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FroWrestling Podcast
  • 13 hours ago
In this episode, we discuss the return of Rhea Ripley. What's up with Randy Orton? A former WWE Superstar is now a free agent and we ponder what his next move may be!

All of this and the rest of the day’s news and rumors are covered in this episode of the Fro Wrestling Podcast!

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Transcript
00:00Hey yo, Fro Wrestling Podcast listeners, welcome to the show where we don't sing it, we bring
00:05it, help us out, and click subscribe to show your support.
00:08Tonight, our episode focuses on some return updates, some leaving updates, some free agent
00:15news, and what is going on with an interesting relationship with Javon Evans.
00:19We'll get into all that in a few moments.
00:21For now, listen to some tunes, and I'll be right back with you.
00:40What? What? What? What? What? What? Bang!
00:53Just when they think they've got the answers, I take the questions.
01:08Who are you to doubt L-Ban? This guy's a serious professional.
01:13Did he do it?
01:14Oh, that kicked out.
01:17Unbelievable.
01:19Turned my dangle into cold air.
01:23And I am my champion, you savage.
01:35That's a magdithong wearing fatty.
01:38I said WWE stands for.
01:45It's me, Austin.
01:47I will never retire.
01:54Promotional consideration paid for by the following.
02:02Welcome back to the show.
02:03I'm Dr. Fro.
02:05Thank you for joining us.
02:06And I got to ask you, are you sick and tired of dropping so much cash?
02:11Every year.
02:12Heck, after all the player packs and add-ons, knick-knacks and doodads, you can be well over $100 a
02:18year on the latest and greatest wrestling video game.
02:20Stop.
02:21Put that cash back in your pocket.
02:22Instead, head over to Wrestler Unstoppable.
02:24It's totally free.
02:26Create a wrestler.
02:26Sign contracts.
02:27Get into storylines.
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02:29Even build your own corporation from the ground up.
02:31It is all included in Wrestler Unstoppable.
02:33Like I said, totally free.
02:35Just go to their website, app.restlerunstoppable.com.
02:37Sign up today with an email or Facebook.
02:39And while you're in there, look up Odin Maximus.
02:42That's my avatar.
02:43If you send me an in-game message, let me know you're one of my listeners.
02:46I will send you a contract offer to get you started in a game with my company, Universal Wrestling Evolution,
02:51so we can put some cash in your pocket, in-game currency, and get you started.
02:55If you want to become a member of the Fro Wrestling Podcast family, you want your name in the shout
02:58-outs possibly, like John down in Texas, the best way to do that is to head over to patreon.com
03:03slash frowrestlingpodcast, and here's the deal.
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03:10It'll just let you know every time we have a new episode go live.
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03:16a whole bunch of messages or a whole bunch of tabs trying to find what you want to listen to.
03:20It sends it right to you and lets you be a part of the podcast family.
03:23If you do want your name in the shout-outs, you want to be a monetary donator to the show,
03:27it doesn't matter what the level is, and that will get you into the shout-out segment of the show.
03:31However, some people really want to do more than that.
03:34You want to co-host with me.
03:35There's a couple ways you can do that.
03:37At the $15 a month level, you are guaranteed an opportunity to customize an episode with me and co-host
03:43with me for an episode of the Fro Wrestling Podcast.
03:45$25 and above?
03:46Not only can we do that, but we're also going to do some Patreon-exclusive content together if you choose.
03:51At the $750 level, which is our most affordable level to potentially host an episode, you pay that level and
03:57then you get entered into a drawing so one person a month gets entered to do an episode with myself
04:01as well.
04:02Whatever level it is, if you're helping keep the lights on, we appreciate you and anything you can contribute to
04:08the show would be very much appreciated.
04:10If you have questions, concerns, something you want me to touch on in the future episode, I'm more than happy
04:15to do that.
04:16There's two ways to let me know.
04:17One, Fro Wrestling Sound Offline, 267-642-1160, and I'll get to those questions or concerns in a future episode.
