In short
NFL Week 15 storylines and playoff math, centered on whether Philip Rivers could start for the Colts at Seattle; plus WWE Gunther’s build-up to John Cena’s farewell at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Guests (backgrounds)
- WWE superstar Gunther (Austrian pro wrestler; heavyweight-style, power-based; trained in Vienna; former tournament winner).
- Steelers defensive tackle Cam Hayward (NFL defensive lineman).
- Emmy-winning actor Hank Azaria (comedian/actor; longtime TV/film performer).
- Actor Paul Rudd (film actor; stars in “Anaconda” with Jack Black).
Key claims
- Rivers’ sudden return could be “cold reality” because he’s familiar with the playbook and has enough readiness to start if Riley Leonard’s knee isn’t 100%.
- Vegas odds/props reportedly favor Rivers starting (no props for Leonard), implying uncertainty is lower for Rivers.
- Chiefs playoff scenario: they could still make the postseason if they win out and several other teams lose/won’t win out.
Notable examples
Rivers reportedly gets Daniel Jones’ number (17) and is compared to “The Rookie” saving the World Series; Seattle’s defense “tears quarterbacks apart,” raising the risk of Rivers getting hit. Gunther says he plans to make Cena “give up” via a submission sequence (wrap, pull, hand to mat, count to three).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOToday's Guests and Highlights
1:30 to 2:25
Discussion of today's guests including WWE superstar Gunther and others.
“Live from the Rich Eisen Studios in New York City.”
Rich's Experience in New York
2:25 to 4:20
Rich shares his recent experiences and discusses sports reality TV.
“and we're going to ask the Walter Payton man of the year, point blank, did Josh Allen really knee you in the stomach?”
Philip Rivers' Possible Return
4:20 to 5:56
Rich discusses the implications of Philip Rivers potentially starting for the Colts.
“The reason why I bring that up is one of the things I did is I recorded an episode of Kelly and Mark.”
Analysis of Rivers' Readiness
5:56 to 10:32
In-depth discussion on Rivers' preparation and readiness to play.
“We know why the Colts would knock on his door because Daniel Jones is done for the year.”
The Reality of Rivers' Comeback
10:32 to 11:28
Rich reflects on the surreal nature of Rivers' return to the NFL.
“Phillip Rivers might start Sunday in Seattle.”
The Impact of Rivers on the Colts
11:28 to 14:00
Exploration of Rivers' potential effect on the Colts and their chances.
“and it's his old coordinator from back in the Chargers days, and it's Chris Ballard saying, what do you think?”
Phillip Rivers' Potential Impact on the Colts
14:00 to 18:12
Discussion on Phillip Rivers' potential return to the Colts and its implications.
“They have been tearing quarterbacks apart defensively.”
Transition to WWE Discussion
18:12 to 18:49
Preparation for the guest segment featuring WWE Superstar Gunther.
“Because if he doesn't like my question, I could get chopped.”
Gunther's Wrestling Journey
21:00 to 22:46
Gunther shares his path from Austria to WWE and his early influences.
“I always told them I want to be a wrestler at some point so I don't have to get up early in the morning.”
Physical Transformation and Wrestling Style
22:46 to 25:17
Gunther discusses his weight loss journey and its effects on his wrestling style.
“I've seen, I've been there I've been overseas and seen what football is and I totally understand it that's the worldwide view of football and appropriately so.”
Show all 14 chapters
Facing John Cena and Legacy
25:17 to 28:00
Gunther reflects on facing John Cena and the significance of the match.
“I mean, 60 pounds is 60 pounds more than adapting.”
Gunther's Wrestling Insights and Career Reflections
28:00 to 32:05
WWE superstar Gunther shares his thoughts on retiring legends and his career aspirations.
“Walk me through exactly how you see that moment happening on Saturday night, if you could choose it.”
Eagles and Chiefs Playoff Scenarios
34:03 to 42:00
The hosts discuss playoff scenarios for the Eagles and Chiefs as the season progresses.
“leads us off with our phone calls at 844-204-RICH.”
AFC Playoff Elimination Scenarios
42:00 to 46:59
Explore the complex playoff elimination scenarios for several AFC teams and the potential paths for the Chiefs.
“And we were just talking about what about the one seed?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Rich Eisen:This Father's Day, do more with dad and spend less with low prices guaranteed at The Home Depot. Get him fired up with a new grill and accessories, like the Nexgrill 5 Burner for just$299, so you can spend more time together while he becomes the grill master he was always meant to be. Or build memories with savings on top brand power tools so you can tackle projects side by side. Gift more and do more together this Father's Day with help from The Home Depot. Exclusions apply. See homedepot.com slash price match for details. Are all batteries the same? That's like asking if all soccer players are the same.
0:37Take Messi, the most decorated player ever. Is there any other player who has achieved that? No, just him. Now take Duracell. Is there any other battery with Power Boost ingredients inside? No, just Duracell. Goats only trust Goats because they're built different. And Messi only trusts Duracell. This is The Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash richeisenshow and you'll never miss a moment.
1:26Now, on with the show. Blue and hot! This is the Rich Eisen Show. Rivers backs to throw. Live from the Rich Eisen Studios in New York City. Today's guests, WWE superstar Gunther. Steelers defensive tackle Cam Hayward. Emmy award winning actor Hank Azaria. Actor Paul Rudd. And now, it's Rich Eisen.
