1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,280 Love this podcast? Support this show through the 2 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:07,000 Acast supporter feature. It's up to you how much you give 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:08,640 and there's no regular commitment. 4 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:11,720 Just click the link in the show description to support now. 5 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:15,560 Brothers and sisters, welcome back. 6 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,160 Welcome back to another wonderful edition of the Devon 7 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:22,880 and the Duke Podcast. It's a limited podcast series 8 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:25,880 hosted by your main man. Duke loves wrestling. 9 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:29,480 And of course, one of the greatest of all time, the Hall 10 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,040 of Famer himself, Mr. Devon Dudley. 11 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:34,520 How you doing that Devon? I'm doing all right man, I'm 12 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:36,440 just trying to see who else I can piss off this week. 13 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,360 Listen, man, we, we don't, we don't trend it online the last 14 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:47,000 two weeks in a row and we don't stirred up the dirt sheets. 15 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,720 I I think they're, they're trying to assemble their army 16 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:53,400 and they're going to, they're going to start typing fast and 17 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:55,160 angry at us. Devon, what do you think about 18 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:56,920 that? Well, you know, I don't know 19 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:01,560 why, because, you know, it's not like what we said wasn't true, 20 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:04,280 you know, and going back to the Will Washerman thing, and not to 21 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,520 get too deep on that, but I didn't say anything bad about 22 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:09,600 the man. All I said was what people were 23 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,480 telling me. No one's bad mouthing them. 24 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:14,880 I'm just saying something was brought up and I said, well, 25 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:17,240 this is what this, you know, these are what these people are 26 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:19,440 saying. So I don't know him from Adam 27 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:22,720 and I and I expressed that I don't know him from Adam. 28 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:27,200 So don't get mad at me, maybe go to AEW, find out who doesn't 29 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:30,520 like him and who says that stuff about him and get on them. 30 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:33,920 I'm only reporting what was told to me. 31 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:36,160 Ain't nobody bad mouthing that man. 32 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:40,040 And God damn it, ain't nobody bad mouthing AEW of anything I 33 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,480 put over AEW and this slump that they're in. 34 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:47,000 I'm hoping they get out of it because the WWE needs 35 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:51,440 competition, and if AE W is that competition, then God bless 36 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,640 them, but that's what they need. And so we've already learned 37 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,800 that without competition, the wrestling business is going to 38 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:00,320 go flat. It's going to suck. 39 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:05,000 So with now there's a place for somebody to go, you know, thanks 40 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,280 to Tony Kahn. And again, I don't badmouth him 41 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:09,039 either. All I say is he's not. 42 00:02:11,039 --> 00:02:15,040 I don't think he was qualified enough or capable enough to be, 43 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,440 you know, the head Booker of the company because he's so much of 44 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,320 a fan. And sometimes when you're a fan 45 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,400 and you know, this, it clouds your judgment on things. 46 00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:29,560 You can't make rational decisions in pro wrestling in a 47 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:34,920 company and and expect it to be, you know, just it's going to 48 00:02:34,920 --> 00:02:37,120 you're going to hit home runs. It's just not going to work that 49 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:37,720 way. Sometimes. 50 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:39,360 Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it doesn't. 51 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:42,720 But you know, again, you're looking at it from a fan's point 52 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,120 of view and it's just not going to work that way. 53 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:49,680 Sometimes it does, depending on what it is, you know, or 54 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,000 sometimes when you have to make the decision of, you know, 55 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:57,040 dropping a hammer on somebody because of the fact that, you 56 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,440 know, they broke the rules or they didn't listen or they were 57 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,000 out of line, you know, can you sit there and make the rational 58 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:08,440 decision to suspend to fine and all that now, yes, I've heard 59 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:12,960 that he's done that, you know, in the past few months. 60 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,200 I think the first thing was the whole thing with the CM Punk 61 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:20,080 thing, you know, I think that started everything. 62 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,520 And then of course, Jungle Boy, I don't know his real name, but 63 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:26,720 you know, that started, you know, that was the second one 64 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:30,640 from what I heard. Now, I heard Britt Breaker has 65 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:33,000 gotten fined. I don't know how true that is, 66 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,400 but you know, I found out that she's gonna fight. 67 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:37,800 So he's starting to go a definitely in the right 68 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:39,600 direction. We're trying to get control of 69 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:42,360 his company. But again, you need somebody 70 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:46,120 that's a wrestling mind that knows this business inside and 71 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:49,880 out that can do that. One of the greatest assets, I 72 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:54,360 think that would have worked when his contract was up with 73 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:58,240 WWE would have been Paul Heyman. You know, I think he would have 74 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:00,000 been great. I think that place would have 75 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,200 turned around so fast. Oh my God, I don't think the 76 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:04,840 wrestling world would have known what hit them. 77 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:12,320 I think, I think that would have been a huge, huge thing for AEW 78 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:14,360 if they would have been able to get Paul Heyman. 79 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:16,360 But they weren't able to do that. 80 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:18,040 So I don't know. What are the rest of the mind 81 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,800 out there that can really help Tony to get that place to where 82 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:24,360 it needs to be other than a guy like Paul Heyman? 83 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:28,400 I agree 100%. And I'll tell you, when we look 84 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:33,640 back at Paul Heyman's speech at the Hall of Fame, he made it 85 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:37,120 abundantly clear that you try to cancel him. 86 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:40,960 He's going to come back 10 times stronger if you if you don't 87 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:46,320 heed his, his advice, he's going to find a way to reinvent 88 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:48,400 himself even bigger. And I agree. 89 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,840 If, if he would have been in charge of booking an AEW, that 90 00:04:51,840 --> 00:04:56,120 company would legitimately be competing with the WWE as 91 00:04:56,120 --> 00:05:01,040 opposed to the abysmal ratings that they have and, and, and the 92 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,160 abysmal attendance, live attendance that they have at 93 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:06,920 their events. And I'm just going to throw it 94 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:08,920 out here, folks. And let's call it what it is. 95 00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:15,160 Ever since Will Washington was hired in AEW, they have had a 96 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:18,640 complete downturn. It is it's been fascinating to 97 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:23,720 watch how far they have dropped from wherever they were. 98 00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:27,240 And I'm not saying that that's Will Washington's fault, but it 99 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:29,320 is something to keep in mind, folks. 