Is Vince McMahon being squeezed out of WWE? | The Still Real to Us Show | Episode #714 – 10/19/23

0:00 It's still welcome everybody. Welcome to this week's edition is The Real Does Show Epsomber seven and fourteen for October nineteen, twenty twenty three. Welcome at this week's edition of SR to You. I am one after the show. I am jackon pect joints. Every single week my post Norman, doctor Gray, Franklin, doctor Tray had everything squeezed out of a company. My friend, let's see, squeezed out. I mean I worked for Blockbuster. Does that count? Like I was during SRT you days, right, yeah, like right when we first started. But yeah, like I mean, companies started closing up shops and they kind of kept bouncing me around to keep me around for a while. Then finally it was like, yeah, you got nowhere else to go, so uh squeezed out because of lack of money. But yes, that's probably about the closest I've come. And I tell you, Jeff, I miss Blockbuster. Do you miss like like working or going to a Blockbuster? Is it's both? I'm weird. I loved my time working at Blockbuster, Like I got a blast, like hanging out talking about movies, talking about video games, you know, up selling people. You had your regulars but then I also just miss on a Friday night as a kid

1:30 going with my parents, walking around the store, trying to find something to watch, trying to find a game to play. It's a shame that, you know, Sammy will never get that. Like Carmen, my oldest, she got to hang out with me the store, so she'd go through the kids section pick up movies. You know, poor Sammy never see that. Sammy just has to like go off of peacock, which he loves to say. He loves to say pecock. Now, if I tell you be kind, do you know how to finish it? Rewind? Here's Rewind. I'm with you, and I know that's at the point of this week's the podcast to talk about video rental stores. But I remember as a kid Fridays, my parents would take me to the local video rental store. Wasn't a Blockbuster, though I did at a Blockbuster nearby, and I would go and pick out movies or video games, have them the entire weekend. The key was you would like rent them on either a Friday or Saturday. They were closed on a Sunday, so then you got an extra day with them, so it was like you were stealing a day by having the movie or the video game, and that was always really cool. And I remember one of the first things I ever rented as as a kid was the nineteen ninety one Royal Rumble pay per view. That was like one of the first ones I ever saw, and I remember that pretty vividly, and it was It's like one of those things that it was fun to do on a Friday or Saturday night was to go to the Hey, you want to go rent a movie, Let's go do that, and you had the membership and uh it was great.

2:59 But that times have actually passed us on that one. Doctor Try. Yeah, I was wondering, like so like as a kid, like I remember going to like video stores like eight, nine, ten years old. And the first thing it is because wrestling never really had like when I first started going, wrestling didn't have its own section. It was lumped in with all of sports. Uh so I would immediately go right to that section and see what they had. And I remember the first thing I think I read it was the eighty seven Survivor series because I think, well it was a seven, No, it was eighty six Survivor series because at the time Circle K had a tie in where if you like bought a slushy, you got a trading card. So I got to match the cards up to watching the Survivor series. So, uh, that was pretty cool. And then my you know, my parents were always like, why are you guys, why are you guys over here hanging out? Look at sports. I'm like, no, no, no, it's all Titan Entertainment wrestling stuff I was buying.

3:53 And then I think I got, uh eighty seven War Games was right after that was the one I got next out of that store. Yep, yep. Things that people most people have no idea what we're talking about now and makes us feel old. Video rental stores, Yes, you would actually have to go to a store, have a membership card and rent a movie or video game. Now you don't have to just like walk to your television and watch whatever the hell you want to watch, or go to your console and buy whatever you wanted to buy. So those were the days. That's another podcast that Doctor Trey and I do called those were the Days, and we just sit on a porch and we yell at clouds and remember the good old times when we were growing up as kids. So started off the show asking doctor Tray if he was squeezed out that led us down the video rental discussion that brought back a lot of nostalgia. However, there is someone that is feeling potentially squeezed out right now by the company that he helped blow up, and that is the one and only Vince mc mann. We talked about it on last week's show that Triple H reportedly was running ninety nine point nine percent of WWE Creative, and there was a ton of follow up reports this past week that told us how that happened. A report comes to us from Sports Illustrated via Wrestling Inc. That' set. According to the report, already Emmanual, the CEO of Endeavor TK Group Holdings, is behind the change of

