Tag: DragonKingKarl
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Marathon: Eric Darsie
On this episode of the July Classic Wrestling marathon, host Karl Stern is joined by Eric Darsie of the Wrestling With The Dawg podcast to discuss a later era of wrestling than Karl normally covers. Eric grew up a generation later than Karl and his golden era was the WWF Attitude Era and the Monday…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Marathon: AWA World title
Karl Stern goes solo for today’s show and talks the history of the AWA World Heavyweight title. Karl has done a couple of series on the history of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in the past, but, for the first time, he is tackling the top title for Verne Gagne’s AWA. How and why did the…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Marathon: Part three with Beau James
This show wraps up my conversation with author, wrestler, promoter, and historian “King of Kingsport” Beau James. We continue our look at Continental Championship Wrestling, southern pro wrestling, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and East Tennessee wrestling. Beau recently appeared on the HBO Vice News show after a story about one of his students went viral and brought a…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Marathon: Beau James returns
This episode continues my discussion with Tennessee wrestling expert Beau James. On this show we talk our favorite pro wrestling company — Continental Championship Wrestling. Beau knows everything there is to know about the Knoxville involvement in Continental and we talk the prime era of that promotion and names like Kevin Sullivan, Ron Fuller, Jimmy…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Marathon: Beau James
On this episode, we begin a series of conversations with a southern wrestler, promoter, and author. He and one of his wrestlers also went viral recently in a national news story about Appalachian wrestling and politics. He will be featured in an upcoming HBO piece as well. This episode features my friend and southern wrestling historian…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Marathon: Missing Midnight Express
Happy Independence Day! Today’s episode is a solo show where host Karl Stern talks about the interesting quandary of the Midnight Express in the Hall of Fame. Most people know that Dennis Condrey, Bobby Eaton, and Stan Lane are in the Hall of Fame as the Midnight Express, but there are actually two other major and original…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Marathon: Day three with Sempervive
This is the third and final segment of my conversation with Mike Sempervive. In this portion of our conversation we discuss the current state of pro wrestling and why we actually think wrestling is in a new golden age of sorts. How is modern wrestling even better than old school wrestling in some ways? And how…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Marathon: Day two with Sempervive
This is the second part of my conversation with the Wrestling Observer’s Mike Sempervive where we get into 1980s territorial wrestling, more tag team talk, Tommy Rich, enhancement wrestlers who became name stars, and much more! Among the topics that are discussed: Continuing our talk about 1980s tag team wrestling. The changing look of wrestlers…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Strangler Lewis vs. Joe Stecher
The mid-1920s were a wild and crazy time filled with gimmicks, elaborate storylines, and even a few shoots and double crosses. On this edition of the longform history of pro wrestling series, host Karl Stern takes a look at the rivalry between Ed “Stranger” Lewis and Joe Stecher and how Stecher eventually came to work…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Huge 1920s shoot match
On this episode we look at the era of Ed “Strangler” Lewis and some really interesting stuff that happened during the early 1920s, including a big shoot match between an Olympic silver medalist and a mystery opponent known only as The Unknown! It’s pro wrestling at its finest, only this wasn’t the 1980s — it…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Post-Frank Gotch era
We begin our look at the post-Frank Gotch era and a time dominated by Earl Caddock, Joe Stecher, Ed “Strangler” Lewis, and Wladek Zbyszko on today’s episode. Also, we look at the controversy surrounding the World Heavyweight title and two of the biggest matches of the era, including one that survives on film (Joe Stecher…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The Life and Times of Frank Gotch
In this 15th part of our history of pro wrestling series, we take a look at 1916-17 and the final year of the life of all-time legend Frank Gotch. A few of the topics I touched upon: The aftermath of the Manhatten Opera House International tournament The world title chase featuring Earl Caddock, Joe Stecher, Ed…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: WrestleManias I-III
On this episode, host Karl Stern takes a look back at the first three WrestleMania shows — WrestleMania I from Madison Square Garden in New York, WrestleMania II from three locations across the country, and WrestleMania III from Pontiac, Michigan and the controversy about the attendance number. Topics covered on this week’s show — How WrestleMania I was make or break and what…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Manhattan Opera Tournament
Pictured: Mort “Masked Marvel” Henderson Good grief Charlie Brown has Karl Stern got a show for you today. If you thought goofy gimmicks and outlandish Memphis-style wrestling was a 1970s southern invention, then let me introduce you to the 1915 Manhattan Opera House International Tournament. This tournament featured masked men, an investigative newspaper, a hypnotist gimmick,…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt II
Karl Stern’s longform history of pro wrestling series continues today, this time looking at the big rematch between Frank Gotch and George Hackenschmidt and the fallout from the biggest match in history up to that point. Who were the big stars following Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt II? Topics covered on this week’s episode — Frank Gotch faces George…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt I
We continue the longform history of wrestling series today as we reach one of the biggest milestones in pro wrestling history — the first Frank Gotch vs. George Hackenschmidt match. We also follow up with what happened next. Topics covered on this episode: Mailbag — Why didn’t Gotch drop the title and who would it have…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The first World Champion
We enter 1905 and finally get a true World Heavyweight Champion of professional wrestling on today’s episode of Karl Stern’s longform look at the industry’s history — but not without significant shenanigans. Topics covered on this week’s episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling show: American Champion Tom Jenkins loses to Frank Gotch. Tom Jenkins gets involved in…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: A look at the Frank Gotch era
On the tenth part of the longform history of pro wrestling series, we cover 1900-1904 today and talk a lot about Frank Gotch, his scam tour of the Yukon, the rise of George Hackenschmidt, Tom Jenkins, and more. But before we begin, the first segment of the show addresses the death of Jimmy Snuka. On this…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: A Longform History of Wrestling pt. 2
Image: Karl Stern In this continuing audio series on the history of pro wrestling, the first half of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show examines the recently found “Last Battle of Atlanta” match between Tommy Rich and Buzz Sawyer inside an enclosed steel cage from the Omni in Atlanta, GA in October 1983, followed by another steel…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling: A long-form history of pro wrestling pt. 1
Karl Stern begins an open-ended series about the history of professional wrestling, starting with the time before the pioneers of wrestling era even began. What exactly is pro wrestling and how did it come to be? Karl will be taking a deep look at this question and looking at President Abraham Lincoln’s time spent as…