Showing posts with label Mike Bennett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike Bennett. Show all posts
Friday, February 20, 2015
Condo On The Moon Podcast #49: Featuring ROH's Mike Bennett
We welcome back Mike Bennett of the Kingdom and catch up with him on how life has been since his last visit to the Condo on the Moon. He went to Japan Twice, got a new fuzzy pink belt, Tom Brady his man crush won a Superbowl and oh yeah he married Maria. We talk about The Kingdom and get a update on how Adam Cole is doing. We also talk about not only Mike's tag team match on March 1st on the ROH PPV but being in the corner of his wife who will be facing ODB. It is a fun 30 minutes plus with Mr Bennett.
In addition Josh Lopez fills in for Walder who is off in our nation's capital. Is he getting is work visa for WWE....probably not. In any case Josh and myself tackle C.M Punk getting sued, Samoa Joe parting ways with TNA, Some NXT talk and a Fast Lane Preview. So it is a jam packed show.
If you do not see the player above head over to Podomatic and download or listen there.
Thanks to Mike and best of luck to him on March 1st at ROH's 13th Anniversary show going down live on PPV from Las Vegas.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
NXT On The Eve of Kevin Owens (Steen)
On the eve of Kevin Owens in the WWE is about as exciting for Kevin Steen fans as Christmas Eve. While the WWE has been taking a deserved butt whipping about a variety of topics of late Kevin Steen’s build up to his debut is not one of them. This has been perhaps one of the best build-ups to the arrival of a NXT wrestler in the short history of the promotion. Part of why that is comes from who Kevin Steen is as a person and a performer.
I heard all the rumors and this past May decided that I owed it to myself to go see Kevin Steen live in both Toronto at ROH’s Global Wars and at an independent show for Alpha-1 Wrestling. I figured this would be the last real chance I would have to go meet a guy that I had enjoyed for many years prior in ROH and PWG. Meeting people you admire is always a big risk you take. Often they don’t live up to the overblown expectations you have of them. Kevin was not one of those experiences. He is a very nice, humble and genuine person. I had a brief interaction with him at the Ring of Honor show. He was kind, generous with his time, and thankful of the fact I thought so much of him. In reality, it was like a two-minute exchange but it made me feel good about supporting this guy. On the next day in Hamilton, I got to have a more lengthy conversation in a smaller setting. He was just as kind with his time and interaction with me. I found myself watching him interact with everyone that day. He was just as gracious with everyone else so it wasn’t anything unique to me. The time he would take with children was the most touching. He himself has a son and recently welcomed a daughter into his family just prior to coming to WWE.
In fact, his son is named after the late Owen Hart and the reason behind his WWE name of Kevin Owens. Steen’s love of his family has always been at the core of his desire to succeed at what he loves being pro wrestling.
The promos he made leading up to his debut illustrate just how much this moment means to him. He summed it up perfectly in saying that 14 years of his wrestling career have been for this moment. He has detailed for people who are not familiar with him how he has been involved with various NXT and WWE stars over the years.
I have until this point described Kevin as this amazing family man that loves wrestling and his fans. Which he is but once he hits that ring he is a wild crazy man that does things for a man of his body type seem impossible. He is never going to win a bodybuilding contest even though he seems to be in great shape for him after being at the performance center since the end of the summer. He is a mad man that inspired his fans to chant Kill Steen Kill. He has a toned down version of Fight Steen Fight and I guess will now be Fight Kevin Fight or Kill Kevin Kill for the hardcore fans.
I thought it was classy of his former company ROH to recognize his departure in the opening to Final Battle this past Sunday. Steve Corino even giving a shout out as well to “Kevin in Orlando” watching the show which knowing Kevin he most definitely was. Kevin is now looking towards his first battle as a part of WWE. Many feel he will some how be involved with his former tag partner and rival Sami Zayn who teamed with Kevin as El Generico for years. They put on a match in ROH called Ladder War that will rival any WWE TLC match you care to compare it too. It makes a lot of sense to make this happen just prior to Zayn likely heading to the main roster.
Court Bauer a former WWE Writer and consultant for ROH currently in talking about Steen called him a mix between Canada’s Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mike Awesome. Steen has just a great ability to connect with people that is something that you just don’t learn at NXT or anywhere. You just have it or you don’t and he has it in large amounts.
Mike Bennett a current ROH wrestler in an interview we did with him said that if Kevin is not a huge success in the WWE it will not be his fault it will be the WWE’s. So far, the WWE and Kevin have worked together and not really changed much about him and created a great platform to introduce him to a much larger WWE Universe.
If you have never seen Kevin Steen, you are in for a treat. If you have, it appears Kevin Owens will likely not be some great departure from the wrestler you have come to love and enjoy over the years. I firmly believe Kevin Steen will be a success and echo what Michael Bennett said that if he isn’t the WWE will have dropped the ball some how. I have faith though based on the success of Sami Zayn that Kevin will be able to thrive in the WWE system and given the opportunities to do so.
Christmas has come early for Kevin Steen fans on 12/11/14. We are on the Eve of Owens and I can’t wait.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
ROH's Kingdom Is Going Global
The relationship between NJPW and ROH seems to be growing as Mike Bennett and Matt Taven along with Maria will be taking their Kingdom to Japan for a tour with New Japan Pro Wrestling. The tour goes from November 22- December 7, 2014. This will rule them out for Final Battle.
Which will leave Adam Cole, who recently secured a title match with Jay Briscoe, to go it alone in the Main Event of Final Battle on Live PPV in New York City.