5:23 Triple H overseeing Creative as he believes that everyone in the company should focus on the jobs they've been assigned. McMahon is currently an executive chairman and his main focus for now is to oversee media rights and negotiations at We's Chief content offerer, howeverts the VEX role to spearhead the creative direction of WE Raw and We SmackDown. Interesting point there, Doctor Trey that the CEO of Endeavor is the one that is behind this reported change. What do we get him? Do we send him in an edible arrangement? Do we send him chocolates? Do we write him a card? Like? What do you think we should do here? Uh, Vince should be glad he's got a job like that's typically what happens in these kind of environmental things. I don't even know if I feel bad for him, because you know, he was I don't want to say he was squeezed out of WW to begin with, because he was kind of forced into retirement because of his actions, and he found a way back in to help facilitate this sale to where he can make a bunch of money off it and still have a role within the company. But you know, when you're being investigated for multiple charges of hush money basically alluding to sexual misconduct, it's a publicly traded company, like they don't really want that guy out in the forefront really making decisions. I'm not surprised by it. I just I'm kind of shocked it's kind of happened this quickly. I thought they would

6:54 kind of milk the Vince mcman cow for a little bit longer. But you know, like I said, when you're a big giant conglomerate. You got to make sure that your public image is held to the highest regard. Otherwise you'll lose stockholders and shareholders and your shares, a plument and all that stuff. So does Vince eat fruits? I mean we could do. I mean we could come together. I mean, you're not that far away from Titan Towers. I mean we could. We could arrange something. Maybe maybe I don't know. I'm sure Ari Emmanuel has a desk there and I would love to. I don't know, said I'm a gift car to Chili's or something. Oh by the way, by the way, by the way, have you gone by to see the new statue. I have not gone by to see the new statue. I have actually been in that building before it was owned by W W W. And that is a massive building, like I clearly drive by it from time to time, and it's a massive building, and there's a bunch of W signs on top of it. I was always very nostalgic for the old building though, to be honest with you, I mean the story I always tell as I watched Sonia seventeen no excuse me, eighteen and nineteen from we headquarters because I had a friend of mine whose dad worked there. But yeah, I mean that was always That's like a big staple in Stanford, Connecticut. Is that building, Titan Towers. I think I told just a couple of years ago. But the last time I was up there, like I was always afraid to drive onto the property, like just show up, be like, hey, I like to get tour,

8:26 Like I was always I was always worried about that. But there's a really crappy hotel right by the building, and so I would park at the hotel and then walk up to the fence line and then take my pictures of Titan Towers from the backside this like really shady looking motel, And that was as close as I would get. Use I just didn't do what the rules were. I didn't know if you could just show up and be like, hey can I get a tour? Is Shane around? I know he's not doing anything, you know. I just didn't know what the rules were, and I don't think anybody could go in there. But yeah, I know the big story was that people put flowers out there when they all thought Vince died back when the limit blow up blew up. But yeah, there is a very crappy hotel that's there, like a very CD hotel. It's pretty wild.

9:13 And the WWE buildings are spread out everywhere in Stanford, Connecticut, So I think the whole purpose of this was to bring them closer together, Like there are buildings that are I think the employees have to take a bus to We're getting down a weird rabbit hole here on the headquarters. Nonetheless here keeping up with the story, it was reported this week by Dave Meltzer wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer from Wrestling Observer Radio that McMahon's power in ww is clearly marginalized. He said on the latest edition of Wresting Observer Radio via Wrestling Inc. That Dave Meltzer noted that it shows McMahon's power in ww's limited now that the company has merged with UFC to form TKO Group Holdings, Meltzer saying, quote, McMahon was the guy making all decisions and now Vince was in fact overruled.

9:58 Even though when he merged the company was told would not happen, it did happen. It's a really interesting thing. In that statement, when Ari Emanuel was talking about the reasons the stock is down, and he mentioned Vince's name is very interesting. I think what is going to happen. But Vince's power is clearly marginalized. There's no way around that. So, as Melcher mentioned, TKO's stock value has dropped recently. McMahon may also be to blame for the decreasing value in the stock because he is being currently investigated by the federal government following is well documented hush money scandals. Additionally, WA's relationship with Saudi Arabia's Bleeddo contributed to the current situation, as has the company's inability to secure a media rites seal for raw and NXT with NBC Universal. So Vince is getting potentially blamed for a lot of things, and that could be why he's being squeezed out. There was a lot of interesting in reports a couple of weeks ago that Vince had filed with the sec the purpose of selling his stock in TKO Group holding all of it, and that typically means someone's cashing out, they're retiring, they're leaving. That was out there. It's starting to seem like that maybe Vince's play was to just sell the company, stick around for a little bit and then either retire or I guess I doubt he would be fired. It would be a retirement. I'm not giving even say that he would be fired by TK Group Holdings, but it certainly seems like that maybe Vince is on the way back out of being retired, whether it be

