INTERVIEW CLASSIC - Keller talks with Sam Roberts about interviewing big name stars, MITB, Roster Split, Styles, Owens, Nakamura, Orton

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Now.
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PW Torch and Speaker bring you the Wade Keller Pro
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Wrestling Podcast. It's time for this week's Interview Classic where
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Wadekller interview is one of pro Wrestling's newsmakers.
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Ten years ago. This week I interviewed Sam Roberts, a
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podcast host who interviewed a lot of big named wrestlers,
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and he took us behind the scenes for what that
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was like with some of the big names that he's interviewed.
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He also talked about how we got into interviewing wrestlers
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and more about his career. Also, we talked about money
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in the Bank, a look at potential future big stars,
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some thoughts on Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, Schinsky, Nakamo, Roman Ranges, Johnson,
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and New Day, Alberto do Rio and others. We had
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live callers, email questions, and Twitter topics sprinkled in throughout.
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This originally live streamed on June sixteenth, twenty sixteen, and
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it is today's Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast Ten years
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Ago Interview Classic for Saturday, June twentieth, twenty twenty six
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Here we go. Welcome to the pet w Torch Live Cast.
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I am Wade Keller, editor and publisher of the Pro
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Wrestling Torch weekly newswatter since nineteen eighty seven, back when
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Ronald Reagan was President of the United States. Also editor
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of PW toorch dot com and MMA torch dot com,
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covering the world of pro wrestling and mixed martial arts
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with news, commentary, live event results, fight previews, and or
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check it out at PW torch dot com and mmatorch
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dot com. We also have free apps for you on
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iPhone and Android. Just search PW Torch and MMA Torch
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in the app store to download our free app and
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follow along with all the news, live event results, and more.
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I also host this the PW Torch Live Cast. We
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are on six to seven days a week live this
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week seven because of money in the bank if you
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count Sunday. As this week we'll have thirteenth straight days
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of shows actually live on the air from last Monday
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through next Saturday, and I host on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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Tuesdays I host with a rotating co host. Last Tuesday
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with Jason Powell from Pro Wrestling dot Net, we were
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talking about Monday Night Raw and Money in the Bank.
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And Thursdays, I host the Interview Thursday format and I
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am pleased to announce that today's guest on today's Interview
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Thursday is none other than and Sam Roberts of The
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Sam Roberts Show. Sam. Welcome to the Pole Torch Live cast.
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Hey, thanks for having me.
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Great to have you on now. Sam. By way of introduction,
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I'd like you to talk about how your journey to
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being one of the top pro wrestling podcasters and a
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little bit more about the show that you do also
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on a serious XM satellite on a weeknight basis.
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Well, I mean, I was going to say that part
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of the journey and being able to accomplish as much
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as I and I've accomplished, is because I started early,
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but I didn't start when Reagan was in office, So
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I don't know if I can't make that claim anymore.
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But you know, I was working for a show called
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Opi and Anthony, which was on XM Radio at the
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time before it merged with Serious XM, and we would
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have WWE guests on, and I started talking to the
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publicists that would come in and realized.
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That, like, like.
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The press conference is that they would hold at the
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hard Rock and stuff like that, Like I had kind
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of as a fan always thought they were just kind
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of a work press conference, like there's a show, And
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then I found out that press can actually go to
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the press conference, and I said, well, I work for
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this show. Can I go to the press conference and
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interview some of these guys? And they're like, yeah, of course.
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I was like wow.
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So I went and you know, kind of got a
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taste of that. And it was before podcasting was big
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and before YouTube was big, and I was just kind
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of gathering audio to play on the radio show. And
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then probably after a couple of years, I said, you know,
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let me just not do this just for the radio show,
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but ask questions that I want to know as a
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wrestling fan and start uploading them to YouTube. And so
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I would do that and they started to you know,
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kind of get a little bit popular. I think a
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lot of that was because there weren't a ton of
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people doing YouTube w repling interviews at that point, and
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I would end up doing probably three or four a year,
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not a ton. But then as it happened, it was
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more and more. And as my radio career progressed to
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the point that I was doing my own show and
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doing all of that, then I had more opportunity to
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get guys in studio, to actually sit down and have
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longer conversations with guys, and eventually, you know, I said,
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about a year and a half ago, I was doing
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a ton of wrestling because and I was uploading them
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to YouTube, and I kind of just wanted some kind
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of organization about it, like not just me being a
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person who has interviewed a bunch of wrestlers. I said,
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why not give the wrestling fans that listen to me
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at an outlet where it can just be wrestling and
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I love talking about wrestling. So I started the podcast,
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and now that's kind of what life is for.
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Me at the moment. Sam Robers Wrestling.
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Podcast once a week and then Serious XM every night
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Monday through Friday from nine to midnight.
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We will we throw out the show some stories from
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your interviews and maybe some insights into the challenges and
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fun that are part of interviewing pro wrestlers live in
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studio and do so in the format that you do.
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We also want to invite callers because we've got a
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big paper bey coming up on Sunday. I hear sam
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from none other than Michael Cole that this is a
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WrestleMania worthy pay per view with TIA worthy made events.
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I keep hearing that it's another WrestleMania, which is amazing.
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You know.
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I think it's more of a money in the bank
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paper here, you know, there the money in the bank man,
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and I mean the main events are amazing, but I
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think I think I'm comfortable saying it's a very good
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money in the bank.
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I do like that they are back to hyping and
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not just presenting, you know, every once in a while,
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I feel like they just kind of throw a match
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out there and they just sort of expect people to
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understand it's a big deal. I do think aj against
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Styles is a big deal. I think they're exaggerating a
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little bit how long this has been a dream match
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of quote sports entertainment fans. I don't think fifteen years
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ago or twelve years ago, people thought, man, I hope
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someday we can see John Cena against AJ Styles. But
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in fairness, I'm for a little embellishing because it is
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a dream match. I mean, it is the two top
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wrestlers from two different worlds of the last dozen years.
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John Cena from a big match main event standpoint, nobody's
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had more, nobody's been in more big time main events,
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and obviously the number one name in pro wrestling, AJ Styles,
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the number one name out there. I guess you could
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throw a couple other people in conversation, but I think
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as work in New Japan probably puts them over the
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top as the number one non WWE wrestlers. So it
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is a dream match in that sense. And heck Seth
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that the champion and never lost his belt against Roman
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Reigns who has the belt does feel like a big
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match too. So I do like that they're making that
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they're underlining how important these matches are. But it has
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gotten maybe slightly comical how often they inject the word
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resumating into the hype. But it's a fun lineup. It's
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a lot of Hey, we're gonna we're gonna take phone calls.
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So if you're listening to us live at one O
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eight Eastern right now, jump on the phone lines. Our
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number is six four six seven to one nine A
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two eight. Sam Roberts is my guest. If you have
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an email top, if you have a question you want
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to submit by email, or a topic you want us
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to discuss, you can submit that by email right now
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to p W torch Live cast at gmail dot com
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and I'll be checking that inbox throughout the show. We're
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gonna go to our first hard break here of the program,
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and when we come back, money in the bank, talk
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and whatever you guys want to talk about on the
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phone line. Sam Roberts from The Sam Roberts Show is
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my guest. We'll be back right after this commercial message.
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Your time is valuable. Go VIP and listen to our
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offer VIP membership. Pw torch dot com slash Go VIP livecast.
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That's pw torch dot com, slash Amazon. It is interview
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Thursday on June sixteenth, twenty sixteen. Sam Roberts is my
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guest and we are diving in to talking about current
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events in WWE. But if you want to talk DNA, roh, NXT,
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roster split, any of that stuff, we are game. Phone
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lines are open and let's go to them and we'll
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begin with Ericode seven seven zero seven seven zero. Please
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state your name and where you're calling from.
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This is Clayton from Atlanta.
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Thy Clayton, Thanks for Colin. What have you got for
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seving me?
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Hey?
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I was just having a conversation with one of my
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friends the other night. We were comparing Finnis McMahon and
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Phil Jackson, and off the basis that you know, Phil
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Jackson is considered one of the greatest basketball coaches ever,
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but he also was never really successful without Michael Jordan,
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Scottie Pippin, Shaq and Kobe. Vince McMahon is a very
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controlling person the times the wrestling was most successful in
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his most populars in the Attitude era when he had
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to let control go of Stone Cold. He had just
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mentioned it on his podcast. Evince had been editing all
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his lines when he was doing the play by play
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and he had to get on him about that so
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he could be the Stone Gold character. And it seems
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like when he's let control go, he's had the most success.
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So my guess, my question is of the current people
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if he were to let control go, who do you
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think would be able to I guess rise to the top.
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Who do you think that guess was lack of better term.
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Who's goot the it?
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After?
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That is not being shown.
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The effact have Clayton, you're asking about who would have
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the EF factor in terms of a wrestler or in
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terms of an executive with fins I maybe missed.
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I'm sorry I met a wrestler. In terms of if
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a wrest if Vince stopped being so controlling, Like when
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you let there be more more freedom, don't call that
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more freedom? Yeah, I had more freedom on a mic,
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could possibly be more than what they are.
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Good question, Sam, I'm going to throw to you first
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on that one freedom on the mic or just maybe
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broaden it out. Who is that that potential next big
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star that maybe doesn't fit the traditional mold that Vince
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looks for the Roman Reigns John Cena, Ultimate Warrior, Hulkogan
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sid type Wow.
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I think, first of all, I don't have a reader,
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but ironically, and people probably don't want to hear it,
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I think John Cena would still be able to do
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well in that environment. Like I, I don't think Antina
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has a ton of control over it now, but I
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think if control was let go, John Tena would still
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manage to do well. He just has gotten really good
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at figuring out how to function in there. And even
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when you want to boo him, you're not booing him.
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For the same reason you're booing other guys.
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Like there's just he's been even on promos, just performing
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well since he got back and for a long time.
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So I still I think John Tena would still do well.
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But I think and then may be an easy answer,
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Kevin Owens would just be be so over the top.
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It's like any any screen time, any mic time, anytime
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that Kevin Owens gets on TV, he just seems to
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build and build and get better and better and better.
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And if this were an arrow where Vince were a
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little hands off and he was just kind of reacting
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to the crowd and going with whatever was going on
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and not trying to control everything. Iron as weird as
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a town, Kevin Owens would probably be in contention to
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be the top guy in the whole company.
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Yesterday, one of the flake Ship shows on the PW
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Torch VIP audio lineup that we offered a subscribers, The
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Fix with Todd Martin that I host every Wednesday, we
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were talking about Kevin Owens in one conversation about who
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would benefit from if there was some sort of a
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give back by UFC, and not that it was a
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quid pro quo with brock Lesner, but if some consideration
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was given to WWE that somebody from USC on a
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contract was allowed to participate in an angle in WWE
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for Summer slam Ermania. You know, we thought Ron Aurelsei,
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Connor McGregor John Jones were kind of the three refocused on,
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and we're trying to think who would be good opposite
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of Connor McGregor who would stand a benefit from it,
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but could also match him on the microphone. And I
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would love to see that person be Kevin Owens. I mean,
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I don't think there's another person in maybe in the
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world of combat sports and entertainment, MMA, pro wrestling or
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pack put the most charismatic athletes out there. I don't
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know who could compete with Connor McGregor on the microphone
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other than Kevin Owens. I mean, if others can, it's
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a very short list. I would love to see that.
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And I think, you know, Todd and I were talking
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about what it did for Steve Boston to be in
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an angle with Mike Tyson. You do wonder if if
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Vince McMahon would end up looking at Kevin Owens differently,
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if he was able to hold his ground with Connor
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McGregor on the microphone, which I think he would do
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and it took him to that next level. That that
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got me pretty excited to imagine that's him.
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Yeah, I think Kevin Owens too. He's the one guy
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who when Austin came out with Mike Tyson, you legitimately
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believed that he couldn't be less impressed with Mike Tyson
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that you know, he had no reverence. He wasn't excited that.
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Tyson was on Raw.
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You could see in his eyes he was still in
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stone cold mode. And I think when when celebrities or
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athletes or whoever it is.
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Show up on Raw, a lot of times you can
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see it in.
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The wrestlers that they're excited that there's a mainstream celebrity there.
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And you're right about that. Kevin Owens is the one
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guy who, no matter the situation, he's just not afraid
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to be you know, bad guy Kevin Owens. He's not
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afraid to to to give attitude or to say whatever
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he's going to say. He will proclaim himself to be
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better than anybody, regardless of what sports they're coming from,
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and you'll believe it when he's saying it.
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Absolutely. I agree with you on John Cena too. It'd
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be really interesting, and I don't know that we'll ever
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get a chance, you know, because of where Sena is
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right now in trying to gain some traction as a
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crossover celebrity. Michael Straham type type second career sorts post
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active wrestling career with an overlap. But I really wonder
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00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:47.080
what John Cena would have done. You know, people have
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00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:49.039
wondered about this in the in the in the attitude
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era and just outside of an overt PG era. It
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00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:53.039
doesn't have to be the attitude Eric and just be
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you know, we're not totally concerned about just marketing, you know,
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hockey merchandise to kids and making USA and net work
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executives look at John Cena and and get all, uh all,
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you know, all excited about how he's one of the
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characters who are welcome and let him be unleashed, you know,
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I mean let him because when he came out there
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00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:14.000
against Rock Sam. You know, that first week, Rock cut
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00:17:14.039 --> 00:17:16.400
the promo, made fun of the merchandise, threw it into
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the wherever and and it was just like, oh God,
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he's going to eat Sena for lunch. And then Sena
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came out the next week. And I said at the time,
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00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:27.559
and I still think so. I think he out did
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Rock in that first week, and he absolutely held his
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own and I think took Rock to school a few
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00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:35.880
times in the lead up to their first match. John
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00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:38.200
Cena has it in him to do that, and I
338
00:17:38.200 --> 00:17:41.680
think that's one of the concerns that I continue to
339
00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:44.079
have about Roman Rains is what is his lane going
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00:17:44.119 --> 00:17:47.319
to be? Where can he really shine because the idea
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that well John Cena got away with being cheered in food,
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so Roman rains can I think people underestimate you shined
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00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:56.200
a spotlight on it. John Sena is an incredibly talented
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00:17:56.279 --> 00:18:00.359
and able to manipulate on his feet any crowd action
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into something that works on multiple levels. And I think
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as time has gone by, everybody is starting to well
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it's just everybody, but more and more people are starting
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to appreciate that that is a real skill and a
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00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:13.480
real talent that he has. So yeah, I've kind of
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00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:15.880
made a few points here, but let me let me
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00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:17.799
direct it to Roman Reigns and where you think he
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stands going into Sunday at Money in the Bank in
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terms of figuring out what his lane is going to
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00:18:23.839 --> 00:18:29.160
be besides the guy who some people cheering, some people boom.
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00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:35.079
I hope that they're going to continue on this sort
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00:18:35.079 --> 00:18:38.480
of not good guy, not bad guys, e guy thing
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because it works in theory, you know, even when he
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00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:48.000
says it, Unfortunately it comes across as still kind of
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00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:51.680
feeling scripty and ready and playing his part. Like I
360
00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:54.720
said on my show this week, I was kind of
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00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:59.880
underwhelmed by the raw segment with Ambrose, Roman and Rollin,
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00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:04.640
because yeah, I mean, I felt like Roman was Roman,
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00:19:05.400 --> 00:19:08.160
Ambrose was He's capable of a lot, but he's playing
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00:19:08.200 --> 00:19:13.079
the role of kind of wacky Ambrose and Rollins was
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00:19:13.160 --> 00:19:18.079
really far and away I thought the standout of that segments,
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00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:20.880
and I came away from it feeling like it was
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00:19:20.920 --> 00:19:24.119
a Rollins segment and not, Oh my gosh, it's the
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00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:28.960
Shield back together, because I mean that Rollins has just
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00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:34.039
become such a standout and skill wise, especially on the mic,
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00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:37.079
it's just so much better than Roman is.
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00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:41.759
So I don't know exactly. I think that Roman is
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going to be.
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The champion after the pay per view, you know, and
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I think that they're going to continue to just try
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and try and try. And I like the little changes
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00:19:56.279 --> 00:19:57.759
they've made. I like that he doesn't come out to
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00:19:57.799 --> 00:20:01.079
the crowd anymore. I like that he doesn't pander as
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much to the audience. It seems like they're not doing
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the kind of corny jokes as much anymore.
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Which I think is a good thing.
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But you know, there's still a lot of work to
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do with Roman if he's gonna be that guy and
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I kind of think he is going to be that guy.
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Hey stuff. Do you ever watch a WWE and think
385
00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:25.759
it used to be better?
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00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:27.799
I don't know, josh Sometimes I think it used to
387
00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:28.799
be a whole lot worse.
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00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:30.799
I mean, whether it's WrestleMania main.
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Events, old dudes at the.
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00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:34.759
Top, too many titles.
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Or women's wrestling.
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We're here to answer the big question, is it worse
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00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:39.559
or better? Now?
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00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:43.680
Join me Joshua White and me Stephanie Cheese.
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00:20:43.359 --> 00:20:46.279
For Worse or Better part of the pw Torch Daily
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00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:48.240
castoline up dropping on Monday nights.
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00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:51.519
Such pw Torch in your podcast apps such as Apple
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00:20:51.559 --> 00:20:55.000
Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe for free or get a
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00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:58.880
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00:20:58.880 --> 00:21:02.319
out pw torch dot com slash go vip for details
401
00:21:02.359 --> 00:21:03.599
and going vip.
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Worse are Better? Finally, something for wrestling fans to do
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00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:07.839
on Monday nights.
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00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:12.880
What percentage of the time over the past year, year
405
00:21:12.920 --> 00:21:16.119
and a half have you thought he'd benefit from going
406
00:21:16.119 --> 00:21:18.359
here for a while. Let the fans get it out
407
00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:24.200
of their system. Let Roman express what clearly. I think
408
00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:26.160
it's clear that there's some contempt for the people who
409
00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:29.839
boom and it comes through and the crowd feeds on that.
410
00:21:29.880 --> 00:21:31.880
I think he kind of looks at the fans and
411
00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:34.000
then he looks at himself and he goes, you're booing me,
412
00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:38.759
look at me, you know, And and I think the
413
00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:42.240
fans sense that that there's almost an I don't And
414
00:21:42.279 --> 00:21:43.799
I'm not saying this is what he's like behind the
415
00:21:43.839 --> 00:21:45.400
scenes or how he really feels, but I think on
416
00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:48.920
the air with a with a scripty approach to in
417
00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:51.039
the way that he's framed and presented and trying to
418
00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:53.119
follow on Johns in his footsteps, but not having that
419
00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:57.119
same quick on his feet Mike skills, I think that
420
00:21:57.160 --> 00:21:59.880
it comes across to the fans as a little contemptuous
421
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.559
or you know, why you booing me? And I don't
422
00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:04.920
deserve this and I deserve better, And he's expressed that
423
00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:07.400
even on mainstream interviews. I just think he would be
424
00:22:07.799 --> 00:22:09.640
you know, people think I don't like Roman Reigns. Sometimes
425
00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:12.240
it's like, I think Roman Reigns is I would He'd
426
00:22:12.279 --> 00:22:13.920
be one of my top draft picks if I'm starting
427
00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:15.960
a company, but he'd be a heel. I think he
428
00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:18.720
would be a phenomenal heel. I think he'd be one
429
00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:21.319
of the best heels we've seen come around in fifteen years.
430
00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:25.599
And what he did against brock Lesner, his big matches
431
00:22:25.640 --> 00:22:28.519
with with other top top guys that have been world
432
00:22:28.519 --> 00:22:31.680
class matches, he didn't carry the match. I mean, I'm
433
00:22:31.720 --> 00:22:35.160
not giving him that much credit, but not everybody. In fact,
434
00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:40.079
very few people could could be carried to the matches
435
00:22:40.119 --> 00:22:43.440
that he has had with the handful of top level opponents,
436
00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:46.440
and Danny Bryan match was amazing. So I give him
437
00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:51.359
credit and it almost sounds backhanded or qualified, but it's not.
438
00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:53.240
I mean, I do mean that not very many people
439
00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:54.640
could do what Roman did in the ring with those
440
00:22:54.680 --> 00:22:56.839
people and have those matches with those top level guys
441
00:22:57.160 --> 00:23:00.000
aj styles the most recent. I just think he's missed
442
00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:02.240
past and so I asked you a question and then
443
00:23:02.279 --> 00:23:04.920
gave a soluquy of Miamba. What percent of last year
444
00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:08.480
and a half do you think that that have you thought? Man?
