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Podcast Notes: What's Your Story? with Steph McMahon - Episode: Raw Recap - Gunther predicts PAIN for John Cena's Last Match
Episode Overview Podcast Title: What's Your Story? with Steph McMahon Episode Title: Raw Recap - Gunther predicts PAIN for John Cena's Last Match Release Date: December 8, 2025 Description: This episode features a recap of WWE Monday Night Raw, focusing on John Cena's impending final match against Gunther, the return of The Usos, and significant matches within the women's division.
Key Topics Discussed
- Gunther vs. John Cena
- Gunther's Challenge:
- Gunther declares he will end John Cena’s career by making him submit at the upcoming Saturday Night's Main Event.
- Gunther’s confidence leads to a countdown displayed on-screen, emphasizing the finality of Cena's match.
- Audience Reactions:
- There are mixed feelings among fans about Gunther being Cena's last opponent due to Gunther’s reputation for decisively winning matches.
- The conversation reflects the emotional weight tied to Cena's impending retirement and the possibility of him facing defeat.
- Comparison to WWE Legends:
- Discussion on Cena’s career highlights his status as a legendary performer who has experienced significant losses, contrasting with other legends' winning legacies.
- The Women's Tag Division
- Rivalries and Matches:
- IYO SKY competes against former friend Kairi Sane, highlighting the intensity in the women's tag division.
- The Usos have returned to the men's tag division, creating excitement for upcoming matches.
- The Vision and the Masked Man
- Masked Man Appearances:
- There were two sightings of a masked man during Raw, adding intrigue and speculation regarding his identity.
- The masked man is involved in significant storyline developments, including attacks on notable wrestlers like Rey Mysterio and LA Knight.
- Potential Identities:
- Speculation includes whether the masked man could be associated with established stars like Seth Rollins or KSI, raising questions about loyalties and alliances.
- Braun Breaker and CM Punk
- Braun Breaker's Ambitions:
- Breaker expresses a desire to confront CM Punk, showcasing his confidence and ambition to dethrone Punk as NXT Champion.
- Character Dynamics:
- The tension between Punk and Breaker is highlighted, demonstrating contrasting wrestling narratives.
- John Cena's Legacy
- Emotional Farewell:
- The episode explores the emotional depth surrounding Cena's final match, suggesting it will be a momentous occasion in WWE history.
- Big E and hosts discuss the implications of Cena's retirement and how it may affect the wrestling landscape moving forward.
Advertisements and Promotions
- Fanatics Fest:
- Mention of upcoming Fanatics Fest in New York City, promoting exclusive merchandise and opportunities to meet WWE superstars.
- Aura Frames:
- Promotion for Aura Frames, highlighting them as a perfect gift for sharing memories of significant events.
Upcoming Events
- Saturday Night's Main Event:
- Scheduled for December 9, 2025, featuring John Cena’s final match and a card loaded with significant matches, including:
- AJ Styles and Dragon Lee vs. Javon Evans and Leon Slater
- Bayley vs. Sol Ruka
- Obafemi defending the NXT Championship against Cody Rhodes
Conclusion
- The episode wraps up with anticipation for the emotional stakes of Cena's last match and the broader implications for WWE's future, emphasizing the blend of storytelling and athleticism that captivates wrestling fans.
Key Takeaways
- Gunther's challenge represents a pivotal moment in Cena's storied career.
- The evolving narratives in the women's division and the introduction of new rivalries enrich WWE’s storytelling.
- The identity and motives of the masked man add layers of intrigue to the ongoing story arcs.
- Cena's final match will serve as a significant milestone in WWE history, impacting both current storylines and future narratives.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:02Gunther tells us to our faces that he is going to crush our dreams. The women's tag division has never been hotter. The Usos are back in the men's tag division. That masked man shows up twice. And what condition is L.A. night in after getting Tsunami out of car? This is the Raw recap of WWE and Fanatic's original production.
0:29I mean, mysteries abound. Potential injuries abound. destruction abound but I guess it's just another Monday night in the WWE Megan Moran there is so much to talk about with the vision I was seeing double vision two two instances of masked man sightings tonight on Monday Night Raw LA night tsunami and not quite through but at least indented into the roof of a car. We'll get to all of it. But first, I got to ask you, let's go back to the beginning of the night. Let's go back to the beginning of Monday Night Raw. Gunther is officially, as of Friday Night SmackDown, the man who will face John Cena in John Cena's final match.
1:23He's somebody that a lot of fans don't want to see wrestle John Cena. The internet was going wild this weekend. And I think, in my opinion, one of the reasons, if you really do some soul searching, if you really get into your feelings, if you really ask yourself the hard questions why, I think that there is a finality to Gunther. I think that most of Gunther's matches end without, I mean, they end with a bow on them, for lack of a better term. There's no question as to who the winners of these matches were There's a finality I think that finality is the last word that we're ready to deal with When it comes to John Cena And the fact that as of Saturday night It will really be over How do you feel about Gunther being the guy?
2:18How do you feel about that timer that he put on the screen? Reminiscent, by the way there was a time when we all booed John Cena and he's the one that was putting numbers on the Titan Tron that were counting down the number of appearances that John Cena had in the WWE but he stopped counting down when he realized that maybe ruining wrestling was not something that he wanted to pursue however Gunther now comes in and he puts on an even more depressing counter, a literal, literal days, hours, minutes, and seconds until John Cena's final match. So as I was asking you, how do you feel about Gunther as the opponent?
3:05And how do you feel about what he said tonight? I don't feel thrilled about it because I want to celebrate John Cena at Saturday night's main event. And I want to celebrate John Cena's career. And I want to have John Cena hoisted out of the building while we all chant his name. But he's facing Gunter. And there is a reality that we always talk about that comes with Gunter. Yes. Yes. However, there have been times when John Cena has been faced with that reality. And look, the magic of John Cena is when you look back and you look at the other people that take that goat moniker and the other people that are in that conversation.
3:51Like Becky Lynch? I don't know. I think she's the only one saying that. A lot of people are saying it. Who? The Bleacher Report. Really? Sports Illustrated. Okay, I hadn't read the article. ESPN. I suppose, but she's still on boycott. So no, I'm not. Well, I will continue to wear Becky Lynch t-shirts. Well, just please wash one of them. I will. Okay, good. Now, no, I'm talking about the goats that you talk about over time, the heroes in the world of professional wrestling, not the people who are up all night listening to wrestling radio shows and tweeting about them in all caps. I'm talking about the legends.
4:32And what you end up thinking about is this idea that they win a lot. These goats win a lot. When you look at Hulk Hogan, he won a lot. Most of your memories of Hulk Hogan are conquering the foe, whether it's Andre the Giant or the Canadian earthquake. Hulk Hogan is conquering. When you go and you look at even a Shawn Michaels, you think about the boyhood dream coming true. You think about all the matches that these people won. You think about The Undertaker and The Streak. the streak you think about Roman Reigns and what put him in that goat category holding the title for three and a half years and how you hold a title for three and a half years you win win win win the thing about John Cena is yeah he's unique in the sense that somebody who has that goat status that legendary status he's lost a lot and I think he's lost more matches than people even mention he lost his first match to the rock he's lost matches to Brock Lesnar and I mean just multiple times not just at Wrestle Palooza but earlier in his career you know in in absolute destructive fashion but at the same time sometimes he wins those matches too and what is the story of John Cena that we get at Saturday night's main event is this the the John Cena story that we've seen before where he just can't quite conquer the foe?
6:08Or is this the other John Cena that we've seen before where somehow he gets the big show up on his shoulders and can still drop him with that AA to say that just because Gunther says it's over, as a famous boxer once said, nothing's over. Okay. That's John Cena. What Rocky Balboa do we see walking in to Washington, D.C. on Saturday night? John Cena might beat Gunther. He could. So let's not sit there and say John Cena can't win. There's no title on the line. There's no ramifications. There's no reason to say. And would there be any more reason to hoist that man up on shoulders than realizing that not only did he win, we get triumph at the end of John Cena, but he beat Gunther, the person that we were all so worried was going to win this thing that we walked in with a boo-boo face.
7:07It's true. Everything you're pointing out is so true, but when Gunther says that he's going to make John Cena do something he's never done before and that's give up. Wow. Yeah. And then when John Cena says, I mean, not when Gunther says about John Cena that it doesn't matter that he's the greatest of all time because Gunther is the best professional wrestler of all time. And he knew where he was going. He said John Cena is the best sports entertainer of all time. But like you just said, Gunther is the best professional wrestler of all time. It's so amazing because this is such a massive weekend in the history of the business.
7:51This is not just one match. This is magnified times a thousand. This is Cena's final match in WWE. We spent the entire year on this retirement tour with John Cena, but to Gunter, when he steps in the ring in Kansas City and he talks on the mic, he's approaching this. Okay, bring it on. You know what it is for Gunter? Saturday. Yes, it's Saturday. It's another day. Yeah. That's it. Although he is using those psychological tricks. He is putting him down. Boy, was that crowd. They were booing Gunther, and they were chanting, we want Cena. No, Cena sucks. Not one, Cena sucks. He said, well, you're not going to get him.
8:38He's not here, and I'm going to end him at Saturday night's main event. And you're right. He did say that he wants to make Cena give up, and everybody wants to think of different ways it could happen. Well, maybe he could pin him. No, he wants to make Cena give up. Well, maybe Cena's going to pass out. Well, no, he wants to make Cena give up. Yeah. And we haven't seen Cena tap out in like 20 years. I know. So the idea, but do you think that maybe he's Gunther pinning himself into a corner a little bit? Meaning that like usually, and this is interesting, usually Gunther, the story that he's telling in that ring is, however I can get the victory, I'm going to get the victory.
9:19He's got like, whether it's a sleeper hold, whether it's a power bomb, whether it's what, you know, he's got multiple finishers. And it's whatever works in this moment to get the job done. This time he's not going in to simply get the job done and the job is the W. This time the job is he wants to make John Cena give up, which feels a little bit more emotional than Gunther usually feels. Extremely. Yeah. It feels extremely emotional. it's it's not about just winning it's about how Gunter is going to end John Cena because I told you he's the most no fun wrestler of all time he wants to ruin it he wants to ruin the thing I what have I told you we can't have nice things why can't we have nice things because Gunter is the reality and because we're wrestling fans and we don't get nice things that's all we want look I mean, there are so many of us.
10:16And I don't know, man. Maybe we spent too much time booing John Cena. And now karma has come back to bite us and karma is in the form of Gunther. Gunther likes that we don't get nice things. When the entire crowd is booing him, he gets that little smirk on his face. Yeah, he wants to be the one to deliver the not nice things. Yeah, he takes great pleasure in it. But listen, I think there have been a lot of surprises, a lot of twists and turns on this John Cena retirement tour. And I think that there is a world where John Cena walks out a victor in his final match on Saturday night's main event.
10:55I don't think that that's out of the realm of possibility whatsoever. I can't imagine what that feeling is going to be like, though, because it's going to be this mixture of usually in a match like this. where we're all kind of gathered to see this moment, this last match in John Cena's career, the last time he puts on a pair of jorts, we know, okay, like this is going to be an emotional moment, but we know what the moment is. To couple that emotional moment with, also, I don't know how this match is going to go. And I don't know if I'm going to like how this match is going to go. is a really, it's a complicated feeling.
11:38I think everybody right now is sort of preparing themselves for the worst. Because you have to. Which is why I say to you, when you say, how do you feel about Gunter and John Cena? I say, I don't feel good because I'm preparing myself for that feeling of Gunter making John Cena quit. And I don't know if that's a protection mechanism or what it is. Maybe it's something I need to talk to my therapist about you talk to me but um i think that's what a lot of people are doing right now when they look at this match of gunter against john cena because there is they're protecting their feelings and because there's a large likelihood that that's exactly what you end up getting well think about it john cena's final match is going to be emotional no matter how you splice it up and there's going to be this moment on saturday night or sunday morning when you reflect back and go wow it's actually over and it's been interesting like as you've watched this tournament unfold there's been so many little stories sprinkled in throughout the tournament right whether it's it's jay uso first like ascending and then crashing out whether it's la night having to deal with two mystery opponents whether it's solo sekoa looking more dominant than he's looked in in quite a while all these little things happening but javon evans getting an opportunity in the tournament absolutely right rider coming back nick nemeth golf ziggler coming back golf ziggler yes right yeah no i mean that's what made it so exciting but yeah while all this is going on in the background here's just gunther doing his thing like none of this affects me i don't care about any of this i'm just going in and by the way all of his matches have been competitive all of his matches he's been putting is all in but it's like this whole other world doesn't exist outside he's gunther's the only guy who he gets in the ring and it's like it's like a noise vacuum like everything that has existed outside of that squared circle no longer exists because now we're in gunther's world where it's just like we're here and we're now and i think on saturday when you get in that ring with john cena and gunther that's exactly what's going to happen there's going to be a noise vacuum The rest of the year won't matter.
13:52The tournament won't matter. Everything that came before, none of it. We're not going to be thinking about Cody and John at SummerSlam. We're not going to be thinking about CM Punk and John Cena. We're not going to be thinking about the Dominic Mysterio story that we just saw. We're not going to be thinking about the AJ Styles match. None of it. It's just going to be that moment, and it's going to live in the present on its own until the moment is completed, whatever that looks like. It's going to be a wild, wild scene. And by the way, you can celebrate it. You can be a part of it. The last time is now.
