WEBVTT - Weekend Big Show Previews 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:02.800 Hey, this is Brian Alvarez and this is today's edition 0:00:02.880 --> 0:00:07.080 of the Wrestling Observer Daily podcast on the eight Side Network. 0:00:12.640 --> 0:00:16.600 Live from San Francisco. I'm a sports byline broadcasting network. 0:00:16.760 --> 0:00:20.000 You are listening to Wrestling Observer Live with your hosts 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:23.040 Brian Alvarez and Mike sempervv. 0:00:23.560 --> 0:00:25.800 Right, you're ready, When you're ready. 0:00:25.880 --> 0:00:26.920 Let's get it off. 0:00:29.360 --> 0:00:33.280 How's it going, everybody? Bryan Alvarez here on Wrestling Observer Live. 0:00:33.400 --> 0:00:36.000 We are here every day Monday through Friday, New Pacific 0:00:36.000 --> 0:00:39.680 three Eastern Sundays, three Pacific six Eastern Saturday Mornings with 0:00:40.080 --> 0:00:43.360 Jim Valley, Today Pacific one Eastern Sundays with andrews Arian 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:45.879 and Sursday here on the show. And you know that 0:00:45.960 --> 0:00:49.640 means we got a lot to talk about today and 0:00:49.680 --> 0:00:54.480 I'm going solo, so we're going to give you some 0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:57.080 information later on how you can message the show, because 0:00:58.000 --> 0:01:00.520 I mean, I can't imagine talking NonStop for an hour. 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:03.720 I guess I've done it before. But anyway, we'll get 0:01:03.760 --> 0:01:06.320 into everything today because there's a lot of news. Tomorrow, 0:01:06.360 --> 0:01:10.160 of course, is SmackDown. We got Collision this weekend. Got 0:01:10.160 --> 0:01:13.120 a bunch of big shows coming up, including the teena 0:01:13.200 --> 0:01:17.000 Emergence Show, Triple Mania, NXT, heat Wave and Forbidden Door. 0:01:17.880 --> 0:01:20.400 You'll be stunned to hear heat Wave and Forbidden Door 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:23.679 going head to head. We got updates on Roman Reigns 0:01:23.760 --> 0:01:28.280 and Carrion Cross and Buddy Matthews and more on this 0:01:28.640 --> 0:01:31.880 ESPN deal, which if you listen to this podcast of 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:34.840 Observer Live yesterday, well you didn't hear any of that 0:01:34.880 --> 0:01:38.640 because I just screwed everything up. It was one of 0:01:38.640 --> 0:01:41.520 those days. But you know what, we barreled through and 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:44.200 we turned it around. If you didn't hear yesterday's After 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:48.520 Dark Radio, it was a great show. We talked about 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:54.000 dragons and dinosaurs, and an excellent guest will be returning 0:01:54.120 --> 0:01:56.480 to the show. He wrote a great book, but we'll 0:01:56.480 --> 0:01:58.440 get into that later as well. For the rest of 0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:02.480 the news here, we got actually some things we didn't 0:02:02.480 --> 0:02:03.880 get a chance to talk about the other day, and 0:02:03.920 --> 0:02:07.360 of course the Dynamite Show MVP and talk more about 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:10.600 that and plenty more. If you'd like to text us 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:13.799 here today join the show. Why don't you join the show? 0:02:14.160 --> 0:02:16.680 It's four two five seven eight zero seven five sixty 0:02:16.720 --> 0:02:19.560 six at is four two five seven eight zero seven 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:23.880 five sixty six email f f W online at gmail 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:28.359 dot com, ffor W online, threads, Instagram and cameo at 0:02:28.400 --> 0:02:32.280 Brian Alvarez on x and blue sky back in a 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:55.760 month with more Observer live xta js on. 0:02:57.280 --> 0:03:00.120 Hey airline travelers, Let's say you have a problem and 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:03.359 you need to change or cancel an existing airline reservation. 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:06.440 What do you do well. SkyWatch is a free service 0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:09.920 that can help anyone with any airline reservation fix it. 0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:12.320 Whether you want to cancel it, change your dates, or 0:03:12.360 --> 0:03:16.160 add passengers. 