WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.960 World Wrestling Events, the podcast about everything 00:00:01.960 --> 00:00:04.620 pro wrestling and more. Welcome back to the show, 00:00:04.679 --> 00:00:07.940 everybody. It is Sunday, February 22nd, 2026. 00:00:08.339 --> 00:00:11.759 And we are sitting right in the eye of the storm 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:13.359 right now. Oh, yeah. We are officially on the 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:15.640 road to WrestleMania. The big sign is up. The 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:18.719 pyro is louder. And, you know, the Internet is 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:21.379 absolutely losing its collective mind. It's a 00:00:21.379 --> 00:00:23.989 chaotic, beautiful... time to be a wrestling 00:00:23.989 --> 00:00:26.250 fan it really is the season of scrutiny isn't 00:00:26.250 --> 00:00:28.410 it i mean the weeks between the royal rumble 00:00:28.410 --> 00:00:30.350 and wrestlemania that's just the most volatile 00:00:30.350 --> 00:00:32.770 period of the entire calendar year everything 00:00:32.770 --> 00:00:35.450 is under a microscope exactly every promo gets 00:00:35.450 --> 00:00:38.130 dissected every single booking decision is magnified 00:00:38.130 --> 00:00:41.369 and the tension like both on screen and behind 00:00:41.369 --> 00:00:44.530 the scenes it is just at an all -time high right 00:00:44.530 --> 00:00:46.350 now it feels heavier this year though doesn't 00:00:46.350 --> 00:00:49.060 it yeah like we have a mountain of news to climb 00:00:49.060 --> 00:00:52.280 today. We are talking about roster moves that 00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:55.479 make absolutely no sense until you really squint 00:00:55.479 --> 00:00:57.979 at them. We've got legal situations involving 00:00:57.979 --> 00:01:01.520 massive fines and some booking decisions that 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:03.320 have the fan base split right down the middle. 00:01:03.420 --> 00:01:06.239 We definitely have a lot to unpack today. But 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:08.219 before we get into the weeds of the business, 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:12.000 we have to pay the bills. And we are very excited 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:15.180 about who is helping us do that today. This show 00:01:15.180 --> 00:01:18.200 is sponsored by worldwrestlingevents .com and 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:21.060 BetOnline. A very, very important partner for 00:01:21.060 --> 00:01:22.500 us. 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So just click that, head over to 00:02:27.990 --> 00:02:31.129 worldwrestlingevents .com and get started. Big 00:02:31.129 --> 00:02:33.490 thank you to our partners. So where do we even 00:02:33.490 --> 00:02:36.659 begin today? Let's look at the roadmap. We're 00:02:36.659 --> 00:02:38.699 going to be dissecting the fallout from the Elimination 00:02:38.699 --> 00:02:41.719 Chamber cycle, specifically why the ticket sales 00:02:41.719 --> 00:02:43.780 are looking the way they are. Very interesting 00:02:43.780 --> 00:02:46.740 data there. Yeah. And then we have a major roster 00:02:46.740 --> 00:02:50.120 move involving a certain technical wizard taking 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:52.780 on a general manager role. That is a fascinating 00:02:52.780 --> 00:02:54.840 development for the developmental system, for 00:02:54.840 --> 00:02:57.560 sure. We've also got Dominic Mysterio going global 00:02:57.560 --> 00:02:59.939 and meeting his doppelganger, which is just hilarious. 00:03:00.259 --> 00:03:02.520 Yeah. We need to break down some heavy disciplinary 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:05.120 stuff happening over in AEW involving Swerve 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:07.120 Strickland. And then we really need to talk about 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:11.139 why WWE pulls massive matches from free TV at 00:03:11.139 --> 00:03:13.240 the very last second. The business of booking. 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:16.240 It's a highly complex machine. So let's jump 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:19.000 right into segment one, the business of booking. 00:03:19.199 --> 00:03:21.139 I want to start with the Elimination Chamber. 00:03:21.419 --> 00:03:23.939 Now, usually this event is a total layup. Oh, 00:03:23.939 --> 00:03:26.360 yeah, it sells itself. Right. Big steel structure, 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:29.020 massive implications for mania, people getting 00:03:29.020 --> 00:03:31.699 thrown through plexiglass pods. But the discourse 00:03:31.699 --> 00:03:34.020 this week hasn't really been about the match 00:03:34.020 --> 00:03:36.939 quality. It's been about the seats. That's right. 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:39.360 We're looking at the data regarding ticket sales 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:41.979 for this elimination chamber cycle. And frankly, 00:03:42.219 --> 00:03:44.560 they haven't met the internal projections. It's 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:46.879 softer than expected. Now, the easy reaction 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:49.180 for the Internet to have is to say, oh, the product 00:03:49.180 --> 00:03:53.270 is cold. Which is lazy. Exactly. Because looking 00:03:53.270 --> 00:03:55.849 at the TV ratings, the product isn't cold at 00:03:55.849 --> 00:03:58.750 all. Viewership is great. Yeah. So what is going 00:03:58.750 --> 00:04:00.650 on here? You flagged something in our notes today 00:04:00.650 --> 00:04:03.310 called the Jeff Jarrett theory. Right. So this 00:04:03.310 --> 00:04:04.949 is something that requires a bit of a history 00:04:04.949 --> 00:04:07.590 lesson for the listeners. This refers to Jeff 00:04:07.590 --> 00:04:10.129 Jarrett, the promoter, specifically looking back 00:04:10.129 --> 00:04:13.629 at the way his father, Jerry Jarrett, ran the 00:04:13.629 --> 00:04:15.969 old Memphis and Tennessee territories decades 00:04:15.969 --> 00:04:18.750 ago. Their whole philosophy was centered around 00:04:18.750 --> 00:04:21.550 this concept of market burnout. Is that just 00:04:21.550 --> 00:04:24.089 like a fancy economic way of saying people get 00:04:24.089 --> 00:04:26.550 sick of seeing you? In an economic sense, yes, 00:04:26.769 --> 00:04:29.389 basically. It's the law of diminishing marginal 00:04:29.389 --> 00:04:32.449 utility applied to live wrestling events. The 00:04:32.449 --> 00:04:34.790 theory is that every specific market, let's say 00:04:34.790 --> 00:04:37.129 a city like St. Louis or Chicago or Columbus, 00:04:37.310 --> 00:04:40.089 has a strict wallet capacity within a rolling 00:04:40.089 --> 00:04:42.829 12 -month period. Okay, so there is a literal 00:04:42.829 --> 00:04:45.850 ceiling to how much cash a city can cough up 00:04:45.850 --> 00:04:48.689 for wrestling tickets. Exactly. In the territory 00:04:48.689 --> 00:04:50.910 days, you could run a town every single week 00:04:50.910 --> 00:04:53.589 because tickets were cheap. You know, five bucks 00:04:53.589 --> 00:04:56.829 to get into the Mid -South Coliseum. But in 2026, 00:04:56.949 --> 00:05:00.589 attending a WWE event is a massive investment. 00:05:00.970 --> 00:05:04.449 We are talking hundreds of dollars for decent 00:05:04.449 --> 00:05:07.829 lower bowl seats, plus 40 bucks for parking, 00:05:08.050 --> 00:05:11.910 plus $40 t -shirts, plus food. It's literally 00:05:11.910 --> 00:05:14.529 a mortgage payment for a family of four. Precisely. 00:05:16.009 --> 00:05:18.569 The Jeff Jarrett theory argues that if you oversaturate 00:05:18.569 --> 00:05:21.569 a market, you just hit a wall. If WWE runs a 00:05:21.569 --> 00:05:24.009 Monday Night Raw in a city. Right. And then they 00:05:24.009 --> 00:05:25.750 come back three months later for a Friday Night 00:05:25.750 --> 00:05:28.589 Smackdown. And then they send a non -televised 00:05:28.589 --> 00:05:31.509 house show tour through the surrounding suburbs. 00:05:31.730 --> 00:05:34.629 Right. And then after all that, they try to book 00:05:34.629 --> 00:05:37.209 a major premium live event like the Elimination 00:05:37.209 --> 00:05:39.350 Chamber in the exact same building within that 00:05:39.350 --> 00:05:41.970 same calendar year. The fans just tap out. They 00:05:41.970 --> 00:05:43.689 literally don't have the funds. They have to. 00:05:43.730 --> 00:05:46.569 The wallet fatigue sets in. The average customer 00:05:46.569 --> 00:05:48.209 isn't thinking, oh, but this is the chamber. 00:05:48.250 --> 00:05:50.189 This is a bigger tier event. Right. They don't 00:05:50.189 --> 00:05:52.230 care about the tiers. No, the customer is thinking, 00:05:52.269 --> 00:05:55.230 I just spent $400 on this exact same brand three 00:05:55.230 --> 00:05:57.629 months ago. My kids saw Cody Rhodes already. 