The Kingdom will be Challenging ReDRagon is San Antonio who made their own news in Japan capturing the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championships. ReDRagon if they are successful in San Antonio will be defending there ROH Tag Team Titles against the team they beat in Japan the Time Splitters at Final Battle. Alex Shelley and Kushida last appeared in May in the shows in Toronto and New York. The relationship between Ring of Honor and New Japan seems to be growing after successful shows in May in both Toronto and New York City for co-promoted events.
NJPW also made some big news landing Jim Ross to do English commentary for their debut on PPV in North America on January 4, 2015. This is being put on in connection with Global Force Wrestling. What this will mean for the use of ROH talent on that show remains a bit of a mystery.
In any case, the ties between the two promotions seem strong as the Young Bucks are scheduled to appear at Final Battle part of the biggest faction in NJPW. The growing in popularity by the day among hardcore wrestling fans Bullet Club.
This will mark the second time Bennett and his new bride Maria will be heading to Japan. While frequent guest and newest member of the Kingdom Matt Taven will be making his first venture to the land of the rising sun.
We congratulate them all and look forward to hearing their stories of global domination in future podcasts hopeful here in Condo on the Moon. We are like the unofficial home for the Kingdom the only member we have not been able to nail down is the lovely Maria.
In any case, this is good news for fans of both promotions and opens the door to interesting possibilities for the future.
ROH has a story with all the details on Kingdom heading over to Japan. We here at Condo on the Moon are getting cranked up to do our Road to Final Battle on our Podcast. We had the great fortune to have Adam Cole, Mike Bennett, Matt Taven and Court Bauer join us prior to Best in the World. The debut for the company on live PPV and we are attempting to have a guest list just as grand heading into Final Battle.
This should be getting going with a guest this Friday. Be on the look out for confirmation @condoonthemoon on Twitter for what ROH stars are coming to talk with us.
Which will leave Adam Cole, who recently secured a title match with Jay Briscoe, to go it alone in the Main Event of Final Battle on Live PPV in New York City.
The Kingdom will be Challenging ReDRagon is San Antonio who made their own news in Japan capturing the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championships. ReDRagon if they are successful in San Antonio will be defending there ROH Tag Team Titles against the team they beat in Japan the Time Splitters at Final Battle. Alex Shelley and Kushida last appeared in May in the shows in Toronto and New York. The relationship between Ring of Honor and New Japan seems to be growing after successful shows in May in both Toronto and New York City for co-promoted events.
NJPW also made some big news landing Jim Ross to do English commentary for their debut on PPV in North America on January 4, 2015. This is being put on in connection with Global Force Wrestling. What this will mean for the use of ROH talent on that show remains a bit of a mystery.
In any case, the ties between the two promotions seem strong as the Young Bucks are scheduled to appear at Final Battle part of the biggest faction in NJPW. The growing in popularity by the day among hardcore wrestling fans Bullet Club.
This will mark the second time Bennett and his new bride Maria will be heading to Japan. While frequent guest and newest member of the Kingdom Matt Taven will be making his first venture to the land of the rising sun.
We congratulate them all and look forward to hearing their stories of global domination in future podcasts hopeful here in Condo on the Moon. We are like the unofficial home for the Kingdom the only member we have not been able to nail down is the lovely Maria.
In any case, this is good news for fans of both promotions and opens the door to interesting possibilities for the future.
ROH has a story with all the details on Kingdom heading over to Japan. We here at Condo on the Moon are getting cranked up to do our Road to Final Battle on our Podcast. We had the great fortune to have Adam Cole, Mike Bennett, Matt Taven and Court Bauer join us prior to Best in the World. The debut for the company on live PPV and we are attempting to have a guest list just as grand heading into Final Battle.
This should be getting going with a guest this Friday. Be on the look out for confirmation @condoonthemoon on Twitter for what ROH stars are coming to talk with us.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Adam Cole Should Never Have Lost The ROH Title
When it happened I questioned if it was the right move and looking back on it 3 months of so later it seems even clearer. Adam Cole should still be the Ring of Honor Champion. Ring of Honor wanted that feel good moment at the end of their first live pay-per-view. It makes sense with hopefully some new people watching the product. In theory, Michael Elgin was the right choice to be that guy as well.
In reality Adam Cole outside of his ‘heel character” he is an engaging and great guy to put out there to promote your product. Far more so than Michael Elgin or Jay Briscoe could be in that regard. Adam Cole is a guy that clearly has some gifts that make you see him as a next level guy with the WWE someday. If you’re a company like ROH, why not take advantage of every single day you have this guy under contract.
The company also was aware their overall top draw Kevin Steen was leaving for WWE developmental as well. So if you can’t draw people with your biggest babyface than why not go with the top heel that fans want to see get his butt kicked?
No one could have seen the issues Elgin would have with working in the United States. There seems to be some debate on if ROH knew this fact before they decided to change the title. ROH after having a successful 6 months to start 2014 things seemed to lose momentum after Elgin winning the title on pay-per-view. The follow-up overall by the company after the debut on pay-per-view was disappointing. Elgin himself did not gain any momentum even with having a number of title defences in short succession. Sometimes in wrestling, fans are more invested in the chase to get a championship and this seems to be one of those cases.
After setting some attendance highs in various markets, it seems like attendance dropped since Elgin became Champion and after Kevin Steen’s tour leaving the company. It’s not all doom and gloom as Sinclair the owner of the company has stuck a syndication to get ROH television in 2.4 million homes in Atlanta. A sign that we could see Ring of Honor make moves to get into several major markets they are not.
Given everything why not have Adam Cole hold the title until December and have him drop it at Final Battle as his contract with the company will be coming due. Adam Cole is still putting on great matches as he showed with his recent contest with A.J Styles in Toronto. It was a better match than the stunning title match in which Jay Briscoe won the title from Michael Elgin.
