So Much For WWE’s WrestleMania 42 Main Event… Wrestling News

Hello there, my very good friends

On today's wrestling news, a major WrestleMania match is off. A top TNA act is shockingly done ahead of their AMC debut

CM Punk, not a fan of WWE Unreal. And all the talents at WWE's tryouts this week

I'm Adam Wilborn. I'm Andy H. Murray, the H stands for Heavenly. Ooh, and this is the news

Put a halo on my head and call me Halo guy. Master Chief

Master Chief. There we go. I understood that reference. We got there. That's from Halo. Yes

The computer game. Indeed. Where you are a little rabbit running around eating all the carrots

I know video games, man. The Witcher 4. Honestly, what called your gaming's losses, what called your wrestling's games

This is it. They never get me on anymore. I'm the only one who recognizes that Souls games are better than everyone else

Anyway, let's talk about WrestleMania 42. A major match for that show has been scrapped

It is seemingly not happening anymore. and that match is Cody Rhodes versus Drew

no, Cody Rhodes versus Roman Reigns no longer happening so nothing has been

set in stone by WWE as in they've not announced anything for WrestleMania 42 yet

but there was some heavy reporting from The Observer a lot going back a couple of weeks

saying that WWE were maybe thinking about completing the trilogy the WrestleMania trilogy of Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes

now it seems this is off this is according to dave again so he initially had the intel that it was

happening now he's got the intel that it's probably not happening plans change plans change pal

on wrestling observer radio uh dave melzer stated that wwe have decided to pivot away from that

match uh following the decision to put the wwe championship around the waist of uh drew mcintyre

Now, Dave says he doesn't know the new plans for these gentlemen

but it's probably not happening, Cody and Roman. A triple threat match might be on the cards instead

Drew, Cody and Jacob, too. We spoke about that yesterday, didn't we

A little bit. And it is also possible that Roman versus Cody takes place some other time. Yes

Some other date. We did say that when we first talked about it, didn't we? Indeed. It's also possible that that triple threat match happens before Mania. Yeah

So I saw some rumblings from other places online this morning about Punk and Roman for the other title

the World Heavyweight title. Which then leaves the question of what does Drew do

Where do you go with that? Who does he face? Does he end up just facing Cody in a straight-up rematch

Does he even get to mania with the title? Well, this is it. This is it. I think it's a tough situation for him

I saw the report as well from, I believe it was Fightful, talking about how

WWE kind of felt that Drew had to win this one so he could be seen

as a top guy still which I get he had been beaten like a drum by Cody

and by Punk really in their feud too but yeah there you go

doesn't look like Cody vs Roman is happening for me that's a bit disappointing

because I mean it would be you're guaranteed blockbuster mania spectacular but I'm eager to see

what they've got that could replace it yeah I agree I'm kind of conflicted on this like you say

Cody Roman 3 is almost guaranteed to be sensational. And they were almost guaranteed

to play with the dynamics somewhat, obviously, considering the previous two. So it would have been interesting

to see how they do that. Like you say, it's not off the cards completely, but maybe they're saving it for SummerSlam

let's just say, off the top of our heads. But I'm also kind of excited by this

I just really like, from the moment, obviously, Drew won that title, it just felt like things have been shaken up

within WWE. You know, you had the Punk Braun thing at the start of last week

and it felt like, right, Here we go. There's the plan that we've all heard and talked about and what have you

And there it's going to be on the other side. And it's kind of fairly easy to plot through the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber how we're going to get to WrestleMania

Now, it's anyone's guess. And I like that. I like not knowing what's going on at the start of January

Sometimes it's nice to look forward. Cody, for example, for WrestleMania 4, you were like, they kind of have to do this

But, they almost didn't. But I really like the unpredictability. it feels like they have somewhat listened to the criticisms of WWE in 2025

of the predictability and the sort of drawn out feuds and what have you, and gone, let's do something different this year

Who knows what that's going to be? Whether Punk is going to get his night two main event, who knows

But yeah, I'm excited to see what's going to happen in the coming months

There's also Sami Zayn tied to this equation. Exactly, yeah. So maybe Sami and Drew for the big onion, for the big carrot

Yeah, I mean, they can do that. they could do that as soon as the Royal Rumble it might be quite a clever way

of keeping Sammy out of the Rumble if he's not winning it is having him win at Saturday Night's main event

in Montreal by the way and then go to Saudi Arabia and fight for the title

so it may be a short reign for Drew yeah I mean Sammy versus KO that could be back on the cards

welcome back KO you're a heel again now yeah yeah who knows go sit back

but I just really like the fact that we are sat here

mid January going don know what going to happen in April yeah pretty good pretty good yeah I love to see some kind of spectacle the size of Roman versus Cody I just don know what there is

