The Ringer Wrestling Show

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Which bump would you rather take: Darby Allin’s scaffold dive, or his flip onto chairs? David and Kaz kick off the show by discussing whether AEW All In had the best final two matches for a major wrestling show in history (03:59). The guys continue by talking about Will Ospreay’s win over Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship (06:15), which might have been the best AEW match ever (10:16), and whether this is the last big-time Kenny Omega match (23:37). David and Kaz move on to give their thoughts on Mercedes Moné’s win over Willow Nightingale for the AEW Women’s World Championship (26:07), before making a quick detour to give a free agency update about Bayley (36:49). The guys continue by discussing Swerve and the debuting New Level winning the AEW Trios Championship in Roulette Royale (40:00), and Kazuchika Okada’s International Championship win over Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita (59:36). Next, David and Kaz move on to the Casino Battle Royal that saw Andrade become the no. 1 contender for the AEW World Championship (1:02:49), before asking who Will Ospreay will face at All Out in Chicago next month (1:06:05). After that, the guys give their takes on Darby Allin’s win over Kevin Knight for the TNT Championship (1:12:24), followed by their thoughts on Cope and Cage retaining the AEW Tag Team Championships over the Young Bucks (1:15:37). David and Kaz continue by discussing Jon Moxley’s win over Nigel McGuiness in the Continental Challenge Cup final (1:19:36) and the Brawling Birds’s AEW Women’s Tag Team Championship win over Divine Dominion (1:26:17). The show wraps up with an All In food and drink report, and the guys' quick takes on NXT Heatwave and AAA Ola de Calor (1:28:18) Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producers: Bruce Baldwin and Ben Cruz Nintendo: Power up your play with Nintendo Switch 2. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, David is joined by executive producer Ben Cruz while Kaz is on assignment. David and Ben discuss OTM’s debut on ‘Raw,’ where they aligned themselves with Royce Keys (15:32), before pivoting to Rey Fénix’s win over Dragon Lee to advance to the finals of the luchador tournament (21:24). After that, David takes a moment to talk about TNA’s Lockdown pay-per-view from this past Sunday (23:28), and then Ben and David give their thoughts on the Oba Femi–Bron Breakker contract signing (28:04). Next, David takes a moment to address Ilja Dragunov's departure from WWE (33:55) before starting today’s mailbag. The mailbag starts with David and Ben discussing who they think will win a world title in WWE first: Jacob Fatu, LA Knight, Pénta, Chad Gable, or Bron Breakker (41:51). After that, the guys answer which wrestlers transitioned from heel to face smoothly (48:34) and discuss what’s stopping WWE from turning Cody Rhodes heel (54:38). The show wraps up with David and Ben answering what old territory footage they would want weekly on the WWE Vault YouTube page (1:02:06) and quickly discussing the ESPN-WWE deal report (1:06:33). Hosts: David Shoemaker and Ben Cruz Producers: Bruce Baldwin and Ben Cruz Nintendo: Power up your play with Nintendo Switch 2. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Who had the most effective insult on last night’s ‘AEW Dynamite’? David and Kaz kick off the show by discussing whether CM Punk’s AEW debut or WWE return was better (03:46) before asking whether Kevin Owens is reaping the rewards of the CM Punk–Elite feud (20:40). The guys move on to debate whether there is any way Kevin Owens will beat CM Punk in Toronto on ‘SmackDown’ this Friday (25:29). After that, David and Kaz start talking about last night’s ‘AEW Dynamite’ (32:36), including Kaz’s proclamation that he doesn't get the Don Callis Family (35:05). Next, David asks who the longest-tenured member of the Don Callis Family is (45:25) before discussing the build for the All In main event between AEW World champion Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay (47:03). David and Kaz go through the rest of the show, including Kevin Knight blowing up Darby Allin (51:52), Jon Moxley’s win over Jay White to advance to the Continental Cup semifinals (57:07), Maya World retaining the TBS title (59:20), and the United Empire’s win over the Don Callis Family (1:03:30). The show wraps up with David and Kaz giving their takes on Zilla Fatu’s first promo in NXT (1:08:20) and discussing what they think Swerve calling his shot on ‘Dynamite’ means (1::38). Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel! Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producers: Bruce Baldwin and Ben Cruz Nintendo: Power up your play with Nintendo Switch 2. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How many members of the Bloodline is too many? David and Kaz kick off the show by discussing whether it's the fault of the booker or the talent when a wrestler doesn't “get over” (09:07), which dovetails into a discussion about Zilla Fatu’s debut on NXT this week (30:07). The guys continue talking about wrestlers from legendary families by giving their takes on the Avery Styles controversy about paying dues from this past weekend (34:39). Next, David and Kaz ask the question, “Who is the Russell Westbrook of pro wrestling?” (47:50) After that, the guys talk about last night's AEW ‘Dynamite’ (1:03:23), and who the dream match is for Kofi in AEW (1:20:07). The show wraps up with David and Kaz returning to their conversation about Giulia from the last episode (1:25:08). Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel! Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producers: Bruce Baldwin and Ben Cruz Nintendo: Power up your play with Nintendo Switch 2. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Why is Conrad Thompson right about Roman Reigns being the most overrated main eventer ever? David and Kaz kick off the show by discussing last night’s Grand Slam Mexico (06:34), including “Protostar” Kyle Fletcher’s win over “Speedball” Mike Bailey (07:54), Willow Nightingale and the Brawling Birds’ win over Mercedes Moné and Divine Dominion (14:16), and the Death Riders' win over Cope, Christian Cage, and the Young Bucks (16:09). After that, David asks Kaz who in the Continental Cup has the best chance of dethroning Jon Moxley (17:57) before the guys give their takes on Místico, Jericho, and Darby Allin’s win over the Don Callis Family (21:43). Following that, David and Kaz discuss Persephone’s win over Kris Statlander (23:21), Hangman and Brodido’s win over the Demand (24:30), and MJF’s return to television (28:48). The show continues with the guys talking about Roman Reigns and LA Knight’s watch-centric promo (30:23), and David asks Kaz whether he would want Roman Reigns’s watch guy or Seth Rollins’s stylist (38:55). Next, the guys discuss Becky Lynch's return to 'Raw' as a babyface (39:29) and Big Cass’s return to WWE (43:50). After that, David goes through the history of “the next big thing” in wrestling (50:05), leading to a conversation about the Oba Femi–Bron Breakker dynamic (57:12). The show wraps up with a quick discussion of Roman Reigns’s planned trip to AAA (1:00:58), the passing of wrestling legend Dory Funk Jr. (1:06:36), and how the Undertaker hates podcasting (1:08:31). Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel! Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producers: Bruce Baldwin and Ben Cruz Nintendo: Power up your play with Nintendo Switch 2. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Can you name any champion in WWE history that went longer without defending their title than Liv Morgan? David and Kaz kick off the show by discussing David’s newly released book, ‘Why Hulk Hogan Matters’ (03:35), and whether it's a spiritual successor to David’s last book, ‘The Squared Circle’ (06:43). Following that, the guys give a brief review of 'AEW Dynamite' (12:46), focusing on Willow Nightingale’s championship celebration (13:09) and the show-closing promo between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay (16:23). Next, David and Kaz dive into their SummerSlam picks and predictions (27:57), starting with the Undisputed WWE Championship match between CM Punk and Cody Rhodes (31:10). After that, the guys move on to the Hell in a Cell match between Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar (40:24), the Women’s World Championship match between Iyo Sky and Liv Morgan (43:16), the United States Championship match between Trick Williams and Baron Corbin (47:58), and the Intercontinental Championship match between Penta and Chad Gable (49:52). The show wraps up with David and Kaz giving their predictions for Gunther’s grudge match against 'Smackdown' GM Nick Aldis (53:46), The World Heavyweight Championship match between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins (58:17), the no. 1 contender match between Finn Balor and Sami Zayn (1:01:14), the Human Monies on a Pole match between Dominik Mysterio and Danhausen (1:02:45), the trios match with LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, and Royce Keys vs. the Bloodline (1:05:42), and the Interim WWE Women’s Championship ladder match between Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, Charlotte Flair, Chelsea Green, and a mystery opponent (1:08:18). Order David’s book ‘Why Hulk Hogan Matters’ here! Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel! Host: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producers: Bruce Baldwin and Ben Cruz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: If you could pick any state for your last name, which one would you pick? David and Kaz kick off the show by discussing the Busted Open–WWE Radio–SiriusXM deal announced late last week (08:51), before moving on to discuss the watch parties WWE has announced across the U.S. for next year’s WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia (19:16). Next, the guys dive into Sunday’s AEW Redemption pay-per-view (21:16), reviewing matches such as the International title no. 1 contender ladder match (21:41), The Young Bucks vs. Moxley and Ospreay (27:00), and Jericho vs. Tommaso Ciampa’s no-holds-barred bout (30:01). After that, David and Kaz set their sights on the Redemption main event between Kenny Omega and Kevin Knight (41:09), before moving on to the statement performance Maya World had against Hikaru Shida for the TBS title (52:15). The show wraps up with a quick run-through of the rest of the matches from Redemption (58:00). Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel! Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producers: Bruce Baldwin and Ben Cruz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What NBA player would you choose to be a wrestling fan who takes part in WWE events? David and Kaz kick off the show by discussing whether last night’s ‘Raw’ was a bigger deal than ‘Saturday Night’s Main Event’ (05:28), before Kaz tells the tale of his time backstage at the show (11:02). Next, the guys discuss how the buildup to SummerSlam’s main events has been grounded in humanity instead of heel and face dynamics (22:12). After that, David and Kaz dive into Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton’s involvement in ‘Saturday Night’s Main Event’ (30:03) before moving on to Baron Corbin and Big Cass’s return to WWE (37:37). Following that, the guys ask whether the loss to Lyra on Saturday was Bayley’s last match in WWE (43:43). The show wraps up with a discussion about Danhausen’s showing at ‘Saturday Night’s Main Event’ (53:18), Chad Gable after his Grande Americano run (57:02), and whether an AEW faction would ever come to WWE (1:03:01). Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel! Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producers: Bruce Baldwin and Ben Cruz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices