WWE Now - Cody Rhodes retains, Randy Orton lets the voices win in bloody Main Event | WrestleMania Recap

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Take this out. Megan Moran, what a night but no surprise. It is WrestleMania. It is here. Night One is in the books. We are here to recap it. By the way, we will have Becky Lynch on the show. Yes, we will. We will have Jacob Tattoo on the show. We will have AJ Styles on the show. But, Megan, before we get to anything else, the question that I think that I was getting more than any other from all the wrestling fans that I was talking to over the course of the last few days, walking through, I mean, even the hotels here in Las Vegas, but going to WWE World, going to all the events that were around the WrestleMania area, what do you think is going to happen in the main event? Are you optimistic? Are you pessimistic? Is it going to be screwed up? Is it going to be annoying? Is it going to be this? Is it going to be that? Pat McAfee, this, that? We got it. Yes, we did. It happened. It's over. And I think, especially because Pat McAfee said, both online and on SmackDown, if Randy Orton doesn't leave WrestleMania with the WWE Championship, he will never do anything. He's done. In the world of professional wrestling again, a lot of people that I spoke to were operating under this assumption that Randy Orton was definitely winning the title tonight. Yeah. A lot of people were just going through, going like, yeah, the question is how? Mm-hmm. And it was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. And you heard it from the Vegas audience. A lot of people, even if they weren't happy about everything that was going on with Pat McAfee and all the weirdness that went into this story in the last three weeks, they were still cheering Randy Orton. Yes. But this is the Randy Orton that everybody's wanted to see, right? No. I would say it isn't the Randy Orton that everybody has wanted to see. No, who figured out that it wasn't actually the Randy Orton that everybody's wanted to see? Randy Orton. Cody Rhodes. Cody Rhodes is the one that figured it out. And that's why Cody Rhodes beat Randy Orton at WrestleMania. Randy Orton allowed somebody else to come in and tell this story. You know, from the very beginning, and fans were going like, yeah, this is what the match is all about. Randy Orton said it's no longer about fans. It's not about St. Louis. It's not about anything except winning my 15th WWE Championship. And then somewhere along the way. Pat McAfee gets involved. Exactly. Pat McAfee shows up. And he's talking about the attitude era. And he's talking about saving the business in that, you know, Pittsburgh slash Indianapolis accent that nobody can place. And he's talking about everything that's wrong and Randy's right in this and night one and night two. And you lose focus on what Randy was bringing to the table. Randy never talked about saving the business. No, he talked about wanting to become a 15-time champion. But I do think tonight during the main event at WrestleMania, Randy Orton realized that he lost his focus as well. You think? When? When he took out Pat McAfee. And then when he punted Cody Rhodes. Well, that was after the main event. I mean, it wasn't after the main event that he took out Pat McAfee, but he didn't. I think that's when Randy said, yeah, maybe this wasn't Oh, nine Randy. Maybe this wasn't the killer that I've been looking for. Maybe Pat didn't bring out that killer. Maybe you're right. Maybe that's what that RKO to Pat McAfee was all about. Realizing that I think he wasn't the killer Randy Orton. Yeah, it's possible. Like to me, that's Randy Orton realizing that he wasn't fully 2009 Randy Orton. I think one thing to say it and then the action. Yeah, absolutely. And realize how this matches going. Like these things haven't worked. I think it was at least Randy acknowledging he made a mistake. Yes. Getting anybody else involved in this thing. So, I mean, let's go from the beginning. The match starts and you can feel it in the air. Like this is one of the rare occasions where this match has the potential to be amazing. It has the potential to be absolutely horrible. It has the potential to be everything in between. I felt like a lot of wrestling fans were really biting the bottom lip, right? Like last year at the end of WrestleMania, people were not thrilled with the way WrestleMania 41 ended. Right. And so going into this main event, a lot of wrestling fans biting the bottom lip thinking, come on. Especially if they spend a lot of time on the internet. Please. Yes. Please give us a good ending. But the conversation was there the entire time. That's a point that I've been making like in the two weeks leading up to it. Like you do have to acknowledge that there's a conversation about this thing. Yeah. That is building and building and building. So we get to this, you know, entrance and Randy has a fabulous entrance, but the first participant in the match that got an entrance is Pat McAfee. Yes, it is. And it was interesting hearing his theme play at WrestleMania. And for the first time they weren't singing along. For the first time they weren't like, Hey, it's our buddy Pat. I mean, I was thinking back to 38, right? Like Pat McAfee was the biggest star walking out of 38. Because everybody loved them. Yes. And that music hit and it was just everybody's on their feet cheering. And the whole time he's making his way to the ring, I'm thinking, How the heck did we get here? I mean, I can show you three weeks of TV that would tell you how exactly how that. Yes. We got here. Why? I don't know how Pat showed up and did his thing. Randy comes out. He's got the Viper and everything. It's great. I loved Cody's entrance because Cody like not only having that stage set up where you had all those elements of his career. He gave me full body chills. Yes. Over the last 15 years. I think Cody more so than maybe any other superstar I've ever seen has the ability to create these visuals and create these moments that remind you of why you even if you've forgotten that you loved Cody, remind you why you did. And remind you where he came from. 100%. 100%. Tell the story. So Cody comes out and instantly Pat takes out Cody with the microphone. Now there's a scuffle going on. The bell hasn't even rung yet. They're on the outside of the ring of all people. Jelly Roll shows up out of nowhere. Yep. Cody's got Pat laid out on the table and Jelly Roll comes with that big splash taking Pat McAfee out. And this dream scenario happens where this match now starts with all of this kind of swipe to the side. Jelly Roll does what he said from the beginning, by the way, he was on SmackDown saying it's not about me, but it's also not about you Pat. What are you doing here? And now we get all of that off the table. Bell hasn't even rung yet. And we get Cody and Randy one on one, which is what we wanted from the beginning. Yeah, McAfee stretched it out. He gives a thumbs up and then gives all of Vegas the bird. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Versus the thumbs up, then the bird to everybody. I thought you were looking at the wrong figure for a second. But there was this moment where before the bell rings, it's Cody and Randy in the ring and I think, oh my gosh, we're getting it. Yes. This is what we wanted. Yeah. And we got it. This is what we wanted. Yes. And I think watching that match and seeing finally, this is something I've been waiting for for so long, seeing the change in Cody. This whole story has been about Randy Orton finding the voices and Randy Orton doing this, but the whole time, they were all focused on what Randy Orton was doing and which version of Randy Orton this was and what voices were saying what to who. Cody said after Stephanie McMahon slapped him in the face on Monday Night Raw, Cody said, I found the voices and you don't want to hear what they've got to say, but everybody kind of ignored it. He told you what he was doing and everybody said whatever. We're focused on this Randy Orton thing over here and Cody, I mean, I don't remember. I think from the time that Randy started bleeding and Cody took that blood and swiped it across the chest. Right on the dream to. Yes. It was amazing. Amazing. And. And then when Cody kicked Randy in the balls. Well, I feel like in that moment, like fans who were booing Cody, which they did last year at WrestleMania and last year at WrestleMania, Cody was fighting upstream. He was still being true to himself. Cody Rhodes, the good guy while he was getting booed and what can you do tonight? It was like, okay. First of all, I don't understand why you would boo Cody in this scenario. I don't understand why any wrestling fan would come to WrestleMania and boo Cody Rhodes in a match between Randy Orton with Pat McAfee and Cody Rhodes. How any wrestling fan could look at the side of the Allegiant Stadium and see a picture of Pat McAfee on the side of the stadium and then go, I'm going to boo the other guy makes no sense whatsoever to me. But Cody said, fine, if it's going to be in a way game as Cody has put it, if it's if you're going to boo, maybe I'll give you something to boo about. And for the first time, I recall Cody blocked a low blow. He saw it coming after all this time of getting hit in those nether regions, kicked after kicked after kicked. One of the one of the worst Rochambeau players of all time is Cody Rhodes. He finally sees it coming and he goes, no, you're not going to kick me in my nether regions again. And Randy almost looked at him like, I can't believe you figured out the strategy. Don't let people kick you below the waist. It took you this long. Right, right. I mean, listen, listen, it's not about how long the journey takes. He got to the destination at the point. And then you're right. Cody goes, however, not only have I learned how to block a low blow, I could throw myself. I've learned how to deliver. Yes. And he hits Randy with a low blow and he's hitting all of Randy's moves. And he's like going like, no, I'm here. I'm where I need to be. And as I'm watching it happen, I'm going, oh my God, like Cody has evolved to this point answering the challenge that he gave to Randy Orton. And I think you're right, Meg. Like, like at some point, Randy got so distracted with the, with the, you know, Pat McAfee, ESPN of it all, that he forgot what the original mission plan was. And you bring up that promo on Monday Night Raw with Stephanie McMahon. That was just iconic, so amazing. And Stephanie said to him, like, you are not your father and you are not ruthless in that way. And you can't, this version of Cody cannot compete with this version of Randy. And I think Cody took that personally and we saw that today. He said, thank you to her. Yes. And we didn't see that version of Cody at WrestleMania. We didn't see the same version of Cody we got last year at WrestleMania. We didn't see WrestleMania 40. We didn't see it 39, 38. That wasn't the Cody that we saw. We saw a Cody that was less worried about making sure every fan was happy and putting on a show and more so focused on retaining the WWE. And the fact that Charles Robinson goes down. Bump of all time. Of course. I mean, yeah, he can't stay on his feet in a big match, Charles Robinson. But he goes down and we end up in a scenario where Cody eats an RKO and he's waiting. Randy Orton is waiting. He can't get Charles Robinson up. Here comes Pat McAfee. I don't know at what point he got a referees license. I don't know if this was something that he did maybe on the road to WrestleMania realizing this is a trick that I have up my sleeve. I don't know if anybody's ever done that real quick. We had the stripes on, which referees don't wear the stripes. Well, if he's got a license, maybe it's a Nevada thing. I don't know. And then he had the neck brace on. That was from his, his going through the table. His neck was in bad shape and I understand that. But Pat came out and he just wasn't. I mean, look, Pat ran to the ring, but it wasn't quick enough. And that's why he was a punter. You know, that he wasn't, he's just not a fast guy. He can kick it far. Yeah, but he didn't kick himself to the ring. He ran to the ring and it wasn't fast enough. One, two, Cody Rhodes kicks out. Randy's furious, blames Pat for it, RKO's Pat. And instead of Cody going like, okay, let's wait until each man is in his corner. Let's make sure this is honorable. He realizes by the, it just hit me at our last premium live event. There was interference in the match by Drew McIntyre. Yes. Cody didn't get hit. Cody hit Drew. That's right. But Randy took advantage of it. In this match, there was interference in the match. Randy didn't get hit, but Randy hit Pat. And Cody took advantage of it. Took advantage of it. Every step in this match, Cody was using a page out of Randy Orton's book. And Randy didn't have time to catch up to it to the point that Cody beats him. One, two, three. And now Pat McAfee is in this position where he's got to leave wrestling forever. He said he was going to do it. He's done. And we get to the post match, of course, where, where, I mean... So, Jimmy, the moment when Randy Orton took out Pat McAfee was the moment that Randy Orton realized, oh, I'm not 2009 Randy Orton. But it was too late because Cody capitalizes on the situation. And then we get to the after. I don't, I think it was more just get out of here, Pat. I don't think there was any, I don't think so. Because, because I think it was just, he was done with McAfee. And I think getting beat changed him. I think when you get beat, when your shoulders are down and that bell rings and you hear the other guy's music playing. And you realize this whole thing that you had set up for yourself, which is to be a 15-time champion, is not happening at WrestleMania. He really thought he was on the same road as Cena with the same opponent to get the same outcome. And he realized it wasn't going to work for him. I think that's the snapping moment for Randy Orton. And that's why, and there were so many people that said, when are we going to see Randy Orton throw a punt again? And he did. After the match. Cody ends up, I mean, being the victim of it, and I'm sure he didn't like it, but he's still left with the title. Cody Rhodes is still the champion. And, and, and Pat McAfee, we did see Pat McAfee, by the way, and we'll post it on social. Because I didn't know I was being filmed. Neither. But we were backstage on the way to the studio, actually. And Pat was being helped on a stretch, on a golf cart. Because he couldn't walk, because he got RKO'd even though he had a neck brace on, and he had a jelly roll put him through the table by these other officials. And I couldn't contain myself. I just started yelling goodbye. I was elated. I was elated when I saw Pat and realized that it was the last time, last time I would see him in a WWE capacity. We wanted Pat McAfee to go home, and now he has to. Now he has to go home. So that's great. Because he said he was going to, so now he has to go home. And I can't wait until we get to share that video with everybody. But there is something else that I'd like to share with everybody. Before we do that, I do want to tell you that this episode of the WWE Now, PLE Recap, is brought to you by WWE 2K26. You know, we talk every week about the drama, the spectacle, the rivalries. 