I don't know what there is. The match is Cody versus Punk. I don't know how they get there

or what they do with the titles. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. It'd be tough

It's a tough one to get. Cody winning the chamber in Chicago and then calling out Punk would be tasty

That'd be pretty tidy. That'd be pretty tidy. Let's know your picks for the inevitable main events

because the women aren't getting close again. Yeah, they're not deadlining. It's not what Triple H does

It's not like they had one of the best matches of last year at WrestleMania. Yeah, it's not like they had the best match at WrestleMania last year

By some margin, actually. Love that match. Yeah. But let's switch over to TNA

Big week for them. Of course, the AMC debut tomorrow night. And they are having a week as well

They are. They are TNAing the hell out this week, aren't they, Andy? What's going on here

So, Leon Slater, one of the most talented guys they've got. Someone who WWE have kind of already got their claws into

let's be perfectly honest. ex-Division champion. He was all set for a big marquee match on this television debut

And then people have noticed in the recent last few days, that match has disappeared from the advertising

And people were saying, guys, what are you doing? There was speculation. I thought whether WWE wanted Leon Slater for the British leg of their tour

which might screw up those sort of plans for TNA. But actually, a brilliant report from Mike Johnson, PW Insider

says it's actually that side of the match that has been affected here. because a top TNA act

the Rascals, are done with TNA. It was going to be Leon Slater

versus Myron Reed of the Rascals on Thursday night. Good match. But that was quietly removed

from social media. Good news is, if you're a fan of Leon Slater, he's still being advertised

as being a part of the show, just not in this match. And that is because, yeah

the Rascals are done with TNA. Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel, their deals expired at the end of 2025

and TNA did not option to continue that deal for another year

Myron Reid, who was going to be in the match, lists on his social media that he is a free agent now

and Desmond Xavier, formerly Wesley, wasn't signed with a promotion. It was obviously just bringing it back for presumably

a last hurrah for the Rascals in TNA. Multiple TNA sources declined to comment on their status

They're still listed on the roster, so that's slightly more promising. But the belief of the PW Insider is the fact

that they are done, basically. Anything can happen, obviously. Things can change

But I saw some people speculate whether or not the Rascals could head to AW, perhaps

Yeah, I mean, if I'm Tony Khan, I'm debuting them tonight. Funny

I'm debuting them. I'm doing the petty move, if I'm a promoter

and I'm debuting them ahead of the big AMC show, going, hey, look who we got. Maximum carnage tonight, isn't it

It is. It is maximum carnage. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it

Yeah. I'm looking forward to MJF winning in, I think he said, a minute and a half. on socials

Yeah, I like that. I like that. The worst gimmick in wrestling is a guy who has good matches

I'm a heel, but I want to have bangers. Yeah. What does, like, I love Kenny Omega

but I think the best bout machine is the worst thing of all time. It's like

if you're a, your goal in kayfabe should be to finish them off

in 30 seconds. Yeah, that'd be my nickname. Adam, the winner, Wilborn. The worst bout machine

would be me. That's how it works. You should be looking to win as soon as possible

That's in kayfabe. But what's going on with TNA at the moment, right

They've lost six wrestlers in the past week. They've lost The Rascals, four of them

Obviously, they've lost Jake something and they've lost Killer Kelly. Yeah, all over the advertising

All over the advertising for this show. So, look, straight up, there's a lot of people I like in TNA

There's a lot of people I have had really good dealings with in TNA and I continue to do so

What's going on? What's going on, right? Because they've just scored this new TV deal

which is a revenue source. it's a bigger platform and all of this stuff

and yet the moves they are making are not that of a company that's growing

they're of a company that's cutting costs they have opted not to renew

the Rascals contracts really entertaining group by the way really fun group what

you know what I mean I'm really struggling to comprehend what's going on here this feels like cost cutting

rather than expansion hopefully Santana wins the world title back for example and AJ Styles

is going to be on the show. So they're doing stuff. Bully Ray's commentating the main event

I didn't say all good stuff. They're doing stuff for this AMC debut

but it still doesn't feel like a marquee thing to launch on AMC

in like 60 million homes or whatever it is. Yeah, and I don't think

the PR blitz that Matt Hardy is embarking on at the moment

is great either. I don't know. Ask Michael Sidrick for his thoughts on that one

Yes, do. I don't know. I just wish this week felt a bit

it's a big week for them and I felt I wish it was a bit more positive because it feels like

this is not going too well. I'll be positive I'll say the reason why these things are happening is

because they've busied themselves with some massive surprises they don't want anyone to know about

and that's why they've been focused on this side of things because it does feel a bit

half-arsed. Yeah I hope so I hope so I hope the show's great yeah it's just been a tough couple

of weeks and uh I thought it would be a bit more buoyant and a bit more hyped yeah and it has Be fair I know they got AJ Styles so that pretty cool But it does feel a bit like WWE like right you got your TV deal

we're kind of done with bothering me, you know? Yeah, you can have AJ for a bit. See you later. He's not wrestling, he'll just pop up on your show

Will he ever be back again? Probably not. He just had a banger with Gunther. I mean, look, if the replacement for Leon Slater versus Myron Reed

turns out to be Leon Slater versus AJ Styles, okay. You know? Fair enough

But we'll see. Yeah, we will be, myself and the Dadleys will be watching that show on Thursday night

and talking about it on Friday. So I hope it's good. But best luck to the Rascals

Really, really talented guys. And I hope wherever they end up, AW feels like the most likely option

I mean, when they debut on Dynamite tonight. It's a hell of a shout. I love that

Don Callis family's got four new members. Let's go. I love it

They want to beat the NWO's numbers. He should not stop until he is a group that is the size of the population of St. Kitts

He should try and recruit someone to the Don Callis family and then be like, I'm already in it. Lance Archer, we want you in the Don Callis

Josh Alexander, come on down. All right, let's talk about CM Punk and WWE Unreal

He's not a fan of appearing on this show, and I totally get what he's saying. So he was interviewed on the Not Sam Wrestling Podcast

Shout out to Sam, friend of the show. Yeah, lovely interview with him over WrestleMania weekend last year

But Punk acknowledged the show's purpose when he was doing this interview

but I'll read it to you. He's kind of old school. He's a bit of an old geezer now

Rolling bones. Was it playing a game of bones? Playing a game of bones. Riding his big Titan bike

That's right. He loves a motorbike CM Punk. But he said this

I share the sentiment with a few guys on the roster. I'm not super thrilled about it

he said that actually he's actively avoided participating in like the talking

heads segments of those shows as well he said I know they're asking me to do

an interview for it and I kept saying no no I'm not going to be there

and we never did the interview so I don't know if that means I'm not

in it but I also like there's a camera in my face everywhere

I go so I'm sure I'll pop up he also said that while he doesn't

really he doesn't love the process he just removes himself if he doesn't want to be filmed, which is very healthy

If you're in a bad situation, hit the bricks. Yeah. That's how it works

He said, if I don't want them to shoot something, I just go, don't shoot it, right

Or I know there's cameras waiting here. I'll go walk somewhere else. I think that's a very healthy approach

Yes. If you see a situation you don't want to walk into, go the other way

Hunk's not a man for confrontation. No, he's not. He's a lover, not a fighter. He is. He's never gotten in a fight

But he also said, I watched the first season and I really, really liked it because it brought a human element to like Charlotte or Rhea

or even me to an extent. And he continued a bit more as well. My phone is slipping around like an eel

He also said that, talked about people like criticizing it, but still watching it

Nobody's got a gun to your head, right? You don't have to watch it. Why are you commenting

I hate this. I hate this so much. Tomorrow I'm going to review season two. Don't

Yeah. I mean, yeah, fair. I mean, to be fair, if you make your living off of reviewing WWE Unreal

that's a bit different. but you could just not watch it. Yes, exactly. Easy if you're someone else

I think I liked WWE in Real Season 1 more than most in this office

but I can still see the drawbacks of it. And arguably one of the best bits of it

was the Punk stuff actually where you see that intimate conversation ahead of Elimination Chamber

and them laying out the finish with the stomp and the Cena win obviously. Yeah, I agree with Punk as well

in terms of like I really like the humanising element of it all. Like I think back to like

chronicle, for example, of just like, oh, this is what a day-to-day wrestler's life is

or a 365 or whatever it might be. I think I like that aspect more

And just like when stuff's being, how can I put this? When stuff's happening for the first time in front of you

I kind of prefer to look in the back and go, what's going on over there? But yeah, I'm going to watch it

A week yesterday. I'll probably skip season two. I enjoyed watching season one

I know why though. Because he bloody got tricked by the old guy. I got worked by Seth Rollins in this big leg

I was the last person to figure it out. I'll probably skip season two

just because so much of it is based on the fake injury that nobody fell for

But they're going to do a whole season trying to convince you that people fell for it. They'll find some tweets, won't they

John Pollock called it out in day one. It was wide open

I saw a clip of Road Dog crying as well. I'm like, what the heck is going on here

I don't know. It's a bit extra. But I think there's no harm in it as long as you recognise what it is

And look, it's 50%. I will say there's sort of friends of mine who thankfully are outside this bubble that we're in

that just sort of very casually go like, is Taker coming back from Mania or whatever

They watch it and talk to me about it. So I think it is a bit of a hook for people. But then the thing with that is like the people who are not as in the weeds watch it

and go, wow, they really did fool people with it. Yeah, exactly. It's like brainwashing. It's fed brainwashing in a lot of ways

so yeah it's not for me but I did enjoy watching season 1 I probably skip season 2 to be honest unless there like unless there something really funny I don know Like Abyss does a funny dance Yeah poor Abyss is going to get it isn he

Yeah. Fed brainwashing there, not to be confused with New Japan brainwashing

which is what happened to Shibata, of course. Yeah, they literally washed it

Yeah. Alright, give his brain a rub. Yeah, rub it down, get the soap

in there, and then pop it back in. Job's a good one. Right, let's

talk WWE tryouts. It's a big week for that and Brian Alvarez on

social media reporting the full list of names here. I'm just going to read

them out. Some of them I will mention that you may have heard of before but an exciting

time for potential new talent within WWE. Starboy Charlie. I'll go through the men

first. Starboy Charlie who's worked for GCW. Apologies in advance by the way. I'm going to butcher

some of these names. I'm not going to say this is going to matter. It's not going to be the name in WWE. That's all that really matters

Leon Lacombo, Jack Pasquale not related to the... To Joe? Yeah. Manny Lowe, Jeremiah Lakwani, a social media influencer from Bali

who competed on the Netflix reality show Physical Asia. I like this name already

Keep this. Blade Brown. Blade Brown. That's good. Ben Finiseth, a college football player

Jaryl Rivera, Bupinder Gujar. You might have seen him in TNA. Tyler Jordan, James Carnick, a Canadian basketball player

I love like you get all these indie wrestlers and it's just like, and this guy from a random sport that we're going to try and make into a wrestler

Manny House and Bruce Hamilton, someone who competed in 2025, America's strongest marine competition

This guy's huge and he's got a beard, so they should sign him. Aha, there you go

Moving over to the women, you've got Noor Phoenix-Diana, who you might remember recently lost a title to Mercedes-Money when she was on that tear

Ellie Finch, a track and field star from Michigan State. KJ Johnson, gymnastics regional champion

A lot of success with gymnasts, of course, in WWE recently. A Mexican MMA fighter by the name of Regina Tarrin

Multiple sports person here. Casey Sheoff, basketball, lacrosse, and cross country. You've got Sally Grace, a social media sports influencer

and a vlogger and snowboarder who goes by the name of Alyssa Daniel. Best of luck to all of them

Yeah, interesting list. Obviously, can't really say much about the surfer and the gymnastic

the people we've never heard of before. I saw a picture of Bross Hamilton and was like, yep

This guy is freaking huge. He's the year of the big boy

I think Starboy Charlie has been on the indies for ages, and he's still very young, and I think that he is someone

they'll definitely pick up. he just fits the modern kind of WWE developmental mould to a T

he's really good I don't know if maybe he was listed as his real name or maybe this report

missed him off but LeBron Kozone who was in he was like the centrepiece of Deadlock

pro before it kind of shattered in December he's the most he's the best

he's the best guy amongst this group for me from the people I know

he's absolutely fantastic and if WWE doesn't pick him up as a result of this tryout

they are literally the stupidest company in the world so yeah good luck to them all

look the majority of these people when they come into WWE they'll get new

names and all of this stuff anyway so the version that they are at the moment will not

be the one that turns up on TV but you'd fancy them to pick up a bunch

a bunch of them will be athletes you've never heard of before

sometimes that works out sometimes that works out really well so good luck. If the Wotko

Coach at office attempted a WWE tryout, and I'm going to remove Simon Miller, for obvious reasons

Phil Chambers and Adam Nicholas, the three fittest people that we've got

You take them out of the equation. Who's doing best, do you reckon? Hold what Coach at office I'll give you

I have no idea. I think the old... I think you'd pass out after about five minutes, mate

I don't think you'd be any use at all. I'd get all the exercise by and just pass out and have four people around me

Yeah, you'd be absolutely cooked. I'd have to rescue you can we get an incident report

get a little get a little bandage for you yeah that'd be rough for you

I mean I would be I'd be the guy being sick in a bucket from the Louis Theroux yeah I'd be cooked

in two minutes so I'm going to say Michael Hanflet because he can run quite far he's got great calves

they'd make something about his calves I mean the second best in the office with these new shots

that we've got in the new office we've got you can see more of our legs on the What Culture podcast

our big money maker plan for the summer is to get his calves out I tell you shorts are going to be an issue

when you're sitting here like this Shorts are going to be in there. Don't you see up your..

You never get... You never know what you're going to get on the news every morning. Yeah, I mean, you do, because I'm not going to do that

How'd that get in there? But yeah. Jesus, people. All right, let's cut this

Cut this. Best look for everyone to go for their tryouts. Lights out, Gorilla Radio

Cut that out is what we're doing here. Not turn it up. If you enjoyed this video, check out the video on your screen right now

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