Backlash 2023

What's she gonna do? Brother? When Jeff Townsend media runs wild on you? Molly right, alright, alright, alright. It is time for the experience, the experience, and everybody must experience the Billy Dumont experience. Of course, I'm Jeff Townsend joining me as the man that is leading us through this experience, Bill Dumot, Bill, how are you doing? Man? Well? I have to say I've slept better now that we have a new king overcross the Pond. I feel good that Lionel Richie and Katie Berry were there his inauguration. I think it's just fantastic and that made my week start up brilliantly. Isn't it crazy that coverage it gets Like I was watching the show and recently talking about like the decades, like the eighties or something. It was talking about that wedding and how the coverage of it was absolutely insane all around the world. It was everywhere. Yeah, the like that's they draw as much as WrestleMania there standing out for data like it's just absurd the amount of I was listening to some somebody talk about how much merchandise people are selling on the streets and all that. All that stuff. I'm going absolutely ridiculous, Like I want to know. I want to hear from someone who understands that he really has nothing to say. I asked all my friends over there, and they're like, I don't really care. I'm yeah, sure, it doesn't seem like that over there, man. It seems like the other than the people who were there the rest of the world, thast is the biggest, you know, the biggest thing ever. But I just thought i'd throw that in there because you know, I'm I'm a big fan of the UK. So bill about it. When's the last time you went to the UK? Man, It's it's been a minute. The last place I think I've traveled overseas was maybe Dubai or Australia. I'm not sure which one was the last one. I think it might have been Dubai. Same thing, Yeah, Dubai, Australia all the same thing. They're all too far away to stay awake and pay attention to where you're flying. They're further away than Florida. That's all this. Yeah, yeah, I stay I stayed my feet on the ground. Now, So man, what have you had going on this week? I do want to make sure when you're done with that, we talk about the news that we forgot to bring up last week, which I probably already forgot about. Just some good stuff. I had a couple a really good um I call them meetings, you know, like presentations with a couple of local community groups and rotary clubs that do so much in the community. They've invited us in and we've kind of introduced the Foundation to a whole new bunch of different you know, people in organizations and things are really it tends to slow down for us because the schools are getting out and everything, but the summer is building a lot of momentum. So it's just been a lot of you know, just day to day foundation stuff has been really good. And uh, you know that's it just a you're like a social alite man. You're like Paris Hilton. You know, the amount of socializing you have to do for what you're doing, it has to be a lot. And for everybody who knows me, that's not my gig. Like I'm very comfortable, right, I'm an introvert. But you have to go out, you know, and you see people and it's it's to me, it's like the most uncomfortable thing ever, and the you know, my family was laugh. Why is it so cut? You were in front of millions of people for many years. Yeah, but I never noticed any of those people, you know what I mean, you get to look over their heads or over the red light or something like that. But this gig is a little different. You meet a lot of different people, You have a lot of conversations, and you have to, like, you have to adapt to that. You know, it's it's unfortunate. Like everything else, you have to you have to learn how to play that game and be that be that person that they can relate to. So it's a wrestling rules apply here in the foundation, everything goes as wrestling rules apply. Yeah, it's it's you know, it's time to go to work every day. But yeah, I mean it's going to ruin my reputation as an evil person. Sooner or later people gonna go, wait a minute, yeah, I want I want to where's the other guy? So before you got into your big news, I'm going to tell you about what I gotta do today. It was really cool pill. Okay, So Mickey James, Yes, she had a Twitter space and I actually got to talk some wrestling with her, and it was it was awesome. Man, How great is Mickey James? I mean, she really is. Probably doesn't get talked about her recognized enough. Yeah, I don't think, you know, Unfortunately, it's like the rest of the wrestling world. Well, the only time they talked about is if something happens and that social media blows it up, whether it's good, batter and different. But if you follow Mickey as a person and what she does outside the ring and everything she's and to me, she's still like and I don't want to date her or you know, even come close to guessing her age. I've known her for so long, but to me, she's still that same young kid. You know, she still looks the same, she moves the same, she her demeanor is always awesome. Yeah, and you know that. I'm a big fan of her. So when I saw you tweet earlier that you got to talk to her, I was like, well, that's cool as all get out. She's just down to earth, simple as it gets. But she's really good at what she does. Yeah, Like I said, I don't think there's a couple. There's obviously people out there that probably don't get recognized enough. Further, what they've contributed to, you know, the industry, but beside that as a person, yeah, you know, just talking with her and a few other individuals at a personal level was awesome. She's really relatable, and you know, I told her when she gets talking about wrestling, just the I'm not talking like gossip stuff, but just like the the fundamentals and the psychology and the understanding of wrestling to its core, like she is. She and obviously could hear quite often on busts that open with the guys there that she doesn't always contributes, talks a lot of NXT and stuff. The man, I just think she has so much to offer. And I was trying to talk her into doing a podcast. Man, I was like, you have all this knowledge, yeah that's out there and and and I've actually like I was talking to Brett Hart a little bit back a while back, and yeah, he's not probably going to do anything. But it's when we're doing these podcasts, right, it's kind of hard to like explain like my purpose behind it. It's not just the gossipy stuff. To me. A lot of this is is like preserving work, your body of work, Bill, preserving your body of work. Obviously we have a fun time doing it, but there there comes a certain plaint in time. To me, it's also it is about honoring those things, discussing those things, people getting too kind of nostalgia view of those things, and like I said, preserving that history because this is all this is all audio bill that's going to be around forever somewhere for a long time. No, it's the format you've put into place here for what we're doing is awesome. And and I agree with you. I think Mickey be fantastic at it because her knowledge of of the you know, the industry, and you know, for as long as she's been around, truly a student of the game. You know her. I think a lot of people if if you get the opportunity, and I think it's going to happen, um, well, you really sit down and kind of break down the early years of her career and things and Ring of Honor and all that stuff leading into ov W and all you know, where she's been and who she's been the ring with and who she not only that who and I keep saying she, I don't mean, but who Mickey has helped along the way and been a part of their journeys. I think it'd be outstanding. But yeah, I'm a I'm a huge, huge Mickey James fan. I'm kind of kind of keen on her husband too. I think they're both good people. And uh Dominic, who's not so little anymore, is just a just a reflection of his parents. So that and and here's the other thing I really dig about Mickey, and I mean this in the best way possible. She is so family oriented family first. Is always a ticky and and so, and she's just a down to earth, good good kid. I say kid respectfully. She's just a good kid. And I think the world of her. So that's awesome. I hope you, I know, you'll get it done, and I think she'll She'll have a great time doing it because she has a wealth of knowledge that needs to be heard. And you know, her opinions towards the business in the industry are just really really fascinating. So that's good man. I'm glad you got to do that. And I'm sure you're gonna have a lot more opportunities with her. She's she's a and she's a spitfire too. If she what she gets going, it's like hold on, you know, yeah, absolutely, yeah, no, I'm gonna keep I'm gonna keep asking her and hopefully she'll be interested in If not, maybe even I said, come on hang out with us someday. Man. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we we have to start doing that because there's been some people going, hey, do you have guests on there? And I'm like, yeah, we can have guests on there. I don't know if we can or not, but I said sure, sure, so we can. Yeah, we'll starting up some people or something. Yeah. Man, well we'll have to get that region Cajun kid lash LaRue on here. Yeah. Yeah, I just want to make you laugh for an hour, just just last I'll just make you laugh for an hour. Bill. Let's talk about you. Man. I can't believe we did talk about it last week. Well, I for you know, in the course of everything, you forget, you know, and and this so this announcement was really cool. We're broke on Facebook and on Twitter, and like you and I were talking offline last week. You know, I got a phone call about a month or so, well maybe it was right before the New year, um from Gerald Brisco, Jerry Brisco to the wrestling world out there, and so I call it. I always call him mister brisco So, mister Briscoe had called me, and you know, as typical as as the ribbing is, He's like, well, you're sitting down, I need to talk to you. It's a Sunday morning. I'm at the baseball field. I'm going, holy cheese. This is important, you know. And always when at two oh three number comes up on your phone, even though you're not with him anymore, that Connecticut number makes you like nervous. So there's two others, mister brisco I might go up, crap, what I do now? And what I do now? And so. But he broke the news to me that this year in July at them, I will be the recipient of the Luthes Award in Waterloo, Iowa. I'm floored by that. I'm absolutely never expected anything like that. You know. The Luths Award is given to someone who contributes to the community and to outside of the wrestling is ring, you know, takes their whatever the word is, talents or what they do and brings it to the community and does you know, things in the community. And I urge everybody to go on to the Dan Fagos and Luthez Hall of Fame in Waterloo and look at the people that have come before me in this award, and I'm just sitting you know, and every time it gets you know, it's made. But July is right around the corner, and so we're going to be traveling up there to spend a couple of days up there with everybody in Waterloo and receive that honor. And it's just one of those things that's like, uh, you know, it's funny to hear people say all the time, this is what really made it worth it to have, you know, one to have mister Briscoe talk to me like that and yeah and give me that honor was already more than I would ever imagine a bunch of years back when I when I got recognized at Collie Flower Alley. It's just you don't expect those things you don't work for, you know, that's not what you worked for and and to get all those things. So when you get recognized