Endeavor now owns WWE and is Jade Cargill WWE bound? | The Still Real to Us Show | Episode #709 – 9/14/23

0:00 It's stupid. Welcome everybody. Welcome to this week's edition This Story, Real Fist Show, episodeber seven hundred and nine for September fourteenth, two thousand and one to three. Welcome to this week's edition of ass all ts you. I am one after show. I am jet pack joined every single week point No soly, Doctor Gray Franklin, Doctor Trey. We have a new owner of w W my friend. Yeah, and it's uh, you know, it's the name on the contract does not say McMahon. So there's my throw back to two thousand and one since we just had the anniversary of nine eleven.

0:52 So there you go. Tied it all together in a nice pretty bow. Uh. Meanwhile, I want, by the way, have you checked out this show called Generation Gap? No? What is that? It's a game TV show. Yeah, it's a little TV game show. It's basically like grandparents and grandchild teaming up and they'll throw up a picture or a clue about somebody from grandma's generation and the kid has a guess and vice versa. I realize, I second, I'm old because I know all the grandparent wants. I don't know any of these kids wants, Like I don't know anybody at the VMA's. I don't know anybody in the show. I don't know any's younger people anymore. So a couple of things there, So a couple.

1:34 So I had a friend text me and my wife this week saying like, Hey, are you watching the VMA's, Like, uh, in Sync is on? And I my response was, the VMA's are still a thing, like you know, like no, no, and I don't care that in Sync is on. And then literally a half an hour before we popped on the show. Here, I'm sitting down and I follow my old high school on Instagram, and I'm scrolling through Instagram and I see that they're promoting Spirit Week because it's homecoming week at the end of the month, which is typical right for high schools. So I'm looking and I'm seeing with the Spirit Week. Actually I still think I have it up on my phone here, so let me sit here. Bear with me for one second. This is great for radio. So Spirit Week themes. Friday is our class color, which is purple, Thursday is Barbie and Ken Day, Wednesday is Western Wednesday, and then Tuesday is decades and what decade is everybody dressing up as the early two thousands, That is the time frame when I graduated high school, Doctor Trey. Wait wait wait was there a style in the early two thousands.

2:53 I don't know. I know I get made fun of by my younger friends by wearing car hearts. I guess it would be baggy jeans. The image that they have is a flip phone, which is just right for the time. Yeah, I'm I'm guessing maybe like probably baggy jeans, maybe like corns, slipknot jerseys, like, I don't know. Was that the cargo pants era as well? Yes, yeah, I believe so. I mean because right now, like when I was a kid, like you did not wear tight jeans, you did not wear tight shorts, short shorts, and that is all the rate right now. I mean, I saw a kid the other day and he had some of the shortest shorts on to show off show off his quads, and I'm like, whoa, if this was me in high school, this would not be happening. Like this was not the style back then. But this is the same shit Like our parents said about our generation as well. I guess I got I got one for you, because you're a Northeastern guy. I was got gam this morning, I'll watch Good Morning America. You know, my god year old, I know I want Michael Strahand. I had Rob It Rob again. God Gerald my grandmother loved Michael Strand too. Yeah, there you go. But they were showing there's a new Duncan Donnest commercial with Ben Affleck, and I'm like, all right, you know, being a guy that traveled the Northeast a lot, I can appreciate them Dunkin Donuts. I like ben Affleck. And it's like,

4:23 yeah, ben Affleck did commercial with little Ice spice. Yeah, no idea. And I'm like, I'm like, I don't like and they're like, yeah, that's a rapper. I'm like, no, I don't. Like, I'm never like, never heard of this person in my life. And they keep showing this woman with like oranges colored hair, and I'm like, it looks like Nicki Minaje, Like it looks like I'm like, that's a different person. Like I could not figure it out for like, But then I'm like, Okay, the dunk the Duncan. Don't just lose me because you're putting peoples in commercials that I have no clue who they are, so uh yeah, yeah, No, this is it. Welcome to it, And that's your your old. This is your old. Hey, you're old. First five minutes of SRTU. That's gonna be a new segment we do each week. How Doctor Trey and I go mine, We're old?

5:09 What are those other podcasts called just called Yelling at the Clouds? Yeah, no, that's the same thing. And I guess the last thing. And he doesn't listen to this podcast, but Doctor Trey used to listen to the podcast I was on. But I was on a show called The Wheelhouse and it was my first time into podcasting and what helped launch the Stell Reel Does show. It was back in two thousand and nine, So that was fourteen years ago. Now. I got a text from Mike Bauer earlier this week, who was one of the costs, asking me, and he sent me a link and he said, hey, can you do a video causes Chris Cause was also co host. His fiance is doing like all these videos from his friends to celebrate his birthday. And I'm like, oh, yeah, no problem. Which birthday they are we celebrating and he said his fiftieth.