14:32John Cena's final match is happening this weekend at Saturday night's main event. And WWE Shop has you covered. Yes, you can get it all. Grab the full lineup of John Cena final match gear, including tees, hoodies, headwear, accessories, and more. You can get it all at WWE Shop and Fanatics. They got the socks. They got John Cena's final match koozies. They got everything you could possibly want. I can't wait to see it. Now, you got to get a shirt. Have to. You got to get a shirt, right? And you got to make sure you get it for everybody on your wish list because it's the holiday season. Stocking stuffer.
15:11But listen, there's probably a lot of people on that wish list that already have all the John Cena stuff. So what do you do? Wow, you become the goat of the holiday season. That's what you do. And how do you do that? With aura frames. Yes, you gotta get an aura frame under the tree. This Christmas is how you spread a holiday cheer. We can't possibly see everybody. I'm sure you don't see every single relative that you'd like to see. So here's what you do. You get an aura frame, right? And before you even give it to whoever you're giving it to, you can load it up with as many pictures and videos as you want to load it up with, without ever taking it out of the box.
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16:28Your buddy didn't get to go. You load up the aura frame with the John Cena pictures. You put in the personalized message, hey, dude, sorry you weren't there, but now we can share this memory. And boom, it's all right there in the Aura frame, and you become the king. Unlimited free photos and videos because, you know, you can't wrap togetherness, but you can frame it. Oh. Yes, and that's what we do with Aura. For a limited time, you can save on the perfect gift by visiting auraframes.com to get$35 off Aura's best-selling Carver Mat frames, named number one by Wirecutter, by using promo code RAWRECAP at checkout.
17:07That's A-U-R-A frames dot com promo code raw recap. This deal is exclusive to listeners and frames sell out fast. So order yours now to get it in time for the holidays. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout terms and conditions apply. And I've got to tell you. We saw the mass man this. We didn't see the mass man. We talked about this last week on Monday, right? A lot of speculation did not see him last Monday. this Monday we saw him twice I know it was like Adam Pearce was searching all over for the masked man last Monday everybody was like I haven't seen him Eddie was the referee he was like I haven't seen him apparently Pearce was like I'm going to look one week and one week only I mean he had a lot there were lawyers coming after him and everything so his plate was very full I saw on a vlog that a lot of that was very unsuccessful unfortunately no I saw that the lawyers are making a lot of progress Well, it seemed like every time Becky took a call, it was like, okay, that didn't work either.
18:09Well, they were trying the easy way, so now they're going to have to do it the hard way, and it's not going to be pretty for Pierce. And the rest of the corrupt individuals in WWE, which I think you may be a part of. Yeah, and I'm actually furious because if you think I don't know who came up with the name Scam Roberts that has unfortunately caught on like wildfire, you're dead wrong. I know who did it, and I'm furious about it. and I'll just leave it at that. You're welcome. You're so welcome. That's not what I was getting. I said, I'm furious. Listen, I'm going to come in here with a mask on and stomp you.
18:44That's going to be my plan. That's what I'm going to do because of what you did. No, Becky Lynch was not on Monday Night Raw. You think her husband was? It could. He could have been. But let me ask you this. Would he wear a mask if he was that hot of a husband? Probably not, right? I don't think it's Seth. You can't completely rule it out, but I do not think it is Seth. Look at that stomp, though. Look at that stomp. Now, look, I love the fact that we've all become sort of body language experts trying to figure out all the movements of whoever this is under that mask again. I saw some pictures on the internet zooming in on the eyes trying to match the eyes.
19:27I was like, whoa. And this masked man is doing the Batman trick where he's putting black paint. Around his eyes. So there is like nothing to be revealed. He is trying to keep his identity. Absolutely secret. But he comes out. And after. Braun Breaker and Bronson Reed. Get thrown away from ringside. Here comes that masked man. To interfere in this match. While the referee. Is getting the Braun bronze out of here. Now look. When it first happened. In the beginning of the night. It happened when. Logan Paul jumps Rey Mysterio. So Rey Mysterio and I mean, there's so much drama going on. Rey Mysterio and Logan Paul got into it last week on Raw.
20:11And Rey Mysterio slapped Logan Paul. And Logan Paul told me he was broke. This was also when Rey Mysterio referred to his son as his bastard son, Dominic. Same moment, which again, a lot of questions about that. Maybe one day we get Rey on the Raw recap. He got to break down exactly where that comes from. I've seen the way Rey dresses I do not believe that he's broke No I mean It's crazy I mean if If that's broke I'd be totally fine Being Rey Mysterio broke Yeah yeah yeah If Rey's broke I think I'm destitute But like Like this is So I don't think that that's accurate But still Tensions were there So Logan Paul Jumps Rey Mysterio Before his match Against Finn Balor And Finn Balor's like Cool dude No problem here And However Rey ends up getting the best of Logan Paul until this masked man shows up, puts down Rey Mysterio, disappears.
21:06So what are we thinking? Is this masked man? Because last week, Paul Heyman is going, I have no idea who the masked man is. Yes, and before Logan Paul jumped Rey Mysterio, we saw a backstage interaction with Bron Bron, Paul Heyman, and Logan Paul, a.k.a. The Vision, and Logan Paul and Paul Heyman stepped aside, and he said, you're going to have backup for the first time in your career. Right. And I was thinking initially, oh, he must mean Bron Bron. Right. Is it at all possible that he was referring to the masked man, even though he knows nothing about it? I mean, this Paul Heyman, he uses these words.
21:43It's like they're riddles. Everything he says, even as clear as he says it, it's still a riddle. It's still a mystery as to what he's actually saying. There's so much doublespeak. Speaking out of both sides of his mouth all the time, this Paul Heyman. but yeah I think that's part of it right because not only do we see the masked man show up and jump Rey Mysterio when Logan Paul is confronting him but then we see the masked man again show up at the end of the night where it's Logan Paul versus LA Knight which is a tremendous main event and as the Bronsons are trying to interfere the referee catches wind he kicks him out here comes the masked man again unless it's KSI under there and he's just helping out Logan Paul everywhere he goes, which by the way, can you imagine how furious everybody would be if it was KSI?
22:34Livid. Livid. Beyond. I'd be so upset if it was KSI. What if it was Travis Scott? Oh, come on. Don't even say, don't put it, you said KSI, so I just thought of what's worse than that. I'm going to have to sage this whole room based on that suggestion. So, no, I think, you've got to sit there now and go, well, you can't tell me. This is the third time, including war games, that Paul Heyman has no idea who the masked man is. It has to be an absurd premise now. Yes. Right? Yes. Absurd. And I think it's safe to say the masked man is not L.A. Knight. Why is that? Because L.A. Knight... Got stomped by the masked man?