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WWE 2K26 is now on sale until April 22nd on PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Steam, and Nintendo Switch 2. Digital-only. Get your copy today. Cody retained his title, but some champions lost theirs. Megan, this was your request? Yes, it was. We did get a chance immediately after winning her match to talk to the new Intercontinental Champion, Becky Lynch. Let's welcome to the WrestleMania recap podcast the new women's Intercontinental Champion, Becky Lynch. How do you like that? How do you like that, Scum? You got any lies to say? No. And one affair in square? Wow. Congratulations on winning the Intercontinental Champion. Thank you. Thank you. Do you have any questions, Megan? I mean, Becky, it's just, does winning at WrestleMania ever get old? It does not ever get old. And you know what? I am 3-0 in a Legion Stadium. Every time I come back here, I win a championship. Scum can't stand that. But I succeed. He can't stand anybody that's successful. No. Did you even wish her a happy anniversary? Maybe because it was a year ago. No, ten years. Ten years. WrestleMania. I guess a happy anniversary. Was there any part of this win because Jessica Carr was involved? And I toppled the corruption. I toppled it all. This was proof. I toppled the corrupt AJ Lee and corrupt Carr. Finally, finally, because how many matches has it been that she has ruled against my favor, even though I'm the greatest female wrestler of all time and it's not just me saying it, other people are saying it, everybody's saying it, sports illustrator says it, bleach report says it. And now even corrupt Carr is going to have to say it and Scam Roberts is going to have to say it. Megan Morantovery says it. She's a very smart person, unlike you. Okay, well, I mean, I feel like, you know, we met at this time last year. You had a championship. Yeah. You were a little bit more friendly or whatever it was, but you had won a championship. You only were able to keep it for a day. Well, I didn't lose it. Did I? No. Lose your Lyra. Valcuria lost it. And you know, look what happened tonight. She had Bailey like she would have had last year and she lost again. So what's the common denominator there? Scam? Is it me or is it lose your Lyra and basic Bailey? I would guess an educated guess because I'm very educated that I'm the winner. This is where I am. You went to school for clowning, right? No, no. I studied the art of clown. That's very different. It's very fine art, great art, beautiful art. It seems like you are just a clown, but with no art skills. You're just a silly clown, like a birthday party clown, like a juggling clown with a big red nose and a big silly afro at one stage. And that's gone now. Now there's nothing on that head and nothing in that head. Any other questions, Megan? This was the first time this women's intercontinental title that you put on the map was defended at WrestleMania. How did it feel to walk out here with the title that you put on the map? It felt very special. That's an amazing question. That's the kind of questions that you should be asking. These are the kind of questions that make her an elite interviewer and you just a scam. Anyway, it felt very special. I felt very vindicated and of course walking out of here holding this title, the rightful owner. I never lost it. It's been robbed for me a few times, but now it's going nowhere. Angie had the home field advantage and I did have the home field advantage because WrestleMania, it is my home. You can't spell Mania without the man and I am the man. No, I've heard. Is there any part of you that goes, okay, well, you know, saying I've won the intercontinental championship back. I'm now a multi-time intercontinental champion. That would imply that you weren't, that you did lose it. I like the multiple, but I never lost it. I like the multiple times that I've won it, but I never lost it. I don't see how that would add up. You just like. There's nothing in that brain. I'm a three-time champion. Yeah, but that would mean you lost it twice. Well, no, it was robbed for me. It was stolen from me. It was in the possession of two other losers at some point. I bet you like them because you like losers, but now I'm a three-time champion, which makes it what a total of 12, 12 belts that I've held in this company. 12 belts, becs they'll call me. And all with such humility. Well, you know, when you are the great female wrestler of all time, you don't have to be humble because you don't have to pretend. Yeah. Well, congratulations on the big win. I'm sure you have a lot of things to do. We don't want to take up too much of your time. Thank you. Becky, congratulations. Such an inspiration to all of us. Thank you for always being a believer. Of course. And for your wonderful questions, amazing questions. Thanks, Becky Lynch. I didn't try to ruin that. I'm just actually asking questions. Not respectful. I mean, so congratulations. You must have been very happy. Thrilled. I was very nervous that I was going to have to follow up on my walkout when I saw Jessica Carr because on the Raw Recap show, I said that I was going to stage walkout if Jessica Carr was there. Thankfully, Becky handled the situation. We're all good. What do you mean? Why did you say I was worried I was going to have to do it? You did have to do it. You completely went back on your work. There was nothing that happened that would make you go, oh, I said I would do this. I took one look at Becky's eyes and I said she's got this. She's got this. She's got this handled and I cannot walk out and miss her winning back the title that she actually never lost. I mean, I'm glad you didn't walk out because I wouldn't have wanted to do that interview alone. No, you wouldn't have been able to handle it. Well, I can handle it. No, I don't think so. It was difficult. I would have chosen you up and spit you out. I really kept the peace in that interview. You should be thanking me. Because you were so, like, neutral? Yeah, I mean, professional. A lot of people say. You're right. No, yeah. Very neutral. I don't know if you know this, but I did win a Bexxi Award. For what? Best media personality in the world. I won too. They weren't as good as that one. They