Journeys in Fandom
Step into the world of fandom with Matt and Tim as they take you on a wild ride through the pop culture universe. This isn't just any podcast - it's a journey with two mates who are unapologetically passionate about all things comics, film, TV and more.
Journeys in Fandom
2024 WWE Royal Rumble Review
Step right up to the ringside seat of our latest gabfest, where the slam and spectacle of wrestling collide with the time-warping adventures of Doctor Who. Feel the pulse-racing excitement as we reminisce about TNA's heyday and the seismic moment when The Undertaker's streak shattered, shocking fans. Meanwhile, the Whovian universe is all a tizzy with Millie Gibson's enigmatic exit, sparking a wildfire of conjectures and introducing a baffling new character that's got everyone talking.
Hold onto your championship belts as we gaze on the powerhouse women who dominated the WWE Royal Rumble, from Jordynne Grace's remarkable debut to unexpected cameos that left us yearning for more. Hear the hilarity of the in-ring escapades, including the bewildering case of the vanishing hair extensions and the potential perils of Bianca Belair's formidable braid. Keeping it real, we don't gloss over the serious stuff. We dive into the essential safety nets that keep our wrestling heroes safe as they defy gravity and entertain the masses with their incredible stunts.
Finally, it's a full-on slobber knocker as we forecast the glittering marquee of WrestleMania's future matchups. The glam and glitter might see Cody, Reigns, and The Rock himself shake the very foundations of WWE's grandest stage. We're dishing out the inside scoop with our fingers firmly on the pulse of WWE's ever-evolving star power, rumoured comebacks, and the looming question of who can unseat Rhea Ripley. Don't miss our next episode, where we'll switch gears and get all psychological with gaming strategies – it's a fond farewell until then, but only for a moment because the ring's never too far when you're part of our crew.
Hello and welcome once again to Journey to Infantum. We're back.
Speaker 2:Again, we're going to talk about wrestling.
Speaker 1:Wrestling brother. Oh yeah, we're going to talk like that for the next two hour, dude.
Speaker 2:I mean we can't do that, because I've always been destroyed after five minutes.
Speaker 1:Well, why can't you speak when I'm back at work? All you see, dude, yeah.
Speaker 2:You see, you brother, we're talking about wrestling. Wwe Royal Rumble.
Speaker 1:We're taking a diversion from our usual Doctor who related banter, tv related banter Wrestling.
Speaker 2:We haven't talked about wrestling for ages on this podcast at all. Yeah, not for this series, but back in series one, as I lovingly call it. We did yes. Did you do a rumble or no? Was it a rumble or a WrestleMania, or?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it might have been. Yeah, was it the WrestleMania when Undertaker lost?
Speaker 2:the street. Yes, it was, it was. Oh god, I think it was that one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's because that's a long time ago.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because we could barely form a sentence.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was one of those kind of things, I wasn't prepared. Where were you when you were taking lost the street?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes, indeed, I think for context for our listeners, viewers, watchers, followers, obviously me and Tim do like a bit of wrestling. Yes, and have seen it live a few times.
Speaker 1:Yes, we saw TNA when that was over in the UK.
Speaker 2:Yeah, back when TNA was big Good I confirmed my love for Velvet Sky.
Speaker 1:I saw actually on Facebook memories there was the shot of your face watching Velvet Sky's Rear End Jiggle About, and it didn't make me chuckle that we were going to do this episode this week.
Speaker 2:Good times. Good times, yeah, back when.
Speaker 1:TNA was really, really massive. It's still going. Yeah, it's actually been renamed itself back to TNA, so that's kind of very timely.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Obviously we need to do a new segment.
Speaker 1:Oh, there's been a list of how much news there's been over the last. I don't know. It's been a bit like two or three weeks since we last spoke. Yeah, when should we start? Millie Gibson, what would you do? Yeah, what would you do? Doctor who news or Rathland news? Well, let's do, let's do, let's start with the good stuff and then we'll segue into the weird and wonderful stuff.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so has Millie Gibson been replaced on Doctor who? That seems to be the biggest question, doesn't it? It's all a bit weird.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because all of the news sites are saying that she's left and has been replaced in season two, so she's ended on a one season companion.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and there's it's. It's when I first sort of saw the stuff it reminded me of when the BBC was a leak in ship all those years ago, because it just came out of left field at, the Daily Mirror reported on it and then everyone else latched on it. But then obviously they've been doing the outside filming with this new lady and I'm just Googling it because I can never remember a name.
Speaker 1:So, and they haven't confirmed or denied anything, but it's blatantly obvious that she's not there, although apparently she's filming three episodes of season two. She is. They have done some filming with it not that long ago and that is season two filming, so it's all a bit weird. What's the lady's name?
Speaker 2:It's still the gap when I find it.
Speaker 1:I don't know anything.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's a pronunciation isn't it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I've never heard of her, but she's been in other stuff, but it's weird. It is weird and I don't buy into this, I think the unconfirmness allows the conspiracy theorists among us to speculate.
Speaker 2:Yes, of course.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because we've had I've unconfirmed on Twitter. I don't know where they got this from that she was sacked because she was rubbish.
Speaker 1:She wasn't a good actress, which I can't believe. That no, and then there was people saying she's sacked because she was a diva on set Weird. Other people say it was just the story Angle-Line has run its course and she's just going. Other people say because of a random comment that Russell made on the commentary about when she returned. I've heard it. It's like he makes an offhand comment about oh, when you return to Coronation Street, we'll make sure they put your name bigger on the titles, as if to kind of sort of say oh well, she was only there for a bit and she's going back. It's all a bit weird. I wish to be able to see just or whoever would just come out and just because, like you say, they fill in the gaps with stuff and it's just like just come out and say, just be honest.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's where no news becomes news, isn't it? It's that problem, I'm sure. And, interestingly, a few people still say to me well, our companions leave after one series. I went you're young, aren't you? Oh sweet summer child.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because Bill did, but then that was because they got rid of. It was the complete regeneration thing. So it's not hasn't been done. I think the thing is because they made such a big thing about her origins. That's what kind of got me is. It's a bit weird. They do it after season.
Speaker 2:But then again you had Marth was a one season companion, Dono was a one season companion.
Speaker 1:It's not unheard of but it might just be the storylines run its course and that's it. They're just finishing it off, yeah.
Speaker 2:Who knows that openness allows people to speculate in one way.
