The Monumental Podcast: Recent Episodes
Mongo Underscore Ebooks
The Monumental Podcast is mostly a professional wrestling podcast about World Championship Wrestling. Actually, it is mostly about WCW in 1999 and the events surrounding the Great Poop Feud of 99 and its sequel, Poop Feud 2.
We take a break from pro-wrestling (except for the Hulkamatts of the Week) to talk Art Bell, specifically Bugs, the legendary Bigfoot killer but also Art in general. We briefly run down what we like about Coast to Coast AM, what we don't like, why I stopped listening, favorite episodes like Mel's Hole, and more. But we (unsuccessfully) try to focus on Bugs, the man who claimed to kill and bury two Bigfoot in the 70s. Who was Bugs? What do we think of his story? What do we know about Bugs today? You might be surprised!
Sources: Audio clips from 6/5/2001 Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell
Bio: https://www.coasttocoastam.com/guest/morgan-robert-w-5842/
Above Top Secret: https://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread430615/pg1
Wonkette: https://www.wonkette.com/p/nut-who-proved-obamas-an-alien-also-shot-killed-two-bigfoot-creatures-in-texas-32-years-ago
After five long years we have finished Hulk Hogan's first biography! Join us as HULKAMATT takes you through Hulk Hogan's 1998-2002 with stories you will not believe!
A common refrain is that we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to WWE and their recent sex trafficking allegations. How true is it that no one would know what Vince was up to? We go back through WWE's history of abuse scandals and look at how allegations in the Ring Boy Scandal, Ashley Massaro's claims and the most public allegation at Vince McMahon all involve multiple witnesses, or open knowledge by WWE talent and executives.
Sources:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/epv78z/ashley-massaro-wwe-vince-mcmahon-sexual-divas
https://www.businessinsider.nl/wwe-cofounder-linda-mcmahon-who-runs-trumps-biggest-super-pac-once-hired-a-suspected-child-molester-on-the-condition-that-he-stop-chasing-after-kids-he-didnt/
https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2021/02/14/mat-matters-cole-was-the-original-whistleblower-for-speakingout/
http://wrestlingperspective.com/issue/78/cole1.html
The NWA had a monumental year in 2023 where it went BEAST MODE! We talk about all of our favorite wrestlers from Beast Mode to Tyrus to all of our favorite matches such as the Devil's Last Dance Ultimate Hardcore War to the Knights of the Round Table Match! Join myself, Hulkamatt and The Nut Bunnies as we dive into Wrestling the Way It's Meant To Be!
It's part 2 of our 3 hour interview with David Bixenspan on the WWF Ring Boy Scandal. We go in depth on the accusations against Terry Garvin, how the WWF treated the Coles after the scandal died down, the lawsuits, depositions, and then finish things off with a completely unrelated Gabe Sapolsky story!
The audio started breaking up during the Gabe story so this episode ends a little abruptly after the Gabe story.
Read his article here: https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/wwe-cofounder-linda-mcmahon-who-runs-trumps-biggest-super-pac-once-hired-a-suspected-child-molester-on-the-condition-that-he-stop-chasing-after-kids-he-didnt-/articleshow/78938854.cms
Warning, this episode deals with explicit content regarding a child molestation scandal that may not be comfortable for all listeners.
We are back with another interview, this time interviewing journalist David Bixenspan (aka Bix) about the WWF Ring Boy Scandal, Mel Phillips, Terry Garvin, the company's response to the scandal, Vince McMahon's reported firing and rehiring of Phillips, how the story came up, etc. We go in depth on a lot of the details that have been otherwise ignored regarding this scandal so tune in!
Read his article here: https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/wwe-cofounder-linda-mcmahon-who-runs-trumps-biggest-super-pac-once-hired-a-suspected-child-molester-on-the-condition-that-he-stop-chasing-after-kids-he-didnt-/articleshow/78938854.cms
Warning, this episode deals with explicit content regarding a child molestation scandal that may not be comfortable for all listeners.
We are back with Part 2 of a 4+ hour interview with Pelle Primeau! Pelle finishes up talking about training at the ROH school, working for the company, an incredible story of his first trip to Florida for FIP, the most endearing Ricky Reyes story I've heard, Low Ki golfing and more! If you are feeling down this show will brighten your day.
Follow him on Twitter https://twitter.com/primeau31
Check out his GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-pelle-afford-legal-representation
We are back with a two part interview with former ROH star Pelle Primeau! We talk about running backyard shows in Philadelphia that drew more than most indies, the ROH training school, Seth Rollins getting pranked, Low Ki explaining things, CM Punk, Shane Hagadorn and so much more! You do not want to miss these prank stories, and Pelle's unique insight into training at the ROH school and why the school may not have turned out more successful students. An incredibly fun show!
