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WOL: WWE needs a strong post-WrestleMania 36 plan

April 4, 2020 - WWE.com On the first-ever WrestleMania Saturday, it’s time for Wrestling Observer Live. On this edition of the show: – I preview of all of the matches even though we still don’t know the rundown for either night. – After being told last week that we would know more about the story that put Braun […]

Pacific Rim: Uncertainty, empty arenas and the Island Death Match

April 3, 2020 - From Seattle to Tokyo, this week the Pacific Rim Pro Wrestling Podcast updates you on how Fumi Saito and Kiki are coping with social distancing. Believe it or not, he’s watching even more wrestling. Fumi has some interesting thoughts on the Fujita-Shiozaki match and its 30-minute staredown. Rather than see the empty venue as a negative, they looked […]

WOL: Northeast Wrestling, WrestleMania preview, Wednesday ratings

April 3, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Jim Valley is back with tons to talk about including the full WWE WrestleMania lineup and thoughts on this weekend’s slate of shows. They also talk about AEW vs. NXT ratings and why they matter, a detailed look at the decline of Raw ratings following football season the […]

Wrestling Weekly: What WWE and AEW do if they can’t run shows

April 3, 2020 - Lee South/AEW On today’s Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa discuss the situation WWE and AEW find themselves in as their options for running shows appear to be running out, AEWs TNT Championship tournament, and the passing of CAC treasurer Dean Silverstone. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Big Audio Nightmare: The polarizing Shiozaki-Fujita match

April 3, 2020 - In this week’s solo voyage of the Big Audio Nightmare, I take you through the latest wrestling news in Japan including the cancellation of AJPW’s Champion Carnival and the mass cancellations taking place across the landscape. I also look at the incredibly polarizing empty arena GHC Title match between Go Shiozaki and Kazuyuki Fujita, a great […]

B&V: Bryan and Vinny review AEW and NXT head-to-head

April 2, 2020 - Lee South/AEW The Bryan & Vinny Show is back today with tons to talk about in our look at AEW and NXT from Wednesday night! We review both shows, talk about the ratings, and why they absolutely do matter even in the middle of a pandemic, and tons more. You can also watch this […]

WOL: More cancellations, WrestleMania price, AEW vs. NXT, Amber Nova, more!

April 2, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including more cancellations as a result of coronavirus, ROH making PPV more accessible and cheaper as WWE goes the opposite direction for WrestleMania, AEW vs. NXT notes, plus Amber Nova appears with tons to discuss including COVID-19 thoughts as […]

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: History of the NWA title, pt. 3

April 2, 2020 - On the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, I continued with the third part of the history of the NWA World heavyweight title. I take a look at the title from the time of Harley Race to the era of Ric Flair, how Race ended up bridging the gap between Dory Funk Jr. and Jack Brisco following Funk’s […]

WOR: More shutdowns, AEW vs. NXT, RAW ratings, New Jack, more!

April 2, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including more states shutting down and preventing wrestling and MMA from running, AEW vs. NXT from Wednesday night, Raw ratings, the New Jack documentary, and tons more. A packed show as always so check it out~! Timestamps: Start: Coronavirus […]

WOL: RAW ratings, news, then Paul London talks playing ELVIS

April 1, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including the atrocious RAW ratings for the go-home show for WrestleMania, how it compares to even a year ago, the three big questions going forward, and more, then, to turn the mood around, Paul London joins the show to […]

B&V: Yes, Thunder.

March 31, 2020 - The Bryan & Vinny Show is back today with tons to talk about in our look back at, no shit, the FIRST EPISODE OF THUNDER. We’ll explain why we made this horrible decision, then take you through what was, in fact, a terrible and terribly long pro-wrestling program. A fun show as always so check […]

Portland Wrestlecast free podcast: Remembering Dean Silverstone

March 31, 2020 - While Dean Silverstone technically ran his “Superstar Championship Wrestling” promotion in the northwest against Don Owen, his legacy is such that we have to dedicate an entire episode to Dean and his accomplishments. Jim Valley talks with one of Dean’s good friends — historian and Defy Wrestling promoter Matt Farmer. Matt talks about what it was like for Dean running […]

WOL: WWE PPV push, RAW, AEW new belt, Benjamin Boone and more!

March 31, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including WWE pushing PPV hard again, RAW from Monday night including what happened with Montez Ford, AEW’s new title and more, plus Benjamin Boone joins us to talk LOVE in professional wrestling, as he is the wrestling BACHELOR. A […]

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Spring 1981 in pro wrestling

March 31, 2020 - The spring of 1981 saw Harley Race continue his run as NWA World champion, Ron Fuller losing his smile and going home, Junkyard Dog cranking it up in Louisiana, Hulk Hogan battling Jerry Lawler in Memphis, a big name wrestler appearing on a game show, Sgt. Slaughter becoming a force in WWF, Don Muraco heading to WWF, and […]

WOR: RAW, WrestleMania line-up, AEW new title, tons more!

March 31, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including RAW from Monday night, the full WrestleMania line-up thus far, AEW’s new championship, and tons more. A packed show as always so check it out~! Timestamps: Start: Coronavirus discussion 4:15: Khabib/Tony off 12:59: AEW announces tournament for TNT […]

F4D: Smackdown, coronavirus lockdown, more!

March 30, 2020 - Filthy Four Daily with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with a lot to talk about including their current lockdown situations, Smackdown from Friday night with the Road to a WrestleMania which is different from what they promoted on Smackdown, a Male Bag repeat question and more. A packed show as always so […]

WOL: WrestleMania week, RAW, UFC, Limitless Wrestling and more!

March 30, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including WrestleMania Week line-up on the WWE Network, Khabib vs. Tony off for the 1,000th time, tons of feedback, plus Randy Carver joins us to talk LIMITLESS WRESTLING in Maine, their Pandemic At The Dojo series on IWTV, how […]

WOR: Jim Ross interview, part two

March 30, 2020 - In part two of Wrestling Observer Radio interview with Jim Ross, Dave Meltzer and Jim Valley talk to J.R. about his new book “Under the Black Hat”. Subscribers can listen to part one now while non-subscribers can get an eight minute segment of the chat on YouTube. In part two, we talk about AEW’s young talent, new roster […]

WOR: Jim Ross interview, part one

March 29, 2020 - On this special two-part Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Jim Valley talk to Jim Ross about his new book “Under the Black Hat“. JR talks about his favorite chapters, memories of his late wife Jan, the unique challenges faced by the wrestling business in these trying times, what he learned from Bill Watts, driving around Leroy […]

B&V&G: Granny says hello, Saturday Night’s Main Event May 1985

March 29, 2020 - The Bryan & Vinny & Granny Show is back today with tons to talk about. Granny joins us just for a couple of minutes to offer thanks to everyone and also tell us about a match she loved, then Bryan & Vinny remember Crazy Wayne and talk Saturday Night’s Main Event from Mother’s Day week […]

FREE WOL: Remembering Crazy Wayne, WrestleMania, Bodyslam in Denmark, more!

March 29, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including Bryan’s memories of his late uncle Wayne, who actually had several tie-ins to pro-wrestling dating back to the early 90s, WrestleMania update, and then Kristian Nielsen joins us from Denmark to talk Bodyslam Pro Wrestling! A fun show […]

DragonKing Dark: Smithsonian Channel ‘Sphinx’ documentary review

March 29, 2020 - This week on DragonKing Dark, I review the 2013 documentary from the Smithsonian Channel called Secrets: The Sphinx. Of all the ancient monuments in Giza complex in Egypt, one stands out as different from the others ss the great Sphinx seems out of place, out of scale, and older than the rest. The official archaeological […]

WOR: WrestleMania, Smackdown, ratings, Dana White, AEW, more!

March 28, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back and we’ve still got tons of news to talk about despite so much shut down. WrestleMania changes, Smackdown, ratings notes, Dana White and UFC, AEW notes, Luke Harper, tons of mailbag questions and more. A packed show as always so check it out~! Timestamps: […]

WOL: A deep dive into pro wrestling video games

March 28, 2020 - A pre-taped edition of SmackDown Friday didn’t update the Roman Reigns situation or that Braun Strowman is Goldberg’s new opponent at WrestleMania, so we’re talking wrestling video games on the Saturday edition of Wrestling Observer Live. As both a longtime wrestling fan and gamer, I have been playing wrestling video games nearly since their beginning. We talk about […]

WOL: Reigns off WrestleMania, more changes, plus Adrian Gomez on wrestling in China

March 27, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Jim Valley is back with tons to talk about including all of the latest news from WrestleMania, Roman Reigns off the show, Andrade off the show, new matches and more, then we’re joined straight from China by Adrian Gomez to talk pro-wrestling in that country, how it’s recovering […]

Wrestling Weekly: Should live wrestling still be happening?

