Royal Rumble Predictions

We break down Royal Rumble stakes, call our shots on surprise entrants, and debate who will win. AJ Styles career match against Gunther raises real endgame questions, while Drew vs Sami tests momentum and meaning in Riyadh.

• women’s rumble rules and likely entrants
• surprise returns vs useful surprises that build stories
• Bianca Belair and Liv Morgan as safest winners
• cases for a fresh winner from NXT
• travel and partnership factors shaping surprise spots
• Sami Zayn’s ceiling as a world champion
• Drew McIntyre’s reign length and booking logic
• men’s rumble shock picks including Oba Femi
• Judgment Day paths if Dominik wins
• AJ Styles career stakes and a possible TNA return
• final card expectations, and bold predictions

Transcript

Introductions & Event Setup

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Oprah Femi's gonna win the men's horror. Uh Oprah Femi? Yep. Welcome to the Ben and Bash Podcast Tag Team Talk.

SPEAKER_04 0:11

I'm Ben.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

I'm Bash. It's Tony Lee. Sip your boots and hit them at with the Ben and Bash Podcast Tag Team Talk.

SPEAKER_04 0:16

Alright, here we are for another one. Uh doing the Royal Rumble. So you know how it works. Royal Rumble, you know, 30 men in the men's Royal Rumble match. Winner gets to pick whenever champion he wants to wrestle at WrestleMania. Not gonna say the main event, because obviously that hasn't been the case for the last few years. Well, Cody Rowley was, but then Jay wasn't the main event, I don't think, right? Last year? Yeah. So it used to be uh main event of WrestleMania. Now it's just a title match at WrestleMania.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 0:52

And depending on what the how the storyline works, it may be the main event, may not be the main event. Uh also for the women, same thing. Um 30 women in the match, whoever wins, um gets a title match at WrestleMania. You know, 30 women, 30 men over top rope, last one standing wins.

SPEAKER_02 1:11

Yep.

Women’s Rumble: Rules, Surprises, Picks

SPEAKER_04 1:12

So uh yeah, we're gonna do our who we think may be some surprises, uh, who we think may win. Obviously, we don't know who's who's all in it, but right now we're doing some predictions and stuff like that. But uh yeah, let's get to it.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

Uh for the first match on the card, it's the women's rural rumble. And for this one, uh there's a bunch of tag teams in here because like a lot of uh top females have been in tag teams. So, um, but yeah, uh, you think there's gonna be any surprises in the match?

SPEAKER_04 1:46

Oh yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

So you wanna put something out there?

SPEAKER_04 1:49

Yeah, you wanna go into it first? Uh well because I know we probably I don't know if you might have the same one in mind, but I know it was one I'm thinking about that I saw the other day training.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

Well, I think uh Paige is gonna return.

SPEAKER_04 2:01

Yeah, I saw her training the other day on uh it was it, uh IG or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:05

She was doing some training in the range, which is not saying she's gonna come back, but she just I think she may just be trying to get herself back in shape, wrestling shape. Or she could come back, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

Yeah. But yeah, you got any more surprises?

SPEAKER_04 2:18

That's the that's the first surprise I had. Um not really surprises, but if you watched NXT this weekend, you would notice two people that wasn't there on TV. Mm-hmm. They're they're I'm pretty confident I've been a Royal Rumble. If you walk remember uh JC Jane wasn't there because Fallon and um what's the other lady's name? The new one, Laney. Fallon and Laney came out and JC wasn't there with them.

SPEAKER_03 2:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:47

Where was she at? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:50

Then Zarya, remember she called Solaruka, and Sol Ruka wasn't there.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

Yeah. So I'm surprised to have Sokruka in there and not Zarya though.

SPEAKER_04 3:01

I mean, they could both still be in there, but it is a long trip to make uh on Tuesday. I mean, they could some people from NXT could fly out after Tuesday. The show was, you know, when the show was aired, it could have fly, it could have flow uh flown out from Orlando and just took a shot straight there. But I know Zarya may or may not be in it, who knows? I know Soul Works is gonna be in it the way it looks, and then Jason Jane's gonna probably be in it the way it looks.

SPEAKER_03 3:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:27

Um, but because it's all the way in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, not sure how many people are gonna be able to travel for that. You know, as that's long traveling. And uh, like I said, when it was over here last year, they were able to, you can fly anywhere to come to. So you just come in, do the Roy Romble, then leave, go wherever you gotta go to next.

SPEAKER_02 3:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:52

You know. Uh only other thing is you can get some, you can, you can maybe get some um surprises from companies that maybe works with, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 4:03

Oh, like AAA, TNA?

SPEAKER_04 4:05

Well, not really AAA, like uh NOAA in Japan, places like that where they're already on that side of their world and it's gotta travel a quicker, quicker flight than always coming to the United States.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 4:16

Uh maybe that can do something like that. And I don't know who they would bring in that's not affiliated with um AEW. Because AEW works with a lot of those uh companies as well.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

So they both work with NOAA or not?

SPEAKER_04 4:29

No, no. Uh New Japan works with AEW and W works with NOAA. Uh Pro Wrestling NOAA. But uh, but then like European wrestling, not sure who WWE works with versus who AEW works with, uh stuff like that, you know. Um but yeah, uh, Paige is the first thing I thought of. Then some people from NXT, obviously. Um I wonder if Jade is gonna interfere in the match with uh in the match to get Jordan Grace out of there to set their match up. You know what I'm saying? Like to set them up because then cost you you still gotta have a women's winner, and then you gotta have the another it's two women's bills, Stephanie and Jade. Well Oh, I thought it was my go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

Well, um, actually thinking about that now. I'm between two people.

SPEAKER_04 5:28

Winning or surprises?

SPEAKER_00 5:29

Uh winning.

SPEAKER_04 5:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 5:31

When we name both?

SPEAKER_04 5:32

Yeah, go ahead, name both.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

So I think it's either gonna be Bianca Belair.

SPEAKER_04 5:36

I'm just gonna say Bianca gonna be surprised. I was just thinking about what I said. I guess I farther just thought about.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

Or live Morgan.

SPEAKER_04 5:41

That could be a good one.

SPEAKER_00 5:43

So either one of those I feel like has the best shot winning, you know?

SPEAKER_04 5:48

Yeah. Yeah. I I was thinking about Bianca as soon as you were getting ready to talk. I thought about Bianca because she should be, she should be healed now from her finger. I mean, I know finger, something depend on how it's healed, it can take longer. I know it's been taking a lot longer than people expect it. Yeah. But at the same time, too, sometimes it happens like the you can get a little small injury, put you down for a year versus something, something else, and then be recovered quickly, you know? Just depends on how it heals. But uh, yeah, I was thinking about Bianca. Uh, will she win? And and then but then if she wins, she's gonna obviously fight Jade.

SPEAKER_00 6:27

Yeah, and she might she might win that.

SPEAKER_04 6:29

But then what happens to the Jordan Grace match? Where what do her and Jade fight at?

SPEAKER_00 6:33

They're probably just probably either gonna do that as an elimination chamber or just or just a random rock or random spat.

SPEAKER_04 6:39

Run on SmackDown, rather. Run on SmackDown.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Jordan's just gonna lose, probably.

SPEAKER_04 6:43

Yeah, but they're building it up to be like a big match. You know?

SPEAKER_00 6:47

Uh or or they could do a triple threat. But I think I feel like Jade and Bianca need a threat. They could have triple threat.

SPEAKER_04 6:55

I mean, they did they did it last year real ripple, EO and Bianca.

SPEAKER_00 6:58

Yeah. But that one made more sense though.

SPEAKER_04 7:00

I know what I'm just saying though. I mean, that that can make more sense too. That can make sense too with with uh Jade, uh Jordan Grace and Bianca. That makes sense too, if you do it that way. I mean, even if even if Bianca doesn't win, it still makes sense to put her in that mattress state if she comes back. You know.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

But uh, yeah, but I gotta live Morgan to win the rumble.

SPEAKER_04 7:25

Who do I okay, who do I think is gonna win, and who do I want to win? Two different questions, two different answers, I think. So who do I think is gonna win? Probably like like you said, Lil Morgan, probably, or Bianca, more than likely. Who do I want to win? I want to see something new. I want to see a new person win, you know? I mean, somebody like I mean, Raquel already has a match anyways against um Stephanie come up anyways, but this is a guarantee of title match, even if she loses that match. But somebody like Roxanne Perez, you know, Sol Ruka, uh people like that who, you know what I mean? Like somebody like that who can just get opportunity, who are good wrestlers who this is that was the reason the Roy Run was this to give people opportunities at the championship like that. I mean, obviously, we know their main advantage like Cody Rose and then stuff like that, going through and you know, stuff like that, they win. You know, and then Jay Wilson won last year because he was, you know, the hottest wrestler going with the yeet stuff and all that. But I just want to see, I just want to see a new, something new. So I w I wanna I want to be surprised by the winner. You know what I mean? Like like Charlotte won, then Oscar won, you know, then, you know, the and you know then was it was it Becky Lynch that won?

SPEAKER_00 8:54

Uh I I think she won.

SPEAKER_04 8:58

Didn't she win that year? They were they know they they they may have ended uh WrestleMania.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Yeah, she won the wheel.

SPEAKER_04 9:03

Yeah, yeah. But Charlotte uh Ronda Rousey.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

Yeah, because they both had the titles and she won the rumble.

SPEAKER_04 9:08

Exactly. Um yeah, so something like you know, surprise, like that was a big surprise. And then the build-up for was even greater. But yeah, I just want to see a surprise like that. I mean, I think Bianca or Liv's gonna win, and that'll set up Liv versus Raquel, probably.

unknown 9:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:25

I think Raquel's gonna beat uh Stephanie Vicare. I think she's gonna beat her.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

Oh, yeah, I agree.

NXT Call-Ups, International Partners, Travel

SPEAKER_04 9:31

I think they're gonna beat her. Uh and that's gonna set that up. But you know, so that that works perfectly because then you know Liv is jealous. We'll we'll get jealous of someone else having the belt in the same group, and then you know, but then that storyline is old too, because that worked that did that same thing with demon control and Bailey won a couple years back.

SPEAKER_00 9:52

So But that's it's actually for me to do.

SPEAKER_04 9:55

Yeah, probably. But I just want to see something new. I don't even mind if Raquel or or Roxanne wins or something like that. I just want to see these, that's what's I just wanna be surprised by who wins, you know?

SPEAKER_03 10:05

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 10:06

Because you got two women's belts now. So it's not like you only got one belt like you had like he had one man's belt back in the day, and that's and whoever won got that time match, and that's all you had. So you have to have somebody like The Rock and Stone Cold and Triple H and people like that win. You know, Brock Lester, people like that who win. But now you got two belts, all right. One can be the main event, like the Roman Reigns versus Cody match. Then the other one could be, you know what I mean? Like CM Punk versus whoever. Or if or if Brian Breaker went. Yeah, we'll talk about that in a minute. But um, but yeah, so yeah, women's match, uh, yeah, I want to see a surprise happen, but I'm still we're still gonna be interested to see what happens. I mean, it should be pretty good.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:48

Surprises and all that. But I don't I don't I don't out of surprises, I don't I'm I'm thinking Paige for sure. I'm not, I can't think anybody else off the top of the head that uh I could think of. You know, I mean Solaruka and Jason J are surprises. I mean they are, but they're not. So but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:09

Anything else you have for that?

SPEAKER_00 11:11

Nope. Wait, so wait, so who did you officially pick?

SPEAKER_04 11:17

Who I think is gonna win was Liv or Bianca.

SPEAKER_03 11:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:21

Who I want to win is I want to I want to be a surprise. I want to be surprised. I want somebody who hasn't won before. That's why I want to win. I don't know who whether it's like I said, uh Rock Stan or or uh Soluk or somebody like, you know, just somebody who hasn't won who could easily, you know what I mean? Like go up there and do it. I mean, Soluk probably won't win because she's her and Zarya are gonna have a storyline. They're probably gonna wrestle a takeover. So we already know that's gonna be a badge of takeover. Zarya is a way better.

SPEAKER_00 11:52

Heel?

SPEAKER_04 11:53

Yes. Her her her her character works better as a heel than it does as a baby face. And Soluka works way better as a baby face. So that's the oh that's the best match right there. I mean, that's one of the best weapons, that could be one of the, not the best way of the match, but that could be as far as storyline goes, that could be the match of takeover, obviously.

SPEAKER_03 12:12

You know.

SPEAKER_04 12:12

That's a storyline that's that's been building up for over a year now. You know. And then whoever, then one of them can move over to the main roster, which is probably gonna be Sol Ruka after WrestleMania. And that way they have a match of takeover. Or they call it takeover now, or they call it something like that.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

No, uh uh Standin' Delivery.

SPEAKER_04 12:27

Standing the liver. You call it takeover. Yeah, stand in the liver. So after standing the liver, uh Soluka moves to the main car and then he has Zarya there to be a solo. You know, go on a monster like she wants to be, you know. But anyways, yeah. Who would you pick? You picked uh Lil Morgan? Yep. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

So um for the next match in the car is Drew McIntyre versus Sammy Zayn for the undisputed WWE championship.

SPEAKER_03 12:54

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 12:55

So for this one, you know, Sammy, it's like he it's not his hometown, but Saudi loves him over there.

SPEAKER_04 13:03

Yeah, of course. Yeah. And so Sam Sammy's a uh Muslim too as well. Yeah. And so they're they're a Muslim country too, so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:10

Yeah. So um, but I feel like I feel like they're not gonna give Sami Zayn a world title anytime soon. I feel like I feel like the soonest it would happen is is the Saudi mania that they're gonna do. But yeah, that's I I don't think C Sammy would.

SPEAKER_04 13:35

I get what you're saying, but but here's the butt. Hear me out now.

SPEAKER_01 13:40

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 13:42

Sammy could win, right? Mm-hmm. Because we we've seen Drew lose belts fast. He's not a guy who well, not gonna say he's not a guy who, but we've seen Drew have a belt for a short period of time.

SPEAKER_03 13:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 13:56

So it's not unreasonable for him to lose the belt after he just won it. You know what I mean? Like, not like Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns gets a belt where they're gonna have it for at least a year.

SPEAKER_03 14:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 14:05

They're gonna have it to at least next WrestleMania. They're gonna have it through WrestleMania. If they win in WrestleMania, they're gonna have it all the way to next WrestleMania. Like look at Cody Rhodes. He just lost the belt for the first time since he beat Roman Reigns.

SPEAKER_00 14:14

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 14:15

Right?

SPEAKER_00 14:15

Nope.

SPEAKER_04 14:16

Well he beat John Cena beat him, and then he won the belt back.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 14:19

And then he lost it again. So I'm gonna say if he had to build for how long did he have the built for? A while. I'm from WrestleMania.

SPEAKER_00 14:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 14:27

You know. He beat Roman Reigns for WrestleMania. And then, you know what I mean? He went all the way through. So and then he wrestled John Cena at WrestleMania, correct?

SPEAKER_03 14:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 14:39

And then John Cena beat him.

SPEAKER_03 14:40

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 14:41

So he had the belt for a whole year.

SPEAKER_03 14:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 14:43

And then he lost it. John Cena had it for a while, then he gave it back.

SPEAKER_03 14:46

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 14:47

And then he lost it again. But I'm just saying. Um, so look how fast he lost the belt, he beat John Cena. He lost it, what, a couple months later.

SPEAKER_03 14:53

Mm-hmm.

Bianca, Liv, And Alternate Paths To WrestleMania

SPEAKER_04 14:53

There you go. So I'm not I'm not saying Sammy is gonna win, but it's not unreasonable to think he could win. You see what I'm saying? Yeah. Like, he could win. Not saying he I I want him to win. I want Sammy to win. But the problem you have with they say Sammy's one of the he's one of the greatest as far as wrestling-wise. Uh I watched him in Ring of Honor and stuff like that. Um But um the thing about guys like him is they they do such a great job at the climb up the mountain.

SPEAKER_00 15:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 15:35

What's left once they reach the mountain? You see what I'm saying? Like once they get to the top of the mountain, now what? Because it's hard to the the the climb to the like Cody Rose, you gotta think. He had two years of disappointments.

SPEAKER_03 15:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 15:50

And he finally won. He had a good title rank, but it Yeah, it was just like the title ring was good, but it this the the storyline to build up to him, he he wanted to do it for his dad. His dad had never worn a belt. Or dad had won it and they got it stripped from him, whatever happened. He he goes to WrestleMania in his first and his second WrestleMania back after winning Roy Rumble, and he wrestled Ron Reigns and he loses. Then he has a whole nother year to go back and do the same thing over and over.

SPEAKER_02 16:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:21

And he finally wins it with help with help from other wrestlers as well.

SPEAKER_02 16:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:26

And then, I mean, good title rang, but it wasn't a great title rang. Because the the the buildup for the belt was just was was good.

SPEAKER_03 16:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:34

So people like Sami Zayn, the fight to the top is what we all like about it. Not saying he won't have a good title ring. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is I'm afraid that once he gets the belt, where do you go from there?

SPEAKER_03 16:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:52

Because you do you do an open challenge every week?

SPEAKER_00 16:59

No, not with the world title.

SPEAKER_04 17:00

But he wants to be a fighting champion, though. He's gonna be a fight. That's the point I'm saying. Like he's gonna want to be a fighting champion.

SPEAKER_00 17:05

Yeah, but that doesn't work with the world title. That works with like a mid-card.

SPEAKER_04 17:08

But that's what that's what I'm saying. Sammy is the type of who'll want to do that. Because he'll he Sammy His the way his character and the way he wrestles has to be on TV every week.

SPEAKER_03 17:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 17:21

So, and he'll want to be in the right. He wouldn't want to wrestle once every month or every two months. Yeah. You see what I'm saying? He'll want to wrestle every week, he'll want to wrestle. Whether it's for the belt or not, or if it's a tag team match, or whatever the case is. He'll want to wrestle every single week. You know, and having the belt on his shoulders and soaking it as much as he can.

SPEAKER_02 17:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 17:43

So I don't know how that's gonna work with his character and his personality is will he well how if he let's say he does win against Drew McIntyre at Roy Rumble, does he have an open talent every week? Does he be on TV every week? Or does he be like everybody else? Maybe show up here, maybe show up there. Because he also got to think him being a world champion, he's gonna have to do promos all over the world. He might be on, he might even be in town for SmackDown. Or raw or whatever, though. He ended up going for, you know, or yeah, SmackDown. He might not even be on TV for SmackDown that week. He might be in a whole other city, a whole other state, a whole other country. You know, and he speaks Arabic, so he can easily promote uh the different Royal Rumble, I mean the different shows in Saudi Arabia, because he speaks Arabic like they do.

SPEAKER_02 18:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 18:31

So he can easily go over there and promote over there. You know? And so I wonder if if if it'll work because guys like Roman Reigns, they don't have to be on TV all the time. Broad Last don't gotta be on TV all the time. You know, guys like that who win don't have to be on TV all the time. Even CM Pope was on TV all the time.

SPEAKER_02 18:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 18:51

You know, Drew Ben Turner, suspend it. You see what I'm saying? So I wonder if I know I'm kind of going on a little with this, but I wonder if that once if he does win, how does it work? You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 19:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:06

So that's that's that's the main thing I'm concerned about. Like I do want him to win. I want to see Sami Zayn reach it. But once he reaches it, I want I I hope that there's a there's a plan for it after that.

SPEAKER_03 19:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:17

And not just we got to he won a belt there. Now, we don't know what we're gonna do after this now. You know?

SPEAKER_00 19:24

Yeah, that's that's something they're probably gonna do.

SPEAKER_04 19:26

Yeah. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

But um, yeah, everything you said, heck yeah, like it would be pretty good to see Sami Zayn win, but I I don't know, I just don't see it.

SPEAKER_04 19:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:37

I don't see it right now.

SPEAKER_04 19:38

No. Oh, back to what we're talking about the women's match. Chelsea Green is another one I wanna wanna see. I couldn't think of her name earlier. That's why I want to see win. Somebody like that.

SPEAKER_00 19:46

It's your pick or something. No, no, no.

SPEAKER_04 19:47

That's why I want who I would who I would like to see win. Like I said, I'm surprised. Yeah. That's why I would like to see win. Because the fans, the fans would would eat it up. The storyline would be crazy. Whoever she wants to go against. Whether it's Jade or whether it's uh whoever wins on who versus the champions on Rome. But anyways, that's what we were talking about with uh Sammy and Drew.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

But yeah, uh, so you pick Drew or Sammy?

SPEAKER_04 20:11

Once again, it's one of the things where who I want to win versus who I think is gonna win. Like I said before, and to talk back from what I said before, Drew has had really short reigns. I think this reign is gonna be a little bit longer. It may go to WrestleMania, I think. So that's who I think is gonna win, but I really won't Sammy to win. Like I really won't say to win. And that's the problem. I really won't send me to win, but I'm afraid of what happens if he does win. Like how, where does he go from there? Does he do open challenges? Is he on TV all the time? Is he not on TV all the time?

SPEAKER_01 20:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:45

You know, how does that all work?

SPEAKER_00 20:50

So yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:54

Who do you who do you got, Drew?

SPEAKER_00 20:56

Yeah, I got Drew.

SPEAKER_04 20:57

Got Drew Weller?

SPEAKER_00 20:58

Straight up or I mean he might do some cheating knowing Drew, but I I don't know. I just, yeah, I just think he's gonna win.

SPEAKER_04 21:10

Alright. Um deals for that one?

SPEAKER_00 21:13

Nope. Uh for next match on the car is the men's Royal Rumble. And for this one, it could go a lot of ways, but uh, I think I've talked about this before, but I have a pretty bold pick for the Rumble. So, uh you wanna do your pick first or returns or maybe something like that?

SPEAKER_04 21:35

Um, I'll do my first and he's doing it first.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 21:38

Surprises. Obviously, overfit me.

SPEAKER_00 21:43

They already it's not really.

SPEAKER_04 21:45

I mean, not surprised, but I'm saying it's a not a surprise, but we know he's gonna be in the Royal Rumble. At first we didn't know until yesterday for sure. They announced the first three yesterday. Um The surprise, I think, is gonna be the surprise. Of the whole PLE is a guy you know very well.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:07

Went by one name in AEW. Is now probably going by a different name in W.

SPEAKER_03 22:13

Oh.

SPEAKER_04 22:14

Just rec just recently signed with WWE.

SPEAKER_03 22:16

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 22:16

Called Powerhouse Hops. Yep. I think he's going by Royce, Royce something, I think they said that's his son's name.

SPEAKER_00 22:22

Uh does does he go to NXT though? They might they might run him through the NXT system.

SPEAKER_04 22:29

The way the way it the way it the way I've heard it work so far, um, the way I've heard, I don't know if it's a hundred percent fact, but the way it sounds, it's a lot of guys who come in from AEW or who's already in big name, like a Stephanie or Julia, Jordan Grace, Ethan Page, you know, guys like that, uh Jay Cargill, they get the option of they want to go to NXT or they want to go straight to the main roster. Like Blake Monroe. People like that, they come in, I think they get the option. Most of them, except for Jade, went to NXT.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:06

To be honest, Jade went to XT herself too.

SPEAKER_00 23:09

You think so? To like build her character more?

SPEAKER_04 23:11

To not not to build a character, but to learn more.

SPEAKER_00 23:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:16

Because in AEW, she wasn't, she didn't talk much.

SPEAKER_03 23:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:21

She didn't, she didn't do promos. She didn't do a lot of promos. She did a little a few promos, but she didn't do a lot. Uh she wrestled a little bit, but she didn't wrestle a lot.

SPEAKER_03 23:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:30

You know, like I think her being an AXT, even if it was like a Kevin Orange thing, like for a month or two, just to learn a little bit and then move up. You know, I mean, like Stephanie and Julia and um people like that.

SPEAKER_00 23:47

With that, hold on. I might get on something.

SPEAKER_04 23:49

Jordan Grace, Ethan Page, guys like that with the, you know, Ricky Starr. Or Ricky Saints, rather, went to A went to the NXT first. And then they, you know what I mean? Yeah. So.

SPEAKER_00 24:01

But yeah, with Julia, I feel like if they're just gonna do nothing with her, she should have stayed down at NXT.

SPEAKER_04 24:06

But they brought her up though, because she she she should be on the main round.

SPEAKER_00 24:09

Well, she should, but they're if they're just gonna do nothing with her, she should have.