6:01 So fourteen years ago, Chris Cause was my age when we first started doing the podcast that I am now. I'm not thirty six, but I am thirty seven, And here he is now now at fifty years old, and I'm sending him a video. So life comes at you fast, doctor Trey. I'm just glad to know that Chris causes older than me, so at least I have that, at least there's somebody still out there in the world. Because you think about like fourteen years ago, like you were twenty three getting into podcasting, you know, and then now we're the grizzled veterans like we were at the point now where people think that we're bitter and old and jaded. It's like, I think you go back and listen to the early episodes of the show. I think we still sound the same. Oh yeah, no, I think we're definitely more positive. I would say we're I think we're just as equally as positive. But we used to be back then.

6:49 To be honest with you, yeah, I mean yeah, because at that time, I think when we first I wasn't in the wrestling business at all, so I could be super negative and pissed off all the time. And now since I have, I have all these friends floating around the independence and you know, the big time wrestling stuff. I'm like, yeah, I don't want me too mean because it may, you know, backfire against me. But you know, at the end of the day, I've gone back and like my voices a little bit deeper. But outside of that, like, yeah, I think we were probably a little angrier in the early days as opposed to what we are now. Definitely had a lot more energy. I gotta be honest, I had definitely had a lot more energy. But that's what comes with getting old. You just start to slow down.

7:30 Actually, last thing I'll bring up about getting old, and this is your old moment to kick off this week's session of the podcast I Heard. I listened to a podcast Baseball Today with Chris Rose and Trevor Plufe. It's on the John Boy Media platform, and they were talking about getting old, and Trevor Pluffmer MLB Baseball Players, said that his grandmother once told him the older you get, the age that you are represents like how many miles per hour it feels like you're going through life. And that's exactly that is like the greatest line I've ever heard about getting old, because when you're a kid, it feels like you're in it forever, like can't wait to get out of school, like living in a world where you you're not in school and you want to be an adult and all this stuff, and like my first eighteen years of life felt like it went by really really slow and greatest time in my life. And then afterwards it just feels like it has zipped right through because even saying out loud, almost fifteen years of starting in my podcasting career, fourteen years doing this podcast, it has flown right by. My friends.

8:39 Yeah, by the way where we start this show, I had a two year old daughter. I now have a junior in high school. There you go, so perfect way to end at folks, this is old. That is how we're going to kick off the podcast. Each week we're doctor trying to go. So, how did you feel old this week? Have you ever heard of ice? Spice? I haven't. Let's get into some rest and talk. One thing that I thought I would never see in the fourteen years of doing this podcast. Near fourteen years of doing this podcast was the mcmahn family not owning Worldwisting Entertainment, and that has now officially happened this week as the w w e UFC merger closed with Endeavor, and the new owner of WW is TKO Group Holding. It's WUFC all fallen under that umbrella and again owned by Endeavor. Devor holds fifty one percent of controlling instruments in TKO and existing WW shareholders own the other forty nine percent. Dana White is the CEO of the UFC, nicongoes from WCO to President of w W, and Vince mcmahn is the executive chairman of TKO. We talked about it when this deal was initially happening, Doctor Trey. It has now since closed five months later. Thoughts on the McMahon owned era coming to a close, Yeah, I mean, it's it's a mixed bag for me. Like you know, when we started this podcast. Yeah, I would have never thought ownership of w W would have left the McMahon family. I thought this was gonna be a family run business for generations to come, like it would go to

10:13 Triple Asian Stephanie or Shane and then down to their kids and down to their kids and so on and so on. And then you know, we heard those rumblings a few years ago where they were kind of shopping, especially when they went public, they were shopping it around. We heard about Disney, we heard about a bunch of other companies that were interested, you know, and it kind of brought that up a little bit more. And then when Vince you know, had to leave the company that you know last year, I was like, Okay, this this is real now because as much as we liked Triple Asian, Steph like, he still had the controlling interests and we started hearing those rumors and everything else, and it wasn't as shocking maybe if it had come out of Blue the Blue like four or five years ago.

10:56 But to stand in a world now where the one wrestling company that's owned by a family is AW, it is kind of odd to me, Like, you know, and you know, Tony and shot Con own AW, but the McMahon's don't own WWE. It's it's just a weird thing to kind of deal with. I guess that this fossil falls into getting old and not being able to adjust, but it's just awkward in a way. And I'm sure, like twenty years from now and you and I are still recording the podcast in our eighties, we'll be like your Ember Backwen Van's own WWE. Yeah, there's a long time it will be used to it by that, but right now it's just it's just weird. It is. It is weird.

