WWE Now - Kevin Owens shares instant reaction to his stunning return | SummerSlam Recap

28:28But I appreciate that. You got to bring the juice. The crew had a tradeoff. They said we could just not say a word at all, but then we wouldn't be bringing the juice very well. So congratulations to you guys on that. You did great. So Kevin Owens, Kevin Owens, talking to Kevin Owens in this moment, right after that match was, I mean, phenomenal. So we get to this place where Nick Aldis has this match. We talked to Nick Aldis just yesterday on the recap. So make sure that you're keeping up with all these recaps because we have had phenomenal interviews over the weekend. But Nick Aldis gets reinstated as general manager by Triple H right away.

29:05And I think as a show of good faith, a gesture, shall we say, of good faith, Nick Aldis decides to put Gunther in this number one contenders match and turn it in to a triple threat. And I'm sure Sami Zayn wasn't thrilled about it. I talked to Finn Balor. He's pretty pissed about the whole thing, to tell you the truth. Finn Balor, I did talk to him. We didn't get it for the pod, but I talked. He didn't quite understand how he's sitting here training for a match with Sami Zayn. He's got to take on half the roster now just to get his damn moment back. But Nick Aldis puts Gunther in. And then I really have to wonder about Nick Aldis.

29:47How on the up and up is this Nick Aldis? You know, because he does give Gunther the opportunity to be in this match. But then without telling anybody, he goes, you know, they said I could just add people to this match. so I didn't decide to add one person to this match I decided to add two people to this match and here comes Kevin Owens and I did and we talked about it in the conversation that we had just now not only seeing Kevin Owens back and being on the floor for that here in Minnesota and listening to that reaction that Kevin Owens got, it was just a magical thing, but just as that all sort of died down and we got into the match that was in front of us I really was looking at specifically, you know, Gunther is Gunther is Gunther is Gunther.

30:31But Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, and Sami Zayn. And I'm thinking about Kevin Owens and Finn Balor in a ladder match at TakeOver Brooklyn. I'm thinking about all of the combined history that these three superstars have. About the fact that these are the three superstars that really transformed NXT and to an extent transformed the entire WWE. When you go back in the history of WWE, there was a period of time where wrestlers who were on the independence and wrestlers who were wrestling internationally, they weren't really looked at as WWE guys. There were certain guys that would make no matter, I mean, wave after wave after wave, but they just weren't looked at as WWE guys.

31:15And the top three of those people were Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens. So to see them in 2026 at SummerSlam wrestling on the highest level in a stadium to determine who the number one contender is, that is professional wrestling magic to me. Especially when not only did we not know when Kevin Owens was coming back, but we just found out talking to him. He didn't know if or when he was coming back. I mean, listening to him talk about, like, thinking that he was going to get, you know, this great news because he's this magical healer and having him get pushback and pushback and pushback, I mean, that had to be impossible.

31:59But the idea, you know, we wondered where we were going after SummerSlam. And I think between that fatal four-way and the Cody CM Punk match from last night, the idea that we may be looking at two matches that we've wanted for a long time, we may be looking at getting that Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton match that quite frankly we wanted in April. The Cody-Randy match without all the distractions, without a bell or a whistle to be found. That that is something that could be on the precipice. That's very exciting to me. at the same time. And Kevin didn't even really want to get into it there. And I'm sure, I am sure that we are going to get into it as the weeks progress.

32:43But Kevin Owens is the number one contender for the WWE Championship. And CM Punk is the WWE Champion. And there is animosity between those two that as a fan, it is difficult for me to decipher whether it's a story or whether it's real life. but that is something that has been teased and comments have been made since the week that CM Punk came back. When CM Punk returned to the WWE after that Survivor Series, it cut a promo on Raw, but then he went to SmackDown and cut another promo. And that's when he started naming names. That was the first time Kevin Owens name came up. And we've seen the two of them cross paths in the, in the, in the backstage area.

33:22We've seen the two of them mention each other in passing here and there but it's always been a match that we have wanted to see and I I cannot wait to see what those guys have um I think one of the one of the matches when you talk about moments one of the matches that everybody was looking forward to was this women's ladder match this women's ladder match for the interim WWE championship uh that we found out we were going to have after Rhea Ripley got injured and you looked at that field and you saw you know Tiffany Stratton and you saw Jade Cargill and you saw Lash Legend and you saw Charlotte and you know you saw all the participants but you saw Chelsea Green and the more you looked at it the more you said yeah yeah this could be Charlotte's night yeah this could be a great moment for Jade to get that title back yeah Tiffany Stratton is in her hometown but people started to envision what this could look like and that name Chelsea Green kept coming up.

34:21Chelsea Green is a superstar that fans have wanted to succeed for a very, very long time. And it happened tonight at SummerSlam. We actually got the moment. And after we got the moment, not only was I fortunate enough, and you can check ESPN socials, to crown Chelsea Green with the ESPN Moment of the Night Award. But I gave her that and I said, Chelsea, I'm not done talking to you. I'm not done. We got it. Let's take a walk. Let's take a walk. Let's get into the podcast room. Let's get into the podcast room. And we got Chelsea Green in here immediately after winning the WWE Interim Women's Championship.

