Chelsea Green's Performance of a Lifetime & CM Punk Gets Mean | Notsam Wrestling 617
Sam Roberts discusses Chelsea Green's exceptional SmackDown performance and promo after winning the WWE Women's Championship despite a broken orbital bone, arguing it represents a major turning point in her career. He also analyzes the Kevin Owens vs. CM Punk rivalry, suggesting Kevin Owens winning the WWE Championship would be the most interesting outcome, and discusses recent developments with Solo Sakoa, Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes, and other WWE storylines.
Summary
The episode opens with a comprehensive analysis of Chelsea Green's performance on SmackDown, where she was faced with relinquishing the WWE Women's Championship due to a broken orbital bone suffered at SummerSlam. Roberts argues this was a career-defining moment, praising Green's ability to cut a promo that convinced both the live audience and GM Nick Aldis that she deserved to keep the title for 30 days while recovering. He emphasizes the storytelling sophistication required to maintain suspension of disbelief while blending behind-the-scenes politics into the narrative. Roberts positions this as a major turning point comparable to Kofi Kingston's 'Kofimania,' suggesting Green is entering an elite tier of the women's division. He notes how the opening segment rippled through the rest of SmackDown, setting up follow-up matches and storylines with Gunther, Matt Cardona, Nia Jax, and Tiffany Stratton, ultimately predicting a Tiffany Stratton heel turn and renewed rivalry with Green.
The discussion then shifts to Kevin Owens versus CM Punk, a more personal and seemingly legitimate feud rooted in years of tension from their Ring of Honor days. Roberts details the history: a disagreement over Owens wearing a t-shirt versus singlet, and Punk's alleged gatekeeping as the company's top star. The recent face-to-face on SmackDown featured Owens wearing a Stone Cold shirt (specifically the one CM Punk wore during the 'pipe bomb' promo), with both men exchanging personal insults about work ethic, physical appearance, and past failures. Roberts argues that Kevin Owens came across more sympathetically in the promos and suggests the most interesting booking would be Owens winning the WWE Championship on Friday in Toronto, potentially leading to a title hot-potato between the two competitors. He explores how an Owens championship reign could create multiple interesting storyline directions involving Sami Zayn, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and others.
Regarding other feuds, Roberts discusses Randy Orton's attack on Cody Rhodes, noting how the segment revealed a darker, more vicious side of Cody now that he's no longer champion. He suggests this could develop into an extended character arc where Cody spirals into darker territory before eventually rising again. On Raw, Solo Sakoa lost to Jey Uso in a match determining whether Solo would be forced back into the Bloodline. Roberts predicts LA Knight will interrupt the forced induction, setting up a longer program leading to LA Knight versus Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank. He argues this keeps Solo's momentum and the 'pew-pew' momentum alive rather than forcing Solo into the Bloodline immediately.
The episode includes several email responses addressing listener questions about Chelsea Green's title reign, Carmelo Hayes' perceived momentum loss, and various booking scenarios. Roberts defends the 30-day title defense rule as outdated (noting Brock Lesnar eliminated it years ago) and encourages listeners to trust the live crowd reactions rather than online opinion. He provides booking suggestions for Carmelo Hayes versus Baron Corbin versus Trick Williams, ultimately advocating for Carmelo to eventually win a triple threat and reclaim momentum.
About this episode
<p>Sam Roberts talks about Chelsea Green's Smackdown performance and segments, Kevin Owens and CM Punk, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, Solo Sikoa back to The Bloodline, and, of course, answers emails</p><p><br /></p><p>To get a Sam Roberts figure - you can order this WWE set from Amazon - notsam.com/figure</p><p>- -</p><p><br /></p><p>Subscribe to the show YouTube page at YouTube.com/NotsamWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>For even more content- become a Notsam Shill on Patreon- Patreon.com/notsamwrestling</p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>
Key Insights
- Chelsea Green's opening promo on SmackDown was essential to the emotional credibility of Nick Aldis' decision to let her keep the title, meaning if she had failed to convince the audience, Aldis would have looked foolish for being convinced
- The narrative that Chelsea Green was never designed to be women's champion, referenced from WWE Unreal, has created fan investment in proving that narrative wrong, directly fueling her popularity
- Chelsea Green's 30-day title retention during injury is not hypocritical to Rhea Ripley's relinquishment because it was earned through successful persuasion of the GM in that specific moment, which adds credibility to the storyline
- Gunther's appearance immediately after Chelsea Green's emotional victory was strategically timed to position Chelsea as such a big babyface that booing Gunther becomes automatic, maintaining his credibility as a villain
- The entire first 30-35 minutes of SmackDown were contingent on Chelsea Green's promo convincing the audience, as every subsequent segment (Gunther, Cardona, Nia Jax, Tiffany) derived emotional weight from that opening narrative
- Kevin Owens wore the specific Stone Cold shirt that CM Punk famously wore during the 'pipe bomb' promo, using visual symbolism to reference CM Punk's greatest moment and counter-messaging to Owens
- CM Punk's accusation that Kevin Owens is lazy and refuses to do the work was framed as Punk having evolved while Owens remained the same person, creating a dynamic where Owens wears stagnation as a badge of honor
- The most interesting narrative outcome for Kevin Owens beating CM Punk is not about championship prestige but about how CM Punk responds after being beaten by someone he positioned as inferior, forcing potential character evolution
- Solo Sakoa losing to Jey Uso and facing forced Bloodline re-entry actually creates more interesting storytelling potential than if Solo had won and been left alone, as it preserves the 'pew-pew' warning shot dynamic
- Cody Rhodes' darker, more vicious behavior without the championship title suggests his character development may continue downward before rising again, not reverting to previous characterization after the Randy Orton feud concludes
- The 30-day championship defense rule referenced by some fans is outdated and hasn't been enforced since Brock Lesnar's championship reign years ago, making it irrelevant to current storyline analysis
- Sam Roberts argues that Chelsea Green's moment represents a tipping point in her career comparable to Kofimania, suggesting she has willed herself into the upper echelon of the women's division through audience support rather than company planning
Topics
Transcript
With the American Express Platinum Card, I can unlock experiences like no other. Since I'm always booking my next trip, I love that I can earn points on travel. Plus, I get a resi benefit, so you know I'm hitting the restaurants everyone's talking about. And you can find out your welcome offer after you apply, which could be as high as 175,000 points. For experiences like no other, there's nothing like Platinum. Learn more at americanexpress.com slash explore dash Platinum. Terms apply. Today on Not Sam Wrestling, we know when we're getting Randy Orton versus Cody Rhodes. Kevin Owens versus CM Punk feels very real. An incredible performance by Chelsea Green as Solo Sakoa joining the Bloodline and so…
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