Adam Cole has also been working with Michael Bennett, Maria Kanellis and occasionally Matt Hardy in the “Kingdom” which has given him a new dynamic to use. Only a few people that book ROH know the answer but I feel if they had it to do all over again, Adam Cole would still be ROH Champion I believe. That ship has sailed though and Cole is likely going to be out of the title picture for the remainder of his contract in ROH. This is a shame as he was really coming into his own as the heel Champion of Ring of Honor.It was never going to be forever as Cole's heel character was suggesting near the end of his reign but it should have been longer.
What's done is done and ROH has to make the best of the situation with Jay Briscoe as champion.
In reality Adam Cole outside of his ‘heel character” he is an engaging and great guy to put out there to promote your product. Far more so than Michael Elgin or Jay Briscoe could be in that regard. Adam Cole is a guy that clearly has some gifts that make you see him as a next level guy with the WWE someday. If you’re a company like ROH, why not take advantage of every single day you have this guy under contract.
The company also was aware their overall top draw Kevin Steen was leaving for WWE developmental as well. So if you can’t draw people with your biggest babyface than why not go with the top heel that fans want to see get his butt kicked?
No one could have seen the issues Elgin would have with working in the United States. There seems to be some debate on if ROH knew this fact before they decided to change the title. ROH after having a successful 6 months to start 2014 things seemed to lose momentum after Elgin winning the title on pay-per-view. The follow-up overall by the company after the debut on pay-per-view was disappointing. Elgin himself did not gain any momentum even with having a number of title defences in short succession. Sometimes in wrestling, fans are more invested in the chase to get a championship and this seems to be one of those cases.
After setting some attendance highs in various markets, it seems like attendance dropped since Elgin became Champion and after Kevin Steen’s tour leaving the company. It’s not all doom and gloom as Sinclair the owner of the company has stuck a syndication to get ROH television in 2.4 million homes in Atlanta. A sign that we could see Ring of Honor make moves to get into several major markets they are not.
Given everything why not have Adam Cole hold the title until December and have him drop it at Final Battle as his contract with the company will be coming due. Adam Cole is still putting on great matches as he showed with his recent contest with A.J Styles in Toronto. It was a better match than the stunning title match in which Jay Briscoe won the title from Michael Elgin.
Adam Cole has also been working with Michael Bennett, Maria Kanellis and occasionally Matt Hardy in the “Kingdom” which has given him a new dynamic to use. Only a few people that book ROH know the answer but I feel if they had it to do all over again, Adam Cole would still be ROH Champion I believe. That ship has sailed though and Cole is likely going to be out of the title picture for the remainder of his contract in ROH. This is a shame as he was really coming into his own as the heel Champion of Ring of Honor.It was never going to be forever as Cole's heel character was suggesting near the end of his reign but it should have been longer.
What's done is done and ROH has to make the best of the situation with Jay Briscoe as champion.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Michael Bennett & Court Bauer Check in To Condo On Moon
We promised you a big show and we have delivered the goods. I sat down this week with both Michael Bennett and Court Bauer to talk about all that is going on with ROH Wrestling as they are on the verge of heading to Live PPV from Nashville this Sunday at 8pm and also on I-PPV in areas is not available
If you want to check it out here is a link to the list of Cable Providers for this Sunday.
Mike Bennett gives his thoughts on what is going on with his tag-team partner on Sunday and we talk alot about his time in ROH and some of his influences that include Kevin Steen his rival at the end 2013 in a tremendous feud. The feud ended at Final Battle this last December which is when Court Bauer joined the company as a consultant. We talk about how Court got involved in the company. He also helps me preview the big card on Sunday. This is only scratching the surface as both Court and Mike were talk with me for over 40 minutes a piece. So have a listen and enjoy.
So we have done are best to get some of the stars from Ring Of Honor to talk with us and to all of you with their pitches for this Sunday. Having talked to everyone it is hard not to feel the excitement that is happening within that company. We at Condo on the Moon wish them luck and look forward to working with ROH in the future as they will be back north of the border in September.
If your having any trouble accessing the Podcast through our site go use this link and listen form our Podcast host directly.
Oh and as I promised my colleagues at Between The Ropes as talked with both Roderick Strong and Jay Lethal. He still has not accepted my "Macho Man" Off Challenge. He probably hasn't heard about it yet.One day it will happen. It has been a pleasure working with all these folks from ROH over the last month or so.
Follow our guests : @CourtBauer @RealMikeBennett
Condo on the Moon is on Twitter and Facebook and check out our weekly podcasts Every Friday! You can find us now at Condoonthemoon.com
If you want to check it out here is a link to the list of Cable Providers for this Sunday.
Mike Bennett gives his thoughts on what is going on with his tag-team partner on Sunday and we talk alot about his time in ROH and some of his influences that include Kevin Steen his rival at the end 2013 in a tremendous feud. The feud ended at Final Battle this last December which is when Court Bauer joined the company as a consultant. We talk about how Court got involved in the company. He also helps me preview the big card on Sunday. This is only scratching the surface as both Court and Mike were talk with me for over 40 minutes a piece. So have a listen and enjoy.
So we have done are best to get some of the stars from Ring Of Honor to talk with us and to all of you with their pitches for this Sunday. Having talked to everyone it is hard not to feel the excitement that is happening within that company. We at Condo on the Moon wish them luck and look forward to working with ROH in the future as they will be back north of the border in September.
If your having any trouble accessing the Podcast through our site go use this link and listen form our Podcast host directly.
Oh and as I promised my colleagues at Between The Ropes as talked with both Roderick Strong and Jay Lethal. He still has not accepted my "Macho Man" Off Challenge. He probably hasn't heard about it yet.One day it will happen. It has been a pleasure working with all these folks from ROH over the last month or so.
Follow our guests : @CourtBauer @RealMikeBennett
Condo on the Moon is on Twitter and Facebook and check out our weekly podcasts Every Friday! You can find us now at Condoonthemoon.com
Thursday, June 5, 2014
ROH "Best In The World" Card Coming Together
The Best in the World card is coming together nicely for Ring of Honor’s first live PPV on June 22, 2014. Here is the card to this point:
ROH World Championship:
Adam Cole (ROH Champion) vs. Michael Elgin
(Kevin Steen's Last Match in ROH?)
Kevin Steen vs. Silas Young
ROH Tag-Team Championship
ReDragon (Champions) vs. Daniels & Kazarian
The Briscoes vs. Mike Bennett & Matt Hardy
ROH Television Title
Jay Lethal (Champion) vs. Matt Taven
Submission Match
Cedric Alexander vs. Roderick Strong
Matt Taven as he suggested on our podcast will get his chance to get his hand on Truth Martini and not vice versa. Martini will be handcuffed at ringside during the match for the T.V Title. The worst kept secret in pro-wrestling is now able to be talked about has the tag-team known as Bad Influence in TNA will challenge for ROH Tag-Team Titles against ReDragon. Christopher Daniels is a guy who has a long storied history in Ring of Honor and is expected to work quite a bit for the promotion now that he has been released by TNA. Rumours are UFC Fighter Tom Lawlor could be in ReDragon’s corner again as he was at War in the Worlds.
Jay Brisco’s feud with Adam Cole has transitioned into a feud with Matt Hardy as is now in possession of Brisco’s title belt he had made to signify his claim to the ROH Title. Adam Cole took possession of that belt at Card of Honor of Wrestlemania weekend in New Orleans. Mike Bennett meantime has joined up with Hardy and Cole along with his manger Maria and has had his battles with both Mark and Jay. What has really lighted a fire to this already hot feud is Matt Hardy taking the belt given to him by Cole that once belonged to Jay and but his face on it. Bricoes are one of the longest serving acts in ROH and are huge fan favourites with the Ring of Honor as a result.
Roderick Strong and Alexander have had a battle that has raged for months in ROH based on respect. Strong has become part of a group called “The Decade” demanding respect for their longevity in ROH. He along with Jimmy Jacobs and B.J Whitmer has brought in young wrestlers to follow their example. The result has been Alexander fighting an uphill battle. At Global Wars he got the win over Strong but was ambushed and had his shoulder injured. This has been a good mid to lower card feud for the company. This if Alexander wins could bring an end to it.
Kevin Steen had an emotional speech interrupted by Silas Young. Steen was saying that he was pretty much done with company and could not get the job done any longer. In reality as many know Steen is heading to WWE Developmental and is expected to report their in August according to most recent reports. This could indeed be the last match for Steen in ROH and if that is the case it will be emotional. Fitting of that emotion Young claimed it was too bad that Kevin’s son would have to know his daddy was a quitter. This match will be a war and many long time fans of Steen in ROH will be holding back tears I would imagine.
Adam Cole won his title in tournament and defeated Michael Elgin in the finals of that tournament. Since that time last year Elgin neither has nor got a one on one shot at the title. He was supposed to have that at Final Battle but Jay Brisco was added to the match making it a three-way. Adam Cole joins us on the pod cast tomorrow to talk about this encounter. It should be a heck of a battle as no one in the last 6-9 months having better matches than Elgin other than perhaps Cole. It should be a tremendous match and despite the pressure on these two to deliver they are two of the safest bets in Ring of Honor to put on a show. This is what they want for their debut on PPV.
So with that said we have set the table for our biggest guest to join the show tomorrow the ROH Champion Adam Cole checks into the Condo on the Moon Podcast.
ROH World Championship:
Adam Cole (ROH Champion) vs. Michael Elgin
(Kevin Steen's Last Match in ROH?)
Kevin Steen vs. Silas Young
ROH Tag-Team Championship
ReDragon (Champions) vs. Daniels & Kazarian
The Briscoes vs. Mike Bennett & Matt Hardy
ROH Television Title
Jay Lethal (Champion) vs. Matt Taven
Submission Match
Cedric Alexander vs. Roderick Strong
Matt Taven as he suggested on our podcast will get his chance to get his hand on Truth Martini and not vice versa. Martini will be handcuffed at ringside during the match for the T.V Title. The worst kept secret in pro-wrestling is now able to be talked about has the tag-team known as Bad Influence in TNA will challenge for ROH Tag-Team Titles against ReDragon. Christopher Daniels is a guy who has a long storied history in Ring of Honor and is expected to work quite a bit for the promotion now that he has been released by TNA. Rumours are UFC Fighter Tom Lawlor could be in ReDragon’s corner again as he was at War in the Worlds.
Jay Brisco’s feud with Adam Cole has transitioned into a feud with Matt Hardy as is now in possession of Brisco’s title belt he had made to signify his claim to the ROH Title. Adam Cole took possession of that belt at Card of Honor of Wrestlemania weekend in New Orleans. Mike Bennett meantime has joined up with Hardy and Cole along with his manger Maria and has had his battles with both Mark and Jay. What has really lighted a fire to this already hot feud is Matt Hardy taking the belt given to him by Cole that once belonged to Jay and but his face on it. Bricoes are one of the longest serving acts in ROH and are huge fan favourites with the Ring of Honor as a result.
Roderick Strong and Alexander have had a battle that has raged for months in ROH based on respect. Strong has become part of a group called “The Decade” demanding respect for their longevity in ROH. He along with Jimmy Jacobs and B.J Whitmer has brought in young wrestlers to follow their example. The result has been Alexander fighting an uphill battle. At Global Wars he got the win over Strong but was ambushed and had his shoulder injured. This has been a good mid to lower card feud for the company. This if Alexander wins could bring an end to it.