11:41 A lot of discussion about potential synergies between both companies. Dana White was asked about I think the endeavor CEO came out and said, like, the hope is that WE fans become UFC fans, and UFC fans become WE fans. And they asked Danah White, They're like, what are your thoughts on this, Like is that possible of happening? And he completely shot on on it. He was like, no, I mean there are people who are like you are. UFC fans probably won't be WE the majority of them, and WWE fans a majority of them probably won't become UFC fans. And I enjoyed that honesty. I thought that was great. I thought that was the right thing to say as well, because we've talked about on the show. I'm a little bit more the MMA fan. I'm not a huge MMA fan like I used to be, Doctor Trey not interested in MMA at all.

12:24 And when I'm like, hey, Daniel Cormier is gonna be there or ron Da Rousey assigned with we I mean nine times out of ten, Doctor Tree, You're like, Okay, who gives a shit? Like these names don't resonate with you because again, you're not a fan of the UFC. This is not something that you follow. So I think Dan and White hit that spot on. Yeah. I mean I remember years and years ago we first had a show. I was a UFC fan because I liked the fact that they had kind of leaned into character driven fight, Like the guys understood, Hey, if I kind of promo, it's gonna get me notoriety. And you look at like the Tito Ortiz, the Rampags Jackson's, the Chuck Liddell's, the Matt Hughes, the uh Saint Pierre wasn't Saint Pierre? George h Pierre, I Kevin want to say John. But those guys, you know, they kind of leaned into the WWF promo style and you're like, you're you started investing more in these guys because they were out there, they were making noise, and you know, you look at for me, you know, the Ronda Rousies of the world, Like Ronda I had heard of Ronda, you know, talk a New Interviews and so like that, and just you know, on all this stuff. So when she came over, I'm like, all right, yeah, maybe she can do good. Like I just kind of looked at it like the Kurt Angle, Like some of these people have great footwork and they could make the transition. But you know, the Daniel Cormier's, the John Jones of the worlds, the Anderson Silva's, Yeah, I respect him as great fighters, but I couldn't tell you what they sounded like. I couldn't tell you anything about them. Really. The only exceptions that ruled for me right now is Connor McGregor because he's loud as

13:58 hell, so we hear of all the time, and those are the guy and the guys that get notoriety. So people like me typically, unless there's somebody that runs their mouth and catches fire, we're not going to crossovers and it's not something that appeals to us. And the guys that are diehard UFC fans look at wrestling and go, that's that fake stuff. I don't care about that. So you only occasionally get those weird crossovers where I watched brock Lessner fighting in the UFC, and I'm sure UFC fans watched Rodda Rousing in WWE, So you'll have those small minor crossovers. I say minor and like it doesn't happen very often, but those are few and far between. And outside of that, I think we kind of do live in two separate worlds completely. So we'll see. I mean, you've got to figure that there's gonna be some sort of synergy at some point. Maybe the likelihood of folks like Economic Director showing up in WE is gonna be a little bit more rampidt And I think if a UFC fighter catches fire and is someone that is crossing all different types of genres and fan bases and it's becoming like a big deal in a larger scale, the likelihood of them appearing on WW then is gonna be greater because maybe ron Da Rowsy ten years ago, when she was on a meteoritic rise in the sporting world and was like one of the biggest names and faces in all of sports at that time. Maybe that's when WW cash is in on that UFC relationship and has them appear on one of their shows.

15:28 Maybe we run some sort of angle and then I'm from the UFC standpoint, I mean WW stars have been at ringside for UFC shows forever. I mean going back to you this show starting about fourteen years ago. One of the big first stories we covered was the Undertaker being at brock Lester's UFC fight. I believe he lost that fight, maybe lost the championship, and the thing was Undertaker said to him like do you want to do this thing? And they ran like a little bit of an angle. They elaborated on that years later, like that was to set up him coming back to w WE, and it just didn't happen at that point, and it was like one of those like dog tilting your head moments that was like, h that's interesting, Like what the hell is that all about? So there is opportunity.

16:15 Is it going to be as frequent as we potentially think it's going to be under the new ownership. No, I don't believe. So. I think the bigger thing here is the business model of w overall Doctor Trey, whether we recognize it or not, We've seen that WW is putting more and more of their big name shows, even some other B shows and air quotes into stadium settings and they're getting a great reaction. They're getting a great crowd that appears to be part of the new business model. And then I think the other thing that really doesn't affect fans right now would be the TV deals coming up. There's a lot of discussion that Fox maybe not renewing SmackDown here soon and that they may be going the direction of Disney or even Amazon. Triple H was sitting next to Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO former Amazon CEO earlier this week in New York City, so maybe there's something to that. And then folks are thinking that the fort ninety nine right now for the shows that you watch on Peacock isn't going to be a thing anymore, and that these shows are going to be expensive like UFC style. So I don't know, everybody seems to have doom and gloom that Endeavor is now owning WWE because it's the costs more for the consumer. I hope we don't see that because I think the current models being very successful and it's paying off and huge dividends for the company into the growth that led to them being able to be sold to Endeavor.

