WWE Now - Roman Reigns finds himself in another Tongan Death Grip | Raw Recap

20:08Sam Roberts:for my wife you do you know it's uh i feel that and for me it was a little bit different but also So, you know, this weekend I was out feeding the homeless, as one does. And it was warm out this weekend. I don't know if you spent some time outside, but. You were feeding the homeless? I was. Okay. A small sacrifice of a little bit of time, you know, that I could spend watching wrestling. I could spend training for the Olympic trials. Donating kidneys. There was a number of them. Was that the soup kitchen? Put a hairnet on and everything. You did? Had to. Okay. Can't let these luscious locks interfere with the food that I'm feeding the homeless with.

20:58Sam Roberts:But anyways, it was just a beautiful day out there this past weekend. Small trade-off. Had to spend the time inside of the soup kitchen, but just the smiles on people's faces was really the nice win. And it's all about finding that moment for yourself in the middle of the chaos where you serve others. That's not in the spirit of what we're talking about. I didn't, it's a, I said a second cupcake. Minute Maid and WWE are tag teaming your daily grind, bringing main event energy to life's everyday matches. Together, we're turning the toughest rounds into moments worth cheering for. From the ring to real life, Minute Maid and WWE are here to help you bring the juice when the day tries to tap you out.

21:53Never tap out on taste. Bring the juice.

22:00Sam Roberts:I'm excited for beach season. I'll be at the soup kitchen. I won't be at the beach. But Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns comes. I've done that before, by the way. I have. It wasn't this weekend, but I did it before. I just didn't bring it up. Roman Reigns is out there as Jacob Fatu hits the ring. And I mean, Jacob Fatu is in all his glory. And Roman Reigns is talking to him about the disrespect. Roman says, there is respect to be had for me in this business. And Jacob Fatu is talking about what he looks to gain to put his family in the right spot. And Roman Reigns is explaining to him, you're talking about your seven kids?

22:46I'm talking about 107 kids. He's talking about higher education? I'm talking about generations of higher education. Roman Reigns is sitting here trying to set up, and this is why Roman gets so frustrated and I get it. Roman Reigns has a bigger vision of setting things up for his entire family for generations to come. And every time he tries to do this, somebody shows up thinking that he's just in it for himself and that that person who shows up wants what Roman is getting based on the idea that it's just for Roman. And that's where Jacob Fatu finds himself, who looks at Roman and says his plan is not just to take the championship, but to then once he's champion, squeeze every dollar and every cent out of this company the same way they've done to his family for years.

23:48Sam Roberts:And you audibly gasped when he said that. Because anybody who knows the history of that Samoan family in the professional wrestling industry, they all were massive stars. They all made a huge impact. They all carried their weight in the WWE. They didn't all end up like Roman Reigns, financially speaking. They didn't all end up in a position where they could set everybody up. A lot of them at the end of the day had very little to show for it. And that's what Jacob sees. Roman is trying to change that for generations. Yeah, Roman said that he's the one who's holding the door open. And I mean, I would argue that that's 100 % true.

24:36Sam Roberts:He held the door open for Zola. I would argue that that's 100 % true. He held the door open for Jacob. So if he brought you in, then I brought you in. And I was like, yeah, dude, yeah. But here's the thing Jacob doesn't care who brought him in He's here now And he's taking it And as far as Jacob's concerned I brought me in I think Jacob brought up Solo Sure But that's only to say that Roman didn't do it That Solo's the one who did it But I think if you ask Jacob How'd you get into the position That you're in He would tell you because I got me into the position that I'm in And if you If I can keep it 100 with you That's what he would say.

25:17That sounds like him. I thought I was hanging out with Usa again.

25:22Sam Roberts:You wish. I wish. Yeah. But yeah, I mean, that's what it is, right? Jacob's like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm not thinking about generations and generations and generations right now. I'm trying to get me and my family right. I'm desperate to do anything for my household. I love that because Roman said he brought up the Tongan death grip. the Tongan death grip. Michael Cole had described it earlier in the night where you like squeeze where the Adam's apple is. And I mean, this is a move perfected by Haku, who is, I mean, notoriously one of, if not the toughest wrestler to lace a pair of boots and he didn't even wear boots.

26:06He wrestled in bare feet. Everybody who talks about Haku has legendary stories about how absolutely insanely real life tough this guy was. And probably still is to this day. I wouldn't mess with him. But Roman talks about that Tongan death grip and how that's a move that's reserved for 3 a.m. at a bar when it's eight against one.

