April 10, 2025 • 9 mins
WrestleMania 41 is ONE WEEK AWAY and Vegas is about to explode with wrestling madness! AntMan flies solo this week with Michael out (resting up for the chaos), and breaks down everything heading into the biggest week of the year in pro wrestling. From the jam-packed schedule of events — SmackDown, Hall of Fame, NXT Stand & Deliver, and two massive nights of WrestleMania — to the chaos between Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton, AntMan gives his unfiltered take on the build (or lack thereof) for this year’s Show of Shows. Could Becky Lynch be the wild card? Why does it all feel off? And is anyone else weirded out by Charlotte asking fans for approval mid-boo? Plus:
- Gunther turns up the violence and the storytelling 🔥
* Cena, Cody, and The Rock — how will it all go down?
* Is this the most lackluster WrestleMania build in years?
* Your chance to win a FREE year of Netflix (yes, seriously!)
* Easter + WrestleMania = scheduling chaos 😅 - Follow us on X (@WrestleChatPod) and Instagram (@WrestleChatPodcast), and don’t forget to enter the giveaway at WrestleChatPodcast.com! 📺 Watch, subscribe, and hang with us all week long on YouTube. Follow the show on Instagram: ➡️ https://www.Instagram.com/WrestleChatPodcast Follow The AntMan: ➡️ https://www.Instagram.com/TheAntMan.co
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome Back wrestle Chat podcast episode eighty on right now.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
My name is the ant Man. Michael is out this week.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
I figure he has to rest up for WrestleMania Week
next week, big week for all of us. So much
happening all over Las Vegas too. Just imagine you got
all these events happening all in one place all week long,
but even just between Friday SmackDown and the Hall of
Fame on Saturday, you got Stand and Deliver with NXT
(00:30):
and then Night number one of WrestleMania, and then Sunday
Night two.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
That's just what you have on TV.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Then you add in WWE World, the Roast of WrestleMania,
WrestleMania After Dark, and it's all in the setting of
Las Vegas.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Those of you going, will you do me a favor?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Will you please check in sometime the week after WrestleMania.
I'm genuinely concerned for you. We did this last year
in Philadelphia, and man, it is to be crazy. However,
I know it's going to be an amazing week too.
I'm just going to hit a few things here, mainly
to reference back and see if they address some of
this stuff on Friday on SmackDown and again on Monday
(01:10):
on Raw. And speaking of Raw, we all know that
Raw is now on Netflix. Well, we have a chance
for you to score a Netflix subscription for an entire year.
All on us do this. Just open up the iHeartRadio
app now listen. If you don't have it, that's okay.
You can download it for free in your phone's app store.
Once you have it, you can open it up search
(01:32):
for wrestle Chat Podcast. Once you found it, hit the
follow and preset buttons. This will drop our podcast into
your preset section of the home screen of the iHeartRadio app.
Just simply take a screenshot of our podcast clearly displayed
in your preset section and upload that screen shot at
wrestle chatpodcast dot com. Okay, your screenshot, load it up
(01:54):
at wrestle chatpodcast dot com. None of this costs you
any money whatsoever, but you have no idea how much
it is going to help us. Plus, you'll be entered
into the drawing where one lucky fan will win a
year subscription to Netflix. That's fifty two raws between twenty
twenty five and twenty twenty six. Some restrictions do apply
(02:15):
valid in the United States only. Void We're prohibited SmackDown.
Let's address last week's debacle between Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton. Now,
I feel like this setup for WrestleMania has kind of
been doomed for the start.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
I don't know if you feel the same way.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
I don't know if there's always been just personal animosity
between Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte, but something professional doesn't feel
like it's clicking between these two personally. If they have
a beef, typically there's some there's real heat behind the scenes.
The heat in the ring is just as good, if
(02:53):
not better. Take for example, Brett and Sean. They could
not stand, could not stand each other outside of the
but inside the ring, man they made.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Magic every time they stepped in there.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
In contrast, I'll say even the screw job, I mean,
the matchup until that point incredible, could not stand each other.
In contrast, every interaction between Tiffy and as Charlotte has
felt kind of like a train wreck, if I'm being honest,
a burial sometimes Charlotte on the Champ Friday, we saw
(03:27):
the audience I mean honestly, about eighty twenty on Tiffany's side.
I know lots of booze for Charlotte, and that's the
thing to do. She does not seem to handle the booze.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Well. She still has a.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Smile on her face, and she's asking them questions like
she needs their approval or something. If you're going to
play a heel and they're gonna boo you and you're
okay with that, then let's do this.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Let's play into that. But she's asking, what do you
want me to say? Crowd?
