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For the Love of the Show: Pro Wrestling Fans Tell Their Stories by Dr. Jeremy Housewright

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This week on Bakers Bantering, Derek, Jenna, and Valerie reflect on their incredible trip to Tampa Bay, Florida for the Royal Rumble! Before the Royal Rumble rambling, Katy walks us through her Teachers vs. Students basketball game, and how her boyfriend discovered how ruthless high school kids can be (0:15-10:50). For the third year in a row, we were blessed to attend the Royal Rumble, and this might’ve been the best one yet. There was some drama before the trip even began involving Derek’s stuffed loch ness monster Nessie, airport security dos and don’ts, and Valerie’s boarding information (10:51-22:24). We stayed at a lovely Airbnb (shoutout Javier), got in some much needed beach time, danced with strangers that soon turned into friends, and Derek did his best Ariel impression by acting out a scene from “The Little Mermaid” (22:25-29:57). Then the real fun begins as we head to Tropicana Field for the Royal Rumble. Two high-stress situations were thankfully alleviated when we found FREE parking only 0.6 miles away from the stadium, and we were recognized at the entrance and didn’t have to deal with a strict security guard (29:58-34:19). We posted up for a bit to meet with some fans and Derek made friends with some people from Toronto, and asked them the most random question you could ever think of, to which they answered emphatically (34:20-37:55). The show started off with a BA(Y)NG in the Women’s Royal Rumble. One of Derek’s favorite Superstars (also his prediction as the winner), Bayley, not only WON the Rumble, but set a new record for total time in the ring (37:56-47:57). Derek picked another couple of winners in the next matches as Roman Reigns won the Fatal Fourway, and Logan Paul beat Kevin Owens (by disqualification) (47:58-53:56). Finally, the Men’s Royal Rumble took center stage, and the Uso brothers encapsulated the entire arena as the first two entrants. Our boy Dominik Mysterio held his own even in the thralls of countless boos, and Ellis’ guy Pat McAfee made a surprise appearance that seemed to surprise Pat himself. In the end, The American Nightmare, our good friend Cody Rhodes was victorious after tossing out CM Punk to win the Rumble and cap off an incredible evening (53:57-1:00:55). The fun continued on Sunday at TopGolf with some of our friends from Special Olympics, followed by watching the Chiefs win the AFC Championship and make it to the Super Bowl for the 2nd year in a row! Katy and Jenna calculate the logistics of T-Swift making it from Tokyo to Las Vegas in time to support her boy Trav (1:00:56-1:12:18). The Weekly Wrestling Wrap Up kicks off with plenty of AEW action, and Derek vows to help Cool Hand Ang (Dan?) to the bottom of his issues (1:12:28-1:19:51). Moving on to NXT, Derek provides some updates for the Dusty Rhodes Classic and there’s a new social manager in the house (1:19:52-1:27:41). Derek has some bold predictions for Damage CTRL, and does he suddenly have Rhea’s back? (1:27:42-1:45:43).

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