SPEAKER_04 24:12

I mean, she's a champion, but they're not they're not since I'm saying but Sammy Zayn. I hope it doesn't end up like that because then it makes it all these all these years of build up to be a world champion and don't have a plan for it. But anyways, uh yeah, um Powerhouse Hops, I think it's going by Royce or something. I think I was all on the on the dirt sheets or whatever. Uh that's my surprise pick of like who's gonna debut.

SPEAKER_03 24:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:36

Um sure, I'm sure um Joe Henry's gonna be in it.

SPEAKER_00 24:42

Oh yeah, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_04 24:43

Um who else do I think is gonna be in it? That's the only thing I can I can think of that's gonna be like bona fide surprise. I mean, obviously you're gonna have some you can have some older wrestlers show up. Um, you know, some older guys who still want to show up and stuff like that, but um I don't think that there's not gonna be too many surprises as far as like older wrestlers, because there's so many newer uh Kevin Owens could show back. I don't know how his neck injury's healing.

SPEAKER_03 25:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:14

Uh Dominic Studio can come back on how his shoulders healing, but he's gonna come back. Uh is Finn Balor gonna have anything to do with it? You know, I mean because we know how we know what happened with them saying, you know, you don't get the opportunity to, you know what I'm saying? But here's here's my thing. Um if Drew and Sammy is before the man's Royal Roma match, I wonder what happens in the match. You know what I mean? Because you know, before it's happened like that, where the man's match happened before then one of the guys entering the match or so you think uh one of them can enter the match? It it wouldn't make sense because of the whole fan Balor thing.

SPEAKER_00 26:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:02

You know, like it they can't enter because according to um Adam Pierce, yeah. They're filled. So how can you fill a spot with somebody's own actual car?

SPEAKER_00 26:14

Yeah, that would that would be messed up.

SPEAKER_04 26:15

You see what I'm saying? Like, because you don't know who's gonna win between Drew and Sammy.

SPEAKER_00 26:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:19

So do you just hold a spot before whoever loses that?

SPEAKER_00 26:21

Yeah, but then that would be a spot for Finn Balor.

SPEAKER_04 26:23

Exactly. That's what I'm saying. So that's why I don't think either one of them are gonna do like they had before in the past where somebody's lost earlier and then came in the Rory Romble match. Because you can't that's that'd be a positive, it'd be you know how mad Finn Balor would be on Monday?

SPEAKER_00 26:35

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:35

Oh, he'll go straight to Adam Pierce because of that.

SPEAKER_00 26:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:39

Um But yeah, um, so yeah. Uh who do I think is gonna win? Oh, Brock Leonard's just coming too, so we know that.

SPEAKER_02 26:48

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:48

Yeah, we know Brock's gonna be in there too.

SPEAKER_00 26:50

Um Roman's in there?

SPEAKER_04 26:54

Roman's in there, Brock is in there. I mean, it's gonna this is gonna be the this is gonna build the storylines up for a lot of the Limited Chamber match and the Royal Rumble. I mean for WrestleMania. So this match is gonna build a lot of those storylines up. Like I remember when uh Drew McIntyre kicked brought the last route, build up for the match of them two.

SPEAKER_03 27:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 27:13

Um, so um Jimmy and Jay starting off for the Royal Rumble, ended with them wrestling in WrestleMania.

SPEAKER_03 27:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 27:22

Uh just stuff like that. So like I said, Powerhouse House is gonna debut just like Jay did, just like a lot of people did. Jordan Grace, same way. Um I think he's gonna I he needs to go to NXT first because I want to see him in that um, what's his name? The dad who just debuted. The new kind of not like Oba, but like the kind of like oba a little bit. Keanu. You know what I'm talking about? Yeah. And we got NXT. I want to see him and like Powerhouse Hops wrestle. That's gonna be a match. That can be that's gonna be a match right there. I mean, you got two big, two big guys. I mean, you know, as as big as you say, you know.

SPEAKER_02 28:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:05

But but yeah, so I don't know. I mean, that's that's a tough one, man, because I don't know who's all gonna be in it.

SPEAKER_03 28:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:13

If I knew if I knew all of 30, I could give you, I can I can I could give you a okay, this is who's gonna probably win.

SPEAKER_00 28:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:18

But I don't know who's all gonna be in it besides Best as the 14, 15 that's already announced.

SPEAKER_00 28:23

Yeah, but uh I I think I know who I'm gonna go with.

SPEAKER_04 28:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 28:30

Uh I think Oprah Femi's gonna win the men's horror.

SPEAKER_04 28:34

Wow, Oprah Femi?

SPEAKER_00 28:35

Yep. Cause like they've just been building him up like as like this next beast, like this next powerhouse.

SPEAKER_04 28:44

Like, that's just like You think he's gonna win a roadmap in this not debut because he wrestled Cody Rhodes, but not his debut match. I would say his debut match, but he wrestled Cody Rhodes at main event. His first ESPN PIC ESPN PL because that was on that was Saturday main event, right? Yeah. So but like, yeah, I mean like And he was taking he was technically NXT then too. So this is to be his this to be his first main roster? Main roster PLE. Yeah. So you think of his first main roster PLE match, he's gonna win a Royal Rumble?

SPEAKER_00 29:17

I I have a question for you.

SPEAKER_04 29:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:19

If Oba Femi comes out in that rumble after 15, who's stopping him?

SPEAKER_04 29:24

After 15?

SPEAKER_00 29:25

Yep. After 15, who's stopping him?

SPEAKER_04 29:27

What do you mean after 15?

SPEAKER_00 29:29

If Oba Femi comes out after the number 15, who is stopping him?

SPEAKER_04 29:33

I'm gonna tell you like this. Roman Reigns are probably just gonna be in the match yet. They're not gonna be in the match in the 20-somethings. So they can easily stop him. I mean, what I'm saying is you got you got Roman Reigns, you got Brock Lesnar, you got Omos, get all these guys who could come in in the 20s, 20-something spot. You see what I'm saying? And so yeah, those guys could stop them. I'm not saying they will, Powerhouse Hobbs. You got guys like that who come in there and I think Powerhouse Hobbs is gonna come in early though. I think come in earlier and show and but here's my thing though. Because it's Saudi Arabia, how many people watched AEW over there? So not saying that it's not gonna be a a pop, but I wonder how many people over in Saudi has watched AEW. Or I don't even have watched AEW, but I'm saying enough to like understand who Powerhouse Hobbs is to give him the pop he deserves.

