The Ringer Wrestling Show

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: If John Cena took his retirement tour to AEW for one night only, who would be his opponent? David and Kaz kick off the show discussing whether or not Seth Rollins will be in the Bloodline War Games match (6:34). Afterwards they discuss whether or not AEW will reward the fans for paying attention this weekend AEW Full Gear (16:00). Later, they are joined by Alexander Smith of the Nerd Companion, who is a contestant for the Hot Take Championship. He shares why Chelsea Green will be the first WWE Women’s United States Champion (67:43) Be sure to check out our videos on BlueSky, TikTok, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Guest: Alexander Smith Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben, Khal, Brian, and David kick off the show by discussing the bad vibes around the Rock’s newest movie, 'Red One,' and name their least favorite movies from the Great One (2:40). Then, they break down the women’s WarGames match at Survivor Series (9:30). Next up, it’s time for another draft! On the heels of AEW mistakenly wishing Mercedes Moné a happy birthday, this week’s theme is wrestlers with November birthdays (19:17). Later, they welcome WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan to the show to discuss her Crown Jewel ring, the proudest moments of her career, and the idea of a Riott Squad–Judgment Day meeting of the minds (47:12). They close the show by going to the Worldwide Hotline to react to hot takes from you, the people, regarding Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes heading into Survivor Series (69:55). For an opportunity to have your hot take featured on They Said What?!, leave a voicemail at (202) 417-8160 or drop your Am I the Heel situations at ringerwrestlingshowworldwide@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer TikTok account @RingerWrestling, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: Ben Cruz, Khal Davenport, and Brian H. Waters Guest: Liv Morgan and David Shoemaker Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How many Paul brothers would it take to beat peak Mike Tyson (0:30)? David and Kaz kick off the show by discussing the influence pro wrestling had on the Mike Tyson–Jake Paul fight (5:06). Then they discuss why Netflix is streaming live sporting events and the move of WWE's 'Raw' in January (26:33). Later, they discuss Bronson Reed, who's joining Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline, and Roman Reigns, who isn't able to reach Paul Heyman (42:17) Be sure to check out our videos on BlueSky, TikTok, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David and Kaz kick off the show by discussing AEW Dynamite and some of the growing pains the promotion is experiencing (6:14). Then they discuss the discourse around WWE shows being spoiled on social media (32:40). Later they discuss the Bloodline’s fifth member for War Games (40:45) and Jaida Parker’s drawing power on NXT (53:00), before David closes the show by answering a few mailbag questions (58:54). Be sure to check out our videos on BlueSky, TikTok, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben, Khal, and Brian are joined by Shoemaker to celebrate 100 episodes! They kick off the show by discussing the options for each Bloodline’s fifth member for WarGames (8:12). Then, it’s draft time once again! For this edition, the guys pick through the best military gimmicks in pro wrestling history (17:56) After that, they go to the Worldwide Hotline to react to a few hot takes from you, the people! First, a request to assemble a hip-hop Survivor Series team (37:52) and the possibility of a two-night Royal Rumble (54:44). They close the show with “Am I the Heel?” where the guys react to a listener who straight up doesn’t like Roman Reigns (62:40). For an opportunity to have your hot take featured on They Said What?!, leave a voicemail at (202) 417-8160 or drop your “Am I the Heel?” situations at ringerwrestlingshowworldwide@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our videos on BlueSky, TikTok, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: Ben Cruz, Khal Davenport, and Brian H. Waters Guest: David Shoemaker Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Who should be in the first United States Women’s Championship (0:40)? Then David and Kaz debate whether or not the Bloodline has surpassed the Four Horsemen (7:34). Then they discuss the following: The OG Bloodline vs. the Bloodline 2.0 (31:57) Kevin Owens puts Randy Orton down with the piledriver (36:40) Who will turn heel next (39:40)? A Cody Rhodes heel run (47:20). Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer Wrestling TikTok account @RingerWrestling, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David and Kaz kick of the show by discussing reports about Michael PS Hayes and Bruce Prichard taking a leave of absence from WWE (4:11). Then they discuss the release of Baron Corbin, Indi Hartwell, and Tegan Nox (10:11) and Corbin’s BBQ ventures (20:40). Later they talk about AEW Dynamite, including Powerhouse Hobbs's return to join Ricochet in the main event (23:12). They also cover NXT 2300, which featured Zaria pinning Roxanne Perez as well as the Dudley Boyz standing side by side with Trick Williams (37:34). Then Kaz responds to the timeline's denial of his Jey Uso–Goldberg hot take (52:25) In the final segment of the show, they welcome Taneah Cooper from X for the Hot Take Championship segment. She discusses her theory about how Jimmy Uso doesn't want to be alone (59:26). Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer Wrestling TikTok account @RingerWrestling, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Guest: Taneah Cooper Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s Election Day, so it’s only right that Ben, Khal, Brian, and David kick off the show by discussing which pro wrestler, past or present, would have been the best presidential candidate (1:04). They, they discuss the following from 'Raw': Damian Priest became the no. 1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship (15:21) The lack of urgency with Gunther’s title reign (19:37) What Goldberg’s final match could be (26:01) A possible Liv Morgan–Raquel Rodriguez tag team run (32:40) The Wyatt Sicks kidnapping The Miz and Karrion Kross (34:10) Then, they go to the Worldwide Hotline to react to a few hot takes from you, the people, regarding the Mount Rushmore of Vince McMahon’s worst booking decisions (37:28) and a question on who has the bigger pop right now: Jey Uso or Roman Reigns (45:55). They close the show with Am I the Heel. They react to listeners’ situations in which they disliked something that may be considered “popular” within the wrestling community. First up: a listener's gripe with how people wear their championship belts (53:05). For an opportunity to have your hot take featured on They Said What?!, leave a voicemail at (202) 417-8160 or drop your Am I the Heel situations at ringerwrestlingshowworldwide@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer TikTok account @RingerWrestling, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: Ben Cruz, Khal Davenport, and Brian H. Waters Guest: David Shoemaker Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Goldberg's announced that he will wrestle his last match. Who would you pencil in as his opponent (0:37)? David and Kaz recap WWE Crown Jewel with the following: Solo Sikoa pinned Roman Reigns (4:37) Was LA Knight, Carmelo Hayes, and Andrade the match of the night (18:04)? Cody Rhodes wins the WWE Crown Jewel title and has a ring to go with it (21:18) 'Raw' spoiler alerts in this episode. Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer Wrestling TikTok account @RingerWrestling, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy Halloween, humanoids! David kicks off the show with a few cold open questions for Kaz regarding which wrestlers he would choose to be for Halloween (0:30). Then they discuss AEW Fright Night: Bobby Lashley shows up and confronts Swerve Strickland (7:50) Private Party win the tag titles (29:19) Jon Moxley nearly destroys Wheeler Yuta to get Orange Cassidy’s attention (34:00) Mercedes Mone’ sends Kamille to the back (41:04) David Shoemaker’s fashion critiques (43:39) Then they close the show with WWE Crown Jewel Predictions (47:52) Roman Reigns and the Uso vs. the Bloodline 2.0 (48:45) Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther (58:26) Nia Jax vs. Liv Morgan (62:51) Seth Rollins vs. Big Bronson Reed (70:27) Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens (73:04) LA Knight vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes (74:50) Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair vs. Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky vs. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson vs. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven (76:02) Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer Wrestling TikTok account @RingerWrestling., Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy Halloween week! Ben, Khal, Brian, and David each get in the spirit of the season and throw on a wrestling-themed costume (2:00). Then they get into the following from Monday Night Raw: Jey and Jimmy Uso reuniting (6:18) Sami Zayn inserting himself into the Bloodline story … again (10:40) Who might be the next contender for Gunther’s world heavyweight title (20:54) Seth Rollins and Bronson Reed continue to destroy each other (24:01) Then, in the Nostalgia Freakz Moment of the Week, they go back to revisit WWE’s only all-women’s pay-per-view, Evolution (27:11). After the break, they introduce a new segment: “Am I the Heel” where they encourage you, the people, to get in your Reddit bags and voice an unpopular wrestling opinion (48:50). For an opportunity to