or that anybody in the WWE Universe knows.

[Sam Roberts]

Listen, I love R. Truth. Love him. Not like love. There's no way he's even close to beating John Cena at Saturday night's main event. It's not gonna happen. And especially because John Cena has become such a mean human being, a terrible guy. Like, he's gonna not only do it, he's gonna enjoy it. You know? John Cena and R. Truth wrestled in a main event for the WWE Championship in the past. It was at an event called Capital Punishment. It was many, many years ago. John Cena won that match, and he was a good guy. John Cena then.

[Megan Morant]

Well, I don't like this John Cena at all.

[Sam Roberts]

No.

[Megan Morant]

And when. When he destroys Truth, I'm going to hate him even more.

[Sam Roberts]

Wow.

[Megan Morant]

Because Truth is ours.

[Sam Roberts]

Wow.

[Megan Morant]

Wow. He belongs to us.

[Sam Roberts]

I can't wait to hear your opinion on that when it clearly will happen. How about this one, though? On smackdown, Damian Priest says we need to finish this in a cage. Drew McIntyre says I'm the only thing keeping you relevant. Damian Priest, I would love to fight you in a steel cage. The best. All he needs is five minutes and a microphone. He's like Nas. All he needs is one mic and instantly ruins people. So once he's in a cage, though, it's no mics, it's fisticuffs, it's battle.

[Megan Morant]

And it's not only, you know, just his skills on the mic, but we all saw that nasty bump that he took.

[Sam Roberts]

Oh, and he's back. He's like, yeah, this bump that he takes, right? He hits his head on the concrete. Everybody's like, geez, I hope he's okay.

[Megan Morant]

I don't know if we're gonna see him for a little while.

[Sam Roberts]

How about two weeks? We'll get in a cage. Like what?

[Megan Morant]

Okay, Drew, sign me up. I want it, I want all of it injected into my veins. That said, I'll take Drew McIntyre.

[Sam Roberts]

Drew McIntyre's your pick.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah.

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah.

[Megan Morant]

Can't go against him now.

[Sam Roberts]

No, no. But if he's a little more banged up than he's letting on and Priest needs it, it's not, it's gonna be. He's gonna have to go through hell again. Regardless whether he wins or loses. Both these guys are going through hell. I'm probably gonna go with you on the Drew McIntyre pick, but, man, I, I, it would be a moment if Damian Priest got it.

[Megan Morant]

Yeah, it would.

[Sam Roberts]

It would be a major moment. Okay. We get to see Braun Breaker and Seth Rollins as a team for the first time, taking on CM Punk and Sami Zhang. Who do we have?

[Megan Morant]

I'm gonna go with Seth Rollins and Braun Breaker.

[Sam Roberts]

Wow. Too much power.

[Megan Morant]

A lot of power. And then they have Paul Heyman by their side.

[Sam Roberts]

They do have Paul Heyman.

[Megan Morant]

We saw how instrumental Paul Heyman was tonight on Raw.

[Sam Roberts]

He was extremely instrumental. Here's the X factor for me. Sami Zayn. There is just something so frustratingly unbeatable about Sami Zayn. There has never been a superstar that keeps getting up more than Sami Zayn. I've watched so many people get driven to the point of insanity because Sami Zayn just won't stay down. It's how he beat Gunther. Just stay down.

[Tyrese Halliburton]

No.

[Sam Roberts]

Not going to do it. I feel like we're going to see that version of Sami Zayn come out and he's going to sneak one by Bron Breaker.

[Megan Morant]

I love it.

[Sam Roberts]

I think Sami Zayn and CM Punk win that match and then, then world heavyweight title is on the line. Jay USO versus Logan Paul. I do wonder the logic in Jay uso. I know he wants to prove to everybody how tough he is, but like the logic in Jay accepting a non title match with Bron Breaker five days before Saturday night's main event. Don't know that. Don't know why. However, regardless, Logan Paul, Jay uso. Logan Paul has knocked out Jay uso, I want to say three times. Yes, three times from the crowd in the locker. Now, all three times have been the most sneaky of sneak attacks that you've ever seen in your life. But they have knocked out Jey uso. People have been saying for a long time, Logan Paul is going to be the world champion. He's going to win the World Heavyweight title in the future. Logan Paul will be the World Heavyweight Champion. Is Saturday inevitable?

[Megan Morant]

There's a part of me, and this is just getting out all my feelings is a part of me that says, there's no way that Jay USO can lose the World Heavyweight Championship. Especially this version of Jay.

[Sam Roberts]

Right?

[Megan Morant]

As confident as he is, he's walking the walk. He shows that he belongs. But then I think Logan Paul is looking to make a statement, right? There's been all of these little, little things going on, whether it's Triple H saying at the press conference that he doesn't believe that Logan Paul is a celebrity superstar anymore.

[Sam Roberts]

Just a straight wrestler.

[Megan Morant]

He's just a straight up wrestler. And what a statement it would be on national television.

[Sam Roberts]

Look, let's have it.

[Megan Morant]

Honestly, I don't like it.

[Sam Roberts]

They don't put the energy out there. You know what both our prediction is? We're gonna say, I'm gonna. Instead of saying Jay uso, I'm gonna do one word is four letters. And that's where we're leaving. Okay? We can't. Don't even go down that ugly, ugly, ugly road. Let's not do that. Let's not do that to the audience. Let's not do that for each other, Okay? I don't want to go to bed with that on my conscience.

[Megan Morant]

I'm glad that you did. The Kofi would be like, we really have Meg doing that?

[Sam Roberts]

Yeah, that's tr. He would have. He would have commented something ugly on Instagram. It wouldn't have been necessary at all. But that's Kofi, you know, that's the Kofi that we deal with now. Well, Kofi's gonna have his hands full next week on Raw, the New day Triple Threat Tag team match. We've got Tazawa and Rusev. We've got Men's Money in the bank qualifiers so much. The whole WWE landscape could be changed by the next time that we meet here on Raw recap. But regardless, we will be here. I hope you will, too. Don't forget to subscribe across all audio platforms. Interact with the YouTube video if that's where you're watching it, and we will see you next week right here on the Raw recap.