26:30Sam Roberts:Not for your family. Not for your family. And that's when Jacob pointed out. He was like, I hear you. And Roman called him little cousin. Little cousin, that's not... Jacob doesn't want to hear that. Especially after last week, what he did to Roman Reigns. Right. You're going to call me little cuz? I'll leave you gasping for air again. And Jacob explaining, I know exactly what that move is. I know what the implications are. I know what it means. I did it on purpose. I did it for a reason. I did it because I am that desperate, because it is 3 a.m., and I am eight against one. And really, the way Roman paints it, listen, whose side are the Usos on?

27:10Sam Roberts:Roman Reigns' side. Is Roman Reigns on Jacob's side? No. Is Solo Soko on Jacob's side? No. No. No. No. He said Jacob's a dead man on SmackDown. Is Tala Tonga, Tama Tonga, they're on Solo's side. Jacob is looking at two fractions of this family. And instead of going like I'm leaning on one side or the other, he's got them all coming at him. Yeah, he's got Solo and Tala. And he's got the Usos and Roman. Absolutely. And the Usos and Roman are not on the same side as Solo and Tala. And Tama Tonga. Yes. I mean, there's tension between him and Solo, but they're still on the same side. He's still, you know, a week ago on SmackDown, Jacob still had to take out Tama.

27:54So, I mean, you've got all aspects of this family coming at you. And that's where Jacob is right now because.

28:01Sam Roberts:So he's like, it is 3 a.m. in the bar. Right. And you got what I need. And I know you all are my family. That's right. But I'm desperate. I'm desperate. And that's when it breaks down. Jacob goes right for that Tongan death grip again. Roman fights it off, goes for it again. Roman fights it off when he finally kicked it in. I thought Adam Pearce was going to get punched in the face again. I said, get out of between the two of these two. Roman goes up for that Superman punch. Jacob catches him. And in this moment here, I'm so glad you guys got this picture. If you're watching on the YouTube version, this is exactly what I was thinking of.

28:40Because there was in this moment at the very end of the show, when he has Roman locked in on this Tongan death grip, you can see that Roman knows that it's locked in. You can almost feel the life escaping out of Roman Reigns' body through his eyes. He's looking at Adam Pearce going, you have to do something here. And this is not a solo Sokoa. I mean, this is not a Jacob Fatu. that sneak attacking people. This is the same Jacob Fatu that you're going to get at Backlash.

29:12Sam Roberts:He's doing it while looking at his cousin in the eyes. He's doing it while looking up in the sky at his cousin who's about to Superman punch him. Ah, Tongan death grit. And that's when Roman is looking at Adam Pearce going, you got to do something about this. This is not what I expected. This is not what I'm here for. Jacob is bringing every ounce that one could bring to Roman Reigns and it is beyond compelling to me. I mean, if this is what he's bringing during the contract signing is this is what he brought last week. Jacob has proved that he's not afraid to go there. This is what desperate times call for desperate measures.

29:56Absolutely. That's why they say it. And Jacob is looking to take everything that Roman has. I mean, look, he put it, he slams him down on the table. He leaves him laying. He's the one, once again, two weeks in a row, standing over Roman Reigns. Very interesting to me that there were no Usos in that ring. Makes me wonder what this main event is going to look like at Backlash. Is this going to be a larger bloodline affair? Or is this going to be more like WrestleMania, where Roman is handling his business by himself?

30:29Sam Roberts:I hope it's the latter. Well, he said, I mean, clearly things are different with the Usos. They're on Roman's side, but Roman says, you know, no. This isn't about, they're not doing business the way they were doing it before. The systems that Roman has in place are not the same systems that he had before. This is a different Roman Reigns. But neither version of Roman Reigns, the old one or this one, ever really had to deal with this Jacob Fatu. Because that desperation is kicking in. And you can feel it. and whether that happens from being locked up, whether that happens from spending 12 years on the independence.

31:07And look, Roman brought up the fact that he did have to fight. He did have to fight for everything that he had in the WWE. And he was in the WWE for more than 12 years. But it's a little different when you're fighting, when you are fighting for the top spot in the WWE, you're not worried about food being on the table. You're still, you know, the bills are still paid while you're fighting for the top spot. Jacob was starting with figuring out how to get the bills paid.

31:39Sam Roberts:Because. How to get food on the table. Because he went from? EBT to WWE. It's a different deal. It is. It's a different deal. And I'm interested to see how it all plays out. By the way, you never know, Megan, when the Viper is going to strike. so you got to make sure that you're always ready to show your support with randy orton's newest t-shirt rko everybody you can get yours now at wwe shop and fanatics and while you're there bow before it says in the copy the self-proclaimed but i'm taking it out the king of the luchadors show that you feel Dominic Mysterio should be sitting on the throne of sports entertainment by snagging his newest tee available now at WWE Shop and Fanatics.