Follow him on Twitter https://twitter.com/primeau31
Check out his GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-pelle-afford-legal-representation
Trinity Volume One, the Trinity movie you didn't know you needed to see! Join Hulkamatt and myself by going to Tubi and watching this great film, starring TNA Knockout Trinity! Stunts! Wrestling! Corvette!
We delve into possibly the worst major company wrestling PPV of all time, The Great American Bash 1999! Kevin Nash vs Randy Savage main events, Ric Flair vs Roddy Piper is on there too, plus Van Hammer vs Mikey Whipwreck! Amaze at Hulkamatt predicting this 21 year old wrestling show!
Will Nick Gage get revenge on Ricky Shane Page? Why am I posting this two months late? Well I got extremely busy and then a global pandemic made me lose track of time! Join Hulkamatt and myself to run down Game Changer Wrestling's Run Rickey Run! This was recorded in the car so the audio is rough, and we sometimes don't remember things, but hey you need audio to listen to! GCW!
We break down the second half of the NY64 bracket, the alleged Sex Predator wing of the bracket. Well, there's some racists too. We'll go over Jerry Lawler, Bill Watts, The Big Boy Scandal, Invader 1, Inoki, Andre the Giant and more!
We are back after a broken computer with THE NY64 2: WARRIOR WARRIOR MEMORIAL AWARD TOURNAMENT! It is a tournament to decide the alleged worst person in WWE history! We run down the first half of the bracket with entries from Chris Benoit to Vince McMahon to Gabe Sapolsky!
We are back with Hollywood Hulk Hogan's "Hollywood Hulk Hogan" we start with the steroid scandal and then go through the nWo era! Everything from Jesse Ventura to the 3 Ninjas is covered!
Looking for thoughts on the big Piper, Sting or Warrior matches? Too bad he ignores them all!
We are back with more of Hulk Hogan's memoir, Hollywood Hulk Hogan by Hollywood Hulk Hogan! We continue through this book and compare it to the only other book we possibly can, The Holy Bible. What does Hogan's book have in common with biblical scholarship? Find out inside! Also WrestleMania, No Holds Barred, Spielberg and more!
We are back after our 3rd annual trip to Game Changer Wrestling's Tournament of Survival! It was a crazy night of death matches including encounters with the Great Sasuke, KENTA, as well as the GCW crew of Nick Gage and more! We run down the whole show and so much more! We should be back soon with more Hogan.
We are back with more of Hulk Hogan's completely truthful memoir! Learn all of the real facts about Hogan's early WWF career! Learn something about Mike Sharpe that is actually true!
We are back to break down Hollywood Hulk Hogan's first autobiography "Hollywood Hulk Hogan" (with Michael Jan Friedman.) This is Hogan's "worked" memoir as he would release another later on that told the "real story." That one was mostly bullshit too! Join us as Hogan tells us about his childhood, engages in ridiculous fat shaming and breaks into the business!
If you have the book we'll be reading up to page 135 for next weekend. Feel free to submit fake quotes I can fool Hulkamatt with next time. Full credit to the 372 Pages podcast for that idea.
Also I might be wrong about doubting the Hogan/Matsuda broken leg story. I'd read it didn't happen but Ron Fuller seemed to think it had? I'm not sure!
Sources: Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Michael Jan Friedman, "Hollywood Hulk Hogan" WWE Books, 2002.
We are back with Erick Stevens talking his "big" push in ROH and why it flopped, plus hilarious stories or burials involving nearly everyone! Erick has tremendous insight into what went wrong with his FIP Championship push, and a slightly counterintuitive idea about how it should have been done. We go through the death of his push and why he left the company and wrestling.
Plus a fantastic story about Nigel, Roderick Strong and the Hangm3n, hilarious stories about Necro Butcher, Kenny Omega, the Briscoes, burials of Delirious, Justice Pain, Aries, Davey Richards, Elgin and so many more. I have never laughed more in two hours. Thank you so much for doing the show Erick.
We are back with Erick Stevens, the 2007 Wrestling Observer Rookie of the Year! In part 1 we talk how Erick got into the business, how he met Roderick Strong followed by some incredible Roddy stories, how horrible the Florida indies were in the aughts, tape trading, FIP, Steve Madison, and his introduction into ROH with the Gang Wars of 2007. Erick is incredibly open about his career, the guys he liked, the guys he can't stand and what he thinks went right and wrong. This is part 1 because I was laughing so hard my USB cable slipped out.
You can find Eric here: www.YouTube.com/familyfooddude
and on Instagram @FamilyFoodDude
We are back, this time to talk about Nigel McGuinness, the undisputed greatest champion in ROH history! The 90's Rememberer Nut Bunnies joins Hulkamatt to talk Nigel, his heel turn, Gabe Sapolsky's questionable booking in 2008, Adam Pearce's questionable booking in 2009 and so much more! Lots of talk about one of the most interesting year's in Ring of Honor.