11:30 forcibly or that was the plan all along, Doctor try Well, I mean those that was kind of the rumors we had heard when Vince had started to make his power play to come back into WWE. Was he wanted to sell the company. That was that was the whole thing. And even in his current role now, like his role is basically oversee meteorites and you know, and and basically things like that. So you know, to me, we've never I don't think we've ever seen time where the meteorites deal is taken this long, and maybe Vince is kind of just letting it linger for a little while so he can stick around for a bit, knowing that once this is done, there's really nothing for him to do for the next you know, three four years other than international deals and things like that, and most of those are kind of set in place. So it does kind of feel like he came back in to get his basically his version of a golden parachute, like get his payout from the sale of the company and then cash stocks out and then you know, it's almost like a big f you to the family because nobody in the family is getting the company. It's like nobody's mine.

12:35 It reminds me of when he brought Hogan Hall of Nash in when he had the rivalry go with Flair about the company and he said, you know, if anybody's going to take down WW, I'll inject it with my own poison. It kind of reminds me of that, like, Okay, well, if I can't have it, nobody in the family can have it. I'll make my money and then I'll take my Gomez Adam's mustache and right off into the sunset. Man. That mustache sucks. Keeping up here with the full circle now back to we Creative. A new report from Fightful Select this awsuit also comes to a Sevia Wrestling, Inc. Has confirmed previous claims that Ari Emanuel's given control of w Creative entirely over to Paul Triple H Levek as a manual prefers both men, meaning Triple H and Vince focus on their assigned positions in the newly formed TKO Group holdings. According to Fightful, McMahon hadn't been overseeing Creative directly, but some felt the product was being geared toward for his vision and his preferences, Knowing that the entire process feels more relaxed without having to take McMahon's preferences into consideration, a change some see as having happened overnight.

13:39 The last two to three episodes of w RA in particular, have seen several wrestlers returned to TV now that Creative is not afraid of any kind of backlash for booking or pushing superstars that weren't McMahon's favorites. One source told Fightful that rest has been able to focus on match quality with the recent changes, with some feel has helped rob become a much better product than the ring, citing Kobe Kingston's recent match with Ivar, which was an awesome match, and Monday's Intercontinental title match between Gunthor and Bronson Reid, another great match, as examples of the heightening quality of matches. It has been reported throughout the year that McMahon was changing ideas and scrapping storylines remotely having only been physically president for the creative process of the Raw after WrestleMania. One storyline McMahon reportedly scrapped was reunion of the popular attack team DIY to Muscle Champion Johnny Arcano, which has recently happened on WATV in McMahon's absence. Again, that comes to us from Frightful Select as well as Wrestling Inc. Douta Tray. I think this report is absolutely spot on if you have watched the last two to three episodes that they're pointing out here Monday Night Raw. There has been this different change on WWE programming lately that reminds me of a year ago when it was a very exciting time the way that creative was going for we. They have been very good episodes of Raw. Matches are getting two three segments. The matches from something that I expected and Conthor and Bronson Reid held up and was a great match. Something I did not see coming in KOFE Kingston and Ivar was a

15:09 really great match. It's noticeable right now, and that's crazy. We talked about this a year ago. It's like it's noticeable that Vince is not in charge of creative again. It is noticeable, and now you're kind of seeing a full circle moment because it's been like, man, raw has been really good lately and I can't figure out why. Well it appears this is why Doctor Trey. Well, you know, how many years have people been saying Vince was out of touch with what the wrestling fans wanted And we've seen it over the last year where we had these ebbs and flows and you can kind of feel like direct pivots. It was always kind of like, well, that feels like a Vince move. Like you go back to you know, Omas and brock Lesner. You know, it's like that feels like a Vince match. I don't I couldn't see Triple H putting Omas in brock Lesner in the ring together, but you know, it is what it is, and you can kind of see it also with who being featured on TV, Like did you ever think in the like like in the last three years, is is your think Tigan Knox would get a featured spot on Monday Night Row.

