WWE Now - Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu are SET for TRIBAL COMBAT! | Raw Recap

19:42Paul Heyman opened up Monday Night Raw because people were coming to me all week and they're going like this. Sam, explain this to me. I go, okay, what do you need to explain? They go, Brock Lesnar, he retired.

19:52Sam Roberts:People come to you with that question often. They do. You've seen it. I'm not exaggerating. Sam, can you please explain this to me? What's going on? I go, okay, okay. Let me take a stab at this sometimes. But I figure we get some valuable information for these questions that I'm going to get. Because I was getting them all week. They said, explain it to me. Brock Lesnar. He retired at WrestleMania. I said, it would seem so. He left his boots in the ring. You know, that's generally the sign of retirement. And they said, so how is he back? I go, he's back. You know what I mean? Because he's decided to come back.

20:20Well, are you going to tell him he can't come back? He's back. Paul Heyman announced, you know, that this was happening. and talked about how Brock felt about Obafemi. And then they ran words from Brock Lesnar. And Brock Lesnar said he was retired. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman keep saying, yeah, but he's retired. And you're just like, okay, retired from? And they're like, wrestling. And then it's like, well, what's he doing at Clash in Italy? He's going to be wrestling at Clash in Italy.

20:56Sam Roberts:Brock even admitted that Oba beat him so bad. that's the reason he retired. He beat him into retirement. I was shocked to hear Brock admit that because all week that's really been a topic of conversation. Was it because Oba beat him? Was this the plan all along that Brock was going to retire at WrestleMania? What forced Brock Lesnar to come back? A beating. That's right. A beating. We learned that tonight. Got him into retirement, but the same beating. I think Brock probably sat there and said, I'm not going out like that. I'm not going out like that. In the moment, at the time, he thought maybe that's the only option.

21:31Right.

21:31Sam Roberts:After you sit with it. You go, no, no, I don't think so. Because he did say that. He said that he's taken a lot of beatings before, but never one like that. One that caused him to retire. But it also awakened the beast. And I think it's twofold, right? I think, you know, catching that beating from Obafemi, but then also after WrestleMania, just watching everybody start to build the legend of Obafemi. It really wasn't about Brock anymore. It was all about coming off of that Brock win and, you know, the win against Brock and building this legendary status of Obafemi. And Brock sitting there, I don't know, maybe he's grinding his teeth.

22:22Maybe he can't believe that this is all happening. Maybe he said, you know what? Forget it. It was one bad night. I'm back. And the beast is awakened.

22:31Sam Roberts:I must put a stop to this. I have to put a stop to this. He said he's going to rule over Oba. And I will say that it did feel like a beast had been awakened in Brock Lesnar. It was a different Brock Lesnar last week than it was all six weeks leading up to WrestleMania. For sure. Or do you remember the way that Brock was looking at Oba on the way to WrestleMania? Like he had seen a ghost. Yeah. Except now who's seen the ghost? Oba. Maybe Obafemi. Right. Yeah. Except Obafemi's words tonight. I mean, Oba comes out. I thought that Paul Heyman was... If I was a ghost, I would... Yeah, I thought Paul Heyman was going to leave a puddle in the ring.

23:12And Paul Heyman was terrified. Paul Heyman is getting all grabbed up. I mean, look at the eyes on Paul Heyman. It really is interesting. That there's a lot of situations that Paul Heyman is able to maintain his level of confidence. But not when Oba Femi is face to face with him, talking to him. Oba saying that that beast is not the only one that's been awakened. I've been awakened. Talking about the four F5s that Oba took. You know what I mean? And it's like every step of the way, I think that Oba, because he's young, because he's new to the main roster, I think that people, I mean, the legend of Oba hasn't been built the way the legend of Brock Lesnar has been.

24:01Sam Roberts:Of course. And so Oba, though, in his mind, he doesn't have that imposter syndrome. He's not sitting there thinking like, oh, this is big bad Brock Lesnar. I'm just this rookie. He's not trying to prove he belongs. No, no, no, no, no. He already, and we saw that when we interviewed him on this podcast after Saturday night's main event. Like it was real clear even then before he had even technically made his main roster debut. It was just after that exhibition match that we saw that energy radiating off of Obafemi. So Obafemi almost comes out offended that you'd go, okay, the beast was awakened in Brock Lesnar.