445
00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:09.799
I hope. I think it'd be better for them to
446
00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:10.680
turn Roman heel.
447
00:23:11.400 --> 00:23:12.240
Well a lot of it.
448
00:23:12.359 --> 00:23:14.839
You know, I had this conversation with you before where
449
00:23:14.839 --> 00:23:17.960
I'm not I don't really think about that anymore because
450
00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:20.880
I want to save myself distress, Like, I just think
451
00:23:20.920 --> 00:23:24.039
that it's not going to happen, you know. I think
452
00:23:24.119 --> 00:23:30.759
that they've settled on this storytelling mechanism where they are
453
00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:35.119
doing this sort of not quite heels and babyface thing
454
00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:37.880
and it's being done effectively. I think with Aj Styles
455
00:23:37.880 --> 00:23:40.880
and John Cena, where you know, aj is always going
456
00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:42.519
to be the Internet darling and Johnson is going to
457
00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:47.000
be the mainstream guy. Unfortunately, like we've said, John Cena
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00:23:47.039 --> 00:23:50.599
and Roman Remains are two different beasts entirely, so it's
459
00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:54.799
not it's not the same thing. But in answer to
460
00:23:54.839 --> 00:23:58.519
your question, Yeah, until I came to the resolution that
461
00:23:58.599 --> 00:24:01.759
I was not going to allow myself so to say
462
00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:04.960
Roman Rains should be a heel anymore, I would say
463
00:24:05.160 --> 00:24:05.720
I would.
464
00:24:05.480 --> 00:24:06.839
Say ninety percent of the time.
465
00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:11.039
I think the only time Roman Rains in his current
466
00:24:11.079 --> 00:24:16.799
incarnation has really worked, like worked the way he should be.
467
00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:21.880
Working for maybe two days.
468
00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:25.720
In the last year, and that was at whatever pay
469
00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:26.240
per view it was.
470
00:24:26.279 --> 00:24:27.200
I'm spaceman.
471
00:24:27.279 --> 00:24:30.000
It might have been Night of Champions when he jumped
472
00:24:30.039 --> 00:24:33.880
Triple H the first time and the crowd went nuts finally,
473
00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:36.839
and then the night after in Philly when he re
474
00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:40.200
won the world title from Seamus and everybody went nutsport
475
00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:44.279
and it's like on those two nights it worked perfectly
476
00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:49.119
and the crowd went nuts the first time Roman Reigns
477
00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:53.559
took out Hunter. When Roman rains finally got his hands
478
00:24:53.599 --> 00:24:56.720
on Triple H, people loved Roman for what he did
479
00:24:56.759 --> 00:24:59.119
to him because he was brutal and he wasn't doing
480
00:24:59.160 --> 00:25:01.599
it for the fans. It felt like he was being
481
00:25:01.759 --> 00:25:05.839
true to himself finally. So how you get from that
482
00:25:05.960 --> 00:25:10.920
happening in December or whatever month it was, to Roman,
483
00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:15.480
you know, beating Triple H at Wrestlemanian getting booed? Obviously,
484
00:25:16.279 --> 00:25:19.480
the story hasn't been told properly because the people that
485
00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:23.039
were booing him were cheering him, and the point was
486
00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:25.200
to keep them cheering him, like like there was no
487
00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:28.799
there was no you know spot there where you were
488
00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:30.359
like okay, and then we'll get the crowd to turn
489
00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:30.839
on Roman.
490
00:25:30.920 --> 00:25:35.799
That wasn't ever ever the intention. And I think I
491
00:25:35.960 --> 00:25:39.720
think that if they would, if they would just kind.
492
00:25:39.480 --> 00:25:42.720
Of get out of their own heads and and not
493
00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:44.640
tell the story the way they thought they were going
494
00:25:44.720 --> 00:25:45.200
to tell.
495
00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:47.960
It, they could over time get the crowd.
496
00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:49.640
To cheer for Roman, And I think they would like
497
00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:53.599
it better if the crowd in general cheered for Roman,
498
00:25:53.599 --> 00:25:55.440
if it wasn't split, I think there could be a
499
00:25:55.440 --> 00:25:59.799
scenario within six months to a year when you do
500
00:25:59.920 --> 00:26:03.359
have people celebrating Roman reigns and I and I and
501
00:26:03.400 --> 00:26:06.440
I think, you know, if I'm going back to that,
502
00:26:06.440 --> 00:26:09.079
that yeah, if you really.
503
00:26:08.759 --> 00:26:11.400
Turned him heel, really let him show his contempt for
504
00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:15.400
the audience, really did that, then yes, yes, one hundred percent,
505
00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:18.880
that would work. I mean, you know, he and any
506
00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:20.920
any and he gets that reaction from people.
507
00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:23.559
That's one of still when he came on my show
508
00:26:23.799 --> 00:26:27.799
and inadvertently turned it turned into a heel as I
509
00:26:27.880 --> 00:26:30.279
was talking to him, because he said he didn't care
510
00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:32.200
what the audience thought as long as he was getting rich.
511
00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:35.359
That to this day is one of the most downloaded
512
00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:38.680
podcasts I've ever done, because people and and and one
513
00:26:38.720 --> 00:26:41.720
of the most talked about shows I've done, because immediately
514
00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:43.839
they're like, I knew it. I knew that how you felt.
515
00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:46.759
I knew And it's like, maybe maybe you did that
516
00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:48.680
to him, you know, maybe.
517
00:26:48.599 --> 00:26:51.559
Maybe you give that Roman to the audience, because that's
518
00:26:51.599 --> 00:26:54.079
what they're thinking. Anyway, There's no there's no sympathy for
519
00:26:54.200 --> 00:26:57.319
Roman and and to have a good guy that you
520
00:26:57.440 --> 00:27:02.160
simply cannot you can build the kind.
521
00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:05.240
Of sympathy for Roman that you need to. It's impossible.
522
00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:08.000
He's too big, he's too good looking, he's too strong,
523
00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:10.240
he wins too much, he's had too much handed to him,
524
00:27:10.680 --> 00:27:13.039
Like at this point, you can't. And in terms of
525
00:27:13.400 --> 00:27:18.799
comparing him to John Cena, like Sina spent years doing
526
00:27:18.839 --> 00:27:23.799
this Sugonomics character, and all of us who were watching
527
00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:25.960
then we all kind of loved this economics character. It
528
00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:28.119
was weird, it was it was edgy, it was goofy, it.
529
00:27:28.079 --> 00:27:29.599
Was fun, it was good.
530
00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:32.440
So it's not like Sena kind of came in and
531
00:27:32.519 --> 00:27:35.039
just made this flip to becoming a company guy. Sina
532
00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:38.519
spent a couple of years building into this thing that
533
00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:39.359
we liked, and then we.
534
00:27:39.319 --> 00:27:41.599
All kind of turned on him when he when he
535
00:27:41.680 --> 00:27:44.880
when he got too popular. But that's that's that's the
536
00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:45.880
way it goes sometimes.
537
00:27:45.960 --> 00:27:49.160
Yeah, it's fascinating. I've been putting up for VP members.
538
00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:50.880
We put up our ten years ago via the audio
539
00:27:50.920 --> 00:27:54.480
shows on a regular basis on our audio feed, and
540
00:27:54.759 --> 00:27:56.359
so I'm going through now, you know, like the ten
541
00:27:56.440 --> 00:27:59.000
years ago with John Cena, where it's like should they
542
00:27:59.000 --> 00:27:59.839
should they turn him?
543
00:27:59.880 --> 00:27:59.920
He?
544
00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:02.559
Should they stick with them? And we've never seen the
545
00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:05.240
top baby face get rejected like this, and there's a
546
00:28:05.319 --> 00:28:08.240
level of history repeating itself. But sometimes I think WWE thinks, well,
547
00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:11.480
it worked out well with Sina, so well with Roman,
548
00:28:11.559 --> 00:28:15.440
and I think there's some pretty key differences. Let's uh,
549
00:28:15.519 --> 00:28:17.240
let's let's bring one more call into this. We'll go
550
00:28:17.240 --> 00:28:19.400
another break, we'll come back, and a few other topics
551
00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:21.759
I want to talk about outside of current events with
552
00:28:21.799 --> 00:28:24.279
Sam too. We've talked about the Roman range interview. I
553
00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:27.640
want to cuise him on a couple other things that
554
00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:30.359
he uh found out, some other big moments from his
555
00:28:30.440 --> 00:28:32.480
show that stand out to him. But let's go first
556
00:28:32.519 --> 00:28:34.799
to believe this is Tampa, Florida. Go ahead and state
557
00:28:34.839 --> 00:28:35.880
your name in the city or Collin.
558
00:28:35.720 --> 00:28:36.160
From day.
559
00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:38.440
Jay from Tampa.
560
00:28:38.839 --> 00:28:39.799
Hey Jay, thanks for Colin.
561
00:28:39.799 --> 00:28:40.440
What have you got for us?
562
00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:43.920
Hey, I'm glad you've got me. Next, I had the
563
00:28:43.960 --> 00:28:46.720
first call of mention something a little NBA worthy I had,
564
00:28:46.720 --> 00:28:52.480
of course, and similar there as well with the with
565
00:28:52.680 --> 00:28:56.400
the last Monday, of course, role was still going head
566
00:28:56.440 --> 00:29:01.039
to head with NBA finals. Uh, do you know why
567
00:29:01.720 --> 00:29:04.960
Vince would allow the New Day in that long drawn
568
00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:09.079
out segment to bring mention or attention to Steph Curry's
569
00:29:09.119 --> 00:29:13.279
shoes when that can as a viewer say, hey, in
570
00:29:13.359 --> 00:29:16.039
the finals on, let me switch the channel over him,
571
00:29:16.559 --> 00:29:19.599
or it's just that he's that far out of the
572
00:29:19.720 --> 00:29:23.480
knowns of who Steph Curry is, or who is even
573
00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:25.519
in the NBA Finals for that matter.
574
00:29:27.759 --> 00:29:31.160
Sam, I would say that the NBA Finals have gotten
575
00:29:31.960 --> 00:29:36.680
rating wise to a point that I don't know that
576
00:29:36.759 --> 00:29:38.480
anybody didn't know the game was on. I mean, I
577
00:29:38.480 --> 00:29:42.240
guess there's probably a few viewers who who were just
578
00:29:42.279 --> 00:29:45.000
in the habit of watching RA heard about that and said, oh, yeah,
579
00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:47.119
that game going on. But I mean we're talking almost
580
00:29:47.160 --> 00:29:50.920
a ten to one viewer Schuelle. I think it was
581
00:29:51.319 --> 00:29:56.240
twenty some million to Ro's under three million. But yeah,
582
00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:58.160
I mean, what do you think of what you had
583
00:29:58.160 --> 00:29:59.839
to say, Sam, I think.
584
00:29:59.720 --> 00:30:02.319
I had she thought that the Steph Curry thing was
585
00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:05.039
good because I didn't even think of it in terms
586
00:30:05.039 --> 00:30:06.039
of the NBA Finals.
587
00:30:06.039 --> 00:30:07.240
And I guess you.
588
00:30:07.400 --> 00:30:09.960
I don't think anybody, if anybody who knows anybody who's
589
00:30:09.960 --> 00:30:11.759
a fan of Steph Currier wants to see Steph Curry.
590
00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:13.759
I don't think they were forgetting that the NBA Finals
591
00:30:13.759 --> 00:30:17.799
were happening, But the Steph Curry shoes became kind of
592
00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:21.680
a pop culture thing over the last week less than
593
00:30:21.720 --> 00:30:24.960
a week, over the last few days. A lot of people,
594
00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:28.000
it's become a meme on social media where Steph Curry,
595
00:30:28.039 --> 00:30:30.559
you know, comes out with these shoes and everybody's making
596
00:30:30.559 --> 00:30:32.440
fun of them, and everybodys saying their nurse shoes, old
597
00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:33.279
ladies shoes.
598
00:30:33.000 --> 00:30:33.960
Blah blah blah.
599
00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:34.839
And I thought it was.
600
00:30:34.839 --> 00:30:37.599
Actually you know, if they had waited until this week
601
00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:39.599
or next week to do it, then I would have
602
00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:41.799
been like, their's WWE trying to cash in on a
603
00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:44.799
trend that like has already come and gone, Like they're late.
604
00:30:44.640 --> 00:30:45.799
To the boat on this one.
605
00:30:46.079 --> 00:30:51.839
But I thought it was actually pretty topical and relevant
606
00:30:51.880 --> 00:30:54.960
to what people are joking around about on the internet.
607
00:30:56.519 --> 00:30:58.799
Well as far as New daygo in general, it seems
608
00:30:58.839 --> 00:31:01.480
like they've for while they were kind of hovering between
609
00:31:01.839 --> 00:31:03.759
I won't even say, I guess you're in that kind
610
00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:05.359
of gray zone. Are they baby face, are they heel?
611
00:31:05.440 --> 00:31:08.359
Depends on the context. They're like contextual characters. Now it
612
00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:11.400
seems like they've gone all the way to being babyfaces,
613
00:31:11.599 --> 00:31:13.960
especially with how their their position going into money in
614
00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:18.240
the bank, how we're historically speaking, Where where do New
615
00:31:18.279 --> 00:31:22.720
Day fit in as an act? And also just like
616
00:31:22.799 --> 00:31:25.599
are they are they a mid card comedy act, are
617
00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:28.680
they Santino but a level higher? Or should they be
618
00:31:28.799 --> 00:31:31.960
seen and are they seen as uh, you know, the
619
00:31:32.440 --> 00:31:34.519
free birds of their day or I'm trying to think
620
00:31:34.599 --> 00:31:37.519
or the New Age outlaws? Like who do you compare
621
00:31:37.559 --> 00:31:39.640
them to? They just to me, they don't fit in
622
00:31:39.720 --> 00:31:43.839
any exact slot that normally I imagine wrestlers filling in
623
00:31:43.880 --> 00:31:45.400
a wrestling company.
624
00:31:45.680 --> 00:31:48.240
Yeah, I think it is a little tough to place them.
625
00:31:48.279 --> 00:31:52.839
To me, I'm glad that they're baby face because I
626
00:31:52.880 --> 00:31:54.920
think that New Day's.
627
00:31:54.640 --> 00:31:57.640
Best moment was when they were heeled. You remember there
628
00:31:57.680 --> 00:31:58.880
was an episode overaw It.
629
00:31:58.799 --> 00:32:01.680
Was months and months and months ago, but New Day
630
00:32:01.720 --> 00:32:04.279
was still doing their comedy stuff. But at the end
631
00:32:04.279 --> 00:32:07.599
of Raw, the three of them took out the top
632
00:32:07.640 --> 00:32:09.680
three baby faces. It was like John Cena and I
633
00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:12.039
don't know, maybe the usos to other people, but the
634
00:32:12.119 --> 00:32:15.559
three of them were also able to be these dominant
635
00:32:16.400 --> 00:32:22.000
heels that you know, comedy aside kick the crap out
636
00:32:22.519 --> 00:32:25.480
of the top good guys, and I said, oh, okay,
637
00:32:25.519 --> 00:32:26.519
now we're doing something.
638
00:32:26.599 --> 00:32:30.640
This is interesting, like guys that can entertain and kick butt.
639
00:32:30.680 --> 00:32:33.039
And then they kind of went away from the kicking
640
00:32:33.079 --> 00:32:34.839
butt part a little bit and stuck to the comedy.
641
00:32:34.880 --> 00:32:38.119
It's okay because New Day's really good at comedy. I
642
00:32:38.160 --> 00:32:40.000
think that they're better off though, if they're not going
643
00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:45.000
to be a dominant, sort of intimidating faction, that they're
644
00:32:45.440 --> 00:32:49.279
better off as babyfaces. I don't think that they're quite
645
00:32:50.519 --> 00:32:54.079
free birds, because I don't think they're ever going to
646
00:32:54.119 --> 00:32:57.279
be in a position where they are that kind of
647
00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:02.960
main draw like I think they are. I think the
648
00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:06.079
Santino Can't comparison is a little better, but they're like
649
00:33:06.200 --> 00:33:07.799
Santino to.
650
00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:10.359
Level ten because you know, a.
651
00:33:10.319 --> 00:33:13.720
Lot of the times the Santino stuff was corny, like
652
00:33:13.759 --> 00:33:15.720
some of this stuff is good, but a lot of
653
00:33:15.720 --> 00:33:18.200
it was very playing into kids, where I think New
654
00:33:18.279 --> 00:33:22.799
Day tends to come off as a lot more relevant.
655
00:33:23.200 --> 00:33:27.599
They're a lot pressure and they're getting the opportunity to
656
00:33:28.640 --> 00:33:32.319
wrestle real matches as well, which I think is key
657
00:33:32.359 --> 00:33:33.920
for all those guys. So I think I think it
658
00:33:33.960 --> 00:33:37.440
is like a like a Santino but amped up to
659
00:33:37.559 --> 00:33:40.240
level ten or fifteen or whatever.
660
00:33:41.960 --> 00:33:44.240
If you're just joining us mid show. Sam Roberts is
661
00:33:44.279 --> 00:33:46.759
my guest, and Craig Kirkandal just said on Twitter, Sam
662
00:33:46.839 --> 00:33:49.279
Roberts is awesome. I'll never understand how we can talk
663
00:33:49.319 --> 00:33:51.599
so much and not run out of words. That just
664
00:33:51.599 --> 00:33:52.480
put it on Twitter.
665
00:33:52.559 --> 00:33:58.599
So my business strategy has always been quantity over quality.
666
00:33:58.640 --> 00:33:59.920
As long as there are word.
667
00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:04.960
Out fine, awesome. All right, let's go to another break.
668
00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:07.000
When we come back more with Sam Roberts from the
669
00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:10.079
Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcasts and The Sam Roberts Show, we'll
670
00:34:10.119 --> 00:34:13.400
take more phone calls and more emails. Both are stacking up,
671
00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:15.480
so hold tight and we'll be back right after this.
672
00:34:23.760 --> 00:34:26.920
Did you know that you can enjoy commercial free versions
673
00:34:27.000 --> 00:34:29.559
of all of your favorite Weightkeller podcasts and pw torch
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daily casts on Spotify. Just go to patreon dot com
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00:34:33.079 --> 00:34:37.159
search pw Torch and subscribe to a VIP membership tier.
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You get a seven day free trial, by the way,
677
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to kick the tires a bit and see if you
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like the service, and then sync it with Spotify and
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you can listen to commercial free versions of our free
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shows like the Way Keller post shows, the Weaykeller Podcast,
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Flagship Our Flashbacks, and also the pw torch Daily Cast
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lineup again all commercial free and nice streamline listening experience.
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00:34:54.679 --> 00:34:57.159
But with third tier membership you can also unlock all
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the VIP podcasts, including Everything with Rich and Wade, Fix
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with Todd Martin that I host with Todd every week,
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00:35:02.360 --> 00:35:05.480
the Wade Keller News bulletins, post pay per view roundtables,
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and an array of other VP exclusive podcasts with different
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hosts and different themes. Check out the lineup. Go to
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up with Spotify or stay within the Patreon ecosystem. Either
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way works. Go to Patreon and start your seven day
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free trial and enter pw Torch in the codebox to
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00:35:28.320 --> 00:35:32.000
save three dollars on any new subscription. All right, we're
694
00:35:32.079 --> 00:35:34.320
back and we are live at one thirty eight Eastern
695
00:35:34.360 --> 00:35:39.079
with Sam Roberts. Sam, go ahead and plug some stuff
696
00:35:39.119 --> 00:35:41.880
your Twitter. How can people find your podcast? Do you
697
00:35:41.880 --> 00:35:44.199
have anything coming up that you want to point to
698
00:35:44.239 --> 00:35:46.880
in particular or recent show that stands out that people
699
00:35:46.880 --> 00:35:49.039
who aren't familiar with your work is a good place
700
00:35:49.079 --> 00:35:49.719
to start.