32:37What a gorgeous T-shirt that is. What an incredible T-shirt that is. Get it right now. So now to help us break down even more from what happened on Monday Night Raw, we have a special guest I'd like to bring in now to the Raw recap. Of course, the one and the only Big E is here to help us break it all down. What's going on, E? Not too much. Not too much. Excited to talk some Monday Night Raw. Well, I'm glad you're here because Megan's going to be real difficult to deal with in this segment. I can feel it because we had a big, we were just talking about the contract signing between Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu.

33:27But we had another contract signing tonight, live on Monday Night Raw. Sol Ruka officially signs with the Monday Night Raw brand. Now, before we get into the absurd chicanery that existed within this segment, are we excited to see Sol Ruka on Raw, E? My God, absolutely. This woman is so electric. Her offense is so unique. She is just one of what just honestly, as far as eye-catching superstars, one of my favorite. Honestly, I'm going to save all time. She is a joy to watch. She is so unique and different. I love just the way she carries herself. I think it's different from the rest of the roster.

34:13I think she's going to make a big splash in WWE. And I think, you know, her starting off with Becky was not what I expected. But it's such it's going to be such a fun feud. So I am really, really excited to see where this goes. And also on the Becky Lynch of it, I kind of love this role that Becky's been in as of late. The new women, the talented women coming in. Like her stuff with Lyra, I thought really elevated Lyra. And I expect the same with the feud with Soul as well. Some people think that like she goes, oh, there's a big buzzed about superstar. Let me try to steal a bunch of this spotlight.

34:49Sam Roberts:I don't think anybody has been saying that. Spotlight stealing Becky Lynch is what a lot of people, that's what I saw on Twitter. No, I only heard one person say that. Who? It was Michael Coleslaw. Why do they call him that? Nobody likes Coleslaw. Oh, wow. It's true, though. Nobody likes Coleslaw. It's true about nobody liking coleslaw. That's not even spotlight stealing Becky. You don't think so? It doesn't even really roll off the tongue. It was like spotlight stealing soul. Boom. Rolls off the tongue. That's soul spotlight to begin with. What was it? I'm just saying spotlight stealing Becky doesn't roll off.

35:24Sam Roberts:Spotlight stealing Sam. There we go. I couldn't steal a spotlight if I tried. But yes, I'm actually with you. I was surprised when Becky's music hits. And she comes out claiming that this time was reserved for her championship winning celebration, which would be, I mean, I guess, I mean, you've been a champion before. If there was time reserved for you to have a celebration of your title, and yet somebody else is using that time to announce that they're a new signee, you would probably be unhappy about it, I suppose. sure but i i don't want to upset you megan but i don't know if i believe every word that came out of becky lynch's mouth all right uh i i think that we we were here for soul we're excited for soul the contract signing was i believe was teased uh not just tonight we knew this was coming last week yeah yeah yes it was last week i believe so we got all week thank you for confirming that Yep.

36:27But, yes, so I can understand if Becky was upset, but for some reason I doubt her story's veracity. It's a little off for me.

36:35Sam Roberts:Or maybe the locker room leader that Becky Lynch is and is known to be just coming out to give a warm welcome to a young, new upstart in WWE. Well, she clearly did not say she was doing that. She clearly said she was coming out to celebrate her title win and was taking umbrage with the fact that... Well, she's the greatest intercontinental champion of all time. I mean, I don't know about all that, but regardless, it wouldn't matter. Even if she were the greatest intercontinental champion of all time, I don't see how you could just decide, I would like to have this segment for myself. You know, there's something else already happening.

37:13And then she comes out and she starts yelling about Sol Ruka and she shouldn't be here and everything. what did you feel about Sol Ruka calling Becky Lynch a rude big-headed and well and then said

37:26Sam Roberts:the b-word you know it's just kids these days they don't respect greatness kids these oh ever since you had a kid you changed I mean you think about it Megan went full boomer after she had a baby you think about it and all that Becky Lynch has accomplished night one on Raw or night two I mean night one she stepped up to live Morgan night two when she's signing her contract she just decides to throw the B word around to a legend. I mean, I don't think that is exactly the best way to make a first impression when you're dealing with history makers in this industry. But I don't know. You're right.