24:38Why would I worry about that? What I did to Brock Lesnar, the six weeks leading to WrestleMania, what I did to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, that's what I do. I'm ready to do it again. I'll do it six times a week, twice on Sunday.

24:53Sam Roberts:But this time's different because last time I was looking to beat Brock Lesnar and now I'm looking to kill Brock Lesnar. Kill him is what he said. He's looking to kill Brock Lesnar. Again, Brock says I'm going to rule over Oba. Oba says I don't want to beat Brock Lesnar. I want to kill Brock Lesnar. I'd be like, oh my God, what have I done here? What have I done? I mean, this and it really is. You talk about anticipated rematches. I cannot wait to see these two guys go at it. And Oba Femi now setting up like the idea that Oba, Oba not only has this physical ability to do what he does, but he clearly comes across to me as exceptionally intelligent in the sense that he recognizes opportunities and he understands what's in front of him because he goes flat out.

25:47He goes, imagine what it's going to be like to get to retire Brock Lesnar twice. And you're like, who gets to retire Brock Lesnar twice in like a 60-day period?

26:03Sam Roberts:Who gets F5'd four times and seven days later comes back with this type of energy? No, forget about it. Nobody, nobody. Like that should be four F5s and Brock coming back. It should be your cue to be like, you know what? I got my WrestleMania victory. I'm going to powder out here for a little while. Let me just stay out of that guy's way. Yeah, hopefully he starts trouble with somebody else. I'll come back then. Like I got my thing. Oba wants it all, dude. Oba isn't worried about it at all. And I am very much looking forward. I think what's going to make this one so different is that there was something exciting about seeing Obafemi at WrestleMania because the conversation was all about first time.

26:47It's his first time at WrestleMania. It's his first time on a stage this big. It's his first time in a match this big. It's his first time with somebody like Brock Lesnar. It's first, first, first, first. Now he's an established guy who wrestles on PLEs, who's beaten Brock Lesnar before. See, Oba walked into WrestleMania with only potential in front of him. That's it. now there are expectations behind Obafemi. Now he's shown the audience what he's capable of. Now we're walking in going, not like, can you imagine if Obafemi beats Brock Lesnar? Now we're walking in going, Obafemi should beat Brock Lesnar.

27:26Sam Roberts:We don't have to imagine it because we've seen it. We saw it. We saw it. So now there's these expectations of like, Oba's the guy who's going to beat Brock Lesnar. And if he doesn't, then you start going, was I wrong? Did he just have a good night at WrestleMania? You know? And Brock knows that. Brock's been in this business for a minute or two. Brock knows. He's like, okay, I can make you a legend, but I can also stop that in its tracks. And I would not be surprised if that's something that Brock Lesnar wants to do. Now, I do want to tell you about Fanatics Fest, okay? I'm talking about the number one sports fan festival.

28:05Fanatics Fest returns to the Javits Center in New York City from July 16th through the 19th of this year, 2026. I can't wait for it. It is a must-attend event for WWE fans. You'll be able to meet your favorite superstars and enjoy surprise appearances all weekend long. Wait till you hear this. There are new superstars just added for Fanatics Fest. They include AJ Styles, Trick Williams, and Oba Femi, the ruler. Photo and autographs for these superstars will be available for purchase on Friday, May 29th Keep May 29th circled on your calendar, by the way Because additional autograph and photo opportunities will be added for all superstars Including superstars that are currently sold out That's Dan Housen, there are some others as well Fanatics Fest general admissions and photo opportunity tickets are on sale now at fanaticsfest.com.

29:05And without further ado, to help us continue our analysis of an action-packed Monday Night Raw, what do you say we bring in our guest for today?

29:16Sam Roberts:Let's do it. Ladies and gentlemen, one of the greatest analysts in the history of the business, Big E, is back here with us on the Raw Recap. How are you, man? I am good. I'm good. It's good to be here talking all things Raw. Well, not just Raw, okay? We have to talk about all things that I consider WWE and WWE adjacent happening on a Monday night. And, you know, WWE, we have extended our pause to the point that they're everywhere. And I do want to say that just as we were watching tribal combat be made official, The Knicks were also making it official that they were going all the way to the NBA finals for the first time since 1999, sweeping Cleveland.