Kevin Steen had an emotional speech interrupted by Silas Young. Steen was saying that he was pretty much done with company and could not get the job done any longer. In reality as many know Steen is heading to WWE Developmental and is expected to report their in August according to most recent reports. This could indeed be the last match for Steen in ROH and if that is the case it will be emotional. Fitting of that emotion Young claimed it was too bad that Kevin’s son would have to know his daddy was a quitter. This match will be a war and many long time fans of Steen in ROH will be holding back tears I would imagine.
Adam Cole won his title in tournament and defeated Michael Elgin in the finals of that tournament. Since that time last year Elgin neither has nor got a one on one shot at the title. He was supposed to have that at Final Battle but Jay Brisco was added to the match making it a three-way. Adam Cole joins us on the pod cast tomorrow to talk about this encounter. It should be a heck of a battle as no one in the last 6-9 months having better matches than Elgin other than perhaps Cole. It should be a tremendous match and despite the pressure on these two to deliver they are two of the safest bets in Ring of Honor to put on a show. This is what they want for their debut on PPV.
So with that said we have set the table for our biggest guest to join the show tomorrow the ROH Champion Adam Cole checks into the Condo on the Moon Podcast.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Condo on Moon Podcast- Stock Watch Edition
This has been a busy week in Wrestling and for me personally. WWE Stock took a nose dive on news they did not cash in big time on their T.V as the WWE is staying put with NBC Universal. We talk about what the WWE might do about the WWE World Championship with Daniel Bryan on mend from neck surgery. In addition we talk about my wrestling weekend that I wrote about if you missed it. I had a great time at Global Wars and we look ahead to ROH War of the Worlds. In addition rumours about a tag-team that may be coming for ROH's debut on PPV at Best In The World on June 22nd. I also mention how I am now a columnist for Between The Ropes and writing for them as well as here.Recount my encounters with several wrestlers I met on the weekend from ROH.
I mentioned the local promotion Alpha-1-Wrestling here in Hamilton. I actually got the date wrong it is July 6th and here is there Power Rangers Promo for that event that is pretty funny check it out.
Follow us on Condo on the Moon on Twitter or hey if you really love us like us on Facebook too. You can also check out all my work for Between the Ropes with this link and give them a follow @BetweenTheRopes on Twitter.In addition unless you are an Alicia Fox fan follow my podcast partner @WalderSports on Twitter.
I mentioned the local promotion Alpha-1-Wrestling here in Hamilton. I actually got the date wrong it is July 6th and here is there Power Rangers Promo for that event that is pretty funny check it out.
Follow us on Condo on the Moon on Twitter or hey if you really love us like us on Facebook too. You can also check out all my work for Between the Ropes with this link and give them a follow @BetweenTheRopes on Twitter.In addition unless you are an Alicia Fox fan follow my podcast partner @WalderSports on Twitter.
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Thursday, March 6, 2014
I Love Me Some Wrestling Podcasts
I love wrestling podcasts and enjoy a great many people doing them out there. Each podcast is its own unique little world but all have common bond of wrestling. Anyone that is going out of their way to produce a podcast has to at the very least be a fan of the business on some level. There is nothing more fun than stories about this wacky world of professional wrestling. I could spend hours on end listening to stories about this world that is both interesting and has an intrigue of what goes on behind the scenes in this crazy world. From serious stories that relate to real life to the craziest funny stories that just seem too funny to be true. It all is entertaining in its own way.
So I will run through some of my favourites that I do my best to listen too on a weekly basis. I think the original king of the wrestling podcast world is Colt Cabana. His Art of Wrestling show is for me the place where it all begins for wrestling podcasts. Colt has been doing his podcast since I believe somewhere around 2010 or 2011 long before podcasting was the rage it is today. He has interviewed everyone from wrestling legends from the past to guys that work on the independent scene that I knew very little about.
If you are one of the few that has not heard the Art of Wrestling it is an hour of Colt talking with his guest with the listeners getting to be a fly on the wall. It is based on wrestling and stories but sometimes dives into real life stuff both funny and serious. Colt makes an effort to steer away from the negative aspects of the wrestling business aside from the struggle that wrestlers go through. At the end of an episode of Art of Wrestling you will feel you have got to know someone better that you already knew or got to know someone you never knew and get to know someone you might not have ever known or heard of.
Perhaps the most popular podcast that has burst on the scene is Stone Cold Steve Austin’s show on Podcast One. It has led to a couple other WWE personalities getting involved with Podcast One in Chris Jericho and Jim Ross. Austin obviously can right his own ticket and booking whoever he wants on his show likely isn’t too difficult. Still Austin is an entertaining guy and if you are an Austin fan he is giving you everything you love about Stone Cold in his podcasts. He can be just as entertaining complaining about driving etiquette in L.A as he is at interviewing his guests.
What is great with Austin is while he can book pretty much his choice of wrestling talents he has not just stuck to the WWE world or just the Attitude Era wrestlers that he was a part of. Austin has had great podcasts talking with MMA fighters and with guys like Kevin Steen who wrestles in ROH. Even a nice tip of his hat to the aforementioned Colt Cabana as they both appeared on each others podcasts about 6 months ago. Even having fans on episodes taking calls has been something Austin has done most recently. The one thing that has become some what of a cult hit with people is Austin reading the ad copy for the sponsors on his podcast. It is something to be experienced rather than explained. He claims to bring a can of “Audio Whoop Ass” to every podcast and does his show for the “Working Man” but what he does is just give you everything you love about Stone Cold. He has taken this venture seriously and has improved a lot as an interviewer which is something that prior to this was not likely in his wheelhouse. What? What he was use too. What? Oh hell you get the idea.
