The Wrestling Archives

We stayed up past our bedtime to have the opportunity to talk with the legendary Jesús Ricardo Rodriguez. He shares his incredible story that took him around the world twice over. We talk about his introduction to the business, his love for Eddie Guerrero, and his meteoric rise to fame as the personal ring announcer and valet to the WWE/World Heavyweight Champion and AAA Mega Champion, El Patròn Alberto del Rio! He was on top of the world, starting wrestling schools in Punjab and Cairo, Egypt. With that fame came a heavy cost. Jesús shares with us his extremely personal, but familiar story of his battles with addiction. He is two years sober and he tells us of the great power and hope that there is in recovery. He now runs the wrestling academy, Three Legacies Wrestling, in Lancaster, Pa. where he is building a new legacy and is featured with Major League Wrestling (MLW). You don't want to miss this one! National Drug Hotline: (844) 289-0879 SAMHSA Line: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) Suicide Crisis line: 988

Alright, you've been having a pretty killer summer. In an exchange with your mom, you watched (and secretly enjoyed) "A League of Their Own." In this bargain, you got to go see "Batman Returns." Your dad said no to "Lethal Weapon 3," but felt bad so he secretly took you to see "Encino Man" because Pauly Shore is so funny!!! In the lobby of the movie theater, you blasted through $10 (oh no, your popcorn money!) of quarters playing Street Fighter II. You and your friends can't stop doing that stupid grunt Tim Allen does on "Home Improvement." The calendar shows the school year catching up on you so as one last summer blast, your parents order SummerSlam. It's special because it's from England this year. The Macho Man is fighting the Ultimate Warrior with Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect lurking and Bret Hart must square-off against his brother-in-law, the British Bulldog with Diane Hart split between the two. Little did you know you were about to witness a Rembrandt-level wrestling match be painted before your very eyes between those two men. It must be good if Bobby Heenan isn't even acting the jerk! Plus, The Legion of Doom and their puppet Rocco is there! Sure, Rocco seems stupid, even for 1990's WWF but, the LOD ARE SO COOL! The Undertaker is so cool and spooky and new! But where is Hulk Hogan???

It's January 1990. You're happy they've finally stopped playing that dang Christmas song by Band Aid and you are fully jamming to Hangin' Tough by New Kids on the Block. Most Sundays you have to decide between America's Funniest Home Videos or ALF. But, not this Sunday. You were really good and did your chores and washed your grandma's feet so your parents would spring for the Royal Rumble on Pay-Per-View. They even ordered Domino'sand said you can stay up late to finish it! You can't wait to wave your arms at home like a Bushwhacker and you're a little jealous of that kid they always lick. You're excited for the 30-man Royal Rumble match but Hulk Hogan AND The Ultimate Warrior are in it and you can't decide who to cheer for! It's a real-life more panic, are you a Hulkamaniac or are you a Warrior? You took your vitamins and said your prayers, but you also believe you can so you know you're halfway there....Oh well, Grandma can watch Murder, She Wrote in the other room. Thanks for listening!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! It's WrestleMania week, and since Tim and Rich have a real soft spot for the showcase of the immortals, it's time for them to make their predictions, get everything wrong, and have fun while doing it. Sure, they get distracted easily and go off on tangents, but what do you expect when WWE insists on making the show of shows a two-night spectacular? Download and enjoy!

It's April 7, 2014. You've turned off Happy by Pharrell Williams so you can sit down for the next four hours and watch WrestleMania from the SuperDome, not the SilverDome (Looking at you Hulk Hogan). You have on your Obama-esque "YES!" shirt. Everything seems normal and routine. They parade out last generation's superstars. They wheel out the new members of the Hall of Fame. But, this is New Orleans, there's dark forces, mystery and a laissez-faire approach to things. Something seems off. It's time to see the Undertaker come out and renew the ritual of defeating an opponent. He's struggled the last few years. He hasn't looked as fast, he's been looking vulnerable. This year, he's facing Brock Lesnar who has been unstoppable. Your brain is telling you it makes no sense for The Undertaker to win, but your heart...your heart tells you that he just can't lose. He's unbeatable at WrestleMania. He's 21-0 for goodness sake. But, to quote Paul Heyman, "Maybe...?" It's ok, it's Yes-leMania! Daniel Bryan will carry the day! Boy, Bray Wyatt is scary and that song is a jam... Support the Archives: https://ko-fi.com/wrestlingarchives

