What's she gonna do? Brother? When Jeff Townsend media runs wild on you. Alright, alright, alright, this is Jeff Townsend. You are about to experience another experience, an experience of the build Amont experience, which is everybody's experience. I just said it. I'm Jeff Townsend joining me as my friend build Amont. How many more times can I say experience? Two more times? We have a quota. Now, I don't know. I felt pretty good with an I just rumbled off there. So I've got the glasses on, like you to I Bill. My old ages found getting to me. My eyes are getting old. Listen, I believe that glasses are a necessity. I don't like them now. I'm just so used to them even when I don't have them on. And I know most people can't see me, but I'm always fixing my glass even when they're not all I'm always fixing, pushing my glasses up. So I kind of pooked myself in the nose a lot. Have you always wore glasses or no? No, it's I think it that ripe old age of I'm gonna guess and say about thirty seven, I started to work glasses something like that because even in did you wear contacts too? You can't put these fingers in someone else's eye and not get charged with a misdemeanor, believe in in your end without would being charged. I can't. Yeah, it's no, it's not a good idea for me to put things in my eye because even on tough enough and stuff from the new one, why I saint new, but hell, it's been twelve years. You still didn't. I don't remember seeing glasses on there, but the performance center, I do remember you started to roll out some glasses more so. Yeah, in the in the ring, nine ninety percent of the time, I never had my glasses with me because I can see well, like I can see why I can't read, you know, that kind of stuff. So I always just keep them on, and like driving, I don't necessarily need them, but I just keep them on. Now now it's like one of those things anyway. Man. So we didn't get a touch up last week. Yeah, I don't even remember what. So many things happen in my podcasting life last week. I can't remember why you and I didn't record. I know them, but I had other I didn't, like I told you before we started recording for the first time in years. I didn't record a single podcast thing last week, and that through your whole through your whole thing off, didn't it. That's why I said to you, I feel like I haven't talked to you in months because I haven't recorded anything. So it's it's weird. But we try to get on Monday to link up to We wanted to talk Summer Slam right after it get it up that week and you had elect you it was your turn to have electricity issue, and here we are tonight. I don't I don't understand here in Florida. You know, all the the wires and cable and everything's underground. So I'm always baffled by you know, growing up in the Northeast, you saw the telephone wires and all these things are up and everywhere. Yeah, but it shouldn't be affected. So we had you know, we've had the weather that's been like one hundred and fifteen degrees every day for the past three weeks or whatever it is. Saw talking with one of my buddies who works for the for the county. I think it was one of those duke energy there there. Things kind of went boom, uh energy and it's set off the whole uh chain of reaction. So Spectrum went down, Duke Energy stuff went down, and I was like, and I what I literally told you, like five minutes before the sports started, Like, hey, they work it into my phone, and trust me, I ran that phone to to dead. So Duke Energy has a bad image here for whatever. Do they run all the way up by you as well? Oh yeah, hell yeah, evidently they're everywhere, right, I have no clue. I didn't think. I didn't know Spectrum was all over the country either. Duke Energy is not my city, but it is in accounting surrounding, so it's not the only thing here, but it's certainly I see a lot of when it goes out, it seems like it goes out. So yeah, when when it goes out, you're you're in for the long haul anyway, man, organ the Foundation. How's it going this week? You've been running around or you gotta you have a down week? Yeah? Week? No, No, we've been and that's why we weren't on last week. And I remember we talked and I was so lack of a better, so bought down. We've been so busy. This summer has been our busiest summer. Usually when schools are out, our presentations get a little lower in numbers and things like that. And so we figured out last week. Just this summer, I've driven ninety two hundred miles and been in front of over seventy five hundred people. Oh wow, So we we've been. We've been going and going and going, which is which is great. The message is out there to you know that, I al would say, the message and the mission of the biggest thing. So we just realized how busy we've been. And this week's been really busy for us. And then Saturday, I have another I'm speaking to a softball academy actually that has their big camp down here in Florida, and I'll be speaking with all those young ladies and the coaches in the administration. But we've been busy. I always say, blessed to be that busy. But things things are going well. It's just, you know, like everything else, when it catches up to you like wolf, holy cow, take two seconds to digest it all. But everything's going good. Man. The cool thing about our found I said, our foundation. Yeah, you're part of it, brother, everybody's part of it. And I think that's what's cool to think about it. So you're talking to a and I think that's what's so cool about the foundation. Obviously tragic, but I mean you're talking to a softball team like the Dare program and just say no, we're big. Yeah. When I was young and they went around to schools and all that, but it's it kind of seems mundane, right, Like it's Yeah, when it becomes what appears to me more than the message, right, it kind of it feels well, and that's just an opinion of mine. It kind of loses that touch and feeling. But it's amazing how the foundation can go and it really translates to so many other things. If when you really think about it's beyond automobiles, it's beyond drunk drugging. It. It contributes to more ways than one in life, I guess, is what I'm saying. And that's what makes it special in my eyes. And it started with talking to the you know, to the young people, realizing that there's a lot more going on in the world. I think what's what's really cool is that they appreciate someone listening to them. At the end, so we just talk about all kinds of decisions you know, and when you get to talk to athletes, you remind them that what they're doing now it's going to follow them into their you know, what they want to do in the future, and how everything they do and seeing now is gonna going to follow them. So it all really ties back into it. And at the end of the day, we you know, we introduced Kerry and share her story and it's yeah, it's just one of those things where it translates to so many different areas, you know, when we work in a law enforcement and we go speak at church youth groups and it and I think that's what's starting to get realized around as we go in the foundation continues to you know, move forward. I think that's what's happening. And like I said, is a busy, busy, busy summer, but well worth the travel and the time put end and look at the school started here today, So we're you know, as things pick up here in the in the southeast, it's really gonna take off now. Yeah, it's school started here yesterday. I did the back to school night the day before and yeah, it's crazy time. The summer has gone by so fast. Yeah, in fact, you and I we started talking before Christmas, and it's crazy to think about that. I remember we we pitched some ideas around and we said, hey, let's jump on a call after the holidays, and it's crazy to think it's like we started talking about doing this nine months ago. We've been doing it for over six months now. So yeah, it's crazy. Wow. I would have never thought that, holy because our whole thing was get let's enjoy our family time, let's get through the holidays. Yeah, the top on a call, Let's let's play this all out. Then let's do it. I can't believe it's been six months. The podcast has been out over six months yet and you're still and you're still talking to me. This is amazing. Yeah, I mean it's cool because not I get to share your old stuff too. So we shared an episode with Mickey James and Nick obviously big fans. I'm still trying to get Mickey James to do a dang podcast. Man, she has her podcast with the ladies. That's great, that's fun. Yeah, I'm trying to get her to do a wrestling podcast though. Man, I'm not having any luck. She's a busy lady though, so but no, that was a cool episode. And you know, for me, like maybe I'm a hopeless romantic or something Bill because when I watched this episode because I'm editing, I'm editing it right that this bold episode, I've enhancing it. And just the way those two look at each other. It's like, my gosh, they love each other. Man. Yeah. And not only that, just how amazing they both are, but just the way just to see the way Mickey James looks at Nick it's been back and forwards, and the amount of love and respect they have for each other and the things they've accomplished, it was super cool to share that episode. I think, I'll say it, Mickey James is my favorite, one of my favorite wrestlers, but my favorite female wrestler, just because to me, like everybody loved Trish and I love Trish right, ye but in my fandom being at that time run high school, right, so she comes in has this rival of Trish for me, I was like, this girl's awesome. Yea, So my favorite. Man, I'll just say that. And I think Nick obviously very underrated, and man, I just I think he's really good. And it's like I want to see my grass glasses are all crooked. Sorry, I want to see a good run with him and something like the guys should be a Dae man. Yeah. Well, so from what I understand, he's he's now producing. That's what I've heard, right, So you know, so I know that's gonna work out because his mind is good and and and thinks he brings to the table. But back to your point of one, those two, those two young people are awesome. They're awesome to know, they're awesome to sit down with and talk. And you're right, they they have this relationship. I love to watch them banter because they're very funny together. But they're very it's a it's a very yeah, like they both they're they're great, they're great for each other. They're just good people there. It was crazy. Their son was one when they were recording this, and now he's ten. This is a they're like, go his first birthday parties coming up. I was like, whoa. I remember when it Emili realized how fast my kids are growing up. My my boy was younger and he was on the floor in the wrestling school on the maps with him crawling around and now, you know, look at both those kids. But it's just unbelievable how fast goes by and just get people you off. Have you seen Mickey's Okay, so we're they're talking about the teaming up and doing the instructional thing for wrestling. Did you see her work recently with the master Class stuff that she did. Did you see that video package? No, I didn't know. I didn't see it. I heard it was amazing. Yeah, out to send you the video package. It was really nice. Sorry to cut you off. I just wanted to mention that she's great and to your point, we need to get her on because people need to get to know like the real Mickey James, like they know the the entertaining art, the sports entertaining, and you know she does her thing with the women. But if you get her talking and get her going once, she's funny is all get out, but her knowledge and of this business and the world, because now, let's not forget she's a top recording star. So she she's amazing. Nick is running his supplement company and everything else. They're just two good people doing good stuff and I'm super happy for him. And there're aces in my book all day long. It's cool to like I said, it's cool to go back and here and even like, how you've changed in the last guess they are eight years old, right, twenty fifteen. Yeah, it just how much everybody's changed, but yet obviously something seems the same. But how much has gone on through all everybody's lives this amount of time. It's fascinating, crazy journeys. Hey, but we won't hold the people up too much longer. We will get to the content here. We just wanted I just wanted to mention that because I thought that was a really cool conversation. Awesome. So we got to wrap up this US title thing. Bill. We've been talking this sob through. This is a five parter. We want to get to the summer Slam stuff, even though we apologize it's coming to you a little bit after the fact. But I maybe we can split it up and I can work on getting the summer Slam stuff out faster or something. I'll figure it out. So we left off on the title reign of w of the United States Championship. Our closing two people were in twenty ten, twenty eleven. We were talking about Daniel Bryan and Shamus quite the people to talk about. To end that conversation for that part of it, and we'll pick back up here. But we we last we left off talking about I believe the comment was made that we were really surprised to see some of the people that have made the jump to AW for whatever