have your hot take featured on They Said What?!, leave a voicemail at (202) 417-8160. To submit your “Am I the Heel” questions, send an email to RingerWrestlingShowWorldwide@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer TikTok account @RingerWrestling, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: Ben Cruz, Khal Davenport, and Brian H. Waters Guest: David Shoemaker Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: WrestleDream starts at 8 p.m. ET. What time will it be over? David and Kaz kick off the show by recapping SmackDown, where the Motor City Machine Guns won the WWE Tag Team Championship (6:34). Then they get into Sunday night’s Halloween Havoc: Trick Williams retains the NXT World Championship (13:00) Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia are impressive in their win (20:11) Bully Ray shows up to help Trick Williams (27:13) Trick Williams’s diss tracks (30:37) Then they rate a few NXT stars’ readiness on a scale of 1 to 5 using Halloween jack-o’-lanterns (39:29). They also discuss Masha Slamovich’s win over Jordynne Grace for the TNA Knockouts Title (50:15), Wheeler Yuta’s promo (54:18), and the Usos’ big hug on SmackDown (68:00). Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer Wrestling TikTok account @RingerWrestling., Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What’s the best antidote for hitting the wrestling wall? David and Kaz discuss the state of pro wrestling lately with the following: WWE and AEW going against the hottest time in sports (4:34) Fantasy booking AEW power authority (21:22) Shelton Benjamin being booked like a star (25:08) Rhea Ripley and her “exes” (40:07) Then they welcome Cora Jade ahead of Halloween Havoc and discuss the following: Working with CM Punk, Shawn Michaels, and others she grew up watching (50:29) Growing up in a wrestling hotbed like Chicago (53:00) Her and Roxanne being the “Passion Police” (55:40) Be sure to check out our videos on the 'Ringer Wrestling' TikTok account @RingerWrestling, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Guest: Cora Jade Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben, Khal, and Brian are together in studio! They welcome David Shoemaker and react to the surprising departure of Samantha Irvin (3:05). Then, they discuss highlights from 'Raw,' including: Bronson Reed and Seth Rollins are fighting all over the WWE Universe (15:00) Bron Breakker defeats Jey Uso for the Intercontinental Championship (17:16) Then, in the Nostalgia Freakz Moment of the Week, they go back to revisit the time Jake “The Snake” Roberts attacked Macho Man with a literal snake on 'WWE Superstars.(26:38)' After the break, they go to the Ringer Wrestling Worldwide Hotline for They Said What?! and react to a couple of hot takes from you, the people, regarding a Bron Breakker–Jacob Fatu showdown and a question about Lex Luger’s WCW SuperBrawl VI (37:01). To close the show, David asks the guys a few questions from a 1997 WWE trivia game (0:00). For an opportunity to have your hot take featured on They Said What?!, leave a voicemail at (202) 417-8160 or send an email to RingerWrestling@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer TikTok account @RingerWrestling, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: Ben Cruz, Khal Davenport, and Brian H. Waters Guest: David Shoemaker Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: If you could have any president on a podcast with any wrestler, who would you pick? (00:41) David and Kaz kick off the show with their reactions to the debut of Motor City Machine Guns in WWE (07:26). After that, they dive into the recent Rolling Stone article detailing the “living hell” working as a WWE writer and tap into Kaz’s personal experience (16:37). Finally, they talk about about the lack of creative for Baron Corbin (67:29) and end with their Raw preview (77:33). Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer Wrestling TikTok account @RingerWrestling, Instagram Threads, and X. Host: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producer: Eduardo Ocampo Additional Production Supervision: Ben Cruz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: If you could bring back an old tag team from WWE’s past, who would it be (0:46)? David and Kaz kick off the show by discussing David’s new artwork with a sprinkle of pro wrestling history (4:32). They have an honest conversation about pro wrestling the past three days, discussing the following: The direction of AEW (9:06) Shelton Benjamin vs. Lio Rush and the wait for Bobby Lashley (25:42) The worst refereeing ever (41:21)? AJ Styles’s injury (46:00) The two-hour Monday Night Raw (52:29) WWE‘s renewed tag team division (59:38) Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer Wrestling TikTok account @RingerWrestling, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben, Khal, Brian, and David kick off the show by discussing the return of