Speaker 1 (03:55):
What do you want me to say? If you're to
sit here boom me, what do you want me to say?
I mean, maybe you don't say anything. Just let them
boo you play a heel for a little bit, for
for something that's completely unexpected, like having the crowd cheer
for Tiffany and even recite back to her her her
key phrase is pretty pretty cool for some that's you know.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
That that right, they're simply unexpected.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Shots were taken and edits were made to the YouTube posts,
and well, I guess we're left with what we have
right now. If it were up to me, I wouldn't
want to hear from either of these two again until
they step into the ring at WrestleMania. I've said this
before I'm good with this entire debacle though, if it
does lead us to the return of Becky Lynch.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
And I know those are just rumors.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Nothing's confirmed until she steps in that ring again, but
it kind of feels like that that's where it might
be headed if if if she signed a deal, she's
ready to go, WrestleMania is the place to do it,
and against her her probably best foe being Charlotte Flair Flair.
We know how good that Becky Lynch is with Charlotte,
(05:02):
even when they're personally at odds, and you know, I
feel Becky would work much better with Tiffany than Charlotte has.
Let's see if they address this match again coming up
on SmackDown. Some are saying this is one of the
most lackluster builds to WrestleMania in years now. I don't
think that this has just been awful, but I don't
(05:22):
find much intriguing either, other than the spectacle that it
naturally is. I mean, it's WrestleMania that's really the reason
people buy tickets, not necessarily for the matches, but when
we're going to invest in it and sit down and
watch it as well, you expect the build to be
a little bit better than it has been many many
multiple man matches.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
We have four way for the IC title. Okay, there's
one of them.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
We have a three way between Punk, Rollins and Rains,
just a main event, no title on the line. We
have a triple threat for the women's world title with
Ria Bianca and Eo. And I don't think I'm missing anything.
I think that's it right. That should be all the
only one with much of a Baxter where he really is, Rains,
Punk and Rollins main eventing on Night one. The others,
especially that Icy title match, it just really feels like
(06:06):
it was built to get four great stars on Russell
Mania forty one, and that same thing kind of feels
it kind of feels that same way with the Raymathstereo
and El Grande Americano match. That match is, to me,
that's a match you just put on the night before
Mania on SmackDown. Maybe they're trading places and put the
Charlotte and Tiffy match on SmackDown.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Maybe not.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
The world title match has kind of picked up steam
lately after a horrendous attack on Jimmy Usso by Champ Guther,
Jimmy's brother Jay.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
He was zip tied to.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
The middle rope and he had to watch it all
and Jimmy just busted open. And you haven't seen many
people bleed like that in a long time. And you
really haven't seen it happen on a raw either, I
mean on TV, on normal TV, not on a Poe
Gunther even addressed keeping fans interested in a ten week
build when he was on Ariel Helwanee earlier this week.
(07:03):
It is a great conversation. If you have a chance
to check it out, go do that is really really good.
I really like unthor his work, ethic and his psychology
playing this character.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
This character is second to none.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Obviously, we still have some room to play with before
next weekend in the Night Too main event Cody Rhods
versus John Cena, how will the final Boss the Rock
get involved And is there any possibility of Travis Scott
getting his receipt from Cody Rhodes. That probably really has
taken a back seat to the story after Sena and
(07:35):
Cody had their exchange in WWE's European run. In spite
of somewhat of a slower build to this WrestleMania.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
I'll be honest, I'm still really excited.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I kind of start getting these butterflies this time of year,
and then you start seeing the post of leaks of
the build of the WrestleMania set. I kind of search
Facebook pretty much every day, and not right now, but
once we get into the week coming up on Monday,
I'll start looking and say, hey, are there any updated pictures? Hey,
are there any updated pictures of the next day, and
keep doing that. Even more so to be doing it
(08:07):
from the comfort of my own home and really hanging
out with you guys here on the pod is mainly
what I'm looking forward to. I mean, we're not going anywhere.
It is unfortunate. I'll mention in it again that WrestleMania
is on Easter weekend. That's not a holiday that ever
takes a backseat to anything else for me. And if
you're like me and you're going to be taking in
WrestleMania when you can over the weekend, I mean, hang
(08:29):
out with us here on the podcast. Both me and
Michael will be checking in at various times throughout the week.
Next week, and make sure you're connected with us on
x you can find me there at the ant Man.
If you want to follow the show, you can do
that too. It's wrestle Chat Pod. Okay, that's on X.