If you're a wrestling fan from the late 90's, you already know why we're doing an episode on this event. June 28, 1998, Pittsburgh, PA. Wrestling changes. Whether it's for the best or the worst, that's up for debate. What we do know is that it saved the WWF and secured the win for Vince McMahon in the Monday Night Wars with Ted Turner. While we definitely discuss at length the elephant in the room, we also talk about the actual King of the Ring tournament of that year and how it was primed for Ken Shamrock to shoot for the stars. We also discuss how this event even came to be and how it was nearly a tremendous flop from several angles, including poor writing and top stars being injured. This episode is full of historical nuggets, philosophical discussion, what-ifs, and as always, some hearty laughs. Thanks for listening! Support the Show: https://ko-fi.com/wrestlingarchives Buy the shirt: https://www.teepublic.com/user/wrestling-archives

The Greek God Papadon blessed Tim and Rich with his presence in a no holds barred interview that talked about everything. One thing I can tell you, this God among men loves Star Wars and hates thigh slapping. This interview gets raucous as we discuss his 3-way match against Dirty Money and Chris Slade next week at Virginia Championship Wrestling's return to Hampton High School. Papadon is a veteran of the business, approaching his 25th year wrestling. He has wrestled pretty every big star there is today, either on their way up on their way down. Oh, did we mention he's a movie star? He was one of the wrestlers in The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke. Of course The Greek God has an opinion on that experience too! Make sure you download this one, folks. This is one not to miss! Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wrestlingarchives Buy the Shirt: https://www.teepublic.com/user/wrestling-archives

Tim and Rich flashback to Texas in 1984. Tragedy had struck the Von Erich family in February when David Von Erich was stricken with an intestinal illness and passed away while on tour in Japan. Fritz, the patriarch and promoter of World Class Championship Wrestling assembled a super card in his honor with the main event being Ric Flair vs Kerry Von Erich for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The card is sprinkled with other familiar faces, like Kamala the Ugandan Giant, The Fabulous Freebirds, Butch Reed, and the rest of the Von Erich clan, including Fritz, who returned to the ring to defend the family's honor. This was an emotionally charged show with great action and one of the loudest and passionate stadium crowds we've ever seen on this show. Thanks for listening! Support the Archives: https://ko-fi.com/wrestlingarchives Buy the shirt: https://www.teepublic.com/user/wrestling-archives

Hey y'all we made a friend! The Hoss of all Hosses and former Virginia Championship Wrestling United States Champion, Devantes stops by to have a chat. He's been burned by his former manager, scum of the Earth Neil Sharkey, and is looking for vengeance. While we do talk a lot of wrestling, our boy is from Philly, so that leaves us with no choice but to talk food. The go-to cheesesteak, steak preparation, mid-tier steakhouses of old, we touch on all things red meat. The dude is real cool and we really had a great time talking with a new friend of the show who we think will probably be back on in the future to talk more food. Someone please help us with this Amish chicken business. Support the Show: https://ko-fi.com/wrestlingarchives Buy the Shirt: https://www.teepublic.com/user/wrestling-archives See Devantes in action: https://vcwprowrestling.com/events/

Look, some strange stuff has happened over the years in pro wrestling; Mae Young birthing a hand, the Gobbledy Gooker, Kane beating up Pete Rose, but nothing has become quite as infamous or part of the wrestling lore as Capital Combat '90: The Return of RoboCop. Tim and Rich break down this show which had a pretty solid card for an early WCW show. Ric Flair and Luger, the Four Horsemen running amuck, and Doom and The Steiner brothers nearly destroy humanity. It's pretty run of the mill until RoboCop shows up to keep the peace. All we can say is take a listen to Tim and Rich try to make sense of a show that really pushes kayfabe to its breaking point. Thanks for listening!