38:04Sam Roberts:I'm not a history maker in this industry. Big E, you have experience doing that. Is this the way to step up to one of the locker room leaders? Well, he keeps saying locker room leader. Well, she does. Well, here's the thing. Would you like to see Soul come in and bow and say, I'm so sorry, Becky, I'll leave now? Is that someone you can get behind as a fan? Is that someone that you're excited to see? No. You want to see Soul assert herself, assert her position. She is here not just to get along, to shake hands, to bow in the presence of greatness. If she wants to be great, she's got to challenge the greatest.

38:40And Becky is as great as she claims to be. She's as great as you, Megan. You claim her to be every single week. But I think for, you know, Ric Flair famously said, to be the man, you got to beat the man. And that's what Soul's trying to do. She is trying to beat the man. No, and by Megan's logic, she would have preferred if John Cena had come out in 2002 on SmackDown. And when Kurt Angle said, who do you think you are? John Cena had said, no, good point, Kurt. I better head to the back. You're an Olympic hero. I'll let you have your time.

39:15Sam Roberts:Kids these days. You're right. The last thing you want out of a wrestler is aggression and wanting to go for it. That's why Obafemi. I would just like people to show respect. No, you're right. Obafemi has gone absolutely nowhere. Nowhere. He's just too aggressive. Nowhere. He's too aggressive. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. Do you worry at all? I mean, you know, Becky got so flustered that in this melee of sorts, all Saul Ruka had to do was step aside and Becky Lynch punched Adam Pearce in the face. it was a tough night for Adam Pierce it was a tough night but you know there's been a lot of corruption in WWE that he hasn't exactly handled in the best way I mean your guy fell victim to some of that corruption tonight Dominic Mysterio yeah I know with the corruption with Jessica Carr corrupt Carr so you know Adam Pierce has had his back against the wall I mean I was just watching a video on social media Becky was explaining that But, you know, she didn't mean to.

40:17Sam Roberts:She just sometimes underestimates her strength. And that's tough, you know. I mean, I can't personally imagine. It's like for you. You're like, you think you're just going to the grocery store. You don't realize you're running very fast. That's right. Because you underestimate your speed. I was like, oh, that one was 557 again. Oh, looks like qualify for the Olympic trials. Look at me. Oh, look at that. Yeah, I know. I get that. Yeah, I mean, I can't imagine it with the strength. But it's tough. Right. So here's the plight of Becky Lynch, who wasn't even invited to be a part of the segment. She could have just not come out and everything would have been fine.

40:51Sam Roberts:I would have missed her. Okay. Okay. I understand. What about the fact that she ate a soul snatcher? I mean, she left. I mean, at the end of that segment, she was laid out flat face first. Look, the soul snatcher is a cool move. All right. Whoa. It's a cool move. Even when Becky's on the receiving end of it? Not as cool. would you say that was the the least cool soul stature that you've seen yeah okay okay yeah yes i yeah e were you okay with it i was more than okay with it that is how you make a statement yes and honestly one of one of the most electric uh entertaining finishers in all of wwe that's how you make a statement so i'm excited for people i feel like our fan base is already getting used to soul uh and i think the more you get to see soul and her athleticism and the things she can do in the ring she's going to win over fans across the country across the globe every single week and i also think to your point e and and becky's involvement in this the idea of a story surrounding soul ruka and becky lynch it's going to give soul the opportunity to show the audience what she does beyond cool moves you're going to have becky in your face talking to you there's going to be a war of words you're gonna have to show wit you're gonna have to show personality and I mean look Becky is for all of her flaws a very very strong force both in the ring and on the microphone and and that's the force that you have to kind of measure up to when you're in there and I think that if you if you're good enough and I think Saul is it it gives you the opportunity to show the audience all sides of yourself I mean Sam you and I sat down with Sol Ruka uh the raw after WrestleMania.

42:34Sam Roberts:And that was when she stepped up to Liv Morgan. And it was like from a fan reaction standpoint, as soon as she walked out, the entire crowd in Las Vegas responded to Sol Ruka. She grabs the microphone. She cuts a promo on Liv Morgan. Just completely nailed it. And then she has this incredible match that ultimately Zarya got involved with. But it was just like check, check, and check. Yeah, yeah. She's it. Although I will say that on that weekend, we did get the opportunity to interview both Saul Ruka and Becky Lynch a couple days before. And Saul, I mean, it was just such a much more pleasant conversation.

