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00:07Welcome to the Night of Champions preview show here on WWE Now.
00:11Megan Moran, can you believe it?
00:13We are on the precipice of the night dedicated to champions on a night where we will not
00:19only have one, two, three title matches, but a cage match, grudge match, and the finals
00:25of the King and the Queen of the Ring, a huge six-match show.
00:30Are you pumped?
00:31Is there anything you're most excited for?
00:32The culmination of the King and Queen of the Ring tournament.
00:36Yes.
00:37And man, when this bracket came out, we all put together our wildest, craziest ideas.
00:43And for me, myself, I overcomplicated the thing.
00:46You did?
00:47Overcomplicated.
00:47To see Eoskai and Liv Morgan in the finals for the women's, that makes sense.
00:51We're talking about the women's world champion in Liv Morgan, and we're talking about one
00:54of the best wrestlers on the planet, Eoskai.
00:56And on the men's side, of course, Obafemi in the finals.
01:00And former world heavyweight champion Jey Uso.
01:03Yeah.
01:03Do you think Jey Uso's a surprise, or do you think he resents the fact that some people
01:06think that he's a surprise?
01:07I think the latter.
01:08He definitely resents the fact.
01:10Yes.
01:10Yes.
01:10Yes.
01:11And that's why he runs it back now.
01:12For all the haters.
01:14Run it back.
01:15Right.
01:15The weaponized run it back, as we talked about on Raw Recap, that Jey Uso is such a big part
01:21of now.
01:21Well, let's talk about these matches then, okay?
01:22So, of course, the first hour is going to be live on ESPN proper.
01:27The worldwide leader.
01:28That's right.
01:29And the first hour, we'll have the King and Queen of the Ring finals on it.
01:35Let's talk about the King of the Ring finals.
01:37I mean, let's talk about Obafemi.
01:39The fact that I think that you're right when you say overcomplicated, that people think
01:44of a million reasons why it wouldn't happen.
01:47And I think that that's the fun of a single elimination tournament, is that you end up with
01:52matches that you wouldn't otherwise have.
01:53We love upsets.
01:54Of course.
01:56You know, when March Madness comes around, you love when a 16 seed goes on to be a Cinderella
02:01story.
02:02Yes.
02:02And this is not that different from that, in the sense that, like, somebody goes on and
02:07gets a championship match at SummerSlam.
02:09And it could be, because just the way tournaments work, somebody that you would think would never
02:12get that shot at SummerSlam.
02:15But sometimes, the number one seed wins.
02:19The Blue Bloods.
02:20Yeah.
02:20Sometimes, the people that it's like, well, obviously, there's a reason why it's, well,
02:26obviously.
02:27And I think Obafemi being in the final, while I understand that not everybody's bracket
02:33was perfect, it probably shouldn't surprise anybody.
02:37No, not at all.
02:39I mean, Obafemi personifies that type of dominance, right?
02:42Yeah.
02:42I mean, everything he's done since he's stepped foot on the main roster, and especially in
02:47Obafemi, that's coming off a loss.
02:51He hates losses.
02:53To Brock Lesnar.
02:54I think Obafemi made a statement the first round, that fatal four-way match, when he just
03:00completely decimated everyone.
03:03Solo, Penta.
03:05Ricky Saints.
03:05Ricky Saints.
03:06I mean, he made Solo look like a small boy.
03:09And Solo is not a small boy.
03:12Tala Tonga was at ringside as well.
03:14He took care of that, too.
03:15Yeah.
03:16I kind of feel like at that point, you realize, like, oh, that's right.
03:19I think that sometimes people go, like, coming off of a loss like that, you go, oh, maybe
03:24Obafemi was, like, the dominant guy, but now that Brock's beat him, he's human.
03:28Maybe he put him in his place a little bit.
03:30Right.
03:31But Obafemi's not so fast.
03:32No, we're going back to what we were doing before.
03:34Nothing's changed.
03:35That's been the story of Obafemi in the tournament.
03:38Nothing's changed to the point where then he goes through Dominic Mysterio.
03:41And it's like nothing's changed.
03:42And Dominic tries every trick.
03:44And there were multiple times where I think both of us were like, maybe it's going to
03:47be Dominic.
03:48Yeah.
03:48And even J.D.
03:49McDonough was like, you know what?
03:51I got to get out of this guy Obafemi's way.
03:54I should go.
03:55Probably.
03:55And then Obafemi was like, wait, before you go, I'm going to steamroll you.
03:59I'm going to take care of that.
04:00I mean, the hammer in the shoe, nothing, nothing could help Dominic Mysterio.
04:06It was insane.
04:07It was insane.
04:08So you get to this finals and you go, well, one would imagine that Obafemi is just going
04:14to clean house.
04:15No, but J.Uso has a lot at stake in this final.
04:18This is very layered.
04:20Yeah.
04:21Very layered.
04:21Because as we know, J.Uso was told by the tribal chief Roman Reigns to go win the king
04:28of the ring and go get his hands on the undisputed WWE championship, the world title that J.Uso
04:33hasn't had his hands up.
04:35That's right.
04:36And if J.Uso can't get the job done, we know from Monday Night Raw and we know from the
04:42crowd's reaction and we know from what Obafemi said to J.Uso that he's coming after J.'s
04:49cousin, Roman Reigns.
04:50So if J.Uso can't figure out a way to beat Obafemi, all of a sudden, Roman Reigns is in
05:00quite the situation.
05:01A conundrum one would even say.
05:03Yeah.
05:03J.Uso has now failed two assignments if that was the case.
05:06Number one, he can't get that title away from Cody.
05:08And number two, he's left Roman Reigns completely vulnerable to any kind of attack that Obafemi
05:17may be able to concoct, which is, I mean, frightening, frightening to say the least.
05:22But listen, J.Uso showed up and like was not feeling any of that fear.
05:29J.Uso on Monday Night Raw went face to face with Obafemi.
05:32He wasn't stressed about it at all.
05:34Not at all.
05:35And as much as Oba guaranteed victory, J.Uso on the other end guaranteed it himself.
05:40J.Uso is like, you are overlooking me.
05:42And the fact is that, look, Obafemi does overlook people.
05:46And maybe he can.
05:47Maybe when you're Obafemi, you can overlook people.
05:51But he does.
05:52In the King of the Ring tournament, in the first round and in the semifinals, after he
05:59finished the match, he said, I'm going to be the King of the Ring.
06:03Also, I'm calling out Brock Lesnar.
06:07When he finally now is in the finals, he's looking at J.Uso and he's going, well, yeah,
06:12I'm going to beat you, but here's what I'm going to do after I beat you.
06:15That's the textbook definition of looking past somebody.
06:19He is not worried about J.Uso.
06:22He's saying, just so you know, here's the plan.
06:24Now, that could be a psychological tactic.
06:26Sure.
06:26Where it's like, you know, I'm degrading J.Uso's confidence, hoping that he realizes that I think
06:34so little of him, that I'm willing to just look at what I'm going to do after I'm finished
06:39with him.
06:39And maybe that will do things to his internal value system.
06:44But it didn't seem to for J.Uso.
06:46And I don't know if historically J.Uso is the one to look past.
06:50And I really love that we've gotten to see this side of J.Uso in this King of the Ring
06:55tournament because it wasn't long ago that J.Uso won the Royal Rumble and had so many
07:01doubts on his way to his match with Gunter for the World Heavyweight Championship at
07:07WrestleMania.
07:08This J.Uso, the one we're seeing, who's running it back to shove it in Obafemi's face.
07:15Take me the weaponized running back?
07:16This J.Uso, who's doing the yeet strut, the yeet walk.
07:22The yeet walk.
07:22I mean, it looks very similar to Oba's strut, but he says it's the yeet walk.
07:27He's doing the yeet walk on the way to the ring.
07:29There is nothing hesitant about this J.Uso, which is, you know, a stark contrast to the
07:38J.Uso we saw heading into WrestleMania.
07:41How much do you think, you know, we talk about looking past people and clearly Obafemi
07:46is looking at the whole spectrum of what's in front of him.
07:49He's not just looking at one match and maybe that's how Oba's going to do his best.
07:54But how much of what we're seeing from J.Uso do you think is motivated by just trying to
08:02be the best J.Uso and trying to win a championship again?
08:05And how much of it is the realization that, listen, Jacob Fatu has made it clear he refuses
08:12to take orders from my punk ass.
08:14He said it multiple times.
08:16How much of this is, if I have a title, Roman's wearing a championship and it separates him.
08:24He has a belt boy.
08:25He has the whole thing.
08:26If J.Uso is holding a title, it makes it a lot more difficult for Jacob Fatu to ask him,
08:33who do you think you are?
08:34Because when you're the WWE undisputed champion and somebody says, who do you think you are?
08:39You can tell them I'm the WWE undisputed champion.
08:45How much of J.'s desires are based on that, on proving his dominance over Jacob Fatu in this new bloodline
08:55versus just the desire to be a champion?
08:58I think that's a massive, a massive part of it, right?
09:03Yeah.
09:03I mean, there's no question about the way that Jacob Fatu has maybe threatened J.Uso a little bit here
09:12and there,
09:12just in terms of positioning within the bloodline.
09:15Yeah.
09:16Like, in the sense that, like, listen, if you don't understand that I'm not taking orders from you,
09:21it's going to get ugly.
09:22Yes.
09:22Like, there's no sort of, to your point, Jacob doesn't leave it open for negotiation.
09:28No.
09:29Yes.
09:29I mean, Jacob makes it very clear where he stands as it relates to J.Uso.
09:35But J.Uso, at the same time, wants to make it clear to everybody in the bloodline
09:40and to all of the haters on the internet where he stands as it relates to not only the bloodline
09:47and Roman Reigns,
09:48but the entire WWE landscape.
09:51I think that that's right.
09:52And I think that part of it is, and I wonder if that's part of it too, right?
09:57J.Uso and the idea that, like, the audience is still behind J.Uso.
10:01No matter what you read, no matter what anybody says, when J.Uso enters a building, it's a different sensation.
10:08It feels different.
10:09It looks different.
10:10Like, the audience is there to see J.Uso.
10:13But he doesn't have the same level of support that he did at one point.
10:16And that's typical in pro wrestling.
10:18That's typical in life.
10:19That, like, we are there to see you on your way up.
10:22But then once you're up there, you're fending for yourself.
10:24And we will tear you down when we think it's time to tear you down.
10:27For J.U. to be going into this position, it's almost like, okay, well, I had my Cinderella story,
10:32winning my first World Heavyweight Championship.
10:36But the question becomes, was it just that?
10:40Was it just the Cinderella story and the one reign, and now you can say you did?
10:45Or are you a main event player?
10:47Are you a World Championship contender?
10:49And I think that J.U. So is in sort of interesting waters when it comes to this idea of,
10:58well, I'm now going in, not an underdog.
11:01And almost if I don't end up in a title match at SummerSlam,
11:06people are, instead of looking at me and going, wow, you went really far in that tournament,
11:11they're going to say, what happened?
11:12Yeah, and I think the difference between this J.U. So and the J.U. So who is heading into
11:17a World Heavyweight title match at WrestleMania, is this J.U. So is carrying himself like he
11:23belongs there and acting as if he belongs there.
11:26And I think he is acting as if he belongs there.
11:28I think staring at Obafemi right in the face without blinking is acting as if he belongs there.
11:33Consider this your shot?
11:35Yes.
11:36Wow.
11:37I think the idea that like J.U. So can sit there and not be intimidated like he was not
11:43sucked into
11:43that Obafemi aura, even a little that he still owned his moment.
11:47I don't think and I don't think he gets enough credit for that because I don't think people would
11:50have expected that out of J. But I think he nailed it.
11:54That said.
11:57I just can't see a world where Obafemi is not the king of the ring.
11:59I'm right there with you.
12:00You're with me?
12:00I'm right there with you.
12:01OK.
12:02And that was the case, really, when the bracket came out.
12:05How is anybody going to beat Oba?
12:07Now, don't get me wrong.
12:09Just like you and just like all the other wrestling fans out there.
12:14I had written my my upset specials in my bracket.
12:17I literally had a 30 minute dialogue about why Dominic Mysterio is going to win the king
12:22of the ring.
12:22And you sold me on it.
12:23I know you did.
12:24I sold me on it, too.
12:25I was like, oh, Dominic and Cody at SummerSlam.
12:27Sign me up.
12:28I'm there.
12:28We're not even close.
12:29Pull the trigger.
12:29Let's do it.
12:30Not even a little.
12:31But.
12:31Not even sort of.
12:32When the bracket came out and I saw who was in the tournament, Oba was the one that
12:37I said, that's got to be your number one seed.
12:40That's got to be the favorite to go all the way.
12:42Who's going to stop Obafemi?
12:43And then if he wasn't.
12:45Then we have some fun.
12:47But if he hadn't been after that fatal four way, it's like, what are we talking about?
12:51What are we talking about here?
12:53Okay.
12:53Well, then when we go to the queen of the ring side of things, we have Liv Morgan versus
12:58Eoskai.
12:59And while she presents herself completely differently, I kind of feel like Eoskai is in a similar
13:07boat to Obafemi.
13:09I agree with you.
13:10A hundred percent.
13:11Right?
13:11I agree with you.
13:13And that was the other thing, right?
13:14When the bracket comes out, it's like, okay, you see Eoskai's in this thing.
13:18Good luck stopping her.
13:20Yeah.
13:21Good luck stopping her.
13:22She is.
13:22And just because like she, she, she almost like that first time she looked at the queen
13:26of the ring crown, like stared at it with like a childlike wonderment.
13:29Yeah.
13:30But that's so Eoskai.
13:31It's so Eoskai.
13:32You know, I was looking at WWE social media the other day and they, the, the, the social
13:36media folks over at WWE, great people, but they were playing some tricks backstage on
13:42these WWE superstars.