reason, be really surprised if Shamus did that one day. Yeah, I remember, Yeah, Yeah, I think that's I think that's where we jump. I think that's where we left off. So's let's go to the next Let's go to the title change. Here. May first, twenty eleven, there's a tables match and Kofi Kingston comes out as the champion. We already talked about Kofi Kingston quite a bit on the last one, but he is back in the title picture here and really a guy that you could go to for any match and he'll put on him to do a good job. Yeah, Kofi is the quintessential professional wrestler. Work with anyone, do anything, make it look and is tacular. Yeah, and really really if you look at his body of work, this is when he really starts to come into his own. Though Yep, you could argue later on with with the wrestleman any moment and all that, but this is when he's starting to come into his own yea, and do a great job. So he holds a title for forty nine days. Then on June nineteenth, twenty eleven, at Capital Punishment in Washington, DC. So something's happened here where there was a brand extension and they're allowance. They kind of said, like, we've talked about the hell with this, what's stop acknowledging the brand extension and the champion people are going to show up wherever they want. So that's what happens here. And when that happens, mister Dolph Ziggler becomes the next champion on June nineteenth, and guy said twenty eleven at Capital Punishment, Oh man, Dolph Ziggler another mainstay that I can't say enough. I mean, I can say so many great things about him, What a care rare he's had. And I when I think a Dolf Sigler, I just think of one of the best people is selling ever. Yes, but he's so much more than that. But his selling is amazing. Yeah, highly highly underrated. Now somebody's listening to this and gonna go, what's he talking about? Dolph Ziggler has done this. We've never seen Dolf Ziggler for a substantial amount of time. Have the ball, he gets, you know, he gets the third quarter rushes, he does the thing. But Cofee and it's it's it's not not funny in a haha way, but a funny thing that we're talking about Cofee and Dolf back to back. Both of these men are considered two of the best of the best, meaning they can get in the ring with anyone, make every match spectacular, do some great stuff, ultimate sellers, ultimate everything. I don't like these terms, but baby Face or Heel just two consummate professionals. Always the knock and I'll say this because I was in the room, I worked behind the scenes. Always the knock was well, Dolf can make anybody look good, and Doff will always give us a five star match. I would think when you hear that, that's a good thing. But for the powers that be, it was we know what we're gonna get every time. What more can he do? And so you have this great athlete with the mentality if I'm gonna go out there and give it one hundred percent every night, and it turns out to be a knock a knock on his performances, which and that's just me, you know, telling pulling back the curtain a little bit, but Dalve Sick was one of the best, and I think in his whole career we've never seen him truly get his flowers. Never, you know, because when you see Dolf, you know what you're gonna get. And he's hung in there. He's a pro and after a while, like for me as a man and as a performer, after while, you probably just want to go all the heck with this and I'm out of here. There's another guy. He's a lifer. I mean, I mean, he stayed. He has a lot to offer, and I hope that as time progresses he takes up that role in the back if he can stomach doing that, because if you're a performer to that level, you want to be performing. You don't want to be coaching and teaching and things like that. I often felt like they stretched out the Figgy Guerrera Relate Dolph Zigger relationship too long. It's like they were trying to recapture that edge, literally, that edge of edge and her that was so great, and Dolphin Vigt did a great job there too. It just seemed like it went on a little bit too long. Yeah, probably could have been doing some other better thing. Hangs throughout that. To be honest, I that kind of bogged down him for a while in the early stages of his career, but certainly still a lot to give and do. Yeah, always always in that role of getting other people over and and making things better than what they were. I mean, nobody better than Dolphsiggler. He holds the title for a hundred and eighty two days, which is as a long time. I'm in this modern era of Oh I say modern aras over ten years ago, you know what I mean. So after one hundred and eighty two days, the next champion is woo woo woo. You know it Zach Ryder December eighteen, twenty eleven, at TLC in Baltimore, Maryland. Woo woo woo. He just had to get himself over, didn't he. He did it on his own, He did it organically. He he had to show he had talent outside of what But he had talent. Why do you have to show that? Is he this victim of the system or what? Bill? It's a yeah, it's a different mindset. It's it's something that it goes back to the believability, right, So always the old adages, have you ever been in a bar fight? Right, that's the adage, like, that's the that used to be the level of who's a man's man? Didn't ask if you ever won one, just if you've ever been in one. And so the thought was, this cat has never been in a real fight, and it comes across that way. I just think that that Matt or Zach Ryder one is still doing amazing things, but he had to go prove himself his worth and he did that on his time off and when he wasn't being used in all these things. And so here he is, he's back. You know, is this the time when he's with Eve? Is this when all this is coming about? That's a great question. I'm not a hundred percent sure. Actually that's an excellent question. But you know, Zach had to prove that he was a man's man, big Zach Ryder FANW try to take his content from him whatever they could. Ye, this is a situation where I feel like he didn't like necessarily take advantage of the platform. He made the platform. Right, We talked about that. We actually talked about this months ago. How much right does w W have and the stuff that you're doing when they give you that stage. Well, in his case, he's like, Hey, I'm not being used, so I'm gonna do my own thing. And you know, so it was kind of like almost the opposite of the conversation we had previously. Yeah, and he showed and then was you know, Zach Ryder at the time was still considered a mid card guy and anything he does isn't gonna be relevant and all this and he blew up. Dude. He everybody, every sports entertainment professional wrestler should be sending Zach a check every quarter for what they're allowed to do and what they do now on YouTube and everything else, because he set the tone and really made the blueprint for it. So he's highly excellent point. What we're gonna talk about a lot of guys in this going in this episode here that are highly underrated. Excellent point. Bill talk about the twitch and all the different things that happened now the podcast everything, Zach Ryder was a head of the car. That's a that's an absolutely fantastic point. Unfortunately one only holds the title for twenty nine days. Then he's defeated by Jack Swagger on Monday Night Rawl on January sixteenth, twenty twelve, Anaheim, California, mister swagger monster. Oh yeah, if you have to see him in person to appreciate really this Sime, because on the TV he looks great. He's tall, he's a he's a thick kid, but you don't appreciate it because he looks very lengthy. Right, he's a thick cat, and he's the real wrestler and football player. Oh yeah, he's a he's an All American all the way around, and he was he is still the real deal. But this was his time. This is when they were going to start to see, Okay, what do we got? What we got in this kid? So you're starting to see all these younger talents get involved in the picture. Now forty nine day title reign. Then the next champion is Santina Morella. March fifth, twenty twelve, rawle in Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts. Mister entertainment. Forget how taste of that is? You know it's improv right, Like he's just how do you not crack up when he's doing those things. The best thing they have on Santino of all of his work is when they do the clips of making everybody break out of character. Yeah, he's He was amazing because first of all, he can go. He's an athlete, he's he's the real he can go, but he's he's like I compare him to Eugene and Nick Dinsmore. What they know and what they did are two different things. Right, So people though I don't know if he can wrestler, get Yeah, Santino's the real deal, super entertaining and and you know, they gave a little bit of levity to the to the US Championship a little bit, brought some entertainment factor into it. Yeah, And and it all has to match up, match up with what's going on with other storylines, what they need from him, what they need from that. Obviously one of the more epic debuts as far as when in the Intercondo title, and just his ability to work with anybody is very impressive. And I believe he is now is a new position with Impact Wrestling as a recently. Yeah, Yeah, he's I think he's what he comes out. He's the on screen J J. Dillon, but I think behind the scenes he's in the creative side or the the office side of it as well. He's getting you know, we're taking if if you've been in this business for any amount of time and being good at what you do, then your knowledge is necessary. And Sandy, it's good to see Santino back in that mix and doing his thing. People are gonna benefit from that. I agree that's a good pickup for Impact. One hundred and sixty seven day title rein and at a Summer Slam pre show in August nineteenth, twenty twelve, Antonio Cesaro is the next champion. Let me just say, I'm very high on this guy. I'm not gonna lie. I love the guy. I'm Cesaro. Yeah, Cesari, Yeah, go ahead. So disappointed with how many times he was just right there in ww and they just for whatever reason would not pull the trigger and just just let it play out and see why it happens. They have to they being ww e WWF whatever we're gonna call him at the time. If you're not home grown talent, you have to go through the cycle, right, You have to go through the It's like a Disney ride. You have to go up and down the aisle till you get to the ride. And a lot of times that takes the steam out of some people's sales. But Claudio came to us in deep South in two thousand and five. Yeah, was Now I'm talking about Claudio when he had the long hair and all, and he was amazing and we passed. Now who came in that class? It was Claudio, T J and Natty all came in at the same time. Came to me in Atlanta and we passed on Claudio. Been a big fan of his ever since. Watched his watched his stuff, and there's a guy who had all the jewels. But they didn't think that he was entertaining. Not everybody has to be a Santino Marella, right, Not everybody has to be here. That's the thing I hear in it. It's like kind of like Bret Hart, right, Like Bret Hart didn't need to go out there and sing and dance, right, That wasn't what he That wasn't what was needed from Brett Hard at any point in time. But let don't. Not everybody has to do that. You have to go through the queues right to get to the ride, and okay, let's try this, and let's do that, let's do this. I thought he was very entertaining with Sheamus when they you know, when they were together and the Shamus had to learn to become entertaining. Right, we all had to learn to become entertaining. There had to be another facet to what we did. But if you weren't a homegrown talent, it seemed like expectations were less for you, right, it was less effort put into giving you those opportunities. In my opinion, post Deep we just talked about him being there Deep South, you go post that amazing stuff and Ring of Honor yep, as we talked before, I watched a Ring of Honor regularly all the time then, and so I'm very in tune with him and others that were around that time period. And the thing about me is he did once he gets too dough, I be he does end it out for a long time. And this title reign of his is actually, let's see here, it's a substantial amount of time if I remember it was, Yeah, so two hundred and forty days. So I compare this title reign that he had back then kind of to what they were they're trying to do with Austin theory now put it on him, they wrote it out, he did a bunch of different storylines. That's always has a good match, right, He's not going to have a bad match and it just didn't pan out to that afterwards. So then later on he goes to this, he goes to that, then he goes to the with it was shamous and just like and then on his last run there in the closing years, I guess it was only a few years ago. Really, he is so close to it it feels like WW can feel it, and it just doesn't happen. But he once again is one of the people has and good for him, bets on himself gets out of there. Yeah, and now I'm not I mean, I'm not the combat Club's okay, but I'd like I like seeing him kind of doing his own thing, being that badass because he is gotta be one of the strongest guys hand for pound. Is that just people always say that about him? That's true, right, I've watched