the War Raiders on Monday Night Raw (3:12). Then, in the "Nostalgia Freakz Moment of the Week," they go back to revisit the first Buried Alive match between the Undertaker and Mankind (11:34). After the break, they go to the Ringer Wrestling Worldwide Hotline for "They Said What?!" and react to hot takes from you, the people, regarding a weird thing going on with Liv and Dom that could lead to a Dom babyface run and figuring out the Rock’s messaging at Bad Blood (39:08). Then, they welcome NXT North American champion Tony D’Angelo, who discusses the following: What winning the NXT North American title meant to him (58:00) His inspiration for using the “spinebuster” (68:45) NXT adapting to the move to The CW network (71:00) His favorite Rocky film (78:45) For an opportunity to have your hot take featured on They Said What?!, leave a voicemail at (202) 417-8160 or send an email to RingerWrestling@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer TikTok account @RingerWrestling, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: Ben Cruz, Khal Davenport, and Brian H. Waters Guests: Tony D’Angelo and David Shoemaker Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: All of AEW’s Champions are heels. If you had to root for one of them, who would it be? David and Kaz recap AEW WrestleDream and the brutal ending (and potential retirement?) of Bryan Danielson (07:19). Then they discuss the following and more: Does this put Bryan Danielson on wrestling Mount Rushmore? (14:20) Jon Moxley: New AEW World Champion (21:42) Are we more convinced Shane McMahon is joining AEW (28:02)? Returns of MJF and Adam Cole (36:08) Takeshita takes International Championship (47:09) Then, they “Sell or No Sell” on some of the following topics: A renewal of the Billy Gunn-Rico storyline (59:00) Bobby Lashley not appearing at WrestleDream (60:40) Zach Sabre Jr. wins IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (64:08) Sports Illustrated’s kayfabe reporting on Kevin Owens-Randy Orton brawl (68:34) No Rock at WrestleMania? (71:14) Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer Wrestling TikTok account @RingerWrestling, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producer: Eduardo Ocampo Additional Production Support: Ben Cruz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: WrestleDream starts at 8:00 p.m. ET, what time will it be over? David and Kaz kick off the show by discussing AEW and NXT going head-to-head on Tuesday night and who won the ratings battle (5:06). Then they discuss the following: Randy Orton vs. Je’Von Evans (16:32) Tony D’Angelo wins the North American Title (18:45) Sami Zayn and Gunther’s World Title match on Raw (27:45) Raw moving to two hours (33:50) Then they preview WrestleDream (26:24): Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley (40:54) Jay White vs. Hangman Adam Page (46:04) And then to close the show they welcome Will Ospreay, who talks: His match with Ricochet and Konosuke Takeshita (55:03) American crowds vs. Japanese crowds (57:53) The differences in his latest match with Ricochet and their match in 2016 (65:29) Whether or not he keeps tracks of his five-star matches (71:52) His response to people who say he doesn’t “sell enough” (76:43) His relationship with Tony Khan (85:34) Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer Wrestling TikTok account @RingerWrestling., Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Guest: Will Ospreay Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben, Khal, Brian, and David kick off the show by discussing what they did with the extra hour now that 'Raw' has moved to two hours and their thoughts on what the Netflix era could look like in terms of programming (6:26). Then, they discuss how Bron Breakker attacked Jey Uso a week after Breakker showed him respect (14:55). Then, in the Nostalgia Freakz Moment of the Week, they go back and revisit Bayley and Sasha Banks’s epic Iron Man match at NXT TakeOver: Respect (17:24). After the break, they go to the Ringer Wrestling Worldwide Hotline for They Said What?! and react to hot takes from you, the people, regarding John Cena and Randy Orton as they make their way to WrestleMania for the title and how you date yourself as a wrestling fan (42:44). Then, in the Triple-Threat Open Challenge, each of the guys brings the following topics to the table (57:15) Brian: In or out—one more reign for the Rock? Khal: Who are we siding with more, Kofi Kingston or Xavier Woods? Ben: What is the Rock’s best movie? For an opportunity to have your hot take featured on They Said What?!, leave a voicemail at (202) 417-8160 or send an email to RingerWrestling@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our videos on the Ringer TikTok account @RingerWrestling, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: Ben Cruz, Khal Davenport, and Brian H. Waters Guest: David Shoemaker Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices