Down The Middle Episode 66: Wrestling Re-cap #2

[00:00:22] What's funny is I don't even get a notification and I don't want to. I screwed up again, I forgot to switch the scenes. They can hear all that but one of these days I'll do this right. We're allowed to bow. That's why it's TV.

[00:00:39] Okay. All right. A obligatory audio check done. Like I said, welcome everybody to Down The Middle. We got a lot to talk about, but first, first, big announcement is you can't see him because we have John Cena on the podcast tonight, ladies and gentlemen. What a blast.

[00:01:00] Hi guys. Just good. No but we are joined. He came. We invited him to join the podcast. We're going to try it out for a bit and if he likes it and everybody else likes it

[00:01:12] and he wants to. We can stick around if not he's been a part of the chat for the past few episodes and it was just like might as well get him involved. Yeah, sure. That was pretty good.

[00:01:24] Like when I first saw you guys, like I said I have to watch more. Actually, I'm curious not to not to stroke our egos or anything but how did you, how did you find this was it just randomly recommended on YouTube?

[00:01:40] I think it was. I think it was like a YouTube short. Oh probably yeah that would make sense. Yeah, it's for all you who aren't aware if you're on YouTube and you're trying to grow

[00:01:50] your audience shorts or number one shorts and number one way you're going to grow. Particularly in the beginning because it's about the only way you get organic subscribers quickly. Oh, wow. Oh, you a brother. What got?

[00:02:08] Okay, so then another, well not an announcement but I'm going to pull a tonic on here. Oh, I don't know. Are you going to put me to the stage instead of chair down and say you have an announcement?

[00:02:20] No, but I'm going to tell you that next podcast stay tuned for a major announcement. So I'm announcing the announcement. Now, I'm not as bad as Tony condo because for those of you who know I'm done last week he said stay tuned for dynamite next week for

[00:02:36] an announcement and he made an announcement that there's going to be another announcement in five weeks. He announced the event but everybody knows that's not the announcement. Everybody knows what the announcement is but he just didn't say it.

[00:02:54] So yes, in two weeks there will be a major announcement. I'll tell you fellas after we're live here but the people they got to wait. Okay. I put his neck. We can have. Oh, dude, I've been sick for the past four days. It was rough.

[00:03:15] Like it's not, it's like it's not nasal stuff. There's not like drainage or anything. It's just a cough that I can't get rid of. Sounds like WWE in the rock. I have a lot to say about that.

[00:03:30] I was going to say we may as well start there. Now before we went live, a team was telling you were watching the, I don't remember what the hell they call it. Yeah, it was like the Russamy preview or kick off something like that.

[00:03:41] Yeah, the kick off the kick off. So what was I was watching as much dynamite as I could before we started and you said you were watching that. So what's what's what's happened in there? You said that they were, they were booing. Yeah, the rock came out and

[00:03:57] Kobe came out later on and he saves going and notes that he's going to face Roman for a tie-o and step staff now. And then like the rock lost it, he smacked Kobe. See I had a feeling this was all a work.

[00:04:17] I really didn't. Not not initially, but I did kind of have a feeling that this was all which so you said Kobe came out and said that he was announcing his will face right, Roman at many. Yeah, he is. That was he said he's going to

[00:04:32] face Roman. It's stuff stuff. So so is this maybe just a way to get a high profile match for Cody at elimination chamber when her faces Roman? I don't know, no, no, no, no, no, no, I think

[00:04:46] better yet. You remember WrestleMania 30. Did you Brian had a beat? Triple H to go on later that night to face and the triple threat match against Patisse and Orton right? What in code

[00:05:02] force to face solo night one. And if he beat solo, then he could be in the triple threat with the rock Roman and Cody night two. Okay, that's actually better than the idea I'd come up with.

[00:05:19] And I say that because Roman does it technically have to get pinned. Rock can take the pin. Roman does it take it and Roman can say that he's still the triple chief. Then you got built up for rock, Roman at like a Saudi show because you know,

[00:05:37] that's what they would do is like a Saudi show or maybe even survivor series something a little bit later down a year that built it up. Yeah, I'm going to tell you what my idea was and I'll be honest.

[00:05:50] I think my idea is better, but that's probably I totally like I understand why they would want to do what you just said it makes sense. But from a story perspective, I think my idea was better.

[00:06:01] So and this is going back. Do what it wasn't it wasn't my original idea like I talked with a couple of people and that wasn't my original idea, but after what he just told me what happened

[00:06:11] on kickoff show, that's the idea I'm leaning towards now is my original idea. I thought this was all worth for the rock to be in it because the new WWE 2K 24 games coming out and they have a

[00:06:24] new mode coming in the special guest referee. It's not new, but it ain't been in a game for like 10 years. I'm like well, the really pushing the special guest referee thing. What a thing where it's

[00:06:37] rock and Roman at the table for the contract signing, Roman quickly signs and then rocks like but you didn't read the fine print. This isn't a match between me and you, it's between you and

[00:06:47] Cody. I'm the special guest referee so that the rock could keep the bloodline at a scenario. See yeah, you would told me that before and I actually liked that, but I'm going to we're going

[00:06:57] to go back in time to just have to just after the royal rumble. I understand because I was unaware of this at the time, but apparently the rock was invited prior to the rumble to join the WWE

[00:07:15] board and he obviously he accepted. They gave him a metric shit ton of money like he they gave my lot of money. He's bored of WWE in TKO. Yeah I know and you know what though? It makes sense

[00:07:32] which makes it easy because the owns XFL now too. It kind of makes it good in a way because the rock has a safe set when it comes to store lines and stuff now.

[00:07:46] Rock that replaced already booking everything and then you got the rock with story lines. I mean are we getting into a modern day out of food era? Ish maybe?

