The Basement Bookers Podcast hosts their 2025 Bookie Awards, a tongue-in-cheek ceremony where the hosts hand out fictitious awards to wrestlers for the year’s most notable moments.

Highlights include winners like Cody Rhodes, John Cena and Alexa Bliss across categories such as Superstar, Tag Team, Feud and Best Match.

The hosts debate picks, dish out the golden pencil, and invite listeners to share their own votes and reactions in the comments.

It’s the final Basement Bookers Podcast of the year, and we’re closing things out by breaking down a chaotic week in WWE.

We dive into Monday Night Raw and SmackDown, including:

• Austin Theory’s reintroduction and why WWE clearly sees him as a stand in for Seth Rollins

• The growing tension inside The Judgment Day, especially on the women’s side

• Bron Breakker’s momentum vs. WWE’s shaky long-term booking history

• Gunther beating John Cena… and WWE doing almost nothing with it

• CM Punk’s involvement and why the follow-up feels weak

• Drew McIntyre getting rewarded for complaining (again)

• SmackDown chaos, Carmelo Hayes, Ilja Dragunov, and questionable storytelling choices

• Are they already booking WrestleMania 2026 and filling in the blanks later?

We also talk:

• AJ Styles’ unclear retirement timeline

• WWE loading rosters instead of using who they already have

• Heel vs heel booking problems (Chelsea Green discourse 👀)

• Why fans are right to be frustrated heading into the Netflix era

As always, we keep it honest, loud, and slightly unhinged.

👇 Sound off in the comments:

• Is WWE working backwards?

• Should Bron Breakker be fast-tracked?

• Did Gunther’s Cena win actually matter?

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Follow us on X: @BasementJer | @RichTheRiz

Basement Bookers Podcast is back with an official post-mortem on John Cena’s final match — and yeah… we’re not letting the tap out slide. We break down why the finish didn’t match the “Never Give Up” legacy, how Gunther tried to sell it after the fact, and why the Cena/Cody conversation felt like pure PR spin.

Plus: the masked man reveal (Austin Theory), an NXT Women’s North American Title finish that looked messy in real time, and the latest chatter on what’s next for key names heading into the new year.

Sound off in the comments: did the finish work for you, or was it a legendary career with a hair-in-the-food ending?

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X/Twitter: @BasementJer + @RichTheRiz

Business: Basementbookers@gmail.com

👍 Like, subscribe, and join the crew — The match of life is scheduled for one fall… so make it count.