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Eight 0:05:50.440 --> 0:05:54.200 hundred four oh one five one sixty three. That's eight 0:05:54.279 --> 0:06:00.360 hundred four oh one fifty one sixty three. 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:04.080 You were listening to Wrestling Observer Live with Brian Alvarez 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:08.000 and Mike simper Vivi on the Sports Byline Broadcasting Network. 0:06:09.680 --> 0:06:15.359 Of the show, Bryan Alvarez here Wrestling Observer Live. Brandon 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:17.920 here says, hope you are doing better today, Sir, I 0:06:17.960 --> 0:06:21.960 appreciate that, Brandon. I am doing much better than than 0:06:22.000 --> 0:06:24.920 I was yesterday when the show began, although we turned 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:27.520 it around to the end, I mean, for crying out loud. 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:30.200 The show ended with a dynamite lineup, can you imagine? 0:06:31.400 --> 0:06:36.640 And then we already have three matches announced for Collision, 0:06:37.560 --> 0:06:41.279 And we already have three matches announced or three segments 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:46.680 announced for next week's Dynamite z all a big improvement 0:06:48.760 --> 0:06:52.400 Collision on Saturday as Hangman, Kevin Knight and Mike Bailey 0:06:53.839 --> 0:06:58.200 against Rush Drollistico and the Beast Mortos, Kyle Fletcher against 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:01.720 a Shee for the TNT title, and Willow Nightingale, Queen 0:07:01.760 --> 0:07:05.480 Amenada and ty Mello versus Tecla, Julie Hart and Skyblue. 0:07:05.640 --> 0:07:09.039 So I guess we gotta talk about al MVP a 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:12.480 little more. You know, we mentioned this yesterday. There was 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:18.680 that story out and I don't know where to begin, 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:21.680 but I guess I'll just begin with the story. The 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:27.080 story was essentially that there were people that didn't like MVP, 0:07:27.240 --> 0:07:32.200 and there were people MVP didn't like and YouTube feed 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:35.239 is down. What's going on? Do we have a YouTube feed? 0:07:35.360 --> 0:07:38.480 Let me find out, everybody? Not that the YouTube the 0:07:39.000 --> 0:07:42.320 feed is like a necessarily the best thing when it's 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:47.280 free sun cast. Do we have YouTube or no? We'll 0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:54.040 see what he says anyway. You may just we're gonna 0:07:54.080 --> 0:08:03.680 have another day like yesterday or what. So here's the deal, MVP. Well, 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:06.000 I don't even know where to start on this thing. 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:09.000 So everyone that Chad is is kind of talking about 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:11.920 how you know Fightful is wrong and this and that, 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:17.560 and I guess yesterday at uh yesterday on uh at 0:08:17.600 --> 0:08:20.480 some point ever saying YouTube is up? What are you 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:22.560 guys doing to me here? Trying to screw this whole 0:08:22.560 --> 0:08:23.040 thing up for me? 0:08:23.080 --> 0:08:23.400 Today? 0:08:24.080 --> 0:08:27.040 Apparently YouTube is working. I don't know what some people's 0:08:27.040 --> 0:08:31.120 problem is here, but multiple reports that YouTube is working 0:08:31.200 --> 0:08:33.560 just fine. So I don't know what to tell you. 0:08:34.160 --> 0:08:37.600 All Right, here's what I'm gonna do. Let's just let's 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:39.600 just make this easy for everybody. Some of you might 0:08:39.640 --> 0:08:43.400 have missed the show yesterday. I'll just go and read 0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:48.520 the original story and then go from there. All right, 0:08:49.520 --> 0:08:52.080 report aw roster member has rubbed a lot of people 0:08:52.120 --> 0:08:55.000 the wrong way. It's being reported MVP has quote rubbed 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:57.599 a lot of people the wrong way backstage in a 0:08:57.880 --> 0:09:00.840 w According to Fightful, this sentiment is been expressed by 0:09:00.840 --> 0:09:04.000 a number of talents on the roster. The Hurt Syndicate 0:09:04.240 --> 0:09:06.800 member has made it known he does not like Speedball 0:09:06.880 --> 0:09:10.760 Mike Bailey and did not want Lashly and Shelton losing 0:09:10.840 --> 0:09:13.760 to Bailey and Kevin Knight. It's not clear why MVP 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:18.680 dislikes Bailey or hurts indicate was ever actually planned to lose. 0:09:19.080 --> 0:09:21.559 Report also states MVP turned down pitches for the Hurt 0:09:21.559 --> 0:09:24.840 Syndicate to loose to FDR at all In and Forbidden Door. 