[00:07:57] It is. I don't think you're ever going to go back to the attitude era per se. I think you can get something that AEW said they were going to do which was this isn't going to be cartoon kid wrestling

[00:08:14] and then three years later it became cartoon kid wrestling with a lot of blood. So explain that but sometimes. But yeah sometimes not every time a certain person who's named rhymes with

[00:08:37] locksley goes to the ring. But anyway so my idea I understand why you would want to integrate the rock. I totally get it. But who better to elevate your new bullshit world title than the rock?

[00:08:55] Not throw anything at Seth but there's only a handful of people that can lend credibility to a title right out of the gate. I kind of chuckled I can't remember I think it was the rob before this week

[00:09:12] yeah it was when Seth was trying to convince Cody to go for his title which made absolutely no sense and you know Seth said something like I've been the champion for two hundred I don't remember

[00:09:24] like two hundred sixty some odd days and I thought to myself I'm like yeah that title's only been around for two hundred sixty some odd days. That's possibly yes but it still has got the longevity

[00:09:37] the past world title holders. Yeah I know but think about this you know they kind of throw a swirve I feel like with the rock though they're throwing swirve for the sake of throwing a swirve

[00:09:51] you don't need to draw a lot more interest for Cody versus Roman it was there two years ago. I mean it was already there however what you could have done I guess you could have done a

[00:10:04] swirve if you wanted to is you know you could have had rock come out and you could have had the stared down with Roman to tease people but then on Monday night raw rocky comes out and opens the

[00:10:17] show and you know when it says now I'm telling everybody the rock once Roman rains but Cody Rhodes did win the royal rumble which means he gets to choose so right now I'm telling

[00:10:34] you I've told Cody I want Roman but I've also telling everybody here if Cody chooses Roman rains then I'm going to take that title from Seth Freakin Rollins. What I don't understand is

[00:10:50] go back to what a he said about what happened to the kickoff show that now he wants Roman but a couple of smackdowns ago he said he wanted Roman but not a mania. Yeah yeah yeah he did

[00:11:08] so using it like how like like mean you do we we do our own like theory craft and when it comes to booking stuff and sometimes it kind of goes a direction like I said all year about

[00:11:19] Bailey going after Eos World title. Oh we called that we all and that I want to talk about that later because that was master. The T we said it what was gonna happen like almost dialogue too like

[00:11:32] you called some of the dialogue and but like sometimes we could theory craft but like with this World title picture with Roman it's like we can maybe get one or two steps

[00:11:44] and then they get one or two steps with it and then the backtrack three or four steps and we're like we got to rethink this and then we got to re-craft everything again but it's like

[00:11:55] but that's what you want you like you want to come back for more because you're like your curious like that's the kind of wrestling I like oh like I know like hey you need to come back

[00:12:04] next week to see what's gonna be said or what's gonna happen because like wrestling over the past 10 years or so has been kind of like you've got to tell what's gonna happen it's some it no kind

[00:12:17] of is like that sometimes works like how you know he was gonna win or hey this is gonna happen but then you got times right now but the Roman things like really don't know what's gonna happen

[00:12:28] well and here that highlights the difference between WWE right now and virtually every other wrestling company in the world because you know what made me really want to watch SmackDown was that Cody and Seth promo and Cody said I'll think about it I'm like well

[00:12:46] I gotta watch SmackDown now I gotta I gotta know Cody's going after Roman because like we all want him to go after Roman but they give just just enough doubt it's like watching Dragon Ball

[00:12:58] it's like two to the next week let's see we'll go less less annoying we so but and see him punk is turning into growing somehow but to be honest it kind of feel like a

[00:13:10] tag team also because I saw the rock and Roman like walk out together so it feels like it's going to be a tag team versus them versus uh Steph and um Cody really maybe like a elimination

[00:13:24] chamber or no could be that maybe we have to but see that so I guess going back into it's like tweaking my idea a little bit let's say you said because we all it was pretty obvious

[00:13:37] they were setting up punk Seth at WrestleMania what are likely but punk got her so there's probably three or four people that could instantly give the world heavyweight title the new one and credibility instantly and those are CM punk the rock John Cena and probably like Randy Oran

[00:14:00] yeah or or Brock Lesnar before yeah uh mean yeah before yeah before uh before things I think I think before before the shit went down I think I got my boots on oh

[00:14:16] um I think AJ could be thrown into that mix for wrestling fans yes for the general public and that's not AJ's fault but it's the way he's being booked right now that's true that's 100% sure

[00:14:32] and plus unfortunately it is the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and AJ is not a WWE guy like he wasn't WWE made yeah that's it god he's been in WWE now for

[00:14:51] 2016 yes around the yeah around there so almost 10 years you know so I mean I know now he's a WWE guy and he's on record saying who were a tyrant WWE although if TNA still around

[00:15:10] and AJ just decides you know what well Scott de Morse not there no more now yeah neither is Dixie obviously but yeah who's running that now I don't remember his name

[00:15:24] I was I was talking to my buddies about it last actually just morning when I got off work I think watch his TNA quite often and I don't remember of the name he said I don't

[00:15:35] yeah I'm not I'm I'm not sure um I was actually really I was actually really good I watched all the wrestling I could the only one I didn't watch was TNA and that is I'm not being hard on myself

[00:15:49] the only reason I couldn't watch it is because I forgot to change my DVR to TNA instead of impact no I thought it would automatically switch but it didn't so what so I miss I miss TNA

[00:16:05] but I fixed the issue so yeah I guess you could have had let's say go to WrestleMania Cody Cody has to win the damn title but let's say which set this injured anyway so it would make sense

[00:16:18] sets gonna drop that though yeah you because sets gotta have it surgery yeah I think it's gonna be set the crew talk about lackluster which don't get me wrong I love what they're doing with