weren't flattering Bexxi Awards. But Becky Lynch, Intercontinental Champion, once again, she will come to Monday Night Raw with that Intercontinental title back. Hopefully it puts her in a better mood. Jamie Curse by Dan House in over the week. It's good. You deserved it. Okay. Well, I don't think so at all. Moving on. We had a couple of big returns tonight. First of all, Seth Rollins versus Gunther. Two men in a must-win situation. Seth Rollins' first match back after six months of being out with Intercontinental. He didn't look like he was gone for a minute. He was incredible. But that's no surprise. Also, just starting this road to revenge against Paul Heyman, but Gunther, after retiring John Cena and Bill Goldberg and AJ Styles, for him to come to WrestleMania and not have a victory, would have been catastrophic. So to see it all go down the way it went down, once again, the ghosts of Paul Heyman are what haunt Seth Freakin Rollins. Braun Breaker returns running all the way down that ramp. Spears, Seth Rollins, and Gunther in an instant is able to take advantage of that and put Seth Rollins to sleep. Now, I will say to Gunther's credit, the whole match, he was taking everything that Seth Rollins had and kicking out of it. Every move that Seth Rollins had, Gunther was able to kick out of. But at the same time, Seth was escaping everything Gunther did. Gunther walked in saying, the reason I'm doing this match is because I want to prove that I'm the best. I could wrestle circles around you, he said. And he ended up winning with the help of interference, but a victory is a victory is a victory. Especially at WrestleMania. Yes. Yes. And Gunther's, I mean, you know how I feel about Gunther. Gunther is so impressive. And not if I were Paul Heyman, the type of person that I would want to be in debt of. Yeah, I wonder what the relationship like is like now with Paul Heyman and Gunther. I mean, was that, was that a favor? Was, I don't know. I doubt that. It could have been, but I doubt it. Maybe. I know Paul Heyman looked very, very happy with himself smiling ear to ear on top of that. What wouldn't you be? Watching what Braun Breaker did. Of course. I'd be pretty psyched if I had Braun Breaker on my side. Yeah, I'd be, I'd be pretty psyched about it. The other return we got, Paige is bad. I know. Who would have thought the woman who debuted on a Monday night after WrestleMania so many years ago, returns to the WWE, Nikki Bella announces that as hard as she was trying to recover from her injury, she was not able to recover from her injury. So Paige comes in as the surprise tag team partner to Bre Bella, which again, expands the generational scope. And that was really the story of this women's tag team match, right? You had like Lyra Valkyria and Lash Legend that represent, you know, a newer generation. Then you have Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, the Bella twins at Nia Jax, everybody. Bailey. Yes. I mean, there's just so much history in this match, so many different eras, and bringing Paige into the fold expanded on it as well. And it was also about the fact that Lash Legend and Nia Jax had a white demolition outfit song, which were incredible. Incredible. If Fanatics makes home versions of those demolition gears, I'll wear it every day. Okay. Maybe not here on the pod, but other than that, I will wear it. Everywhere? Everywhere else. Everywhere, the drug store, wherever you need me to go. I'll wear the demolition outfit. But it was Paige and Brie Bella who are, I mean, that, don't let this get buried by the fact that Paige came back. Paige and Brie Bella are the women's tag team champions. Yeah, the way the crowd erupted when Paige got tagged in, amazing. Yeah. And Paige getting the pin? Yes. Absolutely. Absolutely great. There were some great Paige Charlotte Flair moments as well. Oh, yeah. When it was just the two of them face to face and you got to see this thing that you thought maybe you would never see again, it was awesome. I'm so excited to see what Paige does in this version of the WWE Women's Division. You know, I think it's going to be so great. But something that I really loved, something I was really looking forward to was Jacob Fettu versus Drew McIntyre. Unsanctioned, and it was as unsanctioned as unsanctioned gets chairs and tables. That toolbox that represented, I think, the ghosts of Drew McIntyre's past. Yeah, CM Punk, that Hell in a Cell match. Absolutely. I mean, he saw it and it was as if he had seen a ghost. But Jacob Fettu getting his moment at WrestleMania. This is what we've been waiting for since Jacob Fettu arrived in WWE. I mean, for me, I wanted him to have this moment even before he arrived in WWE. Oh, yeah. But, but yeah, you're right. It was one of, like the minute everybody saw him, it was like, he's going to have a moment like this. And I think that a moment like this is not a finish line, but a launching pad to what's next for him. Megan, you and I got the chance immediately after his match to have him in here to sit down with us on the WrestleMania Night 1 recap. This is how it went down. Never leave a fit behind. Rip it, rip it and bring the juice. That flavor's just out of reach. Drop the leg, Ose, and bring the juice. Gee. Man coming off of a victory against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 42 on a stage where as much as it was about heritage and the journey and as much as the story was about the journey, you were standing up there alone. You weren't standing up there with your family. You weren't standing up there with with Tongans. You were standing up there by yourself with your hand in the air after a war against Drew McIntyre. How are you feeling, Jacob? I've been in WWE for two years. Damn, just hit me. Man, it just hit me. It just hit me like damn. Really here. It's different. Feeling emotional. Feel like I did my family, my kids, and my wife, Justice. After Drew, Drew ain't just a nobody. He brought it today and I banged out what the best today. Just happy to be here overall. They already know that, Jacob. But it's different now. I'm not saying, okay, this win and put me in another bracket. It's all like, no. It's just the feeling. You can tell how I'm feeling now. I mean, say all gas, no brakes with it. It's literally all gas, no brakes with it until I got here. And that doesn't mean keep the foot off the gas pedal. Hell no, we're going to floor this all the way to the top. I did my wife and my kids, Justice, today, and I banged out with Drew. We're going to see where everything takes us now from here on out. I don't know what's next for me. But I'm going to tap in right now, whatever camera. From here on out, from here on out. It's really tapped in, dialed in, and even on my bad day, they still can't touch me, man. So with that just being said, I'm sorry, I'm just too much. I'm everywhere right now. But y'all kind of shocked me when I said it was a podcast. I didn't know it was you though. You my dog though. No, it's my dog right here. Y'all mean? No, I appreciate it. We're back, man. I know. Overall, we're here. So, you know what I mean? I couldn't help but think about, I mean, literally the last time we talked and it was not long ago that we