00:05:57.769 --> 00:06:01.069 We're good. So this dip in sales isn't necessarily 00:06:01.069 --> 00:06:03.269 a critique of the storylines or the creative 00:06:03.269 --> 00:06:05.730 direction at all. It's more of a critique of 00:06:05.730 --> 00:06:08.290 these scheduling logistics. I strongly believe 00:06:08.290 --> 00:06:10.490 so. It suggests that the routing department might 00:06:10.490 --> 00:06:12.649 be overlapping way too aggressively with the 00:06:12.649 --> 00:06:14.790 touring department. You cannot drain the local 00:06:14.790 --> 00:06:17.389 market dry and expect to sell out every single 00:06:17.389 --> 00:06:20.009 time, no matter how hot the main event angle 00:06:20.009 --> 00:06:22.790 is. That makes total sense. Yeah. But here is 00:06:22.790 --> 00:06:25.110 the part that really grinds my gears as a fan. 00:06:25.649 --> 00:06:28.050 While we are talking about these ticket sales, 00:06:28.269 --> 00:06:30.589 we have to talk about this report regarding the 00:06:30.589 --> 00:06:33.449 blackout policy. Yeah, yes. This is a massive 00:06:33.449 --> 00:06:35.269 point of contention right now, and rightly so. 00:06:35.629 --> 00:06:37.509 For the listeners who might not know, explain 00:06:37.509 --> 00:06:40.529 what a blackout is in this context. Because honestly, 00:06:40.750 --> 00:06:43.069 it sounds like something from the NFL in 1995. 00:06:43.670 --> 00:06:47.910 It is very similar to the old NFL model. Historically, 00:06:48.009 --> 00:06:51.170 a blackout policy meant that if a local sports 00:06:51.170 --> 00:06:54.290 event did not sell a certain percentage of the 00:06:54.290 --> 00:06:57.250 tickets, usually it was around 85 percent, the 00:06:57.250 --> 00:06:59.589 local television broadcast would be completely 00:06:59.589 --> 00:07:02.110 blocked in that region. Which is wild to think 00:07:02.110 --> 00:07:04.750 about now. It is. The logic back then was that 00:07:05.019 --> 00:07:07.079 If people knew they couldn't watch it on their 00:07:07.079 --> 00:07:09.639 local TV station, they would be forced to actually 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:12.000 go buy a ticket and physically go to the stadium. 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:14.600 Which feels incredibly punitive. It's essentially 00:07:14.600 --> 00:07:17.399 like the promotion saying, because your neighbors 00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:18.800 didn't buy enough tickets, you aren't allowed 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:21.230 to watch this thing you enjoy. It is archaic, 00:07:21.230 --> 00:07:23.610 but the report suggests a variation of this is 00:07:23.610 --> 00:07:25.610 affecting the Elimination Chamber viewing in 00:07:25.610 --> 00:07:27.970 the local market. And doing this in 2026, it 00:07:27.970 --> 00:07:29.689 just creates a massive friction point with the 00:07:29.689 --> 00:07:32.110 audience. Because the entire business model has 00:07:32.110 --> 00:07:34.889 changed. WWV isn't a gate -driven company anymore, 00:07:35.009 --> 00:07:37.110 right? I mean, they are fundamentally a media 00:07:37.110 --> 00:07:39.910 rights company now. That is the crucial distinction 00:07:39.910 --> 00:07:42.750 you have to make. 30 years ago, the money at 00:07:42.750 --> 00:07:44.889 the door, the live gate, that was the lifeblood 00:07:44.889 --> 00:07:47.709 of the entire company. If they didn't draw, the 00:07:47.709 --> 00:07:50.709 boys didn't get paid. Today, the billions of 00:07:50.709 --> 00:07:52.629 dollars come from the streaming deals and the 00:07:52.629 --> 00:07:56.230 massive global TV rights. The gate revenue, while 00:07:56.230 --> 00:07:59.269 still important, is just the cherry on top. So 00:07:59.269 --> 00:08:02.149 why alienate the local fan base at all? Like 00:08:02.149 --> 00:08:05.149 if I'm in the city hosting the chamber and I 00:08:05.149 --> 00:08:07.550 just can't afford a $400 ticket, but I really 00:08:07.550 --> 00:08:09.430 want to watch on the streaming service that I 00:08:09.430 --> 00:08:11.310 already pay a monthly fee for and I get blocked 00:08:11.310 --> 00:08:13.410 out, I'm canceling my subscription immediately. 00:08:13.550 --> 00:08:16.379 And that is the huge risk they run. It really 00:08:16.379 --> 00:08:18.560 highlights a disconnect right now between the 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:20.860 live events department, whose sole job is to 00:08:20.860 --> 00:08:23.839 put physical bodies in seats, and the media department, 00:08:24.060 --> 00:08:26.600 whose job is to keep streaming subscribers happy 00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:29.259 and engaged. They're fighting each other. Exactly. 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:32.700 The CFO wants the gate revenue to look good on 00:08:32.700 --> 00:08:35.059 the quarterly report, but the long -term brand 00:08:35.059 --> 00:08:37.980 health absolutely relies on positive fan sentiment. 00:08:38.360 --> 00:08:40.679 Blocking the locals creates horrible badwill. 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:42.879 It feels like stepping over dollars to pick up 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:45.919 dimes, honestly. A very apt metaphor. Speaking 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:47.399 of dollars, let's look at the bigger picture 00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:49.779 for a second. We got to look at the WWE stock 00:08:49.779 --> 00:08:54.259 report for February 2026. How is Wall Street 00:08:54.259 --> 00:08:56.779 actually feeling about the road to WrestleMania 00:08:56.779 --> 00:08:59.139 this year? The sentiment over there is confident, 00:08:59.220 --> 00:09:01.519 but there is definitely an undercurrent of caution. 00:09:01.879 --> 00:09:04.919 The stock is holding steady right now. Wall Street 00:09:04.919 --> 00:09:08.840 loves the road to WrestleMania because. Historically, 00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:11.259 it is the highest revenue generating period of 00:09:11.259 --> 00:09:13.419 the year. Everyone buys the video game. Everyone 00:09:13.419 --> 00:09:16.659 buys the new event shirts. Exactly. The merchandise 00:09:16.659 --> 00:09:19.299 numbers go through the roof. But you have to 00:09:19.299 --> 00:09:21.460 remember, it is also the period of highest expense. 00:09:21.740 --> 00:09:24.559 Production costs for WrestleMania are astronomical. 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:28.299 The sets, the pyro, the stadium rentals, marketing 00:09:28.299 --> 00:09:31.600 costs just skyrocket. So what does that actually 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:33.919 mean for the product we see on television? Does 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:36.120 the stock price genuinely change the booking? 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:38.879 In subtler ways than most fans realize, yes, 00:09:39.019 --> 00:09:41.159 it absolutely does. When corporate confidence 00:09:41.159 --> 00:09:43.679 is high, but the financial stakes are this incredibly 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:46.539 massive, you tend to see a strategy of risk management 00:09:46.539 --> 00:09:49.500 take over the creative team. Define risk management 00:09:49.500 --> 00:09:52.360 in wrestling terms for me. Safer booking. Ah. 00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:55.990 You protect your investments. You don't take 00:09:55.990 --> 00:09:58.509 a wild creative swing on an unproven character 00:09:58.509 --> 00:10:01.090 in the main event of WrestleMania if the stock 00:10:01.090 --> 00:10:04.049 price heavily relies on a guaranteed stable engagement 00:10:04.049 --> 00:10:06.649 number. So we get the greatest hits album. We 00:10:06.649 --> 00:10:09.350 get the established stars. We get the rematches 00:10:09.350 --> 00:10:12.389 that have proven analytical data behind them. 00:10:12.470 --> 00:10:14.929 It's not necessarily about creative laziness, 00:10:14.970 --> 00:10:16.629 which is what the fans usually complain about. 00:10:16.769 --> 00:10:19.450 It's about fiduciary responsibility. Right. They 00:10:19.450 --> 00:10:21.389 have a legal obligation to the shareholders. 00:10:21.809 --> 00:10:24.570 Yes. They need to guarantee a certain floor of. 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:26.960 viewership for their broadcast partners. You 00:10:26.960 --> 00:10:28.840 don't experiment during the Super Bowl. That 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:32.279 is, man, that is depressing, but completely logical. 00:10:32.460 --> 00:10:34.899 It really explains why we sometimes feel like 00:10:34.899 --> 00:10:37.720 we're watching a rerun during mania season. They 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:39.820 are just playing defense with the shareholders. 