Welcome to the WWE podcast for this WrestleMania Backlash preview show. And it feels good again. Why because We've got Ashley Mann back to talk about WrestleMania Backlash, give her thoughts, how she's doing, discuss her own podcast that I'd encourage you guys to go listen to, and so much more. So, let's not delay. We've got Ashley back on the show. Let's get into it right after this. So, in today's crazy world, you need to be ready to defend yourself.
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This is WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre and you're listening to the WWE podcast.
The show the one that everybody wants me.
God sixteen, So I just rust your ass is.
My eyn you're gonna acknowledge me. Welcome to the WWE podcast and this is your Backlash preview and prediction show. As I said at the top, Ashley Man is back. It just does not feel like a preview show without her, and you guys are going to enjoy a conversation. She has been with this show for I don't know how many years now, like four years since its inception essentially,
and I really appreciate her coming on here. And she's doing well with her own podcast that again I encourage you guys to go listen to is called kick Ash, the Kickash Podcast, and she'll tell you all about that in our conversation. But again, if you are just joining us for the first time, thank you and thank you
for choosing us. I think you'll enjoy us. I think we're a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of other podcasts, and I guess you're the judge of that, but we will see, and we're here to talk about Backlash. I'd invite you sint Ito'say Premium Live event Week formerly known as pay per Views to join us on Patreon because we have a discord server that is used throughout the pay per view as it's going on. We can
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So that's it for the plugs guys. Let's just jump into it. I hope to hear from you all during the live event to tomorrow night Sunday night. I'm used to Saturdays for some reason, Sunday night for the WrestleMania Backlash show that I think is going to be a good show I have. I have solid, solid hopes for the show. So all right, everybody, thanks so much for joining us. You can follow us really anywhere on Twitter, at Wrestling Underscore Audio, you can follow us on TikTok,
at the WWE podcast, and really everywhere. Podcasts are available, So all right, everybody, thanks so much for joining me.
Here.
I'm going to sign off and toss it to myself and Ashley Mann right now. All right, body, welcome to the Wrestlmania Backlash Preview and Prediction Show. It feels like old times here right now. It feels like I'm back in yesteryear. But it just feels right that Ashley Man joins me for a preview and prediction show. Ashley, I know that listeners have been really waiting to hear from you, and it's been too long since we've done a show.
I mean, you and I have you know, we obviously talked when we met up with down in Florida, but it's great to have you back on the show.
How you doing It does feel like old times when you were saying that, I was like, yes, that is so perfect.
So it feels great to be back. Thank you so much.
And yeah, and it's proper that we're doing a preview show as well. So everything's just great in the wrestling world world, you know, released in our little wrestling world. But thank you so much for having me back.
No, definitely, And before we get going, everybody, if you didn't know, Ashley has her own podcast and it's the kick Ash Podcast. So Ashley, give you a second if you want to, you know, go ahead and talk about that where they can find it and anything else.
Yes, that's amazing, Thank you guys. I do so.
We are about six months into it now, which is kind of crazy to think about it.
But yes, it is called the kick Ash Podcast.
It is obviously focusing on wrestling. I do rant and ramble about side things from here on from you know, time to time, but I try to narrow down and keep it to wrestling.
And what's current on the topic. But it's just I right now.
I look to do like a weekly review show, but looking to kind of grow and then maybe, of course, if I can snag mad at one point, I'd love to get him on the pod as well, but.
Yeah, definitely feel free to check it out.
It's again the kick Ash podcast, and I'd love any and all feedback. Any any feedback is good feedback to me, so I appreciate.
It definitely, And anytime you want me on there, I'd be glad to come on. And guys, go subscribe. You're on Apple Podcasts right, so kick out the podcast and I know I know Spotify too. I've seen you on Spotify.
Spotify, yes, speaker pretty much anywhere? Are Heart Radio now so stuff? Yeah?
No, great, so almost everywhere. I mean like, guys, if you have a podcast app right now, go subscribe, do yourself a favor. Uh and uh, I think you'd appreciate it. I'd appreciate it, and uh, you'll enjoy it. So let's let's get into backlash, or as it's now known since last year, WrestleMania backlash because they're squeezing every bit of branding that they can out of the WrestleMania name and uh,
you know, overall before we get into the card. I always ask this because I think it may capture some things that may not get discussed during the matches as we go through them. How do you feel overall about the WWE product are you are you feeling post WrestleMania, like, okay, this is worthy of post WrestleMania. I know we usually go into a dip after WrestleMania. It's kind of WrestleMania hangover.
You know, you don't usually have very high expectations. But as you look at this card, Cody and Edge and Happy Corbette, you know, how do you feel as a whole about the product and where they're at.
I think as a whole I would probably gray them as like a C plus. And it's weird because certain things I enjoy, like, for instance, like the Codie Roads thing, I think they're doing very well with his presentation and pretty much just taking the Cody Roads from AEW and the Cody Roads that he envisioned himself as and just plopping him into their world and just letting him pretty much do it almost exactly what he did in AEW.
So things like that I'm really enjoying.
I mean, could it be better, yeah, But for the WWE landscape and what we normally know them as, I think for that in particular, they're doing pretty well on. But then things on SmackDown it's kind of blacking as well. It's a situation where literally, like if you don't have Vermitt Rains on the show where the usos or anything in that realm, it is kind of lacking and it's a big absence.
So I don't know, and not to get into.
Detail here, but because we'll obviously get into when we talk later on the match itself, but with Roman Reigns having both titles.
Now, it just it really like I was willing.
To kind of wait and let it play out and see how it goes, but I'm just it's it's really causing an absence and when he's not on the show that the championship is missing obviously, and you really feel it, you know, especially with we're all.
Being three hours. You know, a lot of factors play into it.
So as a whole, it's not the worst, but there's when it sucks. It sucks, you know what I mean, You really feel it, but it could be worse. So I'm trying to I'm trying to continue to give them benefit of the doubt.
Yeah, I'm probably around there. Yeah, I'm around there. I'd give it a half a grade higher, I'd say B minus.
Uh, Yeah, I was I was covering.
Yeah, so I'm a tick above where you're at. It's when you look at the card and you look compare it to WrestleMania, it's a bit stark in contrast. Or actually, I should say it's a bit it's a bit interesting because a lot of programs started at WrestleMania instead of ending at WrestleMania. Like Bobby and Omas was their very first match, Edge and aj Styles their very first match, Cody and Seth Rollins their very first match. Like, when you look at that, it's like, wow, that that almost
never happens where the first match is at Mania. Not a complaint, it's just a different dynamic this year. Uh. And it's also amazing that one of the main events of WrestleMania for Night one, Kevin Owens, one half of that main event, isn't even on the card, Like I mean, it just shows you that for some people, they have no follow up at all. I mean, so, are you surprised that Kevin Owens isn't involved in on the show at all? I know, he's kind of involved in it.
In an Ezekiel storyline, He's obsessed with proving that Ezekiel is actually Elias but are you surprised about Kevin Owens not even being on the card after main eventing WrestleMania bringing Stone Gull Cyvasa out of retirement.
I hate to say it, but no, I'm not surprised. Would I'm not surprised just because if that was kind of my hesitation going into it, of course it was. It turned out to be a wonderful night. I'm so happy for that Kevin. No one's got that moment. It was a stone Cold a fantastic It was such a cool moment, right and in a lot of ways, Stone Cold like himself, proved me wrong and I had to eat some of my words, you know what I mean, just seeing what he was able to do at there.