30:08Is this or is this not evidence that Dan Housen's powers are very, very real?

30:21How can you refute it at this point? I don't know how it can be denied. It's ridiculous, but the proof's in the pudding. The man's got it. He just got it. He's been on a heater. The run that this man, Dan Housen, has been on, truly, truly incredible. And you think, what do you think the odds are that we do see him at the finals, courtside, on one side of him, Kylie Jenner, and on the other side of him, Timothy Chamolet? it feels inevitable at this point especially knowing look brunson's a huge fan too there's that tie-in he's been on wwe programming multiple times it's got it's got to happen if it feels inevitable and by the way and by the way cat carl anthony towns just bought the uh one of one Cody Rhodes card from Topps that was in the royalty set that was a picture of Cody Rhodes on the night of the Elimination Chamber.

31:24And on the inscription, because it was a one of one, Cody Rhodes wrote, he wanted my soul, question mark, and then signed Cody Rhodes. And he bought the card. So, I mean, it's all...

31:35Sam Roberts:Kat's been after a lot of cards. I know. I missed the Randy patch. But look, we're all connected. It's all coming together. And we saw connections built. on Monday Night Raw tonight, a connection built after warfare between Seth Rollins and Montez Ford. So it was an interesting night for Seth, for the vision. So it goes, we find out that Logan Paul is injured and Austin Theory is now looking to avenge Logan Paul, but also not sure if he needs to relinquish the tag team championship. Paul Heyman says on the contract, it says, the Vision are the tag team champions. There's always a loophole with Paul Heyman.

32:17There's always loopholes. He lives in the loophole. So now, apparently, Braun Breaker and Austin Theory are the tag team champions. But it doesn't stop Austin Theory from looking for revenge. He beats up Joe Hendry, which, by the way, Joe Hendry deserved it. Because for Joe Hendry to show up on Monday Night Raw after a man was injured, we know Logan Paul is injured. He's a torn triceps. It's no good. And he still has to sing, can we fire Logan Paul? E, can you imagine if you were out with injury? And the first night that you're out with injury, one of your coworkers is singing a song advocating for you to lose your job while you're injured?

33:04I'm typically not one to beat the drum for Logan Paul or have a lot of sympathy. But you do make a good point. The man is just, he just did have an injury that's going to keep him out for probably multiple months. And here's Joe. Not an ounce of sympathy. Just get the man out of here. You make a good point, Sam.

33:24Sam Roberts:There's a lot of rubbing salt in the wound there. Yeah, I mean, I can't imagine what it does to you mentally. Knowing you're injured, you got momentum building. Now you're at home. You're worried you're going to lose your spot. You're worried the show's going to go on without you. I shouldn't be injured. And then you got this guy in the blue shirt. jumping up and singing an unbelievably catchy song, advocating for you to get fired. It's a terrible thing. So you're saying he deserved it. Yes. Again, look, I'm a Joe fan, but not the best timing. That's fair. No, this beating, that's all I'm saying.

34:00I'm not saying every beating. I'm saying this beating, Joe Hendry deserved it. Then, of course, Dawkins was the one that Austin Theory deemed responsible for the move in which Logan Paul got injured. So that conversation came up and Seth Rollins was trying to talk to the street profits. Montez wanting nothing to do with Seth Rollins as he has remained strong on since Seth Rollins first got back.

34:27Sam Roberts:Dawkins, however, was slightly interested. He's been interested. Yeah. Dawkins has been willing to hear out Seth Rollins the entire time. He hasn't been all in, but he's been interested. But he hasn't been out. Nope. But Montez says, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. And finally, the match is made. We get a singles match in the ring. Seth Rollins versus Montez Ford on Monday Night Raw. I'll say this. An unexpected treat tonight to have that match bestowed upon us. Absolutely, man. And I think in this ecosystem, there's so many new young stars to be excited about. But let's not forget some of the guys.

35:04You know, Montez at this point is a vet, but still to me, one of the most underrated superstars on the roster. His level of athleticism, truly incredible. I know he's been out for quite some time. I think just kind of on the shelf, him and Dawkins, not because of injury or anything. Those guys have just been sitting on the sidelines. It's been really a breath of fresh air, especially for the tag team division to have those two back. But man, it was really just a treat to watch Seth Rollins, truly one of the best in-ring workers, bell to bell there is on the planet right now, with one of the best athletes in the world, bar none, with Montez.