March 27, 2020 - On today’s Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa return to talk about Roman Reigns pulling out of WWE WrestleMania, how to stay in shape with no gyms open, and ask if we’ve reached the point where WWE and AEW should stop running TV shows with live wrestling. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

WOR: Roman out of Wrestlemania, Goldberg’s new opponent

March 27, 2020 - It’s Wrestling Observer Radio with Dave Meltzer and Jim Valley. Roman Reigns is out of the main event of WrestleMania. Dave has the details on why Roman made the decision and what happened that may have influenced him. This means that Goldberg has a new opponent. Dave anticipates that we will see an angle on […]

B&V: Bryan and Vinny review AEW and NXT head-to-head!

March 26, 2020 - The Bryan & Vinny Show is back with tons to talk about in our look at AEW and NXT from Wednesday night. Both promotions did their best despite operating under not the best of circumstances, so we’ll talk about the highs and lows of both shows, ratings, who had the better show in our weekly […]

Big Audio Nightmare: Miyahara-Suwama, COVID-19’s continued impact

March 26, 2020 - The Big Audio Nightmare is back this week with continuing coverage of COVID-19’s impact on the world of professional wrestling in Japan and on all of our lives in general. In this week’s full show, Adam Summers and Mike Sempervive take you through the latest wrestling news in Japan like what shows are happening, what shows […]

WOL: AEW vs. NXT, teleportation, Donnie B and more!

March 26, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including AEW vs. NXT from Wednesday night, Matt Hardy teleporting, Jon Jones getting arrested again, and tons more, plus Donnie B joins us to talk OLD SCHOOL WRESTLING, canceled shows and more. A fun show as always so check […]

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: History of the NWA title, pt. 2

March 26, 2020 - In part two of my look at the history of the NWA World heavyweight title, I start with the decision in 1948 to form the National Wrestling Alliance, why Orville Brown was the first NWA World champion, why he was set to face Lou Thesz who also held an NWA World title, and everything you […]

WOR: Chris Benoit doc review, AEW vs. NXT, Vince sells stock, Japan

March 26, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including your mailbag questions on the Chris Benoit documentary, all the latest ratings news, Vince McMahon selling a bunch of stock, Japanese pro wrestling update, a full recap of both AEW and NXT from Wednesday night and tons more. […]

WOL: RAW ratings, Chris Benoit documentary, Black Sheep Justin Dream, more!

March 25, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Jim Valley is back with tons to talk about including RAW ratings from Monday night, the Chris Benoit documentary, WrestleMania taping schedule and tons more, plus the Black Sheep Justin Dream appears to talk his career, canceled bookings, working with ICP, and more. A fun show as always […]

B&V: WWF No Way Out 2001~!

March 24, 2020 - The Bryan & Vinny Show is back with tons to talk about in our weekly retro show. This week, we look at the great and highly recommended WWF No Way Out from 2001 which featured Steve Austin vs. HHH in a two of three falls battle and The Rock vs. Kurt Angle for the WWF […]

WOL: RAW, WrestleMania, Main Event Wrestling, more!

March 24, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including RAW, WrestleMania, WWE’s taping schedule, Rey Mysterio and Dana Brooke, great promos on RAW, and more, plus Nic Paterson joins us to talk his latest show being shut down due to coronavirus and how you can find out […]

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: A look at Dave Meltzer’s Andre The Giant bio

March 24, 2020 - One of Dave Meltzer’s first mega obituaries is the subject of this episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show. When Andre The Giant died while attending his father’s funeral in France, Dave wrote a near book length synopsis of his life in the February 8, 1993 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, packed full of […]

WOR: RAW, New Japan, WrestleMania changes, more!

March 24, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including New Japan cancelling shows while other companies continue to run in Japan, WrestleMania match changes due to wrestlers in quarantine, RAW from Monday night, tons of news, mailbag and more. A packed show, so check it out~! Timestamps: […]

F4D: Coronavirus in Seattle and Vegas, Smackdown, urine, more!