13:43I want to know who it is.
13:44Who is it that keeps pranking the superstars?
13:46Because Miz does, although I will tell you, there was one that I really liked.
13:49Which was that?
13:50When they said, uh, other than the obvious, if you could change one thing about you, what
13:54would it be?
13:54The obvious?
13:55That's so, that one is, that one is funny.
13:57Have you started using that in your day to day?
13:59I'm thinking about it.
14:00I think you should.
14:00I'm thinking, I'm, I'm trying to give it a second to breathe in case anybody saw it.
14:03Yeah.
14:04And then once it breathes a little bit, then I'll start doing it as if it's my own idea.
14:07Run it back.
14:07Then I'll run it back.
14:08I'll run it back.
14:09But I'm watching this video and, uh, they had pranked all the superstars, right?
14:13To, uh, kick out, kick out before three.
14:16I saw that one.
14:17And, and the reality was there was a screenshot of 2.99 on the clock.
14:20By the way, it's not cool because sometimes it's like a prank is a prank, but that's
14:23a lie.
14:24Yes.
14:25You're lying.
14:25That's not a prank.
14:26That's a lie.
14:27And so then they revealed a lie to all the superstars who were clearly let down that they were
14:34not kicking out at 2.99.
14:36I liked Miz's reaction.
14:37We said, oh, is this what we're doing now?
14:38Do we come in here?
14:39Do we prank?
14:40Do we prank everybody here?
14:41Is this what we do now?
14:42See, I liked EO's reaction because it was so EO.
14:45It was the same way she looked at that queen of the ring crown in awe with so much wonder
14:51in her eyes.
14:52And when she saw that 2.99, she puts her hands up to her head and she says, I am
14:58the best.
14:58And there's just so much love and excitement, innocence with EO Sky.
15:07But don't mistake that innocence because this is also the same woman to which you pointed
15:12out on the Raw Recap show a couple days ago, who puts a garbage can on top of her head
15:17and jumps off the War Games cage.
15:20I mean, don't mistake EO's childlike wonder as a weakness.
15:26Well, she loves fun.
15:27Yes.
15:28And sometimes the fun is fun pranks and hijinks.
15:31And other times the fun is severely damaging opponents to the point that they are beaten
15:35and there's no question about it.
15:37That's all fun for EO, I think.
15:39And I think, I think too, that there was a point where I go like, I wonder if she knows
15:43she's the best wrestler on the planet.
15:45I, yeah.
15:45You know what I'm saying?
15:46Like when you see her and the, the humility of the way she presents herself, does she know?
15:52But then she does.
15:54And you know, when she lets you know that she knows when a moment like Monday Night Raw happens,
16:00when Liv thinks that she's physically, Liv Morgan thinks she's physically going to get
16:03the best of EO Sky and EO goes, Oh, are you going to make me turn this on?
16:08Okay.
16:09Best wrestler in the world, switch.
16:11And she turns it on and she just dominates every time.
16:15Sometimes it's like, look, I'm, I'm a good person.
16:17Don't make me go there.
16:19Don't make me go there.
16:20This is on you.
16:20If I do.
16:21All right.
16:22You just talked about how the crown is going to go on your head.
16:25Well, I don't know how it's going to fit because you have a pretty big head and now
16:29I'm going to go there.
16:30Right.
16:31And now let's leave it there.
16:32I said, you have a big head.
16:33Let's leave it there.
16:34You keep pushing.
16:35I'm going to push back and you're not going to like it.
16:37But yeah, I do.
16:38I do feel like she'll meet you where you're at.
16:41Yeah.
16:41It's a weapon that she has.
16:42Yes.
16:43That's almost in disguise.
16:44I think so.
16:45I think that that's right.
16:47Now, Liv Morgan going into this tournament.
16:49A lot of people were going like, why on earth would Liv Morgan be in this tournament if
16:53she's already the champion?
16:55Like you're sitting there going like the winner gets a shot at the championship and it's like
16:58Liv Morgan is the champion.
17:00Is she going to fight herself?
17:01And Liv said, no, I want to be in the tournament because I want to, I want to face Rhea
17:05Ripley
17:05and get everything.
17:09Which is, this is kind of the Liv Morgan ever since, you know, she became a world champion
17:13for the first time in WWE.
17:15Make no mistake about it.
17:16She's always been coming for it all.
17:19You think from the very beginning of like cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase
17:22going all the way back then?
17:23No, I think to when she returned to initially come after Rhea Ripley.
17:28The revenge, starting with the revenge tour.
17:29Yeah, starting with the revenge tour.
17:31This is when we, we learned that Liv Morgan is coming for it all and that has not changed.
17:38No, and you wonder too if it's like the fact that Rhea has the WWE championship back
17:42has, are bygones bygones?
17:43I don't think so.
17:44Or will that be just forever?
17:45I think that's a forever.
17:46You think she entered the tournament specifically so she could have an excuse to have a match
17:50with Rhea Ripley again?
17:51Listen, who's, who's, who's Liv Morgan's boyfriend?
17:54I don't, I don't want to put a label on their relationship.
17:57Well, it's your, your guy.
17:59Dirty Dominic Mysterio.
18:01Dominic Mysterio.
18:01And, and Rhea is the ex.
18:03Do you ever fully get over the ex?
18:04No.
18:05Never.
18:05I don't think so.
18:06Never, I don't want to see.
18:06You always remember.
18:07You don't want to see her face.
18:08Mm-mm.
18:09No.
18:09That's always going to be there.
18:10Right.
18:10No matter what.
18:11Right.
18:11No matter what you do.
18:12Yeah.
18:13It's always going to be there.
18:14And I think Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley are two WWE superstars who will always be tied
18:19to each other.
18:20Because of Dominic Mysterio.
18:23Now, what do you think of that?
18:24What do you think of the fact that these two women will always be tied together?
18:26And at the center of it, it's like, oh, who's at the center of this that ties them together?
18:30And then you just see, respect the stash, Dominic Mysterio.
18:35Maybe it's about more than just Dominic.
18:37It is.
18:37It's about more than Dominic.
18:38Oh.
18:39But Dominic is certainly involved.
18:40He's the centerpiece.
18:41He's the prize.
18:42Well, I mean, some would say prize.
18:45I would.
18:46Others would just say he's a role player.
18:48Role player?
18:49What do you mean role player?
18:50Role player in the rivalry between Liv Morgan.
18:53Oh, like he plays a role.
18:54Yeah.
18:55Not saying if it's a significant role or not.
18:57Just a role.
18:58He's in it.
18:58I see.
18:59Okay.
18:59Okay.
19:00Could be an NPC.
19:01That's right.
19:02I see.
19:02He's in the credits.
19:03Okay.
19:03Well, I think he's the main character.
19:05Okay.
19:05I think he's got main character energy.
19:07Liv Morgan certainly has main character energy.
19:09Rhea Ripley has main character energy.
19:10That's a crowded space.
19:13And listen, I don't think she does it on purpose, but it's hard to look at EO Sky and not
19:19go,
19:19that's a main event person right there.