35:39And those guys really put on a clinic and just really was a treat. But it felt like, in many ways, it felt like that match kind of forged their bond because afterwards, Montez was a lot less resistant to Seth. And sometimes, as men, sometimes you just need to slug it out a little bit. You just need to throw hands a little bit to get on the same page. We got out that masculine energy, and now we can have a conversation about the best way to move forward. But I'm also intrigued now with Dawkins. Who knows how long he's going to be out on the shelf? You know, he took quite the beating there as well.

36:11Maybe we do see a bit of this makeshift tag team run things for a little bit between Seth and Montez. As much as I love the Street Profits, I can't wait for Dawkins to be back. I'm excited to see how this pairing goes with those two.

36:25Sam Roberts:Yeah, during the match, I just kept thinking to myself, okay, if Seth Rollins can't beat Montez Ford, he really has no friends. He really has no reinforcements. Where does Seth Rollins go from this? Because since returning from injury, it hasn't looked so pretty for Seth Rollins. But then at the same time, as Montez Ford loses this match to Seth Rollins, he's really going to have to swallow his pride a little bit and maybe think of the best way forward. I think Austin Theory perhaps made Tez's decision a little bit easier for him to digest because it's one thing to swallow your pride. But when your brother and Angelo Dawkins gets taken out by Austin Theory, it makes that decision a little bit easier to fully make and comprehend.

37:11Yeah, but I think the one thing that not enough people are bringing up is like, what if Montez is right? You know, like he's not everything that he's saying.

37:20Sam Roberts:Seth Rollins? Not only that, but you can't trust the guy. It's true. Like, make a list of the partners that Seth Rollins has had. That list is long. Make a list of the partners that Seth Rollins has had where it's gone right. That list is incredibly short. I think Becky Lynch is the only person on that list. Because every time Seth Rollins has been in a group, there has been betrayal. He has been somebody who has lived and died by utter betrayal. And this is literally going back to his WWE debut. You can go to the Shield. You can go to the Monday Night Messiah. You can go to the Vision. You can go to any of it, and you can find that Seth Rollins just has historically not had the ability to keep friends for a long period of time.

38:07And there are times in life where you know that that voice is telling you this is a bad idea. This is a bad idea.

38:14Sam Roberts:But he was left with no choice. Dawkins was taken out. There's always a choice. there's always a choice. So do you think that this decision will come back to bite Montez Ford? Yeah. You do? Absolutely. Absolutely. Seth Rollins cannot help himself. I mean, you know, like the scorpion and the frog story is a story that has been told over generations for a reason. Tigers don't change their stripes. It just is what it is. It's almost a strength of Seth Rollins. As a matter of fact, it is a strength of Seth Rollins. The fact that he's able to convince people to, I mean, have this brotherly bond with him that he is completely willing to dispose of when the time is right.

38:57Sam Roberts:I mean, he has the ability to, no matter what is going on, to always prioritize himself, which in this world of WWE and friendships, relationships, whatever it may be, isn't always that easy. And I found it very interesting that after getting what he desired and Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins, if he ever comes back to be on his side, Seth Rollins immediately is back looking out for number one. And he goes to Adam Pierce and says, hey, I need to cut the head off the snake here. I need Braun Breaker whenever I can get my hands on him. Yeah, I think it's a mistake. I think Montez has made a huge mistake.

39:33I know. I don't know what his options, though, are. To Megan's point, right now his partner is out. I don't think the vision is just going to leave him alone. I think it's going to work out. At least I'm optimistic just because I think the pairing with those two together will be so incredible in the ring. I need this thing to go well for at least give me a few weeks of them being on the same page at least. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I get it. I get it. I've just been fooled too many times. You're not going to fool me again, especially with Brock Lesnar running around retiring and unretiring. I'm just not going to get suckered in again.