100 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:33,400 If this, if this guy who's just as qualified as I am and I'm not 101 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,040 qualified to be booking wrestling, he's he's part of the 102 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:38,080 booking committee and all this nonsense here. 103 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:41,560 If this guy is going around telling wrestlers what they need 104 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,920 to do and how they need to do it and all that nonsense, it's no 105 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,360 surprise that the company is doing worse than it's ever been 106 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:50,160 doing. So I'm I'm with you on that, 107 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:51,400 Devon. I agree 100%. 108 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:55,080 Again, I just feel that that place has such good potential. 109 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:59,280 They have the right tools. They have everything they need, 110 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:04,520 especially in terms of talent to get to where they need to be in 111 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:09,120 terms of in terms of being a number two company. 112 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:11,760 You know, they definitely have what it takes. 113 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:15,880 But again, he needs somebody like a Paul Heyman that will 114 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:19,520 come in there and help him to get that place where it needs to 115 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:20,880 be. That's all he needs. 116 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:23,880 I mean, I'll be honest with you. He get that and he's off the 117 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,080 race. But again, who who is that 118 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:29,840 person other than Paul Heyman? I just don't know. 119 00:06:30,840 --> 00:06:34,360 Well, whoever they were, he's had enough variations in that 120 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:37,520 company. You look at a Jim Ross, you 121 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:41,800 start going down the line, ARN Anderson, Dean Malenko, you've 122 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,920 had so many different minds that if you were to combine them, you 123 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:49,080 probably could have been OK, at least a lot more competitive. 124 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:51,400 But it's clear that Tony's not listening to them. 125 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:54,520 So, and, and you've heard them say that, right? 126 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:56,320 So. I've heard, I've heard them say 127 00:06:56,320 --> 00:07:00,040 it, but I also feel that, you know, Malenko, Anderson, all 128 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,320 those guys, you know, Paul is very strong. 129 00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:06,480 His demeanor, his presence is very, very strong. 130 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:11,320 And if anybody can be heard and made heard and make sure you 131 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:14,280 hear him, it's Paul. I just don't think the names 132 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:17,920 that you said could do that. They're great minds and the 133 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:19,440 business. And yes, if you put them all 134 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:27,120 together, they would definitely, you know, 'cause you know, havoc 135 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:30,480 in a good way in terms of getting the the product where it 136 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:31,960 needs to be. But I just don't know. 137 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:36,720 Again, Paul is just the guy. Agreed 100%. 138 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:41,040 You know, it's funny, I was talking to Phil Marks over at 139 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:44,800 the Pro Wrestling Times podcast. Shout out to those folks. 140 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:47,360 They're great folks. Listen to the show here as well, 141 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:52,000 which is very nice of them. They asked a question that I 142 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:53,840 want to get you. I want to get this answer from 143 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:57,960 you directly here. When you were in the process of 144 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:02,480 negotiating with AEW, trying to figure out if it would make 145 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:05,720 sense for you to be part of the company, you letting them know 146 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:08,520 that you would prefer a behind the scenes role. 147 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:10,440 You feel that you could help out in that way. 148 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:14,720 You did not want to wrestle. Ultimately, when we take a look 149 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:18,440 at what they've done, they brought in Christian, then 150 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:21,720 eventually they brought in Edge. They brought in the Hardy Boys. 151 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:25,960 When you reflect on this, Devon, do you think there could have 152 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:30,040 been a long term plan to get the Dudley boys in AEW? 153 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:32,919 And you were the first domino that they were trying to to 154 00:08:32,919 --> 00:08:34,799 drop, so to speak. And then they were going to try 155 00:08:34,799 --> 00:08:43,960 to pull Bubba in as well. Yes, I mean, wait, what are you 156 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:45,200 trying? What are you trying to get at? 157 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:52,520 Well, just again, reflecting on who they've brought in, was Tony 158 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:56,560 trying to assemble his own TLC, his own nostalgia? 159 00:08:57,240 --> 00:08:59,880 You know it was he. You know, that could have been 160 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:02,440 the case. You know, you had the Hardy's, 161 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:05,080 you had both Edge and Christian in the company. 162 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:08,240 The only ones that were left of course, was Bubba and myself. 163 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:11,000 I do know that he doesn't care for Bubba pretty much. 164 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:17,800 And because he got questioned about something on the XM Radio, 165 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:23,280 busted Open Radio about the referees and I guess Tony took 166 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:26,160 offense to it and he never forgave Bubba for that. 167 00:09:26,560 --> 00:09:28,640 And so he's got to beef with Bubba. 168 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:34,000 I think anybody that has a has something to say to try to help 169 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:38,160 the company, not hurt it. There's always going to be riff 170 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:40,000 with Tony. And I think Tony has to 171 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:41,760 understand, don't take it personal. 172 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:46,760 You know, criticism about the company is good in a way. 173 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:48,360 You can't get everything positive. 174 00:09:48,680 --> 00:09:52,000 There's got to be something that has to be criticized that you 175 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:55,640 can basically, you know, try to correct and make better. 176 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:58,480 Again, I'll say it again, you've got phenomenal talent over 177 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:00,840 there. No question in my mind. 178 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:03,920 The talent over there is great, definitely on the same level as 179 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:08,480 the WWE. It's just that storylines and 180 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:11,000 things like that, you know, WWE is killing it right now. 181 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:13,560 It is one of the hottest tickets around. 182 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:17,800 And for that to be, you know, you have to put in perspective 183 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:21,720 what are they doing, right? And the other company is not 184 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:25,360 doing the same thing. Not or not because I don't want 185 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:30,400 to say wrong, but what are they doing that WWE is doing? 