701
00:35:50.480 --> 00:35:55.079
Well, yeah, not Sam across social media, so Twitter, Instagram, Facebook,
702
00:35:55.599 --> 00:36:00.519
not Sam, not Sam dot I post all the videos
703
00:36:00.519 --> 00:36:03.639
and podcasts and everything at not Sam dot com on
704
00:36:03.679 --> 00:36:07.719
the YouTube channel, which is also not Sam. I've post
705
00:36:08.679 --> 00:36:12.679
a wrestling interview every Monday, and then I usually do
706
00:36:12.800 --> 00:36:18.519
like a a little wrestling show every Thursdays.
707
00:36:18.519 --> 00:36:22.639
Today, so I'll do one today and yeah, all that's
708
00:36:22.800 --> 00:36:24.079
not Sam dot com.
709
00:36:24.199 --> 00:36:24.719
Uh.
710
00:36:25.039 --> 00:36:27.079
I just had, you know, I like, I had Freddie
711
00:36:27.079 --> 00:36:30.199
Prince Junior on the Wrestling Podcast this week.
712
00:36:30.719 --> 00:36:32.800
Uh. And he ended up because he was a writer
713
00:36:32.920 --> 00:36:36.239
for WWE for two years after after he had acted
714
00:36:36.239 --> 00:36:38.800
he was already Hollywood famous. He wrote for them for
715
00:36:38.840 --> 00:36:41.760
a couple of years and he just had great stories
716
00:36:41.920 --> 00:36:46.360
about dealing with uh Vince Man and John Cena giving
717
00:36:46.400 --> 00:36:47.119
him a hard time.
718
00:36:47.199 --> 00:36:50.440
But one of the real takeaways that you know, I
719
00:36:50.840 --> 00:36:51.360
has been.
720
00:36:51.239 --> 00:36:54.559
Talked about before, but really was driven home was the
721
00:36:54.599 --> 00:37:01.320
fact that Vince really legitimately feels in a part that
722
00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:06.119
WWE is all the entertainment that a person would need.
723
00:37:06.199 --> 00:37:09.000
He believes that he is not that, and I think
724
00:37:09.039 --> 00:37:11.519
that's why he veered away from wrestling so much, because
725
00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:15.239
he doesn't think that anybody needs music or stand up
726
00:37:15.280 --> 00:37:18.840
comedy or episodic TV or anything. He thinks that there
727
00:37:18.920 --> 00:37:22.679
is enough happening in WWE, and they're putting out enough
728
00:37:22.719 --> 00:37:27.480
product that it is literally the only entertainment people need.
729
00:37:27.559 --> 00:37:30.199
Freddy Prince and I'll tell the story briefly because you
730
00:37:30.320 --> 00:37:32.079
hear it on the podcast, But Freddy Prince said he
731
00:37:32.119 --> 00:37:36.360
was on the jet watching a Richard Pryor comedy special
732
00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:39.159
and he told Vince he was just watching it because
733
00:37:39.199 --> 00:37:41.679
he wanted to laugh, you know. Vince.
734
00:37:42.320 --> 00:37:43.320
Vince goes, well.
735
00:37:43.719 --> 00:37:47.440
Why aren't you watching WrestleMania and was like, oh no,
736
00:37:47.559 --> 00:37:49.760
I just I wanted to watch some comedy, Like I
737
00:37:49.800 --> 00:37:52.320
wanted to just relax with some comedy, and Vince, in
738
00:37:52.400 --> 00:37:58.800
all sincerity, goes, well, got Santino and so right.
739
00:37:58.639 --> 00:38:02.199
There, because I'm sure he does even know. So so
740
00:38:02.440 --> 00:38:05.360
he's like, why would you need comedy? And that's probably
741
00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:07.760
where he puts the New Day. He's like, wow, you know,
742
00:38:07.760 --> 00:38:09.880
I hear this. Louis c k guy is popular, but
743
00:38:09.920 --> 00:38:13.480
we've got New Days, so we're just that good, you know.
744
00:38:14.320 --> 00:38:18.119
Wow, that's amazing. I just listening. I just listening back
745
00:38:18.119 --> 00:38:21.760
to a four hour interview I did with Eric Bischoff
746
00:38:21.800 --> 00:38:23.800
back in two thousand and nine, because I'm going to
747
00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:26.440
be putting that up on the RSS audio feed for
748
00:38:26.559 --> 00:38:30.239
VIP members and trying to edit together because it was
749
00:38:30.280 --> 00:38:32.280
like in twelve parts back in two thousand and nine.
750
00:38:32.280 --> 00:38:34.159
I'm gonna put it, you know, combine it into like
751
00:38:34.199 --> 00:38:37.639
three or four longer shows and repost it. And right
752
00:38:37.679 --> 00:38:39.519
before the shows listening to it, he's talking about Vince
753
00:38:39.599 --> 00:38:42.239
McMahon and and and just some great stories about how
754
00:38:42.320 --> 00:38:46.920
quirky Vince is and how you know, I said, what
755
00:38:46.960 --> 00:38:50.400
would Vince benefit from a vacation, you know, like actually
756
00:38:50.480 --> 00:38:54.079
getting away from WWE. I mean, nobody that I know.
757
00:38:54.320 --> 00:38:55.719
I mean, I'm sure there's people out there who was
758
00:38:55.800 --> 00:38:58.719
driven and single minded as Vince. But Eric was just like, no,
759
00:38:58.760 --> 00:39:01.760
it would absolutely drive took men nuts to just be
760
00:39:01.960 --> 00:39:04.719
somewhere away from wrestling with a remote control in his hand,
761
00:39:04.760 --> 00:39:07.679
just flipping channels and watching a sitcom and laughing. He's like,
762
00:39:07.719 --> 00:39:10.119
it would it would drive him completely nuts. He needs
763
00:39:10.119 --> 00:39:12.960
to be working, he needs to be on task. And
764
00:39:13.639 --> 00:39:15.800
I mean there's a lot more to it, but but yeah,
765
00:39:15.840 --> 00:39:20.360
it's just vincit. Oh goody. Oh, I'm just gonna say
766
00:39:20.400 --> 00:39:22.480
this is such a unique character, Like, I don't know.
767
00:39:23.039 --> 00:39:26.159
My job the last twenty eight plus years has been
768
00:39:26.960 --> 00:39:30.960
so much more fulfilling because the person at the top
769
00:39:31.000 --> 00:39:33.559
of the industry that I covered is Vince McMahon. I mean,
770
00:39:33.599 --> 00:39:37.920
for a good and bad, full spectrum, he's always interesting. Yeah, Sam,
771
00:39:37.960 --> 00:39:39.039
go ahead, And.
772
00:39:39.000 --> 00:39:40.760
I think part of the reason he doesn't want to
773
00:39:40.800 --> 00:39:43.719
just go on vacation or watch TV or something is
774
00:39:43.760 --> 00:39:46.000
because what I got from that store is if he's
775
00:39:46.119 --> 00:39:49.559
watching a sitcom and people in the end he sees
776
00:39:49.599 --> 00:39:53.000
is become as successful, he's going to get upset because
777
00:39:53.000 --> 00:39:55.840
he doesn't know why anybody would be watching this sitcom
778
00:39:56.119 --> 00:39:59.639
when there's old episodes of SmackDown on the network. Why
779
00:39:59.639 --> 00:40:01.119
would anybody watched this stuff?
780
00:40:01.159 --> 00:40:02.719
I got the ww network.
781
00:40:03.440 --> 00:40:06.119
Yeah, that's amazing. And you know, if you want to laugh,
782
00:40:06.199 --> 00:40:11.880
watch Swerved, you know, I mean that backline though. Yeah, fascinating, Sam.
783
00:40:12.599 --> 00:40:17.119
What of the wrestlers or people in wrestling you have interviewed,
784
00:40:17.719 --> 00:40:21.159
You obviously knew them to some extent going into the interview,
785
00:40:21.199 --> 00:40:23.719
not on a personal level necessarily obviously, but you knew
786
00:40:23.719 --> 00:40:26.519
who they were and what their public persona was when
787
00:40:26.559 --> 00:40:31.000
you sat down, especially in studio interacted before and after
788
00:40:31.000 --> 00:40:34.400
the show with them. Who surprised you the most that
789
00:40:35.119 --> 00:40:38.280
was more different than the preconceptions you had about what
790
00:40:38.320 --> 00:40:39.360
they would be like to interview.
791
00:40:41.800 --> 00:40:43.519
Well, I don't know, because I always kind of have
792
00:40:43.639 --> 00:40:47.119
this weird like preconception, but bor an interview if I
793
00:40:47.119 --> 00:40:50.000
haven't met the person before a lot of people. Nowadays,
794
00:40:50.880 --> 00:40:54.400
I know a lot more people, you know what I mean.
795
00:40:54.440 --> 00:40:57.079
So nowadays it's almost like I know who they are
796
00:40:57.079 --> 00:40:58.920
coming in, they know who I am, and I know everything.
797
00:40:58.920 --> 00:40:59.599
It's gonna be fun.
798
00:41:00.039 --> 00:41:02.719
But if I don't know them, or if it's like
799
00:41:02.760 --> 00:41:04.960
the first time I'm talking to Roman Reigne, the first
800
00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:06.000
time I'm talking.
801
00:41:05.719 --> 00:41:10.760
To anybody who's kind of a big WWE level talent,
802
00:41:11.480 --> 00:41:12.800
I have this thing.
803
00:41:12.639 --> 00:41:14.960
Of in my head. I know, this could either go
804
00:41:15.119 --> 00:41:18.679
really good and they're gonna really love talking about wrestling
805
00:41:18.719 --> 00:41:21.960
and we'll click or whatever, or I'm gonna say something
806
00:41:22.000 --> 00:41:24.199
stupid and it could go really bad. Like I never
807
00:41:25.039 --> 00:41:27.239
I never really know which way it's gonna go, and
808
00:41:27.280 --> 00:41:30.360
I always just let it. I'm always prepared for both
809
00:41:30.960 --> 00:41:33.880
mentally and just see what happens.
810
00:41:33.960 --> 00:41:34.840
And really I.
811
00:41:34.800 --> 00:41:38.079
Don't I don't really see I can't really think of
812
00:41:38.079 --> 00:41:40.880
any time it's gone catastrophically bad, you know.
813
00:41:40.840 --> 00:41:42.599
It goes good more often than not.
814
00:41:42.719 --> 00:41:44.880
And that's usually because I just kind of read the
815
00:41:44.920 --> 00:41:47.719
situation and figure it out.
816
00:41:47.800 --> 00:41:49.239
I think, like, like.
817
00:41:49.239 --> 00:41:53.400
I know, like interviewing Punk CM punk was always fun
818
00:41:53.440 --> 00:41:57.159
for me because he always liked me, and like I'd
819
00:41:57.159 --> 00:41:59.960
be in scenarios where I'd go to media events or
820
00:42:00.119 --> 00:42:02.760
argraph signings or where whatever where I was going to
821
00:42:02.840 --> 00:42:06.199
interview him for ten minutes or whatever after the event
822
00:42:06.239 --> 00:42:08.199
that he was doing, and there were a couple of
823
00:42:08.280 --> 00:42:10.920
us there, and I would watch him turn people down
824
00:42:10.920 --> 00:42:11.480
because I'm not.
825
00:42:11.440 --> 00:42:12.039
Talking to you.
826
00:42:12.079 --> 00:42:14.320
No, I'm not doing an interview with you, and I'd
827
00:42:14.360 --> 00:42:16.360
go all boy punks in one of his moods, I'm not.
828
00:42:16.280 --> 00:42:18.039
Going to be able to talk to him. And then
829
00:42:18.079 --> 00:42:19.679
he'd see me. He'd be like, hey, what's up, buddy,
830
00:42:19.679 --> 00:42:20.440
you are we doing something?
831
00:42:20.920 --> 00:42:23.360
And I'd go yeah, and he would do the interview
832
00:42:23.360 --> 00:42:27.079
with me and be completely great, as he always was.
833
00:42:27.239 --> 00:42:30.880
So so those moments were always good. And I think
834
00:42:31.639 --> 00:42:34.920
maybe because he just doesn't do a lot of interviews,
835
00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:37.159
or because you've heard a lot of stories about him,
836
00:42:37.280 --> 00:42:42.719
or whatever, but Randy Orton was surprisingly.
837
00:42:42.679 --> 00:42:43.760
Good like he was.
838
00:42:43.800 --> 00:42:45.719
He was just he's just, he's just I really like
839
00:42:45.840 --> 00:42:48.599
him as a person, which you know, if you read
840
00:42:48.639 --> 00:42:52.960
all the stories, you you wonder if he's going to
841
00:42:52.960 --> 00:42:55.239
be a good guy or not. And you know, I
842
00:42:55.320 --> 00:42:57.480
felt like I was happy with the interview that we
843
00:42:57.519 --> 00:43:00.440
did and he was very, very honest and and and
844
00:43:00.480 --> 00:43:03.360
then afterwards he was a great dude. And you know,
845
00:43:03.440 --> 00:43:06.440
we still kind of speak when we see each other
846
00:43:06.519 --> 00:43:08.280
now at events.
847
00:43:08.760 --> 00:43:10.280
Randy's one of those guys too. You know, he talked
848
00:43:10.280 --> 00:43:12.960
about we had a color earlier, say who would benefit
849
00:43:13.039 --> 00:43:17.000
from being unleashed and not under Vince's control and format
850
00:43:17.119 --> 00:43:20.480
and expectations and all of that, and Randy Ortons a
851
00:43:20.519 --> 00:43:23.559
guy I'm fascinated with. I would love to see Randy
852
00:43:23.679 --> 00:43:27.039
when he comes back, show the side of him that
853
00:43:27.079 --> 00:43:29.599
we see when Renee Young interviewed him, when you interviewed him,
854
00:43:29.599 --> 00:43:33.119
when when he's his there's something about when the red
855
00:43:33.199 --> 00:43:36.280
light is on and he's performing as the Randy Orton
856
00:43:36.440 --> 00:43:43.199
character on air that is I think so much, what's
857
00:43:43.199 --> 00:43:47.480
the man? I'm words are? It's so much more one dimensional.
858
00:43:48.000 --> 00:43:52.199
And not really keep playing a character he's working, Yeah.
859
00:43:52.360 --> 00:43:55.760
And he just gets into a mode that where I
860
00:43:55.840 --> 00:43:57.920
think his guard is up, Like there's a moment here
861
00:43:58.000 --> 00:44:00.760
and there where i've seen him live where he'll you know,
862
00:44:01.039 --> 00:44:04.559
I like in a promo in the ring and he'll
863
00:44:04.639 --> 00:44:06.159
let his guard down and then he goes right and
864
00:44:06.239 --> 00:44:08.360
you can see he catches himself and pulls himself back in.
865
00:44:09.000 --> 00:44:12.880
And yet there's this really interesting, compelling personality who would
866
00:44:12.920 --> 00:44:18.079
be a grown up among some not so grown up characters,
867
00:44:18.440 --> 00:44:21.440
and he just they haven't been able to tap into that.
868
00:44:21.559 --> 00:44:24.360
And I'm hoping with this time away when he comes back,
869
00:44:24.440 --> 00:44:27.280
he doesn't just go back into the roads, you know,
870
00:44:27.840 --> 00:44:32.199
very almost preordained looking walk to the ring, the arms extended,
871
00:44:32.719 --> 00:44:36.800
the interview character, the viper, It just there's more there.
872
00:44:36.880 --> 00:44:39.760
And I think you're kind of you saw that. What
873
00:44:39.920 --> 00:44:41.760
would it do you agree with me? First of all?
874
00:44:41.800 --> 00:44:43.199
And then what would it take do you think to
875
00:44:43.280 --> 00:44:45.679
get that side of Randy to come across on TV?
876
00:44:45.760 --> 00:44:47.400
Because I think there's a lot more money in Randy
877
00:44:47.920 --> 00:44:49.440
at this stage of his career. And he said he
878
00:44:49.480 --> 00:44:51.199
wants to keep wrestling for a long time. He's put
879
00:44:51.280 --> 00:44:52.719
in a lot of ears, but and he's got a
880
00:44:52.760 --> 00:44:54.519
lot of wear and tear on that shoulder, in that body,
881
00:44:54.559 --> 00:44:56.440
but he still wants to wrestle. I think there should
882
00:44:56.440 --> 00:44:58.400
be this whole other phase of his career, but they
883
00:44:58.480 --> 00:45:00.480
got to tap into it, and I don't think heavily
884
00:45:00.519 --> 00:45:02.880
scripting him as he answered, Yeah.
885
00:45:02.760 --> 00:45:04.840
I would agree with that. I think that maybe a
886
00:45:04.920 --> 00:45:06.199
lot of it has to do with the fact that
887
00:45:06.239 --> 00:45:07.800
when he was young, he got in trouble a lot.
888
00:45:08.039 --> 00:45:10.440
And sometimes when you get in trouble a lot and
889
00:45:10.559 --> 00:45:12.519
you decide that you don't want to get in trouble anymore,
890
00:45:12.960 --> 00:45:14.760
you just kind of act as.
891
00:45:14.840 --> 00:45:17.519
The good soldier and do what you're told and bah
892
00:45:17.599 --> 00:45:18.039
blah butt.
893
00:45:18.079 --> 00:45:21.599
And maybe Randy is in this mode where and he
894
00:45:21.639 --> 00:45:23.280
could shake out of it now because he's a little
895
00:45:23.320 --> 00:45:24.679
older and he kind of knows.
896
00:45:24.559 --> 00:45:25.519
How to behave and stuff.
897
00:45:25.800 --> 00:45:29.119
But he probably spent a while just deciding I'm just
898
00:45:29.199 --> 00:45:31.320
going to do what I'm told, and was so concentrating
899
00:45:31.400 --> 00:45:35.519
on going out there and just following orders that he
900
00:45:35.599 --> 00:45:38.159
didn't really didn't trust his instincts because he kept getting
901
00:45:38.159 --> 00:45:38.559
in trouble.
902
00:45:40.280 --> 00:45:43.760
Yeah. I mean I've said before that, like, I would.
903
00:45:43.559 --> 00:45:45.559
Love to see when Randy because I think when Randy
904
00:45:45.599 --> 00:45:47.079
comes back, it's got to be a different Randy.
905
00:45:47.119 --> 00:45:47.400
We've been.
906
00:45:48.039 --> 00:45:51.000
The New Era has been kind of slammed down our
907
00:45:51.039 --> 00:45:54.800
throats so much that Okay, Randy, like, what are you
908
00:45:54.920 --> 00:45:56.199
doing here? Because you're definitely not.
909
00:45:56.239 --> 00:45:59.000
Part of the New Era. Why why are we doing this?
910
00:45:59.119 --> 00:46:02.280
And what I'd like to see is like a return
911
00:46:02.639 --> 00:46:06.480
of the legend killer Randy Orton, except in reverse. Now
912
00:46:06.559 --> 00:46:09.320
now it's this older guy who can kind of take
913
00:46:09.360 --> 00:46:10.280
out all the young guys.
914
00:46:11.159 --> 00:46:15.239
Yep. Yeah, that works when wrestlers are gone for a while.
915
00:46:15.639 --> 00:46:18.920
It's such an opportunity when things change while they're gone
916
00:46:19.480 --> 00:46:21.639
to drop them into a new environment. You know. John
917
00:46:21.679 --> 00:46:23.800
Cena to an extent has done that with AJ styles
918
00:46:24.400 --> 00:46:28.039
and with this time Off comes back. Hey AJ, Hey,
919
00:46:28.400 --> 00:46:30.840
come on out, let's talk. Let's let's let's see what
920
00:46:31.159 --> 00:46:32.639
we're gonna get along here. You've kind of take an
921
00:46:32.679 --> 00:46:34.840
overall I've been gone to an extent. So yeah, I'm
922
00:46:34.880 --> 00:46:37.039
looking forward to Randy coming back. I think the roster
923
00:46:37.159 --> 00:46:40.440
split is good timing for him to come back.
924
00:46:42.199 --> 00:46:45.079
Hey everyone, Greg Parks here. You've probably heard me hosting
925
00:46:45.079 --> 00:46:47.320
Wrestling Night in America after pay per views and also
926
00:46:47.400 --> 00:46:49.159
co hosting the Tuesday Flagship.
927
00:46:48.719 --> 00:46:49.320
With Wade Keller.