04:23If you want a more expeditious way to get in touch with me, whatever streaming service you're using to pick
04:28up our show, like, share, subscribe, and most importantly, comment.
04:32And when you send in a comment, it'll send it directly to me and I can engage with you in
04:37real time, get back to you much faster, and make sure that I'm addressing whatever those things are that are
04:41most important to you because you are what makes this show happen.
04:44You, the listeners, you amazing people who may give me a sense of purpose in life some days.
04:49You really, really do, so thank you for that.
04:50This episode, like I said, I'm Dr. Fro, we're going to be talking a few things.
04:54One, we've got to get into some free agent news.
04:57Former WWE superstar, current superstar at Major League Wrestling, MLW, Donovan Dijak, who, by the way, we did an interview
05:06with right before he joined WWE.
05:08It was one of the last interviews I did before he, actually, I think we were the last interview he
05:12did before he joined WWE.
05:14He is now a free agent.
05:16He has made a decision to part ways with MLW.
05:18He announced this on social media.
05:20He was leaving the company.
05:22He still wants to focus on progress wrestling and some other independent promotions.
05:26Now, I can easily see a scenario where he shows up in AEW or, honestly, even back in WWE because
05:33he has done a great job of remarketing himself.
05:35He could go to Japan.
05:37He could do exactly what he said and stick with the indie circuit.
05:40I think it's going to depend on what his passions are right now.
05:42Now, if you go back and listen to that interview we did or you've heard any other interviews he's done,
05:47this guy really cares about what he does with his character, how he's perceived by the wrestling fans, and he
05:54really wants to make an impact.
05:55And I love that.
05:56I really do.
05:56He's got great passion, great fire, and he has really improved his ring work in the last couple of years.
06:01So, I'd be happy to see him go anywhere that includes a television distribution deal so we can watch his
06:07matches.
06:08Along the same vine, it is being reported that MLW is headed for a shakeup in general.
06:14Several contracts in MLW, it sounds like they're going to allow them to expire and not offer extensions.
06:19And at the same time, they're going to be cutting some less essential personnel.
06:23They got some metrics from Tubi, which is now the service that you can stream their show from.
06:28And it's helping them better focus their financial resources and their allocation of funds and who they need to keep
06:34on roster and who they can move on from.
06:35And I don't have all the metrics that they're looking at.
06:38I'm going to make some assumptions here.
06:39So, please don't take this for fact.
06:40Take it purely as my thought process, in my opinion.
06:43But usually, when you look at different metrics, you look and see, like, where do we see the views?
06:48What is the population?
06:49What is the gender, the age, the location?
06:52And if you see that a segment hits with a particular wrestler where it's not getting over the fans or
06:57you see the viewership drop,
06:59maybe that's somebody you don't need to pay to keep on your roster.
07:01Likewise, if you see a massive increase in viewership for somebody, that's probably somebody you want to lock down and
07:08do a longer-term deal.
07:09I suspect something similar to that is what's going on in MLW.
07:12I know they would like to be bigger in the wrestling platforms, a bigger space.
07:18They're obviously not the number one company.
07:20They're certainly not the number two company.
07:21But then after that, it gets a little hazy.
07:23Probably New Japan, maybe CMLL, TNA's in the mix.
07:28Game Changer Wrestling is always improving.
07:30There's a lot of other programming out there.
07:32And I'm sure MLW would like to have a bigger slice of the pie.
07:35At the same time, you've got to have some consistency and some star power.
07:38And losing Dijak is kind of a hit.
07:40I'll be curious to see who else leaves the promotion and who they bring in to supplement.
07:44It should be an interesting time for MLW fans.
07:47Let's talk some Gunther.
07:49Word coming out now.
07:51Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer, claiming that Gunther is the one who put the match against Finn Balor on hold
07:57because he did not want to work around Joel.
07:59He didn't want to go to Saudi Arabia, wasn't comfortable with it.