2:02Rich Eisen:All right, everybody. Welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show live from New York City at the ESPN and Disney Studios. The Rich Eisen Show is on the air once again here from my hometown. Rich Eisen along with Chris Brockman and TJ Jefferson and DJ Mikey Diaz and Dee's Nuts are all here today. We've got four guests, one on a Zoom. Cam Hayward is going to join us. and we're going to ask the Walter Payton man of the year, point blank, did Josh Allen really knee you in the stomach? I know he probably, he might want to talk about Ohio State kneeing Michigan all over the place in the big house.
2:41Rich Eisen:But that'll be later on, obviously, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a bigger fish to fry than either of the two things I just mentioned, as they are now leading the American Football Conference Northern Division going into week 15, a Monday nighter on ESPN to wrap up that week 15. He's going to join us. And then three in-studio guests, TJ Jefferson, you're going to be on the clock first up because Gunther is here, WWE superstar. He's getting set to spoil John Cena's farewell. Is that basically what he's going to do? He's set to put him out to dry is what he's getting ready to do. All right. He will be joining us in studio here.
3:14Rich Eisen:And so will Hank Azaria, one of our longtime friends, one of my longtime buddies, one of the first people I met when I moved to Los Angeles 23 years ago. He's going to be joining us. here in studio and you'll be on the clock with him as well so you can cry in your Edwin Diaz soup together. You Met fans. You love that don't you? I don't love it. I think I did a poor job of picking sports teams when you're looking at it right. Understood. Clippers, Mets, maybe you want to go back in the DeLorean at some point in time and figure that thing out but anyway Hank will be here and then Paul Rudd one of our favorite guests he's going to be here in support of Anaconda.
3:51Rich Eisen:He and Jack Black in that movie later on this month in theaters near you. 844-204-RICH, as always, is the number to dial. Whether you're watching us on Disney +, the ESPN app, or listening to us on ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance, or listening to us on Sirius XM Channel 80, we also obviously have podcast listeners listening whenever you want. It is your right to do so. We appreciate that. You can't call us, but long story short is you can still always listen to us all three hours however you get your podcasts every single day uh as i mentioned 844-204-RICH is the number to dial i get asked frequently and as a matter of fact i did get asked this question um i one of the many things that i've been doing here in new york other than this or hanging with you and getting in a food coma after dinner last night for the group uh at arthur's and sons two two enthusiastic thumbs up if you're ever in town here uh and mike del tufo you uh you will You don't just throw around manhole covers when you're talking about how good a time.
4:51Rich Eisen:I took home the doggie bag. Yes, you did. At any rate. Guilty as charged. The reason why I bring that up is one of the things I did is I recorded an episode of Kelly and Mark. Mark Consuelos, a Rich Eisen show guest. And Kelly Ripa, his wife, they are shooting their show in this complex here. Just like Good Morning America, First Take is next door. This is the Get Upset. But at any rate, Kelly asked me at one point, what I do get asked frequently is, do you on your show talk about reality television? And I said the only thing that popped into my head is I do every day. It's called sports. And there is no greater reality show, as we know, than the National Football League.
5:31Rich Eisen:The ultimate, you can't make this up. Whether it's on the field, Jalen Hurts, turning the ball over twice on the same possession. For instance, a game like Monday nights or the story that hit everybody's feeds just yesterday and shocked everybody on Monday night as well. When it first came out that Philip Rivers is coming out of retirement at age 44. And my first reaction was why? We know why the Colts would knock on his door because Daniel Jones is done for the year. And also Anthony Richardson is on injured reserve. Who knows when he's coming back? Riley Leonard, their rookie quarterback from Notre Dame, thrust into action last week.
6:14Rich Eisen:He may not be ready. One wouldn't be surprised if he's not ready for, say, the Seattle Seahawks, who the Colts are going to visit. And the Seahawks have been tearing everybody limb from limb, essentially, figuratively, although sometimes it looks literally when they're doing that to opposing quarterbacks like Max Brosmer. Last time the Seahawks hosted a game, we saw a quarterback who was not ready, a third string quarterback who was not ready for action. And if Riley Leonard's not ready for action and the Colts are eight and five and they have a division to win and a playoff race to finish and make the playoffs after going eight and two, well, it makes sense.
6:55Rich Eisen:Let's see if Philip Rivers is around. And my first reaction after was the The why was, you know, is he kissing his family goodbye? Because, again, he's 44, and the teams that the Indianapolis Colts have to face the rest of the way, you tell me if there's any wallflowers at Seattle, home for San Francisco, home for Jacksonville, and at Houston. Josh Hines-Allen never thought I'm going to be gunning for Phillip Rivers. Will Anderson Jr., Daniel Hunter, Seattle, Demarcus Lawrence, and Leonard Williams and yada, yada, yada. I mean, you're 44 and you weren't moving around very well when we last saw you at 39.
7:41Rich Eisen:What's going on? So I'm like, all right, he's signed to the practice squad. There's no way he's going to start on Sunday at Seattle where he's probably sitting at home in Alabama watching the Colts. If he was watching, watching Daniel Jones go down, not thinking, oh, Daniel Jones going down. Not only am I going to get a phone call, but I'm going to start next week for the Colts in Seattle wearing Daniel Jones' number. So that's legit. And sure enough, they're giving them 17. 17 is what Phillip Rivers wore back in the day, and this is apparently what Phillip Rivers is going to wear. With Daniel Jones on injured reserve, you are allowed in the rule books to take that player's number and give it to whoever you want.
