Halloween Havoc, Raw, SD Recap, Blood and Guts Preview, LeBron, Luka & More | No-Contest Wrestling

Before the episode even started, O'Shea Jackson Jr. had one question for TJ Jefferson, and he wanted the truth. "Are you a member of 946?"

TJ wouldn't rule it out. "It's getting disgustingly crazy," he said. Ain't nobody safe. That was the mood on No Contest Wrestling this week, with a new member of 946 revealed on Raw, the John Cena Invitational taking shape, a loaded Wednesday of NXT and AEW Blood and Guts on deck, and a closing detour through LeBron, Luka and the worst injuries the hosts have ever seen.

946 adds a fifth man

Monday night started with Solo and Royce Keys, a matchup the hosts loved for its sheer size. Then 946 came through and jumped Solo, who scooted out of the ring, and the hosts recalled sitting there wondering why he was smiling with the odds stacked against him. They had been in San Diego live when this group pulled the same move the first time, so they figured something was afoot. Roman stood next to Solo for a long time, the Bloodline started scrapping, and then another masked man appeared. One host begged WWE to do something about all the masked men showing up, asking, "Who's running security around here?"

Then came the reveal: Cruz. The hosts were split on how quickly they caught on. One spotted the move right away, and Jackson's sister insisted it wasn't him until the mask came off. The other didn't know until the chains came out.

To the hosts, it made sense. The group shares the same "grungy street character," so why not build a super group? They also pointed out that 946 has now added two NXT champions in Carmelo and Cruz, plus a former world champion from Cruz's TNA days, where he wrestled under a different name. For anyone unfamiliar, the hosts explained he is also known as Mike Santana, and that he has been at every promotion: TNA, AEW, NXT. He has been on No Contest Wrestling twice, as two different people, and the hosts called him a really good dude. He even surprised his daughter by pulling her out of school early for a Halloween trip to Disney World. Still, there was one problem. "Now I got to boo you, man," one host said.

The hosts were struck by how the group fights as a unit, and one compared them to a pack of African wild dogs on the savannah. They also had a message for a social media critic who said it was embarrassing for NXT guys to come up and beat main roster stars. That person, they said, probably said the same thing when Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose showed up, and they became three of the biggest stars in the history of the business. Size matters, too. TJ, who said he is 6'3" and about 250 or 260, said he made the same point about Jeffery Simmons on Rich's show: "We are not the same, dog." Jackson recalled his sister seeing Brock Lesnar in person and telling him, "Shay, Brock is big as hell." TV and real life, they agreed, are way different.

Their worry: building 946 this high only to lose to the Bloodline at Survivor Series. WWE is in the star-making business, and they don't think that's the plan.

Cena's Invitational, Cody and Randy

John Cena showed off the new title for his December Invitational, which will mean two Raws on the same day, with Cena's event at Disney World. The hosts liked the spinner-style belt, though not the $700 price tag on WWE Shop. They also reminded listeners that Cena asked to come on No Contest Wrestling. "We wouldn't have asked for John Cena for probably another six to eight months to a year," came the admission.

Cody Rhodes was named the first entrant, which surprised the hosts at first, but it made sense: who better to prove yourself against than "the million-dollar smile guy himself"? Then Randy Orton came out and dropped what the hosts called a bomb of a promo, reminding Cody that he wrestled Cody's dad's last match. They expect Randy to win at Crown Jewel, and don't expect the feud to end there. It also keeps fans from getting Cody fatigue, they said. One host compared Cody to a New Japan young boy, the assistants at ringside who later become stars, and Cody was once Randy's.

Raw and SmackDown roll call

Congratulations went to Ethan Page, who beat Chad Gable for the Intercontinental Championship, his first main roster title, in what the hosts called a banger. They praised Page's intelligence, saying he'll run circles around you in an interview if you let him. They see bigger things for Gable, too, noting he beat CM Punk at a non-televised house show this past week, and they said Gable's camp has reached out about coming on the show.

Judgment Day won the six-woman tag, a match the hosts dubbed the "TJ Bowl" because it was stacked with TJ's favorites. The hosts are excited about Liv and Chelsea at Crown Jewel, with one calling it their most anticipated match. Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns cut a great promo, and the hosts agreed with Sami's point that people remember moments, citing what Mick Foley once told them on the show. They also credited Sami with elevating Trick Williams and Je'Von Evans by giving them back-to-back title shots and getting on them on the mic.

On SmackDown, Michin and B-Fab became tag team champions, a surprise since Tatum and Alexa had just won the belts. Jade showed up Monday with a beatdown of her own, and now she is coming for gold, which put one host in the uncomfortable spot of rooting for both Jade and Bayley. And Kevin Owens and CM Punk clearly don't like each other. The hosts want them to just let it rip on Friday.

Halloween Havoc and Wild Wednesday

The hosts praised Wren Sinclair for the "perfect way to lose" against Kelani Jordan, who kept the title by putting her feet on the ropes. Myles Borne beat recent guest Tavion Heights in a weapons match, though the hosts lamented that nobody used the candy corn. Izzy Dame beat Zaria in a non-title match, Zilla Fatu beat Charlie Dempsey, Shiloh Hill got a big win in a movie-style match, and Grayson Waller beat Tony D'Angelo. Then Punk came out, called back to Waller telling him months ago to ask permission before coming to NXT, and set up Punk against Waller for the NXT title. One host predicted Kevin Owens costs Punk the title.

NXT also moved to Wednesday, which the hosts said was more about Election Day and the lack of NBA games than counter programming. That made for a stacked night opposite AEW's Blood and Guts, a two-ring, roofed cage match decided only by submission or surrender. The men's side features Will Ospreay, Adam Copeland, Darby Allin and the Young Bucks against a Don Callis Family including Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher and Wardlow. The hosts were annoyed that Wardlow returned with no pomp and circumstance, comparing it to Chuck Cunningham disappearing from "Happy Days." The women's side includes Willow Nightingale, Kris Statlander, Harley Cameron, Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor against the Triangle of Madness and more.

LeBron, Luka and the injuries that stay with you

TJ, a Sixers fan, is thrilled. "I've never had LeBron James on my basketball team before," he said. Philadelphia is 7-1, has won games without LeBron, Embiid and others, and plays like a team that has been together for years. Embiid has lost weight, which TJ loves, and he believes LeBron's lessons to Tyrese Maxey and VJ will help them for the rest of their careers.

Jackson has a new king. "He left me and therefore I have a new king," he said, and that's Luka, who is averaging something like 38 and 8. Jackson said Luka reminds him of Kobe Bryant in January 2006, the greatest stretch of basketball he has ever seen. TJ wasn't ready to compare Luka to Larry Bird, whom he hated growing up as a Sixers fan but calls the second greatest shooter he has ever seen, behind Steph Curry.

The conversation turned somber with Jalen Williams' injury, which led the hosts to Paul George, Kevin Ware, Shaun Livingston and Gordon Hayward. One host shared his own story of a dislocated kneecap and months of talking himself down a staircase. The other recalled Tony Hawk telling him a broken pelvis was his worst injury. You're never the same mentally, they agreed. You always feel like you felt something.