35:06Check it out. Here's Chelsea Green on the now. My gosh. Well, welcome to the SummerSlam recap. Chelsea Green. And should I say the WWE women's champion.

35:27I mean, I watched the shows. I was specifically told this is not what you are here to do. And look at what you've done. You did it. What are the thoughts? What are the thoughts right now? This has been such a what a road this has been. what are the thoughts that are going on in your head right now i feel so jumbled with emotions because i mean you know i've been at this for 12 13 years and i've had so many ups and downs so many freaking ups and downs and every time i go to have an up there's such a terrible down you know what i mean like we we break the arm three times we have heart surgery break the ankle whatever it is like you name it I feel like I've been through it but the one thing that has stayed consistent for the 13 years has been the fans support they have been behind me riding through all of the ups and downs for through all of the kind of darkness and the the times when we were all like this is just never gonna happen and now they rode so hard for me that we had to have this moment and we had to have it right now in minneapolis with the ladder match with a 14 time champion the baddest bitch in wrestling with tiffany stratton who has been i mean quite possibly the greatest women's wrestler to come out of the pc like for real um and lash who is i mean a WNBA star turned wrestler who could kill anybody with her bare hands.

37:10And I, what am I? What am I? I'm just a girl who wanted to be a wrestler, and here we are. I know what you are. You're the champion. I'm the champion. You're the champion, not the United States champion, not the champion, full stop. And I think you're right. it's a moment that a lot of people and i mean we're talking about this when this match was announced it was one of those things where you go yeah we want this moment to occur we want this to be the moment but that's always been a story well we want it to be chelsea but you know it's really probably gonna be you know i guess it should be you know and this did feel like one of those times when this match kind of in the last couple weeks just went hey we don't have a champion and we're going to name one as those days went on it kind of became this feeling that it's like oh my god like this is like could it happen this is the moment but but you know also i was dealing with that like the internal dialogue was was so not positive like it wasn't negative it was absolutely not negative because i don't feel like i ever really have i i don't i don't need to have negative self-talk but it was like this is tiffany's hometown you know or this is like lash deserves this moment so much and i know how strong she is she could absolutely do this or jade and charlotte who we want to see them standing at the top of that ladder fighting like we want to watch that match so it was just all these things running through my head and then there i was i did the undertaker i rose from the dead baby just just rising up off that ladder and that look on your face like wait a second wait what was it like because everyone keeps talking about the look i mean the look was this sort of like like you wake up from the dead and then you're kind of confused but then you go i'm three rungs away i could just climb this ladder that's all i have to do right there it's right there right there and then you go with the belt's right there i could just take it and then you went up and it's so chelsea greed right because it's this realization wait i could just take it i could just ask for it i could just tell them i could just make myself known i could just do that and then you do it and then there has been your story you've talked about that and we've talked about that before how everything that's ever happened to you i remember last time we talked on on the air you were talking about wanting to have triple a matches so what did you do you texted the undertaker i said hey undertaker i want to have triple a matches and it's like that to me was that moment on the ladder when you sat up and you were like i could just get the belt right now do you know that it's been okay we're in 20 let me get let me make sure i get this timing right okay it's been almost exactly and i should go back in my text messages and see almost exactly four years since i texted triple h and asked for my job back wow and who does that you know i mean you hear all these stories about like people who are way too like I don't know if it's pride I don't know what it is that it was they want me I mean we do all have an ego we're way too prideful but not me one thing about me I will just ask and I mean four years today you asked your job back but just that just the fact that you had to ask for it back just the fact that like there was a moment where it was like I know you thought this was going to happen for you but it's not we're done and you have to go figure out what this the dream's not happening you have to go figure this out over here yeah and that was a reality that you lived in for a moment for a couple moments yeah i mean i've had that happen quite a few times in this company yeah it started happening in 2014 it happened again in in what 2015 after tough enough yeah and again when they told me that they didn't want me to try out and then they allowed me to and again when they fired me wow and now here you are literally with that title with the title i mean it's got to feel not just rewarding in the sense that it's like yeah what a big accomplishment but this idea that like you were right like all that blind faith that you put in yourself you know because that's a difficult thing to do i told you so moment yes to have all that blind because that's all you can do at a point is like well nobody else is believing in me right i have to do it and there's everything in the world that's telling me I'm wrong, but I'm right.

41:36Right. And I have to live in that moment. And for this to happen, it's like, oh, my God. I was right the whole time. It's so satisfying. It's so satisfying. How did it feel, the reaction that you got when you grabbed that title? I mean, I saw the reaction you got from your peers, which is like this amazing thing. Everything is so happy for you. I swear. I watched you taking photos with your family and the rest of the locker room taking photos of you taking photos with your family and like crying going like i know there were so many people crying because it's a wrestling dream it's what all it's what this whole thing is everybody's got that story everybody's got this story of being like i'm following this dream yeah because i think i can be the best and not everything is always under your control but it's so difficult to just keep working and working and working it's exhausting and like even today when i showed up i'm like wow i feel so exhausted i feel exhausted and not just like i mean we've been traveling non-stop non-stop since since i got back three or four years ago i've been traveling non-stop but like the it was exhausting when i woke up this morning and and none of my girlfriends could make it to the show it was exhausting when you know we're like coming up with things for the match and talking about it and that's exhausting and it's exhausting when the hair and makeup is go isn't going the right way or i take out my skirt and it's not right and you know like you're just like what the come on can't anything just go smoothly but then you're at the top of the ladder and nothing else matters all that matters is the result nothing else matters and you know what like yes i feel this way but i know the girls in the match feel that way too.