SPEAKER_00 30:32

Oh, like you think it's gonna be a little bit more dimmed down?

SPEAKER_04 30:35

Because like I'm not saying dimmed down, but I wonder like if they watch him enough to know oh dang, that's powerhouse hobbs. You know, I know it's gonna be a different name, but like I wonder if they're gonna know who he is when they see them.

SPEAKER_03 30:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:47

Which I don't know why they don't change. Powerhouse Hobbs is a great name.

SPEAKER_00 30:50

Mm-hmm. I mean, come on, that's well, don't they have to change it?

SPEAKER_04 30:54

You can keep Powerhouse in there. And hit and Hobbes is his last name.

SPEAKER_00 30:58

Powerhouse what? But Powerhouse What then?

SPEAKER_04 31:01

You can you can just change you just change his first name.

SPEAKER_00 31:04

But like Powerhouse Hobbs really.

SPEAKER_04 31:06

What I'm saying is, what I'm saying is, what I'm saying is, this is my problem I have. Okay? Think about the last few guys who came over. Right? Mm-hmm. Or last not guys, hey guys, I mean both, right? Mm-hmm. Julia, same name.

SPEAKER_01 31:20

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 31:20

Stephanie Vicare, same name. Jade, same name. Well, there's Jordan Grace, same name. Ethan Page, same name. Ricky Saints changed his.

SPEAKER_00 31:35

Yeah, I was gonna say.

SPEAKER_04 31:36

But that's just because he probably wanted to change because he's from New Orleans, man. Saints is New Orleans things. Yeah. So But yeah, like I can see back in the day, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, you know, guys like that, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, guys that definitely came over from other independent companies, changed their names. I get it. But more recently, it seems like they were actually letting them keep their names if they were already established.

SPEAKER_03 32:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 32:04

And and and I don't want to hear people say, oh, this is her real name. That's when they care as her real name.

SPEAKER_00 32:09

Yeah.

Men’s Rumble: Surprise Entrants And Debuts

SPEAKER_04 32:10

I mean, Jay, that's not her real name. That's her wrestler name. Julia, I don't know if it's her real name or her wrestler name either, but I'm just Jordan Grace. I think it's her real name. But what I'm saying is you Ricky Saints, I think Ricky is his, I don't know if Starstone was his last name or not. But what I'm saying is you got these new wrestlers from AEW, and that's camp, that's that's came over, that's come over rather. And like they changed Zarya's name. I can't remember what her name was over in Australia. But she wasn't, she was a big name in independent wrestling, but she wasn't as big a name as Julia and Stephanie and those, you know.

SPEAKER_02 32:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 32:45

Um who else came over? It was just them three, right? They came over at the same time, right? Julia, Stephanie, and Zarya, right? Yeah. Okay. But what I'm saying is to change a name like Powerhouse Hobbs, that name sells itself.

SPEAKER_00 32:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 32:59

It's already established. If you want to change his first name and not have the exact same name, cool. Name him something else. Okay, Powerhouse Royce Hobbs or something. Like keep his last name. Keep Hobbs, keep Powerhouse. If you don't want to have Will Hobbs there, cool. Just tap Royce. If you wanna change his name to Royce, all right, Royce Hobbs.

SPEAKER_00 33:19

Wait, why can't they just call him Will Hobbs?

SPEAKER_04 33:22

That's his real name. They probably They could. That's what I'm saying, though. I've been hearing him, they say they're gonna change his name. Why they're changing his name for that. Now here's my thing. I don't know. Maybe he won't change his name. Maybe he wants to. Maybe he wanted to change his name.

SPEAKER_00 33:37

Sometime it happens. I don't see why, though.

SPEAKER_04 33:39

I mean, maybe he wants to get away from Will Hobbs and be and be and get a character name. Maybe, like you say, he got, I think Royce is his son's name. So that's what the rule remember hearing his name's gonna be Royce something. Royce something. So I wonder if that's gonna be why he changed his name. But I don't know. I mean, power um Oba Femi is a that's a big one now. I mean, his first main roster match. And he runs where Roman. Not saying that'd be surprising. I mean, that's I would like that, because that'd be a surprise. Somebody wanted to be expecting like that. You know, outside of the Cody and Jay and Brock and Roman. Okay, they've won before. Let somebody else, I mean, just do we have to have the same guys every year? Like, give me something else. You got two belts online. You know, you got two belts. Just give me something new. I mean, I'm not saying like Tazar or somebody wins. Yeah. But like, give me, like I said, Oba or whoever. You know, I mean, hey, Kit Wilson could be a good one. Because he's over with the crowd. The crowd loves him.

SPEAKER_00 34:39

They're not gonna do that.

SPEAKER_04 34:40

Not in Saudi Arabia, but what I'm saying is the crowd loves him though.

SPEAKER_00 34:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 34:43

And he would get cheered. That storyline, that song is hits. I mean, crowd likes him, and he can wrestle.

SPEAKER_00 34:50

So are you gonna do an official pick or the same thing you did with the women's?

SPEAKER_04 34:53

I'm doing something that did the women. So you picking officially uh Oba Femi? Yep. See, that's who I want. It's like an Oba, like I said before, Oba, uh stuff, guys like that. Guys who are gonna be a surprise for me. Who I think is gonna win. I'm gonna tell you like this. I'm I'm gonna do a wild cartoon out here for you. Down criteria. If he if he if he's healthy enough and he's there, he could win a Royal Rumble.

SPEAKER_01 35:33

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 35:34

That oh, that'll break the Justin Day up. Now Finn Balor, what's Finn Ballor do because Dominic gets the title match in WrestleMania. And Finn Balor's sitting there stuck now.

SPEAKER_00 35:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:44

So if he wins the belt, then Dominic could wrestle him.

SPEAKER_00 35:46

And Dominic like took one of the spots that could have been Finn's.

SPEAKER_04 35:49

Exactly. Okay, he gave it to him. But that's what I'm saying. So uh Dominic, I think, is why that's why if he's healthy, I'm not saying I'm saying if I don't know how a shoulder injury, but if he's healthy, I think he has a good chance of winning.

