25W: A Twitter Troll Gets Taught a Lesson + WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels Gives Bobby a Big Compliment + How to Fix the Nico Iamaleava NIL/Transfer Portal Nightmare

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Bobby Bones Show – Episode 25W

Title: A Twitter Troll Gets Taught a Lesson + WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels Gives Bobby a Big Compliment + How to Fix the Nico Iamaleava NIL/Transfer Portal Nightmare
Host/Author: Premiere Networks
Release Date: April 14, 2025

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I. Introduction

In Episode 25W of The Bobby Bones Show, host Bobby Bones delves into a diverse array of topics ranging from the excitement of the NBA playoffs and a comprehensive recap of The Masters golf tournament to an exclusive interview with WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. Additionally, the episode tackles the controversial situation surrounding Nico Iamaleava’s NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) and Transfer Portal challenges in college football, culminating in an attempt to engage with a Twitter troll.

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II. NBA Playoffs and Betting Excitement

Bobby Bones expresses his enthusiasm for the NBA playoffs, highlighting the high-stakes drama and thrilling plays that make the postseason particularly captivating. He discusses his personal involvement with DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA.

Notable Quote:

"The NBA 82 game grind is done. But now the real fun begins. The NBA playoffs are here. It's time for all the high stakes drama, clutch moments, jaw-dropping plays."
(Timestamp: 02:48)

Bobby shares his betting experience, mentioning a successful wager on Rory McIlroy at The Masters and encouraging listeners to engage with DraftKings using his promo code for bonus bets.

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III. The Masters Golf Tournament Recap

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to recapping The Masters golf tournament. Bobby discusses the performances of Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, analyzing fan sentiments and the overall outcome of the tournament.

Key Points:

• Rory McIlroy’s Performance: Bobby highlights Rory’s emotional journey, recounting a poignant story where Rory’s father taught him to value each shot as if it were his last at The Masters. Despite challenges, Rory triumphed, securing his first major victory in over a decade.

  Notable Quote:

  "Jim Nance is like, when Rory was growing up... 'this is all he could afford until next week. Hit every one of these balls like it's your last shot at the Masters.'"
  (Timestamp: 05:28)

• Bryson DeChambeau’s Struggles: Discussing DeChambeau, Bobby notes his early exit from the tournament and the frustration of being in the final group without being in contention.

• Betting Experiences: Both Bobby and co-host Reed share their betting stories, celebrating wins and reflecting on missed opportunities. Reed credits himself with a "Midas touch" for betting on Justin Rose, while also discussing strategies for future wagers.

Notable Quote:

"That was maybe one of the biggest missed putt chokes I've ever seen."
(Timestamp: 07:01)

The conversation also touches on the integrity and business aspects of professional golf, emphasizing the financial and personal pressures athletes face.

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IV. Exclusive Interview with WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels

In a highlight segment, Bobby interviews Shawn Michaels, a two-time WWE Hall of Famer and executive of NXT (WWE’s developmental brand). The discussion offers deep insights into the evolution of professional wrestling, the creative process behind storylines, and Shawn’s personal journey from superstar to executive.

Key Topics:

• Physical Demands of Wrestling: Shawn articulates the immense physical challenges wrestlers endure, comparing them to other high-contact sports.

  Notable Quote:

  "It's staggering what the human body is capable of and what you get used to... It's almost as if it becomes calloused over time."
  (Timestamp: 28:59)

• Creative Evolution: Shawn discusses the balance between entertainment and realism in wrestling, addressing the fine line between effective "selling" of moves and overselling, especially with finishers like the "Stunner."

  Notable Quote:

  "The business has changed so much... Our business is no different."
  (Timestamp: 28:59)

• NXT vs. Main Roster: He draws parallels between NXT and college football, describing NXT as a developmental platform akin to university-level athletics preparing for professional leagues.

  Notable Quote:

  "NXT is, you know, University of Alabama or Ohio State... before you make it to the NFL."
  (Timestamp: 38:22)

• WrestleMania Insights: Shawn reflects on his favorite WrestleMania moments, emphasizing the significance of WrestleMania in building a wrestler’s legacy.

  Notable Quote:

  "I feel like I built my career on... those moments and those matches."
  (Timestamp: 35:08)

The interview concludes with Shawn sharing personal anecdotes, including his minor league baseball experiences and his transition to an executive role within WWE.

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V. Nico Iamaleava NIL/Transfer Portal Nightmare

Bobby shifts focus to the contentious issues in college football surrounding Nico Iamaleava’s situation with the NIL and Transfer Portal. He critiques the current state of college football as being purely business-driven, where athletes leverage their NIL rights to secure lucrative contracts, often at the expense of team cohesion and traditional values.

Key Points:

• Business Over Commitment: Bobby argues that Nico’s holdout and transfer decisions are purely business maneuvers to maximize personal earnings, drawing parallels to professional sports contracts.

  Notable Quote:

  "If I decide to hold out here, I'm not coming into work until I get a new contract. Okay, that's business."
  (Timestamp: 53:19)

• Systemic Issues: He criticizes the NCAA and schools for not addressing the financial disparities and the pressures on athletes, suggesting that legislative intervention is required to rectify the situation.

  Notable Quote:

  "What's going to have to happen is it's going to have to be such a disaster that there are going to be folks that lobby the lawmakers in order to make the laws different."
  (Timestamp: 56:08)

• Fan Perception and Athlete Support: Bobby expresses sympathy for Nico, acknowledging the financial motivations driving athletes while lamenting the negative perception fans have towards them for business decisions they deem necessary.

  Notable Quote:

  "I feel pretty bad for him... He's still going to get more money at a different school than he was getting at Tennessee. And that's business."
  (Timestamp: 59:07)

The discussion emphasizes the need for systemic change to balance athlete compensation with the integrity of college sports.

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VI. Twitter Troll Challenge

Towards the end of the episode, Bobby recounts an attempt to engage with a Twitter troll who challenged him to a cash match. Despite initial enthusiasm, the troll backed out citing personal reasons, leaving Bobby and his co-hosts disappointed.

Key Points:

• Challenge Setup: Bobby intended to meet the troll for a $1,000 match, aiming to turn online trolling into real-life engagement.

  Notable Quote:

  "The whole point was, dude trolled me out of nowhere, and I'm like, let's play for a thousand bucks."
  (Timestamp: 81:15)

• Troll’s Backout: The troll cited being busy with family and other commitments, leading to a sudden cancellation of the planned match.

  Notable Quote:

  "He said, I'm good, thanks."
  (Timestamp: 84:15)

• Hosts’ Disappointment: Bobby and his co-hosts express their frustration and disappointment over the troll’s decision to back out, highlighting the challenges of translating online interactions into real-life actions.

  Notable Quote:

  "I'm a little disappointed by that... Have to just wrap it up."
  (Timestamp: 84:17)

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VII. Conclusion

Episode 25W of The Bobby Bones Show offers a rich tapestry of discussions, blending sports analysis with personal anecdotes and high-profile interviews. From the thrills of the NBA playoffs and the emotional highs of The Masters to an insightful conversation with WWE legend Shawn Michaels, Bobby engages listeners with a mix of entertainment and thoughtful commentary. The episode also does not shy away from addressing pressing issues in college sports, advocating for systemic changes to better support athletes.

Overall Notable Quotes:

• "If you truly feel the love and passion for it, you're going to understand that and you're not going to lose anything, in fact, you might find more respect for it." – Shawn Michaels
  (Timestamp: 43:33)

• "These are such dice tosses, especially this late." – Bobby Bones discussing NBA bets
  (Timestamp: 23:47)

Listeners are encouraged to stay tuned for more engaging content and future episodes filled with diverse topics and expert insights.

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Additional Information:
For more updates and episodes, follow The Bobby Bones Show on Instagram @bobbybonesports and stay connected with co-hosts and producers across social media platforms.

Transcript

[Savannah Guthrie]

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[Craig Melvin]

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[Bobby Bones]

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[Bobby Bones]

25 whistles welcome. We have Shawn Michaels coming up. WWE Superstar two time hall of Famer, now. Really cool for me. I'm a wrestling fan. I feel like a little bit, though, before we get into the Masters, I should tell you what certain words mean for you non wrestling fans. Blow, daddy. Thank you. Like selling something. Do you know what that means?

[Eddie]

No. No.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay. If you were to sell a move, it's to sell how much it hurts or the impact of that move. Like if I were to clothesline you and you just went. You fell. You didn't sell it very hard.

[Eddie]

Oh, okay, okay.

[Bobby Bones]

But if I clothesline the crap out of you and I fly. Yes, you sold it. That's selling.

[Eddie]

Got it.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay. Do you know what a heel is?

[Eddie]

Yeah, that's the. The bad guy.

[Bobby Bones]

Correct.

[Eddie]

Like he's designed to be the bad guy.

[Bobby Bones]

What's the opposite of a bad guy?

[Eddie]

The hero.

[Bobby Bones]

No.

[Eddie]

Dang it.

[Bobby Bones]

So a face. A baby face.

[Eddie]

Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

And a heel. So I'll talk to Shawn Michaels about turning Cena heel, which he had never been in the history of his career. But that's that term. Heel means a bad guy. So selling heel. Trying to think of anything else, because we just finished the interview.

[Eddie]

You talk about babyface.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, no, because I talked about heel. I just wanted you to know the opposite of that.

[Eddie]

Now I know that forever.

[Bobby Bones]

Now when I think about the Masters yesterday, I feel like Rory was the baby face and DeChambeau was the heel. But not everybody felt that way.

[Eddie]

No, not according to the roars.

[Bobby Bones]

No. I feel like the roars were very. Rory. Really, I do. Yeah. Did you even watch it?

[Eddie]

I watched the first two. Their first two holes, and then I had to go to basketball tournaments.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, so then you have.

[Eddie]

I watched on my phone.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Now.

[Eddie]

But I didn't watch it.

[Bobby Bones]

Watch it.

[Eddie]

I would love to watch.

[Bobby Bones]

They were roaring Rory big time. Because DeChambeau blew it after the first hole. You're like, he's in it. And then all of a sudden, he was out. He. And that has to suck to be in the final group and really not.

[Eddie]

Be in because you're walking that entire round and you're not even in contention.

[Bobby Bones]

And yeah, I'm sure he was. So frustrated. So, yeah, DeChambeau was not the baby face yesterday. I'm not even gonna say it was the heel, though, because he just wasn't in it. So we can start there. You didn't watch it, Kevin, did you watch it?

[Reed]

Oh, yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Whenever Rory was walking up 18 and Jim Nance was given the story about his dad, I was like, there's no way. Rory cannot lose this now. Because they're walking up and Jim Nance is like, on the 18th, Rory back when he was a kid, which, by the way, I didn't know Rory grew up kind of poor. I had no idea that he grew up very, like, lower middle class. I just assume all golfers grow up rich and have money because golf's a very expensive sport.