like that and by the group of peers that are involved, all right, really it's very humbling and it's very exciting. And at the same time it's like, oh man, you know, what do I do when I get there? Because I'm I turned into I turned into a little kid. When I'm around those legends, I'm like, yes, sir, and I'm saying I'm going, you know, and they're looking at me, go, why is this big knucklehead acting like that because I'm like, you know, all of the of the room. But um, such an honor. Um. I know. We'll talk about it more as July gets closer. Um, And it's just just really really something that really made this year really cool as far as you know, wrestling and doing what we're doing now with the foundation, everything is tied in and it's just an honor. So I appreciate you asking me about that. Again. We'll talk about it more as it gets closer. I'm trying not to like be that guy on social media, but I want to put a post on every day. Guess what I'm going. Yeah, yeah, maybe I'll have to go hijack at Bill. I don't know, yeah yeah yeah, the build um on experience on scene you know, live live. Yeah, here's yeah. Now, congratulations Bill, thank you. We all like it. No matter how humble we all, we all enjoy a little bit of Rickne's I mean we really do. Yeah, And it's humbling for sure that he just gets you thinking about all the things that all the time that you put in, different things that you've done throughout your life. Congratulations, man, thank you well. The good to me everything I believe, right, I don't believe in coincidence, but I believe things that that go a certain way. It's like this podcast and you and I are talking like it gives me a chance to talk about the industry. I would sports you enough to make a living in had a great time in ups and downs, no matter what, you know, it gave us. You know, this is the format to do that and to see it come full circle again leading into the you know, this Hall of Fame just amazing to me. So it's I'm just humbled by the phone call and the being nominated for it. Like I truly mean that that day or the night before, I'll be like I don't want to go, you know, I'll be sitting in my hotel. Tell my wife, I do not want to see all those people because I don't feel you know, it sounds fine. I don't feel like I belong in the same room with some of these men and women. But very cool, very very cool. I really, you know, I've had a short stint where I didn't talk about wrestling or do anything in wrestling, just you know, with the foundation being so busy and just kind of life taking us where it's taking us. But I'm so glad to be doing this and to get that recognition is really cool, and that whole bit opens doors for more people to get involved, you know, after you know, there's an afterlife in wrestling, and that's I think that's the big picture. So I could talk about it forever, but thank you man. Yeah, and I know we'll talk about it some more as it comes up, but I appreciate it. And yeah, always always an hour to talk about things like that. I'm going to change up what I had planned. I actually had planned on kicking off with backlash per quest from Twitter, but there was a more touching question and I think this would be the moment to do that. Then we will kind of go along with That's what I do. I just on the fly, right, We'll go along with what we're having this remember right here, so we'll continue it before we go more lighthearted. Winter Hail on Twitter wanted to know Bill when your daughter did pass and the tragedy, who in the wrestling industry reached out to you scifically non WW and w B like what stood out to you, who reached out to you and how much it meant to you, I think is what she was asking. And I think you and I we touched on this. You know. Uh no, I don't even know how to do non WWE and WWE the amount of yeah, the amount of I mean, Vince, Vince McMahon, Stephanie and Hunter were some of the first people to literally call me on the phone. It's not like you hear well, they sent you a text messager. And even though they literally called me, I was surrounded. Matt Bloom and Billy Gunn and Ryan Kats and some of the referee boys were with me, and they came by the house and they were checking on us, and Dustin Rhodes and and you know, so just surround and the phone calls and the messages and the conversations from from every from everywhere, you know, whether they were in Puerto Rico or in Japan or or on the road, you know, doing what they're doing. The I always say, and that's that's what I hold in. But that's what a hold dear to me is because as you know, and we talked about it, and I will touch on it forever in a day. I wasn't painted in the best view in social media, right, and everybody has this opinion of something that really doesn't not that it doesn't matter, but it's something to help people escape, and people take it the wrong way. And then when reality comes in and real life is affected and and someone in the industry is affected by that, the wrestling community surrounds them. And you know, I couldn't even put into words how many number of people or the conversations that we've had then and still you know, still to this day. Yeah, the wrestling community just came out in droves and and you know, some of the guys and girls I haven't talked to or heard from in years, and just everybody. It's like a family, Bill, Yeah, man, it's it's it's a dysfunctional family. The thing is is like, you know, I have a younger brother, and I could pick on my brother all day long, but no one else can, you know what I mean. So in wrestling we can all jar and we can all do this and that, but if someone from the outside try to do that, that's always the time. When the boys band together, right, we control the locked room, you control the behind the scenes. But it's that way in life too, because you built those relationships. Even if you've built a crappy relationship with someone over the years, when real life comes into plane, it's and someone needs you, the boys are there. It just reinforces in me what I did for thirty years, who I did it with, and why we did it. And there's so much of a bigger picture. And I know it's like a soapbox, but I wish people would think about that before they start terrapy down or repeating things or you know, just talking about something they don't know. But going back to the question, it's just numerous, numerous people, and some shocking to me, like because you didn't have a certain relationship with certain men and women, but then for them to call you in or to make sure they see you in person, just just blew me away. That the reach that my my kids have, you know what I mean. And my girls grew up in it, so like the Deep South kids. I still call them kids, you know. They all my girls grew up with the Deep South kids. So every time they see them on TV, and you know, they're always still sending messages and stuff. Like that because you know my kids are now you know, Casey's like a grown woman for crying out loud, and they go, wait a minute, she's still, you know, eight years old. But I love the wrestling community for that. And you know, just every and to this day you see guys and girls and it's just a big hug and everybody just checks on you. So I know that was a terror answer. I apologize, but that's like I wish I could go down. If I had to name everybody, we'd be here for six days. But it's just as as a group, as a as in the industry, as a wrestling family was just it really helped. And then the guys and the girls that were with us hands on, and then and the boys that surrounded my wife and my kids at the time, just no word like Billy Gunn and his wife, Paula, and Dustin and his wife, and Matt Blew him and his wife, and just people that surrounded us with like nothing but you know, make us laugh, try to you know, help us take our minds off of things, and then sit and be there for when you need a shoulder to cry on or you just need to sit in the dark. I never had so many grown men just come and sit by my side the dark. We didn't say anything for hours at a time. But that's that's the love and respect I have for those guys, and I'll never forget that ever. First of all, I don't I don't think that was a dumb or wrong answer. I think or a bad one. As you said, I think a bad answer would have said, would have been nobody. Yeah, yeah, you know that would have been a bad answer. So yeah, no, it was. It's amazing, you know, well that was a good I think the time, it was good to get that question asked. Yeah, I changed that up too, it was. And it's important to know people that you're showing how appreciative you are. So you can't do that enough to today's society, like you said, a lot of negative things going on, and yeah, probably don't take a moment to stop and do that enough. Yeah, I like Mark Henry says it best, right, you know, listen to Mark and I've been to Mark Henry fans since they we met. Yeah, um, and he always says giving everybody their flowers, you know. So it's just something you have to you have to, like anything else, if it's repetition. You start making it the habit and make sure that everybody knows, hey, man, good to see, or hey stay safe and all these other things instead of going what the hell are you doing? You know, yeah, it's it's good. It's good. It's good for everybody to get out there and to be able to give people their flowers and say thank you as much as they can. So as always, I appreciate that opportunity. Well, we'll jump into some backlash stuff here. We had a couple of people ask about it. I did see that Vince mcmon's mustache on Twitter, requested that you just got your opinion on this. I don't know if you're able to find this individual. Finally, you see my pater. I found find this individually fits his mustache. I found him and I'm following him on Twitter. Now. Awesome, I found awesome. Oh it's a pretty interesting Twitter account. Yeah. Yeah, there's something like sharing wrestling. That's it's something about Vince mcman's favorite saying wrestling sports entertainment pal or. Yeah. Yeah, okay, so yeah, we could talk about backlash all at all. Man, you know, Puerto Rico, I thought we'll get into a little bit match by match, But did that crowd show up or what get a great listen? And you know, for people have never been there, right, It's one of those things like where where if you had your druthers of where's the ideal places you wanted to work? Like, I think the new generation there's not as many places. Right. They still know they can go to Mexico and do something. But there's no Portland, there's no Carolinas, there's no you know, um all the all these other places in Texas and but Puerto Rico is one of the best territories ever. And I had the opportunity to spend three years there. Um. So when I when we were watching Backlash, I was getting like just like flashbacks of the crowds. Now that's a new arena and I've never performed in there. You know, we was at the ball stadiums and the other arenas, but this new arena to see it back to the house and see that passion and and it's funny, you know, I was talking about like with Casey and Billy are watching and Lacey's watching and Billy's like exact how you remember it? And I'm like, hell yeah, Like those people were on fire. For everything that happened, and the more you gave them, the more they gave back. They were just ready for it, you know. So I thought it was I thought it was awesome. I'm pretty sure I'll put I'll put a little bit of the ranch money on it. That they weren't piping in any yeays and booze that night. It was a it was a full blown party, I agree, packed house. I'm just setting the scene here because I thought that was incredible. Yeah, yeah, I agree. Yeah, So indevid ev really is a global international thing, and it's good