19:20Of course.
19:23I'm looking at this man.
19:24And then you look at what could happen, right?
19:26Because you go, okay, if Liv Morgan wins, she says she's going after Rhea Ripley, right?
19:32But if EO wins, she's got a choice of either going after Liv Morgan and it's like, oh, good.
19:39I just beat you.
19:40I'll beat you again.
19:40Or I'll humiliate you.
19:42Right.
19:43Right.
19:43That could be rough.
19:45Or does EO go for somebody else that she's beaten in the past in super fights?
19:51Rhea Ripley.
19:52I love that EO holds these cards.
19:55You know, she has to win the tournament, obviously.
19:56But she holds the cards and she's keeping them close to the vest.
20:01Right.
20:01She's not showing.
20:03But no, I think unlike Obafemi, EO is not sitting there going like thinking about the day after tomorrow.
20:10No, she's locked in on the moment.
20:12Focused in on the moment.
20:13I don't think EO has these grand visions of then I'm going to do this, then I'm going to do
20:18this, then I'm going to do this.
20:19She's like, who's the opponent tonight?
20:21Liv Morgan's up next.
20:22Liv Morgan's the one I'm going for.
20:25All that said, I think a few things.
20:28I think Liv Morgan takes her role as leader of the Judgment Day very seriously and doesn't want that apple
20:35cart upset.
20:37Right.
20:38I also think as good as EO Sky is as a wrestler, Liv always finds a way.
20:45That's true.
20:47When has Liv not found a way?
20:49And what could be more Liv Morgan?
20:51What could be more Liv Morgan than the idea?
20:54Because she sees everything.
20:55She hears everything.
20:56She knows.
20:57She heard all the yap, yap, yappers that were going like, this is so stupid.
21:02Why is Liv Morgan in the tournament?
21:04What could be more Liv Morgan than being like, oh, it's so stupid.
21:08Is this so stupid?
21:09I'm the queen.
21:11What does she call herself?
21:13The greatest Royal Rumble winner of all time.
21:19To then sit around and also be, you have to call her queen.
21:23It would be insufferable.
21:24Queen Morgan?
21:26Queen Olivia?
21:27That's what Dan Housen would call her.
21:28I think so too.
21:29I think so too.
21:30So you're going Liv Morgan.
21:32I think I am.
21:33Wow.
21:33I think I'm going Liv Morgan.
21:35Wow.
21:35And what could be more Liv Morgan than like the, I think we all want EO to win.
21:40What could be more Liv Morgan than be like, how dare you doubt me?
21:45How was that?
21:47It was a little close to SpongeBob.
21:50I was thinking it was too SpongeBob.
21:51A little close.
21:52You have to be careful.
21:53I know.
21:53I was thinking it's too close to SpongeBob after I did it just now.
21:55Yeah.
21:56A little close.
21:57Just watch that one.
21:58I'm going to go with EO.
21:59You are.
21:59I am.
22:00I'm going to go with EO.
22:01I don't think she, you know, to your point, she's not getting ahead of herself.
22:04She's locked in on this moment.
22:05And, and you know, while EO does oftentimes present as if everything is sunshine and rainbows
22:15and that she's happy most of the time, she does have a switch she can turn on, which makes
22:21her one of the most dangerous players in all of WWE and make no mistake about it, EO
22:27not being on the WrestleMania card, I think impacted her.
22:30You do?
22:31Not in a way where like her stock has fallen.
22:34No, but inside her.
22:35Inside of her, she's thought about.
22:38Yeah.
22:38And when's the next stadium show?
22:41SummerSlam.
22:42EO Sky, she better be on that.
22:45Right.
22:45And what, how do you guarantee that you're going to get on it?
22:47You win the King, the Queen of the Ring tournament.
22:49Right.
22:49And you get to go for the world title.
22:50That's right.
22:51Or the WWE Women's Championship.
22:52We'll see.
22:53I'll tell you what.
22:53Before SummerSlam, Fanatics Fest is bringing two exclusive WWE live shows to New York City
22:59this July.
23:01Don't miss the official WWE SummerSlam kickoff hosted by Michael Cole himself on Sunday, July
23:0619th, with special guests, exclusive insights, and a preview of WWE's biggest event of the
23:13summer.
23:13Plus, John Cena takes the stage for the You Can See Me Now live show on Saturday, July 18th.
23:24A live Q&A giving fans an inside look at the moment stories and mindset behind his legendary
23:30career.
23:31Here, Fanatics Fest is a must-attend for WWE fans.
23:35Tickets are available now at FanaticsFest.com.
23:38And of course, you can save 10% with promo code WWENOW10.
23:45So those are the two matches that we get in that first hour on ESPN.
23:48The United States Championship is on the line.
23:51Ricky Saints earned the shot, defeating Carmelo Hayes.
23:55First of all, I do want to say that these series of matches between Ricky and Melo were
24:00absolutely phenomenal.
24:01Spectacular.
24:02I mean, you see those guys and what their bodies are capable inside the ring.
24:09It's been unbelievable.
24:11And Carmelo Hayes, somebody who I was really impressed with his United States Championship
24:16run.
24:17Yeah.
24:18For him to go one-on-one and tangle up with Ricky Saints.
24:23I want more.
24:24Yeah.
24:25Well, we're not going to get more unless Ricky Saints wins that championship and Melo gets
24:30a shot.
24:30And I don't know if Ricky Saints is going to be generous with his title opportunities,
24:34but I also don't know if Ricky Saints is going to be able to get it.
24:37I mean, this is a huge platform for Ricky Saints.
24:40He came in very, very recently to the WWE.
24:43And I think that Ricky has still been looking for his moment to show the world who he is and
24:52what he has to offer.
24:53And I think, you know, on a PLE that's as big as night of champions in a title match against
25:01another, you know, fairly new superstar who has made an insane impact on this brand, which
25:10is Trick Williams, for Ricky Saints to be in a position like this, where all eyes are
25:16watching him.
25:17It is certainly a tremendous opportunity for him to not only become a champion, but for
25:23him to let the world know who Ricky Saints is.
25:26And for Trick Williams, I'd like to see him in this different type of match.
25:31Yep.
25:32You know, we saw what he did at WrestleMania.
25:34Then we saw the gingerbread man and that fiasco that went down on SmackDown.
25:42Some would say debacle.
25:43Others say fiasco.
25:44Well, it depends who you're talking to.
25:46I think Sami Zayn would certainly.
25:47He called it a debacle as.
25:48Yeah, maybe fiasco.
25:50He might say.
25:51Listen, I think Sami Zayn's got the gingerbread man behind him because he's main eventing
25:54PLEs now.
25:55Okay, but we'll get there.
25:57Yes, we definitely will get there.
25:59We have a lot to talk about as it relates to Sami Zayn.
26:01But I'm excited to see Trick Williams in, you know, this pace of match with Ricky
26:08Saints.
26:09You mean with the athleticism that Ricky Saints has?
