In short
This WWE Now Raw Recap episode centers on the road to WrestleMania, especially the Roman Reigns vs CM Punk storyline and the fallout from Roman’s table powerbomb.
Key claims
Punk is portrayed as manipulative, exploiting officials and interference to gain advantage; Roman is framed as needing to “smash them all” at WrestleMania and to have the right anger going into the main event. Notable examples include Punk slapping hands on the guardrail after the match, Roman being able to do damage without the Bloodline present, and the idea that WrestleMania won’t offer Punk the same “pocket” of opportunity. The episode also sets a major WrestleMania match: Seth Rollins vs Gunther, triggered when Gunther attacks Rollins and puts him to sleep. It further highlights Brock Lesnar vs Obafemi, with Paul Heyman hyping Obafemi’s entrance and Brock’s readiness.
Guests
Nia Jax and Lash Legend (“The Irresistible Forces”), WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, discuss winning via Lash pinning Rhea Ripley, their chemistry, Lash’s NXT-to-main-roster growth, and Nia’s return/mentorship.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOIntroduction to Raw Recap
0:31 to 1:00
Overview of the Raw recap taking place at Madison Square Garden.
“CM Punk and Roman Reigns are back to physicality, but Brock Lesnar and Obafemi are not.”
Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk Dynamics
1:00 to 2:59
Discussion about the rivalry and evolving perspectives on Reigns and Punk.
“Megan, we can begin in so many different places on this Madison Square Garden Raw.”
Fan Reactions and Emotions
2:59 to 5:52
Exploration of fan emotions tied to Reigns and Punk's interactions.
“I'm one of these fans that would go to a WWE show when CM Punk wasn't working in WWE and sit in Madison Square Garden and chant CM Punk when he wasn't coming out.”
The Role of Officials and Tactics
5:52 to 9:34
Analyzing the influence of officials and the strategies used by Punk.
“five with the people in the front row, the Lin-Manuel Miranda's of the world going like, how fun is this, guys?”
WrestleMania Predictions and Stakes
9:34 to 14:00
Debate on the implications of recent events leading up to WrestleMania.
“If Roman Reigns didn't have to spear Petey Williams out of his shoes.”
Episode Discussion
14:00 to 28:00
“And Roman got the better of Punk when Roman went there and called CM Punk old.”
Mom's Support and WrestleMania Build-Up
28:00 to 32:36
Discussion on the significance of support from family and the build-up to WrestleMania matches.
“Just please bring the brass knuckles, Mom.”
Interview with WWE Tag Team Champions
33:58 to 42:00
Interview with the champions discussing their journey and experiences in the ring.
“That's where John Cena gave me the hug that, as we found out together here in this room, made not just my life, but his life as well.”
Journey to WWE: From Basketball to Wrestling
42:00 to 43:20
Discover the transition from basketball to WWE and the challenges faced.
“Well, I will say when I got the opportunity to try out, I was like, man, like, first off, I didn't even know that I would be able to do that.”
The Evolution of NXT and Timing in Wrestling
43:20 to 44:40
Learn how timing impacts wrestlers' careers and the evolution of NXT.
“You have phases of like, oh, I get this, oh, I get this, oh, I get this.”
Show all 18 chapters
Strength in Diversity: The Women's Wrestling Division
44:40 to 46:40
Explore the benefits of diverse talent in women's wrestling today.
“She's like the Dennis Rodman on the female basketball court.”
Embracing Body Positivity in Wrestling
46:40 to 48:20
Understand how wrestlers promote body positivity and confidence.
“There's multiple big women with different kinds of, you know, specialties.”
Giving Back: Mentorship in Wrestling
48:20 to 49:10
Discuss the importance of mentorship and giving back in wrestling.
“And I just love, like, how Nia, like you said, you know, this is her second run.”
Stephanie McMahon's Impact on Wrestling Storylines
52:35 to 56:00
Examine Stephanie McMahon's role in current wrestling narratives.
“I was in a vulnerable position I was backed into a corner.”
Cody Rhodes vs. Stephanie McMahon: A Heated Exchange
56:00 to 58:35
Explore the dramatic interaction between Cody Rhodes and Stephanie McMahon that shocked the audience.
“And then when she says to Cody, you're not your father.”
Analyzing Stephanie's Intentions
58:35 to 1:00:49
Dive into the motivations behind Stephanie McMahon's actions during the segment.
“You think she's the person that Randy Orton's talking to?”
WrestleMania Matchups and Predictions
1:00:49 to 1:02:38
Review the exciting matchups set for WrestleMania and predict their outcomes.
“It would be wild if Stephanie McMahon came out.”
Live Podcast Experience and Wrap-up
1:07:56 to 1:09:28
Reflect on the live podcast experience and the excitement of the WWE event.
“She got her very own tops card that you can get one No, actually Jason Kelsey got a tops card before I did and I don't mean an NFL I mean a WWE Before I did that's that's that's where Have you ever met anybody?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Roll the window down. Do you hear that? It's the sound of spring. So bring on the spring at the Honda Spring Event. Honda's family of hybrids and EVs are ready for wherever spring takes you. Check out the all-electric Honda Prologue, CR-V Hybrid, Accord Hybrid, and Civic Hybrid, all from the 2025 Kelley Blue Book Best Value brand. For great deals, visit your local Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Honda dealer today. Based on 2025 Consumer Choice Awards from Kelley Blue Book, visit kbb.com for more information. CM Punk and Roman Reigns are back to physicality, but Brock Lesnar and Obafemi are not.
0:38The Irresistible Forces are on the show. Stephanie McMahon, of all people, gives Cody Rhodes advice for new WrestleMania matches and so much more. This is the Raw Recap on WWE Now, a Fanatics and WWE original production.
1:00Megan, we can begin in so many different places on this Madison Square Garden Raw. First of all, we are here in the world's most famous arena bringing you WWE Now Raw recap from Madison Square Garden. And there was no better place to be, to feel all that energy tonight. I mean, this is one of those nights where we could start this conversation with the end of Raw. We're the beginning. We could start it with the beginning of Raw. I was ready to break down and just do a podcast right then and there with the beginning of Raw. We absolutely could have. But I just, the energy is so fresh. We just walked off the arena floor into the WWE Now studios that they have built for us in Madison Square Garden.
1:40I believe this is a permanent installation, so that's very, very exciting. But I've got to tell you, I'm sitting there tonight, and I'm watching what's going down between Roman Reigns and CM Punk. And I've got to tell you, if in 2012, 2011, 2013, you had told me that there would be a day where Roman Reigns and CM Punk were going to headline WrestleMania and I would find myself naturally, firmly on the side of Roman Reigns, I would have thought you were crazy. I couldn't have been a bigger CM Punk fan. I couldn't have been through the rise of Roman Reigns, a bigger Roman Reigns denier. But something happened with this bloodline run where I'm sitting there annoyed, angry, dismayed at Roman Reigns taking that powerbomb through the table.
2:41I am so on Roman Reigns' side going into WrestleMania. Like, why would he interrupt? When the entire crowd started chanting CM Punk during the tribal chiefs acknowledgement. Yes, I was annoyed when Madison Square Garden was chanting CM Punk. And by the way, Madison Square Garden for years and years and years and years, whether CM Punk has been in the building or not, have chanted CM Punk. I have chanted CM Punk. I'm one of these fans that would go to a WWE show when CM Punk wasn't working in WWE and sit in Madison Square Garden and chant CM Punk when he wasn't coming out. And now that he actually is coming out, I'm going, how dare you chant CM Punk's name?
3:24The tribal chief is in the ring.
3:26Sam Roberts:Yeah, I mean, it's interesting your perspective, because I think week after week, I flip flop sides. I love to hear after last week. I go, oh, I'm 100 percent cheering for Roman Reigns. Right. Tonight, CM Punk makes his entrance. As soon as the music hits, something was different. and maybe it was the pace in which CM Punk made his way down the ramp. And there was no stopping. This was physicality right away. Roman's jacket's off. They're like fists are flying. No words. No words needed. Right. I mean, even Punk coming out with that fist taped up. I mean, there's something very old school about Punk coming out.
