Will WWE Really Go to Saudi? | Brooke Hogan, Ric Flair & "Not Ready" — The Coach and Bro Monday 10/26/26

Coach and Russo open with the Crown Jewel 2026 question: with heightened U.S. security warnings in the region, Russo still can't believe WWE will go through with the Nov. 7 Riyadh show — and Coach points out that not one wrestler on the podcast circuit has been asked about it. From there: the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton Last Man Standing match being made in the ring, Penta's end-of-show pop with no build, whether Penta can ever headline in the U.S., and why there should only be one world champion while Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns both carry "the" title.

Then Russo goes off on the "not ready" excuse Bruce Prichard gave on WWE Unreal — "ready for what?" — and Coach pitches Zilla Fatu skipping the line as the Bloodline's fifth man for WarGames. Coach launches "What Are We Doing?" with Aaron Glenn's timeouts and "None of This Is in That" for AI-written headlines, then tells the story of Sylvester Stallone arriving with 60 seconds to spare — and no script — to induct Hulk Hogan into the 2005 Hall of Fame.

The back half gets personal: Brooke Hogan's post about the people around her late father, and Ric Flair's fall and blood-clot news with Charlotte left answering for him. Plus Russo's photo with Vince McMahon and the Undertaker, the "Stevie Night Heat" story, Triple H at Metallica in Las Vegas, NXT going head-to-head with Dynamite on Nov. 4, and the day Russo hired Robbie E over polka-dot trunks.

Housekeeping: Coach and Russo's first book-intro meet and greet is Tuesday at 8 PM ET (link in the live chat). Russo's Brand launches a new lineup Nov. 1 at russosbrand.com. Coach and Bro is live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 2 PM ET.

Timestamps
00:00 — Cold open: book-intro meet and greet Tuesday night
01:08 — YouTube TV family plan, Special Forces and Coach's Seahawks take
05:23 — World Series check-in
06:07 — How to be part of the show (Super Chat wheel)
07:46 — Crown Jewel and Saudi Arabia: will WWE really go?
10:09 — Why no WWE talent has said a word about it
11:07 — Cody vs. Orton made in the ring
14:09 — Penta's end-of-show pop: build to it
15:34 — Is Penta over? The language-and-mask barrier
19:06 — There should only be one world champion
20:04 — Ari Emanuel and the Coach and Bro question
21:27 — Sami Zayn and the referee video
23:01 — "Nothing matters anymore" — fans and the casuals
26:44 — Super Chats: mid-card champions chasing world titles
28:00 — A world champion who isn't focused on the title
30:15 — Four women's factions on SmackDown
31:49 — Why Russo can't watch SmackDown live in Colorado
34:46 — "What Are We Doing?": Aaron Glenn's timeouts
36:26 — "None of This Is in That": AI headlines
38:16 — "Not ready for what?" Russo on Bruce Prichard
41:22 — NXT, call-ups and Zilla Fatu
43:20 — Sami Zayn's story is all wrong
45:01 — Is there really a Hall of Fame?
46:14 — Stallone, Hogan and the 2005 Hall of Fame
49:55 — Russo's married life at 65
53:02 — Brooke Hogan speaks out
59:46 — Charlotte Flair and Ric Flair's fall
1:07:00 — Living the gimmick: Flair and Hogan
1:14:52 — Russo, Undertaker and Vince McMahon backstage
1:16:54 — The "Stevie Night Heat" story
1:18:42 — Who tells a story in the ring today?
1:19:44 — Triple H at Metallica: the casuals know him
1:23:02 — NXT vs. Dynamite, and Russo hiring Robbie E
1:24:36 — Stop posting the dinner photos
1:26:27 — Sign-off

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