So it was definitely a cool moment, and looking back on it, I wouldn't change how it played out for Kevin, but it's it's more on w tow just not really having a direction for him, and I think, like I was mentioning earlier, it kind of falls back onto the fact that there's really no focus especially on Raw with
out there being a championship. I mean, granted, the championship itself is normally kind of in its own realm, but at least there's a main objective on the show, right, and that kind of eats up some of the time.
And the focus. But and it kind of also plays into the fact that.
They don't really take their secondary championships that seriously as well. So there's again, like I said, like a lot of factors. But for Kevin, that's I think he's one of those guys, or one of those characters for for that matter, that kind of suffers with out any direction. Granted, he's if anyone can get away with doing this crazy bit with Elias and Ezekiel, Kevin Owens is perfect for it, but it just sucks for him because you know, you want to see him do more and you want to see
him in a more serious role. But I'm not really surprised And for that token too before I tossed it by to you, it's it's kind of like a shout out to him as well, that he can literally go from like main inventing WrestleMania on one of the Knights to just kind of doing this weird stuff and like you said, being obsessed with Ezekiel slash Elias, and I don't know, do you view him differently yourself? Like, do you view him in a different light?
Now?
I think that this was I mean, it was a career defining moment. I don't, honestly don't believe that Kevin Owens will have a bigger WrestleMania moment. I think, out of his entire career and he's still got a lot of days ahead of him, I still think that this will be it. I mean, how can you top bringing one of the biggest names of all time back main event in WrestleMania with him? I mean that that's it.
He knows that was the top of the mountain. Even if he wins the w WE Championship of WrestleMania, even if he was the one to beat Roman Streak, you could argue that's not bigger than taking out or trying to take out Stone Cold Steve Boston in the main event of WrestleMania. So that that was it for him. But do I view him differently, Yes, but in a good way? Like it to me, it's you look at him and you're like, all right, like he's doing something
kind of insanely irrelevant right now. I mean, you talk about a fall off a cliff from Stone Cold see Boston to Ezekiel. I mean, it's it's really it's it's sad. But also I applaud Kevin for going all in on this and actually making it somewhat hilarious, making him take a lie to textas ESTs and everything and going all in on it. Just obsessed every time Elias is out there or Ezekiel, he's screaming, you're you know you're a liar. Yet he is consistently proven he's a liar and a character.
So I think that right now, yes, I view him differently, but in a bigger light, Like I know that this is a holding pattern for him and they could shoot him to the main event at any time, So yeah, I do view him differently, But overall, I mean, look like they very rarely have follow up programs after WrestleMania that are solid that they can fall on, Like look what they did. They didn't have anything for Roman reigns.
I mean Roman rains went with Shinsky Na Kamara and we're all supposed to forget that he attacked Shinsk and it just never happened. I mean, just flashes like Men in Black just use the memory eraser. I mean that's essentially Yeah, it's just bizarre. And so it just proves a time and again they got to WrestleMania this year, and more than any year that I can remember in history. It was not only an underwhelming Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania.
SmackDown was a little bit better, but it felt subpar for just a normal raw, much less a Raw after Mania, and it showed they had nothing at all planned for that show, with Roman Reigns coming out at the end of that show and just cutting a promo like, hey, uh, I'll tell you what my next step is on Friday. Yeah, it's just yeah, see it Friday. That's it. Yeah, that's it. And now I mean, he's on Raw, but he's not doing much. I don't know how they're gonna work with
these championships. It's unified, but are they gonna defend it separately? Like I don't think they know. And it just it's like they got to WrestleMania. I said this on my review last night. I said, it's like they got to WrestleMania and they just everyone in creative just sat back and were like, whow all right, well that's done. And then somebody twenty minutes later says, so, well, what are we doing next. It's it's just they just kind of look around like and that's how it.
Was just a shame, Yeah, just a shame.
You know that they should be able to take a break, you know, especially for something in that caliber, because if you are comparing it to like the super Bowl of this industry, then you know you should be able to
take a break. So I mean, and that, of course there's a whole other topic in and of itself, but yeah, it's sad because, like you said, like in the raw, and it was very jarring the raw after WrestleMania with it turning out to be what was I mean, I think, gosh, I don't even know how many weeks ago it was. Now the week where Oscar came back and Mustafa Ali like that felt like a bigger deal than the initial raw after Mania, and that's just kind of crazy to me. Yeah, yeah,
it really was. It was a really good show. So yeah, it's just it's and that's what I said earlier. It's just kind of weird, like certain things are they're hitting on, and it's it makes you enjoy the show, and it doesn't seem like a chore to watch it, you know what I mean.
But other things.
It just really makes you wonder, like why am I investing my time? So it's it's just kind of a cluster.
Yeah, yeah, it is. It is right now. But let's jump into the card. I'm gonna start with Cody and Seth and I'm gonna toss it to you first. What do you think who wins and why?
Okay, so with this one, I will I'm just gonna be honest, I'm really gonna be upset if if Cody loses here, and I'm kind of scared that he's going to with WWE like I I don't and again, like like I was saying earlier, I do try to give them and I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt and a lot of things.
So this one is going to be one of them.
My official pick is going to be Cody, but a part of me like, I'm not gonna be surprised if they give Seth the win and try to continue this going forward. But because of course, if in my opinion, if Seth loses, it's going to be really hard to continue.
Seth is, I guess one.
Of those characters kind of like a Kevin Owens where he can talk his way into anything, so maybe he doesn't necessarily need the win to continue this.
But my official pick is Cody.
Like I said, he I think needs the win more than Seth right now, especially with him just being here. And it would be a little over a month or a month at this point, maybe some months in the day. I have to check the dates, but I don't know. I feel like it would be a big mistake if they pull the trigger on his first loss happening, regardless of if Seth cheated to win or outside in appearance or anything like that. I just my opinion, I think would do more harm than good on Cody for that matter.
So I'm sticking with Cody, and I just like I said earlier, I do have to give them credit for the presentation of Cody and what they've invested in him, and I think it is whether it's a sign that they are more open to change now and more open to listening and just letting others be themselves, or maybe this is like a crack in the foundation of that or in that wall, that that barrier.
But I don't know.
I again, I'm giving them hope in that regard. So yeah, I just I feel like with all the negativity. I sometimes though I have to, I have to give them credit when it's due.
Yep. No, I think they've done a very nice job of this program, a very nice introduction to Cody. He doesn't feel like he's been wweis. He feels much like he did in AEW and I think that's what he wanted to bring over. I think it's been successful. As far as the quality of the match here, I think it's going to be very good. I don't think it'll be as good as the WrestleMania matchup, only because it's really hard to do implicate and performance like that. I
think they did very good at Wrestlemanti. I mean their match was. I mean he had some boxes, but it was. I think it was really really well done, and I don't think they'll be able to duplicate that. I'm not gonna hold their the bar that high. I do think they'll have a probably a B plus match, still very good, but I'm not gonna hold him to that same standard.
That said. I'm gonna go, and I'm gonna preface this by saying, don't change your pick every time I bring somebody on here, and I know it to market people over the don't change. I don't care what kind of case I make. Right now, you're sticking with Cody Rhodes. I mean it's I'm gonna go with Seth Rows. Yes, no good. I'm gonna go with Seth not just to be combative, but because I think he will win this. Because, like you said, I think there will be a third match to this at Helen a Cell in a month.
I think this will be a three match program ultimately with Seth Rollins losing, of course, because that's what his character does best, which I think is damaging to his character. I know that he can talk himself into a match, and he's a great He's a really good talker. He knows his identity. He's found himself, he's found his character, he's found his music, he's got it all working. But Creative has shown time and again that he loses the big one. He'll lose the big one. He'll lose the
big one. He may get those those wins that are in between to just get you to the next step. To make sense, there's another match, but he very rarely over the last few years, has won the big one. And it to me, I think this is gonna be another uh, another sacrifice of Seth rollins taking or winning here ultimately to just lose the program to Cody and maybe inside to sell or just at the pay per
view or at the premium live event next month. So I think Seth actually needs to win more than Cody because Seth right now is he's on a losing streak and he needs to He needs to actually show a little bit of credibility. He needs to have something that the fans, if there that believe he's a credible heel to sink their teeth into because he talks you into
that match, but you know, you lad your head. Well, he hasn't really shown that he can win the big match, so I have no real faith that he can, and they very rarely have shown that. So that's why I think Seth wins to just get you to that next match that ultimately Cody Rhoades takes the victory for and then moves on. No.
I get it, I get it, I get it.
You made total sense and in fair game, like I I am a Seth rons fan as well, so I wouldn't be terribly mad just because I, like I said, I'm a big Seth rons fan as well.
But I still have to sit with with Cody, Like I just I my opinion. I feel like he needs a morcus. So let's say, how do you think Seth would win?
And so if you're picking Seth, do you think he's just gonna win clean? Do you think it's he's gonna do something that cheat to win. Someone's gonna interfere, Like, do you think it's just gonna be a clean loss?
No is out for revenge?
Yeah, I think it's a dirty victory in some form fashion or just lady luck. Something ends up, you know, a rope break or yeah, likely something it falls in his favor, or it's you know, a thumb to the eye or some kind of foreign object or you know, a low blow behind the reps back, something along those lines to anger Seth or to anger Cody that would perpetuate a third match maybe inside the cell we'll see.
But yeah, that's also the out for Cody is Okay, he has a loss on his record, but it's a tainted loss.
Yeah, No, I totally again, like I get it, but like I feel like I feel like with Cody it's more emotional, right, So I just feel like Cody's going to get the w here and I for whatever reason, and it's probably because I'm stubborn, and I'll admit that, but I just feel like, for whatever reason, Cody as a character and with it still being so fresh, he
needs the w here. And I feel like for someone especially like Seth's character, with seeing what he's gone in, like the different levels he's gone to in the past, like showing up at Edge's house and stuff like that. Like I feel like in order to evoke Helen a cell match out of Cody, all Seth needs to do is just like tug on the heartstrings, right like, go
after Dusty. Maybe attack the statue that they created of Dusty that Cody, Like do you always see that picture of when they unve able to put uh the uh the statue of Dusty back in n exceed the picture of.
Cody, like just kind of leaning on it, you know.
And we obviously all know how emotional Cody gets regardless when anyone's talking about him, which you know is understandable. So to me, I feel like, if you want to go Helen a cell which is obvious, and I'm totally down with that, and and side not can you even imagine seeing Cody in a cell match with no blood, Like that's just gonna be a sight to see.
Like, I can't even imagine that I would just to see that.
Nope, I would if I had the If I had the money, I would wire it to Cody just to pay the fine he would have to pay events that he purposely blated him.
Yes, yeah, for sure, I.
Would go storry set up a GoFundMe for to let Cody blade.
Yeah, yes, yes, but yeah, so I'm gonna wrape ups. You can carry on here, but yeah, yeah, so because you and I can go back and forth, but on a yeah.
But yeah, dude, I totally get what you're saying on an interview because I as being a fan of Seth, Like I would be okay with seeing him win, but at the same time I.
Would be mad to see Cody lose, you know.
But then there's three losses in a row for Seth.
I mean, he doesn't get any I get it, fine point.
They have, I don't know. I mean Seth is that good that he can bounce, But the problem I don't know. Like you said, we could keep going here, but I just think that Seth rollins. He needs something, even if it's this victory that is just the stepping stone. I think that's more important than this intermittent loss for Cody that's going to be tainted, that people know he's not a new talent that needs to go on this winning streak.
That that's the formula that happens every time they introduce a new talent like Verver Mahan like or whoever bron Stral, they always go on these just tears where no one can beat them, and they finally run into a roadblock. They all know who Cody is and when he's capable of it's not like he can can't take a loss, especially if it's somebody the caliber of Seth in a tainted victory just to get you to that final hell in the cell. I don't know. So yeah, I mean
I think we both make cases here. Let's move on here to the next match. This one is a little bit more difficult. I think it probably as difficult Edge and AJ styles and Edge and AJ styles. Damien Priese's banned from ringside. I'm gonna take this one first because I want to steal the thunder, because I'm selfish. I want to take it, and the reason is because we okay, Damien Priese's banned. I think he'll remain band it rings he won't. He won't show up, maybe till the match
is over to ultimately beat down AJ or whatever. I think the purpose of this is to introduce a new member to Edge's group, because only Damian Priest is banned, not anyone who is in favor of Ors tries to assist Edge. It's very clear it's only Damien. Fine, Damien's out, Well, then who is going to help Edge here? I think it's probably Tamaso or excuse me, Champa, because nobody has a first name any more. Champa ends up Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I mean the list goes on and on. I mean, what about Antoniosa's Arrow or Androdi cian Almas, I mean, like he's yeah, yeah, I mean, it's just it's insane. But I think it's going to be Champa who ends up costing AJ styles the match. I think AJ actually loses again. I think this is kind of in the same breath as Cody and Seith. Do they take two losses in a row, like you know? And so my guess is AJ loses here to Edge. I think edges on a hot streak with this group. I love this group.
I love everything about it. I love how Edges addressing the criticism about using the undertaker lighting and how different his character is, and but it making the reasoning that these seeds were planted back when he was in the Brood and the Ministry of Darkness. That's totally plausible for his character. He's a master on the mic. I'm loving the chair he has to sit in as it's it's very symbolic of sitting atop a mountain. Is he a
mountain of omnipotence and just judging people? It's brilliant. So I think ultimately the purpose of this is to have Tomaso, excuse me, Champa come in, cost Aj Damian Priest maybe comes out at the end, and Edge gets the victory.
In your thoughts and this is this is interesting because I'm gonna use your your logic for the Cody and Seth match and kind of steal it and apply it to this one because I kind of feel the same way you feel about Seth with code wor AJ, rather like I feel AJ is going to get the win here. So officially AJ is my pick for kind of this a similar reason because of the continuation with especially with it being Helena Cel. Like Helena Cel is just a
perfect finale for which is ironic as well. It'd be kind of being the third match for a few or the third series, you know match and a few of these lineups here. But I just feel like I feel like a j It's funny because I as I'm about to say this, I'm thinking of what you were just saying, like AJ needs this win here.
I feel like AJ.
Has kind of lost or maybe he hasn't lost anything quite yet, but he's on the verge of it, and I think Edge is strong enough to take a loss here. But I don't know, Like, I feel like it's something's gonna happen and it's not gonna be just a straight clean victory for AJ. I'm not gonna say Age is gonna cheat, but to be honest, I'm not even quite sure what's gonna happen.
