Category: Dragon King
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DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: O’Connor vs. Liger
We continue the GKT — Greatest Kayfabe Tournament — today with an interesting clash of styles between Pat O’Connor and Jushin Thunder Liger. O’Connor was a mat wrestling machine and NWA World Champion. Jushin Liger was a revolutionary high-flyer who later developed a tremendous mat wrestling style as well. It’s the past vs. future in today’s tournament matchup. Who…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: 1963 was a huge year in wrestling
1963 was a hugely eventful year in pro wrestling, especially in Japan and in the life (and death) of Rikidozan. But there was a lot happening in the United States, too. Verne Gagne and the AWA title, Lou Thesz vs. Buddy Rogers for the NWA title, Bruno Sammartino and the formation of the WWWF, plus…
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DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: Jericho vs. Superstar Graham
This is a fictional 64-man. single-elimination tournament that asks the question: “What if these wrestlers were real? Who would win?” This is not a “shoot” fight, nor an argument over who the best “worker” is. This tournament is about why we started watching wrestling to begin with — could Chris Jericho the character defeat Superstar…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: History of Wrestling, 1962-63
On this edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show. we continue the history of pro wrestling series and cover up to 1963. We also have another wrestling magazine from this year that fills in some blanks for us. Among the people discussed include Dick the Bruiser, Mike Sharpe Sr., Sputnik Monroe, Verne Gagne, Gene Kiniski,…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Savage vs. Misawa
On today’s episode, the World’s Greatest Kayfabe Tournament continues with match two of round one. Randy “Macho Man’ Savage (circa 1987) vs. Mitsuharu Misawa (circa 1994) in an epic battle to advance to round two and face Hulk Hogan. This one was close. The voting on Twitter (@dragonkingkarl) was neck and neck and ended in a…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Pro Wrestling in the early 1960s
We continue our timeline look at the history of pro wrestling on this edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show. We are now into the 1960s. Lou Thesz, Buddy Rogers, Verne Gagne, The Crusher, The Bruiser, The Sheik, and others are ruling the wrestling world. Join host Karl Stern as he takes the most detailed…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Hulk Hogan vs. Jerry Lawler
Today begins a new finite podcast series — the Greatest Kayfabe Wrestling Tournament. This is a fictional 64-man, single elimination tournament that asks the question “What if these wrestlers were real? Who would win?” This is not a “shoot” fight, nor an argument over who the best worke” is. This tournament is about what we…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Karl opens the mailbag
Today’s mailbag episode includes discussion on David Von Erich as NWA World Champion, Lou Thesz vs. Rikidozan and the NWA World title, SECW in 1980, and then a look at the June 23rd, 1985 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter which includes the debuts of Randy Savage, Brian Blair, Stan Frasier, and Terry Funk in…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The Sheik, Crusher & wrestling in 1959
On this installment of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, host Karl Stern wraps up the 1950s by looking at 1959. We also have a special treat for this episode. In addition to the timeline for that year, Karl has a copy of a wrestling magazine from 1959 which has some interesting articles, including a must-hear article…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: History of wrestling riots, more
We continue our longform history of pro wrestling series on today’s edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show. In part 34, we enter the mid-to-late 1950s and take a look at a famous riot in Madison Square Garden between Dick the Bruiser & Dr. Jerry Graham vs. Antonino Rocca & Edouardo Carpentier that got children banned…
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Karl Stern Classic Wrestling Show: Edouard Carpentier
On this edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show, our long form history of pro wrestling reaches the mid-1950s. We talk in detail about the NWA World title reign of Edouard Carpentier which spawned the WWA World title and, in a way, lead to the creation of the AWA World title and why you…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: History of wrestling into the 1950s
We continue our longform history of pro wrestling series and go deeper into the 1950s on this episode, with the NWA title reign of Lou Thesz and it coming to an end, Rikidozan in Japan, The Sharpe Brothers, and El Santo down in Mexico. Pro wrestling continues to grow across America as the NWA grows in…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Catch up with our longform series
This episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show is a catch-up show to allow new listeners to jump on and those who might have fallen behind to catch up. The longform history of pro wrestling series is essentially a college-level series on the history of pro wrestling. We have produced 30 parts so far, covering pro wrestling from…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Early NWA era
On the latest edition of the longform history of pro wrestling series, we journey into the first years of Lou Thesz as NWA World Champion. The NWA is beginning to flex its promotional muscle nationally, and Thesz is out there sweeping up the numerous off-shoot World Championships as promoters fall in line with the NWA. Mexico…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Giant-sized edition
This is a giant-sized edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show. Today, you get two shows packed into one. First, if you have been following the longform history of pro wrestling series then you know that the foundations of the National Wrestling Alliance were laid at least ten years earlier. We saw it finally come together last…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Formation of the NWA
In this episode of our continuing series on the history of pro wrestling, we look at the years 1946-1948 and see the build up and the formation of the National Wrestling Alliance. Why were there so many World Champions at this point? How did the NWA really form? Was Orville Brown really the first NWA…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: 1945 and the end of World War II
The first part of today’s show talks about pro wrestling history in general and why wrestling faces a bigger problem in television entertainment than other shows. With no offseason and no end of story plotting like other scripted shows, pro wrestling is at a disadvantage. Plus, Karl gets into some WWE talk. Then we resume…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Pro wrestling in 1943 and 1944
On this edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, host Karl Stern takes a look at 1943-44 in pro wrestling. How did World War II affect pro wrestling? Steve “Crusher” Casey is a major star and World Champion, which causes the creation of one of pro wrestling’s most interesting championships — the War Time Duration…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: 1942
On this episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, Karl Stern continues the longform history of pro wrestling series and dives deep into the year of 1942. If you are under the mistaken impression that nothing happened in the 1940s in pro wrestling, you will be surprised as the industry pushes on despite World War II.…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: 1940 and 1941
This edition of the longform history of wrestling series features wrestling historian Karl Stern talking about 1940 and 1941 in pro wrestling. The World title is fractured into many pieces and people like Lou Thesz, Steve Casey, Bronko Nagurski, and Orville Brown are battling for it. World War II is unfolding, pro wrestling is changing, and…