[00:16:30] Drew but it just hasn't been long enough yeah I heard it well it seemed like it's gonna be set the crew and then I've heard like three or four people tell me like hey I've heard them

[00:16:41] Seth Drew Samian I'm like I didn't have to do it and I'm like just because he's made a couple of saves well wait approve Roman Reigns right which by the way his promo on SmackDown

[00:16:53] that was so funny and good which one yeah Romans the whole where he's like you know Cody would you rather be the best number two we're gonna another crack at number one and you know

[00:17:10] making fun of Seth being like all he's done is gone around here prancer out in his wife's wardrobe that kind of stuff like the whole problem was great

[00:17:20] because it's it's it's it's true but it's funny because it's true no and I mean but now again they kind of unintentionally buried Seth there because when Seth's giving his promo talking up the world title

[00:17:39] everybody's thinking the same thing they're like well but is it though Seth is it the workhorse title you know because it does kind of seem like and actually I think a Roman took the words out of my mouth

[00:17:54] I don't remember what he said I was something along lines of like the loser's line or something like that that's like you lose against me then you go for that one and he's right yeah that's pretty much when

[00:18:03] he said to he according to losers table or something like that but that's pretty much where he said today yeah and it's right and it's W to be his fault that he's right I would really love to see a

[00:18:14] situation where they just I would love to see Rockwinds that stupid title Cody wants the universal title and ever leave that leads to Cody rock and whether Cody wins or Rockwinds I don't

[00:18:32] care I want the titles unified because this two world title thing is just I've never liked it even way back in the ruthless aggression air although I will say it was a little bit more tolerable

[00:18:43] than but this whole two titles for everything is just it's too much it's I disagree and I say that I say that because if you got one little champion that one little champion has to defend it on both

[00:19:05] yes it's knocked out you have so many other belts you had your your your mid-car titles and then you have your tag titles and at that point you got so many people not in the fade

[00:19:23] I would disagree I think it creates more bang because let's let's go back in time again back to the back to the territory and age how many in WA World Heavyweight Champions were there

[00:19:35] I it's it's hard to compare to that it's hard not really not really and here's why so take ECW before they went extreme ECW had a world title however the in WA title superseded it

[00:19:54] but you have WW which is a global machine the WW champion is the de facto best best wrestler in the world because they're the biggest company and what the world heavyweight championship what they're

[00:20:08] trying to make it is what the intercontinental title should be that's what it should be there should be a world title an intercontinental title maybe a US title or the equivalent of like a TV title

[00:20:25] tag team championships and you can have in a women's world championship and I'm even cool with having a women's tag team championship I'm fine with that but don't do to and there's I will like to point out

[00:20:35] there's only one women's world tag team championships there's not two sets yes true because when you have chewed and shit aren't they still doing the undisputed tag team title belts

[00:20:50] unfortunately so just make them one belt the success is me Jake I'll get some I know you had your coffee I know you got your white girl coffee and you're all sassy right now but just just no I will

[00:21:05] I will sass you right back or I will find out what you live and I will I will sass you like Bianca give sass to the women's locker room you know what I'm talking about let me take I'm a Jade Cargill

[00:21:21] like Nijax you're gonna Jade Cargill me like Nijax that it makes sense if it come out of my dad dad didn't make any sense at all they're Brian that's the problem they're two different people

[00:21:35] the like there's two different titles that's like I'm going to go for the world title which one hence my point and all you say is odd the dumb one they doesn't mean anything oh the world

[00:21:47] heavyweight championship okay I just put my foot in my mouth yeah you did spectacularly so though so bravo but I know what will happen so I guess I'm I'm I'm I'm preaching to the wrong people because it's

[00:22:10] it's not gonna happen that's that's like Nujipan getting rid of a title it's not gonna happen you'll probably have like funny titles although didn't they just get rid of one

[00:22:23] I feel like they just got rid of one part one with a w because Eddie Kingston had one that's right but that was the newest one they made I think that they integrated somehow with like the continental

[00:22:37] classic or whatever the dumbest thing ever they took to ring a vonna world title they took the Nujipan title and the continent on made it all one belt no they didn't because Eddie Kingston is still

[00:22:50] carrying around three belts is he yeah that's not that's what TK said well TK lied because I watched Eddie Kingston come out on I want to say it was collision and they introduced him

[00:23:02] has the ring of honor world title the Nujipan strong champion and the continent the AEW continental classic champion any three belts I think TK misspoke because TK does not get to TK doesn't

[00:23:17] get to make the ring of honor world title go away uh not on my watch I know he bought it but I mean I made that I made that a point to you about that that's why I say that

[00:23:30] I must have misunderstood you sorry I just got an notification from a Sean Ross sap talking about the Roman Rockstar well do you tell yeah you gotta get the load I make it video disconnected don't not disconnected but video disconnected I know I know it says that Roman

[00:24:01] Reigns wants the rock but the rock didn't throw me out of the world rumble and then it has like one of them signs that says CM Punk like it came from CM Punk

[00:24:13] that makes no sense watch see initially I'm not gonna lie initially oh how would this be for initially I thought that the CM Punk injury might be a work as well although now I now I don't

[00:24:25] believe that because I'm literally just like fucking again but yeah I thought so too I that was a work completely but how would this be for a sword though what if what if it was a work

[00:24:38] and you get CM Punk rock at Mania oh you get punk dwayne also this was posted 30 minutes ago says this is from rock to triple H it says fix it haven't talked shit about our family again

[00:24:56] and the rock dropped bomb right to triple H I do not know I do not know did anything else of note happen at the kickoff a game I saw like only that part I think really Ripley came out a little bit

[00:25:16] and that's about it nothing really noteworthy CM Punk was there too biggie yeah yeah CM Punk still gonna be a mouthpiece which is which is yeah that's what he said he says most not broken

