THE PRICE OF SILENCE (Wrestling Soup 4.2.26)

0:00 — Intro / The Egg Bit1:55 — Breaking Down the New Janelle Grant Filing6:05 — The May 2020 Incident (COVID Timeline)21:59 — Brock Lesnar's Alleged Involvement Begins25:38 — The Beating & What Vince Did to "Prepare" Her32:33 — WrestleMania 3 Weeks Out — What a Mess44:57 — "Hi, This Is Polish Joe" — The Texts Begin1:00:46 — The Suicide Attempt & Vince's Response1:09:21 — Chris Jericho Returns to AEW1:19:08 — John Cena Called Back to Host WrestleManiaBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.

Joe and Anthony break down a chaotic Monday Night RAW, tearing into WWE's last-minute WrestleMania card-building in Madison Square Garden. From Dan Hausen's "merch goblin" gimmick to the rushed Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar build. They also dig into the Seth Rollins/Gunther pairing that came out of nowhere, Cody Rhodes getting embarrassed by Stephanie McMahon, CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns feeling backwards, and the overcrowded celebrity situation at WrestleMania. Plus, a tribute mention for Kevin Castle.0:00 – Intro & WWE Building the WrestleMania Card Last Minute0:54 – Is There a Reason WWE Holds the Card Back?1:52 – Dan Hausen / The Merch Goblin Debate5:01 – Dan Hausen as a Meme Wrestler & Internet Crossover5:58 – WWE Signs Ricky Starks & Ethan Page13:31 – MSG Raw Recap: Half the Mania Card Announced in One Night14:32 – The Names on the Ring Canvas Stunt17:50 – John Cena as WrestleMania Host — Desperation or Strategy?20:16 – Seth Rollins vs. Gunther: Where Did This Come From?42:17 – Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar: Rushed & Poorly Built43:30 – "Obama vs. Barack Lesnar" & OBA's Potential Wasted48:34 – Penta & Kofi / The WrestleMania Ladder Match Clusterfuck49:27 – The Vision vs. The Usos & LA Knight Getting Buried Again56:06 – Jelly Roll at WrestleMania: Does It Make Sense?56:23 – Bad Bunny vs. Celebrity Wrestlers: Who Actually Works?58:40 – The Celebrity Royal Rumble Idea1:04:18 – Cody Rhodes Segment: Stephanie McMahon Slaps & Embarrasses Him1:12:14 – Finn Bálor vs. Dominic Mysterio Promo1:15:31 – CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns: Who's the Heel Here?1:17:29 – Roman Should Be Younger to Sell the "Old Man Punk" Angle1:20:39 – Raquel Rodriguez & Eo Sky Scare Moment1:25:43 – Outro & Kevin Castle Memorial Tribute Mention @iamjondraperBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.

Anthony and Joe kick off with a wild story about a guy who returned an anime figure to eBay — covered in bodily fluids — and claimed "item not as described." From there the boys riff on WWE's $11,500 pasta dinner package at Clash in Italy, the growing list of AEW women who haven't wrestled in years, Ricochet's social media drama, the Bella Army's toxic fandom response, Willow Nightingale's thoughtful take on fan harassment, foot fetish culture, the Roman Reigns/CM Punk/Jay Uso mess on Raw, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch launching a coffee brand, TKO's private equity stranglehold on WWE storytelling, and much more.0:00 – Intro: The eBay anime figure return story6:39 – WWE/MMA crossover: Ronda Rousey & CTE jokes11:40 – WWE Clash in Italy: The $11,500 pasta package14:21 – Which WWE Superstar is making the pasta?26:40 – Breaking angel hair pasta as a heel spot28:44 – Grayson Waller's match on Raw29:40 – TKO's quiet releases & roster bloat30:59 – Motor City Machine Guns wasted in WWE34:23 – Oba Flair references Joe Rogan & Elon Musk37:21 – Conspiracy theories used to be "cute"38:32 – The "jizz" promo on Monday Night Raw39:57 – The Bella Army responds to "most toxic fanbase" list42:49 – Willow Nightingale on fan harassment & AEW security44:33 – Tiffany Stratton's foot guys & the foot fetish community46:48 – Pitch for a foot-fetish slasher movie: "This Little Piggy"55:00 – Willow's thoughtful quote & wasted potential in AEW57:14 – AEW women who haven't wrestled in years (Charlotte Renegade, Ruby Soho, etc.)1:02:43 – WWE as private equity: nobody cares about storytelling1:05:30 – JTG: the all-time king of doing nothing on a contract1:06:37 – Chris Hero told Ricochet to delete the tweet1:11:30 – The Usos promo mess on Raw: who's a heel?1:14:56 – Theory: Jay Uso has a drinking problem storyline1:16:50 – Roman Reigns cheered despite being a clear villain1:17:59 – Gunther has no WrestleMania opponent1:18:39 – Seth & Becky launch "Ammo Coffee"1:20:43 – Roman & CM Punk WrestleMania build: Seth interference prediction1:23:11 – WWE creative isn't bad — they just don't give a f***1:29:59 – AEW as a bottomless money pit vs. WWE as a dried-up sponge1:37:44 – Roman won't insult Punk's dog to protect his merch sales1:39:17 – Outro & Patreon plugBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.

