Insight with Chris Van Vliet - AskCVV #99 - The Rock's Weight Loss, AJ Lee's WWE Return, Logan Paul vs. John Cena, Mount Rushmore Of Referees

Episode Date: September 5, 2025

https://cvvtix.com - Get your tickets for Insight LIVE in San Diego on Friday, November 28! Welcome to AskCVV #99! On this episode, Chris Van Vliet answers questions about Logan Paul vs. John Cena at WWE Clash in Paris, The Rock's shocking transformation (or was it?), AJ Lee's possible return to WWE, the incredible crowd for Clash in Paris, Mount Rushmore of referees, the Speed Championship vs. the 24/7 Champion, the return of RVV and much more!Quote I'm thinking about: "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston ChurchillPlease support our sponsors!   PURE PLANK: The future of core fitness! Use the code CVV to save 10% on Pure Plank designed by Adam Copeland & Christian: https://gopureplank.com/?ref=tibcloux   SUPERPOWER: Go to https://Superpower.com and use code CVV to get $50 Off your annual Superpower subscription. Live up to your 100-Year potential. #superpowerpod   SEAT GEEK: Use my code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/CVV2025 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount PRIZEPICKS: Download the app today and use code INSIGHT to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup!  TIMELINE: Go to https://timeline.com/insightto get 20% off your order of Mitopure!   VUORI: Get 20% off your first purchase! Get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet at https://vuori.com/cvv   ROCKET MONEY: Join Rocket Money today and reach your financial goals faster: https://rocketmoney.com/cvv MIRACLE MADE: Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to https://trymiracle.com/CVV and use the code CVV to claim your FREE 3 PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF   ZOCDOC: Instantly book a top-rated doctor today at https://zocdoc.com/insight   BONCHARGE: Use the code CVV to save 15% off your infrared sauna blanket at https://boncharge.com/cvv   BLUECHEW: Get your first month of BlueChew for free with the code CVV at https://bluechew.com   For more information about Chris and INSIGHT go to: https://podcast.chrisvanvliet.com If you have ever enjoyed any of these episodes, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast or Spotify? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests.    Follow CVV on social media:  Instagram: instagram.com/ChrisVanVliet Twitter: twitter.com/ChrisVanVliet Facebook: facebook.com/ChrisVanVliet YouTube: youtube.com/ChrisVanVliet TikTok: tiktok.com/@Chris.VanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Van Fleet. Oh my goodness. Welcome back to another one here on Inside. I'm CVV. Chris Van Fleet. Thank you for being a real one and for spending a little bit of your Friday with me on an Ask CVV episode. And thank you for helping to make Insight the number one wrestling podcast on the planet.

Hit a handspring back elbow on that follow button. Yeah, a handspring back elbow. I'd love to see someone actually hit one of those on the follow button. But I want to make sure that you don't miss out on any new interviews every Tuesday and Thursday. And of course, Ask CVV every Friday. This is a big one today. This is a milestone episode. It's the last of what I call the Jersey number episodes.

Ask CVV number 99. And just seriously, thank you for making this show yours. Like there are so many wrestling podcasts out. there's so many podcasts in general that you could be listening to right now so i appreciate you trusting me with your time so thank you for that with that said welcome my friends to ask cvv number 99 the wayne gretzky erin judge j j wott warren sap rickie vaughan von love the major league reference Mitch Williams edition. And as a Blue Jays fan, I had to throw that in there.

You know, Mitch Williams, who pitched the game-winning walk-off home run to Joe Carter in the 1993 World Series, possibly the greatest World Series home run of all time. But welcome, my friends, to Ask CVV number 99. I think we might have had a record number of questions that got sent in. And you know how to send them in. So if you've got a question for next week for Ask CVV, 100. Wow, we're hitting a century with this. For Ask CVV number 100, send it in on Spotify, if you're listening on Spotify.

Shoot me an email, CVV at chris fanfleet.com or send it in on social media using that hashtag Ask CVV. If you are listening on Spotify, just put 99 in the comments or 99 in the person who you associate that jersey number with the most. Of course, being Canadian, for me, it's the great one. It's Wayne Gretzky. But who is it for you? It might be somebody else. Could be any number of people. But drop that as the secret code word on Spotify this week.

And let's dive right into this. We'll kick this off with this question from James Sylvester on Facebook who says, Hey, CVV, was it just me? Or was Logan Paul versus John Sina actually really good? Yeah, it's not you. James, it's not just you. John Cena versus Logan Paul was fantastic. And I think that the expectations were low going into this.

I think that people feel a certain way about Logan Paul. But I think that this was Logan Paul's best match so far. And I think that this was the second best match of John Cena's farewell tour, just as a whole, second only to his match with Cody Rhodes, which I love. Not the WrestleMania match, the most recent match. with Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam. But this match with Logan Paul had so many great callbacks

to other wrestlers, which I loved. There was a zigzag, Cesaro uppercut, Baron Corbin, end of days, A.J. Lee's octopus, a swan tom bomb. And then I loved when John Cena was hooking up Logan

for the Stiles Clash. And you could just feel the swell in the audience of like, oh, is that what we think it is? Is that what we think it is? It is. It is a styles clash, which then led into the wonderful song slash chant from that incredible audience in Paris.

I love it. And also, I'll never get sick of seeing John Sina hit a code red, also known these days as pop rocks. Amazing. I thought that that match really leveled Logan Paul up. And again, he's only had 24 matches, but I think that really leveled him up. And how long is it going to take for people to realize that Logan Paul up? Paul is actually a talented professional wrestler.