SPEAKER_00 36:02

Hold on. If Dominic wins, Finn's winning the world title. That's that's what I think.

SPEAKER_04 36:07

Yeah, and then it's gonna be two the two matches are gonna be judgment. I mean, that's a that's a huge payoff. You got Raquel and Liv, or Liv and Um Roxanne or Roxanne and whoever. Just those three women anywhere in there. And then you have Finn versus Dominic.

SPEAKER_00 36:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 36:26

That's that's that's just been they have been leading Raw for a while, though. I mean, outside of, you know, MFTs and Y at six, they're upset now now, anyways. But but on Raw, Doug has been like focal point, you know. Uh Dominic Basilio's getting over. He's talking like a baby face almost. But but yeah, so I don't know. I mean, it's gonna be a good one. That's who I got. That's what that's why I think it's gonna win. I think Dominic or somebody like that, Brock, I mean one of them guys like that, or I hope it's gonna be somebody, oh, I won't do it, somebody new. Like an Opera Fammy or somebody like that. I'm not gonna say Oper Family, I'm not gonna pick up a pin because he picked them, but I just want somebody new to win.

SPEAKER_03 37:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 37:06

You know. I want somebody new to win. That's what I want. Anything else for that one?

SPEAKER_00 37:12

Nope.

SPEAKER_04 37:13

Alright.

SPEAKER_00 37:14

Uh, but for the last match on the card, it's A.J. Styles versus Gunther for A.J. Styles' career. So if he loses, uh, that's his WWE career. He might go to another company, but uh, that's his WWE career if he loses. Yep.

SPEAKER_04 37:29

Yep. Um, just real quick, the loophole.

SPEAKER_00 37:35

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 37:36

If he loses, it did say WWE career.

SPEAKER_01 37:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 37:41

TNA is still a possibility of him going to TNA and finished career in TNA.

SPEAKER_01 37:45

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 37:46

And he still had those matches in TNA that he had that he wants to have on the main roster. And he's just being TNA, finished craft, TNA, where he started off at. Not where he started, but where he made his name at. It would be hard pressure for me to see AJ Styles not wrestling on TNA before he retires from wrestling. So will he go, he loses, he's gone from WB, he goes to TNA and finished craft at TNA. I mean, he brings the ratings up. He can still have people wrestle over there and XYZ. But anyway, good. Go ahead and finish up what you're saying, yeah. I just throw it out there.

SPEAKER_03 38:20

Um, I mean it's retired everybody so far.

SPEAKER_04 38:25

He he threw Booker T out the ring in the Royal Rumble. Booker T hadn't wrestled since.

SPEAKER_02 38:28

He did.

SPEAKER_04 38:29

That's what they said on uh NXT. Remember, but T told him to shut his mouth and told him why you gotta bring up old stuff, remember? He was talking to uh was it Vic Joseph or whatever?

SPEAKER_00 38:36

You think they purposely did that or not?

SPEAKER_04 38:39

Yeah, of course. But yeah, Booker T got eliminated and Gunther did it. Uh Gunther retired Goldberg, John Sena, and nephew does A.J. Styles. We'll see how that goes.

SPEAKER_00 38:54

I mean, I really hate to say it, but I don't see Gunther losing, you know.

SPEAKER_04 38:59

That's what I'm saying. I wonder, because also another rumor I've been hearing is that A.J. Styles' contract runs out from WWE next month.

SPEAKER_03 39:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:06

Or in February. So February is tomorrow.

SPEAKER_01 39:10

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 39:10

Or Sunday rather. So this would make perfect sense if it if his contract is to run out in February. Is it February 1st or is it February? And then February, I don't know, either way.

SPEAKER_03 39:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:21

Or did he re-sign and just saying that to make to throw people off?

SPEAKER_03 39:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:25

But if his contract actually is right out, he hadn't renewed it, then that is his last match.

SPEAKER_03 39:29

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 39:31

You know. I mean, what what what scares me about it is the way AJ just been talking.

SPEAKER_00 39:39

Well, like he wants to wrestle these people.

SPEAKER_04 39:41

Yeah, these people. I want to wrestle all year. I want to do all this. That's not a setup to get us hyped up, think he's gonna win, and he loses.

SPEAKER_00 39:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:49

Cause who, you know, he just said 2006 is gonna be his last year. He didn't say he's gonna wrestle all week until the end of year like John Cena did. And why we put his career on line against Gunther in the Royal Rumble. I mean, Royal Rumble is big, that's a big car too.

SPEAKER_00 40:00

Well, I guess you wanted to get his give back on Gunther.

SPEAKER_04 40:03

I know that. That's what I'm saying. I thought I thought this was gonna be what I told you, I thought they were gonna wait till WrestleMania to do that.

SPEAKER_00 40:07

Yeah, I thought that was the match here wrestling.

SPEAKER_04 40:09

So I thought they were gonna do wait till WrestleMania to do it, but then it got me kind of nervous because I've been hearing them say his contract ran up in in February, which makes sense why you're doing it why you're doing it now instead of WrestleMania. If his contract gets ran up and he's not re-signing.

SPEAKER_00 40:22

Yeah, and he just wrestled Shinsuke and CM Punk, which also let's say Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 40:27

He's already wrestled some of the guys he wanted to wrestle already. You know, John Cena last year. He wrestled John Cena already, or CM Punk, like I said, Skinsky.

SPEAKER_00 40:36

It's almost like a mini retirement tour.

SPEAKER_04 40:38

Exactly. Uh then maybe he goes to TNA and wrestles Kazarian and some other guys over there. Uh and then is a career in TNA.

SPEAKER_02 40:46

You know.

SPEAKER_04 40:46

Because he didn't he didn't he did say 2006 is gonna be his last time in wrestling. He didn't say what company, technically. Yeah. He said 2006 is gonna be his last year in wrestling. So now I know I know I'm a little bit more being more technical about it, but that could be what happens. Well, so you got going through winning.

Oba Femi As A Shock Winner?

SPEAKER_00 41:06

Uh yep. And I think he taps out AJ Styles, too.

SPEAKER_04 41:11

That's the problem I have. Um I won't. I want AJ to win. Because I want to see him wrestle, you know, some other wrestlers later on. I want to see him wrestle some new guys, I want to see him wrestle some older rivalries, guys like that. But if I'm being honest, I think I think Gunther's gonna win and AJ's gonna go to TNA. That's how I hope happens.