4:07He called himself middle-aged and crazy last week like Terry Funk.
4:10Sam Roberts:And when I saw him making his way to the ring with his fist. The taped fist? With the taped fist, I said, that's my guy. And last week I said, Roman's my guy. So this WrestleMania match, though, I think a lot of people have found themselves kind of a rock and a hard place. Right. Where you're like, I love CM Punk. I chanted for CM Punk when he was away for 10 years. But after the Bloodline era and what Roman Reigns did, how could you not put your one up for the Tribal Chief? And I get it. And I get all the emotion. And I get all the fun that everybody's having. I get why you would be flip-flopping.
4:44I think a lot of people are flip-flopping because honestly, like just listening to the sounds, it's the same people that are cheering for Roman Reigns that are chanting CM Punk. Of course. It's just the building does what the building does because you've got two of the most popular superstars of the modern era.
5:00Sam Roberts:And they both make us feel. Absolutely. And they've made a career of making us feel. feel. That's why it feels different when those two are in the ring versus everything else on the show, even on a show as loaded as Monday Night Raw was tonight. But I think that I came to this realization where I go, no, no, no, no, no. This is where I land regardless of how long I spent as a CM Punk fan. It could be CM Punk with the Terry Funk references. But as long as I've been a CM Punk fan watching and I know I'm a grown man. These are this isn't an appropriate thing, maybe, but it is just how I feel. And we can share this with each other.
5:45That's the beauty of the Raw recap. When I saw CM Punk standing on top of that guardrail of, you know, the wall and slapping five with the people in the front row, the Lin-Manuel Miranda's of the world going like, how fun is this, guys? What a great time we're all having. Look at what I've done to the tribal chief. Let's all have a great time and maybe go out and hang after this. I go, what are you all smiling about? That's the guy that put food on our table. That's the guy that ran everything in the WWE and brought it to its highest possible era. That's the guy. We are all sitting there in Madison Square Garden.
6:23And what does Raw start with? Boom, boom, that Netflix sound. Why do we get on Netflix? because of what the tribal chief brought us on programming week after week after week. And then CM Punk, he plays this manipulative game. Okay? I'm watching this happen in real time. And I'll tell you, it's still under my skin what Big E said on Raw Recap last week. It bothered me. Remember when I had to take the shot at him?
6:47Sam Roberts:Yes, about throwing pancakes. About throwing pancakes and the New Day and everything. That was low. Well, listen. Usually when they go low, you go high. You also went low. I went low. When he went low, I said, well, how much? I didn't know. Good. I'll jump in the pit with you. We're going lower. Because he said, well, you know, it did kind of prove CM Punk's point that, you know, Roman couldn't do anything without the bloodline. And then now, and then I watched tonight, and it's like, whoa, Roman didn't have the bloodline with him. Roman didn't have the Usos. Exactly. And did it hurt even more?
7:16Sam Roberts:Because all last week, I mean, for seven days, you were going around being like, he's back. Smash them all. Stack them all. He's 100 % back. He broke Petey Williams in half. He's back. I mean, the problem is, though, he's not facing Adam Pearce or Petey Williams at WrestleMania. Okay. That's the problem. This is you're doing some of that Big E stuff now. You're getting me so upset. Listen, last week proved nothing. CM Punk manipulated the whole situation. He was sitting there laughing with a smile on his face. He knew what he did. He put the Usos in this position. Pushed all of Jay's buttons. He pushed every Jay button.
7:51Jay has to come out. And then CM Punk goes, oh, look, Jay's out here. Must be because Roman sent him. It's like, no, dude, you were just pushing his buttons. Then tonight, tonight, oh, I'm watching these officials, and they're all getting involved. CM Punk was about to go through that table, and Danilo and the rest of them. It's interesting. I bring up corruption with referees, and I'm crazy, and you bring it up, and now it's. Well, it was also the officials. It wasn't just the referees. It was the officials, too. Tugging on the legs. Oh, let's not let this thing happen. Let's not let that thing happen.
8:21Adam Pearce, you know, trying to keep all these WrestleMania matches out of the ring. It's not going to happen. You're not going to keep these guys from not touching each other until WrestleMania. But there's no way that CM Punk did this without an assist. There's no way that CM Punk put Roman Reigns through that table without someone. And I understand, oh, they were stopping CM Punk from doing stuff too. That's all fine and good. But this has no bearing on the story of Roman Reigns not being able to do it without help. Because tonight wasn't an example. of CM Punk and Roman Reigns without help.
8:57There was a whole bunch of suits and striped shirts. And I say this metaphorically because the stripes aren't on the shirts. No, I understand that. It's a metaphor. Zebras. And not Z-bros because they're dead. They are dead. The Z-bros. Done. That was Punk and Roman. Finished. But there were so many people out there stopping this thing from happening that Punk was just able to find that pocket to take advantage of the situation. And then he jumped up on the guardrail and started slapping hands.
9:25Sam Roberts:If you're two superstars like this, that's all it's going to take is finding the pocket to take advantage of. But that pocket's not going to be there at WrestleMania. I mean. Because Roman Reigns is there. If Roman Reigns didn't have to spear Petey Williams out of his shoes. He would have had another spear in him and that would have been Punk. Punk would have already been through the table. He would have already been through the table again. Because Punk tried to get the best of Roman Reigns in the ring. I feel like you're getting very defensive because we're only, we're less than three weeks away from WrestleMania.
9:52and the momentum seems to have shifted heavily in Punk's favor. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. We're not doing this week-to-week thing. You're not keeping score? No. Because when they were in the ring— Are you not keeping score because Roman's losing? Or are we not keeping score because we're not keeping score? You think just because you can run a mile in 557 over and over and over and over again, I swear, I was tracking it at home. And I said, I can't believe, I can't believe what Megan is doing right now. You're not rooting for me to fall off. No. Screwed up. No. Screwed up. No. But it was an incredible accomplishment what you did.
10:27Thank you very much. Thank you. But I'll tell you this. Petey Williams wasn't holding onto your ankle while you were running, was he? And if he was, you wouldn't have been able to hit that 557, would you? No. You'd accomplished an incredible feat over the weekend. That's the type of person you are. You sit there and you run a marathon, 26 miles, 0.2. Thank you. At 557 a mile. And then you wake up the next day, you do a podcast about Monday Night Raw. It's an incredible thing. But this is the level that I like to be around, which is why I love Roman Reigns so much. Because this is the level that the tribal chief plays at.
11:00And this narrative that is structured, where you've got Adam Pearce doing this and P.D. Who did CM Punk have to hit? No one. Roman Reigns had to spear P.D. Williams and punch Adam Pearce in the face because they wouldn't leave him alone. When they were in the ring, you want to keep score, when they were in the ring, just the two of them, who dominated in the ring just the two of them before they went to the outside of the room okay so there's your score there's that's the score that's when it's just the two of them punk had his fist all taped up had his championship off had the whole thing he was ready to go but when it was just the two of them roman's the one who had it well roman's gonna have to tell himself that tonight when he puts his hat on the pillow because bro i don't know if roman is I was sleeping tonight.
11:44And I stayed up there until, like, it was all cleared out. You did. And Roman Reigns, the look of anger on Roman Reigns' face, sitting in that chair realizing what had happened, that the night didn't go the way it was supposed to go. You know Roman, he visualizes these nights. He has his systems in place. Roman's not the type of guy who takes a beating and then, like, oh, I'm having a crisis of conscience. I don't know if I can actually do this. Roman's the type of guy who takes a beating and just, you have no idea what you just did to yourself. You have no, because it is, you're right. It is three weeks until WrestleMania, but that's three weeks for Roman Reigns to think about what happened here.