We are back with the history of TNA! We go in depth on Jonny Fairplay's TNA run and a bit about his pre TNA wrestling career! Learn about his crazy contract with TNA, how he got it, how TNA immediately violated it and much more!
Sources:
Bryan Alvarez, Figure 4 Daily, Interview with Jonny Fairplay
Bryan Alvarez, Figure 4 Weekly, various 2003/2004 issues
Alex Marvez, "No Wrestling With a Conscience" South Florida Sun Sentinel 12/26/03
Free Ron Niemi Legal Defense Fund: https://www.talkwhateveronline.com/threads/nwa-florida-and-ron-niemi-need-your-help.17292/
Game Changer Wrestling presented THE DYNASTY in Asbury Park NJ and what a show it was! Join us in the car (so the sound quality is no good!) as we rundown the card including PCO vs Masato Tanaka, Orange Cassidy vs Kikutaro, Nick Gage, KTB, Jungle Boy, Motorcycle Enthusiast Shlak, Teddy Hart promos with no Teddy Hart and more!
It's the 50th episode! We're going to pretend this is a big mega episode when it was just going to be more history of TNA! Join us as Hulkamatt gives his thoughts on the #NY64, we read from Russo's book, dive into his 2003 booking run, his firing from the company, what this meant for storylines, how they took a TNA like turn, Joe E Legend's Wikipedia and most importantly...
HULKAMATT PREDICTS THE WRESTLEKINGDOM CARD BLIND! Skip to 53:00 if you only want to hear this.
My new favorite segment in podcast history.
Sources:
Vince Russo: Forgiven, One Man's Journey from Self Glorification to Santification, 2005 ECW Press
Bryan Alvarez, Figure 4 Weekly 12/29/2003
Wikipedia, Joe E Legend: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_E._Legend
The New York 64 is a tournament to establish the most disgusting thing WWE has (allegedly) ever done. Please follow @NY64Tournament on twitter https://twitter.com/NY64Tournament and vote in each round. The 4 way play in rounds begin today!
On one bracket we have policies or events that are more business practices than storyline events. On the other we have gimmicks, angles, storylines and other televised entertainment. They will meet in the finals to decide the worst of all!
@epitasis and I discuss this tournament, the selection and brackets!
Join us for a review of the Best of Music 14 and Game Changer Wrestling: Tha G Code! Hear all about problematic bikers, Teddy Hart, perhaps the craziest death match of the year, and your main event Nick Gage vs Jack Evans!
We are back with the history of TNA! This time we go into Hulk Hogan's planned debut with TNA at Bound for Glory 2003. What was the plan? What were they thinking? No really, what were they thinking? Also Hulkamatts of the Week.
Sources: TNA Press Release
Bryan Alvarez's Figure 4 Weekly
Writer Cath returns to the show to talk about her experience on The Jericho Cruise, AKA The Chris Jericho Rock and Rager At Sea! Find out who threatened to murder her in cold blood, what was great, what was less great and who was the coolest cat at sea. Over an hour of memories of the greatest cruise in the history of wrestling!
Have you heard about the Nitro book everyone is talking about? Well, some people are talking about. You may have heard it's incredibly well researched and better than the Death of WCW. Is it? We'll go into the good, bad and ugly of the book. Who is it for? What does it get right, what does it get wrong? Join us for almost 90 minutes of analysis of the most significant wrestling book of 2018!
For more information on the book or to buy it, visit the official site: https://wcwnitrobook.com/item/nitro-the-incredible-rise-and-inevitable-collapse-of-ted-turners-wcw-paperback
This podcast is not about wrestling, it's about Bobby Fischer. Why? Because Hulkamatt was watching a bunch of chess and suddenly discovered Bobby Fischer was not such a great guy. So I linked him to an article and it was decided we should do an episode. So join us for an episode where Hulkamatt does half of the talking and we discuss the life and times of Chess Grand Master, World Champion, Anti-Semite, Cult Member and overall unstable person Bobby Fischer. From his upbringing to running away from airports to breaking international law, it's all here!
Sources:
Bobby Fischer Against the World, Directed by Liz Garbus, 2011
Bobby Fischer Speaks Out!
https://hwarmstrong.com/ar/Fischer.html
Bobby Fischer and the Worldwide Church of God: http://tartajubow.blogspot.com/2012/06/bobby-fischer-and-worldwide-church-of.html
Darrach, Brad "The Day Bobby Blew It" Playboy, Reprinted by The Daily Beast, accessed 10/13/18 https://www.thedailybeast.com/bobby-fisher-was-a-genius-and-a-jerk
We are back with the history of TNA! We have some major shake ups in TNA Management in May of 2003 and we are here to cover them. Who is in? Who is out? How will TNA try to become a national player? Join us to find out!