43:14Becky is just, I mean, she's just nasty. You know? She's not pleasant to be around. I had a great time talking to Becky. You did? Yeah. Okay. All right, well, I guess we differ in that opinion. I think that the three of us can all agree on one thing. This Obafemi Open Challenge rules. like this is awesome the idea that like at first i wasn't look i'm gonna be 100 honest you're gonna keep it 100 with us i will in honor of jacob fatu i'm gonna i wasn't looking forward to tozawa being in there god bless tozawa and i love the power of tozawa but like i don't need to see obafemi throwing tozawa around the ring i already know obafemi can throw tozawa around the ring like I feel like we're past that with Obafemi like I was really looking forward to this open challenge being about like showing Obafemi in the ring with with with different types of of of wrestlers and how he takes on this onslaught and that onslaught and why he's not you know people you know god bless Goldberg but like and people will compare Obafemi and Goldberg because of that streak because of how hot Goldberg got so quick because of how much he resonated with fans but Goldberg's matches by design all look the same.

44:30And that worked for Goldberg, and that was great for Goldberg. I don't think that's Oba. I don't think people realize how skilled and varied Obafemi is. And that's what I was really looking forward to with the beginning of the Obafemi Open Challenge. So the idea that it ends up being Otis, I go, okay, now we're talking. and man, I swear, when he put Otis up on that second rope, I thought even Oba, I said, okay, that'd be a great opportunity for him to just kind of scoop and then allow momentum to go down into the finish. You know, just allow momentum to hit the fall from grace. Dude, when he is holding Otis up and starts walking forward to the center of the ring And you could just tell in his body and his confidence, he realizes that he has it and then just nails it.

45:26I mean, what a sight. He is one of those wrestlers that feels like he's made it from a lab. Like, truly. And that's a lot of Otis Grundle to have in your face, too. That's a lot of undercarriage. That's right. You know what I mean? this is this is why it's good to have your perspective on here because i've never i've never had to deal with that kind of grundle before i just sit here and talk about it so the idea that you would you would know like you know it's a lot i've shared a ring with him it is it is a whole lot of undercarriage but no you're right and also let's not forget maybe one that might be the greatest running uppercut i've ever seen in a wwe ring i'm telling you it is not just this man's strength it is his speed his agility like this man moves like guys who are 200 pounds lighter than he is it is truly incredible it's mind-blowing the things that he can do um but what an incredible performance and i felt much the same uh i'll also let's leave the goldberg's flander aside goldberg catching strays for no real reason i would address that but i will say uh man i also didn't want to see tozawa be killed either i love me some tozawa i wish we got to see him in the ring more but as soon as i saw otis step forward i said oh okay i'm excited for this and and seeing those two uh seeing what they did uh man i am telling you oba is just made of something different i i i think him having the match at wrestlemania with brock was so fitting in so many different ways is because i think we haven't really seen anything like this since oh two since brock first came in and i also think that same like uncanny blend of strength speed athleticism not just he's not a big plotting dude by any means the same way where we couldn't understand how brock moved as fast as he did how he was able to scoop guys up like they were 150 pounds lighter than they actually were i see that in oba even the pizza toss he did to otis no struggle at all and otis is truly one of the most dense human beings you will ever come across he you see a big guy i'm telling you it's not just puffy and soft he it's a ton of muscle he is this dude trained at the olympic uh grounds for for wrestling trained with some of the best like people see otis and they say he's fun this dude is legitimately one of the strongest human beings you will ever meet as well and to see Oba just toy with him, truly, truly incredible.

48:02I hope we all, I know we understand how beloved Oba is, how much the crowd is behind him, but I hope we also understand you're not getting an athlete like this to come around very often. I hope we can understand this is a different kind of unique and special. And I've been around some of the biggest, strongest men in the world. Like this guy is in his own tier. He really is. And I am, it feels like he is just scratching the surface for what he can do in WWE. Yeah, and I think, too, the thing that makes him different is from all of that is even with the Brock comparison, Brock was such a freak athlete that it was almost like the industry shifted around him.

48:46Oba has all those qualities, but still is when he is cutting a promo, when he's doing an interview, when he's showing up in a suit and tie, he's got that face of the company energy. Like that to me is very scary. When you're able to be an athlete on that level, strong on that level, like resonate on that level, like have all of that. And then also be able to hold yourself up and communicate in this space where it's like, that guy can also walk into any room and charm anyone that he wants to. I mean, it is, you talk about lab grown. And that's that's what you've got. No, absolutely. And even man, even just that moment, I think what would also make him special is the way he's able to connect with the crowd.

