Edge and Christian open today’s show by speaking about last week’s episode of NXT, specifically the NXT Title match between Aleister Black and Tommaso Ciampa. Edge notes that he made a point to watch this match and he’s a huge fan of both men. Christian is also a huge fan of both men, and he really loves Ciampa’s heel work. He thought both men told a terrific story and by the end of the match everyone was on their feet.
Christian also thought it was neat that this Title change happened at Full Sail and not at a big Takeover show. He thinks it’s important that the company doesn’t condition the audience into thinking that Title changes can only happen at big shows, and a surprise finish like this tells the audience that anything can happen at any show. He thinks WWE should have more surprising finishes on house shows as well.
Edge points out that the end of this match allows Black to claim that he wasn’t defeated fairly, and eventually we might even see a triple threat match between Black, Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. He’d love to see a one-on-one match between Gargano and Black at some point as well.
Edge and Christian touch on Randy Orton’s great heel promo on last week’s episode of Smackdown. Christian points out that Orton has always been underrated as a promo guy, but Edge notes that Orton has never been underrated by anyone within the industry. People within the industry consider Orton to be one of the greatest performers to ever lace up a pair of boots. Edge continues by saying that Orton can easily be Smackdown’s top heel moving forward if they want him to be.
Christian loved the Roman Reigns/Bobby Lashley match from RAW last week. He points out that this match could have main-evented any PPV, and it doesn’t matter anymore if people cheer or boo Reigns. He points out that people are invested in Reigns either way, and in the end he’s “f***ing good”. Edge agrees, but notes that he has a hard time believing that Lashley is an evil badass. He thinks Lashley can make a few subtle character developments moving forward which would help him tremendously.
Edge says he’s really looking forward to the upcoming Seth Rollins/Dolph Ziggler match at SummerSlam. He notes that Rollins is the hottest babyface in WWE right now, and he just hopes the SummerSlam audience is more respectful towards these guys than the Pittsburgh audience was at Extreme Rules. He informs that Pittsburgh was always a city that he didn’t look forward to working in because he felt the audiences were always dead. Christian notes that it wasn’t an easy transition for Rollins from heel to babyface, but he worked hard and has definitely earned the audience’s cheers.
Edge and Christian welcome Beth Phoenix to the show.
Phoenix comments on the recently announced WWE Evolution PPV. She points out that all-women shows have been happening for decades. She was part of a promotion called Shimmer for a while which did all female shows, and GLOW was around over 20 years ago. She adds that while this isn’t a new concept, it’s great to finally see it happening on WWE’s huge platform. It’s an amazing feeling for her to know that these women are getting a chance to show that they can sell tickets and put off great shows just like the men.
Phoenix thinks it’s more realistic now than ever before that women can main event WrestleMania someday. She points out that there’s a glass ceiling there, even for the majority of male superstars when it comes to main-eventing WrestleMania. Edge makes the prediction that the main event of WrestleMania this year will be Charlotte and Ronda Rousey, and Christian thinks that’s definitely a possibility if WWE plays their cards right.
Edge asks Phoenix if she wishes she was performing in her prime now, with the women getting all these opportunities. Phoenix says she doesn’t like when people divide the women up into generations. She considers all the women from every generation to be in this together, and she thinks women like Lita and Trish would agree with her.
Phoenix says she’s looking forward to the new Mae Young Classic tournament. She gives a special shout out to Jazzy Gabert, who she calls a “nice sweet person who’s a pleasure to be around. She adds that Gabert recently overcame a pretty serious injury and she wishes her the best.
That sums up today’s episode of E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya next week for another recap!