00:10:40.139 --> 00:10:42.940 Safe bets pay the dividends. It's business. Well, 00:10:42.980 --> 00:10:44.799 let's move away from the boardroom and get back 00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:48.700 into the ring. Segment two, in -ring psychology 00:10:48.700 --> 00:10:51.870 and character deep dives. Because while the suits 00:10:51.870 --> 00:10:54.389 are upstairs worrying about stock prices, we've 00:10:54.389 --> 00:10:56.330 got some incredible character work happening 00:10:56.330 --> 00:10:58.509 on the ground level. And I have to start with 00:10:58.509 --> 00:11:00.830 the man who I genuinely think is the MVP of the 00:11:00.830 --> 00:11:03.909 last six months, Dominic Mysterio. The evolution 00:11:03.909 --> 00:11:06.309 of Dominic Mysterio is arguably one of the greatest 00:11:06.309 --> 00:11:08.610 success stories of the modern developmental system. 00:11:08.809 --> 00:11:10.570 Did you see the video of him meeting his twin 00:11:10.570 --> 00:11:13.169 this week? I did. It is all over social media 00:11:13.169 --> 00:11:15.870 right now. For those who somehow missed it, Dominic 00:11:15.870 --> 00:11:18.500 is over on an international tour. He's walking 00:11:18.500 --> 00:11:20.419 through what looks like an airport or maybe a 00:11:20.419 --> 00:11:23.419 hotel lobby, and he runs into a fan that looks 00:11:23.419 --> 00:11:26.620 exactly like him. It was uncanny. I mean, the 00:11:26.620 --> 00:11:29.500 mullet is perfectly styled. The scowl is perfect. 00:11:29.720 --> 00:11:32.879 The weird patchy facial hair is spot on. It's 00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:35.700 a clone? Absolute clone. Now, here is where I 00:11:35.700 --> 00:11:39.059 really want your take on this. 99 % of wrestlers 00:11:39.059 --> 00:11:42.039 in that specific moment would break character. 00:11:42.570 --> 00:11:44.330 They would laugh, they would high -five the guy, 00:11:44.370 --> 00:11:46.389 they'd take a selfie, and they'd post it on their 00:11:46.389 --> 00:11:48.490 own Instagram saying something like, look at 00:11:48.490 --> 00:11:51.190 this legend. Right. They would prioritize the 00:11:51.190 --> 00:11:54.470 viral, feel -good human moment over the integrity 00:11:54.470 --> 00:11:57.029 of the character. But Dom doesn't do that. Yeah. 00:11:57.129 --> 00:12:00.289 He looks at this guy with absolute disgust. He 00:12:00.289 --> 00:12:02.309 treats him like he's an identity thief trying 00:12:02.309 --> 00:12:04.909 to steal his wallet. He stays completely in the 00:12:04.909 --> 00:12:07.590 zone. This is what we in the industry refer to 00:12:07.590 --> 00:12:10.580 as kayfabe 2 .0. Oh, I like that term. In the 00:12:10.580 --> 00:12:12.980 old days, kayfabe meant pretending the fighting 00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:16.080 was completely real, hiding your family, heels, 00:12:16.259 --> 00:12:19.159 and baby faces traveling in separate cars. Today, 00:12:19.419 --> 00:12:21.179 the audience already knows it's a scripted show. 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:24.460 So the new kayfabe is entirely about maintaining 00:12:24.460 --> 00:12:26.840 the emotional reality of the character across 00:12:26.840 --> 00:12:29.480 every single platform. So if he's a jerk on Monday 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:31.899 Night Raw, he has to be a jerk on his TikTok. 00:12:32.409 --> 00:12:34.889 Exactly. If Dominic Mysterio breaks character 00:12:34.889 --> 00:12:37.809 to laugh at a fan in an airport, he signals to 00:12:37.809 --> 00:12:39.889 the audience that Dominic is just a costume he 00:12:39.889 --> 00:12:43.190 wears for work. By staying in character, by treating 00:12:43.190 --> 00:12:46.230 this doppelganger with sheer arrogance, he reinforces 00:12:46.230 --> 00:12:48.789 the illusion. He invites the audience to just 00:12:48.789 --> 00:12:50.870 keep playing the game with him. It's so much 00:12:50.870 --> 00:12:53.250 harder to do that than to just be a cool guy 00:12:53.250 --> 00:12:55.860 and take the picture. It requires immense discipline, 00:12:56.039 --> 00:12:58.500 honestly. It creates this meta reality where 00:12:58.500 --> 00:13:00.879 the fans actually respect him more because he 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:03.820 refuses to wink at them and let them in on the 00:13:03.820 --> 00:13:06.940 joke. And that level of respect is directly translating 00:13:06.940 --> 00:13:09.179 to his booking right now. We have to talk about 00:13:09.179 --> 00:13:11.879 this AAA megatitle defense. This is a very significant 00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:14.360 development for his career. He is defending the 00:13:14.360 --> 00:13:17.960 AAA megatitle. And there is a stipulation attached 00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:20.320 regarding his mask or hair, depending on how 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:22.389 the angle actually plays out. But just the mere 00:13:22.389 --> 00:13:24.850 fact that WWE is acknowledging the AAA title 00:13:24.850 --> 00:13:26.990 on their programming. It really speaks to the 00:13:26.990 --> 00:13:29.169 globalization of his character. Five or ten years 00:13:29.169 --> 00:13:32.529 ago, WWE lived entirely in a bubble. Nothing 00:13:32.529 --> 00:13:35.149 existed outside of their universe. If you wrestled 00:13:35.149 --> 00:13:37.929 a classic in Mexico or Japan, it basically didn't 00:13:37.929 --> 00:13:41.070 happen to WWE canon. Right. But now, allowing 00:13:41.070 --> 00:13:43.409 Dominic to carry the AAA belt on television, 00:13:43.830 --> 00:13:47.009 acknowledging that specific lineage, it gives 00:13:47.009 --> 00:13:49.529 him a prestige that goes way beyond just being 00:13:49.529 --> 00:13:52.139 Rey Mysterio's annoying son. It frames him as 00:13:52.139 --> 00:13:55.080 a legitimate world traveler, like a global champion. 00:13:55.200 --> 00:13:57.200 It makes him feel dangerous. You know, like he 00:13:57.200 --> 00:13:59.240 has conquered territories that the other WWE 00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:02.000 guys haven't even touched. Exactly. And bringing 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:04.679 that lucha libre apuesta psychology, the betting 00:14:04.679 --> 00:14:06.500 of something incredibly valuable like your hair, 00:14:06.580 --> 00:14:09.179 your mass, to a mainstream American television 00:14:09.179 --> 00:14:12.480 audience, that is high stakes drama. It's distinct 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:14.460 from everything else on the card. I absolutely 00:14:14.460 --> 00:14:16.080 love it. I think he's doing the best work of 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:19.500 his entire career right now. Let's pivot from 00:14:19.500 --> 00:14:21.820 the comedy of Dom to something way more intense. 00:14:22.179 --> 00:14:25.179 Let's talk about Liv Morgan. A very, very heavy 00:14:25.179 --> 00:14:28.100 segment on Raw this week. She broke down. Tears 00:14:28.100 --> 00:14:30.460 streaming, voice cracking, makeup running everywhere. 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:32.919 And immediately, the internet debate started 00:14:32.919 --> 00:14:35.820 up. Is she okay? Is this real? Is this a shoot? 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:38.700 And that ambiguity is exactly the goal of the 00:14:38.700 --> 00:14:41.139 performance. We have some reports now discussing 00:14:41.139 --> 00:14:44.379 the real reason she broke down out there. It 00:14:44.379 --> 00:14:47.860 seems to be a mix of legitimate physical exhaustion, 00:14:48.509 --> 00:14:51.870 pure passion for the business, and just the immense 00:14:51.870 --> 00:14:54.990 pressure of carrying this storyline. But as a 00:14:54.990 --> 00:14:57.330 viewer sitting on the couch, does it really matter 00:14:57.330 --> 00:14:59.909 if it's real or scripted? That is the golden 00:14:59.909 --> 00:15:02.730 question of performance versus reality in professional 00:15:02.730 --> 00:15:05.929 wrestling. The most successful babyfaces, the 00:15:05.929 --> 00:15:07.789 ones who sell the most merchandise, the ones 00:15:07.789 --> 00:15:10.309 who move the needle on ticket sales, are almost 00:15:10.309 --> 00:15:12.570 always the ones who let their real -life vulnerability 00:15:12.570 --> 00:15:15.169 bleed directly into the script. It's the difference 00:15:15.169 --> 00:15:18.090 between an actor acting sad and a person actually 00:15:18.090 --> 00:15:20.129 being heartbroken in front of you. Precisely. 