Like, obviously, he does what he does in the ring, but he also does a great job on the mic, his entrance, his facial expressions, like all of it, all of the components that you would want, all of the boxes that you would tick to be a talented professional wrestler, he ticks them all. And I'm not the only one that's saying this. Like, all of the veteran wrestlers who have podcasts, or anybody unbusted open,

they're all saying the same thing. Like, if you don't like Logan Paul the person, that's fine. You are absolutely entitled to feel however you feel about him or anyone else. But if you don't like Logan Paul as a wrestler, you're just a hater at this point. Like, you might not like the character.

You might not like what he stands for. But what he's doing, the heel work that he's doing and the athleticism he has in the ring, it's undeniable now. It is absolutely undeniable. He's 24 matches in. None of those matches are dark matches or developmental matches or indie matches.

These are 24 WWE matches. No one has taken to being a pro wrestler this fast since, dare I say it, Kurt Engel. And I'm going to make a bold prediction here. saying, by the way, I'm not saying that Logan Paul is as good as Kurt Engel. I am not saying that at all. I'm saying Kurt Engel took to this really quickly. And Kurt Engel 24 matches in, looked like he was a great professional wrestler. Kurt Angle 24 matches in wasn't doing some of the

things that Logan Paul's doing. I'm just saying that Logan Paul has taken to this very fast. and that's a rare thing to see from someone who's coming into this with no previous professional wrestling experience. But I'm going to make a bold prediction here. I think Logan Paul is going to be a Money in the Bank winner either next year or the year after. Like, WWE clearly sees a future in him. He's been booked that way. He's had some massive matches in his career so far. And you might not like it.

But I think that in the next, call it, two, two to five years, Logan Paul is a world champion. It's just crazy to think that saying positive things about Logan Paul's abilities in the ring will make people go, oh man, I can't believe you, CVV. I can't believe you like Logan Paul. I'm just calling a spade a spade. I'm looking at the ability that he has in the ring and I'm going, yeah, that is a talented professional wrestler.

And look who he's been in the ring with. Like he's been in the ring with Roman Raines. That was his third match ever. Third match ever was in the ring with Roman Raines. The Miss. Seth Rollins.

Kevin Owens. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton. Remember that triple threat match for the United States championship at WrestleMania 40? Cody Rhodes. L.A. Knight. Yeah.

obviously the money in the bank earlier this year, Cody and Jay versus John Cena and Logan Paul. Like he's been in the ring with some people who he showed that he could hang with. And then just as a whole, let's talk about Clash in Paris. I thought that that good old fashioned Donnybrook match was just an absolute banger. Now, I love that Rusev and Seamus just pull. the best out of each other.

That was just so fun to see. Roman Raines beats Bronson Reed. He wins the battle, but loses the war, if you will, getting just absolutely decimated by Bronson Reed afterwards. The tsunamis, while he's already attached to the board, this is nasty. It's just nasty. And I love that this is like a component of what Bronson Reed does. like he hits a tsunami, walks away, looks like that's it.

And then he runs back in and no one can hold him down because he's Bronson Reed and he's massive and he's a beast. Boom, there's another tsunami walks away. Everything's fine. Runs back into the ring. Boom, another one. I love that that's been a big part of his character. It's just like, who knows what he's going to do next. And like, how long does this write Roman Raines off for?

That's a big question here is I think. that that was done intentionally, very clearly, to have Roman Raines not be around for a little while. It's a little while a month. Is a little while two months. I really feel like Survivor Series feels like when Roman Raines would come back. Like I know it's early, and I know we've got two and a half months before Survivor Series, but I really don't see any situation where the vision, Seth Rawlins, Bronson, Reed, Bronbreaker, aren't involved in some sort of Survivor Series match, which I also think we saw it teased here

at Clash in Paris, but I think Roman Raines versus Braun Breaker is right around the corner. It's probably Roman Raines next singles match. Is that a Russellmania match next year? Is Roman Raines out for that long? I don't know, but that feels to me like it's the, yeah, that feels like to me like that's his next one-on-one match. the four-way match for the world championship, the main event there, I loved it,

four guys that can just go. And I knew there were going to be some shenanigans. I didn't see it being in the form of Becky Lynch coming out with the low blow to CM Punk, but I do think, like we mentioned last week on Ask CVV number 98, I think that the whole point of this match is to set up Seth Rollins versus CM Punk

at some point down the line. but I thought it was, I thought it was a fun PLE. I watched it at Cozum, which maybe you've seen the videos online on social media. It's like a mini sphere. Like you're sitting there and you get like a perspective of the ring. Like it's a wrap around screen and you're getting a perspective like you're in the ring.

It's wild. Like if I couldn't be there in Paris and I'm kind of kicking myself or not being able to do it, if I couldn't be there in Paris, This was the next best way to watch. Check out the videos on my social media, and you'll see what I'm talking about here. This episode is brought to you by Timeline. Have you tried all the health trends,

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Your cells will thank you. This episode is brought to you by prize picks. You and I make decisions every day. But on prize picks, being right can get you. you paid. Don't miss any of the excitement this season on prize picks where it's good to be right. Prize picks is the best way to cash in this football season. Which players are going off? Which ones aren't? Tell me, would you pick more or less on Sequin Barclay, one Russian touchdown? Joe Burrow, more or less than two and a half passing touchdowns. Josh Allen, more or less than 270 passing yards. Prize picks is simple to play. You just pick more or less on two to six player staff projections.

If you get your picks right, you could cash in. Download the app today and use the code Insight to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code Insight to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Prize picks. It's good to be right. Email from Ben Williams. Ben says, hey, CVV, real, real one from Kansas City. I feel like I'm in the minority here, but I don't really enjoy the European crowds like everyone else.

seems to. Out of the bold statement, sir. During entrances especially, they are either singing the entrance songs or they are very quiet, which distracts from the atmosphere for me. I prefer the crowds to be loud and sustained, even if it's not very coordinated. I enjoy a buzz more than chance or singing. What kind of crowd atmosphere do you prefer? Ben from Casey. Well, Ben, thank you for being a real, real one. And you are definitely in the minority. Because I think one of the best things about wrestling are the crowd reactions. And some of the most replayable moments over the last few years have been moments like Bad Bunny's Entrance at Backlash in Puerto Rico or A.J. Stiles with the phenomenal chant

in Leone France. Like, those are the moments that I'm getting goosebumps talking about it right now. I love those. And I will say that I think there's a few different types of crowds. There are some loud crowds that just go into business for themselves and they make it all about themselves. I don't see that being the case with the European crowds and specifically let's talk about Clash and Paris.

I just see them adding to the show and making it that much better. There have been plenty of crowds who have started dumb chance or silly things. Like there have been a lot of raw after WrestleMania crowds that just make me shake my head. Like there's some funny chance in there, but there's also some things that make me go, oh, they're just trying to get themselves over. And I think that in those cases, when you're trying to be bigger than the show itself, that never works. What the crowd at Clash and Paris did was it just, it only enhanced the matches, in my opinion. And then we saw it again on Raw. Like, AJ Stiles coming out and getting that reception that he got during his entrance, that's a beautiful

moment. How can you not be romantic about pro wrestling? And that's one of those romantic moments for me in pro wrestling. So you are in the minority. I think that these crowds work so well because they don't get a WWE show that frequently. So it's a special thing. It's a special thing when they come to Paris for the, that was the first ever PLE in Paris, right? It was in Lea. It was in Lea. It was in own France before, but that's several hours away. But I believe they said that was the first P. L.E. in Paris. So of course people are going to be excited.

Of course people are going to be pumped for that. And there's also just something about like the football culture overseas where like they're singing songs, the entire game. And like they're coordinated in these songs. And I just think that it adds so much more than just the yay, boo. And that's it. So I love it. I think that if there was.

was raw or Smackdown or a PLE in France every single week, it wouldn't feel as special. And I think that sometimes I, some fans I think will see an audience like that one or they'll see an audience like backlash in Puerto Rico and they'll go, oh man, the crowds in the US, they just suck. They suck compared to this. Yeah, sure. Maybe they do. Or maybe they're just overexposed to it sometimes.

Like if you live in and around a big city, you have the ability to go to Raw and Smackdown and a PLE at least once a year for each of those things. And then AEW and then TNA. Like if you live in and around New York or Chicago or L.A., for example, you've got a lot of those opportunities to go see shows. So it's like it doesn't feel as special. It's like, oh, yeah, I just went to a show three months ago. So cool. I'm going to this one, but like there's not the built up excitement like there is when it's the first time that they're coming to your city in years. And you've been waiting for this moment. So I love it. It's one of my favorite things. And it's also one of those things that I love to show people that aren't wrestling fans. They're like, oh, yeah, like wrestling's not as popular as it used to be. Or I used to watch this when I was a kid. I'm like, do you have a, do you have a minute? Could I, could I show you this? Um, AJ Stiles entrance in Leone, France, it's pretty special. Or could I show you John Cena's entrance from Clash in Paris?

It's something that doesn't really exist in any other form of sports or entertainment. So, Ben, I love it. Email from Christian Watengarde. Do you think that the reason that The Rock has not been on TV for a while is that he's obviously slimmed way down, and then you've got in brackets here for a roll, question mark. And they don't want to associate this look with the Rock's character. This is from Chris in Norway. Christian in the title, but you go by Chris. I love it. I've never met a Chris that I don't like. So we also saw the photos and the videos that you're talking about here from the Venice Film Festival. Rock looked quite a bit

slimmer. But did you see the photos that came out a few days after that? The Rock looks like the Rock. Like, I actually don't think that much has changed. I think those shots of him in the baggy blue shirt that made everyone online go wild. I really just think that the Rock was a victim to an ill-fitting shirt. That's it. Nothing more. Because the Rock posted these photos on Thursday, also from the Venice Film Festival.

So they would have been days apart from that ill-fitting blue shirt photo. and he just looks like how he normally looks. Looks like the rock, looks jacked. And maybe he's slimmed down a bit. Like, maybe he's leaned out a little bit. But I saw some headlines, man, that, like, saw a headline saying he lost 60 pounds. Actually, I saw a headline that said he had lost

100 pounds. 100 pounds. And this wasn't some idiot on Twitter. This is like an actual news article. A hundred pounds. I remember the Rock saying that he weighed 284 at WrestleMania 40. And if you remember his match at WrestleMania 40, you look like a beast out there.

So if he lost 100 pounds, the Rock would weigh the exact same amount that I do. I weigh 184 pounds. So the Rock lost 100 pounds. get out of here with that. That's so stupid. Ridiculous. I also saw headlines that he might be sick.

Like, come on, you're even speculating that? Like, how could you be, like, projecting that onto somebody when you don't know any facts? Also, like the guesses of the weight that he's lost. It's not like you watched him step onto a scale. These are just, like, awful guesses from seeing a short video and a few photos. I do think that carrying around that kind of muscle mass is not going to be great. as he continues to get older. It's not a great thing for longevity.

I mean, we've seen how much healthier Batista looks now. And that's another funny one. Like, we've seen the photos of him looking definitely way leaner on the red carpet. And people were like, oh, man, Batista's so skinny, man. What happened to Batista? And then we saw photos not long after that with no shirt on, posing in front of the mountain. If you saw the pics, you know the ones I'm talking about.

