411’s WWE Unreal Season Three, Episode Three Report: ‘Rise and Rumble’

-Written: 7.22.26
-Source: Netflix
-Run Time: 1:00:44

-Plugs: Episodes One and Two

-Another Plug: Dark Side: Samoa Joe vs. Necro Butcher

-Last time we closed with John Cena tapping out to GUNTHER and people losing their minds on social media.

-HHH talks about the importance of The Royal Rumble and how you can view it as The WWE kicking off their playoff season. It starts the march to their Super Bowl: WrestleMania. We get highlights of the various Rumbles over the years and HHH breaks down that the winner gets to choose whoever they want to face for a World Title at WrestleMania.

-Writer’s Room: They discuss options for winning The Rumble. The first name mentioned is Bron Breakker. HHH wonders if Bron can mentally handle it and if the fans will accept it. They worry the fans will think they are shoving him down their throats if he wins The Rumble and then The World Championship. I assume HHH is having flashbacks to the reaction to Roman in 2015.

-For the women, Liv is the obvious choice per HHH, but they need to make sure she is healthy. Liv is working out in a ring inside a barn and she likes to drop F Bombs a lot. Which, whatever. She says she is ready and is 48 hours away from being cleared. She is working on getting her shoulder mechanics back and the main thing is cardio and ring shape. We get a cool camera technique where they show multiple shots of working in the ring which makes it look like 8 Livs are in the ring. She has been in every Rumble since the first and doesn’t want to be runner up again.

-Show opening!

-Oct. 17, 2025: Seth Rollins is on a bus on the way to Birmingham to get his shoulder surgery. He is thinking about what Mania could have been. He knows he doesn’t have many left and he really wants to headline Mania. In his opinion he has not properly been in the Mania Main Event. He cashed in and closed the show on Night One but has never closed Night Two. He felt this was his year, and that is out the window.

-We see Seth in the room getting ready for surgery and Becky is by his side. Dr. Dugas asks Becky if she wants to watch from the viewing room and she wants no part of that. She will be in the viewing room, but doesn’t want to see any blood. She closes her eyes and calls it disgusting as she takes a peek at the TV screen.

-Seth wakes up and is kind of loopy, but asks if everything went okay. He is feeling a little better and the first thing he wants is something to drink and they put WWE on TV for him. Becky fixes his hair into a man bun. That’s love!

-Back to Survivor Series and I will say, I am fine with them jumping back and forth instead of it just being linear. It’s time for War Games and the idea is to let Bron have a break through performance. The goal is to let him get a rub from the established stars in the match. HHH talks “the rub” and how you get enough that eventually you are the one giving the next guy that rub.

-Punk says nobody is ever ready, but you have to believe you are ready. He knows Bron has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He says he was never told he would be the future, but when he sees people telling Bron that, he is glad he didn’t have that pressure. We see Bron take The Doomsday Device and land on his neck. Bron says it was scary, but he could feel his hand and feet. He didn’t know though. HHH notes that in this business it can be over at any given time and in moments like that you just hold your breath.

-They have to start thinking of a Plan B and C in case something happens. Hayes says the next logical thing is to have Bronson roll into Bron’s spots, but the doctor at ring side says Bron is okay to keep working. Bron starts spamming spears and says he will run through a wall for Hunter and the company as he has a job to do. Bron spears Punk and gets the win. Cody says they are rooting for Bron even if he is coming to take someone’s top spot.

-HHH checks on Bron backstage and Bron tells him he would work through a broken neck for him. HHH laughs and says he doesn’t want that to happen though. He notes they dodged a bullet with Bron. Yeah, about that. I guess we will get to that later.

-We head down to NXT in Florida and get a rundown of NXT’s purpose. HHH says they have talent down there, ready to go and all they need is a chance. We move to the writer’s room and HHH wants to do something with Oba and have him debut at The Rumble. He calls Oba a sponge and a bad motherfucker. Heyman calls him a starting pitcher working in the bullpen.

-HHH mentions Trick Williams as he has done everything he can in NXT and worries he might regress if he stays there. He wants to pull him up and have him work with more seasoned performers. Bruce preaches patience as he doesn’t expect them to be 100% ready.

-Back to Florida as Trick Williams is with his girlfriend, Lash Legend. He is taking her to a Zoo where she can see her favorite animals, Elephants. My wife and I were lucky enough to have our picture taken with an elephant at the Pittsburgh Zoo and my son received a painting made by one of the elephants as well.

-Trick tells us his government name is Matrick Belton, but he goes by Tricky Two Time, The Anointed One, Trick Willy, Mr. Whoop Dat, Mr. Lemon Pepper Stepper, Trick Williams. That theme is such a BANGER! Trick says he is not a face or heel as you can’t put him in a box. He talks about his entrance music and how it sets the atmosphere before he steps in the building. The song was written by Al Kapone, the King of Memphis, who loved what Trick was doing for the culture. Trick was a wrestling fan since he was a kid and his first curse word was at three when he heard Austin talk about a can of whoop ass. That’s pretty funny!