16:10 You know, it's like you can kind of see those people that Triple H is fond of getting, I mean, Bronson Reed getting a feature spot. D I y coming back together, you know, Kevin and Sammy being featured, Knackamora being feature, you know, Ballor being featured like. These are a lot of Triple H guys from the NXT days that you know, and a lot of these guys have been through hell back you look at like the Bronson Reids, the Carrying Crosses, you know, getting released, Tigan Knox, you know, like the thing Gosh you stuck around despite like gets released, comes back, you know, to go to Kai get a release and coming back like these are a lot of Triple H guys that you know, a year and a half ago or two years ago were gone from the company and we thought we'd never see him again. Yet they're back in prominent roles in this company because of the Triple H leadership, and the product is much better, and we're seeing diverse city in the programming. You're seeing you know, Indy Hartwell and everybody else, you know popping up on a raw and challenging Becky Lance. You got all this stuff going on with you know, Rhea Ripley now in a five way at crowd Jewel for the women's title, with half those women not really even being featured for a while under the Vincent's regime, so you just see the quality of the match work changing, you know, focus more on the wrestling as well. That we're always going to have the entertainment part of it, because that's what makes ww special. But to see how talented these people are, how they can put together really great matches in the ring. Along with Cohesion's storytelling, he just makes the show that much better. Yeah, I can't remember a time Doctor Trey that,

17:41 like Raw, NXC and SmackDown, we're all firing very well on all cylinders. Like right now, it has felt like, at least in the short term, from the last month, every single WWE programming show has been really really good lately. Yeah, in the three hours of Raw, I have not heard you complain about how long Raw is in quite a while because you're engaged in the show the entire time, Like I'll watch it. I'm like, damn it, it's been three hours. Like there's still guys who aren't on the show that I'd like to see. So when they spin back the next week and you can actually space guys out a little bit, keep them fresh for the house shows. Your injuries are kind of down too. Under the Triple Ah regime as opposed to the Vince regime. So that's something else to keep in mind. It'll be interesting to see if this next story I'm gonna bring up here has anything to do with this creative change, because Sports Illustrated is reporting that there are currently no plans for Roman reigns versus the Rock to happen at wrestle A forty. According to multiple sources close to Wue, the decision about the WRESTLEMANI forty main event will not be the Rocks to make, nor is it the main event a topic even a topic of substance.

18:51 Even if the match was offered, it would not be certainly that Rock would even accept Doctor Trey just tying things that we just discussed here for the first you know, seventeen twenty minutes of the show. Do you think that this story being published by Sports Illustrated or this note has anything to do with the creative change in w Willie right now to a degree. Look, if the Rock calls Triple Ah, and we know they have history, the Rock calls Triple A says, hey, WrestleMania, I'm in. We're getting the Rock in Roman rings because that's like a huge money making match. He thinks, well, you can't. I still think so because I mean, once again, for one, look, everybody, like if the Rock was running for president, the Rock would be leading in the polls. Like he's pretty much universally beloved by people across the board. So if that was the right, like and if they did the storyline it you and I talked about last year where like Rock's mom shows up and Realma gets in her face and talks about how he's the one carrying the family. Yeah, people would buy into that.

19:52 So I mean, but you can't bank on it, because they've tried banking on it for two years now to get that match. So you have to have, you know, alternative plans in place until that phone call comes in. Uh. I mean, hell, the Rock you know, is in the middle of it of a merger with the XFL and uh the other one with the US was the USA, you know, you're right, yeah, USFL. Yeah, so there. I mean, he's got stuff going on his play, so you know in the and the writer strikes ending, but the actors strike is still going on that you know, you so eloquently eloquently reminded me of last week. So he ain't got nothing going on with football. If he gets that call, If if trimp Place gets that call and says, hey, me and Roman WrestleMania Philadelphia, I'm in Yeah.

20:36 What who else on the roster do you put in the ring of the Roman that's going to get a better buy rate? Because at the end of the day, you're still trying to get subscribers to Peacock and you know who else is going to draw people to that more than Rock and Roman. So if the Rock versus Roman reigns is reportedly no longer happened in wrestlemin at forty, now, then what should do we do? You're thinking it's not going to happen? You think you're thinking that it if the Rock makes the call despite the report that they're gonna still go forward with that match, nonetheless, but let's just say Rock reigns at wrestleminting forty, whether Rock is good to go or not good to go doesn't happen, then what what should will we do?