12:31I wouldn't have wanted to give Roman Reigns three weeks to think about this outcome and then get to WrestleMania and go, well, guess what I'm gonna have to do to avoid that outcome. I don't like how that feels. I'm going to have to smash them all. And everybody's going to be staying away when it's the main event of WrestleMania. There's no tomorrow when it's the main event of WrestleMania. And if there's no tomorrow, I think that's Roman Reigns all day. But do you think at all to take the side of CM Punk? I mean, do you think at all you're overlooking him? I don't. For me? No. I love CM Punk. I've been to so many.
13:09How many shows? have we watched together? You have a little Sam that is dressed up with a CM Punk t-shirt. When I got an action figure that had Sam with hair, I said, well, Sam with hair didn't like suits that much. What should I dress Sam with hair in? A CM Punk t-shirt. Because that's what Sam with hair used to wear. Sam with hair loved his CM Punk t-shirts. Sam with no hair loves CM Punk t-shirts. But not this year. Any other year. Not this year. Not this year. SummerSlam. CM Punk versus Gunther. Me and you were standing right there together. I'm singing every word to cult of personality. But it's 2026, and things have evolved to the point where I'm sitting there going, no, Roman has to do it.
13:56Roman has to do it.
13:57Sam Roberts:I just keep thinking back to all of the interactions, right? And Roman got the better of Punk when Roman went there and called CM Punk old. but every other interaction that they've had even when Roman speared CM Punk and was reminded by Jey Uso to smash them all how did we end Monday Night Raw with CM Punk having a smile on his face okay but CM Punk smile on his face the only way you could shoot it was down because he was laying on the ground in a pile of rubble I know I'm not impressed by somebody smiling after they get their you know what handed to him if if but somehow or another you see Roman reigns through a table today and you're still manipulating the situation to the point where you're impressed by Roman Reigns?
14:39I will never not be impressed with Roman Reigns. I'm standing Roman Reigns right now. I don't think I'm impressed by him. I'm standing him hard. Yeah. But, like, here's the thing. At WrestleMania, if CM Punk is on the ground and he's smiling and Roman Reigns is holding the championship. Doesn't mean nothing. Enjoy your smile. Enjoy it. Have a great time with yourself. Roman's walking home with the title. That's, oh, I just got frustrated when he was standing up on that. CM Punk standing on that guardrail, slapping fives. Look what I did. Let's all have a great time. I was like, no, no, no, no, no.
15:18That's Roman Reigns. You took that personally. I did. I was Michael Jordan with an iPad. Okay? Mm-hmm. This was the last dance. I took that personally. And I hope, I hope, if I had any access to Roman Reigns, he has made sure that I have to stay very far away from him because he thinks this is getting a little unhealthy. But if I did have any access to him, I would put this on an iPad and I would show it to him every single day. Every day. Because that look that he had on his face after Raw went off the air that I'm sure will be if it isn't already all over social media. That's the look that I want my tribal chief to have going into WrestleMania.
15:53You really have quite the ability to spin this as a positive for Roman Reigns. I'm a positive guy. I'm an eternal optimist. I love that about you. Well, listen. That's great. I feel like there's a lot to celebrate on Monday Night Raw, especially on this road to WrestleMania. And one great way to celebrate it is through WWE shop. Of course, Stephanie Vaquer had a massive moment on Monday Night Raw coming in. And she said it was on site. Liv Morgan, she came in. She beat up Liv Morgan before Roxanne Perez returned. But La Primera is at the top of the women's division. and you can show your support for the Dark Angel and reigning Women's World Champion by grabbing her new tees.
16:35Available now at WWE Shop and Fanatics. And I don't know if you noticed this watching Raw, but it looked the line around the ring. You can now, and this is not just you, WWE fans have the chance to get closer to the action than ever before with your name on the canvas. Name on canvas is an exclusive opportunity to have your name immortalized in WWE history. Purchase your spot for night one or night two of WrestleMania 42 and watch WWE superstars compete above your name. Visit WWE shop and fanatics to secure your spot now. And I mean, I think back to WrestleMania 12, that's the first time I recall that they put out that plaque with Shawn Michaels as the new champion and a little piece of the canvas that came with the plaque.
17:26I remember even as a 12-year-old kid going, oh, my God, this is the coolest thing I've ever seen. Imagine if that little piece of canvas had not Sam written on it. I mean, for you guys, it could be whatever you want. But for me, it would be not Sam. So take advantage of that opportunity. Imagine there's a piece of a canvas that says Megan Morant. And that canvas is being walked upon, slammed upon, sweated upon, perhaps even bled upon by Brock Lesnar. And Obafemi. I tell you, there is something different about Brock Lesnar walking to the ring in his gear.
18:06Sam Roberts:100%. Brock Lesnar walking ready for a fight. Instantly. You instantly notice it. Instantly. And you go like this is, I mean, destruction. Yes. Is what you think of. You see the body. You see, I mean, the veins are popping out. He's juiced up. He's ready to go. I mean, he is jacked. Brock Lesnar comes out in his gear, ready to go. Enough of the being caught off guard, as he says. You know, first week for sure was caught off guard. I do love this about Paul Heyman because we remember the first week was caught off guard. You know, there was a lot going on before Oba got there. And Oba took advantage of the situation.
18:48And I was wondering how Paul Heyman is going to spin this to let us know that last week Oba once again.
18:54Sam Roberts:And he might have got the better of Brock, but there's an asterisk. It was because Brock wasn't in his gear and he wasn't ready to fight. And I overlooked that. Yeah. I overlooked it. You did? Yeah, because I've seen Cowboy Brock. Right. You know. Right. He dressed as dangerous before. I would say that, yeah, you or I, I don't think, would do very well against Brock Lesnar, whether he was wearing jeans. It doesn't matter what we're wearing. Yeah. He could be wearing anything. He could be wearing a children's Halloween costume. It would be bad news for us. Not good. But I guess with Obafemi, things are a little bit different because Brock comes out.
19:27He's in his gear. And Paul Heyman starts with this conversation about the fact that he predicts that Obafemi will soil himself at WrestleMania. Soil himself is what Paul Heyman is. Oh, but doesn't it really strike me as a guy who soils himself? No. Oh, but doesn't strike you. Who's somebody that strikes you as somebody who might soil themselves? I mean, maybe you. Okay. That was – I shouldn't have asked. That was – that one's on me. I wouldn't. If Brock walked into this room right now, I think there's a 75 % chance. Honestly, remember that time Braun Breaker was on the show and he threw that water bottle at me?
20:02I do think there was some soiling that happened in that instance. So you're actually, well, I guess once again, Megan's right. But Oba then comes out. First of all, I love whenever Brock Lesnar speaks into a microphone, it's trouble because he doesn't have to. That's the thing about Brock. He doesn't have to speak into the microphone. So the fact that while Paul Heyman was doing his haikus about Obafemi soiling himself, Brock snatches the mic and goes, get out here, Oba. Get out here. Just calls him right out. And it's Adam Pearce and it's security that comes out. And man, Oba comes out. And by the way, Oba has not been one-upped this entire time.
20:50Nope. Oba's in his gear. Oba goes, okay, you want to fight? This is what I fight in. Oba's wearing his gear when he comes out. And the thing. The entrance gets better and better too. It really does. It's my favorite thing in wrestling right now. The Oba entrance? Yes. It's unbelievable. Amazing. You know, what's that? Aura?
21:09Sam Roberts:Yep, that's what the kids say. I can't imagine the level. I mean, if you could quantify aura, I can't. Like anybody even coming close to what Obafemi has. is incredible and it's just in that you're so right it's just in that like shadowed silhouette at the very beginning the pause you hear the drums there's the pause and the pause each week gets a little longer to me and i don't know if that's just because i'm so excited to see oba but then the smoke the smoke appears the silhouette the body and then we all do the oba arms you have to there's just something about it Doesn't matter how old you are, how young you are, you're doing the arms.