-Back to Trick and Lash with the elephants. Trick feels like a Lion and yet, Lash is all about the elephants. Trick notes they lions and elephants shouldn’t be together. He puts over Lash and how his heart started jumping when he saw her. He asked her out 3-4 times before she finally said yes. He never asked her to be his girlfriend, but she just moved in one day and said lets tell the world what we have. Once they ended up together that is when his career started to take off. “Yeah, she can’t go nowhere.”

-Nov. 27, 2025: Trick gets down on one knee and proposes to Lash in a moment shared all over social media. We love weddings! I proposed to my wife on the balloon ride at Idlewild Park because a storm shut down The Ferris Wheel. Lash’s reaction to the ring is so sweet! Of course, she accepts and good for those two crazy kids. Trick jokes they are traveling all over the world and “they are paying for it.”

-Back to the elephants and one of them is pissing and they are amazed at how much is coming out. So yeah, we get nearly nearly 40 seconds of an elephant pissing and Trick’s reaction. UNREAL!

-HHH is talking to CM Punk in the ring at Cena’s last show. He tells Punk they have a bunch of kids that are ready to step up and they have a roster of guys that are ready to make them. HHH knows they are good with the future. He asks Punk if he has spent time with Oba and Punk has enjoyed the time he has spent with Oba when he visits the NXT kids.

-Oba tells us his government name is Torioluwa Oshiumi Isaac Odugbesan. Everyone called him Isaac, but if we know him from TV, he is Oba Femi. I remember reviewing his first match on Level Up and writing that with his size and presence he was going to get a real shot. We get footage of Oba wrecking people as Graves (on commentary) notes Oba is going to have statues and casinos named in his honor.

-Oba grew up in Nigeria and moved to The US in 2018. He threw shot put and competed in NCAA. He finished third in nationals in 2022 and was a multiple time SEC Champion both indoor and outdoor. I threw shot put in Junior High, so I am just like Oba. Yep!

-He was exposed to WWE at a young age because his dad was a fan. He loved CM Punk and HHH. He was drawn in by the emotion of pro-wrestling. Now they have a live channel in Nigeria that plays WWE all the time. When he was younger he had to wait days to get a pirated feed and tapes.

-We see Oba at his try-out and he jokes WWE slid into his DM’s. He thought it was a joke at first, but did further research and realized it was a thing. HHH says Oba is a guy that if he carries through what you think he can do, he will be a future star. “Unless we are totally wrong, this is a rocket ship.” Oba gets called up for The Rumble and wants fans to think he is the real deal. Oba: “It’s not the moves, it’s the things between the moves.” SHOTS FIRED AT AEW or something!

-HHH expands on that idea and says you can tell everyone at The PC that and some get it quickly and others it can take 10 years. He says Chelsea Green is at the top of the list of someone who will take anythings she is given and turn it into gold no matter how much time she is given. Preach!

-We go back to Dec. 2024 as Chelsea is at the site of her new home (we saw this last season) and now we jump ahead to this year and the house is finished. She has a house full of dogs which is great to see. She had her nose broken in Tampa and needed to wear a mask, so she had it bedazzled and didn’t have to take a day off. She says it is so fun hearing the reaction of the fans when a pretty girl is put in an upretty situation. We see Charlotte send her into a cake and Chelsea is having a ball with it. Chelsea is great!

-Hey, Matt Cardona is here as Chelsea introduces him. She says Cody and Brandi set them up and the rest is history. The best part is she gets to see Matt everyday. They still have to work hard on their relationship so there are boundaries between work and play. Chelsea likes her sleep and a clean hotel room. Matt needs 17 layers of tanner where he destroys the sheets on his bed. Matt thinks they need two rooms to do their thing and one room to do the main thing. He means SEX! Chelsea says she has had her routine for three years and now she has to adjust.

-She says the house was built around Matt’s toy collection. AWESOME! We see his toy room and he says it is only 5% of his collection. He has his own toy company and does a podcast about toys. Chelsea says Matt put her engagement ring in a Taker toy casket as he knew Chelsea doesn’t care about his toys. He had the ring in the casket in the hotel room and Chelsea never realized it. We see the video of him proposing. Chelsea is fine with her man collecting toys instead of going out and partying and collecting other women. If it helps him keep his sanity, then she is all for it. Again, relationship goals! Matt quizzes Chelsea on WWE Superstars by showing their action figure. She gets Andre, Macho, and Brooklyn Brawler. She counts that as a win.

-Royal Rumble: Saudi Arabia: Chelsea says the Rumble is where you can go viral and you get NXT women getting a chance to be seen. You can have a matchup fans have never seen. Liv calls it an overwhelming feeling to be back after her injury. Lash Legend says they respect the culture and country of Saudi Arabia, so they can get creative with their gear. Chelsea explains her gear which looks like newspaper headlines of all the things she has accomplished. Again. Chelsea is great!