Speaker 1:Some of the nutters online is annoying. People are well, it's because it's BBC and they've got to get their quotas in. I said no, it could just be that, a her storyline has gone and, b they've just replaced her with another actress who happens to be of Indian origin, anyway. So, yeah, no, they don't. People are just filling in the gaps and that just annoys me. I personally, I think, yeah, storylines just run its course.
Speaker 2:I'll be disappointing because, like I said in our review thing, I really liked her, but it is what it is, and I think the reason why the beep have not confirmed or denied either way will be because it keeps it in the news cycle, doesn't it? It keeps it in the head. Speculation on based on nothing keeps people talking about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because it's not as if they didn't know this was going to happen, because whenever they have outside filming, it always happens. That's why they have to get ahead of the game with like costume reveals and stuff. So yeah, they're not stupid.
Speaker 2:None of them are stupid. We joked that Tuti might have left before he's ever even aired. That was the joke, wasn't it it?
Speaker 1:still might happen.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Because if they finished filming series two before May and he goes, then they would be weird, but anyway we shall see. So the thing is, I think people still think we're in old, new who were universe where things happened in the same order and things happen the way they always have them. We're not. This isn't the BBC filming it. This is bad wolf. This is Disney. This is Sony. This is all sort of. Everything is different, so don't assume what we've had before is going to happen the same way again. It is not. Yeah.
Speaker 2:The old, the old adage of three series in regenerate the Davidson special.
Speaker 1:Oh, now maybe it's two series in regenerate.
Speaker 2:Who knows, who knows.
Speaker 1:Who knows, who knows. That's that news. Was there any other news? Before we get to the creepy portion of the new segment.
Speaker 2:It's creepy news time.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah. So for wrestling fans out there, where do we start with this one? It's been a roller coaster of WWE in the last seven days because it started off with the Netflix deal, which, yes, this is going to be awesome. So Netflix have bought the TV rights to WWE and from 2025 in the UK they're going to show raw Smackdown, nxt, all the TV things on Netflix, as, basically, the network shuts down and everything is now moving into into Netflix.
Speaker 2:Happy days.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the rock is now.
Speaker 2:Does that mean we're getting the full catalog as well?
Speaker 1:Yeah, the back catalog shifting from the WWE network, because in America that's already moved to Peacock Paramount, so the international market was the only market that had the network left. That's all going to be moved on to Netflix, we assume. Yeah, networks can get shut down and everything's now going on Netflix.
Speaker 2:Wasn't that deal worth like five billion or something? It was crazy money. Crazy they literally said double it, you can just bought the entire company, kind of thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's. Netflix paid absolute fortune for it because in the states the TV rights for Raw and Smackdown is like a massive thing. So the fact they've moved it off cable again we're not so we don't get that over here, but off to the cable thing it's now shifted to streaming. It's going to be weird.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm looking forward to it because it means I get to watch Raw and Smackdown again. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Because I was supposed to play in getting TNT sports this year, just for a bit of a laugh to watch it. But I'm going to leave it now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sweet. So that was that news, yeah.
Speaker 1:The Rocks on the board of the TKO, the overall thingy. So he's back on board and he's got the right to his name.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, he owns a right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so he can call Not, these are going to do that, but he could do so, yeah, so that was positive news. And then, literally, was it a day later, coincidentally, vince McMahon. Well, two days later, vince McMahon has now resigned the day before the lawsuit. That, for a long story short. For those who don't know he's last year. Was it last year? Yeah, it was last year. Yeah, 2023. Vince resigned and then came back after a string of allegations came out that he had been paying off women for having sexual relations with them over the course of numerous years, when he's been in his seventies, and then that kind of he resigned and then he forces his way back in because he's still owned the overall share of the company. And then he sold his own company, basically, and he was now executive chairman of TKO, which is obviously what we just said. They were overarching company, because obviously UFC is the other half of this company I should, we should mention.
Speaker 2:And then this week it was interesting because obviously Steph became like in your de facto president.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then, as soon as he reappeared, she just went she quit and was gone and a few other directors left as well. And there was that internal investigation and he, he, he was said he'd pay back all the money he'd been using company funds to pay off these women. Yeah, everyone kind of thought, oh, that's it, it's done and dusted. Not done and dusted, but you know what I mean. He's kind of like it's died down. And then this week one of the ladies who was in it broke her NDA and I thought, oh, that's quite interesting. And you got all the sorted details. I'm not going to want to speak about some of the sort of details you can Google. Vince McMahon yeah, legal.
Speaker 2:It's not just him, is it? Oh no, it's. It's Well, it's John.
Speaker 1:John Lauren, yeah, yeah, who's he was.
Speaker 2:He was. He got fired in the round last time, yeah.
Speaker 1:And we knew about that.
Speaker 1:But we know about them all detail and then brought Lesnar, got pulled into it as of this week and he's now on. Well, not that he was really featured, but he wasn't in the rumble today, yesterday, and he's now just going to, probably going to lie low to the all. Just need to come back. He's got enough money, so he's now involved in it all. I think that was it and there's more to it. I think that was it and there's been there's lots of finger pointing now going on, because Vince has now reside again.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But there's lots of finger pointing going on who else knew who else was complicit? And they need to get rid of a lot of people.
Speaker 2:I saw a note saying for the first time like ever, there is no McMahon's involved in WWE.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because Shane had that disaster at WrestleMania last year and injured himself, and he was never involved anyway because he'd resigned while he got fired.
Speaker 2:Yeah, obviously Steph had gone, so Triple H is the only link to the family left.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, it was bizarre. And he reads some of that stuff and he thinks if half of that is true, he was in his 70s, when he was doing it as well, because he was more creepy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, innocent to prevent guilty. But come on, mate.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's a lot there that you just can't be sure that these women's not made up all this, because it just is creepy.
Speaker 2:There's a line where you go, you can make stuff up, but that's no.
Speaker 1:There's got to be some truth to it somewhere and it's like, oh God, yeah, so he's gone, we will not be back. Is it a positive? I think it is Well, because he's already gone in his what's the word?
Speaker 2:In the creative side.
Speaker 1:When they merged it, they got rid of him and it's the WWE thing for a while was rubbish and it's now starting to make sense. There's still some rubbish bits in it, don't you're wrong? But there's long term storyline now happening and it's like oh, this is really exciting and the Rumble is a classic case of it. I'll come to that later, but it is starting to make sense.
