WRESTLING SOUP

Join Joe and Anthony for their latest wrestling discussion covering WWE Raw, Saturday Night's Main Event preview, and industry news. Topics include Gunther vs AJ Styles career match, Becky Lynch's retirement announcement, the Trey Miguel controversy, and why JCW might be wrestling's unexpected hero in 2026. Plus: NFL playoff talk, Saudi Arabia stadium concerns, and hot takes on creative direction.

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro & Show Overview
1:56 - Gunther vs AJ Styles Career Match Discussion
7:30 - Becky Lynch vs Maxine Dupri & Natalya Turn
13:00 - Vision vs Mysterio/Penta & Adam Pierce Storyline
15:00 - Women's Tag Team Division Discussion
21:30 - Evans Injury & OBA Femi Debut
27:00 - Finn Balor vs CM Punk Main Event
29:00 - NFL Playoffs Talk (Patriots, Bears, Steelers)
34:30 - Becky Lynch Retirement Announcement
41:30 - Bruce Prichard's Pat McAfee vs Gunther Pitch
45:00 - JCW & Vince Russo Discussion
50:30 - State of Wrestling Industry Analysis
54:00 - Saturday Night's Main Event Preview
56:00 - Saudi Arabia Royal Rumble Stadium Concerns
60:30 - Randy Orton Saudi Arabia Press Tour
65:30 - Trey Miguel Firing Controversy (Full Breakdown)
78:30 - David Starr Response & MJF Connection Theory

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0:30 - Epilepsy & Seizures Tangent
2:30 - Westboro Baptist Church & Religious Extremism
11:50 - Wrestling News: Roster Moves & Returns
14:00 - Powerhouse Hobbs Leaves AEW for WWE
24:00 - Tony Khan's Creative Control Comments
26:50 - AEW vs WWE Perception & Talent Comparison
33:00 - Tiffany Stratton's Return from Injury
37:50 - Character Development Issues in WWE
45:30 - Baron Corbin's Bizarre AEW Creative Pitch (Don Callis Family Biker Gang)
51:30 - NWO Comparisons & Faction Building
54:10 - R-Truth Retirement Plans
56:30 - CM Punk Retiring at 50
58:30 - WWE's Aging Roster & Future Stars
1:02:00 - Cody Rhodes & Fan Interaction After Shows
1:14:40 - Rikishi Complains About WWE Ticket Prices
1:18:30 - Legends Contract & Complimentary Tickets
1:19:00 - CJ Perry (Lana) Returns to Wrestling & Stand-Up Comedy
1:28:50 - Nikki Bella's Drinking Habits Controversy
1:31:20 - Wrap-Up & Patreon Plug

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WWE RAW GERMANY RECAP

0:00 - Intro & international tour discussion

4:18 - Women's tag championship setup, Rio & Rio name

15:12 - El Grande Americano vs Jovan Evans

27:25 - Liv & Roxy confront Finn Bálor

30:35 - CM Punk/Finn Bálor Belfast match announced

43:58 - Women's triple threat tag match

50:17 - Stephanie Vaquer attacked by Raquel Rodriguez

56:00 - Jay Uso & Alpha Academy segment

1:04:05 - AJ Styles vs Gunther (confusing finish)

1:10:09 - Bronson Reed & Theory vs Dragon Lee & Penta

1:13:45 - Adam Pierce vs Bron Breaker confrontation (SEGMENT OF THE NIGHT)

1:33:56 - Final thoughts & show review

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0:00 - Intro
0:26 - CM Punk's Republican Baby Raper Comments Controversy
1:38 - ICE Shooting Incident Discussion
3:49 - Political Climate & Extremism
12:24 - Ariana Grande & Wicked Discourse
17:32 - Jake "Something" Doyle Joins AEW
30:31 - WWE Roster Call-Ups: Grace, Williams, Legend, Evans
32:40 - Jade Cargill: The Unintentional Vader
39:10 - WrestleMania 2026 Predictions
41:10 - CM Punk Directing Movies & VHS Series
43:00 - Hollywood's Creativity Crisis & Streaming vs Theaters
52:07 - Netflix vs Paramount: Warner Bros $82B Acquisition Battle
64:00 - TNA Lands AMC Deal Thanks to WWE Partnership
73:00 - Tony Schiavani's WWE Hall of Fame Comments
81:33 - Chris Jericho to TNA Rumors & Mohawk Jericho
88:20 - Outro & Plug

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

[0:00-0:20] Opening banter - Joe making Jade Cargill references, Anthony catching up on wrestling news
[2:00-2:30] Introduction and show setup - Discussing Monday Night Raw's quality issues
[2:30-4:00] Raw show structure critique - Too many women's matches, lack of coherent booking, disappointing for live Brooklyn audience
[4:30-5:30] Kabuki Warriors vs Rhea/IyO Sky tag match - Best match of the night, good action but questionable placement as opener
[9:30-13:00] Asuka/Shayna Basler Twitter incident - Cultural misunderstanding about toughness compliment
[14:30-15:30] Stranger Things promotion - Just a van, no actors, completely underwhelming tie-in
[22:30-25:00] Gunther/AJ Styles segment - Gunther looking weak, poor booking decisions
[29:00-32:00] Maxxine vs Becky Lynch - Too much time given, Maxine too green for featured spot
[21:30-22:30] Stephanie Vaquer injury angle - Rushed off TV despite being over with fans
[33:00-35:00] Paul Heyman group criticism - None ready for main event spots except possibly Drew McIntyre
[34:00-35:00] Logan Paul/Austin Theory promo - Disconnected and ineffective
[38:00-44:00] CM Punk main event - Stumbling through promos, match with Bron Breaker was sloppy
[40:00-48:00] Bron Breakker concerns - Too green, dangerous spots, needs shorter matches
[49:00-52:00] Liv Morgan return - Poorly positioned after multiple women's matches, crowd was dead
[54:00-58:00] Judgment Day storyline - Falling apart, no clear direction for members
[58:00-1:05:00] Overall show critique - Poorly structured, felt like contractually obligated content
[1:05:00-1:08:00] International shows vs US shows - Better matches given to international audiences
[1:05:00-1:07:00] Saudi Arabia performance center discussion
[1:09:00-1:13:00] Commercial breaks - Excessive ads on Netflix, VPN workarounds
[1:13:00-end] Wrap-up and closing thoughts

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