43:24I know that when Tiffany did that incredible swanton and got that reaction, I know she felt the same way. Like, it's like, God, this is okay. It's over. I can breathe. And it was all worth it because we did what we said we were going to do, which is put on a clinic for the fans. Like, I know this matters. And I don't ever want to say that this doesn't, it doesn't matter. This title matters. This is the pinnacle of everyone's career. Winning this title and winning it on a premium live event or something huge like this. Right. But besides that we just want to have these amazing matches that go down in history that people talk about.

44:08We just want to make people in the crowd proud and think for a second like holy how did they do that? Do they not have fear? Do they not? You know what I mean like how did they do that and I feel like these two nights have been that way yeah no I was with uh I was having a conversation with uh Danielle I don't know she might be somewhere she works with me but she doesn't she's not so tuned into wrestling and she's sitting there watching and she goes I can't believe that these are people right and and we're just normal people I I worked in an Irish pub before this like please be so for real I was going to school and dropped out twice.

44:45Do you know what I mean? Like I was personal training. I did. This is, I'm not, I am not like, I am not Jade with the, like I didn't have a six, like I have to work for these things. Okay. Yeah. I'm not Charlotte who grew up so in this industry that it was inevitable that she was going to be Charlotte Flair. Like, or, or even Tiffany who was so incredible in gymnastics and Lash was in the WNBA. I am literally the person sitting in the crowd, except I'm not. Somehow, I ended up right here hugging Triple H saying, it's been 13 years and you gave me the belt. And you've earned the right to do it.

45:30And also, it's got to feel nice that now when you go home, your husband can't say, you'll never know what it's like to win a championship in a ladder match and have the whole world cheering for you if you could say period yes i do yeah i mean that's a wild connection there by the way isn't that awesome you go to wrestlemania and zach rider has his moment winning the intercontinental championship in a multi-person ladder match and boom here we are in 2026 and chelsea green has risen have you thought about now like you know what life is like going forward that you now yes of course he has to do the dishes he has to take the wheel, the garbage cans out to the end of the driveway he's going to have to do all my laundry he'll have to hand wash this set he's going to have to buy me a replica title to put in the house he's going to have to take me out for a nice steak dinner with a martini extra dirty I haven't fully decided the rest of the list but I will be writing it I wouldn't let him wash your gear because he would probably try to sell it he will But, I mean, have you thought about, though, like, you now walk on to SmackDown on Friday as the reigning and defending interim WWE women's champion?

46:45Like, you're the centerpiece. You're the goalpost. Something went horribly wrong for me. Like, I don't know. I'm scared that I'm going to wake up and someone's going to have taken this out of my room and given it back to the real champion. Yeah. So that's scary. Do you think in hindsight that clip from Unreal that went everywhere where they said this wasn't going to be you? Screwed them? Well, I wasn't going to be quite that frank about my observation. Do you think that I should dedicate my title win to old Michael Hayes? Freebird himself? Do you think it rallied the fans, though? Do you think that it gave them a thing where we go, we don't agree with that?

47:25Yes. Yes. Yes, I have thought that since the minute that season one, episode three of Unreal came out. I thought, oh, this is not going to be good for The Office. But I love it. Hello, I'm getting all this love for just being me, for doing nothing out of the ordinary, for literally just showing up to work, doing my job and going home.

47:53unfortunately for the office that aired everyone loved it and now here we are three seasons later i mean like unreal season three just came out and it reignited that passion from the fans like i know it did i know it did i felt it i have felt it all weekend i felt it all year i felt it for three years um i really felt it when i won the u.s title but it it has like exploded since then exploded yeah and i and i thank michael hayes for that to the point i mean to the point that you're a good guy to the point that you are you are you are you are cheered you are not a villain i mean and you haven't changed a thing no that's the best heart I have stayed exactly the same person and somehow we've gone on this epic journey where now they like it when literally six months ago not only did they hate it but I was like the most annoying person in the company so that just goes to show you you can't trust Twitter you know what I mean can't trust Twitter because now you are WWE women's champion I mean, Chelsea, I can't say enough about what a moment this was.

49:11This was one of those moments that, like I said, everybody that I spoke to was like, that's the moment that I want to see. I don't know if it will happen, but it's the moment that I want to see. There were some that were even going like, well, we're probably not going to get it yet, but maybe money in the bank. It's always push it off, right? Maybe it'll be this. Maybe it'll be that. But we're here. where now is there any part of you that i don't know if intimidating is the right word but is there any part of you that goes huh i'm not really the underdog anymore as of right now as of this moment you walked into this building the underdog but you are now the champion no i don't have any other identity yet geez oh my god can you give me like 10 minutes with the title before you say that You're ripping away my whole identity.