23:18Yeah, yeah. Well, I initially told you that we saw L.A. Knight interfere. Well, not interfere. Come out to save Rey Mysterio after the masked man. I said, oh, L.A. Knight's not the masked man. You said he could be. Of course he could. First of all, I don't talk like that. I have a list of people. That's not what I sound like. Who could the masked man be? L.A. Knight, I'm scratching that one off. Okay. But you could have... I mean, I can definitely scratch that off because the masked man's boot was imprinted in the back of L.A. Knight's head. Scratching it off. I mean, you're not exactly Columbo here.
23:46I'm just trying to find clues here I'm still wrapped up Columbo process of elimination He's a detective Columbo Thank you I'm so old Old reference You're really showing your age Anyway Don't try to knock me off my game Okay Keep going You're doing great Come on. Keep going. So who do we think? I want to know who the masked man isn't. Who could the masked man be? Is there a possibility that it's Seth Rollins? Yes, there's a possibility. Seth Rollins was on the Rich Eisen show over the week, and he said he doesn't have to wear a sling anymore for his shoulder and that he is on track for recovery.
24:40And by the way, I don't think a sling impacts your ability to stomp. No, I guess it doesn't, but the masked man wasn't wearing a sling. Neither is Seth Rollins. But, however, also, you know what he did last time he was on the Rich Eisen show? He lied about another injury. He lied about his injury. So it's like, what are we, in a boy who cried wolf scenario? If it's about, why would, I have a lot of questions. Yeah, ask him, ask him. Why would Seth want to help Logan Paul in the vision? I don't know. I mean I don't know because at first you would go you know maybe if it's war games and it's punk then it's like yes like you want to help you're not helping the vision you're hurting punk because Seth hates punk so much I mean but now to help Logan Paul I don't know why he's stomping Ray but then LA Knight said if that's Seth Rollins I'm gonna whoop him or something to that effect so maybe Seth was like if it is Seth Rollins then he just threatened Seth Rollins so now Seth is like okay I have to teach you a lesson I don't know I'm grasping at straws here because that still doesn't explain it's possible the Rey Mysterio attack right?
25:52it does not explain the Rey Mysterio attack and if you go well maybe this is a ruse by Seth Rollins and you go okay he is the type to ruse you know maybe this is a ruse by the Vision altogether okay maybe but then why is Braun Breaker getting the world title match at Raw on January 5th. And Braun Breaker's the one who took Seth out. Right, right, exactly. And I can't imagine Seth giving up that title match for January 5th. I can't imagine Seth giving up the title. So I don't know. I can't make sense of all of it, but I can't make sense of much when it comes to the masked man and what the motivations are and why he's interfering in all these matches.
26:29And it led to not only another great braun breaker promo on cm punk where braun i mean this braun is out of control braun breaker says uh where is cm punk he wants the old cm punk first of all i want to know where cm punk is physically because there's a lot of damage being done yes but he wants the old cm punk the one that broke all the rules and i go i love that i love that idea then he says if the old cm punk doesn't show up, then not only am I going to do this, I'm going to do that, I'm going to take your title, and I might take your wife. And I'm just like, why? Why do you have to be that personal?
27:14And even Paul Heyman is sitting there going like, whoa, whoa, whoa. And then it's his personal mantra. He just keeps repeating, spear, one, two, three. Spear, one, two, three. And the audience is not going to jump on board with that because the audience doesn't want braun breaker to beat CM Punk they love we love CM Punk of course he's the voice of the voiceless but I don't think that he's doing this to get the crowd involved I think this is the mantra that braun breaker is living by I think that there is a little voice in braun breaker's head that is existing from now until January 5th that from the time he wakes up in the morning to the time he goes to sleep at night It's just repeating, spear, one, two, three.
28:02Spear, one, two, three. And he's just walking with that everywhere that he goes. Because much like we were talking about with Gunther, where it's like the stuff that he does in the ring is separate from everything else, with all this drama going on with the vision, with LA Knight over here and Logan Paul over there and War Games and the Masked Man and all this stuff, every time braun breaker gets the opportunity to speak it's only about january 5th and cm punk i truly believe that braun breaker looks at cm punk as a fraud he said that tonight in his promo and i think you know there was a lot of chatter when cm punk returned oh it's great now but what happens when cm punk becomes cm punk and and that hasn't happened no but i think braun breaker based on his interactions with CM Punk, based on what he told us happened at WrestleMania when he said, we'll see if you can cut a promo with the big dogs.
29:00I think Braun Breaker looks at Punk as a fraud. But by the way, you can say, I want the old version of CM Punk back all you want. You know what the current version of CM Punk did? Won the World Heavyweight Championship. That's right. Twice. Twice he won the World Heavyweight Championship. Let's not pretend that he didn't win it at SummerSlam as well. CM Punk won the World Heavyweight Championship twice. I don't think that it is incumbent upon CM Punk to go, oh, you know what I need to do now? That I'm finally the World Heavyweight Champion? I'm going to change things. Why do you change things?
29:36If you're like, you think Tom Brady at some point goes like in the middle of his run, goes, I need to change the way I do things. No, you love all those rings, don't you? Keep getting rid of that. You figured out the method of getting rings. if you're the world heavyweight champion, you don't fall into a trap like this. No. You don't let it take you off your game. Who cares if you're rude to management or nice to management? You've got the world heavyweight championship. He didn't come here to make friends. He came here to make money and win championships. And that's exactly what he's doing. Right, right.
30:14So, I mean, I think, but then, as Bron Breaker's talking, The rest of the vision leaves because LA Knight's getting helped out. And Braun Breaker's like, I'm going to hang out here because I want to talk about CM Punk some more. And then Logan Paul and Braun Breaker. I'm sorry, Bronson Reed. Logan Paul took out like four security guards. He punched them in the face. Yeah. I saw it. Like, it wasn't even like a shove or like a, you know, you know, rabble, rabble, rabble. Rabble, rabble, rabble. Is that what they say? Is that a technical term? It's a technical term. It's a wrestling term. It's a little bit of industry jargon.
30:51Rabble, rabble, rabble. It wasn't even a rabble, rabble, rabble. We call this one rabble, rabble, rabble. And then they get into the rabble, rabble, rabble. Yeah, that's right. Use it amongst all your wrestling friends. You'll come across like a genius. No, it was like right in front of the camera, punched to face. And it's like, geez, these security guards. So the security guards are getting taken out. LA Knight doesn't have an ounce of quitting him I think losing that tournament lit a fire under LA Knight I think he hears what people are saying he is not a guy who's going to get knocked off his pedestal he's aware how often he gets this close and doesn't quite get there he's not going to let him roll back to square one it's not going to happen he told us he's the unstoppable force right because you said it was Gunther You have to point fingers at me again He said that's wrong That's a little gotcha journalism by you over there So he Is still fighting back And fighting back and fighting back Until he ends up on the roof Of a car and the same thing that happened Many moons Ago to Seth Rollins Happened to LA night He got tsunamied on the roof of a car Which I don't know whose car that was Well it's Damaged now I hope there's insurance on it.