186 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:33,280 What are they not doing? I should say that WWE is doing, 187 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:35,160 you know, and that's one thing that has to be put in 188 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:39,240 perspective. I don't understand why, you 189 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:41,760 know, when you know, you told me, you said the ratings are 190 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:44,360 down. The the events, the live events 191 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:46,840 are down. You know, if you see this, then 192 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:50,480 something's got to tell you. You know we have to correct 193 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,000 this. Well, it something has to tell 194 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:56,680 you if you're somebody who's serious about managing and 195 00:10:56,680 --> 00:11:00,480 growing that business and ultimately, you know, making 196 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:03,920 money, which clearly Tony Khan has proven that that doesn't 197 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:07,240 seem to be his business model. Regardless of what anybody else, 198 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,400 his surrogates, whether it be Meltzer or some of these other 199 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:12,960 folks, whatever they want to say, clearly that's not what 200 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:15,280 he's doing here. He just looks like a man who 201 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:17,520 doesn't understand how to build a business. 202 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:21,520 It's it's really crazy to me. We're in the month of August at 203 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:25,600 this point, Devon, January is right around the corner, right? 204 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:27,960 New Year's right around the corner here is only a few short 205 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:32,520 months away. And AEW still does not have a 206 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:39,480 American television deal. WBD let their exclusive window 207 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:44,000 for negotiations expire, which means that Tony Khan can talk to 208 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:46,600 any company he wants, any network he wants to try to land 209 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:48,760 a deal. But it still hasn't happened 210 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:51,440 yet. What is your read on that? 211 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:54,840 Because I, I got to be honest with you as as a fan, as a 212 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:58,120 person who's been a fan for over 41 years and and who's consumed 213 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:04,560 so much of this information, I can never recall a time where 214 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:09,200 only a few short months away, a major wrestling company still 215 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,240 doesn't have ATV deal. I can't recall a time of that 216 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:14,320 happening. And then they survive it. 217 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,440 Like you said, no company has really ever survived, you know, 218 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:21,720 cutting it this close to not having the deal. 219 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:24,880 I don't know how. I don't even know how to report 220 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:27,920 that on how to see on that. You know, hopefully he's got 221 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:32,200 something up up his sleeve that he'll be able to pull out at the 222 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,440 last minute or maybe he's playing chess and he's finally 223 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:36,720 do a strategy. I don't know. 224 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:40,360 I, I hope they get it. I hope they get ATV deal because 225 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:43,760 if not, it's going to be sad. It's going to be real sad 226 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:46,200 because that if they don't have ATV deal, they're fucked. 227 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:49,200 You know, that's the bad of mind. 228 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:50,800 They're they're messed up. They're done. 229 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:55,280 And I hope and pray that they do because if they do, that means 230 00:12:55,280 --> 00:13:01,080 we can see more AW and we just get to see new talent that WWE 231 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:03,480 feels is not ready to be on their show. 232 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:08,000 But now they can be on AW show. So hopefully that changes 233 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:11,680 leading up to January and hopefully we'll see them on a 234 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:16,000 new deal. Now in comparison, you have WWE, 235 00:13:16,560 --> 00:13:20,400 they secured all their, their television distribution deals. 236 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:24,120 In fact, they they got deals, you know, at least through the 237 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:28,160 next 10 years when you really look at the fine print here. 238 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:30,800 So they're rocking and rolling. There's no, there's no question 239 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:33,840 about that. And there was no greater example 240 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:37,760 of this than what they've done over the past week on both 241 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:42,720 Smackdown and Raw and even NXT. When you take a look at these 242 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:44,920 storylines. We got the next chapter in the 243 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:49,320 Bloodline saga. Roman has come back, he's 244 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:52,040 challenging solo. We got to figure out who the 245 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:55,800 Tribal chief really is. You have all that going on and 246 00:13:55,800 --> 00:14:05,000 then on Raw you have Judgment Day and Liv Morgan, Mommy Ria 247 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:08,320 Ripley, Don Mysterio, Damian Priest is involved. 248 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:10,320 You got Finn Balor who turned on Priest. 249 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:13,560 You have that whole storyline that has so many different 250 00:14:13,560 --> 00:14:16,080 layers and that has been built over time as well. 251 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:19,440 Just in general, what are your thoughts about the the the 252 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:23,080 health and the vitality of WWE, especially with these 253 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:25,440 storylines? Well, who's running the company? 254 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:32,800 Paul Lebec. What era did Paul Lebec pretty 255 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:36,000 much have the most success in? The Attitude Era. 256 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:38,320 Exactly. When you think about the 257 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:41,760 Attitude Era which has come and gone and a lot of people would 258 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:47,520 love to see that come back, but it's not just for reasons that 259 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:50,240 we all know. I mean, you know, you can't go 260 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:53,440 X-rated again. I'm sorry, the the attitude era 261 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:57,040 was all X-rated and I ain't talking about just nudity 262 00:14:57,040 --> 00:15:00,080 either. But no, but you know, remember 263 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:05,320 back then, everybody from the bottom card to the top card had 264 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:09,480 a storyline and that people were into they invested in. 265 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:13,960 And so with that being said, This is why that the storylines 266 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:17,120 that are going on today is the history is repeating itself 267 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:19,760 here. The guy who worked in the most 268 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:24,960 successful error in pro wrestling is now running the 269 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:31,200 company and pretty much doing it the same way he did when he came 270 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:34,720 up in the Attitude ever and did what he did and became Triple H. 271 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:39,080 You know, he became the game. So if the formula is not broke, 272 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:42,000 then leave it alone because it doesn't need to be fixed. 273 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:45,600 And I think that's what a lot of people were trying to say to 274 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:49,080 Vince when he was in power. You know, if it's not broke, 275 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:51,480 don't fix it. You know, leave it be. 276 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:54,720 It doesn't have to be fixed. You're doing great. 277 00:15:55,120 --> 00:16:01,240 But it could have been also ideas that weren't fresh in the 278 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:04,200 mind of Vince anymore. You know, he won the Monday 279 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:05,840 Night Wars. That took a lot out of them 280 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:07,520 because he almost lost his company. 