Speaker 2:Again you've got the issue with him, where sometimes you can see a scouser is happening and then, like the power of Vince just appears from nowhere and you go. Oh God, really yeah, yeah and you go, come on, behave. Yeah so him going.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it makes sense and obviously now that they were bought out by a bigger company. They were never going to keep him because they only had Slim. Jim had already pulled out of sponsorship earlier in the week, so they had to do something. So, it'll go into legal world, and but I can't see him going back, can't see them bringing back.
Speaker 2:But obviously it was interesting to let him leave rather than getting rid of him because obviously to save face everybody involved yeah, he's just save face.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's only just shaved his mustache off, wasn't he? So maybe he's tried that.
Speaker 2:Oh God, the mustache, oh God. And he's like I don't want to be a knife.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you just think no, it's not right. 1930s silent movie villain mustache.
Speaker 2:Oh Christ, but yeah, so the rumble. I confess I'm very out of touch with Rasslin because I only have access to the network, so anything I can watch is always well out of date, because I'm not going to pay for a sports channel to watch it live because I haven't got time or the money. But I enjoyed both the women's and men's rumble and I made notes.
Speaker 1:I basically didn't say who's that, who's that.
Speaker 2:Where did they come from? Some of them are who is that? And also, what gimmick is this kind of thing? But some of them were quite good.
Speaker 1:This might just be an educational episode of the podcast, then.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, you just ask me questions and I tell you what's going on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I'm fully expecting it to. So should we start the women's rumble? Because obviously, yeah, that's the first thing on.
Speaker 1:I thought for the first time since they started doing the women's rumble, it was the first time they haven't had to fill the gaps with loads of women from like 20 years ago. This is the first time they've had 30 women in there who are from the current roster and they don't involve like the Trish Stratus era of legends.
Speaker 1:I thought it was brilliant because it's been every year. You get a few in there. I did not get enough, but this is the first year that they've actually got a full complement of 30. If not more, actually it's more on the sidelines that they could have brought through.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I thought the TNA champ was amazing, Jordan Gray oh yeah, I like Jordan.
Speaker 1:She was great.
Speaker 2:She was brilliant and she was able to come in relatively early and just show off how good she is. Yeah, and I thought for WWE to do that. That's bold, that's new.
Speaker 1:They did it two or three years ago with Mickie James was the TNA champion.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but Mickie James and Mickie James, yeah, she's the legend. Anyway, it's slightly different. Yeah, this is.
Speaker 1:Jordan Gray, who's like never been in WWE. Yeah, he's still relatively young and not been on that main stage.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and she was. She looked strong.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, definitely yeah.
Speaker 2:She was kind of like when her and Ivy were going up against her. He went oh Christ, this is too powerful woman knocking seven older Happy days, so they've obviously got a good relationship with TNA.
Speaker 1:now again.
Speaker 2:I thought the only thing is yes, she looked strong, she did good work. She didn't eliminate anyone, though I would have liked to see that. Yeah, fair point. Yeah, but she stayed quite a while and I suppose she was in there for a good time, but that's the thing, because no one really got eliminated for quite a bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they kind of bring up a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and she was able to do a thing, but it would have been nice for her to get eliminated. That was my thing, Bianca Blair, her entrance, where she slipped on her ropes and I thought Christ is she about?
Speaker 1:to like. I miss that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm sure she's. Yeah, I had to get back and watch it because she jumps on the top rope and her foot slips and she kind of falls into the ring. Oh, Jesus Christ. No, I miss that bit. Yeah, Her hair worries me Every time she doesn't move. She's going just one foot at a place and it's all over.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a real hair and it's been growing. It's the gimmick.
Speaker 2:Yeah, my health and safety hack.
Speaker 1:you just twitching whenever I say I go no, cut my hair or she got eliminated way towards the end, and Tiffany Stratten was just pulling on it, I was like, oh, that's cool, yeah, even though she had a hand on it.
Speaker 2:It's still going to have to hurt. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And like you see, in the ring there was chunks of it, there was chunks of black.
Speaker 1:That was the one thing that made me chuck about the women's rumble all the way around the outside with bits of hair and eyelashes and all sorts of like accessories that had fallen off during the match. Yeah, it was kind of like you have to go over the little brush to sweep it all up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's her name? Blazer Brazier or whatever? The submission specialist? Oh, shayda Bader. Yes, I think she looked great and the fact she's wearing like a Warhammer Blood Angel outfit, just tickled me.
Speaker 1:She's a bit of a nerd. She's on the gaming thing they do yeah.
Speaker 2:Yes, I looked her up and went yes, I'm here for this. I'm with you, love. It's great, chelsea Green getting out of her, obliterated by Nia Jackson.
Speaker 1:Chelsea's. I love Chelsea. She's just so funny. Some of her stuff is making the little skits with her and she's just genius at those little bits where she just kept getting squashed.
Speaker 2:I was just going yes, I'm here for this, this is fun, and you know it's coming and she just kept getting more and more obliterated every time I go love, just look after yourself, just please, yeah, don't get hurt.
Speaker 1:No, she's great and a good character.
Speaker 2:I thought Roxanne Perez was also really good. She just was great fun. I thought what's her name? Piper.
Speaker 1:Piper Niven.
Speaker 2:Out of shape. Yeah, whenever she did anything, she all looked out of breath and out of shape.
Speaker 1:She's, it was an odd one. Yeah, she's an interesting one because she's obviously trying to be trying to be nice. She's obviously on the larger side anyway. But I think her for her to be fair, her costume didn't do her justice. I thought she was going to take those shoulder things off.
Speaker 2:Yeah I. I wanted to join her and thought had she been out of action for a while, cause she? She looked winded the entire time.
Speaker 1:No, she's been. She's tagged teams with Chelsea they recently lost the belts. No, I thought a costume kind of distracted a lot, I think, cause normally she doesn't wear stuff like that.
Speaker 2:Um, I thought Nia Jax looked really strong and actually the set up they did to make her look strong. And then Jay Cargid in, just wait, yep, one on one. See you later, love, I went. Yeah, it was so telegraph, but beautiful.
Speaker 1:It was interesting cause a lot of people say I like the anyways, that she's back is cause the rock is her cousin and she gets a job. But then they set her up really well. I think that was because that thing you said earlier about they didn't do many eliminations at the start was cause Nia was coming in, so Nia would start knocking them down. And yeah, you're right, the kind of the cause. Do you know the backstory to Jay Cargid?
Speaker 1:No no, so she was from AEW, so she was an AEW original that left and came over. Basically law I can sit here now was talking about how badly a w manages to manage talent, but they basically mungled a bit. She's got that star look, but she's not a very good wrestler. So they've had their WWE for ages trainer and this was a big debut and obviously they're really going to push it now and that bit was really good which just came in and just leathered everybody and then just lifted Nia.