00:15:20.169 --> 00:15:22.610 If Liv Morgan goes out there and just recites 00:15:22.610 --> 00:15:24.929 a memorized monologue about being sad, the audience 00:15:24.929 --> 00:15:27.250 tunes out. They check their phones. But if she 00:15:27.250 --> 00:15:30.090 taps into her real frustrations, her long journey 00:15:30.090 --> 00:15:32.490 to the top, the time she was overlooked by management, 00:15:32.870 --> 00:15:35.590 the physical pain she's in, and lets that genuine 00:15:35.590 --> 00:15:38.350 emotion bubble up to the surface, that connects 00:15:38.350 --> 00:15:40.970 on a deeply visceral level. It really blurs the 00:15:40.970 --> 00:15:42.690 line. You stop watching a fictional character, 00:15:42.809 --> 00:15:44.629 and you just start rooting for the real person 00:15:44.629 --> 00:15:47.879 behind it. And that is exactly when the true 00:15:47.879 --> 00:15:50.519 emotional investment happens. You want to see 00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:53.000 her win the title because you feel like you watched 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:55.440 her actually suffer for it. Now, it's a very 00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:58.500 dangerous line to walk for the performer's mental 00:15:58.500 --> 00:16:01.919 health to constantly mine your real trauma for 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:04.960 entertainment. But it is incredibly effective 00:16:04.960 --> 00:16:07.340 storytelling. It's powerful stuff. Now, speaking 00:16:07.340 --> 00:16:10.200 of emotional investment, I was very emotionally 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:13.700 invested in seeing Io Skye face off against Julia 00:16:13.700 --> 00:16:16.480 on SmackDown this week. Oh, the match that wasn't? 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:18.840 Yes. They advertised it. They hyped it up all 00:16:18.840 --> 00:16:21.700 week. Two of the absolute best female wrestlers 00:16:21.700 --> 00:16:23.740 in the world going at it. And then you're doing. 00:16:24.340 --> 00:16:27.059 Pulled from the card. Why do they do this to 00:16:27.059 --> 00:16:29.059 us? This is a classic case of booking preservation. 00:16:29.379 --> 00:16:31.360 It deeply frustrates the viewer in the moment, 00:16:31.419 --> 00:16:33.639 I know. But it is almost always the right business 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:35.539 move in the long run. But I wanted to see it. 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:37.659 I sat through two hours of television for it. 00:16:37.980 --> 00:16:40.279 Think about the actual environment of Friday 00:16:40.279 --> 00:16:42.799 Night Smackdown for a second. It's a two -hour 00:16:42.799 --> 00:16:45.820 show on network television. You have commercial 00:16:45.820 --> 00:16:48.740 breaks every seven to ten minutes. You have very 00:16:48.740 --> 00:16:52.860 rigid timing cues. Do you really want the first 00:16:52.860 --> 00:16:55.960 ever WWE encounter between Io Sky and Julia, 00:16:56.139 --> 00:16:59.259 a legitimate global dream match, to be chopped 00:16:59.259 --> 00:17:02.019 up by insurance and pizza commercials? When you 00:17:02.019 --> 00:17:04.269 put it that way, no. I want it uninterrupted. 00:17:04.289 --> 00:17:07.089 Exactly. The reports indicate they pulled it 00:17:07.089 --> 00:17:10.190 to protect the matchup itself. Management realized 00:17:10.190 --> 00:17:13.130 that giving it away on free TV with limited time 00:17:13.130 --> 00:17:16.029 and constant interruptions would completely cheapen 00:17:16.029 --> 00:17:18.490 the impact. By snatching it away at the last 00:17:18.490 --> 00:17:20.670 second, they have actually increased the baseline 00:17:20.670 --> 00:17:23.230 anticipation for it. It's the old absence makes 00:17:23.230 --> 00:17:25.829 the heart grow fonder strategy. It is. Now, when 00:17:25.829 --> 00:17:28.769 they finally do lock up, maybe at a premium live 00:17:28.769 --> 00:17:31.029 event where they can go a solid 20 minutes with 00:17:31.029 --> 00:17:32.930 zero commercial breaks, the audience is going 00:17:32.930 --> 00:17:34.910 to be even hungrier for it. They are banking 00:17:34.910 --> 00:17:37.369 on your current frustration turning into a future 00:17:37.369 --> 00:17:40.710 buy rate. OK, OK. I'm slightly less mad now. 00:17:40.769 --> 00:17:44.569 I'm still impatient, but I get the logic. One 00:17:44.569 --> 00:17:46.710 last note on physicality in this segment before 00:17:46.710 --> 00:17:49.950 we move on. Jacob Fatu. The Samoan werewolf. 00:17:50.250 --> 00:17:52.109 There was a report that dropped this week that 00:17:52.109 --> 00:17:55.970 honestly made my jaw hit the floor. Jacob Fatu 00:17:55.970 --> 00:17:59.630 had 11 teeth removed. 11 teeth. That is just 00:17:59.630 --> 00:18:02.690 a staggering number to comprehend. Why? How does 00:18:02.690 --> 00:18:04.309 that even happen? And what does this say about 00:18:04.309 --> 00:18:07.269 the guy? Well, the exact medical specifics are 00:18:07.269 --> 00:18:09.569 obviously private, but it's likely a combination 00:18:09.569 --> 00:18:12.390 of severe impact damage over the years on the 00:18:12.390 --> 00:18:14.269 independent circuit and maybe some necessary 00:18:14.269 --> 00:18:17.049 dental reconstruction. But the what it says about 00:18:17.049 --> 00:18:19.630 him part is the absolute key to his aura right 00:18:19.630 --> 00:18:21.789 now. He sounds like a horror movie villain. He 00:18:21.789 --> 00:18:24.250 really does. And in wrestling, locker room lore 00:18:24.250 --> 00:18:26.690 is everything. When the boys in the back and 00:18:26.690 --> 00:18:29.269 the fans online hear that Jacob Fatu had 11 teeth 00:18:29.269 --> 00:18:31.349 pulled from his skull and is still walking around 00:18:31.349 --> 00:18:33.470 taking bumps, looking like an absolute monster, 00:18:33.650 --> 00:18:37.140 likely barely missing any ring time, it builds 00:18:37.140 --> 00:18:39.339 the monster persona better than any scripted 00:18:39.339 --> 00:18:42.460 promo ever could. It's primal. It reinforces 00:18:42.460 --> 00:18:43.960 that he just isn't built like the other guys 00:18:43.960 --> 00:18:46.799 on the roster. Exactly. It signals to the audience 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:49.079 that he has a much higher pain threshold, that 00:18:49.079 --> 00:18:51.420 he is fundamentally built differently. Whether 00:18:51.420 --> 00:18:54.180 it is a strict medical necessity or not, it immediately 00:18:54.180 --> 00:18:56.599 becomes part of the legend. Did you hear Fatou 00:18:56.599 --> 00:18:59.079 ripped his own teeth out? The rumors do the heavy 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:01.200 lifting for you. Yeah, I certainly wouldn't want 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:02.880 to be the dentist telling him he needs to floss 00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:05.700 more often. I don't think anyone tells Jacob 00:19:05.700 --> 00:19:09.539 Fatu what to do ever. Absolutely not. OK, let's 00:19:09.539 --> 00:19:11.660 shift gears a bit. We've looked at the main roster, 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:13.799 but there is so much happening in the developmental 00:19:13.799 --> 00:19:17.279 system right now that we need to track. So segment 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:21.319 three, roster moves, renamings and the future. 00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:23.140 This is my favorite area. This is where we see 00:19:23.140 --> 00:19:25.279 the chess pieces being moved for the next five 00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:27.640 years of the business. First up, let's talk about 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:31.000 the WWE ID program. We have a brand new signing 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:34.099 to talk about. Starboy Charlie. A very, very 00:19:34.099 --> 00:19:36.380 exciting talent. For those listeners who don't 00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:39.380 follow the hardcore indie scene closely, what 00:19:39.380 --> 00:19:42.940 is the significance of this kid? And what exactly 00:19:42.940 --> 00:19:47.000 is the WWE ID program? So Starboy Charlie is 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:50.359 a young, hyper -athletic, very modern, independent 00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:52.599 wrestler. He's had a great run in places like 00:19:52.599 --> 00:19:55.680 GCW, incredible speed, great technique. But the 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:58.700 bigger story here is the actual mechanism of 00:19:58.700 --> 00:20:02.259 his signing. Being given a WWE ID is not the 00:20:02.259 --> 00:20:05.079 same thing as being signed to an NXT contract. 00:20:05.420 --> 00:20:07.500 Right. He's not packing his bags and moving to 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:10.740 Orlando immediately, is he? No, not at all. WWE 00:20:10.740 --> 00:20:13.920 ID is a pipeline system. It's a formal designation. 00:20:13.980 --> 00:20:16.700 It allows top tier indie talent to officially 00:20:16.700 --> 00:20:20.000 get on the WWE radar, receive some medical support, 00:20:20.220 --> 00:20:22.240 maybe get some coaching access or facility use. 00:20:22.359 --> 00:20:24.380 But they continue to work their independent dates. 