17:44 Yeah. I mean to me, the way I look at is when you watch, when you look at UFC, you get those fighters they get out losing the streets and you see that they get cut try to save money. You have that contract. W is gonna be kind of more. I still think it's the budgets be a little bit tighter, Like they're still gonna like have to, you know, occasionally make cuts that don't seem popular. We saw it a couple of years ago that was more about getting the company into the blacks so it can be sold. But you know, I do think it's gonna be more run like a business. And with that, there are gonna be times when they're gonna make decisions for the good of the company that we may not like. And you know, if they change the model on the peacock and the network and all of that stuff, I still think that's going to alienate some fans because you know, at the end of the day, wrestling fans, if demographically, probably make less money than UFC fans because UFC fans are paying out fifty sixty seventy bucks for a fight. We don't have to do that. So if they start trying to change stuff around, you might alienate some fans. But the one thing UFC has been really good at is for a company that doesn't get a ton of mainstream publicity.

18:59 They've all always got really good television contracts, so I think they'll be pretty good in that aspect at least. One of the things with the sale is we have seen that there's going to be a hiring freeze that has been lifted this past Monday night. This was on the original agenda for this week's edition the podcast. Naya Jack's returned to we again second time this year, but this time now is a full time performer interfering in the rear Ripley Raquel Rodriguez Championship match from Raw on Monday, taking out both Raquel and Ria during that match. However, a big story dropped early Thursday morning from Sean Ross Sap in regards to the former TBS champion Jade Cargill. According to fight Full Select, and this has been since updated. So there's reports out that right now from Fightful Select that Jade Cargill wrapped up her time with ALI Wrestling. On Wednesday night, they taped a match for Friday's Rampage. If you don't want to know the result, spoiler alert right now spoiler alert, but Chris stat Lander defeats Jade Cargile clean to retain the TBS championship, and then the story broke that she's leaving AW wh her contracts is expiring and that the big belief is that she's going to WW. Fightful had an update to this story this evening Thursday evening, as we record this and this comes to us also from Wrestling, and according to Fightful, select who originally broke the story early Thursday morning, has now provided more details. Cargile wrapped up her time with AWF

20:33 the most recent taping of AW Rampage, where she was reportedly given a sendoff after a loss to AW TBS champion Chris stat Lander. Cargo had recently returned to AW television after taking time off all on Awble or Nothing and back in May, and now appears she'll be heading to WWE, with reports suggestions she might be able to sign with WWE imminently. However, the report also says Cargo has told some people she's leaving AW to focus on our family and play softball. Cargo as possible signing was the talk of w W raw backstage last week, per Fightful, as many TWW stars seemed convinced that the former AW TBS champion when joined the company soon. Fightfel also noted that some top w stars had heard about her arrival as far back as last week. Cargill reportedly had a has a team of represent item is handling her deals, and her jump to ww is said to not be financially motivated, Doctor Trey. This would be the second big name to go from AW to WWE, following Cody Rhodes. Say what you will. We have been big critics, but we all believe in see the stock and future potential star potential of Jade Cargill.

21:40 This would be a big loss for AW in my opinion, because she has been a homegrown star that I think was being prime to be the face of the women's division once her TVs championship title rene ended. She is someone that can cross from the wrestling world to the entertainment world in my opinion as well. Your thoughts here on the reports of Jade Cardile leaving a w contract expiring heading to w E imminently. Now, these people who are handling her negotiations, are they speaking with you directly about the softball tie in? Yeah, I don't know. I just got done playing softball. If she wants to play on my team. She's gonna have to DMI. It is a co ed team. I know we would welcome her with open arms because she is a former D one athlete. So yeah, I'm all in on her joining my coed softball team. I heard that. I immediately a thought of you.

22:33 But yeah, I mean I heard you snickering. Yeah, it was. It was a brilliant like I just see her going. No, man, I ain't going back in the Resley. I'm not gonna ask me. I'm gonna play softball. Yeah, why do I need these six figure contract I'm playing softball on Wednesday nights down at the down in my backyard, at my parks and wrecked near my house. No, I'm not going to play the w NBA. I'm not gonna go. I'm gonna play softball professionally. But there you go. I mean, yeah, you and I have been very critical, and I don't think we're I know people think we were critical of Jade Cargill, but it's not that, like she has all the building blocks of being a future star. I mean, she's basically what Bianca bell Air was four years ago. It's just that Bianca wasn't put in a National Spotlight four or five years ago, she was in developmental getting better. And I think if that's the way they go with Jade Cargill, it'll be good for her because she can kind of develop under the Shawn Michael's you know, tutelage to become the next Bianca bel Air or the next Ria Ripley who However, what you want to say is so I think it's good for her in the long run. It is ironic that, you know, these two people that we mentioned crossing over from AWS WW were people that were in the WW system. You know, Cody much longer, but Jade was one of those ones that they were recruiting and trying to get her to come on board.