Like, he shredded. He told me in our last interview, he's 6.4.240. If you were describing to me a friend of yours that was 6.4 and 240, the immediate thought in your mind wouldn't be like, oh, your friend sounds skinny. He'd be like, oh, wow, 64-240? Is your friend playing the NFL or something? That's crazy. So 6-4-240.

Like, he's shredded. And you can see it in those recent photos of Batista. Like, sure, he's not the 2005. heavyweight champion Batista who was close to 300 pounds, but he is the furthest thing from skinny. Like, I get that it's a stark contrast when you're used to seeing him as big as he was, especially when he was deacon Batista when he first debuted in WWE. He was a monster, like 310, 320.

And now he's like a much leaner, much more shredded 240. But he's definitely not skinny, especially at 56 years old. But in any case, Rock was there for Venice Film Festival. promoting the smashing machine. And I can't wait to see the smashing machine. I feel like this is going to be a completely different side of Dwayne Johnson that we've ever seen before with this performance. And I mentioned this before.

Premaring a movie at the Venice Film Festival is a very strategic move to start the conversation for the Oscars and for award season in general. The movie is then going to go from Venice. to make its North American premiere at TIF, the Toronto International Film Fest. And TIF is where the Oscar race begins. So critics love this movie. Debuted at 100% of Rotten Tomatoes. Right now it's at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a great score.

I'm actually seeing the movie next week, so I'm going to let you guys know what I think about it as soon as I'm allowed to give you my review. And I'm also hoping that I'm going to see. the movie and then I'm hoping that I get to do an interview with the real life smashing machine, Mark Kerr, the guy who the movie is based on, hoping to get him on the show because what an incredible story he has. And I've got my fingers and my toes, all of them crossed that I can get to sit down with The Rock for this movie. But with all of that set, I feel like this movie is going to be the reason that we don't see The Rock in a wrestling ring for a while.

it's nothing to do with this alleged weight loss. Like I don't, clearly he's not lost 100 pounds. Clearly he hasn't lost 60 pounds. Maybe it's not 284 anymore. Maybe he's like 250, 260. I think that he always got announced as 275 from Miami, Florida, weighing out of 275 pounds. I think he was probably realistically more like in the 260s

during most of his wrestling career, 284. was not only huge at WrestleMania, but then that went into the size that he carried for this movie, the smashing machine. But this movie's going to be the reason that we don't see him in the ring for a while. Because if they're really going to do an award season campaign for this,

which it looks like they are, it's almost like running for political office. Like he's going to be nonstop for the rest of the year with screenings and Q&As and interviews and appearances. like lots of shaking hands, lots of kissing babies, because those awards aren't just one from your performance on the screen. It's also like, that's a big part of it. It's a huge part of it is the actual performance,

but a lot of it's just playing the game and earning those votes from members of the academy. And then award season isn't just the Oscars. It's the Critics Choice Awards and the Baptist and the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards and the SAG Awards and the, then a whole bunch of others. And then finally, the Oscars are kind of like the final one. And that's March 15th. So if this run now, this award season campaign starts now, it's going to run all the way into March. So the entire road to WrestleMania for The Rock

will just be campaigning this movie and trying to win awards. Not just best actor. I think a lot of people think like, oh, is this the Rock going to win best actor? I haven't seen the movie yet. And like I said, I will be seen this next week and I'll have a real feeling about the movie rather than just like speculation based on critics. But like this could be, I don't know, could be best picture, could be best supporting actress, could be best screenplay. There could be a whole bunch of different awards at play here.

So there's not enough time here for Rock to get the ring, rust on and then ring rust off and then be on Raw or Smackdown to set up storylines and then wrestle at a PLEs. So this is just me talking here. Nothing official. Just me. But it seems to me like I don't think we see the Rock wrestle again until WrestleMania 42 at the earliest.

So maybe there's an appearance somewhere in there. But I think if Rock is going to wrestle one or two more matches and I know there have been a lot of rumors about maybe John Cena's final opponent or one of his final opponents is The Rock. I just don't see it now. And I kind of predicted this a few months ago. I said, if Smasher Machine ends up becoming what the studio is hoping that it becomes, then that becomes the main focus and not wrestling, which of course sucks because we still don't have an explanation for what happened in Elimination Chamber.

and I just feel like we're kind of being told to ignore. Like, John Cena's heel turn, incredible. The follow-up, like, I think John Cena did some great work during the heel run and did some, you know, not so great things and some questionable things. But the big loose end here is Rock and Travis Scott and there's still no explanation. And I honestly don't think we'll even get like a one sentence explanation for that at this point ever. Tallahassee ZBL, Tallahasseeble on Instagram. Do you think A.J. Lee and C.M. Punk will take on Becky and Seth. And will A.J. stay in WWE and take the title of a Becky.

I really feel like they're making it pretty obvious that A.J. Lee will be returning to WWE on Smackdown tonight. Everything is lining up. It's in Chicago tonight. I feel like the way that Becky Lynch just like hate brushed CM Punk's face and then CM Punk holding up the AJ Lee sign. There's too many things that are just feel like all signs pointed this happening. This would be AJ Lee's first appearance in WWE since March 30th, 2015. Ten and a half years ago.

Her last appearance was a six man or six woman tag team match. On Monday Night Raw, she teamed with Paige and Naomi to take on the Bella Twins and Natalia. And then it was just a few days later after that, April 3rd, when WWE officially announced that she had retired from in-ring action. So it's been a long time. And I think that AJ Lee is a future Hall of Famer. Her career speaks for itself. Whether she returns or not, I think she gets inducted into the Hall of Fame at some point in time. but it sure feels like this is going to happen.