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.319 MVP reportedly suggested they would rather lose to the Gates 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:31.320 of Agony Outrunners a private party three teams they've already 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:35.600 defeated this year. Said to be frustration within the aw 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:38.160 locker room. The faction beats everyone up high five as 0:09:38.160 --> 0:09:40.560 of fans, does cool moves and they're supposed to be heels, 0:09:41.720 --> 0:09:44.120 and most people have also expressed the environment the company's 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.840 best have been in years, and there's there's plenty more here. 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:55.640 So yesterday at the show, MVP and Speedball they did 0:09:55.720 --> 0:10:00.000 kind of a little video together. MVP posted a video 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:03.640 was Instagram showing he, Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin walking 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:07.079 backstage when they came upon Bailey, who was filming for 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:12.560 his vlog. MVP then said f you Speedball. Bailey said, 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:16.640 well fu two MVP. MVP then told Lashly and Benjamin 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:19.640 to tell him, but they stared at the floor and 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:24.120 said the same thing. A smiling Bailey says, well, f 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:29.720 you guys too, before he waved and MVP did the same. So, uh, 0:10:31.120 --> 0:10:35.720 that was. That was on social media yesterday. So you know, 0:10:35.760 --> 0:10:39.680 on the chat here everyone's oh, you know Sean Ross 0:10:39.720 --> 0:10:43.800 Sap and fight ful blah blah blah, wrong this and that. Here. 0:10:43.840 --> 0:10:48.920 Here's the thing, everybody, Okay, the story that came out 0:10:49.280 --> 0:10:51.920 was when I read it, it was it was it 0:10:52.000 --> 0:10:57.840 was the details were weird, Okay, Like I talked about yesterday, Listen, 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:01.199 there's there's all sorts of that have had issues in 0:11:01.280 --> 0:11:06.000 aw and we've heard about them. And it's always a 0:11:06.000 --> 0:11:10.440 situation where okay, whether you agree with one guy or 0:11:10.440 --> 0:11:12.880 whether you agree with the other guy, or one woman 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:15.520 and another woman. At the end of the day, each 0:11:15.600 --> 0:11:18.600 side has their side of the story about why they're upset. Okay. 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:24.480 A perfect example would be jungle Boy and cmpunk. Okay, 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:29.880 Jungle Boy was upset about a decision that cmpunk made. 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:34.480 He made a comment on television cmpunk didn't like the 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:37.200 comment that he made on television. They end up having 0:11:37.240 --> 0:11:41.800 a what have you? Okay, so we know the thing happened. 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:44.760 We know why one side doesn't like the other. We 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:46.600 know why the other side doesn't like the other. Okay, 0:11:46.640 --> 0:11:48.240 so at least we know everything. You can make your 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:51.560 decision about whose side you're on. Whatever. Okay, this one 0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:55.240 was weird because it just came out of nowhere. It's 0:11:55.280 --> 0:11:59.280 a very specific story. MVP doesn't like Mike Bailey. There's 0:11:59.360 --> 0:12:02.000 no excep when they as to why he Everything about 0:12:02.040 --> 0:12:06.439 it was weird. Okay. Now, before everybody gets on Fightful 0:12:06.679 --> 0:12:11.280 and before everybody gets on on Sean and whoever else, listen, 0:12:14.600 --> 0:12:18.640 don't think that there aren't people who is who MVP 0:12:18.760 --> 0:12:22.920 has rubbed the wrong way. Okay, he has all right, Now, 0:12:24.840 --> 0:12:28.080 MVP is a guy who's gonna speak his mind. He's 0:12:28.080 --> 0:12:30.559 gonna say what's on his mind. I mean you can 0:12:30.600 --> 0:12:33.800 even see it on television sometimes during this interview segments. 