him train, I've watched him work out. He is a guru. He knows the body like no one else. He is AULND for pound, the strongest man aland for pound, I'm gonna put him against brock Leather AULND for pound, the strongest cat in the locker room. And I agree with you. I really wanted to see him come way out of his shell and do his thing with a w and I feel like he's in that same you know, that's a whole different, you know, uh conversation. But I we really missed a boat on it. But he held on for as long as he could in WWE until he knew, you know, time after time, he knew in his heart it wasn't going anywhere. After it didn't that last time, they'll blame him. To me, that felt like the end too. This is his and it did had to be. He could still be there and not having good matches, but as far as being that breakout, it felt like it was time. Yeah, during COVID all that, it just didn't happen. Unfortunately so close though. Let's not forget though, we're talking about these title reigns, and let's remember that at that time, we were on the road five days a week too, So it wasn't just TV being defended. They were defending this title and having these matches Thursday through Sunday, you know what I mean. So it was it's a whole different. It's a little bit the schedules a lot easier now for the for the guys and gals, like you know, Austin, who's doing a great job theory, but he's not going out there for two hundred and fifty days straight like Clake that was doing it. You know. So it's changed a little bit. But I want just give everybody the context of back what we're talking about in these years. This was this was like full time on and if you were a champion, you were doing media. So you were at seven days a week for that two. Who's the gal? Who's the gal he was with? Oh? What was her on screen name? Sarah del Rey? Yeah, I know you're talking about but though I'm talking about somebody different here. Oh, wasn't it the gal that was with Teddy long in the storyline? Was it? She with Cesarro for a while? Her name started with an A. Maybe. I don't think escaped me. I don't remember ever Sizar being with a girl on screen. And he would always talk in all different languages around this time. That was like the big selling point. He could speak in five different yeah, five different language, yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel bad when I get people's name. It drives me freaking nuts. Now see now I'm gonna be up all night trying to think of this nut. I'm gonna look real quick, becau, see if I can find it, because it's gonna drive me absolutely nuts if I can't, I'm not gonna lie to you. But yeah, the fact that he spoke five different languages, it never got used as a tool for him. Okay, it was the she was she was Lithuanian. Oh my gosh, she was the best. Yes, she came from she came from. Uh FCW, you're fired too. I'm not talking to you anymore. Sure, lazy, she's she remembers everybody's name. Now she's running around the house trying to figure it out. Osana asana? What an athlete? Another one? Three different languages, had all the and just they didn't feel it was going anywhere I had, I had her. I decided to st get down memory road to you remember her being with him on that role there? Yep, now I remember? Okay, So yeah, two hundred and forty days as champions legitimate, he drops the title to Kovie, Kingston and Greensville, South Carolina at Monday Night rawl in the fifteenth of April. We're in twenty thirteen now, by the way, because he held the title so long, this is only a one month title ring for Kovie. Kings said that Dean Ambrose gets the title extreme Roles on May nineteen, twenty thirteen. This is kind of that lunatic fringe Luis Cannon right then Ambrose coming out and it's again, it's all the younger cats now get the opportunities to take these championships and run with them and make something happen with them. Yeah, for sure. And I and also we've talked about this with this kind of the building the strength of a faction, and that's what this was with the Shield. So you have Tag team champions, you have United States Champion. We're building up. We're once again using this title. And the title didn't always get used very great as far as I'm going to defend the US title all the time he's on the road, he's doing it television wise. The purpose of the title at this point in time is let's legitimize the Shield even more. Yeah, it's just their champions. It's not that they're like you said, they're not defending them on the night. These are these three men are now three champions. And that was the that was the premise of the title at this time, with all of these guys to prove that they are champions and they you know they're here come the finger quotes important now, right, they're players in the game, and this is where he has some claim to fame. Here is a pretty legitimate longest rainy champion in modern era. Three hundred and fifty one days with this baby. Yeah, I'd think that one of the jokes where he didn't defend it very much, but I never I'm sure he did on off on live shows. But he is champion for like a year. Man. But but is it funny how people at certain times won't go to the Hey, you're supposed to defend that every thirty days, and then sometimes everybody's nippicking that. Who cares if they do that? This was one would you know if they did? They did show? I mean, you know what I mean, a lot of things happen to those house shows. Man. It's just yeah, or they did I guess, as we said, so three hundred and fifty one days obviously Dean Ambrose John Moxley, as we know now, he actually has a book out that was pretty good. I'm not gonna lie. It's called Mocks, but yeah, he's another guy. It's a good read and it's just as if he wrote it. That's all makes it better. There's actually a few like Grandma, there's like some errors in it, and it's like this is awesome. It's like it's literally like John Moxley wrote it and the publishers just published it as if he wrote it, like as just amazing, really high on Dna Ambrose. I like to sim as champion. I really tie on him now he's just kind of transformed and uh and I still really like him. But it's just the matches I'm trying to grasp and find meaning to them now. But that's that's a problem across pro wrestling particular, especially a w but super talented guy man that bet on himself and nice long term contract with a W and the Majesty's had there as champion even really the face of the company for their their company for quite awhile when you see him punk in and out with injuries, Moxley has been a mainstay the elite injured out this guy and the Darby Allen's of the world, people of them have really held down the floor the four amazing. Yeah, but and this whole group of guys that we're talking about now, they've all, like you look at the ones that we've talked about that have moved away from WWE, and you show you almost like for me, and I know we're talking about the US Championship and all that, but you almost wonder what's kept Kofe and Dolf there so long? Naturally Kovie kept betting on himself and then became you know, fast forward to the new day and all that stuff. But what you know, certain guys that have been seasoned before they got to the company knew there was a certain time, like nothing's gonna happen for me here, And it always comes back to this. They were making a great deal of money. They were making a good living, but it's not what they signed up for, and you can only take that for so long. So it's just it's just another side note for me. You know, I my mind takes me somewhere, but I'm I'm listening to all the names and thinking about all these cats that we're talking about, and it's such a talented pool of of people, and you just wonder, you, like, we again right down the rabbit hole. We can always want to why wasn't there more going on? But that's like again, it's just a side note. But I'm listening the Kofi and Dolph and you know, yeah and Cesarro and all these Santino and all these Ti'm going only cow what a group? Yeah, it's and it's it's like with John Moxley, it's like I want to get something more out of this experience of what I'm getting. Yeah, and good for him, I mean really really, but still the Shelt's got to be one of the greatest factions of all time, man of all time. No one can argue that, really, I mean, could somebody really make it argument for me that they're not top ten? No, you want to get to top five, top three for best ever whatever. Sure, but they're one of the best factions ever and the stuff they did was amazing. And you always hear that ce him Punk hand picked seth Rawlins and Dean Ambrose John Moxley to try to come up and be because they came in as that original storyline mixed in with him, but try to get them on and I think obviously independent scene they were, they were big players. The independent scene too, is yeah, yeah, a lot a big big John Moxley fan. I'm glad that he seems to be happy with the work that he's doing. People can uh shoot on it all they want, but quite frankly, he seems to be very proud of the work he's doing. And that's I mean, really, at the end of the day, that's the bottom line. You're always gonna have the armchair quarterbacks. You always gonna have the criticized. Joe's gonna have the people go, well, this is that. And I'm with you. I don't necessarily follow a lot of his I see his matches. I'm not storyline wise, no, and but this is what he's doing. And if he's happy doing it and people are still coming to see him, do it, run with it, man, run with it and enjoy. That's the thing that's still missing is people don't enjoy what they do. They're just doing it now. They're going through the motions and monsters that he he lives it and walks it the same way. So exactly, no, I'm with you one hundred percent on that. For sure. We'll speed it up a little bit here, but not too fast. Okay. So Shamus after three hundred and fifty one days of de Ambros, which congratulations, that's amazing. Shamus is the next champion. May five, twenty fourteen, he went ahead a Battle Royal which saw him eliminate den Ambros. Last. He holds the title for one hundred and eighty two days, defeated by Rusev on November third, twenty fourteen, on Raw backstage in Buffalo, New York. This is when we're really pushing Rusev. And again, how do you you have to have someone that's lack of a better term relevant to beat? Right? So who better to beat at that time, especially even now than Amos? Right, if you you get a win over Shamus, You're you're made. And Ruscheff was the next big thing. So yeah, coming in with the poutin talk and with Lana. Yeah, had had a good run man, and and we'll get and I'm sure one day we'll talk about it later. But another guy who along with him, and he really had to reinvent himself and kind of have a another run at it in WW and he did ye. But yeah, so he's the champion. We're really building reseb up at this point in time. He gets into this this rival with John Cena. Okay, so after a hundred and forty six days to be at the champion at WrestleMania thirty one. This is in California in twenty fifteen March. John Cena defeats him. Right, I remember this match. They had a good little rival. They got a couple of months out of it. So John Cena is the next champion, and Bill he's the working champion. Do you remember this defending the title every week? Ye? Them come back. It hadn't really been talked about or executed like that. But at this point John seen gets the title again and he's doing that. Do you remember this time period? Yeah? Yeah, And this was the first go around for him to do that, because I think he comes back around and does it again at a later date. But this was John proving not only that this title, the US Championship meant something. I think it kind of goes from behind the scenes of you know, we really haven't been using it as much in storylines and things like that, so who better seeing it, comes out, puts it on and every week he's out there defendive championship. And this was that time period you're thinking, if we're just getting old and and we're getting things, this is the time though, So this isn't think about it that makes sense. He gets into this rival with seth Rawlins. Yep, So they have a set up here. We're going to go into SummerSlam later that year, Winner takes all of match in which Rawlins defended the world heavyweight title. He comes away with the championship. Was this on the time and he gave that absolute gnarly knee to see his face? I don't remember that shattered hiss. Yeah that I think this is the time period. So yeah, so he's gonna drop it to seth Rawlins a Summer Slam. It's a winner takes all. After twenty eight days, not a champion rolls around. John c has victorious over seth Rawlins. Thirty five day title ran at this point in time. Then mister Alberto del Rio and what is kind of a a comeback of his I believe it is actually when he came when he came back is the champion. He gets up the title at Helena cill Yeah, and again I think we go from now. You have to make we've gone through a bunch of the men. The titles kind of a show piece. As we're talking about when Anne brows and you know, the shield everybody in a championship now seen as legitimize the importance of it again. So by the time it gets to Alberto, it means something to be the United