Sources:
Borash, Jeremy. "From the Inside" accessed 10/13/18 https://web.archive.org/web/20030629182413/http://nwatna.com:80/2003/06/27/inside.shtml
Alvarez, Bryan, Figure 4 Weekly, 5/28/05
Meltzer, Dave, Wrestling Observer Newsletter 7/13/15
Behrens, Bill. TNA Ownership Timeline. 8/6/2009, accessed 10/13/18 http://www.mandatory.com/wrestlezone/news/191273-tna-ownership-timeline-with-comments-by-former-employee/3
Dixie Carter's 2007 US House Congressional Committee testimony
Now with fixed audio! Join @ChampJulius and I as we go in depth about LA Park vs Rush! We talk both men's careers, how the feud began, what makes it so great, where LA Park might be going from here, our favorite matches, our favorite spots, and so much more. This was meant to be an hour long but when we did an off the cuff history of LA Park's career and a bit on Rush there was no stopping things!
Sorry for the double upload, I didn't mix it. Hulkamatt is on vacation so we'll be back to the History of TNA in a week or so!
We are back! After the Hulkamatt of the Week we get to this week's topic, Joanie Laurer (Chyna) and her run in New Japan! How did Antonio Inoki decide to bring her in? How was her big match with Chono promoted? Why did he decide to make her a shooter? Find out in this tribute to Inokiism!
My notes were corrupted right before recording so I lost my sources. Beyond cagematch, the Best Damn Sports Show Period, Observers, Figure 4s, an interview with Sean Waltman I also used some message boards from the time for context. I can't find a couple of them now. Sorry!
We are back with a special guest! Bryan of Street Fight Radio joins Hulkamatt to predict 15 year old tournaments they've barely ever heard of! They'll pick winners from the Anarchy Alliance and infamous Hard 10 Tournaments! Plus Hulkamatt reviews Jarrett vs Raven, we watch the finals of the Hard 10 tournament and give the history of BEER Wrestling! An action packed show.
It's the third and final part of your SEX Education! We go through the Raven vs Jarrett feud, the return of Russo, the power struggles, everything we can think of! Plus a Hulkamatt of the Week that exposes how long it took me to edit this.
Sources: Watching 100 TNA PPVs and Dave Meltzer's LAW recaps from March through June 2003
Hulkamatt is back so that means it is time to continue the history of TNA! We start with the debut of Raven, and talk about all the big names, Nikita, Dusty, Schiavone, Larry Legend, The Road Warriors, all of the brave heroes who stood up to Vince Russo and SEX! We'll be back with SEX Part 3!
Sources:
OWW's SEX Guide and their TNA recaps were very useful in figuring out what happened when and how! http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/bios/s/sports-entertainment-xtreme/
We're back, well I'm back because Hulkamatt is still sick! I'm joined by Writer Cath (@W_Cath_SA) to review WWA The Inception! Yes another World Wrestling All Stars PPV! We'll discuss the show, events surrounding the show and delve more into the early "Internet Wrestling Community" by taking a look at Scott Keith's review of it.
Sources: Keith, Scott "The Smark Rant for WWA The Revolution" 2/25/02, accessed 7/3/18 https://411mania.com/wrestling/the-smark-rant-for-wwa-the-evolution/
Hulkamatt is sick, so we are on a brief hiatus from the history of TNA which means it is a great time to invite Nut Bunnies back on the show to discuss Bryan Danielson's ROH title reign! We go through what led up to it, the major stories, the matches, the injuries, memories of the time, some repetitive booking and some great booking! Join us for 2 hours of Danielson plus this week's Deej Award!
Warning: This is a non wrestling episode! In fact this episode may appeal to no one on the planet! Join us as Hulkamatt, Nut Bunnies, musical visionary CJM Venter and myself go through the history of the Beast of Music, a series of mix tapes of bad music we made in the late aughts. After Venter tells us about his 2003 summer vacation for 10 minutes we discuss musical legends such as: Jan Terri, Complete, Raffi, The Donut Man, The Shaggs and actual legends like Wesley Willis and Sun Ra.
We sing songs, discuss his classic covers in depth and talk about outsider music (and some just plain bad music for 2 hours.)
Music discussed:
Venter's Biscuits and Gravy Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_TCxFtYSSo
His cover of Real American: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3riNnlH3h5I
His cover of Journey to Mars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko9m2IhD4xc
Jan Terri's Journey to Mars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u0MjpHaRQw
Losing You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO2oayC54dg
Raffi Cool It: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqGp_Bd0tsE
Average Homeboy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXb6bjCCtuY
Hank Williams Jr, If the South Would've Won: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxEmry5lRKk
Complete, Hot as Hell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRnPE1u4ruM
Complete Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3hVEy8Y8dg&t=1s
Sun Ra Nuclear War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsPrINajncU
The Most Unwanted Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gPuH1yeZ08
On the show I mistakenly credited "The Taster" to Mad Man Marcum. Mad Man Marcum was a frequent Art Bell guest. The song is by Wild Man Fischer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBlqB8dhgZM
Luie Luie: The Touchy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6WeDMg40qc
Ms Peachez Fry that Chicken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGrqW3nx5HM
We close out 2002 with the end of Jerry's diary! Jerry sends an email to Jeff outlining why Jeff Jarrett will be a great NWA Champion and how the fans will love him. He buries R-Truth, buries Jeff, buries Dixie, buries Russo and well buries everyone.