[Reed]

True.

[Bobby Bones]

And so Nancy's like, when Rory was growing up, you know, we heard this story recently. His dad had one more token for the whole week. It's all he could afford. And he took Rory to the range, and Rory's walking step by step, and he says he put the token in and got the 30 balls. And he was like, rory, this is all we have until next week. So I want you to hit every one of these balls like it's your last shot at the Masters.

[Reed]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

And then, wow. And Roy comes up and makes the message. He didn't miss the pipe. He didn't miss the pipe, but he ended up winning it.

[Eddie]

What a story.

[Reed]

But he ended a trap right after Jim said all that. And Jim's like, dang it, Rory.

[Bobby Bones]

Come on, man. Yeah. Like, that was like the one where they're in a meeting and Nance is like, you know, I got the one about the one token I can go to, but I really have to go to it. It's like he's walking up 18, about to win. And there's probably a thought because at that point, Justin Rose had made the birdie on 18, the long one. And so Rory's coming up and all he has to do is par the hole.

[Reed]

Yep.

[Bobby Bones]

And it does feel like possibly he's going to par, maybe in birdie the hole, because he hadn't hit that bad second shot yet into the trap.

[Reed]

Yeah. And that drive was awesome.

[Bobby Bones]

So he had a 1 yet, but odds are he was at least going to par the hole. And you know what odds are? Even when he got to the putt, he was going to par the hole. That was a five foot putt.

[Reed]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

That was like the story that they had in the pocket for Rory coming down, winning. And I'm sure they had one for like seven or eight of the people, like some final walk down 18. Here it is. Yeah, but Nance, he threw it out there. And then I thought, oh, if that story's used and he doesn't win.

[Reed]

I know. That's the first thing I thought about. I was like, nance has got to be a little upset.

[Bobby Bones]

When he missed that putt, I couldn't believe it. I was rooting for Rory big time because I bet on him. So I was in two different types of money experiences. One, I was just betting on my draftkings, and then because I'd bet Rory to win, live bet after round two, and then I bet him once the odds dropped where Justin Rose was the favorite, I jumped back on Rory. So I made about a thousand bucks yesterday.

[Reed]

Nice.

[Bobby Bones]

Although I was a little scared after he missed that putt. I thought, no chance, because the momentum was not with him.

[Reed]

No, it.

[Bobby Bones]

It was such a joke. It was such a joke. Now to be. He unchoked hard on the 18th, which they replayed, and that was awesome. Oh, I felt so bad for him, but I was rooting for Rory. But to see everybody's hands go up on their head when he missed that putt in slow motion because they re showed him missed the putt, and everybody. Or they did the. What do they call it? The cobra. The resting cobra, where they put their hands up on their heads and their elbows go out. That was maybe one of the biggest missed putt chokes I've ever seen.

[Reed]

Yeah, the whole day was just such a. It's golf, though. Rory had two unbelievable shots, then he went in the water, then he missed a putt, and then he ends up.

[Bobby Bones]

Winning on, like, 15 or 16. That shot he hit into the water, it was like an 88 yard pitch.

[Reed]

Yeah, that was bad.

[Bobby Bones]

That's not golf if you're a pro. That's golf if you're us.

[Reed]

That's what I'm saying. He is us.

[Bobby Bones]

Yes.

[Eddie]

Well, that's like when Jordan Spieth, like, a few years ago, he chili dipped like you never see a pro chili dip. But it was the Masters.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, that was a tough one. I'm glad Rory won. I'm glad I won. I will give a big shout out to Reed because.

[Mike]

Come on, baby.

[Bobby Bones]

Reed ends up betting on Justin Rose before where.

[Mike]

So this was. He was. He was in fourth, and I was like, I need to kind of keep an eye on him. And then he dipped down to, like, 9th or 10th, and it was plus 7,000. I was like, I'm gonna come out of retirement for this. So I put 50 bucks on him at plus 7,000, and he did, and.

[Bobby Bones]

He hit us up, and he goes, should I cash out? And I immediately went, yes, because 50 bucks made you how much?

[Mike]

$1,500.

[Bobby Bones]

So he. He cashed out. Thank God, because Rose ended up losing in the playoff. Yeah, but Reed has the Midas touch. I don't.

[Mike]

I don't understand. I don't understand what happens. I honestly. The cash out. I cashed out right when he made that, like, 15 foot birdie putt. But if I would have waited until Rory missed his putt, there's no telling what the cash out would have been. But I. I'm proud of myself.

[Reed]

You did great.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. You have to stop doing that. Kari's like, good thing. I know. He was like, after I cashed out, my butt was still puffing.

[Mike]

That's the mentality.

[Bobby Bones]

And I'm like, no, it wasn't. You already ca. Wasn't puckered. You're good.

[Mike]

I know, I know.

[Bobby Bones]

But you also won $10 from all of us for the basketball for Florida.

[Mike]

Oh, dude, I forgot about that.

[Eddie]

Yeah, I was about to tell you that I won. You did.

[Bobby Bones]

He doesn't even know he won. That's what's so annoying about it. Yeah, he doesn't even know he won.

[Mike]

Yeah, I guess I did have.

[Reed]

You know who won the Natty.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Florida, right?

[Reed]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Let's go, Gators.

[Bobby Bones]

That's who you randomly picked.

[Mike]

That's crazy.

[Bobby Bones]

So we all owe you 10 bucks from that.

[Mike]

All right.

[Bobby Bones]

But it was a really. It was a really good Masters.

[Reed]

That was the most I've been into a golf match in a very long time.

[Bobby Bones]

My expectation was, watch none Thursday, watch none Friday, watch a little Saturday, and then catch the back end of it on Sunday.

[Reed]

Same.

[Bobby Bones]

But because the Rory and Bryson thing was leading, I was like, I'll watch it at the beginning. And then I just stayed with it because Rory had such a lead. It was a. Does he finally win his one that he hadn't, you know, to complete, you know, the grand slam? And does he finally. After 11 years. That's what's crazy, that he hadn't wanted a master and. Or, excuse me, a major. A major in almost 11 years that he had won all the others that long ago. So it's cool. Look, I don't know what kind of guy Rory is. I feel like people like him. That being said, he's knocked his phone out of the guy's hand, you know, a few weeks ago. He does have his issues. Bryson said Rory didn't talk to him at all that day. But they have big. Hate the Liv PGA Tour. Like, who cares? I want rivalry.

[Reed]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

I want there to be heels and baby faces. But I was rooting for Rory. The whole place was rooting for Rory like crazy.

[Reed]

Oh, yeah. Every time. That scoreboard. I love those shots that they had of the scoreboard going live where the guys putting it up in the whole crowd on, is it 18? Or whatever it was. Oh, just like you said, that was the best.

[Bobby Bones]

Because it's like that Red Sox scoreboard.

[Eddie]

Where they pull the manual, switch it.

[Bobby Bones]

And they did. And the place would go crazy because there's no way to see it on your phone if you're not there, because you can't have your phone. So nobody knew until they switched it up on the board if you weren't watching it. But it was a good one.

[Reed]

It was fun.

[Bobby Bones]

I watched almost the whole thing. And my wife sat down for, like, 20 minutes, and she was like, how do you watch this? I said, well, I find it entertaining. And I said, here's the storyline that everybody's following. And she goes, well, if you gave me a storyline about paint drying, it'd still be boring as crap. And I said, yeah, but it's the biggest. It's the one. And she's like, if it were the biggest paint dry, I still wouldn't watch it. She goes, I don't find this entertaining at all. And then she.

[Eddie]

Yeah, my wife's the same way.

[Bobby Bones]

She jumped out. But my wife, like, she will play golf, and she's actually kind of good. Like, better than she should be, considering she never plays. Although the one time we went on a vacation up went to Branson, and near Branson is that place that Johnny Morrisons. It's a really nice hotel. And he's like, you can come stay up here. And there's golf courses, and we'll put you on our golf courses. And he has some really great golf courses. That Tiger woods golf course is up there. And so we go. And I tell my wife, this is the first time we've ever played, like, 18. And her parents are there, too. And I'm like, hey, we're gonna go. We're gonna play nine. You go in the clubhouse, you eat, you play nine more. It's like three and a half, four hours, and we're done. And so we go. We play nine. And we go in, we grab a little food on a plate, get back in the car and drive off. She said, whoa, whoa, whoa, Whoa. Like, what? She goes, we didn't eat. We just grabbed food. I'm like, what do you. She goes, I thought we had, like, dinner. Like, you sit down and have. I'm like, no. She goes, this sucks.

[Eddie]

You gotta do it.

[Bobby Bones]

This is terrible.

[Reed]

You have a hot dog. You keep going.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. You let me believe we're having this big, big meal halfway through. Yeah, it's fun. It's fun, though. And Reed made some money. We love that for you, Reed. Reed's only got two more weeks of this show, and he's out. Two more weeks, man.

[Mike]

He's gonna live it up. Just soak it all in.

[Eddie]

Hey, man.

[Bobby Bones]

Moving to St. Louis.

[Mike]

Moving to St. Louis. How close is that to Branson?

[Bobby Bones]

I don't know. They're both in Missouri.

[Eddie]

Can't be that far.

[Mike]

Yeah, that's right.

[Bobby Bones]

Are you nervous?

[Mike]

I'm a little nervous, but I think it's more bittersweet. I'm excited.

[Bobby Bones]

How so?

[Mike]

Just something new. I mean, I haven't been with my girl for five years. We haven't lived in the same town for five years. And so just being. Being with each other every day for the most part. She's going to be super busy with school, but I'm just really excited for that.

[Bobby Bones]

And what's the bitter part?

[Mike]

The bitter part? Obviously, leaving you guys.

[Eddie]

Oh, just us?

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Eddie]

That's cool.

[Bobby Bones]

Three hours, 52 minutes. It's about the same as it is to here.

[Mike]

Oh, it is?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. To get to Branson.

[Eddie]

Sorry, man.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Sor.

[Mike]

Man. Win or lose? Lose, I guess.

[Eddie]

Bitter, bitter.

[Bobby Bones]

What part? What are the lose.

[Mike]

I have no idea.

[Bobby Bones]

What are the losses? Yeah. Okay. So. Yeah, that happened. I had two notes for two sporting things that happened this weekend. Why didn't you get to watch any of it? You're the one that was talking about.

[Eddie]

It'S my favorite time of year.

[Bobby Bones]

I know. You were so hyped. You're not gonna watch every video.

