NOTSAM Podcast
Episode 209: Becky Lynch, Curt Hawkings, Roman Reigns Illness,
Release Date: October 25th, 2018
Recap by: James Hayes
DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD
From New York, Sam welcomes you to the show!
Sam is excited to have Becky Lynch on the show. Evolution is coming up this weekend and her feud with Charlotte has been the hottest thing happening on Smackdown or Raw, male or female.
He suspects Charlotte and Becky will steawl the show. (Agreed.)
The Irish Lass is in top (and heel) form.
Why this storyline works:
“What’s working so well is it’s been a three and a half year build up, a three and a half year storyline. There are so many elements that are real. And I think anyone can identify with it. Anyone can resonate with the feeling of being overlooked and seeing somebody else who may be more naturally talented, more naturally gifted get ahead. And wanting to prove that you deserve the same respect and more because you’re working harder with less tools in your box. I think that’s why people are getting invested. That’s why people are feeling it.”
Catching Fire:
“I think around Money in the Bank was when it kind of came to light. People were behind me. People had supported me the whole way and there was a long time when I was down and I wasn’t doing anything. I was doing interviews at Wrestlemania and constantly got questions. I’m like yep, I’m trying to change that, lads. C’mon, work with me here. And I think at “MITB” we saw people had been caring and supporting the whole time and they really wanted me to win that “MITB” because anytime I touched that ladder they would cheer. I think that was noted.”
Breaking Point:
“Eventually, there is going to be a point where you just kind of snap. You’ve worked your hardest, you showed up on time, you haven’t missed a beat, you haven’t taken a day off, you haven’t taken a week off. And people they notice that kind of stuff. Eventually, enough is enough and you gotta… Nobody is going to hand it to you. You have to take what you want. And I think everybody can identify with that. I think they been watching that. I haven’t been out there the whole time. I haven’t been on the front of things. But I have been silently working. Constantly. Even if I don’t have a storyline I’ve been on TV… usually losing to someone. I think people said enough is enough.”
Surprised by cheers? Not Really:
“Like I said anybody can identify with that story of feeling overlooked and feeling frustrated at having done the right thing for three and a half years, and not getting anywhere and it’s like, ‘You know what. I’m sick of this crap. I’m going to do what it takes. Because I’ve been cheated out of championships, and I ’ve been cheated out of opportunities because there were lines I was unwilling to cross. Now it does not matter who is in my way I’m crossing those lines. I’m going to take what I want.’ ”
Breaking the Status Quo:
“Most people stay in line and they are gritting their teeth. Their boss is yelling at them and telling them what to do. And you just want to say, ‘I’m doing my best over here. I’m doing the right thing. Enough is enough, I’ve proved myself time and time again. Now it’s time for you to notice how good I am.’ ”
Charlotte:
“Charlotte would get these opportunities and appearances and I’d be happy for her, but it’s where you’d say, ‘I wish I could’ve done that, I wish I was on that poster.’ And you have to be a good friend and be happy for them. But eventually, you have to take it.”
Stone Cold Comparison:
“It’s very complimentary. I don’t think you can get a higher compliment than that. And it is that whole anti-establishment feel, right? Where you are going against the grain and you don’t care what people think. And I think that’s how a lot of people want to feel, ‘I wish I wasn’t confined to caring what people think.’ It’s a personal thing and you can live vicariously through that. That is what’s been the marker that made this character so relatable right now.”
Pressure or Opportunity:
“To be honest with you I’m feeling more opportunity. I always put pressure on myself. I know Charlotte does too. There is always a lot of pressure. You want to go out there and main-event a show, but that’s every single time I go out there, one line in a promo or a two-minute match. Every time I want to do the best that I can possibly do for the fans. Whether they are getting two words or getting two minutes, make that the best two minutes they could possibly see. And you fail often, whatever happens, that’s the goal. With this, it’s no different. I’m not looking at this match any different except it’s an opportunity to show why this is the greatest storyline, why this is the real main event, and why I am the champ, why I am the person that runs Smackdown Live, and why I am the man.”
Being The Man:
“It’s that state of mind that’s like, ‘I am the top dog. I am the man,’ And it’s something that I always say to people, ‘Oh, thank you. You are the man,’ It’s not a male or female thing it’s a state of mind.”
What is Evolution:
“It’s about people not realizing how invested they are into the story. Gender be damned. It does not matter. It’s what people are invested in. It does not matter, man, woman, or child… You could be Nicolas as far as I care, you gotta give people something they care about. I will take a few moments and look at what is happening. It’s hard to appreciate, well no, I do appreciate It. It doesn’t feel real. It never does feel real when you appreciate the magnitude of it. This is what I wanted to do all along.”
WrestleMania:
“I want to main event WrestleMania. That’s my goal. Put whoever you want in there. That’s all I ever wanted to do. When I came over to WWE one of the last things I said to my friend was that I want to main event WrestleMania. He said, ‘It’s good to have goals, but be realistic.’ Well, how realistic does it seem now?”
Becky versus Ronda:
“I would love to go against Ronda Rousey. I look at her as a slot machine, the harder you kick her, the more money comes out!” (HA!)
“And she’s doing an incredible job. I want to put women’s wrestling on the map. I want to put myself on the map. And I want to main event Wrestlemania.”