32:15I mean, but look at that. Look at the guy. I mean, this is the Bronson Reed. The guy the size of Bronson Reed doing what he's doing. And just the realization that I'm going to be sandwiched between an airborne Bronson Reed and the roof of a car. It's one of the worst scenarios you could possibly imagine. And there's nothing he can do about it. He's completely trapped in that moment. Helpless. and he was also, you know, just moments before this took a stomp on the table by the masked man. He was described as a broken man and that's who he was and now he's even more broken after that massive tsunami on the car.
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32:59So I don't know what the future holds. But now you've got enemies in Punk. You have enemies in LA Knight. You have enemies in Rey Mysterio. And that's literally just from this week. Who else? That's just from this week. That's just from today. Those are the enemies they made today. They got enemies everywhere. But apparently, I mean, these numbers keep growing with the Vision if that masked man keeps showing up. So, you know, they seem to have. I'll say this about the Vision. I feel like they have more control over the situation that they're in now than they have since the beginning of being formed.
33:38This is the most in-control version of the vision that I've ever seen. And that's wild. That's really, really wild. Well, I don't know if this is one of those moments that you want to live forever. It's a man getting crushed on the top of a vehicle. But a lot of these moments, you want to live forever. And I know Saturday Night's Main Event, we're going to feel that way. Luckily, we've got Topps Now. Topps Now captures major milestones and viral moments from the biggest events that we've seen. incredible cards from WrestleMania, Money in the Bank, and even Wrestlepalooza. Ahead of Saturday night's main event, Cena's last match, Topps will be putting out a poster card commemorating the event, as they do for a lot of the PLEs.
34:21You'll be able to get your hands on that. We don't have the exact details yet. Usually collectors who buy these base cards have the chance to receive rainbow foil short prints that are limited to a certain amount of copies. But we don't know what Topps now is going to do for this one. Maybe it's something special just for Sina. Make sure you're following at Topps on social and sign up for notifications on Topps.com to make sure you don't miss out. I ordered my Liv and Dom card from Topps now, hoping that I get the one-of-one dual signature. I mean, it's going to be tough, but it pays to be in the mix.
35:00So we'll see. We'll see. Now, Megan, we have a guest on to help us unpack and analyze everything that happened tonight on Monday Night Raw. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back to the Raw recap. A former WWE champion, a former WWE Intercontinental champion, a former WWE tag team champion. Big E. Welcome, Big E. Thank you, Sam. Thank you, Sam. I don't know if you're doing this for the reason that I thought of, but I think the last time I was on, you had a very lackluster outro for me, so I appreciate you putting more gusto on the intro. Well done. Very well done. I could see those hips swiveling E.
35:51You were doing it. Yeah, you were doing it. Yep, that's right. That's how you have to do it. And I know you're a man who appreciates pomp and circumstance, both. So I wanted to make sure that you had both. E, I am so glad that we have you here to talk this week. Now, I'm definitely going to ask you about Cena and Gunther and the last match and Saturday night's main event. But I got to ask you about a tag team that you have a deep and storied history with. Last week, we saw Jey Uso completely crash out. He dumped a hydration station. he wouldn't talk to Jackie he was upset about losing in the last time is now tournament to LA night and we've seen that a lot from Jey Uso in the last two or three months where he's kind of flipping on and off if things are going good Jey is all sunshine and roses and yeets and everything and when things are going not so good there's a lot of pouting going on there's a lot of well now my friends aren't my friends anymore it seems like we have finally reached a solution.
36:59And something that I know I've, as a fan, been waiting for for a very long time, months now, is this announcement that Jey Uso comes home, big brother Jim sees what happened on Monday Night Raw, gives him a call. And I believe the quote, because you got to have some journalistic integrity here. The quote was, what we doing, Uso? What we doing, Uso? was the question asked to Jey Uso. What we doing, Uso? And Jey Uso said, we got to get back to us. We got to block out the noise. And the tag team division is officially on notice. The Usos are back. E, what were your thoughts and an immediate response to seeing all that happen on Raw?
37:49It was beautiful to see. You know, when you're talking about Jey and kind of the turmoil he's gone through lately, I think a bit of like a diva receiver in the NFL. And these are guys like, if you don't have the right quarterback getting in the ball, he's going to be upset. He's going to throw things. But when he's paired with the right guy, he's happy. And there is something about being with his twin brother where you see like automatically, I feel like the promos have more, they have more rhythm. They have more, they have more spark. They have more sting. It's like the way they bounce off of each other.
38:19And I don't know if it's just this twin connection they have. I don't know if it's being back in one of the greatest tag teams of all time, but whatever it is, this version of Jey Uso, I like a lot, man. I saw a Jey who had that killer instinct, who was ready to, the way he snapped at Kofi and Woods, the way, like, he was ready for all of it. And I love seeing this version of Jey. And maybe just, who knows if Jey goes back to doing single stuff soon. maybe this is just what he needed to kind of get his head back right to get in that that mindset because there's something about being next to jimmy and i'm telling you like those two guys when we got to see glimpses of it them back to back uh you know together as a tandem again it's like it's like riding a bicycle it's like they'd never left and i'm excited for them to be back in the tag division uh i think raw has quietly such a phenomenal tag team division we don't get to see them featured as much as I would love, but a dragon Lee and AJ Styles have been incredible together.
39:18War machines we haven't seen on wrong quite some time, but those guys come back and they bring something different and unique to the tag team division. And now with the Usos back in play, man, this thing is really heating up. So I'm excited to see the Usos back. Obviously, you know, you, you talk about the storied history between the new day and the Usos. I don't know if we're going to a three-way tag. I don't know if we're going to the Usos versus AJ Lee. I don't know who we're going to next, but I like it. Whatever it is, all three of those combinations, I like it. I also, I'm so glad you brought up the promo thing and the kind of immediate connection that you sense.
39:53Because I felt the exact same way. There was something about like, and it wasn't unfamiliar. It was who Jimmy is and who Jay is. But you realize that like sometimes the sum is greater than the parts. and you see like Jimmy, and I think you can almost now, well, not even almost, I think you can absolutely appreciate what Jimmy and Jay individually bring to that tag team far more now than you could before because we've gotten to know them so well singularly. But when Jimmy started that promo by taking care of the storytelling, being witty, being quick, and then Jay comes in with that raw fury and emotion that he has been doing throughout.
40:41But that coupled with what Jimmy brought, it's like instantly you have this whole package back together again. And it was really perfect because when I saw, when the music hit, right? When Jey Uso's music hit, I'm like, how is Jey even here after what happened last week? We just saw Jey Uso crash out. He's in the audience. He's with his brother, Jimmy. They're yeeting. And I'm - Eating with babies. There's babies yeeting. I'm loving it because who doesn't love babies eating, right? Everybody does. But I have a lot of questions and it really felt like the two of them answered all of it. And I love seeing them together stronger than ever.