to see them expandient start doing events. Obviously they're doing the study area they've they've been doing that. To go out and continue to do things like this, I think they're awesome. Well, I think it's like something else. We get to see it every week. Three hours on Monday, two hours on Friday. I don't know what they called paid live events now and things like that, but to like poor when I don't know when the last time was, I know they said it the last time they were in Puerto Rico for a wrestling event. But to your po they're just a global juggernaut and when they go outside of home North America. Everybody's itching for it. They're just ready to go, and it's just hats off to them. I think everybody did an outstanding job. Absolutely, we'll jump into it here, and I'm using coverage by No DQ. I always want to highlight them, that is, I don't want to say they're not necessar. They're not like dirt sheet reporters. What they do do a great job is capturing all the different things being said out there and sharing it, yeah, and citing sources. So yeah, so yeah, man, let's kick it off. Bianca Belle Elvers. You know, Sky is for the raw women's title. Crowd was behind, so what about this bill? Did you see this coming? How behind they were of Yo Sky and the booing of Bianca No no, but it's just crazy. That's but Puerto Rico's a wrestling community. I was there and and way before I got there. But people people believed in the characters, in their in their actions and their demeanor. You know, you couldn't do one thing and then going to the beach and be playing with babies in the stand of building sandcastles. You had to be that person all the time. But Puerto Rico is gonna let you know. And that to me, that just showed the intelligence of that of that fan base because from the minute EO came out, she was on fire. And did you realize they actually mentioned Okay? So I felt like one mistake is made with her. They haven't really mentioned and really drove home her work that she has done in their industry. And I feel like this is where they started mentioning some of that stuff where she comes, like the work that she's come in from New Japan and yeah, man, they don't do a very good job of explaining that with her. So I thought it was a good moment also because the crowd reaction kind of forced the conversation about her for the announcers the commentator. So I thought that was awesome. Yeah, and that's always been the fortunate part of the new breed that comes in every you know, every time there's a new breed that comes in. So if you're from NXT, that's why they change your name, and that's why they you know, you're not Tyler Black, You're you're Seth Rollins and they changed people's names and they didn't exist before WWE. I don't think it's necessarily meant as you didn't exist. But we don't care what you did. We're gonna make you a superstar and that's what we want people to remember. But I el it demanded that we knew about her because you had to explain why that crowd went frantic, went absolutely frantic for her and everything she did. There were people that know who she was before she came to the WWE, and that's the girl. And again, so everybody's there. I'm not saying girl in a in a battle like I'm an old guy. She's a young lady, So she's a girl to me. That's the young woman that I think everybody's been waiting to see in Damage Controls. She's a different she's in a different role, a different you know, demeanor, and this was her time to shine. And I think that was kind of the the the outline for the whole night, you know, without jumping ahead, but that was her time to shine. I think she took it full advantage of it, and it was an outstanding way to start the pay per view outstand I didn't care who won, I didn't care who lost. I just thought it was an outstanding way to get the people involved and then to start the night off and I always go back to that thing. I say, you know, I love the saying of follow that that's a tough one to follow. That's the that's the first one out of the gate, and now you just gotta keep raising the bar. But outstanding, outstanding maps. The only thing that made me nervous the whole time is when Bianca had the one handed press and EO took the pancake face to the map. But hats off to those girls. They worked their tails off and they really kicked off the night strong, the better of the two women's matches of the night for sure. I'm not going to argue with that, I definitely think because I'll be honest, haven't been impressed with the storyline they've built up with that, But there's so many storylines. I get all of them are all going to be at home run yea. And they really went out and just did really well with what not a whole lot of backstory to it. The backstory is simply just damage control. Yeah, and when we finally got to see more of her, and I think that was the highlight for me. I'll get through some of the moments here, kay. Yeah. We talked about how they were so behind her, which was crazy. So she worked Bianca Belair's left arm. She'd be an EO with her arm. Hardy. Bianco was having trouble making a comeback. The two exchange of blows of Bianco finally started build momentum after hitting a backbreaker. I thought that was a nice looking maneuver. What a maneuver. However, Bianca started selling her arm again. Bianca managed to deliver a military press slam with one arm, followed by a moon's salt, but there was a kick out. So you just talked about that one arm. How impressive is that Bill she? I mean, I know she's incredible strength. I know men that can't do it. And anybody could say, well, she's a bigger woman, and she's a you know, an All American athlete. And I don't care who you are. You and I say this to everybody listening, and everybody's gonna watch this. I you go ahead and find someone that you can hold over your head in a straight guerrilla press and then try to do with one arm. That's an amazing feat of strength. There's a lot of trust there and it's amazing balanced by EO being up there as well. So that was. It was so impressive. This article is doing a really good job, and like I thought, she's really working the arm work in the arm, trying to take away the strength of Uncle bel Air. Right. Obviously I did like how she hit that springboard missile drop kick center to the outside. That she came off the top rope with a moon salt to the floor, incredibly risky, but nailed it. Back in the rings she went for the top rope can run up. Bianco Countera with a sit down power bomb. That was impressive. Yep. I don't know why I was surprised with the kickout. I think at that point in time it was the match was I was into the match to the point where my disbelief had been suspended and I was caught up in the moment. Oh kick out, you know doesn't necessarily happen often with me, but I will. I will say that damage control came out. What did uh Pat Patterson always say all the gaga? Yeah, although the gaga ensued, but ultimately Decauda took a cheap shot with the referee distracted, I went for the moonsalt but missed. I Bianco Beller won with the kod again. They did a great job. I thought, yeah, you know, it goes back. So if you if you don't look at it as the hardest thing for me is looking at it from a wrestling perspective, right psychology perspective. Going back to the storyline, these these matches were made two weeks before whatever it was because this was gonna be kind of like a one off kind of thing, but it's to build for this big show of backlash. But I thought it was like I was like you, I got caught up in the in the fall spinaches and I wasn't saying there going oh, that should never have I was going, this is amazing, and hats off to them when they can take you that way and you kind of forget yourself and just watch it for what it is. Um don't I don't know if they need it. Don't excuse me the rest of damage control. But the one thing that WWE does, and I'll say this about a e W as well, there's so many people in their after they make sure that people are getting involved and you know, at least are not not forgotten about or why is this and so they can always tie something back into it. Because ww doesn't fantastic job but putting packages together and they could show the interference and all that. But the girls did great. Um, the gagag got over and everybody was happy with that. The crowd was received it well, and then the girls just took it home strong and it really was really was very very cool, great start to the night. It was a great start to the night. I will say that. For me, I'm ready for this damage control thing to blow over. Yeah. I think this is just another indicator of the talent that they have that's probably not getting highlighted enough with the faction with the faction stuff. Yeah, I'll leave it at that for me. I know what Bailey can do. Yeah, I know what EO can do. I've heard I've never met Dakota. I know what she's done, but I haven't seen it for myself. But after watching EO, you have to say, come on, set her free and let her do that, because that's otherwise we have her and Oscar in the same situation international superstars that come over and he kind of watered down in these situations. But to see EO, you know, open up and be able to cut loose and do that, and like you said, you can't say enough, how the crowd was behind her. That that that crowd made WW tell the story of who she is and what she's done in your career. So I agree with you. I think Damage Control needs to kind of I'm sure they get back to it at different times if they want, but I think it's time for everybody spread their wings and and I'm just ready to see Bailey get back into the mix on her own and her saying I get it. It was a way to kind of segue Bailey back into have her introduced these characters. Yeah, but at this one time, I think they're all exceeded that on their skill level. Probably they all have something to offer. Obviously Bailey does. Yeah, and we just proved the others due too. So yeah, I'm ready to move on from a second match of The night Man Seth Freakin, Franklin, Rawlins, verse Yarman, Oh Moss. So here are the highlights. Rawlins was basking in the crowd, singing his music when Omas attacked him. So what did you think about that he attacked with that big boot from mind? Yeah, I thought it was cool. I thought it was a great way to well, you know, to jump started. I guess what else were you going to do you work you get you can't call an elbow lock up with the guy from crying out loud. So I thought it was a good trying to set the tone right away. If you were a bad guy, wouldn't you get sick of standing there? And yeah thinking that? Yeah? So, and especially as a bad guy that's seven foot four and four hundred something bounds, gunn kick his head off. So I thought I thought it was a good start. I mean, I don't I'm gonna let you read because otherwise I'm gonna go off on a tangent. But yeah, go ahead, keep breaking it down. Yeah, no, I'll I'll just power through it here and then we'll talk about it. Yeah, and I'll tell you what I thought. So match gets started. Omas wipes Rawlins out with a clothesline. Omas continued to work over Rawlins as the crowd saying Rollin's thong. Rolins is able to build some momentum. After Omas went into the ring post on the outside, Rawlins went for a dive that it was caught into, caught and slammed into the apron. I thought that looked good. A Moss tossed Rawlins over the top rope back into the ring, pressed him there to do that. Back in the ring, Rawlins made a comeback and attempted to give him Moss a pedigree, but was unsuccessful. Back body dropped him over his knee. There, Rollins did manage to hit a tornado d et followed by a frog splash, but Omas kicked out. At one. Rawlins tried a stomp, but a Moss