50:00Yeah. Now, you know, instead of people rooting for you going, I know she could do it. I know she could do it. You know what they have now? Expectations. No. Yes, expectations. Oh, no. Expectations. No, because this is where it all goes downhill. It all comes crashing down. So you're telling me that we got this interview at the absolute peak. And when I walk out those doors, God only knows. we'll be here to document only the lord himself knows what's gonna happen congratulations i know you think it wasn't supposed to happen but i believe it was supposed to happen this is the only way that it could have happened your new interim wwe women's champion chelsea green

50:47wow what a life what a life oh wait should i do this real quick am i saying here yes yes okay before you go before you go does anyone have maxine's phone number somebody's gonna get called out for being shady uh chelsea before you go you're the champion you have a lot of things to do but you have time for one quick segment for you yes because i'm a kind giving champion that feels so good it's called the finishing move that's the name of the segment the finishing move and it's presented by minute mate that's my favorite i love minute mate i do too so we've seen and i would love it even more if they put me on the box i bet they will you're the champ now yeah so you're gonna get on a lot of stuff perfect minute mate included but you know we see all these incredible finishers your incredible finisher we see all the time if you could hit that finishing move on one thing in real life not a person oh not a person but like a situation yeah like uh uh i believe no i've got it oh i've got it what would be the situation it would be men who go fishing and then hold the fish up and pose for a picture with it you hit the finish and hate that you do i hate fish i hate men who hold the fish after they fished the fish, I hate it all.

52:14I don't eat fish. No. Nothing. What is it about that? Is it because you just don't like to see the fish or is it because like, what exactly are you bragging about? I don't like fish and I don't really like men. So, you know, men with fish, it just really pissed me off. I get it. I get it. Especially for you. You've sat there and held up that WWE Women's Championship and you're looking at some jamoke holding up a bass. A fish. a tuna. Please, be so for real. How many ladders did they have to climb for that? Zero, I'll tell you that. So, the point is, shout out to Minute Maid for bringing that energy.

52:50Because sometimes all you need is something bold, refreshing, and unapologetically you to get through the day. And Chelsea, that is how you bring the juice. Once again, Chelsea Green, everybody. Chelsea Green. Sleep Number's new collections are designed to adapt to the changing nature of your life and your sleep needs. Whether it's the personalized comfort of the new Comfort Mode mattress, the targeted pressure relief of the Comfort Next mattress, or the climate collection that actively cools or warms to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. And now, get early access to our biggest sale of the year.

53:31Save 25 % on the new Comfort Next Luxe for a limited time. Only at a Sleep Number store or sleepnumber.com. So close you can almost taste it. What? You're just going to walk away? Time to bring the juice.

53:51Never leave a fit behind. Rip it, rip it, and bring the juice.

54:01That flavor's just out of reach. Drop the Legos and bring the juice. Yee.

54:12Big thanks to Chelsea Green for popping by. And I want to talk about that discussion. But before I do, there's been something that's on my mind. And it's the fact that we are now into August. And this summer, I feel like I have not exposed my arms nearly enough. And I think a lot of people have been complaining about it. Luckily, at the hottest party of the summer, I'm staying cool. Because I got my ProSphere SummerSlam tank top. Look at that. at SummerSlam Minnesota from our good pals at ProSphere. They give us the absolute best stuff, whether you've been cheering since the Attitude Era or you're all in on today's biggest superstars.

54:47ProSphere is the company that has the gear to help you represent the WWE universe in absolute style. They got legendary icons. They got current fan favorites. They got the next generation of WWE superstars. Everybody gets represented. They commemorate unforgettable events. They celebrate championship moments. They keep coming back with fresh new designs, fresh products. It's amazing, and you stand out from the crowd. Suit up with Pro Spheres' lineup of premium jersey-inspired styles, graphic tees, hoodies, and more with options for adults and youth. Every member of the family can perfect the look that you want to show off to your WWE fandom.

55:29Wait till you, and you're all going to get one. Wait till you guys see the Roberts Christmas card this year. I'm talking me, the wife, the nine-year-old, the seven-year-old, the two-year-old. It goes on and on. And even Craig, he's going to be there with us meeting Santa Claus like he does every year. And rocking ProSphere for the holidays. We do it in the summer. We do it in the winter. We do it in the fall, even in the spring. ProSphere on Fanatics. is gear built for every member of the WWE universe. And I think every member of the WWE universe is celebrating Chelsea Green. And I love that conversation.

56:12And the fact that Chelsea Green is taking it all in, that Chelsea is aware of the journey, that Chelsea is prideful, for lack of a better term, of the journey, and that that title means so much around the waist of Chelsea Green. And it's something that like, as fans, we've wanted to see for a long time. And Chelsea Green is, I think, a unique performer in the WWE because I think the fan support comes from not only stories that she tells and the matches that she has in the ring, but I think it also comes from us recognizing the effort that she puts into what she's doing. Like recognizing the fact that whether she's on television for 10 seconds, 10 minutes, or an hour, she's putting in the absolute maximum amount of work to create entertaining and compelling content for all of us.