0:12:34.120 --> 0:12:36.760 I mean, he's gonna say what's on his mind. He'll 0:12:36.760 --> 0:12:42.319 do it on commentary, He'll he'll do it on on whatever. Okay, Yes, 0:12:42.480 --> 0:12:46.040 he does rub people the wrong way sometimes, Okay, but 0:12:46.080 --> 0:12:48.319 I mean, it's not like he's the only one that's 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:50.600 That's one of the other reasons the story is so bizarre. 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:52.480 It's like, you know, how many people rub people the 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:55.240 wrong way in every company. There's a lot of them. 0:12:55.320 --> 0:13:00.600 But anyway, sure, sometimes it happens. I mean, the whole 0:13:00.640 --> 0:13:05.839 situation with Speedball, Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight and the 0:13:05.920 --> 0:13:10.120 Hurt Syndicate, Okay, Jet speed they were gonna get a 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:12.640 shot at the tag team titles, and if you watch 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:17.199 the TV, the build was they got beaten and beaten 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:20.720 and beaten and smashed and humiliated and made it look 0:13:20.800 --> 0:13:24.120 like idiots. We talked about it. It's like, what is 0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:28.920 this booking? Okay, don't think nobody else thought the exact 0:13:28.960 --> 0:13:33.040 same thing. What is this Okay, We've talked about it before. 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:36.440 How are these guys heels? Like they go out there 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:39.199 and the people chant for them, and they cheer for 0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:41.760 them to the point where people would argue with me 0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:46.240 that they're actually babyfaces. Okay, they're not. They're supposed to 0:13:46.240 --> 0:13:49.880 be heels. Don't think that That isn't something that people 0:13:49.920 --> 0:13:53.920 talk about, Like why why do they destroy everybody and 0:13:53.960 --> 0:13:57.640 beat everybody down and act cool and like the fans 0:13:57.720 --> 0:13:59.920 cheer them and they bow the baby face. Don't act 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:04.199 like that's never happened. Okay, it has, all right, But 0:14:07.400 --> 0:14:10.840 I don't. I don't think there's this serious issue between 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:16.160 MVP and Mike Bailey. Maybe maybe there's something there, but clearly, 0:14:16.720 --> 0:14:19.000 I mean, everything's everything's good enough that they that they 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:23.800 did a segment backstage. Okay. My point is the fact 0:14:23.840 --> 0:14:27.800 that they did that segment for social media doesn't mean 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:30.800 that the entire rest of the story is made up 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:34.440 whole cloth. Okay, it's not. Where there's smoke, there's fire. 0:14:35.000 --> 0:14:37.160 There is some heat on MVP. There are some people 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:39.200 that don't like MVP. There's some people that don't like 0:14:39.240 --> 0:14:42.080 how the hurt business is booked. I mean none, none 0:14:42.080 --> 0:14:43.760 of this is new, is the other thing. It's like, 0:14:44.120 --> 0:14:46.000 why did this all of a sudden come out this week? 