Greetings From Allentown

This week is a trip back to February 2, 1980 for WWF Championship Wrestling. Including: - A complete and thorough look at the build to Bruno Sammartino vs Larry Zbyszko with extensive audio clips of the interviews that set up the match - Bruno Sammartino: master of the low key promo and talking people into the arenas with the emotional connection he had with fans - The brilliance of how the Bruno/Larry match progressed with Larry slowly boiling over in anger - Ken Patera's amazing 1980 and his very strange pre-match routine with manager The Grand Wizard - Pat Patterson as a worker and why he’s enjoyable - Johnny Rodz's special role in Vincent J. McMahon’s WWF - Vince McMahon doing yeoman’s work going solo on the broadcast Plus: My favorite wrestling podcast format ever, Tony Atlas’ strange match with Rodz, how the logo for the podcast came to be, the "rule" I broke in looking at this show, my evolving views on pre-1984 WWF, one thing I wish there was more of in Pat Patterson’s book “Accepted”, and YouTube

Take a trip back to 1997 for the wild and crazy days of WWF Shotgun Saturday Night, from March 15, 1997. - Background of the Shotgun show and stretching the credibility of calling something "New York" as in the city - My love for Brian Pillman's entire career and regrets about what could have been - A description of trying to follow wrestling in 1997 without cable TV and Shotgun's role in that - The importance of Chyna in boosting the Hunter Hearst Helmsley act - Furnas and Lafon: Why couldn't they just give them a manager? - Bret Hart has some prescient things to say about Vince McMahon - All you ever wanted to know about Lance Wright, the ring announcer on this show - Finding a new gimmick for Flash Funk by looking at a piece of classic Mel Brooks cinema - Memories of a gruesome Hector Garza injury Plus: Commercials for stuff like NBA Shootout '97 and psychic hotlines, forming a wrestling fan club in college, and support your local indy promotion!

Take a trip back to the mini-Attitude Era with a look at WWF Superstars from April 13, 1991. - The trouble with Kerry Von Erich beyond his horrible theme music - Jake the Snake Roberts as babyface bully - Explaining (and defending!) the Berzerker gimmick with a look at the etymology and Icelandic literature(?!?) - The great Sean Mooney hosts an Event Center….with no specific event to plug - The trials and tribulations of Barry O - Bret Hart’s singles push begins, for real this time I swear! - The Nasty Boys: are they this podcast’s “house band”? - A comprehensive second by second breakdown of the Ultimate Warrior being locked in a coffin and the “attempts” to get him out. Plus, useful information on how YOU can best survive if you find yourself in a similar spot - Tugboat as the great palate cleanser - How many late tax filers are there during tax season and why is IRS so concerned about them? Plus: the return of YouTube comment theater, and an extended jag about the awesome WWF on NESN theme music

Take a trip down to the Irish McNeil Boys Club in Louisiana for some classic Mid-South Wrestling action from March 30, 1984. - Jim Cornette has been embarassed, and Bill Watts thinks it is funny so now they are at war - Bill Watts' political views and how you have to suppress them when watching this stuff - The debut of Jim Ross as the lead host and also his rendition as JR goes looking for Stagger Lee on Watts' behalf - The Rock and Roll Express set a new standard for "making the babyface save" - Mr. Wrestling II and Magnum TA flip the script on the "Bruno/Larry storyline" - Hacksaw Jim Duggan battling Russians - Terry Taylor gets suckered and then beat down by Butch Reed, and an alternate theory is offered re: The Red Rooster - The trouble with Masao Ito's tights - A video glorifying Watts plays....twice!

Take a trip to the (WWF) Action Zone for a look at 1994 WWF in the aftermath of the Survivor Series - The history of the forerunner to Action Zone "All American Wrestling" and the incredibly devious thing Vince McMahon did in the fall of 1983 on that show. - Surviving Todd Pettengill on commentary - Enjoying how Vince not getting any pop culture references Todd makes. - Just how awesome was Owen Hart in 1994? - Why is there a guest ring announcer on this show, who is she, why are they trying to apparently set her up with Razor Ramon? - Bob Backlund wins....and then loses the WWF title - IRS with one of his usual inspiring promos from a graveyard - What the hell are the Bushwhackers doing here? All this and tangents on: the 1979 SNL skit about Three Mile Island, Southern Justice and their theme song, and much more!

The show (and host) take a trip to the True North Strong and Free this week with a look at WWF Maple Leaf Wrestling from October 13, 1984. Included: - The importance of Canada in the wrestling world - WWF coming into Toronto and partnering with the Tunneys - Canadian content regulations - The sheer delight of the Jack Reynolds/Angelo Mosca commentary team with many, many clips - Andre the Giant being difficult - Dynamite Kid as revolutionary figure - Davey “Danny” Boy Smith rips and he rhymes! - The legend of Dave Barbie - Iron Mike Sharpe gets a win - Michael Hayes being a goof - The Valentine-Santana feud over the IC title kicks off in earnest

A look at the aftermath of WrestleMania IV, with a peek at the April 2, 1988 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling. - A recap of the Macho Man winning the title and how he's the king of working four matches in a night - How the host managed to convince his parents to order the PPVs directly rather than waiting for a videotape - The all-around weirdness of Rick Rude and the true reason why he never had any sort of feud with Hulk Hogan - A defense of Bam Bam Bigelow's first WWF run and not just because his theme music was awesome - The accident that made the angle with Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Andre the Giant more effective Plus: YouTube Comment Theater!

This week it's back to Allentown for a look at WWF from September 25, 1982. Included: - Information on the sale/transfer of the WWF from Vince Sr. to Vince Jr., which was ongoing at the time of this show - Just how awkward Buddy Rogers is in this era - Bob Backlund trying and failing to properly express anguish at his belt being destroyed and coming off like proto-Nancy Kerrigan - Gorilla Monsoon literally buries Superstar Billy Graham in a newspaper column and his reason for not retracting the story when confronted by Graham - Rocky Johnson in one of his first WWF matches on TV - The greatness of Ray Stevens - Three things about Salvatore Bellomo and does being merely associated with Italy make you a babyface? - Who the hell is the White Angel anyway? The internet doesn't seem to know - Pete Sanchez: Where is he now, and what is he doing? - Mr. Saito: complete and total badass - Andre the Giant on the TV show The Greatest American Hero. Plus a new segment: YouTube Comment Theater!

This week's show examines the NWA Power Hour from August 18, 1989. Included: Sting vs. Ron Simmons, the Wrestling News Network with Gordon Solie, Ric Flair vs. The Cuban Assassin, Funk's Grill with Teddy Long and Norman the Lunatic, and Lex Luger vs. Tommy Rich. The usual background talk with many tangents such as the Goodwill Games, the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame, people who have gone an hour with Ric Flair, and the host has a crisis of confidence in his impersonations.

A week before the 1992 Royal Rumble, a look at WWF Wrestling Challenge from January 12, 1992. - The Rockers settle their differences in The Barber Shop and Heenan cracks wise - The Undertaker and his amazing first year - Freshening up The Berzerker by using Monty Python humor - The beauty of IRS, Warlord, and Repo Man cutting promos saying that they will win the WWF Title in the Royal Rumble - Jake Roberts and his 1992 disappearing act from the WWF

A look at the 02-07-1987 episode of the WWF Superstars of Wrestling featuring: - Macho Man Randy Savage: Most interesting man in the world for 1987 - An overview of the British Bulldogs and the Hart Foundation and why Danny Davis failed as a wrestler - The underwhelming debut of Outback Jack - The brilliance of Piper's Pit with Hogan and Andre with all the buildup - My hatred of Brian Blair - Butch Reed dumps a guy on his face

A look at WCW in one of their (many) darkest days: August 1991. Flair is gone, Scott Steiner is hurt but Bill Kazmeier is here and Ron Simmons is on the way up. El Gigante is here in tag team action. And Firebreaker Chip, fresh from the WCW Special Forces, shows us all how to break up a double clothesline.

This episode takes a look at the January 14, 1984 episode of WWF Championship Wrestling. - Bob Backlund: relegated to the background - Sgt. Slaughter: Transitioning into his big 1984 - SD Jones: Forgets the finish of the match! - Jose Luis Rivera: If at first or second you don't succeed, try the same move three times in a row.

I am pleased to announce the first episode of a new podcast looking at old episodes of classic wrestling TV! The first show looks at the Sept. 27, 1986 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling. On this show: - A look at why Harley Race needed something to freshen him up for the WWF audience at that stage of his career. - The short-lived return of Superstar Billy Graham and Vince McMahon turning into Ed McMahon in excitement over it. - The great Piper's Pit vs The Flower Shop battle - A look at Kamala's career in the WWF. - The debut of the Natural Butch Reed.