57:16And I mean, that moment, it was just, I mean, it was a perfect Chelsea moment. that moment when she realizes where she's at and the opportunity that she has she sits up like the dead man and climbs that ladder was so cool and I think it really was I mean along with that Kevin Owens return moment the Chelsea Green winning the women's championship moment is one of those moments that I think is just going to last forever in SummerSlam history and WWE history and it really is i mean everybody that was watching remembers how they felt when zach rider won that intercontinental championship and the multi-person ladder match at wrestlemania and now it stays in the family everybody is going to remember where they were when chelsea green finally won the big one and i know i don't think chelsea green was like ready in the right mind state to even think about what's next but i i can't wait to see what this looks like chelsea green on top of the women's division is not something that we have ever seen or ever quite frankly been close to she had a wonderful run with the united states championship a couple of them but we've never seen her do this before and i can't wait to see what it all looks like a lot of new champions crowned here tonight at summer slam and one of them was baron corbin you know Now, Baron Corbin is somebody who returned to the WWE recently.

58:44And I think there has been this question. Why is Baron Corbin back? And I think that's a fair question. You know, we've been seeing the vignettes for who we may be seeing tomorrow night on Monday Night Raw. Hopefully we get a chance to talk about that on the Raw recap with Megan. But when somebody returns, there's always going to be the question, why are they back and what's different this time? And I felt when I was watching Baron Corbin that clearly this is somebody who was different. You remember we had a quick conversation last night with X-Pac about the fact that Corbin told me, this is going to be a selfish one.

59:21I'm back for me this time. And I think that we completely saw that in this match with Trick Williams. And I'll tell you what I noted as I was out there. I'm the only person who's out there on the floor losing my mind, but also holding a little notebook and a pen the whole time. Like I'm Jimmy Olsen. You know what I mean? Making sure I, but what I wrote down was the fact that as I was watching Baron Corbin, he's the only performer on the entire show that I felt like wasn't doing what he was doing to impress the audience. He was not in that match. His offense was not done to impress the audience.

1:00:03His offense was done to beat up Lil Yachty and to beat up Trick. And I feel like that is something that Trick has not experienced since getting to the WWE. I feel like since getting to the WWE, Trick has experienced this overwhelming sense of joy from the audience, this overwhelming momentum that he's had. but he's never had an old school bad guy that steps up, who's just as big as if not bigger than trick and looks to beat him down. It's a different deal. That's what we got with Baron Corbin. And immediately after his match, I stopped him. I said, Corbin, you got to come talk to us about this.

1:00:42We got to get the scoop on this. And we talked to Baron Corbin here in Minneapolis immediately after winning the United States championship at SummerSlam. Fresh, off of winning, wow. It stings, I just picked this heavy title up and that stings. It stings on the old trap, tricep, I don't know. Is that from one of the kendo sticks? That's from Yachty, I owe him an ass whooping now. Wow, you pie facing Yachty I think might have been a highlight of the match. Baron Corbin, welcome to WWE Now and congratulations on winning the United States Championship at SummerSlam. It feels like you've barely been back in the WWE, But the question - I have barely been back.

1:01:25Doesn't just feel like it. We're three weeks in, four weeks in. Now I gotta shave a title cuz I don't need all this fur on there. Yeah, that's what I was gonna, when you pick up that United States championship, weeks after returning to the WWE, did you think it'd be covered in fur when you thought about it in your mind? I mean, when I saw it the first time covered in fur, I just said this is disrespectful as hell and I need to take that off of him. we gotta like right this wrong how did it feel uh being back being in front of a crowd this size feeling the energy of the crowd realizing how much they did not want you to win only to win i mean i heard you yelling i told you i was going to win as you held that belt yeah um i mean it's been a crazy day like this is what i've done for a long time right like 14 15 years now total and like today felt like my first day like it was weird like the the air the excitement the nerves like at one point i was like you know our producer was talking to us and i was like i need a minute to go drink some water because i feel like i'm gonna vomit like just that because like it's so amazing to get back and get another chance and you go all right well i only have so many years of an opportunity left right i'm that was an f-bomb my bad dude um i'm in it you know it's all good sorry mom we're podcasting sorry mom um oh we are so i can drop those you can okay you can we'll keep that one um so it's just like the excitement like getting back and going all right i need to reset everything everyone thinks about me and i had that year and a half away where i think they forgot about a lot of it and it's like all right i'm coming back my time off i was busy killing people in jiu-jitsu choking them snapping arms taking heads, whatever it was, you know, doing some more, like really sharpening my skills for physicality to get back to what I do and what I did originally.