[00:25:31] no and I think we should get CM Punk on commentary at Mania at the very least yeah I'm quite sure what I think is gonna happen I was hoping there was one big table rock

[00:25:40] was that one table one end of the table and remember was that the other like to head to the tables okay so what I guess we can talk about bailing now that the one of the things that was

[00:25:53] masterfully done good we could go have to go over the rumble on how a horrible actually was in my opinion really you thought it was bad right okay well go go you made your bad lie in it

[00:26:10] so I remember the match order so we ain't got looking up well yeah there was only four match of the night women started off I agree I agree the women's world number was the match in the night

[00:26:26] with I popped when they only came out yeah because I and then I popped when Jordan Grace came out because I didn't expect I knew somebody from TNA was coming over because there was already talks about WWE talk with TNA and here's my thing triple I just got

[00:26:43] to think for other women don't don't count him out like no Vince McMahon because you know he's got a thing for his women and the Jordan Grace came out hot for it yeah I was not expecting

[00:26:59] that although that pretty well solidifies my theory that WWE and TNA at least have a working relationship and they do because Naomi back over to TNA is supposed to do that was that was

[00:27:13] so I thought it was something at first okay interesting that's it probably was preta before she started her contract with WWE yeah but that's why you're on TV they're trying to get all

[00:27:27] of the tapings out before she's seen on TV to make it make sense hmm which is fair but I mean let's let's be real is it these days it's really not a big deal in my opinion I I care less I mean

[00:27:41] well it's probably better because in like people that don't immediately think like they just assumed TNA's live oh oh now he's gonna be on TNA and WWE and if they were smart and

[00:27:53] and they were able to do it they would start introducing her as Naomi on TNA tapings but they've already taped it it's irrelevant um I let's talk about funny part of the night when our truth came out

[00:28:05] my house the best part what's so funny and just when you think he couldn't get funnier then when he comes out and I this was pointed out to me do you I forget what number he came out but it was

[00:28:19] the same in both so he literally just yeah so he literally just made a mistake he came out during the wrong I don't remember what number he was 20 something but that's that's the number he came

[00:28:31] out in the men's role rumble too you're trying to tell me that's a ring full women and then then when he comes out in the men's and he thinks it's a tag match oh my god I was rolling you

[00:28:48] that that was funny um women's back to the women's there were quite of a jade for me personally which this is again I'm biased my biggest pop was Jade and I knew it was coming we called that one

[00:29:02] yeah oh we called that one hard and actually I was legitimately surprised that Mercedes Monade didn't show up and it looks like and we'll touch on this more a little bit later it looks like

[00:29:13] she's going to a w I'm all but certain now thanks to TK's booed announcement yeah I know well you know well see we'll see because like I said I came I don't know if you're

[00:29:25] aware but I have a I figured out AEW's formula for their women's division so when they make and when they make a new signing particularly an XWWE talent this is essentially how it goes

[00:29:42] they get a big introduction and a big pop when they debut and they're they're very popular for about two to three months and in that time they gain a fairly large male fan base and then

[00:29:54] I'll I don't know where if they didn't have it already I don't know where they start doing only fans it's the damn to sing and then they don't do anything after that that sounds about right

[00:30:08] yeah it's pretty true about 80% I don't think Ruby so I haven't looked I don't think Ruby so oh isn't only fans but she would be the exception well no I don't think page does either I'm sorry

[00:30:19] all right how is her for anyways yeah it's like sure did before only fans was tested getting a little too close to Vincent Mantener to her ears so we're gonna dial it back we're gonna dial it back but um MU Xavier Woods

[00:30:38] oh my god it was years ago but you remember when they when they brought that up yeah WTV you remember that that shit was funny like I still think it was a bit

[00:30:50] distasteful but I think it was actually triple age pregnant up to them I think it was now the um but anyway back to my point very disappointed um oh that's a bummer and I mean I guess maybe

[00:31:11] and this is probably true Tony probably offered her more money like I'm certain of that but WWE doesn't need female talent I think it's a case of like if they could get Sasha Banks back

[00:31:23] they could certainly like I mean they can certainly do a lot with her but they're not desperate for female talent but frankly neither is a WWE but I have become a firm believer in the fact that

[00:31:35] Tony Conne is just collecting action figures yep and yeah believe it yeah and if he can get he doesn't have a Sasha Banks action figure and he wants his Sasha Banks action figure so that

[00:31:50] he can you know do the Sasha Banks stuff but not call it Sasha Banks stuff call it Mercedes Monastery and I'm not okay so I did there was a lot of flack on that video clip I uploaded where I which

[00:32:02] to be fair I probably could have elaborated a little bit better this is not reflecting in any way shape or foreign negatively on Mercedes Mercedes is fantastic she's an asset to any company

[00:32:15] that she would go to as we saw new Japan's numbers went up my point was and somebody rightly called me out for it because I wasn't wrong but I didn't explain my position properly

[00:32:26] I wasn't doggy I wasn't saying that Mercedes Monastery didn't move the needle what I was saying was you can only move the needle so far depending on the size of you know the organization you're in and face facts the WWE has the biggest machine

[00:32:44] and the only reason Mercedes Monastery won not the only reason but the biggest reason Mercedes Monastery is famous in the first place is because she was part of the WWE system yeah I completely agree and there's a reason why AEW is willing to pay more than WWE

[00:33:01] because WWE doesn't need that star power because they created that star power which should be fair AEW doesn't need AEW really doesn't need to expand their roster right now they need to utilize their roster better but I get it because I'll be honest for different reasons

[00:33:20] if I owned a wrestling company and I could get Mercedes Monastery I would get Mercedes Monastery yeah I would but I would also be utilizing you know like my breadbakers my my Chris statlanders although is she injured? I don't know I don't think she is