41:20Big brother Jim there to silence the doubts of Jey Uso. And man, what a dangerous. They were, I mean, they are the greatest tag team of all time. Sorry, Big E. That's not that cool. arguably the greatest tag team of all time sorry bicky but arguably you said they are but i think they're even more dangerous now well listen oh yeah i think what's great what's what's cool about them now and this was something that i brought up when it was kind of you know a couple months ago when it was like they were kind of flirting with the idea of maybe the usos are going to be back together and then they weren't they were back together for a couple matches but they weren't back i think that there's something so interesting and i don't know that we've really seen it before that a tag team that was so well known as a tag team splitting up both having top level single stars careers and then almost coming back together as a super team like the way like like two main event single stars come together and it's this super team but it's still the same team that has all that team chemistry that has all that tag team sensibilities as they did in the beginning i think you talk about it being you know be them being better i think this really unique thing that you don't really see very often that now you have this team that not only knows what it is to hold the tag team championship over and over again knows what it is to main event wrestlemania as a tag team but also knows what it is to have success in the singles division and for one of them he knows what it means to win the world heavyweight championship at a wrestlemania no absolutely and i also just think sometimes when you're doing the same thing even if you're doing at the highest level i think it's very easy to kind of get in this monotony i'm not saying the usos ever got there as a tag team but i i feel like they're now able to bring in the years of experience as singles competitors they have a different perspective i i also wonder if they appreciate each other even more because i'm telling you like you know when times were good with me coping woods it is such a stark difference now when you don't have your your your safety blanket around you you don't you don't have that like comfort blanket of oh your guys are near even if you're in singles matches just just knowing when you come out to the ring oh my boy's there he has my back i know where he is just that comfort and and now when you're you're just thrown into those deep waters i think the experience of now after all those years of of J being world champion, Jimmy getting to have his run as a single star as well.
43:52I think now they're coming back together with added experience. And to your point, I think, Sam, I think you're spot on. I do think it feels in a weird way. It does feel like a super team coming together. It's like, oh, these guys have been killing it for on SmackDown for Jimmy. J's been on Raw doing all these amazing things. Now them coming back together, they feel even stronger than ever, which is kind of crazy to think for Megan, as you said, the greatest tag team of all time or arguably whatever Everyone wants to say, look, they're elite. They're one of the best to ever do it, regardless of whether you want to put them one, two, or three.
44:24It doesn't matter. They truly are one of the greatest to ever do it. And I think now with the experiences that they've been through as single stars coming together, I think it means even more for them now. Yeah, I would agree. And I also think that there is something that they didn't get to experience as a team. Where, in my opinion, peak bloodline was right around WrestleMania 39. when Roman Reigns was on top of the world as a singles and the Usos were on top of the world as a tag team. I mean, it was just an unbelievable moment in WWE. It was an unbelievable moment for those three. And I think something happens when you have a run like the Bloodline did as just the ultimate villains for years, and you come out of that and you become the good guy, you become the fan favorite.
45:11To me, it almost feels like it's a victory lap. Like Roman spent so long being a villain and being the greatest villain that anybody could possibly see that now it's only natural that he should get cheers in every arena that he walks into. It's only natural that he should get to feel what this thing is like, except with the fans by his side. And that's something that the Usos as a team never got to do. That's something Jay got to do. Right. He broke out from the bloodline and became the single star. After the bloodline disbanded, that's something Jimmy got to feel as a singles. But like all that tag team glory and the elevation of tag team wrestling in general that the Usos were responsible for during that bloodline run, they never got to see the other side of that coin.
46:02I didn't even think of that. And I think that this is, yeah, this is it. It's delayed. It's delayed gratification. But this is it for them, I think. I think that's a phenomenal point. It's something I didn't consider either, Megan. And you can go even further back than that. I think of the Usos when we were feuding on SmackDown circa 2016, 2017. And then villainous, hated. Even before then, they were good guys wearing the face paint, but weren't received that way. A lot of people were kind of over it. It was too milquetoast, too happy, too bright. And people rejected it. Now they're able to fully come into themselves as a tag team, beloved by the fans, against the New Day, who should be booed out of every single building that they enter.
46:49And just an incredibly talented team in AJ Styles and Dragon Lee. So I love this positioning. I love where the Usos are at now. And I just think we're, either way, regardless of what happens, I just think we're in store for some phenomenal matches. because whether it's AJ and Dragon Lee, whether it's the New Day, whether it's War Machine, War Raiders, Viking Experience, the tag team of many, many names that I always try to remind myself of, whatever it is, it's going to be an incredible, incredible match. I think you're right. You can see the same exact thing for the women's division, seeing all those singles matches tonight, whether it's EL and Kyrie, whether it's Lyra Valkyria, seeing all these teams kind of interacting and the fact that in that match with Roxanne Perez that Liv is by Roxanne's side because now all of a sudden...
47:43How about Liv Morgan? What a team player she is. Selfless. Selfless Liv Morgan once again. But you know what? Here's the thing that people don't consider about Liv Morgan. I know Bayou's going to agree with me on this. Is that Liv Morgan is very comfortable doing what's best for the group. letting Raquel go after the women's championship and she will go after the tag team championship because number one, it's still a prestigious championship. And number two, ultimately, Liv Morgan does have the greatest reward that anybody could have in the WWE. Which is? Dominic Mysterio. And that was what I was going to agree to.
48:22That's the part you thought I was going to agree to. I thought so, no? Uh-huh, uh-huh. I do agree with your depiction of Liv as someone who's very selfless. I will say I'm a bit surprised. I was a bit shocked to see Liv return and everything be copacetic. I thought for sure, because my recollection is essentially Liv was out. Here comes Roxanne. It feels very much like, oh, our bedrock is out right now. We're just going to find someone else who's different, not trying to fill Liv's shoes. but in many ways, here's the live replacement. So I thought there would be some hell to pay, but I do think now, you know, it seems like there's been so many times along the way with the Judgment Day, it seems like there have been these fissures and these fractures that I thought were irreparable, but now it seems like they're on pretty solid footing and seeing Raquel come out, take out Nikki and line up and say, this title is mine and also to see where the Judgment Day is at, where Liv is at, where Roxanne is at.
49:28Like they, Judgment Day might have all the titles very, very soon. Like they have absolutely been on fire lately. And I think Liv deciding to be a team player and not raising hell when she came back is a huge reason why. Because I wouldn't blame her if she decided to blow this whole thing up. But I think her leadership, truly her leadership to say, you know what? I'm going to do what's best for this group, I think has allowed them all to shine. It was kind of shocking to me to see Raquel step up to Stephanie Vaquer, though, especially because we know the relationship between Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez.