asked you about two years ago was WrestleMania 40. Yeah, man. And you told us that story about not even knowing if you were going to be in WWE two years ago and not even knowing what the debut was going to look like and not even knowing how that was going to fit. Yeah. To be here two years later. And I think it's worth pointing out. Yeah. You wrestled for years before you got to WWE. You didn't even leave the States. I was the independent wrestler that made a name and didn't even leave the States. Man, I had to make sure I was on top of my game because my family was number one because Roman, the Usos and Solo was number one over here. Man, they kept me employed. Now, I knew I didn't want to just be known as the cousin and I'm sorry. I don't know what we're saying right now, but I didn't want to be known as the cousin and I'm far from that now. Now, when they talk about J.G. 5 2 God damn it, I got my own lane. But I'm so proud to be a part of this one. I'm so proud to be a part of them. Man, they made me step my game up. You know, they really did and they tapped in with me, but it ain't how you start. It's how you finish. All right, the same people you see on the way up. Don't go on and man, because this is going to be the same people you see on the way down. All right, I don't know where this just came from, but man, I just needed to let that out. I think it's fitting because when I, the reason I brought that up is because I feel like you are one of those people that came in. And like you said before, Triple H tells you just be yourself. You're the same guy that I saw at independent shows, the same guy that people were buzzing about. And that same guy is the guy who just went and not only wrestled at WrestleMania. I think it's important to note that this WrestleMania is different because the first hour was on ESPN and you know as well as I do, that's important to the WWE. They're not putting, match number two is the match that goes from ESPN to ESPN app. Like that's an important position for somebody to be on. And that's the position that they put you in as the same guy that you built. Does it give you that feeling of kind of achieving that place where you are undeniable? Man, I mean, I got the damn near forgot I wrestled on ESPN right there. I mean, man, me, the Usos and Roman, I mean, you know, man, you coming over there, you know, we grew up, we all grew up together, but ESPN Sports Center was always on top 10 plays. Like, man, that was our stuff. So yeah, and you know what? It felt good for, it felt really, man, I'm just blessed. I really am. I mean, come on, WWE could have put anybody else and it wasn't just me. I did it with my older brothers. You know what I mean? They went first. I was set to hit great point. And then last year, you know, we was all on the same court. Jay one, Jimmy came out, sister Naomi went and me and solo came out and big dog. I mean, this is reminds me of WrestleMania 9, you know, when Yoko Zuna first won. You know, man, and lost Vegas. And mind you earlier, the Usos and solos that Rikishi and my cousin Lance on a Y his father, the great Samu and my uncle, awful, they were also on their show. The wrestler Steiners. Yes. And so for them that for that to happen. And in the last year for us to come back and then all of us be on the same court, like, I mean, and then double back this year and be on ESPN. Man, come on, man, man, it don't get no better. It doesn't. You know, and hopefully my kids are watching. All right, I'll be home to make some hamburger helper when I get home. The famous hamburger helper that dad makes. So he tapped his. So go ahead, brother. You just you keep bringing up family, but at the same time making a name for yourself. How are you able to just navigate all of the emotions of the magnitude of today? And it was a man is my wife. She has. Man, she has so much. Man, trust me, I was hard to deal with. I know I was hard. Man, seven kids and I was hard to do. I was like the eighth kid because I know I was running real crazy. But man, she humbles me, brings me back. I think today was so emotional because she was here today. So it is a different but with that, man, she grounds me, you know, sometimes, you know, we're going to keep it real. Okay, we get a little bit of money. You know, she's got to bring my head back down sometimes. I mean, so she grounds me. My kids keep me humble. You know, I'm dad at the end of the day. You know what I mean? Like, man, there's some more werewolf. This man, that's out the door. I mean, so my kids, my parents, great parents, man, my dad, my dad was the youngest cat. So that Madison Square Garden, man, we're ready, ready, Piper. I mean, back in the day, you know what I mean? So my family keeps me grounded, but my wife does, you know, sometimes she got to tell me, Jacob, you can enjoy it. You know, like I seen Roman right before I walked out and he said the same thing, like, because you know how I am. He's like, you know, Roman, hey, man, just great. You know, so when I spoke to Roman before I went out and, you know, seeing Jimmy and Jay come back and man, solo, I see my brother out of nowhere, you know. So just to see them and tap in and then shout out to Toma. Yeah, man. Okay, you beat me up last week. But before we got split up, Toma, T, Tungalore, man, my brother's JC. You know what I mean? Like, it's just always look out, but it's having them. I'm very fortunate to have them. I'm very fortunate to have the Uso's and Roman because, you know, they laced me up, you know, and other cats that come in, they don't have family up in here. They ain't able to get the knowledge that we get. I mean, not seeing Roman and Jimmy and Jay. No, those are vets. Off-top they're going to, you know, help out the boys. But, man, overall, it's my wife, my kids and my family. And you know what? I mean, I just told Hunter, all right, man, I was just telling Hunter, just like, damn, man, he's like, you okay? Like, yeah, you know what I mean? Just, man, I ain't even supposed to out of everything I've been through. I mean, this is all God's time. This is all God's time. It's all God's time and I'm not going to go against him. But, man, when I was just like, I'm not, man, just, you know, his words of encouragement, him and punk. I mean, really, man, just the whole locker room. I mean, man, we're talking about to the people who do the catering, the seamstress, y'all mean? Like the people who do the truck. I mean, we're damn near like a family. You know what I mean? So you got to treat people good no matter what you're doing. And you know, man, my wife says this, man, you could give $100 with a bad heart or give a dollar with a good heart. You know what I mean? Like you just do the right thing when nobody's looking and, you know what I mean? And I feel like that's why I'm here. I feel, I mean, besides all the work and all this and that, you know, man, I just feel like all the bad stuff I did. But also the good stuff that I did for my heart. You know what I mean? Like I'm one of these cats like, you know what people help out homeless people and record it and then post it. Like, no, man, do that off the rip. You know what I mean? Like you see somebody wet, man. And as a matter of fact, just