wouldn't budge, so his literally neck or nothing moved as he's tried to stomp him. A Moss hit Rawlins with a choke slamp, but Rawlins kicked out. Rawlins finally managed to hit a stomp. Rawlins knocked MVP off the apron and hit another stomp to a Moss, but Omas kicked out it too. Rawlins finally one after hitting a stomp off the top rope to a moss o Moss did a Moss did well. You have to say he did well because of who he was with. That's just yeah to me. I don't know who was involved in in that match, producer wise or anything else that had Seth is Seth handprints all over it, Like there's a reason why the statch You've seen a moss far bill and then I thought about it after the fact is Oh, unless he's married to Seth, what's he gonna do now? Because there's a reason why you call Seth Robins the architect, probably one of, if not the best ring general WWE as because Rady Orton's you know, out on the shelf. But Seth Rollins. So what were the other I'm so he had the match with Brock at WrestleMania. What was the other big match he had? He's done a bunch of stuff with aj styles. That's that's what stands out to me. Yeah, it didn't stand out that much. So it didn't stand out that right, So I thought there was I thought it was Brock, someone else and then Seth I don't even remember off the top of my head. So just getting to Seth, I thought he he handled it, he controlled it the whole way, made almost look as as good as humanly possible. But in that match, I found the things like I was watching as I worked with Collie when he came in. If I had, you know, almost I would the things like when he backed away and he was mocking him, you know, his his demeanor. I think that he needs to work on that more because he could very easily just palm someone's face and mock them instead of having that instance, which should make me think he's more of a terrorizer. Does that make sense, instead of being a character at seven foot four, really digging down a little bit. But I thought, again, I thought this was a really good Like I was pleasantly surprised at that this match and again it did. You didn't look at it as all, this doesn't work that you know that little critique I just had that. I thought about that after the fact, but during the match, I thought it was great and to me, it just solidifies who Seth Rawlins is and what he means to the company. And I thought, so again a good way to follow match one, got the big guy over. That's the most that's the longest he's been in the ring, and his best match in my opinion. Yeah, that's that's been his best match. So I hope he bought uh sent Seth a big steak dinner to his hotel room that night or something. I know you're going to sail that. No, I agree with you percent. I curious. We'll see what's next for both of them. Yeah, they're kind of both doing this temporary and limbo thing. So we'll see. Yeah, I'd like to see MVP get involved, not necessarily in the physicality, but I know he's so it's almost like almost can break away from MVP. I'd like to see MVP get back to what he does so well that's just a side note, but no, really good. No, I agree, MVP moving another direction would be nice. Yeah, I don't know if it's managing somebody else, I'm not sure, but definitely could use some more MVP besides just trying to talk up a loss. Triple threat match was next. Austin Theory, Bobby, Lashley, and Bronson read the United States Title match, your belt, bill, your favorite built, Okay, so I'll just go ahead and go through it here. Lashley went right after Theory and then turned his attention to read. Theory came back in and prevented Lashley from applying the hurtlock on Reid. Theory and Reid started working together against Lashley. Lashley fought back and speared Theory but read hold lastly out of the ring, Reid delivered a Vader bomb outside to Lashly. Back in the ring, Read hit the tsunami to Lashly, but Theory broke up the pen read power Slam Theory and went for the Moonsalt but missed. Lashly speared Read but Theory three last year out of the ring and was opportunist and penned him to retain the title. Oh you know it was okay, I don't. I haven't been feeling this read and Lashly. They have exactly put any magic together yet. No. Yeah, I'm not even like the backstage segments when they're kind of doing the interview thing and like, I like this Bronson Reid. He's a big guy that moves well. I love astually. I'm a Bobby Lashly fan. I'm not feeling what they're doing with him. And you know, it almost comes across where I don't know if Bobby's feeling what they're doing, Like it almost seems like he's not sure. He was on such a tear not that long ago, and it's almost seem like he's been cooled off and now trying to find his way again. But that's just me being hi the whole Bray Wyatt than kind of threw him off, maam. But I thought the match itself was good. I appreciated the timing on everything because as as a former big man, you used to get the big guys who just laid in the ring and watched it happen. I mean, Reid kept disappearing and making for you know, making the saves and interrupting, and the same with you know that Austin theories an athlete for for decades. I mean, we'll be talking about him till the cows come home and then, you know. But I don't think Bobby last Sea's in the class by himself. So while I agree, I don't see the one on one with him and Bronze read. I liked this triple threat. It exceeded you know, you know, you have to say it exceeded my expectations. I thought it was good and again, listen to the people. They loved the action, they loved what was going on, and they appreciated it. So, but it'll be interesting to see where where all three men go. But like I said, Backlash, it was a situational pay per view I think, And but it'd be interesting to see how this breaks off and what times of it. Yeah, it was probably my least favorite match of the night, which is not knocking the match. Then it was a bad match. It's just I'm not feeling them working together. I think the good job in the match, But like you said, Kerry, see where they all three go. I would like to see them all the three do something different. Just yeah, yeah, I agree, Yeah, it didn't. You're right. It kind of feel like it was thrown together for this pay per view. And yeah, I don't see Yeah, I don't. I don't me personally, and I agree with you. I don't see Bronson and Bobby having that great chemistry where they can, you know, make a run out of it and tells good stories and things like that. And it's not a knock on either one. It's just sometimes it's just not there. So it might be a clash too in style styles, a little bit of work. Yeah. So the next match, rear Ripley verse Bilina Viga took place, obviously, and this was significant it because man, they did a great job with Viga, just the presentation and the crowd was so behind her. You could feel it. This match, to me, I can understand and appreciate why it's happening because of where it is storyline wise. Nothing but another match. Like we've been talking about the previous ones, they really overachieved. I mean, I mean, the performance was good. See to me, this was my least favorite match of the night, and get pack. Here's so here's a couple of things. The pomp and circumstance was amazing when when Zelena came out, and she came out in the Puerto Rican flash, she opened it up. But they were talking and they gave a great history, but they didn't talk about her history in Puerto Rico. They announced her from New York. They talked about her story from New York, and they never tied for me. They never tied it in to the fans that were there. So it's almost that. And here's where you get in trouble, right, because here's where you overthink and where here's where overthink go. I could have came out with that fantastic outfit and they would have bopped what I what I wanted to see, and I lost a bet with my son. I said, here's what I want to see. This great entrance, the crown was on fire for Zelina Vega right, Ria's there watching it all this. I wanted that match to end in under two minutes. With Ria being the strong champion that she is. You can't give and this is I know this is an unpopular opinion. If you read a lot of the things, everybody said, no, she should have went over and she should have became a champion for at least a week or two weeks and that thing. But that's not to me. That made her And if she would have got you know, old school squashed, she would have been over huge just the same when she got up to leave anyway, And I think it would have protected Ria more, you know what I mean. So, yeah, it wasn't It wasn't a bad match. It was my least favorite because expectations made me believe, as you look at the card, the people are with it, the people are with the people are with it, here's the time to shut them down. That's that was my mindset, Like, you really want to incite a crowd in Puerto Rico, you really want to get those die hard fans worked up? Yeah, shut her down in two minutes. But that's just that's why my evil brings not there behind that scenes anymore. Yeah. I think that man send them home happy, that this crowd really got the best of a lot of that outcomes and action. Yeah, and you're right, that probably would have been a moment that would have got them riled up a little bit. I did think they hit a beautiful DDT. They obviously had to get the six one nine in there, and they catered to the crowd in this one for sure. Yeah yeah, But to your point, maybe unnecessary, I think, and only because like I said, there, you have enough going on there where they're leaving happy regardless. And if they and I say in Puerto Rico, if they leave mad there twice as happy because that means they gave you one hundred ten percent of their energy those fans. I just I just really thought they were gonna stick it to the fans because you look at it and they you know, Corey Graves I think was trying to tell the David and Goliath story. But I just didn't think it came into play there. I you know, I don't think it would have hurt Zelena to lose Quicker, you know, or anything like that. I think it really would have been sided everybody and really got them stacked up for the matches we're gonna be talking about next. But like I said, good match. I'm a rear Ripley fan, and you truly appreciate how small in statures Zelena is. When she stood next to Ria Ripley. It was like, holy cheez, you truly appreciate how big Rio Ripley is. Yeah, it's it was, you know, it's almost that was the story in itself. So yeah, both did a great job. I know. It was a very emotional night for for Zelena, and hats off to them. I'm glad she got that that night. I thought that people were as long as the people were happy, and that they definitely seemed to be. But that to me, that was my that was my match. I had expectations, Yeah, and I certainly wasn't unhappy. So yeah, you know, yeah, the next match, like you talked about, this is obviously one that. Man, let's be honest. It was definitely well it was. It was kind of built as a second main event. And again, man, I'll go through the action here, but I'll just say, you can't give bad Money enough credit. You could tell how much time and effort he's put into it, and for somebody like himself really one of the most popular music artists in the world. It's it's crazy to see he goes back to that and correct me if I'm wrong. I think I used this a lot, but I always I used to say to talent, would you do this if you weren't getting paid? Ninety nine percent of them said, hell no, I'm out of here. So you see the kind of that passion word that's used and desire and wanted to be the best this, This bad bunny doesn't have to do this much like he doesn't have to do this. He's world renowned, he's an he's got all these other his irons