26:12Yes, and not to take anything away.
26:14No, of course not.
26:14Of course not.
26:15But like what we saw on display between Ricky and Carmelo Hayes, it's a different type of
26:22match than what we've seen Trick operate in since he's been on the main roster.
26:25And there is, I think, a hunger that goes along with the fact that you know this is your
26:30shot.
26:30And I think, make no mistake about it, Ricky Saints knows that this is his shot.
26:35Ricky Saints is not one of these guys that came in as a D1 athlete, and that's not to
26:40take anything away from those guys.
26:41Because we've seen incredible success from people who came in that way.
26:45D1 athletes are, they're just bred differently.
26:48You know, they are fine-tuned.
26:52Wow, as a former D1 athlete, I, you know, I couldn't agree anymore.
26:56No, you were a DB athlete.
26:58Okay, well.
26:59D-bag.
27:00So, so, so.
27:06Ricky is a guy who has been wrestling for years.
27:11Yeah.
27:12To finally get to the dance.
27:15This is a place that Ricky has wanted to be at for years.
27:18And he's put a lot of work in, and he's wrestled in a lot of rings in front of a
27:22lot of different
27:23crowds, and is aware, more so than most, at what an opportunity this is.
27:30And quite frankly, how fleeting these opportunities can be.
27:34Make no mistake, Ricky Saints is good enough to have opportunities rain down upon him for
27:40years to come.
27:41But that doesn't mean that they will.
27:43No, because it's all about when you can step up to the plate.
27:46It's timing.
27:47It's everything.
27:48There's so many different elements.
27:50It goes so far beyond just talent.
27:53And so I think the fact that Ricky Saints is here, and he's not only competing for a title,
27:58not only competing on a PLE, but doing it against somebody that's got so much buzz right
28:03now, the whole world is talking about Trick Williams, I think that there's two roads for
28:09Ricky Saints to go down.
28:10One is that the moment gobbles him up and eclipses within him, that he gets lost in it somewhere.
28:22And the other is that he tallies up all of those elements and goes, look at the opportunity
28:28that's in front of me.
28:29I have to execute.
28:30And that's what Trick Williams may have to deal with.
28:34I mean, Ricky Saints has the opportunity to completely stop Trick Williams in his track.
28:41Yes.
28:42And that is a great point.
28:44I believe that if Trick Williams were to lose to Ricky Saints, a tremendous amount of momentum
28:48would be lost with Trick as well.
28:50And he's been a machine this year.
28:53A machine.
28:54Think about that entrance at WrestleMania.
28:56Massive.
28:57Think about all the stuff he's been doing with Lil Yachty.
28:59Yes.
29:00Does Boat stick around with Trick Williams if Trick Williams is not the United States champion?
29:05Listen, I can't speak for Boat, but if I were a boat, I wouldn't.
29:09You'd sail away?
29:10Probably.
29:10That's a terrible thing.
29:11That's a real shame.
29:13That's a real shame.
29:14All that said, I mean, this Trick Williams feels special to me.
29:19To me.
29:19Yeah.
29:20I'm in lockstep with you.
29:21Like, there is something different about Trick Williams.
29:24And I think that it seems like as the spotlight grows bigger, so does he.
29:30He fills the moment.
29:31And, you know, I saw on the internet, he's out here getting married.
29:37He's out here starting a family.
29:39And again, you go back to Ricky Saints, two roads.
29:41That's two roads for him too.
29:43Is that a distraction or is that motivation?
29:45You hope for his sake that it's motivation.
29:47You hope for his sake that he realizes like, okay, now as if we weren't already, it's time
29:52to get real, buckle down, and maybe Trick feels like he has to show the world.
29:58Maybe Trick feels like it's time to go beyond this sort of like exciting new guy and lay
30:06down a performance that's going to show everybody why he's here for a long time.
30:10You guys all thought that was it?
30:12Oh no, we were just getting started.
30:14Right.
30:14We haven't even gotten out of first gear yet.
30:17I think that we're going to get the performance of a lifetime out of Ricky Saints.
30:23I don't think it'll be enough.
30:24Right there with you.
30:25Trick Williams retains the United States championship.
30:29Wow.
30:29Wow.
30:30Well, I do want to tell you that WWE fans, which I hope are most of you, where else can
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31:33And while we just talked about the United States championship, the women's United States
31:38championship is also on the line at Night of Champions as Tiffany Stratton defends against
31:45Jade Cargill.
31:47Yeah, you talk about two young stars that have completely captivated an audience and taken
31:52the attention.
31:54That's Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill.
31:56But it is interesting to me to see this match because I feel like Jade has been involved
32:02with so many different women on SmackDown.
32:05Yes.
32:06Yes, but that was part...
32:08I mean, that's because she was the champion.
32:10Yeah.
32:10You know what I mean?
32:11That's going to happen when you're the champion.
32:12She didn't make a lot of friends as champion.
32:13No.
32:13And most champions don't.
32:15But guess what?
32:15She had a couple of them.
32:16Their names are B-Fab and Meechon, and they ended up being very, very helpful.
32:20Yeah, and I'm sure, you know, after Charlotte Flair learned the hard way to overlook their
32:26involvement.
32:27How much of this, when you look at Tiffany...
32:30So, clearly, the women's division is ultra-competitive right now.
32:33Of course.
32:34That United States championship, I think it's very, very important in this division.
32:40Mm-hmm.
32:41You've got Tiffany Stratton, who has had WrestleMania moments.
32:46I mean, this was the person who came...
32:48The minute she came on the main roster, it was, who's that?
32:51Yeah, remember Elimination Chamber in Australia?
32:54That's when Tiffy Time was born.
32:56Was it 25?
32:57Yeah.
32:58Yeah.
32:58It wasn't even that long ago.
32:59Right.
32:59And that international crowd just going crazy for her.
33:04Jade Cargill the same way.
33:05Jade Cargill, from the minute she stepped on the WWE roster, before she was even in a
33:09ring, when she was just having backstage interactions with people, fantasy matches started happening
33:14in fans' heads.
33:15She was showing up everywhere.
33:16Yes.
33:17And the dialogue started happening.
33:19But now they're both on the main roster.
33:22And now they're both mainstays on the main roster.
33:25And it feels to me like this is one of those matches where there can only be one of us
33:34that's
33:34up next.
33:35Only one of us.
33:37I think between this is an opportunity for either Tiffany or Jade Cargill to truly define
33:45the Women's United States Championship.
33:49And for both of them to also, you know, in the bigger picture go, well, we're both going
33:55to be a part of the future of the division.
33:58But who is the woman who is going to lead this division on SmackDown or wherever else
34:06into the future?
34:07And I think that's very difficult for me to say.
34:09If you just came up to me and said, who do you put your money on?
34:12If you can only do one.
34:14Tiffany Stratton or Jade Cargill?
34:16That's tough.
34:16Yeah, I don't know if I could do that.
34:18I feel like that's what this match is about.
34:21It answers that question that maybe previously we wouldn't have been able to answer.
34:25And it's a great question.