I do also enjoy Chris Jericho and J.R’s podcasts that have started more recently. They are both entertaining guys and also seem to fit in very easily to this podcasting format. I am sure like Austin they will grow a comfort level and get better and better at it. Ross really already is fit like a glove for this type of thing. Jericho has done a variety of various things in entertainment and his natural humour comes shining through in something like this.
Before there was podcasts there was Radio and Live Audio Wrestling is a show that has lasted for over 15 years in one form or another on the airwaves in Canada. The days of just two hours of The Law on Radio late on a Sunday night are in the past. They still do that show currently on TSN 1050 in Toronto at 11-1 or if actual “Real” sports gets in the way 12-2am on Sundays.
However as part of The Fight network they have expanded to include a laundry list of podcasts that are just excellent wrestling content. Let’s see we have Review-a-Raw and Review-an-Impact which is pretty self explanatory. John Pollock and Wai Ting recap the goings on of a Raw Episode or Impact episode. Well they do but it also has a ton of side talk about a great many things including MMA to the hate of some but not myself. In fact I credit The Law for turning me around and making me a fan of MMA. It also is some just hilarious stuff that has nothing to do with wrestling at all.
John and Wai have a unique way of making a connection with their audience that allows me to feel like they are friends of mine even though I have never met either. I feel I have got to know them through all of the crazy stories that have nothing to do with wrestling. But they do eventual get to giving you a detailed rundown of Raw or Impact with great thoughts from both a business and fan prospective on the shows. Than at the end they take feedback from fans via their law message board in which you hear what the audience has to say if they are able to write it in plan English which sometimes is a struggle for some.
Review-A-Wai is a show where the two review old mostly wrestling based shows be it PPVS or old episodes of Raw. But they have more than a few times stepped out of the box reviewing documentaries and all kinds of things you would never expect. It is by far the most fun show they produce on a weekly basis and really is an enjoyable history lesson or trip down memory lane depending on how old you are.
What’s NXT is the newest Law Podcast that features Law Host Jason Agnew and newest member of Law Family Braden Harrington. It is like Review-a- Raw and Impact a review of WWE NXT but. Like the Pollock and Ting shows though it dives into the personal lives of the co-hosts as well. It gets a lot more out there than the chatter between Wai and John but is amusing and entertaining in its own way. The format is pretty much the same with a recap of the show and some thoughts on the product and upcoming talents in the WWE Developmental Show. Also they have feedback on both NXT and their podcast which can be somewhat entertaining given Jason’s lack of patience for stupidity if it is reflected in the feedback. This is a much kinder and gentler version of the Agnew that we get in comparison to The Law.
What show has become my favourite though in the Bauer and Pollack show which they jokingly call the King and the Fish. This however is perhaps the least joking show of the lot with a lot of hard news on the wrestling industry and mixed martial arts. Court Bauer is a former member of the WWE creative team, he ran his own promotion called MLW and now hosts his own Podcast with former WCW Talent Konan and a wacky character known as MSL. Will get to that podcast in a minute. But Pollock and Bauer is a real good education for people that want to understand the business side of this sport. Bauer also currently is working with ROH Wrestling in some former of advisory role that he has never truly defined.
There are fun moments but for the most part this is hard hitting analysis of the world of wrestling in all promotions not just the WWE and TNA. It is really interesting to hear things from the insider prospective the Bauer brings to this program. It is something that I honestly can’t miss on a week to week basis. When the show went a brief hiatus I was concerned it may not return with Bauer’s new role in Ring of Honour but it has. In fact I respect Court some much he is one of the people I reached out too when starting this blog back up. I got his opinion on it and if I was wasting my time here by writing this blog. His feedback was fairly positive so that meant a lot for me to get inspired to keep this idea going.
MLW Radio the podcast the Bauer is a part of is without a doubt the most off the wall podcast I have listened too. It is mix of the strange and bizarre with a lot of pop culture to pro wrestling all mixed with some humour that may not be for everyone. It is however just a crazy fun laid back show that offers some great stories from the past from K-Dawg and Bauer. MLS is a somewhat strange guy that has also worked in the business. I can’t really explain him he has to be experienced.
The show has its own language to some extent with phrases and expressions that you will come to understand as you listen over time. They shoot the breeze about wrestling and a variety of pop culture based things and on some episodes have a guest that joins in and becomes part of the mix. It is somewhat like an interview but more like having a fourth person in the mix that becomes the focus on the conversation. At the end of MLW episode you likely have laughed and maybe even learned a thing or two about the wrestling business.
MLW like The Law has other shows but some of them are part of a VIP package that you have to pay 15 dollars/year to listen too. The other free show they have is with Jim Cornette who has been a fixture in the wrestling business for decades. I started off listening to this as well but fell off after I just had my fill of Jim Cornette. If you love Jim you get a ton of him on this podcast. I like Jim but at times get burned out on him and can only take so much. What had me jump off that train was his bashing of Kevin Steen who I really like as a performer. Kevin and Jim have had their very public differences about Jim’s time in ROH. I just had heard enough and stopped listening after that. Cornette has the people he likes and people he does not and that is painfully obvious in anything he does. I can only take so much.
Between the Ropes is also like The Law a hub for a lot of great wrestling content. Brain Fritz and his crew do some excellent work with interviews and podcasts that are entertaining and informative stuff. Lots of news mixed with opinions done in a very professional way. A weekly podcast summing up Raw and live google hangout show is provided on a weekly basis with some great interviews with people in the business on a regular basis.
If your into the Google + Hangouts Straight Shoot with Aubrey Sitterson is also world a look. He actually took a suggestion I had for a game I had called Push, Re-Package and Fire and has really run with it. He has a really great guest list of people that act as his co-host for re-caps of Raw and Preview and Reviews of PPVs.