21:52You or I walking into a room like this, people would think we were nuts. And now everybody says. There's a couple confident people walking in here is what they say now. I wouldn't mess with either of those two. That's what they say when we walk in like that now. And Obafemi has done that. And Adam Pearce, you know, he's down there with security and everybody. And as soon as I see the security, I'm like, all these guys are screwed. Because Brock Lesnar is going to F5 every single one of them. F5 them? Yeah, I was completely wrong because Oba took care of them first. Well, you weren't completely wrong because one of them did catch an additional F5.
Read the full transcript
22:24That is true. That is true. I mean, you know, that saying thrown around like a rag doll, I think has been overdone in professional wrestling. But I also don't know if it was ever more fitting than what Oba was doing to those security guards. I mean, I can't imagine what they're used to securing. But I don't know that any of them will ever be standing up after what Oba did to him. Just throwing them into those guardrails and picking that one up in the air and just spinning him to the side like he was nothing. I mean, this is Obafemi and Brock Lesnar are two absolute super humans. Behemoths. And even Adam Pearce can't stop them.
23:03But we saw a rare appearance of Triple H. Triple H leaving his position that we see on Unreal when he's in Gorilla and he's got the headset on. Triple H realizing that he's the only one that might command enough respect for them to realize, no, this is serious. You can't do this right now. And I don't I think on one end, of course, they're trying to protect this WrestleMania match. They want it to get in the ring. But the other end is it's like once these two go at it, it's over. You know what I mean? once these two are really ready and really get their hands on each other, who knows what's going to be left standing.
23:46But I, I, I, I just the, just the visual of Oba and Brock, both in the ring, both in their gear, slowly drifting towards each other and triple H having to be like, he had to get his arm in between them. It's just so massive. You know, a lot of times when Paul Heyman says things, you kind of roll your eyes at the hyperbole that he likes to engage in. But Paul Heyman going the real main event of WrestleMania, it kind of makes people go, yeah, maybe. You know what I mean? As loaded as WrestleMania is, as much as there is to say about Cody and Randy, which we'll get into, as much as there is to say about Punk and Roman, which we were just talking about, it's just the, you can hear it, The sound, the energy that emanates from these two beasts being in the ring together is something very, very special.
24:41I cannot wait until they're in Vegas together. I mean, in a way, it's any time they get close to each other, I want to see it now. Yeah. So I'm almost like, let them go. And there's two more weeks of Raw. There's two more episodes of Raw before WrestleMania. Yes. Like, Adam Pearce is going to have to get an army. I don't know what he thinks he's going to do. Clearly, the security guard thing isn't going to work. I mean, it's not going to work for a lot of people. They did a really not great job. Whatever Adam Pearce, he's not doing a great job with his security of keeping people from beating each other up.
25:14It's going to be hard to find people too, right? I mean, watching that? You want me to do what? Yeah, just show me. Is there any sort of tape? Let me familiarize myself with what the job is. Oh, that? No. I'm not available. No, I'm unavailable. I'm not going to be able to do that. I don't think Mike from Breaking Bad would take this job. I don't know if there's any security guards qualified for the job. Yeah, I don't think so either. I don't think – at this point, they're just buffers. It's just like maybe if we can just put some mass in between these two, they won't destroy each other in real time.
25:46Yeah, it's dangerous to put them anywhere near each other before the match. Then, Paul Heyman's not done for the night. First of all, Paul Heyman, always up to his tricks. I love these Paul Heyman tricks because Paul is able to orchestrate. I believe this was orchestrated. That Adam Pearce all night is going, hey, Paul, did you check your emails? Paul, did you check your emails? Paul, did you check your emails? And Paul's like, no, I don't read emails. No, I don't know anything about emails. An email? Who reads an email? I'm not going to check my emails. And you believe it, right? I believe the Paul Heyman.
26:18I'm not walking around checking emails. No, lots of spam. I mean, listen, right now, this is real life. you tell the fine people how many unread emails are on my phone? Thousands. 1 ,871 unread emails. By the way, 1 ,785 unread texts. I guess I just don't communicate much. But but if you're trying to get a hold of Sam, don't. Don't. Just don't. I'm not around. But but leaving you unread. Yeah. But I do believe that Paul Heyman checked his emails. Yeah, he had to. Because Adam Pearce comes out. Because also Paul Heyman is the type of guy, I mean, there could be some good stuff in there, an opportunity, if you will.
27:05Ooh, I love that. And Paul's always looking for an opportunity. Yeah. He's always open for business. Paul's a guy who's like this. I'll never say no to a conversation. Maybe there's something to discuss. I think Paul realized where the leverage was. Paul is the king of leverage. He talks about leverage with the vision, which the vision were able to gain leverage. Really interesting night. Starts with the vision, certainly gaining leverage by winning the tag team championship from the Usos. You know, there was some help from iShowSpeed and LA Knight. Logan Paul's mom. I mean, speaking of security, how did Logan Paul's mother sneak brass knuckles into Madison Square Garden?
27:50You know, I got to give it to her. She's a real one because I don't know many mothers that would carry around brass knuckles for their son. Mom, I just need you to bring the brass knuckles. Just please bring the brass knuckles, Mom. She really loves him. She does. She does. She's honestly – It's sort of admirable, right? She's a great mom. Yeah. I mean, yeah. If I told my mom I needed brass knuckles snuck in, it's like – and she did it. I'm like, yeah, that's having a great mom. Somebody that's not going to ask a bunch of questions. Oh, boy. I don't know. Is that against the rules? Mom. Mom. Come on.
28:24She snuck him in. L.A. Knight gets him. I Show Speed gets him. I Show Speed knocks out L.A. Knight by mistake. This is not good for I Show Speed. Bad for I Show Speed. Now he's cursed too. He is cursed. And he tried to get the curse removed. I don't think it works like that. Well, it does if you pay$10 billion. He said billion. He's going to go million. Dan Housen has really unique negotiation strategies. He's talking about Paul even being a businessman. He said$10 million and then he didn't misspeak because he went$10 million. Actually,$10 billion, right? Let's make it. That's just a huge leap.
29:04And then he also said he wanted full control over iShowSpeed's social media and streaming. I believe he said streaming service, which makes me feel like that has not been fully researched because I don't think iShowSpeed runs his own streaming service. Yet. But yet. But I showed anyone. I showed speed's camera guy as well. Speed said no. Sorry. Dan Housen said, well, then the curse remains. However, maybe he's not cursed because the vision came to him and said, look, you got enemies now. Whether you want them or not, you've got enemies. And Paul Heyman saw the opportunity to your point, Meg, and said, hey, just why don't you guys go out and celebrate?
29:43Paul knows what he's doing. He goes to the ring. He goes, I didn't check the email. I didn't check the email. and Anna Pierce says well uh then I gotta tell you Seth Rollins has not only been cleared of all charges by the Boston Police Department but he's also medically cleared whoa uh-oh here comes Seth Rollins Seth Rollins looking this is how I envision Seth Rollins returned from the beginning almost with a John Wick vibe with the suit on and everything I love this version of Seth Rollins John Wick a crusader for revenge, much like Rollins is. But I think Paul Heyman was very prepared for this.
30:20Gunther shows up. Now, unless Gunther is just acting of his own volition, just going, hey, I need a WrestleMania match. I want to make an impression. I'm going to take out Seth Rollins. I wouldn't be surprised if Paul Heyman was somehow involved in facilitating that opportunity because Seth Rollins ends up getting put to sleep immediately. recently Gunther points to that WrestleMania sign. And just like that, we got a graphic. People were wondering what Seth Rollins is going to do at WrestleMania. The questions have been going crazy.
30:52Sam Roberts:Is Braun Breaker going to come back? Is Braun Breaker going to come back? Is this what's Gunther going to do at WrestleMania? I was listening to you on the radio asking that very question. Who's Gunther going to face at WrestleMania? You know, and here's our answer. It's the two of them. Seth Rollins versus Gunther is at WrestleMania. It would be a totally different scenario because the Gunter that we've been used to seeing lately is the career killer Gunter. Yeah. And this doesn't feel that way whatsoever. Do I think Seth Rollins is going to retire after WrestleMania? That would be hard for me to fathom.