are in the fire. He's he's healthy, he's safe, he's you know, he's a good looking cat. He ain't got no bumps and bruises on him. And for anybody to tell me that he didn't put time and effort into that, you gotta be out of your mind. And he to me, he just proved he's a fan of the business, the biggest hero of the night. And I said, Seth Roylands the biggest hero. Damian Priests, the biggest hero of the night. This match was freaking awesome. It was. I'll cover it here, then we'll deep dive, key, let me power through it. Here. There's a lot to say bad and I'll go through the cliff notes. Obviously some of the bullet points again by note TQ here and rift it was a street fight. That's why his build as I thought it was cool and bad. Bunny came out with the shopping cart filled with weapons, push it to the ring. Priests pie faced Bunny at started the match. Bunny slap Priest and hit hit a I'm not sure what that maneuver is. That's left blank here. Whatever reason, he hit a driver onto him and he kicked out. Bunny tried to use Kindo sticks, but Priest stopped him. Priests hit South of Heaven choke slam. I love that chokeslam, by the way, but Bunny managed to stay in the fight. Bunny closedline Priest out of the ring and then came off the top with a cross body to the outside. Priest uses various weapons, including Kinda sticks on excuse me on priest. Priests acted like he was trying to leave. You probably remember this point in the match, but kicked then his back. Bad Bunny approach him with the trash can. He kicked the trash can into him. Yeah. The two fought into the crowd. Both ended up fighting on production crate and Priests gave Bunny a Falcon arrow through a table below. That was pretty neat looking back in the ring, priest hurt his leg, Bunny started to target it with a kinda stick. Bunny also used a steel chair to work over the leg. Priest started to beg and when Bunny showed mercy, Priests kicked Bunny in the face. Bunny responded with a low blow, but the judgment day arrived. Rare Mysterio ran down to make the say, but he was overwhelmed. Then what do you know, I spit in the face at people that don't like to be cool? Carlito al awesome was this? Carlito then made a surprise appearance to help bad Bunny and Mysterio. Carlito spit an apple in Dominique's face. Baylor and Dominique tried to escape, but Savio, Vega and the LWO blocked their escape path. A raw broke out and Savio delivered some shots to Baylor. The match finally continued. Priest leg gave out on him and Bunny applied the figure for to priest. Priests escape, but was sent into the steel chair. Bunny hit the sliced bread number two, but Priests kicked out. Bunny used a chair again and finished off priests with a Bunny destroyer. After the match, all the faces got in the ring and celebrated with Bunny in the Puerto Rican flag. How fun was this? So I'm laughing because I thought it was great at the end, Like you went to the celebration, right, So I guess we'll go backwards at the celebration. If you've if you've been an athlete, if you've competed to the point where you're exhausted, you know, the wibble wobble of the jimmy legs, right, your legs kind of given out. So he's trying to give props to the to the fans and say, but you see him a little uneasy, and they were lifting him up onto the for a minute there, I thought he was just gonna straight pass out because that that guy left it all out there. I mean he did he I think instinct kicked in. All he knew is he couldn't stop. He was coming out for weapons and almost looked like he wanted to just lean on that cart for like twenty more minutes and get his bearings. But it was really really exciting. I'm a huge fan of punishment. Punishment Martinez. Uh, you know, Damian Priest, I'm a huge fan of his and to see him getting getting that opportunity to do that with Bad Bunny. I thought it was really cool. Um as a as an old timer, I got the freaking chill bumps a Carlito's music and then to see you know Quang come out and do his do his stuff with Finn Balor. It was all feel good stuff that the people really ropped on. But you can't take away from what those guys did. They beat the hell out of each other. Like I was like, right on, good for you, And I have to put I have to put my wife over here for a minute because as we're watching it, and you know, they went off into that production table, so insider, right, a little insider. As they're going you see, you see Damian Priest grabbed the back of his neck. So no matter how they landed, Priest was going to take all the damage on that. He was going to make sure the Bad Bunny filled the least amount of that as he could. And I pop, because it's my wife who's picking this stuff up, going did you see that? And so here again, here's my family sitting on the edge of the sofas in the room and we're watching wrestling like fans, you know, and to me, that's awesome. It's kind of the theme of the night. I thought it was really good. Bad Bunny doesn't, and anybody who had anything to say after that match's like, oh, why should a rock star or music guy get get to beat up and take on one of the w W because it's entertainment, because otherwise we have to take this whole thing apart and pull it apart, you know, ddts and chipper kicks and whirling dervishes and all this other stuff. It was an awesome, awesome match, and it's solidified why Damian Pieces and the Spotties and Bad Bunny can sell Canny. Hey, yeah, you think he's actually getting Yeah yeah, I mean man, Yeah, Dannian Price is great and special shout out too. From what I've read a lot, Brian Kendrick was also significant and working with Bad Bunny again. Yeah, I didn't know that, like he did the time before. A lot of times spent with Brian who that's who they also brought in for Ronda Rousy right yeah in the beginning. Yeah. So he's done a lot of stuff with these people and they seem to really enjoy obviously. Dannian Priest is on the road, right, So we have like a Brian come in and and I believe it's Brian Kendrick. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's the one who worked with Ronda. He worked with Bad Money too. He worked with him this time quite a bit. I read so special shout out to him coming in and putting that time. Man, I think, yeah, and they definitely tell the Bad Money he had some help. And then the trust he put into whoever was coaching him and working with him. I mean clearly he put the time in like he didn't just you know, fly in that morning. Okay, what do you guys want to do? Like he's clearly been doing his thing. And that was what was so impressive about it, because other than the fact that people putting over, you know, the commentators after put over who he is as a legitimate superstar in the in the real world, if they weren't saying that, you would never know it. I mean, he was going at it like one of you know, one of the boys. And so it was really good. I was really super super happy for for everybody involved. As a fan, I got my payoffs with my my Legends of the Caribbean in there, and and like I said, earlier. WW does a really good job of keeping everybody, at least in the in the atmosphere, everybody broke apart. Those two men would add it only the way they could and a great, great match. Carlito very underrated, obviously, he had a premature exit to the company, made made appearances here and there. For those of you not that you may not know, he's very his father, his family very significant to Puerto Rican Wrestling. Yeah, and he continues to wrestle. First of all, I'd say he's in the best shape he's ever been ever. And you know, here's a little behind the scenes story for you. I did. I was talking with him and Chris Masters last year about recording some content Chris Adonis as you know, the masterpiece of we for them to be because they're still really close. They do a lot of stuff together, but you couldn't get car Leato to quite budge and get in on it. Uh. But man, how it was great to see him back. He to me because of my age, Bill, that is really so the attitude air and post that. Yeah, you know, then car Leato comes into play and I remember that and maybe you know, eventually he works his way back into the scene on more regular basis. Maybe it's obviously grown he's grown up. Yeah, what was it? Was it to two years ago or last year where he came back for a running or something like that, and it's really yeah, the response was great and everything. So who knows what goes on behind the scenes or what the relationship is. But um, when that music hit, oh didn't even here two two sounds before they exploded, they knew who was coming out and it was yep, it was. It was awesome And whoever put that together? And I know I read where T N T Or Savio said that it was Damian Priest and Bad Bunny that we're making the suggestions of bringing the Caribbean legends in. And it was a great call. I mean it was a great call. It really made it gave it full circle in that and on the island there and in the match, and it didn't take anything from the match. Everything enhanced the match. I thought it was really really good. These guys. Dave Meltzer's ratings will come out till tomorrow as of this recording two point three. I hope that they get a great rating that they'd rightfully deserve. I will say one thing though, and this isn't a knock on the match, because I thought the match was awesome. It was highly entertaining, which is, like you said, the point of all of this we're talking about, is it LWO gotta be done now. Yeah, I'm not feeling it. I'm not feeling this new LWO. I'm thinking maybe it was for this, which okay, cool that I understand. I'm on board with that, but at this point in time, now, what do you do with that? I don't even I feel like I feel weird when Rays in it. I don't think it. I don't know. It's to me, it's like the damage control thing you have. You have great talent, yeah, and you know you kind of don't know what to do with them. So let's put this faction back together. But there's really not a lot you can do with that faction because it's not lack of a better term, to me, it's not believable. So it's it's it's tough to get behind it or anything like that. I think it's maybe it was a counter to the judgment day because you know, Rhea was the female, so Zelene is I don't know. I just don't it just I'm with you, man, it doesn't click for me, so I'm not sure. To me, that's another one of those damage control things that they could always come back to when it's needed for when the get needs to band together. But otherwise, let let everybody fly. We'll go into this match here, the Bloodline versus Sammy's and Kevin Owens and Matt Riddle. So I did notice the Matt Riddle king him out in his beautiful lime green trunks with his toe nails and figure nails painted lime green. How does Matt Riddle fit into this storyline? Because he because I mean he. I feel like they're just trying to have a way to like continue the storyline a little bit. Obviously. I think there has to be another USO's Owen Zane match. I know they had one on roll or whatever SmackDown, I mean, but they got to have one more great match. I say that'll happen, yeah, but this seems like just a filler in the meantime. Yeah, they brought Riddle back, right, and for two weeks they kind of been give him the lack of a better term, the rocket and really been trying to get him back into people's eye and everything. I know, the story is Riddle got one over run Solo right a little while back. Yeah, But to me, it doesn't. It doesn't tie in, and I feel like it waters down the Bloodline Zane Owen's story, I think, yeah, he waters it down. And I'm a and I am a fan of Riddle evolved and like he did before and in his fighting, but it just felt like he was being forced into the storyline and he had nothing