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:49.800 Like we've been talking about it forever. So, I mean, 0:14:49.840 --> 0:14:53.880 I I did you know the report here noted that? 0:14:55.680 --> 0:15:02.280 What did it say here? Like basically he was talking 0:15:02.320 --> 0:15:04.680 about like things things are better backstage than they've been 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:08.640 in a long time. That's true. I've heard the exact 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:11.600 same thing. Morale is better now backstage than it's been 0:15:11.680 --> 0:15:15.400 in a long time. Okay. That doesn't mean that everybody 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:18.680 gets along, it doesn't mean that everything is perfect, okay, 0:15:18.720 --> 0:15:21.640 but it does mean that morale is in general the 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:24.360 best it's been in a long time. And if you 0:15:24.480 --> 0:15:27.440 watch the show compared to like a year ago, at 0:15:27.440 --> 0:15:30.560 this time, it's like there has been a long, you know, 0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:35.120 six seven month streak of a lot of improvements in 0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:38.000 a lot of ways in aaw and a lot of 0:15:38.000 --> 0:15:40.240 the wrestlers there, you know, they're they're feeling a lot 0:15:40.280 --> 0:15:42.760 more bullish about things than they were a year ago. 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:45.680 So I don't know, the story was just weird, That's 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:48.640 what I can tell you. I asked around yesterday. You know, 0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:51.680 there's a little bit to it, a little bit to 0:15:51.720 --> 0:15:55.040 it that's maybe not what was written, but in general, 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:57.760 like a lot of that is is the way things are. 0:15:58.560 --> 0:15:59.920 Back in the moment they were live. 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:11.720 You were listening to Wrestling Observer Live with Brian Alvarez 0:16:11.760 --> 0:16:15.480 and Mike semperviv on the Sports Byline Broadcasting Network. 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:20.360 Back here on the show, Ryan Alvarez, You're Wrestling Observer Live. 0:16:20.920 --> 0:16:23.360 To everyone in the chat, it was not a story 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:29.720 planted by WWE. I mean It's been something that people 0:16:29.720 --> 0:16:32.720 have talked about for a long time in AW but 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:34.800 like it was never a big deal. It was just 0:16:34.960 --> 0:16:38.160 a thing. It was a thing that people started talking about, 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:41.240 and it was weird because all of a sudden, like 0:16:41.280 --> 0:16:44.000 if this would have come out right after like the 0:16:44.080 --> 0:16:46.920 Hurt syndicates stomped down Jet Speed for about the third 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:49.320 straight time, if the next day the story had come 0:16:49.320 --> 0:16:53.560 out had been like, okay, that makes sense. But the 0:16:53.600 --> 0:16:58.120 weird thing was it just came out of nowhere on 0:16:58.160 --> 0:17:02.240 a random day. And I mean it was just like, 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:07.760 it's not that big a deal, and I don't know why. 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:09.760 It was just like such a thing all of a sudden. 0:17:10.040 --> 0:17:12.560 But no, it did not come from WWE. People in 0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:15.960 AW been talking about it for a long time now 0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:20.119 speaking of WWE, since we didn't even well some of 0:17:20.160 --> 0:17:22.720 you heard about it. But here's a gist of the 0:17:22.920 --> 0:17:27.119 ESPN deal and also some other notes. So it's a 0:17:27.160 --> 0:17:29.919 one point six billion dollar a year over five years, 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:33.040 three hundred and twenty five million dollars a year. The 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:39.240 major ple is at this point ten ples, including the 0:17:39.240 --> 0:17:41.600 two nights of WrestleMania and the two nights of SummerSlam 0:17:42.160 --> 0:17:45.119 are all going to be on this new ESPN streaming service. 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:48.760 It's not ESPN Plus or whatever. It's a new service. 