On Instagram, it's wrestle Chat Podcast. Yeah, ran out of
(08:49):
spaces to put wrestle Chat podcast on X, so Instagram
gets the full name wrestle Chat Podcast on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Follow us there, let's connect, let's be friends there. How
about that?
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Both Michael and I will break our final thoughts on
all the matchups coming up next week here on the pod.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
And if you're watching on YouTube, do me a favor.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Hit that subscribe button and don't forget to find out
how you can win one year of Netflix on us.
All the info is up right now at wrestle Chat
podcast dot com wrestle Chat podcast dot com. You can
find all the details there. My name is the ant Man.
I'll see you next week here on the wrestle Chat Podcast.
(09:27):
All right,
Welcome Back wrestle Chat podcast episode eighty on right now.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
My name is the ant Man. Michael is out this week.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
I figure he has to rest up for WrestleMania Week
next week, big week for all of us. So much
happening all over Las Vegas too. Just imagine you got
all these events happening all in one place all week long,
but even just between Friday SmackDown and the Hall of
Fame on Saturday, you got Stand and Deliver with NXT
(00:30):
and then Night number one of WrestleMania, and then Sunday
Night two.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
That's just what you have on TV.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Then you add in WWE World, the Roast of WrestleMania,
WrestleMania After Dark, and it's all in the setting of
Las Vegas.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Those of you going, will you do me a favor?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Will you please check in sometime the week after WrestleMania.
I'm genuinely concerned for you. We did this last year
in Philadelphia, and man, it is to be crazy. However,
I know it's going to be an amazing week too.
I'm just going to hit a few things here, mainly
to reference back and see if they address some of
this stuff on Friday on SmackDown and again on Monday
(01:10):
on Raw. And speaking of Raw, we all know that
Raw is now on Netflix. Well, we have a chance
for you to score a Netflix subscription for an entire year.
All on us do this. Just open up the iHeartRadio
app now listen. If you don't have it, that's okay.
You can download it for free in your phone's app store.
Once you have it, you can open it up search
(01:32):
for wrestle Chat Podcast. Once you found it, hit the
follow and preset buttons. This will drop our podcast into
your preset section of the home screen of the iHeartRadio app.
Just simply take a screenshot of our podcast clearly displayed
in your preset section and upload that screen shot at
wrestle chatpodcast dot com. Okay, your screenshot, load it up
(01:54):
at wrestle chatpodcast dot com. None of this costs you
any money whatsoever, but you have no idea how much
it is going to help us. Plus, you'll be entered
into the drawing where one lucky fan will win a
year subscription to Netflix. That's fifty two raws between twenty
twenty five and twenty twenty six. Some restrictions do apply
(02:15):
valid in the United States only. Void We're prohibited SmackDown.
Let's address last week's debacle between Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton. Now,
I feel like this setup for WrestleMania has kind of
been doomed for the start.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
I don't know if you feel the same way.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
I don't know if there's always been just personal animosity
between Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte, but something professional doesn't feel
like it's clicking between these two personally. If they have
a beef, typically there's some there's real heat behind the scenes.
The heat in the ring is just as good, if
(02:53):
not better. Take for example, Brett and Sean. They could
not stand, could not stand each other outside of the
but inside the ring, man they made.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Magic every time they stepped in there.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
In contrast, I'll say even the screw job, I mean,
the matchup until that point incredible, could not stand each other.
In contrast, every interaction between Tiffy and as Charlotte has
felt kind of like a train wreck, if I'm being honest,
a burial sometimes Charlotte on the Champ Friday, we saw
(03:27):
the audience I mean honestly, about eighty twenty on Tiffany's side.
I know lots of booze for Charlotte, and that's the
thing to do. She does not seem to handle the booze.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Well. She still has a.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Smile on her face, and she's asking them questions like
she needs their approval or something. If you're going to
play a heel and they're gonna boo you and you're
okay with that, then let's do this.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Let's play into that. But she's asking, what do you
want me to say? Crowd?
Speaker 1 (03:55):
What do you want me to say? If you're to
sit here boom me, what do you want me to say?
I mean, maybe you don't say anything. Just let them
boo you play a heel for a little bit, for
for something that's completely unexpected, like having the crowd cheer
for Tiffany and even recite back to her her her
key phrase is pretty pretty cool for some that's you know.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
That that right, they're simply unexpected.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Shots were taken and edits were made to the YouTube posts,
and well, I guess we're left with what we have
right now. If it were up to me, I wouldn't
want to hear from either of these two again until
they step into the ring at WrestleMania. I've said this
before I'm good with this entire debacle though, if it
does lead us to the return of Becky Lynch.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
And I know those are just rumors.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Nothing's confirmed until she steps in that ring again, but
it kind of feels like that that's where it might
be headed if if if she signed a deal, she's
ready to go, WrestleMania is the place to do it,
and against her her probably best foe being Charlotte Flair Flair.