49:33I think for someone who is so new into his main roster run is really impeccable because even just the moment where he he's kind of pantomiming the pop up and he's looking at Otis. He's kind of even even that like I love that you get to see him think out loud. Us as fans, we get to understand, oh, I'm not just going to run to the next move and get my business done and get out of here. I think that allows fans to feel even more connection with him because you understand not only is he a special athlete, but he's got this rare charisma as well. He's truly a one of one. I don't see him and think, oh, he's a cookie cutter version of this former superstar of that former superstar.

50:11I'm sure he is borrowed from a lot of the other greats before him. But even just that moment, I loved of kind of seeing that twinkle in his eye of trying to figure out how am I going to slice this pie? How am I going to figure out how to get this man up into my powerbomb? And, like, that moment, too, just showed me he gets it on so many different levels. Like that time a few Mondays ago before WrestleMania, we saw him cut that incredible promo on Brock. We're like, oh, oh, he's not wilting in this moment. Oh, he's got it. He can cut a fire promo, too. You don't see any nerves. I really think of all the talent that's come up that we're excited about, we could talk about so many of these superstars.

50:51but when you talk about someone who checks every box right now that's obafemi for me yeah yeah and i think too like that moment where he's like you're you're kind of following him as he's figuring out how to get uh otis into the position that he needs to get him in now we're following along the story of this was an open challenge he's unprepared for otis he has to sit there now and think okay how am I going to do this? And we go along like it's just it's able to convey this story that we're all on board with.

51:22Sam Roberts:And in a weird way, like very, very, very few people can ever relate to the strength, power, athleticism, size, speed of someone like Obafemi. But in that moment, when you watch him think this through, he almost becomes relatable because it's like, how do you I solve this problem? That is the open challenge that is this dense man of Otis. And then when he's able to solve it we all rejoice with him right it's not exactly dominic mysterio charisma but it's still great it's still the point is it's a compliment oh stop well i gotta talk to you guys about uh fanatic slam by top step in the fallout of wrestlemania with the wwe slam backlash box featuring a dynamic mix of base cards and premium hits this release captures the intensity rivalries and momentum shifts that shape WWE's next chapter.

52:13Sam Roberts:Chase must have signature and dual signature cards from top talent alongside visually striking tilt cards that bring the action to life. Look for exclusive inserts like the Tampa Takeover and Aftershock, highlighting superstars that left a lasting impact in the wake of WrestleMania. And be sure to join the Slam Backlash Watch Party on Saturday, May 9th at 6.30 p.m. Eastern Time, where users can follow every moment of Backlash live while collecting free packs, coins, and profile avatars as one of WWE's most explosive rivalries unfolds. WWE Slam by Topps. Download now. And you know, since you brought him up, speaking of Dominic Mysterio, big night for the Judgment Day.

53:01Bro, however you want to get there, you could say we got there this way, we got there that way. J.D. McDonough pinned and defeated Finn Balor tonight. That is a massive win for Judgment Day, a massive win for J.D. McDonough.

53:18Sam Roberts:A big win for loyalty as well. Within the Judgment Day. Yeah. That's right. A lot of haters. We're running around talking about, oh, Judgment Day falling apart, blah, blah, blah. Roxanne Perez is on the good guys team again, letting the Judgment Day know, okay, you need me to hit somebody with a hammer? I'll hit somebody with a hammer. But J.D. McDonough, I don't think anybody walked in. You could almost feel it in the audience. Like there was an expectation. Well, we're getting this rematch between J.D. McDonough and Finn Balor because it was so good the first time. But obviously, Finn Balor is going to win this match.

53:50No, no, no. J.D. McDonough walks out with a dub. Big. Big for J.D. Absolutely is. And I think, and I'm glad we're getting, we're putting some more respect on J.D.'s name. Truly, he's one of those guys who we see him backstage with the judgment day we see him interfering often but he's not really given the spotlight that often to be able to have singles matches but man like let's put all the judgment day run-ins and backstages and clubhouse let's put all that aside and let's just talk about this man's ability truly one of our best in-ring workers across the board this guy can absolutely go and he's also someone who just takes i think he takes more risks than anyone else as well I remember him nearly dying hitting that announce table, but that hasn't stopped him.

54:36It seemingly, he's only upped the ante on the risks as well. So we can talk a lot about the Judgment Day and how big this was for them and the group dynamics, but I feel like we don't get to spend enough time actually talking about JD and his in-ring ability, and he is a joy to watch as a wrestler. Worker to worker, he's got it, man. He's just got it.