00:20:24.559 --> 00:20:25.940 This is kind of like being tagged or drafted 00:20:25.940 --> 00:20:28.480 by the scouts, but you stay in college. Exactly 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:30.880 like that. It deeply benefits the wrestler because 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:33.059 their booking fee on the indies immediately goes 00:20:33.059 --> 00:20:36.079 up. Promoters can now advertise a WWE ID talent 00:20:36.079 --> 00:20:38.970 on their flyers. And it benefits WWE because 00:20:38.970 --> 00:20:41.349 they lock in a relationship with a hot prospect 00:20:41.349 --> 00:20:43.769 without taking on the full financial cost of 00:20:43.769 --> 00:20:45.990 a main roster contract yet. It's a developmental 00:20:45.990 --> 00:20:49.369 bridge. It's a really smart system. But once 00:20:49.369 --> 00:20:51.650 you do cross that bridge and get fully integrated 00:20:51.650 --> 00:20:55.210 into the WWE system, things usually change. Specifically, 00:20:55.430 --> 00:20:58.569 your name. We have to talk about Mike DiVecchio. 00:20:58.690 --> 00:21:01.619 Oh, boy. A massive powerhouse from the European 00:21:01.619 --> 00:21:03.839 scene. He has an incredible look. He does. But 00:21:03.839 --> 00:21:06.279 he is now officially going by the name Dorian 00:21:06.279 --> 00:21:09.539 Van Dux. Dorian Van Dux. Look, I have to be completely 00:21:09.539 --> 00:21:12.539 honest with you here. It sounds like the main 00:21:12.539 --> 00:21:15.799 villain in a straight -to -DVD vampire movie 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:19.200 from 2004. I'm Dorian Van Dux, and I have come 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:21.839 to drink your blood. It certainly has a very 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:24.740 theatrical, almost gothic quality to it. But 00:21:24.740 --> 00:21:27.859 this really highlights the overarching WWE philosophy 00:21:27.859 --> 00:21:30.420 regarding intellectual property. But why do they 00:21:30.420 --> 00:21:32.299 do this? Mike DiBecchio is a really cool name. 00:21:32.380 --> 00:21:33.859 It sounds like a tough guy from the neighborhood 00:21:33.859 --> 00:21:35.500 who's going to break your legs. It does sound 00:21:35.500 --> 00:21:38.500 tough, but... WWE doesn't own the name Mike DiVecchio. 00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:41.220 Mike owns that name. If he builds up his brand 00:21:41.220 --> 00:21:43.740 on NXT and then his contract expires and he leaves, 00:21:43.900 --> 00:21:46.599 he takes that brand equity with him over to AEW 00:21:46.599 --> 00:21:50.500 or New Japan. WWE owns Dorian Van Dux. It's completely 00:21:50.500 --> 00:21:52.779 theirs. So if they're going to put a million 00:21:52.779 --> 00:21:55.240 dollars of marketing and TV time behind him, 00:21:55.299 --> 00:21:58.380 they want to own the asset outright. It is purely 00:21:58.380 --> 00:22:01.299 a calculated business decision. If Dorian Van 00:22:01.299 --> 00:22:03.940 Dux becomes a WrestleMania main eventer, sells 00:22:03.940 --> 00:22:06.339 millions in action figures, and is featured in 00:22:06.339 --> 00:22:09.660 the 2K video games, WWE holds that trademark 00:22:09.660 --> 00:22:12.099 forever. They want a name that is completely 00:22:12.099 --> 00:22:14.539 unique and legally protectable. It's going to 00:22:14.539 --> 00:22:16.380 take some getting used to. I'll give him a fair 00:22:16.380 --> 00:22:19.200 chance in the ring, but man, Dorian Van Dux. 00:22:19.299 --> 00:22:22.619 Wow. Hey, we've seen stranger names become legendary. 00:22:22.740 --> 00:22:24.819 Remember when they named a guy Hunter Hearst 00:22:24.819 --> 00:22:28.059 Helmsley? True, true. Now, speaking of names, 00:22:28.220 --> 00:22:31.059 we also saw a new trademark filing this week 00:22:31.059 --> 00:22:34.220 for Romeo Moreno. Yes, we did. Any idea who this 00:22:34.220 --> 00:22:36.279 is? Speculation online is running absolutely 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:38.940 wild. The surname Moreno obviously suggests a 00:22:38.940 --> 00:22:41.920 Latin heritage. And Romeo strongly implies a 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:44.160 lover character, maybe a suave romantic heel 00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:46.259 type. I'm immediately picturing a rose in the 00:22:46.259 --> 00:22:48.730 mouth. Some salsa dancing on the entrance ramp. 00:22:48.869 --> 00:22:51.589 Yeah. All the classic tropes. It is a classic 00:22:51.589 --> 00:22:54.049 wrestling trope because, historically, it just 00:22:54.049 --> 00:22:57.210 works. It generates massive heat from male fans. 00:22:57.730 --> 00:23:00.250 Whether this is a sudden repackaging for someone 00:23:00.250 --> 00:23:03.410 currently floundering in NXT or a name for a 00:23:03.410 --> 00:23:05.430 brand new signing from Mexico, we just don't 00:23:05.430 --> 00:23:07.869 know yet. But definitely keep an eye on how that 00:23:07.869 --> 00:23:11.029 name gets deployed. Will do. Now, this next piece 00:23:11.029 --> 00:23:12.950 of news is the one that really caught my attention. 00:23:13.470 --> 00:23:16.480 Timothy Thatcher. Cuesless Timmy. The man himself. 00:23:16.839 --> 00:23:19.140 The man literally looks like he was carved out 00:23:19.140 --> 00:23:21.859 of a block of granite. Reports are now saying 00:23:21.859 --> 00:23:24.160 he is scheduled to be the next general manager 00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:27.140 of Evolve. This is a brilliant, brilliant casting 00:23:27.140 --> 00:23:30.079 decision by management. First, clarify what Evolve 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:33.579 actually is in the year 2026. Because older fans 00:23:33.579 --> 00:23:36.140 remember it as an indie promotion run by Gabe 00:23:36.140 --> 00:23:39.220 Sapolsky. Right. WWE purchased the Evolve brand 00:23:39.220 --> 00:23:42.259 in its tape library years ago. Now, in 2026, 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:44.740 it functions as a very specific tier of their 00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:47.220 developmental system. Think of it as the bridge 00:23:47.220 --> 00:23:49.460 between the raw day one recruits at the Performance 00:23:49.460 --> 00:23:52.519 Center and the polished, highly produced TV product 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:55.579 of NXT. It's the finishing school for wrestlers. 00:23:55.720 --> 00:23:57.339 And having Timothy Satcher run that finishing 00:23:57.339 --> 00:23:59.920 school. It sets a very definitive tone for the 00:23:59.920 --> 00:24:03.150 brand. Thatcher's style is heavily rooted in 00:24:03.150 --> 00:24:06.269 the catchpoint philosophy. It is incredibly serious, 00:24:06.509 --> 00:24:09.390 grounded, painful, submission -based wrestling. 00:24:09.849 --> 00:24:12.670 He is the absolute antithesis of the modern sports 00:24:12.670 --> 00:24:14.769 entertainer who does choreographed dances to 00:24:14.769 --> 00:24:16.809 the ring. He is not going to tolerate any nonsense 00:24:16.809 --> 00:24:19.789 from the younger guys. None at all. By installing 00:24:19.789 --> 00:24:23.210 him as the general manager, the strict uncompromising 00:24:23.210 --> 00:24:25.670 authority figure, you are actively telling the 00:24:25.670 --> 00:24:28.289 audience in the talent pool Evolve is about the 00:24:28.289 --> 00:24:30.549 pure wrestling. It gives the brand a gritty, 00:24:30.609 --> 00:24:33.849 realistic identity. I can clearly see a segment 00:24:33.849 --> 00:24:35.670 where he's staring down two guys arguing backstage 00:24:35.670 --> 00:24:37.630 and he just whispers, get in the ring or get 00:24:37.630 --> 00:24:39.769 out of my building. It fits his aura perfectly. 00:24:40.009 --> 00:24:42.690 I really love that direction for Evolve. Just 00:24:42.690 --> 00:24:44.410 a couple other roster notes before we move on 00:24:44.410 --> 00:24:47.269 to the other side of the fence. Tiffany Stratton, 00:24:47.349 --> 00:24:49.890 she made an announcement about entering a legitimate 00:24:49.890 --> 00:24:52.390 bodybuilding competition. This is quite interesting. 00:24:52.470 --> 00:24:55.210 It really speaks to her crossover appeal. Tiffany 00:24:55.210 --> 00:24:58.430 is already an incredible athlete, a world -class 00:24:58.430 --> 00:25:01.630 gymnast before wrestling. But bodybuilding requires 00:25:01.630 --> 00:25:04.670 a level of dietary and physical discipline that 00:25:04.670 --> 00:25:07.150 is just insane, even for a professional wrestler. 