TKO Pay Cuts, New Day Walkout, AEW TV Deal Uncertainty, John Cena Backlash Angle, Gunther Attacks Cody | The Two Count
Off The Script w/JDfromNY
JDfromNY
4.6 • 964 Ratings
🗓️ 5 May 2026
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this week’s episode of The Two Count, we break down one of the most news-heavy weeks across WWE and AEW, featuring major business developments, roster shake-ups, and the road to WWE Backlash.
We start with the report that TKO is pushing WWE talent to renegotiate contracts with potential pay cuts, and what that could mean for the future of the roster and locker room morale.
We also dive into the shocking news that The New Day walked out of WWE, and discuss where they rank among the greatest tag teams of all time, along with what could be next for them outside the company.
We cover additional roster movement, including the release of Jeff Cobb and Tonga Loa, and whether WWE made the right call.
On the business side, we discuss a major claim that AEW may not be renewed by Warner Bros. Discovery in 2028, and what the company’s future looks like if it loses a major television partner.
We also break down the ongoing corporate direction of WWE, with John Cena’s involvement at Backlash raising questions about whether WWE is leaning too heavily into business-driven storytelling.
Plus, we take a closer look at Roman Reigns’ status, as he returns full-time while reportedly missing key dates, including Night of Champions.
We also discuss the debut of Oba Femi’s open challenge, and whether it’s effective booking or just a repetitive formula.
On the talent side, we review Ricky Saints’ WWE main roster debut, and whether it hit the mark.
And finally, we break down the latest major development, as Gunther attacks Cody Rhodes, potentially setting up WWE’s next major championship feud.
To close the show, we deliver The Kickout, with our full WWE Backlash preview and predictions.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Oh, what's good, everybody. Welcome into the fastest show in all of pro wrestling right here as a part of the BTT Studios universe. |
| 0:07.0 | Real quick, if you have not watched the Coach and Bro show from last night, I encourage you to watch it on demand right here on this YouTube channel. |
| 0:13.9 | And also, the last word last night with Big Tommy C and Gabby A.F. |
| 0:18.6 | Also, you can watch that show on demand. |
| 0:37.5 | But the here and the now, we've only been here maybe five or six weeks, and we're absolutely killing. It's the fastest show in all of pro wrestling, 10 topics, two and a half minutes, but I don't do it by myself. Oh, no, no, no, no. I've got one of the great minds, one of the great voices in all of pro wrestling and and he's sitting right there right now. And I got to tell you, J.D., we have a ton of topics to get into this week. How are you, sir? I'm great, coach. It is a new day. Yes, it is. Let's get into it, man. I'm excited. All right, let's get into it. We're going to start with topic number one. Let's put up the sidebar. Let's put up the clock because all the last five or six days, J.D. It's about TKO and not just cuts. It's coming into restructuring, which is a horrible word in the world of wrestling. That's never really been a part of it. Let's start right there. Start the clock. TKL cuts, go. |
| 1:11.6 | You know what really bothered me last night when I was live on my Monday Night Row post show? |
| 1:16.2 | I threw a fact out there that Brandon Thurston of post wrestling put up. R.E. Manuel made 67 million in |
| 1:22.6 | 2025. Mark Shapiro made 43 million. Nick Con made 24 million. Ari was up 272%. Nick Con was up 304%. On what planet, coach, is it all right to cut all these talents? And then the story comes out this past week that TKO is now wanting the talent to take pay cuts, 50% pay cuts, how ridiculous is it as a fan, or a human |
| 1:47.2 | being, never mind a fan, a human being to see talent who really are the heart and soul of what |
| 1:53.6 | TKO does, the heart and soul of what WWE does, have to take a backseat to these greedy, |
| 1:59.4 | just disgusting people. It bothers me as a human being and it bothers |
| 2:03.2 | me as a fan because the reason why TKO was so successful is because of the hardworking men and |
| 2:08.7 | women that run this show. And it really bothers me that this is all starting to come out now because |
| 2:14.1 | WWE is snowballing very fast because of this greed and this stuff going on |
| 2:20.0 | behind the scenes. This also does not help. And what bothers me the most out of all of this is the fact |
| 2:26.5 | that they are offering contracts to talent and telling them, you're worth this. And then six months |
| 2:32.6 | to a year later saying, well, you're not really worth that. |
| 2:35.3 | We need you to take a pay cut. |
| 2:36.8 | Why did you offer the talent that money in the first place and not get rid of them and just let them go and be on their own? |
| 2:42.7 | Coach, this is a disgusting situation. |
| 2:45.0 | And that's the word I was going to use is disgusting. |
| 2:47.4 | And usually in the NFL, you've got executives, making a lot of money, but the players make more because they get 50% of the revenue NFL and similar in the NBA. |
... |
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