[00:33:43] I would have utilized my Jade Carveles a lot better man when she picked Nia and body syndrome over the top the face that Becky made says it's all that's all I would say

[00:33:59] yeah and I'll tell you boy they made Jade they got big plans for Jade as they should it's like I never understood why people were hating on Jade Carvele it's like look at her yep it doesn't matter if she can wrestle she can learn how to wrestle

[00:34:16] yeah what do they say about big cast he's some feet tall they can't teach that you cannot teach what Jade Carvele has just genetically and through what I'm sure was a lifetime of grueling hard work and conditioning and then the pop that they had when it'd be

[00:34:33] Alka and Jade just had a stare down right in the middle oh there's that stuff up like Jade's her rumble debut was fantastic and it's obvious and everyone and like I had no illusion she

[00:34:44] wasn't gonna win we all knew Bailey was gonna win which we called that one live more you come back at number 30 was eh so I have a really here's here's a funny story about that

[00:35:00] I don't know why I got them confused actually I do know why it's because the laugh at the beginning of their interests is I thought for a split second I thought it was a Alexa Bliss Alexa yeah I did too I would have much rather had Alexa

[00:35:13] well when it was funny it was funny because I was watching it with my girlfriend and I went oh oh because like we predicted Alexa would come back and she was like and my girlfriend's

[00:35:24] like oh you really like her I'm like oh oh no it's live Morgan I mean no I like live Morgan but like that's not who I thought it was I just thought I was right what's about time for

[00:35:36] it Alexa to come back though unless she'll show up and like we're all out from any other smackdown of the mania well hey you know she's as far as I'm concerned she can take all the

[00:35:45] times she wants because she's got a baby and that's more important but obviously year one not year one yeah I mean we knew we knew who was gonna win well I think um when Oscar and

[00:36:10] sorry saying or Carrie saying whatever her name is got eliminated I think Oscar was supposed to happen I think Carrie's was on accident because when she would over top as she

[00:36:22] planted her feet on the apron and like held onto the top of the ring without the ropes like hanging on for their life you can tell in her face like she could hold on for much longer like

[00:36:33] like that was a legitimate like she fell off and she wants supposed to have that second I don't know ww i don't know what i don't know if they've been teaching classes or web

[00:36:41] but ww's gotten a lot better about being more believable in the because like like the facial expressions and whatnot because the promo segment were barely ended up challenging EO like on EO in particular the acting was actually legitimately good like their their reactions and when Bailey's not

[00:37:02] looking at him they're kind of like making fun of her own background with them when she looks at him they snap back and then their reaction when Bailey dropped the Japanese which oh my god whoever

[00:37:11] whoever's idea that was just absolute perfect A plus I don't know what she said I don't know she says something in Japanese that's all you need to know. You don't matter it does well look it up on Google's free

[00:37:35] and wait oh yeah no I don't know could have a scary movie three moments his Honda Mitsubishi oh I'm ashamed that I still laugh at that joke but it was funny but that's a classic when was match was great and then we had

[00:37:59] next it was yeah little Paul Kevin Owens was it which was a hell of a match it was very good which we figured one of them good for no reason matches yeah it was like it was like you

[00:38:15] knew going into it like it could be a real good match or it could be a real stinker match but it was just the only way that was gonna be a stinker match is if just either guy really just didn't care

[00:38:25] well at one point one point it looked like it was a working very good together and they were like they were a stimony each other I think that's direction you know what I think that is and I'll

[00:38:37] be perfectly frank I think to his credit I think Logan Paul wants to be viewed as a peer by that locker room and I think he's letting people know he's like hey lay that shit in don't go easy on me

[00:38:53] oh I don't know I think it's kind of scared because Kevin Owens was sitting in chops towards his way and like he started like like he's not pro bad and like trying to block it

[00:39:04] like you didn't want to take him well then probably you know but you know to to you saw his chest after that match right like I see that I saw the hand prints but I'm not going to describe it him he's a damn good wrestler for what

[00:39:23] experience he does have listen and this is again this is something and I'm not trying to describe especially to you my friend because you you were in the ring before but WWE gets it they get

[00:39:34] the fact that the in-ring work is almost secondary like you have to be able to do it yeah but there's a reason that Logan Paul is where he is like true he's a freak athlete but the guy

[00:39:49] understands how to get over you can teach somebody how to wrestle if they're if they're reason to be athletic they'll they'll be fine Logan Paul's a freak but try to think

[00:40:02] him to take a whole co-gun like he was a bodybuilder but we'll see the world's guys actually better example ultimate warrior dude got gas before he got to the ring yeah but how many kids had ultimate

[00:40:14] warrior t-shirts how many kids had ultimate warrior action figures exactly that's that's my point so imagine though imagine if you have somebody who is a just genetic freak of an athlete

[00:40:34] and knows how to talk and knows how to work a crowd you know how to tell story that's all yeah it's all about telling a story and Logan Paul gets it Logan Paul gets it dude and like even

[00:40:48] they like his social media stuff with the US title I'm like this dude just gets it he knows what's up he knows what's up and he knows how to make a crowd hate him and he's okay

[00:41:00] with it but he also knows how to make a crowd love him despite himself and then the finish was cool too it's actually kind of unique in a way yeah I did not see that one coming like you see the

[00:41:15] bros next about to be sort of the ring and then to get stopped the guy gets stopped and then you have an all-esthetic theory and chuckle fucker yeah grace and water grace and water come out

[00:41:30] and grace and water grabs the next and goes with the ring Kevin owns grabs it and then uses it and then gets more be like you don't see that very often that's true oh no because apparently that WWE referee actually has eyes

[00:41:45] which but I will I will give it credit it was a unique finish but I did I always just grown a little bit when they just enforced the rules out of nowhere yeah oh me the buddy we're