54:58Sam Roberts:I couldn't agree with you more, Biggie. And one of my favorite matches at WrestleMania actually was that ladder match and J.D. McDonough taking the Mexican Destroyer off the ladder. I mean, that was a highlight for me. And you talk about people doing insane things with their body. That's exactly what we see from J.D. each and every time he's in the ring. Were you surprised to find out that Roxanne Perez is still on the Good Guys team? Yes. I figured. I was surprised. I figured you'd be surprised. I was surprised because we all remember how Roxanne Perez was brought into the Judgment Day. There was a lot of conversations.

55:28Sam Roberts:Conversations, I was going to say canoodling, but I think canoodling may be taking it a bit too far. So I'll say there were a lot of conversations between Roxanne Perez and Finn Balor. It seemed like there was established relationship there. There was the time where Roxanne Perez was presenting Dominic Mysterio with some chicken nuggets when Liv Morgan wasn't there. And then obviously last week. Were they nuggets or tendies? I think they were nuggets. Okay. I just wanted to double check. I think they were nugs. Because if so, that's not really Dom's preference. Okay. He likes the tendies. He likes tendies.

55:55Sam Roberts:Okay. Well. Because he's an adult. sure nuggets are a little more of a kid's thing it's still good still good you'll take them i love nuggets but like tendies that's kind of where it's at dip it in a little ranch but then we see live morgan calling out roxanne perez and it's like why am i figuring out what is happening in the judgment day clubhouse by watching netflix she watches the product she does very important to watch the product you have to watch the product that's how you know what's going on in the judgment day and she brings up a good point she makes Roxanne Perez promise her that she's part of the family and that none of this no more secrets right no more secrets and when Roxanne Perez walked out to the ring by herself she had a little bit of a weird look on her face you don't trust people did you trust her of course it's judgment day it's family when she walked out there by herself without Liv Morgan without Raquel Rodriguez without Dominic Mysterio you thought oh I said the Judgment Day probably has another plan.

56:55I don't walk everywhere with my family, but we all end up in the same spot.

56:59Sam Roberts:I don't know. There was a different look in Roxanne Perez's eyes tonight. Well, we found out that they are indeed family when she hit Finn Balor with a hammer. There's canoodling. I said canoodling was taking a little bit too far. There were interactions. Interactions. Conversations. Here's the thing. Yeah, Finn Balor brought Roxanne Perez into the Judgment Day, But the Judgment Day took Finn Balor out of the Judgment Day. So the question is, was Roxanne Perez a Finn Balor person or a Judgment Day person? You got to be a Judgment Day person. This is one of the most incredible factions that's ever existed.

57:33You got to sign with the winners, right? Well, no, you side with your family. That's a very pessimistic way of looking at things, Megan.

57:42Sam Roberts:Biggie, were you surprised? No, because I think Roxanne, look. for her to leave the judgment day to turn on the judgment day uh she's kind of outnumbered right now even just with Raquel with Liv I I saw obviously we got to see her stand tall with the judgment day at the end but I don't think this thing is over I think in my mind I think we might be seeing Roxanne waiting for the right moment to jump ship I don't see someone who was happy who was loving her time in the judgment day but right now you turn on the judgment day and you got you got a lot of problems timing is everything you know it is it absolutely is and maybe if finn gets some more help maybe if there's there are more allies for her uh to be in her corner but i don't think right now is the right time and i think her career she's so so talented but i think her career has been buoyed by being in the judgment i think that's kind of that's that's really irrefutable she really is definitely she's improved her her status the ability to have title matches her her place on the card is absolutely improved by being in the judgment day but i also think she's a star who can stand on her own but right now is is not the right time because she'd have some hell to pay you think she could be live morgan absolutely what i'm not saying she will but she's she's got the ability and talent absolutely and who knows live better than roxanne she spent a lot of time around live She knows her strengths.

59:11You know what I'm saying? She knows her weaknesses. You know, Dominic aside. You know what I'm saying? I mean, she's one of the few people that knows Liv Morgan really, really well. And when you have someone that close to you, they can be your greatest ally, but they can also be your biggest enemy. Is there any possibility to that, too? It's like, oh, like part of the Judgment Day, it's like we get to chill with Dominic. And it's like if I were to leave the Judgment Day, I'm not really even – I'm not really going to be chilling with Dominic anymore. I'm probably not going to leave the Judgment Day.

59:38You think that that could be it? I don't know the locker rooms like you do, E. Right, right. I'm sure that is a massive factor. He's a very charismatic man in his own way. Super cool dude. So having to say goodbye to that forever, I'm sure, would be devastating. Okay, all right. So we are on the same page. That's what I thought. That's what I figured. Well, look, I mean, one more thing. One more thing. We should mention the fact that we got a very contentious face-to-face between EO and Asuka tonight. that ended with Io getting misted. Obviously, Asuka taking umbrage, disappointed with who was once her mentee while her once mentee is looking at Asuka going, I mean, that's a classic story, right?