8:36Rich Eisen:And that's what we call cold reality in a reality sport known as the National Football League. And sure enough, Shane Steichen stepped to the microphone today and had this to say about Philip Rivers' readiness right now. You know, Sunday after the game, you know, when Daniel went down and then we found out about Riley's knee, we're kind of like, like, hey, what are we going to do? And me and Chris were talking. We're like, hey, let's call Phillip, see what he says. Called him Sunday night. We said, hey, what do you think? He said, heck, yeah, I'm interested. Heck, yeah. And so he slept on it. I said, sleep on it.
9:10And then Monday, called him back Monday morning. He said, I need to get up there. I need to get up there and throw, get in that building, start moving around. So he came in here through. He didn't forget how to throw a football. So we did that Monday. and then Tuesday he was in the hotel thinking it over. He called us. Me and Chris were in the office. He said, what do you think? He said, dadgummit, let's freaking go. And so we said, let's do it. And so we're excited for his opportunity. Like I said, he's one of the most passionate players I've ever been around. The obsession for the game is off the charts.
9:45If rally's healthy, will he start? We'll see how the week goes. We'll get to the end of the week and make that decision.
9:51Rich Eisen:get to the end of the week wow make that decision i mean who's better for us to start in seattle a rookie quarterback whose knee isn't a hundred percent in his first career start and it's on the road in seattle who's better that or a 44 year old hall of future hall of fame quarterback who hasn't played since 2020, who says, dadgummit, let's give it a try. Which is the better option? Now, they're going to eyeball him because on the practice squad, he can practice. That's the point of a practice squad. And yeah, this is real. Phillip Rivers might start Sunday in Seattle. Holy cow. It's like riding a bike for him.
10:40Rich Eisen:I can get right back on that. Kind of, but... Uh, that's a heck of a bike, man. I mean, it's trying to kill you. Yeah. It's like one of those clowns. It's like eight feet tall, but they don't do this unless they plan on Philip playing. I can't imagine. Well, let's throw it in this direction that they will have to see it. You can't just assume, oh, he says, dadgummit, I'll try it. And he hasn't forgotten to throw out a football. The fault, the ball is flying out of his hands. That's true. There's a difference between moving around and being ready. and trust in the process if Riley Leonard could go do it.
11:17Rich Eisen:But these games are all precious for everyone involved, including Phillip Rivers, who probably never thought in the last five years this could even be possible. He's sitting at home, and all of a sudden, boom, phone's ringing, and it's his old coordinator from back in the Chargers days, and it's Chris Ballard saying, what do you think? And he turns to his wife and his kids, and what do you think? Suddenly he's on a plane to Indianapolis. The kids all have a vote, you think? Was it like a Sheryl's meeting? Just to bring this all full circle, do you cover reality television? It was a Rivers Tribal Council.
11:56Rich Eisen:Nice. You know, you write it all down on a piece of paper. Did the wife have the torch? I'm just going to say, here you go. Oh, Phillip Rivers has spoken. Godgummit. Let's hear from Philly Ruth. Hit it. Wow. It's been a whirlwind of 48 hours, I'll say. Yes. But each moment that goes by, I feel more and more confident. I really do. I think for me, the decision wasn't easy. And because of all the things that you all can imagine, there's a human nature to have a little doubt. And I think for me, working through that was, well, that's normal. That's normal to have a little doubt. Who wouldn't have doubt after five years?
12:39you know but where's that is that doubt real or not it's like well let's again like i go back to our first answer the only way you find out is to is to go i used to go i'm with it man how are you
12:52Rich Eisen:feeling right now like fired up because he's one of he's one of the all-time faves right you know and it's four men who are over 40 i personally have a certain age how old are you i know over 40 i'm way over 40 i'm right at that moment i just said to myself man i hope this works out Here's how I know he's playing, and he's going to start on Sunday. The Vegas odds, folks. There are no props currently for Riley Leonard. Wow. You can bet on any prop you want for Phillip Rivers. That's it. But what does that mean? Seriously. There's nobody in Vegas that's sitting there in Indianapolis. They know. They know.
13:23Rich Eisen:What a gambler thing to say. They know. Seriously. It's immediately what I thought of. Are there props available on Phillip Rivers? They know. Yes. And you and I, that's not how we – you guys aren't thinking that. They don't know there if he's going to on Thursday tweak this, that, the other thing. Or on Friday there's a step back. Or Riley Leonard takes a step forward and they have to sit there and go, Philip, I know we took you out of Alabama this week. But, you know, we think Riley does give us the best chance to win. I don't know. I mean. That said. That said. That said. Seattle has been winning games by halftime.
14:02Yep.
14:03Rich Eisen:They have been tearing quarterbacks apart defensively. And I think all Phillip Rivers has to do is move around to the point where they feel he can protect himself. And one of the muscles that he will use to protect himself is what's between the temples, which is why he is automatically right now a better chance to start and win for the Colts than Riley Leonard. Because the amount of football that Phillip has played, the amount of football that Phillip has yet to forget, the amount of football that Phillip has now dreamt that he's never thought he could play again and will, and also the sense that he might give to the rest of that locker room, we're winning today, the whole sense that we're all feeling a jolt here of excitement for the Colts and for all of us as football fans, that could permeate the locker room.