00:25:07.450 --> 00:25:09.230 She looks like a million bucks every time she 00:25:09.230 --> 00:25:11.750 steps out there. She does. And for WWE, this 00:25:11.750 --> 00:25:14.769 is just fantastic PR. It puts their homegrown 00:25:14.769 --> 00:25:17.529 star in a totally different world, featured in 00:25:17.529 --> 00:25:19.950 different fitness magazines and websites. It 00:25:19.950 --> 00:25:22.380 showcases the... superstar aspect of the talent 00:25:22.380 --> 00:25:24.819 beyond just taking bumps. And then we look at 00:25:24.819 --> 00:25:27.740 the other side of the athletic coin. Gable Steveson. 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:30.319 The Gable Steveson debate just continues to rage 00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:33.440 on. The question is, is he UFC ready? Because 00:25:33.440 --> 00:25:35.819 fans are really split on this. He had a recent 00:25:35.819 --> 00:25:37.720 performance, I think it was a grappling transition 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:40.619 fight or a jiu -jitsu showcase, and the reviews 00:25:40.619 --> 00:25:43.359 online were very mixed. It is a harsh reminder 00:25:43.359 --> 00:25:46.539 that an elite athletic pedigree does not guarantee 00:25:46.539 --> 00:25:49.059 instant success in combat sports or pro wrestling. 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:52.940 Gable has the Olympic gold medal. He has unbelievable 00:25:52.940 --> 00:25:56.319 raw power. But the transition from amateur wrestling 00:25:56.319 --> 00:25:58.579 to pro wrestling didn't quite click the way they 00:25:58.579 --> 00:26:01.559 hoped. And the transition to MMA is a whole different 00:26:01.559 --> 00:26:04.480 beast involving striking defense and complex 00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:07.039 submission defense. He's kind of stuck in this 00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:09.519 weird athletic limbo right now. He really is. 00:26:09.819 --> 00:26:12.140 The fans are highly critical because they see 00:26:12.140 --> 00:26:15.039 the Brock Lesnar level potential. But the actual 00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:17.680 application in the cage hasn't matched the hype 00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:20.200 yet. He has to learn an entirely new game from 00:26:20.200 --> 00:26:22.319 scratch, and that takes years of getting punched 00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:24.839 in the face. It's a tough road to walk. All right, 00:26:24.859 --> 00:26:26.819 let's cross the aisle. Segment four. We need 00:26:26.819 --> 00:26:29.160 to talk about AEW and some big international 00:26:29.160 --> 00:26:32.160 news. And the biggest story coming out of Jacksonville 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:35.779 involves Swerve Strickland. The mogul. He has 00:26:35.779 --> 00:26:39.039 officially been fined $100 ,000 and suspended 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:41.640 by the company. That is a massive eye -catching 00:26:41.640 --> 00:26:44.599 number. $100 ,000. I mean, that's a small house 00:26:44.599 --> 00:26:46.480 in some parts of the country. That's a luxury 00:26:46.480 --> 00:26:49.549 sports car. It is. And naturally, the first question 00:26:49.549 --> 00:26:51.549 on everyone's mind in the wrestling bubble is 00:26:51.549 --> 00:26:54.990 the classic. Is this a work or a shoot? So what 00:26:54.990 --> 00:26:57.750 is your read on this? Because that is a whole 00:26:57.750 --> 00:27:00.269 lot of real money to lose if it's a legitimate 00:27:00.269 --> 00:27:03.490 shoot fine. When you see a number like $100 ,000 00:27:03.490 --> 00:27:06.049 specifically publicized in a press release or 00:27:06.049 --> 00:27:09.569 on television, my instinct leans very heavily 00:27:09.569 --> 00:27:12.690 toward it being a work, a storyline element. 00:27:13.099 --> 00:27:15.299 Why is that? Because in legitimate corporate 00:27:15.299 --> 00:27:18.200 governance, real disciplinary fines are almost 00:27:18.200 --> 00:27:21.059 always handled internally and quietly. They are 00:27:21.059 --> 00:27:24.160 often subject to HR policies, collective bargaining, 00:27:24.359 --> 00:27:27.099 if applicable, or legal caps. You very rarely 00:27:27.099 --> 00:27:29.099 see a major company issue a public statement 00:27:29.099 --> 00:27:32.259 saying we find John Doe exactly 100 grand unless 00:27:32.259 --> 00:27:34.160 they are actively trying to sell a narrative 00:27:34.160 --> 00:27:36.019 to the public. So the dollar amount is just a 00:27:36.019 --> 00:27:38.559 prop for the story. Exactly. By stating that 00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:40.940 specific massive amount, they are selling the 00:27:40.940 --> 00:27:42.720 extreme severity of his actions in the ring. 00:27:43.019 --> 00:27:45.339 They're telling the audience at home Swerve is 00:27:45.339 --> 00:27:47.779 so dangerous, so violently out of control right 00:27:47.779 --> 00:27:50.140 now that he is literally costing himself a fortune 00:27:50.140 --> 00:27:53.279 just to hurt his enemies. It monetizes his aggression. 00:27:54.299 --> 00:27:56.740 It essentially tells me that his pure hatred 00:27:56.740 --> 00:28:00.220 for his opponent is worth more to him than financial 00:28:00.220 --> 00:28:02.500 security. That is a brilliant way to put it. 00:28:02.539 --> 00:28:05.039 It's a cost -benefit analysis of kayfabe hatred. 00:28:05.380 --> 00:28:07.720 And logistically, behind the scenes, it serves 00:28:07.720 --> 00:28:10.480 a very practical purpose, too. The write -off. 00:28:10.599 --> 00:28:13.599 The write -off. Swerve has been going incredibly 00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:17.400 hard for over a year. His in -ring style is physically 00:28:17.400 --> 00:28:20.640 demanding. A storyline suspension allows him 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:24.180 to go home, heal his battered body, maybe film 00:28:24.180 --> 00:28:26.880 an outside media project, and most crucially, 00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:29.519 let the fans actually miss seeing him on television. 00:28:29.799 --> 00:28:32.160 Because when he comes back, broke and angry. 00:28:32.259 --> 00:28:34.480 That is an instant main event angle waiting to 00:28:34.480 --> 00:28:37.160 happen. He returns with an absolute vengeance. 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:41.299 I love the psychology of that. absolutely thrive 00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:45.339 on being hated mjf the aew world champion our 00:28:45.339 --> 00:28:47.160 favorite scumbag there was an incident at an 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:49.359 indie match he was working recently the crowd 00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:51.700 started chanting well we can't say it here but 00:28:51.700 --> 00:28:54.420 let's call it the f ice chant a very derogatory 00:28:54.420 --> 00:28:57.519 personal chant involving a certain icy substance 00:28:57.519 --> 00:29:00.819 right a very hostile unscripted environment in 00:29:00.819 --> 00:29:03.339 mjf instead of getting flustered or legitimately 00:29:03.339 --> 00:29:06.599 angry he just seemed to feed on it This is Heel 00:29:06.599 --> 00:29:09.779 Psychology 101, but MJF basically has a PhD in 00:29:09.779 --> 00:29:12.319 it at this point. He is a master conductor of 00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:15.799 crowds. A conductor of hate. Yes. Think about 00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:19.220 it. Most wrestlers today, deep down, really want 00:29:19.220 --> 00:29:21.480 to be the cool heel. They want to do flashy moves 00:29:21.480 --> 00:29:23.420 and they want the fans to secretly love them 00:29:23.420 --> 00:29:26.359 and buy their black t -shirts. MJF genuinely 00:29:26.359 --> 00:29:29.339 wants you to despise him. When the crowd gets 00:29:29.339 --> 00:29:31.759 nasty, when they start chanting deeply personal 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:33.759 things that would completely rattle a lesser 00:29:33.759 --> 00:29:36.750 performer, he smiles. because he knows he has 00:29:36.750 --> 00:29:38.730 them in the palm of his hand. He manipulates 00:29:38.730 --> 00:29:41.130 that raw negative energy. He does. He takes that 00:29:41.130 --> 00:29:43.269 heat, that genuine visceral dislike from the 00:29:43.269 --> 00:29:45.589 building, and he expertly transfers it to his 00:29:45.589 --> 00:29:48.470 opponent. If the crowd hates MJF that much, they 00:29:48.470 --> 00:29:51.029 will loudly cheer for absolutely anyone who steps 00:29:51.029 --> 00:29:53.329 up and punches him in the face. That is his core 00:29:53.329 --> 00:29:55.730 job description. He makes the baby face look 00:29:55.730 --> 00:29:58.130 like a conquering hero just by being the ultimate 00:29:58.130 --> 00:30:00.210 irredeemable villain. It's brilliant to watch 00:30:00.210 --> 00:30:02.750 him work. Now, on a slightly more somber note 00:30:02.750 --> 00:30:05.029 regarding AEW, let's talk about Britt Baker. 