[00:42:01] talking we were talking about the referee is the stuff they won't see anything wrestlers don't don't care about what any the referee's ever have to say but the minute that referee

[00:42:11] says that you're out of here they just look at it like you know is it the other pretty time now walk out well because theoretically they can it's risking a disqualification the problem is

[00:42:25] you never see it so there's no enforcement like case and point not to not to should on a WWE some more but I mean um god what was I think it was dynamite the opening match Jeff Hardy and

[00:42:38] Moxley are they actually they actually say on air to justify how much time they spend on the outside doing their stuff the commentators actually make a point the referees are relaxing the rules for this one

[00:42:54] why don't you just have a no-de-cube match I was about to say that way too much in a w I was about to say something very well but put it in the same show in the same show they have the

[00:43:11] opening match where they quote the referee the referee is quote relaxing the rules and then they have a hard core match for the main event were they're doing the same stuff that's the tick-tuck

[00:43:27] booking I mean it's it's true Jim Cornette says lazy booking we call it tick-tuck booking because the motivations are different which by the way was happy to see RVD again but I'm not gonna lie

[00:43:44] to segue into a w I don't know how I feel about this whole swirv hangman thing it seems like it's filler well I thought they had their match and they were done no no no they got to stretch this

[00:44:03] I thought it was over with no can know they just announced because I just on on dynamite they opening match hangman versus swirv to see if he faces Samo Jo and the yeah the freaking

[00:44:15] they went to a time limit draw so now it's gonna be a triple thread Samo Jo swirv strickland in hangman page for the AW title at revolution and I'm just over here like we went through three

[00:44:30] weeks plus of television to get to this yeah because they had their death their Texas death death match it was we done yeah it wasn't there's still doing this crap here's that

[00:44:46] following paper view swirv was supposed to face Keith Lee and then Keith Lee could do because he was injured he faced well I've I've come to the startling realization I think the reason we're still

[00:44:59] doing this is because like think about it who else do they have can he omega's injured MJF is injured Adam Cole is injured and Brian Danielson just came back like recently

[00:45:20] who else they got they should have just put it on sting no no we got a crayon vison tag team proud of back to the books oh they haven't done that yet I know but you know

[00:45:36] damn well that's what they're going to don't even listen don't even get me started on what the bucks are doing right now I complained about it a couple years ago when they were doing the same

[00:45:45] thing just a little bit different it's here's you know about the bucks the bucks can't act for shit they can't so when they're doing their smart routine it's just so fake it's so

[00:46:02] when they were doing on a being the elite it was cute because everybody knew it was tongue and cheek but you're trying to play it and it's just it doesn't work it's so contrived and just

[00:46:14] the young bucks were at their best in my opinion between 2016 and 2018 and New Japan and probably the first year and a half of a w. I agree on and then after that it's just

[00:46:36] and it pains me to say this because the young bucks are creative people I've seen it but they like many other people Kenny Omega's part of this camp too and this is just my opinion so before

[00:46:47] you people this right me in the comments I'm not saying that they're bad I'm just saying these are the types of people that their best stuff is when they can be creative but they have people to

[00:46:57] rain them in it's just gonna be like Kenny maybe you shouldn't wrestle a blow up doll but I'll tell you what maybe you can wrestle this guy instead you can do all the same spots

[00:47:10] but maybe an actual person a man similar height and weight to you and maybe you shouldn't do this in the camera every three seconds just you know just the thought you know

[00:47:40] that's that as Forest comes said that's all I have to say about that all I have to say about that all right back to the rumble stuff we had the way which was whatever I thought it was a placeholder mist you yeah it wasn't a terrible placeholder match

[00:48:03] but listen we all knew Roman was gonna keep it now we'll say I like to the finish I'm not gonna like I like to the finish it made sense in the pinagia so Orton or L.A. night didn't get pin so they

[00:48:16] have more say so what they want the real title shot yeah that's definitely logic well I mean that makes sense for right now because L.A. night is white hot and Randy just came back

[00:48:28] and he's white hot and AJ is AJ so they weren't really doing anything super doper important with him at the moment but at any given time AJ can just they can put AJ on a run at any time

[00:48:43] so yeah in maybe sense that AJ would get pinned in that case and I'm that's that's fine so obviously Roman won that leading into the mensboro rumble which had no real surprises at all but there was only one surprise but we but we've called it

[00:49:05] oh what did we call him trying I don't remember calling I'm trying I just hold on I okay yeah I correct myself yeah I forgot about Andre so we had one surprise yeah I forgot about him too and Sam is in came back at number 30

[00:49:24] and we had almost almost almost almost a wrestler almost a wrestler almost hey every day he's almost more a wrestler hell and that's in that slim gym battle royale I was down right in press

[00:49:41] don't get me started about oh moss hey he's getting better he is getting better but see here they're about to they're about ready to book themselves into against a wall though because what do you do when oh mo and when oh moss gets too good

[00:49:56] do you want I did they they can't because they they did it with Brock Lesnar and they learned their lesson what do you do when you have a six foot eight three hundred pound

[00:50:05] behemoth that is actually a legitimate badass fighter like you you can't bury him even though they did but like you either have to you either make it to where he can never lose or you have to

[00:50:22] bury him at some point and that's what they did when Seth Rollins beat him in 20 seconds was it 20 seconds it was short I maybe not 20 set maybe it was five minutes I don't know but

[00:50:34] and I'm not gonna lie like he beat him with a curbsop I'm pretty sure legitimately if Seth Rollins or someone of his height tried to do that in real life to Brock Lesnar I'm pretty sure Brock

[00:50:45] Lesnar could have stood up probably not gonna lie I'm pretty sure Brock Lesnar could have not let his face hit the floor so for what that's worth but my biggest complaint at the rumble my biggest big is complain what story line has been

