🔥 946 JUST GOT MORE DANGEROUS! ETHAN PAGE IS CHAMPION! JOHN CENA IS BACK! BUT WHERE ARE THE FRESH FACES?!

🎙️ THE 8301 WRESTLING PODCAST IS BACK!

Marcus Brown & Chris Long break down the November 2, 2026 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw from Brooklyn, New York!

With Crown Jewel right around the corner, WWE delivered championship changes, surprising returns, major storyline developments and some entertaining moments.

But was it enough to make this a GREAT episode of Raw?

🔥 TONIGHT ON THE 8301 PODCAST:

🚨 CRUZ MONTANA JOINS 946 — NOW WHERE IS ZILLA FATU?!

946 continues to grow, and we're actually EXCITED about the addition of Cruz Montana!

Royce Keys, Carmelo Hayes, Bronco Nima, Lucien Price, Jaida Parker and now Cruz Montana are becoming an increasingly dangerous force against The Bloodline.

But one question keeps coming up…

WHERE IS ZILLA FATU?!

When is WWE finally going to bring Zilla into this situation?

And speaking of missing family members…

WHERE IS JACOB FATU?!

When is the Samoan Werewolf coming back to deal with the people who have been terrorizing his family?

The Bloodline vs. 946 has become one of Raw's most entertaining rivalries, but there are still some HUGE pieces missing!

👀 AND WHO IS GOING TO HANDLE JAIDA PARKER?!

Jaida continues running her mouth, provoking The Bloodline and helping 946 create chaos!

At some point, somebody has to step up and give her a reality check!

Which brings us to another question…

WHEN IS THE BLOODLINE GOING TO GET A FEMALE MEMBER?!

946 has Jaida Parker, but The Bloodline doesn't have a woman to counter her!

Who should WWE bring in to even the odds?

And would adding a woman to The Bloodline finally take this rivalry to another level?

🏆 ETHAN PAGE IS YOUR NEW INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ETHAN PAGE!

We believe WWE made the RIGHT decision putting the Intercontinental Championship on him!

But we also have to give Chad Gable his flowers! 👏

Gable had an INCREDIBLE championship run, consistently delivering outstanding matches and proving that he's one of the best in-ring performers in WWE!

He's been putting on five-star-caliber performances, and we can't wait to see what's next for him!

Does Chad Gable deserve an even BIGGER opportunity moving forward?

And how far can Ethan Page take the Intercontinental Championship?

🔥 JOHN CENA RETURNS — BUT WHY CODY RHODES?!

Seeing John Cena back on WWE television was GREAT!

We're excited about the John Cena Classic and what it could potentially mean for the future of WWE.

But then WWE announced Cody Rhodes as the first participant…

AND HERE WE GO AGAIN! 🤦‍♂️

WHY?!

Why not use this opportunity to spotlight YOUNG TALENT?!

Why not introduce us to fresh faces, new personalities and wrestlers who haven't already received countless opportunities?

We already KNOW Cody Rhodes!

We don't need another event built around the same familiar names!

LET THE NEXT GENERATION HAVE THEIR MOMENT!

🐍 RANDY ORTON & CODY RHODES — ENOUGH ALREADY!

And just when we thought WWE might give us something different, Randy Orton came out and we got MORE of the same!

The same arguments!

The same personal history!

The same back-and-forth!

OVER AND OVER AGAIN!

At what point does this storyline actually MOVE FORWARD?!

Randy Orton is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, but WWE needs to stop recycling the same material and give fans something FRESH!

We want NEW rivalries, NEW stars and NEW reasons to tune in!

☝️ THE BLOODLINE vs. 946 — THE STORY CONTINUES!

Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa and The Usos continue their war against Royce Keys and his growing faction.

The action is entertaining, the numbers keep changing, and the stakes are getting bigger.

But how long can WWE continue adding members to 946 before The Bloodline starts fighting back with some serious reinforcements of its own?

And with Sami Zayn standing tall over Roman Reigns heading into Crown Jewel, how much more can Roman handle?

🎉🔥 WE MADE IT TO EPISODE 50! THANK YOU, 8301 FAMILY! 🔥🎉

🚨 THE DEMON RETURNS! SAMI ZAYN vs. TRICK WILLIAMS! AND HAS WWE FORGOTTEN HOW TO ENTERTAIN?! 🚨

🎙️ WELCOME TO THE 50TH EPISODE OF THE 8301 WRESTLING PODCAST!

50 EPISODES OF REAL WRESTLING TALK, REAL OPINIONS, REAL DEBATES AND A WHOLE LOT OF WWE DISCUSSION!

First and foremost, THANK YOU to everybody who has watched, listened, commented, subscribed and supported us throughout this journey!

We couldn't have made it to 50 episodes without YOU! ❤️

🔥 TONIGHT IS A SPECIAL SOLO EDITION!

With Marcus Brown out of town visiting family in Colorado, Christopher Long is holding down the fort for this milestone episode!

And Chris has A LOT to say about the October 30, 2026 edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown!

He's breaking down the ENTIRE SHOW — match by match, promo by promo, segment by segment — giving you his play-by-play commentary, reactions and unfiltered opinions!

But tonight's conversation goes MUCH deeper than simply reviewing SmackDown!

😈 THE DEMON RETURNS!

FINALLY, SOMETHING TO GET EXCITED ABOUT!

The return of THE DEMON has WWE fans buzzing!

But can WWE capitalize on that excitement and give fans a storyline that actually delivers?

Does the return of The Demon represent the kind of larger-than-life entertainment WWE has been missing?

And where does this character go from here?

👑 SAMI ZAYN vs. TRICK WILLIAMS!

The WWE Championship picture continues to develop as Sami Zayn and Trick Williams collide!

Chris breaks down the match, the storytelling, the championship situation and what WWE should do with both superstars moving forward.

Is Trick Williams ready for the next level?

And is Sami Zayn's championship reign actually creating compelling television?

🚨 HAS WATCHING WWE BECOME A JOB?!

HERE'S THE BIGGEST CONVERSATION OF THE NIGHT!

Wrestling is supposed to be ENTERTAINMENT!

It's supposed to make you excited for Monday nights, Friday nights and every Premium Live Event!

But lately, watching WWE has started to feel more like an OBLIGATION than something we genuinely enjoy.

😴 The storylines feel uninspired.

🤔 The creative direction feels questionable.

📺 Some episodes feel like we're watching simply because we've ALWAYS watched.

And that's a HUGE PROBLEM!

🔥 WHERE DID THE ENTERTAINMENT GO?!

Chris discusses why WWE needs to put more EFFORT into its weekly television, its characters and its long-term storytelling!

We're talking about bringing back the excitement that made fans fall in love with professional wrestling in the first place!

The Attitude Era!

The Ruthless Aggression Era!

Even the PG Era!

Different generations of fans grew up with unforgettable characters, memorable rivalries and moments that made wrestling MUST-SEE television!

So why does today's WWE sometimes struggle to create that same feeling?

🚨 HAS WWE FORGOTTEN ABOUT ITS LONGTIME FANS?!

We understand that WWE wants to attract new audiences.

But what about the fans who have supported this company for DECADES?

The fans who grew up watching The Rock, Stone Cold, The Undertaker, Triple H, John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton and so many others?

Should WWE be doing more to keep those longtime fans invested instead of focusing so heavily on attracting a new generation?

Can WWE find a balance between bringing in NEW fans and giving its LOYAL fans the entertainment they remember?

Chris gives his perspective on what needs to change!

🎙️ PLUS — THE COMPLETE SMACKDOWN BREAKDOWN!

Chris takes you through everything that happened on Friday Night SmackDown, including:

🔥 Every match and the biggest moments

🎤 In-ring promos and backstage segments

😈 The return of The Demon

👑 Sami Zayn and Trick Williams

🏆 The championship picture

👀 Ongoing storylines and WWE creative decisions

📉 What's working, what's NOT working, and what WWE needs to improve

The GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY of SmackDown!

🎉 AND MOST IMPORTANTLY — THANK YOU FOR 50 EPISODES!

🚨 WWE HAS A MAJOR PROBLEM… WHERE ARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF SUPERSTARS?! 🚨

☝️ WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ROMAN REIGNS AND SETH ROLLINS ARE GONE?!

🎙️ THE 8301 PODCAST IS BACK!