15:04Rich Eisen:Those are all reasons why there might not be a prop bet on Riley Leonard right now. Not like there's somebody in Indianapolis who calls, you know, a pal of Mo Green's right now and says, hey, I got something for you. Don't waste your time putting up props online for Brockman to put his money on. Can I interest you in Phillip Rivers' first quarter passing, Eric? Oh, God. But it really is, can he move around? Will he be such an iron deer on the front lawn that Seattle has curated to the point where it looks like Miles Garrett's front lawn on Halloween? You know what I mean? Last thing you want is for him just to get slugged.
15:44Oh, my God.
15:45Rich Eisen:And his family, too. But you could see just like this is a Disney movie. This is just like, okay. It really is. How weird is that we're here for this? I know. It's amazing. So let's just end this segment with this, all right? Because it is all what we're alluding to. Where would it rank for Phillip Rivers to save the season for the Colts, get them to the playoffs, and make it to the Super Bowl? Oh, my God. I mean, where would that rank? Tom going to Tampa and winning sports or just with Kurt Warner's magic carpet ride coming out of nowhere. Yeah. I mean, just Brady going to Tampa and winning again.
16:28Rich Eisen:I don't even think that's not that's not the same. No, this is just sitting at home with your fam or whatever you're doing on a Sunday having no idea. Was he watching the Colts play the Jaguars? I doubt it. No. Hey, you know, Philip, we're down a quarterback three. he's even potentially not ready to go. We need somebody. We can't sign it. And if we're going to sign anyone off the street, we might as well get a future Hall of Famer who knows Shane Steichen and his playbook, and Shane knows him. And you know the organization. You know us. We know you. You know, the only thing we don't know is how interested you are and how physically able you are because we know mentally you're ready.
17:11Rich Eisen:And where would it rank? I don't even know if there's an equivalent. I'm racking my brain. There's nothing like it. It would be like the movie The Rookie if, you know. They won the World Series. If they went and he saved the World Series. Right, exactly. I still think one of the greatest physical feats of all time is George Foreman winning the heavyweight title. There you go. That's not bad. 45 years old. That's not bad. There you go. Taking a decade off. But to me, there's nothing tougher than that. You have two men who are just going at it one-on-one with no protection. But if he were to take them to the Super Bowl, you'd have to slide this into TJ's personal number two.
17:43because I got to be honest with you, man,
17:46Rich Eisen:because the opposing quarterbacks in Seattle have been going one-on-one with no protection also, it seems. This is a rough spot, man. This is a rough spot. Max Rosmer as Michael Moore. Yeah, I was starting to feel bad for that case, man. But I had Seattle's defensive fantasy that game. What a story. What a story. It's amazing. It's pretty cool. And it's playing out in Indianapolis as we speak. I love it. All right, let's take a break. Are you ready for Gunther? I'm a little nervous, man. Why? Because he's the Gunther. He's a big dude. I want to ask him about wrestling. I want to ask him about weight loss.
18:21I want to ask him about that, man. Because if he doesn't like my question, I could get chopped. I want to get chopped.
18:25Rich Eisen:Oh, yeah. You know what I mean? I have a feeling you won't get chopped. Let's hope not. Except, are you in the guillotine league? It's time to go to commercial. All right. Mike Cazaria and Paul Rudd will also be hearing you at 844-204-RICH. Number to dial. Well, WWE's Gunther, the superstar, is coming in before he tries to ruin the ending of John Cena's career. That's next. This is The Rich Eisen Show live from New York. The Rich Eisen Show podcast.
19:00Rich Eisen here, and summer's here too.
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19:37Rich Eisen:So if you're already planning a summer trip of your own, you could list your space on Airbnb and earn a little extra cash while you're away. It doesn't have to be some big year-round commitment. It's about making the most of a busy weekend when your place would just be empty otherwise. I can tell you, people love finding a place that helps them feel connected to the city that they're visiting. If your city's about to have a big summer moment, this is a great time to maximize your space. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host. O 'Reilly Auto Parts can help take the guesswork out of your vehicle's check engine, ABS, or maintenance light with O 'Reilly Veriscan.
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20:59Rich Eisen:We are back and we have WWE superstar Gunther here in studio. We've just been chopping it up. Your goal is to submit John Cena. I want to go a little bit further back. Okay. When did you want to start wrestling? When did that happen for you?
21:15Gunther:When I was a kid, actually. In Austria? Yeah, yeah, yeah. My parents told me. I always told them I want to be a wrestler at some point so I don't have to get up early in the morning. I tell you, that backfired big time.
21:28Rich Eisen:So you thought the way to not having to get up early in the morning was becoming a professional wrestler?
Read the full transcript
21:33Gunther:Yeah, because they work at night.
21:36Rich Eisen:That was my logic.
21:38Gunther:Who was waking you up in the morning?
21:40Rich Eisen:School or what was waking you up in the morning? Oh, yeah, school. Okay, very good. All right, and then how did you pursue that? How does one come from Austria to become WWE superstar?