1:03:13When I came in as a lone wolf, it was like, no friends. I'm whooping everybody's ass that gets in my way. And that's where I found the most success, right? I mean, that's where I had a U.S. championship. That's where I won the Andre. Like, that's where I won money in the bank was that attitude. I'm going, I got to go find that. And that year and a half away, I was able to find that, able to figure it out, like, weed out all the shit in my life that I didn't need, you know, like, forget the cars, forget the whatever it is and it's like what do I do best I fight that's what I do and so it's like when I got the call to potentially come back I was going all right I'm gonna hurt everybody they sat in front of me every single person good guy bad guy friend foe doesn't matter I'm gonna hurt them and I mean we started we chatted for that blood sport it's like this is what I'm good at I'm good at just fighting and so I weeded out all that other stuff and I came back on a mission in three weeks I accomplished this at SummerSlam in front of 40 ,000 people and it felt like that watching the match it felt like it wasn't your typical trick williams match it wasn't even your typical wrestling match it didn't feel like this is a fun performance it felt like it was an ass kicking did you go in thinking like i'm i'm not playing other people's game anymore i'm gonna structure this around my rules yeah i'm doing me and i'm doing what i do i may have to you know be patient sometimes in a match to get my opportunity to do what i need to do and when that time comes to

1:04:31It's everything I wanted it to be when I was on top of him and I was hitting him with the punches and he started blocking punches. I started throwing elbows. I started throwing these elbows. New US champ, did you see that ? Hi buddy. This hot man returned right here and number one contender now. That's true. I'd say these are pretty good returns right now. These are great returns. You don't want the title till it's furry like this, right? You're gonna keep the fur. I gotta shave it. No. I'm shaving it. I can't do this. I can dye it. I think you can pull it off. All right, I'll leave. baron corbin man listen time comes he'll catch one too he will you don't care about friends i mean that's where i was successful and so delivering those elbows thank you thank you thank you i will take this home it's a present from kevin owens he's really rich and buys a lot of cars there's probably a car in here so we're gonna take this home i love it man you know i'm happy to see you back and i'm happy to see you back in a way where it feels like you spent a lot of time with other talent in the past, maybe younger talent, maybe helping other people.

1:05:34And even though people were booing you, other people were benefiting from what you were doing. And it feels like now we're finally in this space where we can see what you do when you're thinking about yourself. It's going to be more selfish. A lot of people try to pride themselves on not being selfish, and they want to better everything. This time, I don't know how much time I have left to do this. If it's two years, three years, four years, I'm going to take everything I can get in every moment that I get and every chance I get. That's awesome, man. Congrats, dude. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much to Baron Corbin.

1:06:08Also, thank you to Kevin Owens for making multiple appearances today on WWE Now. I enjoyed Kevin Owens' inclusion in the Baron Corbin. Kevin Owens is, like, elated, I think, to be back. I think Kevin Owens is just, that's also like why I really love doing these interviews immediately after these matches. Because all the emotion that is in these men and women as they're performing, all the adrenaline, all the feels, if you will, are fresh right there in them. And we get the chance to have these conversations that normally you wouldn't see, you wouldn't hear. Nobody would have these conversations.

1:06:47They're not being recorded otherwise. So the fact that we get to come to these PLEs and get to talk to these superstars immediately after coming from the ring and have interactions like that, I think is so, so cool. And it's part of the biggest party of the summer. You know, the biggest party of the summer is not just here at SummerSlam. No, no, no, no, no. SummerSlam is actually bringing the biggest party of the summer to WWE Slam. I don't know if you know about this, but the action-packed release celebrating one of WWE's most iconic premium live events, SummerSlam, is here in WWE Slam. Inspired by the bright lights, unforgettable moments, and larger-than-life superstars who have defined SummerSlam throughout the years, this box features an incredible lineup of cards, including Golden Hour signatures, Summer Blockbuster Duel signatures, Scorched, and my favorite, Big Kahuna.

1:07:41Experience the excitement of SummerSlam and start collecting these incredible cards now in Topps WWE Slam. Now, I got to tell you, it's been a big, big night. We've got a new United States champion. We've got a new number one contender. We've got a new women's interim champion. Of course, Roman Reigns is still our world heavyweight champion. He retained. He retained everybody. But, but what we also have is a brand new intercontinental champion. Chad Gable gets his first singles title in the WWE and gets in the ring with the same guy who started this year and three quarters long journey that went through Grande Americano, through AAA, and spit Chad Gable out on the other side to become the Intercontinental Champion.

1:08:43It is just, I mean, again, I feel like tonight, night two of SummerSlam was all about these moments, whether it's Roman and Seth in the shield, whether it's Chelsea Green, whether it's Kevin Owens coming back, whether it's Chad Gable having this happen for him in a match like we saw against Penta. Well, right after Chad Gable celebrated with his family, we had the opportunity to grab a couple of those travel boxes, pop a squat, and sit down and talk about the fact that the Intercontinental Championship is what is on the other side of this amazing story for Chad Gable. Here is Chad Gable on WWE Now.

1:09:32Intercontinental Champion, and when I say it's a long time coming, it's a long time coming. Chad Gable, as long as it took for you to get here, could this moment have been more perfect? No, it couldn't have. It's insane to say and see how all these circumstances that happened and all the things, the injuries, everything played out in a way that actually worked out impossibly perfect, really. Like, you can't hardly write stuff like this. It's too perfect. You know, it's weird, and I don't, I mean, I don't know who to thank. I thank God. I think everybody, it's just, it's been incredible, man. Especially with somebody like Penta, who it's like, you go back and you realize that this is a story that really did start over a year and a half ago.