March 23, 2020 - Filthy Four Daily with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back today with tons to talk about including how coronavirus is affecting everything in Seattle and Las Vegas, Smackdown from Friday with some fucking HIGHS and some fucking LOOOOOOOWS, upcoming events and more. And Tom pisses. A fun show as always so check it […]

WOL: RAW, AEW, canceled shows, plus Izzac Mackenroth on IPW Australia!

March 23, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including the WWE taping schedule, Braun Strowman, AEW and their battles to tape, and tons more, plus Izzac Mackenroth appears to talk about IPW Australia and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

WOR: Japanese wrestling, WWE/AEW tapings, Gronk, ratings, mailbag

March 23, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including Japan opening up wrestling again, the Olympics, WWE taping RAW, NXT, Smackdown and WrestleMania over the next week, AEW taping notes for Wednesday, plus mailbag and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~! Timestamps: […]

B&V&G: Granny, NWA World Championship Wrestling from 1988!

March 22, 2020 - The Bryan & Vinny Show is back today with tons to talk about in our look at Retro NWA from December 1988! Starrcade with Luger vs. Flair is on the way and everyone is busy killing each other and whatnot on the road to the grandaddy of them all. We’re also joined by Granny for […]

DragonKing Dark: Bionic Man vs. Venus Death Probe

March 22, 2020 - This week on DragonKing Dark, host Karl Stern looks back at a series of popular Six Million Dollar Man TV episodes featuring a Soviet Venus probe that malfunctioned and landed in the United States and went on a terror spree. The Venus death probe was indestructible — built to withstand the harsh conditions of the […]

WOR: WrestleMania updates, AEW, Dark Side of the Ring

March 22, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Radio with Dave Meltzer and myself, guest co-host Garrett Gonzales, is back. It’s a social distancing episode as Dave and I aren’t recording from the same place for the first time in quite some time. We talk about the times we’re living in right now and how it’s affecting us. And then we […]

WOL: Gronk needs work, plus your all-time favorite performers

March 21, 2020 - It’s Wrestling Observer Live Saturday with Jim Valley. Before we get into all-positive talk about your favorites in the business, I need to talk about Rob Gronkowski on Friday Night SmackDown. While he may bring publicity and eyeballs to WWE, right now Gronk doesn’t have the exact charisma for pro wrestling. Wrestling is an art that […]

WOL: Japanese wrestling restarts, WWE taping schedule

March 20, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Jim Valley is back with tons to talk about including Japanese pro wrestling slowly opening up again and what measures are being taken, WWE taping a ton of shows over the next seven days, tons of emails and text messages and so much more. Be sure to check […]

Portland Wrestlecast free podcast: The Iron Sheik’s real shoot match

March 20, 2020 - On this new and free edition of the Portland Wrestlecast, it’s part two of our interview with former Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Champion Jerry Oates. Part one is available for subscribers. Oates talks about his tag team title run with partner Jesse Ventura in 1978, dealing with booking issues and politics with promoter Elton Owen and Dutch Savage while […]

B&V: Bryan and Vinny review this week’s AEW and NXT

March 19, 2020 - AEW The Bryan & Vinny Show is back today with tons to talk about including a full recap of the AEW vs. NXT battle from Wednesday night, plus ratings and tons of other notes. As always, you can watch the videos of Bryan & Vinny shows on our sister video subscription service, separate subscription […]

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: History of the NWA title, pt. 1

March 19, 2020 - The history of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship is rich and reaches back into the 1940s. During many of the last 100 years, the NWA World title was viewed as the most important championship in wrestling. Join historian Karl Stern on this journey through every NWA title change, including much about the early […]

WOL: WrestleMania two-day extravaganza, NXT vs. AEW, more!

March 19, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including WWE moving WrestleMania to two days, lessons to be learned from AEW’s empty arena show last night, tons of feedback and so much more. No interview today due to a lack of contact info but we’ll try with […]

WOR: WrestleMania changes, AEW vs. NXT, tons more!

March 19, 2020 - Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including WrestleMania running over TWO DAYS this year from the Performance Center, whether they should hold off WrestleMania or just get it over with, AEW vs. NXT and AEW proving that you actually can do shows from an empty […]