50:04We saw last week Liv Morgan go up to Stephanie Vaquer backstage. I just think, you know, girl to girl, girl code, your friends after the World Heavyweight Championship. Maybe you shouldn't be. But I mean, it's not show friends. It is show business. But the Judgment Day is all a family. I was just surprised to see Raquel step up to Stephanie. I think the person that was surprised to see Raquel step up was probably Nikki Bella. You talk about show business and no friends, Nikki Bella getting absolutely flattened before she was able to get in the ring. I didn't think that was very necessary at all.
50:36Hey, but look, if, if, if Raquel is going to continue to grow, like we talked about it time and time again, what she's done this year, I think has been really incredible. I think for her, and I'm not saying you can't grow in the tag team division, but I think this is such a great opportunity for her really to take that next step as a performer. Even if she does go back to the tag team division, I think being tested in a singles match against the best wrestlers in the world, and Stephanie Vicar is definitely on that list of some of the best pure wrestlers, male or female. She's on that list. I think this is what she needs to truly grow.
51:09And look, maybe this might be the opportunity for her to win her first world title, but even in a losing effort, I would argue that if she does end up not winning the title, I think her deciding to go out in the singles realm to really test herself to see if she is truly of that ilk, one of the best in the world, if she belongs in the same category as those women, I think it's a great opportunity for her. And I'm excited to see what she brings to the table because we've seen her do incredible work in this tag team. Now let's see what she can do against the best women in the world in the singles division.
51:41Well, I'll tell you where all the best athletes in the world are going this summer, and that's the world's number one sports fan festival, Fanatics Fest. Yes, big news for WWE and sports fans. Fanatics Fest is making its return to New York City. I cannot wait. Fanatics is bringing you closer to the league's team, superstars, and athletes that you love across four, four, Megan, action-packed days in July. Meet your favorite WWE superstars. Get your hands on exclusive merch. Catch live podcasts. We love those. And interact with the biggest names in sports. Tickets are on sale now. And Raw Recap fans can get a 10 % discount by using Raw Recap 10 at checkout.
52:27That promo code is Raw Recap 10. Now you talk about events that everybody is going to need to be tuned into. Saturday night's main event. what may be, and I think it will be, the biggest Saturday Night's Main Event of all time because it includes the final match of John Cena. Now, real quick, before we get to that final match, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the NXT WWE match, exhibition matches that we're going to see. First, announced tonight is the tag team match. You just talked about this tag team. AJ Lee is what you referred to them a moment ago. AJ Styles and Dragon Lee will be facing Javon Evans, who won the Iron Survivor Challenge, and Leon Slater from TNA, by the way, which is a big look for Leon Slater and for TNA.
53:26I think when you have a discussion with anybody who, as they say, knows ball, they will tell you that Javon Evans and Leon Slater are undeniably the future of the industry. What do you make of this tag match, Biggie? Man, I got chills when I saw this get announced. I actually had an opportunity to talk to my good friend, Tom Hannafin, who is the play-by-play man for TNA. And he speaks the world of Leon Slater to see how young he is, how composed he is. And I have been vocal about my Javon Evans fandom. This dude is like someone we talk about, oh, he's the future. No, he's the right now. He's the future as well.
54:07These two together, so athletic, so dynamic, so creative. What an incredible tandem. And then to see them in the ring with two of the best wrestlers in the world, an absolute living legend in AJ Styles and Dragon Lee. Man, this match, there's going to be this whole card is going to be incredible. and one, let's give Cena a lot of credit for, I saw a lot of things online about him talking about this very easily could have been, and it was laid out to him, like, let's have this whole two-hour event be about you and about your retirement and nothing else. Let's make it just a tribute to you. But Cena said, no, let's make this a tribute to the next generation coming up.
54:48Let's showcase some young stars, some NXT talent. And I love it. It is such a great showcase for someone like Javon and like Leon. This match is going to be a barn burner. I am circling it. I will be seated for this one. I can't wait. This is so fun because we all watch NXT every week. Yeah. And we're all familiar with Leon Slater and what he's done in NXT. But there's a lot of fans who just watch Saturday Night's Main Event, just watch Raw, just watch SmackDown, aren't familiar with TNA. So for Javon and Leon to have this platform in front of the entire world when they're watching. I think a lot of people are going to be paying attention to Saturday Night's Main Event, and they're going to be introduced to some big stars.
55:33And I'm excited for them to experience both Javon Evans and Leon Slater. One that I know that you're excited for, because we've talked about it, is the match that was announced on Friday. Bayley versus Sol Ruka. I mean, you talk about an opportunity, and I believe it's also an opportunity for Bayley. I think that Bailey has the opportunity to remind people who she is. And Sol Ruka, I mean, this is somebody who went from like, oh, you got to see this girl's move to, oh, my God, you have to see this performer. Relatively quickly, I would say. But she's become a superstar. And I think to your point, Megan, a lot of people are going to get exposed to that on Saturday night.
56:16I mean, we've all loved the Soul Snatcher from the very beginning. and it was one of those things the first time she ever hit it, you were like, wait, rewind the TV. I need to see that move again. But the Soul Snatcher was the first thing you used to talk about when you talked about Sol Ruka. Now there's so much more to Sol Ruka and really just watching what she's been able to do with Zarya and then on her own in NXT this year, I think it's just been such a year of growth for Soul. So now to have the opportunity to go in the ring against one of the four horsewomen in Bayley, I think, Sam, you said this on your podcast, but maybe this could have a little hint of Brooklyn, Sasha Banks and Bailey.
56:57Maybe little sprinkles of that. I don't know. I don't want to put the cart before the horse, Sam Roberts, but the people have their eyes on Sol Ruka and Bailey. And absolutely, they should. They really should. And I also think this is such a great contrast of styles as well. You think of Bayley, who is such a technician, who is more ground-based, although she'll hit that elbow. She'll come off the top with that elbow now. But Soul being such a dynamic performer, her athleticism, I believe she was a gymnast at the University of Oregon. And it shows in the way she moves and the way she carries herself.
57:36I've been a huge Soul fan for quite some time. I am so glad she's going to be introduced to this new audience. And I also love, like, Bayley has been, I'm sure you guys have seen all the Lodestone posts, all the things that she has done in her free time to really just help mentor the next generation of women. And she hasn't just started. She's been doing this for years and years. So this just feels like such a great opportunity for someone who is so invested in the future of the women's locker room and women's wrestling as a whole. Man, this match is going to be incredible. Let's not worry about comparing it to other phenomenal matches.
58:09Let this match just be what it is. But man, this match is going to be incredible as well. Soul is so athletic, so dynamic against Bayley being more grounded, the veteran, a truly great match as well. The one that I am, I think, looking forward to most out of these three and the one that I think is really going to get people talking is the one that I also think people didn't see coming. I think a lot of people thought Cody versus Ricky Saints was the direction it's going to go in, But it's not because the ruler took the NXT championship. And on Saturday night's main event, Oba Femi is going to be walking to the ring with the NXT championship, owning his moment against the top guy in the WWE.