281 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:11,960 And then to stay afloat, he, you know, which is what he did for 282 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:16,080 about what, three or four years later after buying WCW? 283 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:17,960 And then ratings started to drop. 284 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,960 And then he had to bring in a new generation of guys and then 285 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:24,320 get the fans to get used to these new guys. 286 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:26,960 You know, it was the same way with the attitude ever. 287 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:31,280 You know, we had to get people to invest in the new characters 288 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:33,840 that were being brought in, and that was it. 289 00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:37,880 So to answer that question again, look who's running the 290 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:39,840 company. And if you think he's not using 291 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:43,040 the same formula, you're crazy. He's got to use the same 292 00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:45,080 formula. And it works and it's proven 293 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:47,360 that it works. And with Paul Heyman by his 294 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:49,440 side, you're damn right it's going to work. 295 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:51,040 You're damn right it's going to work. 296 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:53,680 No, no question about it. I mean, it's, it's just 297 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:59,560 fascinating to see how excited the fan base is about everything 298 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:01,800 going on 'cause there's so many different layers. 299 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:05,400 Once again we talk about the bloodline that in and of itself 300 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:08,319 can it carry the company? And it really has in a lot of 301 00:17:08,319 --> 00:17:11,119 ways. The judgment Day situation has 302 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:14,680 finally kicked it up into high gear and it's like this is must 303 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:17,599 see TV now. And oh, by the way, you have 304 00:17:17,599 --> 00:17:22,480 this other storyline between CM Punk and and Drew McIntyre. 305 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:27,560 They're literally fighting over a, a bracelet, not even a title, 306 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:29,920 a bracelet. And then you got Seth Rollins, 307 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:31,360 who's in the mix and that as well. 308 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:33,640 It's like they can't miss at this point. 309 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:37,320 Just just fascinating stuff man. It's totally, it's, it's 310 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:39,920 incredible. It truly is incredible. 311 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:46,040 We have WrestleMania 41, April 20th, 2025. 312 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:49,960 It's going to be happening in Las Vegas all the WrestleMania 313 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:52,480 coming up. I said I will be there. 314 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:54,640 You will be there. OK, so we're going to we're 315 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:56,360 going to have Devon Dudley in the house. 316 00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:00,920 Stone Cold Steve Austin has already made it clear that he 317 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:03,080 said he wouldn't go to WrestleMania again because he 318 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:04,200 doesn't want to do the traveling. 319 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:06,560 But since it's going to be in Las Vegas and that's where he's 320 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:10,760 based now, he guess he will make himself available that weekend. 321 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:13,640 So you got him possibly being in the mix somehow. 322 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:17,480 You have The Rock, You have John Cena on his retirement tour. 323 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,440 This has the potential to be the biggest WrestleMania of all 324 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:24,600 time, right? There's a part, there's a strong 325 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:26,480 possibility. Look, every time they put on a 326 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:30,200 WrestleMania, it could possibly be the greatest one of all time. 327 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:33,640 And again, I love to say that the one that people talked about 328 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:36,000 that was the greatest was the one that I was involved in, 329 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:40,480 which was WrestleMania 17. You know, story. 330 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:43,680 I mean, every match on that card was just so damn good. 331 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,400 And the storylines were just impeccable. 332 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:49,800 I mean, it was just incredible how good those storylines were. 333 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,160 Absolutely, absolutely. And folks, if you haven't, 334 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:56,880 because you know, we have a lot of younger fans who listen to 335 00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:58,880 the show and shout out to you for sure. 336 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:02,480 Even people who took time off from watching wrestling and they 337 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:05,920 finally found their way back. Check out WrestleMania 17 if you 338 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:08,440 haven't seen it before or if you haven't seen it in a while. 339 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:12,960 Legitimately top to bottom, one of the greatest pro wrestling 340 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:15,440 events in the history of pro wrestling. 341 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:18,000 It's just amazing, amazing, amazing. 342 00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:21,280 For sure there. Interestingly, Devon, we had 343 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:25,480 Laci Evans, you know, Macy Estrella on the show last week 344 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:29,520 and just a wonderful conversation between you and 345 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:31,520 her. And I was kind of like a family 346 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:34,080 on the wall for the most part, which I appreciated because it 347 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:38,120 was just great to hear two friends express themselves in 348 00:19:38,120 --> 00:19:42,480 appreciation for each other. I was pleasantly surprised at 349 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:47,640 the positive feedback that was received, and I know that Laci 350 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:49,560 has received some of that feedback as well. 351 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:52,600 Folks have tagged her on Twitter and what have you, letting her 352 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:54,480 know that they enjoyed the conversation. 353 00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:57,440 What are your thoughts on last week's conversation with with 354 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:00,640 Laci just in general? I thought it was great. 355 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:03,760 I thought it, you know, answered a lot of questions that a lot of 356 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:09,280 people had about her and some of the questions that were said in 357 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:13,160 terms of what type of person she was, you know, and things like 358 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:15,080 that, because she was put through the wringer. 359 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:18,280 You know, people were really talking smack about her because 360 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:21,040 of things that they didn't know, that they might have read the 361 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,160 dirt sheets or or got false information from somebody else. 362 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:28,080 And I was very happy and to say that we were able to clear a lot 363 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:31,760 of that up and give her the platform to actually really 364 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:35,400 express her feelings. Do you have any advice for these 365 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:38,200 folks out here, especially people who were just starting 366 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:42,080 off as media? You know, we, we, we keep 367 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:45,120 talking about the dirt sheets and what we don't like. 368 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:48,280 Do you have any advice about how to do it the right way from a 369 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:51,560 perspective of a person who's in the business and you're the 370 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,680 person being reported on? What's your advice for anybody 371 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:56,600 who wants to cover pro wrestling? 372 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:00,360 Get your facts straight. That's first and foremost. 373 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:04,280 Before you print, make sure what you're printing is accurate 374 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:07,320 because if not, you're going to be known as the acquirer and you 375 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:09,720 don't want that. You know you want to be 376 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:13,480 considered legit and you know, if anybody needs to hear the 377 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:15,880 truth or wants to know the truth, they can get it from you. 378 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,640 So my thing is, again, just make sure that before you print that 379 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:23,120 story, that everything that's being said to you and what you 380 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:26,560 written down has to be legit and it has to have backup after 381 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:28,720 backup of what they're saying is true. 382 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:31,320 Indeed, indeed. I agree as well. 383 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:34,480 Get your facts straight. Take the extra time to do a 384 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:37,600 little bit of research, reach out to the people that you're 385 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:41,240 trying to report on and try to get some type of understanding 386 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:43,840 of what's reality instead of making up your own narratives. 387 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,960 That's definitely my advice for sure. 388 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:50,200 I, I was, I was catching you up on this whole thing about soft 389 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:53,880 ground wrestling in Uganda. It's a story that I've been on 390 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:58,600 top of since February. These folks went viral, you 391 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:02,360 know, people wanting to be pro wrestlers and they were filming 392 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:05,760 each other, you know, slamming each other around in dirt and 393 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:07,200 what have you. That's what, where the soft 394 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:11,800 ground name comes from. And it seemed like a, a, a cute 395 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:15,920 story and people rallied around them and they, a GoFundMe was 396 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:19,840 set up and $10,000 was raised within a week. 397 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,480 And then couple, you know, about a month or two later, then 398 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:25,880 another 25,000 was raised for them. 399 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:27,760 So there's been a lot of support in the community. 400 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,440 Well, unfortunately, come to find out the guy who's running 401 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:35,320 it is a scam artist and unfortunately it was wrestling 402 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:39,720 media that made it possible for him to execute this scam so 403 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:42,840 effectively because they were reporting on this thing as being 404 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:46,880 legitimate instead of doing their due diligence like I did. 405 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:50,680 And some other folks did in the end, including the guy who wrote 406 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,240 the article with bodyslam.net. Want to make sure I give him 407 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:55,920 credit. He did a very good job and very 408 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:58,640 detailed job on that story there. 409 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:01,960 But just from a general standpoint, Devon, what are your 410 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:07,360 thoughts on media pushing GoFundMe and, and, and pushing 411 00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:11,280 these these fundraising efforts just from a general standpoint? 412 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:14,720 Yeah, I think the bottom line is you just got to know your facts. 413 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:16,760 You really do. You have to know what you're 414 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,760 putting out there before you put it out there and something like 415 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:21,320 that. You know, this scam, they're 416 00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:23,000 they're good scam people all around. 417 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:29,200 And just when you think that you know, what you're giving, you 418 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:31,680 know, putting yourself, getting yourself into, you really don't, 419 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:34,520 you know, even the smartest people get food. 420 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:37,240 So you have to be careful. I think that's first and 421 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:40,800 foremost and know what you're getting involved with, you know, 422 00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:43,400 before everything starts to, you know, hit the fan. 423 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:46,480 For sure, for sure. My heart goes out to anybody who 424 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:50,880 was negatively impacted by this. Certainly the folks who are are 425 00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:54,680 aspiring pro wrestlers. I have no issue with you. 426 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:57,920 You know, the guy running it. He's the one who's the issue, 427 00:23:57,920 --> 00:23:59,440 not you. So we want to make sure you 428 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:02,120 know, that, you know, no one's coming down on you. 429 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:04,920 But there are some issues that need to be cleared up with this 430 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:08,520 Bombash. Daniel, the guy's name is some 431 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:12,080 serious issues there. Sad news to report, Devon. 432 00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:15,120 We, we, we lost a member of the pro wrestling community this 433 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:19,280 past week, the taskmaster himself, Kevin Sullivan. 434 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:24,920 Yes, legend in the business, you know, great mind in the business 435 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:27,800 and what have you what what are your thoughts on Kevin Sullivan? 436 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:34,040 One of the greatest minds that ever hit the wrestling business 437 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:41,080 had a unique gift and helped so many people along the way. 438 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:46,360 Not only the people that he wrestled with, but the up and 439 00:24:46,360 --> 00:24:48,720 coming wrestlers. You'll never have another guy 440 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:52,960 like Kevin Sullivan again, one of the greatest minds of all 441 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:59,080 time and, you know, was able to take, you know, his character 442 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:01,720 and what he was doing and make it mainstream. 443 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:05,720 I mean, he he was such a great talent and he will definitely be 444 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:07,280 missed. Rest in peace, Kevin. 445 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:11,080 To the family and loved ones that Kevin Sullivan, you know, 446 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:14,000 heart goes out to you. Certainly it is. 447 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,720 This man was a legend. In fact, here at Fenway Park, 448 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:21,000 they actually put up a message on the scoreboard there and 449 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:25,000 would have you condolences and and remembrance of Kevin 450 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:27,080 Sullivan that tells you how big this guy was. 451 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:30,560 Definitely a big loss for the entire wrestling and 452 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:33,240 entertainment community, no no doubt. 453 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:37,080 Speaking of loss, and this is kind of interesting here, 454 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:41,440 Mercedes Monet, the the woman formerly known as Sasha Banks, 455 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:48,440 she has gone on YouTube and revealed that she is now 456 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:53,280 divorced and she's been separated from her husband since 457 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:57,200 2020. Now, this guy, he, he has been a 458 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:04,040 gear maker in the WWE. And according to Mercedes, 459 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:06,840 despite the fact that they were separated, she didn't want to 460 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:11,280 let Vince McMahon know because she was afraid of how he would 461 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:13,520 react to it. So they actually pretended to be 462 00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:18,360 together for years, despite the fact that they were separated. 463 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,640 She's been burying this guy, this this now ex-husband. 464 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:26,480 And it's it's really, really interesting to see this here. 465 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:29,800 What's your take on airing your own dirty laundry like that, 466 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:33,920 Devon? Well, you know, it saddened me 467 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:37,800 to know that she, you know, was getting divorced or is divorced 468 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:39,560 now. I know both of them. 469 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:43,320 Never had a problem with either one of them, especially, you 470 00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:46,080 know, Mercedes, she actually calls me dad. 471 00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:49,840 You know, she looks at me like a dad father to me. 472 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:53,680 And, you know, whenever we, you know, speech like, hey, dad, you 473 00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:55,320 know, hey, you know, this and that. 474 00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:57,240 And I'm like, hey, baby girl, come on over here and give your 475 00:26:57,240 --> 00:26:59,800 daddy a hug, you know, things like that. 476 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:04,400 And, you know, not to mention whenever you know, my wife and I 477 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:06,880 would have a kid, you know, say, hey, I got to see my new 478 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:08,560 brother. Hey, I got to see my new sister, 479 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:10,600 you know, so she was like family to me. 480 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:14,480 You know, I just wish that people would realize that you 481 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:18,080 don't need to put your air, your dirty laundry out in public, you 482 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,280 know? And, you know, my two divorces 483 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:25,920 that I had, I always made sure that I never, ever put my 484 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:29,840 business in the street. And because you just don't want 485 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:34,000 people to have their own, you know, views or opinions on 486 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:36,720 what's going on in your life when they don't know the whole 487 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:39,360 story. So you have to be real careful 488 00:27:39,360 --> 00:27:42,160 on, especially on social media because you got a lot of whack 489 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:45,080 jobs out there as it is. You don't need more these whack 490 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:48,680 jobs getting involved in your business. 491 00:27:49,120 --> 00:27:52,840 Agreed 100% and and certainly my heart goes out to the both of 492 00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:55,160 them. I hope that they continue to 493 00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:58,920 find happiness in life. Certainly, I think we all could 494 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:02,640 have done without knowing as many details about their split 495 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:06,120 as has come out. But you know, such is life. 496 00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:08,400 I guess everybody does things a little differently. 497 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:13,000 I, I, I wonder, since we're on the subject here when we talk 498 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,280 about Sasha Banks and, and you're a guy who has been in the 499 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:18,560 business so long. You were a fan growing up. 500 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:23,080 You are an excellent trainer of talent. 501 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:26,320 We we've seen that and and and your wares there, you know, your 502 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:28,680 students have gone on to be so successful in the business. 503 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:34,480 Where does Sasha Banks, Mercedes Monet, where does she rank in 504 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:38,080 your opinion all time when we talk about some of the greatest 505 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:43,040 female wrestlers of all time. Oh, I think I think probably one 506 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:46,440 of the top five. I mean, next to Charlotte and 507 00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:53,520 Becky and you know, just that they, she, she really knows how 508 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:55,960 to perform. When it's time to perform, she 509 00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:59,680 puts her working boots on and she goes, you know, there's no 510 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:03,160 question. I'm very proud to say that 511 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:08,120 during the time of all those women coming up from NXT and 512 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:12,040 coming to the main roster that I had a chance to work with each 513 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:15,120 and every one of them. And it was such a pleasure to 514 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:17,120 work with them. I had no bad feelings, no 515 00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:20,080 nothing on these women. They were great to work with. 516 00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:24,320 They knew what they were doing. It was less of me having to say 517 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:27,880 what they had to do. In other words, you know, some 518 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:31,200 talent you have to hold their hand and, you know, get them 519 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:32,680 through the match and step by step. 520 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:37,560 But a lot of Lane like Sasha, you know, Becky, Maddie, 521 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:40,000 Charlotte, you know, you told them what to do. 522 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:43,760 They just did it, you know, and they made it look so damn easy. 523 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:46,960 So I honestly think that Sasha is definitely part of the top 524 00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:49,360 five female wrestlers of this era. 525 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:51,640 I agree. I agree. 526 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:55,240 I'll tell you a funny story when when she when Sasha Banks and 527 00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:59,840 Charlotte had that main event held in the cell here in Boston, 528 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:03,920 which was just awesome. Charlotte ended up winning that 529 00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:06,880 match and becoming women's champion again. 530 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:08,840 I thought there was going to be a riot. 531 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:14,640 That Boston crowd was so hot for Sasha Banks and and we really 532 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:16,960 wanted to see her win that match. 533 00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:21,520 People were ready to tear the place up, man, it was it was 534 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:22,080 that hot. But. 535 00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:24,800 Remember one thing? That was her hometown. 536 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,360 That's right. But what a what a testament to 537 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:32,720 those ladies and their feud and their ability to get people to 538 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:34,400 give a damn about women's wrestling. 539 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:37,520 The fact that they had people in the palm of their hands to that 540 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,640 degree, it's just just amazing, amazing stuff there. 541 00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:43,040 Incredible. And what I mean by that was a 542 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:46,160 hometown is that I've noticed over the years when I wrestled, 543 00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:49,880 a lot of times you didn't get that type of ovation, even if he 544 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:54,400 was the home, you know, grown person, because you didn't prove 545 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:57,720 enough to them that you deserve that type of applause. 546 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:00,960 But Sasha has, and that's why she got the applause that she 547 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:04,640 did in Boston. Indeed, indeed, and and listen, 548 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:07,400 shout out to Mercedes. I know she's doing her thing in 549 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:11,560 a EWI hope and I pray that that company sticks around long 550 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:14,600 enough for you to have as story to career there as you did in 551 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:18,080 WWE, because you're you're amazing and we appreciate you 552 00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:21,320 and we we only want the best for you for sure there. 553 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:27,760 Now the the the rumor mill has been going crazy and and I know 554 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:32,200 that Brad Shepherd had reported on some issues in AEW concerning 555 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:33,840 Britt Baker. You had mentioned her a little 556 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:39,240 earlier as well and there's a story out there that Will 557 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:42,720 Washington was giving her direction about what she needs 558 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,880 to do and, and she basically told him where to go and how to 559 00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:49,000 get there. And Will Washington actually 560 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:52,400 went to human resources. This is a story reported on by 561 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:56,800 Brad Shepherd and human resources sided with Will 562 00:31:56,800 --> 00:32:02,440 Washington and and Britt Baker was actually reprimanded during 563 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:07,120 that situation. Now Fast forward Britt Baker 564 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:13,520 complaints about MJF and and Will Osprey the hour long match 565 00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:18,000 they had on Dynamite a couple weeks back and MJ FS girlfriend 566 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:21,800 heard about it so she told him. He goes to the women's locker 567 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:26,720 room and confronts bit Brit Baker, cusses her out, punches a 568 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:28,960 wall. Like what the hell is going on 569 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:35,880 over there, brother? Anarchy, a complete Anarchy and 570 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:37,680 you know, Tony message to you buddy. 571 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:41,640 If you don't get control, it's going to be another WCW. 572 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:44,480 And, you know, in his defense, he'll say, well, that's why I 573 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:47,080 did what I did and, you know, suspended or what have you. 574 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:49,560 But you got to get control of this company. 575 00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:51,720 Because if not, it's going to be downhill. 576 00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:54,520 And I don't want that to happen. I want these guys to be around 577 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:58,320 for a long time. It's it's just, it's crazy in 578 00:32:58,320 --> 00:33:02,400 2024 that you would hear a story like that because you know, the 579 00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:05,280 industry on that level is so corporate now. 580 00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:09,160 It's a real job. You got real responsibilities. 581 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:11,600 There's real money involved and implications involved. 582 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:14,840 You got big time TV contracts. You don't have time for this 583 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:19,200 kind of nonsense going on. You know, it's just it's it 584 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:21,720 boggles my mind, man. It boggles my mind. 585 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:25,200 But I do wonder. I mean, let's let's Fast forward 586 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:27,040 here. Let's say that for one reason or 587 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:30,400 another, Brit Baker becomes a free agent. 588 00:33:31,240 --> 00:33:35,520 How do you think she would fit in AWWE environment? 589 00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:38,960 I honestly, I don't know without if. 590 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:42,320 If there's no drama or anything like that, then I think it'd be 591 00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:44,760 great. But if there's drama, I don't 592 00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:47,360 know. The company, the way that it's 593 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:50,280 structured today, WWE, they're not putting up on any drama. 594 00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:54,400 No, they're not. And if she just comes there to 595 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:55,840 work, then everything will be fine. 596 00:33:56,320 --> 00:33:58,280 There won't be any problems. She'll be able to fit in like 597 00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:01,200 everybody else does, you know? But you can't come in there 598 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:03,760 thinking that you're holier than thou, or you're the OR you're 599 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,920 the man, you know, because they're going to shut it down 600 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:10,800 quick. Wise words there, wise words you 601 00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:12,760 know. Were you able to go out catching 602 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:14,000 any of the Olympics there, Devon? 603 00:34:15,159 --> 00:34:17,600 No, I mean, I caught a little bit of the basketball here and 604 00:34:17,600 --> 00:34:20,040 there. I caught. 605 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:24,440 I love the volleyball, the women's, the beach volleyball. 606 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:29,440 Love that, that that's exciting, especially when the US is down 607 00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:31,120 and they're trying to make a comeback. 608 00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:33,239 That was that was really cool to watch them. 609 00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:34,920 But other than that, that was it. 610 00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:36,120 That's why I saw, I saw the basket. 611 00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:37,760 I saw a little bit of basketball, but that was it. 612 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:39,840 Didn't watch too much of the Olympics this year. 613 00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:43,600 Got caught up here at home. Well, we we have one of the big 614 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:46,280 names in track and field, Noah Lyles. 615 00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:51,080 He has proclaimed himself the fastest man in the world. 616 00:34:51,639 --> 00:34:54,320 And I know a lot of people take issue with that because it's not 617 00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:56,800 like he's beating every record. So, you know, who are you to say 618 00:34:56,800 --> 00:35:01,720 that? But Noah Laos, he competed in an 619 00:35:01,720 --> 00:35:06,040 event and ended up getting the bronze and then he he passed 620 00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:10,520 out, had to be carried out of the out of the venue. 621 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:13,800 Come to find out he had COVID-19. 622 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:18,840 He ran the 200m and knowing knowing that he has COVID-19 and 623 00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:21,840 this is a guy who has asthma problems and other, other issues 624 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:23,920 as well. What are your thoughts on that? 625 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:28,400 What are your thoughts on on somebody on that level competing 626 00:35:28,720 --> 00:35:30,800 with something that's pretty contagious? 627 00:35:32,560 --> 00:35:35,880 Well, I think look what went through with COVID. 628 00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:39,280 You know, I don't think anybody should be competing at all 629 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:43,000 because again, you run the risk of getting people sick and you 630 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:46,000 know, if they don't make it because you pass it on to them, 631 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:48,000 then, you know, that's, that's big. 632 00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:51,520 I think, you know, even at that level, you have to be respectful 633 00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:54,000 and mindful. If you're sick, you can't do it. 634 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,920 And I understand it's the most important thing in your life 635 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:01,080 right now because you train for four years to get to this level. 636 00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:03,520 But yet and still, you don't want to give somebody something 637 00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:07,120 that could be very, very harmful to their body and even take them 638 00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:09,400 out. So you need to step aside 639 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:11,320 unfortunately, until you're able to compete. 640 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:15,160 Yeah, for sure. I I think that it's crazy. 641 00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:19,560 And and as somebody who had COVID recently a couple weeks 642 00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:22,960 back, and you, you folks heard the story about that, I can't 643 00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:28,720 even imagine doing anything strenuous dealing with that. 644 00:36:28,720 --> 00:36:29,920 This guy could have died out there. 645 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:32,200 Diva. Yeah, pretty much this is a 646 00:36:32,200 --> 00:36:35,320 respiratory issue and and he's out here running 200 meters. 647 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:39,040 Jesus Christ. So hopefully Noah was OK, but I 648 00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:43,200 don't think that was a a good idea to even compete in that we 649 00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:47,800 saw in basketball, both on the men's and the women's side. 650 00:36:48,360 --> 00:36:50,680 It looks like the world is catching up to the United States 651 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:54,520 in terms of competition. Both the US men and the US women 652 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:58,120 were in the gold medal round against France in both cases in 653 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:01,440 basketball. And in both cases the games went 654 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:04,160 down to the wire. They were very, very close. 655 00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:07,920 What are your thoughts here? I is, is the jig up? 656 00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:10,400 But can we? Do we have to finally admit that 657 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,000 the United States is not the only place where you have the 658 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:16,720 best athletes in these sports? Well, you know, people are 659 00:37:16,720 --> 00:37:20,440 getting bigger, stronger, faster and the other the other 660 00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:21,920 countries are starting to catch up to it. 661 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:24,400 So that might be the case there. You know, you never know. 662 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:27,000 I don't know, maybe we should bring the dream team back, the 663 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:32,160 first dream team, have them come back and blow these teams out by 664 00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:35,640 70 points again. Listen, it's we. 665 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:37,760 We are so far away from that brother. 