Speaker 2:She looked amazing yeah.
Speaker 1:No, she does look really good. She's got that star power. It'd be interesting to see how she does in the ring, because she is not that good. But in AEW they kept her a bit like Goldberg. They kept her protected and she was running over everybody. But she also eliminated Becky, which I thought was wow, and Naomi as well, so that was pretty impressive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I missed Becky's image. I had to go back and see where she'd gone and honestly, I thought Becky's image is even lovely. That's going to be cool and then next week I probably could go and miss her.
Speaker 1:Jade, I can see they're going to push her now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think the fact that Nia had everybody against her she would just literally push off the entire ring. Yeah, I've got this. And then when she walks in, she goes, she goes, I've got your number and just heats her up the ring. I thought Tiffany Shratten.
Speaker 1:she looked great Her first double move was really good, she does that really cool. I don't know what the name is, the kind of cartwheel thing where she cartwheels into them and then grabs them and twists them around and puts them down. She's great on NXT. I think she's awesome. She's kind of gone from this really weird character into this really good wrestler. So again another one that's still in NXT that obviously is going to come up at some point.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there was the last from the development centre who I don't even think she's in the NXT or something. You could tell she was new, but she was getting some good stuff happening. I quite liked the amount of protection on the outside. So like when you're doing high impact moves and you've got people just throwing people off their shoulders, you've got other people outside just catching them. It doesn't look like they're catching them, if that makes sense. I thought, yeah, if you just smash into that ring at side, that was going to ruin you.
Speaker 1:So it was good to see. It was good to see you protected well, Because often you see the setup for that when you see them all kind of gathering and it looks kind of naff yeah. But this time they didn't cut away as much so you didn't see the build up to the setup, which was good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it would be one or two people just getting there and you could just go. Yeah, actually that's a nice cushion landing. Otherwise, yeah, you're just going to break something. I thought car is hanging on the edge with just a feet planted. I thought myself she's going to get back in. She's going to get back in.
Speaker 1:She's going to do something cool.
Speaker 2:And then she was gone and I went, oh, come on. And I thought, please, and I'd love to live more. She's great, she's going to be back with you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, she's all right yeah.
Speaker 2:Fair enough.
Speaker 1:My type is the George Grace type, so I'm quite happy with that yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm glad she was fat and.
Speaker 1:I like Bailey one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because that is, you know, three?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is long-term storyline because if you've not obviously you've not seen it is. She's got that group of damage control which is ask a Kyrie saying who weren't supposed to be in the rubble and that's why Bailey was a bit like Miff to why they were there and also Dakota Kai, who's injured isn't it as well. But they've been teasing for ages that they're all going to kick Bailey out because they keep kind of hinting that she's the weak link and stuff like that. So this is going to be. I can see this being a massive oh. Eo.
Speaker 1:Sky is the other member who is the women's champion. You probably saw him when it's her rear Ripley watching on the monitor. Yeah, there's going to be a face turn for Bailey here. They are going to either kick her out of the group before she gets a chance to pick the champion and then all she's just going to come back to face EO WrestleMania. I don't think she's going to go after rear Ripley. She's going to go, for they're going to make the decision for her, if that makes sense, but it's been. This story has been running since way back.
Speaker 2:Cause they're also saying yeah, cause they're also saying that, of all the belts, the one that damage control haven't had is rears, isn't it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so the other option is they go for the rear one, she wins it and then they kick her out, but I don't know.
Speaker 2:I could see them flipping that and yeah, cause Ripley has been champion forever Since that's WrestleMania. Yeah, that actually really is great, so long as she continues, cause actually a Bailey face off would be interesting. But yeah, I feel like you said, actually if she gets kicked down, can't back as the avenging angel, almost.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that's what they're aiming for, cause Rhea could go off against the face Becky or somebody else, and it would work at you as well, but that would be a good storyline.
Speaker 2:Cause Bayley got bigger as well. Cause obviously I remember Bayley like, yeah, she's quite skinny when she came in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she's she's uh, she's been for a while now she's. She's been a heel. She's been a heel for ages, but she was out injured for about I can't remember how long. It was six months, couple of years ago, and not long after they came back from COVID. So she's certainly a lot. They're bulked up since last time she was a face, but I can see her. They're doing that that heel turn and just kick her out of the group.
Speaker 2:Yeah, now, overall I thought the women's rumble was really good.
Speaker 1:I actually thought it was better than the men's one.
Speaker 2:I agree that's what that was going to be. Far more entertaining. Yeah, uh, I thought our truth just randomly appearing in middle of it. I'm going on here.
Speaker 1:He's brilliant. Some people actually hate him, but I think it's really funny All the stuff he does, cause he's got that. That one year he came to the rumble and set up a ladder and started climbing it in the middle of the ring and looked up for the thing and there was nothing there. Uh yeah, it's just just our truth. He's just brilliant and the thing is, that's all he does, but he gets paid to do it and it's just those little comedy skits that he's always involved in. He just say, oh, he's genius.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's just yeah, I'm here for you, I'm all about this. Um, admittedly, was it um, is it Val Haller who was the last coming when he ran in and, obviously, like she literally ran in, just got dumped out straight away. Oh I love, if I, if I were you, I'd be really miffed.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Put your makeup on and it did serve. Then you were in the rumble for so, yeah, that was a, it was, it was good. But yeah, like I said, my main takeaways were Piper, just looking at a shape Baby was fantastic. Um, it was good to see everyone was doing something.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Um, it wasn't just. This is obviously he's going to win. You couldn't have called it from early on?
Speaker 1:Yeah, both rumbles. You didn't really know. So that's been nice first year ever that it's not been obvious who's going to win.
Speaker 2:Yeah, uh, I confess I thought it was going to be uh Jade and um Bailey as the last two Um, and then, obviously, when Jake got dumped out, and then just um live follower and actually that works quite well.
Speaker 1:It was a quick ending and I think that worked, yeah. And then she played into Bailey's character as well. The way she cut us all like took advantage of it, yeah.
Speaker 2:And everyone looked strong in it. That's the thing. There was no. No one got looked bad in the whole thing. Um, so, yeah, the month the men's rumble.
Speaker 1:Well, I know you didn't watch him. Uh, the two matches in between you had, uh, Logan Paul versus Kevin Owens, US title.
Speaker 2:Uh, Logan Paul, I couldn't tell us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, logan Paul, we tell you he's good, he's a, he's a, he's a, he's, he is. Can he wrestle, can he go?