21:17 I mean, you got it's it comes down to La Knight and Cody like whoever they feel like has the hot hand heading into WrestleMania season, That's who I think they put there in the Ring of the Rock, because I don't know if there's anybody else on the roster that. I mean, you can't do Roman to Brock again, I mean Roman stone Cold. But then again I think there go there's not gonna be a title change on that one. You got to kind of look and go, Okay, is there somebody on this roster that we can put the red of the Roman that's hot, that is the hot hand, that if we make the title switch, or at least make it believable that the switch could happen, that people will buy in. I mean, I don't I mean, I don't think it's Sammy. I don't think it's Kevin. I don't think it's you know, I don't think it's any of those guys that we've seen floating around the top of the car. It's got to either be Cody or La nine. I just think it comes down to whoever the hot hand is heading into WrestleMania season.

22:08 Once we get to you know, you know, rumble time, like what's probably end of December, will probably a better idea just kind of who the hot hand is. And right now it feels like La Knight crazy enough that sounds well, I think they're gonna do La Night versus Roman for a Crown Jewel, though yeah, I don't know. I think they're gonna blow that load like in a couple of weeks here. Then I think it goes back to Cody. So I think there were two very important segments this week. I actually think the road to WrestleMania, unknowingly to all of us, may have kicked off on Friday SmackDown and Monday's Raw. And I'll start with the Friday SmackDown. Roman Reigns returned season premiere of SmackDown, Cody and Jay Uso, the now former tag team champions, defended against a town under Austin Theory and Grayson Waller and leaving the ring, Roman Raiins' music plays and we have a face to face with he and Cody, like there is unfinished business.

23:11 If we all remember the night after WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes was supposed to wrestle in a tag team match, Roman Reigns and Solosakoa tagging up with Brock Lesner, and that didn't happen because they started going down. Brock obviously turns, and then that leads to the Brock Cody feud for the last four months, which I thought was brilliant creative because one of the things that I often struggle with as a wrestling fan is when a contender, a baby face contender, has such a big match they lose. What happens with them after losing that title match that you sometimes expect that they're going to win, Like, what do you do with them? They flounder a little bit and they get hurt.

23:52 They did a great job of protecting Cody all the while protecting the Cody Roman rematch than being like, I challenge you next month that whatever it was after that, hell in a sell what have you? WrestleMania Backlash? We saw that on Friday SmackDown Doctor Trey. Do you think that was the first tease as to what could be happening in six months time in Philadelphia and in the Universal title main event between Roman Reigns and potentially Cody Rhodes. Yeah, I mean, and that's what I'm saying. It's very, very possible and likely. But once again, what if Elie Knight comes out of Crown Jewel and he's even hotter than he was before? Do you not want to run with the guy that you know if he's selling more merch than anybody else on the roster, how do you not have him win the Rumble? In January he headlines WrestleMania. You know it at the end of the day. As much as we love, you know, the fandom part of it, everything else, it is a business. And to me, they're going to take the next you know, two months to kind of gauge who the hot hand is heading in to WrestleMania season. I mean, La Knight might go to Crown Jewel Face. Roman reigns lose because of Solo. He gets side tracking a few with Solo while they do something else with Roman. But you know, once again, they're gonna watch the merchant numbers, and to me, it is gonna We've seen it in the past, like whoever the hot hand is they kind of run with heading into WrestleMania season, whether it's Drew m double ed Sword here though, dotch Troy February of last year, who had

25:22 the hot hand? I don't even remember February come on, man handing an elimination chamber posts Royal Rumble, Oh Sammy, yeah, yeah, I mean we were literally talking this podcast, like I think we could be run into a Daniel Bryant situation. Yeah, but then I also said the odds, I don't think they viewed Sammy as the main event guy, and I just don't think that, And I still think I think the whole storyline going on him and Drew now is kind of playing back a little bit to that where hey, he says he wants to be a world Chamming. Look, Sammy could get hot again. You know, Sammy used the Underground, and Sammy's kind of owed a rematch with Roman. He's got unfinished business with Roman as well. So uh, I mean, we could see Sammy pop back up and be the hot hand. To me the Cody thing, it was always gonna be Cody regardless of Sammy's rush, but since Cody got hurt and got sidelined, we didn't get that big, long build to it like we wanted.