And I think that A.J. Lee returning sets up this huge match, like you said, for Russell Paloza. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch versus C.M. Punk and AJ Lee. And that Russell Palooza cards very slowly starting to take shape here. It's still right now as you look at it. It's John Cena versus question mark. But the card's starting to take shape here. I think we get that match at Russell Paloza. And then I think, yeah, down the line,

we get Becky Lynch versus AJ Lee for the Intercontinental Championship. And I don't know how long this run would be from AJ Lee, but could you imagine if we got another year or two or three? Like, if you've seen recent photos of her, you know that AJ Lee is probably in the best shape of her life.

She looks incredible. So I'm very excited. I will be watching tonight with the hope that it's happening, but not the expectation. Because I think that sometimes, like, if your expectation is like, she better return or this episode sucks, well, you really set yourself up for failure if she doesn't return here. So I'm hoping that it happens. I don't see any other solution. I don't see any other path for who could possibly team up with CM Punk to make this make

sense. So it certainly feels like this is what's going to happen here. Also, Smackdown tonight marks John Cena's last appearance in Chicago, which is full circle for him. He made his debut in that very same arena during an episode of Smackdown. June 27th, 2002, ruthless aggression. So that's a pretty cool moment as well. So Smackdown already is going to be fantastic. just with that right there, John Cena's last appearance in Chicago. But also, it sounds like this might be John Cena's last Smackdown appearance. So, like, this is getting real here. After tonight, only seven more dates left for John Cena. Five of them have been confirmed. Two of them are still up in the air. I hope that, I hope at least one of those ends up being a surprise.

It's been cool knowing he's going to show up on Raw or Smackdown or whoever his opponent's going to be for PLE, but I hope we get at least one surprise. We're just like, at a know where the show opens with his music, or he interrupts someone's promo, or whatever it happens to be. It'd be really cool to see that. Yana on Spotify says, with Clash in Paris this past weekend, what is your favorite match outside of America? Much love.

That's easy. Rock versus Hogan, WrestleMania 18. Toronto, Skydome. There's lots of other great matches that have happened outside of America, but that one, I mean, come on, easy. Marcel Baudouin.

I hope I'm saying that right. Baudoin? Baudouin? No, Baudoin. 99 can only be one person, the great one. Thanks for your podcast. I love the fact that all of your interviews are truly like sitting

and listening to two friends talk. Question about. Sena's last opponent. I think it'll be Brock Lesnar. Brock ended the streak. Do you think that they will add to his list of accolades by having him beat Sina in his last match? I'm pretty convinced that the John Sina versus question mark at Russell Paloza is going to be John Sina versus Brock Lesnar. Maybe they're going to have that match at another point in time, but we've only got a few weeks before Russell Paloza. We've only got two weeks before Russell Paloza.

And there has not been any build for this. I would guess tonight on Smackdown we get some answers. But no, I think that John Sina versus Brock Lezzer happens at Russell Paloza. I don't feel like Crown Jewel rules are going to be in play. Although John Cena is not the champion anymore. But didn't they say last year was going to be champion versus? is champion at every crown jewel. Was that just a crown jewel thing in Saudi Arabia?

Like, do the rules change now that they're going to be in Perth? I don't know. I don't have to figure that out. Do the big crown jewel, gigantic, oversized titles get defended or brought back out? That'll also be a question we have to figure out. Look, Brock Lezzer doesn't need any more accolades. Brock Lezzer's had an insane career. Like, when you look at the championships that Brock Lezzer has won.

They are all world titles, every single one of them. There is no U.S. title. There's no intercontinental title. There is no tag title. It's just world title after world title after world title. Brock Lezzer doesn't need any more accolites. So I think that there'll be a match to get eyeballs, but I don't think it needs to be anything more than that.

Like there's a history there, for sure. They've had six singles matches together. Two and four is John Sincolns. Sena's record, two wins for John Cena, four wins for Brock Lesnar. I see that match happening in two weeks, which of course then leads us to like, all right, if there's just a handful more matches left for John Cena, who are those opponents? Crown Jewel Perth, Survivor Series, and then that retirement match, three. Like, man, it's crazy. We're realistically looking at three more matches for John Cena. There's, and there's a list way longer than three people.

of potential opponents that we'd all love him to see. Boy, I'd love to see an AJ Styles match. That'd be so great. I think there'd be, there's still hope for me that we'd get a, call him a up-and-comer, like a Dominic Mysterio or a braun breaker. And I hope that Logan Paul didn't fill that spot

on the, on the schedule. But there's still so many more matches and so many more like, big feuds you could dip back into. So I'm, I'm not even going to speculate. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride and see what kind of booking we get and what kind of matches that we get from here. I really don't even think it matters at this point in time, and this is a crazy thing to say. I don't even think it matters if John Cena wins these matches. But what has been amazing about, especially the back half of this John Sina farewell tour is you can just tell how much this means

to him. He's been giving so much to these matches. And he's, looks like he's having a blast out there, too. And him having a great time means that everybody in the arena or stadium are, they're having a great time. And then you extend that out to everybody at home is then also having a great time. It's been so cool to see. So I'm buckled up. And I can't wait to see where it goes from here. Shopping for a car should be exciting, not exhausting. But between misleading prices and hidden fees, it can feel like a maze.

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Go to car gurus.com to make sure your big deal is the best deal. That's C-A-R-G-U-R-U-S dot com. Kar-Gurus.com. Nick Gonzalez, the underscore Nick underscore Gonzo on Instagram. Hello, CVV, hope you're well. A real, real one here. Thank you for helping me get through my mornings at work. Well, I hope that your Friday morning's going well right now.

Random question for you. Rumor has it that Danhausen's contract with AW will end soon. Do you think that he would be a good fit in WW, NXT, or TNA? Would love to hear your thoughts. Keep up the great work. Can't wait for the next episode. Take it easy and keep it real. Look, I think that Danhausen would be a great fit anywhere he goes.