Last but not least are Mike and Maria in Wonderland which is a podcast with former WWE Diva Maria and her soon to be husband and ROH Wrestler Mike Bennett. This show is my guilty pleasure wrestling podcast. It isn’t all about wrestling and goes into other areas of life like politics and pop culture. What it reminds me of is the old reality show newlyweds with Jessica Simpson and Nick whatever his name was.
Not saying that Maria comes off like Jessica in fact she is a pretty smart cookie and nothing like the somewhat ditsy lovable character. Mike Bennett was/is a guy that a lot of people disliked in wrestling. I am not sure why exactly. I have never had that opinion but listening to him on this podcast would change some minds I think. He comes off as a pretty cool guy and very genuine. He is not afraid to express his opinions on any topic from gun control in the U.S to the pro wrestling business.
It is not for everyone as I found out when I professed my love for it but for me it is a great fun hour to 90 minutes that flies by with lots of laughs and the zany out of control nature the show has a tendency to do. This show does not work with much of a format but if it did likely wouldn’t be as fun as it is.
So that about covers the gambit of what I am listening to on a regular basis. Not a pod cast but if you don’t watch Kevin Steen’s Weekend Escapades or Colt Cabana’s World’s Worst Promo with Marty DeRosa you’re also missing some things that are pretty amusing.
Who needs the WWE Network I got podcasts for days up here in Canada.
There is a sea of wrestling podcasts and I am thinking about jumping into that ocean with one of my own in the not to distant future. I hope it can be as entertaining and fun as the ones I enjoy on this list. The Internet Wrestling Channel Podcast is coming soon. Get it IWC which is a term that I think needs to be put in the trash.
So I will run through some of my favourites that I do my best to listen too on a weekly basis. I think the original king of the wrestling podcast world is Colt Cabana. His Art of Wrestling show is for me the place where it all begins for wrestling podcasts. Colt has been doing his podcast since I believe somewhere around 2010 or 2011 long before podcasting was the rage it is today. He has interviewed everyone from wrestling legends from the past to guys that work on the independent scene that I knew very little about.
If you are one of the few that has not heard the Art of Wrestling it is an hour of Colt talking with his guest with the listeners getting to be a fly on the wall. It is based on wrestling and stories but sometimes dives into real life stuff both funny and serious. Colt makes an effort to steer away from the negative aspects of the wrestling business aside from the struggle that wrestlers go through. At the end of an episode of Art of Wrestling you will feel you have got to know someone better that you already knew or got to know someone you never knew and get to know someone you might not have ever known or heard of.
Perhaps the most popular podcast that has burst on the scene is Stone Cold Steve Austin’s show on Podcast One. It has led to a couple other WWE personalities getting involved with Podcast One in Chris Jericho and Jim Ross. Austin obviously can right his own ticket and booking whoever he wants on his show likely isn’t too difficult. Still Austin is an entertaining guy and if you are an Austin fan he is giving you everything you love about Stone Cold in his podcasts. He can be just as entertaining complaining about driving etiquette in L.A as he is at interviewing his guests.
What is great with Austin is while he can book pretty much his choice of wrestling talents he has not just stuck to the WWE world or just the Attitude Era wrestlers that he was a part of. Austin has had great podcasts talking with MMA fighters and with guys like Kevin Steen who wrestles in ROH. Even a nice tip of his hat to the aforementioned Colt Cabana as they both appeared on each others podcasts about 6 months ago. Even having fans on episodes taking calls has been something Austin has done most recently. The one thing that has become some what of a cult hit with people is Austin reading the ad copy for the sponsors on his podcast. It is something to be experienced rather than explained. He claims to bring a can of “Audio Whoop Ass” to every podcast and does his show for the “Working Man” but what he does is just give you everything you love about Stone Cold. He has taken this venture seriously and has improved a lot as an interviewer which is something that prior to this was not likely in his wheelhouse. What? What he was use too. What? Oh hell you get the idea.
I do also enjoy Chris Jericho and J.R’s podcasts that have started more recently. They are both entertaining guys and also seem to fit in very easily to this podcasting format. I am sure like Austin they will grow a comfort level and get better and better at it. Ross really already is fit like a glove for this type of thing. Jericho has done a variety of various things in entertainment and his natural humour comes shining through in something like this.
Before there was podcasts there was Radio and Live Audio Wrestling is a show that has lasted for over 15 years in one form or another on the airwaves in Canada. The days of just two hours of The Law on Radio late on a Sunday night are in the past. They still do that show currently on TSN 1050 in Toronto at 11-1 or if actual “Real” sports gets in the way 12-2am on Sundays.
However as part of The Fight network they have expanded to include a laundry list of podcasts that are just excellent wrestling content. Let’s see we have Review-a-Raw and Review-an-Impact which is pretty self explanatory. John Pollock and Wai Ting recap the goings on of a Raw Episode or Impact episode. Well they do but it also has a ton of side talk about a great many things including MMA to the hate of some but not myself. In fact I credit The Law for turning me around and making me a fan of MMA. It also is some just hilarious stuff that has nothing to do with wrestling at all.
John and Wai have a unique way of making a connection with their audience that allows me to feel like they are friends of mine even though I have never met either. I feel I have got to know them through all of the crazy stories that have nothing to do with wrestling. But they do eventual get to giving you a detailed rundown of Raw or Impact with great thoughts from both a business and fan prospective on the shows. Than at the end they take feedback from fans via their law message board in which you hear what the audience has to say if they are able to write it in plan English which sometimes is a struggle for some.