26:18 It was kind of, you know, shoved in there, and then they had to kind of counterbalance how hot Sammy was with what they wanted with Cody. And this might have been their plan for the last years, to get back to Russell Mania and have the rematch with Roman and Cody. But once again, like if La Knight's out selling everybody, like, and look, I'm not the biggest La Knight fan in the world, but if he's out selling everybody else and he's gonna draw more subscribers to Peacock than Cody, why wouldn't they take that chance. I think the likely scenarios right now for Russ May and forty Universal Championship is either Rain's Roads Too or Rains Rock. I don't think La Knight gets that spot right now. I don't think Drew gets that spot. I think it's Rains Roads or Rock Rains. I think that's the same. I think I think Rhodes Rains too. That's hard to say Roads Rain is the safe pick out of everything, you know, But once again, like I mean a year ago, we didn't think La and I would be a main event guy. He was still maxim male models.

27:29 You know, it's it's crazy how fast he has as sended. The fact that he fieling up as the fastest rising star in WWE tells me they're also trying to see how far they can push this. So uh, and they may learn from the Daniel Bryan Sammy's Ay type stuff in the past where hey, somebody's gotten too hot. We either did or did not pull the trigger. Let's see how this plays out between now in Rumble, I give w W credit because I think in Vince's world they would do rains Rock if it was on the table, and forget Rain's Roads too. But Rain's Roads too at WrestleMania makes sense because that's the story. There was no rematch. It was that one match. He got screwed and he's been held out this entire time, and he has to finish his story and we can get into the interestacies of like, Okay, well what do you do when that match happens?

28:23 Do you want to keep the rain going? Or does Cody finally win the big one a year later at another time. But it's very interesting because I thought, like the season premiere, which I think is typically late or earlier, I feel like that's a September thing for a lot of shows, and it was interesting they chose this week and they had one segment that I felt like was planting seats for Wressellmania on SmackDown. As I just mentioned. The other one Doctor Trey mentioned during his response about the entire thing, and that was Sammy Zain's opening segment on Raw talking about becoming a world Champion Doctor Trey. I feel like if we're gonna be talking about the Universal Championship match for wrestum at forty, well we might as well start thinking about the World Heavyweight Championship match at wrestlmating forty. After that interesting segment, could we be seen Rollins versus Zayne? Could it be Damian Priest versus Zayne? Could it be Rollins versus Gunther title for title? Could it be Rollins versus CM Punk methinks Sammy Zain is the one at WrestleMania forty right now that celebrates winning a world championship. And we go back to that segment from this past week's edition of Monday Night Raw. What are your thoughts here? Did we get some seeds planted in the brains of US wrestling fans this past Monday when it comes to Sammy Zain in the Worldweight Championship. I think he'll be in the picture.

29:56 It's gonna be weird, like one of the things. And as I mentioned this, I don't know we got into it or not, but kind of the hot potatoing of some of the titles lately. But we're right now, we're in late October wrestle MANI is almost six months out, a little less than six months out. How would you do you like as much as we I'd love to see rawlins in Sami Zaying in a thirty minute match at WrestleMania. Babyface. Babyface at wrestle Maania doesn't really go very well usually, Uh, that means you have to get the belt off, seth on to somebody else and look, I like Damian Priest, but to me, Damian Price, Samy's ay and at WrestleMania doesn't have that kind of stroke to it doesn't have that main event feel to it. So do you have to move the title around a couple of times to get to it? Do you do Drew in Samy at WrestleMania? You know? And that way Drew kind of gets the WrestleMania moment he deserves from the pandemic era. So I think it's laying the groundwork. And one of the things that they've always did really well in an x t heater in the Black and Gold era was start building people up to main event slots a little bit early, so that way they had some depth in that division. So I think it's just a way of kind of elevating Sammy. Plus, here's the what do you do with Kevin Owens on Spackdown. We've already seen Kevin Roman reigns like you know three, like what four times? Five times during Roman's run. I mean, if you're going to elevate Sammy, you might want to be elevating Kevin as well.