I think something's probably gonna backfire on Edge.
And I can even see someone trying to debut like you're saying, like a chop will come out into backfiring on Edge and that kind of infuriating Edge to lead them. Maybe no pun intended to Helena Cell, So I kind of see it going that way in my opinion or just.
That's how I would maybe do it.
But again, it just depends on if they which they'd be kind of crazy not to at this point, if they are taking this to hell in a cell, and who they really want to kind of go over at the of.
This little mini series here.
You know, if the goal here is to make Edge strong and his faction strong going forward and not put the focus on styles, then you know they need to continue to build Edge, and that would make more sense when you look back on it. But I just feel like AJ needs something, you know, AJ needs something, especially being by himself, he.
Does no title.
And then I'm sorry, not kind of cut you off, but it kind of plays into what I was saying earlier, like I feel like AJ needs at least a strong win because there's no other title or no other focus really for.
Him on RAW, you know what I mean. So it's just it's kind of a weird situation.
Yeah, I mean, so first of all, I mean, you almost convinced me, and then I'm sticking to my guns. That was close. That was close, but I'm sticking to my own rules. And so okay, we're on opposite sides on both these matches. That's good. But I think that the thing with AJ styles is that he he's going up against a group that is just beginning and needs
to get victory after victory to obtain heat. So that this faction, and the whole point of this faction, as all factions are directed at, is to create new stars or help build existing stars to that next level. And Chomp is a perfect candidate. Finn Balor I actually tossed back and forth, and his name's been tossed back and forth of joining the group. Yes, I don't think he'll be the one. I actually think he'll maybe even the odds with AJ and come to his aid as he
did on Raw. And I think with Finn Balor for the reasons him not joining the group, he still could. But I would advise against it because right now, Finn Balor, he's in a weird spot. He's been irrelevant for a few months. So that's the case for it. The case against it is Finn Balor is already a made man. He doesn't He's already a superstar. He's already made it to a very high level. To me, going into Edges group would almost almost be its emotion of saying Edge
is now mentoring Finn Balor. Finn Baler is a guy that's been on the scene for quite some time. He knows who and what he is. He's got a very successful in ring in ring persona. He knows who and what he is. His music's, i mean, one of the best entrant musics of all time in wrestling. So I don't think it would help Finn Balor to be in this group Finn Balley. If the purpose of the groups to help elevate existing or stars that are kind of floundering,
I don't think that fits the bill with Finn. I don't think it's impossible, but I think right now AJ needs somebody on his side. If Champa's gonna be with Edge and Damian Priest is going to be with Edge, and I've heard Rie Ripley, We've all heard Rie Ripley. You know, I don't know about Rhea, but to me, I think right now, the growing and the heat needed for this group to grow is superseding what AJ styles needs in his victory.
Now.
I know Aj, like you said, he's been kind of irrelevant in some respects too, being relegated to a tag team with Omas that we all were like, get out, get out, get out, gets out and AJ even Edge smartly said, I don't want that person who was in the tag team. I want the pit bull AJ styles, and so I think AJ he could win this, and then Champa comes out to beat him down and just completely destroy him. So he gets the victory. But at the end of the day, that group still gets the heat.
So maybe you can shoot two birds with one stone here, But I do think that AJ loses because of Tomaso Champa Champa, So I don't know. I think we both again make good cases. And this guys, as I say, with certain matches on every card, don't put any money on these two. These are very difficult matches. Stay away from them, I think, before I move on. Did you have any anything else to say about AJ and Edge?
No?
No, Okay, Happy Corbin and Mad Cat Moss Ashley go ahead.
Gosh, I you know, And I don't even know how I feel about myself for saying this, but I'm kind of like warming up to Mad Cat Moss, and I just I don't know how to feel about it. Like I first, he obviously needs to lose the suspenders, like he just needs, you know, like that's just the whole thing is just that should have been like that next week after him and Corborn like officially broke up or they realized they weren't laughing at.
Each other's jokes anymore.
And I will say it just to kind of catch up, you know, since the last time United took or have spoken. But when he did, when they did first start brawling that night, that reaction he got on SmackDown, I was shocked by, Like I did not expect people to erupt for him like they did and just kind of carrying on for them. Like He's kind of really impressed me.
Not that I didn't really think he wouldn't on the main master, but with how the would be changes things of course, going from rittig Moss to to this version of mad Cat.
Moss now they I don't know.
He obviously could have gone a completely different and more resirection, but it's strange this has probably been the best route for him, and this is probably like the best thing that could have happened to him, going this kind of goofy and just non serious character route and then leading to Corbyn because a lot of people hate on Corbyn, but like you and I have spoken about in the past, like I'm I'm not his number one fan, but I think Corbyn is very solid, you know, like he's good
in the ring, he's a good character, He's exactly what the WDB needs.
He's at the perfect level.
So and he's just kind of one of those guys that you can almost throw into any situation and it may take a week or two if you're talking like a main event level, but he can almost slide in anywhere.
So I think it's very valuable.
But long, long story short, I'm actually going and after I give all that praise to Moss, I'm actually going with Corbyn here. Kind of like what I was saying earlier, I would be stoked if mad Cat Moss won because for all the reasons I just said. But I think Corbyn's gonna get this the win here to kind of I feel like a burg and record but kind of carry this on too.
And I don't know what that says about w I don't know if that's a good thing or a.
Bad thing, but yeah, you know, I just I think there's a lot more to pull out of this, whether it's necessarily a good thing or a bad thing. But yeah, I'm officially going Corbin and then once they meet later on, I'll probably go Moss.
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Welcome back to the WWE podcast. Let's get back to more great wrestling audio.
Uh yeah, I would actually this is our first match. I would agree with the outcome. I think that Corbin probably does get the victory, although you could make a case like mad Cat Moss, who's on the rise, needs the victory. I think that giving him a little more sympathy and trying to get behind him of like, oh man, I want to see you beat Corbyn and that's the payoff.
It's just psychology. Want to one and I think that you're right to me Corbin gets the first victory, and then maybe the second and third one are Moss, who finally, you know, gets those victories and closes out the program. But you're right, the Mad Cat Moss transition has been I think successful. Hasn't been wildly successful, but I think it's been as good as it could have. You could have expected it to be. The suspenders, I'm to me, the jury is still out on that. I'm like, there's
some weeks I'm like it's obnoxious. Other weeks I'm like, that's kind of an endearing, ridiculous look. I'm split. I'm not sure on that yet. But his jokes, I think there's something there that you could work with where he insults his opponent in hilarious actually a way that makes the crowd laugh, like he did when he insulted Corbin.
That's the transition from these just stupid eye rolling jokes that they were intended to be, to actually making fun of his heel opponents, which is what's going to endear him to the crowd. His energy, his inring ability. I mean, didn't he he got dumped on his head a few weeks or a month ago, whatever, I mean, yeah, and we're like oh my god, is he? Is he dead? And you know he he came unscathed away from that, thank God. So I think that on top of the fact that he can go in the ring and he's
proven it, he's not just this bodybuilder. Look, he can actually work really well. Fans recognize and appreciate that, and he's got a gimmick that is slowly starting to I think, gathers some steam with the crowds. So I think it's this nice slow build for Moss. But I also think that getting a taking this loss here is going to help him long term because the crowd's gonna want to see him get that victory over Corbin and get revenge
on Corbin. So Corbyn's gonna cheat to win. I think, I mean that that's ultimately what's gonna be the case. I don't know how, but it does end up being a heel victory here. So right now, so I'm looking down here, I actually have every heel so far winning on the pay per view, so it's given me a lot of if things go the way I think they're gonna go. The pay per views right now very heel heavy. But what are your thoughts on any final thoughts? On Corbyn Moss.