08:02WWE honored that request.
08:03Now, the question is going to be, and I hate to say it this way because I love Finn Balor.
08:07If Finn Balor wins this feud, I feel like Gunther is being punished for not wanting to go to Saudi
08:12Arabia.
08:13If Gunther wins, then I think the entire approach that WWE has historically used back when it was under Vince
08:20McMahon
08:20for punishing people for saying no to things, we might be past that.
08:24And maybe it's a more respectful company.
08:26I know I've seen a lot of people talking about the fact that they ran the show anyways, and they
08:30think that's disgusting.
08:31It did go off without a hitch.
08:33They got out of Saudi Arabia, even though there were strikes the very next day.
08:36But everybody was safe.
08:38They did the show, and by all accounts, it was actually a relatively decent show for what it was supposed
08:44to be.
08:45So, you know, I understand Gunther's perspective.
08:47I respect it.
08:48I hope he doesn't get any backlash or flack for that.
08:52And we're going to be able to tell with this Finn Balor feud because I'm sure it's going to happen
08:55somewhere.
08:56Maybe they're going to hold off now until Survivor Series.
08:58We'll have to wait and see.
08:58But it should be very interesting.
09:00I won't be surprised if one of these days they turn Survivor Series into a two-night event just so
09:04they can cram more people onto the card and do it in a meaningful way.
09:08Let's get into some return and exit news, if that makes any sense.
09:12Randy Orton is going to be taking some time off from WWE and will not be back in time for
09:16Survivor Series or Wrestlepalooza, based on the reports that I read.
09:20Instead, he is looking at an early January return, even possibly being held off until the Royal Rumble.
09:27There's no word on why he's taking time off.
09:29He's done this a lot recently.
09:31I guess when you get to his career and have the injury history that he does, whether it's the back,
09:35the shoulders, all that stuff, it all starts to catch up to you.
09:38So maybe this is just some planned time off so he can recuperate his body.
09:41But I think if and when he does come back, WWE needs to be very cognizant of what they're doing
09:46with Randy Orton.
09:47He is not a heel.
09:48It doesn't matter how hard you try to make him a heel.
09:50When you hear him walk out of Saudi Arabia and you see the people singing his song to the ring
09:55and they kept singing well into the match, that's something you don't want to turn your back on.
09:59Randy Orton is way too over.
10:00He's in legendary status now.
10:02He's just not going to be a heel.
10:04It doesn't matter what you do.
10:05Look at Christian Cage.
10:07He's as heelish as heel gets and people still love him.
10:09And Randy Orton is well above the Christian Cage level, just so we're clear.
10:14So I think it's time to flip him back to babyface so he can be in what is a natural
10:17position for the fans.
10:18It's not for him.
10:19He likes being a heel, but I think that's what the fans need.
10:22Now, with Randy Orton going away and missing Survivor Series and Wrestlepalooza, let's talk about somebody coming back potentially at
10:28Wrestlepalooza.
10:29After a torn meniscus, it sounds as though Rhea Ripley is on schedule to be in Australia for the Wrestlepalooza
10:37show.
10:37It has not had any kind of indication that she'll be wrestling at that show, but it seems odd to
10:43me that she would be so much factored into the plans and then not be a part of the actual
10:47show.
10:48Maybe she's there just to do media appearances.
10:50Maybe she's there to do signings and things like that, and that could throw the whole thing out of whack.
10:54But no matter what it is, seeing Rhea back with the company and doing things of merit, super warming to
11:01the heart because she's somebody that they have sorely missed.
11:03We can't wait to get her back in the ring, reclaim that women's championship now from Tiffany Stratton.
11:10But yeah, can't wait to get Rhea back.
11:12They need her.
11:12She needs to bolster that women's division because it's been severely lacking for the majority of the year.
11:16And the last tidbit for tonight, which I think is one of the cutest tidbits, is there's a little bit
11:21of history and interesting stuff going on in the Javon Evans family.