Also this week's Deej Award winner!
Sources: Jarrett, Jerry, the Story of the Development of the NWA TNA, Trafford, 2004.
D'Lo Brown's TNA debut video: https://youtu.be/lggf4uBYLsg
The Woods
Jerry Jarrett's Twitter @JerryJarrett
Our review of Game Changer Wrestling: Zandig Tournament of Survival 3! Warning: This is a car episode, if you don't want to listen to lower than usual audio quality, skip this one! Hear about all of the matches, all the crazy death match stuff we remember, Nick Gage, the Nazi collaborator, Ciclope, PCO, Joey Janela, the insane weapons, and so much more! This show was so crazy we forgot about a dude using a Sawzall on his opponent.
We are back to talk about sexual harassment in TNA! Namely with regard to Goldy Locks. What happened to her? What did TNA do? What did she do? Plus more on her career and CRUSH EM CELL PHONE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7TeqPm1KyE
Also this week's winner of the True Warrior Award!
Sources
Jarrett, Jerry. The Story of the Development of the NWATNA, Trafford 2004.
Bruce, S. More on TNA Lawsuits, TNA History of Sexual Harassment, CagesideSeats, https://www.cagesideseats.com/2011/7/1/2254343/more-on-tna-lawsuits-tnas-history-of-sexual-harrassment 7/1/11, Accessed 5/24/18
Steve Gerweck, "Goldy Locks" http://www.gerweck.net/2010/02/08/goldylocks/ 2/8/10, Accessed 5/24/18
We take a break from the history of TNA to invite the world famous "Nut Bunnies" on the show to pay tribute to TAKESHI MORISHIMA! The greatest ROH Champion of all time! This Morishima sized episode clocks in at almost 3 hours long as we discuss his match with Samoa Joe and his title reign as well as a bit about the overall ROH product at the time. Join us for a match by match history of Morishima as ROH champion!
Jerry Jarrett's life gets turned upside down, then he decides to quit, then he decides not to, and invents SEX! Join us for the origin story of Sports Entertainment Xtreme, one of the worst stables and storylines in wrestling history.
Sources:
Jarrett, Jerry. The Story of the Development of the NWATNA, Trafford 2004.
Johnson, Matt "Catching Up with Jerry Jarrett" SLAM Sports http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2008/12/28/7867801.html 12/28/08, Accessed 5/14/18
Jerry Jarrett sent a letter to Chris Sobol of Panda Energy (and now of TNA) to explain wrestling to him, and explain he does. We go through his entire treatise of wrestling to see how much we buy into Jerry Jarrett's theory of wrestling, how well it explains TNA so far, the business then and now, and everything involved in this!
Sorry if some of the audio is rough my allergies hit me this week after Hulkamatt was getting over his illness. That's why we're so late with this episode.
Bruno Sammartino died yesterday and I was reminded of two issues of the Apter Mags I found at an antique store a few months ago. Both had cover stories about Bruno. So let's do what this podcast does best and read other people's content (including some amazing ads.) Hopefully Stanley Weston can forgive me up there. No Hulkamatt on this episode he'll be back next time. It's just me reading some magazines. The first issue covers a controversial finish in a match with Superstar Billy Graham, the second covers his protégé. Exciting content!
Sources: Inside Wrestling (April 1976)
The Wrestler (May 1977)
Jerry Jarrett's war on the dirt sheets! The Pro Wrestling Torch gets his dander up and it is time to ban all communication with the newsletters. At the same time he's stressing out over the Panda deal, and someone is whispering in Dixie's ear.
Sources
Jerry Jarrett: The Story of the Development of the NWA TNA, 2004.
Alex Marvez, Nwa/tna Gives Race Car Driver Chance To Learn The Ropes 11/8/2002, Accessed 4/6/18 http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-11-08/entertainment/0211061042_1_tna-nwa-race
Alex Marvez, Truth Is, Outspoken Killings Is Making Plenty Of Waves, 10/25/2002, Accessed 4/6/18 http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-10-25/news/0210231113_1_wwe-tna-nwa
Brett Buchanan "Daniels & Kazarian’s History of TNA Creative Teams" 9/14/2014 Accessed 4/6/18 http://archive.alternativenation.net/daniels-kazarian-history-of-tna-creative-teams/
We spend an hour and a half talking about a period where The Ultimate Warrior wrestled 4 matches! We go deep into his WCW run, the injuries, ripple effects, angles, contract and more. We talk his feud with Something Awful Dot Com, his abhorrent, reprehensible beliefs, his hate speech tour, his attempt to rip off DDP Yoga and get really, REALLY mad in the process. Warning, if you do not want to hear Ultimate Warrior's views quoted, do not listen to this episode. Seriously, his views are worse than you remember.