States champion. And he this is where he you know, his best works being done. It's his comeback here. He had a random, you know, champion all that. But he is very talented and w W really got a score by bringing him in because of what he was doing in the scene in Mexico. Yep. And just a really good pickup for business and talent wise. Guy looks like a million bucks. He wrests like a million bucks. Sounds like he obviously had a lot of issues personally and w but man, great pick up for them run these couple of years here. Yeah, he because he wasn't like talent was not. The talent was low, but he came in at the right time and kind of went into the gaps that they needed him to do. Yeah, he wasn't your quintessential Lucador, right. Everybody who you know comes out of Mexico and and all the you know, with the masks and all this. There are a certain stature and here comes this six foot you know tank. I mean, he's so well built and he's athletic, and he can talk and he had charisma and all these things, and you're right, he fit what was needed at that time and really really took off there. Yeah, yeah, did some great work. I've seen a lot of old matches as his and really talented guy. Okay, So seventy nine day Title Rain here on the first time him and Kalisto go had this rival that kicks off here. So Kalisto wins the title on Rawl on January eleven, twenty sixteen, in New Orleans. So one day Title Rain three days if you count the SmackDown wasn't alive then so Bergardario gets it back and Lafayette, Louisiana on smack Down the next taping. Basically, I guess you could say it was the next day, and then he yields it for not even two weeks. Then at the world rumble rolls around, Callisto picks up the title and he goes on one hundred and twenty day Rain here. They really okay. So the Sinkara Pushan's to be honest, did not work, did not work, did not work for whatever We've talked about that on previous episode. I don't rember which episode. Hell of a talented guy. Sinkara didn't translate to do for whatever. We've even talked about how they took his name and everything from it did not work. So this is like a and they had a lot of plans, right, like we have Sinkara, we have very mysterio. We're going to have a mask mask match at WrestleMania. They had these plans. We hear about let's get the most mask on people ever in one building, right, we heard all these things behind the scenes. Yeah, and this is kind of like our like a more of a WWE form of a success story of Sinkara. It seems like he fit into the system better. You always talk about the process, the system and being a part of it. It seemed like Khalista was more successful at that. And one he wasn't what's the word for manny. He wasn't jaded, right. He wanted to be there his his independent work and everything, which was good, but it wasn't enough for him to stand on the mountain go I'm this guy. So he was open to suggestion, he was open to direction, and everybody loved working with him, and his energy was crazy contagious and he just really but he came up from the you know, from the system from the development of years two years NXT. Yeah, it's dragging the tag team, right, he went through the system. I guess that's what I was saying. He fit the bill better. And I don't know, I'm not trying to say they were trying to replicate the same car, but as far as a luchador wrestler, he came up to the system and it worked out better, is what I'm saying. Yes, absolutely, and there's there's another guy that I would have loved to see more longevity from. Yeah. Absolutely. Fortunately when Cutz came around a few years after this, they let him go. It's unfortunate. He could still be doing stuff there now and they've kind of rolling out some new things and he could be fitting right in with it. It's funny to watch now because if some of the things they're doing now they were doing but at the time they didn't think that was the direction. And it's always funny that how you go, well, that really did work. Okay, hopefully we have someone to put in that role now and do that. So these guys were all pioneers in that way. They all did it and made it work, and it just takes a different set of eyes and a different error to see that, you know, just a couple of years down the road. Difference. Yeah, got Like I said, budget time came around, didn't make the cut, COVID whatnot. We would go down that rabbit hole right now. But he definitely feel like he could be tearing up n XT right now. Yeah, and he's see he's working with someone now. Is an Impact, Well, he actually made one. I remember him being on an episode of All of Dynamite. Yeah, I don't think. I don't know if him being in Tech though. I mean, I'm not gonna lie that's the one. I don't have that channel. I have to really go out of my way to watch those. I try. I watched the old Impact all the time. But I feel like he's doing something and I thought it was would Impact. It could be NWA. I'm not sure this year it's I know he showed back up and DDT Pro Wrestling. I just don't know what else he's doing, but hopefully he's doing well. For sure, great great guy, ww guy for sure eight years is a good run. Next champions Russev again, so Kalisto has one hundred and twenty eight rang. Rusev gets the title at Extreme Rules. May twenty second, twenty sixteen, the brand extension return and the title became exclusive to Roll. This title has been all all the titles are, but this title in particular has been it's constantly being swapped here with the brand extension. Yeah, because it's it's back to that if we go back a couple episodes in this in this conversation, to me, it's back to being just half the round, right. It's just somebody has to have it, and at least if they have it, they're important right now. And and I don't mean it's not against the performers. It's just that the United States title at times just didn't mean anything. And I feel like they built it up again and now it's on that thing, especially with this brand extensions, and anybody can come and get it and say okay it you know. To me, this was the creation of the twenty four seventh deal. So anybody, anytime, anywhere could be US Champion one hundred twenty six State Tattle Rain by resev Here And I was at this next event, Clash of Champions twenty sixteen, Sutember twenty five, Indianapolis, Indiana. Roman Rains picks up the Wind, he is the next champion. Roman Rains has been in the title and its substantial matches for so long now times passed by, and like I thought about the other day, the amount of main events he's been in a WrestleMania. Yeah, it's it's crazy to think about. And he was the United States Champion. Man. Well, and then you go back to talking about you talking about the Shield is one of the time factions. Name someone else who's been in two of the biggest factions in wrestling history, the Shield and the Bloodline. Yeah, it's so roll and who you don't realize that this is ten years in the making now or whatever it's been. Now it's it's been, it's been unbelievable. But again, this is when there's it's that transition of Okay, we got to tell the people that this guy is gonna be a guy the guy. You know, you got the Roosceps, now you got Roman reigns. And because we knew who Shamus was, we knew who these guys were. But these are the guys coming in now, right, these are the these are future guys And how do how do we tell the people? Will they become United States Chap One hundred and six days as a champion. Here January ninth, on Monday Night Row in twenty seventeen, there's a scenario set up where there's a two on one handicap match Kevin Owens eighteen to with Jericho Jericho Penn range to win the title. Heels it for eighty three days. It was Kevin Owens wrestling maybe a thirty three Do you remember this? Kevin went to Chris Jericho time here. This was another time where the tide. It wasn't about the title. It's about their them going at it here, and then what follows is they become buddy buddy right there we have best friends ever not best friends all. That's a fallout and a result around us time period. Yes, but to your point, it's not about the championship anymore. It's right now, it's just being used as a tool to introduce story, lives and people. Yep. And this is uh also cool because okay, because all this fast forward, Chris Jericho gets the title at Payback twenty eight days later. This is really Chris Jericho's wrapping up here. He's going to go on to Japan, He's going to go on to a w so this is Jericho's lap and maybe it will be. Ever, I don't know about that. It's hard to ever say that with somebody like Chris Jericho into a tow. But this was Chris Jericho's We're coming into the final run here and where he was doing his best work. And I like to stuff a whole lot. I'm not gonna lie, like, let's kill the inference music, let's do all that. I thought that was actually his best work, but he was still in my I'll give it to you, still very high caliber work here. Oh yeah, and you know Chris elevated, he made Kevin Owens more relevant. But I think this was Chris's best work. And uh in WWE, and again like you said that, we see him, you know, move on to other things. And that all blew up with the for the because of the WrestleMania stuff. So holds the title for two days, it goes back to Ko on SmackDown May second, twenty seventeen, sixty six days. Then dat WW Live July seven, seventeen. Aj Styles is getting in on the US picture title picture here he's the next champion. Yeah, new face to the WWE, but not a new facer named to the wrestling world and how how do you you know, how do you bring him in? Boom? They didn't really, that's I say they. I don't think vinsec Man is some of the people there realized Hella well known he was, Yeah, they Isn't it funny? Here's here's the thing. There's a lot of people behind the scenes in the office, like we knew who people were. We'll go back and talk about Claudio and Tyler Black and you know, Mopsy and all these guys. We knew who they were. But there's two people that had no idea who they were. So when everybody's going great, they're coming in. We finally, you know, we finally got it. Been all these things and I don't see it. That was not the case with AJ Styles. In fact, I'm not you're out of the company by now. What's the mentioning that, I don't know how much you're watching it at this point in time watching it? Yep, you're watching it still. Ye obviously still lovedow still love wrestling. So you're out of the company here. But AJ Styles at the rumble of the year prior, really, I think from all the things I've for added from the dirt sheets, vinsc Man was so surprised on how well the crowd reacted to him arriving. And I say that because let's go back Chris Jericho. Yesterday was the anniversary of him premiering his debut in a v at nineteen ninety nine, where they went absolutely Bonker's for him, and he came out during that rock promo and had done greg wrestling work at WCW didn't get on the stage that he wanted. But again, they knew who he was when he showed up, and they knew AJ styles was when he showed up, right, and but but that was always the mentality, they only know what we allow them to know. Those people get it ovation like that in nineteen ninety nine and dowf it's pretty cool. Yeah, there were a lot of really over people then, and the buzz was you know what AJ came in. Everybody was ready for it. And to your point, I don't think they understood how over he was and his body of work. They learned quickly because you know, Triple H and and then and the cats be honestly, they all knew who he was and what he's done, So you know, it's it's always good to have those advocates, you know, for you which that's one of the things that's changed over the years as people went to bat for you know, not the boys going to bat for the boys, but now the office going to bat for talent. You know, you can say, like what if he came in earlier and all that, but his body of work beforehand that he had built amazing. He did. He did it livelihood of NA him smot with Joe Christopher, there's several of them in TNA. But his body I worked there. Then he went off and did a lot of work in Japan was amazing. He was he was He was having these modern day five star matches before it went bonkers and everybody started getting five to seven star matches, right right. Yeah, he journey, He did it the right way. He knew what he wanted to do, He knew what he wanted to accomplish. And I think he's come out and said he knew someday he was going to be in the WWE. But he got it all done. Like you said, his body works been tremendous and when he came in it was the right time. From the come in it was later in his career, but he's still going. Man, he's still making money. Yeah, he's still doing his part. He's still in storylines, and I don't see him going anywhere else really until he's done. So yeah, I agree with you. I think this because I think there's there's another Catoez longevity past the physicality in WW one of my favorite wrestlers of all times, AJ Styles. That's just because I'm I watch a lot of wrestling, right, not just WW. I've got to just go ahead and say this a bit of me really, and we've talked about this. It's going to take us down a little bit of rabbit hole, stretch out this recording even longer. I apologize. I really wanted