Yeah, and just just to wrap it up on them, I think, like you were saying about the fans and jokes and everything in the transitioning, I.
Think the fans, as much as this may shock WD, they're not dumb.
Like the fans can see and appreciate what he's doing now, especially now that he's not being like a dumb character and not being blinded by Corbyn's influence or anything like that as a character of course, and seeing Corbyn for what he is.
And still it's kind.
Of like a twofold thing, right, like fans understand like this is what he is supposed to be doing, but he's doing well at it, you know, and he's really embracing this singles role. So I think it's like an appreciation thing too, And I think fans and maybe just I'll just maybe speak for myself, like it's cool to kind of start this whole journey with him because I
feel like he could be something. I'm not saying he's gonna be the next breakout start, but I think he could be something solid from them going forward after this. So that was just, you know, I kind of let my final thoughts on Matt cam Moss and Corbyn.
Yeah, yeah, and I think the match is gonna be fine. I know the match quality, it'll be just fine. I mean, I knowncerns about how good it's going to be. It'll be It'll be something that is respectable and good. It has the chance to be very good if given enough time, you know, But I'm not gonna hold it to that standard. I think it'll be just fine. And Corby gets the victory,
so I think we're on the same page there. But let's move to Lashly versus Omas and hmm, Yeah, I'm gonna toss this one to you again because I I'm split on this too. This this has so far been a little difficult. But Ashley, what are your thoughts on lastly at Omas?
Yeah?
And this is one of those that again pains me to even bring myself to say this.
But.
Because I'm sure you know that this by this point my feelings on Omas, but I just again I don't want to say it, but I feel like Omas is going to get the victory here, and I think it's going to be all thanks to MVP. I feel like maybe maybe I'm taking what is in my opinion very obvious and holding too much light to it. But I think this whole thing is set up for MVP to interfere to get Omas his first really big victory, you know, essentially, because he was just having squash matches before.
But I just I'm not a fan of Omas and it still irritates me. And I don't really know why.
Like he's not horrible, like he's We've obviously seen much worse, and I just don't know.
I think it's the fact, well I do know one thing that irritates.
Me, So I'll just I'll close it this and then I'll toss it to you because I could rant about it forever for whatever reason. But it's his when he comes out, he just whether he of course was when he was with AJ if they were trying to be good guys or whatever, or obviously the majority of the time being a heel, I just don't take him seriously.
I just feel like he's holding back a laugh, like he's just out there, like I feel like he would be one of those like, uh it was it Roquel Rodriguez her a new name now, like just smiling NonStop, and it's like just and I feel like he's just obviously trying to hold it back.
Because he's not supposed to be smiling.
So for whatever reason, it's just one of those things that irks me, and you know, probably too much and unnecessarily so, but yeah, dude, I just I can't take him seriously.
I just I'm just not about it.
And adding on to that, I guess I do know why I'm using this as a little therapy session.
Thanks Matt for Omas.
I think the fact too that they broke up Bobby Lashley and MVP was just I and again I understand it, and I'm not even gonna say it's wrong. I just me personally my personal feelings. I just love the duo of MVP and Bobby Lashley together. I just just love everything about it. So I in of course, comparing the two, who probably needs MVP more Omas if you really want to take him seriously.
But again, it's one of those.
Two like, I don't think they're really going to take him that seriously. I feel like they would have done so already if they were going to.
But yeah, I don't know. I just feel like this is a waste.
So and I feel like I don't know I was gonna take the loss here, and I'm very upset but all right.
Well we are we are now two and two. I'm with you on this one as well. I think that Omas boy. And again, guys, I'm now four for four on heel victories. Huge.
Is this gonna be an evil.
People are gonna be pissed. I mean, there's gonna be riots, so I mean, but that's that. So I'm with you about o maas taking the victory? Now am I uh as annoyed by Omas? I wasn't until you started telling me why, And now I can't unthink it. So now I'm looking at him and I'm like, do I want to say? He's kind of a big goofball, like, but he's trying to hide it.
Maybe it's fine if yeah, you know, cool dude, like embrace it like and I'm sure he probably wants to and he probably can't, but like it's just I don't know, it doesn't fit.
So you feel like he's not he's hiding himself what he should be, right, okay, God, And I don't.
Even I don't even know what that would even look like.
And I'm not saying like I want him to go out there and be like a mad or exactly about they're dancing or anything crazy, but just I don't know, just like just whoever he is, just like let him be him.
I feel like he's probably one.
Of those dudes in the back who like gets along with everyone. He's probably like, you know, like a good time.
But we would never know because we don't. We don't see it.
So I just feel like maybe and maybe I'm giving him too much hardship or whatever, but it's I just I don't know.
I don't know, Matt, So I'm sorry.
Just to know I now again, now you're turning me against Omas, and I was, I was, I was a solid fan. I was like, Okay, I'm on board for this. But his range of emotion is very limited. I mean, he almost has as limited of range as round A Rousey does. We'll get to her match next, and so I think that Omas. As far as the match quality, we haven't even talked about the match quality. I think
it's going to be okay. I think it's going to be exactly what you'd expect with Omas's limits considering his size, but Bobby Lashley doing the majority of the bumping as she should given the size difference. But I think you're right, it's gonna be a loss because directly because of maybe a quick distraction from MVP, and they're using MVP clearly to try to help build a moas like he reinvigorated Bobby, and I get that. I understand that MVP has truly been the MVP and he's lived up to his name
and in him helping Amas. No problem there, and the payoff here is clearly going to be wanting to see Lashly get his hands at MVP. I well, we're not
gonna see it here. We may see a tease of it, a quick appetizer, but I think the ultimate payoff of seeing Lashly get his hands at MVP is probably gonna happen at hell and to Sell, and maybe that's where he'll finally be able to trap MVP inside the Sell or something during the match with AMAS if I mean, I'm getting ahead of myself, but that's the payoff that I think people want to see is not necessarily Lashly
of versus a maas. They want to see Lashly versus the guy that turned on him, you know, MVP, and see him beat the holy hell out of him. So I think that this match is going to be okay quality wise, You what I want to see is if Lashley can like power slam Omas. I mean, I want to see that running power slam. If he could do that on Omas, some kind of maneuver that Lashley could pick him up and show his insane strength, That to me is the kind of thing I want to see.
It's gonna be a slower pace match, which is good because a lot of these matches are gonna be fast paced, in your face, like flip flop fly, all that kind of stuff. So this is gonna be a nice palette cleanser to just kind of slow things down, and I'm totally fine with that. Every match doesn't need to look and feel the same. So yeah, at the end of the day long story short Omas gets the victory because of MVP, and we continue to build that need to
see Bobby destroy MVP. So all right, let's move on here. Two more matches and the only female match on the card. So that that's really just amazing to me. I feel like we're missing something that there's no raw women's championship. I mean none of that. There's there's all women's grudge match. Because they can ever have a women's match without a
championship involved. That's in a whole other thing. But Charlotte Flair versus Ronda Rowsey, if in SmackDown Women's Championship or according to Ronda Rowsey, just the SmackDown Championship because she doesn't say I want to say Women's again, another whole thing I could go on, but it's an equip match, and yeah, I was gonna take it, but actually, I'll let you take this one. This one seems to lean definitely one way, but let's see if you choose that.