SPEAKER_00 41:39

And also, one one more thing why he why he might retire on this show, because didn't he debut like 10 years ago on the room?

SPEAKER_04 41:48

Yep, yep. Federal Roman Rights is in there. Because I still like doing any day camera view. They had the camera Roman Reigns in it on the on the entrance.

SPEAKER_03 41:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:57

So you heard the crowd, and the crowd's like, because you what happens is you hear you you yeah, how long ago? 10 years ago, right? So you probably don't remember what happened. You probably seen it, you probably seen pre- the replay of it. But anyway, so I was watching that, I was watching that match, and you hear the music, it sounds but you don't like your style, obviously, and it's just I am. I am what? And then then it then it then the camera from what we saw, it goes to Roman Reigns. And then it showed Roman Reigns looking like, what's going on? And then you hear the crowd pop.

unknown 42:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 42:30

And we're like, where they popping for? Then it goes back to show's phenomenal AJ Styles there. Instead of showing that the whole time, yeah. They show Roman Reigns' face. I'm like, show the, you know what I'm saying? Like, show the entrance. You can always do split screen later and show the people in the crowd later, but I wanted to see the the you know the whole entrance, but that's what ended up happening, but then the crowd in the popping like, who was that? And then they showed the AJ Styles and A.J. Styles showing up for the first time in W.

SPEAKER_00 42:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 42:58

You know. But yeah, so if there's AJ Styles' last W match, it's been a good ride though, I tell you. Yeah. Like I said, I remember watching him. I mean I remember watching him in TNA for sure. Absolutely. I mean, he was he was one of the reasons I watched TNA. You know, him and Christopher Daniel, uh, Christopher Daniels and guys like that, uh Edith Skipper and I mean Bobby Root, you know, guys like that, Cowboy James Storm. I mean, it was guys like that in TNA. I used to watch them all the time.

SPEAKER_02 43:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 43:35

You know, then you had like Gail Kim and Austin Kong and you know, people like that. Um then you had uh, what's her name? Terror. She was called Victoria W. She was over there. I mean, you had some, then you had Kurt Angle, crazy stuff over there, Abyss. I mean, you had T was TNA was a good other option for W. After WCW uh got bought out by W. TNA was a great option to watch. If you want to watch more wrestling, it was on TV every week, just like W was. It wasn't on the big channels, we had to find it sometimes on the whatever channel it was on, if you had that on cable. But yeah, it was it was it was enjoyable. I mean, they had great matches because they had to put on good matches because they didn't have the they couldn't compete as far as stage production, like file, you know, like you know what I'm saying? Like they had to put on raspberry matches.

SPEAKER_02 44:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 44:26

So I would even say they had better matches than WB did at one point in time.

SPEAKER_00 44:31

I mean, it's not surprising.

SPEAKER_04 44:32

So you know WWE had Stone Cold and The Rock and Iron Tech and all those guys.

SPEAKER_00 44:37

I mean, it's not surprising when they had people like A.J. Styles and the people that you mentioned.

SPEAKER_04 44:41

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Kurt Angle, Kurt Angle probably did his best, he probably did his best wrestling in TNA. And then Sting was in TNA for the longest after W got the WWE, bought WCW out. Sting was the last one who didn't sign and went to TNA instead. You know, and wrestled there until he came to W. After he was already pretty much retired. You know, he got hurt in WE. But anyway, so yeah, if this is AJ Styles' last match, uh, like I said, it's gonna be it's gonna be hard to watch him lose and knowing that he's not gonna be at WTV no more.

SPEAKER_00 45:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:16

But he's he's g he's given us almost 30 years, 25 years or whatever, almost 30 years of wrestling.

SPEAKER_03 45:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:23

So can't be mad about him retiring, you know. It's kind of like when when the brun decides to hang it up. I mean, he's been doing it for 23 years now. I mean, eventually he's gonna hang it up. That's gonna be the last time you see him play basketball.

SPEAKER_02 45:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:37

So just kind of enjoy while you can. And uh, yeah, and just hopefully this is, you know, hopefully, hopefully he makes the right decision of him retired, uh, he wants to spend time with his family and all that. So hopefully it's the right decision. He doesn't want to come back later on.

SPEAKER_00 45:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:53

You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 45:54

Like, I don't I feel like A.J. Styles and John Cena aren't those people.

SPEAKER_04 45:56

Well, John Cena's not called John Cena got movies and stuff he can be doing. He's in movies and TV shows and stuff. AD Styles hasn't really been in any. I don't know if he wants to do that kind of stuff. So I don't so I think he's content. I want to say he's content in what he's doing. He's he's done everything he wants to do. He's been world champion, he's been the rest of the year. He can't really do anything he can really do. Besides winning the world championship. But then who do you who does he wrestle against against that though? But anyways, so yeah, uh, yeah. So Gunther, I think he's gonna win, uh, but I want AJ Styles to win. But Gunther's probably my pick for that one. Unfortunately.

SPEAKER_03 46:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 46:32

Yeah. So anything else you got for Rumble? Any closing words or anything you got for it?

SPEAKER_03 46:39

Nah.

SPEAKER_04 46:41

So yeah, it comes on earlier today. Uh is it 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time? Um, Saudi Arabia's lesson.

SPEAKER_00 46:49

Yeah, I think it's 11 a.m. Pacific.

SPEAKER_04 46:53

Yeah, West Coast, like three hours. Three hours or earlier. The pre-show should be coming on here in a second. If it's not if it's not already on. But um, yeah. Should be a good card. Four matches, so uh probably two hours. Three hours, maybe three hours at the most, probably. Depending on how long the Royal Rumble matches are. Um But yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing any surprises, if hopefully some new new first-time Royal Rumble winners in these matches. Uh and hopefully Sam and Drew is is is a great match. Hopefully Glenter and Aegis House is a great match.

SPEAKER_03 47:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 47:27

I mean, on paper it looks good. We know we're gonna be one of the better Royal Rumbles, you know. So uh, but yeah, anyways. Okay, that's that.

SPEAKER_03 47:37

Nope.

SPEAKER_04 47:38

All right, that being said, I'm Ben. I'm Ben episode of Team Talk.