to Keny Omega ending like this, maybe not eight ten years like AJ Style is gonna end up doing, but man, Bill five years of Kenyo make it wrapping it up in D I was really starting to like the sound of that. I think they really must have and again without knowing, right, just an opinion outside looking in, they really must have put a lot of money in front of him. But again, I think Kenny's that cap that it's not about the money. So hopefully the creative keeps going the way it goes for him and he's happy with that. But I'm with you. I always said. I said it when I first met him back in oh four oh five. I said he was the next Chris Jericho off of seeing him in one hour and knew, you know, the guy's super, super talented. He's done it all his way and it's worked out, and I am I'm with you. I'm one of those I don't know how any other people who are listening to this are gonna feel about that, but I'm with you. I'm one of those guys who really thought we'd get a get Omega run in WWE before he, you know, hangs it up. Yeah, it's just looking less and less likely now. You never know. Yeah, obviously could he Rudson made the jump, but it seemed at the time would have been now for Kenny Omega, it could have sliddering and had some title run, etc. Done some good work for at least five years. I guess, yeah, we'll see what happens. But I did want to bring that up with the announcement recently that the Elite at All signed extensions, A little bit of me was I'm not gonna lie. I think the young Bucks could fit in, but I just don't know how much. I do think Kenny Omega would have had a good run. But it's his career. It's up to him, right, But to me just being a Kenny Omeg, a fan of his matches and what I've seen, it's different. Obviously not for everybody, but I really think he could have had a good not even Indy, just a good later part of his career story here making this jump, yeah, just a good other chapter to the journey. I'm with you, I agree for selfish reasons, right, you want to see that happen, like we want to see that happen for him. But obviously he knows what works for him. And and I've said this before when we talk about training, I always still be if you're happy doing what you're doing, nothing else can can fill that. So one, you know, he's successful, good businessman, top of his game. But I'm with you, I wholeheartedly agree. I've never changed that opinion of I really was hoping we would have seen a little run with the WW before you call it quits. But everyone has nothing to prove. But it would have been cool, right, It would have been cool, all right? So let me find where you just were. He holds the title for sixteen days. Kevin Owens gets it back at Battleground for two days. AJ Styles gets it back on SmackDown two days later, holds it for seventy five days. Then at Helen a Cell twenty seventeen, there's a triple threat match with Styles also tied Dillinger, who is near the end of his WWE run here, so you could probably remember when the ten got over ten ten ten. Anyway, it's going to come out with Baron Corban in the next champion. In that match between AJ Styles Tied Dillinger and Baron Corbyn, and that was so again here's the passing of the torch if you will, right, Yeah, you take a good guy. AJ Style, you know, is his background, his everything he's done and now now we're going to raise and look look at Baron Corban. Now, so that obviously that all worked out. This is the year. Really Baron Corbin at this way in time is getting just he's been on the main roster just a little bit, but this is kind of his moment a developmental. Guys, you're aware you worked with him, came through that. Another guy who came through the system, paid his dues in the system, and it's paid off to him. Obviously he's still there working and making money today. Yeah. Just I won't say that. Baron amazing guy, but came into it with that NFL background, and I always say that's the guy who's been Yeah and then the Cardinals, right, but that's a guy who's been coached his whole life. So he understood what he was there for. And from day one he told everybody goes, I'm gonna be the guy. And people were really turned off at the very beginning of his time in Tampa because he wasn't super cocky about it, but he let people know I'm not here to screw around. I'm here to become the guy. Yeah. And he's done everything he said he's gonna do. Yeah, I like to work. He's done on NXT now. By the way, I like his fit on the next day here with me on that. Yeah. Absolutely. I was so glad to see him go back and then stay. You can't look at it like, hey, this is developmental. It is, but you still have to have guys like Baron Corbyn there. Yeah, you have to have leaders. New day Charlotte FLA a lot of them went back and done some great stuff. But I like that he's there and staying. I think he's liking it too. From all things indicates, So congratulations. Okay, before we move on, Ty Dillinger the guy, amazing talent, great brain for the business, can do anything with anyone could put and here's the knock. If there's a knock, he could put together a great match for everybody else. The problem is he's and I say, the problem is this is a This is my opinion as his former coach, and him and I have these discussions. Like I said, there was a few people I said that when you're time is done, you're gonna make it awesome because he knows what he's doing. Just the transition though, and it was always the thing of the believability. He's a worker and he treats you know. He had the great and the people were with it, so he had the opportunity to ten ten ten. But when all that stuff stopped, and it was the physicality, it wasn't he didn't have that next gear. He didn't have that aggressive thing to him to where he could keep momentum going. That was always the conversation was you know what you're doing. You're good at it. You look the part, you put the time, and you're great. Here's and here's probably the worst thing that people don't never want to hear. And I've heard this for years. You don't want to be told you're a hell of a hand, right, He's a hell of a hand. He fell into the and not comparing it to Brad Armstrong, but he fell into that Brad Armstrong thing. Ty was more entertaining behind the scenes and stuff, but when came bell to bell, they always wanted to see him be that just lose control, vicious, more physical, and he was so smooth and so you know, technically sound that it just didn't resonate. And I feel like that's the same thing that happened in a E W. Great build up opportunityman, Yeah, but it just doesn't resonate. Like I don't want to say believability, but that's really what I have for it. The believability wasn't there. So not a bad guy, get on your roster there Still what a great guy. And I'll say it again if he chooses, I'm not sure where he's out when aw, he's the behind the scenes guy. He's got a long time left in this business. He's one of those guys. He's so good at what he does. That's how he's perceived. He wasn't perceived as an ass kicker, he wasn't perceived as a acting like an a hole. Is character was never understood, I think by everybody in the back. So I think it made it harder for him to understand. And this was his second go round with the company, so it was even more pressure on him. Yeah, I bring him up because I don't. I don't probably not a whole lot of other times we'll talk about him, but still float around there on the payroll of AW. I'm fairly certain lost in the shuffle of the the number of people that have on the roster. Yeah, and it was one of those times when everybody was going and he got lost in the shuffles. When you carry a heavy roster, let's say you're doing house shows every day, which a w's not certainly more than a day or two a week, you kind of these utility players come in handy, not only for the matches they could be in, but for the rug that they can give other people. They're good to have a round, And I just wonder what that's like in a W now when if you're not on TV, you're not really doing anything. Yeah, I don't. I have trouble figure, you know, trying to figure that out. It's probably cool getting paid. I have issue, Yeah, I have issue with that. It's cool getting paid I'm just not sure what it does for you next in your career. Yeah, because those guys did, those guys that left to go to a W made it very clear it's not about getting paid. It's about being creative and doing doing the things you can do and you know, having a voice for your character and those kind of things. And so yeah, I'm I'm I'm a little lost in that. I watched the show last night. I'm just a little lost in the hole. And well we'll, you know, we will go down that one as well. But yeah, Ty Dilterer is is great, and I just it just never hit the way you know it should have hit. We will keep going here. Seventy day title ring by Baron Corbyn, Clash of Champions December seventeen. Two those seventeen there's a triple threat match. Bobby Rood's in the picture now, which gosh, I loved it. Another guy when I was like, let me. Just let me just be quiet for a minute. Then I'll get to it. Baron Corbyn Dolph Ziggler Bobby Rude triple threat match. Dolph Ziggler comes out on top nine day title rain on SmackDown the day after Christmas the two seventeen. The SmackDown General manager then was Daniel Bryan. He ruled at Dolp Ziggler. He ruled a vacation on the title of Dolve Ziggler because he left the bell in the ring. I don't know if you remember this. So then there's a tournament and Bobby Rude comes out as a champion on SmackDown on January sixteenth, twenty eighteen, defeated Jenner Mahal. We will get to Jenner Mahal, trust me. But man, when I saw Bobby Rude come over, he got a NXT Knockamra had that match the night before WrestleMania. Over was at Two Nights, fort night before WrestleMania at the NXT pay per view. Just so happy. This is another guy where I was pretty big into TNA the years what Tena was doing. I don't care what anybody says. Years before this, before Hogan and all of them got in there. TENA was doing some good stuff, man, even after he got in there, austin Aries, Bobby Rude, James Storm, a lot of these guys did good things in TENA around that time. And it was so awesome to see Bobby Rude because he is great. To see him get out of Dodob spend that time on it almost like hey, let's get used to the system a little bit and give back at the same time. We see that so often a he did it, Samelo, Joe did it, Bobby Root did it. They all did it in the system here, and I love Bobby Rude's introduction onto the NXT. I got so excited when he came out of the main roster. He gets the championship and it's kind of like, yeah, Mack, it's super And I don't know how many people more talented than him, honestly, but I was so happy to see him get the title here. He was one of those guys that when his contract was up with TNA the first time, we were politicking to get him. Yeah, we won of them years before we got him, because you knew what you had in Bobby Root and James Storm. We're trying so hard. But then they resigned, right, so now you're just watching them from the outside in. But when he came in, I might hear they go, Okay, it's been it's same thing like Adam Cole fell into that, right, we waited. Okay, they did their thing, they kept building their own brand. Okay, now they're in. And then Bobby Rude gets lost in the shuffle, gets lost in the shuffle, and he's still lost in the shuffle, is but been out hurt. But you always wonder what if these guys, these T and A guys, and a lot of them signed on again. They had a great last run with TNA Austin Airies four WW ten A run was great there at the end the game, Storm AJ Styles, Bobby Rude and TNA. They did a good job. Everybody bought in during that time period and said we're going to give this one more go before we get out of here. And they did some great stuff and TNA then I watched it all the time, and obviously TV contracts all that after that happened fell apart a little bit. They're still struggling from it. But man, Bobby Rude lost in the shuffle. Here is what could he have done not to get lost in the shuffle, or is he just victim to this what happens. It's not talent, it's not personality. It's it's not a lack of any sort of a skill set thing. Nope, it's just some it's just not enough advocates, not enough ad kids. And the thing, the terrible thing is, it doesn't matter if everybody goes this guy's it. Pat Patterson was the biggest Dolf Ziggler told Vince everything, put Dolf in there, Let's get Dolf going. Yeah, but Dolf had one big advocate in Pat. Everybody else knew what Dolf could do. But unless you're gonna stand up and die on that hill, yeah, with that talent, they don't have enough advocates. Bobby Rude, everybody knew what he could do when he came in. I agree, great, great stuff. I thought, here we go. This kid's gonna be a freaking player for a long time. You Jesse niced a lot of guys, Bill, Yeah, you literally, there's no rhyme or reason for it. Your exit and the prior and the in the two years that passed that you missed working with a lot of cool You gotta work with a lot of cool people, but you gotta work. Yeah. So it like a lot of established people that came in, and we talked about that. I think what NX he did with him, You've missed some cool people, man. I bet