40:03I swear it. It's not going to happen. Now, speaking of pairings, we weren't done, you know, Adam Pearce, you know, yelling at Austin Theory. And Paul Heyman was very much like the energy that a troubled kid has at school when he's getting yelled at by the principal. And the parent goes, why don't you let us take care of this at home? And then they do absolutely nothing. That was the energy that Paul Heyman had with Austin Theory tonight. But the most interesting part of all of it is we've seen hints. You know, we've seen stuff going on in the background. We've seen people getting in and out of SUVs.

40:37But tonight on Austin Theory's way out, Maxine just leaves Otis and Tozawa behind going, oh, you guys don't understand him. I'm going to go catch up. And catches up with Austin Theory. I mean.

40:50Sam Roberts:She said you guys have to cut him some slack. He's been dealing with a lot lately. And I tell you what, you guys, she had lust in her eyes when she said it. She did. I mean, does Theory have that kind of riz? I didn't know he was capable of that kind of riz. I'm not shocked. Shout out for him. I'm not shocked. Shout out to him. Well, my future mother-in-law is a huge Austin Theory fan. And I'm not sure it has to do anything with his wrestling. So I think he's got it. I think at least among a certain population, he's definitely got it. But, you know, I think we've seen, you know, for people who pay attention and look in oftentimes in these shots backstage, if you look in the background and pay a little less attention to the foreground, I think we have seen Austin and Maxine way in the back.

41:37Who knows what they were talking about? But look, as much as I love Tozawa, I love Otis. If you're Maxine, and I'm not saying this is the rationale or the reasoning for it, but Austin Theory is in a great spot. But the vision, doing big things, winning championships, Tozawa, Otis, not so much. So whether this is opportunistic or not, I think this move will be positive for Maxine's career. I have no idea where this goes. I hope we don't see evil Maxine. I think she is so just naturally and organically sweet and people want to get behind her. I don't want to see her corrupted by the horrible influence that is the vision.

42:17but I do think whatever this is, is probably going to be a positive move for her career. I'll tell you what, when Maxine is just breaking everybody's heart and Seth Rollins is turning on Montez and everybody said, I don't want to have to be there and say, I told you so. Everybody said I was negative when I said it to begin with, but we got it. We got it. Some things are inevitable, you know, and also to your point about, you know, career moves. What I saw on raw tonight was Austin theory, having Paul Heyman's full attention. And it was maybe the first time I've ever seen Austin Theory having Paul Heyman's full attention.

42:55I think there is kind of a version of this where, okay, Bronson Reed is still out with injury. Okay, now Logan Paul is out with injury. I think that in order to maintain the vision at a certain spot, Austin Theory just became much more valuable to Paul Heyman, and I hope Austin Theory knows that.

43:14Sam Roberts:And Paul Heyman was making sure that Austin Theory knew it as well. He kept repeating over and over, I did this for you. I did this for you. And then, of course, there's the backstage embrace with Paul Heyman and Austin Theory. I love the way that Paul's always wheeling and dealing and adjusting for whatever the vision presents him with. And right now, it's Logan Paul being out with an injury. Yeah, and I think this is a big step-up situation for Austin Theory right now. obviously very, very talented, still so young, but I think for a lot, there's so much focus on when everyone was healthy, on Braun Breaker, on Bronson, Logan Paul, the social media superstar.

43:57And in many ways, when you're in a group that large, even if you're very talented, it's easy to be lost. And I think in many ways, Austin Theory is being thrust into this position where he's not just one of four or five and other people have the mic and have the opportunities and we're seeing, you know, Bronson with tsunamis and Braun with Spears. Now, because of injuries, he's being thrust into a position where he has to step up. And I love that we got to see Austin Theory out there on his own, swinging a chair, that it wasn't nefarious or not. I love that he wasn't hiding behind other people, that it was essentially he was giving the ball.

44:32Because of injuries, here's an opportunity. Go out there and do something with it. And I feel like, honestly, this is one of the best nights, I think, for Austin Theory and his career. He is a difference maker now on his own. He is now going out there. He is not waiting for someone to, hey, go make a difference. He's out there waylaying Joe Hendry. He's out there putting Dawkins on the shelf. He's out there truly making a difference. And I think Paul Heyman now sees someone who is willing to step up and fill that void. And I think Austin Theory, even when everyone comes back and they're at full strength, I still think he needs to keep that mentality of you see a young guy who's very talented, but you kind of keep waiting for him to emerge.