[Eddie]

It's a weird thing. So my kids do tournament basketball, right? And it's very strange because I root for my kids. I love my kids, and I want them to win every game they play. However, if they win on Saturday, they play two games on Sunday for the championship. And that really. They won on Sunday and they won on Saturday. So here I am Sunday. I'm like, I'm gonna miss the Masters because I'm gonna have to go watch two dumb games of basketball. And it's not two hours of basketball. It's one hour. And then you wait two more hours and watch other Games happen, and then they play. So, dude, my four hours was wasted in Lebanon, Tennessee. I had to watch the stupid game on my phone, which I could bar your phone. You can't see the score. Like, you have no idea what's happening. You just see people hit balls. You don't even know where the ball landed. It was so stupid, and I was so upset, but my kid won. He won the championship, all right, but I didn't care. I want to watch the Masters.

[Bobby Bones]

It was the best masters in 10 years.

[Reed]

Oh, since, like, Tiger, I. I guess since Tiger won it. Just because it was Tiger's comeback. But even that wasn't. I don't feel as the back and forth is what it was.

[Eddie]

Thank you, guys. I already heard your recap. Telling to hear it again.

[Bobby Bones]

I watched the whole thing. I did not expect to do so.

[Kevin]

You don't understand, man.

[Bobby Bones]

I did bet one of your UFC parlay legs.

[Eddie]

Wonderful.

[Bobby Bones]

Did you hit?

[Eddie]

No. Oh, no. I got one out of three.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, that probably one I bet. And I bet Chandler over two and a half. Oh, that's the one. I hit that one.

[Eddie]

So you didn't do the parlay? You just picked one?

[Bobby Bones]

I didn't remember the other two parts of the parlay, so I knew the Michael Chandler fight, that's the only one that I even cared to see. What? Because he lost? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I just bet that. I remember you saying, over two and a half.

[Eddie]

Did you watch it?

[Bobby Bones]

No.

[Eddie]

Oh, you didn't buy it?

[Bobby Bones]

No, because I didn't know anything else going on.

[Eddie]

Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, if Rory was fighting, I'd watch.

[Eddie]

And Bryson.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, no, I didn't so think Bryson.

[Eddie]

It was terrible because, like, my parlay was the first fight of the main card, and that's the one I lost immediately. So it's like, great. Did you hate when you lose the first leg of the parlay? And it's like, well, now what am I watching for?

[Bobby Bones]

Did you watch all of it? I did.

[Eddie]

I watched the whole thing.

[Bobby Bones]

How did Chandler fight?

[Eddie]

Terrible. It was weird because he. When he walked up to the ring, he. His eyes look glossy, and I was like. The first thing I thought was, like, yeah, dude, natural allergies are terrible, so he's probably not even feeling good. Walking up before the fight and, nah, dude, Patty the baddies is just too, too good. Like, he's crazy, he's awesome, and he just beat the crap out of Michael Chandler.

[Bobby Bones]

I saw Patty the baddie, I don't know, fighting, like, lipping with some dude backstage after a fight. But don't we feel like all that's set up now kind of like wrestling?

[Eddie]

I don't know.

[Bobby Bones]

We're like him and another guy in a suit who's a fighter were yelling at each other like, talking crap. But don't we feel like that's all set up for the next fight?

[Eddie]

I would say yes. But there was one time, I think, last year where they, you know, sometimes when there's like a fight going on, there's seven or eight UFC fighters that are watching the fight and the camera will go to him like, oh, here's whatever, Sean, whatever. And he waves the camera. Well, they put it to this guy and he's like, look, coming up in a couple of weeks, he's going to be fighting that guy. And he walks over and literally walks. I think you saw it, he walks over some steps and starts punching the dude. They start fighting in the crowd. That was not fake at all.

[Bobby Bones]

But I still think that's probably fake, too. I'm being honest. Yeah, yeah.

[Eddie]

Oh, I don't know, man.

[Bobby Bones]

Because usually it's like whenever they do the weigh ins and they start fighting and if people pull them apart, that's always set up, I don't think. Ufc always. Yeah, the promotion of it. What, you don't think that's just pure promotion?

[Eddie]

No, because some guys, they just like, you know, they do the pose and then they give each other hugs like, we can't wait to fight you, man. Almost never don't.

[Bobby Bones]

The big ones, they're always John or somebody swinging. That's always set up.

[Eddie]

Conor McGregor was good at the feud.

[Reed]

I was going to say, what about the. When he threw it. Chair at the bus or whatever. I don't know about that.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't know.

[Eddie]

Conor McGregor is crazy, man.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, he was chucking chairs.

[Reed]

I think they told him to do one thing and he just took it to another level.

[Bobby Bones]

I think the promotion is still performative.

[Reed]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Even boxing, because they're talking all this mess, mostly just getting people interested, but the fighting is real. But I do think all the promotion, or most of the promotion is performative. Otherwise, after they do all this, they talk so much crap, then they fight, then they hug it after a match. Dude, if I hate somebody so bad and they beat the crap out of me, I ain't hugging them right? So I'm surprised. You're so naive.

[Eddie]

I've seen both. I've seen where they fought before the fight and I've seen where they just like, there's no feud here. We're Just going to fight each other, and that's okay.

[Bobby Bones]

But I'm saying the ones where they do throw at each other, those are 99% set up.

[Eddie]

Disrespecting each other is what they say. He disrespected me when he talked about my mom like that.

[Bobby Bones]

The perks of one of the Masters, not only do they get their name on the trophy, they. They give. Get a gold medal. A 3.4 inch, 2 pound gold medal.

[Eddie]

It says Masters and gold is like up right now.

[Bobby Bones]

It is up. I don't think you're gonna melt it down and sell it, but I do hear you. They have the honor of getting to choose the menu for the following year's Masters Champion dinner. You get a permanent invite to that dinner.

[Eddie]

What do you mean they choose the menu?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, every year.

[Eddie]

So like, if I win, I can say like, we're all eating pizza.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. This is a new story. Every year they show the menu of the person that won the year before. And all they pick, because I think.

[Mike]

Scheffler did like burgers or something.

[Bobby Bones]

And confetti cake. Yeah.

[Eddie]

Oh, that's cool.

[Bobby Bones]

You get to pick the menu. The wives of the winners are unofficially designated the recipients of a locket in the shape of the Masters logo. You have an honorary lifetime membership to Augusta national, access to a Champions locker room. You also get the Champions driving range, which I talked about last week. Winners permanently qualify for the Masters and receive automatic invites for the next five years to the Open, the British Open, the PGA Championship. And as far as the money goes, it goes up every year. I think 4.2 million was what it was yesterday. 4.3 if you win it. That's pretty legit.

[Mike]

Yeah. You could still come in 50th and win like 50 grand.

[Eddie]

Yeah, you gotta make the cut. Whoever makes the cut makes money.

[Mike]

It's crazy.

[Bobby Bones]

I think they may now have, because of live, started to pay in some events. Non cut makers. Because people were like, why am I gonna go play? Because you spend all your own money. PGA doesn't pay for anything. So you have to find your own housing and pay for everything. It's not like you're touring, but you have sponsors.

[Eddie]

That's why you wear the.

[Bobby Bones]

But you can. You can tour and have sponsors too. Like, they can pay for your bus, but everything has to be accounted for. Nobody's paying for it. Like a sponsor just goes, I'll pay you this amount of money to wear stuff. But you have to figure out, you have to allocate all the money yourself. So you have to pay for everything. You're basically just an employee of yourself. What do you call those?

[Reed]

1099 guy.

[Bobby Bones]

Sure, whatever that. Whatever. Whatever. Contract. Thank you. Independent contractor. So if you do all that and you still don't make the cut and you make no money, you're like, I just spent all this time and live was paying their players bucket loads of money.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So there was a rule change and modification for some. Maybe not all that. Everybody got paid. Even if you missed the cut, like, if you were invited to play in the tournament, you got paid.

[Eddie]

Your expenses were at least, like, you're a pro.

[Bobby Bones]

So we're still going to pay you since you played professional tournament.

[Reed]

Did you see the kid pee in the river?

[Bobby Bones]

I saw on the practice round the Arizona State kid who peed in the river. It was a big deal for a second. His hat. He also had the writing upside down on his hat, and that was a big deal, too.

[Eddie]

Oh, really?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, they just look for things to make big deals out of before it starts.

[Reed]

But it was a practice round. It wasn't even the first.

[Bobby Bones]

It was a practice round.

[Reed]

Oh, okay.

[Eddie]

I peed at Pebble Beach.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, but that's not the Masters. That's not the river there in the ocean. Off the cliff.

[Eddie]

Nah. Somebody's backyard.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Oh, different, my man, different. We do have Shawn Michaels coming up, so we'll get to him. WrestleMania is this weekend, Friday and Saturday, but also NXT, which is kind of the version, I would say, like the minor league baseball, college football of the wwe. They have a big event that day. We'll talk to him in a second. But let's. I mean, we can look at the parlay. I do have it up here now. The Draft Kings parlay. You picked Chandler over. Oh, you did 1.5 rounds. Yeah, I guess I bet at 2.5 in a row.

[Eddie]

It was 2.5 at the start of the fight.

[Bobby Bones]

I. I wouldn't have bet it if I didn't know that's what. Oh, and you know, still hit it.

[Eddie]

We hit it by like 20 seconds, 30 seconds, maybe.

[Bobby Bones]

Wait, but you bet 1.5, so you hit it big time.

[Eddie]

Well, yeah, that was part of the parlay, but I lost that parlay, so I had to re bet it. Oh, you know, the fight.

[Bobby Bones]

Got it. Diego Lopez, he lost and Krylov lost. Those are two people.

[Eddie]

Diego Lopez, close fight. I think he could have won it. He was close to winning it, but he lost, man. That first one, he got knocked out, so no chance of winning that one.

[Bobby Bones]

We can Build NBA parlay. Hawks at Magic. This is on Tuesday. Dude, I don't even know who wants to play anymore because I watched the Lakers and Warriors and now the Lakers are the three and they're playing Minnesota as the six. That's a fun series. It's almost too tough for the Lakers. You kind of wish the Lakers had a better draw so they could last a little longer because you would hate to see LeBron and Luka go down. That would be great. I'm not a Lakers fan, but I like to see bigger teams do it and. Yeah, and bigger shots. I got you. Hawks at Magic. I don't. Dude, I don't know.

[Eddie]

Just go Hawks, man.

[Reed]

No, Magic.

[Bobby Bones]

Magic. But the Magic. Five and a half point. Listen, I literally don't care. You can make it, Eddie. Hawks and Magic. Magic a five and a half point. Five.

[Eddie]

I like Trey Young. Let's just go Hawks.

[Bobby Bones]

So you're taking the points. Hawks plus five and a half. Okay, Grizz.

[Craig Melvin]

Warriors.

[Bobby Bones]

Warriors, six and a half point favorites.

[Reed]

Talking to you, Eddie.

[Eddie]

Oh, you want me to pick that one, too?