[00:51:11] the most ongoing storyline for the last three years the bloodline number one came out Jay number two came out Jimmy I'll actually like that we had five minutes of storytelling yeah and then he did touch each other the rest of the rumble that's true they

[00:51:33] didn't did they yeah they had five minutes of storytelling I mean they touched each other after that yeah we caught many had come up with it within four weeks five weeks whatever it is

[00:51:46] don't you think if you it's the perfect opportunity you got you that rockback you know you had come in the next couple weeks you had rock coming back do you stuff a mania what about Jimmy and

[00:51:59] Jay did you but for what it's worth did you hear that place erupt when Jimmy came out yes like like don't get me wrong Jay got a pop but I don't think anybody was expecting Jimmy to be

[00:52:13] number two well I think they got so big of a pop because it's like oh yeah I just read number one number two like this should be huge just should be something to play out through the whole rumble

[00:52:27] but he does it and then wasn't it wasn't on dry day number three or no yep I wasn't number three yes you know what he had to be number three though if you think about it because who's going to survive

[00:52:41] who would want to go after Jimmy and Jay who's so right now unless it was a huge surprise that's going to get another pop but like Jimmy didn't eliminate Jay or Jay didn't eliminate

[00:52:54] Jimmy where's the storytelling in that I man it's it's the real rumble just really what I said is insanely stupid because a lot of a lot of storytelling can take place in the real rumble

[00:53:09] like take again take the women's world rumble they set up a bunch of stuff exactly but so here here's a question for you going back to Jade where do you think she's going

[00:53:22] to end up as far as TV brand goes smack down yeah I initially thought in XT but that was before the world rumble but I think I think I'll be smack down and we'll show end up I got to say I liked what I saw

[00:53:39] from her in the ring I am curious to see where her finisher's going to be I don't know if it's going to be the same move as she did in a w jaded which I liked but there were they were safety concerns

[00:53:54] shall we say yeah although I don't recall anybody ever getting injured from taking it so nope not that I'm aware of which is impressive because I mean you've really got a split second

[00:54:08] before you can protect yourself when you take that so your time means got to be really good because she's holding your hands back for the bulk of it yeah well I'm excited to see what kind of

[00:54:21] moves that she keeps from a w I think you keep yeah I think she'll keep a wide variety if you recall though here's the good part all of her biggest mentors except Dustin Rhodes are currently in

[00:54:32] WWE so that's that's very good yeah you got Cody you got punk there was a coach too um there was a coach that jumped ship to a w and for love of god I can't remember who it is oh but speaking of

[00:54:50] coaches did anybody notice Serena D you've make a very sudden return to a w television I think I saw that yeah she's a baby face now I didn't I I haven't been watching a w

[00:55:08] and I feel bad because I actually like her I just always forget her name it's Queen I know you don't know yeah she's really good she's very good and I just I always forget her name

[00:55:19] and I feel bad that I do I do but huh are you talking a w or w a w because she had a match with Serena D but it was actually pretty good it's just a shame that it was on collision and no one watched it

[00:55:37] which to be fair I mean I kind of understand why that episode of collision was a throw away because it was the same night as the rumble yeah like honestly and it's been a while since I watched

[00:55:50] collision like when did collision just become dark right because that's that's all it was there were like well we're the at at least four matches where there were local or indie talent and I don't mean

[00:56:05] that disparagingly but like hook had a two one one handy cat match against some local tag team and I'm gonna be honest I don't think they were very good because some of the moves looked

[00:56:17] a little rough and I've seen hook doing before so I think it was the guys taking them and hook is this kind of a nigma for me because a guy who a guy who when he's weird because

[00:56:32] when he he's on camera by himself he looks kind of small but then you seem in the ring and he's actually quite a big dude like he's thinner but he's tall and I mean he's not he's not not strong

[00:56:50] got 15 by the way 15 minutes already so I do want to share with you guys real quick I'll do my lightning round of stuff I watched my first episode in a few years of wow women of wrestling

[00:57:04] ooh it's probably because I don't know anybody there but yeah I'll be honest I fast forward through most of it but I'm gonna keep watching it it seems very much like a glow rip off which

[00:57:17] I read that's what they were going for oh you're pretty much is yeah I mean they for what it's worth this is very obviously geared towards children they call their wrestlers super heroes which

[00:57:30] hey I'm not hating on it because you know WV has super stars wow has super heroes but I'm gonna keep watching because I know the AJ Mendez is involved pretty heavily behind the scenes so

[00:57:45] keeping on on that but I also watched the debut episode of NWA Power on the CW which wow Tony Con done fucked up because the CW was looking for wrestling programming and Tony out of loyalty said that he didn't want to he didn't want to approach the CW

[00:58:11] about ring of honor out of loyalty to time Warner but time Warner obviously doesn't want ring of honor because they don't have ring of honor yet yeah Tony Tony you Tony when a television network asks you hey you got some nice wrestling over there

[00:58:35] we'd like to get some of that by the way we're a major network over the air free television that has larger viewership than any cable network now I'm gonna give it to Warner Brothers

[00:58:52] it's go for even if they don't want it and then Billy Corgan was probably like I got some of that wrestling hey look over here at me and they were like cool now I will say I watched the episode for

[00:59:07] the same reason as wow I don't really well nobody that I knew was on that particular show which I think it was a huge mistake for for NWA to not have their world champion show his face

[00:59:18] on the debut episode why was EC3 at least not doing a promo yeah I mean I have a one it being you said it to me so I'm gonna start I'm gonna start giving it a try

[00:59:33] yeah I it was not in my opinion it was not a great way to debut yourself perhaps they were operating under the delusion that people knew who they were hopefully because there's there's there's there's people in NWA right now

[00:59:53] that a general audience might know EC3 being one of them plus even if they don't he's their world champion yeah like he should have opened the show now I'm assuming they probably had something