0:00 – Cold open / Anthony & Joe react to Dave Core; Johnny Ace autograph talk13:57 – Official show intro: "Wrestling Soup, I'm Anthony Thomas, he's Joe Numbers"14:10 – WrestleMania season talk16:12 – AEW's latest PPV: "best PPV ever" discourse & death match wrestling debate21:25 – WWE Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia — should it happen amid Middle East conflict?36:59 – **Main Topic: Ricochet's Twitter controversy** — mocking a fan's MS diagnosis40:30 – What prompted Ricochet's tweets? Full breakdown of the situation56:29 – AEW's silence on Ricochet;57:20 – Sean Ross Sapp defends Ricochet;1:17:28 – **Ted DiBiase Jr. fraud case** — judge denies motion to dismiss; $3M stolen from Mississippi charities1:25:13 – Wrap-up / outro; Gunther has no WrestleMania plans; tomorrow's Frank & Gus episode previewBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.

0:00 — Intro: Joe getting into the DanHausen thing; the show's chaos0:58 — WrestleMania build losing steam; San Antonio crowd praise2:15 — Randy Orton as the potential savior of WrestleMania's main event2:50 — Stone Cold Steve Austin's no-show on 3:16 Day in Texas5:34 — WWE's 31.6% ticket discount; bad sign for WrestleMania7:07 — Las Vegas WrestleMania costs; hotel prices skyrocketing8:18 — WWE slot machines; Whitney Houston jackpot story10:59 — Road Dogg returning to the ring? OVW referee injury incident14:43 — RAW recap begins; San Antonio crowd was the best of 202615:50 — Seth Rollins opener: henchmen, Brock Lesnar, Oba Femi breakdown19:15 — Oba Femi vs. Brock: rushed booking; should've been saved for SummerSlam20:53 — WWE's impatience problem: the "cookie" analogy22:11 — WWE's new creative director from CBS/NHL background26:52 — Oba Femi's Goldberg comparisons; concern about misuse27:59 — Natty Neidhart vs. Maxine Dupree feud falling apart31:24 — Becky Lynch vs. AJ Lee; Bailey discussion35:00 — WWE's lack of blowoff matches; feuds never ending40:23 — Roman Reigns' terrible promo vs. CM Punk; "old" insult from a 40-year-old43:52 — Roman/Punk feud has no story; call for someone to turn heel47:00 — "Make someone a heel, you cowards"; Punk as potential heel49:16 — Roman's dentures; teeth jokes54:11 — Oba Femi possibly tearing up after powerbombing Brock55:37 — Wrapping up RAW; good matches (Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel); Latino appreciation night59:23 — Ricochet segment; why making fun of him gets big views1:03:05 — Sign-off; Patreon plug; see you ThursdayBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.

2:00 – State debates: Oklahoma, Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Idaho8:00 – Mortgage situation & refusing to give up that 2% COVID rate12:00 – BlackRock's rent-to-give-back communities / modern sharecropping16:00 – Wrestling Soup intro17:00 – Sol Ruca on Stephanie McMahon's podcast; toxic masculinity & male vulnerability in wrestling24:00 – WWE's boomer creative problem & Kirsten's promotion to Raw writer30:00 – Ricky Saints' concert segment pulled from YouTube (w/ clip)37:00 – Zoe Stark promo comparison; conspiracy theory: creative sabotaging indie darlings43:00 – WWE's financial machine vs. creative bankruptcy; WrestleMania apathy50:00 – Nostalgia as WWE's only product (Blink-182 analogy, Reese's cups lawsuit)55:00 – UFC vs. WWE audience divide; WWE trying to be Applebee's1:02:00 – WrestleMania card breakdown: Dominik, Finn Bálor demon, Grande Americano1:07:00 – WrestleMania Vegas attendance concerns; Wrestlecon ticket sales tanking1:12:00 – WWE casino slot machine "Road to Gold" announced1:18:00 – Idea for a "Why Did They Get Fired?" wrestling card game1:22:00 – Dan Hausen debut/interview clip; WWE setting him up to fail1:31:00 – Cody Rhodes losing momentum; Jar Jar Binks / Star Wars prequels analogy1:37:00 – Sam Roberts' transformation; Joe Rogan's moral drift1:42:00 – Dave Chappelle & Bill Cosby extended riff1:29:00 – Sign-off / Patreon & Spitball Media shoutoutBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.