If you want to hear someone get so worked up that they repeatedly rant about hating the Warrior, do listen to this episode.
Sources:
Basically every Wrestling Observer Newsletter from June of 98 - December of 98.
Harris, Keith "Ultimate Warrior's WWE Implosion" Cage Side Seats 4/22/14, accessed 4/5/18 https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2014/4/22/5620952/ultimate-warriors-wwe-implosion-and-recent-resurrection
Petchesky, Barry "The Ultimate Warrior Was an Insane Dick" Deadspin 4/9/14 accessed 4/5/18 https://deadspin.com/the-ultimate-warrior-was-an-insane-dick-1561275496
Kyanka, Richard "Something Awful vs The Ultimate Warrior" Something Awful 4/11/2005 Accessed 4/5/18 http://www.somethingawful.com/legal-threats/legal-threat-ultimate/1/
Warrior, Various Blog Entries from www.ultimatewarrior.com, dates unknown due to deletion of website and removal from Way Back Machine. Exact quotes screenshotted for archival purposes.
Just in time for the Warrior Award at the WWE Hall of Fame, it is the Life and Times of The Ultimate Warrior Part 1! We chronicle the Warrior up until December of 1997. The bodybuilding, the commercials, Warrior University, his WWF runs, his smattering of indie matches, the hold ups, all the little details that make Warrior, Warrior.
Sources:
O'Rourke, Liam, Crazy Like a Fox: The Definitive Chronicle of Brian Pillman 20 Years Later, CreateSpace, 2017.
Literally dozens of issues of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter from 1991-97 and 2012-2014. I'll try to list them shortly.
WWE, The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior, 2005
Harris, Keith, Ultimate Warrior's WWE Implosion, 4/22/14, Accessed 4/1/18 https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2014/4/22/5620952/ultimate-warriors-wwe-implosion-and-recent-resurrection
Commercials:
Westway Ford: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE0ZESNF7dE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaSsMLD2XyY
Warrior University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn-64f7bqjM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yyu5IMHEWbY&t=23s
I said I'd catch us up on weekly PPVs through September and well... nope. These shows are so bad they stink to even talk about! We get through Weekly PPV #5, so don't worry we get to the famous Puppet The Psycho Dwarf Maturbating in a Trashcan incident!
It's September of 2002 and TNA needs a savior. Luckily Jerry Jarrett feels God is working in mysterious ways to save TNA. Dixie Carter's dad Bob owns Panda Energy and they want to buy TNA! Learn the details of the deal and just what TNA was doing with their money at this time. Also learn what bizarre stuff Jerry published in his book. He's basically your mom, if your mom ran TNA.
Jerry Jarrett: The Story of the Development of the NWA TNA, 2004.
Bryan Alvarez: Figure 4 Weekly,9/23 and 9/30/2002.
It's come to this: Hulkamatt has watched a show. Join us as we review the first ever World Wrestling All-Stars Pay Per View: THE INCEPTION! What did Bret Hart do on the show? What is a Tits, Whips and Buff Match? What records have I broken? Is this the worst PPV of all time? All will be revealed as we review WWA: THE INCEPTION!
We had to get here eventually, TNA is about to die so here comes its savior, Dixie Carter! Let's take a look at the life and personality of Dixie Carter. Is she really just a nice mom who happened to buy a wrestling company?
Sources:
Jerry Jarrett, The History and Development of the NWA TNA (2004)
6 Star Wrestling, Dixie Carter Interview, 8/27/09 Accessed 3/2/18 http://s13.zetaboards.com/6StarWrestling/topic/6635430/1/
Diva Dirt, Exclusive: Awesome Kong on TNA Departure, ROH Return, Bubba, Praise from Stone Cold & More, 4/30/10 Accessed 3/03/18 http://www.diva-dirt.com/22918/exclusive-awesome-kong-on-tna-departure-roh-return-bubba-praise-from-stone-cold-more/
Stephanie Stewart-Howard, Dixie Carter's Home in Nashville, Accessed 3/03/18 http://www.nashvillelifestyles.com/entertainment/dixie-carter-at-home-in-nashville
Emma Sinclair, How Dixie Carter Made an Impact on Hulk Hogan's Wrestling Firm, 1/28/13, Accessed 03/03/18 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-business/9826195/How-Dixie-Carter-made-an-impact-on-Hulk-Hogans-wrestling-firm.html
Kendra Myers, TNA Entertainment Tags Alumna Dixie Carter to Put Headlock on its Competition, Business First, Accessed 03/03/18 https://web.archive.org/web/20070410102348/http://www.olemissbusiness.com/BizFirst/Spring2006/issue2page1.html
United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Interview of Dixie Carter, US House of Representatives, 12/6/07
If you thought Jerry Jarrett had lost his mind before you haven't seen anything yet! In this episode Hulkamatt fights illness to hear the story of Jerry Jarrett falling into a completely delusional state as TNA collapses around him.