31:22 I'd love to see Sammy's saying Kevin Owens in a match at WrestleMania for one of the world titles. And maybe that's maybe Owens wins the Rumble and Sammy wins the world title and we get Owens zaying world title match. I'm with you. I think that would be great. Part of me. Thanks, And I can't believe I'm saying this, especially like two years ago. My mind would be blown when I said this. But the guys really are my respect. But I think there's something to Logan Paul challenging for the United States Championship, and he's taken a lot of l's lately. I wouldn't be surprised if he has that championship, goes into WrestleMania with that championship still and a guy like Kevin Owens would a perfect challenger for Logan Paul at the grandist age that is wrestlemaning. I mean, I was very much bummed that they broke up the Kevin Ohens Samy's Ain pairing the tag team, But after what I saw on Monday's raw, I was like, Okay, this is why they have big plans for Sammy's Ain, and we're starting to see this happen right now because he's saying he's never been a world champion. It's October, mid October, and we start seeing the gears start churning for WrestleMania. Like now, they start to slowly pick up, and with the each passing pay per view Crown Jewel Survivor series that takes us into Royal Rumble and then it's like full steam ahead. I would not be shocked if Sammy's Ain is the Royal Rumble winner this upcoming year. Next year, I think Rolins holds onto that championship for a while. It's a very interesting situation ahead here, Doctor Trey.

32:57 But I think, to rapp everything that we've seen here in the last week, I felt like those segments on Friday and Monday were very poignant and purposeful. As for the long term creative of WWE heading into WrestleMania. Yeah, no, absolutely, and they and and one thing we've seen from Triple H creative over you know, NXT time and then up in the the last year and a half is they do love planting those seeds early and kind of letting it sprout out. And they are big on long term storytelling, so nothing is done on accidents on WW television with Triple AG and Charge. So they'll plant those seeds early, let it you know, slowly grow, and then when it comes time to to bear fruit, they're getting the juiciest ones of the bunch. Is it weird we're talking about WrestleMania booking right now, Doctor Trenia, It doesn't make sense. No, it makes sense because it was thirty nine degrees here today, so let's me get Yeah, it was it was cold this morning. So once we started getting cold at Alabama, I started thinking about WrestleMania. So yeah, I'm to me, it feels about right. I mean we're a month af from Survivor Series, and then once you get Survivor Series, it's wrestling, it's rumble, and then we're on the I mean it's not that far. I mean we're two and a half months after the word Rumble, so it's not that far out because that's the official kickoff. It just really feels like that w IS is faring on all cylinders. Again, there was there was a really long stretch there.

34:28 Then there was a brief period of time that it was like hit or miss. But they just have been putting out solid programming after solid program and and aw has as well. I know this is going to be a very w centric episode of SRTU, but AW has as well. I think the big thing with them is some of their follow ups isn't the best or the follow throughs isn't the best. And I would say that Tony Kahan, like tweeting rampage is not something that I care for as a wrestling fan. Yeah. And then also I didn't know. I didn't know he starts with Vanilla. I just I didn't know that one. I learned that this week. Well are you talking about the Edge promo? Yeah? When I was called him the Vanilla Dwayne Johnson, I didn't know if he actually meant like color scheme or just bland. I think he means blanned. Oh okay, But like I love I love Adam Copeland giving clothing advice to somebody. When he looks like he just got out from under a bridge, It's like, dude, you dressed like a homeless guy. So I don't know if you should criticize somebody else's dress. Does it feel like that Adam Copeland run so far in AW is like it was very exciting and then kind of has fallen off a cliff a little bit, like it's worn out very quickly for some reason.

35:40 What I think the issue I have with it is his promos have not been that great. Uh, and I think maybe he might be those guys that's better when he has a little bit of a guideline like that back and forth with him and Ricky Stars, to me just felt like really like indie. I mean, I've gotten those debates at an indie show, like you don't see that happen at a WWE show. So I thought it was pretty good. Actually yeah, but it's just you know, them taking shots at each other using you know, tongue in cheek stuff like, oh, I guess that comment is a little bit over the edge, you know, it's a little bit you know, like we criticize AW when they do stuff like when Tony KNDA stuff like that, or when somebody's taking shots at the other company.