11:27Javon Evans, now that he and Penta won the World Tag Team Championship, the interesting thing about that, the 22
11:35-year-old is not the only member of the family who has won gold in WWE in the last couple
11:39weeks.
11:40Unaware to most of the public is the fact that Javon Evans is real-life cousins with SmackDown Superstar and
11:47one-half of the women's tag team champions, B-Fab.
11:52So apparently the cousins, they both get their first championship gold in the same month-ish time frame.
11:58They're both walking around with the tag team championship in their respective divisions.
12:02What a very cool, underlying, unknown story until now, obviously, about the two of them.
12:08What a great connection thing.
12:09I hope that's something they get to share now and forever, that their first time ever winning gold was at
12:14the exact same time as each other.
12:16And, you know, I know WWE oftentimes will give these people their belts and let them keep them, put them
12:20on the wall.
12:21I kind of hope they each get one of each other's and put them side-by-side to remember the
12:25fact that they won them together.
12:26I think that would be really, really cool, maybe sign each other's belt or whatever.
12:29I don't know.
12:30But I just think it's wildly cool that these two are related and got that opportunity at the same time.
12:34I do think WWE dropped the ball a little bit with Javon because he was really running this whole, like,
12:39I've never had a championship at WWE thing.
12:42And if you ran that longer, eventually, if you wanted to make him intercontinental champion or world champion, I doubt,
12:49but possibly, I think it would have meant more if he had never won gold in any way, shape, or
12:53form.
12:53But now he has.
12:54So I digress.
12:56We'll keep moving it forward as the tag team champion, and we'll see where things go from here.
13:00But for now, let me know what you think in the comments section below.
13:04What do you think about Rhea?
13:05Do you think it's time for her to come back?
13:07Do you think she's going to be a part of that show down in Australia for Wrestlepalooza?
13:10What do you think about Randy Orton taking more time off?
13:13And what about Dijak?
13:14Would you like to see him back in WWE?
13:16Do you think he should go to AEW, or should he stick with the independents the way he's already been
13:19talking?
13:20What do you think about Gunther?
13:21Do you support Gunther's decision to boycott going to Saudi Arabia, if indeed that is what happened?
13:26Do you think he should have been a company man and gone along like many of the other talents did?
13:30Let me know in the comments below.
13:32I'll respond to those as soon as I can.
13:34But until next time, that's all the time we have for this episode.
13:36To be with us next time for all the latest wrestling news and rumors.
13:39Special thanks as always to Suna for creating music and sound effects we use on our show.
13:42If you want to bring a new friend and family game that, I've got three options for you.
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13:47It's kind of like a cross between Pictionary and Chutes and Ladders.
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14:10All three of these and hundreds of other available at thegamecrafter.com
14:13where you can support independent gaming creation.
14:15You've been playing a whole lot of the same board games your whole life.
14:19The Monopoly, the Chess, Checkers, Parcheesi, Clue, Life.
14:22Pop a lot of trouble on a pop-o-matic bubble.
14:24Doing all those things over and over and over again.
14:26Arguing over the rules of Uno.
14:28And instead, grab something new.
14:29Make some new memories with the kids or the family.
14:31Grab, and like I said, I got these three recommendations
14:33because I own these three and my wife and kids love them.
14:36Banani Market, Sketchy People, and Legendary Elements.
14:41Check them out today.
14:42If you're looking for your next career move,
14:43you're considering college, university life,
14:45maybe you just need some formal training for your next opportunity.
14:47Go to my website at frolifeplanning.com
14:49for all your higher education needs
14:51as FroLife Educational Planning is for today,
14:53for tomorrow, and for life with FroLife.
14:56I'm Fred Froelich, better known as Dr. Fro.
14:58I want to thank you for taking some time with us today.
14:59Until next time, take care, everybody.
15:01Have a great night.
15:02I want to thank you for taking some time with us today.
15:32I want to thank you for taking some time with us today.
16:08I want to thank you for taking some time with us today.

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