Sources:
Bryan Alvarez, various August 2002 Figure 4 Weekly Issues
Jerry Jarrett: The Story of the Development of the NWA TNA, 2004.
We continue with TNA's financial difficulties as they sue Jay Hassman and Len Sabal for stuff! This episode might not be good to listen to with headphones as there is the loud reading of all capital lettered text.
Len Sabal, "Defendent in NWA TNA Lawsuit Issues Statement to Pro Wrestling Torch" 8/5/02, accessed 2/15/18 https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/TNA_News_1/article_84.shtml
The Tennessean 8/8/02
Bryan Alvarez, Figure 4 Weekly 8/19/02
Jerry Jarrett, The Story of the Development of the NWATNA, 2004
PRNewswire: J. Sports & Entertainment LLC Files Lawsuit Against Marketing & PPV Consultant; Consultant Did Not Disclose Relationship With World Wrestling Entertainment. 7/30/02
We step away from the history of TNA for some breaking news: Jeff Jarrett is going into the WWE Hall of Fame! We talk about his Hall of Fame worthiness, how he's managed to screw up everything he's ever been apart of, why we are and aren't surprised he's going in and more! This is episode 19 because Episode 18 was already recorded but won't be up until mid week.
We're back and so is Vince Russo! Following the first TNA PPV Jerry Jarrett discovered writing a wrestling show is lots of work! Who better to hire to help him out than Russo? Find out about all of the internet feuds this kicks off and how TNA discovers the shocking reality that no one is buying their PPVs.
At the end we have a quick tribute to Skinty McEdger. This was supposed to go before the show but it didn't seem right, so we added it to the end of this episode. Given we had to abort recording yesterday due to being down in the dumps about his death, it wouldn't be right to dump that on our listeners right out of the gate. Thank you to all who listen.
Sources:
Len Sabal, "Defendent in NWA TNA Lawsuit Issues Statement to Pro Wrestling Torch" 8/5/02, accessed 2/15/18 https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/TNA_News_1/article_84.shtml
The Tennessean 8/8/02
Bryan Alvarez, Figure 4 Weekly 8/5/02
Jerry Jarrett, The Story of the Development of the NWATNA, 2004
PRNewswire: J. Sports & Entertainment LLC Files Lawsuit Against Marketing & PPV Consultant; Consultant Did Not Disclose Relationship With World Wrestling Entertainment. 7/30/02
Dave Meltzer, Gigantic Wednesday Update, The LAW accessed 2/14/18 via https://web.archive.org/web/20020714165428/http://www.liveaudiowrestling.com/wo/news/headlines/default.asp?aID=5340
PW Torch, "TNA and Jay Hassman Settle Lawsuit" 7/16/02 accessed 2/14/18 https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/TNA_News_1/article_4541.shtml
PW Torch, "Hassman Makes First Comments in Response to TNA Lawsuit" 8/19/02 accessed 2/12/18 https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/TNA_News_1/article_280.shtml
Meltzer on Russo, WrestlingClassics Accessed on 2/15/18 http://wrestlingclassics.com/cgi-bin/.ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=print_topic;f=9;t=049938
Bob Ryder "A History of Ruthless Aggression" 1wrestling.com 7/27/02, Accessed 2/17/18 http://www.1wrestling.com/columns/frombob/default.asp?B1=View+Column
It's the first NWA TNA Pay Per View! Who will be crowned NWA Champion? Will there be men dressed like penises? Penii? Join us as we rate this PPV according to Jerry Jarrett's own principles for wrestling booking!
Sources:
The PPV and Christian York's Wikipedia entry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_York
The history of TNA cannot be told without the legendary man who broke the ring on the first show: Cheex! Learn the story of Mike Staples AKA Rolling Thunder, who he was, what happened to him and more. We delve into what we know, what we think we know and personal tragedy he overcame.
Sources:
Taylor Loyal "Wrestler Prepares to Throw in the Towel" The Roanoke Times 6/1/01
Reprinted: https://classicwrestlingarticles.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/wrestler-prepares-to-throw-in-the-towel/
Jen McCaffery "Man Wrestles Recovery, Bills" The Roanoke Times, 2/7/06 http://www.roanoke.com/webmin/news/man-wrestles-recovery-bills/article_7dafb990-8ed1-510e-a131-ea794a53f146.html
Mid Atlantic Gateway " With Great Honor Brad Anderson talks about his mentor Nelson Royal" http://www.midatlanticwrestling.net/andersons/sections/bradanderson/nelsonroyal/nroyal_interview.htm
Cagematch.net Mike Staples profile https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=4602&page=4
Before we get to the first PPV let's go into more detail on the creative team. Who is making the decisions? Who is writing the shows? Why was TNA's creative team structured the way it is going into the first show! I apologize for a bit of rough audio near the end.