21:50Gunther:Yeah, it's like in Austria, we had our own like wrestling culture more or less. It was always presented as like more sports, more about the competition. Right. And the model back then was you go to a city and you have a tournament there. So in Vienna, it was every summer, I think every August it was. It was like 30, 40 days in a row there would be wrestling matches every day. And my parents would take me there to watch it. It was like my first time I was in touch with it. And yeah, later on when I stopped playing football, I switched over. when I was 17 and I started training in Vienna and step by step stuck with it, kept wrestling there's a wrestling scene in Europe as well, it's just not as known over here and the business developed I developed myself and then I ended up here
22:34Rich Eisen:Well we'll get to that part in a second but football obviously you're talking about your version of football, right? The real football Oh, the real football! That's alright, we're submitting I'm not arguing with the man I've seen, I've been there I've been overseas and seen what football is and I totally understand it that's the worldwide view of football and appropriately so. But what did you play? I was a goalkeeper. You're damn right you were.
23:01Gunther:I played until I was 15 I think I was.
23:06Rich Eisen:Perfect. I never thought I'd be asking WWE's Gunther this question. Are you guessing on like a penalty kick? You're just flying in a certain direction. How does that work? Do you study your opponent?
23:18Gunther:yeah what do you do no so when you're youth and stuff it's not that it's like you can see where he shoots okay but with the professionals yeah goalkeeper you have to up front pick you got to pick pick a side and where you go because there's not enough time if you wait for him to shoot and
23:34Rich Eisen:see where it goes and then you jump it see you later it's over yeah it's over did you have visions of trying to do that at one point of your life like to become an actual professional keeper oh
23:42Gunther:Well, yeah, I wanted to do that, but that's a, I don't know, I think it's the deciding stage at which age it's like, it decides if you can have a professional career. It's so young. Like I myself didn't have to, like when I was that young, I didn't have the mental capacity to be like, okay, that's what I want to do. That's what I have to do for it. So it just fizzled out.
24:04Rich Eisen:Okay. Well, I mean, you know, and this may be just also giving you a window of my knowledge of football. Yes. You have the hair for it. Oh, yeah. You look like you got the soccer hair thing. These guys have hair ending. Yeah, we do. Yeah, we have hair ending. Very much hair ending. Yeah. This looks like you could be a professional football. Oh, thank you. I like that aesthetic, so. Yeah, you got this working. And how much weight did you lose in your life?
24:30Gunther:Oh, a lot, actually. I dropped, I don't know, I forgot, 50 pounds, maybe 60 pounds. 60 pounds. In one stage. I always liked the, see, that's the other things. Like in Europe where we grew up, our main guy in Austria was Otto Wanz. Former AWA champion. Yes. He paid actually to have that title. He was a smart mark. He wasn't the only one who did that. But he was like a very big guy. Yeah, he was a big dude. And all the heavyweights back then and then like Japanese wrestling and stuff, all those heavyweights were just big dudes that looked like the next door's butcher or somebody. Believable tough guy.
25:06Gunther:So I always felt like I'm a heavyweight wrestler. I never minded my look. I was always athletically, I always felt good. I always had good stamina and stuff like that. But at some point before I came to the main roster, I was like, okay, it's time to adapt a little bit. Adapt? I mean, 60 pounds is 60 pounds more than adapting. Bring the best version of myself to national television. And yeah, I gained a little bit again since then. And I think I found my sweet spot now. Okay. When you did that, because you were bigger and using power moves and very intimidating, When you lost the weight, did that change your philosophy on wrestling at all?
25:40Did you decide to maybe change up a little bit of the repertoire because you didn't have that exercise?
25:46Gunther:Yeah, a little bit. So first of all, the upsides were I felt way lighter and I moved even better and stuff. But then, yes, certain things you do that you did with much more weight on. And I did it when I was lighter. I was like, ooh, something's missing here. Maybe I can't do that anymore. But yeah, that's live and learn. Okay. All right. Yeah, and your style is just, you know, in the days wrestling where a lot of people are doing flips and a bunch of acrobatic stuff, you just, you stay simple, you stay grounded, and you just beat the crap out of everybody. And Rich, I know you're going to love this because you like it when I mention him.
26:21I'm friends with this actor, Ashton Kutcher, if you know him. And he randomly, about three weeks ago, out of nowhere, just sends me this text. We weren't even talking about this. He just goes, the thing I like about Gunther is that it's so underplayed and simple. no effort to be cool just violent power and so he's someone who like is getting more into wrestling because i'm doing this podcast but like you stood out to him and i i feel like man you are the type of guy that i feel guys hate getting in the ring with man i hope so i would say but uh no it's like
26:57Gunther:um i don't know to me it has always been i think if when there's like a certain level of physical physical intensity the drama just automatically develops with it and i always felt uh yeah that's
27:11Rich Eisen:a very fitting style for me yeah when did you find out you were going to be the one facing cena in
27:15Gunther:his last night uh yeah well officially when he won the tournament i won the tournament i won the tournament and yeah since then officially um well how did it hit you when you when that it finally dawned on you that you were going to be that guy oh yeah it's a great opportunity always obviously and it's going to be an evening. I think, as I said, John Cena is the greatest sports entertainer of all time. Not just the eyes of the wrestling world will be on it, but I think the eyes of the world in general. And I'm in the unique position to be able to really destroy that party that day. Really, like break a few hearts.
27:51Gunther:A few? That's the most that I can take out of that scenario. If I'm able to make John Cena give up, everybody else will be heartbroken,
27:59Rich Eisen:but I'll be cheering. Walk me through exactly how you see that moment happening on Saturday night, if you could choose it.