928
00:46:49.760 --> 00:46:52.440
I also host a VIP exclusive podcast every week called
929
00:46:52.480 --> 00:46:55.280
Greg Parks Out Loud. In this podcast, I delve into
930
00:46:55.320 --> 00:46:57.599
a single topic for around twenty minutes, perfect length for
931
00:46:57.679 --> 00:46:59.639
one of your daily commutes or while walking the dog.
932
00:47:00.239 --> 00:47:02.360
A couple of my recent episodes included a look at
933
00:47:02.400 --> 00:47:05.440
TNA as they moved to AMC and WWE and AW
934
00:47:05.639 --> 00:47:08.280
injuries for the year twenty twenty five. You can listen
935
00:47:08.320 --> 00:47:11.199
to VIP podcasts with a VIP membership on many platforms,
936
00:47:11.280 --> 00:47:14.280
including on Patreon, Spotify, the Apple Podcast native app on
937
00:47:14.320 --> 00:47:17.440
iPhone and CarPlay, just about every popular iOS and Android
938
00:47:17.480 --> 00:47:19.719
podcast app out there, and even stream right from the
939
00:47:19.719 --> 00:47:23.000
ad free pw Torch VIP website. Full details on VIP
940
00:47:23.119 --> 00:47:26.400
membership at pw torch dot com slash go VIP. As
941
00:47:26.400 --> 00:47:28.840
an added bonus, VAP membership means you won't hear this
942
00:47:28.920 --> 00:47:31.960
commercial again or any commercials, as commercial breaks are skipped
943
00:47:32.039 --> 00:47:34.840
right over on the VIP podcast feed. In addition to
944
00:47:34.960 --> 00:47:37.800
all the commercial free VIP podcasts check it out. We'd
945
00:47:37.840 --> 00:47:39.960
love for you to join our community and unlock access
946
00:47:40.039 --> 00:47:41.880
to all our VIP exclusive content.
947
00:47:44.000 --> 00:47:45.360
We got people who have been on a whole long time,
948
00:47:45.360 --> 00:47:47.280
and you can get in line on the phone banks.
949
00:47:47.400 --> 00:47:49.039
Right now, we've still got time to take more calls.
950
00:47:49.079 --> 00:47:52.679
Six four, six, seven, nine to two eight. Let's go
951
00:47:52.880 --> 00:47:55.719
next to Chicago, I believe, go in and state your
952
00:47:55.760 --> 00:47:56.960
name and confirmery call it from.
953
00:47:59.360 --> 00:48:01.320
Hello, This Reginald from Portland. How you doing?
954
00:48:02.159 --> 00:48:03.920
Oh hey Reginald? Oh okay, yeah, go ahead. What have
955
00:48:03.960 --> 00:48:04.960
you got for salmon and me today?
956
00:48:05.840 --> 00:48:07.400
Hey, that's too much like you want to take fan.
957
00:48:07.440 --> 00:48:08.079
It's nice to talk to you.
958
00:48:08.119 --> 00:48:09.960
I love the show man. How you doing? Oh?
959
00:48:10.079 --> 00:48:10.519
Thanks man?
960
00:48:11.559 --> 00:48:14.639
Hey, Actually, yeah, I was I wanted to eleborate on something.
961
00:48:14.679 --> 00:48:16.800
I had two quick things. I won't keep you from
962
00:48:16.840 --> 00:48:19.559
your other callers here, but I had two quick things
963
00:48:19.559 --> 00:48:22.639
that you were talking about. One are your callers that
964
00:48:22.719 --> 00:48:25.280
brought up the idea of you know, more freedom, you know,
965
00:48:25.400 --> 00:48:28.440
less control. And there's one one wrestler that comes to
966
00:48:28.519 --> 00:48:31.159
mind that isn't on the main roster yet. But I'm
967
00:48:31.159 --> 00:48:32.920
a little bit apprehensive when they do get on the
968
00:48:32.960 --> 00:48:35.519
main roster because if they tie them down too much,
969
00:48:35.559 --> 00:48:38.800
it's gonna take away from all the talent.
970
00:48:38.639 --> 00:48:39.000
That they have.
971
00:48:39.519 --> 00:48:44.079
And that's knackamra Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, because
972
00:48:44.119 --> 00:48:46.480
I mean that that's that's that's a good. Yeah. I
973
00:48:46.519 --> 00:48:48.920
mean that that's a gimmick. That's a character, that's a
974
00:48:49.280 --> 00:48:52.760
persona that you can't lock down. You can't you can't
975
00:48:52.840 --> 00:48:55.039
you can't tie that down and handcuff that, Like that's
976
00:48:55.079 --> 00:48:58.039
something that needs to run free, because it's just when
977
00:48:58.079 --> 00:48:59.960
it when it comes to pure charisma, like you're talking,
978
00:49:00.000 --> 00:49:02.440
I'm like Kevin Owens, like even though he's trying to
979
00:49:02.480 --> 00:49:04.880
be a heel, he's still likable, especially because he's nicking
980
00:49:04.920 --> 00:49:05.599
fun of Michael Gole.
981
00:49:07.280 --> 00:49:07.679
Yes, but.
982
00:49:09.760 --> 00:49:13.639
Nakamura is one of those cases where you can't you
983
00:49:14.199 --> 00:49:17.320
can't constrict that or constrain that, And I wanted to
984
00:49:17.360 --> 00:49:18.360
get your guys' opinion on that.
985
00:49:20.679 --> 00:49:22.719
Sam. Again, this is something I was talking about with
986
00:49:23.000 --> 00:49:25.480
Todd Martin yesterday. I talked about this on the Keller
987
00:49:25.519 --> 00:49:29.039
Hotline too, that just this week, I think Nakamura Chinsky
988
00:49:29.119 --> 00:49:32.199
Nakamura is the potential difference. You know, we look at
989
00:49:32.239 --> 00:49:35.400
the ratings on Monday, and you know, dipping perilously close
990
00:49:35.440 --> 00:49:38.719
to under the two point zero rating mark, lowest viewership
991
00:49:38.840 --> 00:49:44.360
levels and rating levels in nearly two decades last time,
992
00:49:44.400 --> 00:49:46.079
and it was in the cover story this week's Pros
993
00:49:46.199 --> 00:49:48.800
and Torch. We pulled a couple quotes about what I
994
00:49:48.880 --> 00:49:51.199
wrote about the last time ratings got this low in
995
00:49:51.280 --> 00:49:53.639
what WWE did to turn things around, and it worked.
996
00:49:53.760 --> 00:49:56.239
They in a one year period doubled their rating from
997
00:49:56.320 --> 00:49:58.000
one to nine to A to A three point eight.
998
00:49:58.719 --> 00:50:00.760
So it can't happen. But they got to find the
999
00:50:00.840 --> 00:50:02.400
right guy and they got to change the way that
1000
00:50:02.440 --> 00:50:05.519
they're doing things. Shake things up. Give viewers who are
1001
00:50:05.599 --> 00:50:08.519
sampling the product or hearing from friends about the product.
1002
00:50:08.559 --> 00:50:10.760
If they stopped watching but their friends still does, they
1003
00:50:10.840 --> 00:50:12.679
need to hear something new and compelling is going on,
1004
00:50:13.360 --> 00:50:17.840
especially with a character a wrestler who who is a
1005
00:50:18.039 --> 00:50:20.960
mussy character. And I think the closest they have to
1006
00:50:21.039 --> 00:50:24.239
that more than Kevin Owens is a properly promoted since
1007
00:50:24.280 --> 00:50:28.000
ky Nakamura, where are you on his work Sam in WWE?
1008
00:50:28.119 --> 00:50:30.800
His upside and how do you think he's doing an
1009
00:50:30.880 --> 00:50:32.400
NXT compared to what he did in New Japan?
1010
00:50:33.360 --> 00:50:37.039
Well, yeah, don't I think that he's this unique thing
1011
00:50:37.119 --> 00:50:40.400
that was hyped in such a way and the name
1012
00:50:40.639 --> 00:50:44.280
now is just synonymous with that. People who don't know
1013
00:50:44.840 --> 00:50:46.880
who he is are pretending they know who he is.
1014
00:50:47.360 --> 00:50:50.079
Yes, you're right, because there's no way.
1015
00:50:50.719 --> 00:50:51.719
You know, from the time he.
1016
00:50:51.800 --> 00:50:54.320
Debuted a takeover. There's ten thousand people in the building.
1017
00:50:55.079 --> 00:50:57.400
Not I'd say half of them had never seen him
1018
00:50:57.400 --> 00:51:02.480
wrestle before, easily, but there's but the way he was promoted,
1019
00:51:02.480 --> 00:51:04.360
the way he was brought in the entrance to look,
1020
00:51:04.559 --> 00:51:08.800
everything I thought was done just right. And I'm not
1021
00:51:09.000 --> 00:51:15.239
worried about his main roster appeal because I'm quite sure
1022
00:51:16.000 --> 00:51:19.559
that it's gonna work, and I think he is a
1023
00:51:19.719 --> 00:51:22.679
rare talent in the sense that, of course you can't
1024
00:51:22.800 --> 00:51:24.920
castrate him, and I don't think he'll be castraighter. But
1025
00:51:24.960 --> 00:51:27.239
as long as you give him the basic elements, which
1026
00:51:27.360 --> 00:51:31.079
is look like Knakamora, you know, have the outlet on,
1027
00:51:31.559 --> 00:51:34.599
have a cool entrance, and have the freedom to kind
1028
00:51:34.639 --> 00:51:36.360
of act like you do in the ring, which I think.
1029
00:51:36.280 --> 00:51:38.000
They'll give to him because they're giving up to him now.
1030
00:51:38.639 --> 00:51:42.800
It's going to work. I went to I didn't want
1031
00:51:42.920 --> 00:51:50.519
the WrestleMania show to be kind of my measure of him,
1032
00:51:50.559 --> 00:51:52.119
because I don't think that's a true measure. So I
1033
00:51:52.199 --> 00:51:55.400
went to an NXT house show in Poughkeepsie, New York,
1034
00:51:56.039 --> 00:51:58.039
and it's like to me, like there you go, Okay,
1035
00:51:58.039 --> 00:52:01.239
we're in Poughkeepsie. It's not a smart wrestling audience. It's
1036
00:52:01.360 --> 00:52:06.039
just a wrestling audience, you know. And watching Knackamora wrestle
1037
00:52:06.079 --> 00:52:11.760
in Poughkeepsie, every single time he moved his body.
1038
00:52:12.000 --> 00:52:14.400
He got a reaction from the audience. I mean everything
1039
00:52:14.480 --> 00:52:17.079
he did. He could change your face, and he could
1040
00:52:17.119 --> 00:52:19.599
lift a hand in the air, he could move his leg,
1041
00:52:19.760 --> 00:52:24.880
whatever he did was like so super super over.
1042
00:52:25.400 --> 00:52:28.360
And I don't think that's just hype. I don't think
1043
00:52:28.480 --> 00:52:30.800
that's just stuff that's going to go away. I think
1044
00:52:30.840 --> 00:52:34.400
that's because he just has this kind of presence out
1045
00:52:34.440 --> 00:52:36.599
of him and this confidence.
1046
00:52:36.119 --> 00:52:40.559
And the way he moves and everything that just everything
1047
00:52:40.679 --> 00:52:41.159
is put.
1048
00:52:41.000 --> 00:52:45.920
Together and it translates into the way that can break
1049
00:52:46.000 --> 00:52:50.480
through any sort of PG barriers, any sort of anything.
1050
00:52:50.639 --> 00:52:53.239
You know, there's not that much that you would do
1051
00:52:53.360 --> 00:52:56.840
to that guy that he couldn't get past. It's not
1052
00:52:57.039 --> 00:52:59.639
like he needs to curse on his promos or he
1053
00:52:59.679 --> 00:53:02.519
needs to do something that you know, he's.
1054
00:53:02.360 --> 00:53:03.199
Not going to be able to do.
1055
00:53:03.320 --> 00:53:05.719
If that guy's got a cool entrance and he can
1056
00:53:05.840 --> 00:53:09.280
kind of move and act and talk, it's just two
1057
00:53:09.320 --> 00:53:10.320
words in his promos.
1058
00:53:10.800 --> 00:53:12.800
As long as he's Nakamora.
1059
00:53:13.639 --> 00:53:15.400
I don't see it being a problem, and I think
1060
00:53:15.440 --> 00:53:17.880
you're right that he does have the potential to be
1061
00:53:18.119 --> 00:53:20.800
a major difference maker.
1062
00:53:21.719 --> 00:53:24.920
There aren't many wrestlers. It's just this term should be
1063
00:53:25.000 --> 00:53:27.519
used more often. Frankly, it's a failure of wrestling that
1064
00:53:27.679 --> 00:53:30.840
this term isn't used more often to describe wrestlers at
1065
00:53:30.880 --> 00:53:34.599
any level. Not Kamer is a rock star. I mean
1066
00:53:35.119 --> 00:53:39.079
he's Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury and Mick Jagger. He has
1067
00:53:39.360 --> 00:53:44.440
that it factor and he's prints. I mean it's like
1068
00:53:44.599 --> 00:53:49.719
he's a rock star and he is so much he
1069
00:53:49.920 --> 00:53:53.639
he Whatever negative might come along culturally from him being
1070
00:53:53.719 --> 00:53:58.679
Japanese is irrelevant because who he is as a human
1071
00:53:58.760 --> 00:54:02.920
being and a rock star overrides any of that. And
1072
00:54:03.880 --> 00:54:06.679
I am more fearful that Vince won't recognize that or
1073
00:54:06.760 --> 00:54:10.880
get it or see it. But there's no if you're
1074
00:54:10.920 --> 00:54:14.760
worried about ratings being down, the best thing that happens
1075
00:54:14.800 --> 00:54:18.360
when ratings are down is big things happen that are
1076
00:54:18.400 --> 00:54:24.079
outside the normal normal. Uh, I guess in the box
1077
00:54:24.360 --> 00:54:26.639
approach to promoting I mean it took Vince Russo being
1078
00:54:26.679 --> 00:54:29.239
brought into a booking meeting by Bill Watts, Vince Ruszell,
1079
00:54:29.280 --> 00:54:31.280
a magazine writer, just to keep up on storylines, keep
1080
00:54:31.280 --> 00:54:32.920
the magazine more up the date. Vince Ruszo couldn't fight
1081
00:54:32.960 --> 00:54:36.199
his tongue no surprise, and told Vincent is his yes, men,
1082
00:54:36.440 --> 00:54:39.039
this is ridiculous. This is the ara of Howard Stern.
1083
00:54:39.119 --> 00:54:42.599
You guys are lame and you should be doing things different.
1084
00:54:42.599 --> 00:54:44.760
And Vince, I'm sure you know. Vince was at first
1085
00:54:44.800 --> 00:54:46.079
two to this guy I think he is, and then
1086
00:54:46.079 --> 00:54:48.440
he absolutely loved him for speaking his mind. And it
1087
00:54:48.599 --> 00:54:51.360
changed the course of the industry. And at some point
1088
00:54:51.400 --> 00:54:53.960
when things are bad, minds open up. People become more
1089
00:54:54.000 --> 00:54:56.800
open minded the things. I'm hoping the timing is right
1090
00:54:56.880 --> 00:55:00.159
in that regard for Nakamura, that that the ratings are
1091
00:55:00.199 --> 00:55:02.199
low enough, even if other things are going pretty well
1092
00:55:02.280 --> 00:55:04.880
in certain ways, that Vince is like, Yeah, let's I
1093
00:55:04.920 --> 00:55:06.679
don't want to I don't I don't get this guy,
1094
00:55:07.119 --> 00:55:09.360
but it's the crowd seems to get him. Let's do
1095
00:55:09.480 --> 00:55:11.480
what we did with Steve Austin. Listen to the fans
1096
00:55:11.639 --> 00:55:14.079
and go forward with it and see what happens. It'll
1097
00:55:14.079 --> 00:55:16.920
be it'll be exciting. Let's go ahead, Oh go ahead, Yeah, now,
1098
00:55:16.960 --> 00:55:17.360
I think.
1099
00:55:17.239 --> 00:55:19.800
The only thing that would stop Knock Themorro from succeeding
1100
00:55:20.039 --> 00:55:21.920
would be if he got a couple injuries.
1101
00:55:22.119 --> 00:55:25.360
I think, uh. I think we're in a time period where.
1102
00:55:26.079 --> 00:55:30.800
Vince and whoever else is super sensitive to injury prone wrestlers.
1103
00:55:30.880 --> 00:55:33.159
So if that would be the only thing if he
1104
00:55:33.239 --> 00:55:35.519
got if he got a couple of injuries, then I
1105
00:55:35.639 --> 00:55:38.960
think all the contents in him would be gone. So
1106
00:55:39.039 --> 00:55:41.480
as long as he stays injury free, which I think
1107
00:55:41.639 --> 00:55:45.599
he can, then I think he'll be fine.
1108
00:55:45.639 --> 00:55:48.719
Yeah, yeah, good point. Let's go back to Reginald. I
1109
00:55:48.719 --> 00:55:50.800
think Reginald, you said you had a second topic for us.
1110
00:55:51.679 --> 00:55:54.440
Yeah, yes, yes, I did, three, Yes, I did. I
1111
00:55:54.480 --> 00:55:56.880
wanted to eleborate something else that got brought up earlier.
1112
00:55:57.119 --> 00:55:59.079
Or you were talking about rains in the huge situation
1113
00:55:59.159 --> 00:56:02.360
and we talked about it million times. But there's something
1114
00:56:02.400 --> 00:56:04.360
that I actually I was talking to James Colwell about
1115
00:56:04.360 --> 00:56:06.639
a few weeks ago, and then we were kind of
1116
00:56:06.719 --> 00:56:09.800
elaborating on that and I was saying that I feel
1117
00:56:09.880 --> 00:56:12.159
like because actually will believe it or not, I don't
1118
00:56:12.199 --> 00:56:14.280
hate the guy. I think that he could bet he
1119
00:56:14.559 --> 00:56:16.519
has to put on some good matches. I just think
1120
00:56:16.559 --> 00:56:18.360
because the booking has been his problem. He's been put
1121
00:56:18.440 --> 00:56:21.760
in a really weird position right now. But I think
1122
00:56:21.800 --> 00:56:25.480
where he can benefit from is is kind of like
1123
00:56:25.639 --> 00:56:27.960
doing like a I hate to be redundant here, but
1124
00:56:28.639 --> 00:56:30.519
kind of do a CM punk kind of thing where
1125
00:56:30.519 --> 00:56:33.119
he just like just puts it all out there and
1126
00:56:33.239 --> 00:56:37.159
it's real like he actually like he just rips off
1127
00:56:37.199 --> 00:56:39.639
that the shield vest. He's just like, you know, he's like,
1128
00:56:39.679 --> 00:56:42.000
you know what, forget this, you know what, you guys
1129
00:56:42.039 --> 00:56:43.280
are mad at me because you want to be me.
1130
00:56:43.400 --> 00:56:45.119
Like he really just cuts like a pipe bomb. He
1131
00:56:45.280 --> 00:56:47.519
just goes off, Like he gets in the crowd space.
1132
00:56:47.920 --> 00:56:50.760
He just starts going off and he embraces being bad,
1133
00:56:50.760 --> 00:56:54.320
because I feel like if he embraced being hated, then
1134
00:56:54.440 --> 00:56:56.280
that that's where that's where all the rewards will come
1135
00:56:56.320 --> 00:56:58.559
in later, if that makes any sense, Like if he
1136
00:56:58.639 --> 00:57:03.559
if he embraced being boozed, if he embraced, if you like,
1137
00:57:03.639 --> 00:57:05.840
accept the fact that not everybody's gonna like him, and
1138
00:57:06.840 --> 00:57:09.360
he can't get handed being liked, that he's gonna have
1139
00:57:09.400 --> 00:57:11.280
to like really work hard. You can forget that and
1140
00:57:11.400 --> 00:57:13.079
just cut loose and to say what's on his mind.
1141
00:57:13.400 --> 00:57:15.639
And the experienced that freedom. So well, that's all I
1142
00:57:15.719 --> 00:57:18.320
have and thanks guys, have a great afternoon to take care.
1143
00:57:18.960 --> 00:57:21.840
Thanks Reginald. Anything to say on that, sep.
1144
00:57:22.599 --> 00:57:24.599
No, I think it's definitely going back to what we
1145
00:57:24.719 --> 00:57:25.360
talked about before.