to tap in, I seen a homeless man, right? I seen a homeless man. He was outside. He asked me for a dollar. It was not too long ago. He asked me when we had a show in Fort Lauderdale. We were driving from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale. I seen a homeless man and, you know, he asked me for a dollar. I said, yeah, hold on, but he ain't had no shoes. His feet were dirty and he had no shoes. And I was like, yeah, hold on, let me go up in there. Had an ATF and then I went in the car and I had a second pair of shoes on me. I went to go try to give him the shoes. And he was just like, nah, man, I'm cool. I just need some money. You know, and I'm like, no, no, no, here, brand new pair. I'm not going to pull that. Here, I'm taking five too, dude. Fucking here taking. But it just humbled me and then it brought me back. Like, you know, I feel like it's like little stuff. Like, and when it comes to these kinds of scenarios where, you know, it brings me back, it humbles me. But man, he didn't even take the shoes. He was like, I don't even want the shoes. I just, so I just fucking gave him more money. Maybe he'll buy some shoes. Maybe he'll buy some shoes. Maybe he'll buy some shoes. I don't know. Or maybe I'm missing shoes. I think one of the things about you that people have found is like people who tracked your career for years have been rooting for you for a long time. They have. They really have. But I think when you talk about people here, people in catering, people everywhere, I think, you know, I've experienced this with, you know, Megan as well and watching your stuff with her is that you have this ability, people start rooting for you. Even if they didn't know you before because you're, you just come across as so authentic, so real, but like that's been your story for a long time. Was there ever a period of time when you were wrestling on the independence and hearing everybody talk about how good you were? But that was just what the conversation was where you thought this moment that you got tonight just wasn't going to happen. That you just weren't going to get here. Yeah. I was one of my first child and, you know, man, as I said, you want to ever work here. You know what I mean? Like one of the gentlemen, I forgot his name. I don't think he's hearing no more. But yeah, he just said, man, you won't be able to work here because of background. And man, I broke down in my, I was what, 2015 or 16? Told me I want to work here. I remember all of us were in that class like Shotzi, Shayna, Eddie Kingston. We was all tapping in over there. But man, when they told me I did it, Norman Smiley, Coach Bloom. I would never forget William Regal. Shout out William Regal, man. He's, man, William Regal's kept in touch with me like through the email. William actually called, oh, gee, Mr. Regal actually called one day. My kids picked it up and I got it. And he said, hello. And I'm like watching this or something. Hey, man, it's William. What? Then I just clicked on him. I didn't know it was him, but anyway, just to go back to after the trial, they told me, man, I was just, I couldn't deal with it. Before I left on the last day, Coach Bloom, Norman Smiley, man, they had one of the reps came and grabbed me and Mr. Regal. And it was like, hey, man, like just keep at it and just keep at it. And Mr. Regal was, I'm not saying you're ever going to have a job here. I'm just telling you to keep at it. Man, that's tough though. Like when you're like, you're like, I got to keep at it just in case. But there's zero. I mean, not only is there no guarantees, they're going like, look, keep at it. Yeah. Because maybe, but still probably not. And then, you know, even when the boys were hot, even when the boys were, you know, I mean, they're still hot. Let's keep it 100. Roman, what? Come on, man. So, man, fuck, man, I'm sorry. I just marked out when I just seen AJ's entrance. No, but damn, what was I talking about? I'm sorry. No, you were talking about like, oh, so, so well, Roman, yeah, I felt some type of way. And I did. I will read the comments, but really the comments like that ain't, you know, I'm too gangster for that. But it is like, damn, I'm supposed to be. And then I will get, you know, and I wouldn't, I wouldn't like when people, you know, like some of my family or even like random people, I say, this how much I love my family. Like, they'll be like, oh man, you should be in WWE, man, you're way better than who's on. No, no, no, no, hold on. What? You know what I mean? Like, hey, you chill out. All right. Because I was really slap muck. You know what I mean? So what it is, is what I'm trying to say is, yes, I did feel like I felt some type of way out of certain amount of time, you know, at a point, you know, I'm not saying I was hating on my mom. No, I was never hating, but it was just like, man, like, what am I doing? You know, because I try to get a job. Man, I was trying to figure this out. You know, I worked overnight at Walmart. Lo's like, man, I was the best stalker in my all. All right. I mean, so, but I had to do what I had to do. And I'm glad I went through all the hard times. And I'm glad it took me 12 years to get here. I don't care what anybody says, man. Hey, y'all tapping in. All right. This is God's time. And this is the right time. Okay. If I, Jacob would have been in WWE, like, even if God would have let me in like a week earlier. No. Now was the best time for me to come in. And I'm happy we did. All right. Well, WWE fans, they always love to imagine scenarios. Yeah. Fantasy book and the WWE 2K game. Oh, yeah. And just come out and I want to know if you could have any dream opponent, any stipulation of a match, anything on the new 2K game right now, what would it be? Who's Jacob Fatou facing? What kind of match? Past, present, future, right? Yeah. And man, probably cactus jack. But definitely probably cactus jack, but I'm a big Jeff Hardy fan, right? I'm a huge Jeff Hardy fan. So man, it was cool to see him and the Usos when he was over here. So, and Jeff was a, him and Matt Hardy was very close to my uncle, Michael, you know, resting piece to them and kind of wish. It's kind of, kind of wish they was here, you know, like just to see this. Just to see what they, you know, because my uncle Michael, like, you know, you know, him and the Usos story, he was so close. And my uncle Rod, Yokozuna, then Roman's brother, just what stayed was all here, you know, to see this. So, but it's all good. I know they watching now. I mean, man, look what they didn't turn this thing into. I mean, I were all here, you know, so just a beautiful thing, man. I don't take none of this for granted because I remember, I remember not having this. I mean, so when y'all see Jaguar 5 II backstage shaking hands like I'm a rookie. Oh yeah, brother, because we weren't supposed to be here. Yeah. I mean, we was on the independence for 12 years trying to figure this out. Yeah. Yeah. Speaking of the independence, I've been meaning to ask you this while I have you. Is it true that the shuffle, that shuffle? Oh yeah. Is it true? You're the first person I ever heard call it a shuffle. You don't know who I heard it was a shuffle from. Yeah, let's me up. Mans