58:57E, I saw you tweeting about Oba. What do you think happens when the WWE universe? And I'm going to say, I think a lot of people who maybe even haven't watched WWE in a long time, but know this is John Cena's last match, get their eyes on Obafemi in a context like this where he's in a match with the biggest star in the industry. It is hard to pick against world champion Cody Rhodes when he's matched up against someone who is not a mainstay on the main roster. But if anyone can do it, I'm telling you it is Obafemi. This man, this is my guy. This is my guy, future WrestleMania main eventer, and not too long from now either.
59:40And quick aside, I feel like there are a lot of people who I've heard some scuttlebutt about like, okay, let's wait another 10, 15 years for these guys. No, I want to see a guy. I don't want Oba's in his 20s now. Let's capitalize. And you talk about capitalizing him, getting this opportunity, being in a match on Saturday night's main event against Cody Rhodes in this spot. I don't know what happens, but I'm telling Cody Rhodes, get your ice bath ready. you have it in gorilla because oba is going to thump you time and time again this dude is such a perfect blend of athleticism the way he he doesn't move for a guy his size the way he moves he is light on his feet he is creative in his offense he is brutal he is physical he is everything you want out of a big man he is an incredible pro wrestler and for a guy to still what only be in his mid-20s and he still has so much more room to go but he is already ready I I too thought especially thinking about you know the friendship that has been well documented between Ricky Saints and Cody Rhodes I thought oh that'd be a great story as well but getting to see Oba become NXT champion once again and get this opportunity just know fans you are in for a treat if you have not seen Obafemi in the ring before sit down get ready have everything you need right there don't walk Walk away for a second.
1:01:00Don't blink because this man is the truth. I am telling you, he is it. I couldn't agree more. Just wait till you see those quads. Wait till you turn on Peacock and you see those quads for yourself. You know. He's been so undeniable. Undeniable. Ever since he's been on our TV screens. I don't know why Saturday night's main event would be any different. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. E, Megan and I at the top of the show talked about how we were feeling going into this, not only the final match, but the final match that is now a very controversial final match against Gunther with, I think, and I think a lot of energy going into this is fans dreading the idea that we don't get the happy ending.
1:01:41What do you think of the fact that not only are you walking in to watch John Cena wrestle his last match, a guy you know very well, John Cena, against, of all people, Gunther and a Gunther that is calling his shot, that is Babe Ruth pointing to where he's going to hit the ball and saying, I'm going to make him give up. I'm going to make him tap out. Well, I have to give Rosenberg some credit for bringing up this point. We were texting earlier during Raw, and he mentioned the fact that Gunther retired Goldberg, and now he's in a very similar spot on Saturday night's main event. once again to be in that position.
1:02:20And when this man speaks, when he had that opening promo talking about what he was going to do to John Cena, I believe every single word he says. And look, a lot of us wanted to see, would love to see something like a match with CM Punk. Maybe they saved the CM Punk match for here where you see two guys with a lot of history. Maybe they kind of, I'm not saying take it easy on each other, but it is a friendly exhibition. I'm telling you right now, this will not be any of that. It will not be friendly. It will not be an exhibition. Gunther is here to make a statement he knows how many eyes are going to be on this match it is a perfect showcase for him I'm not sure besides Wrestlemania if there will ever be more eyes on a Gunther match at least up to this point in his career this thing is going to be replayed over and over and over again John Cena a man that we have rightfully dubbed the greatest of all time is going to be in the ring with Gunther and I I think Gunther has a massive point that he wants to prove he's already done this many times to many different people but to do it against john cena to make that statement that make to make that statement to leave that legacy that he will always have we will reference john cena's career and the way it ended 10 years from now 20 years from now 30 years from now when gunther is an old man you know living it up on the beach in retirement people will still reference this match that's how much it means and he is someone who is fully aware of the opportunity he is fully aware of the showcase and he knows what that means not just winning winning like he said winning will not be enough for gunther and i and i love it as sadistic as it is the fact that he is is leaning into john cena's catchphrase of never giving up and he said you know what when you go out the very last time all those kids the adults who used to be kids that rooted for you that wore the bright cena shirts and the arm bands and the hats all the ones that had to never give up you know emblazoned across their chest the last time they ever see you is going to be when you give up that boy that is a statement that is a statement and that's a hard jagged pill to swallow i mean that is especially when you say it like that the reality that comes crashing down but look i mean you bring up the goldberg thing retiring goldberg all due respect to all parties.
1:04:41Retiring Goldberg and retiring John Cena are not even remotely equivalent. Like, there's, like, retiring Goldberg's a big deal, but retiring John Cena is a completely different beast. When Gunther is an old man, if he's not in this match, then people go, oh, yeah, he had a great run with the Intercontinental title. He's a two-time world heavyweight champion. Oh, yeah, he retired Goldberg. Like you said, if he is able to do what he's promising that he's going to do, you could see that guy when he's 70 years old. That's the guy that retired John Cena. And then let me tell you what else. That's the first thing on the resume.
1:05:21That it is so different. And I'll tell you what else. If he retires Goldberg and John Cena in the same calendar year, first of all, that will never be repeated because nobody will ever have the opportunity to do anything close to that ever again. But also, any wrestler that is looking at WWE going, you know what? I'd like to have one last run. I'd like to have maybe a nice retirement run for myself. They're like, no, I'm not doing it. I know what happens at the end of this. I know where this goes, and I'm not doing it. They should. And look, AJ's talked about next year being this last year. He shouldn't have said anything.
1:05:59He should stop. Let's just stop conversations. Just tell us when it's over and wrap it up because this man is a marauder. Gunther is truly, he is a moving train. Get off the tracks. But, man, this is also just, let's just talk about for a second the fact this is the last time we see John Cena. And whether he gets pummeled or not, it's, man, it's the end of an era. It truly is. It's going to be emotional, man. It's going to be really, really emotional. You know, I can't wait to see it, but I don't want to see it. I know. I don't want it to be. I can't wait to get there. And then I don't want it to ever end.
1:06:36And that's why Gunther is kind of the perfect person to make sure that it does. We will be out there in Washington, D.C. I know, E, you will be there, too. We will all be together on the countdown show. You will be on the post show after the show. We will be doing the Saturday Night's Main Event Recap podcast. the first podcast after John Cena is retired just crazy make sure you subscribe to cross all the podcast feeds so you get the podcast right after Saturday night's main event E thank you so much we will see you guys after Saturday night's main event have a good one
From the publisher
The Ring General vows to make John Cena submit at Saturday Night's Main Event, The Usos declare their return to the tag team division, IYO SKY battles her former friend Kairi Sane, and The Vision assault LA Knight. Sam Roberts, Megan Morant and former WWE Champion Big E bring you the Raw Recap: A WWE & Fanatics Original Production, brought to you by Aura Frames.
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