Wrestling Mayhem Show 981: AEW’s First Women’s Blood & Guts + Cena Retirement Plans

Hosts Sorg and Dave Podnar tag in with Intern Tony on the couch for a fast, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt tour through a packed wrestling week—WWE title shake-ups, AEW’s looming chaos, indie goodness, and some wholesome community wins. 

Quick-hit topics & news (bulleted for easy skim)

• Saturday Night’s Main Event shake-ups

  • CM Punk becomes champion—first WWE title run since returning, uniquely holding both the “old” and “new” versions of the top belt; likely heading toward a feud with “the Vision” heading into Survivor Series. 

  • Jade Cargill dethrones Tiffany Stratton—panel debates whether the squash was the right call; consensus that Jade’s ready for the spot, while Tiffany’s reign suffered from thin SmackDown rotation and repetitive challengers. 

  • Fan alignment & presentation—Tiffany’s character drift (heel vibes, babyface reactions) vs. current audiences preferring substance and distinct personas (e.g., why Rhea connects). 

  • Roster curveballs—Naomi’s pregnancy and Bianca Belair’s lingering finger injury change plans; discussion on how those realities reshuffle women’s division momentum. 

  • Logan Paul’s involvement—tease opposite Punk; chatter about his heat and the brass-knucks/Heyman moment. 

• John Cena’s “final match” tournament + who should face him

  • Bracket talk (Nakamura vs. Sheamus; Damian Priest vs. “Rusev”), schedule notes, and a venue/date reality check (D.C. show; Saturday Night’s Main Event living on Peacock, not NBC). 

  • Dream/fit picks if WWE opens doors: names floated included Joe Hendry, Carmelo Hayes, Matt Cardona, Nick Nemeth, AJ Francis—with strong support for using the moment to elevate a next-gen star. 

  • WarGames fantasy-book—Cena leading a wild “last ride” unit; nostalgia love for chaotic Survivor Series-style mashups. 

• AEW: Blood & Guts locked in

  • First-ever women’s Blood & Guts—names discussed included Jamie Hayter, Queen Aminata, Willow Nightingale, Harley Cameron, Toni Storm, Kris Statlander (stacked, with proven brawlers and daredevils). 

  • Men’s side—Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly, Mark Briscoe, Roderick Strong, Darby Allin vs. Moxley, Claudio, Wheeler Yuta, Daniel Garcia, PAC; expectations: bloody TV mayhem (how far can they push TV-14?). 

  • TNT/TBS lineage banter (why the belts are named that way) and where/ how fans actually watch Dynamite/Collision now. 

• WWE vs AEW creative pulse

  • WWE’s stories feel less tight post-Bloodline peak—injuries/absences + occasional stunt-booking to counterprogram AEW; still above-average TV, but more “skip-able” segments creeping in. 

  • AEW’s Collision praised as a “B-show” delivering strong in-ring matchups and sicko-approved main events. 

• Indies, community, & plugs

  • Pittsburgh Community Food Bank drive tied to 880 Wrestling: 307 lbs donated opening night; ongoing weekly collections through the holidays (plus Penn Brewery shows, including Thanksgiving Eve). Be the helper. 

  • IndyWrestling.us network updates: VCW’s Victory Rumble coming up; Neo Pro news soon; Crash (Crash Jackson) joining Top Rope Tabletop; “Fast and the Spookiest” (Fast & Furious-inspired one-shot) now out; Lumberjack Pillow Deathmatch posted—so many feathers. 

  • Local stop at Droppage Games (Castle Shannon) and Extra Life shoutouts. 

• Homework assignments

  • Classic WarGames: Sting Squadron vs. Dangerous Alliance (’92 WrestleWar) set as must-watch. 

  • Survivor Series vintage 4-on-4/5-on-5 chaos + a Trick or Street Fight revisit when Matt returns. 

“What We Learned” (listener-friendly segment recap)

• Intern Tony: Christian Robinson (880 Wrestling) is “the future”—blew the room up versus MV Young with springy, precise athleticism and gasp-worthy superkicks; immediate watch-list guy. 

• T-POP (chat): Mexico’s passion was on full display with AAA’s Día de Muertos parade flair; also hyped an 880 double-title clash (Fourth Line vs. Psychedelic Dreams). 

• Dave Podnar: Wrestlers love Halloween—from couple cosplay (Gomez/Morticia), to CM Punk & AJ’s Destro/Baroness, to Scarlett’s Mystique—the fits went hard. 

• Sorg: Production note—why WWE runs a third ringside cam: tried a similar angle at 880 and the extra post-corner camera paid off in reactions and storytelling; now lobbying to make it standard.