0:17:49.200 --> 0:17:51.960 It is going to launch on August twenty first. It'll 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:56.040 be thirty dollars a month. Okay. Now, if you have 0:17:57.320 --> 0:18:02.840 ESPN on your cable package at this point, maybe about 0:18:02.880 --> 0:18:07.080 forty percent of you that have ESPN, depending on your provider, 0:18:07.720 --> 0:18:09.480 you won't have to pay anything. This will be part 0:18:09.520 --> 0:18:13.520 of your package. Okay. Now, the thing hasn't even launched 0:18:13.600 --> 0:18:18.879 yet and they're still doing negotiations. So whatever is the 0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:22.879 Whatever is the deal today, don't worry about it. Worry 0:18:22.880 --> 0:18:25.040 about it as we get closer to WrestleMania if you 0:18:25.080 --> 0:18:28.159 still don't have access to it, because for example, I 0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:32.200 have YouTube TV, and right now, if I have YouTube TV, 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:36.600 even though it's got the ESPN packages, I will still 0:18:36.600 --> 0:18:41.399 have to pay thirty dollars a month for this service today. 0:18:41.560 --> 0:18:43.399 They could make a deal tomorrow. They can make a 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:47.960 deal next week. By the time WrestleMania rolls around, which 0:18:47.960 --> 0:18:52.240 is when this thing is going to launch. Probably most 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:56.560 if you have the ESPN package, most of the cable services, 0:18:56.600 --> 0:18:59.160 you will get this as part of your package. Right now, 0:18:59.160 --> 0:19:01.640 It's not that way but I wouldn't panic about it yet. 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:08.000 So a couple of a couple of other notes. First off, 0:19:08.680 --> 0:19:11.800 we don't know anything about the video library yet, we 0:19:11.840 --> 0:19:17.520 don't know anything about NXT. They're obviously still shopping things around. 0:19:18.240 --> 0:19:22.120 It's possible the library may end up on Peacock. Possible 0:19:22.240 --> 0:19:27.040 nxt pls may also stream on Peacock. They may go 0:19:27.119 --> 0:19:30.240 to Netflix. I mean, there's a lot of different options available. 0:19:30.280 --> 0:19:32.160 They're going to go wherever the money is the highest, 0:19:32.840 --> 0:19:35.679 which is should not come as a surprise to anybody. 0:19:36.400 --> 0:19:42.880 Apparently in the negotiations, Peacock did make an offer, and 0:19:43.320 --> 0:19:45.960 I guess the offer was allegedly in the neighborhood of 0:19:45.960 --> 0:19:48.840 about two hundred and seventy five million a year, and 0:19:49.359 --> 0:19:54.440 WWE wanted more, obviously, and they ended up getting the 0:19:54.440 --> 0:19:56.959 three hundred twenty five million, and that's why they went 0:19:57.000 --> 0:20:00.200 to ESPN over Peacock. Obviously, of Peacock at our for 0:20:00.800 --> 0:20:03.639 four hundred million a year, they'd have stayed, but they didn't. 0:20:04.440 --> 0:20:09.399 And and apparently they also we were potentially shopping around 0:20:09.440 --> 0:20:14.080 WrestleMania as a separate deal, So for example, you know, 0:20:14.119 --> 0:20:16.240 they might have been willing to stay with Peacock but 0:20:16.440 --> 0:20:19.480 we're going to give ESPN WrestleMania for X amount per year. 0:20:19.840 --> 0:20:23.199 That was something that was discussed, but they ended up 0:20:24.720 --> 0:20:29.560 they ended up going all in with with ESPN. So 0:20:32.400 --> 0:20:37.199 that's the gist of it, and where everything falls out 0:20:38.320 --> 0:20:42.120 we shall learn as the months go on. I think 0:20:42.160 --> 0:20:47.639 one of the biggest stories is that, you know, this 0:20:47.840 --> 0:20:51.080 was a this is a one point six billion dollar deal, 0:20:51.920 --> 0:20:58.000 one point six billion dollars. And yesterday when it came 0:20:58.040 --> 0:21:01.159 out that they had moved from a one billion dollar 0:21:01.240 --> 0:21:05.720 deal to a one point six billion dollar deal, apparently 0:21:06.160 --> 0:21:10.760 the stock dropped because that wasn't a good enough increase 0:21:10.920 --> 0:21:14.560 for investors one billion to one point six billion, And 0:21:14.640 --> 0:21:21.800 so later in the day they actually said that the 0:21:21.840 --> 0:21:27.320 Peacock deal, which had been i mean reported everywhere and 0:21:27.400 --> 0:21:32.119 like in Financial Dog everything that they had claimed that 0:21:32.119 --> 0:21:35.560 it was a billion dollar deal, and because investors were 0:21:35.600 --> 0:21:41.280 not happy, they actually stated yesterday that it really wasn't 0:21:41.280 --> 0:21:45.080 a billion dollars. It was only nine hundred million. Like, 0:21:46.720 --> 0:21:50.960 I mean, this is supposed to be a publicly traded company, 0:21:52.080 --> 0:21:54.240 the SEC is supposed to be involved in all of this. 0:21:55.200 --> 0:21:58.600 How do you all of a sudden, years after the fact, 0:21:59.240 --> 0:22:03.200 