1:10:17Sure. It started at the beginning of the Netflix deal, the match with you and Penta that kind of evolves into the Grande Americano story that I think, like, nobody could have seen what that story was going to do. This thing that starts with you just kind of making fun of it to being like people going, you know what? Gable can actually wrestle. So there's something, you know what I mean? There's a different element to it. When you're at home and the current Grande Americano is putting his own thing on it and becoming bigger and bigger and bigger. Yes. Before this is a story, is there a part where you're going like, oh no.

1:10:56When I get back, I don't know if I have this anymore. No. It was frustrating, but it wasn't like that. It was fuel. It was fuel to the fire because I knew I was coming back. There were scary thoughts going into my head about how dangerous I was going to be when I came back. So I knew I was going to be a force. And all it did was say, brother, you're in trouble, man. You're just stealing my stuff, trying to make it your own. And not only that, but being awesome at it, to his credit. He took it, ran with it to a degree that maybe nobody else that I can even think of would have. And so it was that that made the magic.

1:11:28It was competitive fire and spirit that it doesn't exist often, but when you find it, it's like lightning in a bottle, man. When it's two guys just trying to best each other competitively, professionally, personally, everything. It was all on the line, and you saw what happens when that happens. When you bring that story to AAA, were you at first surprised at how much that AAA audience took to the story? So I had seen it play out a little bit. But I knew how in love with him they were. I was surprised at how much they hated me to the degree that they hated me. It was as if I, and I did, had insulted an entire culture of people.

1:12:13It wasn't just a, it was no longer just a Lucha Libre thing or just a wrestling thing. It was a people that I had offended. And I felt that, man, it was visceral. Like every time I went down there, geez, like what have I done here? But that's, again, that's what made it, so yeah. How did it feel coming out of that mask versus mask match? You know, I mean, because that really was for people paying attention to AAA. And I think that that story got a lot more people paying attention, especially stateside, to what was going on in AAA. There was a lot of pressure on that. There were high expectations for that story.

1:12:47And I think you and Americano completely blew those expectations out of the water. Yes. To the point that they had to replay the entire match on Monday Night Raw, did you know immediately that you guys had nailed it? I knew in the match. Yeah, during. I could tell we had it. I had high, like you said, high expectations going in. I exceeded those, obviously. I put a lot of pressure on myself for that match because of AAA, because of what I thought we had the potential to do for AAA. and I treated that pressure as a real privilege. It's like you have a chance to deliver and elevate this company now that we have acquired and they're trying to push.

1:13:30It's on you, man. And I think we did it. You know, to his credit too, everybody played their part. The crowd played their part. You know, it's everything that went into that did it. And I think it just took AAA and it was already had momentum and it was a very cool thing, but it just shot it through the moon, man. It was like now all eyes are on it. And now it's like this hip thing. it's like a happening you know it's like a happening down there so i mean it turned into one of those matches that like i've you know that short list of matches and i'm sure you understand as somebody who's been a wrestling fan forever that like there are those matches that you can show a non-wrestling fan yes and have them realize why this thing is so magical and like the minute it was over i said that's on wow the list and the fact that that happens in a match in an organization where culturally there's already that divide.

1:14:20Not only do you have to sell somebody on wrestling, but now you have to sell them on Lucha. And now you have to explain the culture. But it was just, to me, I thought it was so perfect because it didn't require, it doesn't require explanation. No, it lives on its own, right? Yes. And I love that. And that's one of the highest compliments, I think, I was paid about that match is what you just said. And not only from fans and people, but my peers as well, I think I value that input and feedback so much that when my peers tell me, man that reminded me what I love about this it's like we do this so much that sometimes you know I admittedly like the hamster wheel can get to you and you're just you're repeat repeat you're in your routine but then when these things happen and you hear people say you reminded me man you reminded me what it was like when I was eight nine ten years old what I and I was like geez that's the kind of stuff that gives me goosebumps and that's the kind of stuff that's like really rewarding and humbling at the same time when you realize that that story has been told and now it's time to come back to the main roster you're unmasked it's time to it's time to you know I don't want to say capitalize but capitalize on the goodwill that you as Chad Gable have earned from telling this story is there any new pressure to go like okay now everybody's willing to give me this shot everybody can see what I can do now without the mask without this character without this story I kind of have to deliver.

1:15:38Yes, so the pressure was not to deliver to other people at that point, it was for myself. I put it on myself because I had stated over and over openly what I know I'm capable of, what I think I'm capable of, singles championships, and being more than a tag team guy. Now, you can only say that stuff for so long and not deliver before you're just the boy who cried wolf, man. It's like, yeah, we heard it before, when are you going to do it? So now it's like, I know, I know what I've put out there in the ether. So it's on me. I don't feel pressure to anyone else except myself. That's the only one.