1146
00:57:25.400 --> 00:57:27.519
I would say the only difference is I don't think
1147
00:57:27.719 --> 00:57:30.360
Roman is the communicator and the microphone that CM punk is,
1148
00:57:30.480 --> 00:57:33.199
so I don't. I don't think that a promo would
1149
00:57:33.199 --> 00:57:35.039
do it, but I mean I do think that an
1150
00:57:35.119 --> 00:57:39.199
acknowledgment like we said, of what the crowd is doing
1151
00:57:40.480 --> 00:57:40.840
would go.
1152
00:57:40.920 --> 00:57:41.400
A long way.
1153
00:57:42.000 --> 00:57:45.079
Absolutely. Well, take our final break at this hour, and
1154
00:57:45.119 --> 00:57:46.760
then we'll come back with some more minutes with Sam
1155
00:57:46.960 --> 00:57:50.320
Roberts from the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast and some more
1156
00:57:50.400 --> 00:57:53.840
calls and or emails, so stay tune. Will be right back.
1157
00:57:59.199 --> 00:58:01.199
iPhone users, if you're listening to us on the Native
1158
00:58:01.199 --> 00:58:04.880
podcast app on your iPhone, you can unlock our commercial
1159
00:58:05.000 --> 00:58:08.760
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1160
00:58:09.119 --> 00:58:11.480
in Apple Podcasts. You'll see a charcoal grade logo that
1161
00:58:11.519 --> 00:58:13.920
says PW Torch VIP on it. Click on that there's
1162
00:58:13.960 --> 00:58:17.000
some free samples of VIP shows and you can unlock
1163
00:58:17.159 --> 00:58:20.639
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1164
00:58:20.679 --> 00:58:23.639
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1165
00:58:23.840 --> 00:58:26.519
in Apple Podcasts and clicking on the PW Torch VIP
1166
00:58:26.639 --> 00:58:28.800
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1167
00:58:28.880 --> 00:58:31.400
after that you can become a VIP member using your
1168
00:58:31.440 --> 00:58:34.960
Apple account. It's that easy. Enjoy a streamline listening experience
1169
00:58:35.039 --> 00:58:38.119
to our free shows and unlock all the VIP exclusives,
1170
00:58:38.119 --> 00:58:40.400
including our post pay per view roundtables, the Wade Keller
1171
00:58:40.480 --> 00:58:43.480
news bulletins, Everything with Rich and Wade, The Fix that
1172
00:58:43.559 --> 00:58:45.920
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1173
00:58:46.119 --> 00:58:49.800
VIP exclusives. Just search PW Torch in your Apple podcast app.
1174
00:58:52.159 --> 00:58:54.079
I am Wade Keller joined by Sam Roberts here on
1175
00:58:54.079 --> 00:58:58.679
the PW Torch livecast June sixteenth, twenty sixteen. Sam just
1176
00:58:59.000 --> 00:59:01.559
saw on Twitter a comment that can kind of lead
1177
00:59:01.599 --> 00:59:05.719
to us getting your thoughts on the pending roster split.
1178
00:59:07.280 --> 00:59:10.239
I love these Twitter handles. His name is face Cake,
1179
00:59:11.000 --> 00:59:14.239
so we'll give him credit. He says, PW torches the
1180
00:59:14.280 --> 00:59:18.800
brand split idea due to low ratings and will splitting
1181
00:59:18.840 --> 00:59:21.599
the roster cut ratings in half and further damage the product.
1182
00:59:22.079 --> 00:59:25.599
I'm more of an optimist. I should say it optimist
1183
00:59:25.599 --> 00:59:29.159
because that's the wrong word, because I'm certainly aware of
1184
00:59:29.239 --> 00:59:32.800
the perils of wwb's approach to the roster split previously,
1185
00:59:32.920 --> 00:59:34.920
and I'm not sure that I'm putting money on them
1186
00:59:35.000 --> 00:59:37.760
doing things right. But I am someone who thinks that
1187
00:59:38.519 --> 00:59:42.559
it's an idea that, if done well, can be absolutely beneficial.
1188
00:59:42.599 --> 00:59:45.719
I mean having not over exposing talent on two shows
1189
00:59:45.760 --> 00:59:48.480
per week and being forced to look at the bright
1190
00:59:48.639 --> 00:59:51.480
side and do what Paul Hama did in ECW, which
1191
00:59:51.519 --> 00:59:54.519
is all right, there's six things that disqualifies this guy
1192
00:59:54.559 --> 00:59:56.639
from ever getting a job in wrestling, but there's four
1193
00:59:56.719 --> 00:59:58.960
things that I can utilize to make money with them,
1194
00:59:59.280 --> 01:00:00.840
and I'm going to folks on those four things and
1195
01:00:00.920 --> 01:00:03.960
not the other six. And he had created this cult
1196
01:00:04.000 --> 01:00:06.679
promotion from it. When you don't when you can't just
1197
01:00:06.800 --> 01:00:10.440
default to another Kevin Owens, ag styles, Randy Orton, Seamus
1198
01:00:10.519 --> 01:00:13.000
sammy' z ay filler match on SmackDown because you don't
1199
01:00:13.039 --> 01:00:16.599
have half those guys, I think you're forcing your You've
1200
01:00:16.679 --> 01:00:19.639
created a structure. My analogy was it's like if you
1201
01:00:19.639 --> 01:00:21.239
don't bring potato chips home and put them in the
1202
01:00:21.239 --> 01:00:22.880
cupboard you're more likely to reach for the celery and
1203
01:00:22.960 --> 01:00:27.679
hummus in the fridge, and I think the roster split
1204
01:00:27.760 --> 01:00:31.400
is forcing them into not reaching to the easy answer,
1205
01:00:31.480 --> 01:00:33.440
which is, well, just have Kevin Owens to Sam Zane
1206
01:00:33.440 --> 01:00:35.280
fill twenty five minutes on Raw and twenty five minutes
1207
01:00:35.320 --> 01:00:38.480
on SmackDown. They've got to look deep, and I think
1208
01:00:38.559 --> 01:00:40.840
that makes SmackDown a more likely show that you want
1209
01:00:40.880 --> 01:00:43.280
to watch, and it makes Raw fresher because they're not
1210
01:00:43.400 --> 01:00:45.920
spreading out the storylines with each of the key characters
1211
01:00:46.199 --> 01:00:48.519
over two shows. You're going to get better material with
1212
01:00:48.599 --> 01:00:51.079
the top stars on Raw because they won't be sharing
1213
01:00:51.119 --> 01:00:53.840
it with SmackDown. Now. I'm well aware of the other
1214
01:00:53.880 --> 01:00:57.320
side of the ledger and how there can be some
1215
01:00:57.400 --> 01:00:59.559
negatives here and that it didn't go well in the
1216
01:00:59.639 --> 01:01:02.079
final years of the last of the first roster split,
1217
01:01:02.239 --> 01:01:05.559
but that set I see an upside if done well,
1218
01:01:05.639 --> 01:01:07.440
and I think the way to do it well is obvious,
1219
01:01:07.840 --> 01:01:10.039
but I also am aware that they could screw it up.
1220
01:01:10.639 --> 01:01:13.960
So I'm curious where you are on this and if
1221
01:01:14.039 --> 01:01:16.440
you think that they've handled it so well in terms
1222
01:01:16.440 --> 01:01:18.239
of kind of setting the stage work coming up next month.
1223
01:01:18.880 --> 01:01:21.559
I think they have set the stage well in the
1224
01:01:21.679 --> 01:01:23.559
sense that like it's not the leading.
1225
01:01:23.360 --> 01:01:26.079
Story because it's so far away, but it is sort.
1226
01:01:25.920 --> 01:01:28.400
Of looming and we know that this is where the
1227
01:01:28.440 --> 01:01:31.639
Stephanie Shane thing is going, that there is a power
1228
01:01:31.679 --> 01:01:36.320
struggle and there are two organizations and whatever I'm I
1229
01:01:36.400 --> 01:01:38.559
would say, I am optimistic about it.
1230
01:01:38.599 --> 01:01:41.480
I'm aware, like you said that last time.
1231
01:01:41.519 --> 01:01:45.360
I think the last one did not go well because
1232
01:01:45.480 --> 01:01:47.360
I think that there was not integrity put.
1233
01:01:47.239 --> 01:01:50.760
Into the brand split. I think, you know, Guy's slipping
1234
01:01:50.840 --> 01:01:53.800
back and forth. But I think also I think the
1235
01:01:53.920 --> 01:01:55.800
inclusion of the WWE.
1236
01:01:55.480 --> 01:01:58.159
Network is a big thing that's going to make this
1237
01:01:58.280 --> 01:02:02.719
brand split more realistic because is if you know, what
1238
01:02:03.400 --> 01:02:06.760
has been said is true and they are doing you
1239
01:02:06.840 --> 01:02:08.960
know whatever it is twenty pay per views a year now,
1240
01:02:09.400 --> 01:02:11.280
where they're splitting up the pay per views, I don't
1241
01:02:11.280 --> 01:02:12.400
think that's such a bad thing.
1242
01:02:12.719 --> 01:02:14.800
With the network, you know. I don't think because you're
1243
01:02:14.840 --> 01:02:18.159
not asking people to pay more money, you're just giving
1244
01:02:18.239 --> 01:02:20.760
them more options, You're giving them more content.
1245
01:02:21.119 --> 01:02:25.079
I also think that when the brand split was originally
1246
01:02:25.199 --> 01:02:29.599
put forward, the idea was because they wanted to create
1247
01:02:29.679 --> 01:02:33.320
their own competition. They wanted Ron SmackDown to be competitive
1248
01:02:33.480 --> 01:02:36.519
and that that didn't happen at all. And I think
1249
01:02:37.199 --> 01:02:40.639
part of that was there wasn't this need for competition.
1250
01:02:40.760 --> 01:02:42.800
There was this thought that competition.
1251
01:02:42.400 --> 01:02:47.519
Would be better. But the WCW buyout was still SOT only,
1252
01:02:47.679 --> 01:02:49.000
you know, still pretty fresh.
1253
01:02:49.079 --> 01:02:52.639
It wasn't that long ago that WWE and WCW were
1254
01:02:52.719 --> 01:02:53.719
competitive with each other.
1255
01:02:54.039 --> 01:02:55.719
So I think the industry as a.
1256
01:02:55.760 --> 01:02:59.400
Whole hadn't really felt what it was like to not
1257
01:02:59.639 --> 01:03:02.559
be competitive. And I think we've felt that, and I
1258
01:03:02.639 --> 01:03:07.400
think that not being competitive has been something that's plagued
1259
01:03:08.119 --> 01:03:10.800
the WWE and all of wrestling, you know, and you're
1260
01:03:10.840 --> 01:03:12.719
just looking at it in a different way. And I
1261
01:03:12.800 --> 01:03:17.800
think that there will be a motivation for SmackDown to
1262
01:03:17.920 --> 01:03:19.039
be better than Raw, and.
1263
01:03:19.400 --> 01:03:21.519
Like you will start comparing these shows because people do
1264
01:03:21.639 --> 01:03:22.440
want something better.
1265
01:03:22.760 --> 01:03:25.239
Wrestling fans do want the frit call to action of
1266
01:03:25.880 --> 01:03:29.079
this needs to be refreshed, This has to be better,
1267
01:03:29.199 --> 01:03:34.719
you know. So I think that hopefully a lot of
1268
01:03:34.760 --> 01:03:38.360
those questions will be answered with this thing, and I
1269
01:03:38.360 --> 01:03:38.960
think it's got to.
1270
01:03:39.519 --> 01:03:41.480
I think they will. I don't I don't have any
1271
01:03:41.519 --> 01:03:42.480
reason to think they won't be.
1272
01:03:44.840 --> 01:03:47.360
We'll go to a couple of email questions here in
1273
01:03:47.360 --> 01:03:48.679
a minute, But I want to ask you Sam back
1274
01:03:48.719 --> 01:03:51.519
to your show and the in studio interviews that you
1275
01:03:51.639 --> 01:03:55.079
do in New York City at the Serious Headquarters. Who
1276
01:03:55.119 --> 01:03:58.159
do you want Who's the top one, two or three
1277
01:03:58.199 --> 01:04:00.320
guys that you have not interviewed yet, who you want
1278
01:04:00.320 --> 01:04:03.760
to get in studio to interview. Not because they're necessarily
1279
01:04:03.920 --> 01:04:06.159
the biggest name, although they might be. You know that
1280
01:04:06.320 --> 01:04:08.360
there probably are a big name, but who if you
1281
01:04:08.480 --> 01:04:10.239
not had a chance to interview, who you just think
1282
01:04:10.559 --> 01:04:12.320
would be a really good interview and you want to
1283
01:04:12.559 --> 01:04:14.960
tap into what makes them tick and what their ideas are.
1284
01:04:16.400 --> 01:04:16.639
Well.
1285
01:04:19.119 --> 01:04:22.480
I think Undertaker has always been my dream one, but
1286
01:04:22.559 --> 01:04:25.280
that would have to be the scenario with an Undertaker
1287
01:04:25.360 --> 01:04:27.800
interview would have to be one where he actually wanted
1288
01:04:27.880 --> 01:04:29.840
to do it and we could actually sit down because
1289
01:04:30.320 --> 01:04:33.039
he doesn't like doing that. So if he came in
1290
01:04:33.159 --> 01:04:37.039
and just kind of was promoting something, really it wouldn't
1291
01:04:37.119 --> 01:04:40.280
it wouldn't be the same thing. But you know, I
1292
01:04:40.400 --> 01:04:43.760
would love and I've know him and I've talked to
1293
01:04:43.880 --> 01:04:47.880
him before, but I would love to get a non
1294
01:04:48.239 --> 01:04:55.679
WWE contracted JBLL just kind of shit down and really talk,
1295
01:04:56.360 --> 01:04:59.559
you know, for an extended period of time about everything
1296
01:04:59.599 --> 01:05:02.960
he's been through, everything he's seen, because not only has
1297
01:05:03.000 --> 01:05:06.360
he seen WWE through all these different eras and been
1298
01:05:06.400 --> 01:05:08.320
a part of it through all these different eras, but
1299
01:05:08.400 --> 01:05:13.159
he also had such just a knowledge of wrestling history
1300
01:05:13.599 --> 01:05:17.280
and has been so tied to so many you know,
1301
01:05:17.760 --> 01:05:20.920
backage things and wrestler court stories that I love hearing
1302
01:05:20.960 --> 01:05:24.679
about and all that stuff that I'd love to talk
1303
01:05:24.719 --> 01:05:28.119
to him with no restrictions.
1304
01:05:29.880 --> 01:05:31.639
Yeah, I think that's that's what I was looking for,
1305
01:05:31.840 --> 01:05:33.400
something like that, you know, And not not that you're
1306
01:05:33.440 --> 01:05:35.360
root for anybody to have a falling out with somebody,
1307
01:05:35.639 --> 01:05:37.719
but there would be a benefit to JBL having a
1308
01:05:37.840 --> 01:05:40.159
falling out with vincmcmann went there, because boy does he
1309
01:05:40.800 --> 01:05:42.519
would he have stories, and and.
1310
01:05:45.519 --> 01:05:47.239
Not that you want him to like, I'm not I
1311
01:05:47.280 --> 01:05:48.920
don't want him to come in and like, oh, give
1312
01:05:48.920 --> 01:05:51.920
me the dirt, Barry, this guy, Barry. I just want
1313
01:05:52.000 --> 01:05:53.960
to know that you're coming in and telling me the
1314
01:05:54.079 --> 01:05:55.400
real stories of what happens.
1315
01:05:55.719 --> 01:05:57.840
And I don't think that. I don't think you get
1316
01:05:57.880 --> 01:06:01.880
the real stories unless as your severed I agree.
1317
01:06:01.960 --> 01:06:05.599
Yeah, the best interviews are usually when somebody I mean,
1318
01:06:05.679 --> 01:06:08.480
like the Eric Bischoff interview that I'm going to be
1319
01:06:08.519 --> 01:06:12.119
reposting for VIP members coming up here, he talks about
1320
01:06:12.199 --> 01:06:15.280
Kevin Dunn in a way that did not indicate he
1321
01:06:15.320 --> 01:06:18.440
would be part of WWE projects in the future, you know,
1322
01:06:18.920 --> 01:06:21.440
Like I mean, Eric in two thousand and nine was
1323
01:06:21.519 --> 01:06:23.920
not thinking about a twenty sixteen release of a DVD
1324
01:06:24.400 --> 01:06:27.360
in which you know he's gonna want Kevin Donnan visc
1325
01:06:27.400 --> 01:06:31.639
man on his side. He was speaking incredibly openly about
1326
01:06:31.679 --> 01:06:33.920
his opinions on people and again, yeah, it's not about
1327
01:06:33.920 --> 01:06:35.840
tell me something out of school, but it's tell me
1328
01:06:35.920 --> 01:06:38.679
what you really think. And you get that more when
1329
01:06:38.840 --> 01:06:41.000
they're not thinking about the next you know, having to
1330
01:06:41.039 --> 01:06:43.920
show up and you know, ask for a raise next time,
1331
01:06:44.159 --> 01:06:46.559
or just face that person at in a professional setting
1332
01:06:46.559 --> 01:06:49.760
at TV. Next week, I've got an email questionnaire I've
1333
01:06:49.760 --> 01:06:50.960
had opened for a while. Let's go to this week.
1334
01:06:50.960 --> 01:06:52.400
We kind of covered the territory, but I think this
1335
01:06:52.559 --> 01:06:54.119
will force us to dig a little deeper on one
1336
01:06:54.119 --> 01:06:56.639
of them. Kevin, a VIP members says Highway in Sam,
1337
01:06:56.679 --> 01:06:58.480
I have a question in regards to future stars on
1338
01:06:58.559 --> 01:07:02.000
an old progressing Spotlight and retro radio shows, the topic
1339
01:07:02.039 --> 01:07:04.800
of future stars in the business was discussed quite more
1340
01:07:04.880 --> 01:07:06.960
often than I thought it would be. Nonetheless, you Wade
1341
01:07:07.000 --> 01:07:09.039
were spot on with many of your choices. Steve Austin,
1342
01:07:09.119 --> 01:07:11.840
Nick Foley, Undertaker, et cetera. Who do you guys see
1343
01:07:11.960 --> 01:07:14.480
on the indies or NXT or main roster, who within
1344
01:07:14.639 --> 01:07:17.800
five years will be a star and has the most
1345
01:07:17.840 --> 01:07:21.239
potential to be a big star? Sam Obviously we talked
1346
01:07:21.239 --> 01:07:23.639
about Kevin Owens and Shinsky Nakamura, so those are kind
1347
01:07:23.639 --> 01:07:24.800
of the two we spent a lot of time on.
1348
01:07:25.440 --> 01:07:28.079
But who who out there? I don't I don't even
1349
01:07:28.280 --> 01:07:31.119
necessarily want to say dark Horse and limit it because
1350
01:07:31.119 --> 01:07:34.960
it can be a more conventional, popular choice. But who,
1351
01:07:35.039 --> 01:07:38.320
if used really properly besides those two, do you think
1352
01:07:38.360 --> 01:07:39.679
can be big stars five years from now?
1353
01:07:41.000 --> 01:07:44.639
Well, I think if he can say healthy, if he
1354
01:07:44.719 --> 01:07:48.559
can stay away from injury. I've been high on Adam
1355
01:07:48.679 --> 01:07:53.119
Cole for a long time, and I think I just
1356
01:07:53.159 --> 01:07:54.360
think Adam Cole could.
1357
01:07:54.199 --> 01:07:58.719
Do a lot because he's got, He's got, he is
1358
01:07:58.840 --> 01:08:02.519
a guy who can survives in this kind of indie
1359
01:08:02.559 --> 01:08:05.719
wrestling world. But you also you talk to him for
1360
01:08:05.760 --> 01:08:08.599
two seconds and you can see that he could also
1361
01:08:08.679 --> 01:08:11.679
be a WWE poster boy, you know what I mean.
1362
01:08:11.760 --> 01:08:12.440
He can do both.