Heel Promo
Curt Hawkins Interview
Curt Hawkins has a podcast with Zack Ryder called The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast. It’s a wrestling figure podcast.
What category does this podcast fit:
“I feel like what Zack and I offer is so different, it’s not even close to anyone else’s genre. We are today, number 17 in iTunes Hobby category. We had a discussion to figure out where we belonged, I was the one saying, ‘No. It’s hobbies. Why would we go to the sports realm?’ I won and I think it was the right decision.”
Success:
“Jericho and Austin are in the high 70’s or 80’s in all of sports, so that’s why we made the decision. The day we launched we were the number one Wrestling Hobbyist Podcast.” (Sam informs us only about four other people do it.)
Injury:
“I got injured the second week that we launched. I feel more like a wrestling figure collector than a wrestler. That is where all my feedback online comes from. I got a hernia picking up Broski and slamming him at a live show. I’m hoping to be cleared very soon.”
Producing:
“I realized I was hurt and got everything situated then the office called and told me that Vince wants me to start producing backstage. The whole time I’ve been out I’ve been doing that. It’s cool. It’s very flattering. I was chosen. It’s an incredible one of a kind learning experience. I don’t think it’s something I want to do at 33 years old. I’m in the absolute prime of my wrestling career. Wrestling will always be in my mind and heart. There will be a time when my body tells me, ‘No more wrestling.’ Every meeting I’m assigned to someone like Jamie Nobel or Dean Malenko. Most of the time I’m with Tyson Kidd, who is one of my best friends.”
Producing makes you a better wrestler:
“You see why things are done, and I think that was the idea. It makes you better. And I think more people will do this once they get injured. Eventually, our generation has to move on and do that stuff, Arn, Dean, and Fit aren’t going to be around forever.”
WWE OG’s:
“Broski and I are a little different because we are still not even close to the oldest guys at work because we started so young. We were on the road with WWE full-time at 22. We are both 33 and we, feel like I’ve been there forever. We just had Smackdown 1000 and it was a nostalgic episode, I looked at Zack and said, ‘We use to come out to the fist. We’ve been around. But our peers are mostly older than us. Like Kofi, But, Kofi’s old. Old Man Kofi. That’s different. He’s grizzled.”
How much longer:
“I would like for my close friends to be honest with me and say, ‘You didn’t look so hot out there. It’s time.’I’ve seen that happen to other guys and I would totally want someone to. Once it’s gone it’s gone.”
For more Curt Hawkins click the link at the top.
Curt Hawkins Debut
The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast
State of Wrestling
Only two this week.
2. Evolution.
Sam puts the show over and breaks down each match and his feelings regarding the position the women are lined up within the show. He wants the show to be a game changer. Stories need to end and begin, setting up the matchups we will see at “The Survivor Series.”
1. Roman Reigns Shocker
Sam gives his personal feeling regarding The Big Dog leaving
“You can hate the character but you can’t say he’s a bad wrestler, because he’s really quite good. You can’t say he’s not a Superstar, because he is. You can’t say he has not put in the work. I mean this guy has been there day in and day out. As he should be, as the top guy. Some refer to Roman Reigns as the backbone of the locker room and you could see that with the video WWE.com put out, with everybody hugging him and saying goodbye. It hit everybody so emotionally. I think people got lost in booing the character.”
“He did an interview with me here on the podcast. It was the first real interview I did on the podcast that got a ton of attention. Roman was pretty honest about the fact that he doesn’t care if the audience boos him. It it what it is. A lot of fans online were not happy with what he said. They thought he came across as not caring about the fans, and I’m here to tell you that could not be more opposite from the truth. Roman Reigns is doing this because he wants to. He wants to provide for his family. But he is an athlete and he wants to be the best at entertaining us. I’ve gotten to spend some small time with him on a social level and Joe is a great guy, really, a pretty amazing dude, And I feel lucky to have spent time with him. If you could see him, one of my best Roman Reigns moments is… WWE put out a short doc on Youtube. I was there when Reigns beat John Cena and the energy that radiated off Roman Reigns when he beat Cena, he was ready to take that torch. It was really great and refreshing to see. He knew that was a milestone for him. He’s gotten better and better. I hope when he gets back people keep this energy. We love Roman because we know what he has sacrificed.”
Roman Reigns defeats John Cena
Ratings:
7.5 out 0f 10
Overall Observations:
I was hoping for a much longer Becky Lynch interview and a much shorter Curt Hawkings one. Becky did this interview in character, which I always love. I remember weeks ago when Sam said he thought Charlotte was the top female performer in WWE, she is clearly not, and this great interview is proof of that. Lynch is funny, savvy, charming, yet deadly serious with regards to her position in this industry. She is the best female wrestler in the world right now. On the mic and in the ring no one is coming close.
Sam needs to have her back and give her a full hour.
As for Curt Hawkins… I guess if you are into collecting figures this will be a thrill for you. If that is indeed the case you should check out this bonus episode Sam did with Mattel’s Bill Miekina.
Sam addressed the Roman Reigns tragedy with the empathy and respect we’ve come to expect from him.
(I’m sending Joe Anoa’i prayers for a speedy and true recovery.)
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