1:16:10And so I, but that's a serious pressure I take because when I put something out into the universe and say I'm going to do it, it's been this like quality of mine that I don't know how to explain properly, but I make it happen because there's just, I refuse to let my character be tarnished by not delivering on something I've said I was going to do. And so this was no different. I was like, I've said this stuff for too long. It's time to deliver. I need it for myself, my character, my whole being. When you have a moment like you had tonight in your hometown with your family there, there to celebrate with you and the audience all having your back because they've now been on this journey with you, are you thinking about it all?

1:16:51Like, does your head go back to Ready, Willing, and Gable? Do you think about Shorty G? Do you think about, like, I mean, because this has been, it's not just, yeah, it's an incredible thing that you had this match with Penta that leads to Grande Americana, that leads to mass versus mass that leads to this. But when you think about you having a singles championship, it's a much more incredible story going all the way back to NXT. I think back to my backyard when I was backyard wrestling. I think back to when I was 8 years old or 9 years old and captivated to a degree that I can't really put into words at that age because I'm watching things at 6 years old even, like Macho Man and Mitch Elizabeth, and I'm crying because they're having this emotional moment, but I'm not even old enough to appreciate that kind of love and emotion.

1:17:32I don't know, but it had that effect on me. And now I remember these things, and I'm like, man, here we are, like, this much later. I'm creating these moments for other people, but I'm in it too. Like, it's still having this effect on me. And it's like, it's those things, man. It's that childlike, like, wonder. Whatever captivated you when you were just a kid like that, it can still exist when you're well into your older years, man. And it's a beautiful thing. It's an amazing, amazing thing, especially because any of us who grew up around the time that we grew up, we know how important the Intercontinental Championship specifically is.

1:18:07And the fact that that gets to be your first singles title and you get to have it in a match at SummerSlam, which is notorious for great Intercontinental Championship matches in a match like the one we just saw is I mean, like we said at the beginning of this, man, it's it's it's perfect. Thank you. And it's almost like this thing where where as a fan, there's a part of me that is glad that it took this long. Yeah. And that we didn't get it for as long as we didn't get it and that we look like we were never going to get it. So that it's insane. This thing could just feel so real. Even the injury and like not I will never say I'm happy I got injured.

1:18:45But look at it, man. This would have never happened. It would have never all played out the way it did if I wasn't hurt, had to leave, and everything just, it's insane. Especially because that injury felt like in the moment, it was at the worst possible time. I mean, if people remember that Money in the Bank match that you were in as Grande, it was like that was kind of this moment where it was like, oh my God, I think we're on to something. Worlds collide earlier in the day, Money in the Bank later in the day. I was having the time of my life. Because that's when it was like, oh my, like this is a, there's this entertainment value to it.

1:19:14But these are also, this is the best wrestler on the show. Crazy. And it's like, oh no, this is the worst possible time to get injured and who would have thunk? It's literally, everything happens the way it's exactly supposed to happen. Wild. Wild man. It's humbling to think about, yep. Dude, thank you so much for giving us your time right now. And congratulations, that's a severe understatement. Congratulations for becoming the Intercontinental Champion tonight, man. I appreciate you having me, man. You're the best. Feels good, thank you. Awesome. Thank you guys. so again we're thanking a lot of people tonight but i mean thank you so much to chad gable for making that time for this podcast right after winning the intercontinental championship what a wonderful wonderful sight to see here at summer slim and by the way also big credit to dan hausen for getting that human money's off the pole we haven't had a lot of time to break that down fully but dan hausen's undefeated streak continues this guy is like bill goldberg in face paint dan Dan Housen, unbeatable.

1:20:14I believe he's at 18-0 now, except instead of like all the arena security walking him to the ring, he's got those mini Dan Housens with him. 18-0, I believe, is Dan Housen's professional record in the WWE. And as much as I never want to see Dirty Dominic Mysterio lose a match in my entire life, if it has to happen, at least let it happen to one of the greatest of all time. And by that, of course, I mean Dan Housen. Again, Roman Reigns retains the World Heavyweight Championship. Chelsea Green wins the Women's Championship. Kevin Owens is our number one contender. Baron Corbin is your United States Champion.

1:20:54And Chad Gable is your Intercontinental Champion. I would say after the last two nights, a lot has changed in the WWE. And I cannot wait. By the way, as we are recording, everybody says this about Chad Gable, too. They're very cruel. They say the clap's not going to catch on, which is odd because that's not what they told me in health class. But they say it's not going to catch on is what they say. And I just watched him on the post show. And the entire sea of people were clapping right along with Chad Gable. Like it was Scottie Rigg and Marcus Bagwell all over again, the American male. Shout out.

1:21:36Shout out. That's the organization they wrestle for. That's right, Craig. Shout out to Chad Gable. I cannot wait to see how this all unfolds starting tomorrow night on Monday Night Raw. Luckily, we'll be able to be here and walk you through it. The Raw recap will be tomorrow right after Raw, so make sure, and Megan Morant will be with me, so make sure that you are subscribed across all audio platforms. Make sure you're hitting like, leaving comments on the YouTube video, listening to us on WWE Radio on Sirius XM Channel 156. And we'll see you tomorrow for the Raw Recap here on WWE Now.

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