Speaker 2:to the side and he actually do, yeah, wow.
Speaker 1:He's. He's a dick and everyone hates him and he plays into that so much. And it works, cause when he first came a couple of years ago, they were trying to make him a face and it's like no, everyone hates him cause he's a dick.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And he's now playing into it and it's working. So he tried to cheat. Basically, at the end, brass knuckles, kevin Owens got all of them and then the referee saw it and basically just qualified him. Yeah, take it or leave it. And then he was like Roman retained against styles LA night and uh or it was good match but uh, bloodline got involved again and road brains won and as he should do really. So he'll meal roll on, and those guys, I think we'll go their own separate ways, going into mania now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um. So the men's rumble. Yeah, you so often that was a good start.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Good start Cause it's kind of yeah.
Speaker 2:One and two and they can pound seven shades of crap out of you ever gone.
Speaker 1:Cause yeah, cause. A lot of people speculate where they're going to face. This is at WrestleMania, and you can argue that they probably still could cause there was a lot of rumor going around last year that Rikishi was going to come in to be the special guest referee, and that'd be. That'd be awesome as well. So the fact that was at WrestleMania, that'd be a nice little match there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, uh, shinsuke Nakamura looked great I thought he was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they've been doing a lot of good work with him cause they're three years. They kind of let him spin his wheels a bit, but they're trying to get a lot more Japanese stars in, so they're boosting up the triple yes, triple H is really pushing it.
Speaker 2:I noticed that in the. I noticed that the women's rumble there was loads of like Japanese stars, and actually this is really good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're not stereotypical Japanese isms that Vince used to do. They're actually making these guys, letting them speak in Japanese, letting them do what they want, rather than making a really sort of stereotypical and it seems to be working, so watch this space, I think.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Um, my next, my next note. I prepared for this. Uh, Ludwig Kaiser, what the hell?
Speaker 1:Oh, he's great, so he's obviously with comfort.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think my note is simply what are they meant to?
Speaker 1:be Well. Gunther Felssey is awesome and he's kind of like Gunther Spokesperson, so when they do the proper entrance he does the vote, the vote he introduces him, and recent they've actually featured him quite well recently. Normally he's just like a stooge who just gets beaten up, but recently he's because he's other partners. He's got two of them. Uh, the guy got injured, genuinely got injured. So he's kind of on his own at the moment and he's kind of come out of his skin a little bit and he's just got a bit like over the top. But it seems to be working quite well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Cause I looked for I don't know what this is.
Speaker 1:I'm not here for it. I think he's Austrian, like Gunther or German, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:The fact that the hands behind the back of, almost like he's, stepping around the room I was going.
Speaker 1:this is bold, I don't know what you're doing, but it's just like kind of East German Austrian arrogance. That's basically what it is, and he did work quite well.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, it was the arrogance combined like a campness and I went I'm, I'm, I'm here. Often theory um turned up, did nothing, got dumped out. It's a shame.
Speaker 1:He's cause. I listened to quite a lot of podcasts and a lot of people rave about how good he is and he was, unfortunately. The only downside of Vince leaving was he's just been pushed right down the the pecking order cause it was. He was like Vince's little pet project and you kind of get the feeling maybe he's getting punished because he was Vince's favorite. But he's really really good. He beat Cena last WrestleMania. He's good, but he's just not been given the opportunity to do much. He's stuck with grace and wallow. Grace and wallows. It's annoying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um Bronson breaker breaker uh being yes.
Speaker 1:Bronson, Rick Steiner and a nephew of Scott, but they didn't keep his name. They've got a stupid name, but apart from that, the NXT yeah.
Speaker 2:I thought he looked really strong and really good and obviously, when, um, oh most most, whatever his name is came in, did it set up, cause he had to turn up a direct house. And then suddenly the big guy turns up and he go oh crap, that was going to be able to move him. He goes don't worry, boys, I got this.
Speaker 1:He makes sense. I was reading this evening he he, he brought the spot in the rumble. So all the people that he interacted with was how Brock would have interacted with them. So basically just filled the gap. So when you look at it you go, oh yeah, cause Lesnar phase, oh, I'm asked at WrestleMania last year and stuff like that, so kind of you can see where that came from.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm now right now. My notes are making sense. There's a Bronson as well.
Speaker 1:Cause they double.
Speaker 2:Yes, double slam.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Two guys on the shoulders.
Speaker 2:I went actually, that's again Nice displays of strength that you do just nice to see, yeah, yeah. I'm pretty glad. What else the glook on Gunford's face when Dom Mysterio just chops him?
Speaker 1:Nope, don't touch me, I will break you, because his chops are just vicious.
Speaker 2:Just go.
Speaker 1:YouTube. And just Walter was his original name, just Googling.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's just been wealth, isn't it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, when you see it and you see him hit the chest and then muscles and stuff like that, dom Mysterio was great. He was really annoying as a face. And when they turn him here and he's like real kind of like chicken shit, heel now and he's just like so funny and he's brilliant.
Speaker 2:So yeah, so when he just chops him and then Gunford just goes, nope, just slaps him, that's about the way. Yeah, I'm here for this. Kofi Kingston. I thought was going to do the normal Kofi Portion. Well, here we go.
Speaker 1:He just turned Dom down the woman, Katana Chance, the tag team. She does the same thing for the women. She didn't do anything either. So I don't know whether they just stop doing that because, like she's done a couple of like handstands and walking on the balconies and stuff before.
Speaker 2:I think that was the thing I was expecting it. Perhaps that's why I didn't do it, because he's here, he's here in some coffee bullshit.
Speaker 1:Couple of times last year, I think he botched it. He's botched it a few times. He made a mistake, so maybe they just thought, no, we're not going to do it this year. Ivar the big guy.
Speaker 2:He's really mobile for a big lad, isn't he?
Speaker 1:Oh, because there's two of them, the other ones injured and they are really. They're really light on their feet for someone who's like much about 400 pounds.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because my note simply says what is Ivar? He's mobile for a big man. Yeah, because he just kept bouncing around like a walkway kind of thing. Yeah, definitely, Pat the commentator Pat Caffee.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he was great fun.
Speaker 2:Just walks in, looks at the river and goes actually and just walks out again.
Speaker 1:Again, he can wrestle and he has done. Yeah, yeah, so but yeah, that was just. I thought it was just the way he just went no that's it. I'll just walk straight back down and get back out, because when he had over more sand.