1:00:26The two of them wondering which one of them changed, you know, and seeing it from their perspective. And I mean, you know, that's what happens, I guess. Perspectives change. I don't think any of that's going to matter. you know once they're in the ring i think it's just simply going to be about who's the better wrestler on saturday night yeah i mean obviously they're bringing in a lot of baggage and a lot of history but but i think you're right it is just truly going to be about who is the best in the ring uh and my wife to be uh made a great point uh she said well now eo is pregnant after she got misted now she's pregnant and i and i think that's how that works wow because we have a long line of women who've been misted who stood toe-to-toe with Asuka and then a baby comes soon.

1:01:08Oh, wow. So let's watch. Let's just keep an eye on that. It's just a theory. But I'm really excited about this match. I believe, I haven't verified this, but I saw something online where someone said this is going to be the first time in a singles match that two Japanese wrestlers have gone face-to-face in a singles match. I haven't looked it up, but I know if I don't recall a time. um but i'm excited about that and these two i think are going to absolutely kill it um oscar is someone who has just not lost a step at all we've seen her a lot in backstages and tag team matches but we haven't seen her in a ton of singles matches but when we do as of late my god the way this woman is truly timeless uh truly one of the most slept on most underrated talent we have and which is crazy to say because she is a legend uh she owes she is io's senpai she is someone who i think has really shaped wrestling not just in japan women's wrestling in particular but has also shaped it uh in wwe and in the united states uh she is just someone who i think has it and and seeing her focus seeing how locked in she was uh during that sit down with io i hope io has her mind right i hope she's not worried about uh you know their history i hope she's focused uh because she's also truly one of our greatest performers a male or female does not matter uh so i i think these two are going to put on an absolute classic but there is a ton of history and oscar has been a pioneer she has been a mentor but you have to put all that to the side you can't think about someone's legacy how much they mean to you when that bell rings that has to stay out there um because oscar is still incredibly dangerous you have to worry about the mist you have to worry about that spinning back fist.

1:02:55Her offense is so crisp, comes out of nowhere, is so fast. So that's the Oscar that Io is going to have to deal with on Saturday. And I get it. You know, when you mentor somebody and they just end up, you know, disappointing you, it can be really, really tough. But, you know, not as tough as not being over the excitement of WrestleMania. And Fanatics Casino has a way for you to harness that action. no matter where you are. WrestleMania Road to Gold is the most star-studded casino game ever and is the latest in the series of WWE-themed games exclusively available at Fanatics Casino. The exclusive game features 20 WWE stars from the WrestleMania 42 stage like Liv Morgan, Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Rhea Ripley, Cody Rhodes, and many more.

1:03:45To top it off, the bonus pack game is voiced by the iconic man himself, Michael Cole. Play WrestleMania Road to Gold and five other WWE casino games anytime you please. Only at Fanatics Casino. Must be 21 or older. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Not available in all states. Terms apply. See Fanatics Casino app.

1:04:10Sam Roberts:Fanatics Casino loves coleslaw. They love coleslaw. Big coleslaw fans. They said in the booth, they were like, a lot of the producers like coleslaw. And I was like, yeah, that figures. nobody likes coleslaw no i know you like coleslaw be honest uh i don't despise coleslaw but you can take that off my plate at any moment there's never been a time where i've yearned for coleslaw or miss coleslaw we don't need it i can't i mean i i can't imagine you know you go to raising canes you go no slaw double texas toast can you imagine somebody behind you going like can i have your coleslaw Like, oh, what are we?

1:04:48Sam Roberts:Double slaw, hold the toes. Yeah. No, are you a psycho? No, no. Well, listen, we've got a lot to discuss when it comes to backlash. So I say we meet again. Let's do it. The three of us break down this card later in the week. Biggie, it is always a pleasure chopping it up with you. Thank you for joining us here on the Raw Recap. For Megan Morant, I am Sam Roberts. Make sure you're subscribed. We'll see you later this week for the Backlash preview show. here on WWE Now.

1:05:28This year, experience the NHL playoffs your way. Want to watch a single? Do or die Game 7, a full week of heavy hitting back and forth series. Then check out Slings 1-3 and 7-day passes. Watch the chase for the cup on ESPN and TNT starting as low as$4.99. No long-term contracts or overpaying. Just live hockey at home or when you want it. Sling lets you do that. Visit sling.com to learn more.