1363
01:08:12.519 --> 01:08:14.920
He can sit down and do an interview, but then
1364
01:08:14.960 --> 01:08:17.439
he can also wrestle a mess that you know, people
1365
01:08:17.479 --> 01:08:20.560
in newsletters are going to be talking about. So I've
1366
01:08:20.680 --> 01:08:26.279
been I really hope that Adam Cole gets that break
1367
01:08:26.359 --> 01:08:28.960
soon and ends up in an NXT and then on
1368
01:08:29.079 --> 01:08:31.239
the main roster, because I think he he could be
1369
01:08:31.279 --> 01:08:33.960
a star obviously, you know, it goes to that saying Nakama.
1370
01:08:34.119 --> 01:08:39.520
I think American Alpha is a team that will be
1371
01:08:39.600 --> 01:08:41.079
talking about in five.
1372
01:08:41.000 --> 01:08:41.760
Years, you know.
1373
01:08:41.840 --> 01:08:44.159
I think I think both those guys are great, but
1374
01:08:44.199 --> 01:08:48.840
I think Gable is like his ability to be entertaining
1375
01:08:49.520 --> 01:08:53.840
is it's very reminiscent occurred angle, the fact that he
1376
01:08:54.079 --> 01:08:57.399
has the wrestling ability that he does and then can
1377
01:08:57.680 --> 01:08:58.880
pull off promos.
1378
01:08:58.640 --> 01:09:01.000
Like he does like it's it's it's funny. I laughed,
1379
01:09:01.319 --> 01:09:04.439
you know at the puns. So I think I think
1380
01:09:04.640 --> 01:09:10.479
American Alpha and I don't know, there's a lot, there's
1381
01:09:10.520 --> 01:09:10.920
a lot of.
1382
01:09:10.960 --> 01:09:16.560
Potential talent, especially since right now is an unpredictable and
1383
01:09:16.560 --> 01:09:19.680
a weird time because they've really kind of opened their
1384
01:09:19.760 --> 01:09:22.960
doors to stuff that they would never open their doors too.
1385
01:09:23.079 --> 01:09:25.720
Like a year ago, I would have said, you know,
1386
01:09:26.000 --> 01:09:29.279
Zach Saber Junior will Osprey like the guys like that
1387
01:09:29.359 --> 01:09:32.720
don't have a chance because they're tiny. But now can
1388
01:09:32.800 --> 01:09:34.119
I I absolutely couldn't say that.
1389
01:09:34.119 --> 01:09:35.039
I think Zach Saber.
1390
01:09:34.880 --> 01:09:39.560
Junior will be in WWE, which is insane because I mean,
1391
01:09:40.119 --> 01:09:43.319
you talk about a guy who does not have, you know,
1392
01:09:43.439 --> 01:09:48.520
this big hulking WWE body, that's Zach Saber Junior.
1393
01:09:48.560 --> 01:09:50.479
But I do think, I do think he'll be there.
1394
01:09:52.720 --> 01:09:54.439
Admit it. You love Nick bar Batty when he co
1395
01:09:54.520 --> 01:09:56.399
hosts with me on the Wade Color Post shows. Well
1396
01:09:56.439 --> 01:09:58.239
now you can listen to him every week on The
1397
01:09:58.359 --> 01:10:01.039
Nikkis Club, a v ip X lose A podcast. Here's
1398
01:10:01.079 --> 01:10:02.079
Nick to tell you more.
1399
01:10:02.199 --> 01:10:04.560
Hey wrestling fans, It's Nick Barbatty, and I'm back with
1400
01:10:04.600 --> 01:10:06.800
the Nicky's Club, the place where the family of Nicky's
1401
01:10:06.840 --> 01:10:09.560
comes together for big laughs and sharp takes on WWE,
1402
01:10:09.720 --> 01:10:12.720
for WrestleMania rumors, to surprise returns. I got you covered
1403
01:10:12.800 --> 01:10:15.079
the Nicky's Club, where the wrestling feels like the coolest
1404
01:10:15.079 --> 01:10:15.640
club in town.
1405
01:10:15.800 --> 01:10:17.960
Nick Barbatti wants to be part of your pro wrestling life.
1406
01:10:18.000 --> 01:10:20.560
Every week so why not let him go vi p
1407
01:10:20.760 --> 01:10:24.079
pw torch dot com slash go vip for full details
1408
01:10:24.119 --> 01:10:27.560
on signing up. We're compatible with patreons, Spotify, Apple Podcasts,
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01:10:27.640 --> 01:10:30.000
and just about any other iOS or Android app out there.
1410
01:10:30.079 --> 01:10:32.840
You also stream directly from our ad free VIP website.
1411
01:10:32.840 --> 01:10:35.159
The nickis Club waiting for you every week at PW
1412
01:10:35.399 --> 01:10:41.000
Torch v I P. It's good, good points. And I
1413
01:10:41.039 --> 01:10:44.000
mean there they are the scouting and NXT right now,
1414
01:10:44.079 --> 01:10:46.920
and obviously the ND scene is more ripe with smaller guys.
1415
01:10:47.039 --> 01:10:48.399
I mean, it's just it's just kind of the way
1416
01:10:48.439 --> 01:10:51.479
it works. But yeah, I mean, now news of Tommy
1417
01:10:51.600 --> 01:10:54.800
end coming in from from from England, next, next group
1418
01:10:54.880 --> 01:10:59.159
and Moose. I mean it's just there's there's outside the
1419
01:10:59.319 --> 01:11:02.000
normal realm of who Vince would go or Kevin Dunn
1420
01:11:02.000 --> 01:11:03.640
would be like, oh yeah, let's get that guy in here,
1421
01:11:03.960 --> 01:11:07.319
or that horriblemoronitis era, you know, whereas where you know
1422
01:11:07.439 --> 01:11:10.000
Kenzo Suzuki, And I mean it's just like, you know, well,
1423
01:11:10.000 --> 01:11:12.600
you got to be six three and have a certain look,
1424
01:11:12.720 --> 01:11:14.640
you know, even the Drew McIntyre body type, you know,
1425
01:11:14.680 --> 01:11:16.880
they're they're looking outside of that now, and.
1426
01:11:17.239 --> 01:11:19.840
I think one name, one name I forgot to mention
1427
01:11:19.920 --> 01:11:23.119
that I really want to is Timothy Thatcher. I think
1428
01:11:23.319 --> 01:11:27.279
I think I think Timothy Thatcher uh is a guy
1429
01:11:27.439 --> 01:11:30.880
that that if if given the right opportunities, could be
1430
01:11:30.920 --> 01:11:34.279
a huge, huge, huge British villain.
1431
01:11:34.359 --> 01:11:35.079
This bad guy.
1432
01:11:36.960 --> 01:11:40.159
Yeah, I I am. I mean, this is the WWB
1433
01:11:40.279 --> 01:11:43.399
network in NXT. That those two things the past uh
1434
01:11:44.000 --> 01:11:46.840
two to three years. I think we're going to look
1435
01:11:46.920 --> 01:11:51.119
back on as as the biggest you know which I again,
1436
01:11:51.119 --> 01:11:52.680
I was talking with Tom Martin about this yesterday, that
1437
01:11:52.720 --> 01:11:55.079
that Eric Bischoff because he reviewed the Eric Bischoff DVD
1438
01:11:55.159 --> 01:11:58.119
on on the The ip Fixed Show, and you know,
1439
01:11:58.319 --> 01:12:01.479
Eric talked about what a what a chants that you know,
1440
01:12:01.560 --> 01:12:04.720
Turner executives Bill Shot took on him, took with him
1441
01:12:04.720 --> 01:12:08.079
and giving him a chance to run ww as a young, brash,
1442
01:12:09.880 --> 01:12:12.319
want to be leader who had tried a lot of
1443
01:12:12.359 --> 01:12:15.119
different things, had a real diverse resume, and gave him
1444
01:12:15.119 --> 01:12:18.439
a shot that was changed course of the industry. It's
1445
01:12:18.479 --> 01:12:21.079
a little less a singular moment in time than that,
1446
01:12:21.920 --> 01:12:25.279
but the network and allowing n XT to have an
1447
01:12:25.319 --> 01:12:29.119
outlet to reach a million plus people along with Hulu
1448
01:12:29.279 --> 01:12:31.279
and you know whatever else and YouTube and all that,
1449
01:12:31.399 --> 01:12:34.439
but to become something that's outside the realm of insect
1450
01:12:34.520 --> 01:12:41.880
Man's own real detail oriented control freak management, but have
1451
01:12:42.039 --> 01:12:44.680
the resources of WWE and to be able to do
1452
01:12:44.720 --> 01:12:46.399
it a little bit off ratear kind of like Paul
1453
01:12:46.439 --> 01:12:48.199
Hayman did with or wanted to do even more so
1454
01:12:48.319 --> 01:12:51.199
with ECW at first, but from from day one, Kevin
1455
01:12:51.279 --> 01:12:53.039
Dun's like, we need the ww B logo in the corner.
1456
01:12:53.039 --> 01:12:54.399
People an't going to watch a show if it doesn't
1457
01:12:54.439 --> 01:12:57.319
say WWE, if it's on Sci Fi. You had that
1458
01:12:57.399 --> 01:12:59.680
pressure from the beginning to to to still be a
1459
01:12:59.720 --> 01:13:03.239
double WE show. NXT hasn't had that. And the scouting
1460
01:13:03.319 --> 01:13:06.479
that they're doing for the Global Cruiserweight Classic or the
1461
01:13:06.760 --> 01:13:09.399
Cruiserweight Classic, and now with the next class of talent
1462
01:13:09.520 --> 01:13:11.960
and how they're looking to Europe and bring these people in.
1463
01:13:12.079 --> 01:13:15.359
It's just it really. I think five six, seven years
1464
01:13:15.399 --> 01:13:19.000
from now, WWE is gonna look so different because of
1465
01:13:19.359 --> 01:13:23.159
NXT and the people scouting for these network specials like
1466
01:13:23.199 --> 01:13:25.680
the Cruiserweight Tournament did It's it's a special time. And
1467
01:13:26.039 --> 01:13:30.720
because of YouTube and I pay per view uh in streaming,
1468
01:13:31.159 --> 01:13:34.039
fans are able to scout these these wrestlers on their
1469
01:13:34.079 --> 01:13:36.039
own in a way that wasn't possible before, other than
1470
01:13:36.079 --> 01:13:38.600
with Cape Trading, which is as much smaller market than
1471
01:13:38.640 --> 01:13:40.760
than you know, watching clips of Tommy En on YouTube.
1472
01:13:41.159 --> 01:13:43.880
So it's exciting, and I think we're gonna end up
1473
01:13:43.920 --> 01:13:47.319
with a more diverse WWE roster base than we've ever seen.
1474
01:13:47.439 --> 01:13:50.039
But again, it's gonna be it's gonna take Vince a
1475
01:13:50.079 --> 01:13:52.359
little while to warm up to the idea. Even with
1476
01:13:52.479 --> 01:13:55.039
the success of Punk and Brian and Kevin Owens and
1477
01:13:55.079 --> 01:13:58.279
maybe hopefully Nakamura, he's still I think Sam is going
1478
01:13:58.359 --> 01:14:00.800
to be kind of resistant to just instantly embracing somebody
1479
01:14:00.800 --> 01:14:04.119
who got over somewhere else who doesn't fit the mold
1480
01:14:04.199 --> 01:14:06.159
that he sees and usually looks for.
1481
01:14:08.000 --> 01:14:10.960
Yeah, you can, and it's very interesting to see that.
1482
01:14:11.520 --> 01:14:14.720
I feel like the guy, I think Finn Balor is
1483
01:14:14.760 --> 01:14:16.439
going to change that a lot, because I think he's
1484
01:14:16.479 --> 01:14:17.880
going to come on the main roster and be a big,
1485
01:14:17.920 --> 01:14:18.439
big start.
1486
01:14:18.680 --> 01:14:21.840
But it really is sort of like, if you talk about.
1487
01:14:22.239 --> 01:14:26.800
History and stuff, it looks to me like the guy
1488
01:14:27.159 --> 01:14:30.840
who is going to change that perception is Kevin Owens,
1489
01:14:31.119 --> 01:14:34.439
and and to think, you know, a few years back,
1490
01:14:34.840 --> 01:14:37.640
because Kevin Steen would be the guy that changed Vince
1491
01:14:37.720 --> 01:14:38.600
ric Van's perception.
1492
01:14:39.640 --> 01:14:41.439
You would never like he would be the last guy
1493
01:14:41.479 --> 01:14:44.479
you would think. And and I think he's the one
1494
01:14:45.399 --> 01:14:47.800
who will go down as the guy who.
1495
01:14:47.800 --> 01:14:51.239
Didn't And I think they'll be I think you're right.
1496
01:14:51.439 --> 01:14:53.760
I think that. You know, we haven't seen Finn Balor
1497
01:14:53.800 --> 01:14:56.760
and Shinsk yet win Vince over in that way, but
1498
01:14:57.119 --> 01:14:58.840
Aj styles one of them over with the matches, the
1499
01:14:58.880 --> 01:15:00.720
ad with Roman and the work he's done, especially the
1500
01:15:00.800 --> 01:15:03.920
last two three weeks. Daniel Bryan, he eventually warmed up to,
1501
01:15:04.079 --> 01:15:06.359
still was resistant. They even when Daniel Brian came out
1502
01:15:06.359 --> 01:15:09.039
of WrestleMania and went on a honeymoon, his dad died
1503
01:15:09.039 --> 01:15:10.560
and then he ended up with the concussion issues, just
1504
01:15:10.600 --> 01:15:12.880
a whole string of things that derailed things. It's not
1505
01:15:13.039 --> 01:15:15.880
like he would have been the guy had he stayed healthy.
1506
01:15:16.359 --> 01:15:19.359
He's still I mean, the plans wasn't to build around
1507
01:15:19.399 --> 01:15:22.000
him as a co top star with Senap. But that said,
1508
01:15:22.039 --> 01:15:24.000
then said warmed up to him and accepted him tremendously.
1509
01:15:24.039 --> 01:15:30.079
And if Ceampunk had a more if his personality was
1510
01:15:30.159 --> 01:15:34.279
more conducive to the corporate work environment and workings of WWE.
1511
01:15:34.319 --> 01:15:36.520
If he was more willing to play the game, I
1512
01:15:36.600 --> 01:15:38.760
think they would have been willing to invest in him too.
1513
01:15:39.359 --> 01:15:41.479
More so, I mean there's like I said, they look
1514
01:15:41.560 --> 01:15:43.439
for excuses not to push guys. But when a guy
1515
01:15:43.840 --> 01:15:46.720
overcomes that isn't injury prone as you said, and is
1516
01:15:46.760 --> 01:15:48.960
willing to play the game. And Kevin Owens is kind
1517
01:15:48.960 --> 01:15:51.479
of learning that over time too. And Aj is you know,
1518
01:15:51.600 --> 01:15:53.840
not a guy who plays, who has any trouble playing
1519
01:15:53.880 --> 01:15:55.159
the game. You know he wants to go along and
1520
01:15:55.199 --> 01:15:58.199
get along. I think that's going to help guys like
1521
01:15:58.319 --> 01:16:01.000
that that list of guys we mentioned get over. Let's
1522
01:16:01.039 --> 01:16:03.199
go to another email ian from the UK, Hey, Wade
1523
01:16:03.199 --> 01:16:05.239
and Sam. Do you think WWB decided to do the
1524
01:16:05.279 --> 01:16:07.920
brand split because they have come to the conclusion that
1525
01:16:08.000 --> 01:16:11.319
are that there are two distinct fan bases in casual
1526
01:16:11.600 --> 01:16:13.840
and hardcore fans, And based on this, do you think
1527
01:16:13.880 --> 01:16:16.800
the draft will reflect that? For example, Rob being geared
1528
01:16:16.840 --> 01:16:18.640
to casual fans with the likes of seeing a Rains
1529
01:16:18.680 --> 01:16:21.239
New Day, et cetera, and a more Matt based SmackDown
1530
01:16:21.279 --> 01:16:23.520
show being home to the Internet darling stars such as
1531
01:16:23.600 --> 01:16:26.680
Aj and Owens. I see no point in doing the split.
1532
01:16:26.760 --> 01:16:28.600
Unless that is the case, why pump out so much
1533
01:16:28.640 --> 01:16:31.560
content if both brands are similar, Keep up the good work.
1534
01:16:32.039 --> 01:16:34.399
I wrote an editorial on peterwde torch dot com right
1535
01:16:34.439 --> 01:16:37.000
after the roster split news came out, making a case
1536
01:16:37.079 --> 01:16:40.319
for this that there are some anecdotal reasons to believe
1537
01:16:40.359 --> 01:16:42.359
this might be in the backs of their minds or
1538
01:16:42.439 --> 01:16:44.960
part of the plan, and that it's a good plan.
1539
01:16:45.319 --> 01:16:48.520
I don't think you overtly want to say it, because
1540
01:16:48.560 --> 01:16:49.960
I think sometimes you just want to show people and
1541
01:16:50.039 --> 01:16:52.439
let them discover for themselves and not hit people over
1542
01:16:52.479 --> 01:16:54.640
the head with it. But I think having Rob be
1543
01:16:54.720 --> 01:16:57.079
a more traditional vinsic man vision and have SmackDown be
1544
01:16:57.159 --> 01:16:59.039
a show where he's a little more hands off and
1545
01:16:59.159 --> 01:17:02.359
he trusts certain people, writers and people on his team
1546
01:17:02.479 --> 01:17:05.920
to just go with it without him interfering, while still
1547
01:17:05.960 --> 01:17:08.640
featuring John Cena on top perhaps and keeping USA network
1548
01:17:08.680 --> 01:17:10.960
executives happy that they're not getting a b show or
1549
01:17:11.119 --> 01:17:14.359
you know, an indie riffick show with unproven guys. I
1550
01:17:14.439 --> 01:17:16.439
think that is the way to go. I think you
1551
01:17:16.520 --> 01:17:18.760
want fans watching both shows, Sam. You don't want to
1552
01:17:18.800 --> 01:17:20.680
only have half your fans watching one and half the other.
1553
01:17:21.039 --> 01:17:24.399
But I actually think you can please more people and
1554
01:17:24.600 --> 01:17:27.359
have both types of fans watching both shows if each
1555
01:17:27.439 --> 01:17:29.439
have their own identity and reason for existing.
1556
01:17:30.960 --> 01:17:34.479
Yeah, I tend to feel like, you know, I think
1557
01:17:34.520 --> 01:17:36.560
that was subtly done with SmackDown a little bit the
1558
01:17:36.640 --> 01:17:38.000
last time, and I think it worked, you.
1559
01:17:37.960 --> 01:17:40.119
Know, in terms of building people. You know, it builds
1560
01:17:40.119 --> 01:17:45.199
a lot of people doing things that way, and I
1561
01:17:45.279 --> 01:17:45.880
think you might.
1562
01:17:46.439 --> 01:17:49.880
I think you'll have a scenario where SmackDown is a
1563
01:17:50.079 --> 01:17:54.399
little heavier on stuff for hardcores and Raws a little
1564
01:17:54.479 --> 01:17:56.560
heavier on stuff for mainstream.
1565
01:17:56.880 --> 01:17:59.680
But I don't think that. I don't think they'll be dramatic.
1566
01:18:00.119 --> 01:18:02.439
The rosters will be different, but I don't think that
1567
01:18:03.000 --> 01:18:07.760
they'll be dramatically split like that because I don't think
1568
01:18:07.800 --> 01:18:10.800
they would want, at least at the beginning, one to
1569
01:18:10.880 --> 01:18:12.439
be an a show, one to be av show.
1570
01:18:12.520 --> 01:18:14.079
I don't think they want one to be a cool
1571
01:18:14.239 --> 01:18:17.079
show and one to be a mainstream show.
1572
01:18:17.199 --> 01:18:17.640
Like, I don't.
1573
01:18:17.680 --> 01:18:21.640
I don't think did they want that vibe. I think
1574
01:18:21.680 --> 01:18:22.199
they want to.