[Bobby Bones]

Sure.

[Eddie]

I like the Grizz. Let's go with the home team.

[Bobby Bones]

I'd probably go Grizz, too, just because the warriors only have anything to play for right now. Okay, so we're going two underdogs with the points.

[Eddie]

These are such dice tosses, especially this late.

[Bobby Bones]

It's like week 18 of NFL where you're like, I don't know, man. Over. Under Hawks. Magic over 216. I don't know. Good luck. Good luck with that one. Everybody download the DraftKings sportsbook app now. Use the code Bobby Sports. Yeah, I don't know that I'm gonna.

[Eddie]

I'll bet it.

[Bobby Bones]

I'll bet you are gonna bet that one.

[Eddie]

I'll put five bucks on it.

[Bobby Bones]

All right. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app now. Again, use the code one word. Bobby Sports.

[Kevin]

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[Bobby Bones]

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[Bobby Bones]

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[Reed]

That's a lot of games all for free.

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[Bobby Bones]

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[Savannah Guthrie]

Every morning brings a fresh new energy.

[Bobby Bones]

This is today.

[Savannah Guthrie]

And no matter what the day holds, we come to the Today show for all of it.

[Shawn Michaels]

When things are tough, we talk about it.

[Craig Melvin]

When there's something to figure out, we dig into it. And when there's joy, we celebrate it.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Because today is where it's all happening. We get the best start to every morning because we start it together.

[Bobby Bones]

Watch the Today show with Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin, weekdays at 7am on NBC. So it's very exciting. We're going to talk to two time WWE hall of Fame wrestler Shawn Michaels. He's been in twice, once as a member of Degeneration X, which by the way got a lot of kids in trouble back in the day.

[Eddie]

What do you mean?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, everybody did suck it.

[Eddie]

He did that thing.

[Bobby Bones]

We have to keep Eddie away from any wrestling talk.

[Eddie]

Man, my kids did that the other day and I'm like, do you even know what you're doing?

[Bobby Bones]

But that was like when we were younger.

[Eddie]

Yeah, but they're still doing it. Kids still do it.

[Bobby Bones]

Maybe they just were just saying suck it to say it probably. Sean is one of the most memorable guys ever to wrestle, but he's now an executive and he runs nxt. Some graduates of nxt. And he talks about this. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins. Big thanks to Shawn Michaels for coming on. You can check him out on social media. Eanmichaels Here he is, Shawn Michaels. Hey Shawn, first off, thanks for the time, man. Big fan.

[Craig Melvin]

My pleasure. Thank you very much for having me.

[Bobby Bones]

We were fortunate enough to go to Stone Cold's house. He invited us out and we spent the day with him, and we have been pretty lucky with a bunch of professional wrestlers that have come on. And I've been a wrestling fan for a long time, and my, you know, my takeaway is always when I see someone do a move that I know hurts, yet you still have to continue to wrestle. Like, I saw Bron Breaker spear somebody the other day, and one of the hardest spears I've ever seen. Like. Like, that has to hurt so bad that I don't know how you're able to bounce back so quickly, even though that has to hurt, because you know when a move like that's going to hit, it's going to hurt, right?

[Craig Melvin]

Absolutely. Well, I'll say this. It's staggering what the human body is capable of and what you get used to. It's our normal, to be perfectly honest, and I think any football player would kind of tell you the same thing, but it really is. It's staggering what your body becomes used to. And we always talk about, like, it's almost as if it becomes calloused over time. And that's why even when later on in my career, when I was older, you know, I had, I guess what would be termed as a lighter schedule, so to speak, but that was still 150 times a year, because doing it more often was actually easier to me than just doing it once in a while, because the soreness did set in. It does. You know, you, you, you, you sort of. Your body calms down, it refreshes, it recuperates, it rec. That was actually a longer process and a more painful process to me than just doing it consistently until you decided you were done.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you feel that there is a difference in selling really well and then overselling, especially finishers? What's the line there?

[Craig Melvin]

Well, look, I will say this. The business has changed so much, and I think it's interesting you used the word overselling. And back again in the 90s, somebody like a Mr. Perfect, Kurt Henig, who obviously I sort of, you know, used his style from a selling standpoint, think in this day and age, he would be considered an overseller. But it was very visual, it was very appealing, you know, the same the way that I sold in the 90s. Dolph Ziggler, you know, Billy Gunn, they were all very visual sellers, in my opinion, but I don't know how that would be received this day and age. A lot has changed over the years, I think also with MMA being around, our business had to evolve and sort of replicate what I think people perceived as, you know, legitimately painful or not. And so I think as this continues to grow and evolve and change, our business is going to continue to do that. I think. I don't know if that's the question you were asking or if it's more so, like you said, too many people doing too many moves that were once considered a finisher and then moving on quickly after that. So it's, you know, the business goes through that all the time. Old timers like me often talk about all these kids today, they don't sell anything like we did. But at the same time, I also remember people saying that to me. So that also is generational. And I think you have to change with the times. Football and basketball, baseball, they all need to be faster than they once were to keep an audience entertained and locked in. And our business is no different.

[Bobby Bones]

I was watching Kevin Owens talk about the stunner and how there are certain people that can sell the stunner really well, and some people do backflips out of it. And there's a fine line in selling the stunner because it's supposed to be a finisher and you're supposed to react, but some go too far. And I guess that was my question, but I think you answered it perfectly. But also, and I'm just pulling up things, like, I was listening to Undertaker talk about how sometimes the finisher is used, yet some of the new generation doesn't respect that it should mean you're finished. Like, what's the fine line with you guys? Because, again, you're the creatives behind it. Is there ever a meeting where it's like, hey, look, if we're going to use this finisher, they kind of need to be done, because too many kickouts after the finisher means it's not actually a finisher.

[Craig Melvin]

Yeah. So, look, I think we go through phases and peaks and valleys in that to where you're looking to give your fans the most for their entertainment dollar. And nine times out of 10, that's excitement, that's movement. Certainly from an NXT standpoint, we don't have the equity in our superstars that a main roster, a Raw or a Smackdown, has. A viewer is not, you know, might not watch an NXT upstart who's been doing this for six months, as long as they're going to watch a Kevin Owens. And so that young superstar will probably have to move faster and do more exciting things to keep that viewer invested. But at the same time, you want to teach them and keep the integrity of the business. So look, you might begin to give them a little leeway and usually what happens is we do that, but then after a while it goes too far and then we reel and have to rein everybody back in. And so that's just something you have to keep your fingers on the pulse of. And I. And that's something, I think that's, that's going on now. You know, I think everybody, you know, especially, you know, my finisher, the super kick, or again, I'm now understanding that a super kick is one thing, but sweet chin music, that's a finisher. So I think when you get into those types of things, if you want to keep the integrity of the movement, obviously we want that to always be noteworthy. But I think you have to kind of call those as you see them and hopefully the fan base appreciates and understands that.

[Bobby Bones]

I was watching some of the MMA this past weekend and I think traditionally Dana White gives a bonus or if you perform really well, obviously sometimes if it's so great, you get a bump quicker. With nxt and especially at standard delivery, will you guys like watch tape? Regardless of who wins or loses and go, man, they really performed at a level that is so high. Maybe we give them a shot earlier than we thought we were going to.

[Craig Melvin]

Absolutely. Again, stand and deliver. Much like WrestleMania, that's where you get, you can turn your career around in one match, in one moment. And so. Absolutely. And even when it comes to bonuses, those are things that especially I think from an NXT standpoint, you know, we have a lot of multi person matches at Stand and Deliver. And look, a lot of people don't like that, but these young men and women work throughout the entire year. Not all of them get an opportunity to be on ples, to be on those, you know, road shows, to be on those televisions that are on the road that we've been doing so much more of lately. And so we want to give as many people as we can an opportunity to perform on the biggest weekend. That's the reason people get into this line of work, is to have that experience, to have those moments. And we're hoping that, you know, we have a lot of standouts come Stand and deliver on Saturday, April 19th. I think it's something that we definitely keep an eye on. And anytime there's a performance or somebody that just goes above and beyond, whether it's in a match or just throughout the entire year, we try to take care of them as much as possible.

[Bobby Bones]

So 1230 Eastern on Peacock, Stand and Deliver will be streamed WrestleMania Night 1 is also that night when you. Do you have a favorite WrestleMania moment.

[Craig Melvin]

So I am very fortunate to have quite a few. Perfectly honest, you know, I always go from the ladder match at WrestleMania 10 where I thought, you know, where I felt like I put myself on the map as a real main event player, winning your first world championship. But then I, you know, I'm very proud of my matches with Kurt Angle, with Ric Flair, and obviously my two at the Undertaker. I've just been so fortunate to have a lot of really fantastic performances that I'm really proud of at WrestleMania. And like I said, that's what. That's. I don't know, I kind of feel like I, you know, built my career on, you know, hence the name Mr. Wrestlemania, on those moments and those matches. So very fortunate to have quite a few of them. And it's always hard to narrow it down to one.

[Bobby Bones]

I have friends that have been in bands or even in duos, and they end up going solo in music, and it's because that's what they really wanted to do. But also, there is a transition period for you. What was maybe what you didn't. I don't know what you had to learn most when you did go solo. Being a superstar by yourself, not in a tag team, man, a lot.

[Craig Melvin]

I gotta be honest, I was able to really. It took me time to transition from. I felt like I was always a good worker, a good, you know, a good wrestler within the ropes. I think learning the character side and then learning, I don't know, the creative and the storyline side of that and being able to lose myself in that creatively is what made the difference and separated me, you know, from just being another singles superstar and somebody that would be in the mix on a regular basis. I think performing those storylines, being in those storylines, being able to make them compelling, interesting, and then having the matches, to be able to back it up and tie all those things together in the ring at one time, I think is, you know, where I was able to, you know, set myself apart. And that was something that. But again, I learned along the way. But I think it's funny, ironically, I always talk about WrestleMania 9 there in Vegas when I defended the Intercontinental Championship in the first match. But then I kind of went into a storyline on that show with Mr. Perfect. It was kind of one of my first backstage attacks and something like that. And I think that was my first sort of step into that. I don't know, being more than just a regular wrestler on tv, just another guy that was Filling a segment. And that's what I think superstars want to become. They want to be somebody that's regularly in the mix and part of very significant and important storylines within a Raw or a Smackdown. And I felt like that's something that I started to embark on at WrestleMania 9 and did my best to build on from that point on.

[Bobby Bones]

I was trying to explain to a friend what NXT is before we talk about stand and deliver. And I guess my analogy was college football to the NFL. Well, is that fair?