[01:00:09] pre-taped I don't you know what I'm just my two cents even if you had something pre-taped scrapped it you you make a new show scramble you're going on the CW and they would have known

[01:00:21] about this for some time you got it you got to lead with your best foot forward and like I said he not only did their world champion not open the show he wasn't on it sorry I catch just

[01:00:39] jumped up on my truck sit over here in in the middle nowhere then looks at me in the jump though you decided you didn't have any food so yeah and like I said I started watching AEW from yesterday our dynamite from yesterday those far it's been but

[01:01:04] any other wrestling you'd like to report Hakeem not much I have to like start back washing a little bit more like it's hard man it's hard it really is it's so me shows

[01:01:18] it's like a second job yeah it really it really is but I remember you know what's funny though as I remember back to like I said between about 2014 to 2019 like I think that was the best wrestling's ever been gonna be totally honest what years between like 2014 and 2019

[01:01:41] okay I take that back it's not the best wrestling's ever been outside of WWE it's the best wrestling has ever been for a very very very long time certainly as long as I've been alive because WWE was

[01:01:52] the shit's minus NXT yeah but if you're talking like NXT new Japan ring of honor, Lucha Underground even in WWE towards the latter part there when Nick Aldous was champion and then you

[01:02:06] got all in and then the beginnings of AEW like it was a really exciting time but there was a lot of wrestling on TV and I mean you're not gonna not watch RAW and SmackDown at least every once in a while although

[01:02:18] I skipped a fair bit of episodes now that I think of it but yeah it's similar to today but yeah it's is so much wrestling I know sometimes I have to make choices I've to make difficult choices and

[01:02:33] I used to say screw it I don't need to watch RAW now I'm like more I got to watch RAW yeah so usually I usually I usually make sure I try to get at least RAW dynamite and SmackDown

[01:02:48] everything else is kind of like optional what mean you got Monday's RAW Tuesday's NXT where did you get a mine Thursday's is a I think TNA's Thursday and then Friday you got SmackDown Saturday you got collision yeah I think in WWE is on Mondays

[01:03:15] which would be a mistake very yeah I don't recall no way what it was the sixth because that was their debut episode oh so no in WWE's on Tuesday's Tuesday okay okay so that's

[01:03:32] at least smart which actually they wouldn't have had any say on that that would have been the CW but yeah let's and I will say this about in WWE I know it's it's not my cup of tea I just really

[01:03:43] don't like I don't like studio wrestling it seems I can get into it it seems so small right I know there are people I know there are people that love it and they love studio wrestling

[01:03:56] I personally but hey maybe I'll give a shot I know you can't fall in love with the wrestling promotion in one week each even if especially if you're starting fresh you just don't know anybody

[01:04:10] but we shall see and buy and buy God AEW so their major announcement for those who don't know is then five weeks AEW is going to Boston for for big business and for those who aren't aware Mercedes

[01:04:27] Monet is originally from Boston and they've pretty much said that that's gonna be her debut big business oh yeah the boss so hopefully she has a better debut in AEW than she did in

[01:04:42] New Japan I felt so bad for her when that and I'm not again I'm not cutting her up because it didn't happen to anyone but I was just like oh no I don't know what was worst actual wrestling part or her hair

[01:04:58] you know well I'm not gonna hate on the hair she made a bold choice it didn't work but I'm never I'm gonna respect the choice and he got admit that was an hard that would have been hard to pull off

[01:05:10] so I mean props to the props to the stylist although I got it they I for the love I hope their wigs because if that's her actual hair she's gonna be bald by the time it's for me they gotta be wigs

[01:05:25] please oh buddy so anybody have anything else to add or shall we commence with the lead out you know I really I really just don't have anything else to say right now well this is supposed to be a recap damn it

[01:05:42] oh yeah one more update Vincent man's a piece of shit yeah we can't already knew that though for first of us who didn't know already know he is a piece of shit or he no no I believe that one my boots on the ship will be

[01:06:01] I oh god I cannot believe when I when I heard about that text I saw some of them I don't want to read it I don't want to read this stuff I'm just dumbfounded like such a shitty person yeah

[01:06:24] I will say this much though I'm the consenting adults do whatever the hell you want but like I don't even know how to describe I don't have the words to like I mean you could shit one hand

[01:06:39] and shit the others he wouldn't feel the fat in you would mint is case of zest no wasn't the chest I was the face the head rather the head yeah I'm not making this up oh that made it even worse I

[01:07:01] why won't the places will test yeah I wouldn't be surprised I wouldn't be surprised if they were multiple shits you know I heard it with me right in the cat dogs I heard it right in

[01:07:17] urgent note never mind well I mean what happens in Titan tower stays in Titan so so long as you sign a $3 million in DA apparently until like oh my god well I can't fathom is the fact that this is not the only person there's more

[01:07:40] that we just don't know about yet I mean we're talking potentially decades of payoffs decades of decadence and you only had one but I'm just speaking of edge how far the

[01:07:59] mighty have fallen huh oh yeah yeah it's kind of sad yeah on this day I don't see clearly how Tony constantly doesn't but again and once again he got his action figure and he got to

[01:08:17] have his oh we're gonna call him the rated our superstar who he because the WWE didn't trade like that Adam Copeland thanks guys all right well with that in mind be sure to check out

[01:08:34] the next episode of down the middle for that special announcement but ours is actually a very special so but anyway this is what I was doing a sound effects oh special announcement what yeah all right well this has been down the middle thank you for joining us

[01:09:04] as always please like share and subscribe check out the other podcasts on the RTA podcast network and as always watch wrestling comment tell your friends and welcome Hakeem thank you maybe maybe next time the world will get to see what you look like but until then they

[01:09:25] see you I know damn well that's not Mr. Patriot okay that's perfect exit