00:30:05.850 --> 00:30:08.549 There's been a real update on her future in the 00:30:08.549 --> 00:30:11.750 ring. We all know she's a dentist. A real -life 00:30:11.750 --> 00:30:14.509 practicing dentist with her own clinic. And the 00:30:14.509 --> 00:30:17.109 serious conversation now is about her wrestling 00:30:17.109 --> 00:30:19.690 future versus her long -term medical career. 00:30:20.210 --> 00:30:22.910 This situation really highlights the stark reality 00:30:22.910 --> 00:30:25.690 of part -time status in modern professional wrestling. 00:30:26.109 --> 00:30:28.509 Britt Baker carried that women's division on 00:30:28.509 --> 00:30:31.890 her back for a long time. But dentistry is a 00:30:31.890 --> 00:30:34.549 highly demanding precision -based profession. 00:30:35.240 --> 00:30:37.440 You have patients in pain. You have strict appointments. 00:30:38.269 --> 00:30:40.289 You can't just cancel on a patient needing a 00:30:40.289 --> 00:30:41.930 root canal because you suddenly have a booked 00:30:41.930 --> 00:30:44.349 match in Japan. And more importantly, you can't 00:30:44.349 --> 00:30:46.589 be a functioning dentist if your hands are shaking 00:30:46.589 --> 00:30:48.210 because you took a bad bump on your neck the 00:30:48.210 --> 00:30:51.190 night before. Exactly. The sheer physical toll 00:30:51.190 --> 00:30:54.089 of wrestling, the cumulative neck issues, the 00:30:54.089 --> 00:30:57.289 back spasms, the concussion risks, directly threatens 00:30:57.289 --> 00:30:59.950 her longevity as a medical professional. I think 00:30:59.950 --> 00:31:01.650 we are currently seeing a natural transition 00:31:01.650 --> 00:31:04.009 where wrestling becomes the occasional special 00:31:04.009 --> 00:31:06.750 attraction for her, and the dental practice rightfully 00:31:06.750 --> 00:31:09.119 becomes the primary. focus. It's a really smart 00:31:09.119 --> 00:31:12.359 life choice. Always have a backup plan or in 00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:15.579 her specific case, a very lucrative primary plan. 00:31:15.799 --> 00:31:17.380 Absolutely. It's the healthiest approach you 00:31:17.380 --> 00:31:19.119 could take. OK, let's move into segment five. 00:31:19.380 --> 00:31:22.680 We call this myths, misconceptions and history. 00:31:23.059 --> 00:31:24.779 We're going to bust some persistent Internet 00:31:24.779 --> 00:31:26.599 narratives. Always my favorite part of the show. 00:31:26.720 --> 00:31:29.509 Let's get into it. First, big myth. Retirements 00:31:29.509 --> 00:31:32.390 are sudden. We saw some news leak about the original 00:31:32.390 --> 00:31:35.269 long term plans for AJ Styles eventual retirement 00:31:35.269 --> 00:31:38.829 match. Right. And this leak reveals a massive 00:31:38.829 --> 00:31:42.029 misconception that casual fans hold. Fans often 00:31:42.029 --> 00:31:44.009 think a wrestler just wakes up one Tuesday morning, 00:31:44.269 --> 00:31:46.410 feels their knees aching and says, I'm done. 00:31:46.470 --> 00:31:49.319 I'm retiring today. Or they assume they get injured 00:31:49.319 --> 00:31:51.680 and are just forced to disappear instantly. But 00:31:51.680 --> 00:31:54.160 with a franchise guy like AJ. With a bona fide 00:31:54.160 --> 00:31:57.420 legend like AJ Styles, the sunset is meticulously 00:31:57.420 --> 00:31:59.880 planned out one to two years in advance. Years. 00:32:00.079 --> 00:32:03.380 Plural. Yes. You have to map the entire architecture 00:32:03.380 --> 00:32:07.180 of it out. Who ultimately gets the rub of retiring 00:32:07.180 --> 00:32:10.619 him? Does it elevate a young star or is it a 00:32:10.619 --> 00:32:13.079 respect match against another veteran? Is it 00:32:13.079 --> 00:32:15.359 going to be a year -long retirement tour? Is 00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:18.369 it a final dramatic match at WrestleMania? The 00:32:18.369 --> 00:32:20.769 merchandise team needs months to design and produce 00:32:20.769 --> 00:32:23.230 the commemorative shirts. The creative team needs 00:32:23.230 --> 00:32:25.849 to carefully build the story arc so it peaks 00:32:25.849 --> 00:32:28.549 at the right moment. So when we see a guy standing 00:32:28.549 --> 00:32:30.829 in the ring crying, giving a retirement speech, 00:32:31.049 --> 00:32:33.869 the rough draft of that speech was probably outlined 00:32:33.869 --> 00:32:36.730 18 months ago. The broad trajectory of the exit 00:32:36.730 --> 00:32:39.809 was yes. Unless a catastrophic career -ending 00:32:39.809 --> 00:32:42.890 injury forces their hand unexpectedly, the exit 00:32:42.890 --> 00:32:45.130 from the company is just as heavily scripted 00:32:45.130 --> 00:32:47.650 and produced as their debut entrance. It is a 00:32:47.650 --> 00:32:50.609 carefully curated monument to their entire career. 00:32:50.809 --> 00:32:52.849 That is fascinating to think about. Okay, myth 00:32:52.849 --> 00:32:55.049 number two. Cody Rhodes was always the hero. 00:32:55.230 --> 00:32:57.029 Oh, this is a big one, especially for the newer 00:32:57.029 --> 00:32:59.250 fans who just jumped on board. Yeah, if you started 00:32:59.250 --> 00:33:01.549 watching wrestling in the last three years, Cody 00:33:01.549 --> 00:33:04.309 is essentially Captain America. He kisses the 00:33:04.309 --> 00:33:06.970 babies in the front row. He gives away his weightlifting 00:33:06.970 --> 00:33:10.250 belt to a crying kid. He fights the evil bloodline. 00:33:10.410 --> 00:33:13.589 He is the embodiment of pure goodness. But you 00:33:13.589 --> 00:33:16.309 cannot fully understand the hero without understanding 00:33:16.309 --> 00:33:19.250 the villain he used to be. We have to talk about 00:33:19.250 --> 00:33:22.609 his star turn. He was a spectacular heel. He 00:33:22.609 --> 00:33:25.759 was a fantastic, deeply annoying heel. Think 00:33:25.759 --> 00:33:27.880 back to the dashing Cody Rhodes era, checking 00:33:27.880 --> 00:33:29.819 his face in the mirror, handing out grooming 00:33:29.819 --> 00:33:32.799 tips to ugly fans. Or his run as the corporate 00:33:32.799 --> 00:33:35.779 suit EVP in early AEW where the crowds turned 00:33:35.779 --> 00:33:38.099 on him. Why does all that past baggage matter 00:33:38.099 --> 00:33:41.500 for his current mega BB face run? Because the 00:33:41.500 --> 00:33:43.480 core lesson of wrestling psychology is that you 00:33:43.480 --> 00:33:45.599 have to learn to be a truly hated villain to 00:33:45.599 --> 00:33:47.759 fully understand how to get universally cheered. 00:33:48.250 --> 00:33:50.549 Cody knows exactly what specific buttons to push 00:33:50.549 --> 00:33:53.309 to make people boo him. Therefore, he knows exactly 00:33:53.309 --> 00:33:55.450 what behaviors to avoid to keep them cheering. 00:33:55.650 --> 00:33:57.990 He constructs his current babyface persona as 00:33:57.990 --> 00:34:00.750 the direct, calculated antidote to his old heel 00:34:00.750 --> 00:34:03.789 tendencies. So the smile is brighter now because 00:34:03.789 --> 00:34:06.490 he knows exactly how effective his scowl used 00:34:06.490 --> 00:34:09.250 to be. Poetically put, yes. You can't effectively 00:34:09.250 --> 00:34:11.469 portray the light without intimately knowing 00:34:11.469 --> 00:34:14.690 the shadow. I really like that. Okay, last myth 00:34:14.690 --> 00:34:17.960 here. Production secrets. We need to talk about 00:34:17.960 --> 00:34:21.460 botches. The dreaded B word of the internet wrestling 00:34:21.460 --> 00:34:24.179 community. There was a report this week of a 00:34:24.179 --> 00:34:27.139 big botch on Friday Night Smackdown and subsequently 00:34:27.139 --> 00:34:30.300 some real backstage heat on the competitors involved 00:34:30.300 --> 00:34:33.179 when they got back to the curtain. First, for 00:34:33.179 --> 00:34:36.400 the uninitiated listeners, clearly define a botch 00:34:36.400 --> 00:34:40.079 and define heat. Simply put, a botch is a mistake 00:34:40.079 --> 00:34:43.179 during a match. A move timed wrong, a foot slipping 00:34:43.179 --> 00:34:45.500 on the ropes, a dropped catch, or a missed cue. 00:34:45.900 --> 00:34:48.519 Heat is the resulting backstage anger or resentment 00:34:48.519 --> 00:34:51.420 from your peers, the producers, or the management. 00:34:51.659 --> 00:34:53.940 So someone messed up a move on live TV and people 00:34:53.940 --> 00:34:55.940 in the back are mad, but everyone makes mistakes, 00:34:56.159 --> 00:34:58.559 right? It's live TV. Right. But the nuance here, 00:34:58.619 --> 00:35:00.360 and this is what the fans online almost always 00:35:00.360 --> 00:35:02.679 miss when they complain, is that the heat from 00:35:02.679 --> 00:35:05.139 management isn't usually about the physical mistake 00:35:05.139 --> 00:35:07.519 itself. It's almost entirely about the recovery. 00:35:07.760 --> 00:35:10.380 How you fix it on the fly while millions are 00:35:10.380 --> 00:35:13.019 watching. Exactly. Pro wrestling is essentially 00:35:13.019 --> 00:35:15.460 live theater mixed with high speed gymnastics. 