[Craig Melvin]

Yeah, yeah, I think that's pretty accurate. That's certainly how I describe it. Certainly look at us as here at NXT being, you know, University of Alabama or Ohio State, you know, somebody that's obviously dominant, but exactly, you know, that level before you, you know, make it to the NFL. And to me, that's what's so cool about it. I'm quite frankly, I'm a huge college football fan because, you know, it's never over until, you know, there's triple zeros on the, on the time. And again, anything can happen in college football. And that's the same for NXT.

[Bobby Bones]

And with WrestleMania coming up this weekend, and it's two nights on night one, you guys are doing Stand Up Deliver, which 12:30 on Peacock for Eastern for American audience. But so if you're doing Those events pre WrestleMania in the past, have there been a lot of NXT guys that are now in the last couple of WrestleManias that are headliners, like, have there been real instances of people moving up?

[Craig Melvin]

Yeah, certainly. I mean, we obviously throughout the draft last year, you know, Bron breakers, you know, having his first WrestleMania this year, Tiffany Stratton defending the World Championship against Charlotte Flair. So. Absolutely. And look, I'll say this, if you want to take a look at again, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, numerous others, Kevin Owens, all of them NXT alum, so to speak. So NXT has proven that the main eventers of WrestleMania come through NXT.

[Bobby Bones]

Are there ever any that don't go through NXT that, let's say a high school player that gets automatically put in the pros, like, does that ever happen where you find somebody that dynamic?

[Craig Melvin]

I'd have to say, look, I don't think you're gonna find anybody that has, you know, come in untrained. Now, there might be somebody that's at a very young age where they've been out on the independent scene in the wrestling world and has, you know, caught a huge buzz and then miraculously, somebody from the main roster sees them and wants to bring them aboard right away. You might. We also have people that, again, have been to other places, but they've been in the business for a while. I don't think. Boy, it's going to be pretty tough if we find somebody that has not ever done anything in the wrestling business and then kind of make it straight to the. The main roster with no wrestling experience coming out of college.

[Bobby Bones]

What about the difference in being a wrestler versus being now what you are, where you were one of the greatest of all time versus a creative and an executive? Because I'm sure there had to be thoughts while you're wrestling, like, man, if I could only be the creative or the executive, things would be so different. But I'm sure now that you have got. You've come into this position, you've learned a lot of things that maybe you didn't know or appreciate while you were wrestling a lot.

[Craig Melvin]

First of all, I never dreamed of being anything corporate or executive because I simply didn't think I could do it. I didn't think that was in my makeup. I'm very fortunate. I've always enjoyed the creative side. Again, you know, everybody's heard the stories, and they're very true of Hunter and I driving up and down the road, you know, again, talking about storylines, talking about creative. So the creative side was always there. But I will say, look, some of the things I have learned is that, again, creative takes a lot of heat. They take a lot of blame for things that, you know, are not in their control. Understanding some of the adjustments you have to make on the fly, whether it be different personalities, whether it be injuries, whether it be all these different things that can come your way that you're never aware of as a talent. So learning that on this side has been fun, but it's been interesting and challenging at the same time. And I think from the corporate standpoint, doing stuff like this and sounded, I don't know, relatively intelligent, has always been an extreme challenge for me because again, I'm a kid that wanted to be a wrestler when he was 19, and now I'm, you know, knocking on the door of 60. And I'm still a kid at heart, but unfortunately, you know, I have the. The task of. Of trying to build a whole brand with some great help around me. But I think it's something, and it's a task and I'm certainly ready for.

[Bobby Bones]

I have three questions left. One of them, I was watching an interview with Triple H. What I find really refreshing is that you guys will talk about the stories Even within the story. And he was talking about the decision to flip Cena and turn Cena Hill, and he's talking about it already. And I can understand from a lot of the traditional wrestling fans, and I'm one of them, why maybe some people don't like that. I love it because I'm able to separate the art and the artist and the business decisions that need to be made and the creative decisions. But for you, who's done both, right, like you said, you're a wrestler, you're old school, but you also have to be new school. How do you guys. And how did you decide that you wanted to actually incorporate what was happening behind the scenes publicly?

[Craig Melvin]

Well, again, we started doing that and look, I know it's obviously a, I guess a blot on the wrestling business, but, you know, with the curtain call. But you know, we, we, that was something that we as a group felt like many, many years ago, that, you know, wrestling fans and fans in general, they understand what it is we do and I guess. But it's still an art form. It's still something that it's to be appreciated. And I think that that's the most intriguing part of this line of work. Yes, I mean, talk about the physicality and you touched on it earlier, but I think any even minded individual knows that what we do is not easy. And so from a physical standpoint, we feel like we have the respect that we need. And so therefore you start talking about the creative side and understanding just how intriguing and how interesting that is to some of us. And I think it's just easier to, I don't know, to put that out there. And also, again, not insult, I don't know, your viewers. Intelligent, don't do it with your superstars. We're very open, you know, with this generation, I think, because a lot of things were kept so close to the vest in our generation. And also, I don't know, I think there's some traditionalists and purists. I think it can be more damaging to the business and keep it from evolving in their, I don't know, in their wanting to, you know, try to pass it off of something that it isn't. And I guess that's the part that we've never really understood. You know, it's, we're just speaking the truth on what is, you know, still a very tough, complicated, interesting, exciting, compelling line of work. And if you truly feel the love and passion for it that we do, you're going to understand that and you're not going to lose Anything, in fact, you might find more respect for it.

[Bobby Bones]

Two questions left. Why is the Undertaker so revered he's loved? Why?

[Craig Melvin]

I think the way he carried himself, to be perfectly honest, when everything's said and done, Mark was just always a pro. And I think there are times he went through every emotion that all the rest of us did, but he kept it close to the vest, and he did a lot of stuff in private, and I think that's the reason why, you know, he always did business the right way, had his problems, had his ups and downs, but most people didn't know about it. And for that reason alone, he deserves all the respect in the world. And he gets it and will continue to give it, I'm sure, for a long, long time.

[Bobby Bones]

My final question. You won the Royal Rumble twice. When did you know each time you were going to win? How far out?

[Craig Melvin]

That's a heck of a question.

[Bobby Bones]

Is it days, weeks, or at times, Will you just find out day of. Or will they change it?

[Craig Melvin]

Well, again, they vary, but. But. But when it comes to a lot of things, yeah, those have changed. I think the Rumble, the first one, I think, was probably like a week or two in advance. The second one, I think was farther. You know, it was closer to. To game time. But that's one of the things with creative. Certainly, depending on where you're at on the card, some of those things come down at the last minute. And as you start to go up on the card, your creative gets a little bit farther out in front, obviously always understanding that anything could change at the last minute and sometimes, often does.

[Bobby Bones]

Has it ever changed in the middle of the Rumble, though, where it's like, hey, you go. You're number 16. Go down and let them know we've now changed the ending?

[Craig Melvin]

Yeah, well, not ever the ending, but we did have a time. I think Steve's told the story before when Steve got eliminated at a point where he was not, you know, he was supposed to be a vital part at the end of the end of the Rumble, and that didn't happen. And I think also want to say Luger and Brett, I think, also had, you know, a miscommunication. So there's been a couple times that. And again, that's the joy of this job, though there's been plenty of times out there in the ring when in a world you hope you know what's going to happen, it totally doesn't. And you got to make it up on the fly. And again, that's what makes it exciting all the time. And you Never know when those things are going to happen. And then you've got the, you know, in addition to that, you've got the. Trying to make that happen. So people think that something went wrong. And then, you know, you just start getting yourself into a rabbit hole there of creative that's incredibly fun and interesting.

[Bobby Bones]

Shawn Michaels and NXT stand and deliver, 1230 Eastern on Peacock, and it's that later that night is night one of WrestleMania, so really looking forward to it. Big fan. Thanks for the time. It's been really cool to talk with you and hope you have a great week leading up to it.

[Craig Melvin]

Yeah, thank you very much. And, yeah, hell of an interview, by the way. Thank you. It was a lot of fun for me. I appreciate it.

[Bobby Bones]

Are you serious? I never know, like, what, Why?

[Craig Melvin]

I don't know, because. I don't know, because you're, you're. You're an interesting, smart wrestling fan that. I don't know, I don't know, just asking questions, I think from a different perspective. And I don't know, I always like that sometimes it's a lot of the same old, same old. And so, I don't know, I appreciate you guys, you know, not making it just sort of a, I don't know, copy and paste kind of interview.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, what would copy and paste? What? Like, I don't know what a copy and paste is, but what. What do they copy and paste? Do they say, like what?

[Eddie]

I don't know.

[Bobby Bones]

What's a copy and paste question?

[Craig Melvin]

Well, I don't know, again, what was it? What was it like? I don't know, winning your first championship.

[Bobby Bones]

Got it, got it, got it. Okay. That's awesome. Thanks, John.

[Craig Melvin]

I don't know, I get, I appreciate the fact also, I get, I guess that you, you know, you're a wrestling fan that understands both sides of it and has an appreciation. I don't know, I'm always interested and compelled by the overselling and, and how you guys feel about kicking out of too many things and stuff like that. You know, you can sort of have an idea of those things, but, you know, we don't. You don't get a chance to interact with people that much and, I don't know, hear their opinions on it. Sorry. That's interesting to me.

[Bobby Bones]

Thanks, Shawn. Well, I appreciate the time and I appreciate you even answering my questions about the questions I was asking. That's awesome. There he is. Shawn Michaels, everybody. All right, Shawn. Thank you, buddy. See you later. The NBA 82 game grind is done, but now the real fun begins. The NBA playoffs are here. It's time for all the high stakes drama, clutch moments, jaw dropping plays. I cannot wait. And if you're looking to make the playoffs Even more exciting, DraftKings sportsbook has you covered. As an official sports betting partner of the NBA, try placing a bet on your favorite player's performance. Will they drop 30 points? 40 points more? It's your call. Here's something special for first timers. New DraftKings customers bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets instantly. Make it a playoff run. To remember with DraftKings, download the DraftKings sportsbook app. Use the code Bobby Sports. That's the code. One word. Bobby Sports for new customers to get $200 in bonus bets. When you bet just five bucks only on DraftKings, the crown is yours.

[Kevin]

Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler in New York, call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY. That's 467-369 in Connecticut, help is available. For problem call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Buto Casino and Resort, Kansas 21 Plus. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario, new customers only. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms of responsible gaming resources, see DKNG co Audio Vacation planning should.

[John Lepley]

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[Savannah Guthrie]

Every morning brings a fresh new energy.

[Bobby Bones]

This is today with and no matter.

[Savannah Guthrie]

What the day, we come to the Today show for all of it.

[Shawn Michaels]

When things are tough, we talk about it.

[Craig Melvin]

When there's something to figure out, we dig into it. And when there's joy, we celebrate it.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Because today is where it's all happening. We get the best start to every morning because we start it together.

[Bobby Bones]

Watch the Today show with Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin, weekdays at 7am on NBC.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Clorox Sandiva smells like lavender.