Review-A-Wai is a show where the two review old mostly wrestling based shows be it PPVS or old episodes of Raw. But they have more than a few times stepped out of the box reviewing documentaries and all kinds of things you would never expect. It is by far the most fun show they produce on a weekly basis and really is an enjoyable history lesson or trip down memory lane depending on how old you are.
What’s NXT is the newest Law Podcast that features Law Host Jason Agnew and newest member of Law Family Braden Harrington. It is like Review-a- Raw and Impact a review of WWE NXT but. Like the Pollock and Ting shows though it dives into the personal lives of the co-hosts as well. It gets a lot more out there than the chatter between Wai and John but is amusing and entertaining in its own way. The format is pretty much the same with a recap of the show and some thoughts on the product and upcoming talents in the WWE Developmental Show. Also they have feedback on both NXT and their podcast which can be somewhat entertaining given Jason’s lack of patience for stupidity if it is reflected in the feedback. This is a much kinder and gentler version of the Agnew that we get in comparison to The Law.
What show has become my favourite though in the Bauer and Pollack show which they jokingly call the King and the Fish. This however is perhaps the least joking show of the lot with a lot of hard news on the wrestling industry and mixed martial arts. Court Bauer is a former member of the WWE creative team, he ran his own promotion called MLW and now hosts his own Podcast with former WCW Talent Konan and a wacky character known as MSL. Will get to that podcast in a minute. But Pollock and Bauer is a real good education for people that want to understand the business side of this sport. Bauer also currently is working with ROH Wrestling in some former of advisory role that he has never truly defined.
There are fun moments but for the most part this is hard hitting analysis of the world of wrestling in all promotions not just the WWE and TNA. It is really interesting to hear things from the insider prospective the Bauer brings to this program. It is something that I honestly can’t miss on a week to week basis. When the show went a brief hiatus I was concerned it may not return with Bauer’s new role in Ring of Honour but it has. In fact I respect Court some much he is one of the people I reached out too when starting this blog back up. I got his opinion on it and if I was wasting my time here by writing this blog. His feedback was fairly positive so that meant a lot for me to get inspired to keep this idea going.
MLW Radio the podcast the Bauer is a part of is without a doubt the most off the wall podcast I have listened too. It is mix of the strange and bizarre with a lot of pop culture to pro wrestling all mixed with some humour that may not be for everyone. It is however just a crazy fun laid back show that offers some great stories from the past from K-Dawg and Bauer. MLS is a somewhat strange guy that has also worked in the business. I can’t really explain him he has to be experienced.
The show has its own language to some extent with phrases and expressions that you will come to understand as you listen over time. They shoot the breeze about wrestling and a variety of pop culture based things and on some episodes have a guest that joins in and becomes part of the mix. It is somewhat like an interview but more like having a fourth person in the mix that becomes the focus on the conversation. At the end of MLW episode you likely have laughed and maybe even learned a thing or two about the wrestling business.
MLW like The Law has other shows but some of them are part of a VIP package that you have to pay 15 dollars/year to listen too. The other free show they have is with Jim Cornette who has been a fixture in the wrestling business for decades. I started off listening to this as well but fell off after I just had my fill of Jim Cornette. If you love Jim you get a ton of him on this podcast. I like Jim but at times get burned out on him and can only take so much. What had me jump off that train was his bashing of Kevin Steen who I really like as a performer. Kevin and Jim have had their very public differences about Jim’s time in ROH. I just had heard enough and stopped listening after that. Cornette has the people he likes and people he does not and that is painfully obvious in anything he does. I can only take so much.
Between the Ropes is also like The Law a hub for a lot of great wrestling content. Brain Fritz and his crew do some excellent work with interviews and podcasts that are entertaining and informative stuff. Lots of news mixed with opinions done in a very professional way. A weekly podcast summing up Raw and live google hangout show is provided on a weekly basis with some great interviews with people in the business on a regular basis.
If your into the Google + Hangouts Straight Shoot with Aubrey Sitterson is also world a look. He actually took a suggestion I had for a game I had called Push, Re-Package and Fire and has really run with it. He has a really great guest list of people that act as his co-host for re-caps of Raw and Preview and Reviews of PPVs.
Last but not least are Mike and Maria in Wonderland which is a podcast with former WWE Diva Maria and her soon to be husband and ROH Wrestler Mike Bennett. This show is my guilty pleasure wrestling podcast. It isn’t all about wrestling and goes into other areas of life like politics and pop culture. What it reminds me of is the old reality show newlyweds with Jessica Simpson and Nick whatever his name was.
Not saying that Maria comes off like Jessica in fact she is a pretty smart cookie and nothing like the somewhat ditsy lovable character. Mike Bennett was/is a guy that a lot of people disliked in wrestling. I am not sure why exactly. I have never had that opinion but listening to him on this podcast would change some minds I think. He comes off as a pretty cool guy and very genuine. He is not afraid to express his opinions on any topic from gun control in the U.S to the pro wrestling business.
It is not for everyone as I found out when I professed my love for it but for me it is a great fun hour to 90 minutes that flies by with lots of laughs and the zany out of control nature the show has a tendency to do. This show does not work with much of a format but if it did likely wouldn’t be as fun as it is.
So that about covers the gambit of what I am listening to on a regular basis. Not a pod cast but if you don’t watch Kevin Steen’s Weekend Escapades or Colt Cabana’s World’s Worst Promo with Marty DeRosa you’re also missing some things that are pretty amusing.
Who needs the WWE Network I got podcasts for days up here in Canada.
There is a sea of wrestling podcasts and I am thinking about jumping into that ocean with one of my own in the not to distant future. I hope it can be as entertaining and fun as the ones I enjoy on this list. The Internet Wrestling Channel Podcast is coming soon. Get it IWC which is a term that I think needs to be put in the trash.
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