it would have been cool work with my Bobby Rude. They were all in the transition of getting there, yeah, as I was in the transition of getting out. And so when I watched them commit, I'm like, off, if I wouldn't Oh, I would have loved to have worked with this one or you know, just got to know this one better and all that stuff. But still a fan, and like I'm a I'm a Bobby Rude fan, and so I hope whatever whatever he's going through, I know, a couple of surgeries now and stuff like that. But if that was the reason he's out, that'd be one thing. But they missed the mark with him big time. Yeah, hopefully we see another great run. Yeah, definitely possible. Definitely possible. He holds the title for fifty four days. Randy Organ gets the title at fast Lane, kind of like, Okay, so Randy or gets this title. He holds it for twenty eight days. He drops it to Jenner mahat WrestleMania thirty four and that in that four way match with Rusev, Bobby Rude, Mahal and Orton. Orton and Hall go on and do some business here and Jender Mahal exits the company, him and Mac and tire. You don't think much of it, and he comes back just on fire. Man of the two Gender came back on fire. Yeah, And I thought, what one the best thing you can do when you leave is to keep going if that's if that's what your journey is. Those two guys went out and make, you know, reinvented themselves, their brand and what they could do where you had to bring them back. And I thought gender was going straight to the top, and he you know, he went to the top of the card and all that stuff. But all of a sudden was like, we've got the same gender. And I think that's what the perception was in the back. But I think even with the people after, you know, the initial thing and he's back, what was different about it? You know what I mean? What was what was going to be special this time? And again gender fell to fell to the we've seen this, okay, else we got going on? So there wasn't a lot of advocates that stayed with him in my opinion. You know, he goes on the independency and Bill didn't do a whole lot honestly, like Drew dread Man, Let's be honest. Jenner Mahaal talks about it. You know, he hit rock bottom here, he did some small time stuff. He comes back in and Jenner Mahall has been a champion man. He's had the highest title in the company, and he did a pretty damn good job. Him and Orton has some good stuff. I was happy to see him back over accomplished really what most people thought he could. I don't. I think the downfall of gender is keep pairing him up with up and comers. Yeah, you know, they kept as he was at his hot is coming in, they add someone else with you know, let the men stand on his own. Let let him keep going and doing his thing instead of trying to give the rup to other other people because he's still finding his his his spot in the lane. You know, that's just my opinion. But another talented cat who just they decided, okay, this is this is where we're going. This is some trickery here that they pulled. So when he wins this, this title becomes an exclusive to Monday Night Rawl following the twenty eighteen WW Superstars Shake Up. He holds the title for eight days. Jeff Hardy wins it. The title straits were back to SmackDown on the second night part of the twenty eighteen w Superstars shake Up. Jeff Hardy is the champion. No, it's not on Jeff, No one cares. It's going back. It's exclusive to this. This guy comes over. Now it's back there. So this this title, we're back in that, right. Jimmy Hart said that the wrestling world is a circle, and the circle keeps coming, and now we're back to the circle again, towards just another transitional thing to where Okay, if you're a champion, you matter more. Right. I firmly believe Jeff Hardy's one of those guys who doesn't need a title to be over and do his thing. But now they take it, they bring the SmackDown and the Jeff's the guy carried it. Ninety day title reigned since Okay knocking More gets the tit Extreme Rules on July fifteen, twenty eighteen. Man since he Knakamura, He's another guy went through the NXT system. I just talked about him and Bobby Ruds a match which I thought was amazing the night before WrestleMania. I don't even the name of that takeover. But nevertheless, she's get Nakamura as a champion now, another guy that so many amazing matches I had seen before he came. Yeah, it just always the thought of, well, what can we do, how do we repack Why do we have to repackage everyone? Why do we have to give them a different persona or a different move set or a different you know, have them act differently as giving him. I'm not sure that. I'm not sure how much read branding you can do. It's just get Nakamura. That's not a knock yeah, and it's just okay, they run him. He's hot for a little bit, then he's off, then he's on. But that we could say that about at this time. Now you can say this for the whole roster. So yeah, but she's get another guy. Okay, I'll power through it here. Receves and champion on December eighteen, twenty eighteen, on SmackDown forty Day. Tittle Ring Knockem Morgan is a back for two days at Royal Rumble. Our Truth wins it on SmackDown on January twenty nine, twenty nineteen, and Phoenix, Arizona holds it for thirty five days. Our Truth man fast rewind excuse me six seven years for that. He's actually in man of matches here and Dove and he's still contributing here and still to this day. You gotta give the fans what they want. Yeah, the people love Our Truth. I love Our Truth if that means if that means making him world champion, Tag team Champion, Devas Champion, twenty four seven, champion, US Champion, whatever it is. You put Our Truth in front of people because that's what they want. And he is just freaking Ronnie's just awesome. Look how long it took him to find the thing. Yeah, middle Kimmy of all things right, just that the funny guy behind the scenes brings it out in front. And and don't get me wrong, he's he's beloved by every so uh yeah, our Truth holding the title that helped, that helped the US Championship more than helped Our Truth for sure. It's like Udana's has him on the heat. He just retired this year I don't know how close your Miami Heat basketball, but this guy's way into his forties. But we're gonna pay on the veterans minimum of three million, which still held a lot of money a year. Because he's like a player coach man. He doesn't even have to play. We're good. This guy is so good to have on the team and so meaningful to this organization. We're gonna keep paying him to be on there. Yeah, anywhere he goes. You can put him in front of the media and public in appearances, anything, anything under the sun, and he's gonna he's gonna produce and he's gonna be good at it. Important to note though, before all this, he said find his thing and all that. He has done a lot of stuff though, and the wrestling industry, Yes, this was just his w he loved I thought him and the mis were great. Yeah, you gotta remember this guy was John Cena before this, let alone the work he's done before that. When we first came into the WWF, he left because they didn't know what to do with him. So you know, I knew him from before and knew what he was doing. So we get there and we spent a short time together then he was out of the company for a little bit, but he's you know, the work he's done everywhere, it's just been amazing, and he's just you know, talented. He's a good businessman. Longevity proves it. And I think that was the one where he did more for the US title than the US title did for him. Let's fast forward here in this next guy I'm excited to talk about. On SmackDown March fifth, twenty nineteen, there's a fatal four way match ray mystereo Andre, which Andrea was just crazy to think about. That was that long ago with him and then Samoa Joe and and Samoa Joe comes out as the next champion. This is Samoa Joe's main roster push here, massive, massive Samoa Joe fan, another one who's accomplished so much he didn't even really need time in. But he was so damn closed so many times they could have pulled the trigger at let's put the title on this guy that the main title. This did not happen. Yeah, I agree everything you said. Who's more of an exactly walking badass and Samoa Joe besides Barnold brock Lesner, maybe who else may just was the he was the evolution of tough guys. He was, you know, he was that persona that you didn't need the grand entrance, you didn't need all these things, and just let him walk through. And I agree there was a couple of different times. Again, what are those guys that everybody knew who he was, what he was doing, Let's get him, let's get him happy, what he's doing. Finally gets there. I'm a big fan as well, but then everything they were doing as a wrestling fan didn't make any sense. You know, he did get hurt at his run. Yeah, he did great job on a commentator. I thought he's great a commentary. Yeah, I thought, man, he just might do this for now on he's so damn good at it. Obviously he wants to perform more. And this last week was the anniversary of a the sixty man Iron Man match drawl that him and Daniel Bryan had and Brian Danielson and Ring of Honor. So amazing match which time drawl. Note, you know Daniel Bryan held the title. One of the best matches I've ever seen. How hard is it to go an hour? When we were training, we used to have to be able to go an hour with anyone or with multiple people, as long as the same guy was going for the hour. People don't give enough credit to the men that go out and do that. There's a lot of people that can do sixty minutes and twenty of it's on the floor, you know what I mean. This guy, there's a lot of people has had a lot of amazing multi minute matches. Yeah, but there's a lot of guys who claim all I can do sixty minutes, and they send me the tape and look at my sixty minute match, and I hold the clock to it, and twenty five minutes of it's on the floor, messing with people. These guys go and Joe's now, he's the evolution of what big men? Do you know? And I'll say the big fan. I had a brother. My brother is not into wrestling. He came over and I said, this guy is amazing. He said that guy, He said, dude, he's amazing. He just looks like a big old guy. Right then he watched him, He's like, holy shit, he is amazing. I'm like, yeah, he moves so and still now watching him so graceful and I don't mean graceful like a ballerina. Just grace. He's so smooth and he's still so quick and to the point. So, yeah, we missed the boat. We missed minute matches U Ryan Danielson see him punk Austin Areas. That's a good one too. Those guys could go and for sixty solid minutes, not a lot of down time, put on a hell of a show. Samoa Joe is so under appreciated, so underrated, but yet it has accomplished so much. He didn't need anything for DAB. I'm sure he got paid well, didn't get as much as I thought he went out of the run, but so happy to see him in the company. Yeah, I agree. I don't think he's one of those guys. I don't think. To me, it's like a j They didn't need to come to WWE. I'm glad they did. I think every wrestler wants that chapter. Yeah that's just my opinion. But I think Joe didn't need to. But I'm glad to see the stuff he's doing. Would they e W. He's one of the guys that I do enjoy and it's not knock on anybody else. But never miss a Samoa Joe match. I will go out of my way to watch every Samoa Joe match, every single Samoa job perform. Yeah, sorry to cut you off, but I do not miss a Samoa Jo match. Put it that way. Yeah, he's you. You get this. He doesn't vary from who he is. He doesn't change like he's the consummate performer. He's Samoa Joe. He's not Samoa Joe the good guy, Samoa Joe the bad guy, Samoa Joe the haha, Samoa Joe very tentative. He's Samoa Joe every time. And that's what I appreciate more than anything. One of the best. Everett, what he's done, honestly. Yeah. Agree. So he holds the title for seventy four days. Ray Mysterio wins that at Money in the Bank. Okay, let me rewind because you're gonna love this. When he won that title on March five, twenty nineteen, the title became an exclusive to the Raw brand following the two thousand nineteen Superstars shakeup. Completely irrelevant, right, but I had to happen again. So Ray Mysterio Holy holds it for fifteen days. He actually relinquished the title back to Joe because of a legitimate injury that he suffered at money in the bank, so Samoa Joe goes on on a twenty day title reign. Here in Juna twenty nineteen, Ricochet gets the title as Stam being grounds. Did you watch idiot his stuff in Lucha Underground? I caught, you know, when I could, I watched Luca Underground. I think it would have benefited him to stay that way and we could. You know, we'll we'll talk about Summer Slam and all these other things later on, but I'm this was an opportunity for this. We talked about the you know what our truth did for the title. I think this was an opportunity for the title to help elevate Ricochet. Good work as Puma though Lucha Underground, Yeah yeah, talented guy for sure. Not many athletic as all can be this yeah, the stuff he can do is ridiculous. Made sense though, get getting him in the getting him the title, for sure, man made sense. We had to see what all he could bring to the table. So he holds it for twenty one days. Aj Style gets it back