We know how good that Becky Lynch is with Charlotte,
(05:02):
even when they're personally at odds, and you know, I
feel Becky would work much better with Tiffany than Charlotte has.
Let's see if they address this match again coming up
on SmackDown. Some are saying this is one of the
most lackluster builds to WrestleMania in years now. I don't
think that this has just been awful, but I don't
(05:22):
find much intriguing either, other than the spectacle that it
naturally is. I mean, it's WrestleMania that's really the reason
people buy tickets, not necessarily for the matches, but when
we're going to invest in it and sit down and
watch it as well, you expect the build to be
a little bit better than it has been many many
multiple man matches.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
We have four way for the IC title. Okay, there's
one of them.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
We have a three way between Punk, Rollins and Rains,
just a main event, no title on the line. We
have a triple threat for the women's world title with
Ria Bianca and Eo. And I don't think I'm missing anything.
I think that's it right. That should be all the
only one with much of a Baxter where he really is, Rains,
Punk and Rollins main eventing on Night one. The others,
especially that Icy title match, it just really feels like
(06:06):
it was built to get four great stars on Russell
Mania forty one, and that same thing kind of feels
it kind of feels that same way with the Raymathstereo
and El Grande Americano match. That match is, to me,
that's a match you just put on the night before
Mania on SmackDown. Maybe they're trading places and put the
Charlotte and Tiffy match on SmackDown.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Maybe not.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
The world title match has kind of picked up steam
lately after a horrendous attack on Jimmy Usso by Champ Guther,
Jimmy's brother Jay.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
He was zip tied to.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
The middle rope and he had to watch it all
and Jimmy just busted open. And you haven't seen many
people bleed like that in a long time. And you
really haven't seen it happen on a raw either, I
mean on TV, on normal TV, not on a Poe
Gunther even addressed keeping fans interested in a ten week
build when he was on Ariel Helwanee earlier this week.
(07:03):
It is a great conversation. If you have a chance
to check it out, go do that is really really good.
I really like unthor his work, ethic and his psychology
playing this character.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
This character is second to none.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Obviously, we still have some room to play with before
next weekend in the Night Too main event Cody Rhods
versus John Cena, how will the final Boss the Rock
get involved And is there any possibility of Travis Scott
getting his receipt from Cody Rhodes. That probably really has
taken a back seat to the story after Sena and
(07:35):
Cody had their exchange in WWE's European run. In spite
of somewhat of a slower build to this WrestleMania.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
I'll be honest, I'm still really excited.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I kind of start getting these butterflies this time of year,
and then you start seeing the post of leaks of
the build of the WrestleMania set. I kind of search
Facebook pretty much every day, and not right now, but
once we get into the week coming up on Monday,
I'll start looking and say, hey, are there any updated pictures? Hey,
are there any updated pictures of the next day, and
keep doing that. Even more so to be doing it
(08:07):
from the comfort of my own home and really hanging
out with you guys here on the pod is mainly
what I'm looking forward to. I mean, we're not going anywhere.
It is unfortunate. I'll mention in it again that WrestleMania
is on Easter weekend. That's not a holiday that ever
takes a backseat to anything else for me. And if
you're like me and you're going to be taking in
WrestleMania when you can over the weekend, I mean, hang
(08:29):
out with us here on the podcast. Both me and
Michael will be checking in at various times throughout the week.
Next week, and make sure you're connected with us on
x you can find me there at the ant Man.
If you want to follow the show, you can do
that too. It's wrestle Chat Pod. Okay, that's on X.
On Instagram, it's wrestle Chat Podcast. Yeah, ran out of
(08:49):
spaces to put wrestle Chat podcast on X, so Instagram
gets the full name wrestle Chat Podcast on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Follow us there, let's connect, let's be friends there. How
about that?
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Both Michael and I will break our final thoughts on
all the matchups coming up next week here on the pod.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
And if you're watching on YouTube, do me a favor.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Hit that subscribe button and don't forget to find out
how you can win one year of Netflix on us.
All the info is up right now at wrestle Chat
podcast dot com wrestle Chat podcast dot com. You can
find all the details there. My name is the ant Man.
I'll see you next week here on the wrestle Chat Podcast.
(09:27):
All right,
Host
Anthony "The AntMan" Lay
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