Speaker 2:I'm drawn in there. And he went yeah, to be fair, mate, I'll move you on that, pat you've got to be fair, that either. Our truth again turns up, thinks it's a tag match. I'm here for you, mate.
Speaker 1:I thought he invested and we actually got when he got the tag, and then we just went.
Speaker 2:Ah, yes, and then he's wearing his what's Tom's faction called.
Speaker 1:Oh, the different day t-shirt with his little name on the bottom.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's wearing his t-shirt. Yeah, and he was part of it.
Speaker 1:He's got another t-shirt, which is genius, right, it's like enough. He must make it all up himself because he just one of the episodes of Roy, just kind of said oh yes, we're like I haven't seen Tom and Nick Mysterio recently, but they're my best buddies and there's now a t-shirt with him and this Dominic Mysterio with two different outfits on Tom and Nick Mysterio and you can see some of the like judgment day creasing up and like breaking character when he's making these jokes, trying not to laugh because he's just like coming up with all this crazy stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's the thing. Is here when he's just doing like proper, basically stand-up comedy. I'm here for you, oh oh truth. He's been around for years.
Speaker 1:He's nearly 50. I'm sure someone said he's nearly 50. He looks exactly the same about because he's done TNA. He was in TNA Now. He was the second ever well NWA at the time champion after Ken Shamrock. But he's done TNA. He's been WRAV4 there. He's been around for nearly 20 years. Gotta be.
Speaker 2:And that's the thing he looks good, he still can go and he's just doing fun. He just having fun. I went my yank, I'm fully invested Seeing Punk in a Rumble. Didn't think I'd see that again. Yeah, that was Owen, yeah.
Speaker 1:If someone had said to me this time last year that he'd have CM Punk and Cody Rhodes in the final of the Brawl Rumble, be like what.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what are you smoking, mate?
Speaker 1:At least the number thing, bonkers, but it's great to see him there.
Speaker 2:The Sammy and Drew McIntyre elimination, just a kiss.
Speaker 1:Again storyline Because Drew blames Sammy, when he's part of the bloodline this time last year or before this time last year, for getting him injured and get a chance at the title. So the whole backstory to that elimination, which was brilliant.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because the commentators are going. Oh yeah, we have not seen Sammy or him since this.
Speaker 1:I thought, oh, I don't know exactly what's going to happen, and it was just brilliant.
Speaker 2:Again. Gunther was just brilliant. I loved him. And having Punk and Cody Rose, yeah, last.
Speaker 1:Because of what, I really didn't know who was going to win. That it's kind of like it's going to. It could go either way here, but I think the right person won.
Speaker 2:Yeah, punk coming back and winning. It would make sense, but would be weird. Yeah, he's not. Like I said, he's in WWE for 10 years, hasn't he?
Speaker 1:No Cody is more popular than he is. Yeah, because people some people don't even know who CM Punk is. The fan WWE fans who are new, have not seen it, don't know who he is yet. Really they know he's a big star. But no Cody was is super popular. Even after all the stuff happened last year, he's still super popular.
Speaker 2:Yeah there's more story to do that and obviously at some point Roman is going down.
Speaker 1:Well, that's it. This is the weird thing. So my, my inkling thought the rock might come out number 30. He didn't, but they're obviously going to pull the trigger now on at some point on Reigns versus a rock. How? Because if Cody the storyline says really that Cody should beat Reigns for the title at WrestleMania, it makes sense. He didn't do it last year, he has to do it this year, but then you've got a massive money match of Reigns versus rock.
Speaker 1:I think, CM Punk will go on to face Rollins if he's, because Rollins is injured at the moment. He's supposedly going to be back for Mania, but Punk will go off and you'll do that title. Somehow They'll make it work. But how does the rock Reigns figure into this whole thing?
Speaker 2:Because he's not going to do something horrific. I make it a three-way speech.
Speaker 1:But I would ruin it. The only thing I could think of that it would work and I was thinking about it today is if it's because last year Cody lost because of the interference in the main event. If the rock comes out to help Cody win against Reigns at WrestleMania and then they do. Do you remember when it was rock versus senior and they did a whole year build to the next WrestleMania, that they do it something straight after WrestleMania where the Reigns challenges the rock career versus bloodline match or something like that, and it's a whole year to build to it.
Speaker 1:That's that's how I, that's how I'd be satisfied, because Cody needs to win, although the most money is with Reigns versus rock. The rock doesn't need the title, but then they like having the belt on Reigns and breaking all these records and I think there's only one left and that's Hogan's 400, and oh, I mean hang on.
Speaker 2:There's a record he hasn't broken. Talking of Hogan, obviously he's an intro. He was, wasn't he? Well, it's four years of the main year.
Speaker 1:It's just gone through. Yeah 1246 days he's held the title fourth longest reign in history since since 1988 because is Roman fully healthy again?
Speaker 2:because obviously he's had all the leukemia issues as well, hasn't he?
Speaker 1:yeah, now he is. He's just part-time because he's now aiming at look, he's looking at Hollywood and stuff like that. He's negotiate a contract, so he's part-time.
Speaker 1:So I don't know, I really don't know how they're gonna do it, but they're literally gonna break all the records and then he just goes the thing is the the rockers obviously came out first of January and they hinted at it and everyone went mad and he said in previous interviews that they were gonna do it last year, year before last, and they didn't know. It's last year because the time wasn't right. Well, the times right. Now he's a, he's on the board. He's not doing much in the film industry because of all the strikes. He's got a clean slate. You'd think now would be the time. If they don't do it mainly when do they do?
Speaker 1:it a Saudi show, the awful they did it there because the whole, you imagine the atmosphere. We don't get wrong, that must be all right.
Speaker 2:But it needs to be in the States, it can't be, yeah, in like you said, with a, with a year to build, sounds really good, but all it takes is one big blockbuster and that plan is.
Speaker 1:I've been treated yeah, yeah, I don't know. I don't want it to be a three way because, cody, you'll get diminished in that three way. Yeah, it's gonna be interesting because it's like well, what do you do with him? How is it? Unless, because the bloodline thing is kind of fizzling out at the moment, it's not as hot as it was unless something happens in between now and mania. Cody beats him. Cody could beat him at elimination chamber with the Rocks.
Speaker 1:Help which then sets up the rock for WrestleMania and Cody could then face CM Punk as an example elimination chamber in Australia and there's loads of rumors were flying around that the Australians wanted the rock and paid an extra to get him, but that's just rumor, so it could be.