34:26I'm really looking forward to seeing Tiffany Stratton on a premium live event because it
34:31has been a while.
34:32You know, she had an incredible reign as the women's champion over on SmackDown.
34:38Yeah.
34:38The WWE women's champion.
34:39And then she was off our TV screens for a while.
34:42Sure.
34:42She came back before WrestleMania, wasn't on the WrestleMania card.
34:46She wins the United States Championship off of Julia.
34:49And I think she's been impressive ever since she's been back.
34:52Yes.
34:52But we haven't seen her have that big PLE match.
34:55And I think that this Tiffany is different from the Tiffany we saw before she went away
35:02for some time.
35:03How different?
35:04Yeah.
35:05I think we'll find out.
35:06Yeah.
35:06I think there is more aggression here.
35:07Yeah.
35:08I think even seeing the interactions with her and Chelsea, it's like, and she might want to
35:12think about, you know, embracing having an ally in Chelsea Green.
35:17I mean, especially when you look across the other side of the ring and Jade Cargill is
35:20big and strong and dominant as she is.
35:22She's got reinforcements.
35:24But there's also this thing, right, of everything you just said is correct.
35:28And Tiff is different.
35:29And she was gone.
35:30And now she's back and trying to reestablish herself.
35:34At the same time, I think Jade Cargill probably defined herself by that WWE Women's Championship.
35:39And what do you do when it's gone?
35:40And she lost it.
35:41So now it's like, are you that person?
35:47Are you a champion or were you a champion?
35:50I think that's a big question.
35:52And I think that if Jade is unsuccessful here, it starts to draw into question, how far to
36:01the back of the line is she going?
36:04You know, that's a big thing to deal with.
36:07But do you if you lose a United States Championship match, can you realistically go forward and
36:12say, OK, well, that's fine.
36:13But I am looking for another shot at the Women's Championship.
36:16We just lost for the US title.
36:18I think I think you got some some proving to do.
36:20Yeah.
36:21You got to really go back to the drawing board and figure it out.
36:23All that said.
36:26I think Jade Cargill is not spending a ton of time without gold around her waist.
36:31I think I think Jade Cargill is going to night of champions and coming home a champion.
36:35Wow.
36:35I think Jade Cargill walks out the US champion.
36:37You know, the stakes are so massive for Jade Cargill.
36:41But for me, I really want to see what this Tiffany Stratton is made of.
36:45And if that level of aggression translates on a PLA, PLA match against one of the strongest
36:50forces in all of WWE, I'm going to take Tiffany.
36:54Wow.
36:55It really is one of those where either one could win.
36:57But it is, I think, going to be.
37:01At least in the short term, a career defining moment for either one, this is this this one
37:07more than maybe any other match on the show feels like a something's got to give match
37:11where it's like both of these two women have the potential to do incredible things.
37:19For which one of them is now the time?
37:21And I think that that's what gets answered inside this match.
37:26Speaking of inside, inside of a steel cage, we get Seth Rollins and Braun Breaker.
37:31Now, Seth Rollins thought that he was done with the vision and the vision made it clear
37:35that he can be as done with them as they want.
37:37They're not done with him.
37:39However, he sat down with Corey Graves on Monday Night Raw and he made it clear that if
37:45he is able to beat Braun Breaker inside that steel cage, he can put the vision behind him.
37:51All that said, Braun Breaker is the one that led the vision to turn on Seth.
37:59Braun Breaker has to beat Seth.
38:04Braun Breaker has to be in the position to be like, yeah, we threw you out because we
38:08don't need you anymore.
38:09We're better than you.
38:10And I think that that Braun Breaker is in this position where Seth Rollins looked at him in
38:15the face a month or two ago when he came back.
38:18You told him he wasn't ready.
38:19And said, you're not ready.
38:21And I think it's up to Braun Breaker to prove him wrong at Night of Champions.
38:25I think Seth Rollins, as the visionary that he is, has proven many times that when he's
38:34operating at the highest level, he seems to be a step ahead of everybody else.
38:41He seems to have an answer for everything that the vision has thrown at him.
38:47But just when Seth had an answer for all of those things, had an answer for Paul Heyman,
38:53had an answer for Braun Breaker, had an answer for Logan Paul, had an answer for Austin Theory,
38:59a week later, it was as if Seth forgot about the whole thing.
39:03He had put it behind him.
39:04And the vision beat Seth at his own game.
39:08Now, Seth showing up on Monday Night Raw and costing the vision the tag team championship
39:14clearly showed that Braun Breaker is vulnerable in a sense.
39:21I mean, it was masterful what Seth did.
39:23I thought it was masterful.
39:24I thought the performance that Seth had a couple weeks ago when Paul Heyman got speared
39:30through that barricade, that's exactly what you're talking about.
39:33With Seth being one step ahead of them mentally, I think he was three steps ahead of them.
39:38And I haven't said this yet, but the more I thought about it, right, the more I watched
39:44how composed Seth was in that interview with Corey Graves.
39:50And then I saw the way he acted.
39:53Everything he was doing was for a reason when he got out there into that match.
39:57The reason that he went through the back was so that Braun Breaker would be double distracted.
40:02The reason he went into the crowd was not because he was scared.
40:04It was so that he could get Braun Breaker away from ringside.
40:06He did all of this to prove that he is one step ahead of Braun Breaker,
40:11but then to also make it so that Braun Breaker is walking in to Knight of Champions on a loss.
40:18Austin Theory got pinned.
40:20They lost the tag team championship.
40:22And I said, this is a guy who's using that big brain.
40:26This is a guy who's using that brain.
40:27And I said, you know what?
40:30I would call, and it's so interesting,
40:32based on Seth Rollins' previous companions.
40:40But I said, if there was anyone to bestow this name upon, it'd be Seth Rollins.
40:46He was acting like a cerebral assassin.
40:50Wow.
40:52It's what I came to the whole time.
40:54Like, this guy is using, like you said, all of the vision's own tricks against them.
40:58He's doing it all.
41:00And you can see it.
41:02Once it gets done, you never would have seen it coming.
41:04But once it gets done, every single step you see, I go, this is what being a cerebral assassin is.
41:11You got questions?
41:12I got answers.
41:13Yes.
41:13I have all of the problems solved.
41:16Right.
41:16And I know what they are before you even know.
41:18Like, before you've figured out what your plan is, I've already figured out what the solution is.
41:23I've already figured out what my counterattack is going to be.
41:26Because I already know what your plan's going to be.
41:28And if that's the Seth that comes to the steel cage match this weekend, nobody's beating Seth.
41:33I don't think so.
41:34Especially, I mean, he has a confidence about him that you haven't seen.
41:37And that's where I think that cerebral assassin thing comes in.
41:40This is just me talking.
41:41But I go, like, okay, we saw the Monday Night Messiah.
41:44We saw the Visionary.
41:46We saw the Architect.
41:47We saw the Revolutionary.
41:48We saw all this stuff.
41:50But, I mean, I don't know.
41:52Is it too much to just sit there and call him a cerebral assassin?
41:56My only hesitation is the fact that he was a cerebral assassin.
42:00And then the next week, the Vision was able to play cerebral assassin against him.
42:06But then what did he do the week after?
42:07Was able to prove himself once again.
42:09Okay.
42:09So, he got back up.
42:11Got knocked down.
42:12Got back up.
42:13He thought he was done.
42:14He thought the job was done.
42:16He was wrong.
42:17Let me ask you this.
42:17If he is successful at Night of Champions, in the cage, is the job done?
42:22Yes.
42:23Definitively.
42:24The job is done.
42:25Wow.
42:26Done.
42:27Finished.
42:27Done.
42:28This ends in one place in a steel cage match.
42:30Do you think the steel cage will be effective?
42:32In the sense that, like, the steel cage is designed to keep people who shouldn't be there out?
42:37Yeah, I do.
42:38You do?
42:38I don't.
42:39No.
42:40It's a good thing Seth has allies.
42:41I think that Seth is going to have to make sure that he gets those long trip airplane tickets for
42:50Montez Ford, for Angelo Dawkins, for Joe Hendry, for whoever he needs.
42:56Whether they're his friends or just enemies of his enemies.
42:59He needs to get them all there.
43:01Because let me tell you, I don't care if that cage is ten stories tall.
43:06Logan Paul can't climb up it.
43:08No, he can't.
43:08He's got his whole arm in a brace.
43:10But you know what fits through a little cage link?
43:13Brass nux.
43:14Brass nux.
43:16Okay?
43:17You mean to tell me Austin Theory wouldn't climb up there?
43:20Austin Theory would.
43:21You mean to tell me Logan Paul wouldn't act as a distraction?
43:23I've seen Austin Theory climb as a masked man, and he's pretty agile.
43:27He's super agile.
43:28He stomps.
43:29I saw him got F5'd off an elimination chamber chamber one time.
43:32I saw that, too.
43:33Crazy.
43:34Okay?
43:35But, like, you can fit brass knuckles through there.
43:37You can act as a distraction.
43:39You can hold back.
43:40There's a million things that you can do.
43:42I don't think this is going to have that effect.
43:45I think that Seth Rollins is still going to need to have all the backup that he ever has.
43:52I'm hopeful.
43:54Listen.
43:54Listen, if I think Seth has the ability to be the winner here, and it's something I'd like to see
44:04happen,
44:06I just, to your point about holding your breath before you say cerebral assassin,
44:11because you've seen him be ineffective before, what are we going to get on Saturday?
44:16Are we going to get the guy who's one step ahead?
44:18Are we going to get the guy that fell underneath the numbers game?
44:24It is crazy, because for someone who has the resume, like Seth Rollins does,
44:29and for everything he's done in this business, I think, if anything,
44:34what's been going on with Braun Breaker and The Vision shows Seth that at every single moment,
44:40you have to have an answer for A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.
44:45And then, by the way, you know what's going to actually do it?
44:48H.
44:49H always does it.
44:50It's that other one.
44:51It's always H.
44:52It's always H.
44:52But for all that he's done, and all of the experience he has,
44:56and while he makes the claim that Braun Breaker isn't ready, Seth has to have all those answers.
45:02Every single one of them.
45:03Otherwise, it's not getting done.
45:04I would agree with you.
45:05I would absolutely agree with you.
45:06You know, maybe this will be the one that we get a moment that Topps now is able to capture.
45:11They capture major milestones and viral moments from the biggest events.
45:14We saw incredible cards already this year.
45:17Here we go from WrestleMania, from Backlash, Backlash, Clash in Italy.
45:23But, as they always do before PLEs, Topps put out a Night of Champions poster card, which is available.
45:30Customers who buy this card have the chance at receiving rainbow foil short prints and gold super short prints that
45:37are limited to just 26 copies of each.
45:40These cards are available from Friday, 626 until Monday, 629.
45:46So, you've got the weekend to scoop them up, and then that's it.
45:49Also, look out for the big moment WWE Topps Now cards coming out of Night of Champions this weekend.
45:57Make sure you're following at Topps on social, and sign up for notifications on Topps.com so you don't miss
46:04when a big card drops.
46:06And I'll tell you where I think we're going to get a Topps Now type of moment.
46:11And that's coming out of the WWE Championship match.
46:15We get to SmackDown last Friday.
46:18And we have Cody versus Gunther.
46:21Sammy is the referee.
46:22Sammy and Gunther, it ends up they don't get along.
46:26Sammy gets shoved.
46:27He slaps Gunther in the face.
46:29Gunther responds with a powerbomb.
46:31The match continues.
46:33Eventually, Cody's able to roll him up, get a schoolboy, whatever it is.
46:37One, two, three.
46:38Fast count.
46:39Sammy Zane crowns Cody Rhodes the winner, which I think a lot of people thought it was going to go
46:43the opposite way.
46:44Yeah, because Gunther is the one who picked Sammy to be the referee.
46:47Absolutely.
46:48Well, you can't trust Dan Engler.
46:50Cannot.
46:51And who's another referee you can't trust?
46:52Jessica Carr.
46:53Okay, so now you're starting to run out of refs.
46:55Danilo is always available for pay.
46:57For pay.
46:58Yeah.
46:59For pay.
46:59And let me tell you something.
47:00He won't share it.
47:01Nope.
47:01Not one dime.
47:02Not that cheap ass.
47:03Yeah.
47:05They restart the match.
47:07Sammy Zane is so furious.
47:08He gets involved.
47:09The whole thing gets thrown out.
47:10We end up with Cody Rhodes telling Nick Aldis, I got to beat both of them.
47:16And here we go with the triple threat match.
47:18Cody Rhodes, Sammy Zane, and Gunther.
47:21It was like backwards hat Cody Rhodes.
47:23Backwards hat.
47:24With the snap back in the front.
47:26It's not a look we see often from Cody.
47:28No.
47:28It's all business.
47:29But I liked it.
47:30All business Cody.
47:30Track jacket.
47:32Backwards hat Cody.
47:32It looks like QB1.
47:33I got to beat them both.
47:35And they go, okay, backwards hat.
47:37Well, then you'll have the opportunity to beat them both.
47:39And he's out here now defending his title in a triple threat match.
47:42Not the best thing to do as champion.
47:44You don't have to be pinned to lose your title.
47:47Champion's advantage is thrown out the window.
47:50And you have someone as destructive and Gunther and someone as nuts as Sammy Zane that you're
47:56staring at.
47:56That's a good way to describe it.
47:58Nuts.
48:00You see what he's done to these water bottles backstage at SmackDown?
48:03Oh, I've seen it.
48:03Not good.
48:03I've seen it.
48:03Not good.
48:04And Johnny Gargano's doing no help to calm down Sammy Zane.
48:07None at all.
48:08He's just lying there.
48:09I don't think Sammy even realizes that Johnny's not helping, though.
48:12No.
48:13And he doesn't ask Candace one question.
48:15No.
48:15I would definitely open up the conversation to Candace.