He is so talented. He is so over. And I think that's the biggest thing. I remember Bully Ray years ago. It was an interview like eight years ago. I said, what's the best advice you have for an up-and-coming wrestler? And he goes, get over. Two words, get over.

And what he means by that is like, it doesn't matter if you're a good guy or you're a bad guy, but you're like making the crowd react. You're making the crowd feel something. Danhausen is mega over. And I think that he hasn't been on TV in a long time. It hasn't been used like consistently on TV and way too long. And it's a shame because not only is he over with the audience, but like he's consistently still one of the top merch sellers on pro wrestling teas. And like, what a stat to have that he's one of the

top merch sellers for someone who's not consistently on TV week in, week out. There's so much that could be done with Danhausen. And it could be done with like just the way that his character is, like, he doesn't need to go out there and wrestle these five-star matches. He definitely fills that void. And he can. Like, he can, he can go in the ring and we've seen that before. But he kind of can fill that void that like we've had from like, from our truth or from Carlito, like the ability to like, when he comes on the screen, you're just like, oh, this is going to be fun. I know I'm going to laugh in this, this segment.

This is great. So I can't wait to see what happens with him, whether he stays in AEW and hopefully gets used more frequently or if he does end up becoming a free agent and getting signed by WW. or TNA. He's way too talented to not be like frequently shown on TV. So I'm excited. An email from Zach. Hello, I can't wait to see you in San Diego. I can't wait to see you either, Zach. My question for Ask CVV number 99, the Wayne Gretzky edition, JJ Watt edition, and Errol, Aaron Donald edition. Oh, you're right. I should have said Aaron Donald earlier. Who was on your

Mount Rushmore of referees? We love a good Mount Rushmore question. And yes, I will see you in San Diego for the next Insight Live. If you're going to Survivor Series or if you live in and around the area, it's the Friday before Survivor Series. It's the day after Thanksgiving. And tickets are on sale now. You can grab them. They also have, I think just a handful now of VIP tickets left.

But it's an exclusive Ask CVV that will happen before the show. And then we'll do a meet and greet after the show as well. So CVV ticks.com to grab those. CVV-T-I-X.com. Mount Rushmore of referees. I'm imagining that this question was prompted by having that episode we had last week with the great Mike Keota.

What a voice on that guy. I saw a comment on YouTube that said it sounds like bro has tectonic plates for vocal cords. I sent that to Mike. He loved it. But I imagine this question is coming from that episode. And Mike is definitely on the Mount Rushmore referee.

So Mike Keota, this is going to be tough. Because I think you can always name two or three real easy. And then it comes down to like, all right. So we've got one spot left. And everybody's like on the edge of their seat going, all right, well, who's he going to leave off then? So we'll get to that in a minute. Mike Keota.

Earl Hebner. Charles Robinson. I think those are three easy picks. I think that those three should be on most people's Mount Rushmore. And I know that Mount Rushmore is a personal thing and depends on when you started watching wrestling and like what moments like meant the most to you. I understand that. But those three to me, that's my childhood.

I love it. So those three, easy, locks. And then it's like, all right, well, then who do you give the fourth spot to? So I think for me personally, and again, these are personal things, I'll go with Nick Patrick. Hard to think of WCW without thinking of Nick Patrick. Like he was the ref in WCW. And then obviously became one of the main refs in early 2000s when the invasion angle was happening. So that's it.

There's my Mount Rushmore. There's obviously a ton of other names that could be on. on there, but it's a personal thing. Tommy Young, if I was watching NWA in the 1980s, yeah, he'd probably be on there. Like, what a legend. Worked like nearly every Rick Flair and Dusty Rhodes Classic. Amazing. But, yeah, those are my four.

And I love and also hate Mount Rushmore questions. And every insight live when we do the Ask CVV, live. There's always a Mount Rushmore question or two. And you always hear like a collective groan in the audience when you name your fourth person. And like, I love them. Keep them coming. Keep them coming. Make them as weird and strange as possible. No complaints. But yes, they're, uh, I love them and hate them because you give props and respect and praise to only four people and then you're leaving off everybody else. Dylan Postma on Spotify says, ask CVV and ask RVV.

How did CVV propose? I'm planning on popping the question to my girlfriend in the next few months and I'm curious how you pulled it off. So I think we've told this story before and I probably should have pulled in Rachel here to be a part of this. And now I'm kind of kicking myself for not doing that.

Maybe I'll go grab her. She's around. She was just taking Logan swimming lessons. By the way, my daughter is like a fish. It's the craziest thing. Like she's two years old, like a little over two. She turned two in May. And she's like jumping into the pool, floating on her back, swimming from end to end with no floaties. It's the wildest thing to see. And she loves it so, so much. But I proposed to Rachel. We went to her favorite spot called the back bay.

And I can, hold on, let me see if I can actually grab her. This would make it so much more fun. And you'll never believe who I was able to find here. I really should have pre-planned this and figured this out. But ladies and gentlemen, this is amazing. The wonderful, beautiful, incredible Rachel Van Vleet, RVV is back on insight. Back and better than ever. Better than ever, baby.

I really should have planned this out better where I was like, I was reading the question. I'm like, oh, yeah, this is an ask RVV question, which we haven't had in a while. When was the last time you were on? A long time, a couple months easily, I think. The people miss you. That people are clamoring for RVV. Clammering. Yeah, the best VV they will say, possibly.

So, Dylan asked this question on Spotify. He said, how did CVV propose? I'm planning on popping the question to my girlfriend in the next few months. and I'm curious how you pulled it off. So I started to tell the story. I'm like, we did it at her favorite spot. Let's just see if I can find her. And then you guys just got back from swimming lessons.