to do with it. Yeah, but we'll talk about the match because the match wasn't bad at all. I will go ahead and go through it here. The Faces had their early momentum against the USOS, but then Solo tagged himself in and gained the upper hand for his team. The Bloodline worked over and tagged himself in. Note that right, because this is a continue to see man. Yes, the Bloodline worked over Zane and Jay piled Owens off the apron to prevent a tag. Riddle was eventually able to make his hot tag. He cleaned house and received a standing ovation from the fans. They were into it, they were into seeing him, they really were there. Owens tagged in and delivered a Swanton bomb, but Jimmy kicked out Man. He delivers a beautiful one too. Jimmy tried to super kick Owens but missed and hit Jay. Owens hit Jay with a pop up power bob, but Jay kicked out Owens and Jay and gave Jenne hockey fight and traded kicks. Both guys ended up down and gat us standing ovation. Zane tag didn't hit Jimmy with a blue thunderbomb, but Jimmy kicked out. Zane came off the top rope but was caught with a double super kick, And at this point in time, i mean, I'll just I'll just I'll bring it up the way he just kind of melts down his legs. So he takes his double super kick and his legs just melted down and he goes down Sammy. Zane just does all the little things that dramatic, like he just got stopped in midair with two people kicked him in the face and he just melted, you know, just straight down to the ground. That's why they call it an art form. I mean it's like, when it's done right, you're like, that's believable. I mean you literally you're like a wet noodle. I mean, Sammy's his control of his body's amazing. Anyway, I just I noted that moment. I don't know why, sometimes I note little things like that. But when he took that double supper kick and he just kind of his legs went out from underneath them, he didn't like, he didn't take like it was realistic, right, because he didn't take some like crazy bump. Yeah, he like fell on top of his own legs. Yeah he would if you're truly kicked like which hurts hurts my knees when I see him fall back like you know, and everything bends. Yeah. But but that but to me, that's what got Sammy, and that's what got Sammy to the next level is his believability and his facials and his body control and everything. And I think that was the theme here of this match, was I was more intrigued with the story being told of the secondary physicality and the and the faces and the you know, the the emotions and the and the the meaner of everybody was what sold me on the whole thing. Yep. And we'll dive into that more. And you're right, the Usas are just so damn good at that now too. They've come just so far and really our Hall of Fame Tag Team. Yeah, I'll finish this off here. The he kicked out of that double super kick off the top rope owens and Jay engaged in already got to that. Okay, okay, here's the moment where it really started to escalate here and this is what we were, This is what I was saying earlier. Jay started trash talking. He slapped Zane for causing the bloodline issues, blaming Sammy Zane. You know, he was the reason behind it all. He was gonna finish off zaying, but Solo tagged himself in very aggressively, let's say. And this went back and forth a few times. Jay put him in his place, told to get back on the apron. Zane took out Solo with a hul of a kick, and Zane hit the kick to Jay, but Solo broke up the pin. Things broke down with everybody in the ring, and this is like, and I will say, at one point in this match it was good, but I was thinking, where the hell are these people? And they made the cardinal sin of showing. But this because he was in camera shot Riddle for I don't know what seemed like fifty freaking minutes selling his arm or something against the bear. Did you see this too? I'm like, don't show that. I'll try. Did not think about how Riddle hasn't been in the ring for fifteen minute? What happened to Riddle to where he couldn't wrestle? There those thrown out of the ring. If you see him over there, like and uh, I don't think they meant to catch him on camera because w B that's one thing I will see very good. They are damn good with cameras. And second, it was only for his one second. But you see Riddle over there over selling. We don't know what. Oh, yeah he's here, Yeah, he's here. Yeah, yeah, but things broke down. Everybody got in the ring. You know, Riddle made a comeback, everybody did Samoan Spike He actually okay, so Solo almost gave Jay the one. He actually grabbed him by the throat here and at the moment it was like, oh, he didn't know it was him, but he didn't let go at that point in time. This is showing the tension that's building up between the bloodline, especially those two Jay and so though yeah, they had a heated face off, Riddle was on the verge of meeting Jay, Solo tagged back in when Riddle wasn't aware of this tag. He finished off Riddle with a smallan spike to win the match. Riddle, of course took the pen, which I think is why it was the thought, probably all along with the third person being with them, that the other person has got to take the pen. But man, a good match. All these guys are very really talented. We got cc the tension built up in the bloodline a little bit more. And I will say one thing. They're not in a hurry with this storyline. No, it's about time. It's about time. It's something that's lasted this long, you know that that continues to make sense. It's not like something they just grasping at straws. This thing keeps building and just when you think they reached the pinnacle at WrestleMania, here they are back again, you know, with a with a different swerve to it. But that to me, the story, the match, the athletes, the match, all good stuff, all great stuff. The best part of that match was the story being told between the brothers, especially you know Jay and Solo, those exchanging tagging themselves back in the best part of the match to me, with the end, Solo kept feeling the chest where he got that slap to get tagged in and kept looking at the thumb and he kept doing these things and just to have that way with those faces and the sideways thing. And you know, Jimmy's always trying to give everybody smile like, oh, we're cool, but you see the tension like that's tremendous, tremendous storytelling. And to me, that was that was the part of the match. The action boom, we know who owens and Zane aar, we know who Riddle is, we know who the bloodline is. The action was great, they didn't disappoint, but that story, man, was just monumental. The acting and this story has been next level. And like you said, for the people like us that and I'm no means like you as far as what I know, but as a fan, I even realize a little things like like you're just saying, just the body language, the just everything that they everything they're doing, they do it for a reason, which we always end up going down this road on this podcast. But that's the difference between w W and a W. Yeah. But so to that point, Jimmy and Jay when they were young and starting out they wanted to they can do all these amazing things. We just want to flip, flap and fly. Who let us do our thing? No? No, how many years now? No, this way and now it's so awesome and funny, not a ha funny, but funny for me to see guys that understand it's those little things they're telling the story. That's storytelling. Slapping your leg on the kike is not storytelling, you know. So the action is great, but to your point, the difference between a W and WWE is what we saw in the Bloodline match and just taking the time to let people digest it and getting invested in it, you know what I mean. So amazing stuff to watch a bunch of young guys and I put I put Sammy in that category, I put Kevin Owens, I put Seth Rollins in that category because they're so talented and know what they're capable of. But now they have this part of storytelling besides everything they're they're known for and great at doing so out outstanding and this bloodline to your point, this Bloodline storyline is never ending. They can make it never never end. Is it time for the part ways with Sammy Zane and Kevin Owens for a little bit. So I think so because they've been so intense and I feel like while they had another good match, I think it's always it can be the go to when something's not when something else isn't happening, you know why, when they when the four or five or six of them don't have anything to do, we can always come back to it. But I'd like to see Sammy and Kevin. Yeah, I'd like to see a branch off because I can come back because I do have one more yes, five star match. Yeah, but I'd hate to see him keep going week after week to get to it. I'd like to see it so everybody can reappreciate that chemistry outstanding. Let's go to the main event here. Cody Rhodes first, Brock Lesner. Cody didn't wait for the bell to ring and he jumped over the top. Robonda Lesner. Darry Lesser's entrance hit him early, and they really were they were really driving at home here, they being the commentators. The fact that Cody Rhodes has said, yeah, I am afraid they were really doing a good job about playing on the words that Cody Rhodes has said, and then it made sense for him to get at him early here, right, I need to have an advantage against this guy. I'm gonna get at him early here. So I noted that kind of What did you think about the story build up to this and then the how Cody Roads started match? Yeah, I thought, I agree with you. I thought because he had the promo the week before and the week of and yeah, you know, he came out said yeah, I'm afraid, and yeah I'm this, and yeah I'm that, and he should be afraid. And to the point of telling the story. Either here's where we're going again, to tell the story. If you're afraid, you're gonna run, or you're just gonna charge and see what happens. Right, So Cody has this really special way of doing that and getting people to go, yeah, that might have been the dumbest thing you've ever done, but yeah, we're with you. You know, I think the storytelling mats their genius is that giving you the story before they ever touch So by the time he got to Brock and then you, like I said, you add Graves and Michael Cole, the story is being told for everyone on the TV side but in that arena, I'm sure they've shown, you know, snippets on the screens and stuff leading into when that match started. So and they're fans, so they watched it. I think it was a great build up and it was a really good way to start it. I mean, you have to come hot. It one you and that arena. You had to finish hot and you had to come hot. You couldn't. It's like the thing I said with Seth and almost what were they gonna do? Colin Noble lock up and the head locked take over? No, So let's you know, swing for the fences here. And you have to always protect they the the whole legend known as brock Lesner. You have to really and this this this works out in two different ways too. You have to never and they need and they always They're pretty careful about it. They slip up sometimes, but you can't show this guy has weaknesses. So Cody Rhodes has to get an upper hand on him, but on doing so that is also built into the storyline. And then Cody Rhodes so it's not just to protect brock Lesner necessarily, but making brock Lesner this monumental like he is will make these wins that Cody Rhodes has even more meaningful. So I know I'm going off on a ring here, So attacking him early and there's some more details with it here. There still steps were used, right, he used to still chair on the back of Lesner hit him with the why he hit Lesnar in the face with steps several times. The referee took away the chair then started the match. But