Yeah, I have a funny feeling this may be another one that we agree on.
So we're i think leveling out here a bit.
But I'm gonna say, again to kind of kind of bury the lead here, I'm gonna go with Ronda Rousey getting the victory here. I was one of those who was pretty shocked that she I'm not gonna say shock shock, but I was surprised rather that she didn't get the win at WrestleMania proper.
So I think, especially with it being an e quit.
Match, I I don't see them having Ronda Rowsey lose an eye quit match, even though it's it's obviously you know, it's it's wrestling.
I just regardless if.
They were going to try to do a callback to the you know, the E quit match with the Rocky Man kind of have the piped in I quit or anything like that.
Yeah, Like even if I just don't see them doing that here.
And it's crazy as it is to think about even Charlotte saying I quit. It's just I think it's it's more believable or I would be more open to seeing Flair saying it than Ronda Rowsey.
And and I say, I kind of say that to get this out of the way. But I'm so ready for this few to be over with. I'm I'm ready for Ronda just to win the title.
She it's and it sucks like I'm trying to not go off in another tangent here but and to keep it, you know, clean, But it's.
She just she looks like she doesn't want to be here. I mean, she's.
Definitely improved since her her initial return. I mean, she just looked like the most miserable person in the world. And hey, whether she whether it just hit her, like and she didn't realize how much she wasn't gonna like being on the road when she came back, I don't know what it was and cool like if if you if you're not happy, you have a right to.
Not be happy, you know what I mean.
But at the same token, you're getting paid a lot of myself a lot of money.
You're saving me a lot of time on the editor.
Yes, yes, I almost looked up. I almost slipped up a lot of money to perform. And you're Nda Rowsey like, you have to live up to it.
If now's nott a good time, then do what you need to do and don't be on TV.
But don't come half.
Way with it either, And I say that and again, like like I said, she has definitely improved, But those weeks just really stood out to me, and it just kind of really put a stinch on this whole feud for for me personally, if.
That's not obvious. And I just don't think they mesh.
I wasn't a fan of them going into a singles match to at WrestleMania to begin with. Like to me, it didn't make any sense that Ronda chose Charlotte, so and I guess kind of looking at the whole thing in a nutshell, I'm kind of and maybe.
I'm biased, So please correct me once I throw it to you. Or feel free to cut you off.
I feel like maybe I was just sour on it from the beginning because for me, like I was saying, it didn't make sense that Ronda Rowsey makes this triumphant return at the Royal Rumble, wins the Rumble, and then doesn't challenge Becky Lynch like.
And I say that kind of speaking halfway.
Like, I say that because I'm I appreciate what they did with Bianca Blair and that was obviously a fantastic match, and I like the way that they played off how they started that whole mess at Summer Slam.
But again, it didn't make sense to me.
I know they're probably gonna go for that match Rowsey and Becky Lynch next year a WrestleMania, and that's fine and dandy, but to me, it just.
Didn't make sense to him in the beginning.
And like I said, I may just be kind of blinded or biased going into this whole thing, but I'm ready for it to be done.
I'm over Flair. I don't even really know what she's gonna do after this.
Point, but I would love to see Ronda win so we can be done with that and then have Bailey return because I just truly miss Bailey at this point.
I feel like SmackDown is truly truly missing her. So I don't know if she's ready to come back.
I'm sure she is at this point, but yeah, I'm just I'm ready for this to be over with.
Again, that's not obvious.
It's so weird to say that because of the names that I'm looking at.
And I love Ronda Rowsey. Yeah, like I was a huge round a Rowsey fan. I think her first one was great. Like I'm not hating on her, and I think she picked up the sport well like I think she has. She's done her you know, due diligence and you know, like I don't, don't get me wrong, just to you know, give her her her prop's words due.
It's just something's not clicking with this and it's just weird.
It feels forced when it shouldn't feel forced. And it's just one of those things. Even though there is a history with these two, you're looking at it going, why isn't this gelling? And again I'm not a big Ronda Rousey fan. I actually don't enjoy most of what she does. Now again, I respect what she's able to do in the ring. I respect what she's done in the MMA world. I don't like her demeanor and a lot of things, but that's me and and you know that it is
what it is. And I think that in sometimes and a lot of times, she's actually disrespected the business, even if it's trying to get quote unquote heat. There's been anywhere.
Yes, no, yeah, and yes, yeah.
Yeah, so and I think she's got, you know, the the emotional range of you know, my two year old. It's not it's either super happy or super angry, and there's no in between. There's this it's either she comes out smiling or she comes out with the angry face, and it's just like, can you give me something besides two extremes? Like I don't know that's been a thing with me for Ronda, I mean her entire time, and her promos haven't been I mean, promos are hard to me.
I think promo's in a lot of respect her harder than in the end ring. So I'm not, you know, saying that it's easy to do, but I don't know. There's been times where she's like whispering on the mic. I'm like, speak with some confidence, like just just speak like you, this is something that when you say it, everyone's gonna believe it, like and a lot of times she's like whispering on the mic, like I don't know anyway. So I think with this matchup, the quality I think
is gonna surprise a lot of people. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the match of WrestleMania. I think this one's gonna be just as good, if not better, because Ronda is an ultimate athlete all that kind of thing. I mean, still calling her the baddest woman on the planet, though, is she still really after how many years away from MMA? Like what exact credentials does she have now to claim that? Whatever?
So Rona Rousey at this point is you know, it's hilarious that she's in an I quit match, given that when you look at her history of losing, that's exactly what she does when she loses, is leaves. I mean, so like you look at Holly Holm when she's beating m she gets she gets beat and loses and quits. When she's at WrestleMania thirty five, she loses and she quits. I mean, so it's just it's hilarious that she's in this match. Do I think she's going to win it? Yes,
I do. I sadly think she's gonna win this. You know. I think Charlotte at the same time needs a reset. So if she's gonna be going away for a while, I think that's gonna help her character. I think it's gonna help SmackDown feel a little more fresh in the women's division. With Okay, Ronda's champion, that's fine, you know. And like you said, I think Bailey is gonna be
that next opponent for Ron. I think you're exactly right, and I think Bailey is gonna get It's gonna be interesting because if if that's the case and Bailey's the next opponent, Charlotte goes on vacation with her you know, her fiance for you know, however long, I think that what's gonna be difficult to navigate is the reception that Bailey's gonna get off the bat. Like anytime, even if they're a heel, they leave and come back, they immediately
are welcome with open arms. And so to navigate Ronda still maintaining the babyface character against a heel Bailey is going to be difficult, or returning Bailey is going to be difficult because I think Rohnda, they're really going to miss the vote if they never turn her heel. I think she would be a fantastic heel and I hope they explore that before she calls it completely quits in w WE. But that's going to be interesting to see how they navigate that if they do that.
Yeah, and final, just to be here, like, just to piggyback of what you're saying, I think it's that you're going to run into that issue regardless of where you return Bailey too, regardless of the show, you know what I mean, Like, it's either you have her return against Bay or against Bianca Blair and get like a huge response and have Bianca battle that, and who's stronger at that point too, You'll be looking at who who can really combat that, And it's going to be another thing
where they're going to force.