-Women’s Rumble: Sol enters at 10 and gets some shine. TJ Wilson is on headset and wants to make sure Charlotte is okay. She is as she just broke her veneer. We get more focus on Liv, Lash, and Chelsea. We get some fun spots with Chelsea as she notes before you are eliminated the trick is to get everyone to interact with you and to cheer or boo you. She salutes Rhea Ripley and gets the reaction she wants before getting tossed. She jokes that she barely broke a sweat, but her hair is a little messed up. Lash gets to eliminate both Bellas and then Charlotte as Trick watches with a huge smile on his face. They check on Charlotte, who says she is okay even with her cracked veneer. Lash gets to eliminate Iyo as well as she gets the Diesel push in the match. She eventually gets tossed by Rhea to end the run. She is in nearly in tears backstage because she is so grateful for the chance she was just given. Good for her! She eventually breaks down and starts crying.

-End of the match as Liv eliminates her partner, Raquel, and the producers in Gorilla pop due to the reaction from the crowd. The Final Three: Sol, Tiffy, and Liv. All three women end up on the apron and they did a sweet little sequence where something could have been messed up, but they pulled it off. Liv gets the win and Stratton finishes as the runner up. LIV FORGETS TO POINT TO THE SIGN! Shocked they didn’t pull her win and fire her when she walked back through Gorilla. The ref reminds her and we get all the sign pointing.

-She comes through Gorilla and all the women and TJ celebrate with her. She laughs that she finally got one. HHH congratulates her and gives her a hug. She hugs Jason Jordan as well and makes sure it was worthy. He reassures her that it was.

-Men’s Rumble: HHH giving Oba some advice and tells him he is about to light the world on fire. Bron Breakker gets attacked by someone in a hoodie during his entrance and then is eliminated in seconds by Oba. The video package is set to “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar. Oba gets the Diesel push in this one. They highlight Mr. Iguana being in the match. Trick Williams makes his entrance and they cut out Kendrick so we can hear Trick’s entrance theme. I am cool with it! Trick eliminates Iguana and La Yesca before Cody eliminates him. Lash wants to make sure people heard the pop for Trick and how the crowd was on beat. Trick says he was exhausted from his entrance because of the energy from the crowd and lost his leg power.

-Brock enters and wrecks everyone. They include the famous Brock/Dragunov spot and HHH wants to make sure Dragunov is okay. We get the Brock/Oba showdown and who knew where it would end up leading. The reaction to that moment changed plans for the rest of the year. HHH puts over the fan’s reaction and how the fans bought Oba as a big deal. Brock eliminates Oba and he immediately wants any feedback from HHH backstage. The man wants to learn which is great.

-We get the camera trick again where they cut to elimination after elimination like it is one continuous shot. The Final Four: Reigns, GUNTHER, Orton and Logan. One of these years I think they have to give GUNTHER the win, but this was not his time. Same with Paul who is tossed first and then out goes Orton. I understand they wanted Roman to beat a heel to win it, but it took some of the drama out as you could at least believe Randy had a shot since it seemed like Cody/Orton was a possible Mania destination. GUNTHER gets tossed and Roman gets his second Rumble win. Roode was on headset and agrees with another producer that they got the match they wanted. SIGN POINTING because Roman is a pro! HHH says Roman is on the way to the Mania Main Event as they have him positioned well, but he also knows Brock vs. Oba is MONEY!

-Writer’s Room: HHH pitches the idea for Brock vs. Oba at WrestleMania. He calls Oba the “most legitimate bad motherfucker that has walked through the door in a while.” Heyman says Oba reminds him of Roman as he is measured in what he says and he processes quickly. He knows his youth is an asset. They aren’t sure if Oba is face or heel, but HHH isn’t sure if it makes a difference because the crowd is going to go crazy for it. Bruce: “That can be a marquee match at WrestleMania.”

-Another enjoyable episode with the main focus being on the two Rumble Matches. I will admit I did miss Cena as this was the first episode without him, but it was kind of fitting the next episode after his end was focused on future stars like Bron, Oba, Trick, and Lash. Having a follow up with Chelsea was wonderful and the stuff with her and Matt was adorable. Same with the Lash/Trick stuff as all these couples in WWE just look so happy together.

-The Seth injury continues to be a thread through the three episodes and how that has changed the prospects of Bron is interesting. You can also see them cool on Bron as they apparently were worried they would get negative feedback pushing him so hard. I do wonder if the way Roman was pushed to the Main Event and the reaction stuck with HHH. We will see how much Bron’s injury wrecked their plans in the final two episodes.

-Some will say Roman was the safe choice to win The Rumble, but it made sense to me as Punk vs Roman was a big-time match between two of the biggest stars on the roster. It only made it better when they delivered one of the best Mania Main Events of all time.

-Three down and two to go. I will have episode four done tonight before Evolve and depending on my children, I may finish this season before heading to bed. Thank you again for reading anything I write as it is greatly appreciated.