Getting Over: Wrestling Podcast

The road to WrestleMania 38 got off to an extremely rocky start in the Royal Rumble and has not gotten any smoother with WWE appearing to be headed for a Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar title vs. title main event. Host Adam Silverstein and co-host Chris Vannini open with The Main Event [21:35] as they dive into the booking for Elimination Chamber where Bobby Lashley will defend his newly-won title against five challengers, including Lesnar. The guys then tackle The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from this week [55:50], including Ronda Rousey's awful promo, Lita's challenge to Becky Lynch, Big E changing brands and why both SmackDown and Raw were much improved from prior weeks. Follow Getting Over on Twitter @GettingOverCast.

The Road to WrestleMania 38 officially begins with the 2022 WWE Royal Rumble in the books. Just minutes after one of WWE's biggest shows of the year concluded, host Adam Silverstein and co-host Chris Vannini convene to break down the results from the Royal Rumble with grades in our signature instant analysis show. While "The Silver King" saw Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley as WrestleMania main event-caliber matches, he and "Vintage" explain why both underdelivered for similar reasons. The guys also break down their problems with the signature Royal Rumble matches, notably the chosen winners but also a lack of surprises, poor storytelling and zero NXT appearances. Plus, WWE's major issues booking Lesnar and Ronda Rousey, not doing what's best for the fans and what the WrestleMania card might look like with Royal Rumble in the rear-view mirror. Follow Getting Over on Twitter @GettingOverCast.

AEW put on another special edition of Dynamite by hosting Beach Break in Cleveland of all places, while NXT focused on rebuilding its title pictures ahead of its next unique show, Vengeance Day. Host Adam Silverstein dives into both brands starting with AEW [4:00] where Cody Rhodes and Sammy Guevara battled in a TNT title unification ladder match, Adam Cole and Orange Cassidy settled their score in a lights out match, top champions "Hangman" Adam Page and Britt Baker continued to wade in shallow waters, and Danhausen debuted to great fanfare. Next up is NXT [24:55], which saw the returns of Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne from WWE main roster dark matches, Santos Escobar and Cameron Grimes stepping up as new title challengers, the continuation of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Solo Sikoa shining in a big spot and Ollie Jay giving a disastrous performance. Follow Getting Over on Twitter @GettingOverCast.

The Road to WrestleMania is nearly upon us as WWE presents one of its premier events, the 2022 Royal Rumble. Host Adam Silverstein and co-host Chris Vannini take a deep dive into the event with Getting Over's signature WWE Royal Rumble ultimate preview [59:30] as they break down the entire card with predictions for each match. With a wrench thrown into WWE's plans earlier this month, the guys evaluate the potential outcomes for two WrestleMania-caliber world title matches in Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley before explaining why the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches are truly toss-ups. Plus, "The Silver King" and "Vintage" open the show discussing their gripes with WWE this week before moving into The Good, The Bad and The Ugly [22:40] where topics include bright spots for Chad Gable, AJ Styles and Austin Theory; more disappointing women's booking; and a rare dud by Sami Zayn. Follow Getting Over on Twitter @GettingOverCast.

The return of Jon Moxley to AEW and full-time debut of WALTER on NXT created shockwaves in the world of professional wrestling this week. Host Adam Silverstein begins the show with a look at AEW's extended build to Revolution, starting with Mox's profane but inspiring promo to open Dynamite [5:33]. Adam wonders about the direction of CM Punk vs. MJF, the repetitiveness of Adam Cole's booking, the purpose of Cody Rhodes' meandering promo, the decision to put Lance Archer in the world title picture and the endless barrage of Dan Lambert appearances. Next, "The Silver King" focuses on NXT's controversial decision to change WALTER's name to Gunther [35:25], including a problematic trademark filing and massive, illogical overreactions to the situation. Plus, WALTER's banger with Roderick Strong, Santos Escobar's elevation to NXT title contender, Grayson Waller getting a heavy and concerns about the repackaging of Sarray. Follow Getting Over on Twitter @GettingOverCast.