0:00 - Intro & Seth Rollins' Ninja Army Discussion6:30 - Seth's Henchmen: Power Rangers or Wrestling School Students?13:00 - Logan Paul vs Austin Theory Storyline29:00 - CM Punk Confronts The Usos42:00 - Dead Uncle Drama & Family Feuds57:00 - Seth Rollins Figure Eight Choreography1:18:00 - Judgment Day Turns on Finn Bálor1:29:00 - Oba Femi vs Rusev Match1:42:00 - Dan Hausen T-Shirt Sales Segment1:57:00 - Raw Women's Gauntlet Match2:10 - Penta vs El Grande Americano2:23:00 - WrestleMania Build Criticism2:42:00 - Rusty Loads Country Character Pitch2:58:00 - Wrap Up & Final ThoughtsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.

LA Knight's elimination chamber slip and Logan Paul's comments about dangerous ring conditionsWWE uses cheap screen printing instead of proper dye sublimation to save $81K/yearRing canvas ads generate $14-36 million annuallyOne wrestler injury costs more than the entire yearly savingsWWE monetizes every canvas piece: $29-150 plaques, $400 name printing, charity donations, Panini trading cards10% of one canvas generates $288K in merchandise aloneESPN partnership struggles and WrestleMania 42 ticket concerns0:00 - Intro & Road Dog's WWE Departure1:31 - WWE Creative Shakeup: Alexandra Williams Joins Raw6:04 - Zoe Hines Signs with WWE (RFK Jr.'s Niece)8:46 - WWE's Nepo Baby Problem Continues17:25 - LA Knight & Logan Paul Expose Slippery Ring Canvas Issue18:08 - The Ring Canvas Controversy Explained19:12 - Dye Sublimation vs Screen Printing: The Safety Issue20:25 - WWE Makes $10-36 Million Annually from Ring Ads23:36 - The Math: WWE Saves Only $81K/Year with Cheap Canvas25:50 - One Injury Costs $1-3 Million - The Dangerous Gamble28:51 - WWE Sells Used Canvases for Hundreds of Thousands31:06 - The $400 Name-on-Canvas Program at MSG34:43 - Fanatics Partnership: Maximum Exploitation38:38 - 10% of One Canvas = $288K in Merch Revenue42:15 - Charity Donations: Another Revenue Stream45:31 - Panini Trading Cards: Even Scraps Make Money48:54 - ESPN/WWE Partnership Struggles & WrestleMania 42 Concerns52:37 - Vegas Venue Broadcast Restrictions Backfire1:02:05 - Dan Hausen Merch Sales Surprise WWE1:09:16 - Tom Brady WrestleMania Rumors1:18:25 - WWE's Priorities Problem & Corporate Greed DiscussionBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.

• The Vision falling apart & Seth Rollins' new role• CM Punk vs Roman Reigns WrestleMania build• Rhea Ripley's breakup with Iyo Sky• Jade Cargill's backstage heat & Twitter drama• Gunther vs Dragon Lee - great match, wrong timing• Dan Hausen's WWE debut & mixed reactions• Penta wins North American Championship!• WrestleMania card concerns0:00 - Intro / Demolition Theme Parody2:43 - Raw Recap Begins / WrestleMania Road Concerns5:30 - The Vision Falls Apart / Seth Rollins Turn11:02 - Roman Reigns vs CM Punk Promo Analysis25:58 - Restaurant Analogies (Denny's vs Bob Evans)38:58 - Logan Paul & Austin Theory's Future50:15 - Gunther vs Dragon Lee Discussion58:28 - Liv Morgan's Problematic Promo1:03:00 - Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky Split Up1:09:38 - Jade Cargill vs Rhea Twitter Drama1:16:38 - Kyrie Sane & Asuka Segment Issues1:23:30 - AJ Lee Promo Problems1:27:43 - El Grande Americano vs Los Lotharios1:30:23 - Dan Hausen WWE Debut Review1:33:48 - Judgment Day & JD McDonagh1:36:50 - Oscar & Kyrie Domestic Abuse Angle1:39:30 - Obba Femi vs Rusev Setup1:42:09 - Obba Femi Meet & Greet Controversy1:46:41 - Penta vs Dominic Mysterio - Match of the Night!1:32:40 - Final Thoughts & Wrap UpBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.

0:00 - Intro & Snake Song0:58 - Show Begins: Initial Thoughts on Elimination Chamber1:32 - Women's Elimination Chamber Match Discussion3:46 - Tiffany Stratton Problems & Kiana James Debut7:40 - Raquel Rodriguez & Rhea Ripley's Size Discussion13:10 - Champion Becky Lynch vs. AJ Lee (Women's IC Title)22:42 - AJ Lee's Legacy & Career Retrospective31:06 - CM Punk vs. Finn Bálor (World Heavyweight Championship)38:47 - Judgment Day's Future & Storyline Direction46:20 - Dan Hausen's Box Debut Disaster54:26 - Masked Man Reveal: Seth Rollins Returns59:36 - Men's Elimination Chamber Match1:03:32 - LA Knight's Botch & Push Discussion1:11:26 - Logan Paul as a Heel & Celebrity Wrestlers1:14:22 - Randy Orton Wins & WrestleMania Implications1:23:20 - Overall Show Grades & Final ThoughtsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wrestling-soup--1425249/support.