Sources:
Jerry Jarrett: The Story of the Development of the NWA TNA (2003)
Jerry Jarrett: Open Letter to Fans From Jerry Jarrett Accessed 2/2/2018, http://web.archive.org/web/20020602023007/http://www.nwatna.com:80/news/05/19/JarrettLtr.shtml
Bryan Alvarez: Figure Four Weekly 7/1/02
Wade Keller: Pro Wrestling Torch 5/25/02
Bryan Alvarez: Figure Four Daily 2/16/10
Before TNA there was World Wrestling All Stars! WWA was one of several post WCW upstarts hoping to capture the WCW fans who wouldn't watch the WWF. Let's talk about how similar they were to TNA and the warning signs that TNA ignored.
Sources:
ME WATCHING THESE BAD SHOWS
Kevin Eck "Going global: the WWA is looking to find its niche by spanning the world, but will American audiences buy into the "Ice Capades" concept?" Wrestling Digest (2002)
Jerry Jarrett "The Story of the Development of the NWA TNA" (2002)
Multiple issues of Bryan Alvarez's Figure 4 Weekly from August 2001-June 2002, www.f4wonline.com
Join us as we continue our journey into the history of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling! Today we delve into how Jeff and Jerry Jarrett planned to finance NWA TNA. What was their business plan? Where'd they get the money? What was the outlook for success!
Sources:
10/29/98 Savannah Morning News
Eric Bischoff: Controversy Creates Cash
Dave Meltzer: 11/9/98 Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Jerry Jarrett: The History of the NWA TNA
Join Hulkamatt and I for a deep dive into the history of TNA! In this episode we will take a look at how TNA started, who the main players were, what the nature of the project was and how the promotion was framed. We're going to give you more TNA history than you can handle and this serves as the introduction.
Sources: Ed Ferrera: FROM THE DESK OF ED FERRARA, MAY 30
Jerry Jarrett: The Story of the Development of the NWATNA: A New Concept in Pay-Per-View Programming (2004)
Bryan Alvarez: Figure 4 Weekly issues 3/11/02 and 4/15/02
After Vince Russo joined WCW in 1999 the World Title was vacated and a 32 Man* World Title Tournament was held! I have Hulkamatt predict every match of this 18 year old tournament and we'll show you why there is an asterisk there! Join us for this trainwreck of an episode.
Join us as we discuss SID VICIOUS and his big winning streak of the New Millennium as well as his feud with Goldberg!
ONITA! Atsushi Onita came to the US and The Monumental Podcast was there. Hulkamatt reviews a show he saw for once as we go over all the amazing bullshit involving Onita and Matt Tremont, the Aerial Assault match and Lio Rush vs Joey Janela.
Join us as Hulkamatt picks the winners of WCW Fall Brawl 99! How does that work on a show from 18 years ago? Well he's never seen it and knows nothing about it! We then review the show and the politics behind the awful booking and the Hulk Hogan vs Sting main event.
Hulkamatt and I review Game Changer Wrestling: Zandig Tournament of Survival 2! John Zandig's second survival match tournament in which 8 of the fiercest death match wrestlers faced off! Hear all about the insanity including the absurdly dangerous finals.
Hulkamatt learns all about the period where Eric Bischoff tried to present himself as a cool, kayfabe breaking babyface! Learn all about this horrible period during WCW's atrocious Summer of 99.
Hulkamatt joins me for a discussion of Poop Feud 2! Immediately after Poop Feud 1, Macho Man Randy Savage went to war with Dennis "The Worm" Rodman in Poop Feud 2! Learn all about this feud, the kidnappings and the poop!
In May 2001 WCW under Eric Bischoff and Fusient Media Ventures was set to produce THE BIG BANG the first PPV of a relaunched WCW. What would the show be like? Who would be on it? We discuss this non-existent show and the failed effort by Fusient and Bischoff to purchase WCW.
Oatgan and ChampJulius join me for expert discussion of The Great Poop Feud of 99! Hear from the people who lived and loved Poop Feud 99 how Macho Man Randy Savage and Kevin Nash waged war in the legendary Poop Feud.
Hulkamatt joins me to discuss The Great Poop Feud of 99! Learn all about how Macho Man Randy Savage and Big Sexy Kevin Nash tried to pour poop all over one another! Sprinkle in Sid Vicious, Sting, White Hummers and so much more for the greatest poop feud to that point!