to my point here, that is all part of the storytelling and utilizing Lesner why you have him, and also building Cody Rhodes. Yeah, because all that damage, all that physicality, and the match didn't start yet. So if you if you, if you read into it, now they're about even right because Brock's been he's been getting taking a couple on the chin with a set of steel steps. So now they're even right. So now it's believable for them to go head to head. Here we'll power through this because we do have a couple other listener questions. But Cody came off the top roads for a cutter, but Lesner him with a suplex man didn't just didn't look like Cody Rhodes had to help at all with that either. It's listen, He's a freaking nature. I like how Aaron rifts here, says Lesner. Then took Cody to Suplex City again, effortlessly throwing Cody Roads around the ring like he's a doll. He tried to hold onto the corner. We riffed off the turnbuckle pad before getting the suplex again the tide turn with Lessner was sitting too the exposed turnbuckle. Lester was busted open and Cody targeted the wound. Cody hit the crossroads twice, but Lessner kicked out. Lesner rebounded like he does with a five out of nowhere. Cody kicked out Lesner applied to the Kamara lock. Cody was able to catter it and get his shoulders pin down for the victory. So, man, wow, let's talk about this. This this uh Cremson face mask that we saw. Okay, So I did. I want to share a couple of articles with you here this one from this one here is from let me look here as seeing. During the twenty twenty three ww Backlash pay per view, Rock Lesner was a bust open after hitting a swist turnbuckle during his match. Agans Coody, Rhoads and regards as the blood. Fightful dot Com was told that it was planned for the match, and w sources at least claimed that things went the way they were supposed to. Dave Meltzer chimes in on this. The blood was brock Lester vers Coody Road was attempted and not an accident. Lesner is allowed to do that, although blading, which is safer than smashing your forehead into a still ring into the steel to give blood. Okay, I mean, excuse me, Meltzer's to say, and he bladed here. I watched it like a hundred times. Man, he would have he hit it and instantly the blood was there before his hand. Didn't even he would have had the blade in the moment of hitting it. He definitely didn't blade after he hit it. At any point in time, it didn't appear. Meltzer says he bladed. All I know is there's a ship ton of blood everywhere, which, like to your point, Puerto Rico loves that. Where are we It put the story. Cody Rhodes is covered in his blood. It put the story over it. Man. Let's hear your thoughts on this. It just I'm gonna I'm gonna eliminate the part we tell me what Meltzer said in his theories, because it has nothing because you know, I'm gonna lose sleep over there. Look at where you are, You're Puerto Rico. You have just taken these people on a ride. Talent has start to finish, has taken that crowd and made that crowd give them more and more energy. So you come out with this match and Brock is just if you read and listen to you know, different podcasts, everybody had an opinion on why that was wrong, or this was this, and this was that. Why couldn't we just go holy crap, what because he was bleeding? Because if you're gonna take down the Beast incarnate, it's not gonna be with almost in doing a thing. And we've seen it a million you know, people have tried to beat him so many different ways. We've never ever seen Brock and that can at anybody, you me, but my little neighbors down the street who have never watched they see something like that, they know he's in trouble. They know he's been in a war. Cody Rhodes just took Brock Lesner to task. Whether it was the help of the Buckle no matter what, you know what I mean, Cody's covered in it, Brock. That was the picture, right, the one picture where he had the camara and he was just covered. That was nineteen seventy eight, the cover Pro Wrestling Hills. I got goosebumps right now. That was Dusty Rhodes and Billy Graham. That was Dusty Rhodes and Rick Flair, you know what I mean, just one of them just completely busted open, yeah, and then the other get in the wind. To me, that was old school mentality again, storytelling. Whether it was planned for him to be covered like Freddy Krueger or not, who cares. I thought it was amazing, and it was like, nobody went, oh, that match was only eight and a half minutes. Nobody said that. Nobody said it was only ten minute. Oh, I'm expecting this big forty minute, you know, main event. It was oh my god, and it was oh my god, Brock and it was oh my god, Cody right now. I don't think anybody got hurt in this thing. It solidifies who Brock Lesner is and it tells you that Cody Road is going to go to any means necessary to get what he wants. That's just my that's my opinion, which is why I built up everything I said earlier. I mean, it just ties in what you said exactly. What about the drop toe though, to into that turbbuckle? Is that hard to do without hurting yourself because you're basically getting tripped into the turbuckle? I mean, and there's only two ways to do it. Do it the way he did it, or you kind of I don't know, you kind of stumble and kind of waffle into it a little bit. There's certain things that I think everybody should have to try and take so they fully understand what the heck happens on a nightly basis, and you know, professional or not, whether you're green or than goose shit or whether you're a veteran, those things happen, and you know, more noses and teeth and chins get knocked out and smashed and broken than anybody can ever imagine. But again, the build up to the night and then for it to climax like that at the end of the day, you have to say, I wonder if those people went home happy. I probably think they did. And clearly social media couldn't wait till the next morning, because it was alive all night long talking about just a variety of different things. And once again they're all over the news, backlashes, all over the news, Sports Center, TMZ, Fox knew all these things we know between bad Money and everything else. And another side note for bad Bundy, he could have very easy gone me me, me, me me. He put the love everywhere it belonged man, And so really good night. I didn't want to take away from Brock and Cody, but just just thinking about the whole, the whole thing in the totality of the event outstanding. Yep, I agree. I enjoyed the pay per view. So last question on the pay per view, Well, Meltzer's readers, when this comes out tomorrow, which I'll post for you, don't worry you. Oh, the vote's gonna be thumbs down, thumbs up, thumbs the middle majority. What do you think on on his I think you're gonna I think yeah, you're gonna get the middle. Okay, I think the middle is gonna be the prevalent number there. Well one getting in the middle still pretty damn good for that particular group of readers. So yeah, yeah, so we covered that backlash. I'd love covering those matches with you, did I really do? Okay? So all boardings cast a Gmail. The guy wants your comments on seeing Pope reportedly wants to work with Samoa Joe when he returns to AW Is that something you'd like to see? I'll answer first, yes please? That's your answer? Yes please? I love those matches. So yeah, So I'm gonna I'm so, I'm gonna ask you a question back, I'm I answer with a question. Do you think you'll see something different from them than you haven't seen before? Or do you just like the matchup? It's good lack of a better word than nostalgia of what they did before and Ring of Honor and things like that. Do you think you'll get that or do you think you'll get a progression of who they are now and not get the same kind of match you got back in Ring of Barr Both, I know they won't be okay, I don't want to say I know they won't, I don't say, And I don't know how verse you are a Ring of Honor. I was pretty damn into it the Summer of Punk, which was then replicated in WWE again, but this actually came from a Ring of Honor, and I watched it as it was happening. I don't know if you did or not. No epic stuff. Bill Way better executed in the WABS, which is still good the summer of Punk there, So for me, it's hard to believe they're gonna be able to recapture that. But to your point, and the nostalgia factor is there. But my big thing is at this point in their career or what could they do with a story and a match. That's what's intriguing to me. At this point in their career, could they do something different and both with Oh gosh, Bill, that was twenty years ago. Now, yeah, can they can? What can they do now? And I wanted to have a story though you know, well, yeah, that was gonna be my part. B do you think you're gonna get Is this just a one off to introduce him back again or do you think this is going to be a build? I can. I get very concerned with AW want anything with a build. Yeah, so and that's where Yeah, it's that's like in the last episode we just released it. This week we talk about cmpunk. It's you think there's two different ways with AW you think about it? He really should be able to utilize the fact that he's so creative in this environment. But also this is an environment that's exactly telling epic stories, which he is very capable of. It's having epic matches that they're doing obviously, But yeah, man, I don't know, so I think if it's done right, it'll be good. And let's tie this into the second part of that. Did you see? This is according to Dave Melzer, a w and Werner Rose Discovery will announced a new television deal is part of wbd's up front next Wednesday in New York City. So next week we're being told that we're going to hear something here as a part of the new deal, It's expected that the rumor aw Collision show will be confirmed. This is the what Fightful Select is saying regarding Cmpunk's plan on Collision. We're told there are already major plans and Marquis match attentatively scheduled for the Collision show. We seem Punk pushing for a huge match early in his return. There has been a Chris Jericho program discussed, but Punk has pushed for another return opponent out of the gate, and that rumored is Samoa Joe Yeah, what could they do storyline wise? Is what it's all going to come down to you. Yeah, I think and I think that who's the hill Bill? Yeah, but see that I'm okay with that, not knowing because I'm not a fan of heels and baby faces, right, because once you're stereotyped, then people that's when people really start to tear it apart. Because like Flair in North Carolina, South Carolina, he's the biggest baby face in the world, you know. Then he goes to New York and he's a heel and all these things. I'm so to to kind of get all that into Warner Brothers, right, is potentially putting out this TV deal to Tony Conney w Right, so they announce it next week's stock Away. Two shows, right, they stopped doing the YouTube show and something else that they cut the YouTube show out. Yeah, I did read that. And so because they have this other show coming up now, so I just wonder, here's the two things. I wonder what, Like, I still think, where's the Ring of Honor show? You're you're gonna bring Punk and Samoa Joe back, right, and it's the Ring of Honor? Right, Why why isn't Ring of or part of this thing. Why do we have another ae W after thing or whatever it's gonna be calling it. And forgive me because I forget the name. Because Punk's gonna come back, and what we're never gonna see it's gonna be like Ring of Honor before you have to have a select you know, carrier or something to catch it at two o'clock in the morning in some parts of the country. So I feel like Warner Brothers coming in has a lot to do with Punk coming in, you