48:18So rude to Candace.
48:18It's a rude thing.
48:19Rude thing.
48:21But at the same time, in my travels, on my radio show, I've never heard more.
48:28Well, I'm not going to say I've never heard more people.
48:30I would say I don't know that I've heard more people speculating on the idea of Sammy
48:35Zane winning the WWE championship since a certain elimination chamber pay-per-view in
48:42Montreal.
48:42Yep.
48:42You know, that was the last time I think there was this kind of...
48:46Somehow, and I mean, a couple of weeks ago, it was different.
48:49Yeah.
48:50But people are seeing a world where Sammy Zane, lunatic that he is, comes out of this
48:56with the WWE championship.
48:57And a lot of people are making a huge deal about the reaction that Sammy Zane historically
49:02gets in Saudi.
49:03Yeah, sure.
49:04And a lot of people are thinking about this Tops Now moment.
49:09Maria?
49:09Where we could see a real world where Sammy Zane is the undisputed WWE champion.
49:16I don't remember the last time Cody went into a match defending his title where I've heard
49:22more people have more thoughts about him not being successful.
49:27Yeah.
49:28It's usually a given that Cody's going to retain.
49:30Mm-hmm.
49:31And I'm hearing a lot of people going, Sammy Zane...
49:34And you know what else is surprising?
49:35What's that?
49:37You'd think you'd hear so many more people going, clearly Gunther's going to win.
49:41And I think Gunther's being heavily underestimated.
49:44Yeah, you haven't heard a lot.
49:45I mean, most of the conversation that I've heard and seen has primarily been about Sammy
49:50and Cody.
49:51Yes.
49:52It's either, it's either, well, wouldn't it be interesting if Sammy, or then we go to
49:57SummerSlam and Cody Rhodes' defense against X.
50:00Cody Rhodes' defense against Y.
50:01When you talk about the King of the Ring and Oba and Jey Uso, Jey was talking about it
50:06on Raw.
50:06I'm going to SummerSlam to face Cody Rhodes.
50:08Didn't even think about this match.
50:11But the people who aren't thinking Cody are thinking Sammy.
50:14And I think there should be a lot more people being reminded of who's in there with both
50:20of them.
50:21I think because people genuinely hate Gunther so much.
50:25You think they do?
50:26For retiring John Cena.
50:28Yeah.
50:28For retiring AJ Styles.
50:30What about the other one?
50:31For retiring Bill Goldberg.
50:33That's right.
50:34That...
50:35Seth Rollins at WrestleMania.
50:36People just think, oh, I don't want Gunther.
50:40Because I so don't...
50:41I'm not going to put that energy out there.
50:42So I'm not going to talk about it?
50:44Yes.
50:45Yes.
50:45But it would be an all-time Gunther moment because the reaction would be exactly that.
50:52Hideous.
50:52We don't want this.
50:54Boo.
50:54That's the thing we didn't want to happen.
50:56Boo this man.
50:57But you know what Gunther typically gives us?
51:00The thing we don't want to happen.
51:01I know.
51:02I know.
51:02He takes that hope away.
51:03He stomps on it.
51:04And given just all of the layers that are there with Sammy and Cody and this friendship
51:14that maybe isn't so much of a friendship.
51:17Oh, I don't think it's a friendship.
51:19I think Sammy Zane is out here acting as if, like, you owe me a friendship.
51:22And Cody Rhodes has had it up to here with Sammy Zane.
51:27Did he say something like, uh, enough?
51:30Yeah, yeah, yeah.
51:31He hit him with one of these.
51:33Enough!
51:33Yeah.
51:34Yeah.
51:35That's how Cody feels.
51:36I mean, you can't say you're friends when you look at somebody and go, you know why
51:40they're chanting that you suck because you do?
51:43I'd be like, bro, I mean, I've heard of tough love, but we're not cool.
51:47Like, if you said that to me, I'd go, Meg, I'm not going to quit the show.
51:51I'm not going to go crazy.
51:53But, like, we're not cool.
51:55But then Sammy goes, just being real, man.
51:58Right.
51:58Just being honest.
51:59Just being honest.
52:00Just being real.
52:02Like a friend would do.
52:03Right.
52:04Just going to be real with you.
52:05It's complicated.
52:06Your real friends are the only ones who are going to tell you like it is.
52:10And that's who Sammy's being right now.
52:12Yeah.
52:12And we all have that friend, right?
52:14That's like, I'm just going to be real with you because I'm your friend.
52:16And then you're like, you're insulting me for sport.
52:19With all due respect.
52:20No, I'm not.
52:21Does it just mean you can say whatever you want?
52:23And I say it with peace and love.
52:25How?
52:26What?
52:27With what?
52:28No, you don't.
52:29And I think Gunter is in a situation here where that can play out the way it does between Sammy
52:36and Cody.
52:37All it takes for Gunter is one sleeper hold.
52:39I think that's right.
52:40I think that that's a great point because I think that Gunter, he has to stop with the emotions.
52:46It was really odd on SmackDown that he got so worked up that he powerbombed the referee.
52:52Like, if Gunter is able to stick to the task at hand and allow Cody and Sammy to have, you
53:01know, whatever this weird emotional thing going on is, then Gunter is going to be able to win this match.
53:07But, you know, I mean, I can come up with a million different ways that a million different things could
53:12happen.
53:13It's still difficult for me to picture the idea.
53:17Of Cody not winning the big one.
53:20Of Cody not leaving the show as champion.
53:23Of QB1 not being the undisputed WWE champion.
53:26That's just the way I.
53:27It's a wild world.
53:28That's the way I see it.
53:29I think that there are more versions where he's not than ever before coming out of this match.
53:35But I still, I, I, my jaw would be on the floor and I'm prepared for it to be on
53:41the floor.
53:41But my jaw would be on the floor if Cody lost the title.
53:44All right, I'm going to say something a lot of the people aren't going to like to hear.
53:46So I'm going to look directly at this camera.
53:49With those beady eyes.
53:51But y'all are going home disappointed.
53:53No!
53:54Because Gunter is going to be your new undisputed WWE champion.
54:00That's horrible.
54:00And you took joy.
54:02What do you think?
54:03Boo or Boo Ernst?
54:04Boo all you want.
54:05Oh.
54:05Boo all you want.
54:07It's going to happen.
54:09Boonther is more like it.
54:12Haven't heard that one yet.
54:13That's, I know.
54:14I think it's good.
54:16I think it's as is.
54:17I don't know about that.
54:18We're sticking with it.
54:19We're sticking with it.
54:20Let me know what you think in the comments.
54:21I cannot wait for this show.
54:23Megan and I will be back with you here on WWE Now for the Night of Champions recap show.
54:28So make sure that you're subscribed across all audio platforms.
54:32Make sure that you're checking us out on YouTube.
54:33Leaving comments.
54:35Hitting like.
54:35Doing the whole thing.
54:37We'll see you on Saturday afternoon.
54:40After the big Night of Champions show.
54:42Thank you, everybody.
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