WWE is less than two weeks out from the 2022 Royal Rumble as the build towards the double main event of Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley continues. Host Adam Silverstein and co-host Chris Vannini open the show with a look at WWE's troubling trends across SmackDown and Raw [8:00] -- including a lack of wrestling and strange scheduling amid commercial breaks -- and Mustafa Ali requesting his release. The Main Event [31:40] focuses on the build for those co-main events, including the first Reigns-Rollins face-to-face in years. The guys then tackle The Good, The Bad and The Ugly [49:15] across the week in WWE, including Lita's return to SmackDown, Doudrop's work with Becky Lynch, fun sports entertainment with In-Zayn and the Alpha Academy Graduation Ceremony, pitiful booking for Finn Balor and Kofi Kingston, and hope for Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H. Follow Getting Over on Twitter @GettingOverCast.

AEW and NXT are both resetting their decks coming out of major shows to start 2022. Host Adam Silverstein begins with a look at AEW's extended week, which featured a special Battle of the Belts event and saw two significant names make surprise appearances on Dynamite [3:20]. "Hangman" Adam Page looks to have his next AEW world title challenger, while the TNT title picture and Chris Jericho-Eddie Kingston storyline have both become convoluted. Plus, Britt Baker's gimmick gets freshened up, Adam Cole continues working an intriguing storyline and CM Punk vs. Wardlow delivers with a caveat. "The Silver King" then turns his focus to NXT [35:00] as Bron Breakker begins his championship reign, AJ Styles puts on a fantastic main event vs. Grayson Waller and  Carmelo Hayes finds his next challenger. Also, criticism over Mandy Rose's lacking gimmick, excitement for WALTER in the United States and why Adam is all-in on Wendy Choo. Follow Getting Over on Twitter @GettingOverCast.

Roman Reigns returned to action with Seth Rollins stepping up as a surprise challenger while Brock Lesnar appeared across both shows. Host Adam Silverstein opens with The Main Event with a deep dive into WWE's world championship picture for the Royal Rumble and beyond [7:00]. Will Reigns and Lesnar both retain at the tentpole event, or might Rollins topple Reigns with WWE getting its booking back on track for WrestleMania? "The Silver King" then goes through The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from the past week [20:15], including Doudrop stepping up to challenge Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair entering the women's Royal Rumble, Mickie James breaking down the Forbidden Door and a shocking tag team title change. Plus, a look at John Cena's availability and the outcome for injuries suffered by Sasha Banks and Shinsuke Nakamura. Follow Getting Over on Twitter @GettingOverCast.

NXT and AEW each kicked off 2022 with major shows, and host Adam Silverstein is here to break them down. First, "The Silver King" looks at another mind-numbing set of releases from WWE with William Regal most notable among the departures from NXT as it continues its unfortunate transition [3:07]. Next is a dive into New Year's Evil [13:30], featuring Bron Breakker defeating Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT championship, Roderick Strong dropping his title to Carmelo Hayes in a unification match and appearances by Riddle, WALTER and AJ Styles. Adam then analyzes the debut of AEW Dynamite on TBS [30:12], featuring a "Hangman" Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson rematch for the AEW championship, the inaugural TBS championship match, a title change and more pot shots at WWE from CM Punk. Plus, the women go wild on an AEW Rampage street fight, and Cody Rhodes holds his first TNT title defense. Follow Getting Over on Twitter @GettingOverCast.

Despite being added at the last minute, Brock Lesnar emerged as the new WWE champion at Day 1, seemingly throwing plans for the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania up in the air. Host Adam Silverstein and co-host Chris Vannini open the show with a discussion about WWE's releases coming back to bite it in the ass before moving into The Main Event [18:30] as they look at Lesnar's title win, his new No. 1 contender as decided on Raw and what's ahead for former champion Big E. The guys then break down the rest of Raw in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly [36:30], including Becky Lynch's lack of title challengers, AJ Styles being squashed by Omas, the Edge and Beth Phoenix match being scheduled for Royal Rumble, Damian Priest's gimmick and more. "The Silver King" and "Vintage" wrap things up by opening the mailbag to answer listener questions [1:09:30] about how recent booking decisions may alter plans for the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. Follow Getting Over on Twitter @GettingOverCast.