X-Pac 1, 2, 360 Recap – Thoughts on AEW, John Cena Putting Talents Over, Balor to Face Lesnar, More!

X-Pac welcomes Wrestling Inc’s Nick Hausman to the show.

Hausman mentions that it’s a very interesting time in the wrestling business right now, and the introduction of AEW adds another layer to the madness. The partnership between ROH and NJPW seems to be in flux, and the connection between those brands and AEW is evident given the influence of Cody and The Young Bucks.

At the AEW rally this past week Cody went into detail, saying that AEW talents will be allowed to pursue other activities. Chris Jericho will be allowed to continue his cruise for example. Hausman points out that it’s all fine and dandy now during this transition period, but he thinks the reigns will be tightened once AEW gets television and touring schedules in place.

Lucha Underground talent, Ivelisse, spoke out this past week saying that she’s basically being held hostage by her contract with that company. Season 5 of the show is up in the air right now, and X-Pac thinks it’s time for the company to “Sh**t or get off the pot.” He thinks it’s lame that the company is holding these talents hostage like that, especially a talent like Ivelisse who isn’t a main event player in the company.

Triple H and WWE announced this past week that they’re opening a new Performance Centre in the UK. Hausman thinks that’s all fine and good, but WWE has to make sure they continue to work to build the NXT UK brand. He points out that the brand hasn’t really drawn him in thus far. X-Pac points out that the vibe of the building and the show as a whole didn’t really appeal to him, and he acknowledges that the UK style is different and might not appeal to every fan base.

X-Pac points out that Tyler Bate continues to impress him. Pound for pound, X-Pac thinks Bate is one of the strongest wrestlers on the planet. He notes that the Takeover match between Bate and Pete Dunne is still one of the greatest matches he’s ever seen, and he doesn’t understand why Bate was “cooled off” following that match.

X-Pac says he’s a big fan of both Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm. He admits that he’d have a hard time deciding who to book to be Women’s Champion for the UK brand right now.

X-Pac was very impressed by the Fatal 4-way match on RAW this past week, which saw Finn Balor pin John Cena to become the new #1 contender for Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship. X-Pac credits Cena for his continued effort to put new talents over. In terms of clear-cut faces of the company, only Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Steve Austin can be compared to Cena, and no one has put new talents over like Cena has over the last number of years.

Hausman is concerned that Balor won’t be taken seriously as a contender against Lesnar, but X-Pac is not worried about that at all. He simply urges people to watch the match, because he’s sure it’ll be fine.

Hausman notes that Balor has been pretty cold on the RAW roster over the past year, so it seems odd for him to jump right into the main event picture against someone like Lesnar. X-Pac laughs, suggesting that perhaps the AEW announcement has something to do with Balor’s new push.

X-Pac was blown away by the Smackdown Live match between Rey Mysterio and Andrade this week. As soon as the match started he knew it was going to be good because they were taking their time and they were building towards something special. Fans became invested in the match and it led to one of the best television matches in recent memory.

X-Pac notes that Zelina Vega is a very valuable performer as well, and adds a lot to Andrade’s presentation.

X-Pac points out that the women always seem to have better backstage fights than the men. The women always appear to be legitimately beating the crap out of each other, and not just throwing lame punches. Hausman notes that the women are all motivated right now and are knocking everything out of the park every time they get any kind of opportunity.

That sums up today’s episode of X-Pac 1, 2, 360. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya next week for another recap!