New Year, new show name! New guest! We welcome Celine Dion's favorite pro wrestler to the Archives, Vince Valor. While skimming the socials, Rich picked up a distress call from Vince Valor. Vince had recently suffered a devasting injury and was needing support and was offering to do interviews since he couldn't do any ring work. The Invincible One shares some great insights into the wrestling business and tells his story, as well as putting over his cat, Eddie. Vince just won the Empire State Wrestling Heavyweight Championship while dealing with a torn pectoral muscle. Vince details not just his in-ring philosophy, but his teaching one as well, as he runs the Buffalo Wrestling Academy. Take a listen, he's a great guest, and new friend of the show. Thanks for listening! Support Vince's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/vince-valor-and-the-tale-of-the-torn-pec Support the Archives: https://ko-fi.com/wrestlingarchives Buy the Shirt: https://www.teepublic.com/user/wrestling-archives

Here we are, at the end of 2023. A year dominated by wrestling drama. In what has become a tradition, we sat down and had a talk about the wrestling year that was 2023. The high spots, the low spots, those we lost, those we gained. The people we talked to, the stories we shared. The matches we loved and the ones we didn't. It's been an incredible year. We're retiring the name "All The WrestleManias" after this episode and growing into our new name, The Wrestling Archives. Follow us along on the journey.

As we say farewell to the name "All The WrestleManias," another icon of the wrestling business is saying farewell. Though we talked for almost 2 hours, we barely scratched the surface of the story of the man that is George Pantas. You may not have heard of George, but everyone that you have heard of has heard of him. George is the source of some of the greatest wrestling footage Vice TV and the WWE ever acquired to tell the story of the lost days of the territories. A young Greek immigrant, son of a tinsmith, locked on to wrestling because you didn't need to know English to understand what was happening, and that blossomed into an incredible love affair. George is finally hanging it up after 50 years active in the wrestling business. He will be saying his goodbyes on December 2 at VCW's Tidings of Destruction. George has agreed to bear witness to us about the incredible wrestling moments he has experienced and provides insight to the greatest minds of wrestling. Of course, George knows everyone, from Ric Flair to Billy Corgan, Wahoo McDaniel to Tony Schiavone, and countless others. His story dovetails beautifully with our conversation with David Crockett. You don't want to miss this. George is an incredible human being and an absolute delight. Support the Show: http://www.ko-fi.com/wrestlingarchives Get some Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/wrestling-archives

It is our pleasure to give to you this interview of wrestling royalty. David Crockett is the son of Jim Crockett, Sr. who created an entertainment empire in the south, but is most famous for running the "Charlotte" territory in wrestling, better known as Mid-Atlantic Wrestling/Jim Crockett Promotions/NWA/World Championship Wrestling. He came to us to let the world know he'll be at the Virginia Championship Wrestling's Tidings of Destruction on December 2nd to wish his good friend George Pantas well in his retirement after 50 years in wrestling. David shares with us some great stories from both his territory days and his days with Ted Turner's WCW. He shares with us the anxiety surrounding Vince McMahon's aggressive push into the southern territories and television. David doesn't hold back about the business of the past and present. Rich and Tim talk everything from Broadway, to James Brown, to ACC Football, to Ric Flair at the Baltimore Marriott. He even sheds a little more light on WCW's decision to pass on The Rock. Mr. Crockett is the genuine real deal and came to us to share his story and his family's legacy and influence over the athletic theatrical art that we love so much. We are honored to bestow upon him the title of "Friend of the Show." Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wrestlingarchives Virginia Championship Wrestling: https://vcwprowrestling.com/tidings-of-destruction-december-2nd-in-norfolk/

With the new year upon us, we felt it was time for a fresh coat of paint, so to speak. Our scope has expanded so much from just covering WrestleManias that the name is feeling restrictive. Starting in the 2024, we will become known as "The Wrestling Archives!" We discuss why we're making this change and some of the great content we have coming soon, including interviews with the one and only David Crockett and the delightful George Pantas. Keep a look out for the new name and new stuff!!! Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wrestlingarchives

This week we sit down with the other half of the VCW tag team champs, the man hailing from a gated community within a gated community, Logan Easton Laroux. Logan is hanging it up, leaving his boots in the ring, and walking away from the business (well, unless a large contract comes his way). He may only be 33 years old, but he's been working the squared circle since he was 16. He has seen it all, done it all, and worked with some of the best in the business. Whether you know him as Logan Hodge, Race Jaxon, Barf, or The Blank, you don't want to miss this interview. Logan talks honest and frank about his career and is just about as genuine of an interview you can expect from a professional wrestler. We definitely wish him the best in his future endeavors! You won't want to miss his VCW retirement match on November 11 in Alexandria, VA against AEW star and friend, Wheeler Yuta! VCW: https://vcwprowrestling.com/ Support the show: http://www.ko-fi.com/allthewrestlemanias

We hop in the time machine and drive up I-95 to 2300 South Swanson Street in Philadelphia to bear witness to 1997's ECW Barely Legal, Extreme Championship Wrestling's first Pay-Per-View. We are treated to some of the bloodiest, and most violent action we've watched on this podcast. We had to watch through our fingers a few times! But we meet young stars like Rob Van Dam, Lance Storm, Raven, and Taz. Plus there's some familiar faces like Terry Funk, Bill Alphonso, and Rick Rude. We experience one of the hottest crowds we've ever encountered, with such enthusiastic chants that we can't repeat them here. Plus, what the hell is the deal with The Sandman? Support the Show: http://www.ko-fi.com/allthewrestlemanias

In a very special episode, we are joined by the head of talent relations AND current co-holder of the Virginia Championship Wrestling Tag Championship, Jonathan "The Reason" Elliott. We talk about a whole lot of stuff, but definitely about VCW's upcoming events in Norfolk and in Alexandria, Virginia. October 7th is the Nightmare on Granby Street and November 11, Veterans Day, in Alexandria, VA, where they will have special guests Wheeler Yuta and Nyla Rose from AEW in action! Jonny shares all kinds of great stories with us, from getting suckered into an MMA fight, which suckered him into wrestling training, to traveling on the road with Sanjay Dutt. We learn a little bit about his combat experience and that the WWE really does give the troops the Pay-Per-Views for free. This interview is a lot of fun! Thanks for downloading! https://vcwprowrestling.com/events/ Support All The WrestleManias: http://www.ko-fi.com/allthewrestlemanias

If you paid for WrestleMania 28 due to the tag line, "Once in a Lifetime" you may be owed compensation. In a huge case of deja vu, we're confronted with John Cena vs. The Rock from the Meadowlands, just outside of New York City in swampy New Jersey (everything's legal in New Jersey). Not far from where Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton, Chris Christie wore a sweatshirt for an out-of-state university, HHH pretended to hit Brock Lesnar with a sledgehammer, Paul Heyman tastefully mocked a dead person, and Dutch Mantel was xenophobic, racist, antisemitic, and showed linguistic prejudice against pretty much everyone. WrestleMania 29 had something for everyone and something for no one. There's an unprecedented number of WrestleMania debuts and WWE in-ring debuts on this show (welcome to the table, Roman Reigns). Tim and Rich also break down the recent WWE releases and Rich reports back from the Pay Your Dues wrestling at the American Legion (big love to Dirty Money). Thanks for listening! Support the show: http://www.ko-fi.com/allthewrestlemanias

When Tim is away, Rich will play! While Tim enjoys the Dutch tropics, Rich toils away endlessly for content to entertain the masses. Rich comes back to you with another episode of Classical Music and Professional Wrestling. This time, Rich digs into circus music, film scores about the founding of Israel, and post-modern American music. Mix in a sprinkling of Freud, music theory, and P.T. Barnum, and you get an episode about the music and characters of Doink the Clown, Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig, and Mick Foley's Mankind. Enjoy and thanks for listening! Support the show: http://www.ko-fi.com/allthewrestlemanias