28:06Gunther:Exactly. Yeah. Well, I'm not a – I don't have that much fantasy. I'm just going to see myself wrap my arms around his neck and pull really hard, and then I'm just going to look down. I'm going to see his hand. One, two, three. I'm going to give up. You know, you're in this unique opportunity. You retired Goldberg. Yes. Saturday night's main event in July, and now you get the chance to retire Sina. Is there some kind of, I don't know, weird thing you get about making the fans sad and then putting these legends out the pastures? What does that do for you? Yeah, like I said, I'm there to write people up.
28:52Gunther:That's my role. That's my job. And wherever there's a chance, I take advantage of that. And I think similar to them with the Goldberg situation, it's something where when you have a legend that has been in the business for such a long time, so many people have memories with them. They want them to go out with a big fanfare, basically. It doesn't always work out like that. I'm going to make sure it doesn't. Sometimes the bad guy wins. Yes, it's just what it is.
29:18Rich Eisen:Speaking as a Michigan Wolverine fan, when we retired, Nick Saban. Wow. You know, it was definitely, well, we didn't know at the time we were retiring Nick Saban. We found out later on that we retired Nick Saban. But, you know, ask Carolina fan how they enjoyed retiring Coach K. Right. I mean, I think he brought that up because, you know, I like Duke. I'm just spitting facts, TJ. You may not like the facts, but what do you want out of your career after this? I know you see you striking me as a guy who's like, I'm not fantasizing about this, that, the other thing. But you're a kid from Austria who wanted to chase a dream.
29:56Rich Eisen:You're now living it. Yes, building a legendary career. You got Ashton Kutcher texting out of the blue to his friend about you. Although Ashton doesn't know what he's talking about. But what's on your mind for that sort of thing? What would this one mean for your career?
30:14Gunther:Yeah, I mean, you kind of like gave the answer. I don't really have like a checklist or something like that. I kind of like see what I get and then make the best out of that. And I think if I manage what I just talked about here, the last moments, yeah, then I will have solidified myself even more. And then I think there will be many possibilities after that. But on that, we focus after Saturday. Well, I mean, we make dreams come true around here. I mean, we try. You ever meet Schwarzenegger? I never met Arnold Schwarzenegger, no. Really? I saw him once, actually. I was in Venice at Gold's Gym, and he was there too, but I didn't speak to him.
30:47Gunther:You didn't? No, I didn't speak to him. Why not? I don't want to bother people. I'm sorry. The guy just comes for a workout. Let him have his workout.
30:55Rich Eisen:All you got to do is open your mouth. He knows you're one of him. Oh, that's very true. He might feel more American now. Who knows? I think he could still recognize someone from the old country.
31:06Gunther:Oh, yeah, he will. That's what I'm saying. I'm pretty sure. Maybe I bump into him at some point. You should. He came on our show last year, and we have these seats that we use for every guest. And he came out, and he looked at them. He's like, that's a baby chair. And so he moved it, and he took Chris's rolling, and he just rolled it and stuck it in front. And guess what? Guess what? We let him.
31:26Rich Eisen:Of course. We let him do it. Yeah, of course. Because he's Arnold. All right. Well, listen, thanks for coming on here, brother. Oh, thanks for having me. Yeah, you got it. No contest wrestling. He and O'Shea Jackson Jr. do that show. So maybe you retire Cena and then pop on their pod. We can talk all about it. We would love to have it. Let me get the work done first. That's right. I got a feeling. Yes. I got a feeling that you're going to be showered with booze on Saturday, and I apologize in advance for the people who are going to be mad at you.
31:58Gunther:They're not that important.
32:01Rich Eisen:Ladies and gentlemen, WWE superstar Gunther here on the Rich Eisen Show. So, again, Saturday at 8 Eastern, 5 Pacific on Peacock, Saturday night's main event streaming, and Gunther trying to send John Cena out into the world of his retirement, tapping three times. No piece made. That's exactly right. Great to see you here, sir. Thank you. That was awesome. Gunther right here. That's a very large handshake. I can confirm that. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show, 844-204-RICH, number to dial live from New York City. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
32:44Rich Eisen:While the world watches the stars of the FIFA World Cup, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent. Future stars who are already turning heads at age 14. Because next doesn't wait for an invitation, and neither do we. Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle and engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability. And we're still doing it every day because the future isn't some far off concept. It's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. Rich Eisen here with some advice. If high interest credit card debt is grinding you down, it might be time to call an audible with a SoFi personal loan.
33:23Rich Eisen:It consolidates your debt into one low monthly payment with no fees required. And with as soon as the same day funding, you can make the right play fast. Call an audible on your debt today at SoFi.com slash debt play. Loans originated by SoFi Bank N.A. Member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891. Fast funds terms apply at SoFi.com slash debt play. ESPN Radio is presented by Progressive Insurance. Insurance for motorcycles, boats, and RVs. For protection on the road and on the water, See how much you can save at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE and progressive.com. So off Gunther goes to D.C. And Kenya in D.C.
34:07Rich Eisen:leads us off with our phone calls at 844-204-RICH. Number to dial. What's up, sir?
34:13Gunther:Hey, Rich. How you doing?
34:16Rich Eisen:Well, I did pronounce your name right, right? You there? Yes, you did. Yeah, you pronounced it right. Welcome back to the East Coast. I know it's cold. Oh, TJ's freezing.