23:51 And it's right, that's right before she signed with AW. It was like they were both going there right to sign her. I forgot about that, yeah, and so like, and she kind of has some negative things to say about w. W is why she didn't go there, But now she's making that move. Uh. It does also go to show you the difference in the thought process of WW and AW or ww's looking for people that are either young or in their prime or things like that, and you know, we're seeing AW bring over guys who are, you know, stars but maybe a little bit past their prime, you know. So to me, on paper, it's a great move for Jade, it's a great move for WB because this is just another foundational building block for the women's division that could be around for as long as she wants to be there. And it's a huge hit for AW. It just goes to show like, look, that's the second person that you can I mean, Cody wasn't Homegirl, but Cody was an executive VP. And then you have this woman that you brought up from basically nothing to make her the face in this women's division and they both bail out on you. That's not a good look for AW. So I it's for those people that love AW is like, yeah, they're great and their schedules super easy. But those people who want to be stars and want to be top draws are the ones who are jumping back to WWE. Yeah, I think the opportunity to become a bigger star outside of the wrestling world would be the WWW dimension rather than the AW world that she's currently living in.

25:23 It And unfortunately, maybe in five years folks are able to step out of the AW shadow and become movie stars, actors, whatever, musicians, whatever they want to be. But to me, the w vehicle aligns more with the type of person that is shown, at least on television by Jade Carkile. I think she's a very savvy businesswoman. I think she knows that there's a ton of value in her brand. Right, that's a trendy thing to say nowadays. There certainly is a Jade Carkile brand. She is someone who has a world of potential. She's not there yet. We again have been very critical of her matches, but we always see the star power. I think my question here is I think it's a no doubt solution here. Like Doctor Trey, there's no doubt in my mind that w WE can elevate Jade Cargill to be, like you know, someone that is a movie star, actor, whatever she wants to be outside of professional wrestling. I think they know that she can transcend, and she knows that with WWE she can transcend outside of wrestling. But from the wrestling aspect, do you think that they can take the weaknesses that Jade Cargill has, polish it and make her a finer product that is of the ilk of Charlotte Flair, Riah Ripley, Bianca bel Air, that becomes a better female wrestler in you know, once they've signed for the next five years during the WW umbrella. No, absolutely,

26:55 I think they can. I mean we see it now with what they're doing and when you see them bringing in D one athletes and converting them into wrestlers and sums of some success and sums and not. But you look at that Bianca Belair, who literally had never touched a wrestling matt when she was signed to NXTE, and look where she's at now, and she has a lot of the similar traits and physical skills that Jay Cardle has. I think in WB she has a better chance of becoming a top flight wrestler. But it all comes down to does she want to put in the work and is she taking this deal for the money and the notoriety and the potential to expand her brand or is she coming in to become a better wrestler. And you know, I was telling me their day, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. But at the same time, you don't want to show its head of the la because it'll drown. So you just kind of gotta watch and see what she does. I would be shocked if they bring her straight to the main roster. I think she's gonna go to NXT first. I mean, if she ends up with the main roster right now, like some of those, one of the main roster would embarrass her in the ring, she needs time and NXC with a shan with.

28:07 I don't know. I don't know who's running the women's division training. I think Sarah Delray may be down there still. I know, yeah, I know, I know Sarah Dolry was do anybody else's know at one point when they were doing the coach's releases that she was let go for a little bit. I know Alison Danger has been down there doing Steve Credo's systems, has been down there helping on the training. But you go down there and work with those ladies, you're gonna become a better wrestler. And I don't think AW as much as we love the guys in AW for for their teaching methods, it's different to be a female wrestler and learn from a top female wrestler as opposed to a female wrestler learning from another guy. It's a little bit different in that translation. That's an interesting point, Like I think if there's one major glaring weak point in AW right now is they don't have that filter system of a performance center or a brand that you prepare for before going up to the quote roster. I do think that is a glaring missing cog in the wheel of AW, and hopefully they are able to address that at some point, because I think that would help them greatly. Last question are on the Jade Cargill stuff and then we'll switch gears to NXC. Actually is this a bigger loss for AW or a bigger gain for WWW? I think it's a bigger gain for ww E than a loss for AW. Like I like, people are gonna look at it and think it's a big loss AW, But she wasn't. I mean, she was big positioned to become the face of the women's division, but she wasn't there yet. This women's vision is