[Bobby Bones]

Cleans like.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Clorox and feels like.

[Bobby Bones]

Alright. That could go on for a while.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Experience the long lasting freshness of Clorox Scentiva.

[Bobby Bones]

Available in Clorox Scentiva Lavender Scented bleach. Use as directed. Coming up, we'll talk to John Lepley, who was my first ever autograph. We talked about who's the first pro athlete you ever met and got an autograph from. And I mentioned this random minor leaguer that I remember vividly named John Lepley. We tried to track him down. We couldn't find him. We have him. So we'll talk about playing minor league ball. And then it's just crazy because that's the first person I ever got to sign a ball when I was a kid at the Arkansas Travelers game.

[Eddie]

That's awesome.

[Bobby Bones]

So John Lepley coming up in just a little bit. Hey, I do want to talk about Nico leaving Tennessee. And I was watching a lot of people say, this is not business. This is not what it's supposed to be. Sadly, it is exactly business. And it is right now fairly inside the sandbox of college football. So everyone that's going, this is not college football. This is not business, man. You don't have to agree with what college football is now, but this is exactly what college football is. And his was just a little bigger and a little more public to and 84 other versions of the exact same thing happening. Now, I'm not talking about holding out because I think they knew from what I'm reading now that he wasn't going to practice. Like, he didn't show up, but they knew he wasn't going to practice. They knew. His little brother, by the way, goes to Arkansas quarterback.

[Eddie]

Oh, really?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Year younger. Maybe two years younger. So it wasn't a surprise to, from what I have heard from people very close to the source that he ended up not being a volunteer. So when we heard it was like, quarterback for the University of Tennessee, Nico. I'm not even sure how to say his last name, but all I know is we beat him this year, and it was awesome that he's holding out. And then everybody on Twitter, you can't do this. You shouldn't do this. Sadly, you can, and people are. And it doesn't get to hold out. Some players just go, hey, if you don't give it to me, we're going to leave. And then they leave, and there's never a holdout. And so they just get in the portal. Now think about spring portal is you can't travel within the conference, so you can't go to another SEC school. Another one of the things that have come out is that Dan Lanning at Oregon had heard Nico was being shopped, so he called HYPO and was like, hey, Nico's dad shopping him around. Which, by the way, it feels gross because it is gross. But that is absolutely allowed because that is happening with 80% of the players on 100% of the programs. So because you don't like it, that doesn't mean that it's not allowed or it's not business. He was getting 2 million or so, 1 of 4. Now, the business part of it is, if you get it, that's good business. If I decide to hold out here, I'm not coming into work until I get a new contract. Okay, that's business. Now, is it going to work out for me? Maybe. But if it doesn't work out for me, it's still business. But it was just a bad business decision. He's still going to get closer to the money he wants by going to UCLA or usc. And that's business. He's going to get the money he wants. It was all about money for him. So it sucks for Tennessee. You're a big balls guy, Middle Tennessee fan, big balls. But it is the business of college football now. And it's absolutely allowed. It is within the sandbox. That is allowed. Is it broken? Yes, but we need stories like this.

[Reed]

But how long until we. You think they fix it? We've talked about this for a couple years now. You've always said since day one, it's got to hit rock bottom to be able to fix it.

[Bobby Bones]

And it.

[Reed]

The bigger the stories are, the more rock bottom it feels. And this is pretty rock bottom. I think it's the timing of it, too. Maybe both. Just late in the spring, you know, you're like, really now?

[Bobby Bones]

And a big program. So here's who can fix it. Not the ncaa. The NCAA didn't want any of this to happen. So people are blaming the ncaa. NCAA didn't want to pay anybody. They lost the supreme court case, the O'Bannon case, the video game. That's what allowed all of this with Nil. So what's going to have to happen is it's going to have to be such a disaster that there are going to be folks that lobby the lawmakers in order to make the laws different. This is not an easy fix by a school or the NCAA or it would be fixed already. NCAA don't want to pay anybody. The schools don't want to be held hostage for $4 million, $5 million, $200,000. In basketball, you're seeing it too, where there are coaches going, kid averages four points a game, wants $300,000 like that's happening all the time. The reason this story hit so big is because one, it was a whole lot of money and it was a big program. But the same exact situation is happening all over the country, just not as much money or as big a program. So this is not an anomaly. This is everywhere. And I don't feel bad for Nico because if you make a business decision, you have to now deal with the consequences of it. He didn't do anything illegal. He did nothing wrong. Now, you could be a college football fan and purist like I feel like I am. But I also understand the current environment of athletes have been screwed over for 50 years and not making money. So the pendulum has swung the complete opposite way now. But how it's going to change is going to be the lawmakers changing it, not the ncaa. They've lost all their power. Not the schools. If they go. No, they're just not going to get the athletes, then they're not going to make the revenue. And without the revenue, they're not going to pay for anything. And it's a revenue based model.

[Reed]

Yeah. And I don't think the NCAA even cares, to be honest.

[Bobby Bones]

I think the NCAA cares a ton. That they lost the ability.

[Reed]

Well, that. Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

To actually do anything about it.

[Reed]

Yeah, that. But at this point, they're kind of like hands are tied to behind her back. We messed this up now.

[Bobby Bones]

Yes.

[Reed]

Now it's just like, you know what? No matter what, people are going to watch whether wherever Nico goes, they're still going to watch. Vols fans are going to be Vols fans and they'll move on. But it's just not a good look.

[Bobby Bones]

But I believe there can also be a slow deterioration. We saw that with baseball. Baseball slowly sucked. And I love baseball, but it was not. People just stopped watching. The product just got worse. The lockout, you don't think the lockouts hurt baseball terribly? I mean, had it not been for Sosa McGuire's home run chase, I don't know baseball would have bounced back five, six, seven years.

[Shawn Michaels]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So the. Hey, they're just going to watch because they're fans of X, Y and Z. That's fun. But 2 to 3%, this person doesn't watch it as much then it does after years start to accumulate to the point of we have accumulated so many people that do not watch as much as they used to. It does affect the product.

[Reed]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

But that's when people are going to have to step in like these lawmakers. Because the only reason politicians change rules or laws is for money. This is a very money based situation. Nico didn't do anything wrong. Nico made a terrible decision and now he's gonna have to suffer the consequences. Except he's not because he's still going to get more money at a different school than he was getting at Tennessee. So he actually did it right according to the sandbox they're allowed to play in.

[Reed]

Yeah. I just feel kind of bad for him. I know it's his decision, but he's kind of like now the whole world is on his back watching him wherever he goes, wherever that may be. And he's a hell of a player, but it's just going to be hard to recover from that.

[Bobby Bones]

I feel pretty bad for him.

[Reed]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Because he obviously. So he red shirted. He was a redshirt freshman last year. So he's 20, 21. He obviously has his dad or whomever guiding him in a direction. He's also an adult, but he's a very young adult. Yeah, I do feel bad for him.

[Reed]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

As bad as you feel for somebody who's 20, that's gonna make 3,4 million bucks.

[Reed]

I know. I get that part of it. But at the end of the day, like, like he really, wherever he. Whether it's usc, some people are saying ucla kind of thing, if he goes there and just kills it, then he'll be able to shut everybody up for sure. But if he doesn't, then it's just like told you.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, we're gonna find out the value as far as what the school's gonna pay him and then we're gonna watch his performance and go, I wonder if it's worth three and a half million dollars. What's interesting to me is the kid at Vegas unlv just dropped out midway through the season because he wasn't getting his nil money. And everybody's like, ah, we hate him. We hate him. I don't remember his name. No, but we'll remember this because one, he has a cool name.

[Eddie]

I wish my name was Nico.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, he has a cool name and tui much bigger high profile program. This other dude dropped out mid season. Had Nico dropped out mid season. This had been a nuclear bomb way bigger than this.

[Reed]

Oh, yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So this is business. And also, let's imagine this is the only time he gets to make money playing football. Why not make as mo the most you possibly can in the years that you can. I'm not going to hate anybody for trying to get the most money they can get now. I love college football. And you're like, oh, it's ruining it. Okay. But if I were 18, 19, I don't know his family situation, but if I were 18, 19, like, I grew up playing football. You don't think I'm looking for money? I grew up poor as crap. A lot of these athletes grow up poor as crap, and this may be the only time they can make money to set them up for the rest of their lives. And we're gonna look at them and go, bad, bad player. Because they're not doing anything illegal. It's completely within the rules. What's allowed. It makes them bad guys. Because it's our favorite team. They're wearing clothes with our colors on it.

[Reed]

Yeah. Well, I'm interested to see if wherever he does go, like, how does that fan base accept him?

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, you don't love them.

[Reed]

I know.

[Bobby Bones]

Until you realize he's making three and a half, four million and suck it.

[Reed]

And he throws three picks in one game and return on. Get this guy out of here.

[Bobby Bones]

But that's the Nate. That's the nature of. But when is it going to change? It's going to change whenever the lobbyists are investing their time because money's invested into them to go to the lawmakers to get contracts for these players.

[Eddie]

So when you say lawmakers, like, the same dudes that do, like, wear your seatbelt when you're driving, I'm talking about.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, the House Senate. It's going to have to be something there. The Supreme Court's the one who changed Nil because again, Ed O'Bannon on the video game, he's like, that's me.

[Eddie]

They're not paying me for that. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So that's how it's going to change. But these stories need to happen. Everyone's like, I hate it. I hate it. No, bring them all. I want to see, like, 50 disasters in a row because I don't like the model now. The model now sucks. Yeah. So we need something to break the model. And nobody ever fixes anything that's kind of broke. If you don't have to, you just kind of put a band aid on it and keep going. My dryer, if it ain't, like, real broke broke, or I can kick it and get it to go. I'm not gonna get a new dryer.

[Reed]

Oh, yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

If it's completely dead, I go and, oh, my God. Okay, fine, I'll get a new dryer. And that's what that's gonna be. That's the investment into lobbyists into changing the actual laws now. Nil and Portal Although they, in the Venn diagram, cross in a lot of ways, are not exactly the same thing. But I think if you're gonna pay players and the schools are now gonna pay players with revenue sharing, so that should all be disclosed, and that should be contractual.

[Reed]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Now, the problem, that's where the NCAA is going to have to come in, because that's from the school. So that's the NCAA being involved again. But I think these contracts should be two years, three years. I think you should get one transfer. I think everybody should be able to transfer once.

[Reed]

Once.

[Bobby Bones]

But what's happening is you can transfer every year. It's free agency every year. Even pros don't get that. So this is going to happen right now. This is like sports 29, 40 years ago, but the exact opposite, when there was no free agency and you weren't able to just go. And they had to literally pass legislation to get players the opportunity to see how much they were worth to go to other teams. So things have to get really bad before they fix them, generally in life. And that's what's happening here. And oddly, I'm Team Nico. I'm glad to see Josh Hyple do that, though. I thought it was great.