at Extreme Rules. He holds it for one hundred and thirty four days. Ramistereo comes back healthy on November twenty five, twenty nineteen on Raw wins the title for thirty days. Andreid gets the title ad to be Live a couple of weeks later and he holds it for one hundred and fifty days. Another guy that I'm glad to see on TV again on Collision. Yeah he what was he was injured? Right? Uh? They just weren't using him in a w I think it was both. Oh, I thought I thought he was out injured and then they didn't use him once he got cleared or something. A lot of talk was dirt sheets right mbining the window, but go back, go back, which the VISPCT man got out. He was like, Hey, I'm gonna go He's a triple H guy. I'm gonna go back. Didn't happen. He wasn't being used, I think is what happened. And Collision opens up the door for people like him, and they're not utilizing him. Right there's still Yeah a hell of a talent though, dude, a talent I remember what over it probably fifteen years ago now New Japan. It is a great stuff. That guy is hell of a talent man and a thick dude. Yeah. Another guy who who people need to see him, person who appreciate you know what he really looks like. Yeah, so one hundred and fifty day and it's crazy to think about this being four years ago now most but one hundred and fifty day title rain. Polo Cruize gets the title on RAW on May fifth, May twenty five, twenty twenty. We're full out COVID period here. Polo Cruiz is the next champion. I know that Apollo Cruz was in n XT while you were there. It may have been on your last year if I remember, probably correctly. Yeah, he came in right at the tail end there, And what's your experience with him? Did you like his Nigerian character that he rolled out they rolled out for him a few years ago. I know I didn't either. I like Apollo Cruiz. I like his who he is as a person is athleticisms crazy, His abilities are crazy. And it's that thing, right, It's that everybody's looking for these Sometimes I feel like we overlook for things instead of letting that person come to us and show us what they have, if that makes sense, right, invest a little bit more time and let them come out of their shell instead of trying to Yeah. Four, feed the force, feed the issue and I think Apollo falls into that category of them trying to force feed things and him not feeling it, and then Okay, they're not behind him. He's another guy they'll bill that came through the system, follow the system yep, and is rewarded for it. Yep. Is there a better way to word it than that? We often know there is there is a benefit to buying into the system and not fighting it, and he's a He's a example of that. Yeah. The biggest, the biggest example of ever coming through the system and realizing that if you fight it, you're gonna lose. But if you if you accept it for what it is, is Seth Rollins. And I think we've talked about this in the past, Like Seth was on the verge of being let go because of his tank top because he always wrestled in a tank top and he'd been talked to about it and told about it, and he just didn't think that was important enough because he was going to go out there to have a five star match every guy, and the topic was we've told you about the shirt, and we're gonna let you go. This is coming right from Triple H sitting down in front of Seth Rollins, He goes, is this really where we're at? It comes back to here's the playbook, nobody doubts your abilities and this we're off seth now. But all these guys except trust the process. And the ones who trust the process are the ones that are successful, right because they soon figure out that once they trust the process and gain that trust, the doors are opened a la Sammy Zane, Kevin Owen, all the you know, all these guys. You know. So Paula Cruz was another guy. He trusted it, he took the lead. I still think there's a place for him on the main roster in the in the hierarchy of it. Seems to be a ww guy, though I will say that like you just yes. He holds the title for one hundred and seventy five days, excuse me, ninety six days. Then Bobby Lashley wins it at payback and he holds it for one hundred and seventy five days. Bobby Lashley, now as the man of returned to the company, settled in about a year, and he goes on half a year title ran with the title. Yeah that guy just wait time to sit right in Goodney. Yeah, it's it's it Bobby's back. Okay, let's give him the Yeah, he's he's in those guys could just so legitimate man show up. Yeah, it's crazy to think about how long he's been around now and professional wrestling, but but the transition of a guy who's come through the system and he's learned every time he's come back, he's added more to his repertoire. He's he's got more ammunition, you know what I mean. Yeah, So he's he's the he's living proof of it. You gotta be going on twenty years now and since the Premier Division. Yeah, yeah, sure, because when I was in Louisville with Lance, when we were when we were running Louisville, that was in ninety nine, two thousand, So he's got to be coming up on twenty years. Yeah, I agree. Next Champion here is his interesting Matt Riddle. Riddle as they call him now. I'm not sure why they're obsession with getting rid of first names are but Elimination Chamber on February twenty twenty one, there's a triple threat match with John Morrison while he Lashley and himself, and yeah, Riddle comes out as an next Champion. Man. He is another guy that spent some time in the system, did some good stuff with Evolve. It was just a matter of time before he was brought in NXT and A certainly have everything went on par with what you would expect with Matt Riddle when he made that commitment to go to professional wrestling. Yeah, and if he keeps his act together, he'll have a job for a long time. That's it. He'll he'll have a job. But I think he's one of those guys that is he in it just to have a job or is he in it? You know? I feel like he can only have a job for so long that will keep him happy there, you know what I mean? Yeah, and I mean that in a positive way. I don't mean it as a shot by any mean a guy that he did a really good job of catching on with wrestling though. Yeah, I agree with that, like the entertainment factor, but even the the in ring physicality of being safer and things like that. I think he really caught on really quick. Yeah, a great transition from m and may World for sure. Yep. Okay, So he holds a title for forty nine days. Shamus gets at Wrestle Many a thirty seven night too, in Tampa, Florida. Kind of a mainstay, right, Like, I don't know, I'd have to go back through here and look at how many times he's been the champion. I don't remember on top of my head. But we've gone back to the well as Shamus in this company. Yeah, not only do to be title us, the world heavyweight title, whatever the data states title. He's been a main te Yep. We've talked when in doubt go to Shamus, Well said we won't. We've already touched up on quite a bit. Damian Priest August twenty, twenty twenty one to SummerSlam. He's the next champion. This is really the big title reign as far as kind of what we're doing with Austin Theory. Now this is comparison with Damian Priest. He is just a couple of years ahead of Austin Theory here on seen be going on the same route of things. Yeah, I mean Dan, he had been around a long time. He's made his rounds everywhere. Another guy that went to the system. I keep saying this system, you know what I'm saying. But he reinvented himself again and trusted the process and you know, fast forward past the time we're talking about that. Look at what he's doing now. So it's another it's another guy who really takes advantage of opportunities and makes the most of all the opportunities given to it. Okay, so the next champion I'm excited about here. It's after one hundred ninety one days because he had a lengthy reign there, Priest Finn Balor is the next champion on February twenty, twenty twenty two. This is pre faction that they're in now. Benn Ballor Man, another guy, Prince dev I've been following Finn Balor for a long time before maybe he comes in and it appeared that he really gave. He really helped. I'm trying to get out a word. He really helped legitimize NXT. He was a very critical part of NXT. Yes, he took the world by storm. The demon was over more than anything i'd seen there. This is when NXT started. You gotta watch NXT onto v Network. Finn Balor's there. There's some great stuff going on, and this is a towards the end of your time there. It is Finn Balor helped put NXT. There's a lot of people who did. But when he can, the stuff that he did put it helped put it on the map as far as hey, this is a program that's gonna have amazing matches and there. But here's a guy who's been and falls into that same categories. AJ styles and the other guys that we talked about, been around the world, put his time in, understood the business and understood that there's a process. But on game day, on showtime, nobody better. And he just you know the terrible thing when he got hurt, you know what I mean. And that's the big storyline. Now, when he got hurt, all that momentum, all that all that hard work, it wasn't it was just put on the shelf and not the bad way. But you couldn't do anything. It was such a great build up, such an introduction, all these things, Universal Champion, the whole you know, nobody better and you did. You had those group of guys h Finn Balor Pock uh Seth and Sammy and Owens and all these all these crazy crazy cats that were there that did great stuff and really did so much for NXT. Now they're on the roster and getting to do it. And then uh we get hit by the My brother came over for summerslime. I keep saying this and he's like, what's up with that marked on his arm? I walked him through the scenario. What happened, sim balor couldn't have been any hotter than than that happened with the shoulder right that that that buckle bomb move. And I told him, my brother, I said, this is just taking a lot of guys out of actions. Quite I don't understand it seems I'm like, gotta be dangerous. You have no control over steam. The whiplash that he got, that is a dangerous move, man, Can you walk us? And I'm not a professional wrestler like you are, so you know. So if everybody, if you understand, every time you take a bump, it's like being in a car. Every time you take a bump, it's whiplash. All you're doing is conditioning your body to understand how that feels right. But when you doing it to yourself is one thing. Once you're in the air and going backwards with someone else's momentum, you're trusting that you're going to at least be in a spot where you can generally to brace yourself or catch yourself those buckle bombs. You're going help bet for that thing. And wherever you land high low in between, that's totally on the person that's giving giving the move. You have no control over that. That's one of the things. You greet your teeth and hopefully when your eyes open after the bump, you're able to continue. But that's one of the things like is it necessary. It's returned quite a bit more lately. Yeah, And because that's that's what happens. Once it's safe once or two times, and now we go back to use it again until someone of I don't want to say, you know, importance gets injured or something like that, but I will say this, going back to Finn, if you look at the Finnbauer of seven years ago when he had that championship, when he was the guy, he's nowhere near looks like the man he looks like. Not so we I think we benefit from that seven years because now he looks like a man who's been through the trenches. And now now he's so seasons that it's ridiculous because if you look at him seven years ago, he looked like a little kid. You think he's going anywhere. Bill I mean, you think he's a mainstad. He's already a mainstay. Do you think there's his career ends in any other way now? No, I would be shocked if he's not a lifer. You're an NXT guy. I brought it up earlier to want to get your opinion on it before you move on. How important was he for an XT catching fire and really becoming what it was in an intricral part. He was an intricral part of it. And I think what really happened is when he actually showed up for work, when everybody got to know him, his work ethic, that kind of guy. He was on a day to day base. That's the beauty of NXT. You spent every day together. You really get to know people. And I think as everybody, producers, agents, coaches, other talent understood who this guy was. They everybody you know, clipped on his coattails and said, okay, let's see where you're gonna take us. You always hear about how much help the others too. When he was there. Oh yeah, he was, you know, wrestlings. That's the funny thing. If he was not when he was there, he was then to developmental base, he was really the first one is like this not a developmental guy, but what he is doing for the developmental system was so huge, and they didn't hurry it. Yeah, yeah, and that's the thing, like, and that was where Hunter really he was a genius. He didn't rush Owens, he didn't rush Sammy, he didn't rush Finn. He didn't rush Pah. We talk about Pock a different time because that's a travesty. But he Hunter really knew there had to be a place in time for these guys to make it