WRESTLING SOUP

Anthony and Joe tear apart the Roman Reigns vs CM Punk promo that Bleacher Report somehow gave an A+ rating. We break down why this WrestleMania build is lazy, tropey garbage, plus our takes on Monday Night Raw including Maxine's botched push, El Grande Americano's potential, and why the Bellas need to go away.

WHAT WE COVER:

Roman's "I hate you" promo is embarrassingly bad
The 12-year-old Colt Cabana podcast grudge is pathetic
Maxine is being ruined in real-time
El Grande Americano could actually be fun (fantasy booking included)
Women's division is a babyface/heel disaster
Stephanie vs Raquel street fight review
TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Intro: Let's Watch This Trainwreck
0:28 - CM Punk Comes Out Looking Bored
3:47 - "You're Talking Crazy" - Roman's Vocal Crutch
11:00 - "I Learned From You" (Scooby-Doo Voice)
18:18 - "I HATE YOU" x1000
19:54 - Breakup Letter Parody (Better Than Roman's Promo)
24:49 - Why This Promo Sucks: Full Breakdown
28:45 - Better Storyline Ideas (Jay Uso Angle)
36:00 - Monday Night Raw Recap Begins
40:45 - Chad Gable Fantasy Booking
45:15 - Manjaro The Mighty Midget (We Lost It)
46:15 - Maxine Is Getting Ruined
49:12 - They Blew Her Entire Year-Long Story
50:27 - Oba Femi Murders War Raiders
51:55 - Gunther Promo & Dragon Lee Setup
59:59 - Women's Division: Who's Actually Over?
1:01:10 - Dominick's Two Types: Kill Me or Pixie Girl
1:13:10 - Stephanie vs Raquel Street Fight Review
1:17:43 - Finn Bálor vs CM Punk Setup
1:18:40 - Mr. Iguana Missed Opportunity
1:19:40 - Bleacher Report's A+ Rating (ARE YOU KIDDING?)
1:23:51 - Roman Shits On Drew & SmackDown
1:27:08 - Outro & Where To Find Us

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Patreon: patreon.com/wrestlingsoup
YouTube: Wrestling Soup

WWE #RomanReigns #CMPunk #WrestleMania #MondayNightRaw #RoyalRumble #WrestlingPodcast

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.

Women's Royal Rumble (0:00 - 19:30)
Liv Morgan won; strong performances from Sol Ruca, Lash Legend, Ria Ripley
Controversial dress code for female wrestlers discussed
Bellas got surprisingly strong reactions
AJ Styles vs. Gunther (22:30 - 25:30)
Career match; Gunther won via submission
AJ's ambiguous ending sparked retirement speculation
Sammy Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre (33:00 - 35:30)
Drew won clean; hosts criticized predictable heel victories
Men's Royal Rumble (40:30 - 1:14:00)
Roman Reigns won (predictable outcome)
Mystery hooded figure eliminated Bron Breaker
Debuts: Royce Keys, Ricochet
Final Four: Roman, Orton, Gunther, LA Knight
Overall Grade: C
Praised: AJ/Gunther match, fresh talent showcased
Criticized: Predictable booking, heels won 3/4 matches, lack of babyface moments
Hosts frustrated with creative direction and Roman Reigns winning yet another Royal Rumble.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.

Royal Rumble 2025 pre-show discussion between Anthony and Joe, covering WWE's "Unreal" Season 2 documentary and the upcoming Saudi Arabia event.

Main Topics:

WWE Unreal Season 2 Criticism0:00-3:00

Triple H's creative leadership criticized
R-Truth's poor treatment highlighted
Questions about Triple H's competence
Saudi Arabia Shows39:30-44:30

WWE's relationship with Saudi Arabia criticized
Shows becoming purely transactional
Concerns about company values
Royal Rumble Predictions61:00-71:00

AJ Styles vs Gunther
Career match
Drew vs Sami
World title
Women's Rumble
Becky or Bianca predicted
Men's Rumble
Roman or Seth predicted
Key Moments:

1:40-2:10 Triple H creative meeting
20:00-22:00 Naomi/Sasha discussion
48:00-50:00 Saudi cultural issues
78:00-80:00 Match predictions

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.

0:00-3:00 - Package delivery complaints, weather discussion, snow in various states

3:00-8:00 - Cold vs hot weather preferences, people calling out for minimal snow, truck/four-wheel drive jokes

8:00-12:00 - WWE Evolution PLE ratings, women's wrestling viewership, Cardi B and Patriots

12:00-18:00 - Royal Rumble buildup criticism, Women's Rumble in Saudi Arabia, Eo in Puerto Rico

18:00-26:00 - Royal Rumble entrants, new Saudi wrestler Tariq, Seth Rollins return speculation

26:00-36:00 - Wrestler retirements, AJ Styles swan song, Raw recap begins, brand vs brand criticism

36:00-46:00 - Corporate warfare comedy, six-woman tag match, Raquel Rodriguez character discussion

46:00-56:00 - Raquel "pretty hunter" gimmick idea, Liv Morgan development, Judgment Day dynamics

56:00-66:00 - Saudi Arabia jokes, Tony Khan burner account discussion, wealth vs Twitter behavior

66:00-76:00 - AEW emotional attachment theory, internet fame and mental health, number one contenders match

76:00-83:10 - CM Punk vs AJ Styles main event, Finn Balor interference, CM Punk's babyface run criticism, wrap-up

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.

Wrestling Soup's Saturday Night's Main Event XLII Post-Show! Anthony Thomas and Joe Numbers break down all the action from Montreal including the Cody/Fatu brawl, women's tag team action, Nakamura vs AJ Styles, and the Fatal Four-Way main event.Timestamps:

3:50 - Royal Rumble Predictions & Surprises
6:17 - The Rock Rumble Talk
13:04 - Saturday Night's Main Event Begins
13:07 - Cody vs Fatu Brawl Breakdown
17:56 - Women's Tag Match Review (Liv/Roxy vs Ripley/Iyo)
24:19 - Nakamura vs AJ Styles Analysis
31:51 - Fatal Four-Way Main Event (Zayn/Priest/Orton/Williams)
43:10 - Final Thoughts & Wrap-Up

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.