know, like a Fox thing where they want to start a kick off their show on the brand. So yeah, but I still go back to what you know we're talking about with him and Samoa Joe. What are we gonna get from it? If it's a one off, it's gonna be a good one off. I know that for no matter what, it's gonna be a it's gonna be a great max that people are gonna be happy that night. But where are we going after because when's the last time we've seen Samoa Joe off and on Darby Allen's ye I mean, yeah, I'm jumping on ward low or so yeah, you know they also have this both brand split. They're talking about certainly hope they don't have a draft. For Lord's sake, I don't know how this is all going to come into play, So I guess a lot of that will determine this. I don't know. There's a lot of un answering questions. It's hard to get to ahead of this one. Yeah, I'm not And because Tony Khan and I always use the bless his art, Tony Khan, every announcement is the biggest announcement in aw history. So after a while, I think you're getting numbed to like, Okay, it's another announcement. Cool. So if this is what it is, I hope they really come out strong with it and say this is what we're gonna you know. I think they need that, and you know, because they could have waited till all this after Wembley, because I hope this doesn't take away the steam of the Wembley event. Yeah, let's end this on a high note here. Yeah, some fuzz some fun questions here. This is from Noah Nicolas Ford. He's on Twitter at Noah's Ark to zero to ask three questions here. If you could wrestle someone at WB today, who would it be that's the first question. His second one is what is your favorite moment in w W we're working there, And this third question is where are you gonna come to California? I'd really like to meet you. The words ark So the first one, what was my favorite Who was my favorite person? Who would to wrestle? And yeah in WW? Yeah, that's a WW today. You know what, I think? I can only name two and it's O Moss, O Moss. There's really two guys that I never locked horns with in my WWE time, and it's Hunter and Shawn Michaels. No, I've wrestled Kane A Moss. No, no, no, no, now I now does he mean who would I like to lock horns with now? Presently? Yeah? If you could wrestle somebody at WW today, who would it be? That's the question exactly how it's worded. I think I would have a lot of fun, and I think we could. I think we could do a little bit of damage and be entertaining. Is all get out? Bronson reed? There you go. Yeah, a couple of battle Battle of the bulls. And because I think he's entertaining, I think he has that timing. You know that A little bit of that comedic timing to him, but the way he moves and how he does things, that's just too two big bulls, lock and Orange. I think that'd be a lot of fun because you were you were very light on your feet as well. I've heard that, you know, at three fifty you got to you gotta do something different, And yeah, I took that. I was. I was really proud of that. I was fleet of foot. I like that. Okay, So the second, the second part of that question here was what was your favorite moment in w W. Well work in there. Man, You've trained so many people. I'm curious to see, like if you could capture a moment here. Obviously your wrestling career at WWE is not as monumental as it was. You're all the other things you did to the industry while there. I think the highlight of my in ring career I think has to be the Tough enoughs. I think that that probably did more for me than anything else I've done in my whole career other you know, I think tough Enough in Goldberger right there at tie for number one of the things I've done. The thing that stood out the most to me WWE We've talked about how your your big triple H guy. What about We talked about it last week, But how significant was it to you when he brought you in on this NXT thing? Now looking back at it, we never talked well, I mean we exchanged you know, like uh greetings and stuff, but we weren't boys behind the scenes. We didn't run with the same people. We didn't work in the same circles. You know. He was he was the main event, you know, we were the we were the cannon fodder. Um. So we we really didn't have a relationship at all, not even cordial. Like I said. If we saw each other, hey I was going and stuff like that, you know. And he was always there too as we started to give us advice on the inner workings of behind the scenes and stuff. But when he called me and asked me to meet him in Nashville, I thought it was the biggest joke in my life because it was right after the the last tough Enough and he goes, hey, Bill, somebody calling said, hey, um, Paul Aveck would like to speak to you. Hang up, and I'm like, what, I never we never talked on the phone or anything. And it's one of those things, like I'm not working for him, how could I be in trouble. But he called and say, hey, I'd like to I'd like you to come to Nashville and and I'd like to talk to you. You know, we'll fly you up and everything. And I told him, I told him, no, thank you, I'll drive. And I drove. And the reason I drove was because if I didn't like the conversation of what was going on, I was getting out on my dime because he didn't say what the conversation was about. Yeah, So I drove to Nashville. We had a great talk and the whole time we worked, I got to work alongside and we got to know each other. I don't know how to say it without its sounding like conceited or blowing my own horn. Like Paul had a vision, he needed to get it done and it started a certain way to build momentum. And to me, he's a genius in the business and understands the business inside and out, in the ring and behind the scenes and and corporately in everything else. And so that was probably one of my biggest moments, was him calling me and saying I'm gonna give you the ball and this is what I want you to do with it, and we're going to turn it into this and to see it happened was great. So, like I said, we didn't we didn't really know each other, and then we got to know each other over the years, and like I said, I got to work with him and that's why I'm a big fan of who he is as a person and as a boss. So, yeah, I see your triple h J. That's what I mean. I'm not saying like, hey, you're shooting the I know, yeah, you're going out. Yeah I met obviously, you know what I'm saying you. Yeah, this is one of these moments that you will always think of and for that moment and for the things you guys are able to accomplish together as a whole that would make you the triple age guy. Come on, man, it was unbelievable. And I just became a you know, I was a fan of watching his character, you know, being another running getting to see so I was a fan of what his work, but getting to his work ethic, getting to talk to him about the business that we were in and the one he was creating. I just became a fan of the person so is he out there with vents with the amount of time he put the aways heard these stories about that sick man never sleeps hardly. You know, they're working out at midnight one in the morning. Stephanie. Yeah, so triple age is in that category. I think he's he's done really good. I in the beginning, I think he was really on that schedule. I thought he started doing better because he realized for him, a certain amount of sleep. Gotta get your workout. It's got to do it. I mean he was in a performance there. Some times. The bus was in the night before. He's in the gym at six o'clock in the morning with the rest of us. He's got two hours sleep, you know. So he keeps he keeps the same schedule. I think he manages it better. Um, you know, but the like you can't appreciate it until you see it and live it and and watch it. He doesn't. This isn't like nine to five, go to bed. Let's think of something tomorrow. The minimum moment behind the scenes, and I know you know this, it's just it's twenty four hours a day. And and then I think what Paul has done very well is balanced the family life with his daughters and his wife, and you know, tough when your wife, you and your wife are the heads of the biggest you know, the company and the biggest company in the world. So I think they've done an outstanding job of balancing that family time. But yeah, I'm a triple H guy and that to me. That so I would say that probably is my proudest moment. Is you know, if you look at my whole career. In nineteen eighty eight, I was a punk, twenty three year old athlete that wanted to get into professional wrestling because my father brought me to a boxing gym. I became a wrestler. I started traveling the world, I started making money. All these things didn't matter to me. I just wanted to wrestle because he told me I couldn't do it. So the money was great. The traveler was getting Now I'm troutling. Now I'm living here and I'm living there, and I'm traveling here, and I got contracts for this, and I'm on TV on a worldwide level and all these things. I break my neck, I'm out of the ring, I become a commentator, becoming producer, blah blah blah, blah and going forever the end of the day. I finished my career as a WWE employee, the head of a division of a business that I knew nothing about when I got involved. So I followed the same path as a tas you know as That's why I say the Gleason's guys task Tommy Dreamer what they've done in the business. You know, Bubba Dudley all, you know, all us Northeast guys, look at look at the ones that what we've done. When your wrestling career isn't just about in ring. So my proudest moment now that we're talking about, that's my proudest moment. That phone call from from paul A Vac saying meet me in Nashville. I want you to come back and this is what I want you to do. That's I think that's my to me. That showed all the hard work of everything. It's it's a bad with I know you so well that I can I know what you're gonna say. I'm really I'm not a difficult guy. The last part was when you're going to California, he wants to meet you. No, that's a big state, buddy. Yeah, that's a big state, and I'll be in California the same time as I get rental property in Canadia. I don't like Canadia. I don't like California. Wow, there you heard it. Noah, appreciate you. I ain't coming less, he asked to He ain't coming watch up there next week. Yeah, hey, Pala, I need you in California. Just kidding, Noah, what another fun week here, Bill. I appreciate you doing that. Oh, I could do this all day. This is the uh you talk about the thing that you're most proud of, and I'm certainly every week proud of this ninety minutes that we spend together. Man, Thank you man. This this should this is an experience for you and me. We gotta cheeze the front part of that. This build them out, guy, We should just put the experience. It's really cool, man that it's a lot of fun. And as the as the clock behind you is showing the continuous countdown to your bedtime, it is now ten forty five pm, in time to let you get some sleep before your big day of getting new floors tomorrow. Oh my god, let fingers cross. Man. If I call you tomorrow one and again, I'm just gonna start walking in Indianapolis. Okay, it's the long walk, but all right, man again, Bill, thanks and everybody listening. As always, you can go to build umat dot com check it out. You can contact us on there or at build humot pod at gmail dot com. I'm at podcast father on social media. He's build him on social media. So we're available if you need us. But until next time, keep being you and keep being great where you can get. If you're feeling bride, shake, shake, little Kim, take a little chance on the right to know what tone that molly. Y'all, man you slid shouting. Make the best of yourself to spread this show, y'all. All the shot wings Jeff Counting Media b