34:28Rich Eisen:You know, the blood's thinned out a little bit. You don't want to walk anywhere. But it's all good. It's all good. What's on your mind? Well, first off, I want to thank you for all the work that y 'all have done with the Jimmy B Foundation. I lost my uncle in 2019 to pancreatic cancer, and he was also a Cowboy fan. I have donated to the foundation, and I grew up on you, Stuart, and Van Pelt in the 90s. And since I no longer have my uncle as a Cowboy fan to refute, I appoint TJ as my Cowboy nemesis. Hey. I'll accept that, Kenji. I got a few Washington football team nemesises. I'm an Eagle fan, man, so I don't know about Washington too much.
35:09Oh. Okay, so we'll definitely get into it. I do not appreciate TJ's disrespect of the Positivity Rabbit. Yesterday's broadcast, he couldn't keep my Eagles out of his mouth. Kill the web. Kill the web. Big deal. But this is us Eagles Nation leaving the door open for y 'all cowgirls. And if y 'all are man enough, walk through the door and come get this division.
35:35Rich Eisen:Well, that is quite the gauntlet thrown. I love the energy. The energy has been great. Thank you for the call to help kick off this conversation involving the Super Bowl teams from last year. Chris, you asked me last week, when was the last time neither Super Bowl participants made it to the playoffs the following year? Yes. Yeah. When was the last time both teams from a Super Bowl missed the playoffs the year after they played each other in the Super Bowl? I'm going to say it was in the 70s. Incorrect, sir. It's Super Bowl 60 this year, correct? Correct. Last time there was a Super Bowl played in Santa Clara was Super Bowl 50.
36:23Rich Eisen:My hat. Between the Broncos and Panthers, who missed the playoffs the next year. Oh, okay. Interesting. Prior to that, there was a span of five years from 1999 to 2003 that had happened three times. Wow. The Bucks and Raiders missed the year after they played in 03. The Patriots and Rams missed the year after they played in 01. Wow. And the Broncos and Falcons both missed it the year after they played the Super Bowl in 99. So it's happened. And the question is, will it happen again this year? And we'll start with the Eagles, Kenya's team. Eagles. I keep telling everybody to relax in Philadelphia.
37:07Rich Eisen:This just in. They're not listening. No. They are not listening. the comments on all videos that were created off of my show open here in New York City, reiterating to Eagles fans, hey, it doesn't look good. But all you got to do is get that ticket to the playoffs. And they all in 2023, going from 10-1 to a road trip to Tampa and getting one and done didn't prove that all you need is a ticket punch to the playoffs to go ahead and win it all and you're all afraid that it's going to happen again and my response is you this year if you make the playoffs will have a home game you're going to win your division the only way the eagles do not win the division is if the cowboys are two games better than them the rest of the way meaning all philadelphia needs to do is win one game against the raiders this week and one of the two games against the Washington Commanders in the last three weeks and hope that the Dallas Cowboys do not win out.
38:22Rich Eisen:That's it. The Cowboys have got to win out and have Philadelphia lose twice. There is a game at Buffalo that is dicey, but I will just use my crystal ball that's not here in front of me and say that's going to be a game where we'll all wonder if the Eagles having won the previous two against the Raiders and Commanders do really have what it takes as a measuring stick game. That's the way we're going to take a look at that game. Yes. I may be wrong. Because Philadelphia fans aren't listening to me. Nope. And I think that includes the radio hosts and WIP. Is that what it is? WIP?
39:04Rich Eisen:Asking the head coach if he's considering benching Jalen Hurts. Oh. Is there a possibility later this season, if he continues to struggle, that you can make a change at the quarterback spot? No, I think that's ridiculous. You win together as a team, you lose together as a team. It's never just one thing. I kind of said that last week or the week before with Kevin, the same deal. I know every time I walk on that field and Jalen Hurts is a starting quarterback, I have so much confidence that we can win every game. in any game that we play and that we're in. All right, so they're not listening to me.
39:46Rich Eisen:There's no way. Benching hurts, really? What are they doing? I would need more positivity than just an inflatable rabbit to say Tanner McKee is going to save the season after you bench your Super Bowl MVP quarterback. I'm trying to rationalize this, and sometimes I do this when I know the answer, but I know that people are asking it. I'm sure somebody has said that to him, and he's just maybe letting the fan base know that he hears them? I don't know. I can't think of any reason. I don't know. It is just part and parcel of everybody trying to search for an answer here, and it's a quarterback-driven league.
40:22Rich Eisen:But the number of throws that Hurts did make on Monday night that could have led to points had they been caught,
40:35Rich Eisen:I mentioned two of them to A.J. Brown alone. These guys are writing overreactions for me. I understand. Let me just jot that down real quick. Again, just to reiterate, all you got to do is win twice unless you think the Cowboys are winning out against Minnesota at home, the Chargers at home, at Washington, at the Giants. I mean, that's not... That's a winnable streak. Yeah, they can do it. Yeah. Jane Daniels just got ruled out this week. So it's Marcus Mariota. He's back under center for Washington. Commanders. I'm going to stop now. I'm going to be rich. So maybe win three. You sweep Mariota and you take care of the Raiders.
41:28Rich Eisen:And it doesn't matter what you do against the Bills. But Dallas didn't play mistake-free football in Detroit. Look what happened. Now, you've got to play mistake-free football against Harbaugh. Oh, yeah. So, we'll see. I understand why people are nervous in Philadelphia. I'm just telling you to relax. Meanwhile, Kansas City Chiefs. I gave you scenarios for playoff clinching scenarios for Week 15, and the Chiefs are, as you know, not among them. Normally, they are. Last year, they already clinched the division by this point. Yeah. And we were just talking about what about the one seed? There are playoff elimination scenarios for three AFC teams this week.
