Brock Lesnar is back!

And after RAW, the biggest debate coming out of WrestleMania suddenly feels completely reopened.

Was Brock’s retirement real? Was it a work? Or did WWE slowly turn a real-life situation into a worked-shoot storyline after plans changed behind the scenes?

This week on TTW, we break down Brock Lesnar’s shocking return, why the entire Oba Femi timeline feels strange, and how RAW accidentally turned Clash in Italy into a legitimately massive WWE event.

We also discuss:

• Roman Reigns accepting Tribal Combat against Jacob Fatu
• Why Finn Bálor feels hotter than he has in years
• Ethan Page continuing to rise on RAW
• Becky Lynch and Sol Ruca building momentum
• Why Oba Femi may have been accidentally booked into a creative corner
• And why Brock Lesnar returning may actually SAVE Oba creatively long term

Upcoming WWE Events Discussed:

Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV

Clash in Italy

Quick shoutout to the family business — Zarc International.

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Visit: www.zarc.com

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TTW Available on: Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music.

Episodes every Monday and Friday!

Follow Alexander the Great: X & TikTok — @Froe87

Join the TTW Discord for:

• Live PLE watch-alongs
• Real-time reactions
• Wrestling debates during the shows
• And general wrestling nerd chaos

Chapters

00:00 The Night Brock Broke The Timeline

03:14 Roman Reigns, Jacob Fatu & Tribal Combat

08:11 Finn Bálor vs JD McDonagh — This Feels Backwards

10:31 Becky Lynch vs Sol Ruca — This Is How You Build A Star

13:16 Ethan Page, LA Knight & RAW’s Direction Problem

15:45 Women’s Tag Division — Is Anybody Actually Moving Forward?

18:42 Brock Lesnar Returns And Destroys Oba Femi

20:41 Seth Rollins vs Austin Theory — This Should Not Have Closed RAW

25:08 Brock Lesnar / Oba Femi — THIS DOESN’T FEEL CLEAN

49:38 Work vs Worked-Shoot — Was Brock’s Retirement Real?

01:00:50 Why Brock Returning Might Actually SAVE Oba Femi

01:07:20 WWE Under TKO Feels Different

01:15:24 Clash In Italy Suddenly Feels Huge

01:20:49 Final RAW Verdict + Upcoming WWE Shows

This week finally felt like SmackDown started showing signs of life again.

Not perfect. Still inconsistent. Still too long at three hours.

…but parts of this show finally felt IMPORTANT again.

This episode breaks down Trick Williams’ hometown star presentation, why the U.S. title scene FINALLY feels like it can be connected, Melo/Ricky/Sami/Fenix building a real ecosystem, why Gunther instantly makes SmackDown feel bigger, Cody vs Gunther contract signing chaos, Royce Keys getting elevated in the main event, Saturday Night’s Main Event updates, RAW preview discussion, and the much bigger conversation about why WWE feels completely different in the TKO era.

We also dive deep into WWE feeling more corporate and less alive, the shrinking feeling of weekly television, the five-match PLE structure problem, fans spending more money for less rewarding weekly content, why long-time fans feel disconnected from the modern product, and why RAW currently feels far more stable than SmackDown.

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Follow: Alexander the Great — @Froe87

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JOIN THE TTW DISCORD

PLE watch-alongs. Live reactions. Real-time wrestling discussion during the shows.

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Quick shoutout to the family business — Zarc International.

If you’re looking for serious everyday protection…

Check out the new VEXOR Venom™ Gel Pocket Guard — one of the strongest consumer pepper sprays on the market.

You can find our products on Amazon and at www.zarc.com

Be Prepared. Protect Yourself. Carry Vexor.

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That stuff genuinely helps more wrestling fans find the show.

00:00 — SmackDown Needed Gunther

03:03 — Trick Williams Homecoming / U.S. Title Scene Finally Feels Alive

05:59 — The U.S. Title Ecosystem Is Starting To Work

08:26 — Sami Zayn’s Character Spiral Continues

11:08 — Women’s Tag Division Still Needs STORIES

13:45 — Cody Rhodes / Gunther Contract Signing Chaos

16:05 — Melo vs Ricky Saints — SmackDown Needed THIS Match

18:36 — DANHAUSEN ❤️

36:53 — WWE Finally Understanding Character Variety Again

38:46 — Why Midcard & Comedy Wrestling Matter

40:14 — Michael Cole Deserves More Respect

42:39 — Why Comedy Wrestling Still Works

44:23 — WWE’s Body Type Shift & Why It Matters

46:08 — LA Knight Main Event Debate

52:01 — Sami / Gargano / Candice — This Story Is Getting Weird

57:58 — Jade Cargill / Charlotte / Alexa Bliss

01:05:23 — Saturday Night’s Main Event Update

01:07:40 — Gunther vs Royce Keys — REAL SmackDown Main Event Energy

01:13:31 — Final Thoughts — SmackDown Finally Showing Signs Of Life

01:17:08 — WWE FEELS UNRECOGNIZABLE POST-TKO

01:27:46 — WWE Is Becoming Too Expensive To Follow

01:38:10 — RAW Preview / Roman Reigns / Oba Femi

🎙️ Maintenance Television

RAW after Backlash gave us a weird episode.

Not a BAD show.

Actually… there was a lot of good wrestling on this show.

The roster looked strong. The younger stars continue to feel more important. The IC Title division finally feels connected again.

But outside of Jacob Fatu?

A LOT of RAW felt like WWE was just maintaining stories instead of truly escalating them.

And the second Jacob showed up…

…the entire energy of the show changed.

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This week on TTW:

Why Jacob Fatu currently feels like the hottest thing in WWE

Bron Breakker’s strange post-Backlash direction

Ethan Page continuing to prove he belongs in the main-event picture

Sol Ruca impressing BIG against Iyo Sky

The growing concern around Oba Femi after Brock Lesnar

Judgment Day quietly planting long-term story seeds

Why the AAA / El Grande Americano story is becoming overbooked

Asuka’s emotional backstage goodbye with Iyo Sky

Why RAW felt more like “maintenance television” than momentum television

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PLUS:

JDfromNY / Danhausen discourse

Wrestling-media echo chambers

WWE’s 5-match PLE problem

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🎧 Available on: Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Amazon Music

X & TikTok: @Froe87 (fro like afro… add the E… 87)

🔥 Join the TTW Discord for: PLE watch-alongs Live reactions Real wrestling discussion

🛡️ Sponsored by Zarc International

Be Prepared. Protect Yourself. Carry Vexor.

www.zarc.com

Powered by Zarc International

Check out the VEXOR Venom™ Gel Pocket Guard — The strongest consumer pepper sprays on the market.

Be Prepared. Protect Yourself. Carry Vexor.

www.zarc.com

📲 FOLLOW / SUPPORT THE SHOW

If we earned it… leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it genuinely helps more wrestling nerds find the show.

Available on: 🎧 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify 🎧 Amazon Music

Follow Alexander the Great : 👉 X/Twitter & TikTok: @Froe87 (fro like afro… add the E… 87)

🔥 JOIN THE TTW DISCORD

PLE watch-alongs. Live reactions. Real wrestling conversations while the shows are actually happening.

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00:00 — Intro / RAW After Backlash Overall Thoughts

05:39 — The Vision / Bron Breakker Opening Segment (Logan Paul, Theory, Joe Hendry & why RAW immediately felt like maintenance television)

15:45 — IC Title Division Feels Like An Actual Ecosystem (Penta, Ethan Page, Je’Von Evans, Rusev & why this division finally feels alive)

34:46 — Asuka & Iyo Sky Backstage Goodbye (Why it didn’t fully feel real)

42:30 — Iyo Sky vs Sol Ruca (Why WWE should feel GREAT about Sol’s future)

48:02 — Oba Femi — WWE Has To Be Careful Now (Open challenge discussion, Brock Lesnar fallout & long-term concerns)

01:04:04 — Judgment Day Quietly Planting Seeds (Roxanne Perez, Finn Bálor tension, Liv manipulation & long-term setup)

01:13:24 — AAA / El Grande Americano Is Becoming Overbooked (Too many moving parts, interference & identity-story confusion)

01:19:02 — JDfromNY / Danhausen / Wrestling-Media Echo Chambers (5-match PLE discourse, comedy wrestling, fake “open discussion” communities & super-chat validation culture)

01:41:52 — Maxxine Dupri / Austin Theory Teases (The Vision background storytelling & Theory needing direction)

01:52:58 — Roman Reigns / Jacob Fatu Closing Segment (Why Jacob completely changed the energy of RAW)

02:03:00 — MVP Of The Night — Jacob Fatu

02:08:30 — Final Thoughts On RAW (Maintenance television vs momentum television)

02:14:00 — SmackDown Preview (Cody/Gunther, Jacob suspension fallout, Trick Williams Homecoming)