Marcus Brown & Chris Long are breaking down the October 26, 2026 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw from Fresno, California!

And tonight, we're asking a question WWE creative NEEDS to answer:

WHO IS GOING TO CARRY THIS COMPANY WHEN ITS BIGGEST STARS ARE GONE?!

We break down everything that happened on Raw, the GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY, and whether WWE is actually building anything worth getting excited about heading into Crown Jewel!

🔥 TONIGHT ON THE 8301 PODCAST:

☝️ ROMAN REIGNS, SOLO SIKOA & THE BLOODLINE — ARE THESE PROMOS GETTING STALE?!

The Bloodline vs. 946 storyline continues, but are we getting anywhere?

We're starting to feel like the promos are repetitive, the confrontations aren't hitting like they should, and the story is losing its excitement.

And we noticed something interesting about Solo Sikoa's promo…

WHY DID THE CAMERA SEEM MORE INTERESTED IN ROMAN REIGNS THAN THE MAN ACTUALLY TALKING?! 😂

If WWE wants Solo to feel like an important part of this storyline, shouldn't the production reflect that?

Is 946 becoming a legitimate threat, or is WWE simply recycling the same Bloodline formula?

💥 BAYLEY vs. LYRA VALKYRIA — THE WOMEN ARE DELIVERING!

NOW THIS IS WHAT WE WANT TO SEE!

Bayley and Lyra Valkyria went to WAR in their No Disqualification Match, giving us one of the highlights of Monday Night Raw!

And after watching Giulia and Blake Monroe tear the house down on Friday's SmackDown, we're noticing a pattern…

WWE'S WOMEN ARE ABSOLUTELY KILLING IT IN THESE NO DQ MATCHES!

The intensity, the physicality, the storytelling — these women are showing what happens when WWE lets its talent go out there and FIGHT!

Are the women currently putting on some of WWE's best matches?

👑 CROWN JEWEL — IS WWE ACTUALLY BUILDING SOMETHING SPECIAL?

With Crown Jewel approaching, WWE continues setting up championship matches, personal rivalries and new opportunities.

We discuss Sami Zayn's championship reign, The Vision, Penta, Je'Von Evans, Liv Morgan, Becky Lynch and the rest of the major storylines heading toward the Premium Live Event.

But are these feuds making us excited to watch Crown Jewel, or is WWE just filling out another match card?

🪜 TIFFANY STRATTON'S FAKE CASH-INS — WE THINK WE KNOW THE PLAN!

HOW MANY TIMES ARE WE GOING TO SEE TIFFANY PRETEND TO CASH IN?! 😂

Tiffany keeps teasing a Money in the Bank cash-in on Liv Morgan, only for somebody to stop her before it becomes official.

At this point, we're starting to believe WWE has a completely different plan.

WHAT IF TIFFANY'S REAL TARGET IS CHELSEA GREEN?!

Is WWE intentionally distracting everyone with these failed attempts so Tiffany can eventually surprise Chelsea and take her championship?

Or is creative simply dragging out the Money in the Bank storyline?

🚨 THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WWE — WHERE ARE THE STARS?!

This is the conversation we REALLY need to have!

We grew up watching WWE when the company had STARS EVERYWHERE!

🔥 THE ATTITUDE ERA!

🔥 THE RUTHLESS AGGRESSION ERA!

🔥 EVEN THE PG ERA!

WWE had multiple superstars who could carry the company, sell out arenas, headline major events and make fans tune in every single week!

The Rock. Stone Cold. Triple H. The Undertaker. John Cena. Batista. Randy Orton. Edge. Shawn Michaels. CM Punk.

There was always somebody ready to step up!

But TODAY?

It feels like WWE has an entire roster full of talented wrestlers without enough legitimate MAIN EVENT SUPERSTARS!

ARE WE WATCHING MID-CARDERS MASQUERADING AS MAIN EVENTERS?!

And here's the scary question…

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ROMAN REIGNS AND SETH ROLLINS ARE NO LONGER THERE TO CARRY THE PRODUCT?!

Who becomes THE GUY?

Where is the next John Cena?

Where is the next Roman Reigns?

Where are the wrestlers who can become bigger than the championship they're holding?