31:25But if Seth Rollins has built his career right now around getting revenge against Paul Heyman and he goes to WrestleMania and he loses against Gunther, it's kind of a killer. Of course it is. Kind of hard to bounce back from that. Or Seth Rollins. Of course. I am. I'm very interested to see what Gunther's motivation is in this. If that, to your point, career killer thing does fit in. And what this looks like when it gets to WrestleMania. And also, how does Seth motivate himself? Seth has been so hell-bent on Heyman and Brock and this one and that one. Gunther hasn't even been on his radar. And now he's got less than three weeks to prepare for a WrestleMania match against, you know, the ultimate spoiler in all of WWE.
32:15And there's no question that Seth has a long list of enemies, right? Yeah. I mean, if you go back and you think of the history of the SFC on Punk. Yeah. You think of everything that's gone down with The Vision, everything that's gone down with Paul Heyman. Gunter, nowhere near the radar. Yeah. We got to get to our first guest on WWE Now Raw Recap. Before we get to that, there's something amazing coming this summer to the Big Apple.
32:44Sam Roberts:Coming back, it is the return of the number one sports fan festival, Fanatics Fest. Yes. Returning to the Javits Center from July 16th through the 19th. Four days. And big news for us, Sam, because Fanatics Games is back at Fanatics Fest, bringing high stakes cross sport competition where everyday fans go head to head with some of the biggest names We were judges in the competition last year, served an integral part in the competition. And this year, the 2026 Fnatic Games introduces an expanded format, a$2 million total prize pool in new nationwide qualifying opportunities for fans to compete alongside elite athletes.
33:28Sam Roberts:The inaugural winner, Tom Brady, as well as reigning fan champion, Matt Denish, will be competing again. And WWE superstars Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Cody Rhodes, and Jey Uso will be joining the competition for a shot at the title. Head on over to FanaticsFest.com to apply to compete or grab your tickets to Fanatics Fest. You do not want to miss out. I hope Danhausen is competing because that$2 million is Danhausen money. And I think he's very good at many sports. It'd be great. I think he did really well. Many moments are made at Fanatics Fest. That's where John Cena gave me the hug that, as we found out together here in this room, made not just my life, but his life as well.
34:09Proud of you. Let's see if we can keep making moments because we'd like to welcome our guests here on WWE Now into our studio. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to WWE Now's Raw Recap from the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. The women who defended the WWE Tag Team Championship tonight. The irresistible forces are here. Ladies, welcome and congratulations on walking out of Madison Square Garden, still champions. No doubt. We had no doubt about that. Exactly. But thanks, Sam. Well, you know, it wasn't, there was an interference involved, it was a disqualification. He has to go. He has to go there.
34:57He has to go there. Why do you have to go there? But at the end of the day, who's still the champ? No, that's what I said. Congratulations on leaving. It should just be that. That's it. And you didn't think, did you have a doubt that if there was no interference that we would have not won? Exactly. Go ahead. Is that what you're saying? Now you can speak. What are you saying? I don't. It's a little disrespectful. Yeah. A lot of. Listen to the future Olympian. Thank you. Over here. I don't think. You know nothing about that. You know nothing about that. No, he didn't. Here we go. More disrespect.
35:27Okay. All right. See? That's neither here nor there. I mean, you find yourselves champions of the most competitive this division has ever been during a time where it's more dangerous to be a champion than ever. WrestleMania season. Does that concern you at all? Is there a pressure on representing this division? No, absolutely not. I mean, have you not noticed that we clearly were the irresistible forces, okay? A force to be reckoned with. And we are the most dominant, most grand tag team of all time. Of all time. Yeah. Yeah. So, yes. Wait, skirt. I wasn't there. Skirt. Skirt. So, yes, it is a magnificent women's division, and we're proud to be a part of it.
36:10But we're carrying the titles for a reason in this grand women's division with the grandest tag team ever. Do you remember how we won these, Sam? Lash Legend pinned one of the greatest women wrestlers, Rhea Ripley. Rhea Bloody Ripley. Do you remember that? I do remember. I remember we talked about it on this show about what a big deal it was. That you did that. No, we're not nervous about it. We're meant for this. We're born for the stage. Born, built, all of it. WrestleMania needs us. Love it. When did you realize that Lash Legend was the partner that was going to take you? I mean, you, Nia, had multiple tag team partners, but I feel like there is a chemistry with Lash Legend.
36:54What? Chill, Sam. She has always got to say something. I mean, why? It's like the underlying connotation you have towards me. That's all you have to say. You just add the extra. We don't need that here, okay? We don't like that energy. Sorry. I'll try to keep my energy on track. It's just a matter of realizing, hey, we've got something special here. That's right. Is that right? Yes. Is that right? When did you realize this is the person to create something so special with? Yep. Well, you know, actually, I've had my eye on Lash for a while now. I saw her down in NXT when she was teaming up with Jakara.
37:32They were a great tag team. I saw the powerhouse that Lash was and just, you know, the energy she has, the look she has, the strength she has. I'm knowing her background coming from such an athletic background and knowing that she's just like the aggressiveness is in her. And then I had the opportunity to face her in NXT. You know, what better way to find out if she's capable of living up to the expectation that I have than getting in the ring with her. And not only did she meet it, but she exceeded it. And I thought, listen, I'd rather have this woman on my side than against me. Smart. Yeah, I don't know if you saw the match at NXT.
38:10you know against each other but it was really good and it was like it was something that i never felt before going against somebody you know so dominant so one amazing very wise in the ring like she knows exactly what she's doing her psychology just everything all of it is amazing so i was like dang you want to work with me like work against me i'll say and um yeah it was like a really fun time she beat me up you know we went back and forth toe to toe but you know i learned so much and I was just grateful after you know she wanted us to be together I was like yeah of course so that's how that happened last you sit here now as a champion and it wasn't long ago that you were playing balling out in the WNBA setting records in the NCAA now you're here at Madison Square Garden walking in as a champ we're in Wrestlemania season what is really the last
38:59Sam Roberts:couple months been like for you not only to make your debut on the main roster but also to be a champ yeah when you put it that way it's just like wow I just sometimes sit back and be like dang I'm really doing this and it's just honestly it's such a blessing I'm so grateful God has helped me get in the position that I am today and you know it was just ordained but I will say like I learned so much at NXT um and being down at NXT for about five over five years I felt like I was ready you know for this moment to come up and um yes it seems like we're just going and it's fast track but I feel like I'm you know ready and deserving of all of this um so yeah it's it's going but I've had so much fun and I feel like every moment I am taking in all the moments but also like I'm like oh I'm gonna kill it and like that's the mindset I have and I feel like you know if you have that you believe it you see it and you do it so um that's that's what it's been like for me in my journey so far and and now you know a veteran in this locker room you've been up against everybody that there is but you know there's something different when you look across the ring and they're hall of famers like the ballot so so what has that been like you know mentoring lash working as a tag team together and getting ready for those those big situations well you know i had no doubt when she came up that she would just blend right in like that she was already ready to get in here and and dominate but lash is uh she's a student of the game she's so ready to she's willing to listen she's willing to learn she is very confident who she is but she also is always open up to suggestions so it's really like the easiest and smoothest transition for her to come up and work with us and then being able to get in the ring with the bella twins who haven't really wrestled as a tag team in like eight years yeah and for us to i mean to get in there and and have have a i thought it was a great match their first match back they did incredible i mean granted they're not getting our titles.
40:53No, they're not. But they really, yeah, kudos to them. They really showed out and did well. And, you know, I'm having fun watching her just continuously every week get better and better. And, you know, I know, I hope we never break up, but one day when she has her own, like, singles run, I have no doubt that she's going to be a women's champion for a very long time. It's going to make me get emotional. No, it's true. Was there a moment last where it clicked in for you where you were like, oh, this is because you came into WWE with no wrestling experience. You had an incredible athletic experience.