45:10You keep waiting and you keep waiting. And I've been in the ring with him and the guy can go, man. He's got it. His, uh, the kids talk about a bag. The dude has a bag. He's got a move set that is unique, that is original. Uh, and, and I think tonight was a really great night for him. I want to see him continue to build on that and not just be someone who's lost in the background, but to continue to step up and be a difference maker for the vision. Yeah. And I think that's an excellent point. I think that Austin Theory is also in this very dangerous spot where it's like he is still such a young guy, but there is this constant movement and refreshing of the roster happening all the time.

45:50And he is still an incredibly young guy, but he's not the youngest guy. And he is still new, but he's not the newest guy. And the last thing that I think people want is for the newer, younger members of the roster to come up and start getting that attention. You know, I think now is the time for Theory to grab that spotlight back, to grab the buzz back for himself. And to your point, E, I think it's absolutely true that he should take whatever he can get right now and then hold on to it and grow on to it regardless of who comes back. Like the status for Austin Theory right now I don't think is temporary.

46:32I think it's a full-time thing. Yeah, it was also interesting. That hug, I'm really intrigued to see what you guys thought about the hug at the end with Paul. I saw someone who was exuberant. I don't know if he expected Paul to kind of cut him loose or to chastise him, but getting Paul's approval was so meaningful for him in that moment, and that really intrigued me. And I don't know if he's someone who has not been as willing to take initiative because he's worried. It almost reminds me of like an overbearing father. And oftentimes it can make the kid shrink a little bit. And they're not as excited to take initiative and to step forward.

47:14And I hope that that moment with Theory, I hope he's now ready to step in the driver's seat and take more initiative and not wait. Because I think it's important for him. And look, we talked about him being newer. I wrestled him on Raw five years ago. You know, he's been around for a minute. We think of him as newer, but at this point with how quickly the roster overhauls and changes to your point, he is low key. One of the vets. He's a guy who's been around now for what? Six years. He is not new. We've seen him in NXT even before that he's been around. So it's, it's now time to, to go. It's time to take that next step.

47:52And I think this opportunity with the injuries is forcing him in that position to the Paul Heyman embrace of it all.

47:58Sam Roberts:I think it's very interesting when you think about Paul Heyman's dynamic with the vision and how it started with Seth Rollins. And it was very different from the dynamic that the wise men had previously and never seemed like he had full control. Then Seth Rollins is out of the vision. And he had just, you know, it seemed like he was very close with Braun Breaker. But how was he involved with Logan Paul and Austin Theory? We had a lot of questions about it. tonight it really solidified the support that Paul has from him and the way that Theory just appreciated it I I'm looking forward to seeing how that all plays out also I mean like everybody else in the vision was chosen Theory had to prove it you remember how Theory got into the vision like everybody else was kind of chosen to be like yeah that's that's because that's going to be one of the future stars Theory had to show up with a mask on and then even when he unmasked it was like Like Paul Heyman was like news to me, but okay.

48:50And even after he unmasked, he was like, here, let me prove it to you guys. Let me do this. Let me do that. And it was, you know, Austin Theory has always been in that position where he's fighting to find his spot. And I think that the hug probably had a lot to do with that sort of you're now my guy. You're not proving it. You're not an assistant. You're not here to help this person. You are my guy. And that's the thing that I don't think Theory should let go of. I do want to talk to you and tell you that Clash in Italy is bringing a WWE spectacle to the heart of Torino with one of the boldest and most visually ambitious slam releases ever created.

49:31Inspired by the grandier fashion, art, architecture, and energy of Italy, this box features an unforgettable lineup of cards such as Renaissance Base, Marble Signature, Postcards from Italy, Grapplers of Wrath, and much more. Clash in Italy blends WWE intensity with timeless European style for a truly one-of-a-kind collecting experience. Start collecting these cards and more with WWE Slam by Topps Now. And of course, Clash in Italy is coming up on Sunday. Later on this week, we will have a WWE Now Clash in Italy preview podcast that Big E you will be a part of again with us. I'm very much looking forward to that.