Warner. Oh man. Is it true that that shuffle was invented in a TGF righties? Oh my God. So the shuffle, the shuffle, this was. This right here. Yeah. Yeah, but shout out Mans Warner, man. That's my dog right there, bro. Man, I'd have been up and down with him, but he can't believe he told you that. That's what he said. He told me on guard. That's what he said. That's what he said. Hey man, stop telling everybody our places. Come on, man. Shout out Mans Warner though, man. But yes, that is true. We were with man, there's man, man, we were with some good people, man. And I mean, it just came out of nowhere, but this definitely boogie, man. I mean, definitely boogie, man. So shout out to boogie, man. Oh, yeah. Shout out to boogie. I love it, man. Listen, you know how happy we are for you. I appreciate it. I can't say congratulations more. And the fact that like you're so right to put it into perspective that the beginning of night one of WrestleMania is the Usos and it's Jacob Fatou. By the way, both winning. Man. And the main event of night two, talk about a bookend. Is Roman going in for the world title again? I mean, the things this family has done is awe inspiring. So hey, let me tap in with this. Before I even got here in Meadows, man, my dog was already looking out for me. You know, you know. We actually, me and my dad, we drove from San Francisco to Sacramento and we played. We was playing your video. I mean, before I even got like rumors were hitting. I mean, man, you were getting so fired up. My dad was fucking, he was driving. He was like, God damn son, who is this guy? Whoever he is, man, he's putting you over, man. You got me. But do you picture his storyline? I'm like, all right. I mean, but man, I wouldn't know. Yeah, man, you got his hype though, bro. So I mean, before there was anybody, this is why I'm always happy to see you. It was like, it wasn't just, oh, Jacob 5 to WWE tapping in. Now, man, my brother right here and his stories and his different scenarios. Because when you broke it down, we were feeling it. No, we really was. And this is way before WWE. That's why when I see us, man, we locked in, tapped in, even on a bad day, we got in. Yeah, man. Yeah, man, this kind of feels cool doing all this right here. It is great. And by the way, you are. I guess so. He's Uzi right now. I'm feeling it. The real unaware Uzi. And one of these days, one of these days, I'll talk to your dad about my feelings about the movie Body Slam. So I mean, that's how far back it goes. Tonga Tom. The funny thing about that, he was, he was, my mom was over there, right? He was in a, when they were in the hospital room, they were in the hospital room and man, Piper was just clowning and kept making my dad laugh. The directors are like, hey, man, you got to look beat up and hurt. So if you go back and watch Body Slam, my dad's all bandaged up, just sitting in the bed like, yeah. I mean, so man, shout out to my possible doing a Body Slam. Body Slam is my favorite movie. And my dad's in Highlander. Boom, boom. The whole family is winning Jacob Fatou going to WrestleMania, winning against Drew McIntyre. Having that moment, there's more moments to come. Thank you, Jacob, for doing this for us, man. We are going to In-N-Out Burger now, boy. Thank you, bro. Thank you, dude. So, thank you, sis. Thank you. I mean, big thanks to Jacob Fatou. You call juice. I don't do compliments well, but I'll tell you, I'll tell you. You're beaming. I don't do compliments well, but last week, I'm not doing sincerity well to tell you the truth. Last week on Raw Recap, we celebrated the juice breaks that you guys take every day. We talked about the trade-offs, the sleep you give up, the social awkwardness that you endure, the social awkwardness that Megan endured just by hanging out with me, and the grind you push through to get those small victories. Yeah, but tonight the stakes are different because we are at WrestleMania where the trade-offs aren't just about laundry or meetings. They're about legacy. On the grandest stage of them all, every superstar has to decide what they're willing to sacrifice to bring the juice and walk out champion. Oh, I'm sorry. That's delicious. Look at Cody Rhodes. He traded the safety of the status quo and stepped into the ring with his mentor, Randy Orton. He knew the trade-off. He was risking his title and a lifelong friendship for the chance to solidify his era. He didn't tap out on his vision. No, he showed up with that mean event energy, and that is a win worth cheering for, and I did cheer for it. You did. That's exactly right. You can take CM Punk in Roman Reigns trading years of history and physical toll for one more shot at the top of the mountain. Whether it's a superstar in the ring or you navigating a chaotic Monday morning, Minute Maid and WWE are the ultimate tag team partners. Yeah, we celebrate those choices. We celebrate the trade-off, and most importantly, we celebrate the boost of positivity that keeps you in the fight. So as you head into post-Wrestlemania season, remember when life tries to put you into a submission hold, don't tap out. Never tap out on taste. We're in unison. Bring the juice. That was sick. Yeah, we nailed it. You know what brought the juice? The ooze. They did. Yeah, opening up the show on ESPN 2, loved the entrance, and then we have I Show Speed at the end of that match. Becoming friends with the Usos, becoming friends with LA Night, and having his WrestleMania moment. I have to admit, when he climbed up to the top of that post, and Logan Paul is laid across the announce table, I talked about earlier, biting your bottom lip. I was biting that thing hard. I was nervous for I Show Speed because really, he did become so lovable throughout this story that was told heading into this match. The reluctant villain. Yes. The reluctant villain. He didn't want to be a part of the vision. He didn't even want to wrestle at WrestleMania. No. I've never seen a guy who's had so many big moments on the WWE's most massive PLE, just think about Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, who's like, I'm just here to watch the show. I mean, this is what, you know, they go, hey, Royal Rumble, Speed, would you like to watch the Rumble from Gorilla position? He goes, that'd be amazing. Of course I would. And then he gets on half. And now he's in the Royal Rumble. They go, okay, would you like it's been a year and a half later? You want a front row ticket to Monday Night Raw? Yeah, I'd love a front row ticket to Monday Night Raw. Now you're in a six man tag at WrestleMania and LA Night is throwing you through your streaming setup. It's a tough life for Speed, I feel like. But you know what? I do think there is a positive out of this. After the way his night ended tonight, maybe. I don't know for sure we'd have to ask Dan Howsen, but I think maybe there's a chance that the curse is lifted. Maybe the Usos are stronger than the curse. I don't know for sure. Well, you should figure that out. Oh yeah. Yeah, I wonder if Jacob could put in a good word with the Usos for me. It was a big night for celebrities putting people through tables is what I'm trying to say. Huge night for that. Also a huge night for Liv Morgan, who