[Reed]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, it sets a precedent for other schools. We are not going to be held out on. So you can just go. But two things can exist at the same time. If I'm a player, I'm going to get the most money I possibly can. If that's my motivation, I'm going to get the most money I possibly can, because that is what's allowed in this environment. If I'm a coach, I'm going to set my culture one way or the other. One, you ain't going to hold out. We're going to pay good players because we're supposed to. We're allowed to. But two, if it is detrimental to the team and you're holding out, making yourself bigger than the team, you go, mm. Or the culture can be, we just have a bunch of money. Ohio State, do whatever you want. We're gonna pay everybody all. And that works too.

[Reed]

But I don't even. I don't know if Ryan Day would.

[Bobby Bones]

Let that either, but he wouldn't. It wouldn't get to that point. He would pay him.

[Reed]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Or he would just say, go ahead and go. I think that would be the thing where Nico was like, oh, I can hold out and get more money. Because they weren't like, just go. No, just go ahead and leave. Because they had said they were reevaluating his contract before this ever came out.

[Reed]

I wonder how long it's been in the works. I guess because it would happen so fast. It was like one day reevaluating, the next day he's gone.

[Bobby Bones]

It always happens a lot slower than what we hear and feel. It happens.

[Reed]

Right. It has probably been going on since the off season started.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't hate anybody here. I'm kind of happy happening in Tennessee, though. So there you go.

[Reed]

What if he goes to Arkansas?

[Bobby Bones]

He won't. He can't go to the.

[Reed]

Oh, he can't go to the season.

[Bobby Bones]

Anybody transferring in the spring can't be fun though. He'll go back home. Toward home. He'll go UCLA or usc.

[Reed]

Dan Lanning calls him.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, what if Lanning was the ultimate mastermind? Exactly. So when I was a kid, once a year we made the voyage to Little Rock. It was about an hour drive. And my stepdad would take me to watch the Arkansas Travelers. And they were the double A team, but they were our team. They were also the reason that everybody in Arkansas is a St. Louis Cardinals fan, because it fed into the Cardinals. So all of Arkansas was a Cardinals fan, obviously I was a Cubs fan, obviously, just because the contrarian that I am. And we were talking about the first person we ever got an autograph from. And I mentioned the name John Lepley, who was a pitcher. And I bothered him as a kid. And I was like, will you sign this ball? And I had the autograph forever. And so we just talked about it. And a listener of the podcast named Eric said, hey, I know John Lepli. We tried to call John LEPLEY based on LinkedIn and now he's on with us. Now here he is, John Leflam.

[Reed]

Thank you.

[Bobby Bones]

Thank you.

[Shawn Michaels]

I'm humbled. This is crazy on your show. Thank you.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, yeah, to me this is wild because your baseball card, this is the exact one that I had as well. So let's start first of all with you now. Are you living in Boston, Massachusetts?

[Shawn Michaels]

No, we live in Savannah. We actually moved last summer. So that, that may be part of the reason it was hard to get ahold of me. But as I told your producer, I always return people's calls within 24 hours. So it would be very unusual for me not to return your dm.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, I was walking out Boston like John Lepley. Anybody and nobody in Boston would get back. So. And so when you were playing for the Travelers, you were a pitcher. Were you left handed? You're a left handed pitcher Right, Yes, I'm left handed.

[Shawn Michaels]

Very fortunate that I was left handed.

[Bobby Bones]

And what. Can you walk me through your baseball career? So out of high school, did you get drafted? Did you play college ball? What happened there?

[Shawn Michaels]

Yeah, so I went to a Jesuit all boys school in Omaha, Nebraska called Creighton Prep. Had good success there, Had a scholarship to go to University of Nebraska. Great opportunity. I was a three year starter there. When I left, I ended up breaking the first strikeout record, which at this point it's been shattered. But I'm on the board there somewhere, maybe five or six now. But so I think about my senior year. Well, it really was my junior. We had a new pitching coach come in and really early on I was just a thrower, you know, good fastball, but my curveball was my out pitch. And he taught me really how to pitch, you know, like, you know, just how to pitch with purpose. He was really big into us watching other teams batting practice and he would just like, just point out, look at These guys are failing 70, 75% of the time. And this is batting practice, they know what pitch is coming. So he tried to like empower us. And coach Pratt was just great. He just taught me a ton about pitching, about watching tape. I got to be such a better pitcher. So I think come my senior year was doing well, close to the strikeout record. I think I started getting attention from scouts and at the time if you, you know, the Cardinals really drafted a lot of left handed pitchers. So being left handed was, it was very fortunate.

[Bobby Bones]

So you go and you start with the Hamilton Redbirds. Is that like rookie ball? A ball?

[Shawn Michaels]

Yeah, yeah. Up in Hamilton, Ontario.

[Bobby Bones]

And that's a weird place to play ball because the weather just feels cold. It just feels like it's going to be cold there regardless. Yeah.

[Shawn Michaels]

And I think they love baseball up there. So as part of the New York Penn team. So we'd come back down into the states and play in Buffalo and Erie, Pennsylvania. But I fortunately I was only there maybe three weeks. I was fortunate to do real well. I didn't give up any runs, a bunch of strikeouts. So then I moved on to Savannah.

[Bobby Bones]

The same Savannah you're in now?

[Shawn Michaels]

The same Savannah I'm in now.

[Bobby Bones]

And any reason like is, are they connected at all? Did you like fall in love with the city or just happen to get a job there again?

[Shawn Michaels]

No, I met my wife the first day when I moved here.

[Eddie]

Wow, that's cool.

[Bobby Bones]

That's crazy.

[Shawn Michaels]

Okay, so you're on the July 2nd. On July 2nd was the last game I pitched in Hamilton, after that game myself and our second baseman Mike Ross got called into the manager's office. I'm like, yes, I never, I don't know, I thought I was doing well. He's like, I'm picking you up tomorrow morning at 5am you guys are both going to Savannah tomorrow. So later that day and I found out, and you probably have heard stories, families are just, there's just certain families that love baseball. They want to be around the sport. They know the minor league players don't make a lot. So what I learned is that on a lot of Sundays we'd play in Savannah. That is a 1 o'clock game. And typically a family would have like a cookout or a barbecue or something for the, for the players like at 4:35. And it just so happens my wife's parents, Meredith's parents, were throwing a shrimp boil that afternoon at a park. And I met Meredith that day.

[Bobby Bones]

That's funny. That's crazy. That's awesome. That's an awesome story. But you weren't with Savannah that long though, because in the same year it was Hamilton, Savannah and then you were at Double A with the Travelers. How long were you with Savannah?

[Shawn Michaels]

Yeah, I was with Savannah for three weeks.

[Bobby Bones]

Wow, Dan, you were on then like you had to feel good then.

[Shawn Michaels]

Yeah, I was, I was, yeah, I, I was pitching well. I was a relief pitcher and, and I was not a high draft pick. But my coach in college just said, listen, if you get, when you got, when I got draft, he's like, I don't care if they ask you to pitch the fourth inning, the eighth inning, just take the ball and try to dominate. And it's usually the higher draft picks or the starter. So when I got the opportunity to pitch whatever inning I was just. And then they slowly saw that I did well towards the end of the game. So I would typically pitch like the seventh, eighth or you know, sometimes I pitch maybe the ninth inning. If they had a left handed batter coming up first, I'd pitch to that batter, hopefully get them out and then they'd bring in the closer.

[Bobby Bones]

And you were the Travelers for a few years. At what point did you go okay, how does it work? Because you're double A and from looking at your, your career, I know you play ball in Venezuela. Did you do that after the Travelers or when did you go, so I'm going to stop playing baseball?

[Shawn Michaels]

Yeah. So in 1988, when I had kind of a good year or whatever after, or kind of during that August period, When I was with the Travelers, they invited me to come to instruction ball, where they take the top 30 prospects or 32 prospects of the organization. So I went to St. Pete, like mid to late September. We play like 30, 40 games, and I did well there. I had a really good fall, and so I get home probably in November. I'm just kind of working out. I'm not throwing anymore. I'm really exhausted because I had a college season and then kind of went right into at pro. And I get a call. God, I think it was like December 20th from the director of player development. And he said, there's a spot in Aragua in Venezuela, and we'd like you to get down there and. And pitch and be a relief pitcher for them for the remainder of the season.

[Bobby Bones]

That's pretty cool. What kind of culture shock was that for you to go down there, do that?

[Shawn Michaels]

I bet it's. It's a gorgeous country boy there. It's a poor country. Our dollar at the time was 50 to their, their Bolivia. And they love baseball. They just love baseball down there. So all the they could, they could invite like seven Americans. So we all stayed in this one hotel together. Actually, you make a little bit more money in winter ball. They pay you cash and then they pay your expenses. And it was just a great experience. A lot of baseball. I, I think I mentioned to your producer. Our shortstop at the time was David Concepcion, who was in his 18th year of playing for the Reds, but he grew up in Aragua. And what I learned is a lot of those players, Caracas, Aragua, wherever they. In the off season, they would play, not the full season, but they would play, you know, three games a week so the fans could see him in action. Because a lot of these people didn't have TVs and could see their, you know, their hero playing.

[Bobby Bones]

Did you ever in any sort. Because you never got to Memphis, I don't think. Right. Because were the Red birds. So when did it, when did it end for you? Was it an injury or was it a realization? Like, how did ball in for you?

[Shawn Michaels]

Well, two things. One, when I went into, when I got drafted, I had my college degree, so I felt good about that. And I told myself, then I go, I either have to be in Triple A or in the big leagues in four years, or I just want to be done. Like, I want to move on with my life. And I was in AAA camp every year. And if you saw my card, I. We played like 127 games for a full season. I, I, you know, Both years I played full seasons there as I pitched in 59 of the game. So I could. I was like a workhorse. I could. You could count on me to be in there. But then in. In 91 in spring training, I was in Triple A camp, I mean, until like three days before they broke camp and everybody went their ways. And I got called into the director player development. And he said, we're sending you back to Little Rock. So I just said, why? First I said, I'm getting AAA guys out. I'm getting some big leaguers out. When I go, been playing in Venezuela, can you just give me an opportunity? I just said, give me a month there, I'll pay my way there, I'll pay my way home, but give me a chance to go and pitch him up. And he's like, no, you're going back to Little Rock. So. Yeah. So how it ended. How it ended was our last one of the road trips and I think was mid, late June, was to Midland, Texas. We're playing the Angels. And I didn't know that this is going to be my last day, but I got asked, or they got me warmed up in the bullpen. I went in in the eighth inning, we were down by. By, I think, two runs, and we ended up scoring. The next inning, like, I don't know, like four or five. So they're like, go out and pitch tonight. So what's kind of funny is my last professional game, I actually got the W, so. Which was neat. The next morning, I get the call from the manager. He's like, we're making a switch. Sleptly, we got your plane ticket already and we, you know, your ride to the airport. We're sending you back to Little Rock to pack up and we wish you all the best.