29:37 you know Britt and and you know so Rayah and Ruby Soho and you know those those people. Right now. For ww it's a much bigger gain because the potential is there to build another main event female star that could possibly headline a WrestleMania and get that crossover exposure. So I get the CE is higher for W bringing Jake Cargill, in that maybe the floor one for AW losing Jake Cargill. All right, let's switch gears here to NXT. This past Tuesday night, Becky Lynch won the NXC Championship from Tiffany Stratton in the main event. Tiffany Stratton is somebody that we've often compared to as WWE's version of Jade Cargio, where there's like this world of potential, but you could just tell that she's not a polished wrestler yet and as a little bit green ironic enough, we go from Jade carter Hill to Tiffany Stratton. I thought Tiffany Stratton held her own and had a great match with Becky Lynch, probably the best match I've seen from Tiffany Stratton so far. But the question here, Doctor Trey, is now, Becky has has won all the women's championships in w she is completed the Grand Slam, but half of the titles in NXC are now held by quote non NXT slash main roster talents. Dominic Masterio holds in North American Championship. Becky Lynch holding The NXC Women's Championship tag titles are held by Tony di'angelone, Channy Sex, Lorenzo, and obviously the NXC champion is Carmelo Hayes. Do you like this move that right now half the title holders in NXT are non NXT slash main roster talents. NXC has been a

31:11 very solid show lately, maybe the most underrated solid show that is on wrestling today. Do you like this move that they're putting their titles on main main roster talents. I don't hate it. It's once again, this goes to the confusion we've had about NXT since Triple H first took it over years ago. Is it developmental or is it a third brand? And we've seen it kind of go back and forth throughout this whole timeline where you know, for a while, like you go back was it three years ago? To where we you know, the plane right from Hell getting back from Saudi Arabia and nxts on the main roster. We go through vibors series with NXC versus Ron smacked at it, We're like this is a third brand, They're legit, and then boom, right after that, it's everybody's gone. It's straight developmental.

32:05 I like it in the sense that it is giving the rub and making folks go check it out more. I mean, the Becky Lynch episode was the highest rated Eggs T show they've done in the last couple of years, so it obviously brought eyes to the program. So now they can see who a Tiffany Stratton is or they stuck. After the whole show, they saw the entire roster for the most part, you know, they saw Baron Corban and bron Breaker going at it and setting up their match. So it does help the brand get elevated, and if that's what you're trying to do, is get it back to being maybe not a third equal brand, but at least a slight notch below. Then having the main roster people on their helps out. And plus you look at what's going on with the Judgment day on Raw. Seeing all the people in Judgment they have title belts makes it look cool and you're not sacrificing Gunther's Intercontinental title run just to mcdomin Mysterio look like he fits in. It's a way to kind of elevate everybody around by doing these crossovers. Yeah, it's it's an interesting idea by WWWE, and it seems to be really paying off because I think having the main roster talents on NXT is getting more eyes on the brand, which is then getting folks that aren't watching NXT, which is something we've always talked about in this podcast, like how weren't people watching NXT back in their glory days is beyond me, but it was happening and w WE knew it too, and this is getting people to check it out. And this is also elevating the games when these

33:35 folks get into matches, because again, like Tiffany Stratton to me, had her best match i've seen her in against Becky Lynch, and it takes two to tango. Becky Lynch is obviously the veteran and helps lay out a great match, very in retaining match, hard fought match, and Tiffany Stratton held her own in that opportunity as well. So I like the moves and I think it's a good thing for NXT, which is I don't know, doctor Strey, It's been two years since the two point oh launch, the relaunch of this brand, and I'm just starting to feel like you're starting in to see those I don't know, like twenty fourteen, twenty fifteen vibes of the NXT black and Gold era that made it so much fun when launched on the WW network play out again now on the US and USA network here in twenty twenty three. I feel like it's it's coming to that point again. Yeah.

34:24 It feels like right before the Undisputed Eric came into NXT, like you know, you started seeing some of the you know, WW guys that were kind of pushed down, whether it's a Ticing Czarro or somebody else like that, you know, kind of get repacked, and we're kind of seeing that now. And then even even the when the's when the top indie guys we're coming in, whether it was a Kevin oh and Sammy Zane, Bobby Rude, whoever it was, and we saw them in the crowd, they had name value and it made you want to tune in to see, well, we're they gonna do with Boby Rue where they gonna do with you know, with Oscar you know, whoever it was the super indie person they were bringing in. We have that now, like, hey, so what if you want Baron Corvette NXT you like Seth Rollins is going down to wrestle Broun Breaker, Like what's going on with this? Like it does create that intrigue that you have to tune in to watch and then you become a fan of a Carbelo Hayes and til you're dragging off you know, metaphor Tyler Bait, whoever it is that you kind of gravitate towards based off you tuning in to see Becky Legion, Tippitty Stratton go at it. Yeah, Yeah, it's it's a good time pairing right now for NXC. If you're not watching NXC, I highly recommend anybody listening to the podcast to go check it out because it's been it's been a really good run for the brand. Ass of late, Like the last three to six months have been really good. I've been to join a NXT lately. Last thing I want to bring up here on this week's sesition the podcast. You're starting to see them momentum play out on WWE television right now, specifically on the Raw brand. They had a great match