36:21 I just I felt, I don't know, it just feels like they're trying to shove him in everywhere at times, and it's like, yeah, it's it's like I'm waiting for Adam and or Adam and Christian to go off because Lord knows they just have great chemistry and and getting to that I get, but you know, now it's like, oh, let's put him in there with Brian Daniels or with Daniel Bryan or Brian asking me, you know, let's squeeze him in here, and squeeze him in here. Let's it's just like, all right, I get it. They're trying to maximize their edge in the their leverage, I guess, so to speak. But it does seem a little bit just just just all over the place, which the time is aw creative, really good injering stuff. Creative can be very scattered, and I think that's what we're we're seeing right now. With that said, that'll do it for this week's nition of the podcast. I was saying to the doctor off air, I was like, man, it's kind of refreshing that we're doing a show where there's no pl e or pay per view that we've got a preview and predictor or recap and review. That will soon change because Crown Jewel and Full Gear and Survivor series will be right around the corner, but at least for the time being, at least for this week's edition of the podcast and next week, we are just talking professional wrestling, things that we're seeing in the news, things that we're liking disliking, all here each and every week on SRTU. So with that said, let's get a couple plugs and sponsored out of the way. You can down only show every Thursday or Friday at Real Guy rated dot com, Rust of Chattnet on X and the Story Real of the Show iTunes feed, don't ficto rate, review and subscribe to help us climb the charts on iTunes. You can follows

37:53 individually on X for myself at SRTU Jeff and for Doctor Franklin at The Doctor Trey and of course don't forget to follow the show on X at SRTU podcast. With that being said, what's going on the Oneful World of Doctor Trey Franklin this week? I do love that you have officially just gone to straight X. You're just dropped trying. You're just going with the Elon Musk train. I got you. It was like retraining myself when I called you Captain Obvious forever. Oh yeah, right when we did the big name change. Yeah, I remember those days. You can't do it again. You can't do it again on me. No no, I was like, I was like, Jeff, I'm actually in independent wrestling. Can we use my name please? We did no more, No More, Trey Captain Obvious Dent.

38:37 Yeah, that's that's well, and then throwing Franklin in there. So yes, it's a whole thing. I feel like I'm like running from the government right now. But like Jeff said, you can follow me on ex Twitter at the Doctor Trey. You can find me on Facebook and Instagram Doctor Trey Franklin. Be sure to take out Rockety Championship Wrestling and Spartan Championship Wrestling on Facebook as well two shows in Alabama I'm affiliated with. Actually maybe back at ROCKETSTA this weekend. Not entirely sure. It's also the wife's birthday weekend, so happy birthday to her. But I'm pretty sure if I don't do some thing for her birthday and go to wrestling instead. I might get divorce, so keep that in mind. Jeff. This is marriage advice for you down the road. But hey, we just go on Facebook check out those shows. Also check out your locally in dependent wrestling shows. Independent wrestling is up and booming. I mean hell, Tyler Breese is popping up everywhere right now on the independent scenes. So go out there and see Dirty Dango and Tyler Brady's team up and be the Dirty Breeze as I think they'll be referred to you at the next year in Tennessee. I seek the mats, all right, very very cool. Support all the great things that support SRTU. Thank you for downloading our show this week. Spread the word. You got wrestling friends friends that are fans as well, tell them check out srt ME reach out every week. Feel free to chiming again at SRTO podcast on hex or Facebook dot com. Slash this to a Roalto show until next week. Thank you for downloading. For Doc Troy Franklin, I'm Jeff Pack. This is this to ROTO show. I supposed to have a few shrouds. Pulls him

40:07 out where all her shoes, y'all beware, said y'all looking, then Lisa jump Welcome to the day. Mister Red fan out a lot on YouTube leading no fag red world where this always be flatten sham? Who's chacking? He even knows where the hippos knows that again the many woman in the world, he wants to. Who's sitting over there? Sports napping underwear? Oh? Sorry's bed in the head? All your pretenders? Where you're at anywhere?

40:54 Jacka's name consprisedly had a snake all the are your head paint on his face? Has Tim Duggan had a two by four? Who with sty like this? Man, you don't need no more. Got a lot of friends. I've got a lot of poones be quing of the boos when I be bouncing off the boot, lots of people talking feel them. You gotta have to tell you you want me that? Whoa? Who's that sitting over there?

41:35 Wow? Spooking nothing underwear? Who oh Cody is crackling? Head? Are you all for tis? Where are you? Gus? Beware? Should find the thing? Crash? Should I be shot by lighting them on the drive of the finers car it dies to find? And dynam trying to sit side don't matter. A witch country be emaginal mass success. But the length is the lea who let's wear it stylible, flegated, but it musbody that's listening on the first side. I'm not dancing, oh not not just dealer, such a medically only one. Who who said no day smoking that thing on the way. Well, oh, bis, run the pay while you us turn where you've got me? Whoa, whoa, whoa morsing a home now? Who