make sense so they would last through the trial period up there in the main roster. There's certain guys who understood that, and three of them became the shield. Right. You had to trust it and lived through the process to being what you wanted to be. So Finn Finnballer was an intricate part of that. What's power through the end here forty eight days title reigned theory. As he's being this is awesome theory, Vince mcman time period right, Theory becomes a champion. He actually is a champion for seventy five days. Lashly he gets the title at Money in the Bank twenty twenty two hundred day seth freaking Rawlins gets it on RAWLL on October tenth, forty seven days. Then at Sir Virus Series War Games twenty twenty two November twenty six, Austin Theory wins the match, and we are still rolling with Austin Theory today. This is going back to it going on to a really good up and coming superstar. Yeah, and he's he's my guy. I've known him since he's nine years old. I'm super, super proud of him. I'd like to see that thing get off of him. But Bill, what do you? I think you gotta do something when it does, though, do you pull it off of them and do nothing with him? Or? I mean, well, that's that's the fear now is if if he doesn't hold that and he's not in these you know kind of storyline things with different guys, if they take it off of them, what happens to him? Now? Does he get lost in the shuffle? Well, he's one of the future guys. He's a future guy in this business. You know, you hear what I'm saying that Drew McIntyre was the future in missic Man's eyes. Pulled the title off of him. He even self, he admits he was to blame. But what do you do once you take titles off of people and you don't want to kill the moment him all the way? Yeah, I just I'm just stuck on the US title now as Theory has it awesome, you know when you see him sitting up and watching matches and the you know, the title wasn't important enough to be on the last pay per view, and you know, but we're gonna have a big match after the pay per view, you know with the Lwokat I forget his name really quick. Yeah, you know, so I feel like we're back in that transition again of Okay, he's holding it because ay, we have nothing else to do with it, and we don't have a clear storyline. But I'll use the analogy again. I don't want to see that US title become a twenty four seventh thing. But my fear is, once Theory doesn't have it, does he get the Bobby Rude treatment? Is he a future champion World champion? Oh? Yes, I think I think he's a future He's He's gonna be in the picture for a long time as long as the you know, the wrestling gods keep him healthy and he keeps his head on swivel like he is because he's a good kid, he's a smart kid. So I think he's he's going to be in the picture for a long time. Big Austin Dairy fan. Let's wrap it up. Let's wrap out this conversation with this five time champions Le's s's to do? Five time United States Champions, Lex Luger, Rick Flair, John Cena, Chris ben Waugh. Who else do we have here, Brett Hart? We have several four times, including see here I'm scrolling through a notes, We've got book or t Ricky steamboat. It's just there's so many different three times. But I guess what I'm saying is we've had this conversation now for that we started months ago. Now we've come in and out of it. But this, this, this championship is incredible. Man. This yeah, it goes back to how we started it. I'm still blown away to be in that picture, to have my name on that list long list of men that have carried this through and the and the ones that I had the privilege of watching grow in the business that are carrying it now. This championship means. This championship means more than the New World Championship does for sure, because that one was just to me, you know, makeshift and all these things. This United States championshi just been around for a long long time. And while it's you know, still ebbs and flows of when it's meaningful when it's not. The list of men that have been on this this championship is just incredible, just incredible talent and some of the best storylines in wrestling from the from top to Bob. How cool it's so cool that you held the title and what you really think of I would say I've listened to a lot of podcasts, I've watched a lot of wrestling documentaries. This has been I'm not trying to toot our own hoards here, but this has been a really freaking cool discussion which Bill. It's been about like ten hours of content us talking about the history of this title. This body of work that we've done here is certainly something that I'm proud of in my podcast fifteen plus year podcasting career. I'm proud of this body of work we've talked about. Man, this this has really been really cool. Hard to believe, Like I said that, we spent so much time on it, but justifiably so, and I'm glad we did because it was important to tell that try to tell our you know, that story and from our perspective. One of the things I didn't tell you is in Iowa, a guy who listens to us on the podcast, a gentleman brought the United States Championship. It was a replica belt and asked me to sign it, and I was like, wow, this and it was the wc W REP. Oh cool. So there's so there's my daughter and my son and my wife and I signed this thing and I got like all nostags. I'm like, wow, really cool. He goes, can I take a picture? I said sure, and he goes, no, you put the belt over your shoulder. So I had the US Championship X amount of thirty years later on my shoulder taking a picture with this cat. But it was funny because he listened to us talking about this on the podcast. And if you're listening to us now, send me a message because I'm sorry I forgot your name. But it was a great, great experience for me. But this has been amazing, this this United States Championship conversation. Yeah, man, you need to get your you need to get your family to listen to this. Bill, This has been a hell of a body of worked we've accomplished here. Man, this might be the greatest thing we do. How we're going to top this? Let's see, how do you feel about spamone? Well, everybody else would say the Invasion, but I don't think our Invasion discussion it is gonna top this. It's gonna be we'll have something. This is a good one. We'll have some misfits, we'll have some cool things to talk about. But this in particular was something that I had planned when we first started doing it. We we got the Bill Goldberg out of the way early. We knew people would like that. Then for me, it was like, hey, Bill Demont's been that had this title, Let's just do it and it really I thought it'd be a three parter, but we've just doved so deep into it, and the wrestling history has been so rich and just to think about, I feel like we've accomplished something just by sharing the legacy of this title with people that may not have known about it. Yeah. Yeah, well well done, man, Well well laid out. And I'm so glad because there's been a couple of episodes where we kind of drifted and came back to it, but I'm so glad we stayed with it and you laid it out perfect and I agree when you lay out the history of this, this championship and what it meant to wrestling and certain people. Really, it's gonna be tough for us to top this conversation. We'll give it a shot, but it's gonna be tought. It is, and I do feel I stand by it saying this is. These episodes have been something that any every wrestling fan should listen to just to fully take in what this championship means to the history of wrestling. So well done, man, and congratulations again on being a part of the history of this. It's crazy to think about. You've got Build DeMott, You've got all these amazing people. I can't even list them all because I would miss people. I'm afraid to start throwing names out. Man. Just you're on here. Man. So we've talked about before these and I put you in a really pressured situation months ago. I said, what is your top moment, Like, what is the thing you're most proud of? We went to n XT with Triple H starting that up being a part of that. Now that we've had this conversation, and I'm sure it's taking you back to that moment if you winning that title the day the One Star Meltzer match we talked about, it's taking you back to that and hopefully you fully and I'm hoping you can even appreciate it even more than you already did when you want it. I do, because you know when we talk about these things that we talked about wrestling in the business, and it, like I tell you, every time, when we're done, my mind takes me back to those to those times truly, And I said this on the air Live with Me and Jean the night the Locker Room came out to congratulate me after winning that United States Championship. Was truly a highlight of my career. Like I know a lot of people go, oh, he's saying that because he asked you and he's a mark. Well, if I wasn't a Mark, I wouldn't have gotten in the business, right, I'm a mark for wrestling. Yeah, It's truly one of the greatest accomplishments in my life was becoming United States Champion, only because I knew who had it before me. I was never concerned about it. Who added after me? I was just like, holy crap. And so this conversation reminds me of Irvine, California that night when the locker room came out and just too for those five minutes. Just show that sticktuitiveness pays off and and all these things and if you if you trust the process, you know, good things happen sometimes to weird people. So it really is top top three of things that have happened in my career. But it's really cool to think about it. And again, I'm gonna go I'm gonna be laying down later, I'm gonna be thinking about all the things that happened since. And you know, full circle for me is Warterloo, Iowa and having that guy bring the belt and and that reminds you, like you know, on the day to day we forget what we've done if we've been fortunate enough to do things in this business. And that's why I'm glad you and I are here and we get to talk about it and I get to share my perspective as as you know, as you bring the topics of to you know, to light for everybody. So really really cool man, and good jobs sticking with it when the world falling down around you in WCW. Other people were packing their bags and going home, calling it quits, already phoning it in. You land Storm, Chavo, there were others, but you guys stuck to it and we're able to create the highlight of those shows and such what we'll go down as a bad time in that company history. But congratulations to you, Landstorm and the others that stuck it out and provided good content on a show that didn't even appear to be at times trying. Yeah, thank you, Yeah, we were. There's a group of group of men and women that took advantage of an opportunity, knowing that it wasn't going anywhere, but we took advantage of the opportunity. And thank you, thank you for saying that. I appreciate you. Well. Bill, We could talk about if we want to keep going and on, but let's wrap up this epide. Let's wrap up this record with this this episode, we'll call it an episode. So yeah, make sure you check out the podcast at buildamot dot com. It has links to wherever you want to listen to the podcast. The videos from YouTuber up there. We get way more podcasts down, like our YouTube does not compare to the actual podcast downloads. I've been getting caught up on the episode, so if you want to see us talking through it, Yeah, check out the YouTube channel, subscribe to it. It's there. I'm getting I'm committed, I will get I will get full episodes up. We'll get Bill's daughter to do the clips later. That's my back pocket plan, which is a terrible person of me to do that, But seriously, though, we do appreciate it. Yeah, check out the video version. It's fun. You get to see Bill and I interact her. Heck, we've cried a few times on this podcast, honestly, two full growing in sitting here, reminiscent on the past. We appreciate all the support. You want to contact us. We're on social media. I'm a podcast father, you're a build am on on everything. We've got a email build am at pod at gmail dot com. Yeah, Keith, the interactions come and keep supporting the show. We're gonna really got to make an effort here to try to continue to push and grow it. But I think more importantly, life does have But what we've been able to do is archives, some stuff that will be around forever. That are some good conversations about pro wrestling, and my objective all along was to highlight this to people that may not be aware, and this will be available forever right on. Yeah, you're doing an amazing job. I'm honored to be a part of it. And it's a lot of fun. Man. I really can't believe we've been doing this from six months. But if it goes like this for another six months, we're in the gravy. Man. This is easy. This is easy. It's just like anything else. It's much easier when you're having a good time doing it, for sure. Yeah. I have a great time podcasting and talking with you, man, so I appreciate it too. Hey, everybody tune in next episode. Until then, keep being you and keep being great. What Molly, y'all beg sweta finish y'all, sack w Jeff Townsend Media seeze you good night. And the question is do I stay here? Will you be back? Are you gonna come back? Will you be back? Are you coming back