And this isn't obviously a Bailey topic, but if they're going to.
Force Bailey into the heel role like they did with Becky upon immediately returning, you know, or if they're going to let her embrace it. But like you were saying, I think that they would be so foolish to not let Rondo just truly embrace her heel.
Side and just let her run. You know, I'm not even advocating necessarily.
You know, it's way too early at this point for Bailly to come back and of course be Ronda or anything like that.
But I think you could get a nice little.
Feud out of it, you know what I mean, and let Bailey enjoy, and rightfully so, because if you think about and again not gonna go off here, but Bailey was doing phenomenal work and she was one of the MVPs in my opinion, of like the Thunderdome era and during the pandemic and everything, and she still hasn't been back in front of a live crowd since everything happened.
So I think it's only right to kind of let her embrace that.
And enjoy it, just at least for a little bit, you know, and just then if you need to turn her later, then have it. But I don't know, I just feel like it would be kind of wrong not to for both women, not to let Ronda be who she is and let her be a dominant heel champion and let Bailey be her current her old version not goodback to of course, like the hugging Bailey, but it'd be cool to see what that new Bailey would look like.
So I think they could really get a lot out of it.
And like you said, let Flair go off and take some time off because she deserves it too. You know, she's been carrying the division for quite some time, so she deserves it.
I'm not even hating. I'm not hating on any of them. You know, it's just what they've been dope, but it's just time to move on.
And not only does Charlotte deserve it, she needs it. I think, Yeah, she just feels like she's a bit disengaged. I don't know if you've noticed, it just feels like Charlotte. I know the character is supposed to be healish and kind of disingenuous all that, but even I don't know you've been I have been watching wrestling for so long that you can almost sense when they're not fully in the character, and it feels like Charlotte just wants to get away, Like its just it feels like she wants
out right now. I don't know why I feel that way, and I'm not talking about her character, I'm talking about the person behind it. I don't. Just for some reason, I get that feeling. I could be completely wrong, but I'm just getting that sense of just total disengagement from
what she's doing right now. I don't know why I feel that way, but anyway, so yeah, I mean that's gonna be interest saying if they try to bring Bailey back as a babyface, but not the you know, the the wacky, waving inflatable tube men Bailey, but just who she is now, but just not you know, not not the evil Bailey, just the one that is I'm returning, love me and we will. And I think they could easily do that. Ronda, it's sitting right there, and I
think she'd be much more comfortable as a heel. She has it built in, like I I came here because this company needed me. What you know, screw all of you for not supporting me. You know, like there's there's a hundred ways you could go. And Ronda just being people were already starting to turn on her. I mean like towards the end of that run. I think in her first run, people were ready to to say, you know,
screw you. I mean, she there's a lot of promos that were not good and even now there are promos that you're like, you know, she's insulting the crowd, like, I don't know. So I think that right now Ronda should be a heel. There's so much there you could get months and months out of it, I think, and it would embrace it because she could just tell the fans everything that she's been feeling without consequence and be genuine about it, which would I think also help her character.
A lot of it feels a little bit disingenuous. So anyway, yeah, this is gonna be a Ronda Rousey victory. Charlotte goes away, Bailey returns on SmackDown, and we're off to the races of Ronda and Bailey. That's probably where they're going. So all right, main event time, Roman reigns and the USSOS versus Randy Orton, Riddle and Drew McIntyre. Now, as of this moment, guys, we have not seen SmackDown at all, So if anything comes up on SmackDown, it's obviously not
included here because we don't have a crystal ball. So just a little bit of a disclaimer there. So as of right now, there's nothing on the line other than pride and star power. That's it. There's no titles on the line right now. It's as of right now, it's not being built as a unification match. It's just wwe
looking at this going. We'll put the unification match aside that we've been talking about for a month and a half, and we're gonna make it even bigger by having Drew and Roman for the first time in a while on opposing sides, even if it's in a six man tag. So I'm gonna again toss it to you Ashley for your thoughts and predictions.
Yeah, dude, it makes no sense. It makes no sense.
Like you were saying that you dedicate all this time and hype behind it, and I was really looking forward to the time Town unification match, not just because I want the division itself to be you know, unified or whatever and it would just make more sense.
But they were really doing a good job and.
They were really selling me on the story, even though
it kind of came out of nowhere with Roman. Just I guess since he I think he says since he essentially had two titles, he wanted his cousins to have two titles, if I'm not mistaken, which okay, you know makes sense, and they again were building to that and I was digging it, and again it's one of those things that I was saying earlier on that you for me personally, you kind of feel foolish for getting invested in because I was looking forward to that unification mansie.
And then now they changed it to a six man match, which okay, cool, but you change it from titles being on the line and having these huge stakes and maybe the possibility of WD actually made emitting with the Attack Team Championship match on a premium live event now.
So and of course the match itself would have been phenomenal. So it was just a lot of things.
Building up to that match and for them to just abruptly change it, and like you said, we don't know if they've added a stipulation or anything at this point, but going into it as of right now, if they're like literally nothing being on the line besides, like you said, bragging points or bragging rights, like, it's just kind of like it just kind of like deflates the room, right like it's it's I just there's no reasoning for it either,
And that's what's kind of frustrating as well. Like I guess it can make sense why Roman and Drew wants to get involved, which is fine, and I'm not even hated on the concept of the match, It's just that why would all of a sudden, Management and Adam Pierce be okay with literally stripping a big main event title match and then replacing it with the match that has.
Essentially no stakes, you know.
And I think this could very easily be fixed with having it just a winner take off. And again, not even advocating that Roman obviously loses the title, especially in this way, like that would be absurd, But I think it's kind of a slap in the face if you don't put anything on the line at this point.
And I think the.
Stipulation too, should be that if Drew's team loses, that he no longer can bring the sword out to the ring and he has to be finished completely with the sword.
And I'm just so over the sword, like it just kills me. So yeah, my official pick, I guess let's you say it's kind of a toss up.
But I don't see Rains taking a loss here soon, especially for something like this, So I'm going with I guess the Bloodline officially this is their name, but thusism Roman. But yeah, I feel like they could be getting so much more.
Out of this match.
This is so many elements here. Number one the sword. Yeah, it's slowly grown on me, but I'm still not a fan of it. That doesn't mean I still want it. I actually would advocate against it. Why it's the one weapon you bring to the ring that you know you're never going to be able to actually.
Use exactly exactly even.
A sledgehammer was able to be used because there's a creative way to do it that you're not going to kill somebody. In this case, you have exactly a zero percent chance of ever actually using it on your opponent. You can swing all you want and threaten to swing a lot. It's never ever, ever, ever ever going to be used, nor should it. It's just I understand that it's unique. No one really has ever done the sword thing.