announced that we claimed a billion, but it was actually 0:22:03.320 --> 0:22:06.560 only nine hundred million. How do you get away with this? 0:22:09.119 --> 0:22:14.199 I mean, I guess just nobody cares. But anyway, it 0:22:14.200 --> 0:22:17.200 turns out their Peacock deal was not as good as 0:22:17.200 --> 0:22:23.560 they had claimed for years, which seems incredibly sketchy, but whatever, 0:22:23.880 --> 0:22:30.760 that's what they said. So there you go. One other 0:22:30.840 --> 0:22:35.199 note which kind of ties into this. So the last 0:22:35.320 --> 0:22:41.440 match of John Cena at this point, the last John 0:22:41.520 --> 0:22:47.280 Cena match is going to take place at a Saturday 0:22:47.359 --> 0:22:51.280 Night's main event. Okay, so there had been a lot 0:22:51.280 --> 0:22:54.919 of discussions about his final match being on a December 0:22:55.080 --> 0:22:59.880 pl so at this point there isn't going to be 0:23:00.119 --> 0:23:04.320 a December pl and granted, everything can change, but I 0:23:04.320 --> 0:23:09.920 guess the the way that it works is they had 0:23:09.960 --> 0:23:14.840 agreed to a certain number of ples with Peacock, and 0:23:15.119 --> 0:23:19.359 because of the Evolution pay per view and also the 0:23:19.440 --> 0:23:23.520 second night of SummerSlam, they pretty much they don't need 0:23:23.640 --> 0:23:28.240 a December pl e. They've they've they've hit their quotas, 0:23:28.280 --> 0:23:32.320 so to speak, and so as a result, it appears 0:23:32.359 --> 0:23:36.200 that his final match will be on Saturday Night's main event, 0:23:37.280 --> 0:23:41.080 which I mean probably will do significantly more viewers than 0:23:41.119 --> 0:23:44.720 a pl would have done, and especially if you advertise 0:23:44.760 --> 0:23:48.119 it on NBC as John Cena's final match. And so 0:23:48.880 --> 0:23:52.520 that looks to be that looks to be the case. 0:23:54.440 --> 0:23:59.160 And and there's another note, but I actually won't talk 0:23:59.200 --> 0:24:01.320 about it because I don't know if it's actually the case, 0:24:01.359 --> 0:24:05.679 but it ties into the three hours of SmackDown. So 0:24:07.040 --> 0:24:11.399 they did do their earnings report, and they did mention 0:24:12.640 --> 0:24:16.480 that their television revenue would be lower for the next 0:24:16.560 --> 0:24:22.040 quarter because SmackDown was down to two hours. And that 0:24:22.160 --> 0:24:26.119 means that, in fact, they were making more money for 0:24:26.440 --> 0:24:29.200 SmackDown when it was three hours for the first half 0:24:29.200 --> 0:24:30.760 of the year. It was a little more than half 0:24:30.760 --> 0:24:34.160 of the year, and there was still no explanation as 0:24:34.160 --> 0:24:38.639 to why. And a lot of people, you know, they 0:24:38.800 --> 0:24:41.640 they've asked a question like, well, if we still don't 0:24:41.680 --> 0:24:44.360 know why, and if they did make more money for it, 0:24:44.400 --> 0:24:46.840 is it possible this will be like an annual thing, 0:24:47.480 --> 0:24:49.320 so like, you know, the first half of the year 0:24:49.359 --> 0:24:51.320 will be three hours and it will drop to two hours. 0:24:52.440 --> 0:24:55.159 I don't think that's what's going to happen. And I 0:24:55.600 --> 0:24:58.080 guess I will say I'm not reporting this is it 0:24:58.119 --> 0:25:02.440 is one hundred percent speculation. But the speculation is that, 0:25:02.880 --> 0:25:08.000 like with the ples, it might have been that there 0:25:08.040 --> 0:25:13.760 were a certain number of episodes of SmackDown that WWE 0:25:13.920 --> 0:25:17.840 was contracted to do and in order to meet that number, 0:25:18.200 --> 0:25:19.840 they had to have had at an hour to the 0:25:19.880 --> 0:25:23.560 show for seven months or whatever, and that's how they're 0:25:23.560 --> 0:25:26.120 going to end up hitting the quota. So it could 0:25:26.200 --> 0:25:28.520 be that, could be something else, but I don't think 0:25:28.600 --> 0:25:31.720 that we're going to be doing like a fifty to fifty. 0:25:31.880 --> 0:25:33.520 You know, half the year is going to be three hours, 0:25:33.520 --> 0:25:35.240 half the year is going to be two hours. I 0:25:35.280 --> 0:25:37.640 think it was kind of a one time deal and 0:25:38.080 --> 0:25:41.480 thank god now it's over and we can move on. 0:25:42.080 --> 0:25:47.600 So that's the update on that, the the ESPN deal 0:25:48.560 --> 0:25:52.640 and everything else. Roman Reigns also has been confirmed for 0:25:52.760 --> 0:25:55.840 more RAW appearances. He's going to be on the August 0:25:55.920 --> 0:26:02.040 eighteenth Raw, August twenty fifth Raw. He will be most 0:26:02.280 --> 0:26:08.520