35:57 to close out Raw two weeks ago for the Intercardinal champ Chip that solidified Gunther's record breaking rain. As Interconnal champions are passing the honky talk Man one Doctor Trey's guys, and now you're starting to see it play out on television and I'm starting to get like the Spider senses tingling a little bit here, Doctor Tram like shit. I think Chad Gable maybe the fucking guy that knocks off Gunther and ends this Intercodonal Championship rain and that the fans will eat this up. I have been a big fan of Chad Gable since his NXC days when he was tagging with Jason Jordan an American Alpha, and he's definitely had an up and down career in w W Moore downs than ups. The shorty g run was not good tagging with Robert Rude and being like his body double like Damian Sandown winning Attack Team Championship, American Alpha's failed run on the main roster with Jason Jordan being revealed as the son of Kurt Anglin and basically ending American Alpha with no rhyme nor reason, and then Chad Gable running with Alpha Academy for a little bit. It did not start out great, but has certainly gotten a lot of momentum lately. The fans are behind it, and his in ring work is starting to pay off each and every week on Raw.

37:15 This reminds me of like Shelton Benjamin two thousand and three, two thousand and four run, where it's like, this guy is a world of potential, world of talent, and he's a natural athlete and natural gifted performer. The only thing is, in no disrespect to Shelton, it appears that that Chad Gable has a little bit more of the character behind him that can resonate with fans. They're just is that feeling, Doctor Trey. It's it's almost kind of Daniel br Brian is like in twenty fourteen, the underdog fans are starting to get behind him. Is Chad Gable the guy that can knock off Gunther? Or more importantly, is w w wee starting to build him up as a guy to knock off Gunther? I think the build is there. I think you're building him up to position him as that upper mid card guy.

38:05 I don't know if he'll ever get to main event level, because as much as we love Jack Gable, like the guy is undersized and you know, for me, if you can survive the short ge gimmick, you deserve all the accolades in the world. You should get all your rows and you should get all your flowers, all that stuff, because that may have been one of the worst gimmicks we've seen anybody undertake in the last decade. To take that and come to where he's that now, the guy deserves all the world, you know. But I still think in the eyes of most of WWE, he's a bit undersized to be a main event guy unless he can transcend that completely like a Daniel Bryant did there to me. I don't know who you have knocked off Gunther unless you have somebody prime for another big breakout him.

39:00 They might run it with Chad Gable. I mean, the record has been broken Gunther as long as ringing Icy champion of all time. They may do it. We saw, you know, Samosa Chompa come into the mix, which is we know is a triple H guy. It could be a fluke victory that allows Gable to get the title. But I love Jack Gable, He's just he's just a little too small for me to take seriously at times. And that's sad to say because he's arguably the best professional wrestler in ring technician in the world, but he's five foot seven and like two hundred pounds. It makes me a little He's not I don't I don't know how I feel about Jack Gable. I guess Jeff is my way of putting it right now. Is his size being but is his strength overshadowing his size?

39:45 Like the ability that he's able to do what they now call the chaos there, that rolling suplex into a pin. The fact that he's able to do that to someone like Gunther repetitively in the ring. Do you feel like the strength aspect is covering up his size? I think to a degree it does. I mean, we watch him and that's an oppressive movement and he reminds me a lot of Kurt Angle. And I know everybody says that because the whole you know, American Gammick, the wrestler Gammick, but they they're very, very similar. He comes off a little bit like a little bit smaller version of Kurt Angle. And we've seen it in the personality, like Kurt Angles one of the funniest guys to come through WWE. But he could be serious, he could do all those things. Gable can do all that too.

40:30 To me, you get Gable over by making him an underdog and making people feel bad for him and have overcup of obstacles. To me, I don't have him beat Gunther and then I have you know, do you have Otis turn on him? Because Otis can be a monster, and we've seen him be the heel, We've seen him be the funny baby face, but heroes, needo obstacles overcome, and right now, this Gunther thing is really the first big baby face obstacle Gables had to go against. And that's why I'm just I'm curious as to do you pull the trigger now and or do you let it build out even longer like we see with Cody Rhodes. So I just I'm not sure where they go with it from here. I think if they don't do it now, it's not going to happen at all.

41:14 Like if it's not happening at fast Lane, if there's not a Intercolinal championship match between Gunther and Chad Gable at fast Lane, then I do think there's a possibility to carries itself over to the next paper you which may be Survivor Series. But I feel like they need to execute on this now. Maybe they save it for a Monday Night Rob but I think especially after Gabel's daughter cried at Ringside and had such a very natural moment which pulls on the heartstrings of fans, especially fans that are parents, I think I think they're going to do it. I think I think the window is now to do it, Doctor Trey. If they don't do it now, then I don't think they ever do it. So it's it's interesting. It's a very interesting time, and I think I think I've convinced myself Gables the guy, and Gable's going to be the one to do it now that he's especially reached the plateau of the record. I think that's what they wanted to accomplish. Yeah, no, in your mind, is he big enough to be a world champion contender Gable? Yeah, I mean we're everybody's going to go back to Brian Danielson, maybe even his stereo. Even though Ray's won the world title twice, I never took Rady of the series world title contender. Yeah, and that Brian run was was obviously cut short back in fourteen because of his injury.

42:32 His run as the was it the Environmental Champion was was really good. I thought Styles as a world champion was very believable and a very good run as well. If Gable keeps doing what he's doing, I think it's possible. I think it's possible, Doctor Trey, because again I think the strength is outshining the the size. I think that is like a legitimate visual. This guy's got a lot of heart and he is the He is an underdog, and I can get behind this. I do think he has the opportunity to be a world title contender someday. Yeah, And I think if they go that route, you have to hear it on comments. Harry also about and we heard it with Brian with Daniel Bryan back then, about how good in the ring he was, you know, and they're going to really sell that the folks, Like there was a guy back when I was a kid that was a wrestler and they called him. His name was Checkmate and he was in a world class championship wrestling, and his whole gimmick was he could counter anything. And you kind of have to build a Gable like that in order for those fans who look at the Hogans like they want the big giant guys on top, they have to buy into the hearts and the technical prowess of somebody like Chad Gable to really get it over. And we saw it a little bit on my that we all like we've seen Chad Gable be the cheesy I guess, the way of putting it, like the shish and all those things. We got to see the real check Gable also starts to come out because we know he has the personality, we know he can talk.

44:06 We just got to see that heart and that kind of never say diet attitude that we saw with those undersized guys kind of come out in order for him to be elevated the eyes of the fans, I think. I mean, and who's that like, right? I mean, you're talking about the choosh. That's comparable to the S movement with Daniel Bryan, and Daniel Bryan was very goofy. He was the underdog, but when he got in the ring, like he was a legit badass that people got behind. So there's a lot of Daniel Bryan comparisons. There a lot of angle, a lot of Daniel Bryan in comparisons, maybe angle on the wrestling side, which I know is weird to say because it's Daniel Bryan for crying out loud, but it's more of the natural wrestler Olympic wrestler background that compares to Kurt Angle obviously than the character and underdog mentality is very similar to that. Daniel Bryan twenty fourteen run. I mean you gave a credit because hey, not only the like the poor guy, I mean him and take the Jordan with the best tag teams we ever saw in NXD. You lose Jason Jordan, you have the shorty g Gammick. They stick Otis with you out of nowhere because they didn't know what to do with Otis. And then they put you in a feud with maximum male models. And then not only are you so over that help get both teams over, you steal their manager, yeah, and their gimmick.

45:19 Yeah, Like it's crazy that. I mean, that does show you how much faith they have in those guys, because I mean you look at Maxine and that's that's got a vincc Man valet written all over it, and they've been able to transition and poor must say, like we just don't see them anymore, Like they're just gone. Every this vaccine left, they're just poofed. So you gotta give credit to Gable And then you know, seeing Otis come back and be the fun loving Otis that we knew back in Heavy Machinery and then the Mandy Rose days, Like that's the best version of Otis. So it really does plays with both of their strengths right now. So there you go. Is Chad Gable the one to knockoff Gunther? Feel free to chime in at SRTU podcast on x or Facebook dot com, slash us to realto show would that say, let's close up shop at episode number seven hundred nine and get a couple of plugs and sponsors out of the way.

46:14 You can download show every Thursday or Friday at Duga Radio dot com. This drops on Friday this week. Russell chatting at on Twitter and it's still real the show iTunes feed. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe vis content starts on iTunes. You can follow us individually on Twitter for myself at SRTU Jeff and for Doctor Straike Franklin at d Doctor Trey and of course don't forget to follow the show on Twitter at SRTU podcast. With that being said, what is going on the wonderful world of Doctor Stray Franklin this week? Well, like Jeff said, you can follow me on x Twitter at the Doctor Trey going there and you can hear about our fancy football updates about how I'm probably gonna get smoked this year because I missed our fancy dump. But you can also go on Facebook and check me out at Doctor Trey Franklin. Same thing on Instagram. When you're on Facebook, be sure to check out Rocket City Championship Wrestling, News Party Championship Wrestling, two of my favorite shows running in Alabama that I've been affiliated with that times, so be sure to check them out. Most importantly, just go out and check out your local independent wrestling. It might be in a VFW, it might be in a bingo hall, it might be in a junior high gymnasium, it might be in your local small term convention center. But go check them out so you can find the next Jade Cargill and you could be a Battye as well. So you go support of the great things It's Sports sr TU and continue to spread the word about the Still Ruth Show. Thank you again for making us part of your week. Thank you for downloading this week's edition of the podcast.

47:32 We'll be back next Thursday or Friday to recap the rue for world of professional wrestling for all of you until next week for doctor Trey Franklin. I'm Jeff Peck. This is the Storo Show. Didn't didn't didn't