So how did I propose? Well, how you pulled it off, that would be, I think, more for you to answer how you pulled off logistically, how you pulled it off. We did have this spot where we used to live called the Back Bay. and it was a hiking spot with just really nice views of the water. And we were there pretty much at least once a week, I would say, if not more than that. So it was just a regular casual Saturday or Sunday, Monday. Well, it was our anniversary, though. Yes, it was our one-year anniversary.

But it was just a regular day of the week, though, is what I meant. We were just going for a hike there, as we usually would. Unassuming, it wasn't like, hey, let's go to this incredibly fancy rest of. or let's go take a trip to Paris and like, oh, I got a better make sure my nails are done. It wasn't like that. Guys, she had no idea. I mean, think you knew that I was going to propose at some point soon. Like, we'd done ring shopping.

We also had just bought a house together, so I was sure hoping you were going to propose soon. So now looking back, there were definitely hints that morning where I don't really. glam up before a hike and he suggested I do my hair or I wear a different shirt and I kind of gave him these looks like absolutely not I'm going to get sweaty we're going to be in the sun why would I fix my hair why would I put on a different shirt I'm going to be super hot on this hike yeah I was like it's our anniversary we might take a photo I don't know maybe we'll put it on stories or something so like I don't know I'm like going to go throw some stuff in my hair and you know that's about it yeah and I said okay go ahead you put

stuff in your hair. I'm not. So I had talked to one of my good friends, Zeus, the guy who owns West Coast Creative Studio, where I record all of my in studio interviews in L.A. in Hollywood. I reached out to him and I said, do you think you could like follow us and like shoot some behind the scenes? Because I wanted to like get video reaction of this moment. And he's, oh, for sure. So he like had a big sun hat on and he had like a A mask pulled all like a buff, you know, the neck gator pulled all the way up, sunglasses on. And he was 20, 30 feet behind us for like, we had a meeting point where I was like, okay, man, it's going to be this spot. And here's the parking lot.

And like, here's the cross streets. I was like sending him videos of like. He kind of looked like a bird watcher. You did look like a bird watcher with like a really fancy camera. So we went to like this like lookout point. And I was like, hey, go look out there. and I'll take a photo of you looking out of the beautiful view. And then I turned around and you were on one knee.

And that was it. Yeah. And then. And then Zeus popped up. He was there. And you said yes, which I'm so grateful for. Thank you for saying yes. And then you looked over and you're like, you were crying, right, as to be expected.

And I had a lot of tears in my eyes. And you were like, is that Zeus? Because it was, I noticed, you know, maybe, I don't know, midway through the proposal was hard to not notice someone's presence walking towards us like filming. Even though I wasn't focused on him and I was focused on you, it was clear that he was, you know, coming towards us taking pictures. And I'm like, we have to know him on some level, right? Can't just be a stranger. It could have been a stranger, I guess, really polite, good Samaritan. But it's one of my favorite days ever.

And like, first of all, congratulations to you because this is happening. And I imagine that you've had a conversation and the answer will, I'm hoping be yes. But just remember, like, just from my perspective, this really isn't your moment. This is so much more of the moment for the person who the question is being asked of. So do it around their favorite things and the things that will make it the most memorable for them. I agree. That's a really good way to put it. All right, honey.

Thanks for popping in. Sorry that I didn't plan this better. I wasn't even thinking. All the other episodes seems so well planned. And this one, I was just like, oh, yeah. We should ask someone who knows a lot about this. At least you planned the proposal. At least I planned the proposal.

Okay. Love you, hon. Love you. Thanks for popping in. Ladies and gentlemen, the wonderful, incredible, beautiful, Rachel Van Vleet. Okay, right back into it. An email from Simon Cromarty who says, Hello, Chris.

I love how much you appreciate gratitude, and I love how you incorporate it into your podcast. However, I find it that 99% of your guests have similar answers. I totally get it. Family, health, et cetera, are the most important thing. of life. But I want to know what are some of the smaller things that people are grateful for. So I ask for you, Chris, what are three small or silly things that you're grateful for? Mine are peanut butter, a can of Coke after a run, and a nice sunrise. Thank you for everything

you do, Simon from New Zealand. I love that question. And look, the reason that I ask about gratitude is because I think that so many people don't think in those terms of like, looking for the bright spots of every day, even if they're like the most simple things like family or a roof over their head or health. And I think we take a lot of those things for granted. And it's nice to point out the things that you have rather than focusing on the things that you don't have, which we're all guilty of looking at some of those things. So that's a big reason why I ask those questions of my audience or of my guests so that my guests can think in those terms,

but also then my audience is going, wow, that person who has accomplished so much, they're rich, they're famous, they're so successful, they're grateful for some of the same things that I have in my own life. That's the reason that I ask that question. But I love your spin on it. So three small or silly things that I'm grateful for. One would be the days when I don't wake up to an alarm clock. I think that that is such a small, beautiful thing in life to wake up on your own terms, to not wake up to just wake up when your body says it's time to wake up. And with small kids, those moments may be few and far between, but I cherish those when they happen.

There's something really special about that. really grateful for like there's times when my daughter Logan will just grab a book and I'll be sitting on the couch or sitting on a chair and she'll just be like, Daddy, read this? And she'll come over and like just cuddle up and we'll read a book together. And I think it's those moments of like realizing that she's not going to be two years old forever. She's not going to be three years old forever, so on and so on, so on. Those moments are so fleeting. And I'm trying to be grateful for those moments as they're happening, like being present and right there in the moment. So I'm grateful for that. And I'm also grateful for, you asked for small, silly things.