50:16But we also found out tonight that after Clash in Italy, next week, we start King of the Ring qualifying matches. And we found that out with L.A. Knight being the first to step up and not only bring that up, but to say that he's throwing his hat in the mix, that he is declaring for a King of the Ring qualifier. I think that the King of the Ring crown is the type of title that a lot of fans have been waiting to see somebody like L.A. Knight hold. but I have to tell you and this goes right along with my Joe Hendry deserved it thing Austin Theory needs to stop worrying about other people I mean not Austin Theory LA Knight needs to stop worrying about other people's families all the time LA Knight is is just involved involved involved on everything the Usos are doing it's like the it's like the family version of pocket watching.

51:11It's not a good trait. It's not anything for him to be concerned about. It's none of his business, but for him to be, I couldn't imagine the fury that I would feel if LA Knight was sitting there telling me like the way you and your brother are behaving with your cousin. It's like, what does this have to do with you? LA Knight, this is our family working at our family stuff. And you're so mixed up about what was happening two years ago that you're now getting involved in our business to me la night seemed out of pocket and out of place

51:41Sam Roberts:he called roman reigns the most corrupt champion of all time well look i mean people are going to have opinions but to sit there and say you shouldn't be acting this way with your cousin you and your brother and your it's like all because he tagged with them at wrestlemania Who are you? Who are you, LA Knight? You're not ooze. Look, we saw the bloodline run roughshod through WWE for years, for years. And like he was on the receiving end of a lot of that as well. I can understand. Look, you can argue in many ways. I agree with you and that this is not really his business. But I can also see him saying, look, before this bloodline thing becomes cancerous again, before it gets out of hand, let me do my best to nip this thing in the bud before I once again am a victim of this.

52:33I also see the argument that he should stay in his lane and not worry about that. I will also say, as much as we all love Jey Uso, again, I think people not being on the show, whether it's absence or whether it's just not being available, sometimes being thrust into that spotlight, I think, can be a great thing for people. I think a lot of people don't understand how or really acknowledge how great Jimmy is on the mic. And I love that he got the moment to just kind of stand up there and speak in many ways on behalf of the family. I think his warning to LA Knight was prescient in that LA is probably best advised to stay out of it.

53:10But if I'm LA Knight, I think I understand where it comes from as well. Before this thing becomes out of hand and before this thing becomes a problem for me right now let me sit down with the guy that i just tagged with not that long ago and and have a conversation uh yeah i don't know how this all plays out for him sticking his nose in that business could could be a bit of a problem but i get where he's coming from i don't think it's a great strategy either i feel like it's the type of thing where you sticking your nose into what's going on with this group over here is now only going to bring that group more together and against you.

53:49You know what I'm saying? Like it, it feels like, like if I'm sitting there going like you guys shouldn't be this close all of a sudden they're now being made closer by the fact that they're all annoyed that you're getting involved in their business. And I think, I think LA Knight would be pretty well served to go like, okay, if I want to do something about it, I need to win the King of the ring tournament and then I need to beat Roman reigns for the title and if he's not the champ if I'm the champion and he's not the champion

54:20Sam Roberts:well then I don't have anything to worry about and it seems like Jimmy Uso is in this role of trying at least last week it was with Jacob Fatu he tried to talk some sense into Jacob Fatu and I felt like tonight he tried to once again talk some sense into LA night he's saying like you know he's pointing about how there's a lot of people back there in the locker room who still haven't gotten over what happened when the bloodline ran roughshod all throughout WWE but that's that's the way that it was and I really do like to your point Biggie um Jimmy in this spot here but Sam it is hard to argue as well that maybe LA Knight's barking up the wrong tree but if you're LA look we all know in this business it's about making noise and the bloodline Roman Reigns right now It's the biggest thing going.

55:10So as someone who, you know, I think a lot of us who are fans of LA Knight keep waiting for that moment he's able to break through that proverbial glass ceiling. And maybe this is it. Maybe sticking his nose in this business is what gets him the attention. Right now, he's not embroiled in a feud that is hot. He's not really with someone that's getting him on these PLEs. It's getting him in that conversation. So maybe this is the route to getting those opportunities, to getting those title shots and all the things that he wants and feels he deserves. And a lot of us who are fans of his work believe he deserves as well.

55:43So, you know, this is not a business that rewards standing on the sidelines and waiting patiently for your opportunity. I think this could be the path for him getting what he wants. I do think that dangling the carrot of like a potential match between LA Knight and Roman Reigns does all of a sudden make the King of the Ring tournament even that much more compelling. You know, I mean, it takes a couple steps, right? That means that Roman Reigns first would have to get through Jacob at Clash in Italy. And then it would also mean that LA Knight has to go through the entire King of the Ring tournament.

56:21But I think if you already asked a lot of fans right now, the idea of going like, well, yeah, after that promo, it makes me want to see L.A. Knight versus Roman Reigns. And I will say to L.A. Knight's credit that it could potentially, if we do get to another situation where L.A. Knight and Roman Reigns are face to face, it could potentially back Roman into a corner where his only option is to do this completely by himself. Because if he does it with the Usos at ringside, he's kind of proven L.A. Knight right. So it could be a sound strategy on L.A. Knight's part. especially because jacob is roman is roman what sorry i would say is roman concerned with that is roman you know i i don't think roman's not someone who's like eh i don't want to prove la right so i'm gonna i'm gonna divert from that plan i don't think that's how he's wired yeah i mean look cm punk said to roman reigns you can't like his whole build up to wrestlemania with roman Reigns was about you can't do it by yourself.

57:30You can't do it by yourself. You can't do it by yourself. And Roman did it by himself. Now, did Roman choose to do it by himself regardless? Or did he choose to do it by himself because he thought he had something to prove? I don't know. I don't think any of us will ever know. But I know that that's what we ended up getting. And, you know, like we were talking about earlier, we've only really seen the sort of two-on-one, three-on-one attacks with Jacob Fatu because it kind of required the two - and three-on-one attacks.

58:01Sam Roberts:That's the exact strategy that Jacob Fatu is employing. I mean, he is forcing Roman to go back to old Roman. Which is then making L.A. Knight paranoid that old Roman is back. But, I mean, look, it is interesting because he is right. There is that sort of population of people in the locker room that have been vocal about the fact that they haven't gotten over the bloodline. You know, I think LA Knight's on that list. Drew McIntyre. I think Drew McIntyre's on that list. I think realistically Seth Rollins is on that list, but the Seth Rollins thing probably goes both ways. I just, I am enjoying watching sort of the full build of, okay, now that Roman's champion, he has more than one person to deal with.

58:49you know as much as it's like this is just about Jacob Fatu you're seeing no no no like all champions I mean the same thing's happening with Cody Rhodes on Smackdown right like the whole time that he's dealing with Gunther now Sami Zayn's over here making his life crazy now this one's over here making his life crazy and I think that is when you've got a WWE like we've got today the idea of opportunity just being out there and you know sort of positioning on the card being very fluid i think you're going to end up with a lot of people going out there and and calling shots the way la night was calling shots tonight and i think that's what a lot of us as fans want to see is this really robust world title picture where champions feel like they're in peril because the best challengers uh from across both brands are coming at you at all times i think that's what makes for a really interesting year and and and roman talked about hey a lot of y 'all are expecting me post-WrestleMania just to go away and be part-timer.

59:51No, I'm going to be here consistently. And if that's the case, I want to see a queue of superstars who are in line waiting to get to that title. It is the most coveted prize on Raw, most coveted prize that Cody has on SmackDown, and everyone should be going after that. And that's what I think LA Knight is someone who still has that mindset of believing he might not have a bunch of world title matches under his belt, but he's a guy who believes he is of that ilk. He deserves to be a world champion. He deserves more opportunities. So I don't want to see him quietly wait in the back for his opportunity because it may never come if he just quietly sits around on the sideline.

1:00:30I want to see him insert himself into that picture. And I'm hoping that tonight was kind of that first step. And hopefully he does really well with King of the Ring and is able to get that crown and then have that title match with Roman Reigns. Unless six nights from now, Jacob Fatu is not only the world heavyweight champion, but also the head of the table. And that's something that we will talk about when we preview Clash in Italy, when we all three of us come back here together for the Clash in Italy preview podcast that will drop later this week. Biggie, it is always a pleasure. Can't wait to talk again.

1:01:08Megan?

1:01:09Sam Roberts:Sam? We did it. We did. You're the best. Don't forget to subscribe across all audio platforms. Hit like, leave comments on YouTube, and we will see you later this week for the Clash in Italy preview podcast here on WWE Now.