1575
01:18:23.920 --> 01:18:29.520
Franchise shows, and yeah, like I personally like in my
1576
01:18:29.920 --> 01:18:33.920
if I were doing it, I would rather see Roman
1577
01:18:34.079 --> 01:18:38.359
and Sina and rawlins All on Raw and that could
1578
01:18:38.439 --> 01:18:44.000
be what happens and have aj and Ambrose and those
1579
01:18:44.079 --> 01:18:47.600
guys on SmackDown. So in that respect, yeah, maybe you
1580
01:18:47.640 --> 01:18:51.800
wouldn't have as much mainstream credibility on Smackdowns, But don't
1581
01:18:52.279 --> 01:18:55.479
I think that there's going to be a pretty solid
1582
01:18:56.000 --> 01:18:58.279
mix on both shows. I don't think one show will
1583
01:18:58.319 --> 01:19:02.239
be the new Era and one show well, I don't
1584
01:19:02.279 --> 01:19:06.159
think they'll do that because I think that that they'll
1585
01:19:06.199 --> 01:19:10.439
be too protective of Raw to let smack Down become
1586
01:19:10.520 --> 01:19:14.920
the cool show, or too protective of their network relationships
1587
01:19:14.960 --> 01:19:17.600
to let SmackDown be perceived by anybody as.
1588
01:19:17.520 --> 01:19:18.039
A B show.
1589
01:19:19.399 --> 01:19:23.800
Yeah, and I think that the hope is that maybe
1590
01:19:23.920 --> 01:19:26.319
Vince would be and this can occur on Raw too.
1591
01:19:27.039 --> 01:19:28.720
It doesn't have to be only on SmackDown. That there's
1592
01:19:28.760 --> 01:19:31.039
gonna be some guys that Vince just goes, all right,
1593
01:19:31.039 --> 01:19:34.279
I don't get it, but go for it, you know,
1594
01:19:34.399 --> 01:19:36.199
to the writers and stay out of their way. And
1595
01:19:36.199 --> 01:19:38.079
I think there's just a feeling that he'd be less
1596
01:19:38.199 --> 01:19:39.640
likely to do that on Raw, maybe a little more
1597
01:19:39.720 --> 01:19:42.039
rolling out spectrum. But the thing is is Kevin don
1598
01:19:42.119 --> 01:19:46.119
vincec Mann, they believe they know what is the best
1599
01:19:46.279 --> 01:19:51.000
way to present what they call sports entertainment. And why
1600
01:19:51.359 --> 01:19:53.239
I think Vince's mind, and this is the hard thing
1601
01:19:53.279 --> 01:19:55.399
to get past for fans to realize, is why would
1602
01:19:55.479 --> 01:19:58.119
Vince let something be done a different way? Because the
1603
01:19:58.159 --> 01:20:00.039
way he does things is the way he thinks this
1604
01:20:00.159 --> 01:20:01.560
is the right way to do it, and it's gotten
1605
01:20:01.720 --> 01:20:03.800
him to where he is, and it's what he's promised
1606
01:20:03.920 --> 01:20:06.640
USA Network and what they're paying you know, what USA
1607
01:20:06.680 --> 01:20:09.119
Network's paying for is Vince's vision. So for him to
1608
01:20:09.199 --> 01:20:10.680
just step away and go all right, now, let's have
1609
01:20:10.680 --> 01:20:12.680
this Petri dish called SmackDown, or somebody gets experiment with
1610
01:20:12.760 --> 01:20:15.079
a bunch of other things. That's hard to imagine being
1611
01:20:15.159 --> 01:20:17.880
done all at once right away. But I'm kind of
1612
01:20:17.960 --> 01:20:21.079
hoping that each show ends up being different, like Letterman
1613
01:20:21.159 --> 01:20:25.000
and Leno or or you know, Colbert and John Stewart,
1614
01:20:25.079 --> 01:20:27.960
that there are people who watch both shows, but they're
1615
01:20:28.000 --> 01:20:30.680
glad there's two different hosts with two different flavors and
1616
01:20:30.840 --> 01:20:32.760
a little bit of a different sensibility. And I think
1617
01:20:32.840 --> 01:20:34.479
just in the announcing teams, you can get that with
1618
01:20:34.560 --> 01:20:37.960
mar Ronalo versus Michael cole Y. But the more separate
1619
01:20:38.000 --> 01:20:39.439
they are, the better, you know, I mean, because they
1620
01:20:39.479 --> 01:20:42.800
will just inevitably, they're going to develop their own personality
1621
01:20:42.800 --> 01:20:44.279
if they have their own writing teams and their own
1622
01:20:44.279 --> 01:20:46.479
announced teams and a completely distinct, separate roster.
1623
01:20:46.920 --> 01:20:47.960
And I do think too that.
1624
01:20:49.560 --> 01:20:53.640
Vince will naturally pay less attention to SmackDown, especially as.
1625
01:20:53.560 --> 01:20:54.079
Time goes on.
1626
01:20:54.279 --> 01:20:57.119
Like I think that that will happen, Like, I don't
1627
01:20:57.199 --> 01:21:01.800
think that he's going to be You'll probably eventually give
1628
01:21:01.880 --> 01:21:03.239
SmackDown over to somebody else.
1629
01:21:03.239 --> 01:21:06.640
I would imagine, you know, that last segment you're just
1630
01:21:06.720 --> 01:21:08.760
listening to and the next one that you're waiting to
1631
01:21:08.800 --> 01:21:11.199
listen to, those can be one second apart. With a
1632
01:21:11.279 --> 01:21:14.000
VIP membership, you can unlock our commercial free versions of
1633
01:21:14.119 --> 01:21:17.439
our shows. Pw torch dot com slash Go VIP tells
1634
01:21:17.479 --> 01:21:19.720
you how to do it. That's pw torch dot com
1635
01:21:20.039 --> 01:21:24.039
slash Go. VIP options exist within the Apple podcast app
1636
01:21:24.279 --> 01:21:26.600
using your Apple account through Patreon, which, by the way,
1637
01:21:26.640 --> 01:21:28.840
you can sync up with Spotify or just about any
1638
01:21:28.880 --> 01:21:32.119
iOS or Android app. With a full VIP membership, you
1639
01:21:32.239 --> 01:21:35.199
can customize the feed for individual shows and clusters of
1640
01:21:35.359 --> 01:21:38.479
shows and themes. Go to pw torch dot com slash
1641
01:21:38.600 --> 01:21:41.039
go vip for full details on all the options to
1642
01:21:41.119 --> 01:21:44.960
listen commercial free and with upper tier options unlock our
1643
01:21:45.079 --> 01:21:51.800
vip exclusive podcasts run throughout the week every week. One
1644
01:21:51.800 --> 01:21:55.199
of the reasons I'm optimistic about the Roster split being
1645
01:21:55.359 --> 01:21:57.880
done better than it was done in the second half
1646
01:21:58.119 --> 01:22:01.520
of the last nine years Spearman of sorts is that
1647
01:22:01.880 --> 01:22:05.079
SmackDown is on USA and it's live, and so it's
1648
01:22:05.079 --> 01:22:06.600
not the same That work is raw and it's not
1649
01:22:06.720 --> 01:22:09.720
pre taped. When the bread when when Vince, you know,
1650
01:22:09.760 --> 01:22:11.479
when SmackDown launched, it was big because it was on
1651
01:22:11.560 --> 01:22:15.760
broadcast television in UPN was was you know, it wasn't ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox,
1652
01:22:15.840 --> 01:22:18.000
but it was still it was a It was at
1653
01:22:18.039 --> 01:22:19.960
a time when being a broadcast network meant more than
1654
01:22:20.000 --> 01:22:22.560
it does now. And upn was was backed by some
1655
01:22:22.680 --> 01:22:24.479
good people and had some good shows, and it just
1656
01:22:24.520 --> 01:22:26.760
felt like a bigger deal. Let's treat it equal. Let's
1657
01:22:26.760 --> 01:22:29.520
put Rock there, Austin here, let's put Sina there, and
1658
01:22:29.640 --> 01:22:33.159
you know it's just but over time as a pre
1659
01:22:33.319 --> 01:22:37.640
tape show, when you're exhausted on Tuesdays, your franchise is raw.
1660
01:22:37.800 --> 01:22:40.439
That's struggling compared to the attitude era, let's load up
1661
01:22:40.560 --> 01:22:43.359
Raw SmackDown ended up getting kind of the back you know,
1662
01:22:43.479 --> 01:22:45.960
JBL is champion, let's be honest, or Eddie Garrero for
1663
01:22:46.039 --> 01:22:48.760
that matter. Was not Vince McMahon thinking, oh, yeah, this
1664
01:22:48.920 --> 01:22:52.560
is my a show. I think there's because of those
1665
01:22:52.600 --> 01:22:56.000
two factors. It's on the same network USA, and it's live.
1666
01:22:56.720 --> 01:22:59.720
The the reasons that SmackDown kind of became a B
1667
01:22:59.800 --> 01:23:02.439
show before, I think are not there now. The only
1668
01:23:02.520 --> 01:23:05.239
difference now is the Raw has a little bit more
1669
01:23:05.279 --> 01:23:07.920
of a history with Vince. It's the firstborn in a way,
1670
01:23:08.119 --> 01:23:10.199
and it's three hours not two. And I don't know
1671
01:23:10.239 --> 01:23:12.439
how those will play out, if at all, because SmackDown
1672
01:23:12.479 --> 01:23:13.880
is a little bit more of a clear field because
1673
01:23:13.880 --> 01:23:16.479
it's not up against Monday night football for you know,
1674
01:23:16.560 --> 01:23:19.199
eighteen or so weeks a year, or the college football Championship.
1675
01:23:19.199 --> 01:23:22.199
So in a way, SmackDown might become the ratings juggernaut
1676
01:23:22.239 --> 01:23:25.680
that Vince wants to wants to feed to get back
1677
01:23:25.720 --> 01:23:28.600
into the two six, two nine level if if he's
1678
01:23:28.640 --> 01:23:29.199
so fortunate.
1679
01:23:30.279 --> 01:23:33.800
Yeah, so you actually have a scenario where SmackDown, which
1680
01:23:33.920 --> 01:23:37.479
couldn't happen before SmackDown, could become the main show.
1681
01:23:38.600 --> 01:23:40.920
It could be the most the more watched show, and
1682
01:23:41.159 --> 01:23:44.119
therefore I think it would keep Vince from from reverting
1683
01:23:44.239 --> 01:23:48.239
to treating Raw as his favorite first scorn child and
1684
01:23:48.399 --> 01:23:53.000
instead treats them more equal. And even if that means
1685
01:23:53.079 --> 01:23:55.199
Vince is less involved than SmackDown and still is working
1686
01:23:55.239 --> 01:23:57.239
really hard to get Raw ratings up, I could still
1687
01:23:57.279 --> 01:24:00.760
see him not sabotaging SmackDown or putting his hand on
1688
01:24:00.800 --> 01:24:03.399
the scale towards Raw, but letting them both kind of
1689
01:24:03.880 --> 01:24:06.359
thrive over time. I mean, it's a fascinating story to
1690
01:24:06.439 --> 01:24:08.520
watch it. That incentive isn't there when it was on
1691
01:24:08.640 --> 01:24:11.399
Sci Fi or the CW and it was pre taped
1692
01:24:11.640 --> 01:24:13.600
to treat it as a B show. That those those
1693
01:24:13.800 --> 01:24:17.319
factors are gone. And USA and they got a new
1694
01:24:17.359 --> 01:24:19.000
TV deal coming up a few years down the line.
1695
01:24:19.119 --> 01:24:21.279
They want to be in a strong position, and USA
1696
01:24:21.640 --> 01:24:24.760
executives want Vince to give him equal ratings on Monday.
1697
01:24:25.039 --> 01:24:27.159
There's no reason they shouldn't be equal. I mean that
1698
01:24:27.319 --> 01:24:30.720
that if you put Johnson exclusively on SmackDown, I think
1699
01:24:30.760 --> 01:24:32.720
the expectation is those ratings are going to go up,
1700
01:24:32.760 --> 01:24:34.560
and they're going to go up to Raw levels pretty quick.
1701
01:24:36.239 --> 01:24:37.960
Yeah, yeah, I think I think it's a good call.
1702
01:24:39.039 --> 01:24:40.840
Uh, Paul wants to know. He says, I'm curious how
1703
01:24:40.880 --> 01:24:42.840
Sam deals with watching Raw since he works at night
1704
01:24:42.880 --> 01:24:45.680
for Sirius XM. Does he stay off Twitter to avoid spoilers?
1705
01:24:45.720 --> 01:24:47.199
Does he have it on in the background when he
1706
01:24:47.239 --> 01:24:48.760
does his show? It's got to be tough for a
1707
01:24:48.760 --> 01:24:49.319
wrestling fan.
1708
01:24:50.560 --> 01:24:51.960
Yeah, that's a good question. I watch.
1709
01:24:52.760 --> 01:24:56.479
I usually see the first hour, like I usually keep
1710
01:24:56.479 --> 01:24:58.319
an eye on the first hour, but I'm also getting
1711
01:24:58.319 --> 01:24:59.960
all my stuff together for what I'm gonna do, because
1712
01:25:00.319 --> 01:25:01.000
I don't do that.
1713
01:25:01.600 --> 01:25:04.119
Ton of wrestling on the serious show. I just sound
1714
01:25:04.239 --> 01:25:06.920
but you know I'm not a ton, So yeah, I
1715
01:25:07.000 --> 01:25:07.439
actually do.
1716
01:25:07.600 --> 01:25:10.119
Though when I'm doing the show, I have it on
1717
01:25:10.720 --> 01:25:12.680
in the background. I got three TVs in the studio
1718
01:25:12.720 --> 01:25:14.439
and one of them has Raw on mute.
1719
01:25:14.680 --> 01:25:17.119
And there have been multiple times where I'm trying to
1720
01:25:17.199 --> 01:25:20.159
talk about like the election or some news story or
1721
01:25:20.239 --> 01:25:23.319
take something seriously, and like my train of shots gets
1722
01:25:23.359 --> 01:25:26.000
totally thrown. He gets Kevin o'hens jump.
1723
01:25:26.039 --> 01:25:28.119
Sammy's saying, and I want to know what happened, or
1724
01:25:28.239 --> 01:25:30.920
like Charlotte just slapped Rick Blair and I go shark.
1725
01:25:31.560 --> 01:25:33.079
She just turned on, and I'm like, let.
1726
01:25:33.079 --> 01:25:36.600
Me focus, let me focus. So that does happen. But
1727
01:25:36.680 --> 01:25:41.279
I always, uh, I always DVR RAW and then I
1728
01:25:41.359 --> 01:25:42.800
get home at like two o'clock.
1729
01:25:42.439 --> 01:25:45.840
In the morning and watch Raw fast forward through the
1730
01:25:45.880 --> 01:25:49.720
commercials like late at night, so I and and you know,
1731
01:25:50.000 --> 01:25:52.399
and sometimes I fast forward a little bit because I've
1732
01:25:52.399 --> 01:25:57.039
got I've seen visual spoilers. But other times, like you know,
1733
01:25:57.199 --> 01:25:59.760
if Ambrose does something visually, I don't really know what
1734
01:25:59.800 --> 01:26:02.720
happened because I'm only half paying attention. I'm kind of
1735
01:26:02.760 --> 01:26:05.000
pumped to get home and figure out what what this
1736
01:26:05.119 --> 01:26:05.520
story I.
1737
01:26:05.600 --> 01:26:06.199
Just saw it was.
1738
01:26:08.000 --> 01:26:10.159
Very cool. All right, Let's uh, let's take one more
1739
01:26:10.159 --> 01:26:11.960
call and one more email and we'll wrap up the show.
1740
01:26:12.800 --> 01:26:15.920
Let's uh, let's go to Miami, Florida, I believe, go
1741
01:26:15.920 --> 01:26:17.720
ahead and speak you name and confirmary call it from.
1742
01:26:18.640 --> 01:26:21.760
Hey, what's going on? Guys? The VIP Mister DJ had
1743
01:26:21.840 --> 01:26:22.039
you on?
1744
01:26:22.479 --> 01:26:24.359
Hey DJ, thanks for b TOVF you remember, Thanks for Colin.
1745
01:26:24.439 --> 01:26:25.640
What have you got for saving to me today?
1746
01:26:25.920 --> 01:26:28.319
I got free quick things. My first thing is I'm
1747
01:26:28.319 --> 01:26:31.640
a huge, huge fan of Sam's from.
1748
01:26:31.560 --> 01:26:32.239
Back in the day.
1749
01:26:34.119 --> 01:26:38.960
Can you can you tell us the story about Jr.
1750
01:26:39.239 --> 01:26:41.960
And when Vince shouted in his pants.
1751
01:26:41.920 --> 01:26:42.399
Did JR.
1752
01:26:42.560 --> 01:26:45.279
Ever say he ever got in trouble for that? And
1753
01:26:46.119 --> 01:26:49.680
the other one was the Van Dango when he came
1754
01:26:49.720 --> 01:26:52.239
out that was that was great too because everybody popped
1755
01:26:52.279 --> 01:26:55.159
for that one. And my my two quick things is
1756
01:26:56.039 --> 01:26:58.640
what's you guys prediction the money of the bank and
1757
01:26:59.239 --> 01:27:02.439
do you guys feel think that if I feel like
1758
01:27:02.800 --> 01:27:07.079
they're leaving money on the table with with with you know,
1759
01:27:07.359 --> 01:27:10.399
with Sina, because I think a Sena had the belt
1760
01:27:10.800 --> 01:27:13.640
and he had the briefcase. I think that would be
1761
01:27:13.800 --> 01:27:17.199
way better than seeing them now because I'm a big
1762
01:27:17.319 --> 01:27:19.279
fan what they're doing this is, this is what I
1763
01:27:19.399 --> 01:27:21.920
want to see on Sunday. There's no other real rematch
1764
01:27:21.960 --> 01:27:22.720
I want to see.
1765
01:27:23.880 --> 01:27:26.319
No DJ. I gonna be honest, DJ, hold on, I'm
1766
01:27:26.319 --> 01:27:28.479
gonna be honest. I don't understand anything about your third point.
1767
01:27:28.720 --> 01:27:31.760
I don't understand what you think with AJ.
1768
01:27:32.520 --> 01:27:36.199
Sorry, with AJ and Sena. I'd rather see AJ have
1769
01:27:36.600 --> 01:27:40.560
the briefcase and Sina have a belt compared to what now,
1770
01:27:40.600 --> 01:27:42.439
because I feel like they're leaving money on the table
1771
01:27:42.560 --> 01:27:46.399
now because they can go into wrecklemania like that and
1772
01:27:46.560 --> 01:27:48.720
they you know, you know what I mean, they they
1773
01:27:48.840 --> 01:27:49.800
drop the ball on that one.
1774
01:27:50.520 --> 01:27:52.680
All right, go ahead, Sam, tackle any of those. I
1775
01:27:52.760 --> 01:27:54.840
took some notes if we if we need a reminder
1776
01:27:54.920 --> 01:27:55.199
of them.
1777
01:27:55.800 --> 01:27:58.039
Okay, no, I think I got it. So the first one,
1778
01:27:58.359 --> 01:28:00.479
the JR. The j R. Is a great example of
1779
01:28:00.560 --> 01:28:02.399
guys who want to interview at the right time because
1780
01:28:02.720 --> 01:28:03.039
j R.
1781
01:28:03.199 --> 01:28:05.479
Came in and you know, we had time. We had
1782
01:28:05.520 --> 01:28:06.880
like an hour and a half or whatever it was,
1783
01:28:07.319 --> 01:28:09.920
and and I sat down with him and he was
1784
01:28:10.000 --> 01:28:10.920
not employed.
1785
01:28:10.560 --> 01:28:11.239
By w w E.
1786
01:28:11.399 --> 01:28:13.720
So it was like I could just run down all
1787
01:28:13.800 --> 01:28:16.439
the big hits that I wanted to know about, and
1788
01:28:16.520 --> 01:28:19.319
that's what we talked about. And he did, Yeah he did.
1789
01:28:20.119 --> 01:28:23.000
He did have a story about Vince McMahon sharding and
1790
01:28:23.119 --> 01:28:27.039
I do think that it made TMZ. But I don't
1791
01:28:27.079 --> 01:28:28.439
I mean, I don't think j I got in trouble
1792
01:28:28.439 --> 01:28:30.319
for it because he Wow, he hasn't been back in
1793
01:28:30.439 --> 01:28:31.720
w WE, so maybe he did.
1794
01:28:32.039 --> 01:28:36.840
But but yeah, the other thing, the fan, I don't know.
1795
01:28:37.000 --> 01:28:39.119
He said he said Fandango. I don't know who that is,
1796
01:28:39.159 --> 01:28:42.119
but I assume he met Fondongo Fondong though.