666 00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:44,680 That's great. We are so far away from that 667 00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:48,120 these these games, you know, winning by one point, winning by 668 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:50,440 three points. It's like, whoa, you know what I 669 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:52,640 mean? And and half of these guys on 670 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:54,280 these other teams you've never even heard of. 671 00:37:54,280 --> 00:37:56,680 It's not like they're in the NBA or the WNBA. 672 00:37:57,200 --> 00:38:01,360 So it just, it's fascinating. We, we are living in a different 673 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:06,160 world today where because of social media and, and the 674 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:11,240 Internet and the wider reach of television and satellite, you 675 00:38:11,240 --> 00:38:13,800 know, people are being more exposed to what's possible and, 676 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:17,320 and they're doing the work to get themselves competitive. 677 00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:20,560 So it's, it's interesting. Can you call yourself a world 678 00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:24,120 champion in the NBA if you're only playing against NBA 679 00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:26,120 players? That's a real question. 680 00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:29,200 Yeah, I don't know about that. I don't know. 681 00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:32,120 I got a pass on that one. It's it's very hard. 682 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:35,160 I don't know. I don't know. 683 00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:38,480 How about that's a poll for for our listeners out there. 684 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:40,960 What do you think are you can can they continue to call 685 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:43,280 themselves world champions? What do you think there folks? 686 00:38:43,280 --> 00:38:46,120 You know, let us know there Devon and the Duke through the 687 00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:49,000 hashtag Devon and the Duke. Let us know what you think about 688 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:52,280 that there folks. Devon, do you have any other any 689 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:54,280 big events coming up over the weekend? 690 00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:59,240 No, well my daughter's birthday she turned 6 so I'll be chilling 691 00:38:59,240 --> 00:39:03,160 with her this weekend and home. So I'm not going anywhere and 692 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:06,000 I'm just going to relax, kick back and enjoy myself. 693 00:39:06,680 --> 00:39:09,600 I love it. You know, it's it's funny, some 694 00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:13,200 of these folks who who wanted to criticize what she had to say 695 00:39:13,200 --> 00:39:15,960 about Will Washington in general, they were complaining. 696 00:39:16,400 --> 00:39:19,080 You know, Duke, how could you let Devon say that? 697 00:39:19,080 --> 00:39:21,440 And and I'm sitting here scratching my head because I'm 698 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:24,080 like, well, wait a second. Devon Dudley. 699 00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:27,800 He's one of the greatest, most accomplished people in his 700 00:39:27,800 --> 00:39:31,440 field. He has been a television star 701 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:35,160 for over 30 years. He is married. 702 00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:41,200 He has seven children. How the hell could I let this 703 00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:45,360 grown man do anything? You know, again, no one said 704 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:47,720 anything bad. I didn't say anything bad about 705 00:39:47,720 --> 00:39:49,520 him. It's the people within the 706 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:52,600 organization itself that are saying this. 707 00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:55,360 And they just happened to come to me and say it, you know, 708 00:39:55,360 --> 00:39:57,840 we're talking and passing. And a lot of times they would 709 00:39:57,840 --> 00:39:59,920 say his name and I had no idea who it was. 710 00:40:00,240 --> 00:40:03,040 So until after about the third or fourth time, I started 711 00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:05,680 picking up on who it was. And, you know, Swerves cousin, 712 00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:07,080 Swerves cousin. I was like, oh, OK. 713 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:10,120 I think I met him. And then, you know, when they 714 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:11,840 started describing to him, I said, oh, yeah, I met him, said 715 00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:14,320 hi. He came to Tony's office, you 716 00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:17,200 know, gave me the the nod, you know, and that was it. 717 00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:21,160 But I said now I don't know him so I can't really speak. 718 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:25,280 So for me to say that and then all of a sudden now you take it 719 00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:29,880 personal because I'm telling you what other people are saying, 720 00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:31,720 that I'm not the one with the problem here. 721 00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:35,760 For anybody out there listening to Devon, if they want to get in 722 00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:39,320 touch with you, especially if they want to check out Devon 723 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:41,040 Academy, what's the best way they can do that? 724 00:40:41,640 --> 00:40:44,360 Well, then go to Devon Dudley Academy on Instagram and of 725 00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:51,680 course Devon Dudley Academy on Twitter and Devon Dudley Academy 726 00:40:51,680 --> 00:40:56,440 on Facebook and you can go also on my fan page on Devon Dudley 727 00:40:56,760 --> 00:41:01,480 or Testified Devon on Instagram. Indeed. 728 00:41:01,480 --> 00:41:03,840 And of course, folks, as you know, Duke loves wrestling. 729 00:41:03,840 --> 00:41:05,560 On Facebook. On Twitter, Duke loves 730 00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:09,200 wrestling@gmail.com. Send in your birthday, shout out 731 00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:10,920 your questions, the whole 9 yards. 732 00:41:11,200 --> 00:41:17,320 In fact, one of our wonderful listeners there, Akia, she is 733 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:22,280 celebrating her 27th birthday. So can we get a birthday shout 734 00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:25,440 out for Akia? Happy birthday Akia. 735 00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:27,960 Big shout out from Devon. Oh testify. 736 00:41:29,240 --> 00:41:30,160 That's right. That's right. 737 00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:33,320 And in closing, I am going to say this, and I know Devon's 738 00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:37,600 probably going to put me through a flaming table, but I got to 739 00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:41,760 give a shout out to Misses Devon Dudley there. 740 00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:44,640 You know, the the, the beautiful superstar that she is. 741 00:41:45,680 --> 00:41:48,000 We appreciate you. You know, your husband's always 742 00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:51,120 putting you over on this show. Whether you listen or not, he's 743 00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:52,680 always putting you over on this show. 744 00:41:53,280 --> 00:41:56,200 And we just want to give you a shout out just in general. 745 00:41:56,200 --> 00:41:59,480 She's, she's the hidden star behind the scenes for what we do 746 00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:02,600 here as well, right? Yes, she is. 747 00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:05,320 I mean, she's my pride and joy. You know, I've been married 748 00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:08,600 twice before her and you know, I feel like it's the diamond in 749 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:11,480 the rough with her. And I love her very dearly and 750 00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:15,720 she's my heart and soul. Folks, as always, we appreciate 751 00:42:15,720 --> 00:42:17,480 you listening, spreading the word. 752 00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:21,520 It has been amazing. This is only episode 10 and we 753 00:42:21,520 --> 00:42:24,320 have been kicking butt on the rankings. 754 00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:27,320 You have been sharing the show all over the world. 755 00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:30,040 It's clear that you're loving what we're talking about. 756 00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:33,120 We give a little bit something different here on Devon and the 757 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:36,240 Duke because we talked about life, we talked about what's 758 00:42:36,240 --> 00:42:39,400 going on in wrestling, but most importantly, we just give it to 759 00:42:39,400 --> 00:42:41,560 you straight and that's what we're going to keep on doing 760 00:42:41,560 --> 00:42:44,800 there. So how about we have the final 761 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:48,520 word from the main man himself, the Hall of Famer Devon Dudley. 762 00:42:48,520 --> 00:42:51,920 Take us out, brother. Well you know do unto others as 763 00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:55,760 you want others to do unto you. And like I just Bible quotes and 764 00:42:55,760 --> 00:42:58,640 I love it. And you know no weapons formed 765 00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:01,240 against you shall prosper. For if you believe in God, you 766 00:43:01,240 --> 00:43:02,440 are more than a conqueror.