41:26And you had incredible size and look. What else? Just keep hyping me up. That's right. No, I'm just kidding. But you didn't have the wrestling experience. And I feel like, you know, that journey was televised. Anybody that's watching NXT was seeing you come in completely fresh and just watching you improve and improve and improve to the point now where I feel like multiple times with you on the main roster where there's a moment to be made, you're the one who's making that moment. Like we just talked about pinning Rhea Ripley. That's a big, big deal. Do you feel like there was a moment where it clicked for you where you were like, oh, this is what it is.
42:03This is where I belong. I get this. Well, I will say when I got the opportunity to try out, I was like, man, like, first off, I didn't even know that I would be able to do that. I'm like, what? Like, I have an opportunity to try out for WWE. Like growing up, I watched it and I thought it was so cool. But, you know, I just didn't know that it was an option for me. So when I got that opportunity, I'm like, heck, yeah. Like, you know, I was about to go overseas for basketball because that was, you know, that's what I was doing and loved it. But, you know, I just couldn't I couldn't not take advantage of this opportunity.
42:35So I ran with it and I, you know, told my basketball fam, like, hey, this is what I'm going to do. And when I got hired, I was like, dang, it really is bye bye basketball just like that. And I fell in love with it during the trial, during the first time I ever touched the ropes, getting all these bruises, taking these bumps, you know, doing all these things that I was never familiar with. But I loved it. And it was just something that was challenging. But I felt like, you know, yes, I'm new to this, but everybody's new to something at some point. So I believe like I will be good at this one day.
43:05You know, it's just going to take times, you know, coachability that all come from my basketball background, doing all these things. and student of the game, like Nia said. So I believed it, and I felt that I could do it when I got the opportunity and tried out. And I felt like maybe three years in, it really, really clicked. You have phases of like, oh, I get this, oh, I get this, oh, I get this. But I felt like it really, really clicked for me about three years in at NXT. Yeah, and I feel like that's one of the great parts of NXT being a television show is that you can kind of see that coachability, right?
43:40Like you hear that word when people like me are watching documentaries about wrestling and about places like the PC. But you can watch somebody improve. And sometimes you can see it, and I think that this was the case for you, Les. You can see it week over week if you're actually watching, going like, oh, wait. And then all of a sudden one day comes where you're like, oh, she's really good at this. And I'm still learning. It's never ending of wanting to keep learning things. But, yeah, I totally feel that. I always think that being called up from NXT has to be the right timing for everybody. Like, there's always timing for people, right?
44:16Like, if Lash would have come up a couple years ago, I don't know if she would have had this, you know, like, meteoric run. You know what I mean? Like, it might have been different for her then. And now I think the perfect, yeah, she might have been at NXT for five and a half years, but it was the perfect timing for her. Because now, like, she's gone up so quickly. Like, immediately she just blends in right away. Like this was perfect for her and the aggressiveness of my girl. I don't know if you ever know. She's like the Dennis Rodman on the female basketball court. You know, the person who's getting an induction hall of fame.
44:47That's right. That's right. Shout out to Dennis. Do you remember what the journey was like for you, Naya? I mean, people, you've been on the main roster. This is your second run now on the main roster. You've been here and accomplished a lot. But those of us that have been watching for a long time know that you kind of went through a similar track. And you went through that NXT system. Do you remember back then what it was like and when that kind of clicked in for you? Well, back then it was just, it was so different. There was like only 13 of us girls. Like there was a very small pool of women and I was the biggest girl.
45:15And like, I just remember when I tried out, like there was no girl like my size. And then it was all like, like fitness girls and whatnot, you know? And I got called up to the main roster quickly. And so I was learning on live national television as I go. So, but I just feel like right now in wrestling is probably at like its peak and it's so popular. And like, so I'm glad that I was able to like last and come back into this, this era because I feel as though I'm doing some of the best work that I've ever done. Because I feel more comfortable. I feel more like settled in the Nia Jax character and knowing what I can do.
45:54And, and I get to share it with some of this like talent that we have, like incredible talent. I've never seen the women's division this stacked, like from NXT all the way up. So I'm just really excited to be able to work with some greats over here. I love that you pointed out that match that you two had in NXT, because it was a moment for me watching as a fan. I believe I was texting you that night, and I was like, oh my gosh, like Nia and Lash against each other just opens this whole world of opportunities
46:22Sam Roberts:for women's wrestling, because Nia, you pointed out, when you came up, there was no one on the roster that was your size. now you have someone like lash brings the size the strength the athleticism and it's not just last you look up and down the roster and the size and strength and what these women are able to do in the ring is so much more than it was maybe in other eras how do you think that helps grow what the women's division offers in terms of matches oh it's i mean like you you witness a little bit in nxc right like we like who knows we could break the ring like we could tear the house down And, you know, you see incredible matches from, like, the smaller girls, but then it also gives them a different dynamic with a bigger, you know, more bigger women, not just one big woman.
47:03There's multiple big women with different kinds of, you know, specialties. And so it's like the fact that we're a tag team, like two of the biggest, strongest girls are together. It only just creates more opportunities for everybody to come up against us and see what they can do. And listen, the day that you see these two big ends go at it on the main roster is going to be incredible. You know, little Kane, Undertaker, you know. I also love how you say it so confidently, too. Like when I say I don't want to call either of you like a big woman. But when you say that, like you're so confident and like you love that.
47:41Listen, I mean, it's not it's no nothing to be ashamed of because we're built big. We're built, you know, other people aren't, unfortunately. Some people, unfortunately for them. No, but we... I feel like that was a direct shot at me. Yeah, you did that. I literally looked right at you. We're just built big, you know? But we embrace it because, you know, there's beauty in what we have. There's beauty in what other women have. And why not? And, like, I know Lash, like, is with me on this. Like, we want every single young girl, every single woman watching to know that, like, hey, look at these girls.
48:14Like, they do it, and, like, they freaking go out there, and they look great, and they own it. And why not? Why not give them the confidence? Right. And I just love, like, how Nia, like you said, you know, this is her second run. But, like, I feel like she has been wanting to give back so much and pay it for it. And I just feel like that matters because, you know, a lot of girls at NXT, you know, we don't know. We don't know, like, if, you know, the girls on the main roster want, you know, to help and help us move along. But it has to still have evolution. like it doesn't just stop with you know one generation or one era so i just think it's so amazing that you know naya is willing to do that yeah you try to say oh she got you know her other tag team partners yes this is true but it's the the amazing part of it like if we're being for real is that she wants to help the young girls come up and do that and i think that's so amazing and so much appreciated her and natty like natty has a dungeon like it's so it's it's so cool to see that they want to help us, you know?
49:13Because that matters, it really does. I think Sam should get in the dungeon. He would be terrified. You think I would do well? No, I hope not. I think he would bomb. See, I was worried. I think a future Olympian would do well. That's right, she would kill it. Megan would kill it. I was worried that people for a second were gonna think that Naya was actually a nice, wonderful human being, but then. Yes, she's like, Well, you are nice when you threw that shot at our girl. Yeah. That's what she got, Sam. I was frustrated and I was backed into a corner and I felt packed and I laughed. I apologize.
49:45I apologize for that. Thank you, Sam. You better. As you should. Didn't feel her fault. I did. Okay. Thank you. Is this Clueless inspired, the gear? Yes, it is. It is. Look at you. Good job. You did great. You get half a point. You know what? We'll give you some kudos on that one. Yeah. Yeah. I like that. Thank you. Is it just a love for the film? Yeah. Well, you know what? Lash and I love to just like - Thames. We love to do themes. Yeah. And we love, now that we're tagging, we just wanna match up and get cute, you know? Just cuz we're big and badass doesn't mean we can't be cute. That's right.
50:15Okay? I agree, I agree, I agree. You better. I agree. No, but I'm glad that you pointed it out. Yeah, good job. Well, I love Clueless. Yeah. As if. That's right. As if. That's 100 % right. Have you thought about WrestleMania gear theming around what you could look like going into WrestleMania? I would imagine as tag team champions. Yeah, of course we do. Of course we do. I thought it would lead into detail. You don't get no details. We're definitely not going to give any details. Nothing. It'll be a nice little surprise. Yeah. My interview trick didn't work. Was that a trick? That was terrible.
50:48Go back to the drawing board. Go back to the drawing board. Trying to play 3D chess with that one. No. Not great? No. Stick to checkers. I was just going to say that. Stick to checkers. No, it's a good lesson to learn. Oh, my goodness. Well, congratulations. Hey, I have those shoes. You do? Mm-hmm. I do. I rock them better, but. they're nice shoes I was about to say great minds think a lot and I was gonna get one and she got me too quick she got you I didn't know she got told you I was just super at the game super at the game she knows yeah yeah well regardless congratulations thank you thank you Sam thank you Megan congratulations to you oh thank you you're the bomb.com girl power thank you are we I said girl power are we all doing great four people I don't know I think we're all living in this era of greatness together these women these like women right now are killing it yeah Yeah, women rule the world.
51:36Sam's here. You know? You know? Who are in the world? Girl. I certainly am. I certainly am. Thank you so much. No, thanks, Sam. I appreciate it. Thank you so much. Thanks for being a good sport. Big thanks to the Irresistible Forces. Now, before we take it a step further, I do want to remind everybody that WWE World returns to Las Vegas this April 16th through the 20th, and it's the can't-miss destination during WrestleMania week. WWE World brings the WWE Universe closer than ever to the superstars, legends, and iconic moments that define WWE. With immersive exhibits, exclusive merchandise, and experiences you won't find anywhere else.
52:17See superstars like Drew McIntyre, Liv Morgan, Jey Uso, Dominic Mysterio, Tiffany Stratton, and many, many more. With even more appearances still to come, tickets are now on sale at WWEWorld.com. Save 10 % with promo code WWENOW10. And Megan I didn't mean what I said about you in the trials. I was in a vulnerable position I was backed into a corner. I sometimes lash out. It's a flaw of mine. I'm aware of it. It is what it is I think you're gonna do great in the Olympic trials When I make it, you know, just shout out to all the haters with you being number one Okay, so that's not that chip on the shoulders growing.
53:00All right. Well, that's not the best way We all need a fuel to our fire, so thank you. I appreciate it. I wonder if Stephanie McMahon was the fuel to the fire that Cody Rhodes needed in his match with Randy Orton. And segues like that are why they call me the last professional broadcaster. That was incredible. And you guys know that wasn't planned, was it? No, it was not. Are you in awe? Okay. That's three people. I wonder if Stephanie McMahon is the one on the phone with Randy Orton. Okay. Okay. I wrestling is more than one royal family. And as soon as that music hit, we all go, oh, my God, could it be?
53:39So Cody Rhodes comes out to start Raw, which is already a surprise because Cody Rhodes Smackdown Superstar. Yeah. And almost immediately. Stephanie McMahon's music hits. We're like, what is Stephanie McMahon doing out here? I knew she was around. I thought she was just in, you know, taping some episodes of her great podcast, doing something like that. She's about to go into the Hall of Fame. Yeah, maybe check out the show. Yeah. No, she came and she came with with absolute fire. At Cody Rose, and it was man, I've got to. I'm watching Stephanie McMahon in there and I wanted it. I do want to interrupt her.
54:20But in the middle of her talking, I wanted to start chanting. You still got it. Do you know how much I want Stephanie McMahon back on my TV every week after that? I was like, it was unbelievable. Just the way she tore right in to Cody Rhodes' soul without even, I mean, she didn't even lift an eyebrow. It was just nothing to her. Just pointing out just that she's like the most vulnerable. You're not your father. Oh, oh, Jess. Why don't you just drive a stake through my chest? And she does stare through your soul. Oh, my God. She does. And you're like, I just, and there's something about Stephanie McMahon where you just look at her and you go, I just want your approval.
55:04But I just want your approval. Like, I feel like if Stephanie McMahon ever did something like that to me, I'd start yelling, it's not fair when you say that stuff, Mom. It's not. What did I just say? You know what I mean? It's like, it's like, it's that energy where it's like, and she would just look at you. Go like, I knew it. I am disappointed in you. And you're a puddle. She's incredible. She says, Cody, you can't beat this version of Randy Orton. You want to talk about where you came from? And then she brings up her past. She brings up Madison Square Garden as the building that her grandfather built, brought wrestling to.
55:43There's so many people to this day in New York City that when you tell them you're a wrestling fan, talk about going to Madison Square Garden every month to see Bruno and to see Andre the Giant and all those legends that Stephanie's grandfather brought to New York City. And then when she says to Cody, you're not your father. It's just like, whoa, lady, whoa, you've chosen violence. And Stephanie has this way of looking at you going, this is what I've chosen. What are you going to do about it? What on earth are you going to do about it? She slapped Cody Rhodes across the face.
56:26Sam Roberts:She did. And then Cody Rhodes, I couldn't even believe this. The buttoned up, dapper gentleman that Cody Rhodes always is. As Stephanie McMahon went to go walk out of the ring after shoving the microphone and making that wonderful thud sound. You love that sound. That I just love in professional wrestling. Cody grabs Stephanie's arm. Cody put a hand on Stephanie McMahon? You're right. What? You're right about him looking dapper. You're right about him putting hands on Stephanie. You're right about it. I mean, the whole building went, whoa, when he said that. But Cody has also never lied about who he is.
57:04Cody has said from the beginning he's a messy king, but a king nonetheless. And that messy king is the one who immediately, immediately looked at Stephanie McMahon and was able to come. I mean, if she had said, you're not your father, it'd be like, I need to go home and cry. I don't know what to say in response to that. And Cody was able to look right at Stephanie McMahon and say, with all due respect, neither are you. And it was just like, whoa, we're doing that. We're bringing that up. And Steph is, and that's when the slap came. It's like, who do you think you are? Do you think? because then he did grab stephanie mcmahon and he looked at her and said thank you i have two words for you i have two words for you and i did you know i did that's why i yelled i'll just i did yell suck it i did yell that you and all of the garden i did yeah we had to yeah we had to i mean we we grew up yelling it we didn't even know what it was we grew up yelling it though but it wasn't suck it it was thank you thank you which did get some booze from madison square garden but that's because madison square garden is the type of crowd that wants so good you know that's what everybody's looking for but i left questioning do you think that stephanie mcmahon really went out there to just give cody roads the pep talk that he needed or were there other motivations I think Stephanie's on the phone.
58:36You think she's the other royal family? You think she's the person that Randy Orton's talking to? Oh, you saw that. I mean, it adds up.
58:48Sam Roberts:I loved this interaction for so many reasons. I was listening to you on the Not Sam Wrestling podcast this morning, and you were talking about Randy and Cody and how we've heard from Randy and the physicality, and that's been unbelievable. but you were saying how you wanted to hear a little bit more from Cody. Well, for me tonight, this was the extra layer that I really needed. There were a couple times on Friday Night Smackdown where I thought we were going to find out who was on the phone with Randy Orton before he got cut off by Matt Cardona's music. I was like, he was just about to tell us who's on the phone.
59:22Sam Roberts:What is going on? Then we see him backstage again. He's on the phone. We didn't get a lot of that conversation, but this is just like the carrot dangling. Yes. Why else does Stephanie McMahon's music hit? I was surprised. I was surprised. I mean, I've heard, I've seen all the rumors. I've seen Ric Flair. I've seen Arne Anderson. You know, Ted DiBiase Jr. There's been so many different rumors. There's a ton of them. I mean, who knows? It could be anybody. It could be, but realistically, Basically, Stephanie McMahon being the person. I would love to know if that were the case where Stephanie's coming from because that's what I was thinking watching the thing tonight.
1:00:03Where is Steph actually coming from? And if she is trying to get out there and tell Cody, hey, this version of you can't beat Randy Orton, why is she invested in it? Why if it is just a wake-up call for Cody? Because Cody's QB1. And Cody's their guy. She's part of the royal family, right? Theoretically, I suppose. I don't know. It left me with more questions than answers for sure. But it did leave me realizing like, yeah, Stephanie McMahon still got it. Like that was unbelievable. Amazing. And I would love to hear what Randy Orton thought about that whole thing as well. And maybe we'll get that on SmackDown.
1:00:48Speaking of Stephanie's, we were mentioning it earlier, but Stephanie McMahon answered Liv Morgan's. Stephanie Vaquer. Stephanie Vaquer. It would be wild if Stephanie McMahon came out. If Stephanie McMahon came out. Again? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Put her in every segment. Why not? I'm fine with it. I am absolutely fine with it. Yeah, it would be great. But it was. It was Stephanie Vaquer coming out, which makes a lot more sense because that's Liv Morgan's WrestleMania opponent. That's right, yeah. She came out because Liv Morgan, I mean, I believe the quote was, uh, uh, uh, to Madre Esposita. Puta. I wasn't going to say that word.
1:01:21That's not a family friendly word. That was a quote. I mean, it is part of the quote. I was going to just throw an ellipsis on the end of it. You know what I mean? Just so people know the quote continues. I'm very direct. You are. You are. And it's actually, I mean, it's a strength of yours. Thank you. But it was too much. to Madre Esposita was enough to get Stephanie Vaquer out there beating down Liv Morgan. But we got the return of Roxanne Perez. A lot of people were walking in going, Liv Morgan's going to be on her own. The Judgment Day is going to be defunct, they said. They said defunct by WrestleMania.
1:01:55I don't see any signs of that. I don't either. I don't see it. We're getting closer and closer. And I don't see that for the Judgment Day. I see Stephanie Vaquera having to deal with all of it. It's really such a testament to the Judgment Day. I mean, you think back to the Royal Rumble and how Liv Morgan eliminated Raquel Rodriguez. They've never been stronger or better than ever. There's been a lot of drama with what's going on with Finn Balor, yet still the Judgment Day finds a way to continue to be a family. Yeah, yeah. And I think that now Stephanie Vaquera might be figuring out the situation.
1:02:27Sam Roberts:And rally around Liv Morgan, really. Absolutely. Absolutely. A hundred percent. I mean, it'll be interesting to see. So we found out tonight that two other members of the Judgment Day both have matches at WrestleMania. Four more matches announced for WrestleMania. So first of all, we've got the Women's Tag Team Championship match being defended by Nia Jax and Lash Legend, who are just in here. They're going to defend against Bayley and Lyra, Alexa and Charlotte, and the Bellas. which again brings up to your point that you brought up earlier about a hall of fame team that they're looking down the barrel at but also two different members of the original four horse women in here lyra valkyria who has been looking to have that truly breakout moment and hold on to that moment and then of course alexa bliss who while maybe not a member of the four horse women And still part of that OG NXT women's division that laid the foundation for all of this.
1:03:28So massive four-way for the Women's Tag Team Championship. Like we said earlier, Seth and Gunther is graphicked and confirmed for WrestleMania. You got Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio now confirmed for WrestleMania. And then we heard Penta announce that he was putting his Intercontinental Championship up in the sky. It's a ladder match. And I mean, Penta has spent a career making incredible moments in ladder matches. This could not be more perfect. But this is a five-way. He's in there with J.D. McDonough, Javon Evans. By the way, both of them. J.D. McDonough because he will survive and do anything.
1:04:14Oh, my gosh. An OG cutter in that ladder match? Javon Evans, because he will do things that a human being shouldn't be physically able to do. Rusev, because he can physically break a ladder on his own. And, again, Dragon Lee, who can do incredible things in a ladder match. That's the five-way that we're getting for the Intercontinental Championship. Massive challenge for Penta. So you got JD and Dominic Mysterio, both with WrestleMania matches last year. You doubted Dominic Mysterio. Very much so. In the Intercontinental Championship match. He did it, and it was one of the loudest ovations on both nights of WrestleMania.
1:04:57And even you, hater of the year, Megan Moran, can't deny that. Can you? It was pretty loud. It was very loud. I think the return of Becky Lynch was a little bit louder. And there were actually fans crying joy, happiness, excitement. It was a great reaction for Becky Lynch. And then she proved who she was. She's the greatest female wrestler of all time. Which he got very booed after that. Very much booed. Not by me. But not by you. That's good to know. That's good to know. Dominic's been booed many times. I had not noticed that. By a lot of people. But. Like by entire arenas. Well, you know what.
1:05:31And booed without even respect. There's really no accounting for taste when that stuff happens. But. How does Finn Balor recover if he can't beat Dominic Mysterio at WrestleMania? Finn Balor got beaten out of the Judgment Day. I would argue WrestleMania is a place where Dominic Mysterio shines. You know, is he undefeated at WrestleMania? No. We all have an off night or two. But he's been a part of multiple massive WrestleManias. And even when maybe he doesn't win at WrestleMania, he has these spectacular entrances. Yeah. You know. Unforgettable. Think about it. He made a moment at WrestleMania 41 by winning the Intercontinental Championship.
1:06:13Was it WrestleMania? WrestleMania where he fought Rey Mysterio was that 39 or 40? 39 when he came in in the police car one of the greatest WrestleMania entrances ever. Dominic Mysterio knows how to make WrestleMania moments this is Finn Balor's shot either he beats Dominic Mysterio and he goes on to be better than he was with the Judgment Day or he loses to Dominic Mysterio and he's just I don't know what he does after that I think he's got a lot to lose. How can you get anybody behind Balor Club? If you can't beat the guy that beat you out of the judgment. That's right. It's going to be a wild, wild WrestleMania.
1:06:55Sam Roberts:But you know what else is going to be pretty wild and exciting is WWE fans experiencing the excitement of ripping Topps card packs with the instant gratification of having your collection conveniently on your phone. WWE Slam by Topps offers fans around the world the chance to collect and trade their favorite WWE superstars, rip new digital packs every single day, complete collector-based missions and seasons, and combine cars to craft them into rare digital collectibles. The app even offers in-app challenges where you can win Topps WWE hobby boxes, full cases, graded cards, and more just by ripping digital packs.
1:07:41Sam Roberts:Here's your chance to build the ultimate Topps WWE digital collection featuring iconic Topps designs, original artwork, motion cards, and so much more. WWE Slam by Topps. Download free now in the App Store and Google Play. You know who has a WWE Topps Slam card? Megan Moran, right? That's right. She got her very own tops card that you can get one No, actually Jason Kelsey got a tops card before I did and I don't mean an NFL I mean a WWE Before I did that's that's that's where Have you ever met anybody? They got a Times Square billboard before they got a tops card. I I don't know why these things happen, but they do happen.
1:08:31You know what I'm really glad happened? What's that? My Night Raw, Madison Square Garden. This has been absolutely incredible. This road to WrestleMania, unbelievable. And the fact that we got to stop here in the world's most famous arena and record our podcast here live, experience the whole thing live, has been awesome. I felt like a proud papa, okay? Because Danielle, who works with me, she came. This is her first WWE show ever. She's never watched wrestling beyond one segment. And she showed me on her arm. After the main event, she had the people's goosebumps. She had him. She's in. She's in.
1:09:14She had him. She's in. We got her. Appreciate you guys hanging with us. Don't forget to subscribe across all audio platforms. Leave comments. Hit like on YouTube and we will see you again very, very soon here on WWE Now. Have a good one.
From the publisher
WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Lash Legend join the show, Paul Heyman is saved by a returning Gunther, Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi get into an epic standoff, and CM Punk gets payback against Roman Reigns. Sam Roberts and Megan Morant bring you the WWE Now: Raw Recap, A WWE & Fanatics Original Production.
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