Speaker 2:Elimination is the last pay-per-view before again there was talk, whereas the rock was saying he wasn't interested in the title. There was the garland instead the head of the table about the head of the house. Yeah, head of the table yeah so do you be thrown, rains and get a title out of picture and then literally have it a head of the table match it.
Speaker 1:That was really yeah. That would be the only other way to do it is take the title off him.
Speaker 2:Have that win but does that cheapen it?
Speaker 1:it does a bit, though, because then it has to have back-to-back losses, because the only way I was thinking, the only way that Cody would could win the belt to not cheapen it, is if you won it in Madison Square Garden, where his dad won it, and then they took it off him, because that's the whole thing about the story but, he's not going to be in Madison Square Garden for a pay-per-view between now and WrestleMania.
Speaker 1:It's in Australia, so it just doesn't fit. I don't know. I really don't know. I'm really intrigued to see how they're gonna do it, because they'll do it right. They'll do it right. I've got a confidence in them. But it's just like how are they gonna do this to make it work?
Speaker 2:yeah, it's an SP if you built up to the state. If you get it wrong now, this has been years in the making, because you're not gonna have another champion who's gonna have the title for four bloody years. No, it's so much to do it. Yeah, all the names involved.
Speaker 1:It's always gonna be a balancer type rope and to get it right, or it's interesting stuff, so I've been really interested to see how they put, how it pans out over the next couple of weeks and like we said long term story writing done well is a thing of beauty, and it seems to be writing that doesn't land is, or it seems to be coming together and there's been fairly consistent good story lines, because you've got we're running just got injured, so he, yeah, may or may not be back, but he's.
Speaker 1:He's got the animosity with punks, so you can see that happening. You've got Damien Priest, who's got the money in the bank thing hasn't cashed in yet, so he's still floating around. You were gonna I think we were gonna get Gunther versus Brock Lesnar, but that kind of went out the window for obvious reasons, and there was some rumors floating about the other day saying that because John Cena's been talking about he knows when he's final matches gonna be for a retires and a lot of people are thinking the intercontinental championship is the only belt he's never won and Gunther might call him out for an icy title versus career match, which would be obvious he was gonna win.
Speaker 1:But yeah that might be quite interesting. It'd be a good way for him to go out. But there's, yeah, there's, there's lots of, there's lots of pieces all floating about at the moment. There's Randy Orton where do you think Randy Orton, la Knight, where do they go? The thing is that a lot of criticism of the WWE over the last couple of years is they've not had big names. But now they've got a load of big names. Remember WrestleMania used to be Brock Lesnar, triple H, goldberg, all the names they used to bring back John Cena. But now you've got where we go Roman Reigns, cody Rose, cm Punk, aj Styles, la Knight, randy Orton, gunther at seven big names who they finally started building some stars seven people and that's without the women's division.
Speaker 1:Bianca Belair, becky Bailey 10. Charlotte is injured. That's 11. There's so many Rhea, that's not forget Rhea an.
Speaker 2:EO that's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're talking like nearly 20 people 20 names there just for, like, the big name matches yeah so it's really well. That's why Russia may take two nights now, because there's so many of them yeah, I love the double format now and I love it been on a Saturday as well. So the normal pay-per-views. Because you have, to like, suffer through not looking at your social media at work and watch it Sunday night. You can just watch it Sunday morning. It's brilliant yeah.
Speaker 2:So I think, have the WWE ended up with two many stars? Have they gone the other way? Where they've went to that drought hardly. Now we're in a glut. No, you've got almost too many people to do stuff with.
Speaker 1:I think they've got enough shows. And if you remember, back to the big sort of like attitude era, you had Austin Rock, angle undertaker, kane, triple H. You had those guys and they just just rotated around them. So they've got like. So they got seven big name male stars yeah and it could rotate around them and it works.
Speaker 1:Randy Orton's coming to the end of his career, but he's still got a time. But apart from that, you've got those guys and you can throw in the John's scene, as you can throw in a few others as and when, but those names Roman Reigns wouldn't be missed if he wasn't there, because they've got enough now to step up into that gap whereas before you didn't have that and AEW doesn't have that at all. It doesn't have enough depth at that top level no, no.
Speaker 2:Do you think we're gonna see like many from AEW like come back, things like um, yeah, the rumble, oh, what's the first? You remember John Moxley who's don't?
Speaker 1:you know, miss ex me, no, you won't go back. Dean Ambrose no, he's far too happy doing shit to want to go back into that thing. Yeah, if you ain't great, mjf is the only one, yeah, who I think would move, and he supposedly out of contract. I don't think he is, but at the moment he's the only big name that I think would go the other way. But then if you look at on, dr A's come back and there's a few others in the lower card who you think, after Vince got fired, will now probably come back and do relatively well. Because if you look at Cody, he came back and he's been elevated. Jade's gone, been elevated, so people going. Oh, actually, if I go back to WWE now, vince has gone, he ain't coming back. I'm actually get a good shot at it, whereas before they were all leaving because they hated Vince, it's, yeah, a double, a W's and a mess. Their TV is awful compared to this it's awful.
Speaker 2:So who do we think is gonna defrone rear replay? And we've, obviously, because we've talked about Roman Reigns enough. So yeah, rear replay, who's gonna defrone her?
Speaker 1:well, she's interesting because she's getting cheered all over the place but she's still acting the heel. So when she turns face it's going to be big. But she's also the linchpin of judgment day as well. So it's difficult to see when that's gonna happen. If I used to like Becky, but I don't like her anymore. I don't know why. I think she's just got to when she came back and she was a heel. I like that change in her character. This man character thing is a bit old and it's a bit too dimensional now, so a bit wooden.
Speaker 1:So I don't want to see rear lose to her, because anyway Becky doesn't need that. The rear would have to beat her, if that makes sense, because she beat Charlotte last year and that was. That was a nice defining moment. So rear beating Becky, we bet. I think it needs to be. It needs to be someone else who's one generation effectively. The yeah, it's difficult because you've got is there is a rear's by far the best women's wrestler. God, there's a big gap, so I don't know.
Speaker 2:I saw a few tweets, sort of giving sort of like China comparisons, because obviously she's doing a lot and just beating the crap out of the men as well, but she's going.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, I'm like China, she can actually wrestle and she can wrestle, yeah, well, really well yeah, it's like she she just gets it.