1797
01:28:42.359 --> 01:28:45.720
Yeah, that was that was a fun one.
1798
01:28:45.760 --> 01:28:47.720
That was when I was working with Opie and Anthony,
1799
01:28:47.800 --> 01:28:49.520
and Opie had turned on He used to be a
1800
01:28:49.520 --> 01:28:51.880
wrestling fan in the Attitude Eric, they both did, but
1801
01:28:51.920 --> 01:28:53.800
they hadn't watched in a while. So Opie turned on
1802
01:28:53.920 --> 01:28:57.039
wrestling and he came in the next day. And this
1803
01:28:57.319 --> 01:29:00.279
was the lead to WrestleMania when Fondong.
1804
01:29:00.159 --> 01:29:02.520
Wouldn't wrestle because they wouldn't say his name right.
1805
01:29:02.960 --> 01:29:05.079
And Opie just got such a kick out of this,
1806
01:29:05.560 --> 01:29:07.640
and I was explaining it to him and blah blah blah.
1807
01:29:07.960 --> 01:29:10.880
So anyway, we got in touch with w W and everything,
1808
01:29:10.960 --> 01:29:12.439
and and Opie said, well, I want to go to
1809
01:29:12.479 --> 01:29:14.399
WrestleMania now, I want to see this thing I haven't
1810
01:29:14.439 --> 01:29:14.960
met in a while.
1811
01:29:15.439 --> 01:29:18.439
So we got uh and this was the one in
1812
01:29:18.479 --> 01:29:19.600
New York. There was twenty nine.
1813
01:29:20.079 --> 01:29:24.960
We got Son DOWNGGO to come in in his full attire,
1814
01:29:25.199 --> 01:29:25.800
you know, it's his.
1815
01:29:26.000 --> 01:29:27.399
Tights, his vest, the whole thing.
1816
01:29:28.000 --> 01:29:31.640
And he came in and he and he he gave
1817
01:29:32.119 --> 01:29:36.520
Opie and Anthony and Norton WrestleMania tickets, but only if
1818
01:29:36.520 --> 01:29:37.640
they would say his name right.
1819
01:29:38.640 --> 01:29:40.520
And so they had this and then and then he
1820
01:29:40.600 --> 01:29:43.520
had Jim Norton lotion up his body.
1821
01:29:44.239 --> 01:29:49.359
Oh God, so was I refuse to answer questions unless
1822
01:29:49.399 --> 01:29:51.960
they pronounce his name right too, so I spose.
1823
01:29:53.000 --> 01:29:56.600
And then the the other questions were the money in
1824
01:29:56.640 --> 01:29:58.039
the bank ladder match.
1825
01:29:58.119 --> 01:29:59.119
I guess is that what was it?
1826
01:29:59.800 --> 01:30:01.479
Gets J is making a pitch for a J being
1827
01:30:01.520 --> 01:30:03.239
in the money in the bank match, not facing Sena.
1828
01:30:03.680 --> 01:30:05.479
I disagree. I like what they're doing with with AJ
1829
01:30:06.079 --> 01:30:08.960
and Sina. Yeah, I do too, I think, and I.
1830
01:30:09.000 --> 01:30:12.359
Think that can go on. I think that, like I
1831
01:30:12.439 --> 01:30:14.399
think a J and Sena are going to be separated
1832
01:30:14.439 --> 01:30:18.319
by the draft, and I think that this summer is
1833
01:30:18.399 --> 01:30:20.359
going to be a blowoff to a lot of things.
1834
01:30:20.760 --> 01:30:22.560
And then I think the draft is really going to
1835
01:30:22.600 --> 01:30:26.880
take Stronghold around September, like I for instance, as far
1836
01:30:26.960 --> 01:30:27.800
as money in the.
1837
01:30:27.800 --> 01:30:28.520
Bank, I don't.
1838
01:30:28.680 --> 01:30:30.880
Yeah, I'm fine with the way the cards laid out,
1839
01:30:31.000 --> 01:30:35.079
you know, I don't. Sena is a highlight in himself,
1840
01:30:35.199 --> 01:30:37.199
so to put the title on Sena would almost be
1841
01:30:37.319 --> 01:30:41.439
overkill because I think Roman and Seth it makes that
1842
01:30:41.640 --> 01:30:44.319
match better, whereas I don't think a John Cena matches
1843
01:30:44.439 --> 01:30:48.880
is better by the title because John Cena returning. But
1844
01:30:49.680 --> 01:30:52.399
I I don't think Timbersus is gonna I think that
1845
01:30:52.560 --> 01:30:56.359
will get a shield threat match at Summerston, but I
1846
01:30:56.399 --> 01:31:00.720
don't think he'll win the money in the bank. If
1847
01:31:00.800 --> 01:31:03.119
I like, I'm having fun with money in the bank,
1848
01:31:03.319 --> 01:31:06.279
is I've decided to go with the dark horse, and
1849
01:31:06.760 --> 01:31:08.319
my pick is Alberto del Rio.
1850
01:31:09.720 --> 01:31:13.800
Funny you mentioned that he's in my top three in
1851
01:31:14.000 --> 01:31:17.319
terms of I mean, Kevin Owens is the leading pick,
1852
01:31:17.439 --> 01:31:19.119
but deil Reel might have made me number two. I
1853
01:31:19.840 --> 01:31:22.239
like the odds of uh. I think del Riel would
1854
01:31:22.239 --> 01:31:24.039
benefit from it, probably more than anybody in with the
1855
01:31:24.119 --> 01:31:27.359
roster split. Yeah, he could use some some some juice
1856
01:31:27.399 --> 01:31:30.000
behind him, and and having that money in the bank,
1857
01:31:30.960 --> 01:31:33.520
I think those I mean, I kind of hope Kevin
1858
01:31:33.520 --> 01:31:35.479
Owen gets it, but I'm not gonna be disappointed if
1859
01:31:35.560 --> 01:31:37.319
del Rio gets it. I think that that will give
1860
01:31:37.399 --> 01:31:40.079
del real little extra, that little extra he needs right
1861
01:31:40.079 --> 01:31:41.279
now to he that's character hotting it.
1862
01:31:42.039 --> 01:31:42.960
Yeah, Kevin Owens.
1863
01:31:43.159 --> 01:31:47.800
Kevin Owens run with the briefcase would probably be one
1864
01:31:47.840 --> 01:31:51.840
of the funnest briefcase runs since like Damian fandaut like,
1865
01:31:51.880 --> 01:31:52.319
I think.
1866
01:31:52.239 --> 01:31:55.279
He would just utilize that briefcase for all it's worth.
1867
01:31:56.039 --> 01:31:58.640
But yeah, in terms of like who could really use
1868
01:31:58.680 --> 01:32:02.640
it everybody in that match has something going on after
1869
01:32:02.800 --> 01:32:05.159
money in the bank except del Rio.
1870
01:32:05.479 --> 01:32:08.159
So that's what makes me feel like, well, you know,
1871
01:32:08.319 --> 01:32:10.479
give them the briefcase because at least then there's something.
1872
01:32:11.439 --> 01:32:16.720
Yes, yep, need an extra dose of positivity in your
1873
01:32:16.760 --> 01:32:20.479
wrestling podcasts. Will come join me Alan forel Over in
1874
01:32:20.560 --> 01:32:24.359
the Progress Paradise at Pteroo Torch VIP as we mask
1875
01:32:24.479 --> 01:32:27.119
on the bright side of wrestling and focus on some
1876
01:32:27.239 --> 01:32:29.840
of the great matches and shows from around the world,
1877
01:32:30.239 --> 01:32:34.640
be it the US, Japan, Europe or Mexico. There's always
1878
01:32:34.640 --> 01:32:37.159
a place for wrestlings past and the paradise too, and
1879
01:32:37.279 --> 01:32:39.920
we've done fun historical shows such as the We Love
1880
01:32:40.039 --> 01:32:44.600
Liger series celebrating the glorious career of Jusian Thunderliger and
1881
01:32:44.680 --> 01:32:46.920
our eye was there when shows where our guests will
1882
01:32:47.000 --> 01:32:49.399
join me to talk about a classic bout that they
1883
01:32:49.439 --> 01:32:52.560
were in attendance for. We love variety and you can
1884
01:32:52.640 --> 01:32:56.159
expect lots of it at the Prorest Paradise. Detailed PW
1885
01:32:56.479 --> 01:32:59.760
Torch VIP subscription information and a list of all of
1886
01:32:59.800 --> 01:33:03.880
thep benefits is available at PWW torch vip info dot
1887
01:33:04.000 --> 01:33:08.159
com and Yes, all VIP podcasts are compatible with popular
1888
01:33:08.239 --> 01:33:11.920
podcast apps on iPhone and Android devices, or you can
1889
01:33:11.960 --> 01:33:15.399
stream them directly from our ad free VIP mobile site.
1890
01:33:15.800 --> 01:33:16.840
See you in the Paradise.
1891
01:33:20.239 --> 01:33:22.840
All right, let's grab this email question. This comes from
1892
01:33:22.840 --> 01:33:24.760
Clayton and Atlanta. Thanks for taking my call earlier. I
1893
01:33:24.800 --> 01:33:26.720
thought of another comment question, Oh, I didn't know we
1894
01:33:26.800 --> 01:33:29.840
were you're double dipping. In a recent podcast, JR and
1895
01:33:29.880 --> 01:33:32.319
Stone Cold to both put AJ styles over big time,
1896
01:33:32.399 --> 01:33:34.640
going as far as to compare his performance with pre
1897
01:33:34.760 --> 01:33:36.600
injury Sean Michaels, but both have said he needs to
1898
01:33:36.680 --> 01:33:39.680
win some matches. Keeping that in mind, do you think
1899
01:33:39.840 --> 01:33:41.319
this view was Seena, how do you think it needs
1900
01:33:41.359 --> 01:33:43.800
to play out personally? Assuming they do three matches, I'd
1901
01:33:43.840 --> 01:33:45.279
like AJ to win the first clean, se don win
1902
01:33:45.279 --> 01:33:47.319
the second clean, third match, AJ win in some way.
1903
01:33:47.560 --> 01:33:49.600
If AJA has helped in a third match, it gives
1904
01:33:49.640 --> 01:33:52.640
reason for more matches in the future. Thanks for your
1905
01:33:52.720 --> 01:33:56.720
time and a great show. Thanks Clayton. If they do
1906
01:33:56.920 --> 01:33:58.960
more than one match, I mean AJ's got to win
1907
01:33:58.960 --> 01:34:01.000
the first one, doesn't he, Sam I and AJ just his.
1908
01:34:01.520 --> 01:34:05.199
He hasn't lost every his his, He's got a winning
1909
01:34:05.279 --> 01:34:09.039
record overall in w W. But the memorable big matches. Uh,
1910
01:34:09.279 --> 01:34:11.960
he doesn't have a winning record, and I think if
1911
01:34:12.000 --> 01:34:14.560
he loses to Scene and Sunday, I think it brings
1912
01:34:14.640 --> 01:34:17.039
him down a notch in a way. I just don't
1913
01:34:17.039 --> 01:34:18.079
know that he can afford to lose.
1914
01:34:19.640 --> 01:34:24.600
Yeah, I think I think he definitely should win on Sunday.
1915
01:34:24.880 --> 01:34:25.319
I feel it.
1916
01:34:25.399 --> 01:34:28.039
But I also kind of feel like this is the
1917
01:34:28.760 --> 01:34:32.680
Kevin Owens John Cena f you playing out exactly again,
1918
01:34:33.000 --> 01:34:35.119
and I kind of feel like it's exactly how it's
1919
01:34:35.159 --> 01:34:35.680
gonna happen.
1920
01:34:35.960 --> 01:34:36.960
AJ's gonna get his.
1921
01:34:37.159 --> 01:34:41.039
One victory that's clean and it's like whoa, there it was.
1922
01:34:41.880 --> 01:34:43.399
And then but at the end of the day, John
1923
01:34:43.439 --> 01:34:48.439
Cena wins, you know, I I I that's kind of how.
1924
01:34:48.840 --> 01:34:49.920
I feel like it's gonna go.
1925
01:34:50.079 --> 01:34:53.680
But in terms of Sunday night, yeah, I would. I
1926
01:34:53.720 --> 01:34:58.359
would think and hope and say that AJ is the
1927
01:34:58.439 --> 01:35:02.199
one that really kind of needs the victory.
1928
01:35:04.159 --> 01:35:06.600
And and I hope that AJ. And I think AJ
1929
01:35:06.720 --> 01:35:10.079
has reached a level now where Vince McMahon is thinking
1930
01:35:10.159 --> 01:35:13.399
about what's next for him after Sena, and that's not
1931
01:35:13.720 --> 01:35:15.720
there's not a lot of wrestlers Vince looks at that way.
1932
01:35:16.039 --> 01:35:17.800
A lot of them are afterthoughts, you know. I mean
1933
01:35:18.319 --> 01:35:21.119
Vince Ruso and Ed Far talked about that, you know,
1934
01:35:21.159 --> 01:35:22.760
when they were writing round in the late nineties, that
1935
01:35:22.800 --> 01:35:24.800
there's a very small handful of guys where Vince is
1936
01:35:24.840 --> 01:35:28.159
looking ahead all that far for them and prioritizing who's
1937
01:35:28.199 --> 01:35:30.039
going to be next for them. I think AJ is
1938
01:35:30.079 --> 01:35:33.079
now on that short list of guys where he's asking,
1939
01:35:33.520 --> 01:35:35.760
you know, his team and creative meetings, all right, what
1940
01:35:36.119 --> 01:35:38.119
do you think we should do after Sena with Aj?
1941
01:35:39.520 --> 01:35:42.439
It could be Finn balor, it could be Knakamura. I mean,
1942
01:35:42.439 --> 01:35:44.880
it could be somebody from the outside who is initially
1943
01:35:44.960 --> 01:35:46.840
feuded with AJ, you know, as a heel, who can
1944
01:35:46.920 --> 01:35:48.920
keep up with them. But is there anybody that you're
1945
01:35:48.960 --> 01:35:53.159
intrigued by that you want to see AJ Wressel, who's
1946
01:35:53.199 --> 01:35:56.159
an established guy on the WWE roster that he hasn't worked.
1947
01:35:55.960 --> 01:35:59.359
With yet, who's already on the roster, Because yeah, I
1948
01:35:59.399 --> 01:36:00.920
mean the thing I want I gets it would be
1949
01:36:00.960 --> 01:36:01.760
the obvious one.
1950
01:36:03.359 --> 01:36:05.760
It would be you know, it's tough now because they're
1951
01:36:05.800 --> 01:36:09.039
both bad guys. I would love to see somewhere down
1952
01:36:09.079 --> 01:36:14.000
the line of seth rollins AJ few. I think that
1953
01:36:14.079 --> 01:36:16.159
could lead to some incredible sounds. If I had to
1954
01:36:16.199 --> 01:36:20.800
pick one, I would probably say Seth Rollins would be
1955
01:36:20.880 --> 01:36:23.119
the guy that I'd love to see, but that would
1956
01:36:23.159 --> 01:36:26.119
have to be down the road once AJ is kind
1957
01:36:26.159 --> 01:36:27.640
of a good guy again or.
1958
01:36:27.680 --> 01:36:30.560
Whatever I'd like to see if if they bring Randy
1959
01:36:30.640 --> 01:36:33.960
Orton back as a babyface, Yeah, that works for me too.
1960
01:36:34.079 --> 01:36:37.079
And I also I'm curious what AJ and Bray Wyatt
1961
01:36:37.079 --> 01:36:40.840
would do with each other with Bray as a baby face. Again,
1962
01:36:40.920 --> 01:36:42.680
I'm trying to go a little less, you know, it's
1963
01:36:42.760 --> 01:36:44.600
it's conventional to say, oh, it'd be great to see
1964
01:36:44.640 --> 01:36:46.760
some O Joe and AJ continue their feud in WWE
1965
01:36:46.840 --> 01:36:50.399
on the big stage, or Nakamura or or yeah, like
1966
01:36:50.479 --> 01:36:53.159
Finn Balor. I mean, trust me, I want to see
1967
01:36:53.199 --> 01:36:56.640
all those on the big stage, but I would be uh,
1968
01:36:57.439 --> 01:36:59.319
I want to see how AJ does outside of that
1969
01:36:59.560 --> 01:37:04.119
comfort zone, with people like Bray and Randy especially coming
1970
01:37:04.159 --> 01:37:06.359
to mind as potential baby face opponents.
1971
01:37:07.079 --> 01:37:08.239
Yeah, I agree with that totally.
1972
01:37:08.279 --> 01:37:10.119
I think that that that's part of it that as
1973
01:37:10.239 --> 01:37:16.760
these guys with reputations outside of WWE enter into the folds,
1974
01:37:16.960 --> 01:37:19.880
it's I think valuable to them and to everyone, like
1975
01:37:19.960 --> 01:37:23.960
they have to be able to adapt to working with
1976
01:37:24.119 --> 01:37:26.920
guys that are strictly WWE guys, which which would be
1977
01:37:27.000 --> 01:37:28.960
your well, it would be your Sena, but it'd be
1978
01:37:29.000 --> 01:37:30.920
your Bray Wyatt, your Randy Orton and your guys like that.
1979
01:37:32.119 --> 01:37:37.119
Yeah, Sam, Thanks this hour and a half plus just
1980
01:37:37.159 --> 01:37:39.199
flew by. I think we could go another art half
1981
01:37:39.279 --> 01:37:41.439
and not even skip a beat, but we won't do
1982
01:37:41.520 --> 01:37:43.880
that today. But thank you for taking time to be
1983
01:37:43.960 --> 01:37:46.199
on the show today and making your live cast premiere.
1984
01:37:46.520 --> 01:37:48.680
I hope it was a good experience and I certainly
1985
01:37:48.720 --> 01:37:51.760
enjoyed having you on to to back and forth some
1986
01:37:52.239 --> 01:37:54.359
ideas about what's going on in progressing these days.
1987
01:37:55.199 --> 01:37:56.439
Yeah, it was great. Thanks for having me.
1988
01:37:56.680 --> 01:38:01.039
I'd love to come back anytime. And and you can
1989
01:38:01.119 --> 01:38:04.720
get all the video and podcasts and Sam Roberts Wrestling
1990
01:38:04.800 --> 01:38:07.720
podcast and everything at not sam dot com and.
1991
01:38:07.840 --> 01:38:12.680
iTunes and recent interviews. He mentioned Freddy Prince Junior over
1992
01:38:12.760 --> 01:38:16.239
at the Sam Wrestling Excuse Me, Sam Roberts Wrestling podcast
1993
01:38:16.680 --> 01:38:20.399
on iTunes and popular podcast apps Matt Sidell Ray Maastereo,
1994
01:38:20.479 --> 01:38:24.279
Apollo Cruise, The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, Dalton Castle, Samoa,
1995
01:38:24.399 --> 01:38:28.199
Joe Newday, AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Becky Lynch. My god,
1996
01:38:28.399 --> 01:38:31.600
what a great lineup of recent guests, so shout out
1997
01:38:31.640 --> 01:38:32.119
that out.
1998
01:38:32.840 --> 01:38:35.840
I'll tell you this. Next week on the podcast, I'll
1999
01:38:35.880 --> 01:38:40.000
have an interview with Mick and Noel Foley that was
2000
01:38:40.119 --> 01:38:42.880
taped for Holy Foley as well, but we're gonna put
2001
01:38:42.880 --> 01:38:44.560
it on next week before the show airs.
2002
01:38:45.439 --> 01:38:49.560
Oh awesome, excellent, Sam, Go go take that call and
2003
01:38:49.680 --> 01:38:53.800
we will talk to you again soon as you bet.
2004
01:38:54.960 --> 01:38:57.439
Don't forget to check out the latest MMA news at
2005
01:38:57.520 --> 01:39:01.039
mmbtorch dot com and the latest pro wrestling at pw
2006
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torch dot com. You can find our show on demand
2007
01:39:04.199 --> 01:39:07.399
at Groundup Redesign. Certainly we're checking out. It is mobile
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friendly and desktop friendly. That's pwtorch dot com. Until next time,
2009
01:39:12.279 --> 01:39:14.760
waite teller. Thanking you for joining me and signing off
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01:39:14.840 --> 01:39:30.279
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