I'm grateful for the first sip of an energy drink. Like there's something about, I drink a lot of C4, not a lot of them, but like that's my go-to, I'd say, energy drink these days. There's something about cracking the can, taking the first few sips of it. And like, the middle just doesn't taste quite the same. And those last few sips, it's always gotten a little bit warm by that point in time, but there's nothing like the first few sips.

And not even just of an energy drink. That might be of any canned beverage. The first few sips, just like, ah. So there you. go. There's my three sillier small things for me. So I wonder what they are for you. So if you have some and you want to share what they are in the comments, let me know. But what a nice spin on that question. Jason Thayer on Facebook says, which belt is more pointless? Speed or 24-7? I don't know about more pointless, but the 24-7 championship was far more relevant. That's for sure.

Like it was worked into storylines on the main roster frequently. And like it's totally something that rejuvenated what our truth was doing. So like 24-7 is certainly a, well, it was not perfect by any means. And I think that I would be in the majority in saying that the hardcore title was far superior to the 24-7 championship. I think 24-7 means more than the speed title. Like I think there's a lot of wrestling fans now. that don't even know the speed title exists or what it represents. And for those of you who don't know, it used to be a thing that was defended only on X.

Matches that were three minutes or less, they streamed only on X and that was it. That partnership with Twitter slash X has apparently ran its course and it's ended. So now the speed championship is part of NXT. So it will now take on an entirely different life of its own. I imagine it'll be treated maybe more like a cruiserweight championship in NXT. But this 24-7 title, I think, means way more. Charlie Kahn on Instagram says, Hey, CVV, when will you announce what you're doing for WrestleMania next year?

I think the official announcement would come, I would say in October. which will give you plenty of time to figure out the when and the where and all of that stuff. But I will say this to you with 99% certainty. It's going to be the Thursday before WrestleMania again. It's going to be at Circa again. It's going to be with a huge guest again. It was our truth last year. We've had some big guests of the live show this year.

Big guests. And we're going to have another big guest at the next live show, which is Survivor Series weekend. But I think the official announcement will probably come in October, which will be many months ahead of when it was last year. Like I think last year we announced it two months before. This time we're going to be announcing it. We have all of October, November, December, January, February, March, April, six-ish months ahead. So if you haven't planned out where you're going to be staying for a WrestleMania, a week. If you're going to Vegas for it, I would highly recommend staying at Circa. I had a blast

staying there last year. Even if you don't go to WrestleMania or even if you go to only one night, the watch party at Stadium Swim was easily the best watch party in all of Las Vegas. It's a pool. Like it's pools with cabanas and then the giant 143 foot screen playing WrestleMania with the sound blaring out to everybody. Like there is no better watch party for WrestleMania. And you don't need to stay at Circa to go to the watch party, but it definitely helps to get you in.

Easier to get it if you are staying there. But you can buy tickets and buy a cabana for the watch party, even if you're not staying at Circa. But I had a blast. Staying at Circa. What a property. And it's also kind of nice that it's a little removed from the strip. It's downtown. So like you're away

from some of the craziness there. But you're like a nine an Uber ride away from the strip if you do want to go there. So I'll be announcing that in the next few weeks here, I would say. In honor, this is from AJ, AJ's, AJS. Chinned. This is a thing with username on Instagram. AJS, C-H-N-I-D on Instagram.

In honor of the great 99, Rick Vaughn, from Major League, of course. who do you think is the wild thing of wrestling today? I think it's John Moxley, so much so that he uses the Wild Thing song as his entrance theme, which is exactly what Ricky Vaughn did in major leagues. So I think it's, I think it's John Moxley, which is he had a different entrance theme, and this is, I think, why they gave him Wild Thing. Even just the way he, like, walks and talks, he's a little bit of an enigma with just the way that his character is, I think the easy answer there is John Moxley.

And that, my friends, is the final question on this, the last ever jersey number episode. Ask CVV number 99, the Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge, J.J.J. Watt, Warren, Sapp, Rick Vaughn, Mitch, Mitch Williams, Aaron Donald edition. Thank you for all of the amazing questions for this one. Thank you for just being on this Ask CVV ride with me. It was something that two and a half years ago, I just kind of threw out as like a, I just did it on a whim. I get asked a lot of questions about these similar topics. What would happen if we put it all together in one episode and we just kind of did like a

frequently asked questions thing? And then one, Ask CVV, turned into two, turn into three, turned into three, turned into here, 99 of them. So thank you for spending some of your Friday with me. Thank you for all the amazing questions that you've sent in. And I'd love to see your questions for next week. For the big milestone AskCV number 100, send them in on Spotify. If you're listening on there, leave a comment. And like I said, leave a comment with just the number 99. That's it. Just the number 99 so that I know you're listening and you're still listening. You're a real, real one because you're you're you. you listened all the way until the end?

Or shoot me an email with your question, CVV at chris fan of fleet.com, or leave it on social media with that hashtag, ask CVV. Since we were talking about looking for the positives in every day, looking for the things that you do have

rather than the things you don't, this quote from Winston Churchill sums it up so perfectly. A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. Be great and be grateful, my friends.

We will see you on the next one for some more insight. We've got the hilarious Dan Soder, who has the best macho man impression of all time. He's on the show on Tuesday, and then MVP joins us on Thursday. You don't want to miss those. Be great, be grateful. Have an amazing weekend, and we will see you on the next one.

for some more insight. The Hammer Alley podcast, an 80s flashback mockumentary. Back in the 80s, there were a thousand bands trying to make it in the world of rock, but there was one band that had it all. Hammer Alley. Whatever happened to Hammer Alley? How did they go from top of the rock? I'm looking for a music video.

They're a band from 1987. Hammer Alley. Ever heard of them? To Rock Bottom. Dude, I was born in 1987. I can't believe he's doing this. Hammer Allie. Follow and listen.

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