became the women's world champion. I mean, it felt like a huge moment for her seeing Dom Mysterio getting the ring and congratulate her. But you could see it all over her face. And I mean, the fact that you could see what she went through to get to where she got, you could see the bruising and the swelling. All over. And pushed right through and won the women's world championship. I think it's really interesting to see what the judgment day looks like as well, right? All of them celebrating Liv Morgan being held up by Domic Mysterio holding that title. I mean, look, yeah, but we can't really talk about that because Dominic Mysterio has a big match tomorrow. He does. Against the demon, Finn Balor. I will tell you that Liv Morgan, now that she's your WWE women's world champion, you can celebrate her victory with an all new winners tea that is available now at WWE Shop and Fanatics and also with Cody Rhodes being your WWE undisputed champion. You could celebrate his victory with an all new winners tea available now at WWE Shop and Fanatics. And I think it's a win for wrestling. Of course it is. Cody Rhodes winning. But you know what else is a win for wrestling? AJ Styles going into the Hall of Fame. And this was just great. AJ Styles was here at WrestleMania. And this was either right before or right after he went out on stage as part of the class. I think it was right after he went out on stage as part of the class of the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame. And I mean, his speech was great and nobody deserves it more than AJ. But also just like we just struck up a conversation and the amazing crew here goes, Hey, would you guys mind doing this into microphones? And they just switched them on and we got that welcome AJ Styles as a guest on the pod one night after being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Here's AJ Styles. We now welcome to the WrestleMania recap podcast. AJ Styles, the newest member to the WWE Hall of Fame. I've never taken you for a jewelry guy before. I am not. In fact, this ring is pretty uncomfortable. So but as you can see, it's large and beautiful and it's an honor to have something like this. This isn't the Hall of Fame. Last night where I was able to speak in front of people that I absolutely adoring love, that was all is all about. That's the Hall of Fame. It was just a couple of months ago on Raw when you were surprised with the announcement that you would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. How would you describe all of the emotions from that night leading up to this weekend? Wow. I mean, WrestleMania weekend is always pretty busy. So there's not really much time to think about what you're going to do. And I would love to tell you how much time I spent on, you know, writing what I was going to say. But the truth of the matter is a lot of I just spoke from the heart and it was a lot easier because it was all real. Yeah. How quickly did you know that Gallows and Anderson were the ones that were going to put you into the Hall of Fame? I for one was thrilled when the good brothers hit the stage. Absolutely. When I got the opportunity to knowing it was them that were going to be inducted to me. Because no one knows me better than those two. So I was certainly surprised. Which says a lot about you, by the way. I'm not hard to figure out either. But they're a blessing to me. Now that you're retired, is this the last time you're going to have to wear a suit? Oh, probably not. Unfortunately, yeah, I'm probably going to have to wear a suit again in certain aspects. And hopefully that's a good thing. Yeah. Because, you know, even though I choose, you know, look over comfort, it means there's a reason for it. And for me to put on a suit again, something special is about to happen. You've been out there on the floor, I assume. What's it been like, you know, taking this all in and not having to worry about getting ready for a match? It is awesome. You know, there's a real truth about, you know, do I am I going to miss wrestling? No, I got it out of my system. It's nice to know that I don't have to hurt myself for a living anymore. As much as I enjoyed it, but the older I get, the more, you know, the more it hurt. So I'm going to leave that to these guys, the younger guys, let them take care of the business. I'll help hopefully generate younger talent in the new generation to come up and take their place when the time is up. Before we let you go, one last question. The Internet is a buzz about it. I feel like every two weeks there's a different report. What does the future hold for AJ Styles in the context of WWE and professional wrestling? Oh, wow. You know, I'm wearing a couple of different hats right now. And we'll see which one sticks and things change quite often. And so when I get too busy to do all these different hats that I'm trying to wear and I have to focus on one, I'll let you know which one that is. But it is recruiting. It is working with WWE ID. That's a big part of the things that I know a lot about the independence. And I know there's a lot of talent like me who didn't have a lot of money. So if we can get them a little bit more experience and a little bit more cash in the pockets, we're able to get that. It'll be a big thing for them. And I would imagine if there's anybody that can identify somebody outside the WWE system that could succeed inside, it would be you, AJ Styles. Congratulations on the weekend. Hold that thing up one more time. Congratulations. I'm being the homeless. Look at that pimp ring. Thank you. Thank you. What a legend. The best. AJ Styles, incredible. And speaking of legends in one return that we didn't mention, we got the return of Bianca Belair. The EST. To WWE programming. And you had said, you described something as iconic earlier. I don't remember what it was. But when you talk about iconic wrestling. Oh, Stephanie McMahon promo. Oh, Stephanie McMahon code. That's 100% right. And you're right. When you talk about those moments, they're going to replay and replay and replay forever. And that's going to end up in the video packages. Bianca Belair announcing to the world that she is with child, a baby is coming. John Cena, who was a great host, by the way, of WrestleMania, adding it to the total attendance here at Allegiant Stadium. I thought it was really, really good. A really, really incredible moment. And John put it perfectly when he thanked Bianca for sharing this great news from her family with the WWE family. I thought it was wonderful. It's so special. So happy for Bianca and Montez Ford welcoming a new wrestling fan to the WWE Universe. I mean, potentially a new wrestler with the DNA that babies coming from. Forget about it. For get about it. But I tell you, we got a lot to do before we get there. For instance, tomorrow night two of WrestleMania. I cannot wait until we sit in these chairs again to recap whatever happens in this World Heavyweight Championship match between Roman Reigns and CM Punk. But we will be there. So make sure you're there with us. Subscribe to this podcast across all audio platforms. Hit like, leave comments on YouTube, and we will see you tomorrow for night two. WrestleMania Recap here on WWE Now.