So I get that, I get the visual, I get the symbolism, I get the meaning behind the sword with his mother, and that's all wonderful. But the end of the day, we know as fans it's a prop and it will only ever be used as a prop ever, one hundred percent chance of that, So that's I agree. With that. Now, as far as this match goes and why they changed it, it's very rare. I got to say, because WWE does, I think, have respect for the goodwill
of fans and they try not to undermine it. And Vince has been on record many times in the past by saying, I you know, we don't like to advertise things we can't deliver on, and if we don't ever deliver on that, we'll try to either make good on it or prevent or present something bigger or better. And
they have, well, at least in their minds. In their minds, it's okay because adding Drew and Roman to the match makes it a quote bigger match, but you're still not giving us the titles that we were promised for six weeks about talking about this, and so I think that
again they could still add the titles. Maybe they do that Unsmackdown and the winner of either of either team the ussols would would remain champion, or I'm sorry, the USOS would become unified champion, or you'd have RK Bro become unified champion even if Roman or Drew get the pinfall, So you could do it that way, they'd be essentially fighting on behalf of the team that they're on, so they could still add it. I would say they should
to add to the magnitude of this match. You're still delivering on the match, you said, but also adding Roman and Drew. I don't think they'll do that. I think it's gonna be a straight up this is all about getting Roman and Drew in the ring for the first time for a program that's probably gonna go through SummerSlam
or beyond. This is gonna be a long standing program, guys, so buckle up and so I think that they'll probably deliver on the unification match at Helena Cell. I would actually like to see the usosin RK bro inside a cell. Imagine what those four mela can do inside helen Is Cell. So I think if they're going to deliver on it and make good on it, not only do we get that match at the next line of event Premium Live event,
but we also get it inside a cell. If they do that, I'd be like, Okay, I don't like it. You lied to us for six weeks and try to deliver something bigger, which I don't think it really is, and you're but you're also going to up the ante for the next time that we actually see it, when we actually see the match we were promised, so I would accept that. But long story short, who I think is going to get the victory on this if? If
nothing is on the line, it's just pride? Yeah, probably probably Roman Reigns in the USOS only because Roman Reigns is on that team and they don't want to put an L next to his name. That's the only reason. Otherwise I'd say absolutely Dreun and Riddle and Orton would win because Vince likes to send the crown home happy more often than not. So, wow, did I just pick
every single heel to win this? Think you do? Every single heel wins, which I don't think is gonna I'm definitely wrong that that at least probably two of the matches. That tells me. But yeah, so Roman and USOS.
Now really quick, who do you think is the main event? Do you think that that's the main event? Because there was talk of like maybe doing Rhonda and Charlotte as the main event, But do you think it's still the six Man?
I actually you know the if they're gonna send Actually no, I didn't pick every heel because Ronda I'm sorry, Ronda Rowsey, I did pick to win. I just yours a heel in my head. So I think what will happen is now that if the if the Usos and Rains are gonna win, I could you could make a case that if Vince wants to send the crowd home happy, that
they put Rond Rowsey Charlotte on last number one. It's a championship match number two of these are two big names, and if you're gonna have the baby face win, it's a great way to send the crowd home happy. And having Charlotte say I quit, would you know, make a lot of fans happy. I think so. I think there's a good, really good case to be made for this. And you look at the fact that they didn't have any women's main events for WrestleMania. This could be a
bit of a throw you a bone type of situation. Well, oh well, they weren't the you know, made event of WrestleMania, but Backlash we're gonna make then, yeah, exactly, So see they were, they were a WrestleMania main event. But there's a good case to be made for that, very good case. I mean, Roman Reigns doesn't have to main event everything, especially if there's no titles on the line. So yeah, I like that.
Yeah, no, Yeah, I think I personally think that I'm going to be shocked either way. But I'm kind of leaning more towards like we were saying the equip match being the main event, and I could even see Roman that the six man tag opening the show.
You know, I just kind of throw I mean, why not.
You know, it's Trestlemania backlash, keep things fresh, start the show off high romans obviously, you know, big stars start to show off hot and get it going.
No, I like, yeah, no, no, I'm not against that, not at all. I just the only reason I'd say no to that is because this is a very top heavy card. I mean, and there's very very few matches. I mean there's uh what six matches my counting six matches, which is not a lot. I mean, you look at WrestleMania, there's like six hundred. So when I look at this,
you know, so, no, I have nothing against that. I mean, Roman coming out to open the show, I think he would actually get a baby face pop. But if you've noticed, I'm sure you have hear Romans reactions have been much more positively, people channing Rome and Rome like people are starting to turn on the Roman range camp and yeah, I don't know if that's a trend that will continue, but you know that music is It's now iconic. His
entrance is twenty minutes long. You know, he'll never be able to do a run in successfully because it would be the most like unsurprising run in of all time because it would take him twenty minutes to get to the ring. But I think that, yeah, I mean, it could open the show. It could yeah, I mean, and then you've made event with Ronda and Charlotte. But cool. So one last question. Do you think the brand split's dead? Given all these unifications and people coming over with no explanations,
Like the announcers don't even care anymore. No, no one's even making excuses. They're just they're just here from another brand. You just accept it. Do you think it's quietly dead?
I don't think it's.
Yes, and no, I don't think like I think if you were to ask them, they would be like, no, of course, it's still alive. But I think that they're just done making excuses or trying to find reasons that to justify why someone is showing up on a different show animily. So I think no, just because they still want to be able to do like a draft or they're you know, their their whatever specials they do and what October time.
Frame in the year.
So no, because they still want to get every little bit that they can.
Out of it. And you know, I've I.
Have mixed feelings on the idea of a brand split itself. I think it could have been and it has all the potential to be really beneficial, but it's it's all about what you put into it, and obviously that's a whole other topic. But yeah, no, I don't think it's I think in a lot of ways it's obviously dead.
But if you were to ask them, no, it's it's not dead. So they can always have that as a crutch.
Yeah, they want their cake and eat it too.
I mean.
I counted it was like one week they were able to this this year stay actually true to the rules off nobody comes over. They didn't even have a wild card, they didn't have a quarter of the invitational. I think they just did away with it because they knew that if they did that, they booked themselves into a corner. When they just want to be able to violent they want to say they have a brand split, but also not have a brand split exactly. It's just it's the
most ridiculous, Like I can't stand that. Like to me, brand split, if you do it right, is an exceptional way to build new stars. You have twice the real estate, you don't have to have the same storylines running through, which gives more opportunity for younger stars and all. I mean, there's so many good things that come out of it. But you also have more championships, which dilutes the value of the championships because there's more. But I mean, anyway, yeah,
that's definitely a longer conversation. But anyway, Ashley, thank you so much for coming on. It feels like a true pre I want to just say pay per view because it's just so much better a true pre pay per view a show. And I'm glad you're able to come on. But before we go, of course, let everyone know not just about your social media but your podcast that we can go and follow.
Yes, again, it was a blast.
Thank you again for having me, Matt, But feel free to continue to listen to me on the kick ash podcast. You can find it pretty much Anywhere's Apple, Spotify, all that good stuff and follow me on Twitter at as h M A N N S.
But I'm in one last question for you, un spilled one. How how much are you looking forward to the pay per view or premium.
Pay per views? It's a safe space here we say paper views. I so how much I'm looking forward to it now? And now we've actually previewed it pretty thoroughly, I would say out of ten, given it that it's a B pay per view, I'd say like a seven out of ten, Like I'm like, yeah, a seven. I mean because aj Styles and Edge really excites me, and Cody Roads and Seth really excite me. I mean, those two are really the ones that I'm looking forward to from like a wrestling quality and like who that who
could win? There's cases to be made for both. Those are the two. What about you?
I'm just gonna say six and a half but probably a strong seven, so right there with you?
Yeah, all right, awesome, Well we'll have to see what happens. And you know, hey, the the helling U self pay per views in a month, so I'll be definitely hitting you up and you know during that time frame, and I have to have you back on.
Definitely sounds great.
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