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:19.579 Things go wrong every single night. A true veteran 00:35:19.579 --> 00:35:22.739 knows how to cover it up seamlessly. If you swing 00:35:22.739 --> 00:35:25.199 and completely miss a punch, you immediately 00:35:25.199 --> 00:35:27.840 step forward and grab a tight headlock. If you 00:35:27.840 --> 00:35:30.460 slip off the top rope, you hit the mat and instantly 00:35:30.460 --> 00:35:33.000 grab your knee, selling an injury. You protect 00:35:33.000 --> 00:35:36.460 the illusion at all costs. So the real heat comes 00:35:36.460 --> 00:35:38.900 down on the rookies when they panic. Yes, when 00:35:38.900 --> 00:35:41.420 they freeze like a deer in headlights, when they 00:35:41.420 --> 00:35:44.219 completely break character, stand up and look 00:35:44.219 --> 00:35:45.900 over at the referee with a face that says, what 00:35:45.900 --> 00:35:48.260 do I do next? That completely exposes the business. 00:35:48.320 --> 00:35:50.380 That makes it look fake to the guy changing channels. 00:35:50.539 --> 00:35:52.739 The veterans in the back get angry not because 00:35:52.739 --> 00:35:55.059 you slipped, gravity happens to everyone, but 00:35:55.059 --> 00:35:57.019 because you didn't have the ring awareness to 00:35:57.019 --> 00:35:59.920 handle the slip professionally. That is a crucial, 00:36:00.139 --> 00:36:03.099 crucial distinction to make. It's about maintaining 00:36:03.099 --> 00:36:06.059 professionalism. Not demanding robotic perfection. 00:36:06.420 --> 00:36:09.099 Correct. The show must go on and it must look 00:36:09.099 --> 00:36:11.639 real. All right. We are heading into the homestretch 00:36:11.639 --> 00:36:14.719 here. Segment six, listener recommendations and 00:36:14.719 --> 00:36:18.239 viewing guide. We've thrown a ton of inside baseball 00:36:18.239 --> 00:36:20.599 info at you today. What should the listeners 00:36:20.599 --> 00:36:22.880 actually go out and watch this coming week? I 00:36:22.880 --> 00:36:25.260 have a few specific recommendations to keep an 00:36:25.260 --> 00:36:28.400 eye on. Hit me with them. First, for pure entertainment 00:36:28.400 --> 00:36:31.619 value, go find that smartphone clip of Dominic 00:36:31.619 --> 00:36:34.340 Mysterio meeting his twin in the airport. It 00:36:34.340 --> 00:36:36.619 is circulating everywhere. It is an absolute 00:36:36.619 --> 00:36:39.480 masterclass in staying in character while completely 00:36:39.480 --> 00:36:42.099 acknowledging the sheer absurdity of the situation. 00:36:42.320 --> 00:36:44.360 It will definitely make you laugh. Oh, definitely 00:36:44.360 --> 00:36:47.559 check that out. It's gold. Second. Keep a very 00:36:47.559 --> 00:36:50.139 close eye on Dorian Van Dux down in the developmental 00:36:50.139 --> 00:36:52.659 system. The vampire himself. The artist formerly 00:36:52.659 --> 00:36:55.519 known as Mike DiVecchio, yes. Yeah. Watch his 00:36:55.519 --> 00:36:57.900 upcoming matches. Try to ignore the silly name 00:36:57.900 --> 00:36:59.820 for a moment and just watch the physical work 00:36:59.820 --> 00:37:02.760 in the ring. See how his brawling style adapts 00:37:02.760 --> 00:37:05.559 to the WWE camera style. It's going to be a great 00:37:05.559 --> 00:37:08.480 case study in watching a raw indie talent evolve 00:37:08.480 --> 00:37:11.500 under the massive WWE production umbrella. Okay, 00:37:11.559 --> 00:37:14.039 and what storyline should we be actively tracking 00:37:14.039 --> 00:37:17.960 this week? Two things to track. One, the Timothy 00:37:17.960 --> 00:37:21.579 Thatcher GM role over in Evolve. Is this leading 00:37:21.579 --> 00:37:25.000 to a completely new weekly episodic show format 00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:28.230 for the network? Is Evolve going to become a 00:37:28.230 --> 00:37:31.449 dedicated shoot style mat wrestling brand? Tracking 00:37:31.449 --> 00:37:33.789 how Thatcher manages that young roster will give 00:37:33.789 --> 00:37:36.869 us huge clues about the future direction of WWE's 00:37:36.869 --> 00:37:39.510 entire developmental tier. I am glued to that 00:37:39.510 --> 00:37:42.190 one. I love the technical stuff. And two, the 00:37:42.190 --> 00:37:44.570 ongoing fallout of the swerve Strickland suspension 00:37:44.570 --> 00:37:48.440 over in AEW. Track the weeks he is gone. When 00:37:48.440 --> 00:37:50.800 does he finally return? And more importantly, 00:37:50.920 --> 00:37:53.039 when he does step back through the curtain, pay 00:37:53.039 --> 00:37:55.340 close attention to the level of violence. If 00:37:55.340 --> 00:37:58.199 he comes back noticeably more dangerous and unhinged, 00:37:58.199 --> 00:38:00.800 we know the storyline fine was the direct catalyst 00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:03.699 for a major monster main event push. I cannot 00:38:03.699 --> 00:38:05.679 wait for Swerve to come back. The pop is going 00:38:05.679 --> 00:38:07.380 to be massive. Me neither. It's going to be great 00:38:07.380 --> 00:38:09.159 television. All right. That brings us to the 00:38:09.159 --> 00:38:10.940 end of another massive show. Let's recap the 00:38:10.940 --> 00:38:13.039 big stuff quickly. We covered the complicated 00:38:13.039 --> 00:38:15.239 business landscape of the Elimination Chamber, 00:38:15.460 --> 00:38:18.039 why those ticket sales might be a little soft 00:38:18.039 --> 00:38:20.480 due to the Jeff Jarrett theory of market saturation. 00:38:21.360 --> 00:38:24.099 We analyzed Dominic Mysterio's global expansion 00:38:24.099 --> 00:38:27.340 and what holding the AAA megatitle means for 00:38:27.340 --> 00:38:29.360 his character. We looked at the deep psychology 00:38:29.360 --> 00:38:32.159 of Liv Morgan's Tears on Raw and the highly strategic 00:38:32.159 --> 00:38:36.159 pulling of the Io Sky vs. Julia match to artificially 00:38:36.159 --> 00:38:38.539 build pay -per -view anticipation. And we broke 00:38:38.539 --> 00:38:40.780 down the future of the industry with the WWE 00:38:40.780 --> 00:38:44.400 ID pipeline, the trademark rebranding of Dorian 00:38:44.400 --> 00:38:47.099 Van Dux, and the disciplinary storylines in AEW 00:38:47.099 --> 00:38:49.420 regarding Swerve and MJF. It has been a packed 00:38:49.420 --> 00:38:52.119 show, as always. Before we go, a very quick reminder 00:38:52.119 --> 00:38:54.219 to support the people who actively support us. 00:38:54.860 --> 00:38:57.159 Worldwrestlingevents .com and BetOnline. If you 00:38:57.159 --> 00:38:58.960 want to get in on the wrestling action this weekend, 00:38:59.099 --> 00:39:00.420 check the link right down in the description. 00:39:00.719 --> 00:39:04.039 Claim that exclusive bonus offer up to $250 in 00:39:04.039 --> 00:39:07.050 free bets plus 100 free spins. Do it. It is a 00:39:07.050 --> 00:39:08.750 great way to enhance the viewing experience. 00:39:09.289 --> 00:39:11.369 Now, my friend, send us off with a final thought, 00:39:11.510 --> 00:39:13.550 something for the fans to chew on until next 00:39:13.550 --> 00:39:15.909 week. Well, we talked a lot today about the Io 00:39:15.909 --> 00:39:18.650 Sky versus Julia match being pulled from TV, 00:39:18.769 --> 00:39:21.150 and it really made me think about the philosophical 00:39:21.150 --> 00:39:24.670 concept of the unseen match. In wrestling history, 00:39:24.789 --> 00:39:27.869 some of the absolute most legendary mythic matches 00:39:27.869 --> 00:39:30.690 are the ones that happened in empty arenas or 00:39:30.690 --> 00:39:32.989 on un -televised house shows with no cameras 00:39:32.989 --> 00:39:35.650 rolling or the ones that were promised on a marquee 00:39:35.650 --> 00:39:38.030 and never actually delivered due to injury or 00:39:38.030 --> 00:39:40.090 politics. Like the ultimate forbidden fruit. 00:39:40.230 --> 00:39:43.260 Exactly. Sometimes the matches we explicitly 00:39:43.260 --> 00:39:45.860 don't get to see end up driving the business 00:39:45.860 --> 00:39:48.760 lore more than the ones we do see. The imagination 00:39:48.760 --> 00:39:51.480 of the fan is arguably the most powerful booking 00:39:51.480 --> 00:39:54.380 tool in the entire world. WWE management knows 00:39:54.380 --> 00:39:56.960 that. By withholding that dream match, they are 00:39:56.960 --> 00:39:58.780 essentially letting your imagination book the 00:39:58.780 --> 00:40:01.780 spots. And your imagination always books a five 00:40:01.780 --> 00:40:05.750 -star classic. Whoa. That is deep. And entirely 00:40:05.750 --> 00:40:08.710 true, honestly. I've booked some absolutely incredible 00:40:08.710 --> 00:40:10.769 WrestleMania main events in my head over the 00:40:10.769 --> 00:40:13.030 years. Haven't we all? The perfect match only 00:40:13.030 --> 00:40:15.690 exists in the mind. Well, on that profound note, 00:40:15.809 --> 00:40:17.849 thank you for listening to World Wrestling Events. 00:40:18.369 --> 00:40:20.829 We will be back next week with more news, more 00:40:20.829 --> 00:40:23.289 rumors, and more wrestling. See you at the bell. 00:40:23.429 --> 00:40:24.130 See you at the bell.