42:10Rich Eisen:Cincinnati's eliminated from a playoff loss if they just lose to a playoff contention with a loss to Baltimore, period. The Dolphins have an elimination scenario. They'll know when they take the field in Pittsburgh on Monday night. If Buffalo beats New England and Houston beats Arizona, they lose their out. Wow. The Kansas City Chiefs, sir, there's a playoff eliminating scenario for them. Wow. If they lose to the Chargers, Buffalo beats New England, Jacksonville beats the Jets, and Houston beats Arizona, they're out. They're eliminated. That is very possible. They are done playing meaningful football for the final three weeks of the season.
42:51Rich Eisen:How about that? That would be crazy. But let's be a bit more of a positivity rabbit situation. And let's go rabbit hunting. Because there is a scenario in which the Chiefs make the playoffs. Wabbit, Rich. And I am going to lay it out for you all in advance of Paul Rudd joining us in our number three. And here it is. The Kansas City Chiefs. All they got to do is win out. Okay. Have the Chargers lose two of their last three because part of the winning out would be beating the Chargers this week. Two of their last three. And one of those losses the Chargers have to have is losing at Denver in Week 18.
43:31Rich Eisen:The other two games are at Dallas and home for Houston. That's possible. They got to have the Colts and Phillip Rivers or Riley Leonard lose twice. Oh. And then have neither the Ravens nor the Dolphins win out. Okay. And if that happens, your seven seed, potentially visiting either Denver or New England in wild card weekend. We can't have that. Would be the Kansas City Chiefs. Woo! Let me tell you what you don't want. That? That. Now. Yeah, don't want that. Is this a what's more likely Wednesday right now? What's more likely? The Chiefs get eliminated this week, this elimination scenario, or this happens.
44:18Rich Eisen:They get eliminated this week. Why? Because you think the Chargers don't lose three of their last four? Because you can't sit here and say the Ravens and the Dolphins are winning out, right? Ravens and the Dolphins are not winning out, right? Right? No. Let's take it one piece at a time. I don't think so. Are the Colts winning three of their last four with Phillip Rivers? Probably not. Okay. But I don't. Hold on a second. You don't think the Chiefs are winning out. Right. That's the thing. Well, the Kansas City Chiefs have the rest of the way. The Chargers at home. Okay. Then they are at Tennessee.
44:53Rich Eisen:Then they have Denver at home. And they're at Vegas. Which one of them gets them in Arrowhead? On Sunday. Because they're not losing on the road. On Sunday. You think the Chargers go in, sweep the Chiefs, potentially end their season? Yeah, the Chargers are a better team than Kansas City. But a better team doesn't always win. I'm just saying this is more than a dumb and dumber. You're saying I've got a chance here. Going to narrow it. Now, the problem is, again, they've lost four of their last five and have not looked like a team that can rip off four in a row because they can't string together two, three clean drives.
45:28Rich Eisen:That's the problem. Two, three clean quarters right now. And every single mistake is getting magnified, whether it's a Mahomes pick or a misconnection or dropped pass. Now, if Trey Lance has to play, then that's a different story. You know, if Justin Herbert can't go or gets knocked out. The Chargers, I think, have the most – the Chargers and the Bears have the most difficult Final Four games. Very difficult. Oh, yeah. Of anybody that I'm sitting here and seeing. I mean, the Bears' Final Four games are home for Cleveland, okay, but still at Green Bay, a home for Green Bay at San Francisco and Detroit.
46:08But the Chargers are four gauntlet runs here,
46:12Rich Eisen:man. As I mentioned, the Chargers have a visit to Kansas city, a visit to Dallas home for Houston and a visit to Denver. And if they lose three of their last four and one of them is to Denver and the Colts lose twice, and neither the Ravens nor the Dolphins went out. The Chiefs went out and they're in the playoffs. That's the 16 % from the old next-gen stat generator. So what's going to happen for the Kansas City Chiefs whose record is, in fact, this. It is going to be good. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's going to be good, as I would say. That's the setup, guys. This is what's so cool about the NFL this year there's not that team that we know is going to win.
47:03Rich Eisen:Unless it's the Rams most Sundays right now. Yeah, that's true, too. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. You can't reason with the sun. Trust us, we've tried. This summer, it's time to put that angry ball of fire on mute. Columbia's OmniShade technology is engineered to protect you from the sun's harsh rays that can burn and damage your skin. The sun is relentless, but so is our gear. Level up your summer at Columbia.com to spend more time outside and less time slathering on aloe lotion. You're welcome. Columbia. Engineered for whatever.
From the publisher
Rich weighs in on the Indianapolis Colts’ possibly starting Philip Rivers in Week 15 even though the 44-year-old QB hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2020 season.
WWE Superstar Gunther joins Rich in-studio to discuss his plans to send John Cena into retirement this Saturday, reveals the hilarious he decided to pursue a career in professional wrestling, and more.
Rich reacts to Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni being asked about possibly benching QB Jalen Hurts, and breaks down the 6-7 Kansas City Chiefs’ slim playoff hopes entering the stretch run of the NFL season.
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