[Bobby Bones]

Do the people that work for you now and work with, you know, like, is that. That you were like a legit ball player?

[Shawn Michaels]

Not really. I mean, I've. Yeah, I don't really chat much about it.

[Bobby Bones]

It's all. It'd be my full identity, John. I. It's everything I. I have. My baseball cards will fall out of my pocket at random times.

[Eddie]

Pictures everywhere.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Yeah. I'd have tons of. It'd always be a story relating to my time back in the minors. So whenever Eric told you, hey, they were talking about you, were you like, though? That's weird.

[Shawn Michaels]

I go, that is wild. I go. I just said to him, I said, we signed so many autographs. And I mean, that was part of our job. I enjoyed it. I mean, I love Kids in college just to kind of break up the monotony for baseball all the time and school. Like I worked at a on campus daycare center twice a week and just a couple hours. But it was fun to just interact with these kids, read to them and you know, just. It just, it probably helped me more than it helped the kids.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

You're my first ever autograph from any professional athlete ever. And so it's super cool because the card, again, this is the card that I had because they would give out the cards for free or you could buy them in packs of the whole team. And so I had all the cards. And what do you do now? Athletic. Are you still like active? You still play sports at all?

[Shawn Michaels]

Yeah, yeah, I play USTA tennis. I golf. I met just at the gym earlier this morning. I probably work out six days a week. Yeah, I try to stay active.

[Bobby Bones]

How about you sandbag people? They're like, well, here's this guy, he's like, you know, works as a build business guy. Didn't tell him he's a minor league ball player. Like played a super high level. Are you so at the ut. Ut. USTA tennis, like that's like a ranking system. Like I have a, a handicap.

[Kevin]

Right.

[Bobby Bones]

Like again, is that what that is at tennis? So you're like, you're playing amongst people and you have like a ranking.

[Shawn Michaels]

Yes. You know, My rankings are 4.0. It goes 4 or 5. And typically 5 O's are. Well, I mean you're high, high level quality college tennis. But I play with some four or five guys. But mainly they just keep the group at about 4, 0, which is fun. It's. Get a good workout. It's not. It doesn't take a long time. Two, two and a half hours and your match is done. Done. And it's all good.

[Bobby Bones]

It's.

[Shawn Michaels]

We're not playing for money, so.

[Bobby Bones]

You ever play a real man sport, pickleball?

[Shawn Michaels]

I tried it a few times.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Shawn Michaels]

I mean I played it. I mean I'm a big ping pong player. So I mean I'm like. This is just like ping pong, just a little bit bigger.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, it's a real man sports, I like to call it. Well, John, I really appreciate your time. This is super cool for me.

[Shawn Michaels]

Well, thank you, man. I'm humbled. I'm honored to be on your podcast. It's so nice you'd invite me.

[Bobby Bones]

And I love Savannah, know you live there. I love Savannah. They shot Forrest Gump there, which I'm sure you know. And we we went down when I was on American Idol. I did four years on Idol. We would go down to Savannah and shoot and shoot on Idol and so I got to know Savannah. Been there a couple of times. That little park and they have the bench where Forest was sitting on. Yeah, it's, it's, it's a beautiful city. So except we got, if you want.

[Shawn Michaels]

It, we take you out in the boat, go have lunch somewhere or just cruise around, whatever. If you're ever down here, please give a shout.

[Bobby Bones]

Dang, that's crazy.

[Eddie]

That sounds fun.

[Bobby Bones]

First ever autographs, like come hang out with me. That's crazy. John, I thank you for your time. I hope you have a great rest of the day and this has been really cool for me.

[Shawn Michaels]

Yeah. Thank you so much.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, John, all the best to you. See you, man.

[Shawn Michaels]

Take care.

[Eric]

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[Savannah Guthrie]

A fresh new energy.

[Bobby Bones]

This is today.

[Savannah Guthrie]

And no matter what the day holds, we come to the today show for all of it.

[Shawn Michaels]

When things are tough, we talk about it.

[Craig Melvin]

When there's something to figure out, we dig into it. And when there's joy, we celebrate it.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Because today is where it's all happening. We get the best start to every morning because we start it together.

[Bobby Bones]

Watch the Today show with Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin. Weekdays at 7am on NBC.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Clorox Scentiva smells like lavender.

[Bobby Bones]

Cleans like.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Clorox and feels like.

[Bobby Bones]

Alright, that could go on for a while.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Experience the long lasting freshness of Clorox Scentiva.

[Bobby Bones]

Available in Clorox Scentiva lavender scented bleach. Use as directed. You spoke with a Twitter pickleball guy?

[Reed]

Yeah, I heard back from him.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay.

[Reed]

A guy got back to me, messaged me, he asked, hey, is Bobby like looking for just content or does he actually want to play for a thousand dollars?

[Bobby Bones]

What's up with it?

[Eddie]

What is happening?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, this guy want to be my BFF now?

[Reed]

Yeah. And I'm like, well one, we're gonna record it so we'll get content out of it for the show. But it's also 4,000.

[Bobby Bones]

The whole point was, dude trolled me out of nowhere, and I'm like, let's play for a thousand, thousand bucks. Then Mr. Troll, let's go. And he's like, I'm in. And then I'm like, cool, let's get a lawyer and set it up so nobody gets scammed. Disappears. No, I ain't trying to be content. Friendship. Like, the whole point is, if you're gonna troll people, like, show up. Well, I did suck when I found out he was a four year D1 athlete. I'm not gonna lie. Like, that was a realization I did not like. And I was like, I'm in, I'm in.

[Eddie]

Let's go chicken out.

[Reed]

You held your ground.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, if I show up and lose, that's okay. I still want to be the guy that shows up whenever the troll trolls. I want to meet that. No, I'm not doing it to be buddy, buddy content and let's afterward have a hug.

[Reed]

No, I told him. I said, this is legit for a thousand bucks and I'm not going to be your.

[Bobby Bones]

See, I already feel like. I feel like this has lost its edge.

[Kevin]

Yeah, he's backpedaling, right?

[Bobby Bones]

Because even if it happens now, we're like forcing him into it now.

[Reed]

No, there's. There's an end game here.

[Bobby Bones]

Go ahead.

[Reed]

He said, well, I got kids. I'm busy. Like, when are you guys thinking? And I said, well, oh, my God.

[Bobby Bones]

He said, he's busy and he has kids.

[Reed]

And I said, just let us know, like for the next month, some open dates. We'll try to figure something out. And then he said, I'm good, thanks.

[Bobby Bones]

He's backed out.

[Reed]

He's out.

[Eddie]

Oh, my gosh, we got strung along.

[Reed]

He's out.

[Mike]

Well, he could have messaged back like a month ago.

[Bobby Bones]

No, because he was embarrassed. This is what a troll does. A troll talks a bunch of crap and then doesn't show up. What's his Twitter name?

[Eddie]

Oh, no.

[Mike]

Everybody send him a message. Just kidding.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, do you think I wanted to hold and go? Yeah, you know what? I'm still gonna go and play him. When I found out he was a Division 1 athlete for four years who was running Iron Mans. Yeah, no, I'd have been. I would love to have backed out, but I'm like, if a troll's gonna come at me, I'm gonna go, even if I lose. And then he backs out like this. You little pud. I'm Good. Thanks.

[Reed]

Jason Scott. RA Wrestling.

[Bobby Bones]

You little pud.

[Shawn Michaels]

Wow.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm good. First he hits you with the I got kids. I'm busy. This would have never happened had he not been the one to go. Let's go set it up.

[Eddie]

Right.

[Reed]

I know.

[Eddie]

So do you think the whole ghosting the silence part is just him scared, wondering how he's gonna back out of this?

[Reed]

Yeah. Because once he replied, then it took one day to figure this all out and be like, oh, I'm good. Thanks.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm so disappointed. Yeah. In him.

[Eddie]

Well, yeah.

[Reed]

Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

No, you're good.

[Reed]

Okay. Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

I cannot. But that is very disappointing.

[Reed]

I know.

[Bobby Bones]

It's gonna say. I was looking forward to that. It's gonna save me money from having to fly.

[Eddie]

Yeah, man.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, then.

[Eddie]

You're the winner, dude. You're the winner. You won this.

[Reed]

Congrats.

[Eddie]

Good job, dude. You forfeited.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm a little disappointed by that. Okay. I guess with that, we can wrap Mike. Yeah.

[Reed]

That sucks.

[Bobby Bones]

Everyone's so.

[Kevin]

Everyone's bummed.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay. Thank you for being here, everybody. Stupid. Thanks to Shawn Michaels. Thanks to John Lepley. I can't believe he.

[Reed]

I know.

[Bobby Bones]

Backed out like that. I think better to back out is just disappear again. Like, just ghost forever instead of admitting you're a piece. Because he basically said, I'm a pud.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Please allow me to put all over you.

[Reed]

He tried to get us to say, like, oh, never mind. It's all good. And then once I. Once he realized, like, no, we actually want to do this, he's like, I'm good. Thanks. So, yeah, he tried to.

[Bobby Bones]

I got to go public on Twitter with this one freaking little loser. He is. Okay, that's it. We'll see you guys later on. Thank you very much. Thanks to Shawn Michaels. Thanks to John Lepley. Thanks to Nico. Thanks to. Thanks to Rory. No. Thanks to this dude. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, that's it, Eddie. Blow the whistle. All right, we'll see you guys later on. Bye, everybody. Theme song written by Bobby Bones. That's me. And performed by Brandon Ray. Follow Brandon on socials at Brandon Ray Music. You can follow the show on Instagram @bobbybonesports. Thanks to our crew, co host at producer Eddie. Segment producer at Kickoff, Kevin, video producer at Reed Yarberry, and executive producer at Mike Diestro. But most importantly, thank you for listening. I'm Bobby Bones. We'll talk to you next time here on 25 Whistles.

[Savannah Guthrie]

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[Shawn Michaels]

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[Savannah Guthrie]

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[Bobby Bones]

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[Eric]

With the best All Inclusive Vacation Deals to Mexico and the Caribbean Booking your getaway with cheap Caribbean Vacations means you have more freedom to do your deal. Whether you want to enjoy snorkeling, endless margaritas and more, or simply soak up the sun and sand in a tropical paradise, Cheap Caribbean Vacations has your deal for that. Plan and book the exact getaway you want at exactly the right price for you by using our exclusive budget Beach Finder. Or find a featured family friendly all inclusive package to dreams, resorts and spas and do your [e-mail].