Speaker 1:So I'd like to keep the belt for a bit longer. If I'm honest, and I'm trying to think, you want to build that underdog kind of storyline where you've got someone a little bit who's good but is little and kind of like they did it really well when you went to Puerto Rico and they had this. I can't say I never said Zelina Vega, face her and I mean, yeah, she's, if she's won in Puerto Rico, the place with a gun, nuts, it's that kind of thing. But I don't think they've got anyone to fit that mold yet to kind of who's good and can can get into that.
Speaker 1:It's kind of like role, so I don't know, keep it, keep it on, keep it with the belt for a while yeah, that's me.
Speaker 2:If you've got someone who is pulling the audience and getting cheated and is doing good work, actually leave the boat one, leave the bed one and make him a draw yeah, that's it.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I think, like I said, I think Bailey or face EO and beta and that'll be the face Bailey versus Rhea would be good. Bianca Belair face Rhea. I don't know if they have actually because they've been on separate brands, so that might be much, but, like I said, her hair just concerns me.
Speaker 2:Every, every time she did anything, I just went to fall. All the girls take is that hair just get caught on a rope or caught up on a foot, I don't know. I was just thinking like, oh no, I was twitching every time I watched it.
Speaker 1:I can see LA Knight facing Logan Paul because that'll be because they had a money was. It was a money in the bank. They had a good like promo back and forth between those two because, yeah, logan Paul is a dick but he can talk and I don't talk and I think that will go down really well if you beat him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, cool, cool, cool cool. So I'm guessing we touch base after the next paper views.
Speaker 1:Yes, well, elimination Chambers the end of Feb, then it's, then that's up to WrestleMania then.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I think, if we keep an eye on on what's happening, because we like content, guys, and Razzling is one of our things- Cool, yeah, I don't know what we're going to talk about next time then? Well, it won't be, dr who. No hopefully, and it won't be Razzling.
Speaker 1:No, have to think of something and yeah. I know I forgot I was going to say something, so this is a kind of juxtaposition. I've used. I think I've used my TV license more in the last month than I've ever used it. Then we talk about TV license, about using it.
Speaker 2:Have you been watching? I've not been watching it, but I've seen you've been watching it because your Twitter feed has all about it.
Speaker 1:It has gone. It is absolutely seriously is the best thing on TV this year.
Speaker 2:It's like a secret Hitler one night, where we'll flood the clock tower.
Speaker 1:It's that board game. So, yeah, basically you've got 22 people and they're not big brother style dickheads, they are normal people by different races, different religions, disabilities, ages, especially ages and then out of them, three people are chosen to be traitors and the concept is the faithfuls have to work out who the traitors are and vote them off. Yeah, one vote is like a vote off every day and then after that the traitors will murder somebody else. So they're trying to get rid of people and basically comes down to the final and if there's any traitors left in the final when the game ends, they get all the money, but the faithfuls it is.
Speaker 1:I watched series one not live, because I didn't really know much about it and someone recommended it to me. I was like, oh, this is good this time, first time I've watched live TV like proper you know what they call it event TV, where you have to watch it because if you don't, people are talking about it. It's that good. So it is definitely definitely worth binging it because it's so the final like I say, I was on my Twitter thing it's the best thing I've seen on TV and they've done it so well because there's so many twists and turns to get to that point and it's like really, really like sitting on the edge of a seat guard, no idea what's going to happen. Yeah, it's that good, that's the thing.
Speaker 2:Games like werewolf and secret Hitler and Blumma Totale, where you have got a bad guy or bad guys working against a bigger team. They are so much fun and you can really wind people up and not to it.
Speaker 1:This, this I think this was this was so successful this time because people got it and there are a couple of us born in it. There's a couple of people who went in there and thought I know exactly how I'm going to play this game. And they played it to perfection and it made such good TV because they kind of lay into it and go I'm not, I'm just going to do it how I want to do it, and it's like, oh so, so good, so good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and again, with those sort of games, if you get someone who goes, I'm going to be an agent of absolute chaos and he just goes oh God, I'm listening.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's also like the psychology thing of just watching group think, watching, herd mentality at work, how people have no concept of what's going on and they're just kind of go. Well, that's the popular person.
Speaker 2:I'm going to go and do what they do because they're the most popular person and it's like yeah, but I know a lot of these games are based on I think it was a university thesis or something saying that a small group with known information will always beat a large group that doesn't know the same information.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. I think that's the basis of that rule of game, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, if the do. The traders know who each other are.
Speaker 1:Yes, they know and they meet, they meet like every night, they meet and they confer and they could also confer in public as well if they, if they can. But yeah, they know who each other, each other, are, so that, they and actually to be fair this.
Speaker 1:that's been spoiled in it. The only reason it got to where it got to in this series was because the faith the traders kept turning on each other. The first series they were like a unit and they really kind of work really well together. But this one they're all turning on each other left, right and center. It's like well, it's just crazy because they're all kind of in it for themselves and that is kind of like really way interesting way of looking at it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, like I said, if you've got a small group of people who know information and the rest of the group do not know, they should have the advantage. Yeah, literally like a university thesis or something to prove this, this idea.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it is interesting watching how it all kind of slowly falls apart because people don't trust each other and there's just kind of in it for themselves. But it's worth it. It's definitely worth it and it's genuinely the best thing I've seen on TV this year, and it will not get beat.
Speaker 2:Because that's what I would, literally. Before I came to record a podcast, I was at a section of Blood and Matilda, which is the same thing. But you have roles, so you have a character you're playing as well, and they have abilities and such and such, and yeah. So when you tell me go, wait a minute, you've been lying to me the entire night, you bastard.
Speaker 1:And the look of absolute betrayal on someone's face when you go, well, actually it is a beautiful thing and I think the first series people didn't really get it, that it was a game that people the objective was to lie. But this time everyone's just doing it and it's just like, yeah, it's just spot on TV. So and Claudia Winkum was great as well in it and she just plays that role superbly. Yeah, love it, love it. Someone said she's one part fairy godmother, one part evil stepmother all at the same time.
Speaker 2:She's really nice to them, but she's also really harsh.
Speaker 1:Love it, love it I totally recommend I play 12 episodes binge that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sweet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cool, we could do a podcast on that.
Speaker 2:Excellent, so next time we've got 12 episodes.
Speaker 1:Yeah there you go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, actually that's not a bad show, cool. So unless we have a better suggestion from our faithful viewers, we'll treat us. Yeah, there we go and a psychology of games like that, because it's so many of them, and it's just the subtle art of lying to someone's face. Yeah, it's good fun, cool, I think. On that note, yes, it's goodbye from me.
Speaker 1:It's goodbye from me, brother.